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I have got the highest respect for Hyper-V. It's simple to use I don't need to learn any new interface (it's just another mmc snap-in) in which to mange the virtual world. However when someone asks me if they can install other roles alongside hyper-V in production I say "Oi mate NO don't do it".
The problem here is that it is possible to do this with Hyper-V, for example to run SQL Server alongside hyper-v in the host operating system. It's not a FAQ but do get asked about the advisability of this by customers and I have seen internal threads asking the same thing. Rather than ask why this a bad idea let me debunk some "myths" about why people think it is a good idea:
In fact the only reason I put applications alongside hyper-V is for ease of use and a better experience when I am showing how infrastructure stuff works in my demo environment. So I have Office installed on the base OS along with on using hyper-V for demos.
If I was putting a virtual machine infrastructure into production, I would use the free Hyper-V Server in as the host operating system and remotely manage this with server manager or System Center on a client machine, as this is lightweight and secure and still easy to manage.
I spent a very interesting afternoon last week with the IT team at the RSPB to explore what they could do to combine their mapping data with the olap cubes they have in analysis services. The only out of the box solution in SQL Server for spatial data is the map control in reporting Services (in SQL Server 2008 R2). This map control allows you to create the appearance of drilling down to more details as you can pass details of where on the map is being clicked to another report, much like passing parameters in previous versions of reporting services. The other interesting thing about the map control is that it does allow you to combine sets of data in the one control. This would allow the RSPB to combine a relational query with the spatial data with an MDX query and then join them on a common field.
The spatial hierarchy would use the standard UK postcode:
[changed 20/09/10 as I got the labellign of the postcodoes mixed up - thanks to Robert Edgson for picking this up]
Postal Town/ London area( (1st 1or 2 characters) –> outbound code(the group before the space) –> sector( 1st number after the space) –> full postcode
for example for Microsoft UK:
RG –>RG6 –> RG 6 1-> RG6 1WG which equates to
Postal Town/ London area( (1st 1or 2 characters) –> outbound code(the group before the space) –> sector( 1st number after the space) –> full postcode
for example for Microsoft UK:
RG –>RG6 –> RG 6 1-> RG6 1WG which equates to
This would then translate into three linked reports:
I would then publish the map report parts for these maps, another new feature in SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services.
The olap data in the cube has a location dimension with the parts of the postcode in a postcode hierarchy; postal town –> Inbound code –>sector –>postcode. The parameter passed into the postal town report would then filter the map to the town and because the olap data is inner joined to that town you'll only get the olap data for that town.
It is then up to the users as to which visualisation they wish to use to express high and low values e.g. heat colour the polygons or add symbols with different colours or sizes to show the measures in the cube.
What you loose in surfacing BI in this way is the ad hoc interaction you have with analysis services proper, however what you gain is a quick method of seeing data on a map from a cube, that can be created by an end user.
In the meantime here's a gratuitous painting I did of a merlin to show I have more than a casual interest in the success of the RSPB:
I'll keep you posted on how the RSPB goes (subject to their permission of course) and in my next couple of posts I'll show you how to do some of this using freely available (and unfortunately American based) data.
In my last post I went through a possible approach for showing spatial and olap data that the RSPB are planning to evaluate, now I want to show you how this might look in an example.
First of all an apology, I am not going to pay the £1500 to license UK postcodes as this is just a demo, rather I am going to show how it might work with example data from the US Census boundaries. Not only is this free but the data I am using is available on Codeplex (here.) so you can recreate what I am doing to get the idea.
These files are pretty big sql scripts, so the best way to load them in is to create a database (mines called USCensus) and then use SQLCMD to run the script for each SQL file:
SQLCMD –S "MIAMI\PowerPivot" –E -d"USCensus" –i "d:\samples\US Census\postcode.table.zip"
-S is the server instance -E signifies windows authentication -d is the database -i is the sql file you want to run (change and rerun this for each of the four files in the census)
-S is the server instance
-E signifies windows authentication
-d is the database
-i is the sql file you want to run (change and rerun this for each of the four files in the census)
The State, City and County tables have the relevant boundary in as a geography column, and county and city both show which state they're in.
I can then combine this withe the adventure works sample (the version for SQL Server 2008 R2 )cube which I can also get from CodePlex here, as this has a geography dimension.
Now I have the data I need I can start to use Reporting Services, specifically by opening Report Builder 3 and using the map wizard. Unlike all the other controls in Reporting Builder the map control allows you to combine different sets of data in the one control. In my case I need the state polygons from the US Census database I have created and analytical data form the cube. The wizard guides you through this process including identifying how the data sets are to be joined. In this case the join is between the state name in the state table to the State Province attribute in the Adventure Works cube.
Rather than grab every screen I have made a short video which you can pause and replay to see what I have done..
There's also a bunch of sessions on Report Builder and spatial data at the next SQLBits in York 1 –2 October 2010.
I forgot one thing on my recent post on Reporting services interop, Report Builder. What is Report Builder? it's an end user (information worker in Microsoft speak), tool that creates a report that can run in SQL Server reporting services. What this actually means is that it creates a xml file with an .rdl extension that is a set of instructions to run the report in a structure known as report definition language (RDL – hence the extension name of the file)
Report Builder 1 (RB1) came out with SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services and allowed end users to create simple reports from a report model . It was a click once application, and for me it was flawed because if you used BI Development Studio (BIDS) to tweak a report originally created in RB1 it could no longer be opened in RB1, and it only worked off report models – a semantic layer over the underlying data which defines joins and calculations to be used in the RB1 reports.
With the arrival of SQL Server 2008 , reporting services got a complete overhaul and a completely new report builder, Report Builder 2 (RB2). This was created by skinning the report designer in BIDS with an office 2007 style ribbon and then making this a click once application that could be downloaded from Report Manager/ SharePoint (if you have reporting services running in integrated mode)..
So RB2 had the same functionality as Report designer in BIDS, you could use all the new charts, write queries from any source etc.
SQL Server 2008 R2 has now been released and this is essentially an update and enhancement to the BI tools in SQL Server, including reporting services. So the new Report Builder (RB3) supports maps, new charts like sparklines and allows parts of a report to be saved off and re-used..
Each version of Report Builder only works with its equivalent version of SQL Server as the features in a particular version of Report Builder depend in turn on the features available in a specific version of Reporting Services e.g. the new charts in RB2 are only available in the report definition language in Reporting Services 2008
Hopefully this all makes sense, but I have been asked this before and it still turns up on internal e-mail threads, hence this post.
Finally what of the future? All I know is that there are plans for Reporting Services to be included in SQL Azure (I don't know when) and in that scenario the version of Report Builder you'll need will again be specific to that version and so I am not sure what that will be so I am not going to guess.
I am sometimes confused when things get renamed, but it made a lot of sense for Microsoft to renamed Terminal Services to Remote Desktop Services as it has changed out of all recognition from where it started. In fact we made this simple video to show how much has changed in Windows Server 2008 R2 for its launch last year..
With this release of Windows Server there is a one stop shop, the Remote Desktop Web Portal, to bring all of the different options; a remote application, a remote desktop or the desktop of an individual's own virtual machine using VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure). Our simple pin board diagram gets the basics across well enough, but if you want to see the full details of what's under the covers now there's a poster you can download from here.
This might seem complicated but all the bits are in Windows server 2008 R2 as is, and the simple portal for the users I put in this video shows that ..
you'll also see how remote applications appear in windows 7 , so the users don't even need to go to his portal to see them once they register it.
Like all things Microsoft you might well be confused about when to use which, so I'll try and clear that up in my next post.
Following on from my my post on Monday I wanted to show you how to link reports together using the mapping control in Report Builder 3. This is actually pretty easy to do as any polygon or point on a map can have an action associated with it and one of the available action types allows you to call another report.The clever bit is that the polygon has data associated with it so you can pass this information as a parameter to another report. In my example I have a US State report which is run merely by clicking on the state in the USA wide overall sales map I created my last post.
