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McGinnis: Best Picture nominees, Pt. 2Written by Jeff McGinnis | | email@example.com
Last week, I looked at the first four nominees for Best Picture. And now, the adventure continues!
"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen's comedy is a bit of a contradiction — it's a movie clearly in love with a city and an era, but oddly enough, it's also a cautionary tale about idealizing things. The story, about a screenwriter (Owen Wilson) who finds himself going back in time to meet some of the classic artists from Paris' past, is a great idea that's a little muddled in the execution.
Take away the beautiful surroundings and fun cameos, and we have another tale of a misunderstood guy who struggles against a world and a fiancée who doesn't understand him. Wilson — playing the Woody Allen role — is so detached he almost seems to not even be there, and the movie suffers from some annoying and distracting subplots. The end result is a film with loads of potential that ends up not being all it could be. (Now available on DVD.)
"War Horse" So often, critics of Steven Spielberg like to derisively use the word "Spielbergian" when criticizing his work, indicating their disdain for what they see as clichéd elements of his films. This is usually a narrow-minded and unfair dismissal, but I must admit that after viewing "War Horse," "Spielbergian" was the first word that came to mind.
The film plays like a travelogue of World War I, told through the eyes of a horse and the boy who loves him. But it doesn't offer any real insight into the war that's going on, and the tale of the horse itself doesn't generate a lot of sympathy. Unlike "Saving Private Ryan," which truly seemed to capture the essence of the conflict it was depicting, this film ends up feeling like an extended "Lassie" episode, only with Mr. Ed playing the dog. (Now playing at Fallen Timbers 14.)
"The Artist" Please, please dismiss from your mind any preconceived notions of what an "art film" is. Forget that it's in black and white, and silent. Just think of "The Artist," first and foremost, as a movie, and you'll find that it's one of the most purely entertaining works to play in theaters in a long, long time.
Michel Hazanavicius' movie is about the golden age of Hollywood, and that treacherous time when silent movies were giving way to sound. It is a film that is in tribute to that age gone by, but also inspired by it. The story is told in grand, broad strokes, just like the silent movies it's emulating, but also is subtle and emotional enough to have true power. The result is a delight, for any audience. (Now playing at Levis Commons 12.)
"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" Thomas Horn, who plays the young hero Oskar in "Extremely Loud," is a very, very fine actor. He must be. It takes considerable talent to create a hero this unlikable. This is a child who lost his father (Tom Hanks, no less) on Sept. 11, 2001. He should be able to generate all the sympathy in the world. And still, through sheer will, the movie made me hate him with white-hot intensity. An impressive achievement.
Little Oskar is trying to find the lock that will open with a key he finds in his late dad's closet, which takes him on a quest he hopes will bring him closer to his father's memory. The result is a wildly unlikely fable where this pint-sized genius walks all around the city. (Now playing at Fallen Timbers 14 and Franklin Park 16.)
"Moneyball" Baseball is a game devoted to statistics, and yet it took years for someone to use those numbers the way Billy Beane did. That's the idea at the heart of Bennett Miller's sports movie, a film about the 2002 Oakland A's, which after being gutted the year before, rebuilt with a mish-mash of cheap players other teams didn't want, and ended up changing the way the game is played.
The script, by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, is written with an economy of smart, interesting dialogue that sounds and feels authentic. None of the performances is over-the-top or showy, but they all are set toward the goal of telling an interesting story in an interesting way. It's not the equal of Sorkin's brilliantly written "The Social Network," but it's a fine, fine movie. (Now available on DVD.)
Email Toledo Free Press Star Pop Culture Editor Jeff McGinnis at email@example.com.
Tags: "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", 2001, Aaron Sorkin, Academy Awards, Bennett Miller, Billy Beane, Jeff McGinnis, Michel Hazanavicius, midnight in paris, Moneyball, Mr. Ed, Oakland A's, Oscars, Owen Wilson, Paris, Pop Goes the Culture, Saving Private Ryan, Sept. 11, Steven Spielberg, Steven Zaillian, The Artist, The Social Network, Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, War Horse, Woody Allen


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Find the perfect hotel in Pipestem using our hotel guide provided below. Find cheap and/or discounted hotel rates in or near Pipestem, WV for your personal leisure or group travel. Discover the best Pipestem West Virginia hotel rooms. Review the Pipestem hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Pipestem hotels.
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Saturday, April 06, 2013 6:00 PM
The fourth annual Chestnut Hill College Scholarship Gala will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2013 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the Commonwealth Chateau, SugarLoaf campus. . Guests will enjoy cocktails and dinner and will have the opportunity to meet Chestnut Hill College students who are assisted by academic scholarships.For more information, please visit www.chc.edu/gala . To purchase tickets, please contact Coco Minardi at 215.753.3692 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Hoobastank goes to Hollywood: Rockers play free show on Oct. 23.Written by Jeff McGinnis | | firstname.lastname@example.com
Guitarist Dan Estrin is tired of answering the question. He gets asked all the time — it's one of the first things brought up in every interview. Still, he admits it's pretty much inevitable. No matter how many albums the group has sold, no matter how long they have been together, the question always comes up.
Why is the band named Hoobastank?
"You know, I understand a little why that's usually everyone's first question," Estrin said. "I mean seriously — What the f**k is Hoobastank? What does it mean? None of us ever thought or currently think the name is great. It is what it is.
"We named the band when we were very young and never thought about the future. We actually signed our record deal under 'formally known as 'Hoobastank.' We were dead set on changing it. We had a bunch of different names written down. After we signed the deal, we played a concert back home at The Roxy and our record company came out to see us. The place was completely packed! People everywhere going f***ing nuts while chanting "Hoo-ba-stank … Hoo-ba-stank!" I remember after the show our A&R guy saying … 'F**k it! Don't change your name!' So really Paul Pontius is to blame!"
During the decade-plus that has passed since the band first slammed into the public consciousness — and the years of refining that came prior to that — Hoobastank has brought its unique brand of alternative rock to stages all over the world. Their most recent tour began just days ago with stops in India, leading to its upcoming free concert at the Hollywood Casino Toledo on Oct. 23.
"The Midwest is usually really good to us. Lots of energy. The crowds on the coasts — including myself — seem a bit more jaded and used to bands coming through all the time," Estrin noted. "I grew up and still live in L.A. … Going to a concert looks like a bunch of really important people standing there checking their tweets, updating their status on [Facebook] and posting pics on Instagram … while missing the moment they're in during the concert."
No matter the location or audience, the members of Hoobastank work to put on a consistently great show, drawing on more than a decade and a half of touring experience spent refining and improving their ability as live performers.
"I think like anyone, over the time of 15 years you grow, learn and hopefully get better at what your craft is," Estrin said. "And also look back at some of the dumb s**t we or I've done through the years … and either cringe or laugh."
Though Hoobastank has seen its fair share of upheaval during its years on the road, with a recent departure from Island Records and the departure of several bass players, the main body of the group has stayed relatively stable through the years. Since the group was first formed in the mid-'90s, the three members at its core — Estrin, singer Doug Robb and drummer Chris Hesse — have remained.
How has the trio maintained a healthy working relationship during that time?
"Well, it's not always healthy. Especially early on when we were young," Estrin said.
"I just believe people get tired of people. No matter if it's your longtime best friend who ends up annoying the s**t out of you cause of the way he chews his food, or it's your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife … people need space and breaks. Communication is super important and dudes usually f***ing suck at it … which ends up getting pushed down inside and ends up coming out way worse later.
"At this point in my life, I try to choose my words better than I might have in the early days. We all love what we do and the three of us have been through a lot together. We've been all over the world and made a lot of music together that has done very well for us. We're like brothers."
The group's most recent album — the well-received 2012 "Fight or Flight" — not only saw them change labels for the first time in more than a decade, but also from longtime producer Howard Benson to new collaborator Gavin Brown.
"We had worked with the same producer for three albums. It was time to try something fresh. That was all we knew. We wanted and needed something different," Estrin noted.
And what can fans expect at Hollywood Casino Toledo on Oct. 23?
"Some familiar catchy songs, a fun, energetic performance and we're finally going to reveal onstage what the name Hooba-stank means!"
Tags: Chris Hesse, Dan Estrin, Doug Robb, Fight or Flight, Gavin Brown, Hollywood Casino, Hoobastank, Howard Benson, India, Paul Pontius


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Financial Economics Institute
BMGI/Michael Larson Asset Management Fellowship Program
The BMGI Fellowship Program offers financial support and research experience for juniors and seniors at Claremont McKenna College who are interested in careers involving asset management and investment management. The program provides $10,000 scholarships annually in the form of financial aid grants, merit awards, and/or preferential funding packages. Recipients of a scholarship may receive an additional grant in return for working with an economics and/or mathematics department faculty member on a research project.
To be eligible, students must have completed at least five economics and/or mathematics classes and have a cumulative 10.00 GPA in those courses.
2014-2015 Recipients
Philip Crawford '15
Brian Delaney '16
Andrew Dodds '15
Brian Eckhardt '16
Edward Leathers '15
Cameron Whiting '15
For more information, contact:
Professor Joshua Rosett


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Hundreds of Fairfax County�s youngest residents stopped by the 20th annual Fall For Fairfax KidsFest on Sept. 29-30 to enjoy some free entertainment.
The event, which took place at the Fairfax County Government Center, included scarecrow making, pumpkin painting and a petting zoo.
There also were pony rides, hay rides and more than 75 exhibits, including two that instructed youngsters on public safety and recycling.
The annual festival is specially designed for families with elementary and pre-K aged children.


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Scotty McCreery is the new American Idol! The teenaged country singer beat Lauren Alaina to win the the title which capped off a spectacular show. The two hour Season 10 finale took place at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles and they really packed in as much as they could. Beyonce dazzled on stage, Jennifer Lopez sparkled in a very JLo-esque jumpsuit and old and new American Idol contestants turned up in hordes. Like Sanjaya Malakar — remember him? A lot of this seasons contestants got to sing with their idols like Tony Bennett, Tim McGraw, Tom Jones, Judas Priest …. and Lady Gaga! Jack Black rocking out? Classic!
