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British Longevity Society
|The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (June 2015)
|This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2015)
British Longevity Society (BLS) is a non-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom, dedicated at informing the general public about developments in the fields of biogerontology, ageing and life extension. The Society organises public meetings and other activities in order to discuss and debate any age-related matter. It is one of the oldest of its kind in the world.
The BLS was established in 1992 by Gerontologist Dr Marios Kyriazis, as a non-commercial, charitable society aiming to facilitate the flow of information between academic research in the field of anti-aging medicine, and the general public. Its constitution stated the aim of furthering public education on issues connected with the means for counteracting the processes, causes and effects of ageing. Between 1993 and 2004 the society published the BLS Newsletter (ISBN 0952965208). The society was refused official charity status in 1993. The reason given by the Charity Commission was that "it would not be in the public interest if lifespan was extended".[1] The society was re-launched in 2006 with an electronic newsletter and open membership.
The society attracted a diverse membership, both lay and scientific, including not only British citizens but others from European and American countries. Membership was drawn from a wide socioeconomic spectrum, from Knights to notorious life prisoners.[2] Membership fees were deliberately kept very low (£12/year) in order to reach pensioners on low income. Current membership is free. Members of the British Longevity Society receive a monthly e-mail newsletter, as well as a variety of other discounted products. The BLS holds regular meetings in central London. These are aimed at the lay public, to help them understand new advances in anti-ageing medicine.[3]
On occasions, the society organises meetings with politicians in order to debate matters related to longevity, life extension and ageing in general. It co-operates with other age-related organisations world-wide.
Other information[edit]
Although the society is under no commercial influence, it accepts donations from sponsors and for the public. It is run by volunteers and dedicated supporters.
- ^ Archives, BLS, 1993
- ^ Membership records, BLS 2000
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/8822879/Has-the-fountain-of-youth-been-found.html
External links[edit]
- BLS website
- European Society of Anti-Ageing Medicine
- World Society of Anti-ageing Medicine
- The ELPIs Foundation for Indefinite Lifespans


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From the leaders in fashion beds, Snuggle Beds, comes the outstanding Natalie bed frame. The Natalie is made from the finest faux leather in a dark brown finish.
The headboard has a gentle curved top and with its sleek, contemporary design, it is sure to make the Snuggle Natalie bed frame an eye catching piece of furniture in any bedroom. The Natalie's curved headboard is stitched to give it a panelled effect.
The base is sprung slatted which provides solid support to the mattress and in turn, yourself for a comfortable night sleep. The Snuggle Natalie is available in stock as a double and we have a huge range of double mattresses available on our website to perfectly compliment this beautiful faux leather bedstead.
Please note the bed's feet will need to be placed on a non slip surface.
Note: Mattress not included.
Please note headboard is not included.
Download Here
A cost effective substitute for real leather, giving the appearance of leather without the expense.
This item arrives packaged in boxes for self assembly at home, full assembly instructions are included.
Wooden slats that bow upwards, giving a more cushioned support than a solid slat base.
The manufacturer will provide a 1 year guarantee on this product against material faults & workmanship. More info
Mattressman are always looking for new ways to make quality sleep more accessible. Why not spread the cost of a new bed or mattress with our finance
scheme, made possible with Pay4Later. Using finance allows you to get that dream mattress right now, without the wait. We offer a number of finance
solutions, including interest free starting at a minimum order value of £300. All you need to do is add your desired items to the basket,
and select the finance option in our secure checkout.
We deliver FREE to the UK Mainland and a charged for service to the Scottish Islands, Isle of White, Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Northern and Southern Ireland. We aim to offer Fast Delivery, however some areas such as Scottish Grampian & Highlands, Ireland, Jersey and Guernsey are a 3-5 day service..
All of our National orders are delivered by one man (unless a two man service has been specified and paid for when required), to the first accessible ground floor door of the premises. The driver will not take items up steps to get to this door and are not insured to take any items into your property.
If you live within our Local Delivery area (East Anglia/London/East Midlands). We deliver most goods to these areas using our own vehicles and our dedicated dispatch team. A driver and drivers mate will take the items to the room of choice, but please ensure that any breakables are stored away. We also offer a disposal service in these areas which must be booked and paid for when placing the order.
We only accept returns within 7 days from delivery date and are still brand new in original packaging. Items will only be accepted where assembly/inflation has not been attempted and returned in a reasonable condition.
out of 5
One fine body…

subset: commoncrawl


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Wine Tours in the Veneto
Hello fellow travelers, I am planning a vacation in Venice and the Veneto for early June. We will be based in Padua for much of the trip and are looking for a winery tour. We will not have a car, so are looking for a day long tour with a guide and minivan. Has anyone taken such a tour and can recommend? Thanks, JuliA


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Applying for your visa
In most cases, you will need a student visa to study in Australia.
Visas are not automatic and all criteria must be met.
Student visas can only be granted for study in courses that are registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students.
For detailed information about student visas for Australia, contact the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) or your closest Australian diplomatic mission.
Before you apply
To apply for a student visa, you will need:
- your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from Swinburne
- your Letter of Offer from Swinburne
- all other relevant documents listed on the DIBP visa checklists.
Please ensure you read and understand the DIBP visa checklists and visa conditions and requirements before you apply.
How to apply
To apply for a student visa, visit the DIBP website or contact the DIBP office or embassy listed on your CoE. (Do not apply to an office or embassy not listed on your CoE.)
Conditions of your visa
Your student visa will be subject to a range of conditions. If you do not meet those conditions, your visa may be cancelled.
For information about visa conditions, please refer to the DIBP website.
Note that your visa will be issued for the course(s) listed on your CoE. If you change or extend your course at Swinburne, you may need to change your visa or visa details. Restrictions apply to changes and extensions. Please refer to the DIBP website for more information.
Students under 18
If you are under 18 years of age, your parents must nominate a guardian before DIBP will consider your application for a student visa. DIBP requires your guardian to:
- lives in Australia
- be at least 21 years of age
- be related to you
- be of good character.
Note that DIBP defines a relative as a spouse, de facto partner, child, brother, sister, step-child, step-parent, step-brother, step-sister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, step-grandparent, step-grandchild, step-aunt, step-uncle, step-niece or step-nephew of the applicant.
If you do not have a relative who lives in Australia, your parents will need to arrange for you to stay in accommodation approved by Swinburne. They will also need to contact a Swinburne-approved care provider agency before Swinburne will issue an CoE and a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) form.
Swinburne recommends the following care provider agencies:
Students with families
If you plan to bring your family to Australia, please check conditions outlined by DIBP or contact your nearest Australian diplomatic mission.
Note that your student visa assessment criteria may change if your family is accompanying you to Melbourne.