I have made a screencast for you to follow and if you want to try it for yourself then please refer to part 1 I posted on Monday as you'll need understand that first..
In my post yesterday I showed I gave you an introduction to Remote Desktop Services, today I want to contrast and compare a traditional remote desktop approach with the shiny new thing that is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), in order to understand when to use them.
First of all why would you use either of them?
RDS has long been used as a solution to these issues, so what makes VDI better or indeed worse?
If I elect to use VDI I create a virtual machine (VM) for each of my users so the number of users I can support will depend on how many VMs I can run concurrently. Each VM will have its own operating system , plus any applications the users want to run. RDS works completely differently as each user session is not another copy of the OS with all its applications. Buried in the Remote Desktop Session capacity planning guidelines there is is this table..
If I elect to use VDI I create a virtual machine (VM) for each of my users so the number of users I can support will depend on how many VMs I can run concurrently. Each VM will have its own operating system , plus any applications the users want to run. RDS works completely differently as each user session is not another copy of the OS with all its applications. Buried in the Remote Desktop Session capacity planning guidelines there is is this table..
Server Configuration
AMD Opteron Quad-core CPU 2.7 GHz 512 KB L2 Cache 32 GB Memory
Knowledge Worker v2
110 users
2 x AMD Opteron Quad-core CPU 2.7 GHz 512 KB L2 Cache 32 GB Memory
200 users
Knowledge Worker v2 without PowerPoint
180 users
300 users
Contemporary VDI solutions would be pushed to support 20 users on this, based on the memory alone, so RDS is at least 5X as efficient as VDI for this kind of workload and I am being very generous to VDI here.
Contemporary VDI solutions would be pushed to support 20 users on this, based on the memory alone, so RDS is at least 5X as efficient as VDI for this kind of workload and I am being very generous to VDI here.
Security. Both Microsoft RDS and VDI are equally secure as they both use the same protocol (RDP Remote Desktop Protocol) to connect to the desktop from the local device.
Security. Both Microsoft RDS and VDI are equally secure as they both use the same protocol (RDP Remote Desktop Protocol) to connect to the desktop from the local device.
Manageability. In RDS you manage the server and the set of applications that are installed on it for use by the users. Also the user state doesn't persist so the desktop returns to a known state at the end of a session. In VDI the operating system and the user applications are installed in each VM, all of which needs to patched updated and monitored. The fact you are running users' desktops in VDI doesn't actually change the manageability problem at all; and any tools like System Center you would use to do this would work equally well on physical desktops or VDI. BTW there is nothing to stop you running the Remote Desktop Session Servers as vms to get the benefits of server virtualisation.
Manageability. In RDS you manage the server and the set of applications that are installed on it for use by the users. Also the user state doesn't persist so the desktop returns to a known state at the end of a session. In VDI the operating system and the user applications are installed in each VM, all of which needs to patched updated and monitored. The fact you are running users' desktops in VDI doesn't actually change the manageability problem at all; and any tools like System Center you would use to do this would work equally well on physical desktops or VDI. BTW there is nothing to stop you running the Remote Desktop Session Servers as vms to get the benefits of server virtualisation.
So why would use VDI at all ?
RDS works well where you have a large community of users with similar and basic needs e.g. Information Workers who need to use Office , access the company intranet and internal applications like ERP and thus have one of a limited number of standard desktops with no persistent user state.
VDI gives each user a very personal desktop and the users state persists between sessions. This is might be essential for some power users with specialised needs, for example contractors who need special tools like Visual Studio and Expression, Actuaries, specialist financial staff and so on. VDI enables these users to be able to use the same thin clients as their colleagues, and to work remotely (where there are reasonable communications), from thin clients or low power PCs.
With the way the new component parts of the Microsoft Remote Desktop infrastructure works these two classes of users will have the same user experience and will not know whether they are in fact using RDS or VDI.
To conclude
Further Reading
It's not always Microsoft's fault…
For the last month or so, my mum's Asus Revo mini desktop PC thing kept starting windows repair intermittently on boot and her local tech support man (I couldn't get down to her) thought Windows updates were the problem. Also when it did power up it was taking ages to start. My inclination was a hard disk problem and as I couldn't get it to start Windows at all I stripped the whole thing down (not the easiest machine to do this on), swapped out the hard disk and proceeded to install Windows 7 and the other stuff she would need:
It all took about 4 hours, and yes it rebooted several times and installed upwards of fifty updates, but I was out having meal during that bit, and when I came back it was all done first time. I then put the old hard disk in a drive bay enclosure and got her data off it and onto the new hard disk and so now the only reason I need to visit is as a loving son rather than an IT Professional.
The other deployment scenario I worked on at home recently was to upgrade our home machines with the acquisition of two barebones systems from Novatech. These machines were both running Windows 7 and so all I had to do was move the old system hard disks across and fire up the new barebones machines for everything to work. Despite what I have read on some forums including Microsoft social you definitely don't need to do a reinstall with Vista or Windows 7 as they just auto detect the hardware, reboots and asks you to reactivate your Windows license. The limiting factor on my windows experience score is now those hard disks, and I would need to reinstall windows if I wanted to swap those out too, of course.
While I would defer to my colleague Simon and the excellent Springboard resources for mass deployments of Windows 7, it was simple enough for me to do all of this. So you could gain some kudos by doing your own local deployments like this for your neighbours, friends and family and perhaps spend less time fixing their issues and more time socialising with them as a result.
I am out of the office at the moment, but my spies tell me the IE9 beta is here.
I'll be doing a bit of icon design on the side when I get back, as these come in quite useful when you tear off tabs and put them on the Windows 7 taskbar .
The security community continually despairs of how bad we are at keeping our systems up to date with the latest security updates be they from Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe etc. In fact this trend probably matches the classic bell curve of adoption of any new technology so there are a few early adopters, the mainstream followed by a small but long tail of those who cannot , don't know about or can't be bothered to move away form old technologies like XP and IE 6. This is a cultural thing and is therefore very hard to change. While a cautious approach to many technologies might be justified, I just can't see any justification for not keeping up to date with security patches, with the possible exception of concerns about reliability.
Given that security and critical updates are a fact of life, I would then expect a company to have a process for checking the reliability of security updates, and if a particular update cause problems this would enable the precise issue to be flagged back to the vendor for resolution. What I can't understand is a vague notion that some new update might be unreliable and hanging back to see if anyone else has an issue with it. I am curious about this approach as I am not sure what event or time lag ensures that applying the patch is more likely to work than when it was released.
Vendors obviously want to ensure these patches are reliable but they will have access to only so many testing environments and this can't cover the variety of environments that are out there. Microsoft tackles this problem by recognising that there are early adopters out there who want sight of the patches asap for testing and has a process in place to make use of this, the Security Update Validation Program (SUVP). Selected customers are invited to join and they get these patched priori to release in order to test them out (i.e. not put them into production) , which means they can deploy patches immediately they are released as they will have already done their testing, while Microsoft gets feedback on the reliability form all the SUVP customers that the patch is OK to release.
So your choices are for applying security updates are:
Further Reading:
Microsoft Security Centre
I recently interviewed one of our interns, Jonathan Lickiss (here), about his aspirations to be an IT Professional (IT Pro) and to callout all the useful resources at the TechNet On portal. Some would say that Jonathan is mad for selecting this as a career, and that the TechNet On site is just a piece of cynical marketing given Microsoft's drive to provide all of its services in the cloud, and therefore make IT Pros redundant.
If you look at what has happened to the work done by an IT Pro since my dad's time in IT (1960's), the trend has been to automate or outsource any repeatable task. So you could just as easily point to DHCP, DNS, PowerShell, System Center or Windows 7 as sounding the death knell for the ITPro as they all get rid of this kind of work. There have also been concerns about outsourcing and taking various IT work off shore, before the cloud came along. However the number of IT jobs in the UK is still buoyant and we are still short of these skills in the UK despite the recession, if e-mail recruitment spam is anything to go by.