But more than anything, we were just happy to see some of our contestants and winners of past American Idol's. Adam Lambert who was so glam it hurt, Allison Iraheta, Jason Castro (with his preggers wife Mandy Mayhall), Kris Allen… the list goes on. We've put a gallery of arrivals at the event so you can memory check everyone who came. Congratulations, Scotty! Can you believe he's just 17? What a massive moment for country music.
[Photos: Getty Images/Splash News Online]


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Google made an interesting study [PDF, 438 KB] about the pages that try to automatically install malware (the so-called "drive-by download") by exploiting flaws in Microsoft's Internet Explorer. By analyzing all the pages from Google's index, the study found that 450,000 URLs launched files that contained malware. If we assume Google's index has 20 billion pages, that means one in 2,222 pages launches malware. Trojans were the most frequent category of malware, followed by adware.
"The installed malware often enables an adversary to gain remote control over the compromised computer system and can be used to steal sensitive information such as banking passwords, to send out spam or to install more malicious executables over time."
"Examining our data corpus over time, we discovered that the majority of the exploits were hosted on third-party servers and not on the compromised web sites. The attacker had managed to compromise the web site content to point towards an external URL hosting the exploit either via iframes or external JavaScript."
Google started to flag the web sites that try to install malware (example of query). They're still included in Google's index, but you'll have to manually copy the URL and paste it in the address bar to visit the site. Most of the pages let you download pirated software and music. Also the newest version of Google Desktop shows warnings if you visit one of these sites.
The best defense against these threats is to use more secure browsers like Firefox or Opera and to install anti-virus / anti-spyware software (Google Pack includes all of these: Firefox, Norton Security Scan and Spyware Doctor, but there other free alternatives).
{ via BBC, that hires people who don't know how to count and draw the inaccurate conclusion that "one in 10 web pages scrutinised by search giant Google contained malicious code that could infect a user's PC" .}
May 12, 2007
Google and the Web-Based Malware
This blog is not affiliated with Google.


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MLB Official Info
MLB Executives
Joe TorreChief Baseball Officer
Major League Baseball's Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations starting in 2011, Joe Torre was named Chief Baseball Officer on Dec. 4, 2014. He currently oversees areas that include Major League Operations, On-Field Operations, On-Field Discipline and Umpiring. He serves as the Office of the Commissioner's primary liaison to the general managers and field managers of the 30 Major League clubs regarding all baseball and on-field matters.Since December 2009, he has served on the Commissioner's Special Committee for On-Field Matters. Torre is also Chairman of the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation, which he and his wife, Ali, launched in 2002. In 2010, Torre was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women. In the fall of 2010, Torre concluded his third and final season as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom he led to the National League Championship Series in 2008 and '09. Previously, he spent 12 seasons as manager of the New York Yankees (1996-2007), guiding them to the postseason every year, including six World Series appearances and four World Championships (1996, 1998-2000). Torre made his managerial debut with the New York Mets on May 31, 1977, becoming the first player-manager in the majors since 1959. He managed the Mets until 1981 and the Atlanta Braves from 1982-84. After spending nearly six seasons as a television broadcaster for the California Angels, he managed the St. Louis Cardinals from 1990-95. Torre ranks fifth all-time in managerial wins with 2,326. In 1982 and '98, he was named Manager of the Year by The Associated Press. In 1996 and '98, the Baseball Writers Association of America named him American League Manager of the Year and, in 1996, The Sporting News named him Sportsman of the Year. He won ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Manager/Coach of the Year in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001. During his 17-year playing career (first/third baseman, catcher) with the Braves, Cardinals and Mets, Torre compiled a lifetime .297 batting average, had 2,342 hits, 252 home runs and 1,185 RBIs, and hit over .300 five times. He was a nine-time All-Star and the National League's 1971 Most Valuable Player, batting .363 with 230 hits, 24 home runs and a league-leading 137 RBIs. The Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation's mission is educating to end the cycle of domestic violence and save lives. Since its inception, the Foundation has educated thousands of students, parents, teachers and school faculty about the devastating effects of domestic violence. Margaret's Place, a "safe room" within the Foundation's 12 active programs in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles, is a tribute to his mother, providing middle and high school students with a place to talk to each other and to a master's level counselor trained in domestic violence prevention and intervention. The comprehensive model includes individual and group counseling, school-wide anti-violence curriculum and campaigns, and peer leadership training. Torre is the co-author of three books: The Yankee Years (Doubleday 2009); Chasing the Dream: My Lifelong Journey to the World Series (Bantam 1997, 1998); and Joe Torre's Ground Rules for Winners: 12 Keys to Managing Team Players, Tough Bosses, Setbacks and Success (Hyperion 1999). In April 2011, Torre was honored at the Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards, held in the Great Hall at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. The Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards are presented by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. to celebrate exemplary Ellis Island/Port of New York immigrants or their descendents who have made a major contribution to the American experience. Past recipients at the Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards have come from the worlds of politics, business, science, education, music, entertainment and sports, including Bob Hope, Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, Colin Powell, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Seinfeld and Martin Scorsese. Two other baseball figures, Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Tommy Lasorda, are past honorees. Torre was born on July 18, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York. He, Ali and their daughter, Andrea, live in Beverly Hills, California. His three adult children are Michael, Cristina and Lauren.


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Hang tight!
Recipe by Meghan
"A take on a traditional Caprese, but modified into a light summer pasta salad that goes great with anything off the grill, or just on its own. When I eat it on its own, I sometimes add about a cup of any chunked, cold sausage (I suggest pepperoni or a lighter summer sausage). Any pasta is fine, but I like the orzo's size.
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1 cup
uncooked orzo pasta
1 1/2 cups
cubed fresh mozzarella cheese
fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup
chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1 tablespoon
olive oil, or as needed
Awesome and so easy! Since other reviewers said this was too bland, I just mixed the orzo, mozzarella, vine ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil with a little Italian dressing. Worked like a charm. Didn't need the red pepper, olive oil, or anything else, but make sure the mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil are fresh!! Otherwise, there isn't any point of making this type of dish. Very good salad!
We all liked this salad, but like others, thought it needed something more. Next time I'm going to try adding some lemon juice and some minced garlic.
74 Ratings
The simple, beautiful and fresh Caprese salad is perfection on a plate in my view. Vine-ripened tomatoes, just-picked basil, and fresh mozzarella (the colors of the Italian flag) is a flavorful combination. Orzo, which we typically used as soup pasta as I grew up, has gained enormous popularity in delis and homes everywhere as a side dish, be it hot, cold or room temperature. It would seem, then, that pairing the orzo with the Caprese would be a match made in heaven. But while hubs and I did enjoy this, we both felt it fell a little short of perfection, needing something we couldn't quite put our fingers on. Lemon juice maybe? I did leave out the red pepper flakes, and had I included it I think a teaspoon would be WAY overkill. Tip: Basil oxidizes and turns black quickly after cutting. I found that coating it with a little olive oil first helps prevent that! This was definitely a decent pasta salad, but I think maybe I just prefer my Caprese salad straight up!
MMM...this is one of my favorite recipes! We take it to all of our summer events. Yum, yum. Add pine nuts for a little twist.
I was looking for a pasta salad made with Orzo and came across this one... Just completed making it but on advice of others added the juice of 1 lemon to the olive oil as well as cracked pepper and sea salt.... The dressing was so, so good! I decided as well to add chopped red onion and toasted pine nuts... the result.... DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for sharing!
I thought that this was an overall great recipe. Sure, it may lack some flavor but that can easily be fixed by adding an extra sprinkle of salt and/or pepper or some garlic pepper. The first time I made this I used a marinated mozzarella cheese from Trader Joes. It was marinated with red pepper flakes and olive oil. The second time I just used regular fresh mozzarella. I like to cut mine into small squares and I use roma tomatos. I made this several times and it makes a great light side dish.
I made it the night before and while it was okay, I think it would be better to make it fresh and serve it immediately. I also found it a little bland so I served it with Balsamic vinegar and that gave it a lot more flavor. Otherwise it was excellent.
Nice light salad perfect for summer. After cooking I rinsed the orzo in cold water and served at room temp. If orzo is still warm the cheese begins to melt and it gets clumpy. Start with 1/2-2/3 of the red pepper then add to taste. I also added a little garlic and pepper as well.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Salad
Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 370
Calories from Fat: 130
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A quick and easy salad with rotini pasta and vegetables.
Watch how easy it is to make this pasta salad with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.
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|138 posts found
Novice Member
Joined: 6/11/12
Originally posted by Regomar
Pretty well the same experience here. I've logged an embarrassing amount of hours since launch and seen a total of 5 bots.
Login or Register to never see this panel
Novice Member
Joined: 1/31/04
Originally posted by gelraen
Played this morning on my Ranger, went from 44-47.
At one point I saw 4 bots porting around, all from a single hilltop vantage. Some videos out show these types.
Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVpoWg5jNu4
Novice Member
Joined: 10/04/12
Originally posted by CyclopsSlay
A semi Asian grinder that is infested with bots and hacks,why does that supprise anyone.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 5/19/04
Originally posted by Leethe
Nope you can't. If it's a Ranger you may just see a low level character doing the all important "gotta have them all" pet runs gettingall his pets before they actually start leveling up. I did the same when I started my Ranger... I gave up on repair bills simply because a level 8 toon in a level 50 area tends to attract all sorts of mobs from miles around... it's tough to get all the pets but it's a lot of fun as well.