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Things to do in Santa Clarita: Santa Clarita Ballet "Little Mermaid", Country Showdown 2015, YMCA "Try The Y Tuesdays", Town Center Farmer's Market, Canyon Theatre Guild "West Side Story", Remo Kids Rhythm Club Santa Clarita Ballet "Little Mermaid" YMCA "Try The Y Tuesdays" Town Center Farmer's Market SC Optimist "Safety Town–Santa Clarita"-Sign Up Now Country Showdown 2015–Sign Up Now Remo ...Read More »
Santa Clarita Residents Attend YMCA Healthy Kids Day
Santa Clarita residents having heroic amounts of fun Saturday, as they completed a superhero challenge course at the YMCA Healthy Kids Day. Don't miss a thing. Get breaking Santa Clarita news alerts delivered right to your inbox. The Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA hosted their annual Healthy Kids Day Expo May 2, where families enjoyed games, crafts, children's performances, rock climbing, obstacles ...Read More »
Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon To Receive Santa Clarita Valley YMCA John Fuller Memorial Award
Santa Clarita Valley YMCA officials Thursday are welcoming more than 300 business owners and community leaders to the inaugural Heart of the Community Gala at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in Valencia. Don't miss a thing. Get breaking Santa Clarita news alerts delivered right to your inbox. This event will celebrate the service of individuals who have made a ...Read More »
McKeon To Receive Distinguished Award From Santa Clarita Valley YMCA
More than three hundred business owners and community leaders from around the Santa Clarita Valley are expected to come together to celebrate Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon as the first recipient of the distinguished John Fuller Memorial Award.Read More »
Things To Do In Santa Clarita – August 13, 2014
Looking for fun things to do in Santa Clarita? Check out these Santa Clarita events: Circle of Hope "Vine 2 Wine", Center of the World "COW" Festival, Antelope Valley Fair, Valencia United Methodist Block Party, YMCA "Open House", Canyon Theatre Guild, and more! Circle Of Hope "Vine 2 Wine" Center Of The World "COW" Festival Antelope Valley Fair Valencia United ...Read More »
Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA To Host An Open House
Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA officials are hosting an open house event Aug. 16, inviting the entire community to stop by and join the fun.Read More »
SCV Families Enjoy Halloween Festivities At The Local YMCA
The Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA officials held their annual Halloween Festivities event on Saturday.Read More »
Santa Clarita Top Things To Do – October 9, 2013
Child & Family Center "Kid Expo"YMCA Halloween FunSCV Youth Project "Poker Tournament"SCV Taste of ExpoRepertory East Playhouse "God Of Carnage"COC "Green Up"Canyon Theatre Guild "Dial M For Murder" & "The Miracle Worker"And More…And Upcoming… Child & Family Center "Kid Expo" When: Sunday, October 13 from 11am-4pm Where: Golden Valley High School, 27051 Robert C. Lee Parkway, Canyon Country Details: The ...Read More »
SCV Boys & Girls Club Hosts Eighth Annual Day For Kids Event
The Santa Clarita Valley Boys & Girls Club officials held the Day for Kids event on Saturday at Newhall Park.Read More »
The Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA Holds Open House Saturday
The Santa Clarita Valley YMCA officials held an Open House on Saturday at their Valencia location.Read More »


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PRAIRIE BRANCH (Cass County). Prairie Branch rises one-half mile southeast of Douglassville in northern Cass County (at 33°10' N, 94°20' W) and runs southeast for three miles to its mouth on Bee Creek (at 33°08' N, 94°18' W). The soils are loamy and sandy, and the gently undulating to gently rolling area is heavily wooded, with pines and various hardwoods predominating.
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article."PRAIRIE BRANCH (CASS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rbpce), accessed June 30, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.


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Additional file 6.
Expression profiling of six conventional housekeeping genes, using microarray data derived from Genevestigator. The Meta-Profile Analysis tool was used to produce expression profiling from representative UniGene IDs. No probes available for TUB4.
Format: PDF Size: 227KB Download file
This file can be viewed with: Adobe Acrobat Reader
Hu et al. BMC Molecular Biology 2009 10:93 doi:10.1186/1471-2199-10-93


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Working With The Best Unknown & Irrelevant DJ's In The Universe.
We Are Looking For DJ's To Join Our Extremely Slow Growing Team Who Can Contribute To Our inevitable Failure.
Follow The Facebook Link To Contact Us....... If You Can Be Bothered.
Press play to try again.
You can get it here.


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Gardens can get a fresh burst of floral colour from a pair of hanging baskets, cascading with the colours of a variety of fuchsias, geraniums, petunias and begonias. The pre-planted baskets arrive with flowers in bloom and ready to hang, for an instant yet long-lasting infusion of summer warmth.
Choose from the following options for a pair of hanging baskets, distributed by Garden Plants Direct:
• £19.99 for one pair (50% off)
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• Matching pair of pre-planted hanging baskets
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• Fully rooted and hardened off
• Delivered in bloom, ready to hang
See here for merchant's returns information.
To find out more about Groupon Goods, see the FAQ.


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Arizona FCU CEO says his membership fee is in compliance, improves accountability and supports the CU philosophy.
A whimsical dream teaches a credit union marketer a lesson in outstanding service.
Vendors can fill information gaps and be a valuable resource in a changing business landscape.
Editorial commentary on current issues from CU Times' editorial staff and correspondents.
Vision is what gets people excited to come to work in the morning.
The agency, not the U.S. Treasury, crafted solutions for the corporate credit union crisis.
Will the Apple Watch be a game changer or another device on a failed technology idea list?
Editorial commentary on current issues from CU Times' editorial staff and correspondents.
A recent New York Times column urging borrowers to default on their student loans has grave implications for credit unions.
Legislation ensures credit unions can continue to lend and grow to the best of their ability.


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Having already nailed the definitive soulful D&B anthem early in 2007 in the shape of "Everything's Different" High Contrast is back once more – and this time he's bringing the biggest slice of retro jungle funk this side of the millennium.
If We Ever features the spine tingling vocals of the legendary Diane Charlemagne. An instantly memorable piano hook and sublime oldschool breaks and bass lines fool you into thinking you know the tune from back in the day. It's already an anthem thanks to huge dubplate support from Mr Andy C, Fabio & Grooverider, Annie Mac, Hype, Zinc and many many more.
As always the flipside brings the contrast – Pink Flamingos smacks the dancefloor hard. With the raw energy of early Prodigy tracks, the vowel filter, the synth strings, the vibe is distinctly electric on this one. "Pink Flamingos" has been mashing up the dance at Fabric and the main room at Heaven with a big intro and a drop that hits the spot, just like the doctor ordered.
Full release including artwork available now on the Hospital Shop…
Tags: High Contrast
For the latest goings-ons at Hospital and to keep up-to-date with all of our artists:


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You can now invite anyone to meet at your favorite Starbucks.
Limited-time feature
26 year old woman | Manhattan, NY, USA | Seeking men 25-30 within 5 miles
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
Fun loving, down to earth, positive girl looking for a partner in crime. I love to be creative, explore the city, be outdoors and travel. I grew up in Maryland, went to school in Boston, and now live on the UES and work here as a a pediatric nurse. Long days, but it is rewarding and I feel lucky that I can find a great deal of meaning in my work. I also love to make the most of my free time and have a lot of energy to try new things (food, arts, exercise, outdoors, anything!). I am very close to my family and friends and tend to be pretty easy going. I hope to one day find an intelligent, motivated, active guy with integrity, an interesting lens and great sense of humor who can make me laugh my head off and share his passions with me. Feel free drop me a line if you think we would get along.
Camping , Coffee and conversation , Cooking , Dining out , Movies/Videos , Museums and art , Music and concerts , Exploring new areas , Nightclubs/Dancing , Performing arts , Playing sports , Travel/Sightseeing , Volunteering , Wine tasting
Cycling, Dancing, Running, VolleyBall, Walking / Hiking, Yoga
I exercise 5 or more times per week.
Don't display my sign
I like Dogs
I am a huge dog lover, and I love that there is a profile section called "Pet Essay" available for us to ramble about our love of animals.
Wine bars Jazz clubs Music venues downtown Central Park The East River Portugal, South East Asia, anywhere in Latin America
Reading in bed, almost anything outdoors, modern art, sarcasm, picnics, a great glass of wine, history lessons, live music, building fires, random acts of kindness, the occasional and hilarious practical joke, bubble bath.
Art, Jazz, Music, Hiking, biking, cooking, exploring, traveling. Creating my own adventures.
Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut Let the Great World Spin The Glass Castle The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What she is looking for
|5'5" (165cms)
|5'9" (175cms) to 6'5" (195cms)
|Body type:
|Athletic and toned
|Slender, About average, Athletic and toned, Stocky
|No preference
|Dark brown
|No preference
|No Way
|No Way
|Social Drinker
|Social Drinker
|Medical / Dental / Veterinary / Fitness
|No preference
|I'll tell you later
|No preference
|Never Married
|Never Married
|Have kids:
|Wants kids:
|Definitely, Someday
|White / Caucasian
|Black / African descent, East Indian, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern, White / Caucasian
|No preference
|Bachelors degree
|Bachelors degree, Graduate degree, PhD / Post Doctoral
Considering a graduate degree in nursing education, stay tuned...


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1. In a small bowl marinate the chicken with chili and garlic and keep it aside.
2. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
3. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil and brown the chicken for 2 minutes on each side.
4. Once chicken is cooked remove from the pan and keep aside. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute until tender then add the asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes.
5. Once sauteed, pour in the chicken stock to it and then return the cooked chicken to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Take pan off the heat and stir in the cream. Add the cooked and drained pasta and fresh spinach leaves. Mix well so that the spinach wilts in the residual heat and the pasta is nicely coated with the cream sauce.
7. Serve The Spicy Chicken Pasta with a nice crusty bread on the side if you like.