The main attraction of cloud is cost management, just to be clear not necessarily a reduction in cost, but management of that cost. This essentially means moving costs from capex to opex and only paying only for what is actually being used. For example, rather than trying to predict license costs and the number of servers needs and buying that upfront the business only pays for the number of active users , the amount of data used and so on. This smooths cashflow and means a business has to borrow less money from reluctant banks, i.e. Microsoft takes the risk and cost out of the business. This also improves agility as the business can rent more of what it needs when it needs it and so pay less at quiet times when the services aren't needed.
With those kind of attractions, any finance director will want to evaluate this as an option in the same way that many businesses end up selling their offices and then renting them back, so whether Microsoft provide this service or not, the cloud is coming to a business near you.
For the IT Pro what the cloud does is remove more drudgery, such as fiddling around with actual kit. In Microsoft the intention is to go further than this and remove the need to worry about the operating system and some of the key Microsoft applications be that Exchange, SharePoint, or SQL Server. However what neither Microsoft nor any cloud provider will do for you is manage the actual data or connections to it.
It's also important to understand that the cloud doesn't affect some parts of the IT Pro world, like end user support. Yes there is InTune that simplifies the process (see Simon's blog for more on this), but the helpdesk ITPro must still work with the end user to fix their problem.
The public cloud is not going to be the right answer for certain businesses, for a number of reasons be it compliance or culture. Also it will be some time before the cloud predominates and IT Pros will need to be on hand to help with transitions and integration of on and off premise services. Some services might never make it into the cloud, and a mixed economy will be the norm for some time to come, and this too will require careful management by competent IT Pros.
I think this will mean that the modern IT Pro role will evolve to one where we are much closer to the business. This might even see the end of the traditional IT department with the IT Pro becoming another specialist in a multifunction business team. This sort of IT Pro will have to put more thought, imagination, planning into their work, but will be trusted advisors to that team.
I think this will be rewarding and challenging work , and I for one can see why this is attractive to new entrants like Jonathan, as it was the boring stuff that my dad did that put me off IT.
No I haven't got the numbers the wrong way round, the three clouds I am referring to are the three tracks we have put together for TechDays on 8th October and the screen is where you'll be watching it as this is Online rather than in person. Those three tracks are:
While this is a developer focused event, IT Professionals need to understand some of this as the cloud isn't going away and Azure services still need to be managed in order to integrate with the on premise infrastructure. So there will certainly be sessions in the top two tracks that will be of interest.
As ever the sessions will be recorded if you can't make the date but the value of listening live is that you can participate with questions to the speakers. I'll be there to ensure those questions are answered by our panel of experts , and to learn some of the deeper stuff myself.
In my continuing saga on the Woodland Trust I was lucky enough to go to the formal opening of their new building last week. Unfortunately while all the IT is going smoothly it is the lack of water that is holding up the move, and this means that they can't bring the new servers online because they are water cooled.
The data centre may look fairly conventional but only the cabinets are air conditioned not the whole room.
To quite their IT director Lionel Wilson on this..
"If you asked an IT Professional to stop milk from going off they would put the pint in the middle of a room and turn the air con rather than storing it in a fridge".
BTW those circular things on the right aren't a bank of speakers, they're the cooling fans which spin up based on sensors in front of each server rack, and actually sound more like jet engines.
As I have said before sustainability is key part of the new building but despite the high tech look and features in this building it has only cost 10% more than a conventional steel and glass carbuncle of the same size ..
BTW It may seem odd for the Woodland Trust to be using wood the thing they are trying to preserve to make their building but the wood used is sustainable fast growing larch.
However back to I, their 200 users remote desktop services session will run from a cluster of three physical servers. I am pretty sure you couldn't get that server density from any VDI solution, but the experience is still very good ,each user has dual 24" LED monitors to deliver a rich corporate desktop. The rest of their key services; Exchange , and their CRM system all run on Hyper-V and are managed by the System Center suite of tools.
I had hoped that Lionel would be on hand to discuss this at IP Expo as his passion and knowledge for sustainable IT makes him an excellent speaker, but the slip in move in dates has prevented that so he has made a short video for the event organisers you can watch here.
The old Catch 22 situation of not having experience nor having anyone who is wiling to provide that experience still exists today as it did when I stated work. If I reverse that argument every company in the current economic climate could argue that there is no budget to train staff so we have to recruit experienced staff. This results in companies having the additional worry that if they do train staff, they will loose staff to their competitors once that employee has enough experience. The statistics bear this corporate behaviour out - a massive 88% of UK companies don't have a formal work experience program.
Microsoft solution to this dilemma is the Britain Works initiative with the aim of getting 500,000 more people into IT by 2012. A year in the scheme has worked for 104,000 so not quite on track but making a difference to quite a few people. The scheme now has a special section Young Britain Works offering advice and apprenticeships. There are training vouchers for IT Professionals to cross train or upgrade their skills as well as sections for Start-ups for charities who are interested in the program. Social Media is also important to connect al of this so you'll find Britain Works on @britainworks on Twitter and there are groups on LinkedIn and Facebook.
I realise it's not always possible to do this in a partner or small business, but can I at least ask you to take a look and possibly connect with some of the candidates on here who are looking to work in our IT industry
Many of us in the technical world seem to get caught up in the devices we use rather than what we use them for and how often. for example it doesn't really matter which ebook reader you use what matters is what books you read. Repeat that for the films you watch with your home cinema setup, and the quality of the photographs you took on your last holiday…
Simon and I took a day off work to setup some old laptops for a charity. Yes they were pretty ancient e.g Dell Latitude D400, and D600 but they all ran Windows 7 just fine after a bit of digging for the odd driver. More importantly for the users we got Office Professional Plus 2010 on there plus Live Essentials and Microsoft Security Essentials to protect them. However they weren't well received because the PCs themselves weren't new, so we bought them home again, which is why I am wondering which is more important, the device or the content?
I would go for the content, based on my wife's horrendous office laptop, it's a lovely little HP and should be rocket fast, but it's running Office XP and Office 2003. Actually they aren't the real problem, the issue is the encryption, VPN and anti-virus that are part of the standard build where she works to make XP as secure as Windows 7. To add insult to the injury of having an unreliable and slow machine she really has to put in the hours to get her work done using this older generation of software.
As for our work on those laptops, we've found a community centre that can make really good use of them to raise digital literacy levels in a very deprived area, so it all turned out alright in the end. Not only that but Windows 7 has given these and many other machines a second life, which is also a good sustainability story.


text:
- Filed Under
Making a sex tape is a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the militarys highest court has ruled.
While it is perfectly legal for civilians to make videos of themselves having sex, service members are prohibited from doing so because it is both prejudicial to good order and discipline and service discrediting.
The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces ruled that making a sex tape even if it is never distributed and nobody sees it amounts to having sex in public, according to a decision issued on May 23.
The case stems from the conviction of Staff Sgt. Ivan Goings, an Army medic. A search of his off-post home in Heidelberg, Germany, turned up a video made in 2006 showing him and another man taking turns having consensual sex with an unidentified German woman.
Goings claimed that the 2008 conviction violated his constitutional rights to private sexual activity.
Goingss case marked the first time the militarys top court has looked at questions about punishing sexual activity as prejudicial to good order and discipline under Article 134, known as the General Article. It is likely to influence how commanders handle similar cases in the future.
The court found that making a sex tape is an indecent act because it involves open and notorious sexual acts. The court defined open and notorious as allowing a third person to be present and watch.
We do not doubt that permitting the filming of those same acts is also sufficient to violate Article 134, Judge Margaret Ryan wrote for the courts majority.
In addition to the sex tape, Goings also was convicted in a separate incident involving the rape of a German woman who was knocked out with a so-called date-rape drug.