Novice Member
Joined: 4/29/12
Originally posted by Ramonski7
Like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD7V86Zik3E
It's crazy how many bots I see and how seemingly brazen they are. Two weeks ago, I had a conversation with other players in the Queensdale zone about a group of 4 identical bots farming the apple orchard heart and associated DE. Naturally all of us reported them. Last night, I found those very same bots, moved about 2 hearts over, doing much the same thing. There's a similar story to each zone I visit. For the under 50 zones especially, I now tend to run across more bots than people most of the time. At this point, I find the botting to be kind of comical; it's just so absurd how ubiquitous they are.
Novice Member
Joined: 1/10/06
Well they are there. They for the most part find a place most people dont go. So far to this day after a report and screen shot they dont vanish. KInd of hard not to find them. Anyone standing on a broken bridge firing at nothing (six and 2 in a guild). Then the enemy rides in and then after killing them each bot vanish and then come right back firing at nothing waiting for the next NPC enemy to ride in.
We pay no monthly fee so unless more people start saying something they will not be in any hurry to stop them. They are out there for sure but not to many. I only get like one mail a week from them..
Advanced Member
Joined: 7/14/05
INTJ, fun is fun except when it's not
On my server I hadn't seen but one bot on my first character from L1 to L80. But now that I am playing alts I sometimes see hordes of them :/ I have seen the same gang of seven bots running same circle a couple days in a row now. They also tend to look just like the picture someone posted before, almost all female human, with brown bear pet, almost always Rangers, blahhhhhhhhh.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/06/08
Originally posted by Utuku
How is this game a grinder? I'm sorry, but anyone calling this game a grinder has obviously never played a grindy game. Most asian grinders I've played, including my current guilty pleasure Atlantica Online can take over a month of regular play for a single level's worth of XP when you're near the cap.
Guild Wars 2 isn't a grind at all.
Novice Member
Joined: 10/02/12
Just because you can site worse "grind" games out there doesn't mean GW2 is not one of them. It is, by loose definition, a grind game.
We can grind xp, we can grind farming materials, we can grind these so called "quests". I found that GW2 had all of that then I hit 80 and omg it multiplied by a factor of 10. It may not take a year to get to the highest level but it is a grind fest all the same.
Suppose I better add: I have also seen a dramatic increase in the number of bots on my server (Gate of Madness) and it is disheartening that all the reporting pretty much goes unanswered. They diminish the imersivness and in a way make me feel helpless knowing that they are doing something wrong and there is nothing I can do to change it. We even tried to MPK a group to no avail^^
Advanced Member
Joined: 11/07/05
GW and GW2 are the least online grind of any game I've played.
I don't even mind gold farmers, I don't use them, but I've never had one ruin my day. Hackers and cheaters are another story and I haven't encountered one yet. Lots and lots of gold farmers out there. I wouldn't even play a game where I felt like I want to buy gold, so it's all kind of foreign to me. What in the world do you spend it on? There's nothing I want that badly.
I'd pay real life money if they'd put in GvG and HoH, but other than that I wouldn't pay one penny for anything in game.
Anet is "losing" the fight against bots because it isn't fighting it. All they have done is institute the diminishing returns crap which is really aimed at legit players and declared it an anti-bot measure. Most of those botters are paying customers, just like you. Except they buy multiple accounts whereas you probably only own one. Who is more important to Anet? Cracking down on botters means cracking down on a huge revenue stream.
While I am sure some botters use hacked acxcounts, the majority I see seem to be legit multi-accounts with brazenly obvious botter names like "Guardian A, Guardian B" or "LoveAO and LoveBB" unless hackers pay for name changes on their hacked accounts. Look at the rapidity with which they banned hundreds if not thousands of players for "offensive" names. How hard is it to tackle botters? Obvious botters are obvious.
If they wanted to get rid of botters all they have to do is hire a few people to go to the areas they congregate, observe for the 3 seconds it takes to pick out the obvious ones or the 10 minutes for the more complex ones and start banning accounts. In a single day on my server they could easily corral 500 hundred botters like this, all of them obvious and beyond dispute. This will create the same "chiling effect" in the botter community that their uber-banning of bad names did in the legit community. All they have to do is make botting a financially risky procedure and only the daring with money to gamble will attempt it. As it is it is clearly a risk-free venture. It might not eliminate the problem, but it will reduce it dramatically.
It doesn't require user reports as these botters have been operating 24/7 for weeks with nothing being done about it.
Your experiences in the game aren't universal. You aren't speaking for anyone other than yourself. There might be a problem with botting, but a few opinions on this forum isn't enough to convince me.
Anet has acknowledged the problem and claims to be fighting it. Is that evidence enough for you?
I've seen and reported 4 bots (in a train) in the human starting area on blackgate the other day. All 4 were rangers. Is there a reason why they like to use ranger for botting? Is it because of the pets?
Rangers have an ability called "search and rescue" where the pet can be used to automatically seek out and rez downed players. You'll notice many ranger bot gangs running together and periodically spaming this ability. If one of them gets killed, the others can auto-rez him with this ability. The bears are also pretty tanky and a signifcant percentage of mobs will tend to go for the rangers' pets over the rangers themselves unless directly targeted, so the bear serves as a partial aggro magnet/shield.
Novice Member
Joined: 3/05/04
Haven't seen any bots on the areas I was mostly at the time I was playing in Jade Quarry for 3+ weeks now.
I used to get 2 gold spamming emails that I immediately reported per day in lions arch for like around a week, till I got only one mail for 2 days and afterwards none anymore.
So when I read by some people that are saying that the whole game is "overrun" only because they came across some and some others saying that they saw a whole area being "infested" with 50+ bots at once, it makes me wonder on which area and which server they are cause I find it quite strange that some servers are THAT "full" with bots while others are having barely if any at all.
Due to a debatte and argument I had with someone last week in a other thread, I asked my collegue that is on a EU server about his experience and this of his guildies and he came across one bot (teleporter one) since the headstart only.
Guildies of mine said that they saw a few on Jade Quarry in a area or two through the month but only once aswell.
So it seems that some servers are more affected than others. Playing times might play a role in this aswell.
However, saying that the "whole game" is overrun or infested by bots is an exaggeration in my opinion cause if this were the case then all servers would be full of them and they would be like around every corner (which is not the case).
Anyway, I hope that ANet will get rid of them soon so the people from the servers that are affected more than mine are not as annoyed as they seem to be now.
Advanced Member
Joined: 7/14/05
INTJ, fun is fun except when it's not
I can only speak for Yak's Bend and what I've seen. Like I said my first trip to L80 I only ran into one bot, she was around Level 60 something and was standing shooting fire at a wall for hours and hours and hours. btw there was more than just this incident, many people were reporting her, it was just funny when whatever macro/program went wonky and had her standing there shooting a wall forever.
But now I have several alts from level 27 up to level 58, some areas I haven't seen any bots at all but other areas are infested with them bad. For a few days in a row with my L50+ I saw a group of 6-7 of them running the same circuit over and over. The other area I have come to mind is in Gendarran Fields. I've seen a group of 3 constantly there, all the exact same appearance, same armor, same brown bear pet, sighhhh. I was using the brown bear with my Ranger but now I am loathe to do so, bots are making me see the pet as somehow dirty or something, lol.
Old School
Joined: 6/07/04
Worse bot infestation I have seen, and I have seen quite a few. (AC, Aion, numerous Asian grinders etc.) What beggars belief is that Anet are allowing them to proliferate when a lot are so blatantly un sophisticated they take seconds to identify.
My opinion of Anet has diminished significantly, they are obviously (and rightly) proud of there game to see it so abused must be gut wrenching. I just don't understand it.
Novice Member
Joined: 8/18/12
Bots have killed the game for me ! Its has been getting worst not better and now Ive been seeing players telepeort around not bots .Thats what happens when you let something go so long its speading and normal players wont in on the fun if thats what you want call it for me its a game ender . Just look and you will find websites selling hacks basiclly god mode for the game ,Gold ,kramma and bots.
My sulotion is to let players flag these cheats and without acode like the time they were flag and by who type in they are turn red open for Pking ! Losing all their loot and kramma to those players killing them of course any bad flags would give the player a time out from do any flagging .Of course this is just for bots as far as players cheating I got noghting . At less this way I can have some fun again.
Novice Member
Joined: 11/19/05
The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp.
The bots are bad but for me it starts to make me wonder why would I bother especially with crafting, with all the warping/porting to nodes going on by actual players. I need to run around and they port back and forth. My time is devalued to nothing and while I am not scraping coppers, I do not have a fortune amassing either.
And nothing is done.
Sure. They are working on it. Good.
It's been long enough and acknowledged enough that they can and should drop a team of live GMs on it to ban the ones that are obvious. They had a wonderful post on X number ( I think it was 1600?) were banned int he first week or two (for other infractions as well). Half a dozen GMs checking on the botting would have hundreds done in the 1st 48 hours. (Yes GMs can port directly to an account once they know it's name, which is auto-tagged in the report.)
Give the players a bit of a positive feeling and get rid of some of the bad guys. Keep the other 20, 30, 50 guys and gals working on a software fix but get 5 -10 bodies actively jumping around banning the ones you can visible verify are botting.


text:
Real functionality in a "secret agent" size
Incredibly compact and thin - yet durable and functional with a razor sharp 420 stainless steel blade - this 15 gram compact knife lies flat and unnoticed in any pocket. Has a chisel-sharpened blade with edge on handle side only (cannot cut fingers when blade is closed), and liner lock system that secures blade in place during use.
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This little knife may not be the sharpest knife I've ever used, but it is well built, and incredibly light and compact. I have it attached to my keychain - impossible to forget at home or fall out of my pocket, so it's always available. Great little knife.
Best Uses
This is a very clever design, east to open, hardly noticable in my pocket. However, it's not very sharp. It only has a single bevel on the blade. This is so that, when it's closed, you don't accidentally cut yourself since the blade is flush with the handle. But it also results in a dull blade.
