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During the work week, nothing is better for lunch than a crisp, fresh, and flavorful salad. For the longest time, I wasn't a fan of the traditional Greek salad, but a few years ago, I had a sudden change of heart when I ate a delicious Greek salad topped with chicken at a small San Francisco cafe for lunch. Ever since that day, I crave the flavors of Greek salads and can't get enough! Here is my go-to chopped tarragon chicken version of the traditional Greek salad. Go ahead and stir it up for a perfect work week meal, enjoy!
Tarragon Chopped Chicken Greek Salad
Chopped Greek Salad:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Extra virgin olive oil spray
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ pieces
- 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 8-10 kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- Pita bread, for serving
Greek Vinaigrette:
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients and let stand at room temperature until ready for use.
Grease a baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil spray and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, combine the dried tarragon, salt and pepper. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with lemon juice and the tarragon mixture. Place chicken on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, turning once, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°. Set cooked chicken aside for 5-10 minutes. After the chicken has cooled, on a cutting board, chop into 1/2″ pieces and set aside.
In a large salad bowl, add the chopped lettuce, cucumber, red onion, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Top with chopped chicken and pour prepared Greek vinaigrette over chopped salad. Toss the salad to incorporate the dressing throughout. Serve on salad plates with toasted pita bread and enjoy!


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Welcome to the Rolling Hills District web page. Rolling Hills is the first Quality District of the Northern Star Council. Rolling hills serves communities in Scott, Rice, and Le Sueur Counties in Minnesota.
This website depends on Scouters for feedback and content, so if you if you would like to contribute to the website, please contact the webmaster using the feedback page.
Some of the content of this site is restricted to registered members. If you would like to register for the site, please click on the register button in the top rght corner of this page.
The Rolling Hills Fishing Derby sponsored by Order of the Arrow is gearing up! Learn more by viewing the flyer here. Online registration will be coming soon!
Don't forget that units should be finalizing their budget and communication plans and have them turned in at the August Roundtable. If there are questions, please contact District Chair Dan Collins.
Since its inception in 2003, Repticon Reptile and Exotic Animal Expos has welcomed Boy and Girl Scouts and their leaders to our shows with discount tickets for family members and FREE ADMISSION for any Scout or leader wearing his/her uniform.
Repticon returns to Minneapolis on May 23 & 24, 2015 for another fun-filled and highly educational event, suitable for all ages.
As always, we invite all of our Boy and Girl Scout troops and their families to join us for a great celebration of all things reptilian and amphibian. We also have invertebrates, spiders, furry critters and more!
Please distribute the attached ticket-discount coupon to every troop in your district for distribution to the families in their troops. Each can print as many tickets as they need so the entire family can come out to enjoy this great event.
For more information about the show, please click HERE. Our webpage will tell you all about the show time, place, activities, and ticket prices.
We look forward to seeing you all there.
To read the flyer, click here.
The new Cub Scout books and Den Leader Guides have arrived at the scout shops in the Twin Cities. While they won't hit the shelves until May 1st, you may ask for them and they will sell them to you.
Here is all the material from the April Roundtable Presentation. Please share!!!!
If you have any questions or would like me to come to your pack and do a presentation, please let me know.
Thank you,
Jessi King-Markham
It's that time of year again. It's time to nominate people for our three district awards for the District Dinner.
They are: The District Award of Merit, The District Hot Spark Award, and Chartered Partner of the Year Award.
There are links below. Please remember they are all due April 9th!
District Award of Merit
District Hot Spark
Chartered Partner of the Year
Attention all Cub Scout Leaders (and those interested in the Cub Scout program changes)! You are invited to the April Roundtable on Thursday, April 9, starting at 7:30pm. It will be held at the normal location, Trondhjem Lutheran Church in Lonsdale (7525 Garfield Ave, Lonsdale, MN 55046 or click here for maps).
There will be an hands-on, interactive program for the Cub Scouts Leaders about the new program that is rolling-out on June 1. We will learn about the changes and how to implement them, learn how to start putting together our year-plan for pack and den meetings using the new program, what do we need for training, as leaders, to use the new program, play a game that can be used at your den and pack meetings that will help the members of your pack understand the changes better, and have samples of the leader and scout handbooks to see and play with. There will also be time for Q&A and a handout with all sorts of useful links and information.
We would like to have as many Cub Scout leaders there as possible, preferably everyone from your pack, to attend. There are a lot of questions about the program and our intention is to help get the straight answers and start getting excited and working in the new program. We are very excited about it!!!
Jessi King-Markham will be taking us on our journey. She, along with her husband Matt and two others in the council, have been tasked by the national committee that developed the changes to help roll them out in our district and council. They have been extensively trained in the new program through conferences at Sea Base and Philmont Training Center.
Again, please plan on attending with all your questions and enthusiasm. We promise you will get a lot out of it to take back to your packs (and there will be snacks). An email has gone out to some of the Cub Scout leaders but the email list is incomplete. Please forward/share/repost this if you know someone who did not receive an email, or wants to know more about the new program.
See you on April 9th!
Hello members of Rolling Hills District. We just wanted to let all of you know that Tom Helgeson has taken over as the Family Friends of Scouting Chair. If you have questions around Family Friends of Scouting, Tom is your guy. You will find his contact information under the District Contacts page.
There are links below. Please remember they are all due by April 9th!
Hey Rolling Hills! Do you need CPR/AED training? Do you need Wilderness Remote First Aid Training? Troop 323 in New Prague is hosting both in April! Check out this flyer for more details!
With the poor weather, Roundtable has cancelled tonight! Stay safe everyone.
You can pay your dues by clicking on the link below:
Troops and Crews!
Don't miss your chance to be a part of the enormous RIPLEY RENDEZVOUS. Information is in the flyer below.
Hey folks! Don't forget that Belt Loop Saturday and Cub Scout Leader Training Day is this Saturday in Lonsdale!
For more information:
Belt Loop Saturday:
Cub Scout Leader Training Day:
The Fall Camporee has been scheduled. Click on the following link to learn more or to register:
Hi everyone--
It's time for nominations for District Awards to be presented at the District Dinner in May.
We have three you can nominate for:
Charter Partner of the Year
Click on each award above to download the forms you need to nominate! Please remember we need these nominations by April 10.
Information for the upcoming Rolling Hills District Klondike Derby has been posted.
To read all about it, click here.
Happy Holidays to everyone from the Rolling Hills District!
Don't forget that we have SWIM events every month. For details---you can always click on the lick below:
or you can click on the menu above under Events/Activites and then Aquatics.
Do you have a Cub Scout or Boy Scout with special needs? Find out what tools are available to you within Northern Star Council. Also find out what the awards and advancement policies are for special needs scouts. Click on the link below to be taken Northern Star Council's section on special needs scouts.
Special Needs Scouts

subset: commoncrawl


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David Bowie has snapped up fellow British legend, Gary Oldman for the forthcoming video for his latest single 'The Next Day.'
'The Next Day' features on David's comeback album of the same name and according to The Mirror, 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' actor Gary was spotted in New York filming scenes for the singer's latest clip earlier this week.
David Bowie attend the CFDA Fashion Awards in new York (WENN.com)
The 'Ashes To Ashes' singer was spotted wearing long religious robes last Monday with onlookers claiming that the star had a striking resemblance to Star Wars's Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Other characters spotted on set included a bride, a monk and the Pope.
The pair have already collaborated before on a 1995 Reeves Gabriel track 'You've Been Around' which featured on the album 'The Sacred Squall Of Now'.
'The Next Day' will mark the third single to be taken from Bowie's latest album which topped the charts earlier this year and at the time became the fastest selling album of the year so far.
The Glamourous rock legend previously recruited British actress Tilda Swinton for his last music video for 'The Stars (Are Out Tonight).
Bookies are already putting David Bowie's latest album as the early favourite to win this year's Mercury Prize despite the awards not taking place until October.
Take a look at Bowie's exhibition arriving at The V & A museum below......


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500 Victims: Shocking BBC Sex Abuse Scandal Ensnares New York Times Chief
December 14, 2012 | Filed Under BBC, Britain, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, Newspapers, Progressives, Sex Offenders/Rape, The New York Times, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off on
500 Victims: Shocking BBC Sex Abuse Scandal Ensnares New York Times Chief
-By Warner Todd Huston
In a shocking tally, up to 500 people have come forward claiming to be victims of former British Broadcasting Corp. TV and radio star Jimmy Savile, British police have reported. The scandal has reached from the 1960s to today but has also reached across the ocean to the newly hired CEO of The New York Times, himself a former BBC executive.
New Times executive Mark Thompson was the most recent top man at the BBC of any long standing having served for eight years ending his tenure only this past September. Thompson resigned from the Beeb to come to America to take the helm of The New York Times just as the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal was developing.
In his pre-employment interviews, Thompson swore he had no knowledge at all about the decades of sexual abuse cases perpetrated by BBC TV star Jimmy Savile, many of which the BBC aided in covering up and hiding from both the police and the license-paying public.
But the latest news from the investigation into the Savile scandal raises questions about what Thompson knew and when he knew it and that timeline brings suspicion that he knew about the mounting scandal long before he told The New York Times that he did.
So, what will The New York Times do? Will the "paper of record" demand that its own chief prove his claims of ignorance about the very sandal under his nose for his full tenure as the BBC's top boss? Will The Times demand the truth?
What did Thompson know and when did he know it?
See our previous coverage
- New York Times Chief Testifies over BBC Sex Scandal
- Third New Chief in Two Months Takes Over BBC
- NYT Scandal Editor Sex Abuse Scandal 'Hasn't Made Things Easy'
- Troubles Grow for Newest New York Times Boss
- Multiple Sex Scandals Force New BBC Chief to Resign
- BBC's Mark Thompson to Become NYT's Next CEO
"The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it."
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, RightPundits.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany's Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
For a full bio, please CLICK HERE.
Fair Use: This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of political, human rights, economic, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research, educational, or satirical purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site/blog for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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Originally planned for release in 2013, we're finally getting our first look at director Kelly Reichardt's eco-terrorism thriller "Night Moves."
The film tells the story of three passionate environmentalists (played by Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard) who turn to radical activism with a plot to blow up a hydroelectric dam. In an interview last year, Eisenberg said he spent months working on an organic farm and living in a yurt in Southern Oregon in preparation for the role.
"It just gives you a different sense of living. When you are planting the food that you eat, you feel a direct sense with interacting with the world for practical reasons, and alternatively you are feeling disgusted by a lot of modernity just by being separate from it. That is what my character believes in."
According to IMDB, we can expect "Night Moves" to potentially hit the U.S. in limited release starting May 30th. Check out the international trailer below.
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.