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As you plan for new student orientation in August and September, consider giving students an academic head start by including CLEP information in your offerings.
Read More +
- Reward capable incoming students. By granting credit for CLEP exams, you can offer high-performing potential students an opportunity to move ahead quickly.
- Increase access for other entering students. CLEP can open up seats in introductory-level courses for students who need that course work.
- Start students off on the path to graduation. A recent study showed that students taking advantage of prior learning assessment (PLA) programs such as CLEP earned more institutional credits and graduated at higher rates than students who did not take PLAs.
Before orientation
- Encourage enrollment managers to share information about your CLEP policy while visiting high schools or hosting on-campus open houses.
- Include a copy of your institution's CLEP policy in the orientation or admissions mailing to admitted applicants.
- Make sure academic departments, academic support services and financial aid offices are aware of CLEP's benefits, so they can advise incoming students. Schedule meetings or presentations with staff members and distribute handouts.
During orientation
- Include CLEP information in your orientation packets. Order the free CLEP Take One brochure and other free CLEP publications.
- Download a free CLEP Microsoft Word template and create your own CLEP policy flyer.
- Order a free CLEP tabling kit and sponsor an exhibit at your orientation fair.
- If you have a test center, set up special testing times for students during orientation week.
- If you don't have a CLEP test center on campus, use the CLEP test center search to determine the location of the closest center. Include this information in new student orientation packets.
CLEP publications for students have been updated and redesigned. Visit the CLEP downloads and ordering materials page to order free copies for distribution on your campus.
CLEP has been featured in a number of news articles during the past few months. Here are some examples:
Read More +
"Looking ahead to college." A student reporter recommends using CLEP to prepare for college.
"Catonsville High in pilot program for students to earn associate degree." Catonsville High School includes CLEP in an initiative that allows students to simultaneously earn a high school and an associate degree.
"Operation CCAF Blitz targets technical sergeants." The education center at Moody Air Force Base encourages technical sergeants to use CLEP while earning their degrees from the Community College of the Air Force.
CLEP will exhibit and present at the Council of College and Military Educators' 2011 Annual Symposium.
CLEP will attend the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC).
CLEP will attend the 91st American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Annual Convention.
To subscribe to CLEP Notes to read previous issues of the newsletter, visit www.collegeboard.com/clepnotes.


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Michigan Helmet Laws - A Detailed Look Into a Newly Helmetless State
View Single Post
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: put something on and stay in that position.
Oddometer: 7,457
Originally Posted by
Wraith Rider
Obviously we have someone here who thinks motorcycling should be outlawed.
In about 100,000 miles there was one foreign object impact that would have been able to cause me trouble if I was helmetless. But then that was at triple the speed than I would ride without a helmet. Also a hit to the body could as well lead to an accident, but there's no law for full armor.
That's a contradiction in itself. Take a look at Bobby's figures about motorcyclist injuries and fatalities. No one in a sane state of mind could "choosing to ride" call "doing reasonable things to mitigate risk".
One, are you being intentionally thick or trying to use hyperbole to prove a(n incorrect) point? You know that's not what I'm trying to say. Yet, you typed those words anyway.
Two, in this forum there are a lot of people who ride a lot of miles a year. You're statistics mean nothing. Lots of us have taken a whack to the head with a stone or other object thrown up.
Most importantly, your logic is a miserable failure.
HEAD INJURIES-- not injuries to the body-- are the most dangerous, most lethal sort of injury to a motorcycle rider-- to a skateboarder, a hockey player, a cyclist. Which is why helmets are the focus here and there.
So here we have the facts, short and to the point:
Motorcycle riding is a dangerous manner of getting around.
There are some risks greater than others--including head injuries.
We should always attempt, if we care about our families, our health, our financial solvency, our career, or just being able to watch the footie match with a beer in our hand, to reduce these risks as much as possible.
To say, as you assert, that we can't remove all risk and therefore we shouldn't attempt to reduce a very clear, very dangerous, sometimes easily averted injury by wearing a helmet is absolute hog anus.
Not all accidents are survivable, even with the best kit.
But some, indeed most, are survivable.
We must do what we can to survive those accidents with as little injury as possible.
For the good of our loved ones, our personal health, and the civil society of which we are a part. (or not, depending on your locale)
"So what makes this protest different is that you're set to die, Bobby?"
--May well come to that.
"You start a hunger strike to protest for what you believe in. You don't start already determined to die or am I missing somethin' here?"
-- It's in their hands. Our message is clear. They're seeing our determination.
View Public Profile
Visit Schlug's homepage!
Find More Posts by Schlug


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HelmetHub, an MIT student design project, puts bike helmets in vending machines for Boston's Hubway bikes.
(Boston Globe) MIT students designed a vending machine to dispense helmets to rent or keep for Boston's Hubway bike sharing program. Video by Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff. Produced by Lane Turner/Globe Staff.
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Last week John Halstead wrote about his family vacation and his disappointment in his children's reaction to natural beauty: I find myself wondering what has changed between my childhood and now that I enjoy these drives. The contrast is all the more acute since I have children of my own. This past weekend, I hiked with my family up a mountainside to show them a beautiful meadow and a vista I had happened upon. My kids, now 11 and 14, enjoyed the view for all of 10 seconds before becoming … [Read more...]
Can children appreciate nature?
July 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Four Simple Ways to Honor Spirit in Baby's First Year
May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
By Thekla Richter Finding time to nurture your connection with divinity might seem laughable when you are so busy nurturing your newborn and struggling through the most basic aspects of day-to-day life. Yet, at the same time, if you were supported by spiritual practice before you had your baby, giving up that path entirely can leave a huge void in your life that you feel deeply even through your haze of exhaustion.The good news is that tending your spirit and connecting with the … [Read more...]


text: Last night I had to build a new kernel for eskimo to see the other drives we attached. Unfortunately, I messed up some of the parameters and the result is the system is extremely sluggish. I am building a new kernel now to address this and will need to reboot when it is finished building.


