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Interactive questions concerning online classes: engaging students to promote active learning.
According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education, in a survey of higher education institutions across the country, sixty-one percent of two-year and four-year degree granting postsecondary institutions reported offering online courses, and of those online courses, the vast majority said that all of the instruction in the courses was asynchronous Additionally, the most recent numbers show that the total enrollment in college-level, creditgranting distance education courses totaled 12.2 million, seventy-seven percent of which were enrolled in online courses (Parsad & Lewis, 2008).
Asynchronous internet-based technologies were cited as the most widely used technology for the instructional delivery of distance education courses. When asked why they were offering distance education courses and programs, schools reported that the most important factors in their decisions were: meeting student demand for flexible schedules, providing access to students who would otherwise not have access to college, making more courses available, and trying to increase student enrollment. Ninety-four percent of the schools that reported offering distance education courses said that they had developed the courses themselves and did not buy them from a commercial vendor, thus faculty are being called on to create new ways of teaching their courses and new ways to engage students when they are not with them in the classroom (Parsad & Lewis, 2008).
The Greek philosopher Socrates realized that people understand more by answering a question than by being told an answer. Having to answer a question requires an active mental response and places a student in a position in which they have to think. Practical experience in the classroom demonstrates that when students are asked to answer questions during a class, they are much more vested in the material and pay more attention to the lecture, and participate more in the discussions. The research basis for interspersing questions and having students answer them is sound. It is clear that for today's students to be learning, they need to be doing more than just listening. They are active learners. In a traditional lecture without interaction, the student assumes a much more inert role--a role that is out of sync with the way in which today's students interact in the 'real world'.
Research also (e.g. Maor & Volet, 2007; Persico, Pozzi & Sarti, 2010; Nandi, Hamilton & Harland, 2012) shows that a more active and engaging approach to learning results in increased and longer lasting learning. Using classroom response systems (clickers) to ask questions during lectures is a popular way to engage students in the classroom, much more so than merely asking rhetorical questions with no expectation of an answer. The ability to intersperse 'clicker' questions throughout the lectures is very useful in obtaining immediate feedback on whether or not the students have grasped certain topics, often ones that have been traditionally difficult for students to comprehend (Duncan, 2005).
Until now, the problem has been to achieve the same benefits of these interspersed questions in online courses. The nature of the online class has limited the effectiveness in being able to have the interactive question and answer component that professors currently have in traditional classes. This study explains the use of Adobe Presenter to create narrated Power Point presentations that incorporate the questions that would normally be included in traditional classes. In the narrated presentations, the questions are designed so that the students have to answer the questions before they can continue with the narrations.
Additionally, the questions are designed so that if the student does not get the correct answer, they will be redirected to some review information and then be presented with another chance at the question or a similar one. If they get that question correct, they can then move forward. Explanations are given for the correct and incorrect answer choices for all of the questions. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explain the use of interactive questions in online classes. The study contributes to education theory by analyzing the way students learn and illustrating how technology can support and enhance that learning in an online environment. The study develops a method for the creation of interactive questions in narrated online lectures and strengthens the theory of using active learning to engage students.
Active Learning and Posing Questions
Some professors may believe that when looking out onto the sea of their students' faces that those droopy eyes just want to be entertained--that they are not interested in the subject at hand. Studies, however, suggest that these students are creating and engaging their social world in ways shaped by the technologies that surround them" and that these technologies are immediately interactive. Our students are therefore not disinterested, but are looking for something they can interact with in ways that are familiar to them (Guthrie & Carlin, 2004). For today's students to be learning therefore, they need to be doing more than just listening. Courses that rely primarily on lectures are not in line with how today's active learners engage with the world around them (Martyn, 2007).
In a traditional lecture, the student assumes a purely passive role. Most listeners typically can only remember three facts from an hour long lecture (Robertson, 2000). Data show very clearly that the success of even an excellent lecture is limited by the inactive role that students usually take. Most lectures are a one-way transfer of information that is very ineffective in helping the student master information (Duncan, 2005). Studies also indicate that students' full attention decreases very quickly, even in a matter of minutes (Duncan, 2006). In a regular lecture, students are generally attentive for the first few minutes of a lecture, but they become increasingly restless, bored and confused (Nilson, 2010). Conversely, when students are active participants in the learning process, their involvement helps them learn more than they would in a traditional lecture format. Students are able to develop a more integrated and useful understanding of concepts, their interrelationship, and their applicability to the world around them (Beatty, 2004). The body of research shows that greater learning results when methods are used that makes students active in the class versus methods that rely on lecturing alone (Duncan, 2005). One strategy to keep students' attention is to pause and create activity breaks. Studies show that when these are interspersed in a lecture, students performed markedly better on tests of the material. It is suggested that the breaks should allow the students to interact with the material just presented (Nilson, 2010).
Posing questions offers a way to introduce breaks in a lecture. Typical lecture classes do not always give students an opportunity to ask or answer questions. Some professors may believe that they allow for questioning in the classroom by saying such things as any questions, which is frequently met with blank stares. Very few students are courageous enough to raise their hand for fear of looking dumb. Other professors pose questions in their lectures and either answer the questions themselves or wait very little time for an answer. Often they find the same students answering their questions. Yet, more than two thousand years ago, Socrates realized that people understand more by answering a question, than by being told an answer.
Today, research supports what Socrates knew. Students must be placed in situations where they have to think in order to learn to think. Since questions demand an active mental response, they cause students to think (Bligh, 2000). Questions are therefore, one of the most powerful tools instructors can use to promote successful student performance and create an active learning environment that can even increase learning by 150% or more (Thalheimer, 2003). In discussing the importance of questions, McCabe explains that the most important value of questions is that they motivate students to learn. If used well, students will eventually ask themselves the questions they need to in order to learn. It is up to the instructor to teach students how to ask questions and guide them in the process (McCabe, 2006). Even though some only think of questions when creating exams, questions have value in the lecture. The most important use of questions is not just for tests or exams, but as a powerful tool to improve learning (Thalheimer, 2003). It is therefore important to ask questions of our students, but equally important is requiring the students to answer the questions. Research suggests that learning will not take place unless a student cognitively processes a question and participates in answering it (Guthrie & Carlin, 2004).
Clickers in the Classroom
The use of a clicker system has proven to be a relatively easy and efficient way to introduce an active learning component into a lecture class. Clicker systems indicates have been implemented in many universities and diverse courses including astronomy, engineering, mathematics, physics, accounting and economics courses. This technology is being used to improve student learning by creating classrooms that are more interactive. The use of these systems encourages communication, implements questioning and facilitates peer interaction, discussion, and instruction.
It has been shown with thousands of students from elementary to post graduate level in hundreds of classes that when students are actively involved in class they realize that their thoughts and opinions are important. This realization leads to students who come to class more prepared and willing to participate, think more in class, understand the concepts better and enjoy class more (Better, 2012). The literature also demonstrates the effectiveness of clicker systems in student engagement and learning.
Guthrie and Carlin (2004) investigated the students' perceptions about the use of clickers in the classroom. The authors developed five research questions for their study which focused on whether students believed that clickers had value in the classroom, whether they would participate more using clickers, whether they would feel they learned more with clickers, whether they thought the clickers were 'worth it' to their learning if they had to buy them or rent them, and whether they would prefer taking courses that used clickers over courses taught with traditional methods. They hypothesized that students would feel that they learned more with clickers, would participate more with them, would prefer them in classes, and would believe that the benefits to the classroom experience would outweigh the cost of the clickers. In order to investigate the hypotheses, the researchers designed a questionnaire, and administered it in two classes that used clickers one where clicker questions were interspersed in the lecture, and one where clicker questions were asked at the end of the lecture.
The authors found that their hypothesis that students would feel they learned more was only moderately supported because while forty percent of the students in the class where questions were interspersed felt they learned more, only eight percent felt they learned more in the class where questions were asked at the end. Their hypothesis on participation was supported, with seventy-one percent of the students saying they participated more with the clicker questions interspersed in the class, and forty-two percent saying they participated more in the class with clicker questions at the end. The authors said that their hypotheses on preference for a clicker class and cost vs. benefits of clickers were not supported. The authors concluded their study by saying that they believed that clickers had much potential for the classroom, and that with more exposure to them, students' perceptions would become even more positive.
Martyn (2007) investigated the use of clickers in students' active learning in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to look at students' participation and engagement with their learning through the use of clickers, as well as their perceptions of their learning in a clicker environment versus a traditional environment. The article discussed the research on the benefits of active learning and the use of clickers to employ the active learning process. According to (Martyn, 2007), clickers address three principles of good practice in undergraduate education actively engaging students throughout the entire class, gauging students understanding of the material, and providing feedback to the students about their learning.
In order to assess the effectiveness of the clickers, the author compared two classes, one where clickers were used and one without clickers. The same material was presented in both classes, both classes were given a pre-test and a post-test, and scores for the two groups were compared. There was no statistical difference in the test results between the two classes. Both classes were also given a survey with questions related to their degree of participation in the class and enjoyment of participating in the class. There was also no statistical difference between the classes in the survey results, but the author noted that the mean scores on all participation questions were higher in the class that used clickers. Although not born out statistically, the author concluded that students did enjoy using the clickers and perceived that they had value for their learning experience. The author also noted that with practice, an instructor's use of and incorporation of clickers into a class would improve and thus potentially have a stronger impact on student learning in the classroom (Martyn, 2007).
As stated earlier, the purpose of this study is to explain the use of interactive questions in online classes. The study contributes to education theory by analyzing the way students learn and illustrating how technology can support and enhance that learning in an online environment. The study provides a method for the development of interactive questions in narrated lectures that are included as course materials in online classes. The introduction of interactive questioning in online classes presents a way to strengthen the theory of using active learning to engage students.
Online Learning
Just as traditional passive lectures cause students to lose attention; passive online lectures also cause students to become distracted. The lectures deliver content, but if designed correctly can work with the other components of the course to help students achieve the learning outcomes. In his early article on distributed learning, Dede (1997) discussed emerging formats for distance education and attempted to show that these new methods of instruction were much more powerful for student learning than what he called the traditional learning by listening and teaching by telling model of in-class lecture based instruction. (Dede, 1997) He defined distributed learning as collaborative learning across campuses, homes, and offices (Dede, 1997). He advocated for whatever virtual environments that technology could produce as mediums to hold the information necessary for instruction, because these environments are more flexible and can adapt to the learner's needs much better than the traditional classroom. The author made bold predictions about where education would be in the 21st century, some of which are true, others of which are still in process.
For example, the author predicted that there would be tremendous change in higher education in the first years of the new millennium, and that is certainly true. But, the author said that face-to-face education would be gone in ten years. That is far from true. In his advocacy for the use of technology to revolutionize education in learning, the author made valid points, two of which bear repeating: 1) in order for distributed learning to work, the technical and human infrastructure must be present to support it; and, 2) those in power must be educated to understand all of the benefits that technology can bring to teaching and learning so that they will back it with all of their available resources.
The premise of the 2008 book by Bonk and Zhang was that the explosion in popularity of online education coupled with poor strategic planning and inadequate training of those providing the online education has created an environment which begs for models and frameworks to address the complexity of learners and learning environments that now exist. To address the need, the authors presented their own model designed to improve the online learning process, and explained how it can be used to meet the needs of learners in the best ways possible to empower the learners and maximize their learning experience. The authors called their model the R2D2 model--Read, Reflect, Display and Do. The goal of using the model for educators is to use appropriate technology for learning activities to create effective online education for the diverse groups of student learning styles, including visual, auditory, observational, and kinesthetic learners. Their model is intended to help those designing online courses to plan, design, and deliver those courses through a four phase process of reading, reflecting, displaying and doing. Through their presentation of their model in each of the chapters of the book, the authors explained the trends in technology, how those trends are relevant for online learning, gave examples of instructional strategies and pedagogical techniques related to specific aspects of the model, and presented many examples of tools, resources and activities that can be used to create effective online classes. They also showed how to integrate all four phases of their model to create effective online learning environments.
In their extensive report of online learning, Means, Toyama, Bakia, & Jones (2010), stated that online learning is one of the fastest growing trends in technology and education, so it is important to study online classes to determine how students are learning in online vs. traditional classes. While the report studied K-12 education in the U.S., it offered important considerations for online education at the postsecondary level as well. The meta-analysis discussed in the report analyzed more than one thousand empirical studies of online learning published between 1996 and 2008. The study did include reports of blended learning situations that combined online and face-to-face instruction in its analysis. The analysis found that despite the vast number of publications on online learning, there were only a small number of rigorous studies that contrasted online and face-to-face learning conditions, but that those studies showed that students in online learning performed modestly better than those receiving traditional classroom instruction. The conclusion of the study was that more empirical research comparing traditional to online learning is necessary in order to make definitive conclusions that online learning is better for student outcomes.
Interactivity in Online Classes
When considering online learning, including interactivity allows one to make the case that the online experience is as good as, if not better than a traditional face-to-face learning experience (Wagner, 1997). Interaction can take the form of interaction between the student and the instructor, between students and other students, and between the student and the course content (Moursund, 2003). The online lecture represents one opportunity to introduce interactivity into the course content; however, when creating online lectures, copying and pasting lecture notes into a Web page only provides the material - it does not give the students the engagement and interactive communication they would have in a traditional classroom (Steinbronn & Merideth, 2005). Simply recording or videotaping an instructor in a regular classroom setting is not ideal (Venable, 2011). To help students become actively engaged in an online lecture, the instructor should act not as a sage on the stage, but as a guide on the side (Moursund, 2003). Even though the instructor acts as a facilitator in an online course, this does not mean that the instructor no longer acts as the content expert. The instructor must be completely knowledgeable in the subject in order to guide students in acquiring and understanding that subject (Palloff & Pratt, 2003). To provide the necessary content knowledge, instructors should create interactive online lectures. Interactive online lectures will encourage active participation and promote intrinsic motivation in learners by highlighting the relevancy that new information may have (Wagner, 1997).
Questions in Online Lectures
The goal of an interactive lecture is to engage students by finding ways for them to interact with the content. These interactive lectures include sections of lecture only and sections where interaction by students is required (Macdonald & Teede, 2012). Interactive online lectures engage students in the presentation of new material. Incorporating questions into the lecture is one method to make the lecture interactive. The student is presented with a question on the material. If the student answers correctly, an explanation of the answer is given, and the student proceeds with the lecture. If the student answers incorrectly, an explanation of why the choice is incorrect is provided, and the student can then be given another try, presented with a different question, or directed to another point in the lecture. The questions are there to ensure that the students engage with the lecture and not just click through the slides (Scott, 2006).
In exploring ways to incorporate the benefits of interactivity and questioning in online lectures, this study examined different technologies and found that the use of Adobe Presenter (Creating, 2012) was an inexpensive, user-friendly tool for creating narrated lectures with questions. Adobe Presenter is an add-in for Microsoft Power Point. When the Adobe Presenter add-in is downloaded, a tab saying Adobe Presenter will be included on the Power Point menu. The add-in allows for the importation of audio, video and Flash files, the recording of narration on the Power Point slides, the capture video with a webcam, the editing of the video, and a Quiz Manager function that is used to insert questions. The instructor may use the default quiz structure or create multiple quizzes and questions. The following steps illustrate the method proposed by the study to incorporate interactive questions in a narrated lecture for an online class.
Step 1: Create (or use an existing) Power Point presentation for the content material. If using an existing Power Point from a traditional lecture class of sixty to ninety minutes, the Power Point should be divided into shorter presentations, so that when they are narrated, the actual narration would be around ten minutes per presentation. Dividing the material into short sections corresponds to Mayer's segmenting principle which says that students learn better when the lesson is presented in segments that are learner-paced instead of a continuous unit (Mayer, 2005).
Step 2: Narrate the Power Point presentation by using the Record feature of Adobe Presenter. The instructor can narrate each slide individually; stopping and starting as needed, or narrate all of the slides at once, advancing through the slides while speaking the narration. The instructor can write a script to follow for the narration, or 'add-lib' the narration, as if he or she were speaking in the classroom.
Step 3: Incorporate questions into the presentation through the use of the Quiz Manager in Adobe Presenter. This can be done using the existing default quiz structure or by creating a new quiz. When creating a new quiz, the instructor can chose among the many options in the Quiz Settings and the Pass or Fail scoring Options.
Step 4: Add question feedback messages for both correct and incorrect answers. Feedback is an important component of the interactive questioning so that students will understand why they got a question correct, or why they got it wrong. It also helps to personalize the online lecture and encourage students to think about what they are learning.
Step 5: Add the branching options for the question. This is the point at which the instructor can decide whether the student can move forward with the lecture if the question is answered correctly, or where in the lecture the student should be directed if the question is answered incorrectly. The student can be directed to previous slides to review the material again so that he or she will have a better chance to answer to question correctly as they come to it again, or can be directed to another question to test their comprehension of the material.
Step 6: After selecting the various options for the question, the instructor then creates the question and answer choices as appropriate. Questions can be multiple choice, true/false, fill-inthe-blank, short answer, matching, or a Likert scale. To improved student learning, the instructor should use conceptual questions as these will help students realize their misconceptions right away instead of later when they are taking a test. According to extensive research conducted over a fifteen year period, multiple choice questions can be used to test concepts and promote conceptual understanding (Duncan, 2005).
Step 7: After creating the question, the instructor has the option to also create feedback for each individual answer choice of the question. This feedback can even be recorded by the instructor to give detailed information on why each choice was correct or incorrect. This furthers the opportunity for student understanding of a concept. This also allows for additional personalization of the lecture and can even include an audio of applause for the correct choice to provided positive reinforcement to the student.
This process for the creation of an interactive question is repeated as often as the instructor feels is necessary to keep the student engaged with the lecture and to help them stay on track with the understanding of the material in the lecture, recognize when they need to obtain additional information or review to better understand the material, and also to comprehend when they have achieved a mastery of the material. Thus, interactive questions in a narrated lecture provide interaction, and that interaction makes a quality learning experience possible (Wagner, 1997).
With the explosion in online learning, new methodologies are necessary to support the new learning environment faced by students and instructors alike. Since learners must take on more responsibility for understanding the material in an online class where the instructor is not present with them all the time, it is up to the instructor to help the students learn. Interactivity provides the opportunity for active involvement with the instructor (Palloff & Pratt, 1999). Using interactive questions in an online lecture is a means to give feedback to both students and the instructor on what the students are learning. Instructors can then use that feedback as valuable information to evaluate specific aspects of the course design and structure, to revise the course and then analyze the impact of those changes (Brew, 2008).
Based on the method developed in this study for the creation and use of interactive questions in online classes, future studies could be conducted to provide empirical evidence of the theoretical assertions proposed here that active learning increases student retention and understanding of the material. According to Nandi, Hamilton and Harland (2012), although there is now more focus on better uses of technology to support online learning, the way online interaction and participation can be designed has yet to be adequately investigated. To test the benefits of this online questioning component in online classes, the authors are currently designing a survey to be completed by students in their online classes. The results of this survey will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of this interactive, online questioning method discussed in this study. The authors predict that the results of the survey will confirm that by producing these narrated presentations with the interactivity of questions and answers, student engagement in online classes will be greatly enhanced.
It is clear that interaction is critical to helping today's active students learn. Interspersing questions in a classroom lecture is a proven way to incorporate interaction and increase student understanding. Clicker systems have earned a well deserved place in the university classroom, as they enhance student engagement and promote interactive learning. They allow for immediate two-way conversation between the professor and the students and facilitate questioning in the classroom. They force students to actually answer the questions that are posed - essential for lasting learning to take place. They appeal to our new generation of learners who expect to be actively engaged in the classroom, and they make the learning process exciting.
Since the importance of questioning in the classroom is well documented, it must also be extended to online classes as well. Online classes are a booming facet of university programs. Insuring student learning is essential as more and more students participate in online classes. The purpose of this study was to examine the way in which interactive questioning can be achieved in the online environment and propose a method of creating interactive narrated lectures for online classes. Because of its important role in increasing learning, interactive questioning should be an integral part of online classes, and using the method developed in this study is one way to ensure that interactivity will be achieved.
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About the Authors:
Sheryl S. Grosso received her M.A. in Economics from Virginia State University. She is the Associate Director of Distributed Learning at the University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence and an Instructor at the University of South Carolina Sumter.
Teresa L. Smith received her Ph.D. in Business Management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is the Julian T. Buxton Professor of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina Sumter.
Jean-Luc E. Grosso received his Ph.D. in International Economics and International Business from the University of South Carolina Columbia. He is the McDavid Professor of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina Sumter. Together, the authors' research focuses on the impact of technology on education and student learning.
Sheryl S. Grosso
Teresa L. Smith
Jean-Luc E. Grosso
University of South Carolina Sumter
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Study: Youth attitudes shift in Great Recession
Their analysis found that, of the three groups, the Great Recession group was still most likely to want jobs where they could make a "significant" amount of money. But the authors say that may simply be attributable to the ever-rising cost of day-to-day expenses, from groceries to electric and gas bills.
In comparison, they note that the Great Recession group also showed a bit less interest in luxury items than the students who were surveyed in the mid-2000s.
For instance, 41 percent of high school seniors questioned 2008-2010 said it was important to own a vacation home, compared with 46 percent in 2004-2006. Again, both percentages are higher than the 34 percent who said the same in 1976-1978.
These findings have a margin of error of plus-or-minus 1 percentage point, or less.
Tina Wells, CEO of Buzz Marketing Group, which tracks youth trends, says the analysis fits with what she's seen in her own work.
Many young people, she says, are living in what she calls "millennial purgatory," unemployed or under-employed, working in jobs below their qualifications, and sometimes still living at home with their parents. During the Great Recession the unemployment rate for 15- to 24-year-olds has risen above 20 percent - more than double the overall rate.
"If you're 22 and trying to jump-start your life right now, it's not so easy," Wells says.
As a result, various 20-somethings have tempered their career expectations in different ways.
Until the economy improves, "I've been opting for security over the perfect job," says Calvin Wagner, a 24-year-old accountant in suburban Cincinnati. As he bides his time, working for a small company with little chance for advancement, he's studying for the exam to become a certified public accountant.
Like many of the survey respondents, Ashley Rousseau, a 25-year-old in Miami, says she's now more focused on a job that helps her community in some way than in landing "a corner office."
"The recession made it even more clear that I'm not going to find job satisfaction from a high-paying career," says Rousseau, who's getting her MBA and works at the medical school at Florida International University, which she says "improves the medical care in the community."
"I'm proud to be part of that mission," she says.
Miller, the 25-year-old whose dad was laid off, left Ohio when he couldn't find work there in his field, electrical engineering. He moved to Alexandria, Va., after finding a government contracting job. But he recently decided to take a chance on a new company that's using "smart technology" to help big corporations cut electrical usage for lighting their spaces.
Though it meant taking a small pay cut, he says having a job that helps the environment was a "huge" motivator.
It remains to be seen, however, how members of this generation will cope with this economic adversity.
Brent Donnellan, an associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University, has found that how parents handle the stress of an economic situation affects a child's resilience. But so does the child's personality. Perhaps not surprisingly, Donnellan says, studies have found that young people who have more self-control and who do well in school tend to weather economic hardship better.

