text:
An electronic spreadsheet of the present invention includes a scenario manager having a preferred interface and methods for creating and managing various versions or "scenarios" of a spreadsheet model. Methods are provided for specifying an area of the model to track (capture area) and capturing various versions (modifications) of the base model. Additional methods are provided for automatically identifying and reporting information cells which are affected ("changing" and "result" cells) from version to version. Preferred storage methodology is also described for maintaining multiple versions of a spreadsheet or data model.
1. An electronic spreadsheet system for processing different versions of a spreadsheet model comprising:
(a) a processor and a storage means;
(b) means for maintaining a base version of said spreadsheet model as ordered information on said storage means, said ordered information including a first type of information that includes data values and a second type of information that depends on other portions of said ordered information;
(c) means for creating a new version of said spreadsheet model in response to user input specifying modification of at least one portion of said ordered information;
(d) comparison means for determining portions of said new version which have changed when compared against said base version, said comparison means being responsive to said at least one portion of said ordered information that changed in direct response to said user input, and further responsive to information of said second type that changed as a result of changes to said at least one portion of said ordered information; and
(e) versioning means for maintaining said new version by storing additional information for only those portions determined to have changed.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein:
said spreadsheet model maintains information in a plurality of information cells;
said ordered information includes a first set of data records describing information cells of said base version; and
said additional information includes a second set of data records describing information cells for only those portions of said new version determined to have changed.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein each data record of said second set which describes an information cell is a version record storing a changed value for its cell.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein each version record further includes a cell location.
5. The system of claim 2, further comprising:
means for creating an additional new version of said spreadsheet model; and
means for storing additional information for said additional new version as a subsequent subset of said second set of data records.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein:
each data record of said second set which describes an information cell is a version record storing a changed value for its cell; and
each version record further includes an identifier associating the record with a specific new version.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein:
each data record of said second set which describes an information cell is a version record storing a changed value for its cell; and
version records for each new version are stored so that a specific new version may be inferred.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein version records for a particular new version are grouped as a discrete subset so that the version may be inferred from the ordinal position of the subset relative to other subsets.
9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:
means for grouping desired ones of the new versions into discrete subgroups, each said subgroup having a user-supplied group name.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
group selection means for selecting a desired one of said subgroups, whereby only those new versions within a selected subgroup are immediately available for display.
11. The system of claim 5, further comprising:
means for associating each new version with a user-supplied descriptive label.
12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:
means for displaying a list of all user-supplied descriptive labels;
input means for selecting a desired version by choosing one of said user-supplied descriptive labels from said list; and
means for displaying a version whose descriptive label has been selected with said input means.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein each said descriptive label includes textual information describing a version.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein said spreadsheet model maintains information in a plurality of information cells, and wherein said comparison means includes means for comparing each information cell of said new version against a corresponding information cell of said base version, whereby a difference in value between the two cells is identified as a change.
15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:
user feedback means for automatically highlighting any changes between said new version and said base version.
16. The system of 15, wherein said user feedback means includes cell highlighting means for displaying with a screen highlight cells in said new version which have changed.
17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:
means for selectively disabling cell highlighting for cells whose changes are not of interest to the user.
18. In an electronic spreadsheet system for modeling user-specified information in a data model comprising a plurality of information cells, a method for automatically identifying modifications to the data model by a user, the method comprising:
(a) specifying a reference set of information cells for the system to track user modifications against, said reference set of information cells including a first subset of information cells that store data and a second subset of information cells which directly or indirectly reference at least one information cell in said first subset;
(b) creating a new scenario of said data model in response to user input specifying modification of at least one of said information cells from said reference set, said new scenario having information cells corresponding to said information cells in said reference set, said new scenario including (i) said at least one of said information cells, so modified, and (ii) information cells in said second subset which directly or indirectly reference said at least one of said information cells;
(c) comparing information cells in said new scenario against corresponding information cells in said reference set; and
(d) indicating to the user information cells in said new scenario which have changed when compared against corresponding ones in said reference set.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein step (d) includes:
highlighting any changes between said new scenario and said reference version.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein information cells modified by the user in step (b) are highlighted with a first screen color, and wherein information cells which directly or indirectly reference said information cells modified by the user are highlighted with a second screen color.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein said first screen color is yellow, and wherein said second screen color is green.
22. The method of claim 18, wherein step (b) includes entering new values into at least one of the information cells from said reference set.
23. The method of claim 18, wherein step (c) includes:
comparing non-formula information cells in said new scenario against corresponding ones in said reference set, whereby ones of said new scenario which have changed in value are identified as changing cells; and
comparing formula information cells in the said scenario against corresponding ones in said reference set, whereby ones of said new scenario which have changed in value are identified as result cells.
24. The method of claim 18, wherein step (c) includes:
(i) comparing non-formula information cells in the new scenario against corresponding ones in the reference set, whereby ones of the new scenario which have changed in value are identified as changing cells; and
(ii) of the information cells which are not changing cells, determining ones which change value as a result of the changes in the changing cells, whereby ones which have changed value are identified as result cells.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein each said result cell includes a direct or an indirect reference to at least one changing cell.
26. The method of claim 24, wherein the determination of result cells in substep (ii) is limited to examining only cells which store formulas.
27. In an electronic spreadsheet system for modeling user-specified information in a data model comprising a plurality of cells, a method for automatically identifying modifications to the data model by a user, the method comprising:
specifying a reference set of cells for the system to track user modifications against, said reference set of cells including a first subset of cells that store data and a second subset of cells which directly or indirectly reference at least one cell in said first subset;
creating a scenario of said data model by modifying at least one of said cells in said first subset of said reference set, said scenario having corresponding first and second subsets of cells corresponding to said first and second subsets of cells in said reference set;
comparing cells in said scenario against corresponding cells in said reference set;
indicating to the user cells in said first subset of said scenario that have been found to have changed when compared against corresponding cells in said first subset of cells in said reference set; and
indicating to the user cells in said second subset of said scenario that have been found to have changed when compared against corresponding cells in said second subset of cells in said reference set.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein said indicating steps include:
displaying, with a first highlight color, cells in said first subset of said scenario that have been found to have changed when compared against corresponding cells in said first subset of cells in said reference set; and
displaying, with a second highlight color, cells in said second subset of said scenario that have been found to have changed when compared against corresponding cells in said second subset of cells in said reference set.
29. In an electronic spreadsheet system for modeling user-specified information in a data model comprising a plurality of cells, a method for automatically identifying modifications to the data model by a user, the method comprising:
specifying a reference set of cells for the system to track user modifications against, said reference set of cells including a first subset of cells that store data and a second subset of cells which directly or indirectly reference at least one cell in said first subset;
creating a scenario of said data model by modifying at least one of said cells in said first subset of said reference set, said scenario having corresponding first and second subsets of cells corresponding to said first and second subsets of cells in said reference set;
comparing cells in said scenario against corresponding cells in said reference set; and
in response to a request for a scenario summary report, (a) displaying a first list of cells in said first subset of said scenario that have been found to have changed when compared against corresponding cells in said first subset of cells in said reference set, and (b) displaying a second list of cells in said second subset of said scenario that have been found to have changed when compared against corresponding cells in said second subset of cells in said reference set.
30. The method of claim 29, and further comprising the steps of displaying the values of said cells in said first and second lists.
31. The method of claim 29 and further comprising the steps of:
creating an additional scenario of said data model by modifying at least one of said cells in said first set of said reference set, said additional scenario having corresponding first and second subsets of cells corresponding to said first and second subsets of cells in said reference set;
comparing cells in said additional scenario against corresponding cells in said reference set; and
in response to said request for a scenario summary report, (c) displaying a third list of cells in said first subset of said additional scenario that have been found to have changed when compared against corresponding cells in said first subset of cells in said reference set, and (d) displaying a fourth list of cells in said second subset of said additional scenario that have been found to have changed when compared against corresponding cells in said second subset of cells in said reference set.
32. The method of claim 29, and further comprising thee steps of displaying the values of said cells in said third and fourth lists.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/031,379 filed Mar. 11, 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,146.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates generally to the field of information processing by digital computers and, more particularly, to the processing and presentation of information by electronic spreadsheets.
Before computers, numerical analyses, particularly financial ones, were usually prepared on an accountant's columnar pad or spreadsheet, with pencil and calculator in hand. By organizing data into columns and rows, spreadsheets afford the rapid assimilation of information by a reader. The task of preparing a spreadsheet on paper, however, is not quite so fast. Instead, the process tends to be very slow, as each entry must be tediously calculated and entered into the spreadsheet. Since all calculations are the responsibility of the preparer, manually prepared spreadsheets are also prone to errors. Hence, preparation of spreadsheets by hand is slow, tedious, and unreliable.
With the advent of microcomputers, a solution was forthcoming in the form of "electronic spreadsheets." Better known simply as "spreadsheets," these software programs provide a computerized replacement for the traditional financial modeling tools: the accountant's columnar pad, pencil, and calculator. In some regards, spreadsheet programs are to those tools what wordprocessors are to typewriters. Spreadsheets offer dramatic improvements in ease of creating, editing, and using financial models.
A typical spreadsheet program configures the memory of a computer to resemble the column/row or grid format of an accountant's columnar pad, thus providing a visible calculator for a user. Because this "pad" exists dynamically in the computer's memory, however, it differs from paper pads in several important ways. Locations in the electronic spreadsheet, for example, must be communicated to the computer in a format which it can understand. A common scheme for accomplishing this is to assign a number to each row in a spreadsheet, and a letter to each column. To reference a location at column A and row 1 (i.e., the upper-lefthand corner), for example, the user types in "A1". In this manner, the spreadsheet defines an addressable storage location or "cell" at each intersection of a row with a column.
Data entry into an electronic spreadsheet occurs in much the same manner that information would be entered on an accountant's pad. After a screen cursor is positioned at a desired location, the user can enter alphanumeric information. Besides holding text and numeric information, however, spreadsheet cells can store special instructions or "formulas" specifying calculations to be performed on the numbers stored in spreadsheet cells. In this fashion, cell references can serve as variables in an equation, thereby allowing precise mathematical relationships to be defined between cells. The structure and operation of a spreadsheet program, including advanced functions such as functions and macros, are documented in the technical, trade, and patent literature. For an overview, see e.g., Cobb, S., Using Quattro Pro 2, Borland-Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1990; and LeBlond, G. and Cobb, D., Using 1-2-3, Que corp., 1985. The disclosures of each of the foregoing are hereby incorporated by reference.
Electronic spreadsheets offer many advantages over their paper counterparts. For one, electronic spreadsheets are much larger (i.e., hold more information) than their paper counterparts; electronic spreadsheets having thousands or even millions of cells are not uncommon. Spreadsheet programs also allow users to perform "what-if" scenarios. After a set of computational relationships has been entered into a worksheet, the spread of information can be recalculated using different sets of assumptions, with the results of each recalculation appearing almost instantaneously. Performing this operation manually, with paper and pencil, would require recalculating every relationship in the model with each change made. Thus, electronic spreadsheet systems were invented to solve "whatif" problems, that is, changing an input and seeing what happens to an output.
More recent implementations of these systems have added "solvers" or "optimizers." This adds goal-seeking functionality where a user can reverse the what-if process--deciding what value one wants an output to assume, with the system determining the appropriate input value(s). In a typical implementation, the user can set a target value at one cell, then specify both multiple input variables and multiple constraint cells. The optimizer finds all combinations of input values that achieve the target output without violating the constraints. Typically, a user employs such an optimizer to maximize or minimize an output cell (rather than aiming for a specific target value).
These backsolvers and optimizers are a good first step at improving the what-if process. To date, however, electronic spreadsheet systems have not been particularly adept at the process of actually managing the multitude of what-if scenarios, that is, multiple variations spawn from a single model. Since a given spreadsheet model is routinely created under a set of assumptions (e.g., level of sales, corporate tax rate, and the like), it is desirable to test the extremes of one's assumptions to ascertain the likely results. Although such "best case/worst case" analyses are commonly required by users, present-day systems have provided little or no tools for creating and managing such a multitude of scenarios. Instead, the user must resort to manually creating separate copies of the underlying model, with the user responsible for tracking any modifications made in the various copies. As this approach is undesirable at best, there is a great need for a better solution.