The videotape at issue in the appeal was discovered during a search of his apartment. He was sentenced in 2008 to five years in prison, a dishonorable discharge and reduction in grade to E-1.
One military judge disagreed with the courts majority opinion and agreed with Goings that troops have a constitutional right to have sex in front of other people and make videotapes for their own personal use.
The video at issue depicts private consensual sexual activity between adults, wrote Judge Scott Stucky in a dissenting opinion.
Stucky pointed to the 2003 Supreme Court case that struck down a Texas state law criminalizing sodomy and vastly expanded the rights of adults to engage in consensual activity in private.
There is nothing in the record to indicate that the [Goings] video was intended to be anything but for private use, Stucky wrote. There is no law indicating that recording sexual acts is a punishable offense under Article 134.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
3Com CEO To Lead In China Robert Mao's assignment follows a failed three-way deal involving 3Com, Huawei Technologies, and Bain Capital Partners.
Interop: Broadcom Says 40 Gbps Ethernet Coming Soon Broadcom expects to ship 40-Gbps network switches and controllers by late 2009, before a final standard is approved in 2010.
Interop: Adena Health Reaps Benefits Of Video-Based Telemedicine Video-related technology, such as software for videoconferencing and broadcasting, isn't huge in comparison to the total cost of the upgrade, analysts suggest.
Sony Pictures Uses 'Green Power' For Data Center Sony Pictures Entertainment is the first customer of data center operator 365 Main to sign up for a new reusable energy program.
Another Low Priced Video Conferencing System Arrives Many small and medium businesses have been interested in video conferencing but not able to justify purchasing these systems. In addition, picture quality has been an issue with many systems, so vendors are now trying to address those issues.
Sneak Peek At Our Third Annual NAC Reader Survey Our readers say the network access control market has lost much of the momentum it had last year. But don't count it out just yet.
Rolling Review: Windows 2008 Server PowerShell We set out to determine whether PowerShell is usable, and learnable, for the masses of Windows admins who prefer to point and click their way through daily tasks.
HP Says Virtualization Will Change The World Over coffee and bizarre breakfast sandwiches this morning, John McHugh, HP ProCurve VP and Worlwide GM told a few of us media types that virtualization is the big "disruptor" and "change agent" about to shake up the networking world.
Interop: Vendors Tackle Wi-Fi Troubles With customers unwilling to overhaul their infrastructure to migrate from 802.11a/b/g technology, vendors like Broadcom, Aruba, and Aerohive are getting creative.
Interop: Vendors Target Network Video Traffic Blue Coat Systems and eTelemetry are prepared to show off products at the show they say will help protect a company's network from bandwidth-hogging employees.
Sneak Peek At Our Third Annual NAC Reader Survey Our readers say the network access control market has lost much of the momentum it had last year. But don't count it out just yet.
Startup Of The Week: Napera Brings NAC To Small And Medium Enterprises The company's switches communicate with Microsoft NAP agents to keep unhealthy machines off the network.
Family Feud Underscores Maturing WAN Optimization Market Unions between start-ups and their financial backers are often quite tenuous. This week, the partnership between one vendor and a hedge fund with 10% of its stock illustrated that as well changes occurring in the WAN optimization market.
Infected Web Pages Nearly Triple Sophos says that it discovered a new infected Web page every 5 seconds. In 2007, the company says, it saw new infected Web pages every 14 seconds.
Web 2.0: Companies Will Spend $4.6 Billion By 2013, Forrester Predicts Some of the companies adopting social networking, RSS, blogs, wikis, mashups, podcasting, and widgets will be presenting at the Web 2.0 Expo show this week.
Holy Web 2.0 Herding Nightmare Question: Do today's new collaboration tools make it harder for IT to wrangle corporate information, or easier? Answer: Yes.
SaaS: Red Light, Green Light Here's how to drive your software-as-a-service initiative beyond standbys like CRM--without getting into dangerous territory.
XKL Brings New Life To Dark Fiber New system from Cisco co-founder Len Bosack taps existing cable for low-cost, no-fuss optical networks.
Women More Likely Than Men To Surrender Security For Chocolate The overall percentage of London office workers willing to trade their computer passwords for a few moments of chocolaty goodness was down two-thirds compared to 2007.
Spear-Phishing Attack Uses Fake Subpoenas To Steal From CEOs iDefense estimates that the attack went out to about 15,000 to 20,000 executives, resulting in about 1,800 confirmed malware victims.
Patch Management: The BigFix Is In Our third entry in this Rolling Review has more than patching in its bag of tricks.
StillSecure Steps Up SafeAccess out-of-band NAC appliance performs host assessment and enforcement, but setup and management can be complex.
Great Bay Software: Focusing On Everything Else Great Bay is the latest NAC vendor -- along with Cisco and Enterasys -- to announce a system that allows employees to sponsor guest access.
Virtualizing Servers on Routers, If Cisco Approves There's now an SDK and API for Cisco's branch office routers, but customers will need to get apps approved by Cisco.
Flying Blind: Unions Say FAA Radars Could Fail The $2.4 billion FTI network relays radar data and other information to air traffic control centers and other vital operational centers around the country.
Cisco Buys Rest Of Nuova, Launches Data Center Switch The upcoming Nexus 5020 will be the second in a larger line of Nexus switches that combine storage, switching, management, virtualization and security.
Cisco Buys Rest Of Nuova, Launches Data Center Switch The upcoming Nexus 5020 will be the second in a larger line of Nexus switches that combine storage, switching, management, virtualization and security.
Rolling Review: BigFix Enterprise Suite 18.104.22.168 Our third entry in this Rolling Review has more than patch management in its bag of tricks.
IBM's Mashup Suite Aims To Increase Enterprise Adoption The company's Mashup Center and WebSphere sMash make it easier for both developers and information workers to create and use mashups.
Can IBM Simplify Complex Event Processing? Big Blue gets into BPM, while trying to mix social networking with SOA.
Rolling Review Kickoff: Network Behavior Analysis Systems Network behavior analysis systems promise to defend your network against unknown attacks. We'll put these claims to the test.
Hannaford Data Breach Blamed On Malware The grocer said the data breach involved malicious software that was found on computer servers at about 300 of the company's stores.
Project Management Keeps IT From Being a Victim of Success Top IT shops have gone from being the No Police to the Frazzled Yes Guys. Project portfolio management can help stem the tide while keeping your hard-won reputation intact
Telecommuting Adoption Up; Security Still A Concern A CDW survey shows that private sector telecommuting adoption is on the rise (14%) and catching up to the adoption rates of federal employees (17%).


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Vivendi Universal to withdraw from BSkyB board
Vivendi Universal is reportedly planning to pull its board director from UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB next month, as the first move in a strategic exit from the company.
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How to Grow Ornamental Alliums
Did you know that onions, garlic and chives have cousins that are real lookers? These beauty queens and their edible relatives are in the Allium genus and one family trait they all share is ease of care. In spite of their dazzling appearance there is nothing to growing ornamental alliums.
There are many species and varieties of ornamental alliums. The tall, upright varieties with ball-shaped clusters of flowers are very dramatic. The shorter varieties are well suited for the front of a border or in a rock garden. Many alliums will re-seed and naturalize readily and can be delightfully fragrant. Color choices include pink, rose, violet, red, blue and yellow. My two must have alliums are A. schubertii and A. giganteum.
Hardy, sun loving and easy to grow alliums thrive in deep, rich, well drained soil. Depending on the species or variety you select you will plant either a bulb or a rhizome. Plant bulbs in fall about 2 - 4 inches deep. Plant rhizomes at or just below the soil surface in spring. If you live in a hardiness zone below zone 5, alliums need protection from winter cold. In fall dig and store the bulbs or grow alliums in containers you can move to a sheltered area during winter. Keep the roots dry when they are dormant. All alliums die to the ground after blooming even in mild climates but their attractive dried flower heads persist in the garden or can be cut for indoor display.