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Who would be on your Mount Rushmore of rappers?
NOISE, n. A stench in the ear. Undomesticated music. The chief product and authenticating sign of civilization.
~ Ambrose Bierce, in Devil's Dictionary (1911)
Did you know there are about 6,500 languages spoken in the world today? The new movie Frozen has been translated into 41 of these languages, and this amazing video shows singers performing the hit "Let it Go" in 25 of them.
While the heyday of soul may be fifty years in the past with the likes of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson, a new swell of artists influenced by these early pioneers is rising and moving audiences around the country. Marked by strong frontmen and women, these folks have moves and energy straight from a James Brown playbook and backing bands that have licks of their own. Be prepared to have your soul stirred and, if you're like me, end up with a goofy, strained grimace on your face and an air mic primed for lip syncing.
In the modern age of music, we're saturated with options of what to listen to and how to listen to it. Finding really great music can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, so it's exciting when truly stellar groups like Lake Street Dive burst onto the scene, all genuine talent and earned fame like old times.
Although they were discovered through a Youtube video performance of "I Want You Back" by Jackson 5, the band originally formed in a jazz music conservatory, and they have the skills to prove it. But rather than use their superpowers to get pigeonholed in the world of jazz for jazz fans, they've decided to take it to the streets and play highly accessible, yet wildly interesting music. It comes off like a secret ingredient in a tasty dish.
50 years after the historic airing of The Beatles playing live on the Ed Sullivan show, Beatlemania may not make young girls scream and faint anymore, but many listeners continue to hold their music near and dear to their hearts.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of books have been written about The Beatles. I have read a mere fraction of what is available. Some paint the lads from Liverpool in holy light, while others darken the lingering shadows and tell a more sinister tale. While not all music lovers love The Beatles, most respect their profound effect on the musical landscape that continues to evolve and annoy parents to this day.
To honor my favorite band, I would like to share my top five favorite Beatles albums!
5. Help!
Every two weeks, free tracks from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and Classical Music Library are offered.
This week (the week of January 28, 2014) the Smithsonian Folkways Recording is Pete Seeger's Buffalo Gals in honor of Pete Seeger's passing at age 94 on Monday, January 27, 2014.
Pete Seeger's life, music, and legacy encapsulate nearly a century of American history and culture. He has immersed himself in folk music and used it, like Johnny Appleseed, to "plant the seeds of a better tomorrow in the homes across our land." The songs in this collection of 139 American Favorite Ballads narrate tales of ordinary people and their extraordinary deeds, and show Pete at the crossroads of the past and the future putting his own stamp on America's folk song heritage while bequeathing it to generations to come.
With 2013 coming to a close, the "best of" music lists have been pouring in the past few months. Best albums, best cover songs, best tracks, best photos, best music appearances on television - the possibilities are endless and critics never seem to tire of list-making.
Here is a round-up from some of the more influential sources:
It can be challenging to find holiday music that isn't merely cheery, kitschy, or weirdly dark, leading many including myself to steer clear of it (while enjoying when certain renditions come up on the radio). Of course, it's hard to go wrong with jazz, but sometimes a person needs variety. This album just might fit the ticket.
Canadian musician and self-made record label owner Loreena McKennitt, best known for her 1997 song "The Mummer's Dance," has continued to produce great things, including this unique and wonderful collection of traditional old world holiday music, Midwinter Night's Dream (2008). It sometimes sounds as if it could be the original soundtrack to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, such as what you might imagine the elves of Mirkwood or the hobbits to play on rustic instruments during feasts.
What do you get when you put a pop-punk singer and a jazz singer in a studio? A totally stellar old-style country album, as it turns out. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and jazz singer Norah Jones have teamed up to thoroughly surprise the world. Definitely didn't see this coming.
In the late 50s, the Hardy-Boys-esque Everly Brothers debuted with alternately upbeat and somber country music that would influence later iterations of rock, though the duo's heyday would only last until the mid-late 60s. The world is about to rediscover their music through the star power of Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones on their brand new album, Foreverly, which consists of revamped and reclothed covers of the Everly Brothers.
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text: The city of Maple Grove has had its first fire-related death since the 1800s. Maple Grove Fire Chief Scott Anderson said that on Dec. 30, Emily Rolighed died after her clothes caught fire from ashes from a cigarette at her residence on the 8100 block of Main Street. "The police department responde...Read More


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Green Man Gaming has Beyond Divinity (PC) for $0 with free shipping. Travel the universe and battle with necromancers, demons and a Death-knight.
Deal has expired
Those necromancers, always causing trouble
activates on steam?
Needs at least a billing address in order to know where to ship the download to. After that, I'd have another password to keep track of, another stupid client in my taskbar, etc. GMG just doesn't have anything compelling for me to bother over; I foresee another D2D waiting for a violent buyout and burn.
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Photos #4, 5 and 6 in this series show 1960s supermodel Twiggy visiting Disneyland in 1967. Never before published.
Twiggy: Rare photos of a Sixties icon | Photo Gallery - Yahoo! News
Photos #4, 5 and 6 in this series show 1960s supermodel Twiggy visiting Disneyland in 1967. Never before published.
Twiggy: Rare photos of a Sixties icon | Photo Gallery - Yahoo! News
Photo #6 of her wearing the Mouse Ears is great! Thanks for sharing this link.
Those are groovy and far out, thanks Bob!
No worries, stay calm, one question. Do you happen to know how to fly this thing?
Loved the Sonny and Cher mix too! TFS
Notice how the original Matterhorn bobsleds actually encouraged riding with your hands OUTSIDE the vehicle. There are some famous clips around of the attraction on opening day with Walt himself riding with his hands outside the vehicle.
Thanks Bob, nice find.
First Visit at the age of 12, July 17, 1968.First Ride, The Disneyland and Santa Fe Railroad.BRING BACK THE PEOPLE MOVER!
Fear of the unknown.
They are afraid of new ideas.
They are loaded with prejudices, not based upon any reality, but based on if something is new, I reject it immediately because its frightening to me. What they do instead is just stay with the familiar.
You know, to me, the most beautiful things in all the universe, are the most mysterious.
Check out the source link which has quite a few more pics.
I love this one of her with Goofy & Pluto.
Twiggy 1967 | Twiggy: Rare Photos of a Swinging Sixties Icon | LIFE.com
Riding Matterhorn with that bony thing in your lap would be more painful than the current bobsleds ....
"She's taking everything. She's taking the house, she's taking the kid, she's taking the dog. IT'S NOT EVEN HER DOG. IT'S MY DOG! SHE'S TAKING . . . MY DOG!"
- Ron Livingston, "Band of Brothers"
Good pics. Love seeing the old Disneyland.
Stockholder and Walt Disney Autograph holder!!


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1. In a skillet, heat garlic olive oil and sesame oil. Add chicken, peanuts and half of the chicken broth. Cook until brown.
2. Add in remaining chicken broth and chunky peanut butter. Stir well.
3. Add in honey. Stir well.
4. Add in scallions and garlic salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 20 minutes.
5. Serve with white or brown rice.


text:
UBS will compensate some workers with contingent capital bonds, which can be written off if the bank's common equity ratio falls below 7 percent or it needs a bailout. The shift helps UBS meet stricter capital requirements.
Bonds for UBS bonus
By Post Staff Report
February 6, 2013 | 5:00am


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By: tedder67
This is how commercials should not be made. Seriously, they could have at least made it somewhat entertaining.
Views: 1,768
| Posted: 01/10/2010
By: Hirosmg
awesome ending
Views: 390
| Posted: 12/23/2008
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Select Local Merchants
Sumner TaekwondoRead MoreOwner and black-belt Donna Middendorf of Sumner Taekwondo Academy leads a team of instructors who share their expertise in Korean hand-to-hand combat with kids and adults. And while the classes spend time with the more martial aspects of the art, they're really not about fighting. For Donna and the team, Taekwondo promotes peace through learning self-respect and gaining confidence—it's the heart of the discipline. At the same time, the instructors help students hone their punching and kicking skills and they engage with their peers in safe, supervised sparring sessions and fully-padded staring contests.15715 Main St. ESumner, WA US
Champion Martial ArtsRead MoreWe are a family facility, everything from our family martial arts classes to our dynamic zumba classes to our award winning jiujitsu programs, we provide something the entire family can be involved in!15111 105th Avenue Ct EPuyallup, WA US
Velocity TaekwondoRead MoreFather-daughter duo David and Danielle Pelham co-own Velocity Taekwondo, where they join up with a small team of coaches to share their love of martial arts and training with anyone interested. Danielle won the 2009 World Taekwondo Federation championships, and David is an award-winning taekwondo competition coach. Together with CrossFit and MMA trainers, they equip clients with fighting and fitness skills. Taekwondo is the focus, however—the academy has its own competition team, and after-school programs accommodate the schedules of children and sentient pencils.18814 72nd Avenue SouthKent, WA US
All FitnessRead MoreEquipment: Maxicam Students should bring: Towel, water. Average class length: 60?90 minutes Number of Staff: 1?5 people Class location: Indoors only Established: 2000 Registration required: Yes Good for beginners: Yes Guests allowed: Yes Parking: Parking lot Pro Tip: Very friendly atmosphere.21028 84th Avenue SouthKent, WA US
Akma WashingtonRead MoreWe are a locally owned company serving the Puget Sound area since 1983 with 3 locations to serve you.1626 S 310th StFederal Way, WA US


