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New doctor, non-invasive neurological treatment could help pain relief
JR Ortega
Oct. 5, 2010 at 5:05 a.m.
HOMETOWN: Victoria
FAMILY: Wife, Pammy; and two kids, Lyndsey, 25; and Johnathan, 23.
FAVORITE READS: Enjoys reading Hemingway.
INSPIRATION: "Live in today, you'll have your tomorrows. Focus on tomorrow and keep a positive attitude."
Graduated from the University of Houston - Central campus in 1976 with a bachelor of science in biology and a bachelor of science in pharmacy.
Graduated from the National University of Health Sciences in Illinois with a bachelor of science in human biology and a doctorate of chiropractic.
Graduated from the Southern College of Naturopathic Medicine with a doctorate of naturopathic medicine degree in 2006.
IF YOU GOWHAT: Neurological Relief lecture and testing
WHEN: Thursday
WHERE: Dr. Tim Holcomb's Neurological Relief Center; 4904 John Stockbauer Drive, Suite B
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
COST: Free
FOR MORE INFO: call 361-485-0449 or visit www.drholcombsnaturalhealth.com.
When Dr. Tim Holcomb heard about a newer neurological treatment, he was not only quick to want to learn it, but quick to want to show its benefits to others.
The treatment is known as neurological relief, and is a non-invasive way to treat symptoms such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, migraines, post-stroke problems and other diseases that affect the nervous system.
The treatment has even gone as far as helping people with anxiety and autism, he said.
"I certainly don't think it should be hidden from people," he said.
The Victoria native, who is the only one to perform this type of treatment in the Crossroads, will have a free neurological relief lecture and testing Thursday in his new office.
"This is taking it (neurological treatment) a step further into the 21st century," he said.
So how does it work?
Light pressure is applied to where the neck and brain meet, which relieves tension in the meninges, or the membranes that surround the central nervous system, he said.
Within minutes, a patient can feel relief, depending on the severity of their neurological disease.
There are about 200 centers across the U.S., which is not very many, he said.
Though the technique is not a cure all, Holcomb thinks it should be tried before other more traditional alternatives.
The cost of the treatment varies on a case to case basis and there are no real risks to the treatment, only possible benefits, he said.
"I would like to see this technique done before any surgeries are done," he said.
Holcomb, who has lived in Goliad for the past five years, had worked at his office in North Carolina for 17 years until he decided to come back to his hometown and try something different, he said.
At that office, he would work more on rehabilitation and physiotherapy, he said.
The decision to open a practice in Victoria occurred to him recently, he said.
He would like to make Victoria the place he retires and hopes to be a great asset to the Crossroads community, he said.
"Whatever is best for the patient is what's most important," he said.


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It's a Bat-heavy week in variant land, and we wouldn't have it any other way. First up, we have Guillem March's cover to BATMAN AND ROBIN #17, along with Gene Ha's variant for the same issue. We've also got Andy Clarke's cover to the first issue of David Finch's BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT (regular and black and white). Need more?
I just finished reading this issue and…well: Wow.
This is it. Batman vs. Dr. Hurt and the grand finale of Grant Morrison's masterful run on BATMAN AND ROBIN. But, thankfully, not the end to his over-arching Batman opus, as he and artist Yanick Paquette move over to BATMAN INCORPORATED later this month.
Our spotlight on all things BATMAN AND ROBIN continues and concludes today, with a special peek inside the mind of Grant Morrison, as the writer guides us through the various amazing new characters that first appeared in the second volume of BATMAN AND ROBIN, which hits stands in comic shops tomorrow as a DELUXE EDITION.
Take it away, Grant.
High above the clouds of the Nth City on Hawkworld, Hawkman takes center stage, as he begins an all-out assault to save his beloved.
But back on Earth, who will the White Lantern ring choose as its bearer and, in turn, the protector of the planet? The last page will shock you.
This week, BATMAN AND ROBIN v2: BATMAN VS. ROBIN DELUXE EDITION hits comic shops – and it's not a stretch to say you're in for a treat. The second volume of writer Grant Morrison's epic Batman tale -- starring Dick Grayson in the cape and cowl and Damian as Robin – puts the spotlight squarely on the Dynamic Duo and their, well, dynamic.
Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Pier Gallo step into Smallville next Wednesday with the launch of SUPERBOY #1, which launches the hero into a new, ongoing series. And, wow, is that Rafael Albuquerque cover a beauty or what? Wait until you see Pier Gallo's interiors.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Smiths Remix... Tokyo Police Club?
Categories: MP3 of the Day, News
via their MySpace page |
Bassist for the Smiths (yes, that Smiths) Andy Rourke has taken it upon himself to remix Tokyo Police Club's hit single "Breakneck Speed" off of their latest release Champ. The second full-length from the Ontario quartet was just released a few weeks ago.
The song in question was transformed from a catchy slow tempo track to a high-energy, dance beats driven song sure to take the single from the indie bar to the club with some much needed Smiths undertones. I mean, doesn't every band want a little hint of Smiths in their music?
See the video for the original song and download Andy Rourke's remix after the jump. Which do you prefer?
MP3: zSHARE - Toyko Police Club - Breakneck Speed _Andy Rourke Remix_.mp3
Sponsor Content


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So many Fuchias lately. owo
Fuchsia, I have said your name like "Foo-she-ah" since I've known you, I am finally starting to say it correctly, I'm so proud of myself! I don't even know why I insisted on saying it wrong because I've always known how to pronounce fuchsia, and always read it right for other things??? JUST NOT YOUR NAME AGH


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- Floor Plans
& Pricing - Map &
Directions - Apartment
Features - Apartment
Info - Office Hours
& Info - Ratings
& Reviews
Floor Plans & Pricing
Does your furniture fit? Pick a floor plan below and design your new place!
Style | Beds | Ba | 1/2 Ba | Sq. Ft. | Rent | Term | Deposit | Availability |
The Oak | 1 | 1 | 0 | 640 | $749 | Per Month | Please Call | Reserve Now |
The Maple | 1 | 1 | 0 | 933 | $849 | Per Month | Please Call | Reserve Now |
The Spruce | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1343 | $950-$1000 | Per Month | Please Call | Reserve Now |
The Laurel | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1414 | $1015-$1025 | Per Month | Please Call | Reserve Now |
Prices and availability subject to change without notice.
General Directions
From Glenwood Avenue, exit Highway 50/Creedmoor Road. Turn left on Lynn Road. Turn left on Ray Road. Laurel Oaks is on your right. Welcome home!
Apartment Features
- Fireplace
- Gas Range
- Oversized Closets
- Washer & Dryer Connections
- Deck
- Patio
Community Features
- Accepts Electronic Payments
- Emergency Maintenance
- Individual Leases
- Swimming Pool
- Tennis Court(s)
- Trail, Bike, Hike, Jog
- Wireless Internet Access
- On Site Management
- Pet Friendly
Special Features
- Pets
- Call for Policy
Additional Features
- Situated between I-440 and I-540 within minutes...
- Minutes from Brier Creek and the Crabtree Valle...
- Close proximity to Lake Lynn
- Grilling Areas
- Car Care Center
- Online Resident Services
- Online Payment Options
- Sunrooms
- Open Floor Plans
- Built In Bookshelves
- New Appliances Available
- Full Size Washer/Dryer Available
- Private Deck
Laurel Oaks
Laurel Oaks offers large 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with fireplaces, spacious closets and incredible sunrooms in North Raleigh, NC. We're conveniently situated between I-440 and I-540 with easy access to I-40 so you'll never be far from shopping, entertainment and work. Plus, we're only minutes from Brier Creek, the Crabtree Valley Mall and outdoor recreation at Lake Lynn Park. * * We invite you to visit us today and take a tour of our scenic community. Our on-site management and leasing team would be happy to show you around and tell you all about our renovation program that is now underway. It includes upgraded kitchens with black appliances. Plus, we're doing extensive exterior work and sprucing up our amenities. * * Stop by today. And don't forget to bring your furry friends as they are more than welcome in our pet friendly community too which will soon have a dog park!
Check Availability or call: (919) 238-3508 (888) 537-2807 (919) 926-7263
Community Information
Community Characteristics
Community Profile
- Population
- 46,534
- Growth Since 2000
- 42.31%
- Population Density
- 1891
- Male
- 49%
- Female
- 51%
Household Income
- Median
- $82,783
- Average
- $104,238
Office Hours
Sunday: | 01:00 AM to 05:00 PM |
Monday: | 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM |
Tuesday: | 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM |
Wednesday: | 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM |
Thursday: | 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM |
Friday: | 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM |
Saturday: | 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM |
Lease Terms
3-Month, 4-Month, 5-Month, 6-Month, 7-Month, 8-Month, 9-Month, 10-Month, 11-Month, 12-Month, 13-Month
If you value comforts of home combined with exceptional service then come and see what Madison Apartment Group has for you. We understand that value is more important than ever. We, at Madsion Apartment Group, pride ourselves in our commitment to give each of our residents that best living experience possible at any of our communities. Our residents enjoy quality amenities, including resort-style pools, tennis courts and fitness centers. As a resident, you will discover that all team members are committed to providing you with quality service and comfortable surroundings. Quality living is waiting for you at a MADISON Community!
Check Availability or call:(919) 238-3508 (888) 537-2807 (919) 926-7263
Fax: 9197821093
Overall Rating
(40 Ratings)What are Certified Ratings?
These are ratings based on residents who live at the property and have completed a resident satisfaction survey.
Residents are invited to participate in the satisfaction survey via a list of email addresses* submitted by the property and independently certified and administered by a third party market research firm.
Because reviews on Apartment Guide are from Certified Residents and are managed by a third party, you can feel confident that the feedback provided is accurate and trustworthy.
* Email list administration is managed by an independent market research firm, not Apartment Guide
Value for the Money
Office Staff
Building Exterior
Move-in Condition
Parking Availability
Recreational Facilities
26 Reviews for Laurel Oaks
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Quiet complex, staff always helpful and timely.
Was this helpful? Yes Found Helpful by 1 users Report Abuse
Staff is friendly and helpful, maintenance is quick and well done. The landscaping is well maintained. I am always treated with courtesy and concern for my well-being. Rules are maintained equally for everyone and I feel safe and comfortable here.
Was this helpful? Yes Found Helpful by 2 users Report Abuse
maintenance is a joke, complaints go no where
Was this helpful? Yes Found Helpful by 0 users Report Abuse
I've been here for 3 years with 3 price hikes and no improvement. The only 'amenities' are an old pool with no lights, a cracked and decaying tennis court and a vaguely open space for a 'dog park'. The office team might as well be replaced with robots since we switch to new office managers every year (or more often, I stopped paying attention to them) and with every new manager a new rent hike. For the extra rent, could we maybe see something like a fitness center or -something- to coincide?
Was this helpful? Yes Found Helpful by 3 users Report Abuse
Pegasus never evidenced much regard for their residents. Assistant Managers and maintenance personnel changed often and apparently left no records behind so that residents had to repeat the entire history of any matter to the newest manager/maintenance person before seeking any help. Major problems with my apartment were not followed up and the "your maintenance request has been completed" emails were virtually void of meaningful content.
Almost all ratings below are based on Pegasus management.
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Submit CancelWhat is a Certified Resident?
A resident who lives at the property and has completed a resident satisfaction survey.
Residents are invited to participate in the satisfaction survey via a list of email addresses* submitted by the Property and independently certified and administered by Kingsley Associates, our third party market research firms.
Because reviews on Apartment Guide are from Certified Residents, and are managed by a third party, you can feel confident that the feedback provided is accurate and trustworthy.
* Select Ratings and Reviews are generated through independent market research firm Kingsley Associates and not Apartment Guide.


