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Confessions of a Cable-cutter
Former Crutchfield staff writer Woody Sherman spent years working as an editor and manager in the video industry at the national level.
More from Woody Sherman
Time to cut the cord
News flash: There's a recent AP article out entitled Pay TV industry loses record number of subscribers. And while the numbers of defectors they're talking about aren't massive yet, I'm fairly sure that this subscriber migration won't come as a surprise to most of you. The content-delivery universe has been in the process of re-inventing itself ever since the old "World-Wide Web" first figured out a way to deliver rich media back in the '90s.
Almost a year ago, my wife and I opened the cable bill, which hovered around its usual $100 dollars a month. After sourly commenting that we could put that money to better use, we looked at each other and she said, "How much do we really depend on cable for entertainment?"
The answer, unfortunately, was more than we would have liked. There were some high-quality shows on the cable-only networks that we watched weekly. There were occasional sporting events on ESPN and NFL Network (okay, that's just me). There were idea-generator shows on HGTV, TLC and Food Network (okay, mainly her). There were movies on the premium and classic movie channels.
And, though I didn't use a digital cable box with DVR capability, I used my Windows® Media Center computer to record and time-shift cable programs, and then used the Media Center extender capability of my Xbox 360™ to get that recorded material to my TV. So there were significant sources of home entertainment that would need replacing.
To cut the cord, first look to the skies.
The Channel Master 4228HD antenna.
The first step
The next day I began to do some research. I'm lucky to live close to TV transmitters in a city that has access to a good variety of national network affiliates, so things like local news, network TV and select national or regional sporting events are available in HD for free. The first stop in my cord-cutter's journey was to maximize my ability to gather high-quality over-the-air (OTA) signals in the region.
In my location, a basic HDTV indoor antenna works most of the time, but if you're a little farther away, that's where a good antenna comes in handy. The Channel Master 4228HD is the choice of a great many high-def enthusiasts, as it's easy to place in an attic, and excels at pulling in coherent signals from a distance. You can then put its signal into a distribution amplifier, to feed all your TVs and your computer's tuner card, if you have one.
Banish the blocks
OTA HD is as clean a signal as most home viewers will ever see. Even though it, too, has opportunities to be compressed in many places along the signal chain (notably, by your local broadcaster, who is probably running several digital signals inside their available channel bandwidth, and can prioritize which program gets the most compression). Still, it's likely to be a cleaner, more artifact-free signal than you'll get from either cable or satellite.
Yes, the cable and satellite guys will tell you that their signals are digital and therefore "pristine", but just as with audio compression, there's digital and then there's digital. In audio, a lossless FLAC file or the Apple lossless codec will always beat a 128Kbps MP3. And while fully uncompressed digital HD signal transmission is so bandwidth-intensive as to be unfeasible, there are still "best case scenarios" for an HDTV signal, and OTA is one of those. Cable and satellite providers have an awful lot of signal to deliver over a lot of territory, so they add their own layers of compression in various ways along the signal path to ease their bandwidth load. Chalk one up for the broadcasters.
In short, changing your network viewing to OTA will significantly up your picture quality in most cases.
Where's the good stuff online? And how do you get to it?
First, you need access to a good, fast Internet connection, and you need to decide on a delivery device. I used my MacBook® Pro computer and a DVI-to-VGA cable to my HDTV, plus an optical audio cable to my receiver. It's a bit old-school, but it works. I also have an Xbox 360™ that does a great job of delivering content from Microsoft's "walled garden" of TV shows and movies available for purchase by Xbox LIVE® subscribers. Xbox has also started streaming select ESPN content in near-real time.
The Samsung BD-D6500 gives you Internet access
and also plays DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
There are open-source aggregators that present content with a user-friendly interface, like Boxee, on your computer. There's also the stand-alone Boxee box, the Roku player, and Apple TV, but you might also consider the new class of Internet-ready TVs and Blu-ray players. These have built-in browsing and a variety of interfaces dedicated to simplifying content navigation and aggregating streaming programming. This stops your entertainment center from being an unruly collection of black boxes and cables, and streamlines your remote control situation.
The content sieve
Like all things Internet, there's some high-quality content. and a lot of chaff. Fortunately, some things are simple to find: most every cable channel has a corresponding website, and a majority of them have streaming content. Some offer full episodes of your favorite cable-only shows — they might be delayed from their broadcast premiere time slots, but often they're made available for free in a timely fashion.
The subscription service Netflix® is now available on everything from your new Blu-ray player to your blender. Okay, I'm kidding about the blender (I think!), but Netflix has been very thorough about partnering with consumer electronics vendors of all stripes. Their catalog of TV shows and movies on-demand is ever-expanding. Amazon and Walmart, not to be outflanked, also have video download stores.
Some shows are available in video podcast form through Apple's iTunes® store, often for free. Hulu.com, which is partially supported by a consortium of broadcast content providers, will stream free full episodes of many of the nation's most popular shows hours after they've aired, with minimal commercial interruptions.
Their premium step-up service, Hulu Plus™, offers a bigger catalog and higher resolution streaming for a fee. Hulu also has a huge catalog of classic TV shows, and my wife and I spent the first few months of our separation from cable TV replaying every episode from the original Dick Van Dyke Show. Incidentally, black and white survives compression really well — less data to crunch.
More and more companies are joining the fray every day. You can check on anything you're looking for with your favorite search engine — you'd be surprised how often things you're looking for are available. Just make sure you're looking on a known and respected site, as there's always a good deal of Internet video piracy going on, and sites that are sketchy can often be havens for malware.
What do I miss?
Not much, frankly. There are some series on premium channels, like HBO® and Showtime®, that aren't available through any other content stream (unless you're a premium channel cable subscriber, in which case there are streaming options available — a way to get a series in an on-demand fashion, I guess). For items like these, I find patience and a local DVD rental place are my friends.
The real discovery I've made is that I'm making better, and more considered, choices with the TV I watch. There's a whole world of streaming content available out there for free, and there's an awful lot of stuff that you'd never find on broadcast getting a chance to spread its wings online. Reportedly, even the fans of recently canceled network soap operas will be getting a chance to see new programming that will exist solely online (Update: this deal fell through in October 2011 after preliminary negotiations - it takes some vision and faith on the part of production companies to take a significant cost risk when predictable budgetary numbers don't exist).
Yes, some desirable online stuff will only be available on a pay-once or subscription format, but the old concept that that so many viewers have wanted from their cable and satellite providers — the ability to choose, a la carte, their own basket of unbundled content — will become an effective reality as this online model takes hold.
With the exception of watching OTA TV, I do miss good picture quality. The inescapable math of bandwidth limits and the ensuing compression compromises make it impossible for me to see the uncompressed 10-bit HD, 2K and higher-res images I used to see when I edited in the video post-production industry.
But the ability to pick and choose entertainment that's personally meaningful, presented in an "on-demand" fashion, is way more valuable. I'll see great 4K images at a digital movie theater with a Christie projector — or even better, with good old-fashioned higher-res film in a well-maintained theater. Meantime, the game is on online. Pass the popcorn. I've got some extra money in my pocket for a pizza, too.
Footnote: Our viewing options before and after
This is how we filled the missing categories I mentioned at the top of the article:
- High-quality series programming on cable-only networks: Check each network's website for streaming full episodes.
- Sporting events on ESPN and NFL networks: Xbox LIVE offers some ESPN programming, especially college games, as part of their Xbox LIVE gold subscription level (currently around $60 a year). NFL network is currently not available online, although there are hints that their games may get a pay solution before long.
- Network TV and regional sporting events: OTA TV gives you everything you've always gotten from the network affiliates, and local news too, for free.
- Idea-generator shows on enhanced-tier cable: Once again, check the individual websites for the channels you enjoy. Not everything is there, and it's not always up-to-date, but there's generally plenty for your entertainment.
- Movies on the premium and classic movie channels: iTunes and Xbox LIVE get us most movies as soon as they're in the video stores. You can also use Netflix, Amazon, Walmart and many others for pay-per-view streaming options. The big advantage? We're not paying for constant access to mediocre movies on a fixed schedule — we're seeing what we want, when we want, at an a la carte price.
- Recent popular TV and classic TV shows from the past: Hulu's catalog is very deep, and is free if you can take a commercial or three. Hulu Plus gives you higher resolution (have a fast Internet connection or you won't be able to use it, though) and access to more content.