Ornamental alliums are gorgeous in the garden without a lot of fuss. They make great fresh cut flowers or dried. With all their charms it's easy to understand why they are super stars.


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1) Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 7:01 p.m. by Chairperson John Metevia
2) Roll Call:
· MEMBERS PRESENT: Altimore, Carlson, Carney, Metevia, Rankin, Rice, Steidemann, Varela
· MEMBERS ABSENT: Bovid
· OTHERS PRESENT: Marcie Post, Recreation Manager
3) Minutes of October 1, 2013: Altimore motioned, Steidemann seconded to receive minutes of the meeting of October 1, 2013. Motion passed 8-0.
4) Call to Audience: None
5) Division Report: Post provided a review of the softball program, including the relationship between the City and the Midland Softball Association (MSA), and the responsibilities shared between the two groups. Post explained that the MSA implemented a fee change this year, moving from a separate team sponsor fee along with a per player fee to one consolidated team fee. The team managers were responsible this year for collecting the total fee and paying it in two installments to the Parks office. Post also reviewed statistics for this season with regard to the number of teams and players in each league. Overall the summer and fall leagues saw a 10% decline in total number of teams. Statewide, a 5% decrease was seen in the number of teams that registered with the Michigan Amateur Softball Association. Post suggested that the change in fee format this year may have contributed to the decrease in participation.
6) Proposed recreation fee changes for 2014: Murphy reviewed the fee recommendations for 2014 which include the following changes:
· Change beach volleyball fee structure from a team sponsor fee plus a per player fee and charge one per player fee by league. Proposed fees are $15/player for the 4 & 6 player recreation league, $22/player for the 4 & 6 player competitive league, and $27/player for the 2 person competitive league.
· Add a clause that picnic table reservation fees are non-refundable.
Given the decrease in participation experienced in the adult softball leagues this year, staff is not recommending a fee change at this time but rather will re-evaluate next year. Swimming fees continue to cover over 50% of the pool's operating expenses, so no change in these fees is warranted at this time.
All other fees continue to meet the goals set forth in the recreation fee philosophy and therefore there are no recommended increases for 2014.
A public hearing will be held at the December 3 meeting for the Commission to receive input from the public on the proposed fees prior to making a recommendation on the fees to the City Council.
7) Fun Zone renovation project: Murphy reported that the City is working in partnership with the Midland Area Community Foundation on renovation to the Fun Zone in June 2014. The Fun Zone was originally constructed as a community build project in 1994. A steering committee comprised of volunteers spearheaded the effort, including fundraising for the project, assisting with the design of the project, and organizing the volunteer labor for the construction phase. Leathers Associates was the playground design firm used for the project, and they worked with school aged children and parents for input on the initial design. In September 2011, the City brought Leathers Associates in to evaluate the structure. Leathers provided a list of recommended maintenance and safety improvements that will extend the life of the Fun Zone by 10-15 years. Staff has an additional list of improvements based on maintenance history and recommendations over recent years from parents that would further enhance the Fun Zone. A meeting will be held on Monday, November 18 at 7:00 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall to gather public input on what to include in the renovation, as well as to garner volunteers to help guide the project through to completion including fundraising and organizing the volunteer effort.
8) Project Report:
· Pavilion, Currie Stadium, and City Forest bridge updates:
i. Pavilion: Murphy reported that the pavilion at Emerson Park has been completed with the exception of the electrical service. This will be installed by in-house staff and must comply with floodplain requirements. Staff is working with the building department on the appropriate permits. The pavilion at Redcoats has the main support posts in place and the slab will be poured as weather permits. This project is still on track to be completed this fall.
ii. Currie Stadium: Murphy reported the concrete restoration at the stadium is continuing as scheduled. Gerace is the contractor on the project. The areas in need of repair have been prepped and are awaiting the patching material. The seams on the top side of the stadium are being recaulked as well.
iii. City Forest bridge: Murphy reported that the bridge project is in the review phase with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Once a permit is issued, the project will be sent out for bids. The permitting process has slowed the project down, but staff is still hopeful the bridge can be installed this winter.
· Grove Park Chemical Bank Cares day follow up: Murphy shared that this volunteer project was very successful. A team of over 25 employees from Chemical Bank partnered with a crew of 8 parks employees to complete the following projects at the park: painted the soccer goals, swing set and basketball hoops, edged the basketball court and the perimeter sidewalks, stained the gazebo and benches, planted 8 trees, trimmed buckthorn on the lot lines adjacent to the neighboring businesses, cleaned up the concrete wall along the Ashman Street parking lot, and added fall protection to the playground area. Murphy is hopeful that this partnership will continue in future years.
· Fournie Park building removal: Murphy shared the staff recommendation that the existing park building located at Fournie Park be demolished. The building has sat vacant and unused for several years, and would need major repairs in order to make it safe for use, including a complete new roof, new doors, a new electrical service, and a complete interior remodel. Given the lack of use of the building, Murphy reported that the building will be removed this winter by the public services crew.
9) Old Business : None
10) New Business: Post announced that Leisure Time will be included in the next 'At Your Service' city publication that is mailed to every household in the City. Post also announced the Appreciation of Beautification Awards ceremony will be held on November 7, with 17 individual winners and a Bette R. Tollar Civic Commitment Award to be given to the Chippewa Nature Center.
11) Adjourn: Motioned by Altimore, seconded by Rankin to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed 8– 0. Meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Murphy
Director of Public Services


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iPhone 3.1 beta 2 enables developer Wi-Fi testing
updated 09:25 am EDT, Wed July 15, 2009
iPhone 3.1 beta 2 seeded
Apple has seeded a new iPhone 3.1 beta to developers, beta 2. People with the updated code report that some testing can now be conducted via Wi-Fi, instead of just a USB connection. While only more convenient for some developers, the change is said to be "huge" for others, due to the ability to attach any accessories that might be necessary in the testing process.
Some limitations exist, such as slower speeds and gradual battery drain, along with an inability to debug or install applications from Xcode. Other changes in the beta include a small collection of bugfixes, for both Xcode and the iPhone firmware. More features may be present in the new release, but it can often take several days to discover such updates.


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Everything You Need To Know About Naming Your Company
Your brand is like your baby—except when you name your company, you have far more things to consider than whether or not it will get made fun of. Here are five tips to consider for a successful naming.
The naming phase of any new product or corporate initiative often starts as a fun, creative distraction. It can be a welcome break from tactical meetings or crunching numbers and a time to flex verbal skills.
But the fun can quickly turn to angst and frustration when an unimaginable number of names produce no clear winners, trademark and URL conflicts emerge for every good contender, and deadlines loom.
Here's what you need to know to expedite the path to a successful name:
1. Start with a strategy
If you have the mindset, "I'll know the right name when I see it," beware—you're on the path to frustration. That's just not how it works. The truth is, if you don't know what you're looking for you're probably not going to find it. A well-thought-out naming strategy that takes into consideration long- and short-term objectives should guide the creative name development process. The right name is one that aligns with your strategy and meets key objectives.
2. It is personal, but keep it objective
People respond to names on an emotional level. This is why it's often difficult to gain consensus among co-workers when selecting names because everyone is reacting to the names based on their own preferences and personal experiences.
It's not about finding a name that everyone likes—it's about determining which name works best. Again, the key to success is evaluating names against strategic criteria and objectives.
3. Be true, not trendy
Branding is about creating a unique identity and presence in the world. One of the best ways to ensure success is to develop a name that is authentic and projects the brand positioning.
At first, the name should help convey what is different or desirable about the new offering. Over time, it should encompass the experiences your audience has with the brand. Rather than following naming trends, lead with uncompromising originality.
4. Brand architecture rules
One of the biggest missteps marketers can make is jumping into the naming process without first giving serious consideration to the kind of name that is most appropriate.
Names can be arbitrary, suggestive, descriptive, or generic. The optimal kind of name for a given situation depends on many factors, such as target audience, marketing budget, extendibility, and more.