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Alternative Medicine
Northwestern Mutual Study
November 14th, 2012Women Understand the Realities of Long-Term Care, But May Not Plan AccordinglyWomen may have a better understanding than men about the resources and options available to individuals facing a long-term care event. However, they're significantly less likely to be taking action to protect themselves from the risks.
Alzheimer's on Acid?
November 14th, 2012If Satan were to create the "perfect disease" to torture mankind, it would be Alzheimer's. According to the Alzheimer's Association, the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a progressive, degenerative disorder that cripples the brain's nerve cells, has reached a record 5.4 million patients in the US in 2012.
Tips For Living Fully 'After Fifty'
November 13th, 2012AfterFiftyLiving.com Looks At What Really Matters"After Fifty" years can be wonderful, productive, and rewarding, if people follow the advice of AfterFiftyLiving.com, a rapidly emerging online social network which provides resources exclusively for Baby Boomers and folks over 50.
Holiday Menus Balance Naughty and Nice
November 13th, 2012New Chef-inspired Recipes Use Winter's Surprise IngredientThough it's tempting to include every indulgent dish on holiday tables, the most successful menus are a balance of both healthful and decadent favorites.
National Memory Screening Day
November 13th, 2012On November 13, the Waterville Library in Waterville, OH, the Waretown United Methodist Church, in Waretown, NJ, and Sykes' Restaurant in Kalispell, MT will be offering the public more than their usual wealth of books, spiritual sanctuary and lunch, respectively.
Caregiver's Psychic Ability Helps Clients Cope with Life and Death
November 13th, 2012Gail Trauco, RN, BSN-OCN, was born a compassionate caregiver. She attests that angels have been on her shoulder, long before becoming an oncology certified nurse, and coming into contact with dying patients in cancer wards.
Personal Relationships Improve Survival in Women with Breast Cancer
November 12th, 2012The quality of a woman's social networks—the personal relationships that surround an individual—appears to be just as important as the size of her networks in predicting breast cancer survival, Kaiser Permanente scientists report in the current issue of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
Banish Frequent Heartburn by Burning More Calories
November 12th, 2012Losing weight may be an easy and effective solutionLooking for a way to help free yourself of persistent heartburn through lifestyle changes? The answer may lie in your body mass index (BMI), a test of whether your weight is too high. Frequent or persistent heartburn is the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Symptoms of GERD can increase along with your waistline.
Recognizing Health Conditions
November 12th, 2012Stress of war and military life play a big roleAsking the right questions can help health care providers identify debilitating conditions brought on by the stress of war and military life, according to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). AANP is sharing with providers nationwide a simple and effective tool for identifying health problems among veterans and military service members.
Emergency Physicians: Avoid Spending Thanksgiving in the ER
November 9th, 2012Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, good food and good times. The nation's emergency physicians want it to stay that way and not become a memory that involves a visit to the nearest ER.


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Start learning with our library of video tutorials taught by experts. Get started
Introduces AmpliTube, a studio-quality app for playing guitar and bass through the iPad and recording a collection of classic and modern guitar sounds.
"You've got my back. When a customer expects me to know something, I know where I can find it fast and get a clear, simple explanation." —Richard R.
more from our members »


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How to Make Homework Fun and Fast
Are you falling asleep because of dreadful homework? Do you seem to keep putting it off and never have the motivation? Well, read on!
1Get in a nice, neat, comfortable spot where you can relax. This will help you focus better.Ad
2Get a snack while you're working. A fun way to reward yourself for doing homework is getting a snack/food you love, and then each time you finish a problem or pass a certain point you can take a bite!
3If you're too hot or too cold you will be uncomfortable. Make sure your room is a temperature you're comfortable in.
4Pretend! Pretend you are a teacher, and you're asking the students questions. If you're doing Math, it may be helpful to get a dry-erase board and write the problems on there. This will make your work very productive, if you're a visual/color learner.
5Every 30-45 minutes, take a 5-10 minute break. Set a timer so when it goes off, you're back and ready to work some more! Don't get yourself burned out. It is VITAL to take breaks, but don't forget about your homework!
6You can find a study partner. Study partners can be really good, or really bad. Make sure your friend is willing to buckle down and do the homework. If you and your partner talk too much, then your homework will never get done!
7Get extra help if you're stuck! If you don't understand the homework, don't just put it away and give up.
- Stay before or after school to get extra help from teachers. It may not seem fun, but it will make the homework much easier. Your grades will suffer if you don't understand what's going on!
- If you have a study partner, as mentioned above, you can ask them if they understand it.
- Another option is to look up how-to videos online, if it is something like Science or Math.
8Turn off electronics which can keep you distracted. Unless of course you're using the internet for help. However, beware of ads! They will suck you in and get you very distracted.Ad
We could really use your help!
- Don't sleep or nap during a break. During your break you should only go to the restroom, wash your face off, get a drink/snack, or take a quick walk and get fresh air.
- If you like listening to music while you work, try not to listen to songs with words as this could distract you.
- Do NOT text, not even one. One text will turn in two, then three, and so on... You will run out of time for your homework if you start texting!
- Try to steer clear of junk/sugary food. It may give you energy, but only for a little bit and then you'll crash!
- Don't get into the habit of rewarding yourself with food. It may be okay for now, but it can lead to major weight gain. If you really feel like you need to, stick to healthy foods. Try cucumber slices w/ ranch!
Things You'll Need
- Homework
- A nice, quiet spot
- Pencil, paper, eraser,sharpener, stapler, ruler
- Confidence
- Snacks/Gum (optional)
Article Info
Categories: Homework Skills
In other languages:
Español: Cómo hacer las tareas de manera divertida y rápida, Italiano: Come Fare i Compiti in Modo Rapido e Divertente, Português: Como Fazer o Dever de Casa de Forma Fácil e Rápida
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 42,367 times.


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Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan has picked up the award for Sexiest Female for the third year in a row, at this year's British Soap Awards.
The stunning brunette, who is currently dating The Wanted singer Max George, gained the title after going up against fellow soap stunners, who were picked by the public.
They included Corrie babe Alison King, who plays Carla Connor, Rita Simons who plays Roxy Mitchelle in EastEnders, and Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe, who plays Mercedes McQueen.
After receiving her award from members of pop band Mcfly, Michelle, who looked stunning in a full-length gold gown, said: "I've always wanted to meet them! Thank you so much to everyone who's voted. I want to dedicate the award to my mum and dad, I love them very much."
It was a good night for Coronation Street, with the soap lifting no less than nine awards at the glitzy bash, which took place on May 14 and was screened on TV tonight, May 18.
Top honours included the award for Spectacular Scene of the Year for the tram crash which was screened to celebrate Corrie's 50th anniversary.
Young actor Alexander Bain, who plays Simon Barlow, was delighted to win Best Young Performance, while Patti Clare, who plays Mary Taylor picked up Best Comedy Performance.
Best Storyline was also awarded to Corrie for the episode entitled "End of the line for the Websters & Dobbs". But Coronation Street missed out on the top award of the night, Best British Soap, with EastEnders pipping Corrie to the post.