Best Uses
I hate things in my pants pockets . . as soon as I get home, I immediately empty them . . I dislike the bulk and weight. I am always looking for a light general purpose knife, but they always add to the overall weight and consequently, I find myself leaving it home. Those days are over . . I will always have this with me . . it feels "weightess" with no bulk. If you're a "guy guy" and want a general purpose knife . . this is it! Ladies, it won't add "any" weight or take up any space, where ever you keep it. Nice job DTC!!
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Found this at the Port Washington Store and after making sure I won't hurt myself with it in my pocket I added to my pile of stuff.
After weeks of daily use it's a WINNER! super slim, stays closed in pocket and easy to use. Plus when you take it out of pocket it doesn't YELL KNIFE!!!! Therefor others don't get edgy LOL It's a great value.
15 Gram Pocket Knife
Item: 56733


text:
Tue., March 1*
at Peoria Rivermen
Carver Arena
7 p.m.
Fri., March 4*
vs. Milwaukee Admirals#
Allstate Arena
7:30 p.m.
Sat., March 5*
at Peoria Rivermen
Carver Arena
7 p.m.
Sun., March 6^
vs. Manitoba Moose
Allstate Arena
3 p.m.
*Comcast Network 100
#Amtrak Rivalry
Log on to chicagowolves.com for broadcast schedule, or to watch or listen to the action live online
Chicago has surrendered 15 goals in its last seven games after allowing 28 markers in its previous seven outings; the Wolves have amassed a 22-2-0-0 mark when allowing two or fewer goals this season, which includes each of the last two contests.
--- Darren Haydar: Collected two goals on Saturday, his fourth multiple-goal game of the season ... Shares first on the Wolves and sixth in the AHL with 55 points in 59 games this season ... Paces Chicago and is tied for 10th in the league with 22 goals and holds third on the team and ninth in the AHL with 33 assists ... Ranked first on the Wolves with six goals and shared the team lead with 10 points in 10 games in February
--- Jared Ross: Shared the team lead with three points (3A) in three games last week and has dished out eight assists in his last six contests ... Holds second on the Wolves and fifth in the AHL with 35 assists and ranks third on the team and shares ninth in the league with 50 points in 57 games this season ... Paced Chicago with nine assists and shared third on the team with nine points in 10 games in February
--- Jason Krog: Posted two points (G, A) on Saturday after he saw his four-game point-streak snapped on Friday ... He accrued five points (2G, 3A) during that span ... Shares first on the Wolves and sixth in the AHL with 55 points in 62 games this season ... Leads Chicago and ranks third in the AHL with 41 assists ... Shared the team lead with 10 points (3G, 7A) in 10 games in February
--- Ryan Garbutt: Registered two assists on Saturday, his sixth multiple-point outing of the season ... Paces Chicago rookies and ranks third overall on the team with 15 goals and leads team first-year pros and holds seventh overall with 28 points in 49 games this season ... Ranks first on the Wolves and second in the AHL with a +24 plus/minus rating, which paces league rookies ... Shared third on the team with nine points (3G, 6A) in 10 games in February
--- Chicago, which posted a 7-2-0-1 mark during the month of February and has won six of its last seven games overall, is tied for sixth place in the West Division with 70 points (32-24-2-4) through 62 games this season; the Wolves trail the first place Milwaukee Admirals, who hold three games in hand, by six points.
--- The Wolves bagged a short-handed strike in each of their last two outings after not scoring a shortie since Jan. 5; Chicago shares sixth in the AHL with eight short-handed goals this season.
--- Forward Tim Miller has tallied three goals in his last seven games, all of which have been game-winners.
--- Left wing Kip Brennan recorded two penalty minutes on Saturday after being signed to a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO) earlier that day; the 30-year-old forward has amassed 1,549 penalty minutes in 313 AHL outings over parts of 11 seasons, which includes 267 in 48 games with the Wolves in 2004-05.
--- The Wolves have converted on eight of their 16 five-on-three power-play chances this season, which includes defenseman Paul Postma's goal on Saturday; Chicago ranks third in the AHL with a 21.4 power-play rating (62 of 290).
--- The Wolves have been perfect on the penalty kill during their current three-game win streak (12 of 12), which includes thwarting all five of Peoria's power-play chances on Saturday; Chicago ranks 28th in the league with a 77.1 percent efficiency rating on the penalty kill overall this season (222 of 288).
--- The Chicago Wolves will host their 2nd annual Wine Tasting fundraiser at Harry Caray's Restaurant, 10233 West Higgins Rd, in Rosemont, on Wed., March 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Players will join fans for an evening of appetizers and their favorite wine. Fans over the age of 21 can reserve seats for $50 each, but space is limited. For more information or to sign-up, visit chicagowolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
Sat., Feb. 26
(at) Chicago 5, Peoria 2
--- The Wolves broke the game open with four goals in the third period to pick up a 5-2 win over the Peoria Rivermen before 10,310 fans at the Allstate Arena
--- Forwards Darren Haydar (2G), Fredrik Pettersson and Jason Krog and defenseman Paul Postma dented the net
--- Goaltender Peter Mannino kicked out 24 of 26 shots
Fri., Feb. 25
Chicago 2, (at) Milwaukee 1
--- The Wolves earned a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals at the Bradley Center
--- Defenseman Mark Matheson and forward Tim Miller tickled the twine for Chicago
--- Goaltender Drew MacIntyre thwarted 29 of 30 shots, which includes holding the Admirals scoreless for the first 58:17 of the game
Wed., Feb. 23
(at) Chicago 4, Rockford 3
--- The Wolves jumped out to a 4-2 lead and held on for a 4-3 win over the Rockford IceHogs at the Allstate Arena
--- Left wing Nigel Dawes led the way with two goals, while Fredrik Pettersson and Ryan Garbutt also scored
--- Goaltender Drew MacIntyre made 27 saves on 30 shots


text:
"it's hard not to get an iPhone and Mac and not know that from here on in, you're expected to do things The Apple Way.
To be honest, this attitude is exactly what traditionally turned me off from Apple products"
This has never been the case with Mac OS X and Apple computer hardware, and still is not. Sadly, now that iOS does indeed reign in and confine users, the old notion (a sentiment advanced almost solely by those who not actually familiar with the Macintosh and the OS) that OS X and Macs suffer from similar usage limitations and limited user freedom seems to be receiving unrelated and erroneous justification.
iOS slammed as "crystal prison" by Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontiter Foundation (EFF), an electronic rights activist group, has recently labeled the iPhone and iPad app ecosystem as a "crystal prison" for developers and end-users. The EFF's main justifications for this conclusion include Apple's content filters, restrictions on code usage (like ones tapping into AirPlay uninvited), and limiting developers to using Apple's payment infrastructure (though some devs seem pretty happy with the current set-up).
Much of the essay harps on the necessity to jailbreak an iPhone to have full control of the device. The EFF posits that Apple's primary motivation to maintaining this degree of control is to lock down their 30% cut from sales, but I have trouble agreeing with that since Apple openly admitted that they pretty much break even on App Store costs. To amend the situation, the EFF proposes that four core rights are granted to end-users.
- Installation of arbitrary applications on the device. If the user wishes to, they should not be limited to what is included in one particular proprietary "app store."
- Access to the phone OS at the root/superuser/hypervisor/administrator level. If consumers wish to examine the low-level code that is running in their pockets, to check for invasions of privacy, run the anti-virus software of their choice, join VPNs, install firewalls, or just tinker with their operating systems, phone and device companies have no legitimate basis for preventing this.
- The option to install a different OS altogether. If people want to install Linux on their iPhones, Boot to Gecko on their Windows phones, or just run a different version of Android on their Android phones, the company that sold them the hardware must not prevent them. Using a cryptographic bootloader to defend against malware is a fine idea, but there must be a way to reconfigure this security mechanism to (1) allow an alternative OS to be installed; and (2) to offer the same cryptographic protections for the alternative OS.
- Hardware warranties that are clearly independent of software warranties. Apple denies warranty coverage to users who have jailbroken their iPhones. While nobody is asking Apple to support jailbroken or modified software, it is inexcusable that the company threatens not to cover, say, a faulty screen, if the customer has chosen to modify the software on their device.
For all of its criticisms, the EFF openly admits that Apple may not be the worst perpetrator in closed operating systems, and that writing software for mobile before iOS was considerably worse, but that Apple is still in a position to raise the bar. After all, "no place, and no system, can be perfect if it denies its citizens the freedom to change it, or the freedom to leave."
This issue doesn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who has become involved with Apple products; it's hard not to get an iPhone and Mac and not know that from here on in, you're expected to do things The Apple Way.
To be honest, this attitude is exactly what traditionally turned me off from Apple products, but as we all know, a crystal prison is still a pretty nice place to hang out.
I'm mostly interested in the idea that Apple necessarily has to be the restrictive (but safe and polished) option, and Android is by default the free, open, and chaotic developer playground. I get the distinct impression that developing on iOS isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be by folks like the EFF, and that Android isn't as open as Google might like you to think. Devs, care to weigh in? Jailbreakers, how happy would you be to see Apple formally adopt something like this digital bill of rights?
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Reader comments
iOS slammed as "crystal prison" by Electronic Frontier Foundation
"it's hard not to get an iPhone and Mac and not know that from here on in, you're expected to do things The Apple Way.
I think you missed the point. Android isn't restrictive at all. Nice try with the insult though. Maybe you should try a different thesaurus. Might have to wait for the approved one first though ;)
Lol Rat filled dungeon. Typical *pple sheep. Open your eyes, people like customization and open source. Have fun living your life the way *pple tells you to.
What a bunch of idiots, it's easy to cut apple out of the 30% cut of sales, so how can that be the reason. Absolute morons.