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Spring Break Discovery Camp
Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - 9:00am to Friday, March 21, 2014 - 12:00pm
Age: 3rd grade – 8th grade
Fee: $80.00
Your child will utilize their creative and artistic bridge building skills. There will be a contest to the see who painted their bridge the best and also who build the strongest bridge. The winners will receive a super awesome prize!
To enroll go to: www.cityofmoore.com/fun or call 793-5090 for more information


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10 Simple Tips for Microsoft Outlook 2010
Right Click for Jumplists New to Outlook 2010 is a Windows 7 integration feature that lets you right-click on the Outlook icon on the taskbar and pop up a "jumplist" menu that lets you create an e-mail message, appointment, meeting, contact, or task by selecting an item. Outlook doesn't need to be open when you click on an item, and the only part of the Outlook interface that opens is the part you need to perform the task you select.
1 / 10


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A Quiet Mind chords by Blue October, added: July 6th, 2006
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intro & Bridge:
Cadd9, C, Cmaj7,
A7sus2, Am7 , A7sus2, Am7.
A slow strangle with feet on the floor
I've got 14 angels and we're sleeping alone
In the back of a cave, where the rest of us go
To feel normal
I call baby up. Leave me alone.
I'm in pain but I won't let you band-aid the wound
Am F
I'm mad at a stage where I can't even handle my own
G Am C
Give me a quiet mind and I...
I love you
G Am C
You give me a quiet mind and I...
I love you
Until the end...
And the song goes on with the same pattern.
Good luck and have a great day.
Itamar Avni.


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From YouTube user LilBubBub: People have been asking to hear the amazing sounds that BUB can make. So here we have a very rare performance of Lil BUB vocalizing. She is full on squonking and squirggeling. Mind you, these aren't the only sounds she makes, she also purrs and has her own version of a "meow". But this is something else entirely.
Lil Bub Speaks
Leave a Comment
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New Cecil looks more dignified.
The Phantom P.I. Mission Apparition is a spooky, puzzly adventure game starring a paranormal investigator who specializes in helping ghosts who are being bullied in the afterlife. Players explore a haunted house, solve puzzles and collect clues about the grisly death of rock & roll legend Marshall Staxx in an effort to free him from the torment of a mischievous ghoul named Baublebelly.
A look into how we're revamping the look of our main character.
Posted by rocket5tim on Sep 16th, 2013
We noticed during play testing that a lot of the time is spent looking at the side and 3/4 back view of Cecil's head. Cecil's head shape is kind of boxy and this view needed some more visual interest. When we went back and looked at the original concept (below), we noticed some missing details (like the mutton chops and ears) that would help improve his 3D silhouette.
We wanted to quickly see see what the new Cecil would look like before going through the whole rigging and weighting pipeline so Cathy modeled a new head and then pasted it on the old animated mesh (which is why you see a gap on his neckline). Here's the new version with mutton chops, ears, bigger mustache and bangs and a new hair style (mostly around the sides and back).
And here's the current character for comparison:
This change also allows us to simplify the mesh - the current character has 4 different facial expressions (default, happy, surprised, angry) which are individual meshes that are weighted to the skinned mesh. The idea was that we would change his expression based on what he was doing in the game by showing/hiding the different faces. But since his facial features (eyes and eyelids) are rather small and his mouth is mostly hidden by his excellent mustache, the different faces didn't read well so we decided to cut the face swapping.
Usually we wouldn't make such a risky change to our main character at this stage of development but we feel like the improvements to the character's silhouette and overall simplification of the mesh outweighs the risks. What do you think of the new vs. current Cecil?
New Cecil looks more dignified.
Thanks, we weren't exactly going for dignified, but we'll take it! I think the bigger mustache and bangs make him look younger somehow.


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DEDINSKY WILLIAM R. December 12, 2012. Age 91. Husband of the late Shirley R. (nee Bushaw). Dear father of Ann Korinek, Marie (Jim) Thomson, William B. (Linda) and Edward (Karen). Grand-father of Christina Cardinal, Nina (Samuel) Turner, Joshua (Rachel), Benjamin, and Nathan. Great-grandfather of Alexander, April, Aurora, and Naomi. Funeral Monday 10:15 a.m. prayers at Dearborn Chapel of the Howe-Peterson Funeral Home, 22546 Michigan Ave. and Mass at 11:00 a.m. from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 22430 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. Visitation 1-9 p.m. Sunday with Rosary at 7 p.m. www.howepeterson.com
From The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press
Share memories in the guest book. Entries are free and are posted after being reviewed for appropriate content.
Condolences during this difficult time. I'll always remember his artistic ability, bolo ties and how he adored his family.
I remember your wonderful father and mother. They were dear friends of my parents. I treasured their hand-painted gifts I received over the years. One of my favorite things in my home is an iron cricket doorstop your parents gave mine when we moved into our new home in 1966 and there were crickets in the basement!


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Thursday, Jan. 22nd. Anaheim, California Shadowing heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko as he prepares for his fight with Andre Arlovski on January 24th. watch video >>
NBCSports.com gives you an exclusive look as Fedor Emelianenko prepares for a fight this Saturday against Andre Arlovski. watch video >>
UFC 94 is coming Sat. Jan. 31, 2009 and on the Hot 93.9 studio we have the Champion GSP and Hawaii's own BJ Penn for an interview. We decided to let GSP try some Manapua. watch video >>
King Mo Prepares For EA MMA Battle watch video >>
Experience a day in the life of former featherweight champion Mike Brown as he prepares for his fight versus Manny Gamburyan. Brown vs Gamburyan is part of the Aldo vs Faber Pay-Per-View card this Sa watch video >>
Babalu Sobral Prepares For DREAM LHW Tourney watch video >>
Brett Cooper Prepares For The Bellator WW Tourney watch video >>
Roller is in full training mode as he prepares for his fight against Anthony Njokuani. Watch this fight plus much more, when Aldo vs Faber comes to you Live on April 24th at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT only on P watch video >>
Hang out with Nate Marquardt as he prepares for his middleweight bout against Demian Maia in UFC 102. watch video >>
Thiago Alves has Wanderlei Silva as a hero and idol and will be coming to Las Vegas before his fight against George St. Pierre to train at the Wand Fight Team. More at www.wandfightteam.com watch video >>


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Watch Church Online in
Welcome to a unique experience in Christian Ministry.
On the Services page you can find our Schedule of Services, a link to purchase our sermons, our sacred ceremonies, transportation info, a link to our app and so much more. Click on the Online Registration link to the right to register for events, etc.
Thank you for your desire to become an active participant of the Christian Cultural Center Family. Please remember; God is working through us to accomplish His goal, His vision and the vision of Christian Cultural Center.
Whether you are a visitor to our website, visited our campus or are a member of Christian Cultural Center, we invite you to get involved in our Community of Faith.
Our dramatic musical presentations have graced the stages of legendary concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Nassau Coliseum, and dynamic show places like Radio City Music Hall and The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
You can purchase past sermons, books, inspirational décor and more at our online store.
Our work is supported by the generous giving of our friends, members and partners in ministry.
Stay up to date with everything going on at CCC.
CCCTV... your premiere destination for quality programming available anytime!
From New York City... to the world... join our community for praise and worship, God's word and even special productions and music that are sure to bless your walk with the Lord.
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The walls are closing in…
Do you remember this scene from Star Wars? Luke, Leah, Hans, and Chewy stuck in the Death Star trash compactor…and the walls begin closing in. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, stop reading now. Go watch Star Wars, and then re-apply for your American citizenship.)
With the recent economic downturn, I've met a lot of people who feel like their walls are closing in –
bills are mounting,
credit cards are tapped out,
mortgages can't be paid,
and most importantly, dreams are forgotten.
Enter createmargin.com. I've launched this site to provide simple and practical steps to help you recover the dreams God created you to fulfill. To do this, you must create margin in your financial life. Once you have margin, you have room to dream. The formula is easy –
Spend less. Save more. Give more.
That's it. In these pages you'll find tips on how to do all three. And by doing ALL THREE, the walls will stop, and you'll discover the plans that long ago were designed just for you.