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17044 Kenton DrCornelius, NC, 28031
Nominated for 2014: Best place for live music. The Galway Hooker Pub believes that nothing inspires a great story like a delicious meal and a refreshing pint. Originally built in Ireland, the pub was deconstructed and moved piece-by-piece to its current location off the shores of Lake Norman, just a stones throw from Charlotte, North Carolina. The Galway Hooker serves traditional Irish favorites fused with contemporary items all made with fresh, locally grown ingredients.

subset: commoncrawl


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By popular demand, our topic today is beer, cheap beer.
What, exactly, are you getting when you pay less? Sometimes, it is the local pride of a traditional favorite — Olympia in the state of Washington, Lone Star in the republic of Texas, resurgent Narragansett in New England. Sometimes, it is a can of relatively palatable foreign swill marked down for complex cultural reasons; I eagerly await an economic explanation of why Mexico's crisp Tecate is 20 cents cheaper than Bud at one New York deli and 20 cents more expensive just a few blocks away. And sometimes you are getting an economy-priced headache. Let's knock back a mixed six-pack of notable brands.
1. Natural Light
This is the best-selling beer in the subpremium segment, the fifth-best-seller overall, and — at this writing, in the view of RateBeer.com — the second-worst beer in the world. (It trails Olde English 800, a malt liquor favored in the 1980s by Eazy-E and more recently by college students.) Natural Light is among the cheap beers sold by the 30-pack. For the sake of this story, I tried to enjoy a Natural Light responsibly and derived no enjoyment from sitting down and sipping one at a leisurely pace. My first mistake was the sitting. Beers of this type are not supposed to be drunk while sitting. Rather, you douse your central nervous system with them while standing, ideally over a rousing match of beer pong or robopound. Idling over a light beer, with its low alcohol content (4 percent or so) and its high amount of brewing adjuncts (like cloying corn), you catch only a gnat of a buzz — or else advance straight from clearheadedness to a faint fogginess resembling a piddling hangover. If you're having only one beer, Natty Light is one to avoid.
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2. Milwaukee's Best
Milwaukee's Best is The Beast, according to one term of anti-endearment and Milwaukee's Worst, according to another. Here we see the folly of attempting to rate beers of its caliber in any conventional sense. Hyperbole abounds and paradox reigns. In truth, it is not Milwaukee's superlative anything — not its worst beer, not even its best emetic. It is true that, if you taste one carefully, then you will discover a pleasurable faint graininess behind the rude musk of its aroma.
3. Busch
Introduced by Anheuser-Busch in 1955 to undercut Budweiser's low-end competitors, this is the first cheap beer designed as such. The facts of its commercial life highlight the perversity of the category. According to "The U.S. Brewing Industry: Data and Economic Analysis," by Victor J. Tremblay and Carol Horton Tremblay, in the early '70s, it cost A-B half a cent more to produce a 12-ounce can of Budweiser than a 12-ounce can of Busch — "yet the price of the container of Budweiser was 15 cents higher." The most refreshing things about the beer remains its label (a profile of snowy mountain peaks, clearly a suggestion about the proper serving temperature) and its name (onomatopoeic of thirst-quenching fizz).
4. Miller High Life
"The Champagne of Beers" is a slogan that these days seems to nod strictly to High Life's high carbonation. It offers a case study in the strange vagaries of consumption. High Life was once high class, but when sales slipped in the late-'80s, Miller responded by discounting its price, which downgraded its image. The brand drifted down the ladder and became associated, in stereotypes, with various undesirable demographic groups, most recently fashionable young white people: Every hip person knows that High Life is the cool kids' cheap beer of the moment, replacing …
5. Pabst Blue Ribbon
While sales of nine of the other top 10 subpremiums are down this year, Pabst Blue Ribbon is thriving; we must suppose that "hipsters" abandoned the brand because it went mainstream. The accepted marketing explanation for PBR's 21st-century ascendance involves the delicate corporate exploitation of an organic phenomenon native to "Portlandia," and the cultural critique of it detects an ironic tribal embrace of a working-class totem. I'd like to complicate the matter by simplifying things and posit that those who prefer clean, dry PBR to bland Bud or fetid Coors Light are acting as rational consumers and that PBR-deniers are the true poseurs.
6. Porkslap Pale Ale
Porkslap is from an upstate New York brewery called Butternuts, and something of an odd man out on this list, being not a dull lager but a bright pale ale and not so much a cheap beer as a beer that is cheap. I include it to throw a bone to the bourgeois palate. It's an inexpensive craft beer well-suited to such occasions as backyard barbecues. On the side of a can of Porkslap, two cartoon pigs leap with joy, jiggling rolls of Lucian Freud flesh, and making the beer look like some arcane soda pop. The packaging makes it easy to explain to a toddler which can to go fetch Daddy from the cooler, please.
Patterson writes about spirits and TV for Slate.


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- 661Promote
Unisex Tank Top
Duskby Megs Stuff...
American Apparel Tank Tops are made with 100% fine jersey cotton combed for softness and comfort. (Athletic Grey and Athletic Blue contain 50% polyester / 25% cotton / 25% rayon)
pen and ink Victorian London alley
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New Port Richey, Florida- A cooler of ice cold beer, a car, and supervision from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office DUI enforcement team.
We wanted to know how much alcohol it would take to face impairment and reach the new proposed .05 blood alcohol level.
Without anything to drink, deputies following behind me said I was an excellent driver in full control of the vehicle I was driving.
But what about after one, two, or even three bottles of beer? 10 News social media producer Taylor Katz and I were each assigned to drink three beers.
After quickly downing our drinks, it was time for deputies to put us to the test.
Twenty minutes after finishing my third beer, I definitely felt like I had a little to drink, but that I could still probably get home safely...however my blood alcohol level and performance during a field sobriety test may have reflected otherwise.
The field sobriety exercises came first.
PICS: Beau & Taylor take field sobriety test after having 3 beers each
"With your left foot, put it on the line," instructed Deputy Matt Rosenbloom of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office STEP Unit.
After completing the entire set, Deputy Rosenbloom said I showed only minor signs of impairment.
"Overall, with your performance on these exercises, I would not be placing you under arrest at this time," he told me, adding, "I feel like you're borderline."
Next was the breath test, which showed the actual blood alcohol level in my system. I blew very close, but just under the proposed .05 legal limit.
Next up, Taylor went through the same set of tests.
"Once you've begun the exercises, don't stop until you've completed. Do you understand all of the instructions," Deputy Rosenbloom asked.
Taylor seemed alright at first, but the deputy picked up on several sure signs she'd been drinking.
"In this case, had you displayed a couple more indicators, I would have arrested you even though you're still at below a .08. I could still get a conviction based on your impairment," he told her.
Taylor blew a point 0.48, also barely below the proposed .05 limit.
So what if we'd had just a couple more drinks?
"Both of you would be going with me to jail," said Deputy Rosenbloom.
It's a valuable important lesson for those who might feel perfectly okay to drive.
"People underestimate the power of alcohol and how it affects them," said Deputy Rosenbloom. "Maybe if they see the limit is down to .05, they'll have a second thought before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle."
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Vintage O Gauge Plasticville POST OFFICE
- Sold for: Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Item Category: Toys, Dolls, Games & Puzzles
- Source: eBay
- Sold Date: Apr 25, 2011
- Channel: Auction House
(please scroll down for more pictures and additional information)Vintage Plasticville building is missing detail parts and is sold "as is." Building can be dis-assembled. Low-cost First Class shipping available for this item. I am always glad to combine shipping (please wait for combined invoice.) All items are shipped in new boxes with bubble wrap. Many more items to be listed in the coming weeks; sign-up for my newsletter to be notified of new listings! Check my store listings for new items and sales! I will gladly combine shipping on multiple items. Combine items for big savings on shipping costs! Please email me with any questions you may have. !
Payment is requested within three (3) days of close of auction. If for any reason you need to delay payment, please let me know and I will be happy to accomodate you. If you would like to wait until other auctions of mine have ended in order to combine shipping, I am always happy to oblige, but please let me know if this is the case. I am very agreeable, all I ask is that you keep me informed.A word about shipping: I charge actual US Post Office (or UPS) shipping cost, plus $1 for packaging/handling. I am happy to ship by any means you wish, and adjust the shipping accordingly. I am ALWAYS happy to combine shipping, once again charging actual cost, plus $1 per item. Domestic Buyers:
Unless otherwise specified in listing, I charge actual US Post Office (or UPS) price plus $1 for handling. Handling covers the cost of boxes, bubblewrap, labels, ink, paper, eBay fees, Paypal fees, and gas to and from the Post Office. I will ship by any method you choose, even if not listed in shipping calculator. Use shipping calculator, towards bottom of listing, to see options and actual charges. Prices listed by calculator and in auction INCLUDES $1 handling fee. I normally ship within 2 business days of payment (and can ship next day if requested) and will send you an email confirming shipment and providing a tracking number (if available.) International Buyers – Please Note:
• International shipping is actual cost plus $3.50 handling fee for first item, $1 per additional items.
• Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
• Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.
• These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up – do not confuse them for additional shipping charges.
• I do not mark merchandise values below value or mark items as "gifts" - US and International government regulations prohibit such behavior. And it's wrong.
100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE: If for any reason you are not satisfied with purchase, I will refund 100% of the purchase price if item is returned in same condition it was shipped. Buyer is responsible for all shipping charges.I leave feedback for all transactions. I pride myself on my nearly 100% positive feedback, and I would appreciate it if you would leave feedback for me. If you have any questions or special requests, please do not hesitate to contact me () I normally answer email within 24 hours or less, and will make every effort to accommodate you. If you are new to eBay, feel free to ask a question, even if it does not directly relate to my listing. My International Shipping within the last year!
"Tolle Ware und super Abwicklung. Jederzeit gerne wieder. Vielen Dank. 1 A"
" fine stuff, very quick delivery across the ocean, always gladly again"