The present invention comprises an electronic spreadsheet system having a preferred interface and methods for creating and tracking various versions or "scenarios" of a data model. The system includes tools for specifying a "capture area," that is a specific set of information cells to be tracked and an Identify Scenario tool for automatically determining changes between a captured parent or baseline model and a new scenario. Screen feedback techniques are provided for highlighting "changing cells" and "result cells" identified by the system.
In an exemplary method of the present invention, the user first specifies a capture area (such as notebook, page, or block) and a baseline (i.e., the base or standard case which is to serve as a reference). Next, the user proceeds to modify the worksheet, for example, changing the various assumptions (e.g., tax rate) employed to create the model. At the conclusion of the user-specified changes, the system locates any differences in non-formula cells when compared against corresponding ones in the baseline; these cells are "changing cells." Furthermore, the system determines any formula cells which express a different value as a result of changes in the changing cells. These cells, which may directly or indirectly reference one or more changing cells, are "result cells." After identifying these changing and result cells, the system may demonstrate them to the user (e.g., employing color highlights or the like).
The user may proceed to create a plurality of such scenarios, by simply repeating the foregoing process; each scenario so added is typically given a descriptive name by the user. For convenience, the system provides the user facilities for creating various groupings of scenarios; like each scenario, each group may be given an easy-to-remember descriptive name by the user. Individual scenarios may be added or deleted from one or more groups as desired. After creating desired scenarios, the user may instruct the system to save these new versions, together with the baseline, on a storage device. In a preferred embodiment, the new versions are stored together with the baseline, so that redundant information between the baseline and a particular version is not duplicated. A preferred method of the present invention for "versioning" (i.e., tracking and storing various versions of a base model) employs difference or delta records for recording the various changes which result with each new version.
FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a computer system in which the present invention may be embodied.
FIG. 1B is a block diagram of a software system of the present invention, which includes operating system, application software, and user interface components.
FIG. 1C is bitmap screenshots illustrating the basic architecture and functionality of a graphical user interface in which the present invention may be embodied.
FIG. 2A is a screen bitmap illustrating a spreadsheet notebook interface employed in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2B is a bitmap of a toolbar component of the interface of FIG. 2A.
FIG. 2C and 2D are bitmaps illustrating page identifiers for rapidly accessing and manipulating individual pages of the notebook interface.
FIG. 3A is a bitmap screenshot illustrating a scenario management interface of the present invention; a sample model (worksheet), which is to serve as a base case, has been loaded into the system.
FIG. 3B is a bitmap of a toolbar component of the interface of FIG. 3A.
FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D are bitmap screenshots illustrating creation of various versions or scenarios of the spreadsheet model of FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4E is a bitmap screenshot illustrating a Scenario Summary Report provided by the system of the present invention.
FIG. 4F is a bitmap screenshot illustrating the version of FIG. 4D with cell highlighting selectively disabled.
FIG. 5A is a flowchart of a scenario management method of the present invention.
FIG. 5B is a block diagram illustrating a preferred method for maintaining (tracking and storing) cell information for new versions or scenarios.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the present invention may be embodied on a computer system such as the system 100, which comprises a central processor 101, a main memory 102, an input/output controller 103, a keyboard 104, a pointing device 105 (e.g., mouse, track ball, pen device, or the like), a display device 106, and a mass storage 107 (e.g., hard disk). Additional input/output devices, such as a printing device 108, may be included in the system 100 as desired. As illustrated, the various components of the system 100 communicate through a system bus 110 or similar architecture. In a preferred embodiment, the computer system 100 includes an IBM-compatible personal computer, which is available from several vendors (including IBM of Armonk, N.Y.).
Illustrated in FIG. 1B, a computer software system 150 is provided for directing the operation of the computer system 100. Software system 150, which is stored in system memory 102 and on disk memory 107, includes a kernel or operating system 151 and a shell or interface 153. One or more application programs, such as application software 152, may be "loaded" (i.e., transferred from storage 107 into memory 102) for execution by the system 100. The system 100 receives user commands and data through user interface 153; these inputs may then be acted upon by the system 100 in accordance with instructions from operating module 151 and/or application module 152. The interface 153, which is preferably a graphical user interface (GUI), also serves to display results, whereupon the user may supply additional inputs or terminate the session. In a preferred embodiment, operating system 151 is MS-DOS, and interface 153 is Microsoft� Windows; both are available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. Application module 152, on the other hand, includes a spreadsheet notebook of the present invention (as described in further detail hereinbelow).
A. Introduction
The following description will focus on the presently preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are embodied in spreadsheet applications operative in the Microsoft Windows environment. The present invention, however, is not limited to any particular application or any particular environment. Instead, those skilled in the art will find that the system and methods of the present invention may be advantageously applied to a variety of system and application software, including database management systems, wordprocessors, and the like. Moreover, the present invention may be embodied on a variety of different platforms, including Macintosh, UNIX, NextStep, and the like. Therefore, the description of the exemplary embodiments which follows is for purposes of illustration and not limitation.
Referring now to FIG. 1C, the system 100 includes a windowing interface or workspace 160. Window 160 is a rectangular, graphical user interface (GUI) for display on screen 106; additional windowing elements may be displayed in various sizes and formats (e.g., tiled or cascaded), as desired. At the top of window 160 is a menu bar 170 with a plurality of user-command choices, each of which may invoke additional submenus and software tools for use with application objects. Window 160 includes a client area 180 for displaying and manipulating screen objects, such as graphic object 181 and text object 182. In essence, the client area is a workspace or viewport for the user to interact with data objects which reside within the computer system 100.
Windowing interface 160 includes a screen cursor or pointer 185 for selecting and otherwise invoking screen objects of interest. In response to user movement signals from the pointing device 105, the cursor 185 floats (i.e., freely moves) across the screen 106 to a desired screen location. During or after cursor movement, the user may generate user-event signals (e.g., mouse button "clicks" and "drags") for selecting and manipulating objects, as is known in the art. For example, Window 160 may be closed, resized, or scrolled by "clicking" (selecting) screen components 172, 174/5, and 177/8, respectively.
In a preferred embodiment, screen cursor 185 is controlled with a mouse device. Single-button, double-button, or triple-button mouse devices are available from a variety of vendors, including Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif., Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., and Logitech Corporation of Fremont, Calif., respectively. More preferably, screen cursor control device 105 is a two-button mouse device, including both right and left "mouse buttons."
Programming techniques and operations for mouse devices are well documented in the programming and hardware literature; see e.g., Microsoft Mouse Programmer's Reference, Microsoft Press, 1989. The general construction and operation of a GUI event-driven system, such as Windows, is also known in the art; see, e.g., Petzold, C., Programming Windows, Second Edition, Microsoft Press, 1990. The disclosures of each are hereby incorporated by reference.
B. Preferred interface
Shown in FIG. 2A, a spreadsheet notebook interface of the present invention will now be described. The spreadsheet notebook or workbook of the present invention includes a notebook workspace 200 for receiving, processing, and presenting information, including alphanumeric as well as graphic information. Notebook workspace 200 includes a menu bar 210, a toolbar 220, a current cell indicator 230, an input line 231, a status line 240, and a notebook window 250. The menu bar 210 displays and invokes, in response to user inputs, a main level of user commands. Menu 210 also invokes additional pulldown menus, as is known in windowing applications. Input line 231 accepts user commands and information for the entry and editing of cell contents, which may include data, formulas, macros, and the like. Indicator 230 displays an address for the current cursor (i.e., active cell) position. At the status line 240, system 100 displays information about the current state of the workbook; for example, a "READY" indicator means that the system is ready for the user to select another task to be performed.
The toolbar 220, shown in further detail in FIG. 2B, comprises a row or palette of tools which provide a quick way for the user to choose commonly-used menu commands or properties. In an exemplary embodiment, toolbar 220 includes cut, copy, and paste buttons 221, a power button tool 222, a graph tool 223, alignment buttons 224, font buttons 225, a style list 226 with pulldown 227, insert/delete and fit buttons 227, and action (e.g., sort, sum, and the like) buttons 229. The functions of these buttons are suggested by their names. For instance, buttons 221 cut, copy and paste data and objects to and from Windows' clipboard. The same actions are also available as corresponding commands in the Edit menu (available from menu bar 210). Tool 220 creates "powerbuttons" which allow a user to run spreadsheet macros; in a specific embodiment, powerbuttons appear as floating objects in a layer above spreadsheet cells. In a similar fashion, the graph tool 223 creates floating graphs that appear above spreadsheet cells.
The notebook, which provides an interface for entering and displaying information of interest, includes a plurality of spreadsheet pages. Each page may include conventional windowing features and operations, such as moving, resizing, and deleting. In a preferred embodiment, the notebook includes 256 spreadsheet pages and one Graphs page, all of which are saved as a single disk file on the mass storage 107. Workspace 200 may display one or more notebooks, each sized and positioned (e.g., tiled, overlapping, and the like) according to user-specified constraints.
Each spreadsheet page of a notebook includes a 2-D spread. Page A from the notebook 200, for example, includes a grid in row and column format, such as row 3 and column F. At each row/column intersection, a box or cell (e.g., cell C4) is provided for entering, processing, and displaying information in a conventional manner. Each cell is addressable, with a selector being provided for indicating a currently active one (i.e., the cell that is currently selected).
As shown in FIGS. 2C-D, individual notebook pages are identified by page identifiers 260, preferably located along one edge of a notebook. In a preferred embodiment, each page identifier is in the form of a tab member (e.g., members 261a, 262a, 263a) situated along a bottom edge of the notebook. Each tab member may include representative indicia, such as textual or graphic labels, including user-selected titles representing the contents of a corresponding page. In FIG. 2C, the tab members 260 are set to their respective default names. For example, the first three tab members (members 261a, 262a, 263a) are respectively set to A, B, and C. Tab members are typically given descriptive names provided by the user, however. As shown in FIG. 2D, for example, the first three tab members have now been set to "Contents" (tab member 261b), "Summary" (tab member 262b), and "Jan" (tab member 263b). In a similar manner, the remaining tabs are set to subsequent months of the year. In this manner, the user associates the page identifiers with familiar tabs from an ordinary paper notebook. Thus, the user already knows how to select a page or spread of interest: simply select the tab corresponding to the page (as one would do when selecting a page from a paper notebook).
In addition to aiding in the selection of an appropriate page of information, the user-customizable page identifiers serve aid in the entry of spreadsheet formulas. For example, when entering a formula referring to cells on another page, the user may simply use the descriptive page name in the formula itself (as described hereinbelow), thus making it easier for the user to understand the relationship of the cell(s) or information being referenced.
A general description of the features and operation of the spreadsheet notebook interface may be found in Quattro� Pro for Windows (Getting Started, User's Guide and Building Spreadsheet Applications), available from Borland International; additional description may be found in U.S patent application Ser. No. 07/866,658, commonly owned by the present assignee.
A. Introduction
As the future for any given company is never entirely certain, it is helpful to lay out alternative combinations of certain unknown values side by side or sheet by sheet, so that one can see the range of possible outcomes at a glance. Of particular interest to the present invention is this problem of scenario modeling, that is, managing "best case, worst case" what-if problems. Scenarios are a form of model analysis where a user can create various models, by changing data in a base model and seeing how the changes affect formulas based on them.
One approach to this has been the scenario manager add-in found in Microsoft� Excel. Excel allows the user to designate a specific set of "uncertain" cells in a model, then assign combinations of values to each uncertain cell. Each combination of values becomes a particular scenario. The user then instructs the manager which outputs he or she is interested in; the system, in turn, builds a table showing the impact of each named scenario on each designated output cell.
The system 100 includes a number of tools for making projections or optimizing results based on models defined by the user. For instance, the system includes a "model copy" feature (described in assignee's application, U.S. Ser. No. 07/866,658) which simplifies the task of reproducing a framework of formulas on multiple pages of a notebook. Normally, when one copies formulas from one page to another, relative references are updated and absolute references are left unchanged. With model copy, the absolute references to cells on the current page are updated on the target pages. Using model copy, for instance, if one copied the formula BestCase:A1 from a page named BestCase to a page named WorstCase, the formula becomes WorstCase:A1 at the new location.
Thus, a "Model Copy" option of Block: Copy lets a user copy models to different locations in a notebook without affecting formula references. Then the user can change values in each copy to produce different scenarios. That method of scenario management is most suitable when one wants to build a set of scenarios for further analysis (e.g., Solve-for tools). One can place each scenario on a separate page labeled with a unique name, perform a variety of analyses, and print the results whenever desired.
B. Improved Scenario Manager
In contrast to just-described manual tools, the present invention provides a more powerful and interactive approach to scenario analysis in the form of a Scenario Manager. The manager automatically tracks value changes as one enters new data sets, with the added ability to allow a user at any time to name and save scenario variations in report form.
In general operation, the user decides how much of the notebook (e.g., a block, a page, or an entire notebook) to include in his or her scenario category. Within this "capture area," the user decides which information is to change (i.e., specifies "changing cells") with each desired scenario. This may be indicated to the system implicitly or explicitly. In the former, the user simply changes values within the included or capture area and the Scenario Manager automatically tracks all such changes; in the latter instance, the user explicitly identifies certain cells to be changing cells. In addition to changing cells, there are "result cells"--the cells which are affected by changes in the changing cells. The system automatically locates these result cells by determining among formula cells which one(s) express a value which differs from corresponding ones in the base scenario. A formula cell may change as a result of a direct or indirect reference to a changing cell; thus, a result cell need not be "dependent" on a changing cell, as that term is normally understood in spreadsheet parlance. Since changing and result cells typically express information (e.g., values) which are of immediate interest to the user, they are highlighted upon identification.
Referring now to FIG. 3A, these concepts will be illustrated. The figure shows a spreadsheet notebook 300 displaying a first page (page A) 310. The page or spread 310 includes a hypothetical model for monthly sales of a beverage company. Upon invocation of a Scenario Manager command (Tools: Scenario Manager from the main menu), the system displays a Scenario Manager toolbar 320, which includes preferred tools of the present invention for effecting scenario management. Each will be introduced in turn.