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Episode Information
One of the pioneers of modern wilderness conservation in the Northeast passed away this month. Clarence Petty was 104 years old.
He helped to protect vast forests and lakes in New York's Adirondack and Catskill Mountains. The wild areas he fought to defend are the largest in the East, far bigger than the White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire or Baxter State Park in Maine. As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann has this remembrance.
When Clarence Petty was born in 1905, his father was dirt poor, a squatter living in a cabin on state land in New York's Adirondack Mountains. He was interviewed for a profile seven years ago.
"My father was a guide. He had a place fixed up for himself and that's where we lived back in the woods. At that time, almost everybody lived in the woods in the Adirondacks -- that was everything what we had."
Petty grew up trapping and hunting. That early education stayed with him as the country began to develop rapidly as rivers were dammed and as suburbs gobbled up forests.
"Mother shook her fingers at us. She said you got to go down to Saranac and get a high school education at least. So in winter we strapped on the snowshoes..."
And he and his brothers trudged sixteen miles to school every week – and home again on weekends.
Those treks by snowshoe were the first steps in a journey deep into the spirit and politics of wild lands conservation.
In the late 1950s, Petty led a team for New York state that canoed and hiked some of the most rugged terrain in the East.
Dave Gibson, head of a group called Protect the Adirondacks, says Petty helped decide which forests would be preserved in a primitive state. That means no roads, no human structures, no motorized access.
"He began under the auspices of the Conservation Department to do the first wilderness studies. Where should these areas be and how should the lines be drawn on the map?"
The project was revolutionary. It was half a decade before the Wilderness Act reinvented open space protection on Federal lands.
Today the Adirondacks are the largest park in the lower-48, with more than 3 million protected acres.
It's half a day's drive from 70 million people, but it contains the kind of remote boreal forests and wild rivers that most people associate with Alaska or Canada.
On a wintry December day, trekking on Cascade Mountain near Lake Placid, I could see Petty's legacy.
"Mountains as far as the eye can see, cloaked in mist. In some places there's just this incredibly pure crown of snow giving way to the dark green of the forest."
In the East, fights over places like this have often meant locals who are pro-development squaring off against "green" outsiders.
But Clarence Petty was born and raised in these mountains. He was at ease with loggers and sportsmen.
Dick Beamish, with the Adirondack Explorer magazine, says that gave him a unique voice.
"He has tremendous credibility. He's not an outsider saying, 'Oh isn't this nice, this playground we have in northern New York state, let's keep it that way for us to enjoy. Clarence is an Adirondacker."
That means deep roots and a family history that went back generations.
But to the end of his life Petty argued that there are plenty of places in the country for people, especially in the heavily urbanized Northeast.
A few special places, he insisted, should be carved out and protected and kept wild forever.
Northeast environmental coverage is part of NPR's Local News Initiative


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Luigi Bormioli
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Kristin Cavallari & Jay Cutler Are Engaged… Again!
Kristin Cavallari & boyfriend Jay Cutler are engaged once again! The reality starlet announced on her Twitter page that she and her fiance football player are going to try to make it to the altar once again! She says:
Reality Stars Kristin Cavallari & Scott Disick Did Not Hook Up [AUDIO]
Earlier this year, the couple announced that they were engaged, but then quickly called it quits in the Summer. However, the duo got back together in the Fall, trying to mend their relationship. It looks like it worked, because the couple now has plans to wed once again!
Are Kristin Cavallari And Ex-Fiance Jay Cutler Getting Back Together?
Here's to a long & happy marriage! Congrats you two!
VIA HollywoodGossip


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Many CPAs fall into the trap of focusing professional development efforts solely on "hard skills," continuing to sharpen their technical skills with respect to accounting and financial acumen but ignoring the "soft skills" which are often a key ingredient to successfully moving up the leadership ladder. Some people have argued that soft skills are attributes that one is born with — you either have them or you don't. While some of us have more natural leadership traits than others, we all possess the capability to further develop our leadership skills. Consider these five tips to improve your leadership capabilities:
AICPA Board Member, Tom Foard, CPA is the EVP/CFO of Publishers Circulation Fulfillment, a privately-held company that provides distribution and support services to the newspaper industry. In addition to overseeing the financial activities of the business, Tom leads the strategic and business planning initiatives of the company with the leadership team. Prior to joining PCF in March 2001, Tom was VP/CFO of Maryland Baseball and has also held financial positions with Millennium Chemicals and Burlington Industries. Tom has an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, where he was also an undergraduate. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant, Tom is a Certified Management Accountant and is Certified in Financial Management.


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Techniques in Data Compression for Electroencephalograms
- Cornelius T. Leondes
- … show all 1 hide
Information theory is applied to data compression in many fields, to efficiently store or transmit texts, sounds, images and signals. In this chapter, different techniques for Electroencephalograph (EEG) and Dynamic or Holter EEG data compression will be discussed, with the requirement that compression should not prevent perfect reconstruction of the original information from the compressed one (such compression techniques are called "lossless").
The present work was performed in cooperation with the Neurological Department of the Santa Chiara Hospital in Trento where the hardware acquires up to 32 channels, with 8 bit accuracy, at a maximum sampling rate of 1 kHz. However, in everyday practice, a minor number of channels and a lower sampling rate suffice. All results reported are referred to 128 Hz sampling rate per channel, 8 bit accuracy, 20 channels (20,480 bps data stream), which is considered sufficient to achieve a good EEG signal quality. Lossy compressions can preserve relevan ...
- N. Ahmed and K. R. Rao. Orthogonal Transforms for Digital Signal Processing. Springer-Verlag, 1975.
- G. Antoniol and P. Tonella. EEG data compression techniques. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 44(2): 105–114, 1997. CrossRef
- G. Antoniol and P. Tonella. Data Compression Techniques for EEG Signals. IRST Technical Report No. 9508-03, Trento, Italy, 1995.
- R. Battiti, A. Sartori, G. Tecchiolli, P. Tonella and A. Zorat. Neural Compression: an integrated application to EEG signals. Proc. IWANNT, pp. 210–217, 1995.
- H. Braun and M. Riedmiller. Rprop: A fast and robust backpropagation learning strategy. Proc. ACNN, 1993.
- A. Cohen, F. Flomen and N. Drori. EEG Sleep Staging Using Vectorial Autoregressive Models, Advances of Processing and Pattern Analysis of Biological Signals. Plenum Press, 1995.
- T. H. Cormen, C. E. Leiserson and R. L. Rivest. Algorithms. MIT Press, 1990.
- T. M. Cover and J. A. Thomas. Elements of Information Theory. John Wiley and Sons, 1991.
- R. M. Gardner, D. R. Bennet and R. B. Vorce. Eight Channel data set for clinical EEG transmission over dial-up telephone network. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 246–249, 1974.
- A. Gersho and R. M. Gray. Vector Quantization and Signal Compression. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1992.
- P. S. Hamilon and W. J. Tompkins. Theoretical and experimental rate distorsion performance in compression of ambulatory ECG's. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 38(3): 261–266, 1991.
- G. Held and T. R. Marshall. Data Compression. John Wiley and Sons, 1991.
- S. M. S. Jalaleddine, C. G. Hutchens, R. D. Strattan and W. A. Coberly. ECG data compression techniques-a unified approach. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 37(4): 329–343, 1990. CrossRef
- S. Lawrence Marple Jr., Digital Spectral Analysis with Applications. Prentice Hall, 1987
- C. P. Mammen and B. Ramamurthi. Vector quantization for compression of multichannel ECG. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 37(9): 821–825, 1990. CrossRef
- J. I. Makhoul. Linear Prediction: A Tutorial Review. Proc. IEEE, 1972.
- J. Markel and A. Grey. Linear Prediction of Speech. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1976. CrossRef
- G. Nave and A. Cohen. ECG Compression Using Long-Term Prediction. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 40(9): 877–885, 1993. CrossRef
- Y. Ohtaki, K. Toraichi and Y. Ishiyama. On compressing method of EEG data for their digital database. Proc. ICASSP, pp. 581–584, 1992.
- S. C. Tai. An extensive markov system for ECG exact coding. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 42(2): 230–232, 1995. CrossRef
- F. Vaz, O. Pacheco and A. Martins da Silva. Long distance EEG transmission using the public telephone network. Bolet. Epileps. 1(3): 35–39, 1994.
- J. Ziv and A. Lempel. A universal algorithm for sequential data compression. IEEE Transactions on Information Theory 23(3): 337–343, 1977. CrossRef
- Title
- Techniques in Data Compression for Electroencephalograms
- Reference Work Title
- Computational Methods in Biophysics, Biomaterials, Biotechnology and Medical Systems
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- Algorithm Development, Mathematical Analysis, and Diagnostics
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- pp 1200-1220
- Copyright
- 2002
- 10.1007/0-306-48329-7_38
- Print ISBN
- 978-1-4020-7110-2
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- 978-0-306-48329-5
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- Springer US
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- Springer-Verlag US
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by Krista Petty (FASTEN, 2007)
Resource Type: Instructional profile.
This congregation's story offers lessons for others about how even a relatively small church can have huge influence by following CCDA's 3 Rs model and emphasizing indigenous leadership development, partnerships, and long-term incarnational ministry.
Audience: This will be helpful for church planters and church leaders ready to commit to a long-term focus on holistic community development in a particular neighborhood
The CCDA and TechMission's UrbanMinistry.org have come together to bring you talks and training from the yearly CCDA national conference.