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A fairytale-like underwater world, fabulous sandy beaches, impressive pyramids and fantastic temperatures are what you can expect in sun-drenched Egypt.
The ideal holiday destination of Egypt is located on the border between Africa and Asia. The average temperature in Egypt is above 20 degrees all year round, perfect for escaping the cold winter months! In Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam, you can sunbathe by the Red Sea for days on end. Like to dive or snorkel? You've come to the right place! Egypt has the most beautiful underwater world on the planet, where you can enjoy beautiful coral reefs and colourful tropical fish. For centuries-old cultural treasures, fly to (where else?!) the open-air museum of Luxor, where world-famous pharaohs, impressive sphinxes and gigantic pyramids form the setting for your holiday. Have you already booked your flight to Egypt?
Are you looking for amazing underwater life? Or have you always wanted to cross the desert on a camel? Book a ticket to Sharm el Sheikh!
The bustling Sharm el Sheikh lies between Mount Sinai and the Red Sea. It is a scuba diver's paradise. Discover rare coral reefs and a great diversity of exotic fish in the crystal clear water.
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text:
Immune supplements support your body's natural defenses against the outside world. From herbs like echinacea to reliable vitamin C and zinc, these are nature's best defenders.
†Ratings based on results of the 2016 ConsumerLab.com Vitamin and Supplement Users Survey. More information at ConsumerLab.com.
Notice: The products and information found on www.swansonvitamins.com are not intended to replace professional medical advice or treatment. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition. Individual results may vary. SwansonVitamins.com urges you to seek the advice of a qualified professional for any health concern lasting more than two weeks, and to share with your provider any information pertaining to your health and well-being, including the use of supplemental nutrition. Read complete terms of service.
© 2016Swanson Health Products


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Winston-Salem, NC (Sports Network) - Jordan Matthews passed for 229 yards and
two touchdowns to lead the Vanderbilt Commodores to a 55-21 victory over the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a non-conference regular season finale at Groves
Matthews completed 17-of-23 attempts and also threw an interception as
Vanderbilt (8-4) achieved its first eight-win season since 1982. Zac Stacy
paced the rushing attack with 180 yards and two scores on 21 carries while
Jordan Matthews reeled in 10 receptions for 144 yards and a score. Wesley Tate
added a rushing and receiving touchdown in the team's sixth consecutive
The Commodores (5-7), who needed a win to become bowl eligible, were led by
Tanner Price, who completed 17-of-36 attempts for 182 yards with one
interception. Michael Campanaro made eight catches for 98 yards and Deandre
Martin picked up 72 yards and a score on 24 carries. Chibuikem Okoro stepped
up on the defensive side of the ball to make nine tackles, recover a fumble,
record an interception, and score a defensive touchdown.
The team's traded touchdowns in the first quarter to open up play. Vanderbilt
struck first when Rodgers completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tate just over
five minutes after the opening kickoff. Fullback Tommy Bohanon evened the
score for Wake Forest with a one-yard plunge into the end zone on fourth down
at the 2:26 mark of the first frame.
Vanderbilt began to take control near the midpoint of the second stanza as
Tate rushed 15 yards a touchdown to give his team a 14-7 edge on the
scoreboard. Rodgers then completed a 64-yard touchdown strike to Matthews
before Stacy rushed four yards for a touchdown for the first half's final
The Commodores' second quarter run sent them into the intermission with a
sizeable 28-7 lead, but it did not stop there. Vanderbilt's special teams unit
got into the mix less than a minute into the second half when Andrew
Williamson blocked Alexander Kinal's punt, enabling Casey Hughes to recover
the ball in the end zone.
Wake Forest finally ended the run with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended
with a one-yard run across the goal line by Martin.
Vandy added six points before the start of the fourth quarter as Casey Spear
drilled field goals from 52 and 50 yards away.
The Commodores' special teams unit struck again at the 11:48 mark of the
fourth frame as Jonathan Krause returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown.
Stacy piled onto the blowout with a 90-yard touchdown run with just under nine
minutes left to play.
Okoro scored the final touchdown of Wake Forest's season on a four-yard fumble
return, which finalized the scoring with the visitors on top, 55-21.
Vanderbilt's offense was unstoppable and averaged 7.6 yards per play. The
Demon Deacons were unable to keep up as they produced just 3.8 yards per play.
The Sports Network


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January 2017, Santa Barbara, CA $8,500 in prizes to be awarded
Stay tuned for guidelines for the new competition cycle, which will be posted by summer 2016.
(Prior round) Guidelines for 2016
Jennifer Lindsay,
2015 Artist Div. Legacy Award
The Carolyn Bailey and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition is conducted annually in two divisions: The Artist Division and the Scholarship Division. Preliminary auditions are heard by recording. Twelve finalists and two alternates are selected in the Artist Division and six to eight finalists and two alternates are selected in the Scholarship Division to compete in a live final audition. The final auditions will be heard at the NOA Annual Convention in Indianapolis, IN, on Saturday, January 9, 2016.
2016 Eligibility and Fees
- The Scholarship Division is open to singers aged 18-24, as of January 9, 2016 who are currently enrolled in, or have completed since May 1, 2015, undergraduate or graduate programs, or their equivalent. Entry fee for the Scholarship Division is $30 (thirty dollars).
- The Artist Division is open to singers aged 25-40, as of January 9, 2016. Entry fee for the Artist Division is $60 (sixty dollars).
- There are no residency or citizenship requirements. The competition is open to all singers who meet the criteria for the appropriate division.
Competition Guidelines and Requirements
- Singers in the Scholarship Division must present four opera arias in contrasting styles and periods, in three languages, including one originally in English, at a level appropriate to their vocal development. The audition chair reserves the right to reject unsuitable repertoire. One of the four may be an operetta or musical theatre selection.
- Singers in the Artist Division must present five opera arias in contrasting styles and periods, in four languages, including one originally in English. The audition chair reserves the right to reject unsuitable repertoire. One of the five may be an operetta aria, but musical theatre selections are not permitted in the Artist Division.
- Applicants must submit two recent audio recordings, with piano accompaniment, of two of the arias to be offered in the competition, including appropriate recitatives. Do not submit video files or recordings with orchestra. Contestants are urged to use the best possible equipment and location for the recording, and to verify that the audio files (MP3 or M4A format) play properly before submitting.
- Preliminary and semi-final rounds of adjudication are heard by a panel of three judges and finalists are chosen based on recordings submitted. Finalists compete for prizes in a live audition before a panel of three distinguished judges.
- Travel expenses to the final competition are the responsibility of the singer.
- Finalists may request changes in repertoire once accepted to the competition, but all changes must be approved by December 20. No changes are permitted after that date. Both selections submitted for adjudication in the preliminary round must be included in the repertoire list for the Finals. Finalists will use accompanists provided by the competition.
- Prize winners will be announced immediately following the competition. The winners will be presented in a winners' recital and receive their awards at the Awards Banquet Saturday evening.
- By submitting their application to the competition, applicants grant NOA permission to use their submitted headshots and video/audio recordings or photographs of the competition or winners' recital for promotional purposes on the NOA website or other forms of publicity.
Application Procedure and Submission Information
- The deadline for submission of the online application and online payment (external link) of the entry fee is October 16, 2015.
- Applications to the competition are submitted using the online application form [ENTRIES NOW CLOSED]. Before beginning application, please be prepared to provide or upload the following:
- Name, mailing address, and other contact information
- Repertoire list (aria, opera, and composer) of four (Scholarship Division) or five (Artist Division) selections to be offered for the competition
- Two audio recordings in MP3 or M4A format, with a maximum file size of 15,000kb (15MB). (TIP: If your sound files exceed the file size limit, you can use a tool such as: http://audioformat.com/mp3-converter to reduce the file size without noticeable loss of sound quality).
- Scanned legal proof of age showing date of birth (e.g. driver's license, passport, etc.). Allowed formats: PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG
- Headshot for publicity purposes. Allowed formats: JPG, GIF, PNG
- Applicants must pay the entry fee online using the Secure online payment area (external link) to complete their submission. The application fee is non-refundable.
- Incomplete applications, applications with unplayable sound recordings or illegible proofs of age, or applications without accompanying application fees will not be processed nor judged.
- Notification of finalists will be made on or before December 5. Contestants not chosen as finalists may receive notification after December 5. All notifications will be sent by email, so a valid email address is essential, as well as a mailing address that will be accurate for the month of December.
Limmie Pulliam, 2012 Artist Division Winner
Singers in the Scholarship Division compete for three awards: the Nicholas Vrenios Memorial Award of $2000 to the first-place winner, the Constance Eberhardt Memorial Award for second place, and the Clifford Bair Memorial Award for third place, both ranging from $500 to $1250.
Singers in the Artist Division compete for three awards: the Todd Duncan Legacy Award to the first-place winner, the Vrenios Family Award to the second place winner and the Marjorie Gordon Award to the third place winner. These and other possible prizes range from $500 to $2500.
The American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) grants scholarships for summer study at the AIMS Graz Experience in Austria to the first place winner in each category.
In addition to the above, the Legacy Award of $500 is presented to an outstanding contestant of racial or ethnic minority, at the discretion of the judges.
Questions regarding the competition may be addressed to:
Benjamin Brecher, competition chair, at , or to
Robert Hansen, Executive Director, at or by calling 806-651-2857.
2016 Finals
Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 NOA Vocal Competition held in Indianapolis, IN on Saturday, Jan 9, 2016
Previous Winners