Capture Scenario button 321 may be thought of as a camera for taking a snapshot of the current data. Scenario Name list box 322 lists all available scenarios (which have been captured). Delete Scenario button 323 allows one to remove a scenario from the current list of active scenarios (as displayed in the list box 322). Identify Scenario button 324 captures the current scenario data; by clicking the Add Scenario button 321, one may associate this snapshot with a particular scenario name. Changing Cells button 325 serves to include selected "change cells" in the scenario; these change cells, in turn, will be included in the scenario page (report described hereinbelow). Remove Changing Cells button 326 excludes selected change cells from the scenario; these are, in turn, removed from the scenario page. Highlight Scenario cells button 327 toggles or turns change and result cell highlighting on and off; by default, change cells appear in yellow, and result cells appear in green. Report button 328 displays a "scenario page" having a Scenario Summary Report. The button serves as a toggle: the user may click the button again to return to the page he or she is working on. Scenario Group button 329 allows the user to divide a set of scenarios into subgroups or subsets, each subgroup representing a more specific scenario being modeled. Scenario category list box 330 lists the available groups or categories of scenarios (which were created with the Scenario Group button 329). To close the Scenario toolbar, the user clicks a Control button (shown as an X in FIG. 3A).
In general, scenario management is effected by employing Scenario Manager tools for creating and displaying various versions or scenarios. Upon creation of a desired scenario, the user may instruct the system to produce summary reports. With reference to FIGS. 4A-F, an exemplary session will be described in detail.
(a) Capture area
In FIG. 4A, the user has invoked the Manager (Tools: Scenario Manager) for the spread 310 (from FIG. 3A). The Scenario Manager toolbar 320 is displayed. Next, the user sets a "capture area" by invoking the Group button 329. The capture area defines a set of information cells in which the Scenario Manager will track all changes (including determining changing cells and result cells). For instance, through dialogues 405, 410, the user may specify that the capture area is to be set to Page, that is, tracking changes in the active page (A). As a Page capture area is suitable for most purposes, it is the default capture area in the preferred embodiment. Alternatively, the user may select a capture area of Motebook to track changes within an entire notebook, or Block to track changes in a specified block. One should preferably only set Capture Area to Notebook if he or she is interested in tracking changing and result cells across several pages and does not intend to use the notebook for anything else but storing related scenarios. For a block capture area, the specified block can be contiguous or noncontiguous, 2-D or 3-D. Block is often the best Capture Area setting for scenarios based on existing data. If a user is entering new data and formulas for the scenario, Page is usually adequate.
(b) Scenario baseline
The Scenario Manager tracks changes against a baseline or base version. The base, which serves as a reference against which various scenarios may be compared, is typically the same as one's normal (unaltered) spreadsheet model. Before various edits, assumptions, and the like are applied to the base model, the user simply instructs the system to capture the baseline. If a user is working with an empty notebook, on the other hand, he or she can enter any labels and formulas before setting the baseline.
To set the baseline, the base model is captured by the user invoking the Capture Scenario button 321. One can think of it as a camera that is taking a snapshot of the current data model. An exemplary embodiment responds with a Capture Scenario dialog box displays where the user can name the captured scenario; a default baseline name of <Base Case> is provided for the first version captured. The user may enter any desired name in the Scenario Name edit field. From this point on, the system tracks all changes within the capture area.
(c) Identifying scenario cells
After the user has set the baseline, he or she proceeds to identify changing cells, either implicitly (automatically) or explicitly (manually). For automatic identification, the user simply enters new values into the cell(s) he or she desires to become changing cells. The user can easily specify that, say, cell B3 is the changing cell for spread 310 by changing the value for the cell (e.g., from $1,500 to $2,000) as shown in FIG. 4B.
Upon invocation of the Identify Scenario button 324, the system identifies the current scenario, that is, compares the data of the instant case with that of the base version; any cells which change from the user's entries are automatically identified. Specifically, differences in values for non-formula cells are identified and flagged as changing cells; this is accomplished by comparing each non-formula cell against its corresponding cell in the base case. Moreover, any cells which changed as a result of changes in changing cells are identified and flagged as result cells. This is accomplished by determining from formula cells those which express a changed value as a result of changes to the changing cell(s), that is, cells which directly or indirectly reference (e.g., through formulas) the changing cell(s).
Alternatively, the user may manually identify changing cell. In an exemplary embodiment, the user selects one or more cells desired to be changing cells and invokes the Add Changing Cell button 321. Then, the user enters any desired values into the designated cells. Result cells are automatically determined.
As shown in FIG. 4B, changing cells and result cells are specifically indicated to the user, for example with color highlight or other feedback. For the instant example, the changing cell B3 is highlighted with a change highlight 421. Resulting cells B6, H3, and H6--the resulting cells--are highlighted with result highlights 423, 425, 427, respectively. By default on color monitors, changing cells are shaded yellow, and the result cells are green; these may be changed to user-specified colors. Moreover, by selecting the Toggle Highlights button 327, the user may instruct the system to switch cell highlighting on and off as desired. The user may also want to focus on fewer changing cells than the system has shaded, for instance, to exclude unwanted cells (i.e., from unnecessary highlighting); this is accomplished by selecting the cells and invoking the Remove Changing Cell button 326.
The user may interactively edit the instant version until a desired scenario is achieved. When the user is satisfied with the scenario cells and values, the user invokes the Capture Scenario button 321 to capture the instant version as a new scenario. The user provides the new scenario with a descriptive name in the Scenario Name edit field. In the example at hand, sales of Jump Start of $2,000 in January (i.e., 25% increase over the base case) represents the "Best" case scenario. Thus, this version is aptly named "Best" 429 to indicate. Upon confirmation (e.g., selecting OK) by the user, the instant scenario is placed into the active group. When a user saves a scenario, the new values and shading of cells are included stored (as described in further detail below). One may continue adding or deleting scenarios to a desired group in this manner until he or she has achieved the desired scenario model.
Referring now to FIGS. 4C-F, the creation and capture of additional scenarios for the present example will be described. In FIG. 4C, the user has changed the value of cell B3 to 500 (from its base value of 1,500). This represents the user's worst case scenario (i.e., for sales of Jump Start beverage for the month of January). The user invokes the Identify Scenario button 324 to identify this worst case. Upon invocation of Identify Scenario, the system performs the previously-described determination of changing and result cells. As shown by the spreadsheet page 310C, for instance, the change of January cells for Jump start to five hundred dollars will result in the system (automatically) determining that cell B3 is a changing cell; it is highlighted with change highlight 431. Likewise, cells B6, H3, and H6 are determined to be resulting cells, and they are indicated to the user with result highlight 433, 435, 437, respectively. If satisfied with this new scenario, the user may proceed to add (capture) it to the current group (e.g., with the descriptive title of "Worst" 439).
The changes in FIGS. 4B and C (310b, 310c) have, for purposes of simplification, been limited to a single set of cells. However, scenarios for the spreadsheet 310 are by no means constrained or limited to just a certain set of cells. As shown in FIG. 4D, for instance, the user may enter the value of 1,750 into cell B4, thus creating yet another scenario, named as Thin Fizz 1 (shown by title 449) by the user. When the system is instructed to identify the scenario, cell B4 is identified as a changing cell (recall that the January base value for Thin Fizz was 900); the cell is highlighted with change highlight 441. Cell B6, H4, and H6 are automatically determined by the system to be resulting cells; i.e., ones which depend, directly or indirectly, on cell B4. These cells are highlighted with result highlight 443, 445, and 447, respectively.
By selecting Reports button 328 (from the manager toolbar 320), the user may automatically generate a report summarizing the scenarios which describe the instant scenario model. As shown in FIG. 4E, for instance, the aforementioned scenarios are summarized by a Scenario Summary Report 350. The report shows, for example, that the changing cell for the Best scenario is A:B3, which receives a new value of 2000. Result cells for the Best scenario are reported as: A:B6 receiving a new value of 3,650; A:H3 receiving a new value of 16,164; and A:H6 receiving a new value of 29,109. Corresponding changing and result cell values for the Worst and Thin Fizz 1 scenarios are reported as shown. By default, the Scenario Summary Report appears on the first empty page in the notebook, giving the user instant access to a report fully describing each scenario or version which comprises the model. To place it somewhere else, the user disables a Find Empty Page option and provides a destination (page and block).
The foregoing scenario example employs a relatively simple spreadsheet model 310 so that the reader may focus on the teachings of the present invention (without distractions from a very complex spreadsheet model). In typical use, however, one would construct a spreadsheet model employing scores or even hundreds of cells, with cell interdependencies numbering on the order of hundreds or thousands. In such an instance, it may be desirable to not highlight every changing and result cell--the user may want to focus on fewer cells than the system has highlighted or shaded. To exclude unwanted cells (i.e., unwanted from highlighting), the user selects the desired cells and invokes the Remove (Changing/Result) Cell button 326; the system, in turn, will disable highlighting for these cells. As shown in FIG. 4F, for the Thin Fizz 1 scenario (of FIG. 4D), the user disables highlights for cells H4 and H6. As shown by the spreadsheet page 310F, cell B4 includes change highlight 461, and cell B6 includes result highlight 463. For the cells H4 and H6, however, result highlight is disabled (shown at 465, 467, respectively). In this manner, the user may apply the present invention to create sophisticated scenarios from complex spreadsheet models, yet the user may tailor system feedback to his or her preferences.
4. Scenario groups
A group comprises a set of scenarios. The foregoing example has illustrated the creation of a set of scenarios within a single group (Group1). Each notebook can have as many scenario groups as a user needs. To create or rename a group, the user invokes the Group button (previously described) for defining additional groups. To add a new group, one enters the name in the edit field and selects the Add button. When a user creates a new group, the first scenario he or she captures will be the baseline. To rename the active group, one enters a new name and selects Rename. To delete the current group and all scenarios in it, one selects Delete. The user can invoke the Options command to change the capture area or block tracking setting.
5. Displaying and editing scenarios
To display a desired scenario, the user need only select its name from the Scenario Name list. If the user has several scenario groups, he or she can select the target group in the Group Name list before selecting the scenario. When one displays a scenario, its changing cell and result cell values replace those currently displayed onscreen. In this manner, the user has instant access to the many versions captured for a base model.
The user can change the contents of any cell with standard editing procedures. To save edits to the active scenario, one invokes the Capture Scenario button. When the Capture Scenario dialog box appears, one keeps the same name to replace the active scenario with current cells and values. The user can enter another name to replace an existing scenario or create a new one, then confirm (select OK) to accept the scenario name. Any edits immediately appear in the Scenarios page.
6. Deleting scenarios and groups
To remove a scenario from the Scenario Name list and Scenarios page, the user selects it in the Scenario Name list and invokes the Delete Scenario button. If it is in another scenario group, one would select the Scenario Group button and select the group name first. To delete all scenarios in a group, one would first select the Scenario Group button. Then, one would select the group in the Group Name list. Finally, he or she would select Delete.
The method of the present invention for scenario management is summarized by a flowchart 500 of FIG. 5A. The steps are as follows. At step 501, the user specifies a capture area, that is, an area in which the system will track user-specified changes. In a preferred embodiment, a capture area may be selected from a notebook, page, or block, with a default value of page. Alternatively, the system may automatically determine the capture area, for example, from a bounding box which includes all cells changed by the user. At step 502, user-specified changes are received. Here, the user edits desired cells (typically entering new cell values) for creating a new scenario. After concluding step 502 (e.g., by selecting the Identify Scenario command), the system determines changing cells at step 503. Here, the system compares the values of the current non-formula cells against corresponding ones of those cells from the parent capture area or "base case" (specified in step 501). At step 504, the system determines result cells by looking at cells (typically, formula-storing cells or "formula cells") which express a new result in response to changes in those cells identified as changing cells. At step 505, the system highlights the identified changing and result cells, thus providing visual feedback to the user. The user may selectively enable and/or disable such feedback for desired ones of the cells.
At the conclusion of step 505, the user has created a new scenario using the scenario management tools of the present invention. At step 506, steps 502-505 may be repeated for creating additional scenarios; any unwanted scenarios may be deleted (from the scenario list box). Upon the creation of all desired scenarios, the user may instruct the system to generate a scenario summary report at step 507, if desired. At step 508, the user saves the current notebook with the different scenarios (versions) being stored as changes from the parent or base.
Referring now to FIG. 5B, the versioning step 508 will be described in further detail. As shown by the figure, the different versions or scenarios represent incremental changes from the base. Suppose that spreadsheet model 560 is specified as a base 565. To support this base model, six cell records 567 are employed (for cells C1, C2, C4, F1, F2, F4). The present invention recognizes, however, that each additional version may be represented by just storing the difference (delta) record(s). The user may specify spread 570, for instance, as a first alternate version or scenario 575. As shown, there is one changing cell (C1) and one resulting cell (C4). To represent this new version, only a single difference (delta) record 577 need be created for storing the new information of C1 (C1') together with a version ID.
Continuing in this manner, spread 580 includes a different changing cell (F2) and a different result cell (F4), thus establishing a second scenario 585. The difference between this second version or scenario 585 from the base may be represented by a single delta record 587, which stores the new changing cell (F2') together with a different version ID. Finally, they were shown a third scenario 595, illustrated by spread 590, which includes two changing cells (C2 and F1), with two result cells. This third version may be represented internally by storing two delta or change records 597, which include cell information for the new cells (C2', F1') together with a version ID. The version IDs themselves may be stored within the individual records; alternatively, the scenario records may be clustered (e.g., into a predefined sequence of discrete groups) so that the ID for each record may be stored once for the group, or simply inferred from the relative position of the group. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that list structures (e.g., linked lists, trees, and the like) may also be employed to organize the scenario records, including relating them in a desired fashion to the base records.
While the invention is described in some detail with specific reference to a single preferred embodiment and certain alternatives, there is no intent to limit the invention to that particular embodiment or those specific alternatives. For instance, the versioning method of the present invention may be applied advantageously in those situations where it is desirable to manage multiple instances (versions) of a single model. Thus, the true scope of the present invention is not limited to any one of the foregoing exemplary embodiments but is instead defined by the following claims.
Patent Citations
Non-Patent Citations
Referenced by
Legal Events
Original Image


