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Obligatory Pissed Off About Real ID Post.
By Yva | July 6, 2010
Speaking just for myself, not for Threnn or Bricu here, though I would like them to chime in if they have thoughts.
The long and short of it, as everyone's likely heard, is that post Starcraft 2 Blizzard will be implementing RealID on the forums. What does this mean? Your name will appear next to your posts in lieu of your avatar. I understand the reasoning behind it – trolls will stop being trolls, Bliz won't have to moderate as much.
But. BUT.
In a perfect world, everyone out there is a balanced, rational human being who pays their taxes, goes home, logs on to have "a great time!" and keeps the spirit of the game positive for everyone around them. The fact is, we're surrounded by people who /are not those things/. Stalking and cyber bullying are real threats. Thanks to this new system, if you post something on a forum people don't like? Internet creeps have your name. It's a great platform for taking in-game grief out of game. It is, essentially, a stepping stone for aforementioned cyber bullying and stalking.
I'm not okay with it. Most people I know are not okay with it.
Another facet I am not okay with? Is that a lot of issues are "referred to forums". An online friend of mine had a problem they called the customer service number about, and were essentially redirected to a forum for a solution. With this new system in place, that player would be FORCED to give out his name to get his problem resolved.
I'm not okay with that either.
The onus is now on us, the people who pay the monthly fee, to get our voices heard.
Start here. And please remember, as my mother always said, you get a lot more flies with honey than vinegar. Calling the guy sorting through the feedback a fucktard probably won't get a damned good point made.
8 Comments
Maybe it's because I have a very common name but I'm fine with it. A name doesn't ID you anymore than a handle does. Matter of fact there are more people in the world that share the same name as you then there are people that have the same handle. If anything your name is more vague.
I've just sent in my complaint. As matters stand now, I won't be taking part in forum roleplay or otherwise posting on the forums.
It amazes me that Blizzard would do this, and I wonder how much input Activision had into this policy. It's something I'd expect from a sleazy company such as Acclaim.
I sent in my objections. The thing I don't understand is, if their primary objective is to build a strong and positive community, why on Earth would they try to implement something that alienates such a large part of said community? It doesn't seem to be a very popular move at all… the best reactions I've seen have all been pretty lukewarm, along the lines of "eh, whatever, it doesn't bother me." I haven't heard too many people going, "Woo, rock on! I've always wanted to have my real name displayed on the forums for everyone to see!"
Also, for the record – there are far more people who share my avatar's name (33, at last count) than my real-life one. My surname is quite unusual. A Google search for my first and last name reveals that there is one person who shares my name in Illinois; the other search results are all me, as far as I can tell. So yeah, for some people, having our names out in the public IS a big deal, potentially, in more than just the sense of identifying our real-life gender and ethnicity and such – which, as Falconesse points out, is a very real and valid concern, as well. (I don't exactly keep my gender a secret, but I also don't broadcast it publicly to everyone and their brother, because I have been cyber-stalked before; thankfully, it's never spilled over into real life.)
And honestly, I'm probably not as careful with my real-life identity online as I ought to be. Someone who was determined enough could probably find enough of a digital paper trail to connect my name with my WoW account. Does that mean I want to make it that much easier for every random stranger who reads the WoW forums to make that connection? Heck no. That'd be like saying there's no point in locking my door at night since an intruder could just break a window to get in.
A friend of mine also pointed out this part of the Code of Conduct:
"Distribution of Real-Life Personal Information
This category includes:
* Releasing any real-life information about other players or Blizzard Entertainment employees
If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:
* Be permanently banned from the World of Warcraft forums"
Bit of an interesting incongruity there, isn't it…?
This is from the EU forums, posted by Wyrixian. Wyrixian has been much more vocal than the NA moderators. I think this response is telling:
"We have been planning this change for a very long time. During this time, we have thought ahead about the scope and impact of this change and predicted that many people would no longer wish to post in the forums after this change goes live. We are fine with that, because we want to change these forums dramatically in a positive and more constructive direction.
It's been very obvious over the last few years that the forums are an exceptionally valuable source of information both for players and for us to gather feedback. There are many threads on this forum now, and over the last few years, that people have been constructively discussing many aspects of the game. They've received new wisdom and have then been able to go back to the game and enjoy it further with the new knowledge acquired through the forums.
These threads, however, can often be lost amongst a great deal of other threads that are basically filled with trolling, name calling, flaming, off-topic conversations and that's just a small amount of some of the content that has been found in these forums over the years. We don't want that anymore, and we believe the Real ID change will bring about a lot of the improvement that we are hoping for.
There's a lot of scare-mongering going on about the change, but there seems a need to make something very clear. The forums have always been an optional extra — something you can choose to participate in if you wish to. With our Real ID changes for the forums, this is still the case. The only difference will be, if you do choose to participate in the forums, then you will do so by using your real name. But only after you've been warned and accepted this in advance. "
Basically, they are okay with people not posting. They don't want us to post.
I'm not okay with this this change.
I don't use the official forums much, but this change means that I will not be using them at all. My name, which I never thought of as being particularly unique, reveals all of my personal information when typed into -free- people search sites. I'm talking my address, all previous address, my family members names, my mother's address, my phone number…pretty much everything about me.
I have been stalked in real life. I have been stalked online. But instances were scary, but at least with the online one, all I had to do was change my privacy settings on a couple of websites and change a screen name around. I can't change my real name, and RealID won't let me change my privacy settings.
As for the "cleaning up the trolls" aspect of this, I think it's pretty obvious that these changes are not about keeping trolls off the forums. It's about implementing Blizz's new "social-gaming service." I don't want this. And it won't stop trolls either. Maybe they won't feel as inclined to troll on the forum, but hey. No problem, they can't just look up my personal information and troll me in real life. Sorry, I don't want some idiotic jerkface to have my number because I disagreed with him on the new resto druid changes.
I guess I just find this kind of heartbreaking, because I love WoW. I love the lore, I love my friends, and I love the incredibly amazing RP that I've had here. I don't want to lose those things, but I don't want to lose my privacy either. And in the end, the safety of me, and my family, comes first.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Patti Bess
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Patti Bess is the author of Vegetarian Barbecue and a regular columnist for the Grass Valley Union. Other writing and recipe development appeared in Sierra Heritage, Delicious Living, Woman's Day, Fit, Country Journal, Sierra Alive, Cooking Pleasures, Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications, Weight Watchers and others.
Patti began teaching vegetarian cooking classes in 1977. She was a teacher for Community Service Programs at Sierra, Yuba, and American River Colleges. Patti also designed and implemented a Kids Kan Kook program for Petaluma Unified School District and taught meal planning and gardening to mentally disabled adults in Santa Cruz.
An avid gardener, Patti and her family moved to the Sierra foothills in 1989. She has been a broadcaster for five years and is a member of the local food coalition, Sierra Writers and the Managing Council for the Self Realization Fellowship meditation group.
Patti earned a BS in Home Economics from the University of Illinois and BA in Expressive Arts from California State University, Sonoma.


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EUGENE, Ore. — Eugene Police have released the identity of the man that was killed in West Eugene Friday night.
Police say William McKnight, 41, was killed following a fight at a house on 2200 block of Roosevelt Boulevard.
"My neighbor jumped up on the fence and said 'do you guys need help, do you guys need help, do you guys want us to call 911?' Well at that point I had already known what was going on, like they were sitting there trying to revive him," said witness Dana Stuckey.
EPD says when they got to the scene just before 5 p.m. people inside the house were already performing CPR on McKnight. Officers took over, but it was too late.
"Medics responded took over the care of the the patient at that point and since then the individual has died from his injuries," said Lt. Sam Kamkar, Eugene Police Department.
Police say they're still in the preliminary stages of the investigation and plan to release more information on exactly what happened to Mcknight in the coming days.
"The post-mortem is complete and there's no definitive information from the post-mortem until additional testing comes back to the state medical examiner," said Sgt. David Natt, Eugene Police Department.
Neighbors and friends are trying to cope with their loss.
"He was very helpful you know what I mean and he'd do different things for us and help me out building something. Or like if I just asked him for something, he'd just stop and then give you a hand," said neighbor and friend Frank Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has lived on the block for four years and says he wishes he could have been there, to get more answers and to maybe stop a fight that ultimately took his friend's life.
"What happened and just to find out you know to see something see why my friend died. What's the reason for that? Because there's not no good reason for anyone to die," Gonzalez said.
The investigation into what happened Friday night is ongoing.
Police say they had a suspect in custody, but has since been released.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Eugene Police at (541) 682-5111.