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|Next Previous Contents Search UA
History and Objectives
Cultural Diversity
High-School and Multicultural Programs
Degrees and Programs Offered
Admission and Retention Requirements
Academic Achievement Awards and Scholarships
Student Organizations
Special Services and Programs
General Degree Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Communication
Further Requirements for Majors and Minors
Department and Program Requirements
Department of Advertising and Public Relations
Department of Communication Studies
Department of Journalism
School of Library and Information Studies
Department of Telecommunication and Film
Administrative Officers and Faculty
The former School of Communication became the College of Communication on September 9, 1988, by action of the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama in recognition of the school's expanded role and scope. The College is the only communication unit in the state offering the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
The School of Communication had been created on July 1, 1973, by combining the existing Department of Journalism and Department of Broadcast and Film Communication with University of Alabama Television Services in a single administrative unit. During its first year, the School of Communication created an additional department, the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, from course sequences that had been part of the program in journalism. University Radio Services was established in 1980, as was the Communication Research and Service Center (now the Institute for Communication Research). On May 16, 1981, the Department of Speech Communication (now Communication Studies) moved from the College of Arts and Sciences to the School of Communication. On July 1, 1997, the College of Communication and the School of Library and Information Studies merged to form the College of Communication and Information Sciences. The School of Library and Information Studies began to offer its first undergraduate courses in information sciences in 1999 and a minor beginning fall 2000.
The purposes of the College of Communication and Information Sciences are as follows:
- To offer courses leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees in those specialized areas necessary to prepare students to pursue careers in communication- and information-related areas
- To provide students with a broad education that will enable them to become productive and creative citizens in society and leaders in their professions, their communities, and the nation
- To encourage students to pursue further formal study and self-education in communication- and information-related areas
- To engage actively in research and service
|Next Previous Contents Search UA


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I have a issue when i try to reply or forward a HTML message in Zimbra Web Client.
When I click "Reply" button and start to type the text of the message, the cursor focus get outside the body, and automaticaly go to Search Field.
I can just write a reply when a change the original message to "Text Only" in the options.
I use Zimbra 6.0.6 and web cliente 20100505 version.


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The upcoming season is a year of change for Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Not only is the former first-round pick going into the all important third season for a quarterback, but it's the first time he's experienced a coaching shake-up at the highest levels of his football career. Former offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, who coached Tannehill during his four years at Texas A&M and his first two seasons in the NFL, is gone. Tannehill now gets to experience a new offensive system run by Bill Lazor. That offense could be more suited to his athleticism and skill set. It is that change that has pundits around the league predicting big things from the man behind center for Miami.
NFL Network's Heath Evans is one of those analysts that sees the coaching change having a definite positive impact on Tannehill. He says it will bring a fresh face and new style to his game. It will take the quarterback out of his routine he's been in for the past six years and challenge him to become even better.
"The one thing I love about the move with Bill is that it's going to bring a new level of accountability," said Evans. "With Sherman it was probably a lot of the same coaching patterns and habits for years. When you get with a new voice, you get different things that coaches are challenging you with."
Evans has always been a big supporter of Tannehill because of his sound work ethic and high football intelligence. He sees him as a guy that's smart from his pre-snaps reads on, and someone that can break down defenses well, which not all young quarterbacks can do at a high level.
"Ryan Tannehill sees the field well," said Evans. "The reason why I've praised Ryan so thoroughly is that's what you see. You don't see the same mistakes twice. You see his ability to kind of grasp what defenses are throwing at him, and that's really what separates quarterbacks."
While Tannehill will have to continue to grow as a player, it will help that he'll have people in front of him that can protect him now. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport also sees Tannehill improving in year three, and thinks it will be partially because the offensive line will be much stronger than it was just a year ago.
"It's certainly a critical year, and we've seen improvement since he's gotten into the league, and I feel like this year will be a big step forward for him," said Rapoport. "The offensive line will be better, so that helps. You want to go out and spend money in free agency, go out and spend money to make sure you're quarterback is protected. I like what the Dolphins did there signing the premier left tackle on the market in Branden Albert."
Coming out of A&M, Tannehill was still somewhat green at the quarterback position, with only 19 starts in his college career. Originally starting off the wide receiver position, his speed and quickness is still evident in his game today, and NFL Network's Bucky Brooks sees that as a potential trump card in the young quarterback's arsenal. That kind of skill set blends perfectly into Bill Lazor's spread system, and he believes it makes Tannehill more suited to the offense than Nick Foles was to it in Philadelphia last year.
"I think Ryan Tannehill is a better athlete than Nick Foles, so he gives them a better dynamic playmaker at that position in terms of when they run some of that read option stuff, when they do some of the screen game, and when they do some of the things that are tenants of the spread offense," said Brooks.
It will be all well and good to see Tannehill show off some of his flashier and more crowd-pleasing talent. In the end, it will all come down to his growth as a player in this exciting new offense. Brooks thinks that this offense will do that. He sees the spread system as the key to unlocking his full potential.
"This will actually accelerate his development because it will put him in a very easy comfort zone in terms of making it a friendly quarterback system," said Brooks. "If he can handle it particularly operating at that pace, I think we can finally see Ryan Tannehill flourish as the starting quarterback of the Dolphins."
RELATED: Highlights: Ryan Tannehill 2013 Year In Review
RELATED: Andy Cohen: Priorities? These Dolphins Have Many
RELATED: OTAs Week 3 Complete Coverage
RELATED: 5 Observations From Week 3 of OTAs
The opinions, analysis and/or speculation expressed by The Finsiders Blog represent those of individual writers, and unless quoted or clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions, policies or desires of the Miami Dolphins organization, front office, coaches and executives. Writers' views are formulated independently from any inside information and/or conversation with Dolphins officials, including the coaches and scouts, unless otherwise noted.


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Tongue Teaser features colorful wood shapes, a knotted leather strip, a pod cup, and a plastic pacifier. Tootsy Roll has paper core tubes, rolled-up corrugated craft paper, wood beads, and leather strips. Magic Rings Foot Toy has rainbow-colored plastic links, vine rings and center wood block for chewing textures that challenge caged birds. Keep birds mentally and physically fit with fun foot toys that requires a bit of "foot-eye" coordination. Tongue Teaser and Tootsy Roll feature a metal skewer base.
Please click on "More Information" for cleaning instructions and playtime recommendations.


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Julio Soto
Indie Theater Roundup: 7 Movies to See at Docfest
By Rossiter Drake on October 23, 2010 9:00 PM
If you're looking for an alternative to sports bars and postgame traffic jams – not that there's anything wrong with them, mind you – San Francisco's ninth annual Documentary Festival is in full swing at the Roxie through Thursday. Catch it while you can. For tickets, click here.