text:
As of Wednesday, June 3, 2015
© Copyright 2015 Clayton News Daily
Former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill was indicted, today, on 37 counts, including racketeering, theft by taking, lying, influencing a witness and violation of oath of office.
The only statement he made to reporters is that he is still running for sheriff.
He is expected to immediately post a $50,000 bond.
His attorney, Musa Ghanayem, said the indictment was political in nature, and he believes Hill still has a lot of support in the community.
More details later.
–– Kathy Jefcoats
OscarKnight 3 years, 5 months ago
Case Inquiry
Superior Court Criminal Case Inquiry
Case Number: 2012CR00116 09
Filing Date: 01/18/2012
Status: Pending
tiredpuppy 3 years, 5 months ago
What can you say other than wow?
jatech 3 years, 5 months ago
To the prosecutor or grand jury bringing the case against Victor Hill:
What took you so long to bring charges against this cockroach? Was it necessary to wait until he had the temerity to announce a run for office again? Haven't Clayton Co. taxpayers been taken for enough due to his malfeasance while in office the first time?
Commenting has been disabled for this item.
More like this story
- Former Clayton Sheriff could be indicted today ( January 17, 2012 )
- Victor Hill's attorney to oppose gag order ( February 3, 2012 )
- Hill bonds out of Gwinnett jail ( January 20, 2012 )
- Indicted on 37 counts, Hill vows to continue sheriff's run ( January 19, 2012 )
- Hearing set on gag order in Hill case ( February 3, 2012 )