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Start learning with our library of video tutorials taught by experts. Get started
Learn how to architect cloud-based applications with Amazon Web Services.
Explore the RESTful APIs of several popular cloud storage services, including Amazon S3 and Dropbox, and examples of what can be built with them.
Introduces the Kindle Store and explains how to take your existing applications and tailor them to the Kindle environment.
Discover how Amazon Web Services (AWS) can be leveraged to deploy and scale your web applications.
"I really get a lot of value from my monthly subscription. You make me feel like my subscription is the best $25-a-month I spend in my budget." —Don M.
more from our members »


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Syntronic Organ
Syntronic Organ was an electro-optical tone generator based instrument engineered by Ivan Eremeef and his supporter and consultant, the world-renowned conductor Leopold Stokowski (who also premiered many of Edgard Varese's works in the 1920s). The Syntronic Organ was a dual keyboard organ whose sound was optically generated using rotating tone-wheels and was said to be able to produce "one-hour of continuous variation".
The WCAU Photona
Ivan Eremeef later created the "Photona" electro-optical tone generator instrument, developed with the John Leitch at the engineering department of WCAU broadcasting station in Philadelphia, USA. The Photona had twelve rotating optical discs illuminated by nine hundred six volt lamps. The instrument was played with two six octave manual keyboards and two foot pedals for volume and tremolo.
Eremeef's patents for a photo-electrical instrument using film strips 1935-6
Rollin Smith. 'Stokowski and the Organ'
Nicholas Collins, Margaret Schedel, Scott Wilson. Electronic Music. Cambridge press 2013
Smithsonian Institution Science Services.
"WCAU's Photona organ," Electronics, vol. 8, p. 123; April, (1935).
The Computer Music Tutorial. Curtis Roads MIT 1961


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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - View original article
Lorrie Moore | |
Born | Marie Lorena Moore January 13, 1957 Glens Falls, New York, U.S. |
Occupation | Short-story writer, Novelist |
Nationality | American |
Period | 1985— |
Notable work(s) | Birds of America (1998) |
Lorrie Moore | |
Born | Marie Lorena Moore January 13, 1957 Glens Falls, New York, U.S. |
Occupation | Short-story writer, Novelist |
Nationality | American |
Period | 1985— |
Notable work(s) | Birds of America (1998) |
Lorrie Moore (born Marie Lorena Moore on January 13, 1957) is an American fiction writer known mainly for her humorous and poignant short stories.
Contents |
Marie Lorena Moore was born in Glens Falls, New York, and nicknamed "Lorrie" by her parents. She attended St. Lawrence University. At 19, she won Seventeen magazine's fiction contest. After graduating from St. Lawrence, she moved to Manhattan and worked as a paralegal for two years.
In 1980, Moore enrolled in Cornell University's M.F.A. program, where she was taught by Alison Lurie. Upon graduation from Cornell, Moore was encouraged by a teacher to contact agent Melanie Jackson. Jackson sold her collection, Self-Help, composed almost entirely of stories from her master's thesis, to Knopf in 1983.
Moore writes frequently about failing relationships and terminal illness and is known for her mordant wit and pithy one-liners. Her stories often take place in the Midwest.
Her short story collections are Self-Help, Like Life, and the New York Times bestseller Birds of America. She has contributed to The Paris Review. Her first story to appear in The New Yorker, "You're Ugly, Too," was later included in The Best American Short Stories of the Century, edited by John Updike. Another story, "People Like That Are the Only People Here," also published in The New Yorker, was reprinted in the 1998 edition of the annual collection The Best American Short Stories; the tale of a young child falling sick, the piece was loosely paterned on events in Moore's own life. The story was also included in the 2005 anthology Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, edited by David Sedaris.
Moore's Collected Stories was published by Faber in the UK in May 2008. It included selections from each of her previously published collections, excerpts from her novel Anagrams, and three previously uncollected stories first published in The New Yorker.
Moore's novels are Anagrams (1986), Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? (1994), and A Gate at the Stairs (2009). Who Will Run the Frog Hospital is the story of a woman vacationing with her husband who recalls an intense friendship from her adolescence. A Gate at the Stairs takes place just after the September 11 attack and is about a twenty-year-old Midwestern woman's coming of age.
Moore has written a children's book entitled The Forgotten Helper, about an elf whom Santa mistakenly leaves behind at the home of the worst child on his "good" list. The elf must help the child be good for the coming year so Santa will return next Christmas.
Moore won the 1998 O. Henry Award for her short story "People Like That Are the Only People Here," published in The New Yorker on January 27, 1997. In 1999, Moore was named as the winner of the The Irish Times International Fiction Prize for Birds of America.[2] In 2004, she was selected as winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story, for outstanding achievement in that genre.
She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2006, and is a fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters.[3] In 2008, she delivered Oxford University's annual Esmond Harmsworth Lecture in American Arts and Letters at the university's Rothermere American Institute. Her 2009 novel, A Gate at the Stairs, was a finalist for the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and for the Orange Prize for Fiction.[4]
Moore is the Delmore Schwartz Professor in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she teaches creative writing. She joined the faculty in 1984.[5] She has also taught at Cornell University, as the Sidney Harman Writer-in-Residence at Baruch College, and at the Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at the University of Michigan.[6][7][8]
Moore was profiled in the September 2009 Reader's Digest about her current readings (Friend of My Youth by Alice Munro), her Internet usage (Wikipedia), her listenings (Al Green, Joni Mitchell, and Tuck & Patti), and her television habits (Mark Shields, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart. Eugene Robinson, and Rachel Maddow).[9]


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An evening with Jay GriffithsDate: 16 July 2009 Time: 7.30 pm Venue: The Auditorium,The Storey, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster A reading and question and answer session with Jay Griffiths, the author of Wild. "There is no getting away from the book's brilliance Hoping to pin down our relationship with wildness in a book was always going to be a tough call, but in this raucous, unsettling, life-enhancing work, Griffiths comes close" (Anthony Sattin, The Sunday Times) In Wild, Jay Griffiths describes an extraordinary odyssey, courageous and sometimes dangerous, to wildernesses of earth and ice, water and fire. A poetic consideration of the tender connection between human society and wild lands, the book is by turns funny, touching and harrowing. It is also a journey into that greatest of uncharted lands - wild mind - as Griffiths explores the words and meanings which shape our ideas and our experience of our own wildness. Wild is an evocation of the songlines of the earth, the result of long journeys among Native people; meeting cannibals; anchoring a boat to an iceberg where polar bears slept; drinking shamanic medicine with Amazonian healers; visiting sea gypsies and journeying to meet freedom fighters in West Papua. Jay Griffiths is keenly interested in indigenous thought, and writes to challenge the intellectual apartheid of the dominant global culture. The book argues that wild land is intrinsic to the health of the human mind. Above all Wild is a manifesto for the essential wildness of the human spirit. Wild is passionate, political and provocative - a stunning exploration of all that is untamed and unnamed. "Jay Griffiths is a five-star, card-carrying member of the hellfire club a strange, utterly compelling book, Wild is easily the best, most rewarding travel book that I have read in the last decade" (The Guardian) Tickets: £3.00 (no concessions) Get your copy of Wild - RRP £8.99 with £3.00 off on the night with your ticket. This event is organised jointly by the Centre for the Study of Environmental Change and Litfest. Event website: http://www.litfest.org/Festival-and-Events/Jay-Griffiths-Wild.html Contact: Who can attend: Anyone Further informationOrganising departments and research centres: Centre for the Study of Environmental Change, Sociology Keywords: Environment, Literature |
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BEST USED-CD STORE Miami 2002 - Uncle Sam's Music
939 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
As those wise men of dance culture, the Village People, once opined, "You can't stop the music." That's definitely the motto over at Uncle Sam's, which took this award last year and deserves it again in 2002. Why? Because a never-ending supply of used CDs keeps turning over, rewarding a weekly stop whether you're seeking the latest beats from clubland, tomorrow's altrock heroes, or that elusive Neil Diamond collection. Even better are the listening stations, allowing you to actually hear that act you just read about but aren't quite ready to invest with $7.98.