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Worked With:
Jennifer Aniston
Birth Name: Jennifer Aniston
Born: 02/11/1969
Birth Place: Sherman Oaks, California, USA
Born: 02/11/1969
Birth Place: Sherman Oaks, California, USA
Born on Feb. 11, 1969 in Sherman Oaks, CA, Aniston was raised in New York City by her father, longtime daytime soap actor John Aniston, and her mother, Nancy, a former model-actress turned photographer. Despite her father's television career, Aniston was actively steered away from watching TV, though she found ways around the prohibition. When she was six, Aniston began attending the Rudolf Steiner School, a Waldorf educational school that applied the Rudolf Steiner philosophy of integrating artistic and analytic learning to fulfill a child's unique and untapped destiny. In perhaps a sign of thing to come, Aniston's father left her mother for another woman when she was nine. Meanwhile, afte... Continue Bio >>
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Whoopie, we're finally here. Lunch at the village restaurant, picked up my tube for the dingy from the West Marine outlet, and drove to the marina. We walked around the outside of the boat, found a great place to park nearby with an electrical hook-up, and began settling in. First thing was to get the scooter down and take a tour of the town. We stopped first, put a ladder up to the boat, and climbed onto and into it. It's in great condition considering more than 7 months of storage. The inside actually seemed dryer and less musty than when I was sailing her last October. John Deaton came by and welcomed us not long ago. Matt just woke up from a nap. The dogs are sleeping, and we are about to work some more on the Panama land deal before getting started with the boat projects. Lots to do from here, but we're here at last!
We drove a long day from Agusta and made it as planned to New Berg, actually 6 miles outside of New Berg towards Oriental. We drove a country road nearly 100 miles from the main highway to get there. It was so beautiful at a max 55 mph. There were a few challenges along the way, but we made it. The versahaul is only bent slightly in a place you can hardly see. The gas pump may not have fared so well. We had a little fiesta with the neighbors to the right and left last night and then made a nice dinner with the leftover ribs from the night before. I've been much happier since we started hooking up with electric connections as much as possible. That air conditioning and power for everything from computers to tvs is so nice. A leisurely wake-up, clean-up, and pack-up, and we were off to Oriental.
05/29/2008, Agusta Georgia
Naturally, the first place we stopped with Matt, he wanted to pull out the scooter. With two of us, we had it down, toweled off, and running in minutes. Then we took it into town (both wearing helmits and eye protection like a couple of complete dweebs, but safe and legal ones) for, of course, BBQ. We had a blast. With two people, the Yamaha Zuma screams downhill, "burying" the speedo as the little 50 cc engine barrels along; yet it remains surprisingly stable while doing so. And nobody beats it from 8-14 mph. Anyway, we finally found this incredible rib place. Best collard greens ever. Okra was out of this world. Ribs falling off of the bone, four or five kinds of bbq sauces. We brought some home for tomorrow, including containers of each of the sauces. Had to fill up the tank on the Zuma on the way home. It held 1.2 gallons.
05/29/2008, Agusta, Georgia
We picked up Matt from his flight in from Panama City, had a nice lunch (BBQ fried chicken I kid you not) with his brother Mike, who is an airline capt, and headed off towards North Carolina and Tropical Dreamer. We got as far as Agusta and found a non descript rv park just outside of town. The picture... well we want Matt to be comfortable since he is a crucial part of the coming adventure and has been a great supporter of the sailing specifically and adventure generally. I made him that nice little bed up front. I won't be surprised if Anne is up there with him by morning. This place has great cable, so I hooked up the one I bought in Sedona and got it working by remote control from both the front and rear tvs. I think it may even be HBO. This is the first tv in a week for me. Tomorrow we head off on an all day drive. I'd like for us to make it as far as New Bern, which is only about 1/2 hour from Oriental. That way we can arrive to the marina at a reasonable hour the next morning and get to work.
05/28/2008, Atlanta, near the airport
05/28/2008, Atlanta
What can I say, when in Rome... There are two food places near this second Atlanta Walmart, both are fried chicken joints. I went in the first and it was too commercial. The second was more homestyle. They were very nice. The sides (green beans and baked beans) were really good, as was the chicken. For a guy who is supposed to be temporarily retired from the law, I spent a lot of today revising legal pleadings, attending meetings, and preparing memorandums of understanding. Well, I guess it keeps me out of worse trouble... or something like that.
We are hanging out in the Bounder in Atlanta, Georgia awaiting a skype meeting later today regarding the Panama land deal. As you can see, the dogs are entertaining themselves. I'm running the generator most of today because we're still not used to the humidity and the computer battery holds less than an hour of charge. I can definitely see the benefit of non-engine electricity sources for the sailboat. I have to offer a few words of thanks to Walmart. This is like the 5th one I've stayed at and they have been a very convienent way to park the motorhome for a day or so. Big parking lots to walk the dogs, pretty much anything you want inside. Later today I'll move to one near the airport so that it will be easy to pick up Matt tomorrow at noon.
05/27/2008, Downtown Birmingham
05/27/2008, Birmingham, Alabama
You sailors know what I'm talking about. I left several hours later. Drove to Atlanta and here we are. Finally in Atlanta!
As hot and humid as Oklahoma City, Little Rock, and Memphis were, that's how perfect the weather is in Birmingham, Alabama right now. I'm sure it made for some incredible backyard Memorial Day barbeques for tens of thousands of people living in and around these parts. The temperature was perfect, the humidity was high enough to give the air some volume but low enough to be comfortable. I slept with the shades down and the windows open. If anything it is a bit chilly in the Bounder this early morning. Went to a chinese food buffet within walking distance from Walmart last night. It was without doubt the worst. Many selections, all poor quality, except the mushrooms, which were done nicely. Jake came across a rubber ball, took it home, and I see he has slept with it right by his side. A skype meeting later this morning and then off to Atlanta, unless I decide to stay here one more night. About 650 miles from here to Tropical Dreamer.


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After undergoing rigorous tests in our own labs and by independent industry experts, Mobil 1™ synthetic motor oil is proven to provide outstanding performance and protection for your engine. Testing under conditions both real and extreme for proven performance in harsh conditions – that's our normal.
For Underground Racing, a normal drive is more than 200 mph of record-breaking speed. Hear KC and Kevin Howeth explain their work with Lamborghinis and why they use Mobil 1™ synthetic motor oil to protect them.
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Hear longtime automotive enthusiast Joe Allgeyer talk about his prized 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, and the engine that's driven more than 600,000 miles on Mobil 1™ synthetic motor oil.
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See the story behind Mobil™ technology and engineering and how it sets our products apart.
Find out about how Mobil 1™ leads the way in motor oil through extensive research and testing.


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You are here
Evolution in Alabama's new science standards
The Alabama state board of education voted unanimously to approve a new set of science standards on September 10, 2015, according to National Public Radio (September 10, 2015) — and evolution is described as "substantiated with much direct and indirect evidence."
Antievolution lawsuit dismissed in West Virginia
A federal lawsuit contending that teaching evolution in West Virginia's public schools is unconstitutional is over. In the decision (PDF) in Smith v. Jefferson County School Board et al., issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia on August 25, 2015, the defendants' motions to dismiss the case were granted.
RNCSE 35:5 now on-line
NCSE is pleased to announce that the latest issue of Reports of the National Center for Science Education is now available on-line.
Facebook: n > 120,000
A milestone: there are now over 120,000 fans of NCSE's Facebook page. Why not join them, by visiting the page and becoming a fan by clicking on the "Like" box by NCSE's name?
Eric Davidson dies
The eminent developmental biologist Eric Davidson died on September 1, 2015, at the age of 78, according to a September 2, 2015, notice from Caltech.
News Search


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Graduate Degree Programs in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
|Graduate Program Information
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Program Website
|Academic Calendar
|Graduate Application
|Graduate Admissions
|Graduate Tuition and Fees
|Visit Mines
|Graduate Bulletin
|Degrees Offered
| Metallurgical and Materials
|Enrollment Details
|Participating Staff
|Academic Faculty
|Admissions Information
|GRE General Test is required
|GRE Subject Test is not required
|TOEFL exam is required (international)
|Admissions Statistics
|Average GRE Quantitative
|Average GRE Verbal
|Average GPA (4.0 scale)
|Percent applicants accepted
The Metallurgical and Materials program emphasizes strong materials engineering fundamentals ranging from the microscopic to the macroscopic scale. You will be exposed to the most advanced science and engineering principles important for understanding the processing and properties of materials. The primary areas of foucs : physical and mechanical metallurgy, ceramic engineering, and physiochemical processing of materials.
All accepted students are provided funding through teaching and research assistantships. TA and RA contracts typically cover tuition, fees and a monthly stipend for one academic year, the majority of which are awarded in the fall. The academic departments award all fellowships and assistantships in conjunction with the admissions review process. You are encouraged to apply by the deadline to receive thorough consideration for funding.
Federal student loans are also available to give graduate students additional funding beyond any assistantships and fellowships they might receive.
Degree Programs
- Master of Engineering in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
- Master of Science in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
There are tremendous opportunities for researchers in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering programs at Mines to meet the exciting demands for the development and processing of new materials and to extend the range of service and application of existing and traditional materials. Graduate students in materials at Mines actively participate in six research centers on the Mines campus. The following centers promote interaction between students and faculty from different departments and interested scientists and engineers from industry and government agencies:
- Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics
- Center for Welding, Joining and Coatings Research
- Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center
- Advanced Coatings and Surface Engineering Laboratory
- W.J. Kroll Institute for Extractive Metallurgy
- Center for Advanced Non-Ferrous Structural Alloys
Erin Stoll, Graduate Education Specialist
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: 303-273-3660
Colorado School of Mines
engineering the way


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Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Former Bruin Phil Kessel and birthday boy James
van Riemsdyk each scored in the third period, as the Toronto Maple Leafs
evened their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against Boston with a 4-2
victory in Game 2 at TD Garden.
Joffrey Lupul supplied two second-period goals for the Maple Leafs, who were
thoroughly dominated in a 4-1 loss to the Bruins on Wednesday. James Reimer,
like the rest of his Toronto teammates, rebounded with a 39-save effort to
earn his first career postseason win.
Nathan Horton and Johnny Boychuk had the goals for Boston, while Tuukka Rask
was beaten four times on 32 shots.
The series shifts to Toronto for Games 3 and 4 Monday and Wednesday.
The Sports Network


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I currently have a customer set up which utilizes 3+ Personalities to manage multiple mail domains to send from.
Now it seems like the lite and mobile version of the webinterface don't support choosing a personality when sending mail.
Am I right in that or am I missing something here?