subset: commoncrawl


text:
For my friends interested in photography, this is a deal you do not want to miss! Today is the last day to take advantage of this day! I'm half-way thru "The Unexpected Everyday" and wow! Love it! Two years ago, I bought a "good" camera - a DSLR - … [Read more...]
{Last Day!} The Ultimate Digital Photography Bundle – $37 (Retails for Over $500)
Last Chance! Ends at Midnight! Ultimate Photography Bundle for Just $37!
If you have any interest in photography, read on! This is a deal you don't want to miss. And it ends tonight! You guys. I'm super excited because I just took these two shots 20 minutes ago. Above is the one bloom on our hydrangea bush -- and below … [Read more...]
North Face Osito 2 Women's Fleece – 60% Off
If North Face is your thing, then this is your sale! 6pm has the Osito 2 Fleece Jacket marked down to $39.99, regularly $99.99. That's a 60% savings! Color selection is a wee bit limited - I'm seeing black with pink or gold (just on the zipper … [Read more...]
Shutterfly Freebies | Your Choice of FREE Thank You Cards, Luggage Tag or 2 8×10 Prints
Through midnight PT tonight (6/28), you can score your choice of one of four totally FREE gifts from Shutterfly: 12 Thank You Cards ($19+ value) 1 small Luggage Tag ($7.99 value) 1 Pet Tag (a $6.99 value) two 8X10 Prints (a $7.98 … [Read more...]
Crocs Coupon Code | Extra 25% Off Sale Styles
Crocs is offering an extra 25% off sale styles right now. Just use Crocs coupon code EXTRA25 at checkout to get your discount. Sizes are a bit limited but you can get some nice deals on Crocs with the combined discount of the 25% off coupon code … [Read more...]
40% Off Maxi Skirts at Nordstrom (Summer Clearance Sale)
Through June 28th, Nordstrom is offering up to 40% off in its big Summer Clearance Sale. I found a number of awesome deals on women's maxi skirts and dresses, which I just had to pass along! The Bobeau Asymmetric Knit Maxi Skirt (in regular … [Read more...]
The Atlantic – $4.99/Year (Up to 3 Years) *Today Only*
I know this is a popular magazine deal among KOAB readers, and it's back today! Today only (6/26), you can pick-up a one-year subscription to The Atlantic Monthly for only $4.99 per year (reg. $24/year). Get up to three years at this same rate … [Read more...]
{Sold Out} Brother PT-H100 Handheld Labelers – $4.99!!! (Down from $34.99)
Update: So sorry everybody :( This is already sold out. The price is now $19.99. OHMYGOSH! This is the single biggest discount I have *ever* seen on a labeler. Hurry over to Staples to get the Brother PT-H100 Easy Handheld Label Maker for just … [Read more...]
ERGO Baby Carrier – $59.99 with FREE Shipping
Oh my gosh, if you're in the market for an ERGO Baby Carrier, HURRY yourself over to the flash site Zulily! Today only -- and while supplies last -- you can get the Pink & Gray Chevron Original Carrier for only $59.99, originally $120. AND … [Read more...]
6pm 10% Off Coupon Code + North Face Jackets for up to 70% Off (Luxe Denali Only $71.99!)
Today only, 6pm has a 10% off coupon code! Save 10% sitewide when you use coupon code E4R64D69KE at checkout. The code is valid today only (6/24). It's good site wide, but I wanted to point out some AWESOME savings on North Face jackets for men … [Read more...]


text:
analysisBy Stephen Grootes
As a nation, it would seem hard to deny that we have become quite obsessed with President Jacob Zuma. He dominates all the non-Oscar headlines we have. Nkandla is now a word with special power in our politics; sometimes it seems he's portrayed as the devil-incarnate, the person single-handedly responsible for the decline of our country, and of the ANC.
But the other night, I was asked: "How different would these elections be if Zuma weren't head of the ANC?" It's a question that makes you think about the image of the ANC, President Jacob Zuma, and the difference between temporary electioneering antics and the longer term issues. It also makes you wonder if perhaps we are too obsessed with Number One.
In South Africa, as in most democracies, symbols and personalities matter. The person who leads a party really matters. There is plenty of evidence that seems to show that even in constituency democracies like the UK, people tend to make their decisions not based on the person who would be the voter's Member of Parliament, but on who the leader of the party is. So it's obvious that Zuma matters to the ANC. If your...


text:
You can indicate the ring size, special gift wrapping or any other request to the designer at checkout.
Ships with
DHL Express: 2 - 5 days from dispatch.
sterling silver, oxidised sterling silver, 22ct gold plated bronze
These rings are Made to Order in your ring size. It can take up to 6 working days to prepare your order before it is ready to send.
Please select your ring size from the sizes available. For larger sizes than those available, please enquire before buying.
The Encrusted collection feature intricately textured pieces which are designed to be versatile and easy to wear.
In this set you will receive 3 skinny Encrusted Rings in sterling silver, oxidised sterling silver (black) and in 22ct gold plated bronze.
If you would like a different colour combination, please message me before purchasing.
Each ring in this set features intricate coral-like granulation all around its delicate skinny band.
Great for stacking, wear together or separately for different looks.
The rings come polished, but if you would rather have a non shiny (matte) finish, please leave a message upon check out so we can apply your desired finish to the rings prior to sending.
Ships with
DHL Express: 2 - 5 days from dispatch.


text:
|Page: 1 of 1
|Sort By:
, North Korea Official Info - US State Department Travel Considerations for North Korea
, North Korea Official Info - U.S. Department Of State information for The Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Find the best flight to North Korea. Search thousands of flights and airlines to find the best air fare.