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Rhythm NDT Software Solution Suite Overview The Rhythm suite of user-friendly software from GE's Inspection Technologies business offers advanced image review tools and data management for all Remote Visual Inspection (RVI) & X-ray (including computed radiography, digital radiography and film digitization) testing methods. Its advanced data sharing capabilities allow significant improvements in productivity and enable faster identification of quality problems, leading to reduced production defects and/or better in-service asset management. A DICONDE software platform, Rhythm provides the ability to maintain data transfer formats in an industry non-proprietary standard. Rhythm provides an elegant and cohesive solution to data management and sharing needs, while creating a stable platform for future NDT software capabilities.
Rhythm NDT Software Suite
Application Solutions |


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The world's largest and oldest public broadcaster delivers on-the-ground reporting and in-depth analysis from every corner of the globe.
Daily Schedule
On January 10, we added a few new programs to our Saturday line-up on AM 820. Read more.
05:00 AMMorning Edition
Your morning companion from NPR and the WNYC Newsroom, with world news, local features, and weather updates.
Go to program: Morning Edition -
09:00 AMBBC World Service
The world's largest and oldest public broadcaster delivers on-the-ground reporting and in-depth analysis from every corner of the globe.
Go to program: BBC World Service -
10:00 AMThe Brian Lehrer Show
Rebuilding After Sandy
This week, it will be three months since Sandy hit. WNYC's Janet Babin will check in as she travels from Cape May to Montauk to assess the situation along the coast. Plus: a conversation about whether to rebuild after Sandy; Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes on post-Newtown recovery and FEMA aid from Sandy; the president of J Street discusses his endorsement of Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary; and your calls on how to improve Times Square for New Yorkers.
Go to program: The Brian Lehrer Show -
12:00 PMThe Leonard Lopate Show
Surviving and Thriving
Peter Georgescu talks growing up in a Romanian labor camp and then becoming CEO of Young & Rubicam, and his thoughts on the human capacity for good and evil. Dror Moreh, director of "The Gatekeepers," discusses his documentary about Israel's Secret Service and how politics and diplomacy have affected national security there. We'll find out why high school really may be just as brutal—and formative—as you think. And Baohaus chef and co-owner Eddie Huang, one of the food world's more colorful new stars, explains how he molded his own identity—and talks about the food he ate along the way.
Go to program: The Leonard Lopate Show -
02:00 PMFresh Air
The Peabody Award-winning program features Terry Gross' fearless and insightful interviews with big names in pop culture, politics and the arts.
- Host:
- Terry Gross
Go to program: Fresh Air -
03:00 PMThe Takeaway
Today's Takeaway | January 28, 2013
Pre-Trial Hearings Begin at Guantanamo Bay | Families of 9/11 Victims Face Their Grief in Guantanamo Trials | Gun Show a Test Case for New York's New Gun Control Laws | Former NFL Quarterback Steve Bono on his Financial Life After Football
Go to program: The Takeaway -
04:00 PMAll Things Considered
A wrap-up of the day's news, with features and interviews about the latest developments in New York City and around the world, from NPR and the WNYC newsroom.
Go to program: All Things Considered -
06:30 PMMarketplace
Marketplace is not only about money and business, but about people, local economies and the world — and what it all means to us.
Go to program: Marketplace -
07:00 PMAll Things Considered
A wrap-up of the day's news, with features and interviews about the latest developments in New York City and around the world, from NPR and the WNYC newsroom.
Go to program: All Things Considered -
08:00 PMStudio 360
Sue Grafton & Comedy Podcasts
Thirty years ago, Sue Grafton started a series of novels named for the alphabet (most recently, V is for Vengeance). She's working on W, with three to go — then, "a long nap." Netflix ushered in a new era of TV binge viewing, and now it's producing an ambitious new ...
Go to program: Studio 360 -
09:00 PMSoundcheck
Ian Rankin On Rebus And Music; Lianne La Havas
Bestselling Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin is behind the much-loved series starring Detective Inspector Rebus. Tonight, Rankin talks about music on and off the page.
Plus, we revisit a session with the delightful British soul singer Lianne La Havas. She stops by our studio to dish about older men and her time spent in NYC – and to play live.
Go to program: Soundcheck -
Q is an energetic daily arts and culture program from the CBC. Formerly Q with Jian Ghomeshi. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has begun their search the show's next permanent host, and they are interested in hearing your insight, ideas and general feedback in this time of transition. Go here to leave a comment, or tweet at the show with #Qthefuture.
Go to program: Q -
11:00 PMNew Sounds
Multiple Motoric Guitars
For this guitar-centric New Sounds, listen to music from Robert Fripp and his League of Crafty Guitarists, along with something from the French guitar trio, Philharmonie. We'll listen to an electric guitar work from Philharmonie, "The Elephant Bell-Ringers." Also, hear Steve Reich's entire three-movement "Electric Counterpoint," as performed by Pat Metheny on tape.
Go to program: New Sounds


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Rocko - Comfrom Feat. Jadakiss & Problem
Comfrom Rocko Feat. Jadakiss & Problem
Rocko teams up with Jadakiss and Problem for "Comfrom."
Rocko is gearing up to drop a new mixtape hosted by DJ Drama, Real Spill, in a few days time. Before that, he's dropped off a new record to hold the fans over. For the banger "Comfrom" Rocko enlists Jadakiss and Problem for a feature. This follows up his last leak from a week back, "Sucka" featuring Too Short.
The full project Real Spill is scheduled to drop on May 9th, so check back on HNHH then.
Who had the best verse on "Comfrom"? Let us know your thoughts on the collaboration.
Quotable Lyrics
Motherfucking G, you already know, caps lock
I'ma real dope boy, you just a mascot
Even though I have I do it for the have-nots


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Barrichello storms to pole, Schumacher spins it all away
Michael Schumacher on the ninth row with Gianmaria Bruni's Minardi, and a Sauber on the second row - assuredly the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix will have an unusual look to it when the grid forms in Shanghai tomorrow afternoon.
Having dominated the final practice session Ferrari were expected to dominate qualifying too, and Rubens Barrichello duly wrapped up pole position with a lap of 1m 34.012s. But Kimi Raikkonen had got within 0.166s of the Brazilian in his McLaren by the time that Michael Schumacher went out for the final lap of qualifying, and everyone expected the champion to go a fraction faster. Instead, unthinkably, he spun in the first corner. Immediately the lap was lost, leaving him last on the timing screens and with the complexion of the race already changed completely.
With the front row comprising Barrichello and Raikkonen, the second sees Jenson Button starting in third place for BAR after recording a lap of 1m 34.295s, and Felipe Massa joins him after exploiting Bridgestones new tyre to maximum effect to squeeze 1m 34.759s out of his Sauber. It was the Brazilians best-ever qualifying result, and with Giancarlo Fisichella seventh on 1m 34.951s in the sister car, it was Saubers best qualifying performance of the season.
Between the two Swiss cars Ralf Schumacher continued his great recovery following his accident at Indianapolis in June by taking fifth spot with 1m 34.891s, and Fernando Alonso got everything together after some troubled practice to lap his Renault in 1m 34.917s for sixth.
Alongside Fisichella on row four is Olivier Panis, who was enjoying the behaviour of the Toyota TF104B and posted 1m 34.9754s, and Takuma Sato (1m 34.993s) and David Coulthard (1m 35.029s) round out the top 10 for BAR and McLaren respectively. Sato, of course, must drop ten places following his Honda engine change, who will hence start from the back row of the grid.
Juan Pablo Montoya was not happy with only 11th fastest time after pushing his Williams to 1m 35.245s, which just edged out the 1m 35.286s lap that Mark Webber had recorded earlier for Jaguar. Behind them, Jacques Villeneuve struggled a little on his way to 1m 35.384s for Renault on his comeback, and shares row seven with Toyota driver Ricardo Zonta, who lapped in 1m 35.410s.
Nick Heidfeld continued the strong form he showed this morning with 1m 36.507s for Jordan, beating Christian Klien (1m 36.535s) and team mate Timo Glock (1m 37.140s). Zsolt Baumgartner was the leading Minardi driver with 1m 40.240s after team mate Bruni spun on his lap. However, the Hungarian will takes 20th place on the grid due to an engine change, with the similarly demoted Sato for company on the back row. Their respective penalties elevate Michael Schumacher to 17th on the grid, with Bruni 18th.
If these things were choreographed, the grid could not be more perfect insofar as the Chinese people will enjoy the spectacle of Barrichello, Raikkonen and Button fighting for the lead as Schumacher begins a charge from the back. We wont know until the first round of pit stops precisely what fuel loads every driver was carrying, but the stage is set for the first Chinese Grand Prix to be an absolute sizzler.