I totally agree with the article and what the EEF feels about Apple's proprietary hold on their products. I jailbroke my iphone 4 for one and only one reason: a call blocking app that android and blackberry allow in their app stores, but yet Apple refuses and it really doesn't make sense as to why if I buy a $300 phone and spend a great deal of money each month to have the service on that phone, that I should not be allowed to block numbers from reaching my phone- after all, when it comes down to the wire it is really MY phone and not apple's. What good does it do to have a choice of 500,000 apps when the one most important app for you is not available through "legal" app store purchase? so until Apple comes down off it's high horses I will continue to jailbreak and if there is a version of the iphone in the future which cannot be jailbroken through unthethered means, then i go back to blackberry or to Android. I also feel that Apple needs to do something about it's very lame and tired ringtones and text tones and the only way to get much better control over these tones and to get professional sounding tones is to jailbreak. If Apple sees as a company tha tover one million people just jailbroke their iphone 4S untethered with the lates 5.1, in one weekend alone, then it really needs to modernize it's way of thinking.
I'm not going to debate the points in your post, the only thing I'm going to comment on is the ring/text tones thing. I've been able to create my own ring and text tones on my PC from whatever audio sources I want and transfer them to my iPhone using iTunes without jailbreaking. It's a fairly easy process (except creating the files if you're not familiar with audio editing software).
I agree with you 100% about being able to "create" ringtones, however: 1. It is much, much easier to download a great set of ringtones called RCP Professional sounding ringtones and use them with a cydia app called "tones fx" and....with tones fx, I can not only use my own downloaded ringtones, but I can actually change the email tones and text tones to something like blackberry tones, which in my opinion are the best text/email tones in the business. Sure, with iphone apps, you can certainly create your own ringtones, but it is extremely hard to get them into the text tone/email tone menu to use. with tone fx, it's done in a few seconds. Aplle really, really has to come up with better ringtones than dogs barking or garbage can lids clanking. Enough said.
"I also feel that Apple needs to do something about it's very lame and tired ringtones and text tones and the only way to get much better control over these tones and to get professional sounding tones is to jailbreak."
Ringtonium - iPhone App - Lite version - Free --> http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ringtonium-lite-professional/id430836044?...
Ringtonium - iPhone App - Pro version - $0.99 --> http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ringtonium-professional-ringtone/id430832...
Ringer - Mac App (in the Mac App Store) - $3.99 --> http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ringer-ringtone-maker/id402437824?mt=12
Just the couple I use as part of #TeamPure
again as replie above, yes you can get great ringtones - listen to what I said - ringtones. it is extremely difficult to get text/email tones. extremely difficult. again, all of you posters sticking up for apples great ringtones needs to understand that NOT EVERYBODY wants to deal with itunes. Strange things happen to my iphone/ipod when I hook it up to itunes. There are other GREAT ways to get into the iphone internal file systems to actually load songs, ringtones and text tones into the iphone. this is what the whole article is about - the fact that most of you feel you just have to use itunes for everything. first of all, I have been using "real player" since 2002 and I have paid for a lifetime subscription - I can legally download ANY video from youtube or google videos and transfer them directly to my iphone from real player. if I hook the phone up to itunes, those videos disapear. Now with google play - and a very nice app for the iphone, your really don't need to store your music on your phone - it can be done in the cloud with no loss of GB from your iphone. Same with photos and videos with apps like skydrive. there is an app on cydia called "tones fx". you download it on your laptop/desktop computer. you can go to a website called ZEDGE ringtones/sms/texttones and pick out ANY tones (some are very professional sounding and great) drop them into tones fx on your laptop/desktop and they automatically appear on your tones fx app on your iphone and you can use these tones to change your email/sms/mms alerts and it works seemlessly and extremely easy. Sure, you can do it your way on itunes, but this is about a 100 times easier way to change any tone on your iphone. True, not for everybody, but for me, iphone needs to take a cue from blackberry and maybe if blackberry goes out of business, they need to purchase the rights to blackberry's ring/email/sms/mms tones becasue they are about a 1000% better than the native tones that iphone gives you with any iphone.
" it is extremely difficult to get text/email tones"
Ringtonium Pro does that, which you would know if you bothered to check out the links. The fact that you have to pay for a 3rd party app is a different argument, but at $0.99 it's not like you're being held to ransom. There are other apps in the App Store that will do this also.
I understand the complaints and I agree with them for the most part. But on a personal level, I don't really mind all of those things on my iPhone and iPad. There's nothing I want to do with the devices today that I can't despite it's locked-down state. Furthermore, in my circle of friends and colleagues the majority own iPhones and I have yet to hear any of them complain about any of these things. In fact, I'd venture to guess that just about all of them aren't even aware that these things are issues.
Your comment is the exact reason why it's called a crystal prison. Everything looks so good that you think that their isn't anything better. Apple restricts a lot of things. For example, I have the slingbox app on my phone but it will not play to a tv using the video cables. According to Slingbox, this is due to apple restricting the api. But with a jailbreak, I can do it. Now I can travel and watch my own cable programs on a big screen.
again, I don't care who it is or what type of smartphone you own - you as the owner of that phone have the right to block any number you want from not reaching your phone, and everybody gets a wierd/sales/telemarketing/no ID/restricted/unavailable call from time to time. I chose to jailbreak because unlike blackberry and android, apple refuses to let a call blocking app in their app store. I'll give you two for instances: I do not accept ANY call with no ID. Period. I have my Cydia call blocking app set to reject any call that comes through with NO ID, Restricted, private, or unavailable. All they get is silence or a busy signal if I so choose when they call with no ID. 2nd for instance: Went car shopping in February for new car. Was comparing 3 different vehicles and every dealership had to run my credit to get a price and terms for a loan. So after choosing the car I wanted to buy, I didn't need 5 different dealership managers/salespeople calling my phone to ask me what happened or why I didn't want to buy their car. Simple - i blocked them all after the purchase. And...i should have the right to do this and apple won't give me this right. Not fair.
I'am a WebOS user but since the lack of toys to play with I've had to quench my tech thirst with iPads and iPhone for my family (I still use a pre3) for a phone, will be getting a iPhone very soon due to broken screen, high prices and availability of a Verizon pre3. Since using the iPad 2 and now the "New IPad" more and more without having the ability pretty much do nothing but a generic usage of the device it's a love and hate or more like a "like and hate" relationship . The hardware is obviously pleasing but the lack of customizing the user level leaves much to be desired. With WebOS it is Homebrew to the jail breaking of iOS and Rooting with Android. Fear of all the supposed consequences has keep me from jail breaking anything yet. It would be nice to get any piece of individuality in ocean of trendy blah. We should be able to do anything we want to our devices for what we pay for them. Maybe not anything but still, you know what I'm saying.
I agree.
I think these high-level "rights", as usual, are mostly self serving, dreamed up by people wrapped up in their own world. I don't think a majority of people would care at all about any of these, "rights", or even know what they were about.
That's not to say that these things don't matter - they do. But I think, as a developer and as a user, if someone disagrees with the practices and restrictions of a particular ecosystem, use their REAL right to freedom, and just drop it and buy another product.
Which is why Android is the better platform for those interested in real comprehensive modding and hacking, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Agree. If you want more choices, go buy an Android, but don't try to make iOS into Android. Sheesh...
That's retarded. At least 2 of those 4 pointers open the device up to malware/viruses and hacking just like Android. The closed eco-system makes everything safer.
I use both iPhone and iPad and have no need or desire to jailbreak anything. iOS does exactly what I need it to, when I need it to. Does this self-proclaimed 'EEE' realize the majority of users are not tech geeks that like to geekgasm over getting all uber-personal with their devices?
It's more politics treading into the private/free market. Someone telling someone else how to make their products.
From a developer's point of view, I much prefer iOS over Android. Sure, Android tends to be much more open but when it comes to meeting the needs of our clients, things tend to work much better in iOS. The line seems to be a marker between functional and beautiful. It's relatively easy to create a functional app on Android. However, when you want to create something beyond functional, something that leans more towards a performant work of art, it's simpler to do in iOS. Even basic things like nice transitions tend to be more of a pain in Android compared to iOS. I won't even get into how unfortunate things become when our clients need any non-native (read: HTML5/hybrid apps) on both platforms
None of this is to say that anything can be done on one but not the other.
On a side note, the whole walled garden/crystal prison is losing it's shock value. A small walled garden is bad. The thing is, metaphorically speaking, iOS' ecosystem is closer to the size of continent than that of a garden (and it is still growing). So while restrictions do remain, it is far less frustrating for most users than the term "walled garden" implies.
Let's tear down those four points one by one:
*1) Installation of arbitrary applications on the device. *
This would be heaven for malware creators. And there would be many of them due to the popularity of iOS. Terrible idea.
2) Access to the phone OS at the root/superuser/hypervisor/administrator level.
Embraces and extends #1. Let hackers write malware (aka "arbitrary applications") and give malware root access. Even worse than #1 alone.
*3) The option to install a different OS altogether. *
Apple is under no obligation to allow anyone to install any non-factory OS on any iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. The only reason Apple allows Windows to run on Macs is because it helps Mac sales somewhat.
4) Hardware warranties that are clearly independent of software warranties.
Too many gray areas. Software bugs can and do cause hardware failures. In addition, Apple's hardware and software are more integrated than most other consumer electronics manufacturers. (See #3 above.)
I've jailbroken all my iPhones and will continue to. I have recently switched to the Windows phone and I guess all the same things that people are saying about Apple can be true with the Windows phone? I'm not a developer, but I don't see any options to modify the Windows phone. Personally I like the Windows phone a lot better than the 4s, but I still keep the jailbroken iphone around.
Android is just as restrictive, I'd argue it's much easier to go through an iOS jailbreak than unlocking a bootloader and rooting an android device, barring non carrier tied Nexus devices.
Why no one takes the middle of the road WebOS solution is beyond me. Then again great innovative OSes always fall. Instead we have the equivalent of Windows PC's and Mac in the mobile space in Android and iOS.