text:
Publication Date: May 15, 2009
Subject: Notice of waiver of annual financial audit requirement for foreign schools that receive less than $500,000 in FFEL Program funds
Summary: This letter announces a waiver of the annual financial statement audit requirement for foreign schools whose enrolled students received less than $500,000 in FFEL Program funds during the award year preceding the audit period.
Dear Colleague:
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315) (HEOA) was enacted on August 14, 2008. Section 493(b) of the HEOA amended Section 487(c)(1)(A)(i) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1094(c)(1)(A)(i), to give the Secretary the authority to waive financial audit requirements for foreign schools whose enrolled students received less than $500,000 (in U.S. dollars) in Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program funds during the award year preceding the audit period.
Under 20 U.S.C. § 1094(c), 34 CFR § 668.23, the annual submission of both a compliance audit and an audited financial statement is required of all institutions participating in the student financial assistance programs authorized by Title IV of the HEA. Previous guidance by the Department permitted a foreign school whose enrolled students received less than $500,000 (in U.S. dollars) in FFEL Program funds per fiscal year to have its required audited financial statements prepared according to the generally accepted accounting principles and auditing standards of the school's home country. The Secretary hereby exercises his authority under amended Section 1094(c) and waives the annual financial statement audit requirements for any foreign school whose enrolled students received less than $500,000 (in U.S. dollars) in FFEL Program funds in the award year preceding the audit period. This waiver applies to any financial statement audit for such a foreign school due on or after August 14, 2008, the effective date of the amendment to this provision by the HEOA.
Note that the waiver of the financial audit requirement is based on FFEL Program volume for an award year, rather than an institution's fiscal year. An award year is defined in 34 CFR § 600.2 as the period of time from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the following year. An audited financial statement must cover a school's most recently completed fiscal year. An audit must be submitted no later than six months after the last day of the institution's fiscal year. For example, a foreign school with a calendar year fiscal year ending December 31 must submit its audited financial statements for the period January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008, to the Department by June 30, 2009, unless the school's FFEL Program loan volume for the period of July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, is less than $500,000.
This waiver applies to only the required submission of audited financial statements. It does not apply to the required annual compliance audit submission. Every foreign school, including those that enroll U.S. students who receive less than $500,000 in FFEL Program funds in an award year, must submit a compliance audit each year.
In addition to giving the Secretary the authority to waive financial audit requirements for foreign schools that receive less than $500,000 in FFEL Program funds in the preceding year, the HEOA also gives the Secretary the authority to modify the financial audit requirements for other foreign schools. However, we are not making any such modifications at this time. More information on this provision and the additional provisions of the HEOA is provided in Dear Colleague Letter GEN-08-12, published in December 2008. A copy of the Dear Colleague Letter and additional information on the implementation of the HEOA can be found at the Department's Web site at www.ed.gov/heoa.
Should you have any questions concerning this waiver, please contact the Department's Foreign Schools staff at firstname.lastname@example.com.
We thank you for your continued cooperation in administering the Title IV programs.
Daniel T. Madzelan
Delegated the Authority to Perform the Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education
Publication Date: 5/15/2009
Despite Hurdles, Students Keep Switching Colleges
7-6: Federal Family Education Loan Program Special Allowance Rates for the Quarter Ending June 30, 2015
Poll Shows Americans View Quality of Two- and Four-Year Colleges As Similar
Report: Most Students Start College Search Months in Advance, Apply To Multiple Institutions
Today's News for June 30, 2015
6-30: Federal Stafford, Federal PLUS, Federal SLS, and Federal Consolidation Interest Rate Calculations for the Period July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016
Compliance Resources For Financial Aid Professionals
The 2012 NASFAA Staffing Model Report: Key Factors That Impact Financial Aid Office Staff Size
Reconciling Federal, State, and Institutional Policies Determining Educational Access for Undocumented Students: Implications for Professional Practice
Reconciling Federal, State, and Institutional Policies Determining Educational Access for Undocumented Students: Implications for Professional Practice
FP-12-01: Loan Verification Certificate for Special Direct Consolidation Loans
01-05: Default Rates for Cohort Years 2005-09
GEN-11-19: Revised Loan Discharge Application -- Unpaid Refund
Notice: Negotiated Rulemaking Committee, Negotiator Nominations and Schedule of Committee Meetings-Student Loan Programs
Obama Looks to Bypass Congress to Provide Student Loan Relief
GEN-11-18: Written Arrangements Between U.S. and Foreign Institutions
04-18: Perkins Loan Status of Default as of June 30, 2010
02-01: 2011-12 Federal School Code List of Participating Schools (February 2011)
GEN-10-17/FP-10-07/CB-10-01: Approval of Military Service Deferment/Post-Active Duty Student Deferment Request Form
11-22: NSLDS Exit Counseling Completion Results Report File Layouts for Guaranty Agencies
Final Rule: Foreign Institutions--Federal Student Aid Programs
10-19: Loan Servicing Information -- Reducing Amount of FFEL Purchased Loans
09-20: NSLDS Newsletter 28--New NSLDS Report Functionality for Schools
09-16: Loan Servicing Information-Customer Service and NSLDS Information for Direct Loan and FFEL Purchased Loan Servicers
09-13: FY 2008 Official Cohort Default Rates Distributed Sept. 13
NPRM: Foreign Institutions--Federal Student Aid Programs
ED's Inspector General Reports on Oversight of Loans Purchased Through ECASLA
GEN-10-13/FP-10-04: Temporary Authority for the Consolidation of Loans in an In-School Status
Senate Education Committee Hearing Continues Congressional Examination of For-Profits
06-24: Correction to Dear Colleague Letter GEN-10-10, FP-10-2
GEN-10-11/FP-10-03: Income-Based Repayment Plan Request and Alternative Documentation of Income Forms
GEN-10-10/FP-10-02: Implementation Guidance for the Deadline for Making Loans under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program
06-03: FS-2010-04 Foreign School Update: Sample Communications to Support Direct Loan Processing and Important Related Information
05-28: FS-2010-03 Foreign School Information Web Page Updates and Important Direct Loan Setup and Training Reminders
04-27: GA-2010-02: New Loan Status Code (Disbility Discharge - Veterans)
GEN-10-06: Support for Schools Transitioning to Direct Loans
GEN-10-05/P-10-02: Enactment of the Student Aid Provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
What Happens to FFEL Loans for Summer 2010?
03-29: NSLDS Newsletter 26: New Exit Counseling Tool on NSLDS
GEN-10-03/FP-10-01: Revised School Closure, False Certification, and Unpaid Refund Loan Discharge Applications
Checklist for Transitioning to the Direct Loan Program
GEN-10-02: Treatment of Title IV-Eligible Campuses That Qualify for Independent Accreditation
Quick Scan Survey: Institutional Budget Cuts
Quick Scan Survey: Verification
Republicans Seek to Extend ECASLA While Democrats Urge Schools To Go Direct
Final Rule: Title IV Loan Programs
Final Rule: Institution and Lender Education Loans Requirements
FP-09-07: Responsibilities of Lenders Serving as Eligible Lender Trustees under FFELP
Quick Scan Survey: Increases in Aid Applications, Awards and Appeals
Quick Scan Survey: Perkins Loan Reform
FP-09-06: Approval of FFEL Program Deferment Request Forms
NPRM: Institution and Lender Loan Requirements
Quick Scan Survey: Making the Switch to Direct Lending
CB-09-03: Campus-Based Waivers and Reallocation Based on a Major 2008 Natural Disaster
GEN-09-07/FP-09-05/CB-09-04: Discharging Title IV Loans for Unemployable Veteran Due to a Service-Connected Condition or Disability
FP-09-04: Approval of FFEL Stafford and FFEL PLUS MPNs, and revised Promissory Note Addenda and Plain Language Disclosures for FFEL Stafford and PLUS Loans
FP-09-03: Completion of Loan Verification Certificates
GEN-09-02/FP-09-02/CB-09-02: Minor Correction To Total And Permanent Disability Discharge Application
01-30: Customer Service Information For FFEL Borrowers With Loans Purchased/Serviced By The Department And Direct Loan Borrowers
TARP Reform Bill Seeks To Strengthen Student Loans
ED Grants Reprieve For Schools On Prior Year Charges
Notice: Terms And Conditions Of Additional Purchase Of Loans Under ECASLA
Views on Simplifying Financial Aid
GEN-08-11/FP-08-09: Revised Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application And Forbearance Request Forms
GEN-08-08/FP-08-07: Summary Of Ensuring Continued Access To Student Loans Act And ED Actions To Ensure Loan Access
GEN-08-06/FP-08-06: School Use Of A Preferred Lender List In The FFEL Program
GEN-08-05/FP-08-05: FFEL Lender-of-Last-Resort Loan Program
GEN-08-03/FP-08-03: Lender-of-Last-Resort Services in the Federal Family Education Loan Program
FP-08-02: Promissory Note Addenda And Plain Language Disclosures For FFELP Loans
Financial Aid Administrator Surveys
FP-07-12: Determination Of Not-For-Profit Holder Status For SAP Billing
FP-07-11: LaRS Reporting Changes for Lenders
GEN-07-08/FP-07-10/CB-07-15: Approving Loan Discharge Applications For Spouses And Parents Of Sept. 11 Victims
Final Rule: Title IV Loan Programs (2)
Final Rule: Title IV Loan Programs
FP-07-09: Update to Ability-to-Benefit Loan Discharge Procedures
Notice: FFEL Cohort Default Rates For Foreign Institutions
GEN-07-04/FP-07-08/CB-07-10: New Military Deferment Request Form
FP-07-06: Audit Requirements for 9.5 Percent Minimum Special Allowance Payment Rate
FP-07-05: Correction To Dear Colleague Letter FP-07-03
GEN-07-01/FP-07-04: Borrower Choice Of FFEL Lender
FP-07-03: Approved Federal Consolidation Loan Application and Promissory Note
FP-07-02: Revised Promissory Note Addendum and Plain Language Disclosure for FFEL Stafford Loans
FP-07-01: FFELP Loans Eligible For 9.5 Percent Minimum Special Allowance Rate


text:
KDL Recommends > Genre Fiction - Inspirational > Inspirational Alternatives
KDL Recommends
< The Forgotten Garden | Eat Cake >
The Housekeeper and the Professor
Title: The Housekeeper and the Professor
Author: Yoko Ogawa
KDL Description:
A relationship blossoms between a brilliant math professor suffering from short-term memory problems following a traumatic head injury and the young housekeeper, the mother of a ten-year-old son, hired to care for him.
Amazon Description:
He is a brilliant math Professor with a peculiar problem—ever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory. She is an astute young Housekeeper—with a ten-year-old son—who is hired to care for the Professor. And every morning, as the Professor and the Housekeeper are introduced to each other anew, a strange and beautiful relationship blossoms between them. Though he cannot hold memories for long (his brain is like a tape that begins to erase itself every eighty minutes), the Professor's mind is still alive with elegant equations from the past. And the numbers, in all of their articulate order, reveal a sheltering and poetic world to both the Housekeeper and her young son. The Professor is capable of discovering connections between the simplest of quantities—like the Housekeeper's shoe size—and the universe at large, drawing their lives ever closer and more profoundly together, even as his memory slips away. Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor is an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family.