Among these pivotal factors, brand architecture predominates. The role of a brand name differs considerably from the role of a sub-brand name and they should not be treated as interchangeable.
5. Don't give consumers the last word
Too often, marketers defer to consumers to select the final name. The "winning" name that emerges from consumer research is not necessarily the name that will propel the brand towards becoming a category leader.
It's important to distinguish between the factors that drive consumer choices in the research environment—for example, familiarity, personal associations, and fit—and what it takes to create a standout brand. Obviously, the name needs to connect with consumers, but their input should be only one of many factors that go into selecting the right name.
The critical role of the name in creating a successful brand is obvious. Yet it's the meticulous balancing of the many critical considerations that makes all the difference in developing a standout name.
—Lynn Haviland is the managing director of Applebaum Associates, a branding agency specializing in naming, visual identity, and strategic messaging.
[Image: Flickr user Karen Green]
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4 Comments
Good article! Here is a practical way to approach it as well. http://www.ladysavant.com/how-to-find-the-perfect-name-for-your-new-business/
Yes! Brand naming sets the tone for every interaction you'll have, from investor to vendor to end-user, and lasts for the life of the brand. Trendy, cliche names are one of the worst missteps I've seen. Who remembers the "werx" craze? Don't be dated..
Then there's these morons, who named their clothing boutique "Hitler": http://www.nocturnaldesign.com/blog/?p=1740
Don't forget to test it aurally. Having a name that is simple to pronounce and can be understood over the phone or at a noisy bar is important.


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The Rhododendron President Roosevelt with variegated foliage has the wow factor according to some who see it.
I guess at one time I would have fully agreed. However in recent years having been in touch with so many gardeners I have found that my fondness for variegated foliage is not shared by everyone. In fact, some see variegation as almost an abomination.
Although I may now look upon variegation with a slightly different eye these days I cant say that I share the dislike to any great extent. Take Hostas for instance. I think even the hardcore of the plain green brigade would find it difficult to dislike them.
Well anyway, what do you think of the Rhododendron President Roosevelt?
I wouldnt say that its my favourite Rhododendron in the garden but it is quite eye catching.
The conical clusters of red and white blooms held above the showy foliage usually appears in the third week of May, they were a little later this year owing to the very late Spring. However June has been better than normal and everything is now hunky dory.
• Hardiness *** Fully hardy
• Position *** Partial shade/acidic soil
• Height *** Will eventually reach 6ft
The very poor Spring did hold back the Rhododendrons and Azaleas a couple of weeks, however most of them still bloomed as well as usual. Here below is how a few of them were looking in June.
I know the names of very few of these, the first one below is quite a deep purple Rhoddie and is the last one of all to bloom in the garden
This pink one below in the main border of the back garden is the first Rhododendron we planted in our garden about twenty seven years ago.
Here we have a Rhododendron by the pond adding a splash of colour to the area.
I may have mentioned that President Roosevelt may not quite be my favourite Rhododendron.
This one below in our woodland, (Taurus) most definitely is. Flowers April/May and is quite outstanding.
They really do perform well in this bed near our patio area.
We have two of the Azalea Luteum in the round garden. I like the colour of this one and I think I may be correct in saying that it is the most fragrant Azalea available, you may well be able to tell me differently.
The aptly named Azalea Glowing Embers also in the round garden makes quite a striking statement.
The very pink dwarf evergreen Azalea in one of the Heather beds gives a good show in late May but to be quite honest I think it suits this position best of all when the flowers have gone over.
Walk through our garden gate and we have a narrow passageway eighteen ft long. The raised border in this area has a few choice plants. Well if they are so choice why dont I know the name of this Azalea.
Below is a picture of the main area of the back garden, taken in the evening of July 4th.
If you happen to leave a comment I will be sure to visit your site and do the same
© 2013 – 2015, Alistair. All rights reserved.
I am with you, have never met a variegated plant that I did not like or want.
Deborah at Kilbourne Grove recently posted..A Birds Eye View 2013
Alistair, your azaleas are gorgeous! We need to plant a few more ourselves. I love that deep purple one. Simply stunning. Last year we planted Capistrano, which has butter yellow blooms. We have Nova Zembla (three of them) in the front of the house plus one of the ubiquitous lavender ones. We also have some white ones. Franklin Roosevelt is stunning. I'll keep my eye out for that one as I am definitely a lover of variegated foliage! You've now gotten me thinking of places to add these shrubs in our garden!
Cathy recently posted..Unwelcome Guests: Roseslug Sawfllies
Your rhododendrons are very lovely as is your garden. I like the idea that you have rhodies spread about the gardens… I assume you have acidic soil. We are quite neutral regarding ph so I grow almost all my rhododendrons in an area that I have adjusted for ph and soil consistency. We are headed into a few days of tropical dew points up to 75. Certainly not my favorite weather by any means so I'll continue to try to get things accomplished by first light when it's a bit cooler. The positive side of things is that it may bring the lilies and hemerocallis on sooner. I have some concerns as we are scheduled for a national magazine photo session on the 20th. The other negative is that the mosquitoes have arrived… I sprayed about an acre of the gardens this morning and hopefully that will keep them at bay for a few weeks. Do take care and hello to your wife… Larry
Larry recently posted..Our program may be temporarily interrupted by delphinium pictures…
"In fact, some see variegation as almost an abomination." I guess that's me! Certainly, if I had President Roosevelt, I'd be constantly thinking it had picked up some nasty virus which was causing the leaves to go yellow.
You are right in that rh.luteum is almost the only azalea with strong fragrance. There are a few others. You should try rh.arborescens I think. It's late flowering (ie now), slow growing here and quite small, but has a strong scent – completely different from rh. luteum. It seems pretty hardy with me and seldom gets its young growth frosted.
Maybe rh.wardii for a yellow rhodie? Glendoick sells it.
Alistair it is just gorgeous that back garden. And how lucky to be able to grow azaleas and rhodies….I do like the variegated leaves of Mr. Roosevelt and the flower…it is a wonderful specimen plant for any garden.
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Gardens Eye Journal-July 2013
Oh my, I've never seen a variegated rhododendron before! I do like the foliage and imagine it would add interest to the garden even when not blooming, which is something rhodies are not generally too good at. But I can see why you like Taurus better – wow. All of your rhodos and azaleas look fabulous. That Glowing Embers truly burns with light. These plants struggle where I am due to our heavy alkaline clay. I am trying to grow a few in amended soil here and there, but you are lucky to be able to grow them so easily.
spurge recently posted..Roses Part 2
A lovely collection of colourful Azaleas and Rhododendrons Alistair! And your garden looks fab as always!
The garden is looking very lovely, Alistair. I do not have rhododendrons or azaleas so I especially like seeing them in other peoples' gardens.
I do like variegation and quite like President Roosevelt but I can see why you love Taurus. It's a beauty!
Astrid recently posted..Bed 4
Hi Alistair, that's a lovely collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas, each one looks a perfect specimen plant. I particularly like the variegation of "President Roosevelt". The alkaline soil here means your pictures are the closest I'm going to get to enjoying them. Your garden is looking stunning as always.
Sunil Patel recently posted..My Astrantia, Their Astrantia
Alistair – If I had a plant like Taurus in my garden, I'd be blogging about it every week. Great name too.
b-a-g recently posted..Rhododendrons (04 JUL 2013)
Just piddling around your images and garden Quite striking I might add. Your garden must keep you very busy Al.
Beautiful! Thank you for showing me what rhodies and azaleas should actually look like :). I will never be able to grow them like that. I actually like the variegation because it provides out of season interest – my camellias and rhodies look a bit boring most of the year…. I love the shot of your garden, so lush and harmonious.