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Today, motivated by his own battles with ADD and dyslexia, he serves as an advisory board member for several foundations for the learning and mentally disabled, including the National Dyslexia Research Foundation and the Special Olympics.
Previous episodes of Sharing Miracles have featured Olympic Gold Medal-winning diver Greg Louganis, who is HIV positive; Emmy Award-winning actor Joey Pantoliano, who suffers from clinical depression; Leave It To Beaver star Jerry Mathers, who is affected by diabetes; pop icon and Broadway star Deborah Gibson, who has suffered from devastating anxiety attacks; and North Carolina State University women's basketball coach Kay Yow, a breast cancer survivor. Future programs will highlight Academy Award winner and patient advocate Marcia Gay Harden; NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl MVP and prostate cancer survivor Len Dawson; former Pittsburgh Steelers All-Star running back and asthma patient Jerome Bettis, now a commentator for the NFL Network and an NBC studio analyst for Football Night in America; and Emmy Award-winning television talk show host Montel Williams, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. Sharing Miracles is produced by PhRMA's Communications & Public Affairs Department and hosted by PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin, a cancer survivor.
The new episode debuts August 3. Sharing Miracles airs on Sunday mornings - in 49 television markets, reaching nearly 45 million households - on the following network-affiliated stations:
WUSA-TV (CBS), Washington, DC, 12 noon-12:30 pm
KCOP-TV (MyTV), Los
|SOURCE Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Copyright©2008 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