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saturday, july 12, 2014
Strategies for fighting documentation inertia (my talk at Write the Docs, 2014)
I've had a lot of fun helping developers in my community (who build extensions for jailbroken iOS) improve our developer documentation wiki over the past year, so in May I gave a talk about it at Write The Docs in Portland. This conference was exciting; I don't often meet other people who actually care about technical writing, and there were a couple hundred of us and many good conversations. There are 29 talk videos online!
The following is my talk, in video and text. I hope it's helpful for other people who work with volunteers and documentation. You can jump to about 6:26 if you prefer to skip introductions and context.
Hi everybody, sorry about that [setting up the slides went weird], I'm Britta, and this is what I've learned from reviving my community's volunteer developer documentation wiki. I'll explain how I ended up as a contributor, despite not being a developer at all, and then I'll share my strategies for encouraging volunteers to help with it — with a little bit of social engineering and a lot of friendliness. Pretty much all documentation projects could use some more enthusiasm, and I wanted to share what I've learned so far, because hopefully this will help you with your projects too. And there's an under construction gif [on the intro slide], because under construction gifs are pretty cool.
So for a few years, our wiki looked like this:
It looks like a MediaWiki install — OK, whatever. But it was somewhat cryptic.
It started with an outdated tagline, and then it had a list of "ideas on what to add to this wiki", as if the wiki didn't have anything yet. It did have a lot of good pages, they were just buried. But at least it was honest — it also said "it is a real challenge for a beginner — where to start?"
This is what it looks like now:
Still looks like a MediaWiki install, pretty standard. But it's so much more exciting now!
There's a up to date statement of goals, there are lists of the best articles and the newest articles, there's a picture with an in-joke just for fun, there's a big "Getting Started" section, it's alive!
So what happened here? There are a lot of volunteer editors who have helped make this happen. They are pretty awesome, so I listed some of them here.
But before I explain, it's probably helpful if you know what this community is — where do these people come from, and why do they care about it?
I work for the tiny three-person company that makes Cydia, which is the alternative to the App Store for jailbroken iPhones and other iOS devices. This is documentation for writing software for jailbroken iOS. Apple is not going to document how to use their private APIs, so we have to do it!
What is jailbreaking though? Let's say you have an iPhone and you want to write some software that shows up on the lockscreen instead of being a normal self-contained app. That's crazy. You can't do that. Apple just doesn't give you a way to do that. But wait a minute…
This is a lockscreen running custom software. [Credit: Typo5 Lockscreen by Patrick Muff, using Cydget by saurik.] You can use a specialized security exploit available for free — you can download it from the internet and put it on your phone — which removes Apple's restrictions on the operating system. Then you can write crazy new software that adds new features and customizations to any part of iOS, and people distribute and sell this software in our alternative to the App Store. These developers mostly write this stuff for fun, and they might make some money on their products, but they don't work for us; they're not our employees. They're volunteers when they're writing on the wiki.
Here's another example — you can write software that customizes icons in cool ways. [Credit: Black UPS by Jackie Tran and mostly Glasklart by Max Rudberg, using WinterBoard by saurik.]
How do you get started writing these kinds of customizations? You'd probably want to learn about the tools and libraries that people have written for doing this, such as by reading some documentation. That's usually a good start.
But for a long time we didn't have much documentation. You had to figure out a lot of it on your own, and maybe ask some questions on IRC. When I started working for this company as a community manager, I was just working on user support forums and that kind of thing, because I'm not a developer. What do I know about developer documentation?
Occasionally I would poke developers and say "Oh, the wiki is looking a little neglected, maybe you should do something about that" — and they said "OK, I guess so. Sure."
That didn't work.
A new perspective
Here's a story. Last year, just for fun, I started contributing to an open source project called OpenHatch, which teaches people how to contribute to open source projects. I'm a support person at heart, so I helped out by answering questions from developers about contributing. I answered questions about how to read a bug tracker, how to submit a patch, how to find the right documentation for the project they wanted to work on…that kind of thing.
But wait a minute, I'm helping developers with development questions. It turns out I know something about helping developers? OK, maybe I should actually join the developer IRC channels in my work community and see what I can do there too.
And that developer wiki — I actually know a lot about building wikis. I've been a Wikipedia contributor for twelve or thirteen years. I don't know why I wasn't feeling qualified to edit a wiki. OK, it was time to log in, click "edit", and start fixing up that homepage.
This is what started my fight against inertia on my wiki. Contributing to open source projects can give you a new perspective on your work and new skills, and you can practice them in a low-pressure environment where people will often help you, because they want you to volunteer on their project. It's also really fun. So, as an OpenHatch volunteer, if you have questions about being a new open source contributor, you can ask me! That's my plug.
Now I'm going to go through a big list of strategies that I've learned while working on this wiki. Some of these will resonate for you and some won't, so I'm going to throw a bunch out there.
0) Have somebody who cares hang out where the developers are.
My first step was to show up and hang out with the developers. For me, this meant joining the IRC channels (developer chat rooms). If your community has an IRC channel, that's probably where the developers are. But this could be a mailing list, Twitter, forums, meetups, the engineer lunch table, whatever it is in your community or at your company.
1) Talk to newcomers and beginners.
You might start by asking the experienced developers to write things, since they know a lot, and if that works, that's great. But usually they're busy, or they don't know what to write, or sometimes they ignore you, because well, who are you anyway?
But enthusiastic beginners are solid gold. They want documentation, they're looking for it, they'll read it if it exists (if they can find it), and they ask questions that reveal what's missing. They ask redundant questions that show that something is hard to find, which is also useful to know. You can ask "What was the search path that you used?" to help you fix why they weren't finding it.
You can ask these beginners to write things down as they learn, because they look up to you as a more established person in the community, even if you're really new too. They don't know better! As they get more experienced, if you're lucky, they'll keep on contributing. You can have a nice pipeline going on.
1a) Help identify useful info to write down.
I started by noticing useful conversations in these developer chatrooms and very, very gently asking "Would this be useful to put on the wiki?"
It turned out that people had forgotten about the wiki. It was kind of outdated and stale, and it didn't seem useful to them, so they weren't using it. That meant they didn't know what was documented and what wasn't. It didn't occur to them that they could actually fix it.
So I started reminding people that maybe this specific useful bit of information (that people keep asking about) would be useful to write down. A few of them started saying "OK, I can do that."
1b) Ask encouraging questions to counter anti- documentation concerns.
But important in this is that I don't tell people what to do. I ask very innocent, gentle questions. Here are examples of questions I've used when people have the impulse to not write documentation, which happened a lot at the beginning.
I would hear "If people can't learn this part on their own, they probably can't build successful projects, because this is difficult, so we really shouldn't write it down." OK, but that gives nothing to beginners who want to learn. So I asked "Can you write a 'prerequisites' list of what people should know before they start exploring on their own?" Somehow that didn't feel like it would give everything away, and people started writing that.
When people said "Nobody pays attention to the docs, so we shouldn't bother writing them", I said that people would pay attention if we used the right teaching strategy. I asked these volunteers "What problems do people run into if they don't read the docs? Let's write down advice for these people too, so that when they show up on IRC and clearly did not read anything before they got started — very 'exploratory' learners — then we have a page for them, oriented toward people who tried something that didn't work."
Or I'd suggest to somebody to write something down, and they'd say "I don't know enough to write this", so I'd say "Can you add a 'this is missing' note to the right place in the wiki?" — and then often, magically, in the next few days somebody would fill out that spot. Having somebody point out that something is missing turns out to be valuable.
2) Think of it as a marketing problem. Make the homepage enticing to click!
As I was working on this, I realized…this is a marketing problem. Marketing is not a bad word. I'm trying to: identify the value of this documentation and communicate that value to people who need it, in order to get them to use it and contribute to it for other people. That's the definition of marketing. The value of documentation is not obvious to everyone. Sometimes you have to figure out how to sell it!
Part of this was to make the homepage really enticing to click. Put the best articles way up front! Write a really grand tagline with a great statement of goals. I put a picture on the front page so that it had some kind of "visual identity". Try to make it something to be proud of.
2a) More marketing: build new articles that attract more visitors.
Another part of marketing was that I helped build articles people wanted and then promoted those articles. For example, I helped with this giant table of open source projects that people can look at as example code. This made developers feel great since their projects were mentioned on the wiki, and this list felt valuable to people since it was a huge list of resources…so they kept sharing it on Twitter. Huh. This list was also really easy for people to contribute to, since all they had to do was log in and add their project, which meant lots of people signed up for wiki accounts (yesss).
This list was outside the normal scope of our documentation wiki, but that was OK. It attracted people to the wiki, and when people hear about it, some of them are going to want to start contributing.
3) Make writing more fun: show that people read it.
Many developers don't ordinarily find it fun to work on documentation. Writing code is fun for them! They like discovering new things, and very importantly, they're releasing them to an audience who wants them — an audience who says "Yes! Please give me more features! And here are all my support problems…" OK, maybe support isn't that fun. But generally, releasing software is fun. You have this really good feedback loop with people who are using your work.
Contributing to the wiki felt lonely. Even if three people read your article that afternoon, you had no idea. Nobody said thanks — because they'd have to log into the wiki and click "edit", and people don't know how to edit, and they don't know how to write on talk pages — so nobody was thanking anyone for working on the wiki.
So I wanted to show them that people are reading their work!
3a) Make it more fun by copyediting new stuff.
Whenever anyone added anything, I went in and copyedited it or added some formatting. This was an immediately visible way to prove to writers that somebody read their work. It added some feedback loop to the wiki process.
This also helped people feel more confident in contributing. A lot of these developers speak English as their third or fourth language, or writing just isn't their main skill. And a lot of them are about fifteen — they don't necessarily have a lot of technical writing experience yet. They appreciated getting some friendly feedback on their writing, and I added syntax highlighting to their code snippets, so it looked great. People like that!