Masha recently posted..Survivors of the Heat
Well Alistair we have learned to overlook if not actually ignore those gardeners (I won't mention his name) who are so negative about variegated foliage. It is definitely a plus in shady places–I've come to quite appreciate some brightness on leaves. You are clearly a master grower of rhododendrons and I am just so relieved that you forgot the name of one. Sometimes I REMEMBER the name of one while I forget all the others… So you see there is a sort of balance. In conclusion, your summer garden is glorious as usual!
linniew recently posted..Twigs, poles and lines
I don't think I saw a Rhododendron with variegated foliage before — I like it a lot. I love that last photo of your garden — it looks amazing! It's too hot and humid to go outside and enjoy mine right now. Glad you are having good weather. P. x
Pam's English Garden recently posted..Four Outstanding Gardens
That 'Taurus' is exceptional, no wonder it is your favourite. On the question of variegated Rhododendrons I grow 'Goldflimmer' but it is rather disappointing as it seems to have lost most of its variegation probably due to being subject to too much shade……my fault. If my memory serves me right which it doesn't always, at Crarae Gardens they have several large specimens of Azalea luteum round the entrance where the scent is overpowering. Certainly my number one for scent.
Rick recently posted..More Meconopsis and Primulas
Dear Alistair, If you had stacked comments on your blog so that I could reply directly to people (not saying who, but we all know, don't we, bitch, bitch,) who make disparaging comments about sensible people who like their leaves properly green and not blotchy or marred by yellow stripes, I wouldn't have to waste your time by adding to the bottom of your comments column….:-)
kininvie recently posted..Overgrowth
I don't love everything variegated but I do like President Roosevelt, even the name. All your azaleas and rhododendrons are gorgeous.
Carolyn @ Carolyn's Shade Gardens recently posted..Row Your Way to Color with Annuals Revisited
I really like variegated foliage, on most plants, but on a rhododendron? Nope, I don't think so, somehow it doesn't look right! Maybe because I haven't seen one efore, but I don't think I will get one myself. On hostas, pieris, euonymus, etc, they really have a place though.
Loved the last photo, your garden looks gorgeous!
Helene recently posted..Hot colours for a hot July
Alistair you have some beautiful azaleas and rhododendrons, I didn't know some people dislike variegated foliage I quite like it though is depends on the varigation and plant but that goes for all foliage, I find some variegated foliage very beautiful, I also like golden foliage, they light up the garden, I love your multi stemmed (trunked) silver birch, Frances
Island Threads recently posted..mulch and manure
Your garden always inspires me Alistair. I bought my first azaleas this spring and am planting them with the trepidation of someone who has no experience with azaleas. I am even adding a few rhodos. I will be thrilled if one day that look have so spectacular as yours do!
I have no prejudice against foliage variegation and actually go out of my way to introduce it into the garden. It makes green patches of foliage way more interesting in my opinion. And I think Rhododendron President Roosevelt with its interesting variegated foliage is just beautiful.
Jennifer@threedogsinagarden recently posted..A Walled Garden
What an impressive back garden and great to see someone using red without fear. I love the way those splashes of intense colour draw the eye around. I'm not much of a rhodie fan myself, being not overly fond of plants with such large flowers, but I say hooray for variegated foliage! It is the shady garden's best friend.
Catherine recently posted..A garden in Provence
[…] I feel a bit of a fraud. A few weeks ago I read an article by Aberdeen Gardening on variegated shrubs. As I was reading I found myself siding with the gardeners that are not keen […]


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- Filed Under
Since it's April Fool's Day, let's examine the man crush that The Onion has on Joe Biden.
The satirical newspaper has lampooned Vice President Biden dating back to his years in the U.S. Senate, but the love connection has exploded ever since his swearing in as President Obama's No. 2.
Already this year, several headlines have screamed Biden's name: "Biden Working His Way Through Scratch-Off Tickets During Obama's Swearing-In." , "Panicked Biden Interrupts State Of The Union To Ask If Erections Can Ever Be Medical Emergency" and "Biden Scores 800 Feet Of Copper Wire" ...


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The Shadow
Timmy is lying on his back on the ground in the grass. Staring up. He doesn't know. He can't tell. Sometimes It's there and sometimes It isn't. The Thing. The Thing that lives on the ground and is stuck to him sometimes. It starts at his feet. But sometimes It spreads way in front of him. Sometimes way out behind him. And sometimes it's just a kind of a blot or puddle around his feet. And it can do what he does. However he moves, it does it too. And it looks like him, kinda sorta, in a blobby weird way sometimes, and in a very sharp dark way at others. Mostly its a dark smeary-scary-blotted him, there on the ground. That's stuck to his feet.
When Timmy first saw It, he tried stepping away. But It came with him. He'd pointed at It, thinking he could yell for mom and show It to her. But the Thing copied him and that had scared him bad. So he'd frozen. Stood there, trying not to look at the Thing. Wondering if he'd always had It. If so, how come he'd never seed it before? And, if he was the only one had It. Or had everybody gots one? After a few frozen minutes he got more tired of trying not to move than he was scared of seeing It. So he'd run away without looking back. Went right up to his room. Where he'd spent the afternoon playing with his bird whistles until his mom told him to "STOP -- THAT -- NOISE!" Then he'd played with his Slinky.
Now he's asking hisself again if having It stuck to him could maybe be because of what he's done that's wrong. Like cutting across Mrs. Walden's lawn. Or pulling down the cookie jar to sneak an extra hermit. Or taking his brother's yoyo to see if he could make it go. Which he couldn't. When the string got all tangled he'd just shoved it way underneath his brother's bed. His brother wasn't very good with it either, so he prob'ly doesn't care that it's gone. But Timmy knows he wasn't s'posed to play with it. That was a Big Wrong. But it was way long back about a week ago. If that's what the Thing is all about, stuff he's done wrong, doesn't It never forget? 'Cuz there are other things wrong he's done since he was borned. And now he's got this black Thing stuck to his feet.
It's never there when he's in the house. But he can't just stay inside. He'd hate that. And anyway, his mom is always shooing him outside to play nowadays. "Go out. Go out and play while you can," she says. And that's 'cuz this fall, Timmy starts Kindergarten. Yeah, he thinks, feeling proud. But then he thinks of the Thing and loses all his good feelings about starting school. 'Cuz he'll be starting school with the black Thing stuck to his feet. Great!
Timmy gets up and stands, gathering himself. Then he jumps as high as he can, pushing forward so he lands a foot or two from where he'd been. But the Thing is right with him. He can see It on the ground.
He shakes his leg, to see if it'll fall off. But it just sticks itself to the foot he has kept on the ground and, worse, it does the shaking leg thing itself! There on the ground. Timmy can see it spread there, in it's blackness, looking like a blobby him.
He tries kicking it off. But It just copies him kicking, and is still stuck to the foot on the ground.
Then he puts his hands down flat on the ground and kinda jumps his feet up, to really kick it off of him. But the dang Thing just sticks Itself to his hands instead of his feet!
No matter whether Timmy's jumping and wiggling or springing up or doing somersaults or jumping jacks or even push ups. Nothing he can think of works. He can't unstick It, and It won't unstick Itself. He doesn't know what It is or why It's there, stuck to him. And 'cuz it might be bad or wrong things he's done, he can't ask his mom or dad. And he'd never ask his brother! 'Cuz he'd just tell Timmy horrible things to tease him.
All in all, he thinks he'd better lie down. Where he doesn't have to see It. And can think some more. First he checks the windows to see if his mom might be looking. She shouldn't be. Those are the dining room windows, and she doesn't never go into the dining room in the mornings. But she doesn't like Timmy to lie on the ground. She says he can catch a cold that way. Timmy doesn't understand it, 'cuz colds are in your nose and your throat and maybe your ears, not on the ground. That'd be too scary. But this is one of those things Timmy is refusing to worry about lately.