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- Formación
- Media
- Blogs
- Publicaciones
- Alumni Agenda
Alumni Agenda
IE Finance Club: General Meeting
IE Finance Club 18 de octubre 2012
Please join us for a General Meeting for IE Finance Club. Board members will be on hand to present past, present and future club activities and initiatives.
WHEN: Thursday, 18 Oct, 3.30 pm
The meeting will include a short presentation by board members, Q&A followed by a more in-depth information session on one of our current initiatives: The Asia Finance Trek set for the first two weeks in January 2013.
We hope to see you there!
IE Finance Club Board


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My Kaleidescape Escape: Checking out the 1U Server and M700 Disc Vault
Living the life of the 1 percent with the ultimate entertainment server
I've been living the life of the 1 percent for the past few weeks, thanks to a Kaleidescape movie server. As Ferris said, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
So what's life like with Kaleidescape?
While most of the country was watching a game being played in Indianapolis, I was flipping through several hundred movies until I settled on one then spent my Sunday evening happy that I was avoiding those overhyped Super Bowl commercials. Not once throughout the entire Raiders of the Lost Ark or 300 did MIA or anyone else try to flip me the bird.
On Super Bowl evening, you'll find nothing of any great value on other networks because no one wants to compete with the big game (unless you count Animal Planet's adorable Puppy Bowl). But I had access to a huge movie collection, delivered quickly, without buffering or compression artifacts, and I didn't have to dig through the shelves and boxes with discs or wait through painful load times as some internet service refreshed itself on my screen.
While waiting for my favorite TV show, Walking Dead, to return for the season, I had my horror show cravings covered with a great selection of scare flicks. Yes, I'm spoiled.
Well, at least for a few weeks I was spoiled.
But back to my story. Kaleidescape is a movie server—the movie server—for anyone who wants a serious luxury home theater experience. Sure, the projector, the speakers, even the touchpanel remote, will get some oohs and aahs when you fire them up, but nothing beats watching guests' eyes when they see you cruising around on screen through hundreds of movies in Minority Report fashion. There's a good reason why Kaleidescape servers show up on most of the Electronic House award winning theaters.
The Kaleidescape I used combined both DVD and Blu-ray discs titles into one system using a 1U server and an M700 Disc Vault. Both kinds of discs get copied and stored onto hard drive bays that slide easily into drive slots on the 1U server, which can hold over 1,000 DVD titles or 225 Blu-ray discs (a 3U server can hold 5,400/900 DVD/BD discs). The original DVDs can then get stored in your closet, under the bed or buried outside under the dog house. Blu-ray discs actually remain part of the system in a carousel device (the M700) that is connected to the 1U via an Ethernet cord so that that the system knows you actually own the discs and didn't just copy them and return them to Wal-Mart. I'm not sure why that's so important to the movie studios because what K-scape owner is so cheap to have to rip off discs… but I'm getting off the subject.
Anyway, the K-scape doesn't copy the movies the way iTunes or other music ripping apps do. This system makes a bit-for-bit copy of the movie and everything else—the metadata, bonus features, yup, everything, so that you end up with the exact same quality experience of watching off the original disc, without worry that your three-year-old copy of Twilight has accumulated any fatal scratches since the last time you knew where it was.
I spent this time with the K-scape system not to do a full-fledged review. Electronic House actually published a review by Robert Archer of the M500 player last year (you can read it here). And in truth, there's really not that much to say. It's an incredibly easy to use system, and does exactly what it promises to do. It offers a huge amount of content (limited only by what you purchase and add to it) that is easily accessible. Most system owners have their K-scape integrated into an audio/video distribution system, so they can access their media collection from multiple locations and do neat things like start a movie in one room and finish it in another.
There are some other cool tricks that add to the wow factor of this system. When surfing around the cover art menu for something to watch, it will intuitively reorganize the menu when you hover over a particular title then display movies with similarities to that title. For example, if you scroll over Gladiator, the menu titles around Gladiator will all change to other action or historical dramas, thus making it easier to find something you want to watch.
A recently added scenes feature lets you easily find favorite movie scenes and add new favorite scenes. Being a person with a short attention span, I loved this. I could flip around and just watch scenes with amazing explosions without having to search through shelves or cabinets full of single discs.
Don't even try to compare this to searching for a movie on a Netflix-connected TV or cable video-on-demand service. I've given up and picked up a book some nights waiting for those menus to load or the movies to stream. Kaleidescape is instant gratification.
Of course this kind of fun comes at a price. The system I borrowed cost over $20,000, and that's before installation, wiring and all that. Kaleidescape isn't for people who worry about such things. It's for people who want the best of what's available. I have a big movie collection myself. Some of it is in a cabinet in the living room (piled, shoved and squeezed into that cabinet), while 80 percent of the collection is in boxes and storage bins in the basement. Many of the disc boxes are probably missing their discs, and even if they're in the right box, finding a movie is often more trouble than it's worth. For that alone, many people would find the Kaleidescape worth the investment even if it didn't perform as splendidly as it does. And it does.
Read about how one family uses their Kaleidescape.
Comments are closed.


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After discussing his release from Bad Boy earlier this week, Ma$e is back in the press, now focusing on other topics. In this interview for Sway in the Morning, Ma$e shared jewels that Notorious B.I.G. once gave him. He also said the Biggie/Tupac beef changed his perspective on life and added that he is doing "what Tupac envisioned to do."
"I remember B.I.G. used to always tell me stuff," he said in the piece. "He used to give me jewels and one of the jewels I gave to 2 Chainz when we was talking that while you're doing this you gotta do all you can and can everything you get because you not guaranteed to be loved next year. They lovin' you now. I understood that. That's what made me take advantage of doing something else."
But one of Ma$e's important life lessons came after B.I.G. was killed in Los Angeles.
"When Biggie passed, it changed my whole perspective for many reasons," he explained. "It was the first time I saw - ah, man, I'm on a truth campaign. It was the first time I saw people that were supposed to be who they are not act like who they are. That's the best way I could say that. Somebody that important, something happen to, and nobody respond?" ... If you don't rock for that, what you gon' rock for? At that point, my focus became different. If ain't nobody do nothing about this, I shouldn't think something's gon' happen different for me. So, my decision became real easy."
During the interview, Ma$e explained that he also learned a lot from Tupac.
"I believe I'm doing right now what Tupac envisioned to do but he never got around to doing because he wasn't able to make that decision."
He also explained that he is not beefing with Jim Jones or Cam'Ron saying that they are both his brothers.
More from the interview can be heard below.


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DALLAS (AP) - Closing arguments are underway in the government's insider-trading case against billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Around midday Tuesday, a Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer began her overview of the case for the jury in U.S. district court. She was to be followed by one of Cuban's lawyers.
The SEC is suing Cuban, saying he sold his shares in search engine company Mamma.com after learning privately about a stock offering that would lower the value of the shares. The SEC says Cuban avoided $750,000 in losses.
Cuban disputes the SEC's claim that he agreed to keep information about the 2004 stock offering confidential. He also says other investors knew about the offer, and that he did nothing wrong by selling his shares for $7.9 million.


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USDA declares drought a natural disaster in Elkhart County
GOSHEN — Elkhart County and its Indiana neighboring counties are among the 36 counties declared natural disaster areas due to the drought, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday.
"The summer of 2012 will not be long forgotten by those producers and their families that were negatively impacted by severe dry weather," said Julia Wickard, Indiana executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency, said in the written announcement.
Earlier this week the USDA announced a streamlined process for declaring disasters, giving lower emergency loan rates to farmers in the area, dropping the rates from 3.75 percent to 2.25 percent.
"Agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation's economy and it is increasingly important that USDA has the tools to act quickly and deliver assistance to farmers and ranchers when they need it most," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Wednesday, announcing the new rules.
Friday, Wickard said, "Indiana FSA and its employees are committed to helping farmers navigate the multitude of programs that may be available in eligible counties."
Elkhart, St. Joseph, Marshall, Kosciusko, Noble and LaGrange Counties are all in the disaster area. Farmers in those counties have eight months to apply for loans to help cover part of their losses.
The USDA also has resources for farmers dealing with the drought at www.usda.gov/disaster.
As of this week, Elkhart County was in severe and extreme drought conditions, according to the National Weather Service in North Webster. That means water shortages, the potential for major crop or pasture losses and serious fire danger. Goshen is nearly nine inches behind average precipitation for the year, the NWS reported Thursday.
"The hot and dry weather in June only intensified ongoing drough conditions across the area," wrote Courtney Obergfell, meteorologist with the NWS.