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- Ostrow Off The Record - http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow -
Couric makes it official
Posted By Joanne Ostrow On April 26, 2011 @ 7:40 pm In Daytime TV,Local Media,TV News | No Comments
[media-credit id=261 align="alignnone" width="270″] [1]
Katie Couric is moving on from the CBS Evening News, she tells People magazine today.
People mag? Really?
Why not announce it through her own manager/publicist, why not let CBS make some kind of mutually agreed statement? Why not tell David Letterman when he asked?
Instead, CBS released a terse sentence, attributed only to a CBS spokesperson:
"There's a lot to be proud of during Katie Couric's time at Evening News. CBS News, like Katie herself, is looking forward to the next chapter."-CBS News Spokesperson
The manner of Couric's announcement today is more surprising than the news itself. The world has known for weeks that the CBS News anchor planned to leave the Walter Cronkite chair when her contract is up. She dodged the question in recent TV interviews but "sources" at the network confirmed her intention; KCNC, the Denver CBS O&O, even reported it on-air weeks ago.
So why "People"? The only reasonable explanation is that People delivers the demographic she'll need to launch a daytime talk show. And maybe CBS wasn't so keen on joining in the fun.
Article printed from Ostrow Off The Record: http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow
URL to article: http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2011/04/26/couric-makes-it-official/4823/
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San Jose, Costa Rica ranked as a "Top 25" city in the world in which to do business. - Fortune Magazine
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Sponsored by: Arceneaux Ford
Feb 28, 2013 10:44 PM by UL Sports Information
Keke Veal scored a career-high 25 points but it was not enough as UALR rallied from a seven-point first half deficit to claim a 48-41 victory over Louisiana here Thursday evening in Jack Stephens Center.
The loss drops the Cajuns to 9-19 on the year and 3-16 in league play while UALR improves to 21-7 overall and claims at least a share of the Sun Belt west division crown with a 13-6 record.
"We made some poor decisions down the stretch and didn't execute properly on defense, otherwise, we could have come away with another win," Louisiana head coach Garry Brodhead said. "We did some real good things on defense in the first half and you could see that we frustrated them.
"But in the second half, we didn't switch properly and when we doubled down, they got loose for a couple of three's. That was unfortunate."
Veal, the only Cajuns player to score in double figures, was 10-for-23 from the field with a pair of three-pointers. She had 15 points on six-for-10 shooting in the first half.
Only six Trojans scored, but five had eight or more. Shanity James led UALR with 11 points and 15 rebounds while Taylor Gault added 10.
The difference in the game proved to be the little things.
After each team claimed 16 boards in the first half, UALR owned a 25-18 edge in the second half, including 12 offensive boards. After making 10 turnovers in the first half, the Trojans committed just five in the second stanza and had 12 second chance points.
The Cajuns did not trail the first 20 minutes as a patient offensive approach combined with 10 UALR turnovers gave Louisiana a 21-20 halftime lead.
The game was tied at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 before Louisiana ran off six straight points to open up an 18-12 lead. Veal started the burst with a pair of free throws. After Kia Willridge connected on a short jumper, Veal scored on a driving layup to give UL a six-point advantage with 5:22 left.
Shanity James scored in the lane at the 4:51 mark to snap a 5:38 scoreless drought for the Trojans.
Louisiana came right back as Veal scored a three-point play to push the Cajun advantage to 21-14 with 4:09 left.
Veal, who scored 15 of UL's 21 first half points, left the game after picking up her second foul with 3:39 left and the Cajuns went scoreless to close the half.
UALR did not as Taylor Gault scored six straight points to bring the Trojans back to within one at the intermission.
James opened the second half with a basket inside that gave the Trojans its first lead of the night, 22-21, but the Cajuns answered right back, running off six straight points to build a 27-22 lead with 14:52 remaining.
UALR found it offense as Kiera Clark made all four baskets as part of an 8-0 Trojans run that put UALR ahead, 30-27, with 12:32 left.
The Cajuns hung close as a three-pointer by Veal made it a 34-32 game (8:47) before another 8-0 UALR run, keyed by a pair of treys by Janette Merriex pushed the Trojan lead to 42-32 with 5:29 remaining.
The Cajuns would have their opportunities as UALR would convert just two of its six free throws in the final 65 seconds, but cold-shooting would prevent a UL comeback.
"I am still proud of this team," Brodhead said. "With Adrienne (Prejean) out, we only had seven players to rotate and you could see they got tired because they had to work hard running the motion offense and guard tight at the other end.
"We're going to be good. You can see it. It is just going to take a little time and a couple of more players next year."
After a practice day on Friday, the Cajuns travel to Monroe, La. to close the 2012-13 regular season against ULM on Saturday (March 2.) beginning at 2:00 p.m., inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Louisiana vs UALR
2/28/13 5:15 p.m. at Little Rock, Ark. (Jack Stephens Center)
LOUISIANA (9-19, 3-16 SBC) Veal, Keke 10-23 3-3 25; Wilridge, Kia 3-9 0-0 6; Benjamin, Ashley 2-7 2-2 6; Mills, Jasmin 1-2 0-0 2; Schambough, Brandi 1-4 0-0 2; Brown, Robbie 0-2 0-0 0; Okde, Sylvana 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-48 5-5 41
UALR (21-7, 13-6 SBC) James, Shanity 4-9 3-8 11; Gault, Taylor 3-7 4-5 10; Merriex, Janette 3-4 0-0 9; Cobbins, Ka'Nesheia 4-12 0-1 8; Clark, Kiera 4-10 0-0 8; Fohne, Hannah 1-5 0-0 2; Dillard, Carolee 0-0 0-0 0; Ford, Taylor 0-9 0-0 0. Totals 19-56 7-14 48
Halftime Score: Louisiana 21, UALR 20. 3-point goals--Louisiana 2-9 (Veal, Keke 2-5; Schambough, Brandi 0-3; Okde, Sylvana 0-1), UALR 3-7 (Merriex, Janette 3-4; Gault, Taylor 0-1; Ford, Taylor 0-2). Fouled out--Louisiana-None, UALR-None. Rebounds--Louisiana 34 (Wilridge, Kia 8), UALR 41 (James, Shanity 15). Assists--Louisiana 1 (Brown, Robbie 1), UALR 10 (Ford, Taylor 6). Total fouls--Louisiana 15, UALR 12. Technical fouls--Louisiana-None, UALR-None.
3 months ago


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Outdoor music festivals are definitely not a place where it's easy to stay fresh and clean. Isle of Wight's recent festival enjoyed heavy downpours resulting in masses of mud and wet music-lovers. Unfortunately July is forecast to rain, rain, rain some more so here are a few tips to stay as comfortable and dry as possible at the festival:
- Choose your outfit carefully. Now's not the time to wear your favourite summer dress and flip flops. The key is to layer up – start with your festival outfit, then a cardigan for warmth, then a high quality water-proof. You can skimp on the rain jacket, but chances are you'll regret it when your Primark purchase repels rain like a sponge. One with a hood is even better to save your hands from carrying a brolly. Knee high willies are also a must and have become a fashion staple for a festival.
- Baby wipes and shower in a bag! Baby wipes are invaluable as a festival. You'll undoubtedly get splashed with mud and it's best to get it off straightaway to avoid it drying and unpleasant smells. If you can't make it to the festival showers, Gelert's Solar Shower heats in sunlight (there may be some!) and you can shower in your bathing suit to avoid the queues. Loo roll also comes in handy in many a wet situations!
- Choose your tent wisely. Look for one with a high hydrostatic head (HH) which basically is the measure for how waterproof your tent will be. Urban Escape tents are great value for money and come in many sizes to fit your party. Pitch it on a very slight incline, with the door to the tent facing downwards, to avoid water going in to your tent. And don't forget to put that groundsheet down!
Most of all, try to get into the festival vibe. The weekend will be a memory, and rain might be a part of it, but you can still have fun and enjoy the music!
Festival schedule:
12th July – Latitude
27th July – Global Gathering
18th August – V festival
24th August – Creamfields
24th August – Leeds festival
6th Sept – Bestival


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ASHLAND, Ore. — Mason Montgomery has the instincts of a great football player. Those instincts go along with a passionate motivation.
"I feel like he has certainly the tangible skills, but he's got great intangibles," said head coach Charlie Hall. "His work ethic and his competitiveness are just off the charts."
Those skills, whether tangible or intangible, are partly rooted in his family tree. Mason's father Mitch played football at Southern Oregon University in the 90s. One of his coaches at the time was Charlie Hall, now Mason's head coach at Ashland.
"Mitch was part of a really good team, and I think things really started to ascend for the program at that time, you know?" said Hall. "Some good players started to emerge out of the SOU program."
Mason and his brother Max were babies at the time, but it wasn't long before their parents started to see the skills that Hall now praises.
"They always had the knack to hit hard even when they were really little," said Mitch. "They had this, I don't know, it was crazy, always this, BAM, all the time. Everybody was like, 'wow, they hit really hard.' They loved it, and I liked watching it."
"They started off with soccer, and then it was just like Mason was too aggressive for that," said Molly Montgomery. "Then he played football and he was really excited because he said, 'mom, I tackled somebody and they were saying good job,' because in soccer, he would accidentally knock kids over."
Now, it's not so accidental. Mason is one of the top linebackers in the state. He's also one of Oregon's best wrestlers, but he prefers football.
"Wrestling's an individual sport," said Mason. "It's great. I love the competition, but winning a game with guys that you've been working so hard with for so long, there's nothing like that."
One of the guys Mason gets to share those wins with is his brother Max.
"It's been fun to kind of compete with him and try to be as good as he is," said Max. "Obviously he's pretty good so it's fun to have that brotherly competition."
As much as Max looks up to Mason, both brothers look up to Mitch.
"It was the reason we started playing football so, yeah, I learned a lot from him," said Max. "He kind of taught me the basics of football."
Mason enjoys football because it feels like a family on the field. Maybe that's because football is a part of his family.