text:
Riverside Drive alive
Exciting development presented Green and Shannon at village meeting
By Willie Kiernan
In their regular monthly meeting the Cazenovia Village Board was presented with a plan that was as impressive as it was long awaited.
"We've always expressed frustration with developers from outside of the town," said Scott Shannon. "We should do something ourselves."
Along with Eddie Green, Shannon, an associate professor at SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry, proposed an ambitious development that could revitalize downtown Cazenovia by offering housing, retail space, office space and parking, with a park along Chittenango Creek on Riverside Drive.
"We've contacted Barb Henderson of CACDA to discuss the area of the old town highway garage and adjacent properties," Shannon said. "We'd like to accomplish the goals of the village with parking, recreational value, connectivity and the need for housing."
The proposed development begins with phase one on the site of the old town garage. The building, 62,000 square feet, would combine residential and retail space along with underground parking. This property is still owned by the town with a promise to sell it to the village after a mandatory clean-up.
"Remediation will be done by the end of the year," said Mayor Tom Dougherty.
Phase two of the plan, two more buildings, would have to involve property owners along Albany Street with a continuance of Riverside Drive to create a four-corner intersection at Route 13.
"The buildings are intended to be green buildings," Shannon said. "I would hope the environmental impact would be low."
In addition to the three buildings, it was proposed that a new park be built along the creek.
"This is dramatic," said Trustee Paul Brooks. "We've been talking about this all along. How can we get more retail, living units and office space? This is the way to go."
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He was tall and cute and the perfect amount of awkward. Our first date was on a balmy Tucson evening in January. I scootched back in my chair and crossed my legs beneath my sundress as he asked, "What do you write about?"
"Right now, I'm writing a lot about food."
"Oooh!" he said. "Like restaurant reviews?"
"Well, sort of. I'm interested in how our food systems affect the climate."
He nodded and thought this over. "Do you think this whole climate change thing is going to catch on?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, 'global warming'?" His voice wore italics and, though his hands didn't leave the table, his fingers became bobbing quotation marks.
I opened my mouth and paused. He smiled that uncomfortable first-date smile and took a sip of his beer.
Hmm, I thought. Yes. The climate is changing, has changed, and humans are central to the story. Sheets of ice are cleaving away from glaciers and more and more carbon dioxide and methane molecules are swarming through the atmosphere, heating it up, and they will continue to do so whether or not the "idea" of global warming, you know, "catches on."
My date took another sip of beer and stared at me with the blue eyes that had prompted me to give him my phone number in the first place.
"I think climate change already has caught on?" I said, hating how my voice rose into a question mark. "I think it's happening? And I think a lot of people agree that, um, it's a … big deal," I said.
"Hmm," he said, and nodded, considering this. He smiled, and in a teasing, flirtatious tone, said, "So you're all into that, the global warming stuff?"
Some believe that the climate deniers will just die out. Not many in my generation get riled up about interracial marriage, for instance — it is, for most of us, entirely a non-issue — and many say that attitudes toward climate change could similarly shift with time. The academic term for old ideas dying along with old people is called "cohort replacement," and according to this logic, all we have to do is wait.
According to this logic, however, an eligible young woman does not find herself on a date with a very cute 28-year-old man who puts "global warming" in quotation marks.
"Well…I sort of don't think climate change is something to be believed in," I said haltingly. "I mean, it kind of…is." I hesitated, wondering, should I go further?
He changed the subject. "So you said you work at the UA?" he asked. "What do you do?"
I chuckled. "I work in the University's Office of Sustainability."
"Sweet! What do you do there? What exactly is sustainability?" he asked, all blinking blue eyes and lanky curiosity.
Finally, the date ended. I called my sister as I biked home across campus to tell her about my foray back into dating. We laughed — how did I find these people? He was 6-foot-4 to my 6-foot-1: a rare find. He was sweet and courteous: so much potential. He had a college degree!
"How did you meet him?" my sister asked.
"A coffee shop."
"Climate deniers drink coffee?"
"You need a better screening process," she said.
"How do you screen for 'acceptance of climate change'?" I asked.
I rolled through the dust and heat of a 70-degree winter's evening and wondered how I should have responded to his question. How do we talk about something as big as global warming on something so small as a first date? And yet — how can we not? For those of us that live in the desert Southwest — indeed, for all of those that live in extreme climates around the world — it is impossible to ignore the fact that annual temperatures and precipitation levels have already swerved far away from the norm.
What can I say? Yes, climate change is a big and scary idea, but there are all sorts of things we — no, I'm sorry, I'm afraid there will be no "we" after tonight — there are all sorts of things you can and should do to help work towards a solution.
The problem is that "believing" in climate change is not as simple as learning the facts. Psychologists have found that people absorb information selectively, picking and choosing those facts that fit into their already-established worldviews. Yet psychologists have also found that familiarity breeds fondness: Repeated exposure to a new idea leads to progressively lower fear and avoidance and even, eventually, sometimes, to acceptance.
Perhaps my Friday evening offered my blinking blue-eyed date the chance to ease his mind into the idea — the very big, scary idea — that our world is warming rapidly and we'd better do something about it. But somebody else would have to offer him a second exposure to the concept.
Megan Kimble is a student in University of Arizona's MFA program for creative nonfiction. Environmental coverage made possible in part by support from Patagonia. For information on Patagonia and its environmental efforts, visit www.patagonia.com. In affiliation with High Country News. Photo by Shutterstock