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Accenture is committed to helping forward-thinking organizations to use sustainability as a lens for business value creation and long-term success.
We help organizations leverage their assets and capabilities to drive innovation and profitable growth while delivering a positive economic, environmental and social impact.
We work with clients across industries and geographies to integrate sustainability approaches into their business strategies, operating models, processes and technologies. Our holistic approach encompasses strategy, design and execution to help increase revenue, reduce cost, manage risk and enhance brand, reputation and intangible assets. We are also leaders in understanding the impact of digital technologies on our clients businesses from a sustainability perspective and applying areas such as social media, cloud computing, mobility, analytics and big data to help them compete to win.
Accenture's solutions help businesses and public sector organizations identify, develop and implement sustainability strategies that not only drive performance and address their most pressing needs, but also take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that lie ahead. We also help clients develop deep insights on sustainability issues based on our ongoing investments in research, including recent studies on consumer and investor expectations and global executive opinion on corporate sustainability and climate change.


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Tallahassee, Florida -- A new poll offers good news and bad news for Gov. Rick Scott. His job approval and favorability ratings have climbed to their highest levels since he took office in 2011.
Forty-three percent say he's doing a good job, up from 36 percent in March.
"His job approval is the best that Quinnipiac has recorded since he's been in office. Same goes for his favorable-unfavorable ratio," said Peter Brown of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Scott's favorability rating is 40 percent, up from 33 percent in March.
But here's the bad news for Scott: 50 percent of voters say he does not deserve a second term and he trails former Gov. Charlie Crist 47 - 37 percent in a hypothetical race for governor.
Brown says an improving economy is helping Scott among Florida voters.
"More of them give credit to Mr. Scott than Mr. Obama so that there clearly is some implication there that he's responsible for a pickup in the economy and the overall numbers, obviously, in the state's unemployment rate that has dropped a good deal since he took office."
There's also good news and bad news for Charlie Crist -- the former Republican governor who became a Democrat and is considering running for governor.
Crist is still popular. Forty-eight percent of Florida voters have a favorable opinion of him.
But the bad news for Crist is that his lead over Scott in a possible race has dropped from 16 points to 10.
"For Mr. Crist, he's got a 10-point lead. It's always better to be ahead than behind and although that compares to 16 points the last time Quinnipiac polled, that's still a pretty formidable number," said Brown.
The poll asks voters if they think Crist's change in party affiliation makes him a pragmatist who changes with the times and issues, or if it's a negative thing showing he has no core beliefs.
Forty-seven percent say it's a positive, while 44 percent consider it a negative.
With more Floridians viewing Crist's change as a positive, Brown offers this opinion.
"I would make one projection to you: Scott won't win without being able to reverse that number."
The poll also shows U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson would beat Scott 48 - 38 percent if Nelson decided to run for governor.
Dave Heller


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For added kick, stir 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper into cooked pasta mixture along with the 2% Milk VELVEETA and spinach.
This low-calorie, low-fat meal is so easy to make. And as a bonus, it's also an excellent source of vitamin A from the spinach and contains vitamin C from the red pepper.
* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Can't wait to try it
This recipe was very easy to make and so tasty. When I make it again, I would add more spinach but the original way was very good. I can't wait to make it again!!
I really liked the ingredients in this so gave it world. I don't like using Velveeta, but decided it would be worth trying once. If you make it exactly like it says, it is bland and not appealing. I added garlic salt, the red pepper flakes and just a touch of cayenne pepper. It was amazing after that!
K:44827v0 :64367


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Ridley Dean Derailleur Hanger $0.00
Crashing a high end time trial bike is not something we'd ever wish to happen. The list of expensive go-fast goodies that could suffer is a long one, and replacing any of them would not be ideal. That's why this Ridley Dean Derailleur Hanger is a great idea. It's a failsafe for your expensive carbon frame and for your top-shelf rear derailleur. If it gets bent in a crash or mishap, it's cheap and easy to replace. We suggest having a spare in your tool kit just in case. After all, it would be bad to need one the night before a big event. The Dean Derailleur Hanger is made of aluminum and includes fresh hardware for installation.


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Someone brought in a Pyramid Schemer, he was preaching about the glory of Amway Globat and if you just tell your friends you can get loads of money, half an hour of this shit. Isn't this illegal in America?
You have career class?
Originally made by LM:
~ I have said nothing because there is nothing I can say that would describe how I feel as perfectly as you deserve it. -- Kyle Schmidt ~
~Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute. -- Josh Billings ~
* dragon_berry**Fallen_Wings*
Sounds good.
Fallen Wings


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2009 SEMA Show Vehicles - Web ExclusiveWritten on December 1, 2009
At any SEMA Show "Custom & Classic" tie together like cookies and milk and this year is was more evident than ever. Compared to last year's lack of classic trucks; 2009 has redeemed its self with plenty of nice, clean and a few crazy trucks. For those who didn't get to attend this year's show customclassictrucks.com brings you everything you missed.


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10th Annual Pasadena Roadster Club Reliability Run - Topless TestWritten by on October 1, 2009 Pasadena Roadster Club's Reliability Run
As far as having fun behind the wheel goes there aren't many things better than cruising a roadster on a nice sunny day. Throw in about 100 roadsters that all share a traditional style and the good time just got great. I recently had one of these great days while participating in the 10th Annual Pasadena Roadster Club Reliability Run. The "annual" part of that is a bit of a misnomer, but the club started the run in 1947 and held the run until 1950 (partnered with another Pasadena club, the Pacers, the last couple of years). The PRC then disbanded and took several decades off until it was revived in 2002 with members sharing an interest in early-style traditional roadsters. In 2004 they started the Reliability Run again retracing the same route as the 1947 run.
The reintroduced run has quickly become one of the must-do events for anyone with an early-style roadster. Many of the same roadsters show up each year but as the news has spread more and more new drop-tops are showing up and this year's run even had a few that were shipped in from several states away.
The PRC Reliability Run is one of the events my son and I look forward to each year. We both enjoy hitting the road in a hot rod and this one gives him a chance to act as navigator and photographer as he shoots as many of the cruising roadsters as he can while I'm driving (shooting from the rumble seat when he can).
This year's event was looking like it was going to possibly be a wash out as the weather man wasn't predicting the best top down conditions. I was watching the forecasts all week and it was looking like rain was going to put a damper on the festivities. When Saturday morning rolled around the skies were looking gray and a bit ominous but my roadster was cleaned up and ready to go after a shakedown run two days earlier revealed a leaking radiator hose resulting in some over-heating. I decided to take our chances (although I did leave the top on) and headed towards Pasadena to meet up with the rest of roadsters.
Once I arrived I was greeted with about 70 roadsters already checked in and lined up. Before we took off another 30 or so showed up. The route is kept a secret until you check in and get your paperwork. Each year the route has been similar but a few changes were thrown in this year. A few of the club members run the route obeying all the traffic laws and average their times to come up with the participants' time to hit (which is also a secret until the end of the run). So I guess you could say there's a competition element to the run but nobody I've ever talked to that's running really takes it seriously. The check points give the roadsters a chance to bunch up a little while they draw a card for the poker hand.
Once the run was over and almost everyone returned to the starting point, we were welcomed with burgers and chips cooked up by the In-N-Out Burger rig and more bench racing and discussions of the scenic drive. I'm sure I'll be back next year, possibly with another passenger or two.
Get Invited
If this sounds like something you'd like to do next year (and it should) and you have a traditional roadster (sorry no coupes or sedans-they're a roadster club and get to make the rules) send an email or letter to:
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Keven Vaughan's '32 looked like a fresh build and featured an aluminum-headed Flathead with a Hexagon 2x2 intake and air cleaner. The interior featured a '39 banjo wheel and dash.Steve Dennish from Limeworks Speed Shop brought out his recently finished roadster and tested the reliability of the English Daimler hemi under the bonnet.Billy Crewl debuted his fresh recreation of Jack Calori's Model A and picked up the President's Choice trophy for his effort. Billy worked closely with Jack to make sure the roadster was as close as it could be and it even proudly wears one of Jack's original timing tags on the dash. Unfortunately Jack passed away before he was able to take a ride in his "old" roadster. Billy still has a few things to finish when money and time come together.Once the run hit a little altitude the clouds parted and the weather was roadster-perfect. There were several turn-outs along the route that provided some great scenery of the San Gabriel Mountains and blue skies.We met Tyrell Pennington last year on our cruise to Bonneville. He had much longer hair then and unfortunately wasn't able to complete the tour due to some mechanical issues. He's now a member of the Pasadena Roadster Club and has much shorter hair due to an enlistment in the armed forces. He brought out this Model A roadster that features an unusual nose, a '40 dash, and a Weiand-equipped Flathead.It's amazing what a little slice out of the top and a set of big-n-littles can do for the attitude of a car. Jim Schield's fairly stock appearing '36 compares nicely with John Koehnke's more sinister-looking black one.Tom Branch has brought his '32 lowboy out to several of the runs in bare steel but this was the first year painted. Here he is getting checked off at the check point and picking his poker card.Gail Frey piloted this Model T RPU sitting on Deuce 'rails and powered by an Offenhauser-headed blown Flathead backed with an automatic trans.
This really was a reliability run for Shane Hill and his '29 RPU. The Miller-headed four-banger was only a few days old when it tackled the route and made it back successfully. Stay tuned as we plan on bringing you more of this sweet little pickup.The starter spaces the roadsters out 30 seconds apart making sure to log everyone's start time to give them the best chance at coming in with the winning time. The starter is giving Barbara Bennett and her well-travelled '32 highboy (Kev ran across her in Santa Maria a few weeks earlier) the signal to hit the course. Barbara was acting as navigator for this run and let her boyfriend handle the driving duties. The pair didn't win the best time but did bring back the best poker hand.Geoff Skene was one of the guys that shipped his roadster out for the run. The highboy was built by Dennis and Matt Lesky at Ionia Hot Rod Shop in Michigan who gave it a once-over before sending it on its way to California. The Flathead-powered roadster performed perfectly and was going to stay in town for a cruise out to the LA Roadster show on Father's Day weekend.One of the general rules of the club for participation is that if you're running a small-block Chevy or such, the car must run a full hood. Brian James' '29 Model A somehow managed to escape their attention but when a hot rod looks this good it would be awfully hard to turn it away.We're not sure if Larry Mitchell is done painting his T roadster but we like the look of the bare aluminum hood and belly pan so much we'd have a hard time painting them as well. The louvered doors are an interesting touch.