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WHEELING, W.Va. — An Ohio County circuit judge refused to lower bail Wednesday for a Virginia man being held on a fugitive charge.
Charles Severance, 53, remains in the Northern Regional Jail on $100,000 bail as he continues to fight extradition to Virginia. Police in Alexandria, Virginia want to talk with Severance about three murders.
The next extradition hearing is set for March 31. Severance refused to waive extradition earlier this week. His attorney told the judge Wednesday his client's arrest was a "sham."
Comments for this article have been disabled.


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Luke Bryan
Luke Bryan Added to 'Fashion Rocks' 2014 TV Special
For the Sept. 9 special, Bryan joins a previously announced lineup that includes Afrojack, Duran Duran, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, KISS, MAGIC!, Miranda Lambert, Nico & Vinz, Pitbull, Rita Ora, The Band Perry and Usher.
Musicians + Sports: Cole Swindell on Representing All Things (and Teams) Atlanta, Georgia
The diehard Atlanta Braves fan gets a special thrill from the team's third baseman, Chris Johnson, using his song, "Chillin' It," as walk-up music.
10 ACM Awards Moments You Didn't See On TV
Radio.com was in Las Vegas, at the ACM Party for a Cause, on the red carpet, at the awards show and in the press room covering the event. Here are 10 things that CBS didn't show you on television.
The Best Moments of the 2014 ACM Awards
The Academy of Country Music's 49th Annual Awards were broadcast out of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas again this year, with special performances in nearby Mandalay Bay. Here are the biggest moments from the show.
Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, More Added to 'Salute the Troops' TV Special
Lee Brice, Hunter Hayes, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Kellie Pickler, and Keith Urban have also been added to the already impressive bill of the television special, which airs in May. LL Cool J and actor Chris O'Donnell will host.
Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, More Among to Perform at 2014 ACM Awards
Nominees Aldean, Bryan, Lambert, Strait, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and the Band Perry will perform live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas during the 49th ACM Awards on April 6.
Luke Bryan: Inside the ACM Entertainer of the Year Nominees
No one can argue that in 2013, Luke Bryan had the year of his life. He sold out a tour, he released a first-week million selling album and he crashed everyone's party.
Amphitheatre's Best 2014 Country Concerts: Lady A, McGraw, Paisley, Bryan, Aldean
Here's our list of the best country music concerts to catch this year while soaking up the outdoors ambiance of Tampa's Amphitheatre. The list includes visits from two of the hottest artists – Jason Aldean's "Burn It Down Tour" and Luke Bryan's "That's My Kind Of Night" tour with Florida Georgia Line.
Luke Bryan to Perform During ACM Fan Jam
Luke Bryan is going to be a busy guy this coming April 6. Between cohosting the 2014 Academy of Country Music Awards that night, and being nominated in three different categories, Bryan already had plenty on his plate. Now, though, he's got one more task: performing that same evening via live remote as part of the fourth annual ACM Fan Jam.
Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban Lead 2014 ACM Award Nominations
Additional major nominees include Lee Brice, Kacey Musgraves, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker. And who are this year's Entertainer of the Year nominees?


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In this article from Wired.com, it's funny how something as popular as twitter can't figure out a way to make  a dime.  Maybe they need some suggestions.  Scribe your thoughts below and maybe we can figure this out for Twitter.  Revenue on the web is a tricky business and these times don't make it any easier.  Everybody expects everything for free on the net.  Times are a changing though and maybe a free net is just not feasible for the future…Only time will tell.
Twitter Could 'Go for Years' Without Earning a Dime, Investor Says
By Chris Snyder
Apparently, Twitter doesn't need a business plan. At least not for years to come.
"We've got a ton of cash. We have far more cash then we need, so I'm not in any hurry," said Todd Chaffee, General Partner at Institutional Venture Partners, or IVP.
Chaffee, in an interview with Wired.com, says the microblogging service that is the darling of the social media set — and the object of a persistent drumbeat of questions about how and when it will actually earn any money — is well north of $50 million on the balance sheet. And that, he said, can last them for years.
In fact, Twitter did not even actively seek out the current, third round of $35 million in funding lead by Benchmark Capital and IVP, Chaffee said.
It's hard to argue with the endorsement an unsolicited $35 million windfall implies, but it's also difficult to ignore the parallels to an earlier era of tech investment enthusiasm, when eyeballs and market share were all that mattered and the thought of actually earning any operational revenue seemed oddly crude, inappropriate and unhip.
But Chaffee, who was also an earlier investor in Yahoo, is still brimming with optimism that the "if you build it they will eventually pay" approach will work.
"You essentially have this company which has these assets that's turning into a very large media property," he said. "When you have tens of millions or hundreds of millions of people actively engaged everyday, you've got all sorts of monetization opportunities."
Still, it's not that they haven't thought about it. Late last year Twitter investor Bijan Sabet told Wired.com it would unveil a business plan in early 2009 (still time for that). And Chaffee says they profiled a number of potential business models with Twitter before investing. Without providing any specific details, he said that the platform offers much more than your usual online display advertising.
"Twitter has some unique ones like the ability to verify whether or not it's a real brand that's being promoted," he said, noting that anything they do will likely be implemented gradually and in harmony with the service (i.e., no out-of-place banner ads). Twitter will always remain free to anyone, however, which co-founder Biz Stone has made clear.
More and more brands are turning to Twitter to promote goods and provide feedback on products, but it is difficult to determine who is legit. Burger King recently ran into a case of "brand jacking" with a fake Whopper Virgins account, and someone impersonating the Dalai Lama was escorted off Twitter only to be later reinstated with the mark "unofficial."
Business model aside, Chaffee has some extremely high hopes for Twitter's growth and potential, and says he typically has a self-proclaimed hatred for technology unless it improves your life.
"Part of where this thing may go, it may supersede other communication channels," said Chaffee, who thinks Twitter could some day surpass e-mail and IM.
In general, Twitter has been slowly creeping its way into the mainstream with the help of big names like CNN news anchor Rick Sanchez, who chats with people live on his show, and some big time shout-outs at popular events like the 2009 Grammy Awards, which directed viewers to its Twitter coverage. It has also started ruffling some feathers in Congress.
"Twitter is growing at a phenomenal rate. Active users have increased 900 percent in a year and even though our web traffic is amazing, we see twice that traffic to the APIs. Interacting with Twitter over SMS is also getting more popular every day," writes co-founder Biz Stone on the Twitter blog.
Fred Wilson and Union Square Ventures participated in both the initial and second rounds of funding, where Twitter added two new partners, Sabet of Spark Capital and Jeff Bezos of Bezos Expeditions in Seattle. Peter Fenton from Benchmark will now be joining Sabet and Wilson on Twitter's board of directors, and the new additions now give Twitter two major financial centers on both the East and West coasts.
At that time, Stone stated that the private funding "gives us the runway we need to stay focused on the infrastructure that will help our business take flight."
There was then a CEO swap late in the year with Evan Williams replacing Jack Dorsey which they said was a first step in that new direction. And in December it hired Kevin Thau as its new Director of Mobile Business Development.
This new round he says gives them even more leverage, and more time to figure out their business strategy — something that has been quite the hot topic among Twitterati for months.
"We are now positioned extremely well to support the accelerating growth of our service, further enable the robust ecosystem sprouting up around Twitter, and yes, to begin building revenue-generating products," Stone said.
Facebook offered to acquire Twitter for $500 million of its stock several months ago, which also included a cash component, but they turned them down believing that Twitter could make do on its own over time — which seems to be the case in terms of growth at least.


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Video trailer for the RSC Open Stages Showcase on Sunday 9 December at The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
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Gaston's Bakery Croissonuts
Croissant meets doughnut in the tastiest new trend, handmade and delivered to your door. Let rise and lightly fry for a treat that makes it tough to stop at one. Includes 20 croissonuts.
All Food Gifts
D'Artagnan Foie Gras Indulgence
Foie gras (pronounced fwah grah) is the fattened liver of a...


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Bike Tube Cell Pouch
Category: Accessories
I don't know about you, but my cell phone costs more than my bike at this point! Keep it safe while caring for the environment... all at once! Our Recycled Bike Tube Cell Phone Pouch is totally waterproof, lined with waterproof vinyl, and loops right on to your mesenger bag strap. *Fits iPhone 4 with a hard case. Please email us if you have an iPhone 5.
Please feel free to contact us directly for further information about this product.