Android is NOT just as restrictive. Android lets you install any app you want from anywhere you want, and is far more open in stock form to allowing apps system access. But no, it's not completely open.
As far as ease of root, that depends on the phone. But at least some Android manufacturers will supply you instructions.
Both as a user and a developer, I would prefer the EFF's suggestions adopted, with the following caveats:
1) Installation of arbitrary apps. - Yes, a thousand times yes! If Apple has concerns, port Mountain Lion's Gatekeeper to iOS and be very specific that warranty coverage requires only Gatekeeper-signed apps.
2) Low-level access to the phone. Yes, again, with the same note as above.
3) Ability to install another OS. Less strong feelings about this, but neither Apple, nor Google, nor Verizon should prevent me doing what I want with what I legally purchased, unless the modification can specifically be proven to compromise an ongoing service. They shouldn't have to support it, of course, but neither should they prevent it.
4) Independent hardware and software warranties. Yes, because refusing to cover a cracked screen because the Genius sees Cydia is absurd. In my experience, however, Apple tends to err on the side of the customer when it comes to warranty issues, however, so practically speaking, they usually fulfill the spirit of this requirement, though I understand why the EFF would like it spelled out.
The EFF posits that Apple's primary motivation to maintaining this degree of control is to lock down their 30% cut from sales, but I have trouble agreeing with that since Apple openly admitted that they pretty much break even on App Store costs.
Your logic does not follow, at all.
Assuming Apple is being straightforward with their accounting, and the App Store is a slightly-better-than-break-even proposition, that would make Apple more likely to have protecting the 30% cut as their primary motivation, not less, because losing any significant slice of that 30% would turn the App Store into a money-loser, which would at best make Apple have to subsidize the App Store further with other product lines, and at worst could bring the ecosystem down.
Your logic only works if the opposite of what Apple claims is true -- that the App Store is so profitable that losing the 30% cut would be a statistical blip on Apple's ecosystem radar.
The EFF and FOSS guys aren't going to get anywhere with the general populace, the 99% of the people in the market, if they keep on using words like prison, jails, draconian, dictatorial, totalitarian, etc. There are people who actually been to prison, who have lived in or are familiar with people who live dictatorships, fascist countries or countries in anarchy.
The device/software lockdown from various vendors is so far away from the reality of what those words mean that they are failing to communicate the ideas to the 99%. Even then, it doesn't really matter that much to the 99% anyways. It's not something that really affects people.
"The EFF and FOSS guys aren't going to get anywhere with the general populace, the 99% of the people in the market, if they keep on using words like prison, jails, draconian, dictatorial, totalitarian, etc."
This is probably why the FSF has no real credibility anymore. At this point, I truly believe that some of them wouldn't mind living in a real dictatorship - so long as their computers/smartphones were "open".
EFF is a great org that seems to feel the need to troll Apple to get attention, which is sad.
If you buy an Apple product, you know what you're getting. There's no bait and switch. You're not told it's 100% open only to find out otherwise when you bought it.
EFF feels they should be able to go to a three-star Michelin restaurant, kick the kitchen door in, and demand to cook their only meal.
Sorry, that's why we have supermarkets.
The iPhone is the French Laundry, not Safeway.
EFF's expectations are completely off.
You are putting words in the EFF's mouth. They never said there was a bait-and-switch involved. They said openness is a good thing, and put forward a list of suggestions Apple could adopt in service of that good. Nothing more, nothing less.
I guess it is convenient for you to further dismiss their words as trolling, but the EFF is not trolling Apple any more than they were trolling those other companies. Of course, if you also felt the EFF was simply trolling Microsoft when they railed against ActiveX lockin, that they were trolling Adobe when they criticized Flash DRM, or when they were lobbying against Hollywood for SOPA/PIPA, I apologize. Since you call them a good organization, I can only assume you applauded them for those actions. If you applauded them then, why do you call them trolls now? Simply because you like the choices Apple makes for you? If anything, that is why the EFF used the title "Crystal Prison" -- because Apple's choices are usually so damned good, it is tempting to cede them more and more control, something the EFF feels in the long run is detrimental.
So the EFF is not trolling Apple for attention; Apple's policies simply run counter to the EFF's core goals. Apple's policies may in fact be mostly benevolent and tasteful choices, but they still forbid the user a range of choices himself/herself. The EFF stands against that, regardless of whether the forbidding entity is a convicted monopolist in Redmond or a stylish innovator in Cupertino. The EFF's entire raison d'etre is preserving as much rights and responsibilities for the individual. Again, nothing more, nothing less. In that light, they would be hypocritical not to speak out about Apple policies in the iOS era.
Calling what they do trolling betrays either a deliberate attempt to trivialize their mission, or a deep misunderstanding of what they do.
"The EFF's entire raison d'etre is preserving as much rights and responsibilities for the individual. Again, nothing more, nothing less. In that light, they would be hypocritical not to speak out about Apple policies in the iOS era."
The EFF has a fine mission, but as soon as they used incendiary language like "prison", they failed in their mission to convince anybody worth convincing. That's trollish-like, or like truthy maybe it should be called trolly. Furthermore, they went for the emotional overreach with using Gatekeeper as a sign that Apple is closing OS X. (Never mind that the OS X 10.8 Gatekeeper is basically what they want for iOS).
I could say that what the EFF wants is an anarchy full of malware bombs, and only benefits hackers and malware punks, while the introduction of government and rules enables a more fruitful and happy populace. But that's not painting what they want in the right light, no?
Furthermore, they went for the emotional overreach with using Gatekeeper as a sign that Apple is closing OS X. (Never mind that the OS X 10.8 Gatekeeper is basically what they want for iOS).
Gatekeeper is a closing of OSX, even as its introduction would be an opening of iOS -- because they are starting from different places. Truly, it is not that hard to understand:
Closed Open
Embedded iOS (Gatekeeper) OSX Linux
The EFF wants things as far right on that line as feasible. Gatekeeper on iOS would open up choices for the user, and so moves iOS to the right. Gatekeeper on OSX removes choices from the user, and so moves OSX to the left. Consequently, the EFF regards Gatekeeper on iOS as a step in the right direction on iOS, and a step backwards on OSX.
Bah..HTML escaping fail. Trying the picture again
Closed <------------------------------------------> Open
Embedded iOS (gatekeeper) OSX Linux
All other issues aside, the EFF wants things as far to the right on that line as possible. Since iOS starts more closed, Gatekeeper is a step in the right direction, from the EFF's point of view. Since OSX starts more open, Gatekeeper is a step backwards, from their POV.
30% cut? The EFF clearly doesn't understand the lock on the crystal prison.
The iPhone isn't for power users. It's for the mundane user who wants consistency, reliability, and no need to think about their device Emphasis on "No need to think". It is locked down to assure this, and the revenue finances Apple to maintain the Eco-system, from app to iCloud.
Except for unlocking a device, none of the iPhone users I know (except me who is the JB power user), wants or even cares for anything beyond stock. That's a lot of people.
Steve was brilliant,and he served the 99.99% paradise in a crystal prison.
"The EFF posits that Apple's primary motivation to maintaining this degree of control is to lock down their 30% cut from sales, but I have trouble agreeing with that since Apple openly admitted that they pretty much break even on App Store costs."
This seems like a silly thing to say. If they break even then removing that 30% charge would put the App Store in the red, right?
Aren't you saying the same thing?
Apple takes 30% to run its iTunes business: buy the servers and other hardware, pay the cost of financial transactions, pay the cost of bandwidth, pay the army of folks to run the business, pay for the facilities to house the people and the hardware, etc. They should take enough to be comfortably profitable (which I think they do) to maintain the health of the business.
If they only take say 15% and run in the red half the time, that sounds stupid to me.
Now, the reason for the lockdown? It's not the 30% revenue cut. It's to protect the platform which is a force multiplier for sales of iOS devices. That's the gist of it. That does mean forging as many user dependencies on apps, iOS services, accessories as much as possible. Having iOS open leaves the door open for someone to come in and undermine the power of the platform. The kicker is that it is closed to protect against real sharks like MS and Google and baby sharks no one knows about. The FOSS/FSF guys are basically little fish in the big pond that they reluctantly play with every once in a while, and that's about it.
The problem with the FSF, FOSS, and the EFF's stance here is still very much cultural. Digital freedom is not a meaningful attribute to the masses. Apple, Microsoft, other closed device vendors provide a product the serves the needs of the masses. If the masses want digital freedom, maybe it would be different, but it isn't.
This gets old, it's every time Apple has a WWDC, an announcement or even a death in the organization that we hear a blast from them about being a secured prison, a walled in garden, an electronic handcuff or whatever they choose to call it each time.
They are entitled to their opinion but to make demands LOL.
I certainly prefer the walled in garden system with the app store. I don't want to find something arbitrarily installed simply by visiting a website by chance because it was shortened link on twitter or facebook or anywhere else.
Same think when it comes to the OS. If I want to boot to Linux then I would get a phone that is capable of running Linux. I purchase an Apple iPhone specifically because I want a phone using iOS, I don't want to buy an iPhone to run Windows, Linux, Android or any other operating system I want it to run Apple's iOS!
Blah Blah Blah
Leave me to sit in my little crystal prison and if you don't like the crystal prison then go get your Android device and then your have a downloaded app that doesn't work correctly or infects your phone with a virus then that's your business.
As long as Apple doesn't have to support/fix what phone buyers do to their phones.
All Apple has to do is to show someone how to restore the IDevice back to a default state.
Unles you agree to pay Apple to fix your screw ups.
basically if you install another os on your iDevice, you are on your own, Jack!
I can see a huge new market for user fixer uppers. Please insert your Visa card in the slot provided, Thank You.
I like the idea of being you. People love to hear about you, your story, what's going on for you, especially the bad. I guess misery loves company.authentic retro jordans sale
How could such a forward-thinking organization be so backward in their criticism?