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Greensboro, NC-- Greensboro's City Budget proposal for the next fiscal year not only includes tightening some purse strings in services, but also adds fees for you.
City Manager, Denise Turner Roth, presented her first budget to City Council members Tuesday night. The proposed budget is $459 million. It comes with $4.3 million in cuts across the board.
A breakdown of budget cuts in services includes: $982,244 in public safety, $715,762 in culture, recreation, and community character, $1,043,194 in infrastructure, $2,350,201 in organization-wide reductions, and $227,569 in general government. It also includes getting rid of 14 full-time equivalent positions but would not impact sworn employees.
So what does it mean for you? Get ready to pay more for water. The budget proposal includes increasing water rates for a second year in a row. If you live in the city, you'll pay a 3.5% increase for water and a 7.5% increase for non-city residents. The increased costs will help offset future regulatory issues, water and sewer infrastructure, and replacement costs according to the budget proposal.
The proposal also includes increasing fees for group usage of Parks and Recreation spraygrounds and added $10 late penalty fee for overdue parking tickets. The proposal also includes development review fee increases.
Here's a look at what the budget proposal includes: $1.29 million for the economic development fund, including funding for the Big Box Loan program, the Good Repair program, the redevelopment of the Renaissance Center and the City's contribution to the $1 million SC2 economic development challenge, $50,000 for a City-wide survey, $40,519 for additional resources for code enforcement and inspections, first-year funding of $70,000 for a newly proposed Office of Accountability.
You can tell City Council members what you think about the budget at its meeting on June 4, 2013. City Council must adopt a budget during its June 18 meeting.
You can review the entire budget starting at noon on Wednesday, May 22, by clicking on Greensboro city budget.
A closer look at the breakdown in budget reductions and recommendations:
Public Safety
• Delay the recruit classes for the Greensboro police and fire departments;
• Reduce the number of school crossing guards funded by the City.
Culture, Recreation and Community Character
• Reduce the number of open-play hours at the Greensboro Sportsplex;
• Eliminate funding for the Greensboro Youth Council Carnival;
• Transfer ownership of War Memorial Stadium to NC A&T State University.
• Increase fees for planning permits and bond engineering projects;
• Savings realized through recycling materials contract;
• Reductions in landscape maintenance costs.
General Government
• Increase the late fee penalty for overdue parking tickets by $10 after 90 days;
• Eliminate supplemental pay for worker's compensation, reducing the level the City pays to the state mandated amount.
Organization-Wide Reductions
• Reduce Lankford Security contract;
• Reduce internal equipment services charges.
*Information provided by the City of Greensboro via a news release.


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Lydia had seen some of the photos I'd taken at the photographer get-together at Sammy Marks earlier this year, and immediately knew that was where she wanted her and Nicol's couple shoot to be! I, of course, will never say no to ruins, so off we went. On arrival, I discovered something I loved even more than the ruins – the big rainbow umbrella they'd brought with. It was obsession at first sight!
Lydia and Nicol were the cutest couple, and Lydia could laugh at the drop of a hat – and if there's one thing I love (almost as much as ruins and rainbow umbrellas), it's a natural laugh. Yes…I loved pretty much every single thing about this shoot!


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I finally got around to listening to F into I completely and I must say that some, not all, of the songs blew me away. I really like Hell's Kitchen, Lines in the Sand, and Just let Me Breathe. What do you guys like about F into I
Falling into Infinity
I finally got around to listening to F into I completely and I must say that some, not all, of the songs blew me away. I really like Hell's Kitchen, Lines in the Sand, and Just let Me Breathe. What do you guys like about F into I
It's a good record, but it would be a great record if it had looked like this:
New Millennium
You OR Me
Peruvian Skies
Hollow Years
Raise the Knife
Hell's Kitchen
Speak to Me
Lines in the Sand
Take Away my Pain ("slower" version)
Trial of Tears
"Hidden" track---Eve
I like all the songs except "You Not Me", "Just Let Me Breath" and "Burning My Soul". "You Not Me" and Burning My Soul" were better on the demo tracks and I probably would have liked them if they had been recorded they way they were originally intended. I personally think that "Hell's Kitchen" should have been left inside of "Burning My Soul". And the subject matter of "Just Let Me Breath" just doesn't interest me that much.
My favorite songs would be "New Millennium", "Peruvian Skies" and "Trial of Tears". When I heard the intro to "New Millennium" for the first time I was out jogging and suddenly it was as if all the mountains around me turned into polygon shapes. I was so overwhelmed by the experience that I fell down onto my knees and cried.
I know that sounds a little dramatic, but that was my experience none the less.
It's not that bad of an album in my opinion, I do believe that it is DT's weakest album, but i still enjoy listening to it :)
It's an incredible record if you keep in mind what was going on at the time. I believe it is their attempt to be a more "commercial" band due to pressure from their record label and the industry in general. This was before the digital music revolution and for rock bands to succeed at the time, they had to have a radio or MTV hit. "Pull Me Under" had been a surprise rock radio hit, and they were under heavy pressure to deliver another hit. So they tried to compress the DT sound into shorter, more radio friendly songs and sound (starting with the "Awake" record.) . I think they accomplished that and more on FII while staying true to themselves. I don't think any other band from that era except maybe Rush was able to achieve that as well as DT did. Lucky for us they can do whatever they want now.
It's actually a pretty good album... Trail of Tears and Hollow Years (haha that rhymed) are my favorite tracks. I would still say its DT's weakest album though, right behind ADTOE, that's not really saying anything though when you consider that they have never made a bad album.
Compromised by the label, but still in the upper half of the DT catalog, imo. Trial of Tears is one of their best epics ever. Also a big fan of other songs mentioned already: Peruvian Skies, Hell's Kitchen, Lines in the Sand and Take Away My Pain, in particular :)
It's a very good album, yet sadly so underrated. It contains some of my favorite Dream Theater songs, like Trial of Tears and Take Away My Pain. Trial of Tears especially is one of the best songs ever, because it has such an expressive lyrics and an awesome bass line. That song, in my opinion, is John Myung's masterwork.
It is certainly an underrated album. Much better than Octavarium and Systematic Chaos in my opinion, but not as good as ADTOE.
For me it's probably their weakest album release. Portnoy mentions in interviews that he didn't enjoy that period of DT and some of Kevin Shirley's production ideas (e.g. shortening songs) , James was still struggling with his voice from the incident a couple of years ago. Despite that, DT not firing at 100% is still very good. There's some great music on this album for sure!
Love this album, Hells Kitchen & Lines in the Sand are my personal favs. Peruvian Skies, Trial of Tears & Hollow Years next...Burning my Soul is least, occasionally prompting the "skip" button.
Solid offering from DT.
Burning my Hole (relates to the chilli from the night before), errr Soul. Not really. Lines in the Sand, Peruvian Skies when done live with Pink Floyd and Metallica add-ins and Hell's Kitchen, what a masterpiece and Trial of Tears.


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In its first two losses this season following nine consecutive victories, the Cornell lacrosse team was victimized by long stretches of having to play defense, watching the offenses from Harvard and Syracuse monopolize the ball.
Saturday, in a devastating 8-7 loss at Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it happened again.
"You just can't let a team like that play so much offense," interim Big Red head coach Matt Kerwick said. "Again, we had a couple of untimely turnovers that really hurt us, but again it was exactly what we expected in terms of the pace of the game, the intensity of ...


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Reviewed by 1 customer
Best Uses
Comments about New Era Baltimore Orioles Authentic Alternate Performance 59FIFTY On-Field Cap:
This is a cap I have just added bacvk into my collection of Orioles caps I have. I am going to Baltimore in September to see my Birdies play at the Number 1 Baseball Park that is my list of my 100 Favorite Baseball Parks and Stadiums. I will enjoy wearing this cap along with my black Orioles Alternate Jersey. I am all set to go to Baltimore and see the Orioles when I wear this cap down. I will pack the others in my suit case along with my glove.


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would you accept non English high quality sites?
Looking to buy car links PR1+, if your site is about muscle car are car parts it's better.
They must be quality sites, please don't send me:
- Thin Websites - barely any content, just a website setup to sell links.
- Dropped Domains - Don't send me any dropped domains
These must be living breathing websites!!!
would you accept non English high quality sites?
link exchange ???
check my siggy
I love the American Muscle cars. The power of the engine are awesome and the voice pf the care is fabulous. Playing with muscle cars is not as easy.
I have a car link available. But this thread is a couple of years old.


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November 11, 2013
Ron Bailey
November 11, 2013 - Reaching Elijah Burns recently, the 6'6", 200 pound Class of 2015 forward provided updates on his recruitment and development. Suffice to say, both are progressing nicely, with a recent transfer sure to play a role. ...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now!
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Flavia de Luce is a precocious, scientifically minded 11-year-old, more akin to Sherlock Holmes than, say, Harriet the Spy, which is refreshing and welcome. But there's a lot going on in the third installment of this series – so much that at times the plot becomes unfocused and confusing. The resolution to the mystery also seems predicated on Flavia, an otherwise highly observant sleuth, missing an obvious clue, simply because it wasn't time in the story for her to spot it. Still, it is hard not to like this book, for its feisty, stubborn heroine and Bradley's rendering of a 1950s quiet English village, full of eccentricities both charming and slightly sinister.
The third Flavia de Luce mystery opens with a gypsy fortune teller who is found close to death, bludgeoned in her caravan, ostensibly because someone believed her guilty of a long-ago abduction and murder of an infant. Flavia must use her comprehensive knowledge of chemistry to prove the gypsy woman innocent, find her attacker, and solve not only the cold case murder, but also the murder of a local man known as a poacher and thief. (Delacorte, Mar., 416 pp., $24.00)


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George Washington & His Staff Watching the Battle of Long Island
General George Washington and his staff observe the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776.
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oscar news
Nominee News, Insider Updates and the Oscar Scoop
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rocky balboa|Rocky Balboa (ROCKY, 1976)||846|476|2
Cinematic heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and The Oscars are acknowledging this with its 2014 theme. From animated heroes, to superheroes and real-life inspirations, all will be celebrated throughout Oscar season.
"People around the world go to the movies to be inspired by the characters they see on the screen. By celebrating the gamut of heroes who have enriched our movie-going experience, we hope to create an evening of fun and joy," said producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. "And that includes the filmmakers and actors who take risks and stimulate us with provocative subjects and daring characters. They are all heroes in the cinematic landscape."
In addition to special presentations at the Oscars ceremony, the Academy will present "The Oscars Celebrates Movie Heroes," an exhibition in the Grand Lobby Gallery of its Beverly Hills headquarters. The show - running January 17 through March 5, 2014 - will feature dozens of photographs and posters from iconic films with timeless heroes, including THE DARK KNIGHT, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and GLADIATOR.
The 86th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:38 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater by Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Chris Hemsworth. The Oscar telecast airs March 2, 2014, at 7e l 4p on ABC and online at oscar.go.com.
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on Oscar's media platforms. Learn more.