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Investment Technology Group, Inc. operates as an independent execution and research broker in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions. Subsidiaries The company's principal subsidiaries include: ITG Inc., AlterNet Securities, Inc. (AlterNet) and ITG Derivatives LLC (ITG Derivatives), institutional broker-dealers in the United States (U.S.); ITG Canada Corp. (ITG Canada), an institutional broker-dealer in Canada; Investment Technology Group Limited (ITG Europe), an institutional broker-dealer in Europe; ITG Australia Limited (ITG Australia), an institutional broker-dealer in Australia; ITG Hong Kong Limited (ITG Hong Kong), an institutional broker-dealer in Hong Kong; and ITG Software Solutions, Inc., the company's intangible property, software development and maintenance subsidiary in the U.S. The company's subsidiaries also include ITG Solutions Network, Inc., a holding company for ITG Analytics, Inc., a provider of pre- and post-trade analysis, fair value and trade optimization services; ITG Investment Research, Inc. (ITG Investment Research), a provider of independent data-driven investment research; and ITG Platforms Inc., a provider of trade order and execution management technology and network connectivity services for the financial community. Segments The company's segments include U.S. Operations, Canadian Operations, European Operations, and the Asia Pacific Operations. These four segments offer a range of solutions for asset managers and broker-dealers in the areas of electronic brokerage; research, sales and trading; platforms and analytics. These offerings include trade execution services and solutions for portfolio management, as well as investment research, pre-trade analytics and post-trade analytics and processing. Electronic Brokerage The company's electronic brokerage services include self-directed trading using algorithms, smart routing and matching through POSIT in cash equities (including single stocks and portfolio lists), futures and options. ITG Algorithms and ITG Smart Router: ITG Algorithms and ITG Smart Router offer portfolio managers and traders a way to trade orders from any ITG Execution Management System (EMS) or ITG Order Management System (OMS) and various third-party trading platforms. ITG Algorithms employ ITG Transaction Cost Analysis (TCA) to improve execution quality. ITG Algorithms help users pursue execution through two suites, ITG Single Stock Algorithms and ITG List-Based Algorithms. ITG Smart Router offers an alternative to routing trades that could help capture liquidity with a combination of speed and confidentiality. These routers continuously scan markets for liquidity with an emphasis on trading without displaying the order. ITG Smart Router uses proprietary techniques to execute at the available prices. POSIT: POSIT is launched as a point-in-time electronic crossing network. POSIT operates as an Alternative Trading System (ATS), providing anonymous continuous and scheduled crossing of non-displayed (or dark) equity orders and price improvement opportunities within the National Best Bid and Offer. POSIT Alert is a buyside-only block crossing mechanism within POSIT. POSIT Alert scans uncommitted shares from participating clients. When a crossing opportunity is detected, POSIT Alert notifies the relevant users that a matching opportunity exists. POSIT Marketplace provides access to POSIT liquidity, the dark pools of other ATSs, and certain exchange hidden order types. POSIT Marketplace is a dark pool aggregator that provides clients with access to a range of liquidity destinations. ITG Derivatives: ITG Derivatives provides electronic-listed futures and options trading, including algorithmic trading and direct market access. The company offers advanced options features for traders employing volatility or delta-neutral strategies and also provides low-latency application programming interfaces. Commission Management Services: The company offers guidance, administration, and consolidation of client commission arrangements across the range of preferred brokerage and research providers of its clients using ITG Commission
investment technology group (IVY:Munich)
Contact Info
One Liberty Plaza
165 Broadway
New York, NY 10006
United States
Phone: 212-588-4000
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|View Industry Companies
Industry Analysis
Industry Average
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Sponsored Financial Commentaries
Sponsored Links
To contact INVESTMENT TECHNOLOGY GROUP, please visit www.itg.com. Company data is provided by Capital IQ. Please use this form to report any data issues.
Our data partners will research the update request and update the information on this page if necessary. Research and follow-up could take several weeks. If you have questions, you can contact them at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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50,000 - 100,000 downloadsAdd this app to your lists
+ By Hiroshi Kajihata
Since My Tracks version 1.1.10, there is a new setting called "Allow access" that the user must check on to allow third-party applications access to MyTracks data. So, please check on the setting to use MicroTracks. (In My Tracks Menu > More > Settings > Sharing > Check on "Allow access")
MicroTracks is an application for Sony Ericsson LiveView devices. MicroTracks works with Google My Tracks application. With MicroTracks, you can see your statistics data provided by My Tracks on your LiveView devices.
MicroTracks includes LiveView device simulator in it. You can try MicroTracks on your Android device without LiveView device.
- My Tracks application version 1.1.0 or higher is required
- My Tracks is required to be installed before installing MicroTracks plugin.
- If My Tracks is not installed before installing MicroTracks plugin, MicroTracks plugin will fail to bind to MyTracks.
- You need to check on "Allow access" to allow MicroTracks access to MyTracks data. (In My Tracks Menu > More > Sharing > Check on "Allow access")
MicroTracks can show the LIVE track/location data while My Tracks is recording your track.
You can customize three data fields on three pages in MicroTracks preferences from following list:
- Altitude
- Pace
- Average Pace
- Speed
- Average Speed
- Time
- Total Distance
- Total Time
In addition, MicroTracks can show following sensor data if you have external sensors (ANT+ Sensors, Zephyr Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor...):
- Cadence
- Heart Rate
- Power
- Sensor State
How to use touch panel area and select button:
[View Mode]
- LEFT: Touch to change page (-)
- RIGHT: Touch to change page (+)
- TOP: Touch and hold to switch to edit mode
- BOTTOM: Touch and hold to lock the screen
- SELECT: (do nothing)
[Edit Mode]
- LEFT: Touch to change data field type (-)
- RIGHT: Touch to change data field type (+)
- TOP: Touch to change editing data field (-)
- BOTTOM: Touch to change editing data field (+)
- SELECT: Push to exit and switch to view mode
Future development plans under consideration:
- adding more data types (heart rate graph, …)
- adding map page
- adding setting to change the number of data fields in each pages
- adding auto scroll feature
- and more!
Tested device list:
- Nexus S
- Nexus One
- Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
- Sony Ericsson Xperia arc
- Zephyr HxM Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor
- Garmin Heart Rate Monitor
Known issues:
- The Bluetooth connection between Nexus S and LiveView is unstable. Once connection is closed, re-pairing is required every time.
- MyTracks 1.1.2 crashes when Zephyr HxM Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor connected to Xperia X10.
Please contact me if you have any problems.
- firstname.lastname@example.com
- http://twitter.com/MicroTracks
Go for a run with MicroTracks!
Tags: bluetooth cadence sensor, microtracks, mytracks liveview, bluetooth cadence, mytracks livetracking, micro tracks 1.1.0 wahoo, my tracks sensor, microtracks 1.1.0, bluetooth cadence meter, mytracks zephyr cadence.
Fix compatibility issue with My Tracks v2.0.5
(16 stars)
(16 stars)
Good app
(16 stars)
(16 stars)
I've tried an AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 and an older S2 (both are rooted). Whenever I open Liveview plugin manager I see a pop up window that says: "Unfortunately, MicroTracks has stopped." All of the other Liveview-enabled applications I've tried work. I bought the Liveview specifically to read a Zephyr HRM with MyTracks recording. Can this ap be salvaged, or there any alternatives?
(16 stars)
Since the last main phone upgrade...this app always shuts down. Nothing to say why. Can anyone help?
(16 stars)
It is under review
(16 stars)