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Horoscopes by Holiday
Posted: July 28, 2014 at 1:52 a.m.
Happy birthday. The next seven weeks bring financial good fortune. A mending in your personal life will happen in September. October brings renewed physical strength.
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A system and methods for the automatic transmission of new, high affinity media to a user are provided. In connection with a system that convergently merges perceptual and digital signal processing analysis of media entities for purposes of classifying the media entities, various means are provided to a user for automatically extracting media entities that represent a high (or low) affinity state/space for the user in connection with the generation of a high affinity playlist, channel or station. Techniques for providing a dynamic recommendation engine and techniques for rating media entities are also included are also included. Once a high affinity state/space is identified, the high affinity state/space may be persisted for the user from experience to experience.
1. A method for generating a plurality of high affinity media entities, comprising:
selecting a first media station;
storing said selection of the first media station in a historical record;
analyzing the selected first media station stored in said historical record to extract a first set of classification mappings;
selecting a second media station;
analyzing the selected second media station to extract a second set of classification mappings;
cross-analyzing said first and second sets of classification mappings to generate a prominent set of classification mappings that represent high affinity space for a user performing said selecting of said first and second media stations;
searching a matching database for other media entities having similar mappings to the prominent set of classification mappings, wherein the media entities in the matching database have been classified according to a classification system characterized by the convergence of perceptual and digital signal processing classification techniques; and
generating a high affinity playlist that includes a plurality of the other media entities.
2. The method of
before said generating of said playlist, selecting one of all of said other media entities, media entities of said other media entities that are not in a currently rendered playlist and media entities of said other media entities that have never been rendered as reflected by said historical record.
3. The method of
selecting a third media station;
analyzing the selected third media station to extract a third set of classification mappings; and
cross-analyzing said third media against said first and second sets of classification mappings to update said prominent set of classification mappings that represent high affinity space for a user performing said selecting of said third media station.
4. The method of
5. A method according to
6. A method according to
7. A method according to
8. A method according to
9. A method according to
10. A method according to
11. A computer readable medium bearing computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of
12. A modulated data signal carrying computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of
13. A computing device comprising means for carrying out each of the steps of the method of
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/900,230, filed Jul. 6, 2001, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/216,106, filed Jul. 6, 2000, the contents of all are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a system and methods for the automatic transmission of new, high affinity media to users of computing devices connected to a network.
Classifying information that has subjectively perceived attributes or characteristics is difficult. When the information is one or more musical compositions, classification is complicated by the widely varying subjective perceptions of the musical compositions by different listeners. One listener may perceive a particular musical composition as "hauntingly beautiful" whereas another may perceive the same composition as "annoyingly twangy."
In the classical music context, musicologists have developed names for various attributes of musical compositions. Terms such as adagio, fortissimo, or allegro broadly describe the strength with which instruments in an orchestra should be played to properly render a musical composition from sheet music. In the popular music context, there is less agreement upon proper terminology. Composers indicate how to render their musical compositions with annotations such as brightly, softly, etc., but there is no consistent, concise, agreed-upon system for such annotations.
As a result of rapid movement of musical recordings from sheet music to pre-recorded analog media to digital storage and retrieval technologies, this problem has become acute. In particular, as large libraries of digital musical recordings have become available through global computer networks, a need has developed to classify individual musical compositions in a quantitative manner based on highly subjective features, in order to facilitate rapid search and retrieval of large collections of compositions.
Musical compositions and other information are now widely available for sampling and purchase over global computer networks through online merchants such as AMAZON.COM�, BARNESANDNOBLE.COM�, CDNOW.COM�, etc. A prospective consumer can use a computer system equipped with a standard Web browser to contact an online merchant, browse an online catalog of pre-recorded music, select a song or collection of songs ("album"), and purchase the song or album for shipment direct to the consumer. In this context, online merchants and others desire to assist the consumer in making a purchase selection and desire to suggest possible selections for purchase. However, current classification systems and search and retrieval systems are inadequate for these tasks.
A variety of inadequate classification and search approaches are now used. In one approach, a consumer selects a musical composition for listening or for purchase based on past positive experience with the same artist or with similar music. This approach has a significant disadvantage in that it involves guessing because the consumer has no familiarity with the musical composition that is selected.
In another approach, a merchant classifies musical compositions into broad categories or genres. The disadvantage of this approach is that typically the genres are too broad. For example, a wide variety of qualitatively different albums and songs may be classified in the genre of "Popular Music" or "Rock and Roll."
In still another approach, an online merchant presents a search page to a client associated with the consumer. The merchant receives selection criteria from the client for use in searching the merchant's catalog or database of available music. Normally the selection criteria are limited to song name, album title, or artist name. The merchant searches the database based on the selection criteria and returns a list of matching results to the client. The client selects one item in the list and receives further, detailed information about that item. The merchant also creates and returns one or more critics' reviews, customer reviews, or past purchase information associated with the item.
For example, the merchant may present a review by a music critic of a magazine that critiques the album selected by the client. The merchant may also present informal reviews of the album that have been previously entered into the system by other consumers. Further, the merchant may present suggestions of related music based on prior purchases of others. For example, in the approach of AMAZON.COM�, when a client requests detailed information about a particular album or song, the system displays information stating, "People who bought this album also bought . . . " followed by a list of other albums or songs. The list of other albums or songs is derived from actual purchase experience of the system. This is called "collaborative filtering."
However, this approach has a significant disadvantage, namely that the suggested albums or songs are based on extrinsic similarity as indicated by purchase decisions of others, rather than based upon objective similarity of intrinsic attributes of a requested album or song and the suggested albums or songs. A decision by another consumer to purchase two albums at the same time does not indicate that the two albums are objectively similar or even that the consumer liked both. For example, the consumer might have bought one for the consumer and the second for a third party having greatly differing subjective taste than the consumer. As a result, some pundits have termed the prior approach as the "greater fools" approach because it relies on the judgment of others.
Another disadvantage of collaborative filtering is that output data is normally available only for complete albums and not for individual songs. Thus, a first album that the consumer likes may be broadly similar to second album, but the second album may contain individual songs that are strikingly dissimilar from the first album, and the consumer has no way to detect or act on such dissimilarity.
Still another disadvantage of collaborative filtering is that it requires a large mass of historical data in order to provide useful search results. The search results indicating what others bought are only useful after a large number of transactions, so that meaningful patterns and meaningful similarity emerge. Moreover, early transactions tend to over-influence later buyers, and popular titles tend to self-perpetuate.
In a related approach, the merchant may present information describing a song or an album that is prepared and distributed by the recording artist, a record label, or other entities that are commercially associated with the recording. A disadvantage of this information is that it may be biased, it may deliberately mischaracterize the recording in the hope of increasing its sales, and it is normally based on inconsistent terms and meanings.
In still another approach, digital signal processing (DSP) analysis is used to try to match characteristics from song to song, but DSP analysis alone has proven to be insufficient for classification purposes. While DSP analysis may be effective for some groups or classes of songs, it is ineffective for others, and there has so far been no technique for determining what makes the technique effective for some music and not others. Specifically, such acoustical analysis as has been implemented thus far suffers defects because 1) the effectiveness of the analysis is being questioned regarding the accuracy of the results, thus diminishing the perceived quality by the user and 2) recommendations can only be made if the user manually types in a desired artist or song title from that specific website. Accordingly, DSP analysis, by itself, is unreliable and thus insufficient for widespread commercial or other use.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method of classifying information that is characterized by the convergence of subjective or perceptual analysis and DSP acoustical analysis criteria. With such a classification technique, it would be further desirable to leverage song-by-song analysis and matching capabilities to automatically and/or dynamically personalize a high affinity network-based experience for a user. In this regard, there is a need for a mechanism that can enable a client to automatically retrieve information about one or more musical compositions, user preferences, ratings, or other sources of mappings to personalize an experience for listener(s).
In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a system and methods for the automatic transmission of new, high affinity media tailored to a user. In connection with a system that convergently merges perceptual and digital signal processing analysis of media entities for purposes of classifying the media entities, the present invention provides various means to a user for automatically extracting media entities that represent a high (or low) affinity state/space for the user in connection with the generation of a high affinity playlist, channel or station. Techniques for providing a dynamic recommendation engine and techniques for rating media entities are also included. Once a high affinity state/space is identified, the high affinity state/space may be persisted for a user from experience to experience.
Other features of the present invention are described below.
The system and methods for the automatic transmission of new, high affinity media are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention provides a system and method whereby new, high affinity media are transmitted to a user of a networked computing device. The present invention leverages the song-by-song analysis and matching capabilities of modern music matching and classification techniques. For example, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,545,209, filed Jul. 5, 2001, hereinafter the analysis and matching system, describes novel techniques for analyzing and matching based upon musical property mappings, such as may be defined for a song or a media station. The analysis and matching system enables searching of an analysis and matching database, based upon high affinity input mappings extracted or captured in accordance with the present invention, for the purpose of returning songs that are correlated to the input mappings. The present invention takes such technique(s) yet another step further by automatically personalizing a high affinity network-based media experience, such as a Web-based radio experience of a computing device, for a user. In this regard, the present invention provides an array of dynamically-generated or one-step personalization functionality advancements that support the automatic transmission of new, high affinity media to an end user of any network-enabled computing device via wired or wireless means.
Exemplary Computer and Network Environments
One of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that a computer 110 or other client device can be deployed as part of a computer network. In this regard, the present invention pertains to any computer system having any number of memory or storage units, and any number of applications and processes occurring across any number of storage units or volumes. The present invention may apply to an environment with server computers and client computers deployed in a network environment, having remote or local storage. The present invention may also apply to a standalone computing device, having access to appropriate classification data.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a unique classification is implemented which combines human and machine classification techniques in a convergent manner, from which a canonical set of rules for classifying music may be developed, and from which a database, or other storage element, may be filled with classified songs. With such techniques and rules, radio stations, studios and/or anyone else with an interest in classifying music can classify new music. With such a database, music association may be implemented in real time, so that playlists or lists of related (or unrelated if the case requires) media entities may be generated. Playlists may be generated, for example, from a single song and/or a user preference profile in accordance with an appropriate analysis and matching algorithm performed on the data store of the database. Nearest neighbor and/or other matching algorithms may be utilized to locate songs that are similar to the single song and/or are suited to the user profile.
Before, after or at the same time as the human classification process, the songs from database 300 are classified according to digital signal processing (DSP) techniques at 340. Exemplary classifications for songs include, inter alia, tempo, sonic, melodic movement and musical consonance characterizations. Classifications for other types of media, such as images, video or software are also contemplated, as they would follow an analogous process of classification, although the specific attributes measured would obviously be different. The quantitative machine classifications and qualitative human classifications for a given piece of media, such as a song, are then placed into what is referred to herein as a classification chain, which may be an array or other list of vectors, wherein each vector contains the machine and human classification attributes assigned to the piece of media. Machine learning classification module 350 marries the classifications made by humans and the classifications made by machines, and in particular, creates a rule when a trend meets certain criteria. For example, if songs with heavy activity in the frequency spectrum at 3 kHz, as determined by the DSP processing, are also characterized as 'jazzy' by humans, a rule can be created to this effect. The rule would be, for example: songs with heavy activity at 3 kHz are jazzy. Thus, when enough data yields a rule, machine learning classification module 350 outputs a rule to rule set 360. While this example alone may be an oversimplification, since music patterns are considerably more complex, it can be appreciated that certain DSP analyses correlate well to human analyses.
However, once a rule is created, it is not considered a generalized rule. The rule is then tested against like pieces of media, such as song(s), in the database 370. If the rule works for the generalization song(s) 370, the rule is considered generalized. The rule is then subjected to groover scrutiny 380 to determine if it is an accurate rule at 385. If the rule is inaccurate according to groover scrutiny, the rule is adjusted. If the rule is considered to be accurate, then the rule is kept as a relational rule e.g., that may classify new media.
The above-described technique thus maps a pre-defined parameter space to a psychoacoustic perceptual space defined by musical experts. This mapping enables content-based searching of media, which in part enables the automatic transmission of high affinity media content, as described below.
Automatic Transmission of High Affinity Media Content