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A group of five friends at Summerville Elementary School have continued their annual tradition of raising money and supplies for the Tuolumne County Humane Society.
Seventh-graders Halle Bell, Grace Fulkerson, McKenna Hudson, Janae Roberson and Aubrey Rust collected exactly $302.05 and a large basket full of supplies for Humane Society animals.
The donated money and items came from their classmates, teachers and staff, according to Hudson's mother, Bonni Hudson.
Instead of spending their recesses lounging around, the girls circulated among other classes for about four weeks after winter break to collect the money.
"It is impressive to see how youngsters can dig deep into their pockets and piggy-banks for such a worthy cause," Hudson said.
The go-getting group started helping the Humane Society when they were in fifth grade and plan to start volunteering there when they're old enough. They also want to expand their fundraiser to other local elementary schools.


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The First National Bank of Throckmorton has continuously served Throckmorton County and the surrounding area since October 26, 1901. The bank was established by local citizens with the purpose of providing customers with quality financial services. As a locally owned bank, we strive to support our community in activities and endeavors that have a positive impact on the citizens of this area. It is our desire to provide customer service with a personal touch.
First National Bank of Throckmorton's Mission
Since being established in the year 1901, The First National Bank of Throckmorton has been committed to providing high quality service for our customers. We have a long history of expressing a genuine personal interest in each one of our customers and our community. We strive to provide you with the best banking experience possible and encourage you to utilize the banking services offered either in person, by telephone, or by computer via Internet.
This is your bank and we are here to serve you, so please feel free to contact us at any time that we can be of assistance.
Bryan R. Key


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5 Expert Takes on the U.S.-China Currency Tensions
Economics experts and China scholars weigh in on Beijing's currency revaluation and its potential impact on economic recovery in the here in the U.S.
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Economics experts and China scholars weigh in on Beijing's currency revaluation and its potential impact on economic recovery in the here in the U.S.
The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here's what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.
What is the Islamic State?
Where did it come from, and what are its intentions? The simplicity of these questions can be deceiving, and few Western leaders seem to know the answers. In December, The New York Times published confidential comments by Major General Michael K. Nagata, the Special Operations commander for the United States in the Middle East, admitting that he had hardly begun figuring out the Islamic State's appeal. "We have not defeated the idea," he said. "We do not even understand the idea." In the past year, President Obama has referred to the Islamic State, variously, as "not Islamic" and as al-Qaeda's "jayvee team," statements that reflected confusion about the group, and may have contributed to significant strategic errors.
Why the ingrained expectation that women should desire to become parents is unhealthy
Within just weeks of the law passing, parents started dropping off their kids. But here's the rub: None of them were infants. A couple of months in, 36 children had been left in state hospitals and police stations. Twenty-two of the children were over 13 years old. A 51-year-old grandmother dropped off a 12-year-old boy. One father dropped off his entire family -- nine children from ages one to 17. Others drove from neighboring states to drop off their children once they heard that they could abandon them without repercussion.
The Nebraska state government, realizing the tremendous mistake it had made, held a special session of the legislature to rewrite the law in order to add an age limitation. Governor Dave Heineman said the change would "put the focus back on the original intent of these laws, which is saving newborn babies and exempting a parent from prosecution for child abandonment. It should also prevent those outside the state from bringing their children to Nebraska in an attempt to secure services."
As the public's fear and loathing surge, the frontrunner's durable candidacy has taken a dark turn.
MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina—All politicians, if they are any good at their craft, know the truth about human nature.
Donald Trump is very good, and he knows it better than most.
Trump stands alone on a long platform, surrounded by a rapturous throng. Below and behind him—sitting on bleachers and standing on the floor—they fill this city's cavernous, yellow-beige convention center by the thousands. As Trump will shortly point out, there are a lot of other Republican presidential candidates, but none of them get crowds anything like this.
Trump raises an orange-pink hand like a waiter holding a tray. "They are not coming in from Syria," he says. "We're sending them back!" The crowd surges, whistles, cheers. "So many bad things are happening—they have sections of Paris where the police are afraid to go," he continues. "Look at Belgium, the whole place is closed down! We can't let it happen here, folks."
Can we predict romantic prospects just from looking at a face?
By the time you swear you're his, / Shivering and sighing. / And he vows his passion is/ Infinite, undying. / Lady, make a note of this — /One of you is lying. ― Dorothy Parker
Edward Royzman, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, asks me to list four qualities on a piece of paper: physical attractiveness, income, kindness, and fidelity. Then he gives me 200 virtual "date points" that I'm to distribute among the four traits. The more I allocate to each attribute, the more highly I supposedly value that quality in a mate.
This experiment, which Royzman sometimes runs with his college classes, is meant to inject scarcity into hypothetical dating decisions in order to force people to prioritize.
The statesman understood something most diplomats don't: history—and how to apply it.
In his new biography of Henry Kissinger, the historian Niall Ferguson recalls that halfway through what became an eight-year research project, he had an epiphany. Tracing the story of how a young man from Nazi Germany became America's greatest living statesman, he discovered not only the essence of Kissinger's statecraft, but the missing gene in modern American diplomacy: an understanding of history.
For Ferguson, it was a humbling revelation. As he confesses in the introduction to Kissinger: "In researching the life and times of Henry Kissinger, I have come to realize that my approach was unsubtle. In particular, I had missed the crucial importance in American foreign policy of the history deficit: The fact that key decision-makers know almost nothing not just of other countries' pasts but also of their own. Worse, they often do not see what is wrong with their ignorance."
Students at Princeton University are protesting the ways it honors the former president, who once threw a civil-rights leader out of the White House.
The Black Justice League, in protests on Princeton University's campus, has drawn wider attention to an inconvenient truth about the university's ultimate star: Woodrow Wilson. The Virginia native was racist, a trait largely overshadowed by his works as Princeton's president, as New Jersey's governor, and, most notably, as the 28th president of the United States.
As president, Wilson oversaw unprecedented segregation in federal offices. It's a shameful side to his legacy that came to a head one fall afternoon in 1914 when he threw the civil-rights leader William Monroe Trotter out of the Oval Office.
Trotter led a delegation of blacks to meet with the president on November 12, 1914 to discuss the surge of segregation in the country. Trotter, today largely forgotten, was a nationally prominent civil-rights leader and newspaper editor. In the early 1900s, he was often mentioned in the same breath as W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. But unlike Washington, Trotter, an 1895 graduate of Harvard, believed in direct protest actions. In fact, Trotter founded his Boston newspaper, The Guardian, as a vehicle to challenge Washington's more conciliatory approach to civil rights.
In the name of emotional well-being, college students are increasingly demanding protection from words and ideas they don't like. Here's why that's disastrous for education—and mental health.
Something strange is happening at America's colleges and universities. A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense. Last December, Jeannie Suk wrote in an online article for The New Yorker about law students asking her fellow professors at Harvard not to teach rape law—or, in one case, even use the word violate (as in "that violates the law") lest it cause students distress. In February, Laura Kipnis, a professor at Northwestern University, wrote an essay in The Chronicle of Higher Education describing a new campus politics of sexual paranoia—and was then subjected to a long investigation after students who were offended by the article and by a tweet she'd sent filed Title IX complaints against her. In June, a professor protecting himself with a pseudonym wrote an essay for Vox describing how gingerly he now has to teach. "I'm a Liberal Professor, and My Liberal Students Terrify Me," the headline said. A number of popular comedians, including Chris Rock, have stopped performing on college campuses (see Caitlin Flanagan's article in this month's issue). Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Maher have publicly condemned the oversensitivity of college students, saying too many of them can't take a joke.
What one woman learned from 10 years of teaching in a New York City public school
Laurel Sturt was a 46-year-old fashion designer in New York City whose career trajectory took an unlikely shift one day on the subway. A self-proclaimed social activist, Sturt noticed an ad for a Teaching Fellows program. Then and there, she decided to quit her job in fashion design and shift her focus to her real passion: helping others. She enrolled in the two-year program and was assigned to teach at an elementary school in a high-poverty neighborhood near the South Bronx.
A decade later, Sturt has written about the experience in her provocative memoir Davonte's Inferno: Ten Years in the New York Public School Gulag. I spoke with her about how her time in the classroom affected her views on education today.
Giving a gift is an act of competition as much as generosity.
Get $100 off the iPad Air 2 at Best Buy. Save $50 on the Xbox One Gears of War Bundle plus get a $60 Target Gift Card. At Walmart, one can buy a Samsung Smart HDTV for under $200. Under $200!
These are the marks of Black Friday, the annual bacchanal for consumer excess. And excess, it is normally thought, is a sign of vice. Profligacy. Christmas, the backlash insists, isn't about possessing things, but about family and salvation, respect and contrition.
Except, in another sense, it isn't. Whether one is a believer or not, Christmas is about a particularly excessive gift—an ultimate gift, the gift of God's only son, whom the scriptures declare would sacrifice his life for all mankind. Excess is the origin story of Christmas, rendering Black Friday strangely compatible with the liturgy.
Twenty-five years ago, the lip-syncing models were dethroned—and a class of more sophisticatedly manufactured stars took their place.
One of the stranger images in pop culture this year has been the one above, of Drake's face pasted onto the body of a Milli Vanilli member. It came courtesy of Meek Mill, the rapper who picked a fight on Twitter over the summer by claiming that Drake doesn't write his own songs. In one of the diss tracks to result, Mill (nickname: "Meek Milli!") called Drake a "Milli Vanilli-ass n*****." T-Pain, commenting on the controversy, boiled it down to being a "Milli Vanilli thing."
Among the many important implications of this headline-making beef is the notion that, despite or perhaps because of the best efforts of some of pop culture's watchdog forces, Milli Vanilli hasn't been forgotten. November 27 marks a quarter century since the Grammys revoked the Best New Artist trophy from the act whose songs, it turned out, were sung not by the European models Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus but by uncredited musicians working with the producer Frank Farian. It's one of the most important scandals in pop history, especially when viewed in the context of today's cultural wars over realness and fakeness.
Graeme Wood discusses his groundbreaking investigation of the Islamic State.
98-year-old Mary reminds us that people her age are sometimes forgotten, but still very much alive. Call your grandma.
In the Amazon, an enormous face is found carved into the cliffs of the jungle.