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Also Ran:
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Jill Byrne's Handicapping
Race 1
Apropos (1) was a runaway winner at Oaklawn and has done little wrong in her career. Glamour Puss (3) has yet to miss the board in five starts and is a perfect two for two at this distance. Five Star Momma (2) ran two impressive races here at Churchill Downs last summer and has been a consistent performer of later. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 1-3-2
Race 2
Gombey Dancer (2) faces allowance company again after testing the graded stakes ranks and has been training well over the track leading up to today's race. Finn's Quest (5) ran his best race to date at this seven furlong distance and could be a key player with a better break today. Cone of Light (4) won his debit in fine fast closing style and will appreciate the added furlong. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 10-4-3
Race 3
Old Time Hockey (1) raced evenly after a long layoff but prior to that was facing much tougher graded stakes company. He will be tough to be if he regains that stakes caliber form. Prime Cut (2) was very impressive in his lone turf race in New Orleans and has the back class to contest today. Under Control (4) races for strong connections and exits a high quality race at Gulfstream. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 1-2-4
- Race 4
Race 5
Code West (8) was under consideration for the Kentucky Derby, but connections opted to pass in favor of this allowance race. He is a standout in here and it will take a top effort to beat him. Fiddler Blue (11) was closing fast before being forced to steady. He has shown an affinity for traditional dirt and will be closing late. Bellarmine (4) has shown an improvement with the addition of lasix and has run well at this distance previously. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 10-5-7
Race 6
Icon Ike (8) has won seven of thirteen career races on the turf and was the most impressive of all the turf workers at Churchill Downs in preparation for today. Regally Ready (3) is a past Breeders Cup Turf Sprint winner and has a perfect record on the Churchill Downs turf course. Chamberlain Bridge (6) another Breeders Cup Turf Sprint Champ and the elder statesman of the bunch but can still be a factor in the exotics. Havelock (2) will be closing late at what should be a fast early pace. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 8-3-6-2
Race 7
Rumor (1) exits a win against Grade 3 company and will get a good stalking trip just off the early pace. Aubby K (6) dominated rivals in the Inside Information (G2) and appears to be in top condition entering today's race. Emma's Encore (4) chased the second choice last out and could turn the tide with a different pace setup today. Burban (7) has yet to finish worse than second at Churchill Downs in her career and should be used in exotic plays. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 1-6-4-7
Race 8
Hungry Island (5) was a game winner last out and is the defending champion of this race capturing it last year in impressive fashion. Marketing Mix (8) makes her first start of a layoff, but will be a major challenger to the top choice if she returns to her form of last fall. Stephanie's Kitten (6) boasts a perfect record on the Churchill Downs lawn and races for the Ramsey's who have been winning in bunches of late. Daisy Devine (3) adds to what will be a quick pace, but could on for a small piece with the turn back in distance to one mile. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 5-8-6-3
Race 9
Hierro (2) broke slowly last time out and was rushed up but he has two wins over the Churchill main track and gets top rider John Velazquez in the saddle. Handsome Mike (4) races for the same connections as 2012 Kentucky Derby Winner I'll Have Another and enters this race in top form after winning the Commonwealth (G3) at Keeneland. Delaunay (9) comes into this race on a five race winning streak and dominated all rivals in the sprint stakes in New Orleans. Politicallycorrect (7) was beaten last out versus Grade 1 caliber horses but has trained well for his comeback today. JILL'S SELECTIONS –2-4-9-7
Race 10
Wise Dan (8) is the reigning Horse of the Year and was ultra impressive in his comeback win at Keeneland. He stretches out in distance slightly, but that should be no problem as he has won three of four career races at this distance. Point of Entry (9) just missed in last year's Breeders Cup Turf and will the main challenger to the top selection. Jeranimo (6) closed fast last out at Santa Anita and will be running strongly in the stretch. Optimizer (3) switches back to turf which is his more preferred surface. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 8-9-6-3
Race 11
The Kentucky Derby presented by YUM! Revolutionary (3) was game and determined in his previous two victories. He has looked well training over the Churchill surface and gets three time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel. Orb (16) was a dominant winner of the Florida Derby (G1) and has overcome various pace scenarios. He has looked sensational since arriving at Churchill. Normandy Invasion (5) looks to be rounding into top form and has put in two excellent workouts beneath the Twin Spires. Goldencents (8) is capable of sitting in a perfect stalking spot and has shown the ability to carry his speed a distance of ground. Palice Malice (10) adds blinkers and picks up Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. He has the pedigree to excel at Churchill Downs and could be peaking at the right time. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 3-16-5-8-10
Race 12
Rightfully So (2) has two strong races at Churchill and is in good form. Wild Target (7) returns from a layoff and shows a strong local workout for a sharp stable. China (3) has a solid record locally and may prefer the return to dirt today. JILL'S SELECTIONS – 2-7-3
Race 13
Sylvester (7) exits a strong maiden race at Fair Grounds and is the horse to beat in the Derby Day finale. Lifes Reward (8) just missed last time out in New Orleans and has worked well under the Twin Spires. To the Stars (12) has run consistently well and will appreciate the added distance today, JILL'S SELECTIONS – 7-8-12


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Sage Hospitality and the Hilton College Station Hotel and Conference Center are pleased to announce the recent appointment of James Franks as the General Manager of the highly respected Brazos County hotel.
Franks was promoted from Hotel Manager after having been with the property for more than four years. Before joining the Hilton College Station in 2008, he opened the Hotel ZaZa and The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, both in Texas, in various senior leadership roles. His more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry includes 12 years of service to hotels in Texas.
"James clearly lives and breathes the 'Howdy!' culture that the Hilton is known for," says Jim Darter, Senior Vice President of the Full Service Division at Sage Hospitality. "He is a tremendous leader and we are highly confident that he has the right skills and attitude to continue to drive excellent results with this hotel and the College Station community."
Franks will be the first new general manager at the Hilton in 18 years following Barron Hobbs. Hobbs is well-known in the Brazos County community for his outstanding community citizenship and his long standing leadership at the hotel as general manager. He is now serving as General Manager Emeritus for the Hilton College Station.
"Barron has brought such amazing contributions to our local community," said Franks. "I look forward to continuing great charitable events he's created that are hosted by the hotel, like the Great Christmas Tree Event, providing decorated trees to local area families who wouldn't normally have one during the holidays."
The Hilton College Station and Conference Center is located nearby to Texas A&M University and is the largest space for events in the Brazos Valley. To learn more about the hotel or to book a room, meeting or event, visit www.collegestation.hilton.com.
About the Hilton College Station Hotel and Conference Center
The Hilton College Station Hotel and Conference Center is located less than two miles from Texas A&M University on University Drive with easy access to Brazos Valley and Bryan. Managed by Sage Hospitality, the hotel has 303 guest rooms and more than 27,000 sq. ft. of meeting space as well as a fitness center and 24-hour business center. The Bell Ranch Restaurant within the hotel offers breakfast, lunch and dinner served with a side of southern hospitality. The outdoor patio is perfect for outside functions and features a pool, waterfall and poolside whirlpool. To learn more about the Hilton College Station Hotel and Conference Center, visit www.collegestation.hilton.com.
About Sage Hospitality
Founded in 1984, Sage Hospitality has strategically grown into one of the largest privately held hotel management, investment and development companies in the nation operating a variety of large, full-service hotels and extended stay and select-service properties. Sage Hospitality's comprehensive management portfolio includes major international brands for Marriott, Starwood, Hilton and IHG as well as the independent boutique hotels. Sage Hospitality has further differentiated with the creation of the Sage Restaurant Group, which has created and is managing over nine unique restaurant concepts including the acclaimed Mercat a la Planxa restaurant in Chicago. For more information, please visit www.sagehospitality.com.
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275.36 (long-lived branch release) for Linux x86/x86_64 released
Release highlights since 275.28:
The 275.36 NVIDIA Accelerated Linux Graphics Driver Set for Linux/x86 is available for download via FTP.
The 275.36 NVIDIA Accelerated Linux Graphics Driver Set for Linux/x86_64 is available for download via FTP.
Please see the README (x86 / x86_64) for more information about this release.
Please note: This NVIDIA Linux graphics driver release supports GeForce 6xxx and newer NVIDIA GPUs, GeForce4 and older GPUs are supported through the 96.43.xx and 71.86.xx NVIDIA legacy graphics drivers. GeForce FX GPUs are supported through the 173.14.xx NVIDIA legacy graphics drivers.
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Monday, February 23, 2009
LAMB WITH GUINNESS in SEA URCHIN SAUCE
I first met Stéphane and Johey when, about 5 years ago, I took my visiting mom to their lovely, elegant bistrot, Le Pressoir. We had read very good things about it, and, since Johey the owner was American, knew that it would be better for my mom to have someone who could explain the menu in English.
The rest, as they say, is history. Johey invited me to pop by again for coffee, and we quickly became fast and best friends, two crazy Americans in Nantes.
I asked Chef Steph, as he laughingly asked to be called, if he would prepare a recipe with me for my blog and he was on board in a flash. Loved the idea! We threw recipe ideas around and back and forth at each other, weighing out the options, French or not, easy and homey or fancy and restaurant-y, doable in any kitchen or impressively French Chef?
After the first weekend of 6 Nations rugby, I was telling Steph how I had planned on making a few specialties of all of the countries represented in the tournament : scones, rabbit, Welsh cakes, etc and his face lit up! Steph worked in a restaurant in Ireland for 3 years and had the best recipe : Irish Lamb with Guinness! "And," he threw in to tempt me, "I thicken the sauce with sea urchins, which gives it a uniquely French twist!" And we had our recipe.
As an added bonus, I learned not only how to prepare sea urchins, but as we were cooking, Stéphane's fishmonger dropped off his day's order and with it a load of local sea scallops in their shells. He taught me how to open them, remove and clean/prepare the scallops. What luck as I had just bought myself a wonderful St. Jacques (scallops) cookbook, which contains only recipes using this beautiful local ingredient by local chefs. Wonderful!