3b) Make it more fun by making it look active.
Nobody likes hanging out in a ghost town. (OK, some people like hanging out in ghost towns, but they're kind of weird. They're cool, but they're weird.) On a wiki, if there have been no edits for the past month, you're going to think that nobody looks at the wiki, so why bother throwing your words into the void? I make sure that the "Recent Changes" page always has something on it, something in the past few days — even just some copyedits.
We list new articles on the homepage. It's great if the homepage keeps changing with new stuff, so that it always feels fresh and active — something people feel they should check on. They know that if they add something, it'll get featured on the homepage too.
c) Make it more fun by thanking people.
And we make it more fun by thanking people! If you write an article, and nobody says thank you, that is the definition of a thankless task.
Readers aren't necessarily going to write thanks, even if they appreciate something, so this is something that I do. I write thanks to writers on their wiki talk pages, on IRC, on Twitter, everywhere. Writing thanks publicly on my work Twitter account shows that this is a priority for the community, and what's funny is that by writing stuff on Twitter…who knew, you're promoting the wiki again!
To write thanks effectively: do it right away, be really specific about what they did that was awesome, and say it publicly. [Credit: as discussed on the OpenHatch mailing list.] It makes people feel good, and it's super easy. It's the best.
4) Be there to give people permission.
Some of the people in my community felt like they needed permission to contribute to the wiki. These are often the very best people, because they're very polite, and they're very careful, and they don't want to mess it up. Or they don't feel like they're qualified to write, a little bit of impostor syndrome.
So I'm there on IRC to be a person they can ask whether adding something would be a good idea. Of course, I'm always saying "Yes, go ahead! It's OK if it's not perfect, we'll fix it!"
5) The docs system needs docs.
Here's something that surprised me recently: the docs system needs docs! We had a jailbreaking conference last month, and I ran a little workshop for working on our wiki. Even though these volunteers are amazingly brilliant developers who can read assembly code, reverse engineer iOS, and write really complicated programs, they were asking me questions about MediaWiki editing syntax.
Because MediaWiki is a little frustrating and confusing for everyone, no matter how amazing they are. You need cheatsheet links and explanations of how to edit the wiki, even if your community is absolutely brilliant.
6) Leave rough edges for others to smooth out.
This part is a classic bit of wiki social engineering — you leave around a few obvious mistakes and easy tasks, like typos somewhere in the wiki, because that will entice new people to click "edit" and start contributing. They're thinking "Oh that's easy, I can fix that!" Once you get them to log in and make an account, that's the first step — it's good.
You can also make a list of easy "bite-sized" tasks for new editors, such as contributing to that list of open source projects. I put this in an obvious place on the homepage to help people get started.
6a) Write bad first drafts as motivation.
Another funny social engineering trick: writing bad first drafts as motivation for people to fix stuff. One of the best developers I know told me this recently: that if I want him to help with the wiki, I should write some really terrible documentation myself, even about something I don't fully understand, and then show him what I did, because he's going to be like "oh my god" and go fix it. That's how to motivate him. It's great advice.
This is, again, why beginners are solid gold. Experienced developers often have no idea what needs to be written — they need a draft, or an outline, or something else to get started with that isn't a blank page. Beginners are perfect for writing this. Like me, as a beginner in a funny way since I'm not a developer.
Then I start wondering if this is going to end up with me becoming a developer too. What if I learned some Objective-C so that I could skip all of this work and just write documentation by myself? That starts to sound easier… This is one strategy I haven't tried yet. It would be kind of hilarious. We'll see.
Thanks! If you also have volunteers and you try to motivate them, I want to know what you do and learn about your strategies too.
In response to this talk, I got a nice email from a person who noted that for his team's wiki, it was helpful to install a MediaWiki extension that automatically displays credit to article contributors. I like this idea and might try to convince our dev wiki maintainer to add it.
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thursday, march 06, 2014
Why I care about jailbreaking (my talk at JailbreakCon New York, 2013)
In August, I gave a talk at JailbreakCon, an annual conference that gathers together fans of jailbreaking and people who help make jailbreaking happen. This is a large and complex community: security researchers who develop the jailbreaks themselves, developers who make software for jailbroken iOS, designers who make themes for jailbroken iOS, repository managers (who host those software packages and themes), documentation and support forum helpers, bloggers and video makers, the three of us who work on Cydia as SaurikIT, and others. It's pretty great to see each other in person, and to meet lots of other people who are into jailbreaking. (If this sounds interesting, JailbreakCon 2014 will be April 12-13 in the Bay Area.)
Instead of doing a typical JailbreakCon talk explaining something about security research or software development, I decided to look at the reasons why we care about those technical parts. Why have tens of millions of people figured out how to jailbreak their iOS devices and use Cydia, and why have hundreds of people spent money on planes and cars to talk to each other about these things in person? This is fascinating and exciting to me, and I'd like to convince you to be fascinated and excited too.
Here's a video and a slightly-edited transcript for people who prefer reading. But the video might be entertaining; I'm pretty enthusiastic in it.
What I think is interesting to talk about is: why did you jailbreak your phone? Oh, I should introduce myself first; I work for saurik on community and support for Cydia. A lot of the time I stay a bit behind the scenes, but I moderate forums like JailbreakQA and /r/jailbreak (the subreddit), and I write some of the information inside Cydia.
So. Why did you jailbreak your phone? It's sort of an obvious question. Usually people answer it with something like "I wanted to delete Newsstand", or "I wanted quick-reply for text messages", or "I wanted to toggle WiFi and 3G on and off more quickly, because Apple's way of doing that is really lame". These are very reasonable answers. But if you asked people a few years ago, they would have said: "I wanted to customize my wallpaper because Apple won't let me", or "I wanted to put apps in folders", or "I wanted to record video".
But these sound like entirely different reasons to jailbreak; there's not much in common since the old reasons are part of iOS now. So, what's going on with that? Do these reasons change all the time? Every time a new iOS version gets ready to be released, a bunch of tech blogs publish articles like this one:
They say, "Is jailbreaking dead? Is there any reason to jailbreak anymore, because all of the old cool features are now part of iOS?" But each jailbreak is more popular than the last one: evasi0n was even bigger than Absinthe, which was bigger than the ones before that. So something else is going on here, something strange.
My hypothesis is that even though you think the reason you jailbroke your phone was to get Five Icon Dock or WinterBoard — instead there was a more durable reason that hides in the background. I think this reason, at least for me, is to get access to this rich, complicated, hybridized primordial soup of software features. They're not just the features and decisions that one company in California made, but this cornucopia of product decisions made by lots of people, such as the people in this room — with lots of conflicting and different ideas, like four or five different kinds of app switchers — which is awesome.
Something that I like, that most of you probably aren't into, is fanfiction: where you take a TV show, or in this case an operating system, and you build new stories or new features on top of it, unauthorized. The quality of these stories and features may vary widely, and they may have conflicting plotlines — you have one TV show with sixteen fan stories that go off in different directions, or you have sixteen different features built on the same operating system with different ideas of how something should work.
And it's really fun. People have these different visions of what software can be like. It's creative, and it's playful, and it generates a lot of good stuff along with the stuff that's not so good. One company can't cover everything that somebody wants out of a device. They can get to maybe 90% if they're Apple, but there's that last 10% of something that bugs you, or something that could be cooler, and jailbreakers are great at filling up that last 10% with awesome stuff.
We can take their pretty good operating system and write our own stories with their characters. We can fill in the missing scenes in Notification Center or the lockscreen, even if Apple wants to be the only person telling stories with this interface. Some of these features may be implemented by Apple someday, but there will always be new ones that we'll make up, because you don't run out of stories. A lot of them Apple will just never add, because they require extra battery or memory, or they're confusing for ordinary people, or they're just kind of goofy. Like this one, which is one of my favorites, called NyanSliders, where the sliders are Nyan Cats:
This should be animated; they do the little running dance as you change your volume. That's cool! Jailbreaking is this big prototyping lab where we can experiment with what software interfaces can do, and how we can make them more fun. Instead of coming up with a concept in Photoshop, and everybody just thinks "that's a cool way to do keyboards", you can implement that feature right away. You don't have to wait for Apple to maybe see your blog post, and maybe decide that it's OK for them to implement it. You can do it right now, and see how it works. Like SwipeSelection, an alternate way to use your keyboard, which sounds kind of cool and kind of weird, and then you use it, and it's interesting. It's maybe not perfect, but it's valuable to have this experimental attitude and experience.
That's one reason to jailbreak! There are more reasons. I won't list all of them, because I'll be here all day. But one thing, that I think doesn't get enough appreciation, is being able to turn off features in iOS. I maintain the featured packages list in Cydia, and one day we realized that we should have a special list of packages that start with "no":
That's NoCoverFlow, NoNewsIsGoodNews, NoPasscodeBlock, and NoStoreButton, and if you search Cydia for "no", you'll see a lot more of these tweaks that turn off annoying features that Apple doesn't provide options to disable. Like "shake to undo" — a lot of people just find that feature irritating. And you can fix Apple's default features that favor their own apps instead of App Store apps, such as BrowserChanger if you like Chrome, or MapsOpener if you like Google Maps, which makes a more level playing field. So that's one set of reasons: you can add features and you can take them away, which is useful.
There's a second reason that I find interesting, which is that you jailbreak because you can, because you should be able to jailbreak your device. To be able to use your phone as a general-computing device instead of a limited device, and to have the capability to do research on the software to verify that it does what Apple says it does, that's cool.
It goes along with a third reason that is important to me: jailbreaking is a way to learn something, to explore a technical subject even for a lot of people who have no experience. These people can be frustrating — you have a lot of new people who ask…seemingly-dumb questions. But let's say you're a kid who doesn't have your own computer, but you're playing around with jailbreaking your iPod touch and asking questions about it, and you are on your way to learning something technical that you might not have had a chance to learn otherwise. This is great.
You end up learning this whole new vocabulary: what is a bootrom? What is a kernel? What are SHSH blobs? SHSH blobs are this complicated cryptography-related concept that millions of people are now dealing with on a regular basis — that's amazing. When you open up iFile, the whole iOS filesystem is right there. Even a desktop computer will try to hide parts of the filesystem from you because it doesn't think you can handle that. But in iFile, it's there for exploring. You can even SSH into your phone and learn how to use the command line.