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PCPer Live! Logitech G Sponsored Racing Game Stream! Win a G29!
Subject: General Tech | September 3, 2015 - 07:46 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: video, project cars, logitech g, logitech, live, G29, DiRT Rally
UPDATE: Did you miss the event? Sorry to hear that, but you can catch the fun and humor from our racing adventure right here:
Everyone once in a while we try to have fun around the PC Perspective offices, and tomorrow night is going to be one of them. The team is gearing up for racing simulation action, pitting me (Ryan) against the likes of Allyn and Josh in a handful of racing titles including Project Cars, DiRT Rally and maybe more. Even better? We hope to have YOU join us as well if you want to - we are working on setting up the correct lobbies and groups in Steam to make it happen. I'll have details on this page as we get closer to the appropriate time on how you can join us for some racing fun!
And if we are going to be racing and I am going to be embarrassing myself, why not live stream the whole thing as well to hang out with the loyal PC Perspective readers?!? So join, us won't you?
And what's a live stream without prizes? Two lucky live viewers will win a Logitech G29 Racing Wheel of their very own! That's right - all you have to do is tune in for the live stream tomorrow afternoon and you could win a G29 valued at $399!! (Be sure to read Allyn's review of the G29 right here!)
Logitech G Racing Live Stream and Giveaway
5pm PT / 8pm ET - September 3rd
PC Perspective Live! Page
Need a reminder? Join our live mailing list!
The event will take place Thursday, September 3rd at 5pm PT / 8pm ET at http://www.pcper.com/live. There you'll be able to catch the live video stream as well as use our chat room to interact with the audience. To win the prizes you will have to be watching the live stream, with exact details of the methodology for handing out the goods coming at the time of the event.
If you have questions, please leave them in the comments below and we'll look through them just before the start of the live stream. Of course you'll be able to tweet us questions @pcper and we'll be keeping an eye on the IRC chat as well for more inquiries. What do you want to know and hear from us?
So join us! Set your calendar for this coming Thursday at 5pm PT / 8pm ET and be here at PC Perspective to catch it. If you are a forgetful type of person, sign up for the PC Perspective Live mailing list that we use exclusively to notify users of upcoming live streaming events including these types of specials and our regular live podcast. I promise, no spam will be had!
Podcast #365 - R9 Nano Preview, Tons of Skylake SKUs, Asynchronous Shaders and more!
Subject: General Tech | September 3, 2015 - 04:19 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: Z170-A, video, skylake-u, Skylake, r9 nano, podcast, phanteks, Intel, ifa, g-sync, fury x, Fury, Fiji, dx12, async shaders, asus, amd
PC Perspective Podcast #365 - 09/03/2015
Join us this week as we discuss the R9 Nano Preview, Tons of Skylake SKUs, Asynchronous Shaders and more!
You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.
The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!
- iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
- RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
- MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file
Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Josh Walrath, Allyn Malventano and Sebastian Peak
Program length: 1:49:27
Week in Review:
0:04:20 ASUS Z170-A Motherboard Review
0:15:45 ASUS Strix Radeon R9 Fury Review
0:42:40 Hot Topic: Asynchronous Shaders
0:48:45 This week's episode of the PC Perspective Podcast is brought to you by VideoBlocks
News item of interest:
Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
Ryan: Skiva StandCharger
Allyn: Tabbed Windows Explorer with QTTabBar
Sebastian: Who needs full ATX??
Subscribe to the PC Perspective YouTube Channel for more videos, reviews and podcasts!!
Microsoft is a little fuzzy on what the word 'no' means
Subject: General Tech | September 2, 2015 - 06:37 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: microsoft, KB3080149
It seems that not only aren't people leaping to Windows 10 and allowing Microsoft permission to collect their metadata but far too many who use Windows 7 or 8 are opting out of the program. KB3080149 is a recent 'Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry' which will enable Microsoft to track your usage even though you explicitly opted out of the Customer Experience Improvement Programme. At least the data sent is encrypted, little consolation for users as The Inquirer points out.
"MICROSOFT HAS BEGUN retrofitting some of the more controversial aspects of the new Windows 10 operating system to predecessors 7 and 8."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Core M-based Compute Stick coming early next year @ The Tech Report
- No plans for a socketed Skylake with eDRAM @ The Tech Report
- Hidden password-stealing malware lurking in your GPU card? Intel Security thinks not @ The Register
- Intel, NSF tip dollars into IoT security @ The Register
Need to fake a signature? Perhaps you should try ThermalTake's new Posiedon keyboard
Subject: General Tech | September 1, 2015 - 07:18 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: input, thermaltake, Poseidon Z Forged
At $100 the ThermalTake eSPORTs Poseidon Z Forged keyboard is a little less than most LED bearing mechanical keyboards. It has 10 programmable keys, five to a side, which caused Techgage some consternation. but they did get used to the placement of the Enter key eventually. The model they tested used Blue switches, Brown are also available if that happens to be your preference. The onboard DAC amplifier for S/PDIF headphones makes the keyboard an even better value compared to the competition, Techgage like how it performed but wonder if another lower cost version could be offered without the DAC. Check out the full review here.
"Thermaltake was once known only for its chassis and cooling products, but over the years, the company's branched out tremendously. Through its Tt eSPORTS brand, it caters to those who take their gaming seriously. On the test bench today is a perfect example of a "serious" gaming peripheral: the Poseidon Z Forged keyboard."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Corsair Strafe Mechanical Keyboard Review @ Madshrimps
- Tesoro Excalibur Spectrum Keyboard Review: Fun Fury of Fancy Fingering @ Modders-Inc
- Das Keyboard 4 Professional Review @ NikKTech
- EVGA TORQ X5 @ Bjorn3d
- Azio MGK1 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review @ Neoseeker
- Logitech G303 Daedalus Apex RGB Mouse @ Kitguru
Epic Games Releases Unreal Engine 4.9
Subject: General Tech | September 1, 2015 - 04:24 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: unreal engine 4, unreal engine, ue4.9, ue4, epic games, dx12
For an engine that was released in late-March, 2014, Epic has been updating it frequently. Unreal Engine 4.9 is, as the number suggests, the tenth release (including 4.0) in just 17 months, which is less than two months per release on average. Each release is fairly sizable, too. This one has about 232 pages of release notes, plus a page and a half of credits, and includes changes for basically every system that I can think of.
The two most interesting features, for me, are Area Shadows and Full Scene Particle Collision.
Area Shadows simulates lights that are physically big and relatively close. At the edges of a shadow, the object that casts the shadow are blocking part of the light. Wherever that shadow falls will be partially lit by the fraction of the light that can see it. As that shadow position gets further back from the shadow caster, it gets larger.
On paper, you can calculate this by drawing rays from either edge of each shadow-casting light to either edge of each shadow-casting object, continued to the objects that receive the shadows. If both sides of the light can see the receiver? No shadows. If both sides of the light cannot see the receiver? That light is blocked, which is a shadow. If some percent of a uniform light can see the receiver, then it will be shadowed by 100% minus that percentage. This is costly to do, unless neither the light nor any of the affected objects move. In that case, you can just store the result, which is how "static lighting" works.
Another interesting feature is Full Scene Particle Collision with Distance Fields. While GPU-computed particles, which is required for extremely high particle counts, collide already, distance fields allow them to collide with objects off screen. Since the user will likely be able to move the camera, this will allow for longer simulations as the user cannot cause it to glitch out by, well, playing the game. It requires SM 5.0 though, which limits it to higher end GPUs.
This is also the first release to support DirectX 12. That said, when I used a preview build, I noticed a net-negative performance with my 9000 draw call (which is a lot) map on my GeForce GTX 670. Epic calls it "experimental" for a reason, and I expect that a lot of work must be done to deliver tasks from an existing engine to the new, queue-based system. I will try it again just in case something changed from the preview builds. I mean, I know something did -- it had a different command line parameter before.
UPDATE (Sept 1st, 10pm ET): An interesting question was raised in the comments that we feel could be a good aside for the news post.
Anonymous asked: I don't have any experience with game engines. I am curious as to how much of a change there is for the game developer with the switch from DX11 to DX12. It seems like the engine would hide the underlying graphics APIs. If you are using one of these engines, do you actually have to work directly with DX, OpenGL, or whatever the game engine is based on? With moving to DX12 or Vulcan, how much is this going to change the actual game engine API?
Modern, cross-platform game engines are basically an API and a set of tools atop it.
For instance, I could want the current time in seconds to a very high precision. As an engine developer, I would make a function -- let's call it "GetTimeSeconds()". If the engine is running on Windows, this would likely be ((PerformanceCounter - Initial) / PerformanceFrequency) where PerformanceCounter is grabbed from QueryPerformanceCounter() and PerformanceFrequency is grabbed from QueryPerformanceFrequency(). If the engine is running on Web standards, this would be window.performance.now() * 1000, because it is provided in milliseconds.
Regardless of where GetTimeSeconds() pulls its data from, the engine's tools and the rest of its API would use GetTimeSeconds() -- unless the developer is low on performance or development time and made a block of platform-dependent junk in the middle of everything else.
The same is true for rendering. The engines should abstract all the graphics API stuff unless you need to do something specific. There is usually even a translation for the shader code, be it an intermediate language (or visual/flowchart representation) that's transpiled into HLSL and GLSL, or written in HLSL and transpiled into GLSL (eventually SPIR-V?).