And as we finished up for the day and Steph handed me a container of the Lamb with Guinness to share with JP for dinner that night, he agreed to make our cooking together a monthly event. So the plat du jour will actually be a plat du mois – look for it here!
AGNEAU AVEC GUINNESS et SAUCE AUX OURSINS : Lamb with Guinness and Sea Urchin Sauce
For 10 people :
4.5 - 5 lbs (2 kg) lamb shoulder *
6.5 lbs (3 kg) sea urchins; about 8 – 10 pieces/kg (if you can't get fresh, you can find them in cans)
3 or 4 pints (4 – 6 cans x 33 cl) Guinness or other stout, enough to cover the lamb
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 – 3.5 oz ( 80 – 100 g) flour for tossing the lamb pieces
Paprika if desired
Vegetable oil for sautéing (grape seed oil or sunflower oil is recommended, although not olive oil)
1 parsnip
1 carrot
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
3 ½ Tbs (1.8 oz, 50 g) butter
For 4 people :
1 lb 9 oz – 1 lb 12 oz (700 – 800 g) lamb shoulder *
2.2 lbs (1 kg) sea urchins; about 8 – 10 pieces/kg (if you can't get fresh, you can find them in cans)
1 or 2 pints (2 large cans x 33 cl) Guinness or other stout, enough to cover the lamb
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1.5 – 2 oz ( 40 g) flour for tossing the lamb pieces
Paprika if desired
Vegetable oil for sautéing (grape seed oil or sunflower oil is recommended, although not olive oil)
1 parsnip
1 carrot
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbs (.9 oz, 25 g) butter
* when buying meat and calculating the quantity needed, a lot comes into play. Americans usually eat more meat per person than, say, Italians. A construction worker taking a lunch break will eat more than an office worker. Will there be a first course or not, will it be served with side dishes, breads and rolls and followed by a heavy dessert, or is it a simple meal of meat with one side and fruit or sorbet after wards. Dinner or lunch? But you can usually count on about 6 – 6.5 oz / 170 – 180 grams of lamb per person.
Prepare the lamb :
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cut the parsnip, peeled carrot and onion into chunks. Peel the garlic cloves, slice in two lengthwise and remove the center. Set aside.
The lamb shoulder should be trimmed of excess fat and cut into large chunks.
Salt and pepper the lamb generously.
Sprinkle the flour (or flour and paprika, if using) over the lamb and toss until the lamb chunks are evenly coated.
Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large oven-safe skillet or pot. Add the lamb and cook over medium-high heat until a nice, deep color on all sides. This helps keep the juices inside the lamb and will keep the meat juicy. Do not overcrowd, as overcrowded meat tends to release a lot of liquid and the lamb will not brown.
Sautée and brown the lamb pieces in batches then remove them to a colander set over a bowl. This will allow the meat to "degrease", drain off all of the excess fat as well as juices.
Once the each batch of lamb is well browned and the lamb is removed to the colander, pour off any excess fat in the pan ("The fat adds flavor, but too much is too much," as Stéphane explains. "You don't want a greasy sauce."). Add a swirl of vegetable oil again to the pan and add the next batch of lamb chunks to brown.
Once all the the lamb chunks have browned and are draining in the colander, pour off any fat from the pan (you should have beautiful brown crusty residue stuck to the bottom of the pan), add the vegetables and allow them to sweat until they are shiny.
Without removing the vegetables from the pan, deglaze with a can or two of Guinness or stout : pour the liquid in and scrape up the burned, crusty bits on the bottom stirring until they dissolve into the liquid.
Once the pan is deglazed, add the drained lamb chunks back into the pan with the vegetables. Add more cans of stout until the lamb is just covered with liquid.
Bring to a boil, then cover the pot tightly and carefully place in the preheated oven. Allow to cook for 1 hour 30 minutes. This will gently braise the meat, leaving it much more tender than if it was simmered on top of the stove, which is much more aggressive to the meat.
Although this dish can be simmered on top of the stove if you prefer.
Prepare the sea urchins if using fresh :
Cup an urchin in the palm of your hand. With sharp kitchen scissors, stick one blade in the hole in the center and snip outwards to the edge. Turn the scissors and cut off the top, like removing a cap.
Place a strainer over a bowl. As you open each urchin, pour the liquid into the strainer. With a teaspoon and avoiding any and all thorns from the outside of the urchin, push the black stuff (for lack of a better word!) carefully off of the orange coral (or "langues", "tongues" as Stéphane calls them) and gently scrape up the coral – there are about 5 in each urchin – out of the shell and place them in the bowl under the strainer.
You will be collecting both the coral and the juice from the urchins.
This goes faster than you think once you get the hang of it, just be very careful not to catch any thorns in your juice or corals. And make sure that, like any seafood, you buy live sea urchins.
Finish the dish :
After an hour and a half in the oven, remove the pan to the stovetop.
Carefully remove the meat and set aside. Place the juice in the pan over medium to medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Skim off the foam with a slotted spoon – this is very important as this foam, if left, adds a bitter flavor to the sauce.
Skim off any fat that has accumulated in the drained off meat juices, then add the meat juice to the sauce.
Strain the juice from the sea urchins into the meat sauce, reserving the urchin coral.
Taste and add more salt if needed.
Add about ¾ of the sea urchin corals to the sauce and whisk until dissolved. This will not only add a fresh, vibrant, earthy flavor to the sauce but will help thicken it as well.
Reserve the remaining corals for serving.
Now, once the sauce is at a rolling simmer, allow it to reduce until desired thickness. This should only take a few minutes. Don't overdo it! You just want to reduce it by about a quarter or half.
Skim off the foam once again so the sauce doesn't become bitter.
Now, whisk in the butter just a small bit at a time. This will add a richness to your sauce.
Place the lamb chunks back into the sauce in the pot. Heat through.
Boil some potatoes! This is an Irish dish, after all!
Ready to serve!
Place a few boiled, peeled potatoes on each plate. Arrange chunks of lamb around or in the center of the potatoes. Spoon sauce over the meat. If you like, slice a red onion into thin slivers and place around the potatoes and meat. Carefully decorate with the reserved sea urchin corals.
Ideally, this dish should be served with Guinness or the stout used in the recipe.
But if you want something a little fancier or more upscale, a dry, white wine is beautiful with this dish.
We did eat leftovers warmed up and served over mashed potatoes. This was exquisite!
MERCI BEAUCOUP A CHEF STEPHANE et A LA PROCHAINE!
Chef's hat off to you, Chef Steph and we will see you next month!
13 comments:
Jamie, when I visit you in Nantes (and I will!!!), you must cook that for me. I wouldn't even attempt that, but by God it looks delicious. Just the sort of food we Irish need before we take on the English this weekend! :)
- February 23, 2009 at 1:27 PM
- Culinarywannabe said...
What an interesting dish! I've never seen anyone, aside from my husband's Japanese grandmother, add sea urchin to anything. You're so lucky to have such a nice friend to cook with!
- February 24, 2009 at 3:03 AM
Wow Jamie, that is some dish !
Your instructions worked - I am no longer anonymous.
- February 24, 2009 at 3:20 AM
- Chef E said...
Does this I now have a 'soul' relative to visit in France? I have never been and want to come visit...we would drink our way through different regions while tasting regional foods!
Your right I read the first few blogs...a lot in common...I go in most restaurant kitchens if they will have me...but enjoy eating from the sidelines now as a personal chef, but try to step it up in my blog food...consider myself an experimental foodie!
- February 24, 2009 at 10:01 AM
- teresa said...
Hi Jamie, thank you for stopping by my blog. Your blog is just beautiful, it will be fun to check it out!
- February 24, 2009 at 10:34 AM
- Jan said...
Wow that is an amazing post! The dish looks so good - no I mean fantastic!
- February 24, 2009 at 11:58 AM
- asiangrrl said...
Jamie, I am going to visit you with Irishgirl, and we are going to eat our way around Nantes. This dish looks magnificent. I can't wait to see what Stephane thinks of for next month.
- February 24, 2009 at 2:03 PM
- Jessica@Foodmayhem said...
Wow, I would love to try working with fresh sea urchin. I wonder if I can get it.
- February 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
- Jamie said...
Irishgirl - you are welcome to come and visit and I will happily cook this dish for you, only YOU bring the Guinness (chuckle chuckle). And bring Minna along...
- February 24, 2009 at 11:42 PM
- My Carolina Kitchen said...
What a lucky girl (I'm jealous) to cook with a chef and a handsome one too. The French love their agneau and it's often le plat du jour on Sunday at bistros throughout France.
We've found sea urchins in the sea when we lived in the islands and they look exactly as you have them pictured. We've never cooked with them - only kept their pretty shells. You've given me confidence to try them. In fact, I'm going to email one of my gourmet friends who is in Abaco right now and suggest she try cooking with them - she's brave and I know she would do it.
Thanks for this fabulous post. It transports me right back to France and that's always a good thing.
- February 26, 2009 at 5:34 AM
- Jamie said...
Sam - Thanks for the very kind words and I am so glad that this post had such a great effect and could bring you a taste of France!
I had such a great time cooking with Stéphane. He taught me not only how to clean and prepare urchins, but sea scallops, too.
Keep posted because we have decided to cook together once a month! And wait until you see what we have "cooked up" for next months recipe!
- February 26, 2009 at 7:23 AM
Just let me know the dates you are free!! We will descend en masse to Nantes. Don't tell Jamie! Surprises are good.
- February 26, 2009 at 12:03 PM
- asiangrrl said...
Irishgirl, sounds like a plan to me! I'll tell you what. I'll leave you a coded message here, and we'll plan it right under Jamie's nose! Hahahahaha!
- February 27, 2009 at 12:07 AM