The present invention relates generally to the broadcasting or rendering of media from a network-enabled computing device, such as a radio, or a radio broadcast rendered via a network portal, such as a Web site. The personalization process works via an interplay of features with the above-described song analysis and matching system. A user makes a specific choice that represents a high affinity state/space for the user, such as a choice representing something desirable to the specific user about a piece or set of media. The choice may be the choice of a piece of media itself, a choice regarding a characteristic of a song or songs more generally, or a choice regarding a characteristic of the user. The specific choice within any of the features can be represented as a mapping along a set of fundamental musical properties that captures a user's psychoacoustic preferences. The song analysis and matching system then scans the database for other musical entities that have a similar mapping of musical properties. These newly found entities are then automatically returned to the user. The return of these results leverages the user's original choice to provide the user with an experience that tailors itself automatically to the user's specific psychoacoustic preferences, and hence prolongs the user's high affinity state/space. The linking works because every piece of audio media transmitted to the user is mapped on a set of fundamental musical properties that in sum can represent a user's high affinity, state/space.
Existing artist and genre-based ways to specify a radio stream are very broad and hence have not captured a user's specific psychoacoustic preferences, and hence cannot as effectively prolong a user's high affinity stat/space.
In connection with the above-described song analysis, classification and matching processes, the present invention provides advancements in the area of automatic personalization of a user's media experience, all of which allow the user to get a highly targeted set of music via only a small amount of effort. By leveraging the song analysis and matching techniques, users can accurately "ask" for music for which there will be high affinity. A user specifies psychoacoustic preferences with the information he or she presents to the song analysis and matching system. This "asking" process takes a variety of forms and is described in more detail in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket No.: MSFT-0585] with respect to how user's specific preference(s) are translated into an actual playlist.
Thus, the user may launch or instantiate a radio station on a network-enabled computing device in a one-step personalization process, whereby the process automatically plays a set of songs with similar fundamental musical properties as the chosen song. This process connects songs for which a user has high affinity to the base song by finding other songs that have similar mappings and hence a song likelihood of continuing the user's high affinity state/space. Automatically returned is the related playlist of songs. The success of the above process, in part, hinges on the classification scheme utilized at the front end of the present invention, wherein both perceptual analysis techniques and acoustic analysis techniques are utilized, providing a degree of matching success in connection with the media analysis and matching database.
Thus, in exemplary detail, at 700, a user finds a computing device having a user interface in accordance with the present invention for accessing any of a variety of types of media, such as music. At 705, the user searches and finds a media entity, such as a song, of high affinity to the user. At 710, the link associated with the song starts the automatic personalization process as described in connection with
The "Get More" mapping may be easily extended to refer to the intuitive music descriptors, such as mood, tempo, and weight, to provide specific tailoring of future playlists along one of those dimensions. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art can readily appreciate an implementation of "Get Faster" and "Get Slower" controls, the activation of which may indicate a user's affinity for music whose corresponding attribute (tempo) lies more in the specified direction. As with the "Get More" control, the resulting personalization may apply to either the creation of a new playlist, or a further honing of the currently-playing one.
Supplementing the above techniques, the present invention may store a user's historical record of stations, pieces of media selected and/or other user preferences. Thus, the methods of the present invention include tracking a user's historical record of station settings and the songs played in those stations. Thus, in the case of a radio station implemented by a network enabled computing device, the present invention stores a historical playlist record of all songs played in all stations ever listened to at the radio station by a specific user. This record is stored even when the user has left the site and then returns e.g., this may occur via cookie(s) if user is not logged in, and by login name when a user does log in. This historical record allows for several automatic personalization improvements that further leverage the capabilities of the song analysis and matching system.
Thus, in exemplary detail, at 800, a user finds a computing device having a user interface in accordance with the present invention for accessing any of a variety of types of media, such as music. At 805, the user variously makes decisions as to songs and stations for which the user has a high affinity. At 810, the station and/or song choices are tracked to form a historical record. At 815, a user may view the historical record generated at 810 in connection with the user's choices of 805. At 820, a user decides that a certain station or song in the historical is desirable. At 825, the link associated with the song or station selected at 820 starts an automatic personalization process that forms a playlist according to the selected station or song mappings. At 830, a search of the analysis and matching database is performed to retrieve similarly mapped songs for building into a playlist. At 835, new media entities are returned for a new playlist. As mentioned, the new set of songs in the already played station is different from the original set of songs for that setting. At 840, the user experiences other media with similar psychoacoustic properties as the selected song or station. At 845, the user can opt to prolong the high affinity state/space associated with the newly formed playlist.
Thus, in exemplary detail, at 900, a user finds a computing device having a user interface in accordance with the present invention for accessing any of a variety of types of media, such as music. At 905, the user makes a decision to play a first station for which the user has a high affinity. At 910, the station (and/or song choices) is tracked to form a historical record. At 915, a mapping of the selected first station is captured and stored. At 920, the user makes a decision to play a second station for which the user has a high affinity. At 925, a mapping of the selected second station is captured and stored. At 930, mappings across the station settings are cross analyzed for the most prominent psychoacoustic features that in aggregation represent longitudinal high affinity state/space for the user. This, for example, is accomplished through an analysis at 960 that records the mean and standard deviation for each numerical fundamental used in the classification chain. At 935, any new stations (third, fourth, etc.) added over time also have their mappings dynamically added to the analysis and new prominent similarities morph from existing ones. At 940, the up to date prominent similarities' mapping is run through the analysis and matching database. At 945, the engine of the invention automatically returns media entities that are most similar to the up to date dynamic mapping sent to the database at 940. At 950, in an exemplary implementation, the user chooses to see all recommended media entities, those media entities not in the current playlist, or those media entities never before seen at the network location or Site. At 955, the presentation of recommended media entities initiates or prolongs the user's high affinity state/space associated with the newly chosen recommended playlist.
The present invention also may utilize a system of rating media entities that leverages the analysis and matching system to personalize a user's experience. By linking to the analysis and matching database, this rating system has capabilities beyond rating systems that compare one user's preferences to another's i.e., collaborative filtering systems. For example, in the context of music, these rating capabilities could work on a variety of rating scales, both active and passive, including but not limited to "hot/not" ratings, an "N-star rating scale" whereby the number of stars selected is proportional to the user's affinity for the music, implicit low affinity for skipped songs, most common sounds like query songs, most commonly played clips on radio/site, etc. Furthermore, users may specify ratings at higher levels of the data hierarchy, including but not limited to the album, artist, or genre level. These ratings would "bubble down" to the song contained therein; a rating of an artist, for example, would necessarily affect in a proportional manner the ratings of that artist's albums, which in turn would proportionally affect the respective ratings of the songs on those albums.
This overall high/low-affinity preference profile may then be utilized as a basis for dynamically seeding a playlist generator with likelihood weightings for all potential songs in the roll-up. Songs matching the high affinity state are weighted as more likely to play. Songs matching the low-affinity state are weighted as less likely to play, or these songs are blocked from playing altogether if enough other songs exist to generate a playlist of acceptable length. As mentioned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket No.: MSFT-0585] describes more specific methods for playlist construction based upon frequency or weights of preferences, and the like.
Thus, in an exemplary implementation, at 1000, a user finds a computing device having a user interface in accordance with the present invention for accessing any of a variety of types of media, such as music. At 1005, the user makes a decision to rate a media entity, such as a song, as representative of the user's high or low affinity state/space. This may be done at 1045 via an active rating or a passive rating. Active ratings are ratings that include action on the part of the user for the purpose of assigning a rating, such as the user rating the song as good or bad, hot or riot, etc., the user assigning a rating from 1 to 10 to the song, the user skipping a song thereby suggesting that the song is of low affinity for the user, and the like. Passive ratings may be extracted from actions on the part of the user, but these include actions that are not done for the explicit purpose of assigning a rating. Passive ratings, for example, might include identifying the most frequent "sounds like" queries made by the user, identifying the most commonly played songs by the user, identifying the most commonly skipped songs by the user, and the like. At 1010, if the media entity rated at 1005 is representative of the user's high affinity space, then a mapping of positively-rated media entity is captured and compared to existing high/low affinity mappings in the historical record. At 1015, if the media entity rated at 1005 is representative of the user's low affinity space, then a mapping of negatively-rated media entity is captured and compared to existing low affinity mappings. At 1020, the engine automatically builds or updates a preference profile corresponding to the user's preferences for high affinity and low affinity psychoacoustic properties. At 1025, the user makes a decision to start a high affinity station. At 1030, this causes a search of the analysis and matching database to be performed to find media entities-that are similar to dynamically updated preference profile built at 1020. At 1035, a playlist is dynamically generated based upon seed mappings with likelihood weightings for all potential media entities in the roll-up, wherein a high affinity profile corresponds to an increase in likelihood and a low affinity profile corresponds to a decrease in likelihood. At 1040, the user may opt to prolong the high affinity state/space associated with the aggregated set of ratings over the user's entire history.
In an exemplary implementation, at 1100, a user finds a computing device having a user interface in accordance with the present invention for accessing any of a variety of types of media, such as music. At 1105, the user makes a decision to rate a media entity, such as a song, as representative of the user's high or low affinity state/space. This may be done at 1135 via an active rating, including but limited to such examples as the user rating the song as good or bad, hot or not, etc., the user assigning a rating from 1 to 10 to the song, the user skipping a song thereby suggesting that the song is of low affinity for the user, and the like. At 1110, if the media entity rated at 1105 is representative of the user's high affinity space, then a mapping of positively-rated media entity is captured and compared to existing high affinity mappings in the historical record. At 1115, the prominent distinctions in psychoacoustic properties between the rated media entity and the historical record are extracted. At 1120, the engine automatically returns media entities that are most similar to the dynamic mapping of distinct psychoacoustic features updated at 1115. At 1125, the user chooses to see all recommended media entities, those songs not in the current playlist or those songs never before seen at the site. At 1130, the site presents the newly recommended entities that correspond to the user's choice at 1125 may prolong the high affinity state/space associated with the entities.
As mentioned above, the media contemplated by the present invention in all of its various embodiments is not limited to music or songs, but rather the invention applies to any media to which a classification technique may be applied that merges perceptual (human) analysis with digital signal processing (DSP) analysis for increased accuracy in classification and matching.
The various techniques described herein may be implemented with hardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatus of the present invention, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computer will generally include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. One or more programs are preferably implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations.
The methods and apparatus of the present invention may also be embodied in the form of program code that is transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as an EPROM, a gate array, a programmable logic device (PLD), a client computer, a video recorder or the like, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operates to perform the indexing functionality of the present invention. For example, the storage techniques used in connection with the present invention may invariably be a combination of hardware and software.
While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. For example, while exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in the context of music data, one skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to the music, and that the methods of tailoring media to a user, as described in the present application may apply to any computing device or environment, such as a gaming console, handheld computer, portable computer, etc., whether wired or wireless, and may be applied to any number of such computing devices connected via a communications network, and interacting across the network. Furthermore, it should be emphasized that a variety of computer platforms, including handheld device operating systems and other application specific operating systems are contemplated, especially as the number of wireless networked devices continues to proliferate. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.
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Jessica Wright Flaunts Her Curves for New Look
New Look has added another gorgeous starlet to their list of beauties.
Jessica Wright is the latest model to showcase a brand new collection of gorgeous lingerie that flatters and flaunts hourglass figures.
The television star has already put her name to a collection of dresses with Lipsy, available at New Look.
The High Street store continually innovate by integrating their collections with other designers, names and labels, keeping customers engaged with ranges that are always full of glamour and unique design.
This collection comes courtesy of designer, Alexis Smith, whose creations join New Look's stunning lingerie styles, which already boast the Lace Edge French knickers and Balcony Bras that incorporate some of the vintage-inspired designs by Kelly Brook.
The opulent collection has been specifically created for women with smaller backs and larger cups, a true celebration of curvy shapes that enhance and flatter this form.
The items are perfect for the Christmas Season, with Gifts for Her that include stylish sets, nodding to classic looks and traditional tastes. The white lace and leopard print is a frivolous favourite and the candy striped bra is sugary without being too sweet. The Plunge and Love me Lace Plunge Bras are appropriately seductive and decadent, showing the more lavish end of the range's spectrum.
New Look, who often collaborate and house other brands and designers, illustrate their forward-thinking fashion by including some of the most familiar and reassuringly models, such as Kelly Brook and Jessica Wright, who both put the curvier female in a glamorous spotlight.
There's not a better time to start writing up a Father Christmas Wish List.
About New Look
New Look are award winning fashion retailers, and offer a wide choice of clothing to suit all tastes. From jackets to handbags, maternity clothes to jumpsuits, mens shoes to kidswear, New Look offers glamorous clothing at affordable prices.
Address - 45 Mortimer Street, London, W1W 8HJ
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June 25, 2015
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Additional file 4.
Phenotypic distributions between approximately one- and two-year-old fish used in current study. The boxplot of phenotypic distributions were compared between approximately one- and two-year-old F2 fish. The increased VAB levels in two-year-old fish (top) was not associated with the increases of EO (middle; no significant difference: n.s.; The Mann-Whitney non-parametric test was applied since phenotypic values were not normally distributed), or SO-3 SN number (bottom; significantly decreased in two-year-old fish). N were indicated in the boxes.
Format: PDF Size: 388KB Download file
This file can be viewed with: Adobe Acrobat Reader
Yoshizawa et al. BMC Biology 2012 10:108 doi:10.1186/1741-7007-10-108