One issue is that DX12 and Vulkan are very different from DX11 and OpenGL. Fundamentally. The latter says "here's the GPU, bind all the attributes you need and call draw" while the former says "make little command messages and put it in the appropriate pipe".
Now, for people who license an engine like Unity and Unreal, they probably won't need to touch that stuff. They'll just make objects and place them in the level using the engine developer's tools, and occasionally call various parts of the engine API that they need.
Devs with a larger budget might want to dive in and tweak stuff themselves, though.
Unreal Engine 4.9 is now available. It is free to use until your revenue falls under royalty clauses.
New Thinkpads, choose AMD or even Intel RealSense 3D on your next business machine
Subject: General Tech | September 1, 2015 - 02:19 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Lenovo, Thinkpad E Series, Realsense 3D, windows 10
The new 14" and 15.6" Lenovo ThinkPad E Series were revealed recently and The Inquirer got a sneak peek at it. They offer a choice of Intel and AMD models, somewhat good news for the much beleaguered processor company, along with up to 16GB of RAM and an SSD. The most interesting upgrade is the Intel RealSense 3D camera on some models, which you may remember Ryan testing on the Dell Venue 8, which should make conference calls more interesting as well as letting you measure your room. They also announced updated M and B and E line of laptops as well as the S series desktops, read more about it at The Inquirer.
"The E Series laptops come with a host of features "ideal for business users", Lenovo said, including fingerprint scanning security and up to nine hours of battery life."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Muted HAMR blow from Seagate: 4TB whizzbang drive coming 2016 @ The Register
- Hands on with Windows Server 2016 Containers @ The Register
- Better crypto, white-box switch support in Linux 4.2 @ The Register
- Tricks For Using Desktop-Integrated Calendars @ Linux.com
- Windows 10 is the world's fourth biggest OS after a month @ The Inquirer
- Worldwide server shipments grew 8% in 2Q15, while revenue increased 7.2%, says Gartner @ DigiTimes
- Amkov AMK5000S Sports Action Camera @ Kitguru
- EnGenius ENS1750 Outdoor Access Point @ Benchmark Reviews
Now they are coming for your dd-wrt
Subject: General Tech | August 31, 2015 - 04:48 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: wireless router, idiots, dd-wrt
In the next installment of poorly planned out moves by a US government agency attempting to solve a problem that does not exist, we shall see an attempt to make illegal the modification of the firmware on any device which contains an radio. This is likely to prevent you from using open source software to modify your wireless router into a death ray which will allow you to take over the planet.
Specifically, it will make illegal the modification of any device which can broadcast on U-NII bands which happen to include the 5GHz bandwidth that WiFi broadcasts on. While most firmware changes, such as dd-wrt only change the processor the routers are SoC's which means that the radio is technically a part of the same device as what you modify when applying custom firmware. Hack a Day has links to the FCC proposal, you might want to consider emailing your congress critters about it.
"Because of the economics of cheap routers, nearly every router is designed around a System on Chip – a CPU and radio in a single package. Banning the modification of one inevitably bans the modification of the other, and eliminates the possibility of installing proven Open Source firmware on any device."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Win10 Insider build 10532: Avoid if you run Chrome 64-bit @ The Register
- Nvidia GRID 2.0 doubles performance of its virtual GPU @ The Inquirer
- Dropbox DROPS BOX as service GOES TITSUP worldwide @ The Register
- Unearthed E.T. Atari Game Cartridges Score $108K At Auction @ Slashdot
Microsoft Releases Build 10532 to Fast Ring Insiders
Subject: General Tech | August 31, 2015 - 07:01 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: windows 10, microsoft
Less than a week and a half after publishing 10525, Microsoft has pushed Windows 10 Build 10532 to members of the Windows Insider program that are set to receive "Fast" releases. This version adjusts the context menus for consistency. In the provided screenshot, all I can really notice that is different is the icons for Display Settings and Personalize are now axonometric, rather than face-on. The Feedback app has also been updated to allow sharing.
While Slow Ring users are still on the general public build, 10240, it might not be too long. Gabe Aul mentioned on Twitter that they were evaluating 10525 for Slow Ring. With 10532 being released though, that has almost definitely been put off. The next update is particularly important, as it will be the last chance for Windows Insiders to disable Insider Builds before all of them will be pushed off of 10240. It's about time to decide whether you want to use the stable version that's supported by all manufacturers, or continue with pre-release versions.
To receive 10532, join the Insider program from Windows Update's Advanced options and set it to receive Fast builds. To leave the Insider program, go to the same Advanced options menu and press the button to stop receive Insider builds.
Google giveth with one hand whilst taking with the other
Subject: General Tech | August 28, 2015 - 04:40 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: google, chrome, flash, apple
The good news from Google is that as of next month, Flash ads will be 'Click to Play' when you are browsing in Chrome. This will be nice for the moving ads but even better for defeating those sick minded advertisers who think audio ads are acceptable. However this will hurt websites which depend on ad revenue ... as in all of the ones that are not behind a paywall which have Flash based ads. The move will make your web browsing somewhat safer as this will prevent the drive-by infections which Flash spreads like a plague infested flea and as long as advertisers switch to HTML 5 their ads will play and revenue will continue to come in.
The news of Chrome's refusal to play Flash ads is tempered somewhat by Google's decision to put advertising ahead of security for Apple devices. The new iOS 9 uses HTTPS for all connectivity, providing security and making it more difficult for websites to gather personalized data but as anyone who uses HTTPS Everywhere already knows, not all advertisements are compliant and are often completely blocked from displaying. To ensure that advertisers can display on your iOS9 device Google has provided a tool to get around Apple's App Transport Security thus rendering the protection HTTPS offers inoperative. Again, while sites do depend on advertisements to exist, sacrificing security to display those ads is hard to justify.
"The web giant has set September 1, 2015 as the date from which non-important Flash files will be click-to-play in the browser by default – effectively freezing out "many" Flash ads in the process."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Kids these days and their Raspberry Pi's
Subject: General Tech | August 27, 2015 - 02:14 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: nifty, Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi and its various flavours have been out for a while now and we have heard of a variety of projects developers and hobbyists have come up with but this story from The Register has them all beat. With a little Googling and a lot of creativity and inspiration there are kids out there creating all sorts of new uses for the little device. One 11 year old was a little worried about her Grampa and used a Pi along with PHP and HTML to pair a device with a webpage which can bring up a web browser for him, allow simple texting capabilities and to photos to make sure he is still OK. Others have created a scanner to keep track of scores in netball or to make sure that the sushi they grab from a restaurant's conveyor belt isn't getting too old. Give kids a chance to create and what they come up with will blow you away.
"Completely at home with Raspberry Pis, these kids Google around for the things they don't know how to do - because when you're 11, you don't know what you can't do. They are inventing the future, and for them it's just child's play."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Best Lightweight Linux Distros @ Linux.com
- Your smartphone can be a 3D scanner, say boffins @ The Register
- Amazon Underground offers paid apps for free - but with a sting in the tail @ The Inquirer
- Password 'XXXXairocon' pops Wi-Fi routers from ASUS, ZTE and others @ The Register
- Ins0mnia: iOS flaw lets applications run for ever in a bad way @ The Inquirer
- It's official: Apple's next iPhone will be unveiled on 9 September @ The Inquirer
- Tech ARP 2015 Mega Giveaway #5 : Mi 10400 mAh Power Banks
Podcast #364 - Nixeus Vue 24 FreeSync Monitor, AMD R9 Nano leaks, GPU Marketshare and more!
Subject: General Tech | August 27, 2015 - 12:59 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: podcast, video, Nixeus, vue24, freesync, gsync, amd, r9 nano, Fiji, asus, PB258Q, qualcomm, snapdragon 820, nvidia
PC Perspective Podcast #364 - 08/27/2015
Join us this week as we discuss the Nixeus Vue 24 FreeSync Monitor, AMD R9 Nano leaks, GPU Marketshare and more!
You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.
The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!
- iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
- RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
- MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file
Hosts: Allyn Malventano, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath, and Sebastian Peak
Program length: 1:22:36
Week in Review:
This week's episode of the PC Perspective Podcast is brought to you by VideoBlocks
News item of interest:
0:54:50 R9 Nano Leaks
Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
Allyn: 'Decrap' your OEM PC
Sebastian: When you can't set up that PSX: FFVII iOS
Subscribe to the PC Perspective YouTube Channel for more videos, reviews and podcasts!!
Logitech Releases G633 and G933 Headsets for Premium Gaming Market
Subject: General Tech | August 27, 2015 - 04:00 AM | Josh Walrath
Tagged: logitech, headphones, gaming, G933, G633, DTS Headphone:X, 7.1
Today Logitech is announcing that they have added to their headset lineup with two new products. This is a fairly big announcement as it has been around five years since Logitech did anything with their gaming headset. Units like the recently reviewed G35 and G230 have been around since 2010. Users have been complaining as of late about a lack of fresh products on the scene, even though those previous products have adequately filled their niche.
The two new products coming out are the wireless G933 and the wired G633. These are under the new brand Artemis Spectrum Gaming Headsets. The G633 has a MSRP of $149.99 putting it at the higher end of gaming headsets. Compare this to the G35 which originally shared that MSRP, but is now around $79 at retail. The top end G933 is a pricier option at $199.99 US.