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"I really feel energized."
"That is amazing. Do you know how it works?"
"I can really feel things moving, right down through my feet."
"I feel so much better."
"I really slept better for several nights after the session."
"That is amazing. Do you know how it works?"
"I feel so much better."
For information regarding Therapeutic Touch classes offered at Hartford Hospital, or to make an appointment for a session, call Health Referral Services at (860) 545-1888 or by e-mail email@example.com


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Anyone who reads GameCritics.com regularly will know that I'm not a big fan of first-person shooter (FPS) games. I don't hate them, but I don't think it's particularly fun to just run around and blast things, either. Most of the games tend to be very repetitious and unimaginative, and the genre has rarely captured my attention. Being the non-fragger that I am, I was particularly interested to check out Half-Life. It has received an obscene amount of awards and accolades in the years since it was released, and my curiosity has been piqued for quite a while. Often billed as the "thinking man's FPS" and credited with being the first game of its type to seriously implement a strong storyline, I thought there might be enough here to make it worth looking into.
While it may have been something extremely special when it was younger, Mike is right when he says the years haven't been too kind. While I was interested and engaged enough to finish the game (which is not true of most FPSs that I've played), I didn't walk away feeling like a changed person or like I had a new appreciation for the genre. I didn't even think the story was especially creative or original. My overall impression was that it was basically a pretty decent FPS adventure, but that it didn't offer much more. I suppose since I'm used to games that regularly incorporate large amounts of story on consoles, the pioneering steps Half-Life took on the PC didn't seem worth a whole lot to me. Keeping history in mind however, I can see how it once would have been viewed as a huge step forward compared to most of its contemporaries.
Looking briefly at the technical aspects, I thought the voice samples were of a very poor quality. I often couldn't hear what was being said to me by the rescued scientists, and I kept my remote control close at hand so I could blast the volume whenever some dialogue came up. The framerate was smooth enough for the bulk of the game, and controls were not a problem. Graphics, as Mike said, are fairly blocky and stiff. In general, the game doesn't look nearly as polished or attractive as more recent offerings, on either console or PC. Despite the fact that it's a port of an older title, things come across pretty adequately with no major complaints. Everything was pretty standard overall.
However, an area that I thought brought the game down significantly was the multiplayer options. Always a crucial part of any FPS experience, this was a bit surprising. While the simplistic deathmatch mode wasn't anything special or unique, the "Decay" two-player cooperative mode I had been looking forward to ended up being quite lacking. I invited my brother over so we could tackle this together, and we ended up putting Half-Life aside and popping in a movie DVD before we even completed all the missions. The first problem was that the missions' briefings are set at various time periods during the main quest. The idea here is to "fill in the gaps" of what other scientists were doing while Mr. Freeman was saving the world. While this sounds like a good idea, if you haven't already finished the primary story mode, these missions don't make a whole lot of sense. You can forget about continuity from level to level as well. Secondly, they are incredibly difficult and spring far too many cheap shots on the players. This mode wasn't very much fun at all, and led to more frustration than high-fives. The thing came off like an inchoate concept pasted onto the disc quickly, rather than a real attempt to add quality content building from the primary narrative.
If you view Half-Life as a game that has historical significance (I feel a bit funny saying that, given the relative youth of our industry) and can understand what the game achieved, as well as where it was coming from, its easy to see why it was labeled "revolutionary" and "best ever" so many times. However, videogames (especially consoles' in general) have surpassed the high-water mark set by Valve many times over in the years since Half-Life's debut. As a result, it's still worth a spin to those who enjoy a basic action or FPS game, but it doesn't really stand out or even stack up to the competition as much as it once did in days gone by.
Disclaimer: This review is based on the PlayStation 2 version of the game.


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I recently attended Adobe's "Create the Web" event in San Francisco on September 24, 2012. One of things that struck me was the role standards are playing in the tools and technologies announced at that event. Adobe is increasingly delivering standards-based tools to simplify the creation of imaginative content for the Web as well as contributing technology to the continuing development of the Open Web Platform standards within the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Adobe has for many years been one of the primary vendors of tools for creating visual content. Our customers look to us to help them create innovative and effective presentations and content: graphically, textually and interactively. Originally, these tools involved display vehicles created by Adobe, but increasingly, the tools Adobe is providing are moving to standards-based platforms such as the Open Web Platform. For example, the recently announced Edge Animate tool makes the creation of animations using HTML5, CSS and JavaScript much more natural; a user interacts with a graphical display of the objects being animated, and the tool helps the user write the "code" for inclusion of the objects on the user's Web page.
As the Web platform standards have become available on mobile as well as desktop devices, creating presentations that scale across these devices has become more challenging. The Edge Reflow tool helps create presentations that shift the way the same content is displayed on devices of different sizes using a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) feature called media queries. PhoneGap Build then allows an author to take a Web platform-based application and package it as a native application that can run on a number of mobile device operating systems.
But, the Web of today still lacks many of the features Adobe customers have grown to appreciate and use. For that reason, Adobe is very active in extending the Web standards to include those features. In the area of presentation layout, Adobe has submitted proposals to allow a presentation to be constructed from multiple flows of material and to have objects on the page exclude other objects or text to achieve layout effects commonly seen in magazines. In the area of graphics, Adobe is helping to standardize the technologies used to create filters that add pizazz to presentations and to allow various elements to be overlaid, transparently. These efforts are accompanied by open-source demonstration implementations that help vendors supporting the Open Web Platform understand the value of and possibilities around the features being contributed. Adobe is in active partnerships developing these features to lead the Web forward.
Adobe is making a strong statement in support of the Open Web Platform standards. We are developing tools that make it easier to produce content for the Open Web, and we are working to extend that standard to better meet the needs of Adobe customers. Thus, standards are significant in the ways Adobe helps creative professionals, publishers, developers and businesses create, publish, promote and monetize their content anywhere.
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Ya know Will, I'd ridden Beemers for near 40 yrs. till I got my RE. The beemer bunch in the 70's was really good. We were stubbed by other brands. But your right, and one factor for my bailing the Beemers, the new bunch really are snobbish.Incidentally, the other and most important reason to bail is their not bikes anymore. My last BMW needed 13 screw and 3 panels removed for me to check the battery. Go figure!
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These are challenging times for senior operations executives who support sales, marketing, and managed markets. The pipeline shortfall, drug-approval delays, and increasing regulatory complexity have squeezed budgets while raising revenue targets. The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) has caused some of the most far-reaching changes in the sales and marketing landscape, as government purchasing power creates both new opportunities and greater restrictions. In addition, traditional modes of selling have saturated the market, and the sales model the industry knows and loves is no longer so effective.
A bellwether for the industry because of their experience—most average 25 years or more—commercial ops execs are inherently pragmatic. Fortunately for pharma, their on-the-ground perspective is invaluable in dealing with today's pressures—rapid changes in managed markets, reduced effectiveness of traditional sales models, and the resulting challenge to marketing to take a more balanced approach.
Size Matters in Outlook
Several findings were of particular interest. First, executives expressed mixed views about the future, with execs at mid-tier firms far more optimistic about, and confident in, their own company than the industry as a whole. But all share a deep concern for the ongoing viability of information sources, as legislative bodies and professional societies increasingly limit access to prescriber data; some are developing their own proprietary data as a result.
Industry reputation is also key. Respondents agreed that the single-most-important issue to focus on over the next three years is "public perception of the industry." The number-two priority is "managed markets' perception of the industry."