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This member hasn't added any personal information yet.
Leave cboard- a message to find out more.
Posted 12/06/2013 02:07:27 EST
maybe they didn't want to be too close to a Level IV pathogen bio lab. thanks for not suggesting Hyde Park.
Posted 11/21/2013 07:17:01 EST
here here Geo
Posted 11/19/2013 11:01:19 EST
Yes Rondo staying put and here's hoping Danny Ainge leaves.
Posted 11/13/2013 10:05:47 EST
"Martha's Vineyard brand for family, romance, nature and art." Spew on all four of them
Posted 11/13/2013 10:00:41 EST
Just to get his weed
Posted 11/05/2013 10:42:46 EST
I can hear Mike Arnold clicking away madly for the morning deadline. Grumpy cat says no, Mike, and no to corporate lawyers running our fair City
Posted 10/26/2013 06:18:35 EDT
fantastic, right decision MBTA.
Posted 10/17/2013 09:51:32 EDT
A corporate lawyer--yeah that's exactly every citizen's idea of a man of the people. Please. Walsh all the way-
Posted 10/10/2013 07:02:48 EDT
Yeah but what purity can he hit and is it blue
Posted 10/08/2013 09:23:49 EDT
"manor." correction please
Posted 10/08/2013 09:21:03 EDT
He's not a software start-up guy. He's a software let-down guy. And got bailed out by government. He should sell his wife, I'd buy her.
Posted 10/08/2013 08:05:41 EDT
And don't forget Fodog, also anti-American corporate fascists. In solidarity with the drivers--keep up the good fight
Posted 10/01/2013 09:58:15 EDT
A lawyer giving a cryptic answer with one word? Surprising, and here's my one word answer: shady.
Posted 10/01/2013 09:49:32 EDT
The only "stonewalling" that went on during the years without a contract was by the City, who didn't believe in giving modest cost of living increases to the workers who put their lives on the line ev more »
Posted 10/01/2013 09:41:02 EDT
AverageIndependent, let me reply so these pro-corporate, anti-worker reactionary Tea Party morons can have it spelled out--read where the money went. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/lootin more »
Posted 10/01/2013 07:27:33 EDT
Mike, you are full of hate for your fellow taxpaying citizens, as well as for those who work to better the environment, working and healthwise, for everyone in the US, not just the wealthy. But maybe more »
Posted 09/27/2013 07:59:56 EDT
Ah, all the anti-labor, pro-corporate buffoons are on their computers slamming some of the greatest public services in the country. Connolly will be taking boatloads from corporate interests wanting more »
Posted 09/15/2013 02:01:23 EDT
How do you like those apples Harry? You were just conducive to a reaming that made you look like the fool you are
Posted 09/09/2013 07:10:00 EDT
The Globe's coverage of local music is horrible. We need the Boston Phoenix back. Just do the news please.
Posted 09/08/2013 03:34:17 EDT
Move to a tiny town then, rely on volunteers, and let your sh*t burn down with your kids and life in it, just don't take away my fire services. Quality of life is one reason to live here
Posted 09/08/2013 03:24:22 EDT
"pulitzer piece." LMAO well said
Posted 09/08/2013 03:21:31 EDT
FourMeehans is completely accurate and informative in response to this pathetic slam piece. Fires burn just as fast and deadly as they always have. To have people who are willing, able and experienc more »
Posted 09/05/2013 10:26:58 EDT
I have no idea what this article was about. But I will check out Heaney at least.
Posted 09/05/2013 09:44:00 EDT
I would definitely see a urologist if you are experiencing a problem with your pesion loophole.
©2015 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC
Separate multiple addresses with a comma