Logitech has done a lot of work in terms of physical characteristics and the software they are using to drive these units. Neither comes as a pure analog solution, but instead utilizes a USB connection to power the wired and wireless units. Logitech continually refines its gaming software and this provides a great amount of flexibility when it comes to usage scenarios and audio features for these headphones.
Powering these cans is a newly designed 40 mm driver that is created from a stiffened fabric rather than paper or plastic. Logitech is branding these as the patent pending Pro-G audio drivers. The engineers worked with materials people to develop the technology that is said to provide audiophile quality sound across a variety of applications. I had asked why Logitech stayed with a 40 mm driver when other companies were utilizing larger 50 mm units which can deliver potentially deeper bass. The answer was that they discovered that 40 mm was the sweet spot for this material to provide a flat curve without diminishing the high end. The 50 mm prototypes just did not have the high end performance of the 40 mm units, so it was decided to sacrifice a bit of the low end to keep things more balanced and brighter.
Previously the Logitech Gaming headphones used Dolby Headphone support to simulate 3D/positional sound. This is changing up with these latest headphones. The new ones do support a virtual 7.1 audio solution as well as the new DTS Headphone: X support. This is an area where Logitech has again done quite a bit of work to improve their HRTF support. Ryan was shown around 30 different ear "models" that were used to measure how sound was reflected, refracted, and tone shifted when audio was played around these models in multiple positions. HRTF stands for Head Related Transfer Function. Humans can recognize sound positioning through a lot of processing in the brain. The brain can recognize when a sound's tone is shifted due to the individual curves and shape of a person's ear. Logitech has taken this data and created a software solution that more accurately provides this effect than their previous G35 and higher headphones which features the 7.1 functionality. This functionality will also seem more realistic when combined with a higher end driver, such as what is included with the Pro-G audio drivers.
The boom microphone is very similar to the previous models. It can swing down and provide some decent audio for outgoing. It will not match more professional units, but we can only hope that it is superior to the previous generation of headphones that Logitech has put out.
One area that could potentially be controversial is that of the LED lighting on the headphones. The headsets light up around the cups and can be changed to the tune of 16.8 million colors. The side plates can also be swapped, so potentially custom made plates can be swapped in to show whatever logos or pictures as one desires. One positive of this design is that the LED lights are facing to the rear of the listener's head, so potential reflections off of a screen (or glasses) will just not happen. The headphones also feature three programmable G-Keys, a feature that was on the previous G35 units. It also features the mute button and the scroll wheel to control volume. These are handy, handy things for those that have already created a dozen macros on their keyboard and could potentially start mashing buttons. Not like I have ever done that before trying to mute some headphones…
These headphones also have a unique feature in that they can dynamically mix multiple inputs. The G633 can mix audio from two different inputs while the G933 can handle three inputs. There are multiple use scenarios for this such as playing on a console while having the headphones attached to a cellphone. Users can mix and match this functionality in a variety of scenarios that will fit their lifestyle. This is slightly more interesting for the wireless G933 as more devices can be connected, and the user can be free of a plethora of cables attached to the base unit.
The G933 also have an option of being a wired unit through analog cables. This does provide some nice flexibility for users, as well as playing for hours more when the batteries of the wireless headphones are recharging. This flexibility was not featured in previous wired headsets and is a nice change of pace.
Certain products have a long lifespan when it comes to product cycles. Headphones are one of these areas (just ask Grado and how many generations they have gone through in the past 25 years). Logitech has done some serious groundwork to make sure that these are competitive and high quality units. The final proof will of course be listening to these cans under multiple scenarios to see if the new drivers are in fact as good as they claim to be. With the laser like focus that Logitech has been aiming at gaming as of late, I am pretty comfortable in the idea that these headsets are the real deal when it comes to quality audio under gaming, movies, and music situations. Individual tastes will of course vary, but Logitech has spent a great deal of time and effort to make these competitive with the industry at large. It is a good step forward and I look forward to hearing the results.
The G633 will be available starting in September while the G933 will come to market in an October timeframe. The DTS Headphone:X support will be a software upgrade with the Logitech Gaming software in October.
EK Jumps Into AIO Water Cooling With New EK-Predator Coolers
Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling | August 27, 2015 - 12:17 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: water cooling, liquid cooling, Intel, ek, AIO
EK (EK Water Blocks) is pouncing on the AIO liquid cooling market with its new EK-Predator series. The new cooler series combines the company's enthusiast parts into pre-filled and pre-assembled loops ready to cool Intel CPUs (AMD socket support is slated for next year). Specifically, EK is offering up the EK-Predator 240 and EK-Predator 360 which are coolers with a 240mm radiator and a 360mm radiator respectively.
The new coolers use copper radiators and EK Supremacy MX CPU blocks the latter of which has a polished copper base so there is no risk associated with using mixed metals in the loop. A 6W DDC pump drives the loop with the pump and a small reservoir attached to one side of the radiator (allegedly using a vibration dampening mounting system). EK ZMT (Zero Maintenance Tubing) 10/16mm tubing connects the CPU block to the pump/radiator/reservoir combo which uses standard G1/4 threaded ports.
EK pairs the radiator with two or three (depending on the model) EK-Vardar high static pressure fans. The fans and pump are PWM controlled and connect to a hub which is then connected to the PC motherboard's CPU fan header over a single cable. Then, a single SATA power cable from the power supply provides the necessary power to drive the pump and fans.
The EK-Predator 360 further adds quick disconnect (QDC) fittings to allow users to expand the loop to include, for example, GPU blocks. EK Water Blocks is reportedly working on compatible GPU blocks which will be available later this year that users will be able to easily tie into the EK-Predator 360 cooling loop.
Available for pre-order now, the EK-Predator 240 will be available September 23rd with an MSRP of $199 while the larger EK-Predator 360 is slated for an October 19th release at $239 MSRP.
My thoughts:
If the expected performance is there, these units look to be a decent value that will allow enthusiasts to (pun intended) get their feet wet with liquid cooling with the opportunity to expand the loop as their knowledge and interest in water cooling grows. The EK-Predators are not a unique or new idea (other companies have offered water cooling kits for awhile) but coming pre-assembled and pre-filled makes it dead simple to get started and the parts should be of reputable quality. The one drawback I can see from the outset is that users will need to carefully measure their cases as the pump and reservoir being attached to the radiator means users will need more room than usual to fit the radiator. EK states in the PR that the 240mm rad should fit most cases, and is working with vendors on compatible cases for the 360mm radiator version, for what that's worth. Considering I spent a bit under $300 for my custom water cooling loop used, this new kit doesn't seem like a bad value so long as the parts are up to normal EK quality (barring that whole GPU block flaking thing which I luckily have not run into...).
What do you think about EK's foray into AIO water cooling? Are the new coolers predators or prey? (okay, I'll leave the puns to Scott!).
Don't head out on a wild goose chase when buying a GPU to play Witcher 3
Subject: General Tech | August 26, 2015 - 01:52 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: gaming, The Witcher 3, VLAN party, fragging frogs
[H]ard|OCP has taken the guesswork out of GPU performance on the current version of Witcher 3 in this round up featuring 10 GPUs, five from each company. Of course only NVIDIA supports lips occluded by PhysX powered mustachios but not everyone is obsessed with perfect hair. Indeed when it takes a $1000 video card just to enable the lowest options on HairWorks at 1440p without disabling every other feature one wonders why HairWorks had gamers tied up in knots. Check out the full review for performance comparisons and even some HairWorks nitpicking.
This weekend also marks the 11th Fragging Frogs VLAN party, which kicks off on Saturday August 29 10:00 AM ET and will go until the last frog has been fragged. Sign up in this thread if you haven't already and if you are new to the Fragging Frogs follow the links to the FAQ threads for information on which patches or mods you will need to apply to your games to get playing as soon as possible.
"We take The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, using the 1.08.2 patch and latest drivers, find the highest playable settings and examine apples-to-apples performance with and without GameWorks across 10 video cards. We put a focus on NVIDIA HairWorks and how it impacts performance and find out which video cards provide the best gaming value."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- 14-Way AMD vs. NVIDIA Linux Gaming Performance For DiRT Showdown @ Phoronix
- Super Useful Skyrim Script Extender Now On Steam @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
- The RPG Scrollbars: The Long Night Of Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines (With Clan Quests) @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
- Customers start to receive Nvidia SHIELD tablet replacements @ HEXUS
- Warm Up The Cerebral Bore: Turok 1&2 Being Revamped @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
- YouTube Gaming site and app to launch later today @ HEXUS
- Windows 10 Won't Run Games Using SafeDisc Or Securom DRM @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
- Do Corpses Make Darkest Dungeon Too Difficult? @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
Grand Theft Auto V Mods Don't Disappoint
Subject: General Tech | August 25, 2015 - 06:40 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: GTA5, GTAV, pc gaming