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This job posting is no longer available on Indeed.
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Target Salary: $80 - 95K + 10-15% BonusPosition Type: PermanentLocation: Toronto, ONJob Order: 5258
Senior Oracle PL/SQL Developer
Our Banking/Capital Market Client hires employees of diverse backgrounds who are intelligent, energetic, assertive, quick to adapt, enthusiastic, eager to learn and client-focused. We operate in an industry well known for its fast paced, dynamic and challenging atmosphere.The SLIM development team is mainly based in downtown Toronto, and is part of a larger Finance IT development organization within Our Client.Objectives and ResponsibilitiesLearn the complexities of the current product, and contribute to its enhancements and evolution. Design and implement complex additions to the sub-ledger application while minimizing impact and risk on the rest of the application. As part of the team, support deployment and running of the application.Skills
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A St. Peter man was injured on Highway 169 this (TUE) morning after his vehicle drifted into the other lane of traffic. It happened at just after 6:30am in Nicollet County. 39-year-old David Thompson was driving a 2007 Ford southbound on 169 when he apparently drifted into the next lane and hit a 2000 Audi driven by 23-year-old David Hanson of Le Sueur. Thompson was taken to River's Edge Hospital in St. Peter with non life-threatening injuries and Hanson was not hurt. Both vehicles took moderate damage.
One Injured In Hwy 169 Crash Today


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Use our new superlist posting interface and quickly create exceptional, media-rich buzz posts.
This is more 2003-2004 than 2005.
mrdumass2385 is a BuzzFeed user and their posts have not been vetted or endorsed by BuzzFeed's editorial staff. BuzzFeed Community is a place where anyone can post awesome lists and creations. Learn more or post your buzz!
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Also known as "Marcusyaho" Action/horror gamer and level designer. I can help you with more or less any Amnesia scripting and Level editor problems. I'm also available if you need a map tester
Posted by ☣Kaernk☣ on Nov 17th, 2012
Some of my favourite games during my years of gaming
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