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You can now invite anyone to meet at your favorite Starbucks.
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22 year old woman | Beech Grove, IN, USA | Seeking men 19-22 within 20 miles
Looking for "Mr. Right
Okay, I think it's time to update this some. I am 20 years old, but I will be turning 21 on July, exciting! I am big into family. I have a sister that is 13 years younger than me, but I love her more than anything else. She spends a lot of time with me, especially in the summer. I need someone that can appreciate the fact that she means a lot to me and could potentially develop a friendship with her. (In whatever sense you can develop one, with a 7 year old). I have 40 cousins, my grandparents, 7 aunts uncles, my mom, dad and step-mom. Besides my dad step-mom, that's all on one side. Family is very important to me, they play big parts in my life. I lost an aunt to cancer in 2010, so every year my mom and co-captain a team for the local Relay for Life event that happens each year. We're both on the committee for it, so it's big to me. I don't ask that you jump in right away, but rather just be supportive. I love sports, playing and watching. I played softball, basketball and volleyball in high school. Last summer I started playing sand volleyball and I loved it, so I plan on continuing that this next summer. Colts, Pacers, IU, Butler and Notre Dame are my favorite teams to watch. IU and Colts are my absolute favorite though. I'm worse than the cliche guy when it comes to watching sports. I enjoy having fun, but when it's game-time, it's time to watch. I love music, every type except the scream at you heavy metal. I just can't handle it. You will always find me with some type of music going, whether it's on my iHome or my headphones. I love to dance, I'm not good, but it's fun. I spend a lot of my time just being goofy and not caring. I am going to school at Ivy Tech to be a counselor, but in the long run I would like to work with kids somehow. Whether it's through counseling or one day opening my own daycare center. School is important to me, but I also understand that life gets in the way sometimes, so if you don't go to school or don't have a degree, I don't think any less of you. I like to lay back and relax, but I can't do that every day. I have to be active at some point. CoD, Halo, etc. I LOVE THOSE! I like to workout and play around when I can in the summer. I do work at a tanning salon, so trying to maintain a healthy image is something that is important to me, but I'm not one of those people that tan every day and look like leather, no thanks. If you want to know anymore, email me! I'm a nice person, promise!
Dining out , Fishing/Hunting , Hobbies and crafts , Movies/Videos , Museums and art , Music and concerts , Exploring new areas , Playing cards , Playing sports , Travel/Sightseeing , Video games , Watching sports
Baseball, Basketball, Dancing, Football, Skiing, Swimming, VolleyBall
I exercise 3-4 times per week.
I like Cats, Dogs
My step-mom has a chihuahua. Spoiled dog, but it's cute.
Middle of the Road
Any movie theatre. I love Orange Leaf, I have just got into frozen yogurt lately. My favorite place to travel is Tennesee. I absolutely love the country, but my second favorite place to go would be Myrtle Beach.
Ivy Tech Community College–Central Indiana, Indianapolis, IN
I love every type of music, although heavy metal is a little much for me. I don't watch much TV but when I do, I enjoy watching Pretty Little Liars, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU & NCIS. My favorite food is chicken tenders and chinese.
I love watching movies. I am always interested in the newest movie. I'm a huge football fan, there isn't a Sunday you will catch me away from watching a football game. I love to get out and go, but I can also enjoy a nice weekend inside.
I love Jodi Picoult. My favorite book of all time is My Sister's Keeper.
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What she is looking for
|5'1" (154cms)
|5'2" (157cms) to 8'11" (271cms)
|Body type:
|Athletic and toned
|Slender, Athletic and toned
|Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Green, Hazel
|Dark brown
|Black, Light brown, Dark brown
|No Way
|No Way
|Social Drinker
|Social Drinker, Moderately
|No preference
|I'll tell you later
|No preference
|Never Married
|Never Married
|Have kids:
|Wants kids:
|White / Caucasian
|Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern, White / Caucasian
|Christian / Other
|Atheist, Christian / Catholic, Christian / Other
|Some college
|Some college, Associates degree, Bachelors degree, Graduate degree, PhD / Post Doctoral


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Jessica Simpson Stops Song on 'GMA'
Jessica Simpson reportedly had technical difficulties and stopped singing for a moment while performing on "Good Morning America."
The pop singer appeared on the show, which tapes in New York, to promote her new country album "Do You Know."
Newsday.com said Simpson on Tuesday sang her single "Come On Over" without incident but stopped shortly after starting her second song, "With You."
"Hold on," Simpson said. "I know this is live TV but I can't hear anything. Do it again."
Newsday.com said her band started the song over again and Simpson carried on with her performance.
"It's just a natural place for me," Simpson said of country music during an interview with "GMA" before her performance. "I've always been a country girl, so it feels good being on stage and being myself."


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starring Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Jenna Boyd
screenplay by Ken Kaufman, based on the novel The Last Ride by Thomas Edison
directed by Ron Howard
by Walter Chaw Probably best described as Ron Howard's The Searchers, the really quite awful The Missing (the first clue is a James Horner score) and its tale of bad Indians vs. sacrificial Indians vs. white settlers unfolds during a frontier period that, the last time Howard dabbled, unleashed Far and Away. With Horner's help, Howard proves with The Missing that there's no source material too bleak (not schizophrenia, not reality television, not space mishaps) for him to shine his dimwitted, beatific smile upon. He transforms Thomas Eidson's bleak frontier western (The Last Ride) into a curious sort of faux-feminist uplift melodrama ("Mildred Pierce, Medicine Woman"), demonstrating, along the way, that he has no idea what issues he's raising, much less any idea how to honour them.


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Anna Marsen [or Milton]
This individual may possibly be Anna Monson on the 1855 John J. Boyd ship register and in the European Mission, [Emigration records, Scandinavian Mission] 1852-1920. Her surname is "Milton" in Deseret News [Weekly] roster.
James S. Brown Company (1859)Approximate age at departure: Unknown
"Latter Day Saints' Immigration," Deseret News [Weekly], 24 Aug. 1859, 197.
- Trail Excerpt
- Source Location
- Utah Digital Newspapers