Triple-A games with a long shelf life, regardless of how pretty they are, will probably get a graphics mod on the PC. A ridiculous number of them exist for Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto IV, which make them (arguably at the very least) look better than titles a whole generation ahead of them. Sometimes this raises controversy, as seen in the Watch_Dogs launch fiasco, but most of the time it is just hobbyists remaking the wheel (sometimes literally) to take advantage of newer hardware.
Toddyhancer, which is apparently a mod for Grand Theft Auto V, already looks impressive. It is not yet released, and the developer claims that it has a significant performance impact of ~10-30 FPS, which would be more useful in units of frame time (ms), but it makes its point. The above video seems to focus on shader effects to give a film feel.
Other screenshots exist, but it is difficult to figure out everything that has, and has not, been changed. The developer claims, "Don't go bananaz! its just Reshade Shaders, ENB series, simple tweaks and some tonemapping with class!". Still, check it out if interested.
A hint of what to come from Hot Chips
Subject: General Tech | August 25, 2015 - 02:57 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: amd, hot chips, SK Hynix
Thanks to DigiTimes we are getting some information out of Hot Chips about what is coming up from AMD. As Sebastian just posted we now have a bit more about the R9 Nano and you can bet we will see more in the near future. They also describe the new HBM developed in partnership with SK Hynix, 4GB of high-bandwidth memory over a 4096-bit interface will offer an impressive 512Gb/s of memory bandwidth. We also know a bit more about the new A-series APUs which will range up to 12 compute cores, four Excavator based CPUs and eight GCN based GPUs. They will also be introducing new power saving features called Adaptive Voltage and Frequency Scaling (AVFS) and will support the new H.265 compression standard. Click on through to DigiTimes or wait for more pictures and documentation to be released from Hot Chips.
"AMD is showcasing its new high-performance accelerated processing unit (APU), codenamed Carrizo, and the new AMD Radeon R9 Fury family of GPUs, codenamed Fiji, at the annual Hot Chips symposium."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- The TR Podcast 184: Streaming to the Shield and overrunning VRAM
- Backwards S-Pen Can Permanently Damage Note 5 @ Slashdot
- TSMC growing its 16nm client base @ DigiTimes
- Live Booting Linux @ Linux.com
- Office 2016 for Windows looks set for a 22 September launch @ The Inquirer
- MIT creates file system that will survive unexpected crashes @ The Inquirer
- Samsung smart fridge leaves Gmail logins open to attack @ The Register
- Intel Security hires ex-Cisco and Avaya man to run global channels @ The Register
We could tell you what was in that update but then we would have to terminate your process
Subject: General Tech | August 24, 2015 - 03:17 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: microsoft, windows 10
The more we learn about Windows as a Service the less we seem to know. Already many have discovered that a fresh install with license from an upgraded Windows install is not as simple as it sounded, the license has far more to do with your current hardware than the OS license you once purchased. Now it seems that figuring out what updates are being installed on your computer will also be obfuscated, where before you could see the number of the relevant Knowledge Base article now you will simply receive generically labelled updates. This should worry home users as it will make it difficult to avoid Windows Updates with known compatibility issues and terrify any businesses which were considering moving to Windows 10 as releasing untested patches into a production environment is verboten and this makes the testing process more, not less difficult.
Windows Insiders may actually end up knowing more about the updates than the regular users who will only hear details of a limited number of updates. Build 10525 has recently been released to insiders on the Fast Release ring with Microsoft's Gabe Aul went into detail about what changes were made in this new build, as well as the new issues present in this version. Build 10512 of Windows 10 Mobile was also just recently released for those few souls running on Windows Mobile and testing the newest incarnation of the OS. The Register did try out the new version, you can read about their experiences here.
"The Register asked Microsoft for clarification on the policy after the company issued a new cumulative update for Windows 10 and refused to say what it does other than to say it offered "improvements to enhance the functionality of Windows 10.""
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Coming in 2016: Intel Optane SSDs based on 3D Xpoint memory @ The Tech Report
- Win8 inventory glut? Yep, it's all Microsoft's fault, says HP @ The Register
- Yet another Android app security bug: This time 'everything is affected' @ The Register
- Google reveals OnHub WiFi router, complete with GLOWING RING @ The Register
- Replacing ifconfig with ip @ Linux.com
- Tenda W568R Wireless N900 Concurrent Dual-band Gigabit Router @ eTeknix
- Netis WF2150 N600 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter @ eTeknix
- FBI Informant: Ray Bradbury's Sci-fi Written To Induce Communistic Mass Hysteria @ Slashdot
- Netis PL7500 Kit AV500 Powerline Adapter Kit @ eTeknix
- Get whimsical and win a Western Digital Black 6TB hard drive @ The Register
Podcast #363 - DX12 Benchmarking, Skylake News from IDF, Intel Optane Storage and more!
Subject: General Tech | August 20, 2015 - 03:51 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: XPoint, video, Skylake, podcast, Optane, ocz, NVMe, kingston, Intel, idf2015, fms2015, dx12, ashes of the singularity
PC Perspective Podcast #363 - 08/20/2015
Join us this week as we discuss DX12 Benchmarking, Skylake News from IDF, Intel Optane Storage and more!
You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.
The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!
- iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
- RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
- MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file
Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Josh Walrath, and Allyn Malventano
*sorry for the audio problems with Ryan's Skype, still not quite sure what the issue was*
Program length: 1:13:03
Week in Review:
0:17:15 IDF 2015 Skylake Architecture:
This week's podcast is brought to you by Casper. Use code PCPER at checkout for $50 towards your order!
News item of interest:
0:34:15 IDF 2015 Storage:
Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
Allyn: System Silencer (screen shot here)
Subscribe to the PC Perspective YouTube Channel for more videos, reviews and podcasts!!
Interesting Breakdown of OLD Computer Graphics
Subject: General Tech | August 19, 2015 - 07:07 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: pc gaming
While just the first episode has been released, The iBook Guy is creating a series of videos that explains the limitations of "oldschool" graphics. When you have just a handful of kilobytes of RAM, it is impossible to even store a full-quality frame buffer that the TV requires, which means that something will need to be thrown away.
The first video talks about adding color to frames with tiling and sprites. Using just ~1K of RAM, software developers were able to define background colors on a tile-by-tile basis. This allowed "black and white" to be an arbitrary "foreground and background" combination, which could even vary from one tile to the next as long as each tile only used two colors. This concept is expanded on to allow four colors per tile at a slight reduction in resolution. The video then goes into sprites, and how they are used for movable actors atop the tiles.
Image Credit: The iBook Guy
I don't know when Part 2 will be published, but it seems like they release about once per week.
Mod Tools for The Witcher 3 Released
Subject: General Tech | August 18, 2015 - 08:44 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: The Witcher 3, CD Projekt RED
As CD Projekt Red promised before the game launched, The Witcher 3 received mod tools last week. This was done in partnership with Nexus Mods, allowing users to install and configure user content using the Nexus Mod Manager. Note that this only applies to mods that were created with the official mod kit, not any arbitrary mod that has been created since release.
CD Projekt Red has also provided four simple samples (serves you right for trying to read my news posts aloud) as a tutorial. "Witcher The Slav" retextures "Geralt's starting outfit". "Fabulous Roach" modifies the meshes and textures that make up Geralt's horse. "Petard sWitcher", and the more mundanely named Custom Equipment Sets Mod, each introduces game scripting concepts.
Go forth and mod.
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text:
Review: Adjusting your HDTV -- do it yourself or hire the professional?
NEW YORK (AP) – High-definition TV sets are big sellers these days, and no wonder, since the picture can be amazing.
But a lot of people seem to care more about how cool the flat panels look on the wall than what the picture looks like: It's common to see the image stretched horizontally to fill the screen, giving even the most attractive anchor a bloated look, or the color is off, giving everyone the reddish skin tone of the recently boiled.
The fact is picture quality varies quite a bit among HDTV sets, and calibration is often necessary to make the image look the way it should.
I tried three different ways of doing this: two do-it-yourself methods, and one professional calibration.
Sadly, the DIY options were hit-and-miss. They helped a few sets, and screwed up others. A good calibration still seems to be the domain of professionals – a surprising situation in our age of smart machines.
Here's what I tried:
– "HDTV Calibration Wizard" DVD from Monster Cable Products Inc. and Imaging Science Foundation. This was the cheapest option, listing at $30, and the least thorough. It's simply a DVD that shows video loops with voiceover narration that tells you how to adjust your set's image using the basic controls accessed with the remote.
For example, it shows a man in a white shirt, and tells you to adjust the contrast so that you can make out the buttons and folds of the shirt. This got me into trouble with a plasma flat-panel set I tried it on. I couldn't get the details to show using the contrast setting, so I went into a more advanced menu and changed the "Input Level." That made the shirt look great, but when I later played a regular DVD, it was obvious that I'd reduced the contrast so much that everything looked gray and dull.
The DVD does get points for including scenes and instructions that help you adjust the image's sharpness, size and the ratio between length and width.
– SpyderTV color meter from Datacolor, which lists for $229. This is a kit that comes with a light sensor that attaches to the TV screen. It's connected by a cable to your computer. The cable is short, so a laptop is recommended. An accompanying DVD shows test patterns, which are measured by the sensor and recorded by software on the computer.