And if you mess up your phone, you can restore it. If you mess up your desktop computer, or your mom's desktop computer, that is going to be a massive hassle, and it's going to take you more than half an hour to fix that. If you restore your phone after deleting a system file, it'll take you half an hour, and it's kind of a hassle since you lost your jailbreak, but it won't ruin your day. Well, maybe. But it won't ruin your mom's day, which can be important!
This educational reason might not be the first thing that occurs to people when you ask them why they jailbroke their phone. Nobody is going to say "I wanted to learn more about SHSH blobs", but learning new things is a hidden and powerful reason that keeps people in the jailbreaking community. They can even start writing code without asking Apple for permission or paying Apple, which is great.
I see this on the forums that I moderate. Somebody comes in asking a "dumb" question, and a few months later you see them pop up again, answering a question about how to downgrade a baseband. You might be like "Whoa! Where did that come from?" — but that person has been learning and reading the whole time. It warms my little heart, and it's a big part of why I work on this stuff. I like to imagine we're training a whole secret generation of people who actually know how to tinker with computers.
So if somebody asks you why you jailbroke your phone, it's probably still best to say "oh, I have this cool theme", because if you try to explain all this, they might get confused and bored — but hopefully it'll linger in the back of your mind that there are these deeper, more important reasons why we do this stuff and spend time with it.
I also convinced a few of the newer developers attending the conference to get up in front of everyone and give a series of two-minute talks after mine! Here we are among the other speakers:
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saturday, july 20, 2013
Leveling up conferences
Last month I went to AdaCamp and learned a ton partly because the Ada Initiative runs it both as a place to discuss solving problems and as a testbed for better ways to hold conferences. Lots of conferences try to encourage a diverse group of participants and speakers, but making conferences better is specifically part of the Ada Initiative's mission, and this was especially fun because a bunch of the participants were community organizers/managers/coordinators like me. Among topics such as running real-life meetups for open source projects and the ramifications of using gender-neutral usernames, we talked a lot about AdaCamp itself!
I'm in Portland for Community Leadership Summit this weekend, I'll be at Defcon soon, and I'm going to XOXO in September, so I've been thinking about things AdaCamp did that I'd like to see more conference organizers consider. Of course I like the idea of making tech events better for women, but this stuff is especially interesting to me because worthwhile efforts to make a tech event more welcoming to women also make the event more welcoming to other non-majority types of people (for example, including women means not just including able-bodied women). It's the magic of intersectionality! Some of these ideas are conveniently compiled on the page of resources for conference organizers on the Geek Feminism Wiki, but here's my list too:
- If you have an application process, like AdaCamp and XOXO do, it's great for the application to be as encouraging and inclusive as possible, with detail about how the conference is aiming for a crowd that is diverse in x and y and z ways. This is because an application process can discourage people who tend toward "impostor syndrome": the feeling that you're not cool enough for that conference, even if you're actually the perfect attendee. At AdaCamp we talked about how this type of self-doubt is common in women who work in technical fields, and I imagine it's also common among other kinds of non-majority people (or even simply people with anxiety issues). A conference missing those people would not be the best possible conference!
- Before the conference, providing a list of nearby low-cost hostels and hotels. I've seen some conferences listing nearby hotels, but a lot of AdaCamp attendees appreciated seeing the lowest-cost hostel options as well as the usual options.
- Giving people a choice of badge lanyards: green meaning "photographs always ok", yellow meaning "ask before photographing", and red meaning "photographs never ok". This can help people feel more comfortable, especially if they're concerned about photos getting online with nasty comments attached to them. Defcon recently switched from "no photos" to "photos OK"; I don't know whether switching to color-coded lanyards would be respected or mocked there, but I wonder if the organizers have considered it.
- Laying blue tape on the floor to mark access paths where people shouldn't stand or put chairs/bags; you can label them "walk and roll" (ha ha). This is especially useful for people using wheelchairs and other tools to move around, but it's also great for people who don't like being stuck in crowds (pretty much everyone).
- Being explicitly inclusive of people of all gender identities, including considering labeling all-gender bathrooms along with men-only bathrooms and women-only bathrooms. The AdaCamp organizers emailed the attendee group with a proposal: since the venue provided two sets of women's bathrooms and two sets of men's bathrooms, and the conference would have 200 women and 20 men, and some people prefer single-gender bathrooms and some prefer all-gender bathrooms, how about re-labeling one set of men's bathrooms as all-gender bathrooms (with a sign asking people not to use the urinals)? People agreed, and it worked well. I'd also be happy with organizers asking attendees for permission to re-label some women's bathrooms as all-gender at conferences that generate long lines for men's bathrooms (nobody likes long lines).
- Setting up a dedicated "quiet room" with a rule against talking in that room; people can use the space to nap or work/relax quietly. This is helpful for anyone who wants a moment to escape from the relentless socializing of conferences, since not everyone always has a nearby hotel room. (And not a "chillout" lounge like DefCon has, which is supposed to be low-key but isn't very relaxing — music mixing with the sounds of people trying to hire each other, bad efforts at flirting, and groans of sleep deprivation.)
- Having a series of 90 second (1 slide) lightning talks - I thought 90 seconds sounded impossibly short compared to normal 5 minute lightning talks, but it turned out to be great. It's fun to see tiny windows into what people find important enough to share, and it almost feels like watching a game that tests people's sense of timing. The rules excluded doing recruiting pitches or ads for commercial products, which helped keep things interesting. 90 seconds is also short enough that even inexperienced speakers can plan something without a lot of preparation, giving them confidence for future speaking. (I told AdaCamp how playing Nethack as a kid gave me a sense of familiar territory when I later encountered the command line, and I was delighted that people enjoyed my tiny speech.)
- For evening meals: creating a spreadsheet on Google Docs with a list of nearby restaurants, and inviting people to type in their names to create small groups for dining out. There can also be a spot for naming a theme for the group (such as "open source community building" or "feminist nonprofits"), to help people find a group to join. At AdaCamp, this was a pleasant way for even shy people to opt into meeting new friends; the spreadsheet limited each group to ten people to keep things reasonable.
I haven't been to WisCon, but its "Universal Design" accessibility policies and details go into more depth than I learned about at AdaCamp…a mind-boggling level of depth.
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thursday, june 28, 2012
The neighborhood crude oil tanks
I grew up in Los Angeles where there are a lot of oil wells, usually somewhere out along a freeway. (I always liked the wells you can see on the way to LAX, ones that look like dinosaurs eating from the ground.) In Santa Barbara, our oil wells are out in the ocean, and the university-owned nature preserve leases some space to an oil company to store crude oil drained from the ocean floor. This nature preserve is next to the neighborhoods around the university, and you can just walk out into the fields and look at the tanks with their coded markings and geodesic dome tops.
Nobody really tells you that the tanks are there, since most people either don't find them particularly spectacular or haven't been to the nature preserve. You hear about them when you acquire a boyfriend who lives next to them; he shows them to you because you both like infrastructure. (From his apartment we listened together to trains whistling, the coastal fog horn, and airplanes headed to and from the little airport next to the university.) We found out about a historic gas station down the road, built as a showcase by one of the oil companies in the 1920s, now picturesquely defunct and a favorite of everybody in town with a fancy camera. On a few Saturdays we took long driving trips to visit other oil fields — he'd tell me we were going on an adventure, and a couple hours later I'd look out to see more oil pumps than I'd ever seen in one place before.
The native Chumash people used the natural tar on the beaches here to caulk their canoes, and the tar still comes up and caulks the bottoms of your feet if you're not careful while walking on the sand. There was even an asphalt mine for a couple years in the late 1800s where the Art Department building is now; there are a few surprising pictures of very grimy-looking men hauling things around the campus lagoon.
I've read that the oil company's lease on this nature preserve land ends in 2016 and the university doesn't plan to let them renew it, which makes sense, but I like living in a place where its history is so close to the surface. By looking you can find clues that this land was once a slough, then ranches, then explored for oil, then a small WWII marine base, then a university nature preserve. It's not heavily developed enough yet to obscure the origins of the place, unlike where I grew up in LA — where old underground oil developments sometimes come back to bite people in the form of gas explosions, and where the remaining active oil wells are carefully hidden.
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monday, may 09, 2011
Other people's photos of places
I like making essays with Flickr galleries. Finding a set of photos on a theme is easy with the quality of work on Flickr, and it's fun to write a little bit about an idea when you have that kind of visual structure to work with. Here are some galleries I've made since my last list of them a couple years ago.
Alien Los Angeles
After college I started watching a lot of Star Trek, which turns out to have been filmed mostly in the Los Angeles area, where I grew up. What does it feel like to watch imaginary characters stomp around familiar parks? Even stranger, how do the landscapes of Southern California manage to serve as alien planets for an audience around the world? I don't know, but it's interesting enough just to look more closely at some filming locations.
San Francisco's Shoe Garden
I like this spot in Alamo Square Park, a nice example of public art and local character.
The Castle of Santa Barbara
Knapp's Castle is another favorite semi-obscure local landmark, a photogenic ruined mansion in the mountains above Santa Barbara. It's everyone's secret to share, everyone's excuse to go drive up into the mountains for the afternoon.
The Fanciest Gas Station
These are some detail views of another landmark ruined building near where I live, this one working as a physical reminder of how Santa Barbara's rich oil fields helped fund our fancy architectural style.
Coal Oil Point Jail
A third ruined landmark in Santa Barbara County, slightly less glamorous — an unofficial collaborative art project within walking distance of UCSB.
Fountain, Mission, Reflection
Many people take the same postcard photo of the Santa Barbara Mission, a building that has been carefully (and sometimes imaginatively) restored every time it's fallen apart over the past couple hundred years. I like the variations on the same shot.
Sidewalk Compasses
Hey look, a literal metaphor for directions and pathmaking! This might be a good place to explain that in 2010 I moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco to New York City, which was a great adventure, but this year I listened to Isla Vista calling me back home. I wake up to sunshine and ocean air and eucalyptus trees, and I work with my friends on something incredibly exciting, and we watch the prettiest sunsets and sunrises together.