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Pearse Road Guest House - Letterkenny
Pearse Road - Letterkenny1-877-662-6988
We are located within seconds of Letterkenny town center, close to all Letterkenny's amenities, perfect for a night out without the expense or inconvenience of trying to flag a taxi at the end of the night. In the morning, breakfast is served at the onsite restaurant.
Pearse Road guest house was very good and great value . IT WAS VERY CONVENIENT TO ...Venere Guest, Aruba
These reviews have been left by customers who actually stayed at this hotel
Check Availability at Pearse Road Guest House
Bed and Breakfast Facilities at Pearse Road
- Internet/Email services
- Restaurant/Dining
- Free parking
Know before you go
- No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property.
Check-in: between noon and 11:00 PM.
Check-out: before 11:00 AM.
PolicyExtra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation.
National ratingOfficial Ireland Rating provided by Fáilte Ireland (The National Tourism Development Authority)
Fáilte Ireland (The National Tourism Development Authority) assigns an official star rating for accommodations in Ireland. This Bed & Breakfast property is rated 3 stars.
Pearse Road B&B reviews
- August 2014
- Venere Guest
- Couple
- Aruba
Pearse Road guest house was very good and great value . IT WAS VERY CONVENIENT TO SHOPW ,church ,bus etc, C and ml D Carlow
- May 2015
- Venere Guest
- Couple
- United Kingdom
Very poor welcome - no explanation of facilities available - only enough coffee in room for one person 3 tea bags and two sachets of sugar - hairdryer in room blowing only cold - asked for soft poached egg which was served like hard boiled eggs no toast with egg - no potato / soda bread with full Irish breakfast - no breakfast menu available. The staff were certainly not friendly - no warm Irish welcome here! Difficult to find - not a very prominent sign on the busy road so hard to be in the right traffic lane. There was a noisy heating boiler below our room which was at the back of the house.
- August 2014
- Venere Guest
- Couple
Our granddaughters stayed here after we left and also found the owner pleasant, the breakfast appitizing and the location central to Letterkenny. We would stay here again. There were no unusual circumstances and the other guests were also pleasant.
- June 2014
- Venere Guest
- Single traveller
Margaret is a very gracious host and Tory was wonderfully friendly and helpful, as were other staff. You will enjoy being close to the city center, restraunts, shopping, the movie and the bus terminal as well as coffee shops. Breakfast was wonderful from cereal and fruits to a full Irish breakfast, which is very filling. You won't regret being a guest here. It is a wonderful place to stay.
- November 2013
- Venere Guest
- Couple
Beds extremely comfortable and fantastic breakfast. Excellent value all round and very friendly staff
- July 2013
- Venere Guest
- Group
Letterkenny has lots of nice restaurants for evening meals. The hotel had plenty of on site parking.
- April 2013
- Venere Guest
- Not Specified
excellent value for such a central location
- November 2012
- Venere Guest
- Single traveller
The owner was exceptionally welcoming, and served a wonderful breakfast!
- November 2012
- Venere Guest
- Single traveller
room was spacious and warm clean and tidy.breakfast was very enjoyable my compliments to the cook.this is secound time this year i have stayed and look forward to doing so in future.also it is very handy for shopping and going out at nights
- September 2012
- Venere Guest
Lovely comfy beds and a nice ensuite. Very generous breakfast. The guesthouse is not in the most picturesque part of Letterkenny, but the house is nice enough that you forget about this once inside, apart from a bit of noise from the road (we were on the ground floor at the front of the house). Staff were friendly and helpful.
- August 2012
- Venere Guest
- Couple
I stayed here with my wife for the weekend. Really enjoyed our stay. Very comfortable place to visit its a home from home stay . Great location. Will definately stay again :)
- November 2013
- Venere Guest
- Group
- May 2013
- Venere Guest
- Single traveller
- Ireland
- May 2013
- Venere Guest
- Single traveller
- Poland
- September 2012
- Venere Guest
- Family with older children
- Ireland
- September 2012
- Venere Guest
- Single traveller
Loading reviews in other languages...
- August 2014
- Venere Guest
- Couple
- Spain
Pearse Road B&B reviews by TripAdvisor
Room Details
Pearse Road Guest House has 8 guest rooms. Guests can unwind at the end of a long day and enjoy 28-inch TVs with digital channels. Business travelers will have access to wireless high-speed Internet access (charges apply) during their Letterkenny visit.
Individual décor and furnishings make each stay a unique experience. A good night's sleep in supportive Select Comfort mattresses with premium bedding will have visitors waking up refreshed and well-rested throughout their holiday or business trip. Private bathrooms are outfitted with showers and complimentary toiletries. Additional comforts include blackout drapes/curtains.
Irons/ironing boards and hair dryers can be provided on request.
Accommodation Services
- Ironing facilities on request
- Hairdryer on request
- Wireless Internet access
Distances from Bed and Breakfast Pearse RoadLetterkenny Cathedral - 0.4 km / 0.3 mi
Letterkenny Leisure Centre - 0.5 km / 0.3 mi
Letterkenny Golf Club - 0.6 km / 0.4 mi
Donegal County Museum - 0.8 km / 0.5 mi
Letterkenny Town Council Public Services Centre - 0.9 km / 0.6 mi
Letterkenny Town Park - 1.1 km / 0.7 mi
Newmills Corn and Flax Mills - 5.2 km / 3.2 mi
Ros Ban Garden - 11.2 km / 7 mi
Gartan Outdoor Adventure Centre - 12.2 km / 7.6 mi
Raphoe Castle - 12.3 km / 7.7 mi
Glebe House - 12.4 km / 7.7 mi
Oakfield Park - 12.9 km / 8 mi
Beltany Stone Circle - 14 km / 8.7 mi
Drumboe Woods - 16.4 km / 10.2 mi
Drumboe Castle - 16.7 km / 10.4 mi
The preferred airport for Pearse Road Guest House is Londonderry (LDY-City of Derry) - 38 km / 23.6 mi.
Distances are calculated in a straight line from the property's location to the point of interest or airport and may not reflect actual travel distance.
Distances are displayed to the nearest 0.1 km and mile.
Transportation services Pearse Road Guest House
- Free parking
We have the accommodation you need, all over the world
- • Regency Suites Hotel Budapest - Budapest, Hungary
- • Hotel Oromana - Seville, Spain
- • Hotel Koener - Clervaux, Luxembourg
- • Inn Suore Carmelitane - Rome, Italy
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- • Resort Comfort Inn - Lake Placid, USA
- • Mirage Hotel - Paderno Dugnano, Italy
- • Sunrock Guesthouse - Johannesburg, South Africa
- • Vacation Rental La Colegiata de - Ronda, Spain
- • Wolfsberg Hotels, Austria
- • Broto Hotels, Spain
- • Tuglie Hotels, Italy
- • Wolfsberg Hotels, Austria
- • Bastia Hotels, France
- • Anderlecht Hotels, Belgium
- • Gunzenhausen Hotels, Germany
- • Borgo Hotels, France
- • Zarautz Hotels, Spain
- • Weißensee Hotels, Austria
- • Villach Hotels, Austria
- • Midelt Hotels, Morocco
- • Radium Hot Springs Hotels, Canada
- • Bordeaux Hotels, France
- • Autun Hotels, France