text:
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — When the Kansas City Royals had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth inning and failed to score, the Minnesota Twins thought that could be a turning point in their favor.
Instead, Lorenzo Cain led off the bottom of the 10th with a double, his third hit, and scored the winning run as the Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Friday night to snap a season-high four-game losing streak.
The Royals muffed a chance to win it in the ninth when they loaded the bases with one out, but came away empty after Mike Moustakas flied out to Aaron Hicks in shallow right-center. Pinch-runner Dusty Coleman, making his major league debut, was at third and started home, but then stopped about half way down and was caught in a rundown.
"Going into the inning after what happened it was the right spot at the right time," Hicks said. "It felt good coming up in that situation and getting the outs. The momentum was on our side."
Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki knew the Royals had two momentum killers: relievers Greg Holland and Wade Davis.
"They've got a great bullpen with Holland and Davis," Suzuki said. "It's hard to score against them."
Holland and Davis retired all six Twins they faced in the ninth and 10th. Davis (4-1) picked up the victory and lowered his ERA to a ridiculous 0.26, one run in 35 innings.
Cain led off the bottom of the 10th with a double, went to third on a wild pitch by Aaron Thompson (1-3) and scored on Jarrod Dyson's fielder's choice grounder to first baseman Joe Mauer.
"He beat it," Suzuki said. "He's pretty fast. The play happens so fast. You have to be ready to make the play, to catch it and put the tag down. He's going on contact. It was a chopper. Speed kills."
Cain's head first slide beat Suzuki's tag.
The Twins challenged the call, but after a 99-second review the ruling on the field stood.
"I knew I was definitely safe," Cain said. "I felt my hand get in there before he tagged me. I was going on contact, but I kind of hesitated for a split second."
The Royals tied it 2-2 in the eighth off Casey Fien when Kendrys Morales' two-out single drove home Cain, who had singled and stole second. Morales leads the Royals with 51 RBIs.
"We definitely need this win," Cain said. "We lost four in a row and it was definitely tough to go through. We found a way to get it done in the 10th."
Minnesota super prospect Miguel Sano had a double, an RBI and scored a run in his second major league game.
Sano opened the fifth with a double to left-center, advanced to third on Eduardo Escobar's infield single and scored on Hicks' sacrifice fly. Sano's second-inning single scored Eddie Rosario, who led off with a double.
Left-hander Tommy Milone limited the Royals to one run and five hits, while striking out five and walking two in six innings. Milone gave up a run and three hits in the third. Cain's two-out single scored Rios.
Royals right-hander Jeremy Guthrie allowed two runs and six hits over 7 1-3 innings, throwing a season-high 110 pitches.
Twins: OF Shane Robinson was placed on the family emergency list to be with his 8-month-old daughter Harper in Boston after complications from esophagus surgery. Robinson is not anticipated to rejoin the team until Monday at the soonest. The Twins recalled Hicks from Triple-A Rochester, where he was on a rehab assignment. He went on the DL on June 13 with a strained right forearm.
Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura (irritated ulnar nerve) threw about a 30-pitch bullpen session Friday. He will likely require another rehab start before coming off the DL.
UP NEXT: Twins: RHP Mike Pelfrey is winless in his past four starts with an 8.85 ERA. He yielded eight runs and nine hits in two innings Monday in a loss at Cincinnati, his shortest outing since May 21, 2013.
Royals: RHP Joe Blanton is 5-6 with a 4.50 ERA in 11 starts against Minnesota.
INF Christian Colon, the fourth pick in the 2010 draft, was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. Manager Ned Yost said they want to get more playing for Colon, who had only 78 at-bats in the Royals' first 76 games. The Royals promoted Coleman from Triple-A Omaha, where he hit .280 in 43 games.


text:
Top Stories
Suffolk 48 m ago LI man caught with 24 lbs. of cocaine gets 6 years LI crime stats
Top stories
Suffolk 5:41 PM Cops: Woman, 19, dies in head-on crash with truck LI car accidents
Nation / World
Nation 3:20 PM Prosecutor: Accused shooter indicted on 3 new charges Church shooting victims
Food and Drink 1:10 PM 10 refreshing summer salads 29 cool cocktails to try this summer
Long Island Events 1:09 PM Shark Week 2015 -- on TV and around Long Island Beach Finder: Guide to Fun in the Sun
Family 6:53 AM Minecraft event for kids at movie theater Vote: The best NY Minecraft maps
Fashion and Shopping 11:32 AM 5 items to keep students safe at college 101 new LI stores | More shopping
Latest Headlines
advertisement | advertise on newsday
Photos and videos
More photos » More videos » User photos »
- 26 weird laws on Long Island
- Jenner says she's 'free' in new reality show preview
- 28 best and worst car brands in 2015
- 50 Cheap Eats to try on LI
- All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game participants
- Surfers test the waters at Ditch Plains in Montauk
- Billy Joel dates to celebrate in July
- Photos: 97 celebrities remember life on Long Island
- Puppy of the day: Esteban
- $250G for a home on LI? Here's what you can get
- Find out if your supermarket had violations
- 5 items to keep students safe at college
advertisement | advertise on newsday
This week's best bets
5 items to keep students safe at college
Shark Week kicks off on LI
Vote: Would you try these 20 LI hot dogs?


text:
get some players who want to play.
Originally written on Raw Sports | Last updated 10/20/12
Last week Browns Safety TJ Ward missed most of Saturday's walkthrough practice and morning activities due to an unexcused absence. A report from someone close to the Browns seems to indicate that Ward hasn't learned much from last week's events. Ward reportedly was "almost left behind" for the team's trip to Indianapolis as they are getting set to play the Colts tomorrow. The flight was said to have been delayed due to Ward's absence and it even elevated to the point that discussions took place about allowing the plane to take off without Ward. If this report is true, this is certainly a troubling pattern of behavior for one of the Browns key defensive players.
1 Comment:
Comments are closed.
What do you think?To leave a comment, you can:
NFL News
Delivered to your inbox
You'll also receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web. Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!
Follow us on Twitter
|Best of Yardbarker
|NFL News
|MLB News
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers
Join the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money.
Company Info
What is Yardbarker?
Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.
|© 2015 Yardbarker, Inc. All rights reserved. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. (What's New?)


text:
Oh is it indeed, I am glad
This is true
I know how to handle myself
Me too I am not a girly girl lol I got a sexy Ed Sheeran calender but
Ahh awesome
Thor is awesome All my presents were wrapped in marvel wrapping paper lol
Oh got these too... Harley Quinn is on the other side
Awesome, against?
Ohhh nice What basketball game??
I gots perfume, jammies, sweeties, money, spiderman onesie, candles and this awesome figure
Lucky you lol
Get nice pressies?
Busy lol
Merry Christmas
Still have the same brown hair, only now its all ringlets lol
My niece is my image as well, only I was not as chubby lol
What are your plans for the holidays?
All babies are different
I had lots of brown thick hair when when I was born, my brother looked like a punk rocker with jet black hair lol
The Trinity
Black Ninja!
Black Ninja Moderator
Senior Member
© 2011 eWrestlingNews, All Rights Reserved.


text: The Version Two Point One wiki last edited by wmwadeii on 10/20/13 06:01PM View full history ALL-NEW, ALL-EVIL TEAM! If the story starts with bionic detective Misty Knight uniting heroes Black Panther, Paladin and Silver Sable to halt a heist, why will she then cross the line and hire those she once fought? Enter a world of treachery, double-crosses and death when you hear: "Hello, Villain...are you for hire?"


text: Interfaith Dialogue and Vatican II from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.Excerpts related to interfaith dialogue and Vatican II from Dr. John Borelli's Plenary Address on "Vatican II at 50" for the 2012 National Workshop on Christian Unity. This address and the ensuing question and answer session took place on April 17, 2012. Here's a link to Borelli's entire 55 minute Plenary Address on"Vatican II at 50: Preparing the Catholic Church for Dialogue." Video of Borelli's question and answer session and the luncheon panel discussion will be posted in a few days.


text:
Emmy winners Michael Learned and Peter Strauss star in Bruce Graham's new play
His marriage on the rocks, a middle-aged man pays a visit to his 70-something parents, now living in comfortable retirement on the Chesapeake Bay, only to find that his otherwise hale father's mind is slipping badly with early dementia.
While Jack's mother, Peg, hopes to convince her husband, Gunner, to relocate to an assisted living facility, the feisty old fellow is harboring a more finite plan.
That's the autumnal situation for "The Outgoing Tide," Bruce Graham's new dramedy that currently is on view at 59E59 Theaters.
Fleeting flashbacks inform viewers about Jack's uneasy boyhood relationship with his dad and also regard the couple's Philadelphia courting days half a century earlier. The present story, which spans two days, views Peg's attempts to foil Gunner's fatal intentions while Jack helplessly stands by.
Graham has written more than a dozen varied plays. One of his first was "Burkie," a 1984 work that also studies a disintegrating Philadelphia man dealing with end-of-life issues. It's interesting to see Graham return to this theme in "The Outgoing Tide."
Only slightly reminiscent of "On Golden Pond," the two-act play benefits from the natural give and take of Graham's conversational dialogue. Easygoing humor brightens the play's early passages with a surprising amount of laughter as Jack contends with his parents' various don't-tell-your-mother/father confidences.
Both Emmy Award-winners, Michael Learned ("The Waltons") and Peter Strauss ("Rich Man, Poor Man") respectively portray Peg and Gunner.
Always a solid presence, Learned quietly depicts the increasingly frustrated Peg with unerring simplicity. Sporting a working-class Philly accent as Gunner, a handsome wreck of a man, Strauss gives a mostly busy performance that appears more actor-y than affecting. Ian Lithgow's flashbacks into young Jack are not so convincing but he effectively conveys the mature character's distress over his parents' situation.