Only, she'll yell if she sees him and he wants to be able to lie down to have another think. Maybe his mom has already seed him, but just hasn't said anything about it. Maybe it's looks okay -- what he's been doing. Like he's just playing. So if she did see him doing that, she wouldn't be looking out again to check. He doesn't think so, but can't be sure. This is when Timmy wishes he had some of what his mother likes to have. 'Time For Herself.' Timmy'd like some Time For Hisself, 'cuz he could use it right now.
He decides to give up worrying and just lie down. He's trying to figure out something he doesn't even know anything about. Something bigger and tougher than words or grownups or what he should or shouldn't do. He really wants to figure it out. By hisself. So he's gotta keep thinking. Or well, maybe not, Timmy realizes. Maybe instead he can just keep -- well, playing. Ackshully, it could be a pretty neat way of learning how to figure this out. Just playing. Hmmm. 'Playing.' Timmy likes the idea. But he suddenly thinks, no. Not 'playing.' --- 'Playing around'! That's what his brother always says. That he's 'playing around.' Like when he scares Timmy so Timmy lets out a yell, his brother will say he's just 'playing around.'
Timmy thinks there are way better words for when his brother is doing than that. But what hisself is doing? Right now, in trying to figure out the Thing ? -- Now that's really 'playing around.' Those are the right words, he thinks. 'Cuz mostly right now he realizes, he really wants to play around. Make the Thing do silly stuff. Kick and wiggle and shake. 'Cuz he has just did that. And it's way fun, he thinks. Way fun, to make something DO 'xactly what you do. Oh, yeah, make it do what you WANT it to do! Playing around and making the Thing do stuff he wants it to do. But there's still his main puzzlement. Which is why theThing's even there. And where it is when it's gone. '
Timmy looks up and sees the puffs of white cloud, floating along overhead. He remembers once when he was in the car and the sun's light had kept going on and off. Timmy'd asked his dad if the sun's battries had went bad. His dad had said, "What!? What!?" Like he always does when Timmy asks something Big. Then he laughed. But not the way he laughs when Timmy does something his dad calls 'pee'coo'ler.' Like he does when he laughs and says, "You're just a little kid. Don't worry so much."
Which is kinda nice, 'cuz Timmy knows he's just a little kid, and mostly that's a swell thing. Outside of adult words and stuff. His brother calls him that, too. Says Timmy's only a little kid. Then musses up Timmy's hair. Which is okay too. The little kid part. Not the hair part. The hair part makes Timmy cross. But he doesn't mind his dad or his brother saying that. That he's just a little kid and not to worry so much.
But when it got unsunny, the car went darker. That's what he was asking about. It wasn't worrying him, he told his dad - he was just curious. So his dad said to look at the clouds. When Timmy was frowning and looking all around, his dad had pointed at the sky and said, "Those puffy white things up there." He said those are clouds. That sail across the sky. That sometimes they get in front of the sun. And then the sun's light can't get out. It's blocked, his dad said. Like at night when the shades are down to block the light so people outside can't look in.
Timmy didn't exactly follow the words, but he remembers he'd been playing outside once when it was getting dark and how it'd been fun to see the living room all lit up, but then his mom pulled the shades and everything had went dark. So Timmy had watched the clouds and he saw how they did that. Got in front of the sun. What doesn't move. And how when the clouds had sailed past, the sun's light had come out from being blocked. 'Blocked.' Another new thing to Timmy. He hasn't thought about it since, 'cuz he did understood his dad. But 'blocked' is a pretty cool word. A pretty cool thing, too. Weird, sorta. Humpf. Maybe he'll think about it tonight.
Right now he's watching the clouds. They're like ships, sailing across the sky. It looks like fun up there, sailing. Being able to 'block' the sun. Pretty big stuff, being able to shut off the sun's light. He stares at the sky, watching the clouds sail. He wonders if the sun has anything to do with the Thing. The Thing on the ground. That sticks to Timmy. It's only there when the sun's light is on. When it's way cloudy or rainy or dark, the Thing is never there. At least, he doesn't think so.
Not thinking isn't so good. Once, his milk spilled 'cuz he was kinda rolling his glass around. His grandma got cross and when he started to say that he hadn't thought, he din't even get to say 'it would do that,' 'cuz she'd come right at him, saying that no, he most certainly hadn't thought! That's why his milk slopped! Thinking. He mostly duz a lot of thinking. Like now. Only he knows what she meant. He hadn't been thinking then. Just playing around. 'Playing around'! There it was again. 'Playing around' and 'blocked.' Wow!
Timmy shakes his head. Since he's lying flat on his back on the ground, his head only rolls back and forth. He shakes it again. It rolls back and forth again. Which makes him giggle. He rolls his head 'till he feels dizzy. Which makes him laugh hard because when he gets dizzy from spinning he falls down. But now he can't fall down 'cuz he already IS down! He giggles so much he wants his bare feet so his toes can giggle. But he knows if he takes his shoes and socks off his mom is SURE to look out and see him! Then he's back thinking about the black Thing.
Suddenly he does something strange. He sits up and looks for the Thing. There it is, puddled around him. He moves his arm way out -- it does the same thing -- and slowly brings his hand down -- it moves with him -- to where his hand is touching the Thing-hand. They're touching each other. And then he pats at It! He can't believe he's done that, so he does it again. Nothing awful happens. Timmy feels half like when he finds something crawling on him and half like when something makes him the happiest he can be. The Thing didn't do anything to him.
Timmy sits and stares at his hand. Sitting right there. Right there on top of the Thing. He strokes It and It strokes back. Or maybe it's just his hand on the grass, but it's like they pat each other. It's like the Thing touches him. Touches back. When they're both on the ground. But sticks to his hand when he lifts it. He wonders if he's like a cloud that blocks the sun. If that's what makes the black puddled Thing on the ground. If Timmy makes it. Because HE'S blocked the sun. Is that it? He's a cloud-like thing that blocks the sun? Wait - do clouds have those black things? Timmy stares up. There are a fleet of cloud ships in the sky. Timmy watches but he can't tell.
And then something catches his eye. And when he looks he sees something dark move across his hand. His heart feels like it's bouncing. But nothing's there. Only those little birds that fly in a bunch. Like a piece of cloth. All stitched together. They're swooping over his head. Then they all come down. Like a blanket they land together. Start pecking at the grass and the garden beds. He loves watching them. If you're upstairs you don't even see them 'till they suddenly fly off.
Like now. There they go swooping off all together. Moving like they're one thing. Veering around. Oh, Timmy see now. A big crow is chasing them. And Timmy sees something else. He sees they each have a dark spot moving beneath them, on the ground. And there they go, right over Timmy, a passing darkness over his hand as it sits there, flat on the ground. Timmy is frozen, this time in wonder and fascination with what he's seeing. Then the large - very large, crow lands on the ground by the bird bath.
Timmy sees it has a black blob-Thing underneath it, that moves that same as the crow when it strut-waddles about, picking in the grass, here and there, always returning to fix a beady eye on Timmy. Who doesn't move a hair. Then, with a harsh squawking screech, the crow takes off, flying low before rapidly gaining height and speed to land high up on the roof's edge, watching Timmy. Who gets to his feet, ready to race for the house.
But stops. Why should he run away? He's just figured the Thing out. And it's nothing to be afraid of. Everything has a black Thing. He bets if he called his mom out here - and the sun stayed out - she'd have one. So would his dad. And his brother. Everybody. Not just him. Timmy lies back down again, this time to watch the cloud ships go sailing by, wrapped in a cloud of his own - a cloud of contentment. He's figured it out. Now he can just play. Or lie here. Think about it. Wonder now what the Thing is called. Because if everything and everybody has one, it gots to have a name.
That night, at dinner, he asks, and his mom says it's called a shadow. 'Shadow.' Nice word, Timmy thinks. But just then his brother grabs Timmy by the nose and makes this stoopid hollow laugh and says, "The Shadow Knows." And his mom tells his brother to stop it, while his dad kinda stifles a laugh, and Timmy wonders now what is THAT all about?
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