text:
Thanks gov. I thought that's what was happening, can't wait to take on something bigger now.
Live: Jive Hands
PSN: Jive_Hands
The Witcher 3 walkthrough Our essential guide to the game.
The Witcher 3 guide Crafting, combat, card-collecting and more!
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Thanks gov. I thought that's what was happening, can't wait to take on something bigger now.
Live: Jive Hands
PSN: Jive_Hands
Progguitarist wrote:Hard to say really. It does a really good job of explaining the facets which apparently is a first for the series.
It's not instantly gratifying in the slightest but it can be very absorbing if you get into it.
The demo doesn't really do an amazing job of selling the game but there is a lot to get across.
Live: Jive Hands
PSN: Jive_Hands
Think im packing this in soon. Sick of spending and evening wiping right as the monster is about to drop because some incompetent twat wasnt arsed bringing potions and died 3 times.
Playing this with randoms is neigh on impossible.
|Why don't folk organise something on here? A weekly meet up or something?
3DS: 4210 4002 8289 (Dave)
Wii U: Raiko87 (Dave)
PSN: Raiko101
Xbox Live: Raiko87
|I'd be up for meeting up. I need to get a bit further in the singleplayer first to get more comfortable though.
Live: Jive Hands
PSN: Jive_Hands
|what's the point of resources? I see the need for money, and the occasional upgrade to the farm uses resources, but the rate of resource acquisition seems so far to massively outgain the spend?
XBL/PSN/NNID: CptnBrokenkey
|I think you can use them to order in gathered items from regions without having to collect them yourself? Or something similar anyway....
Resources seems to be tied with the ability to grow your own ingredients and therefore mitigate the need to go out specifically to harvest them.
You kill stuff off mission to generate resources or convert materials found out in the field via the Chief's son in the centre of the township.
The fishermen are another steady stream of resources. It reminds me of an RTS relationship.
Live: Jive Hands
PSN: Jive_Hands
there's a point later where you'll need roughly 500rz and a few annoying items as i found out tonight, grr.
flippin sharq skin
I am already something like 35h in and I still haven't been able to beat Gobul or Barroth. Even Qurupeco took like four tries.
So, I really suck in this, but love it at the same time. Resource gathering and crafting is done so well, love it!
|An organised EG hunt would be good, I am sick of getting into rubbish rooms online
@Lukree what weapon are you using? That can make quite a difference to the ease of the fight, but moreso the element you are using against a monster.
I'm a newb at MH but i'e found that when fighting amonster the first few times it's best to pack a lot of stamina pots (or steaks) and cautiosly chip away being very defensive until you have a proper read of its move-set. then you can begin to devise your own attack patterns and know the real openings as opposed to feints.
You'll still get your ass kicked a bit of course as it's quite easy to make a mistake or be overly ambitious. most times i've died it's been because i got too greedy though.
Barroth, he mostly moves in straight lines bit has that tail flick. keep to his side, get a few hits in back off, wait for his next move, rinse repeat. try as hard as you can to not hit his head as the deflection will really open you up.
|Is this worth getting if you're 90% of the time going to be playing single player, or is it just too frustrating?
i'm up to 60hrs singleplayer and only just halfway through the L5 quests so there's a decent chunk of content there.
frustrating? not sure that i follow, do you mean farming mats in order to face the bigger monsters?
|single player is great, it's just takes a bit longer to get some of the rare drops because you have to kill everything yourself.
|Nothing's to stop you doing MP hunts on your own either - just a bigger challenge
Ah ok, so MP hunts are separate anyway?
Thanks for the info, I really liked the demo but am a bit scared the game will just be too big for me
village = single player only
port = multiplayer or crazy people on their own
|I put 200+ hours into the Wii version, and loved every minute of it!
|The only real thing I dont like is that you gring for your gear, then you hit HR6 and you realise it was all in vein, for as soon as you go into the "g" lobby you realise the gear grind is back to zero, and it is effectively starting all over again
You are constantly grinding for better gear.
Enjoy the fights though - the more times to take on a Gobul the more fun it becomes.
bloody gobul lantern!
Edited by shamblemonkee at 16:12:54 12-04-2013
There was one that I *never* got from Rathian, and one of the other EGers had about 5....
And you can't gift some of the rarer items!
Rathian plates, worst thing ever.
I got one from about my first one and used it for something stupid, it took me forever to get another.
|I finally jumped into this game, having bought it the day it came out. It's quite a daunting introduction to the game, but i'm really getting into it. Wish the text was larger!
3DS: 4210 4002 8289 (Dave)
Wii U: Raiko87 (Dave)
PSN: Raiko101
Xbox Live: Raiko87
@shamblemonkee I am using lance. Tried with hammer and even upgraded one to pretty good one (cannot check now which) but in the end I seem to do better with lance. I suppose autoblock helps with lance.
I suppose I am a bit too eager to attack, should learn some patience. I am getting better, though!
@Murbal are you seriously saying that all the port missions are supposed to be played in multiplayer? No wonder that I have been slaughtered on some of those... So, same monsters but those are more badass???
Edited by Lukree at 21:07:19 12-04-2013
|The multiplayer monsters are 4 times tougher.
I thought they seemed tougher.
I would recommend people spending some time in singleplayer first before mp for that same reason.
Me and my girlfriend finally beat that Qbird thing on the fifth attempt. It just would not die and the Wyvern was a real bastard to avoid. We felt amazing afterwards and then went on to kill the Barroth first time.
Really getting its hooks into me now, it's managed to tear my girlfriend away from some Candycrush bollocks as well.
I'd be well up for some EG hunts. I think I'm up to a decent enough standard as to not be completely hopeless.
Live: Jive Hands
PSN: Jive_Hands
|How long do you reccomend going through the single player? I've not had anywhere near enough time to play this as I hoped. I've only completed one quest lol.
3DS: 4210 4002 8289 (Dave)
Wii U: Raiko87 (Dave)
PSN: Raiko101
Xbox Live: Raiko87
I'd say at least up to the third tier of quests. First tier mp is a hell of a lot harder than its equivalent.
You really need to get a handle on a few good buffs before taking on anything with a Wyvern mooching about.
Starting to get a steadier flow going now. I can take out up to two G.Jaggis at once without too much stress. I still want to try a Gunlance but I feel too invested in my long sword now.
Live: Jive Hands
PSN: Jive_Hands
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- Exchange: Shenzhen
- Sector: Consumer Discretionary
- Industry: Retail - Discretionary
- Sub-Industry: Home Products Stores
Zhejiang Kaier New Materials Co Ltd+ Add to Watchlist
As of 03:00:31 ET on 05/29/2015.
Company Profile for Zhejiang Kaier New Materials Co Ltd (300234)
Zhejiang Kaier New Materials Company Limited develops, designs, promotes, manufactures and sells vitreous enamel cladding panels. The Company's main products are ceramic plates, the parts of ceramic heat transfer and enamel glaze.
Contact Information
Zhejiang Kaier New Materials Co Ltd
Caozhai Industrial Park
Jindong District
Jinhua, 321031
Phone: 86-579-8288-8566
Fax: 86-579-8288-6066
Key Executives for Zhejiang Kaier New Materials Co Ltd (300234)
|Xing HanxueChairman
|Zheng GentuPresident
|Wu JianmingVice President
|Xing HankeVice President
|Liu YongzhenVice President
|Cheng ZhiyongController/Secretary
Quotes delayed, except where indicated otherwise. All prices in local currency. Time is ET.
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This one is Especially for 1080p RecordingNormal SD cards could not record videos for more than 10 seconds on my CANON - 550D SLR because of its low capacity flash band, which was the reason why i bought this and it performed very well.
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Originally written on Fox Sports | Last updated 11/24/12
Doug McDermott had 30 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 14 Creighton past Wisconsin 84-74 Friday night for a spot in the Las Vegas Invitational final. Creighton (5-0) will play Arizona State in the championship game Saturday. The Sun Devils beat Arkansas 83-68. Ethan Wragge had 17 points, including a 3-pointer that put Creighton up for good, 61-60 with 7:40 left at the Orleans Arena. Austin Chapman added a career high 14 points for Creighton, which shot 62 percent from the field in the second half and 88 percent from the free throw line for the game. Jared Berggren led the Badgers (3-2) with a career-high 27 points and seven rebounds. Ryan Evans had 15 points and eight rebounds, while George Marshall added 13 points. Wisconsin will play Arkansas in the third-place game. The Bluejays were 22 of 25 from the free throw line and outrebounded Wisconsin 40-34. Creighton trailed 39-38 at halftime. They took a 43-41 lead and went up 55-48 with 13:04 to go. But Wisconsin responded...
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Stag Homme introduces beefy Madrid-native Adonis in his porn debut as a pizza boy who's got a delivery to make to Damien Crosse. Only problem is that Adonis doesn't have change to break Damien's 50, so he does what any good and quick-thinking pizza boy would do, offers the rest of his services so he can keep the change. Adonis sucks on Damien's thick uncut cock before taking it up his ass in a climactic fuck sequence. All the unexpected sexual excitement leaves Damien's ass quite hungry, so Adonis bends Damien over and eats that luscious ass real good before he plows it with that big hefty piece of his.
Website: CLICK HERE
Added: 08 Apr 11
Views: 11543


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Bishop emeritus Peter Thuruthikonam, former head of the Vijayapuram diocese of the Latin Catholic Church, died at a private hospital in Kochi on Monday morning.
Bishop Thuruthikonam, 82, who led the Vijayapuram diocese from 1988 to 2006, had been leading his retired life here when he was admitted to the hospital with cardiovascular problems a few days ago. The end came after a heart attack at 6.50 a.m. The body was brought to the Vijayapuram Bishop's House in the afternoon. Later, it was moved to Vimalagiri Cathedral here in a procession for the believers to pay homage. A concelebrated mass was held at the cathedral with Bishop Sebastian Thekkethecheril, head of the Vijayapuram diocese, being the main celebrant.
The funeral has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Vimalagiri Cathedral.
Bishop Thuruthikonam had taken over the leadership of the diocese as the fourth Bishop from Bishop Cornelius Elanjickel in 1988.
Born in 1929 at Thukalassery near Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district, Bishop Thuruthikonam had an early initiation into spiritual life. He was ordained a priest in 1959 and served at various parishes in Central Travancore before being elevated as the chancellor and secretary to the then Bishop Ambrose Abasolo of Vijayapuram in 1966. In 1977, when Bishop Cornelius Elanjickel became the first indigenous Bishop of Vijayapuram, he was made the Pro Vicar General.
The diocese consists of the revenue districts of Kottayam and Idukki and parts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts.
In his condolence message, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Bishop Thuruthikonam had always been eager to help the poor, irrespective of their religious affiliation.
In a message, Major Archbishop George Alancherry of the Syro-Malabar Church, called the deceased Bishop as a role model and a visionary who taught the fellow-bishops to care for the poor and the marginalised.
Keywords: bishop death


text:
Looking for a PC for around £1,000? Then look no further than our comprehensive reviews of the best five PCs for around a grand, on the market in September 2008.
Storage: Anything less than 400GB is now considered a small amount of storage space - the manufacturers of the systems in this month's chart have all opted for at least 500GB. Many users will be able to get by comfortably with a 320GB drive, but those intending to store lots of video, games, audio and media files should stock up.
Get a multiformat DVD writer that can write to dual-layer format if you want to store 8.5GB rather than 4.7GB on a disc. Look for a minimum of eight-speed DVD+R DL; DVD-R DL is nice but not essential. Also try to get eight-speed DVD+RW. At this price you should be able to find a drive that reads Blu-ray Discs - note that it won't to burn to Blu-ray and DVD burning speeds will be slower.
Display: In this category, 22in flat-panels are the standard. Many PC manufacturers supply budget screens, but it's worth spending a little more if you intend to work with digital photos or video - you'll probably have to stare at the monitor for long periods. Give the display a try to ensure you can put up with the quality.
A screen with a response time of 8ms or less will minimise blur on fast-moving images such as games. For image editing, contrast ratio and colour fidelity are more important. A digital input can preserve picture quality, so think twice about displays that provide analogue inputs only.
Graphics card: At this price point, it's a pitch battle between nVidia's latest GeForce GTX 260 graphics card and the ATI Radeon HD 4870 from ATI.
Both offer very good performance and can be doubled up into dual-card solutions later. In order to take advantage of such a setup, however, your motherboard and power supply will need to be compatible with this mode of operation.
It's also possible to go for a ready-made dual-card solution, such as a pair of Radeon HD 4850s. This can work out to be more expensive in the long run.
Sound card and speakers: Onboard sound has come on in leaps and bounds, but it's still no match for a decent sound card. Consider Creative's Audigy 4 family or the excellent X-Fi range. If you only want a 2.1-channel setup (two speakers and a subwoofer), make sure they're high-quality models. Most firms are bundling 5.1 speakers.
NEXT PAGE: Top 5 £999 desktop PC reviews