text:
Seleznyov, A; Hailes, S; (2004) UNSPECIFIED In: "Proceedings of the 4th International Network Conference",.
Full text not available from this repository.
|Proceedings paper
|"A Model for Dynamic Access Control in Ubiquitous Environments",
|UCL classification:
|UCL > School of BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Computer Science
Archive Staff Only: edit this record


text:
On June 7th, 1969, The Johnny Cash Show made its debut on ABC at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Featuring Cash ensemble regulars June Carter, the Carter family, Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, and the Tennessee Three, his choice of musical guests for his debut program were Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Cajun fiddler Doug Kershaw. And I was there, along with Rusty Jernigan, Tricia Jernigan, Art Mulkey and Shannon Nelson.
March 8, 2015
Sunday Morning MusicPosted by Bruce Mulkey under Be happy now, Musical interlude
Comments Off on Sunday Morning Music
February 11, 2015
Thought for the dayPosted by Bruce Mulkey under Embracing our connection
Comments Off on Thought for the day
If we're going to demand that all our children be vaccinated for the well-being of the community-at-large, should we not then demand that everyone–man, woman and child–become vegans? After all, the production of meat and dairy products contributes significantly to global warming which may ultimately lead to the extinction of the entire human species. Furthermore the considerable amount of grain used in meat and dairy production, if shifted to human consumption, could alleviate hunger, malnutrition and starvation throughout the world.
My real point is this: Citing concern for the well-being of their community, a lot of folks have demonized parents who have concerns about vaccinations (some of whom have chosen not to vaccinate their children). Of course, it's always easier to point the finger at someone else, but might not those doing the judging first acknowledge their own harmful actions, actions that severely impact the world community, before passing judgment? Judge not lest you be judged to paraphrase a book that was pretty popular at one time.
January 27, 2015
Life with our little Zen masters—Bandit and DesmondPosted by Bruce Mulkey under Cat blogging, Embracing our connection, My personal path
1 Comment
I have lived with several Zen masters—all of them cats.
—Eckhart Tolle
In 1999, a few months after Shonnie and I were married, I got a mid-day call from her at her office at the Mission Hospital marketing department in Asheville, North Carolina. I was putting the finishing touches on a client's marketing plan at our home office in a little four-plex nestled in the woods just off Merrimon Avenue.
I answered the phone and Shonnie excitedly said, "Merrell brought in two abandoned kittens this morning, and they need a home. Can we keep them?"
"We've got three cats already," I replied. "I really don't think we need any more."
"Please? They're so adorable. Won't you just come look at them?" Shonnie asked.
"Well, I guess we could consider one," I said. "Just let me get to a stopping point, and I'll drop by."
A half hour later I drove the four or so miles to the squat one-story building that housed Mission's marketing offices. Upon entering I exchanged pleasantries with a couple of Shonnie's fellow staff members and walked into Shonnie's office. There on her desk were two very furry little kittens—both male, one black and white, one tabby—alternately grooming one another, wrestling and playing chase.
I took in the scene on the desk, smiled at Shonnie's entreating and hopeful visage and said, "Well, if we're going to take one, we'll have to take both." Shonnie beamed with excitement, and it was settled. We were now a five-cat family.
Though our three older cats—Chocolate (11), Kaali (5) and Attabi (4)—weren't quite sure what to make of the two little fur balls and all the new masculine energy, the kittens settled in pretty quickly. Over the next few days we tried out various names, but settled on Bandit for the black and white because of his mask-like markings and Desmond for the tabby kitten in honor of Archbishop Desmond Tutu (though I never related this to "Arch" in my occasional email exchanges with him). Based on their large, tufted paws, their big bones and muscles (Desmond weighed 18 pounds in his prime, Bandit 11) and their long multi-layered fur, vets suggested that our boys had Maine Coon blood, a breed known for enjoying interactions with humans and being sociable, devoted, playful and at ease with children and other pets. Bandit and Desmond lived up to all of these characterizations and more. (more…)
January 20, 2015
Me and Bandit in the snowPosted by Bruce Mulkey under Cat blogging, Embracing our connection
Comments Off on Me and Bandit in the snow
The snowflakes, driven by the blustery north wind, blow into my face and nonchalantly dust the grass and the pines. Once again, Bandit, my trusty feline companion, is my teacher. He stands near me, tail curled around my leg, effortlessly present in the moment, while I struggle to let go of thoughts about the stuff I "should" be doing so that I am present too.
I suffer from nature deficit disorder, a common malady of our culture, especially among our youth. Sometimes I'll spend a whole day indoors without even walking to the mailbox—writing, e-mailing, Googling, calling—yet I know that my body, mind and spirit all cry out for—more time on the trails around my home, in the mountains that surround us. I know at a cellular level that nature nurtures me, yet I forego its healing powers in order to handle the "important" matters of living—earning a living, saving the world, satisfying my intellectual curiosity, watching TV.
The wind continues to gust, but the snowflakes slowly diminish. As a terse reminder of our warming climate, the ice crystals that had collected promptly vanish without a trace. And Bandit and I saunter back to the warmth of the fireplace. As we approach the back gate, Bandit is spooked by something he hears and quickens his pace. I stride to keep up, wistful that our connection with the Earth is drawing to a close, at least for today.
From a 2/4/07 personal journal entry


text:
HOW-TO:Install Kodi for iOS
From Kodi
(Redirected from HOW-TO:Install XBMC for iOS)
|HOW-TO:Install Kodi for iOS
The current stable release for iOS is Kodi v14.2 Helix.
- Requirements
- To install Kodi for iOS you must have a jailbroken iDevice running iOS 4.0 through 8.1.2. (4.3 or higher recommended).
- Future Isengard feature: Kodi v15 will require iOS 5.1.1
- For hardware: iPad (1,2,3,4), iPad Air (1,2), iPad Mini (1,2,3), iPhone (4, 4s, 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6+), iPod touch (4, 5).
- If you have any issues, be sure to read the iOS FAQ!
See Migration from XBMC to Kodi for special notes about going from an older XBMC version to Kodi.
1 Installing from Cydia
And you're done! You should now be running Kodi v14.2 Helix for iOS. See here to verify your Kodi version.
2 Updating
Updates for stable releases of Kodi are handled by Cydia and will show up in the 'Changes' section when available. (After updating the sources)
3 Development and custom builds
Main page: Development builds
|Nightly build
|Nightly builds are unstable test builds that have the latest bug fixes and feature additions. They are not fully tested, so anticipate issues and be sure to backup your userdata folder
|Download the newest .deb file from: http://mirrors.kodi.tv/nightlies/darwin/ios/
|Monthly build
|Monthly builds are more stable than nightly builds, but still contain lots of experimental new code.
|Download the newest .deb file from: http://mirrors.kodi.tv/snapshots/darwin/ios/
|Betas and release candidates
|Betas and release candidates are builds that are being tested to see if they have any bugs left before becoming a stable release. Most major bugs should be fixed in these builds.
|Download the newest .deb file from: http://mirrors.kodi.tv/apt/pre-release/ios/deb/
|Older stable builds
|If you wish to download an older version of XBMC/Kodi for whatever reason, you can do so with these same instructions below.
- Install iFile from Cydia if you don't already have it.
- In Mobile Safari (or any browser that can download files) open the
.debfile you wish to install, such as from the locations noted above.
- Wait for the download to complete.
- Note: Mobile Safari in iOS 7 won't show the progress bar for downloads, but it will show a loading icon in the menu bar. Just wait a few minutes until the download is done, but don't close Safari.
- Select "Open in..."
- Select iFile from the available apps
- iFile will get a copy of the downloaded file and open an action menu. Select install. When iFile is complete you can tap done at the top.
- In iFile, swipe to delete the downloaded Kodi deb file as it is no longer needed.
See here to verify your Kodi version.
Note: To go back to a stable version of Kodi you might need to first uninstall Kodi and then use the normal install instructions, or manually download the stable release deb file and install using the dev build instructions.
4 Uninstalling
4.1 Uninstalling just XBMC/Kodi
You're all done.
4.2 Removing settings
Kodi will uninstall from your iDevice but will leave certain things (databases and everything in your userdata folder) behind to make it easier if you wanted to reinstall. To delete those:
- From the terminal, run
rm -Rf /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/XBMC/
rm -Rf /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/Kodi/
- Or
- From iFile
Delete /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/XBMC/
Delete /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/Kodi/


text:
1794 1C Head of 1794 VF20 PCGS. S-46, B-36, R.3. Moderate, even wear is spread over the surfaces of this medium brown piece...
2006 September Long Beach, CA Signature Auction #416
|Sold for:
|Not Sold
|Auction Ended On:
|Sep 13, 2006
|Item Activity:
5 Internet/mail/phone bidders
221 page views
|Long Beach, CA
1794 1C Head of 1794 VF20 PCGS. S-46, B-36, R.3. Moderate, even wear is spread over the surfaces of this medium brown piece, a representative of a scarce issue. Minor abrasions appear on each side. EAC 8.(Registry values: P1) (NGC ID# 223P, PCGS# 901374)
View large image(s) of this item
Service and Handling Description: Coin/Currency (view shipping information)
Sales Tax information | PCGS Guarantee of Grade and Authenticity | Terms and Conditions
Rasmussen Special Edition Catalog
This hard bound volume contains the magnificent Wes Rasmussen Large Cent Collection, formed by a former President of the Early American Coppers society which was auctioned at the 2005 Florida United Numismatic Auction. Reserve your copy of this remarkable volume for just $75 today.
Rasmussen Signed Limited Edition Catalog
A hard bound limited library edition of the Wes Rasmussen Collection Catalog, signed by Wes Rasmussen, Mark Borckardt, Greg Rohan, and Denis Loring, is available while supplies last. Only 100 produced. Reserve your copy of this remarkable limited edition signed volume for just $150 today.
Guides and Pricing Information:
Previous Prices from Heritage Auctions
|Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
Price Guide
|Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
Population Guide
|Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
Find Auction Prices for Comparable Items:
Sign-in or Join (free & quick) to see the full image