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1952 DeSoto Firedome V8 Coupe, The Firedome 8 was introduced in 1952 just ahead of the DeSoto brand's 25th Anniversary. The car featured one of the... More
DeSOTO: 1955 Firedome 2-door hardtop, last run in 2007, 291 Hemi, auto, good solid car, 2 grilles, $6,000 obo. 903-567-6742, TX.... More
The DeSoto Firedome was one of a glittering array of glamorous convertibles that are easily admired to this day. This finely presented two-door convertible... More
1952 DESOTO FIREDOME V8 CONVERTIBLE BEAUTIFUL NO EXPENSE SPARED RESTORATION! ORIGINAL CALIFORNIA CAR! JUST IN FROM A PROMINENT COLLECTION! 1 OF ONLY 850 BUILT! SEMI-AUTOMATIC WITH FLUID DRIVE! STUNNING COLOR... More
DeSOTO: 1955 Firedome sedan, auto, power steering, working dealer-installed a/c, black plate CA car, mostly original, nice car, $16,500. 330-573-8710, OH; [email]... More


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Telstra adds Sony wearable to its range of contract products
Sony is one of a few companies with an ecosystem rich in entertainment gear. Now the company has partnered with Telstra to release the wearable SmartBand SWR10.
Sony is one of a few companies with an ecosystem rich in entertainment gear. Now the company has partnered with Telstra to release the wearable SmartBand SWR10.
HTC is hoping its range of One smartphones will appeal to a wider market with the unveiling of its Mini 2 smartphone last night.
After disrupting China's smartphone market, local vendor Xiaomi is looking to shake up the tablet space with a new low-price slate set to rival Apple's iPad mini.
HTC's 130MB software update to the One (M8) smartphone delivers additional improvements to the One's connectivity, call audio performance and camera, but the most valuable inclusion is the long promised 'extreme power saving mode'.
Australian telecommunications giant, Telstra, has hit network speeds of 450 megabits per second (Mbps) by coupling the 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands on LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation.
"A smartphone for all" was the tagline to the Moto E's press invitation. The ethos behind suggested a smartphone with a low price tag, but one retaining enough functionality to appeal to the masses. The philosophy isn't unheard of in the technology s...
Motorola Mobility is hoping to build on the success of the Moto G with another affordable smartphone. But the new Moto E will face even greater competition in a segment, that thanks to increased competition between processor manufacturers, is turning...
Airplanes may soon no longer provide a refuge from work emails: Telstra has revealed it is testing 4G services for commercial flights.
Microsoft-owned Nokia aims to build its Windows Phone market share with the launch of the cheap Lumia 630. The smartphone will compete against the popular Motorola Moto G when it goes on sale from the 27 of May for $249.
Good Gear Guide is running its 2014 Mobile Media Usage survey, quizzing you on your smartphone and tablet habits and media consumption.
Samsung has appointed a new head of its design team less than a month after the Galaxy S5 went on sale, a change that hints the company has finally taken years of negative feedback to heart.
Huawei Technologies is hoping that a sleek, 6.5-millimeter silhouette and the ability to take high-resolution pictures with an 8-megapixel front camera will make its flagship Ascend P7 a hit.
LG, Motorola and Huawei will all launch new smartphones in the next three weeks as they try to chip away at Apple and Samsung Electronics, a task that doesn't seem as insurmountable as it did a year ago.
Optus has partnered with Google to integrate a direct carrier billing model within the Google Play store.
Just when you thought the portable Bluetooth speaker market was brimming with a range of fantastic products, Braven weighs in with an entrant so well equipped, it could shake things up.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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What does BDM mean in Funnies?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand BDM in the Miscellaneous field in general and in the Funnies terminology in particular.
Find a translation for BDM in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss this BDM abbreviation with the community:
Use the citation below to add this abbreviation to your bibliography:
"BDM." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2015. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. <http://www.abbreviations.com/term/371187>.
BDM also stands for:
- Bachelor of Dental Medicine
- Background Debug Mailman
- Background Debug Mode
- Background Debug Module
- Ballistic Defense Missile
... and 36 more »
Nearby & related abbreviations:
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Dion's Thursday ETF Winners and Losers
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Here are today's ETF Winners and Losers.
Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ) 4.7%
Companies responsible for unearthing precious metals are enjoying strength.They are trailing funds like GDXJ and the Global X Silver Miners ETF (SIL), but bullion-tracking funds like the iShares Gold Trust (IAU) and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) are also gaining ground.
Global X Uranium ETF (URA) 4.6%
As major stock market averages push to a second day of gains, resource and materials producers are among the industries that are leading the march higher. URA, the Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX), the Market Vectors Coal ETF (KOL), and the SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) are among the biggest climbers as the end of the week approaches.Guggenheim China Small Cap ETF (HAO) 3.5%
A wide variety of international ETFs are benefiting as investors venture back into riskier corners of the globe. Emerging Asia-focused products like HAO, the iShares FTSE China 25 Index Fund (FXI), and the iShares MSCI Thailand Investable Market Index Fund (THD) are up between 2.5% and 3.5%.iShares Dow Jones U.S. Oil Equipment & Services Index Fund (IEZ) 3.4%
Energy is also benefiting as market strength leads investors to reevaluate their views towards the global growth picture. It has been a rough few days for IEZ. Even as crude prices have remained buoyed over $100 per barrel, the fund has tumbled to 2012 lows. The past few days shown some signs of stabilization, but looking to the near term, it will be interesting to see if the climb can continue.iShares MSCI Sweden Index Fund (EWD) 3.1%
It has been a shaky week for Europe as EU sovereign debt drama has shoehorned its way back into the global market discussion. Non-EMU nations like Sweden and Poland are heading higher and helping EWD and the iShares MSCI Poland Investable Market Index Fund (EPOL) gain ground. Meanwhile, funds linked to Italy and Spain are seeing mixed action. The iShares MSCI Italy Index (EWI) is sitting in solid positive territory while the iShares MSCI Spain Index Fund (EWP) hovers in unchanged territory.Losers
iPath S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ETN (VXX) -5.2%
As major market indices march higher, the fear index is being cast to the sidelines. Not even a disappointing initial jobless claims report has been able to disarm the bulls' comeback and, heading towards the close, VXX and the VIX benchmark appear set to lock in their first two-day string of losses since March.All prices as of 2:10 PM DST
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Netanyahu has no choice but to repspond and Egypt's not in any position to either help or hinder since it's quite clear if Egypt reacts then the money spigot will be turned off in the States and even Obama cant prevent Congress from withdrawaling funding.
This attack on Israel is less about Israel and more about testing the US's resolve to be in the fight. I think Hamas and Hizbullah know this president and his administration lack the will to get involved..


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Supreme Court rejects Guantánamo detainees' appeals for better protections
The appeals of three Guantánamo detainees are among the first dealing with this issue to emerge from the Washington federal appeals court. The Supreme Court refused the cases without comment.
Colin Perkel/The Canadian Press/AP/File
The US Supreme Court refused on Monday to take up three cases examining whether the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has struck the proper balance while deciding whether terror suspects held at Guantánamo Bay are being lawfully detained or must be released.
The action, announced without comment, is a victory for government lawyers and the Obama administration, which has aggressively sought to limit the rights and protections available to Guantánamo detainees.
At the same time, the high-court action is a major setback for many detainees at Guantánamo and the small army of volunteer lawyers who have worked for years to expand the rights and protections of detainees.
In 2008, the Supreme Court established for the first time in a case called Boumediene v. Bush that Guantánamo detainees enjoy a constitutional right to challenge the legality of their detention by filing habeas corpus petitions in federal court. But the justices left it to the lower courts to establish which legal standards and procedures should apply in such cases.
The three rejected appeals – Al-Bihani v. Obama (10-7814), Al Odah v. US (10-439), and Awad v. Obama (10-736) – are among the first cases to emerge from the federal appeals court. They offered the Supreme Court justices an opportunity to assess whether the lower courts have struck the proper balance.
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News about Indonesia, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Chronology of Coverage
Mar. 4, 2015
Indonesia's executions off drug offenders, most of them foreigners convicted of smuggling, are being criticized by allies including France, Brazil and Netherlands; country executed six convicts in January, five of them foreigners, and 10 more may be put to death soon; 64 others have exhausted their appeals. MORE
Mar. 1, 2015
Tupperware parties are popular in Indonesia, where most women stay at home to keep house and raise their children; Tupperware Brands Corp reports sales force there, now about 250,000, made more than $200 million in 2014. MORE
Feb. 20, 2015
Carol Giacomo Editorial Observer warns that Indonesian Pres Joko Widodo's nomination of several officials suspected of corruption to prominent posts represents growing threat to country's Corruption Eradication Commission, known as KPK; contends tensions are growing between country's police and commission and Joko is weakening in face of political pressure; says reducing corruption is essential to Indonesia's growth. MORE
Feb. 12, 2015
Conviction and imprisonment of Indonesian businessmen Indar Atmanto, Hotasi Nababan and Bachtiar Abdul Fatah on corruption charges has raised fears of petty rivalries and malfeasance within country's anticorruption agency itself; businessmen, human rights organizations and even government have argued for innocence of accused. MORE
Jan. 30, 2015
Indonesian investigators say black box data shows that French co-pilot Remi Emmanuel Plesel was at controls of AirAsia Flight 8501 when it crashed into sea; Plesel was less experienced than Indonesian flight captain Iriyanto. MORE
General Information on Indonesia
Official Name: Republic of Indonesia
Capital: Jakarta (Current local time)
Government Type: Republic
Population: 234.69 million
Area: 736,000 square miles; about three times the size of Texas
Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (official) English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is Javanese)
Literacy: Total Population: [90%] Male: [94%]; Female: [87%]
Year of Independence: 1945
Web site: Indonesia.go.id
Beach Dogs, a Bitten Girl and a Roiling Debate in Bali
On average, more than 4,000 people a month were bitten by dogs on Bali, an island of four million people, from 2010 to 2012.
March 5, 2015, Thursday
MORE ON INDONESIA AND: Dogs
Bali (Indonesia)
Animal Abuse, Rights and Welfare
Travel and Vacations
Countries Questioning Indonesia's Push to Execute Drug Offenders
With six convicts put to death in January, and 10 more set to be executed soon, countries like Australia, Brazil and the Netherlands are questioning the harsh policy.
March 4, 2015, Wednesday
MORE ON INDONESIA AND: Indonesia
Capital Punishment
Drug Abuse and Traffic
Abbott, Tony
Chan, Andrew (1984- )
Joko Widodo
Tupperware's Sweet Spot Shifts to Indonesia
As in 1960s America, many Indonesian women stay at home, creating an audience for parties run by women who have begun to sidle past conservative mores and into the work force.
March 1, 2015, Sunday
Hong Kong Woman Sentenced to 6 Years for Abusing Indonesian Maid
Law Wan-tung subjected her live-in servant, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, to various forms of abuse for months, according to testimony at her trial.
February 28, 2015, Saturday
MORE ON INDONESIA AND: Hong Kong
Domestic Service
Law Wan-tung
Erwiana Sulistyaningsih
Minimum Wage
Amnesty International
Indonesian Maid Speaks Out About Abuse in Hong Kong
Erwiana Sulistyaningsih's case was extreme, but her life circumstances were not. In an hourlong interview, she described how she became a modern-day slave.
February 24, 2015, Tuesday
MORE ON INDONESIA AND: Law Wan-tung
Hong Kong
Domestic Service
Human Rights and Human Rights Violations
Labor and Jobs
Indonesia: Executions Imminent for Foreigners Convicted of Smuggling
Two Australians are among eight convicted drug smugglers who will be transferred this week to the prison island of Nusa Kambangan for imminent execution, an official said Monday.
February 17, 2015, Tuesday
MORE ON INDONESIA AND: Capital Punishment
Drug Abuse and Traffic
Chan, Andrew (1984- )
Sukumaran, Myuran (1981- )
Joko Widodo
1965: Anti-U.S. Rally in Indonesia
Highlights from the International Herald Tribune archives: 5,000 students rally against the United States in Indonesia in 1965.
February 16, 2015, Monday
MORE ON INDONESIA AND: Jakarta (Indonesia)
United States
Demonstrations, Protests and Riots
Vietnam War
Selling America in Jakarta
A cultural center in a mall hosts film screenings and offers counseling on applying to American colleges.
February 13, 2015, Friday
MORE ON INDONESIA AND: Jakarta (Indonesia)
State Department
Diplomatic Service, Embassies and Consulates
Indonesia's Graft Fight Strikes Fear Even Among the Honest
The cases of three businessmen imprisoned — wrongly by even government accounts — as part of an anticorruption plan have raised fears that the program has run off the rails.
February 12, 2015, Thursday
In Indonesia, Madrassas of Moderation
Islamic boarding schools have existed for centuries in the country, and are mostly a bulwark against extremism.
February 11, 2015, Wednesday
Indonesia: A Delicate Balance
The Times's Calvin Sims reports on the changing nature of Islam in the vast archipelago.
Indonesia: A Muslim Democracy in Formation
A look inside the spatial and religious landscape of the world's fourth-largest nation.
Black Box Pings Detected in AirAsia Hunt
Supriyadi, operational officer at Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, said his team detected pings in their efforts to find the black box flight recorders from AirAsia Flight 8501.
Bodies Recovered From AirAsia Crash
Bambang Soelistyo, Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency chief, said on Tuesday that 30 bodies have been recovered from the wreck of Flight 8501.
Families of AirAsia Flight 8501 React
Family members of passengers and crew on AirAsia Flight 8501 grieved after Indonesian officials confirmed that the debris and bodies spotted in the Java Sea were from the missing plane.
Officials on AirAsia Flight 8501 Debris
The Indonesian president, the chief executive of AirAsia and the country's rescue chief offered condolences to those who lost loved ones in the AirAsia plane crash and discussed the recovery efforts.
Indonesian Officials on AirAsia Search
Indonesian authorities on Monday discussed the search for a missing AirAsia jet carrying 162 people.
Candidate Rejects Indonesia's Election
Prabowo Subianto, a retired Indonesian Army general, denounced the result of the country's presidential election and withdrew his candidacy.
Nigeria's troubled road to prosperity
Huge potential, huge challenges. As one of the 'MINTs' — the new kids on the economic block — Nigeria is trying to map a path for the future whilst confronting insurgency, and corruption.
Times Minute | Indonesia's Zoo of Death
Petitioners want a zoo in Indonesia closed. Also on the Minute, following Ukraine's money trail and e-cigarette use among teenagers.
Times Minute | Senate Showdown
Also on the Minute, the fragile state of Asia's emerging markets and the comedian Sid Caesar dies at 91.
Picking Through a Volcano's Destruction
Villagers rushed to clear rubble from a major eruption in Mount Sinabung, Indonesia.


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Full of herbs and vitamins that condition hair and soothe the scalp, this rich elixir reveals texture, enhances the performance of styling products and quickly refreshes already styled hair without weighing it down. Great for natural looks. Designed to help stylists backstage at fashion shows where time is of the essence and shampooing isn't an option. 2 oz.
Pros: Makes my hair soft without making it feel greasy or weighting it done.
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In his May 23 column–"Moonshine or the Kids?"–New York Times columnist Nick Kristof has hit upon the "simplest option" for keeping poor African kids in school (and ending malaria): getting their fathers to stop drinking, smoking and whoring.
There's an ugly secret of global poverty, one rarely acknowledged by aid groups or U.N. reports. It's a blunt truth that is politically incorrect, heartbreaking, frustrating and ubiquitous:
It's that if the poorest families spent as much money educating their children as they do on wine, cigarettes and prostitutes, their children's prospects would be transformed. Much suffering is caused not only by low incomes, but also by shortsighted private spending decisions by heads of households.
Kristof gleans this from visiting some families in the Congo Republic in which, Kristof says, the fathers spend far more on alcohol than it would cost to send their kids to school or buy bed nets to protect them from malaria. He backs this evidence up with an MIT study that he links to, which he says shows
that the world's poor typically spend about 2 percent of their income educating their children, and often larger percentages on alcohol and tobacco: 4 percent in rural Papua New Guinea, 6 percent in Indonesia, 8 percent in Mexico. The indigent also spend significant sums on soft drinks, prostitution and extravagant festivals.
That's right, the poorest of the world's children lack education and decent health to no small degree because their extravagant parents have their priorities in the wrong place. "That probably sounds sanctimonious, haughty and callous," Kristof writes. But "if we're going to make more progress, and get kids like the Obamza children in school and under bed nets, we need to look unflinchingly at uncomfortable truths–and then try to redirect the family money now spent on wine and prostitution."
Actually, it does sound sanctimonious, haughty and callous–but more importantly, it's a seriously flawed argument. The study Kristof points to paints a different picture–one that doesn't back up the sweeping generalizations and conclusions he makes based on his anecdotal evidence.
First, it's bizarre that he mentions prostitution multiple times in his column, since the study doesn't actually mention it. (It doesn't seem to mention soft drinks, either.) As for the "extravagant" festivals, that plus other entertainment averages just a little over 2 percent–less than education spending.* I'd like to see what Kristof's entertainment budget looks like in comparison.
In fact, the study shows that in the 13 countries surveyed, the most "significant sums" the very poor spend are the 56 percent to 78 percent of their money that goes just toward food.
And how about education? Here Kristof cherry-picks and completely misrepresents the study data. Comparing overall average spending on education to particular countries' alcohol and tobacco spending is comparing apples to oranges. If you compare the overall averages, it's 2.7 percent on education (which most would call "about 3 percent," not "about 2 percent") versus 3.0 percent on alcohol and tobacco. Looking at particulars, those heavy-drinking and -smoking Indonesians Kristof highlights still spend more on education than their vices (6.3 percent vs. 6.0 percent), and the Mexicans in the study who spend 8.1 percent on alcohol and tobacco, come across looking much better when that's compared to how much they spend on education–6.9 percent–rather than the study-wide average, which is pretty much irrelevant.
Here's what the study says about spending on education: "The reason spending is low is that children in poor households typically attend public schools or other schools that do not charge a fee. In countries where poor households spend more on education, it is typically because government schools have fees (as in Indonesia and Cote d'Ivoire)."
As for alcohol and cigarettes, a high percentage (44 percent) say they want to be spending less on those. Those substances do happen to be addictive, and I have a feeling there aren't so many addiction programs available for them.
In other words, Kristof's "ugly secret" about the drinking, smoking, whoring poor is hardly ubiquitous, and getting parents to shift the tiny amount of income they spend on such things to education is highly unlikely to transform their children's prospects. Asking the poorest of the poor to put more of their minuscule disposable income towards their children's education might be the "simplest" option–if your goal is to let governments, and the global financial system that keeps those governments indebted and structurally adjusted, off the hook for making quality public education available, free of charge.
*Kristof seems to be using the study's numbers for the rural very poor–living on less than a dollar a day–so I'm using those numbers as well.


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Scaling dcache with RCU
A full parallelization of dcache would be quite complex and was deemed too risky for the latter part of the 2.5 effort. The 2.6 dcache is but one step along the road to RCU; the goal for 2.7 is to walk the entire path without acquiring any locks.
Listing 1. Lock-Free Pathname Segment Lookup
1 struct dentry * 2 __d_lookup(struct dentry * parent, 3 struct qstr * name) 4 { 5 unsigned int len = name->len; 6 unsigned int hash = name->hash; 7 const unsigned char *str = name->name; 8 struct hlist_head *head = d_hash(parent,hash); 9 struct dentry *found = NULL; 10 struct hlist_node *node; 11 12 rcu_read_lock(); 13 hlist_for_each (node, head) { 14 struct dentry *dentry; 15 unsigned long move_count; 16 struct qstr * qstr; 17 18 smp_read_barrier_depends(); 19 dentry = hlist_entry(node, struct dentry, 20 d_hash); 21 if (unlikely(dentry->d_bucket != head)) 22 break; 23 move_count = dentry->d_move_count; 24 smp_rmb(); 25 if (dentry->d_name.hash != hash) 26 continue; 27 if (dentry->d_parent != parent) 28 continue; 29 qstr = dentry->d_qstr; 30 smp_read_barrier_depends(); 31 if (parent->d_op && 32 parent->d_op->d_compare) { 33 if (parent->d_op->d_compare(parent, qstr, 34 name)) 35 continue; 36 } else { 37 if (qstr->len != len) 38 continue; 39 if (memcmp(qstr->name, str, len)) 40 continue; 41 } 42 spin_lock(&dentry->d_lock); 43 /* 44 * If dentry is moved, fail the lookup 45 */ 46 if (likely(move_count == 47 dentry->d_move_count)) { 48 if (!d_unhashed(dentry)) { 49 atomic_inc(&dentry->d_count); 50 found = dentry; 51 } 52 } 53 spin_unlock(&dentry->d_lock); 54 break; 55 } 56 rcu_read_unlock(); 57 return found; 58 }
Pathname segment lookup is performed by the __d_lookup() function shown in Listing 1. The __d_lookup() function is invoked with a pointer to the parent directory's dentry and the name to be looked up. The name is passed in a struct qstr, which contains a pointer to the string, its length, a precomputed hash value for the dcache hash table and the name itself, if desired.
Lines 5–7 unmarshall the struct qstr. Line 8 hashes the combination of the name and the parent dentry pointer into the global dcache hash table, yielding a pointer to the corresponding hash chain.
Lines 12 and 56 demark the RCU-protected segment of the code, disabling preemption in CONFIG_PREEMPT kernels, as specified by the Reader-Writer-Lock/RCU analogy described in the article entitled "Using RCU in the Linux 2.5 Kernel" in the October 2003 issue of Linux Journal. Lines 13–55 loop through the elements in the selected hash chain, looking for the matching dentry. Line 18 issues a memory barrier but only on DEC Alpha. On other CPUs, the data dependency implied by the pointer dereference suffices, so on these CPUs, line 18 generates no code.
Because this lookup acquired no locks, it may be racing with a rename system call. Such a system call could move a dentry to another hash chain, taking this lookup with it. Lines 21 and 22 check for this race, but they are not sufficient in and of themselves. Therefore, line 23 takes a snapshot of the number of times that the current dentry has been subjected to a rename, the dcache d_move() function, which is used later to determine if any renames raced with the path walk. Line 24 is a memory barrier to ensure that the snapshot is not reordered by either the compiler or the CPU.
Lines 25–28 check the name hash and the parent dentry. If either fail to match, this dentry cannot be the target of our lookup. Lines 29–41 do the full name comparison, with memory barrier for DEC Alpha at line 30. Filesystem-specific name comparison functions may be provided, for example, for case-independent filesystems, as shown on line 33.
If execution reaches line 42, we have found a child dentry with a matching name. We then acquire the child dentry's lock on line 42. Because we have a lock on each dentry, the level of contention on these individual locks is much lower than on the original dcache_lock. Nonetheless, life is not perfect. For example, the lock on the root dentry still is subject to contention, a topic discussed later.
The child dentry possibly was renamed after the d_move_count snapshot was acquired on line 23. Therefore, lines 46–47 check the current value of d_move_count against the snapshot. If the check passes, the child dentry has not been renamed out from under the lookup, and lines 48–51 increment a reference count—but only if the entry still is hashed.
Line 53 releases the child dentry's lock, and line 54 breaks out of the hash-chain search loop. Line 57 returns a pointer to the child dentry if the lookup was successful, or NULL otherwise.
A failure of __d_lookup() does not mean that failure is returned to the user process. The file actually may exist, but has not been loaded yet into dcache.
This function does not protect, however, against all rename-race hazards. One additional race is caused by the fact that dcache uses hlist rather than list for the dcache hash chains. It uses hlist to save memory, because hlist requires one rather than two pointers in the list header. This does mean, though, that hlist, unlike list, is not circular. It therefore is possible that a particular dentry will be renamed such that it lands in a previously empty dcache hash chain. If this happened at the right time, the __d_lookup() function could return search failure incorrectly.
An incorrectly returned search failure is handled by the upper-level d_lookup() function, shown in Listing 2. Any racing renames are detected by the read_seqretry() function on line 13. As the problematic case results only in spurious failure, the check is made only on NULL return from __d_lookup().
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- The Usability of GNOME
- PostgreSQL, the NoSQL Database
- Linux for Astronomers
- You're the Boss with UBOS


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Want to know what time it is? This watch will project it onto the back of your hand
We've featured so many unconventional watches here on Lost At E Minor, but this one's a first: a watch that uses the back of the hand as the watchface, and projects the time onto it. We can't wait to get our hands on one of these so we can position the projector bit on the inside of our wrist and annoy the hell out of the people in our lives by stretching our palms wide to proclaim 'I give you time', oh, every minute.


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NEWTON's HOME PAGE
Privacy Policy
Universe and Quantum Fluctuation
Name: Navid Status: student Grade: 9-12 Location: CA Country: USA Date: Winter 2012-2013
I have recently heard that the universe might have been the result of a quantum fluctuation. I am confused about this because I had thought that quantum fluctuations (the popping in an out of existence of virtual particles) only occurred in empty space/quantum vacuum. If time and space were created at the big bang, would that mean that there was no quantum vacuum in which fluctuations could occur, and no time in which events could take place?
Hi Brodie,
Hi Navid,
Thanks for the question. The creation and subsequent annihilation of a virtual particle occurs because of the energy-time uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics. The energy-time uncertainty principle states that the product of the energy fluctuation and the time interval must be greater than h (Planck's constant or 6.626*10^-34 J s). It would be effectively impossible for the universe to be the result of a quantum fluctuation since the energy fluctuation would be very, very large so the time interval would be very, very short---certainly milliseconds or less.
Virtual particles can form in vacuum or in matter. For examples, I would recommend reading about beta decay and pair production.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks Jeff Grell
Click here to return to the Physics Archives
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Update: November 2011


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At Unpackaged, customers are asked to bring their own reusable containers, like bags, bottles, jars, etc to fill up on the items they want. If you happen to forget a bag, the store has extra reusable bags for you to borrow. Check out their list of products they carry so you can plan your trip appropriately and bring enough containers. All of their wares are either certified organic, or from a known and trusted source that engages in sustainable practices. Additionally, they source fair trade goods and never buy anything that was air freighted, giving preference to local suppliers.
The store itself is also incredibly cute and their marketing and logos were very well designed. We already wish there was one just like this in our town. Definitely check out the beautiful pictures!
Via GOOD


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Parental access for Moodle
A question I hear regularly in my travel from both teachers and Moodle admins alike is "How can I give my student's parents access to Moodle?". Or, in a business context, "How can I give a Team Leader access to their teams progress and performance?". Surprisingly the answer is relatively simple if not a prolonged process.
With Moodle we traditionally think of the 8 pre-defined roles. These included:
- Administrator
- Manager
- Course Creator
- Teacher
- Non-editing Teacher
- Student
- Authenticated User
- Guest
Of course many situations arose where Admins wanted to create more roles that met their specific requirements. When Moodle 1.7 (how long ago was that!) was released one of the many additions it brought along with it was a new Roles architecture funded mainly by the Open University that finally gave admins the ability to create their own roles and role overrides with set permissions on demand.
Now I could write a 10 page article on roles, which to put your mind at ease I will not do now. But needless to say the ability to create on demand roles to allow specific functionality for users is a godsend. I have a role to allow a user just the ability to post news on the front-page, another role for College Directors and so forth. Todays post though will look at creating a Parent/Mentor Role.
What is a Parent/Mentor Role?
Here is the situation many of us are faced with. We have parents who want to see their child's progress or a Team Leader needing to view their down-line staff inside the LMS. How can this be achieved while maintaining privacy. Here was my list of "Must Haves" and "Must Not Haves.
Must Have:
- Ability to see their child's/staff's marks
- Track their child's/staff's access of materials
- Be able to view their child's/staff's activity
- View content created by their child/staff (forum and blog posts/uploaded assignments)
Must Not Have
- the ability to see other child's/staff's details
- access to course materials. I don't want my teachers/trainers judged by what they have online
- The ability to change or edit the child's/staff's work
Great news is we can create a custom role that will allow us to facilitate this!
Before I go on I also need to talk about where we can apply roles. Most teachers and admins know that roles can be allocated at a course/category/site level. (i.e. admins are site level roles, course creators may be category level roles and teachers are course level roles). But what many admins don't know is that we can also apply roles at activity and at the user level as well. For parent roles to function we actually add a parent role to a student. This means that parents will only see details for the student/students to which they are attached.
How do we set this up? Well the following is blatantly copied and pasted from the MoodleDocs. If you are not yet already a follower of this brilliant user-created wiki for Moodle documentation then where have you been?
Setting up the Role
Creating new roles and allocating permissions is something that only Moodle Administrators can do. If you only have teacher access I am afraid at this point I have to tell you to not pass Go or collect $200. If you are an admin read on. All of this is also covered in the Moodle tutorial at the bottom of this post.
- As an administrator, go to Administration > Site administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles and click the "Add a new role" button.
- Give the role a name (such as "Parent", but it can be anything appropriate, such as tutor/mentor) and assign it to the user context.
Under the heading of Course
- Change moodle/user:viewdetails to allow – to access the student's profile
Under the heading of Users
- Change moodle/user:viewalldetails to allow - to view all aspects of the student's profile
- Change any/all of the following capabilities to allow
- moodle/user:readuserblogs - to read the student's blog entries
- moodle/user:readuserposts - to read the student's forum posts
- moodle/user:viewuseractivitiesreport - to view the student's activity reports and grades
- moodle/user:editprofile - to edit the student's profile
- Click the "Create this role" button.
Some permissions may already be set to "Allow", or the permissions granted here may not be the ones required for that Role. This set of Permissions mean that this Role allows anyone assigned to a Parent Role, then linked to the Student Role, to edit the profile or read the blogs of that Student – not everyone's profile or blogs.
Assigning the new Role to the Student
Before we go any further I must point out the obvious. The parent needs to have their own account in your Moodle. This means they have their own name and password. The process/policy discussion round this is huge and not one for this post. But lets assume you have it created ok?
- Access the child's profile page, via Administration > Site administration > Users > Accounts > Browse list of users
- Go to 'Profile settings for [username]' > 'Roles' >'Assign roles relative to this user'
- Choose the role to assign (This is the role we just created above i.e. Parent)
- Select the parent in the potential users list and use the Add button to add it to the existing users list.
- Your done! No repeat as necessary if that parent has more than one child at your institution.
Advanced Tip
If you are interested in assigning several parent roles en masse there is a contributed plugin (use at your own risk) here CONTRIB-3938 which allows you to configure automatic role assignment between users from a database (ex: mentor/mentee or parent/child). You can also read the discussion at http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=70539#p345127)
The Mentees Block
The next question is, now that we have the roles assigned, how does the parent or Team Leader get to their child's/staff's profile? The good news is that Moodle has thought of this and has included the "Mentees Block".
The Mentees block may be added to the site front page or to the My Moodle page. It provides a mentor/parent with quick access to their mentee(s)/child(s) profile page.
To add this block to the site front page:
- On the Front Page, turn editing on.
- Go to the Add Blocks block and select the Mentees block and when it appears, click on the Configuration icon.
- Edit the configuration settings to suit the needs of the site. When complete, save the changes and return to the Front Page. These settings include reaming the block to give better context and the ability to have it display across all pages of the site.
Finishing Up
Note that as mentioned above this role can be used for not just parents but also is well suited to Tutor's, Team Leaders, Mentors and other supervisory style roles. This is just an introduction to one of the many roles that you can build in Moodle. If you have any other roles you would like to see covered please detail them in the comments and Ill see what I can do.


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A password is required to submit a request for an internal transfer. In order to obtain the password you can check any of the following resources: Login to the employee portal, check the current issue of "Regional High Points" newsletter, contact HR, or read this week's "Daily Announcements".
Premier Imaging has received two accreditations by the American College of Radiology (ACR), one in Ultrasound and the other in Mammography. "We are excited to receive ACR accreditation in Ultrasound and Mammography for the first time at Premier Imaging, especially since we only started serving patients this past June, said Sherry Nance, Director of Premier Imaging. "I am proud of the hard work and long hours the staff put into these accreditations. They were troopers. This couldn't have been done without their commitment. These achievements are just another example of our dedication to serving our customers with well educated and certified personnel, high equipment standards, as well as our Center meeting and exceeding quality assurance and safety guidelines.†After an extensive review by the ACR, the accreditations that Premier Imaging received were a three-year accreditation in ultrasound and mammography. Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of internal body parts to help providers diagnose illness, injury or other medical problems. Premier Imaging is accredited in General, Gynecological, Vascular Peripheral, Vascular Cerebro, Vascular Abdominal and Vascular Deep Abdominal ultrasound imaging. Mammography is a specific type of imaging test that uses a low-dose x-ray system to examine breasts. A mammography exam is used to aid in the early detection and diagnosis of breast diseases in women. Premier Imaging utilizes a digital mammography system which is one of the most advanced available today. The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Premier Imaging is located at 4515 Premier Drive, Suite 101, High Point. For more information, call 336-801-5800 or visit http://www.premierimaginghp.com. Media Contact: Chad Campbell (336) 878-6200 High Point Regional Health System


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CHICKASHA – Lorene Smith Summers may not have been able to afford a college education herself, but a recent gift made in her name will help pave the way for future business students at the University of Science and Arts. A $75,000 endowed scholarship was established May 22 by her husband, Robert F. Summers II of Norman.
CHICKASHA – More than 250 students at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or greater during the spring 2007 semester and were named to the university's honor rolls, USAO admissions officials have announced.
CHICKASHA – In celebration of Oklahoma's centennial, a local historical society is looking for actors to participate in a new, original drama about the Verden Separate School. Auditions for "School Days" begin at 10 a.m. on June 2 in the Chickasha Public Library.
CHICKASHA – When the green flag waves this fall at America's DARPA Urban Grand Challenge race, Chickasha's Dr. John K. Johnson hopes to lead the pack of robotic racers. The scientist and professor of computer science at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma has assembled Team Nova to build a completely autonomous vehicle to compete in the international event.
CHICKASHA – New and current students looking to grab extra credits over the summer have one last chance to enroll at the University of Science and Arts. This summer's courses range from rock 'n' roll history to urban sociology, drama production and much more.
CHICKASHA – Award-winning students were given their moment in the spotlight recently when the University of Science and Arts held an awards convocation on April 13. Three new awards in research, creative expression and leadership were presented for the first time.
CHICKASHA – Four students at the University of Science and Arts beat out nearly 100 students for top winnings at a recent psychology research conference, earning three of six awards given for research projects across the state.


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Gillard win but Labor bloodied
PUBLISHED: 27 Feb 2012 00:03:19 | UPDATED: 27 Feb 2012 07:15:29PUBLISHED: 27 Feb 2012 PRINT EDITION: 27 Feb 2012Laura Tingle, Gemma Daley and Mark Skulley
Prime Minister Julia Gillard is expected to win today's Labor leadership ballot, but be wounded by confirmation that around one-third of her caucus has abandoned her.
Both Gillard and Rudd supporters publicly predicted yesterday that Kevin Rudd would receive around 30 to 35 votes in the ballot, a sufficient showing in the 103-member caucus to damage Ms Gillard's authority.
Mr Rudd will move to the backbench. He yesterday repeated his pledge that he would not run again against the Prime Minister.
"If Julia is returned, then she will have my unequivocal support between now and the next election, because we have interests way beyond individuals here, and they are the millions of Australians who depend on us to form a Labor government and to prevent [Opposition Leader Tony] Abbott from inflicting on Australia the ravages of the most extreme right-wing government the country will have ever seen," Mr Rudd said.
However, he raised the spectre of Ms Gillard coming under threat from others in the party.
He pleaded with the "faceless men" of the party "to lay down the cudgels because there is a fear, on the part of many, that other folk will line up and have a go at whoever the leader is who emerges, be it myself or Julia".
"I would be very concerned if that were to happen. We're 18 months out from an election. It's important that the party unify and have a clear message to the Australian people."
Mr Rudd's supporters are arguing a third candidate – probably Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten – will emerge to challenge the Prime Minister in coming months if Labor's primary vote continues to stay stuck at its existing levels, or declines even further in the wake of the events of recent days.
Mr Abbott has been increasing the pressure on independent MPs, whose support Labor relies on for government, to move a no confidence motion in the House of Representatives in the wake of the turmoil in the ALP, even though the crossbench position remains one of supporting the government.
After this morning's ballot, the Prime Minister will seek to reunite the government behind a blitz of policy announcements. Her supporters believe her leadership will be strengthened by the fact the public has now been told the reasons why she moved against Mr Rudd in 2010.
"We will get our shoulders to the wheel delivering Labor's programs and plans," Ms Gillard said, saying the things that united Labor MPs were stronger than anything else. But the future of four of the ministers who have publicly declared they would vote for Mr Rudd – Martin Ferguson, Kim Carr, Chris Bowen and Robert McClelland – is uncertain.
They have all left it up to Ms Gillard to decide whether she would sack them, a move which would pave the way for the second reshuffle in three months. She has not made a clear commitment to keep them, saying only that she would do "what I've always done, which is select my team on the basis of merit, and the ability to take up the fight to the Liberals".
Mr Bowen said yesterday he believed "there's an obligation on those of us at cabinet level to continue to serve, regardless of whether our preferred candidate [wins]".
The Prime Minister said on Saturday that she had not accepted the offered resignation of Transport Minister and Leader of the House, Anthony Albanese, who declared he would be voting for Mr Rudd.
A number of ministers have declared they wouldn't serve as ministers under Mr Rudd if he won, including Attorney-General Nicola Roxon and Education Minister Peter Garrett.
Ms Gillard said she was "absolutely confident" she had the numbers to retain the leadership in the ballot."I am very confident of the strong support of my colleagues."
Her supporters said she could win up to 75 votes of the 103 caucus votes.
"At the end of the day and at the end of what has been a very difficult week, the things that unite us in the Labor Party are far, far stronger than anything else," she said yesterday. " We all went into public life with a passion for changing this country, for bringing Labor values into the life of this country, for getting the big things done."
Mr Rudd argued the "faceless men" had continued to stalk him in the leadership standoff, just as they had in 2010. "I go back to the events of 2010 where factions and faceless men were fundamental to what unfolded at that time, and I've got to say those factions have remained very powerful and they've continued in their determination in relation to myself," he told the Nine Network.
"Obviously when people vote on Monday they'll vote for a range of different reasons but I've got to say there is a strong factional dimension to this as well. And it is no secret to anybody out there that I've never been a creature of the factions, having said that I'm of course – people have legitimate criticisms of aspects of my past performance and I accept responsibility for that."
"The factional hierarchy has never been pleased with me because I've consistently refused to bend the knee to them because I regard my responsibility is to the broader party and to the Australian people."
He said the factions did not like him, and remained very powerful.
Over the weekend, Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard continued to face claim and counter-claim about their policy positions in the past, notably over the carbon tax, and similar claims and counter-claims over the way Mr Rudd had run the government.
Mr Abbott said the public was tired of the whole thing. "I think it's absolutely clear that the Australian people are sick to death of this kind of circus, only it's so much worse than a circus," he said. "A circus is just a spectacle. This is a spectacle which is damaging our country every day.
"What we need is not another leadership change orchestrated by the faceless men, not another Labor leader propped up by the faceless men," Mr Abbott said.
"What we need is an election. That's what Australia needs right now. Only an election can bring the strong and stable government that Australia needs and finally I say to the independent members of Parliament: you gave us this mess, you fix it. You are responsible for this government. You bring this curtain down on this shambles by moving no confidence in this government this week."
Mr Abbott repeatedly declined to say whether he would move a no confidence motion. Independent MP Rob Oakeshott said Mr Abbott was declining to move a no confidence motion himself because the opposition wanted to bleed the government dry.
Today's caucus ballot will be a secret ballot. Caucus sources said the last time there was a fully enforced "show and tell" system, where every caucus member showed another member of their faction how they were voting, was in the first challenge by Paul Keating against Bob Hawke.
Since then, any show and tell votes had been done on a voluntary basis and were the exception rather than the rule, caucus sources said.
Taking a passing swipe at Treasurer Wayne Swan, Rudd supporter Mr Ferguson said yesterday that "unlike Wayne, I'm not involved in counting, but all public indications would suggest that Julia Gillard would win".
"Some of my colleagues would prefer to be in opposition rather than doing the best for disadvantaged people that we've historically represented," he told the Ten Network.
"I made my judgment on hunger to actually be in government, because I learnt through 11½ years of opposition, having got elected in '96 when we lost power, you achieve nothing in opposition. We've achieved a lot under Kevin and Julia since we were elected in 2007 and I want to continue to be able to do that for the people I've always wanted to represent."
The Australian Financial Review
Related News
- Live: Gillard - Leadership fight is over
- 'The political drama is over', Gillard promises voters
- Tingle | No end to the tears
- Editorial | A government is torn apart
- Barker | Trapped in a nightmare
- Opinion | Loyalty not to be counted on
- Budget is key to recovery
- Dinner snub for Abbott
- Obsessive, yes, but Rudd got things done
- Swan, Wong hit back over carbon tax


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We are days away from the end of this election cycle, which also means it's open season on that much ridiculed, mystifying yet rare species: the undecided voter. A mock commercial on "Saturday Night Live" captured the general disdain toward the folks we are repeatedly told will tip this election. In it, a series of sincere-looking citizens, the undecided, ask probing questions like, "What are the names of the two people running?" and "We hear a lot about our dependence on foreign oil, but just what is oil?"
It's easy to dismiss these undecided voters — whoever they are — because we mostly all live in places where there's not much question about the political preferences of our friends and family members. The choice is almost reflexive. But what if you had to decide without falling back on any prior allegiance to party? Would it be so easy to compare the two candidates' visions for the next four years — which is, in large part, what each presidential election demands of us?
I don't think so. I've got sympathy for the undecided because this election has been strikingly void of specifics, much more so than any race I can remember. It has all played out as a contest between vague and vaguer.
You've got President Obama, who has yet to really present any big, sweeping project for his second term. To the extent that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have divulged any of their plans, they sound instead "like rear-guard actions preserving what they see as their accomplishments," wrote Peter Baker in The New York Times. They want to finish implementing the health care plan passed in the first term and begin taxing the very rich in order to reduce the deficit. Granted these are not small items, but they are a far cry from "that vision thing," as a former one-term president once put it. What happened to climate change or immigration reform or improving our infrastructure?
Then there's Mitt Romney. Though he does seem to have hit on an effective — and to my ear, credible — trope by wondering why the president hasn't set forth any big ideas, Romney's own proposals seem to lack any basis in reality. None. He wants to repeal and replace Obama's health care plan. But with what? We don't know. He will lower tax rates by 20% and offset lost revenue by eliminating loopholes and deductions. Which ones? He hasn't said. As Baker pointed out in the Times, Romney repeated the phrase, "I know what it takes," seven times during the second debate. To which I want to respond: "Great! Please tell us then." But he doesn't say. And just as the Republicans' central complaint about Obama's lack of vision captures a certain truth, so does the Democratic argument that Romney and running mate Paul Ryan ignore basic arithmetic.
Between these two, is it any wonder then that someone could be undecided?
Yet, still, a good citizen has to vote. And in the absence of any real clues as to the change either of these two candidates wants to effectuate, we are left with two other measures by which to judge them: ideology and record.
The Jewish Daily Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, The Jewish Daily Forwardrequires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, our spam filter prevents most links and certain key words from being posted and The Jewish Daily Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.


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Fringed dresses never seem to go out of style! Flow-y, sexy and very summery – they are stylish for a night out or professional for a casual work environment. If fringed shoes are your style, you have a whole collection to look at on this pinterest board
Shannon over at Upbeat soles recently featured her fancy fringed dress. Heels, an essential part of this attire accentuate the whole outfit, but can be painful after a while – as we all well know! Shannon packed a pair of the snakeskin foldable flats from Fit in Clouds in her purse – ready to change into them when the time comes!
"They come in a small compact bag, perfect to hide in your purse until the end of the night when your feet have had enough! Let me tell you, these were life savers during my New Orleans vacation! Also at a price of $20-30 a pair, you can't beat it!" – Shannon (Upbeat soles)
Smart thinking by Shannon – great way to look fashionable and comfortable! The snakeskin look on these flats matches the fringed appearance. With a stitched split sole, no one would know these are folding flats that came out of your hand bag.
The snakeskin flats tried out by Shannon has had some great reviews from buyers on Overstock as well.