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More effective to hit heavy topspin balls deep or short?
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Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 1,826
More effective to hit heavy topspin balls deep or short?
Assuming that even if you hit the ball short (i.e. in the service box), because of the topspin, the ball would still kick forward and up so would be head height or above by the time it reaches the baseline - is it better to hit short?
Because, if you hit that same ball deep, you give a good player the option of hitting it on the rise before it gets up too high on their strikezone.
If you hit the ball deep, they do not have the option to take the ball on the rise - because the ball bounced all the way on the service line. Unless they want to half volley balls on the service line (in which case you could slap the next shot deep and past them), they are forced to hit balls above their strikezone on the baseline...?
So is it better to hit heavy topspin short or deep?
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Game and his babymama Tiffney Cambridge will be getting married after all!
After calling it quits just last week, the wedding is back on for Game and Tiffney.
TMZ.com reports that after a super-brief split, the love birds are back together and they have set a new wedding date in August. There's no word on when exactly they'll be jumping the broom, but VH1 cameras will be catching every moment of the happy day.
That's right! Plans for Game and Tiffney's wedding-themed reality show are rolling along now that the pair have patched things up.
—Sonya Eskridge
Here's more:
Game books wedding reality show
Game 'wasn't man enough' for marriage


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Insane Asylum Decorations
Asylum Banner
Make sure everyone knows when they enter, they may never leave because you decorated with the Asylum Banner. This creepy, plastic decal features a figure wearing a straitjacket with writing in blood on the wall and shackles hanging from the ceiling.
Asylum Swirls 12-Pack
Make your party the perfect Halloween celebration when you use the Asylum Swirls 12-Pack. This package contains 12 swirly decorations with knives, creepy nurse and masked inmate details.
Asylum Window Kit
Invite the neighborhood to visit the newest crazy house when you decorate using the Asylum Window Kit. This kit includes 5 pieces of repositionable window and door decorations that will add a certain eeriness to your home.
Zombie Asylum Double Poster
Let us out! Spook and scare passersby when you decorate for Halloween with the Window Zombie poster. The prospect of these evil creatures getting any closer is indeed scary - they are already dead and looking for you to join them. Place each generously sized 3 foot by 5 foot window poster in a…
Asylum Wall Grabber
Your guests will get spooked when they visit your haunted house and see the Asylum Wall Grabber. This vinyl, wall cling decoration features creepy asylum graphics, including a prisoner and nurse.
Asylum Glass Grabber Window Cling
Spook all of your guests when you decorate using the Asylum Glass Grabber Window Cling. This creepy window cling features a haunting vision of a nurse holding a needle.
Insane Jane Adult Womens Costume
Everyone loves a women with a little bit of crazy in her, so go nuts when you wear this Insane Jane adult womens costume. The white, strait jacket-inspired dress of this sexy costume features a front zipper closure, Velcro straps along with removable sleeves.
Weapons Cutout Paper Decorations
Arm yourself for Halloween when you decorate with these amazingly realistic paper cutout decorations. Hang them indoors and revel in the mayhem and madness they connote.
Tombstone Cutouts Paper Decorations
Cemeteries are creepy, especially on Halloween. Scare up some Halloween fun when you decorate with these amazingly realistic paper cutout decorations. Hang them indoors and delight in the frightful imagery they connote.
Window Magic Zombie Decorations
Transform your home into a haunted house with these Window Magic Zombie decorations. Your interior lighting makes it glow!
Stretchy Spider Webs Decorations
Get creative when you decorate with these free-form stretchy Spider Web decoration. The white and gray nylon and plastic fabric panels conform to almost any shape to create a super spooky look.
Body Parts Cutout Paper Decorations
Scare up some Halloween fun when you decorate with these amazingly realistic paper cutout decorations and create a virtual chop shop. Hang them indoors and revel in the mayhem and madness they suggest.
Gothic Mansion Wall Decor
Transform your home into a haunted castle with this amazing Gothic Mansion wall decor set. It includes two room rolls and four scene setters to enable a magical conversion that typically only a wizard could achieve. Use indoor or out; great backdrop for all those great party pictures.
Creepy Dungeon Wall Decor
Make your basement feel more like home when you deck it out with this Creepy Dungeon Wall Decor. Fake torches and windows combine with spooky statues to create a very eerie atmosphere.
Screaming Mini Face Tree Decor
They say the trees have eyes, and that may actually be true! Make it real with this Screaming Mini Face tree decor and watch your back!
Gore Bloody Tile Wall Decor
Liven up your spooky Halloween scene with this Gore Bloody Tile Wall Decor. Huge vinyl sheet features tile print with plenty of blood spatter!
3 piece Ghostly Group Lawn Decor
Set this group of three ghosts to dancing in your yard and let the Halloween fun and games begin! The not-too spooky ghosts are a classic yard decoration and can be used year after year.
Ghost Girl Animated Decoration
…the slightest provocation the sound and motion activated Animated Ghost Girl decoration rises up, her arms waving, her face alight with rage as she emits scary sounds and generally scares folks silly. Scare up some Halloween fun when you add this awesome creature to your Halloween decor portfolio.
Tombstone Animated Decoration
You'll creep out all your visitors when you decorate your graveyard scene with this Tombstone Animated Decoration. The face on this spooky grave marker speaks spooky saying. Decoration takes AA batteries and is motion activated.
Wall Creature Decoration
Get a dreadful decal that clings to you walls - it might even make guests climb the walls in fear! Stick this spooky cling decoration on any smooth flat surface and watch the frightful goings on.
Dungeon Hanging Skeleton Decoration
Add a new dimension to a blank wall when you decorate with the Dungeon Hanging Skeleton, resting skeleton and ghostly window - they are over five feet tall and can be used indoors or out.
Jumping Dog Animated Decoration
Unleash your demonized dog on all who visit your haunted house when you decorate with this awesome Jumping Dog Animated Decoration. This animated prop features light-up eyes and a red collar with skull charm.
Pop-Up Zombie Animated Decoration
Add some extra spookiness to your graveyard scene when you decorate using this Pop-Up Zombie Animated Decoration. This animated zombie comes complete with its own tombstone, but be careful because even the undead rise to the occasion on Halloween.
Phantom Rising Animated Decoration
You might regret running into the Phantom Rising Animated Decoration because once you are in his grasp, you will never leave! This white-clothed animated decoration starts out crouched, standing at 4.8-feet tall, but when activated, it's eyes light up and it rises to 6.5-feet high all while speaking…


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Libraries Without Borders (LWB) thinks so and have unveiled a petition, The Urgency of Reading, to address the need.
People reach out to catch books, donated by the Cuban government, in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. Photograph: Ramon Espinosa/AP Image via
The Urgency of Reading states that reading and writing are 'essential to healing and reconstruction' after disasters and holds the:
strong belief that books, writing, and learning should not be denied to victims of humanitarian disasters, Libraries Without Borders, through this call to action, seeks to increase awareness about the need for access to information and books in post-disaster situations. Furthermore, LWB calls on international organizations to 1) expand reading, cultural and educational programs, which activate the human spirit and help individuals cope with trauma; and 2) make the provision of access to information and books a priority for international humanitarian relief.
Hard not to support this one.
Press release with names of first signatories.
Guardian: Disaster victims 'need books as well as food'
CSMonitor: Should books be a part of emergency relief efforts? -


text:
Bikeradar.com reviews ESX
Our good friends at Bikeradar.com and Cycling Plus magazine have ridden the ESX and have done an in depth review HERE (opens in a new window/tab).
"the ESX is a wonderfully realised machine. It has all of the speed benefits of an aero bike with none of the compromises"
Video link below: