text:
Wildcats Top Jacksonville in 3-2 Comeback Victory
Courtesy: BCUathletics.com
Release: 03/13/2013
DAYTONA BEACH, FLa. - With a dramatic finish in the late innings, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (10-9) came away with the comeback victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins (5-12), Wednesday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, breaking a two-all deadlock with a single run in the bottom of the eighth, and Jordan Dailey secured the 3-2 win with his fourth save of the season and a new program mark for appearances.
The Wildcats opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a single run. Shifting to first base with Anthony Stokes on the mound, Eric Sams collected B-CU's first hit with a double to deep left field, and crossed the dish on the next pitch, as Brandon Turner split the infielders with an RBI single up the middle.
Putting up another outstanding performance, Stokes stood his ground on the hill against the Dolphins, pitching five complete innings, allowing just four hits, no walks, no runs and striking out two.
"He was great again," Beverlin said. "Any time that we've given him the ball, he's done everything we've asked and more."
The Dolphins jammed up Sams, who moved to the mound in relief in the top of the sixth, as back-to-back base hits put runners in scoring position, and a short single to center brought home a pair of runs to give JU a short-lived advantage.
The Wildcats responded in the home half of the frame, as Sams again opened the hitting with a single through the middle and Turner followed with another base knock. Catcher Clay Middleton logged his first RBI on a single up the middle, tying the game at 2-2 as Sams crossed the plate.
"You can do one of two things when faced with that kind of adversity; you can either punch back or you can feel sorry for yourself," Beverlin said. "I was glad to see we punched back and ended up pulling that one out."
The Wildcats would threaten again in the seventh, missing on a bases-loaded situation. However, in the eighth, B-CU capitalized on JU miscues to send the victory final. Pinch hitter Jake Welch reached as a hit batter, was sacrificed to second by Josh Johnson and made third on a groundout. Welch went on to score the eventual winning run as McCarty reached on a fielding error by JU third baseman, Scott Schaub, giving B-CU the 3-2 advantage.
Dailey entered the game in the top of the ninth for his 10th appearance of the season, and 90th of his four-year career, surpassing Joseph Munoz (89) as the modern era leader at B-CU in pitching appearances.
"I think it's really quite a record, due to the fact that it means you've pitched all four years of your career," Beverlin said.
Dailey went to work quickly, downing the Dolphins for the 3-2 win, extending B-CU's home record to 7-2 on the season.
Pitching one inning in middle relief, Christopher Waltermire (1-1) logged the win, while Dailey earned his fourth save of the season.
Throwing 1 2/3 late innings for JU, Zach Gordon (1-3) takes the loss, while starter Wes Torrez pitched 4 2/3 innings with five hits, one run, and seven strikeouts.
Leading B-CU at the plate, Sams went 2-for-3, scoring two of B-CU's runs, while Turner was also 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The Wildcats (10-9, 5-1 MEAC) return to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) action this weekend, as they travel to Greensboro, N.C. to face North Carolina A&T (5-11, 1-2 MEAC), which topped Lehigh, 17-8, in home non-conference action on Wednesday.
For all the latest information on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, follow the official Twitter feeds at @BCUathletics, @CookmanBaseball, or "Like Us" on Facebook at Bethune-Cookman Athletics.


text: Do you think MSO is going to benefit from Martha going out lying like a ho to all the retaillers that they can have an exclusive product line when she pulls off the back stab lies she just did with Macys ? When is a contract , a contract ? What really is EXCLUSIVE about Martha Stewart ?

subset: commoncrawl


text: Jaguar recently took to the Nürburgring to give the upcoming XFR-S a once over. Our spy photographers nabbed the winged sedan as it showed off a spate of new body work, including a more aggressive front fascia, reworked side skirts and, of course, that prominent rear spoiler. The tail end also gets a new diffuser tucked under the rear valance.


text:
The Wells report was released and published on Friday morning with the full investigation of Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin case.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh makes an appearance in the article where he showed support of Martin. Harbaugh was the head coach who recruited Martin and coached him from 2008-2010 at Stanford before he took the 49ers job.
Harbaugh appears on pages 27 and 58 from the Wells report with the following statements about Martin:
"Jim Harbaugh, Martin's former head coach at Stanford and the current head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, told us that he had never doubted Martin's tenacity, work ethic and dedication to the game, and that he had never seen Martin exhibit problems with social adjustment.Coach Harbaugh told us he believed that Martin likely could continue to have a successful career in the NFL." -(Page 27)
"Several former Stanford football players, as well as coaches Harbaugh and [David] Shaw, concurred that Martin was a talented athlete and a great teammate, with an admirable work ethic.Both Coach Harbaugh and Coach Shaw emphasized that Martin was a well-adjusted and popular player while at Stanford. Martin enjoyed the camaraderie on the Stanford team and did not feel that he was inappropriately hazed or otherwise harassed in college. He claimed that although his Stanford teammates teased each other from time to time, the jokes were generally good-natured; for example, it was reported that he was ribbed for speaking in a slow, deep voice. Although initially quiet, he became a vocal leader on the team by his final year.
Coach Harbaugh emphasized that he never doubted Martin's physical or mental toughness, and he believes that Martin can continue to have a successful career in the NFL. Coach Harbaugh also said that the atmosphere in the Stanford locker room, in his view, was not materially different from that of the San Francisco 49ers' locker room." -(Page 58)
Jim Harbaugh was asked last November about the initial situation in Miami when it was first reported that Incognito would be suspended indefinitely while Martin took a leave of absence from the team. The head coach showed nothing but support for his former player.
"As far as that situation, there's only one thing that I can intelligently comment on and that's knowing [former Stanford and current Miami Dolphins OL] Jonathan Martin," Harbaugh said in November about the Dolphins news. "I know him to be a fine person and his family. A great contributor as a student and an athlete at Stanford. [He] epitomizes the student-athlete model and then [is] a personal friend. So, I support Jonathan."
Incognito was suspended after Week 8 and the Miami Dolphins were under investigation for the last three months on knowing what happened. The Miami Dolphin players defended Incognito despite reports saying that Martin was harassed.
The report indicates that another young offensive lineman as well as a staff member were also harassed by Incognito and two other offensive lineman. Martin most likely played his last game for the Dolphins in 2013, but is still under contract for next season.


text:
College Hockey:Dartmouth's Jones Leaves For Avalanche
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche announced Tuesday that it has signed Dartmouth forward David Jones. Jones signed a two-year deal to the team that drafted him in the 8th round in 2003, forgoing his final year of elgibility.
Jones is coming off a strong junior season at Dartmouth where he was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award , a first for a Dartmouth player. He was also a unanimous selection for Ivy League Player of the Year while earning NCAA First Team All-America honors. Jones was also a unanimous First Team All-Ivy and All-ECACHL selection.
The 2006-07 assistant captain's career-high 18-26–44 in 33 games was good for sixth among NCAA skaters for points per game (1.33). The 6-foot-2, 220-pound native of Guelph, Ontario, was Colorado's eighth selection (288th overall) in the 2003 Entry Draft.
"David is a solid prospect and we look forward to watching him continue to mature," said Avalanche Executive Vice President and General Manager Francois Giguere.
As a freshman in 2005-06, Jones was the second highest scoring freshman with 14 points as he saw action in 34 games. Jones scored 11 points in 21 league games while notching three multiple-point games and scoring three points on two occasions.
As a sophomore he played in all 33 games scoring 34 points, finishing as the second highest scorer on the team. He racked up 17 goals and 17 assists while scoring eight multiple-point games including two multiple-goal contests. Jones recorded his first collegiate hat trick against Clarkson and scored a career-high three assists with four points in a win over Yale. He was named First Team All-Ivy, Second Team All-ECACHL and was Academic All-ECACHL. He finished third in the league in scoring and was second in goal scoring.
The following is a self-policing forum for discussing views on this story. Comments that are derogatory, make personal attacks, are abusive, or contain profanity or racism will be removed at our discretion. USCHO.com is not responsible for comments posted by users. Please report any inappropriate or offensive comments by clicking the "Flag" link next to that comment in order to alert the moderator.
Please also keep "woofing," taunting, and otherwise unsportsmanlike behavior to a minimum. Your posts will more than likely be deleted, and worse yet, you reflect badly on yourself, your favorite team and your conference.


text:
Contact Information for the NMSU Learning Games Lab
The Learning Games Lab is directed by Dr. Barbara Chamberlin, with administrative support in the Media Productions department. The program coordinator directs all day-to-day game lab activities.
Lab Director:
Barbara Chamberlin, PhD
Director of Multimedia Development:
Pamela Martinez
** if seeking employment, please send resume and link to portfolio or samples of work to Pamela Martinez


text:
Jan. 26, 2013
Greenville Daily Reflector
Washington Daily News
The East Carolinian
Welcome to "Pirate Newsstand," a listing with links to stories about East Carolina softball. Be sure to check back as we add links when we find them.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
ECU's Christian Remains Confident --- Daily Reflector
Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013
Pirates Split On Opening Day --- Daily Reflector
Friday, February 8, 2013
ECU Back in the Full Swing --- Daily Reflector
Friday, January 25, 2013
Mitchell Makes Move To ECU --- The Dunlap Tribune
Friday, January 16, 2013
ECU Softball Under New Management --- Daily Reflector
Thursday, January 8, 2013
College Sports Madness Preseason All-CUSA Teams --- College Sports Madness
Friday, December 28, 2012
#43 College Sports Madness Softball Preview --- College Sports Madness
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Keylon-Randolph Settles in At ECU --- Daily Reflector


text:
Over the past decade, Alta Partners has built a strong and diversified portfolio. Alta has invested in over 180 companies, including some of the leaders in the biopharmaceuticals, medical technology, and information technology sectors.
Recent Additions
San Mateo, CA
Allakos is a privately held, product-focused biotechnology company developing first-in-class antibody-based therapeutics to treat diseases in which dysregulation of the Th2 response plays a key role in pathology, including allergic disease, inflammation and diseases characterized by excess production of inflammatory cells. Allakos has generated a preclinical pipeline of novel antibodies targeting cell types implicated in allergic and inflammatory responses which it intends to advance to clinical proof-of-concept. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Allakos is led by a management team with broad experience in antibody research and development and a strong advisory board of experts in the areas of disease focus.
|Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation
Alachua, FL
Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation is a gene therapy company focused on curing genetic defects that cause blindness and other systemic disorders. The Company is developing a pipeline of products that utilize its proprietary, adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery system and herpes-helper virus production technology.
Durham, North Carolina
Headquartered in Durham, N.C., Bioventus is Smith & Nephew's former Biologics Division/Clinical Therapies business that generates about 250 million dollars in revenue annually on a worldwide basis. The product line includes the EXOGEN® Ultrasound Bone Healing System, and hyaluronic acid joint fluid therapy products, SUPARTZ® and DUROLANE®, which treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis. These innovative products provide clinical benefits to patients and cost savings to payers by delaying or eliminating the need for knee surgery. In the case of bone stimulation, expensive follow-on procedures for bone fractures which do not heal are avoided.
Contact: Guy P. Nohra
|Lumena Pharmaceuticals
San Diego, CA
Lumena Pharmaceuticals is a privately-held biotechnology company developing oral therapeutics for rare liver diseases to improve liver function, relieve disease symptoms and dramatically impact patient health. The company's clinical-stage product candidates carry a reduced risk of systemic toxicities by selectively targeting a transporter in the intestine and are designed to be minimally absorbed in the body. Lumena's lead candidate, LUM001, has been extensively evaluated in other indications across 12 clinical studies in more than 1,400 subjects. Because of the extensive preclinical and clinical data package, LUM001 is positioned to rapidly progress through the clinic in pediatric and adult patients with several types of cholestatic liver disease.
Cambridge, MA
Zafgen is developing first in class drugs to treat obesity and related co-morbidities. The Company's lead program, Beloranib is in Phase II clinical trials.
|ZS Pharma, Inc.
Coppell, TX
ZS Pharma is a late-stage company developing a drug to treat Hyperkalemia. Hyperkalemia is a serious and potentially life-threating condition where one's potassium levels become dangerously elevated causing arrhythmias and cardiac arrest. Hyperkalemia is most often seen in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to renal insufficiency and the condition is exacerbated by medications that these patients typically take (i.e. they increase serum potassium). In the U.S. alone there are approximately 25 million people with CKD and this number is expected to increase for the foreseeable future.
Contact: Guy P. Nohra


text:
The three new tools are Designer Layout, a schematic capture tool called Designer Schematic and a component-sourcing tool called PartQuest.
The intention is to provide PCB design tools with component-finding software linked to the distributor's website and access to PCB design and fabrication services.
Digi-Key's parametric component data is used to help the design process by creating footprints.
According to Randall Restle, director of application engineering for Digi-Key, the intention is to offer customers professional-grade CAD software will take them "to the next level of product design and prototyping without breaking the bank".
These are three new Mentor tools, based on its PADS enterprise-level PCB design tool, but with features and price tags to attract hobbyists and small-budget design teams.
Designer Schematic costs less than £180 ($300), Designer Layout tool will have a number of options priced at around $650. The PartQuest component finding tool is free.
"We believe this tool offering will target a specific type of engineer working on new designs and typically using a PCB tool on their PC, outside of the corporate environment," said Dave Brady, business development manager, Mentor Graphics
These designers will be looking to make use of the newly available products and "not working from an approved list", said Brady.
For Digi-Key, the PCB tool is more advanced than anything it currently offers and so will be used by its professional engineering customers as well as hobbyists.
"It is a high-end tool for Digi-Key, and a low end tool for Mentor," said Restle.
For the beta release of the Designer Schematic Tool
Digi-Key's approach to PCB design support is different from that of its rival distributors.
In working with Mentor it has decided to offer tools from one of the big names in PCB design software.
Farnell element14 acquired CadSoft, a company supplying the Eagle PCB design tool. A hobbyist version of Eagle costs around £55 and professional grade tools start at around £240.
RS Components decided to create its own free PCB design tools.
Digi-Key will start selling the tools this summer.


text:
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Immerse yourself in the excitement and glamour of New York City, from the comfort of the Hilton Times Square. With stunning accommodations and exceptional guest services, this first-class hotel is New York at its best. Book your NYC Times Square lodging online today for Our Best Rates. Guaranteed.
Interstate Properties:


text:
I have an EBS-backed instance of a Windows server running under EC2.
When I make an AMI from this instance, the new AMI appears under "My AMIs" as expected, but I notice it also appears in the "Community AMIs" list.
Does this mean my AMI has automatically been shared with the world?


text:
Slot receiver Wes Welker has agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos on a two-year contract, spurning the New England Patriots and Tom Brady for Peyton Manning. Numerous outlets are reporting the move. Here is NFL.com's story.
Broncos executive John Elway tweeted the news: "Agreed to terms on a 2-yr deal with Wes Welker. Excited to have Wes join the Broncos. His production & toughness will be a great asset!"


text:
If you are traveling with your pet pals around the Burlington, VT area you might need an animal friendly place to take shelter. There are quite a few, actually, but many are strict with their pet policies and don't offer the comforts your dog/cat or cockatiel is used to. Here is a short list of five that narrows the choices to pet friendly, cozy and affordable.
(disclaimer: I have not stayed at these lodgings as of yet; the information gathered is from research into local facilities. If anyone has any reviews for these spots, I would love to post them! Thanks)
In no particular order:
The Basin Harbor Club -offers dog walking/sitting services and charge $10 per pet.
The Essex -offers pet sitting/walking services and charge $25 per pet.
Middlebury Inn -offers trails for exploring and charge $25 for two pets and additional for more.
Doubletree Hotel Burlington -cannot leave pet in room, charges $75 returnable deposit.
Best Western Windjammer Inn & Conference Center -charges $10 dollars per pet.
If these don't strike your fancy here are a couple sites with longer lists:
Hope you have a nice stay!


text:
Thanks A Lot
For Getting Others
To Think!!
Kristopher J. Purzycki
From: "Kristopher J Purzycki"
To: "Positive Atheism" <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Subject: WebMaster:_Positive_Atheism_Index
Date: Friday, August 25, 2000 5:14 PM
I am fascinated by both atheism and theism, as I call myself neither (and simultaneously everything). Out of curiosity, don't you think (believe, know, think you believe, believe you think, know you believe, believe you know, etc) that atheism takes as much energy as theism does? If you believe in God (etc, etc), you accept your submission to something you don't know, whereas if you don't believe in God, you accept you submission to something you don't know as well.
I don't know anything, believe in anything, and by accepting and submitting to this, I accept all of it, in an "i am therefore i think" sort of thing.
thanks a lot for getting others to think!!
From: "Positive Atheism" <email@example.com>
To: "Kristopher J Purzycki"
Subject: Re: WebMaster:_Positive_Atheism_Index
Date: Friday, August 25, 2000 5:42 PM
don't you think ... that atheism takes as much energy as theism does?
One either has a god belief (however vague) or one does not have a god belief (however vaguely). I do not recognize any middle ground (what some call agnosticism), and would be very concerned if any of my friends or relatives claimed to be simultaneously theistic and atheistic (so-called omnitheism, which states that all religious claims are true). For an agnostic to claim agnosticism as a third alternative is to misrepresent the historically accepted meaning of the word atheism: atheism is simply the lack of a god belief, it is not necessarily the assertion that no gods exist (though a few atheists do mane this assertion). True agnosticism is either theistic (a god exists but that's all we know) or atheistic (I don't know whether or not a god exists).
So, to answer your question, yes and no: atheism is more work in one sense and less work in another sense.
Atheism requires less work simply because theism is an additional belief that is tacked on to one's observations of his or her environment.
Atheism requires more work in that an atheist must think for him- or herself rather than (conveniently) rely on alleged "revelations" from a supposed deity. Of course, some atheists take their orders from this or that philosopher (Marx; Rand) and some theists do think for themselves on all matters including those of religion (many Unitarians; many Pantheists; many liberal Christians). Also, all theists decide which system they will follow, and some only become "sheep" once this decision has been made. But the basic idea behind Freethought (one brand of atheism) is that you are responsible for developing your own outlook.
Atheism is no fun at times: it's cold and lonely out her and we have no comforting myths to carry us through life's tough moments.
The fact that a believer is happier than a sceptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
-- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Preface to Androcles and the Lion
I don't know anything, believe in anything, and by accepting and submitting to this, I accept all of it, in an "i am therefore i think" sort of thing.
Are you sure you're gonna be okay?
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Material by Cliff Walker (including unsigned editorial commentary) is copyright ©1995-2006 by Cliff Walker. Each submission is copyrighted by its writer, who retains control of the work except that by submitting it to Positive Atheism, permission has been granted to use the material or an edited version: (1) on the Positive Atheism web site; (2) in Positive Atheism Magazine; (3) in subsequent works controlled by Cliff Walker or Positive Atheism Magazine (including published or posted compilations). Excerpts not exceeding 500 words are allowed provided the proper copyright notice is affixed. Other use requires permission; Positive Atheism will work to protect the rights of all who submit their writings to us.


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May Payne is a third person shooter developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Gathering. The game was released on multiple platforms with multiple release dates, with the PC's release date on July 23rd, 2001. The story follows Max Payne, a New York Police Detective going undercover to thwart a government conspiracy, while avenging his family's murder.
Graphics-Two words best describe the graphics: Gorgeously Gritty. The scenery is dark and gritty, the character models look great, animation is nice and smooth, everything about the graphics are flawless. The cut scenes are presented in a graphic novel style, which works in this game's favor, and they too look fantastic.
Sound-The soundtrack works really well. The main menu's music is memorable, the combat music isn't overdone, and everything plays at appropriate times. The voice acting is a little cliché (note the accents), but they too were well done.
Gameplay-The gameplay is also well done. The combat is executed greatly, and you're not overburden with enemies (although there are spots where enemies will get in a cheap kill). The bullet time mechanic in this game was also well done, but the main problem is that you rely on this a little too much, but that's only a minor issue. Another issue is that there's no cover mechanic. This would've made gunplay slightly better, and would balance things out more effectively. The dodge mechanic was also well developed, and is useful in sticky situations.
Difficulty-This is the game's Achilles' heel. Even on the 'Fugitive' (easy) difficulty, it can still be very hard (even with full bullet time active), and you can die very easily.
Overall-Despite the minor issues, this game is still a lot of fun to play, and worth the money. If you haven't played this game, go do so. You won't be disappointed.
Score: 5/5
You can get Max Payne from Steam, Xbox Live or PSN.
If you enjoyed reading the articles, check out the slideshow at the top of the page to see some screenshots from the game.
If you enjoyed reading the articles, receive email alerts when new articles are published by clicking the 'subscribe' button at the top of the page.
Feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the page for this and all articles. Remember, keep it professional, and keep it clean.
Make sure to check out more of Ken's work by visiting his website.


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Although some people might need to get back home to Sydney or are missing a big business meeting, being stranded in Honolulu for three days isn't the worse that could happen to airline passengers, but it is what it is so make the most of it mates.
An Air New Zealand flight from Oahu to Sydney was canceled due to mechanical problems and it seems they just can't get it fixed. According to today's (July 29) the Sydney Morning Herald, "Hundreds of Air New Zealand customers will spend another night in Honolulu as the airline works to fix the plane that's been stranded in Hawaii since Sunday night." The article said it Flight NZ9 was supposed leave for Australia three days ago and it's now going to be flight NZ6889 departing tomorrow (July 30) morning.
It apparently takes time to get parts to the island and sometimes the part the arrives doesn't resolve the problem, which is what happened according to an Air New Zealand spokeswoman. Online news sources following developments are reporting that the airline is offering passengers roughly $1,000 US or miles in compensation. There was no word about whether they were put up in hotels since a grand doesn't cover much in Honolulu these days.
Regardless, being stranded in paradise for three days could be a lot of fun. Honolulu Airport is just about a half-hour ride from Waikiki where there's hotels, restaurants and shops. The airport also a short hop to Ala Moana Shopping mall where a person could spend lots of time and money and also have some mighty fine food at various venues.
Oahu has a fantastic bus system and passengers could see the entire island by buying a cheap ticket with transfers. There are also movie theatres and the piece de resistance the beach with balmy seas and mesmerizing sunsets, happy hour cocktail services where hula dances and ukulele players entertain you (especially at the Halekulani Hotel). There's breakfast specials at Peter Merriman's Hula Grill. And, if you want to splurge there's Chef Mavro, that serves some of the best food in all the islands created by George Mavro himself.


text:
I don't think you can tell which brush was deleted. I think it just deletes brushes you can't see anyway, or duplicate brushes that overlap eachother. Anyway you won't see any difference in your map, it will just compile better. I'm no expert at this plugin, i just used it a couple of times and it helped me when i had a compile error.
I'm pretty sure it won't destroy your map or anything.
The RichDiesel University Tutorial Questions Thread.
I thought all of us using these wonderful tutorials could ask our questions here to be answered by him or one of the other sith lords around here that really know what they are doing.
For those of you that dont know abotu the tutorials, they are an awesome introduction to mapping and I think even some of the pros might be able to learn a thing or two. You can find them at the following link.
Read them. Bookmark them. and then, after that, come and ask questions here
Note: I dont agree with RichDiesel about choice of tools. Get the second tools package from where he says but I encourage you to use the GTKRadiant version specially designed for JKII Outcast. JK2Radiant gave me fits and this one has been great.
GTKRadiant for JKII Outcast
GTKRadiant for JKII Outcast Getting started Guide
Section below is from original post and never edited.
My questions.
A) Why are my curves showing up in game as a series of planar polygons instaead of smooth arcs?
B) Given that I create a curved tube or pipe, How can I fill it with water? For horizontal as well as vertical pipes.
C) When creating curves. I draw the brush in XY view and then appy the curve function. Why does it always seem to try to create a curve rotated from what I intended? For example if I create a box for a hallway 500 units long and 80 units wide, and 60 units high, the blasted thing keeps trying to create my inverted endcap oriented to the 500 dimension and not the 80x60 dimesion.
D) How can I create a spotlight where th light is opaque from the side and shines out in a direction?
E) How can I put a light source INSIDE a brush to make it appear to be shining out from that spot?
F) When are you going to finish the other tutorials we are salivating for? :)
G) How can I create a brush that has a trigger that is electrified when hit by a gun but only just for a few seconds then returns to non electified?
A) Because that's how the engine renders Curves. :) At a distance, they appear less smooth but when you get close, the appear more smooth. This is to cut down on the total number of polygons rendered at any one time. They should appear fairly smooth when you're right up next to them, though. There is no such thing as a true curved surface in Q3A though, so don't expect it to be perfect. :)
B) Depends. You can technically just lay down a large square water brush around the pipe (the water will conform to its shape), but if you want to be able to see your pipe from the outside, that won't work. In that case, design your level differently. :p
C) Radiant defaults to one specific angle when creating curves. I would suggest that you start EVERY curve off as a perfect cube shaped brush. Make it into a curve, rotate/size it how you want it, make the endcaps you want, and THEN drag the vertices to shape it how you want it. Just easier that way.
D) That is an effect called a beam shader which was not included in JK2. You [I]can[/] make one, but that will require either knowing how to write shaders or stealing one from RTCW or Q3A. :p
E) Just...put the light inside it? :D Not sure what you're asking.
F) It will be a while. I have gone back to mapping projects for the time being (learning cinematics) so that I can write those as well when I get back to writing them in general. Just wait. :p
G) func_multiple targetted at a func_timer targetted at a trigger_hurt :p
H) Why in your tutorial do you create a door using 2 brushes instead of one?
H) Because the left half opens left and the right half opens right. :p
GAh! Good answer. Thinkign too much about technical stuff and missing the obvious. What about A through G ? :) :jawa
Hmmm weird forum bug .. didnt see your first reply.
Ok folks .. the letter is at G. :)
Should prolly make it sticky too.
1. How the hell do i make a bloody tree?
2. How the hell do i make a bloody sky?
3. How do i found out exactly how big something is? Convert it to JK2 feet? Or are all those lines in Radiant supposed to mean something ?
4. Back to step 1 ... the box.
Those are just some questions ....
BRING ON THE EWOKS!!!!! :ewok: :ewok: :ewok: :ewok:
:ewok: :ewok: :ewok:
Trees are models. :) Find the model and reference it from your assets0.pk3 by using:
Skies, you just apply to the faces you want to appear as skies:
You can determine how big soemthing is in reference to your info_player_start. Put down an info_player_start - that's about the size of Kyle.
Is there a way I can add ambient light to a texture, then put a light inside of that so that the room is lighted from light comming from the inside of that brush and further, that the brush actually looks alight.
Eh... kinda. I would suggest making light-emitting shaders that look like they have light sources inside them. That gives the most realistic effect.
You can see an example of light-emitting shaders with... oh, every light in duel_kamino. :D
Im working on the dome tutorial and had a question. Why do you put caulk brushes above the dome itself ?
Because if you didn't, the engine would draw that surface behind the curve (even though you wouldn't be able to see it). Remember (and I'm sure you read the compiling tutorial), the VIS process completely ignores curves - thus anything behind a curve is drawn. If you texture a surface behind the dome, that's just more triangles (and thus lower framerate).
Rich, I'm understanding your tutorial quite well(haven't used anything yet, but what the heck...)
However, why are you doing things the hard way?
Allow me to elaborate, in your domed ceiling tutorial, you say to make the bevel, drag the vertices, etc.
Why do I have to do all that work, when I can simply make a cone?
Same with the spike thing.
:trooper: Hey, you there!
I guess the answer to your question is : to have nicer curves and much more beautiful lightnings. Am I right, Rich ?
I would think that having multiple bevels would increase chances of sparklies...
Whereas, a cone would do no such thing, it is a single object, not four.
:trooper: Hey, you there!
Many times you mention creating light emiting shaders. How does one go about doing such a thing?
RD, in ur making brush detail tut, wut do u mean by 'touching the void'?
I can answer that.
What he means is that the area outside your map is called the void. The endless void of space. So detail brushes can only be inside other brushes that are touching the void and not detail brushes. This is because the renderer skipps them.
First, you need to make your own shaderfile for whatever map you're working on. We'll say ffa_map for now.
So, make ffa_map.shader (a text file) and put it in your shaders/ directory. Then edit the shaderlist.txt file and add the name of your shader (ffa_map). Also add a subdirectory to textures/ of the same name (textures/ffa_map/).
Next, if you want to make one of the stock shaders light-emitting, open the appropriate stock shader file, copy the script of the shader you want, and paste it into YOUR shaderfile.
The first line of the shader is the name of your shader, so change it to something like textures/ffa_map/mynewshader
Now, after the first bracket (before anything else) add the line:
q3map_surfacelight 1000
(you can change the value for different light levels)
Save the file, restart Radiant, load up the ffa_map texturelist, and you should see your new light-emitting shader there. :)
There is a bit more to it (and it does get a bit more complicated) but that will be in the tut. :p My advice for now would be just to play around with it and see what happens. :)
This concerns my problem of having a warning as follows.
WARNING: Fog brush 97 has multiple visable sides
well i followed richs tut as best i could. however i think i might have done somthing arry without realisng. when going through the caul tut. (basically it says caulk everything lol)
ill go through my process for making my water to narrow it down (thx for thelp in advance guys you rock)
I make my water.
Texture the top, and bottom with a water texture.
i put a nodraw brush in between the top of the water, and the bottom of the water, (in the middle)
i then went around the Outside, of the water, the 4 right left front and back sides (not top and bottom) and added a caulk texture to it.
i think. possibly, i have added caulk to the outsides, instead of a nodraw. perhaps have got confused :/ i dunno.
also one more probem wich has arisen. (for the love of god why )
when you try to duck in water, the model doesnt know wether to stand or to duck, so he judders, between ducking and standing.
if you move whilst ducking, and let go f the keys, they continue walking in the last direction pressed.
the only thing i could think of was perhaps i had made my water a depth that was inbetween, walking depth and swimming depth.
hence when standing its seems like standing depth. and when ducking, you go almost fully submerged but not. thats why it judders. but i dont know, thats my guess.
oh and once again. cheers rich on the tutorials. its like my bible. if i ever get stuck, or fancy trying something perhaps a little out of my depth. i just load up the page, and sit and read for a bit, following step by step.
The only problem i have ever had from the beginning has been this damned water. and according to your tutorial, its supposed to be the easiest damned thing to do lol.
anyway i have said enough
Preach out
Soooo how do I get FX fetures to show in GTKRadient oh great one???
You don't. :) fx_runners are used as described in http://richdiesal.jedioutcastmaps.co...en220lsn2.html
You never get to actually see anything in Radiant except for the fx_runner. Only way to figure out which EFX you want is to experiment and look at a few. :)
As for the fog brush error, that's actually a common problem with liquids. You see, water creates a fog when you move inside it. That's why it your view tints and you can only see a short distance in front of you (Fog doesn't actually refer to fog shaders). When you have a hole in the side of one of these brushes, it gets confused.
If you caulked the sides (as you should have), there must be absolutely no places where that caulk is exposed to the world. None whatsoever. If there is an exposed side to your water, the engine gets confused as to where to actually DRAW the fog, and thus can't compile with it (so it disables the fog and continues - that's why it's a warning and not an error). You need to make sure that your water (the caulk sides) is not exposed to the playable part of your level anywhere.
And if you're having that problem with the water... why don't you change the height of the water? :D I've never actually seen that, what height of water brush are you using (for my and everyone else's future reference)?
220: Lesson 1,
I tried your switchable dynamic lights tutorial, but there's one weird thing in it.
I have a simple multiple trigger that does nothing when you press it. So I can press it and all the lights I made for my lamp (7) are linked to one info_null. But nothing tells my lamps to switch on/off and i didn't see it in your tutorial. :p
And btw, I think lamp style is optional, so i left it this time and didn't touch them. But still I think there must be something..
yes rich its correc. as soon as i finished wriing that, what i did was lower the level of the water, and i have had no problems, with the juddery animations. i guess i had managed to find a height in between swimming and standing.
the height was. using a grid of 4.
it was 10 units high.or around about there.
since trying to fix the water. i have also some how managed to get sparklies.
god knows where those sparklies have come from, as i have virtually everything you cant see caulked.
btw. is there a jedi mapping irc channel, where we could hang out and talk to each other in real time?? "Each other" being all the mappers.
would be cool. imo
RD: a Couple more from your friendly jawa.
I made a cool pipe that the player can jump down from tzhe starting point. It is a cylinder and not capped. The pipe is 8 feet in diameter (64 units) and Kyle floats nicely over it without falling in. From the top view he is pulling a neat aeriel stunt as he is touching no ground at all. What gives ?
Also what are the miniimum sizes for sdoors that kyle can get through. What about minimum size for him to walk while ducking ?
Hi, I've been trying a few of teh tutorails and I have some questions. My problem may just be that I can't understand what your saying, and that's my fault but I'll ask anyway.
1. How exactly do you construct a water basin, I kept looking at the picture and I just couldn't figure it out.
2. For the domed ceiling, I've gotten as far as inverting the bevel, but then I'm not quite sure what to do from there.
Thanks in advance.
How much do patches affect game performance? Do I notice a degradation if I use, for example, 4 bevels instead of a single end cap?
ok quick thing vis ignores curves so, hmm how to say this... if i but a brush thats the width and hieght iof the curve RIGHT behind it and caulk it, will ther be a difrence in well speed if that brush is father away from the back of the curve....premiss being you can't see behind the curve, or should i even make a brush behind it, i do need a brush behind it right i can't have a curve have its back to the void, right wait no i know thats right
You need to have caulk behind it... somewhere. Specifically where doesn't matter in terms of visual quality, but you will want to make that space appropriately sized (be it big or small) to make your compile times as fast as possible.
That is of course assuming you are using the curve in front of a structural brush. If you have curves in the middle of your room (for example, a sphere in the middle of the room), you don't need brushes at all. :)
Firstly....Rich, great tutorial! Its so easy to understand! Oh and I love your Kimino Map :D
and for some reason I can't find the option to change MP and SP entities off (switch between SP and MP map making), ALL i find in procject settings is the path'ways and a list of goop, I can't find SP entities anywhere? :eek: :confused: :eek:
To be more technically correct, when the compiler renders your map, it creates big spaces that constrain your map. Then it only worries about those spaces. If you have structural brushes then they constrain the space. Only what is inside that space matters. If you dont have structural brushes then it would have to worry about hte entire endless void.
However if you have structural brushes inside others completely (like you make a table out of 6 brushes) then you are making those big cubes used for calculating things smaller and smaller and smaller which is obviously bad for compile.
Uh-oh, he's a moderator, I'm dead!
(I had to say that...)
:sithm: You will die, painfully.
By the way.
The smallest tunnel Kyle can duck through is 48 units heigh by 36 units wide.
Exactly how you put chaulk on the nonvisible sides of any patch mesh? (Including cylinders, bevels, the likes......)
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Maestro Slatkin in Lyon
Medici.tv will live stream a performance of Leonard Slatkin and the Orchestre National de Lyon this Thursday, 9/15 at 2 pm EST. The program includes Ravel's Piano Concerto in G minor performed by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.
Lyon's newspaper, Le Progrès, welcomes Maestro Slatkin with this interview and special insert about the start of his tenure as Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon.
"Leonard Slatkin, Une Nouvelle Ère" (French, PDF)


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Thing is, IS CD the best way? I have no idea, I just assume. Storage being no limit, is there an even better way to get the original track into your ears? If so, then I guess that is the Holy Grail
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The reason CD (as in the physical disc) isn't the optimal medium is that it doesn't have time to error correct that much. And there _will_ be reading errors, no matter how few finger prints you have on that thing. When you rip it, it can continue to read the part which is creating a read-error until it gets it right. That's why ripping is the way to go.
When doing so, you get the actual data on the disc, without the errors, and then you get the way it was supposed to sound like (after they pressed the discs).
However, one has to strike a balance. I could record at 192kHz/24bits. But there is very little benefit going from 48kHz to 192kHz. Especially when you weigh it against the file size.
Another reason why 96kHz or even 192kHz might sound worse (!!) than 48kHz is because of the dac-chip in a given, well, dac. If it's running all that it can, it can cause errors (and thus artifacts) in the conversion from digital to analogue.
So, in real life, I get the most benefit from 24bits (noise floor, dynamic range) and 48kHz (less artifacts, standard sample rate, easily converted and so on).
Interesting. I assumed the data on a CD was basically as it was recorded. Taking away a flaw in the actual plastic of the disk, or greasy hands, it was as close to being there as being there.
So taking the original recording and putting that into a Lossless format at the source is superior to a CD! I didn't know that.
OK, LOL. So the ultimate player, would be high capacity (to hold an MP3 size library) with support for Lossless and/or .wav, but done from source, not ripped from CD?
BTW, did any of this actually help you in deciding to buy a P2 it's kinda gone off on a mad tangent.
Seriously, though, if I try uploading a few short clips, 5-15 seconds of wav-files as attachments to this thread, would you be interested in dragging them onto your player and see if they would play? Assuming of course you have a UMS P2?
I'm asking because I think it might work at some bitrates - as the thing does play back its own wav-files.
Goodness gracious. This thread exploded. This is the most intelligent discourse I have seen on these forums in a long time. That said, now that I have some context for your needs and your specific requirements, I can better make a recommendation.
The problem with most DAP's is that they are designed for the 99.9% user. The music CD buying, mp3 ripping, WMP using, populace. Some players throw in the extra features for the more savvy user, such as support for lossless playback, or obscure codec support--like Ogg Vorbis--but in general, they are designed for one thing: mp3 playback.
There is the very select minority that wants a DAP for very niche applications. They want support for WAV recordings with higher bit depth and sampling rate. You're one of those people. The problem now is that most manufacturers are not expecting to sell a million units with this sort of functionality as a selling point, especially not at a 200 dollar price point. This is the sort of requirement of professionals, and that is the reason for professional gear with the professional price premium.
Samsung does not advertise WAV support on the P2. So I decided to test the playback capabilities of the device myself. I have a UMS modified P2 that supports true drag and drop. I have the most current firmware version 3.15 loaded on the device. I ripped directly from CD a track to linear PCM WAV 16 bit at 44.1kHz sample rate. I then up sampled, using a command line WAV encoder called BeSweet, to 24 bit and 48kHz, and every combination in between. This left me with 4 files. I put all four tracks on my player in a special folder and then went to the music browser on the P2. Because WAV does not support id3 tagging, it is not recognized natively in the music library. You can, however, access all files directly via the file browser. The files appeared, but none played. Each gave the message: "Not supported Format." It is probably safe to say the P2 does not support WAV playback at all.
I can already confirm that FLAC support is non-existent as well. So that's a non-issue. So, as it stands, the P2 has zero support for lossless formats and probably never will. Keep in mind that Samsung promises another firmware update in the near future that could support some sort of lossless playback. I wouldn't count on this, though.
There was so much said in this thread, that I feel that I need to respond to some of it directly. I'll quote for coherence and readability.
As far as sampling rate is concerned, you don't really need to disseminate anything above 44.1kHz because it's possible to perfectly reconstruct the signal with that rate. Think Nyquist-Shannon and most humans hearing cutting out at ~20kHz if you don't understand what I mean. The rub comes when you're dealing with recording and mastering. You can't very easily do digital processing and filtering on a signal that's barely oversampled. That's where 48kHz and higher comes in to play. 48kHz gives you plenty of wiggle room and yet still doesn't bloat your saved file sizes to infinity.
You need this program. It makes all attempt, more so then even ticking "error correction" in your other ripper of choice, to get a bit-perfect rip from any CD. It works on perfect CD's as well as the slightly damaged variety equally well. Read the literature on the site for more information.
I hope this helps somewhat Piper.
"Changed my mind so much I cant even trust it
My mind changed me so much I cant even trust myself"
First of all... im just wondering, if you ARE using ur own recording, how big of each file are u talking about?
This is because, looking at it in a technical perspective, a non edited wav file thats 3 minutes long is about 50mb. so basically, if samsung supported wav, 4 gb can only support 80 recordings.
I assume that when u edit it and add stuff, the file would only get bigger, not smaller, so basically tat would be a lot less than 80 files (or 160 for 8gb). Therefore, I'm just saying, if u are actually not listening to "songs", but instead, other things for ur professional purpose, id say that the P2 is basically out of ur league.
Sorry, it was past my bedtime, sassafras has done the .wav test anyway, so it's all good.
Oooops, sorry musichound, my bad. He was saying Lossless is compressed, not MP3, I misread it.
Last edited by kasabian; 03-15-2008 at 06:01 AM. Reason: I am stupid.
Anyway - you're wrong. Even if I used 30 stereo tracks (think "layers") all of them an hour long, all recorded at 24bit/48kHz, each of them 988MB in size, will not result in a file the size of 30GB.
Well, they will when working on the project, but the moment it's bounced ("recorded") to the harddisc as a stereo file, all those files will only make up the same 988MB, and to a mono file, half of that, of course. It's all about how many bits are used, if that makes sense.
I am not trying to get a player that can play back each of the tracks in multi-track session. There's a huge difference here. Of course nothing will go on there that isn't either mono or stereo.
I wonder what you guys think goes into the DA-converter after the MP3 has been read and decoded?
I want the P2 so much more than the Cowon D2. But the D2 has Wav-playback (I assume it's only 16bit/44.1kHz). And I'd venture that the D2 is far from anything resembling "pro audio equipment".
Even the iPods have this sort of thing, not to mention numerous other players out there. This "not able to play wav" is a decision Samsung made –*not because of the hardware not being able to (at least at 16bit/44.1kHz), and certainly not because "it's a pro format". A decision I sorely wish they hadn't. In fact, I am quite sure that if you look at the code, they have crippled the firmware to exclude this (i.e. actually made an effort to not having it to work).
All fine and dandy on full strength signals and equipment that are just as good as they are on paper. In real life, though, you can tell the difference between a 48kHz file and one downed to 44.1kHz. The reason I think this is is because frequencies affect other frequencies – and thus frequencies within the "normal hearing" area. But the real reason is this - just as you wrote:
To add a little nugget of an anecdote, in the US, some post production editors want the audio recorded at 48.048 kHz but labelled ("stamped") as 48kHz, causing it to play back 0.1 percent slower than recorded. The neat idea about this method is that it can be used really well, when working with 48kHz. Say I know I want to play something at a quater of the speed recorded –*I can then record the stuff at 192kHz, label it as a 48kHz-file, and have it play back at that speed, but at the quality of a 48kHz-file (because that is what it is) as opposed to slowing down a 48kHz file to 12kHz. Neat, isn't it?
I have taken the part about ripping CD's out. I will reply to that one in a post of it's own, later tonight.
Not to advertise other players, but iAudio7 and D2.........
WAV: ~48khz, 16bit, mono/stereo
Seems more like what you need.
Did a Yahoo on Y2-P2 .wav and was suprised to find how many reviews have commented on it's lack of .wav support!
You see, if it was just a matter of playing my files, and nothing else mattered, there wouldn't even be a reason for me to buy a portable player. It's about getting me the player where the "softer" features such as the UI, the hardware and my needs and wants converge.
What's funny is that even a camera like the Samsung NV15 does wave-files:
Oh, the irony
I see you added the yahoo-line! Yes, I'm telling you, wav is not some "extreme niche only pros are interested in".
[]If you're going to be ripping your CD, you're going to want to use a ripper that has overly redundant error correction and jitter control. Also, you're going to want to use one that makes use of drive Accurate Stream features. The only ripper that can actually do this and guarantee you an accurate result, on even unscratched/undamaged CD's is Exact Audio Copy.
You need this program. It makes all attempt, more so then even ticking "error correction" in your other ripper of choice, to get a bit-perfect rip from any CD. It works on perfect CD's as well as the slightly damaged variety equally well. Read the literature on the site for more information. [/quote]
I kind of knew about that programme, as I used it a couple of years ago. However, I am a Mac user going the Thinkpad-hackintouch route in the near future so as of now, it's not even a possiblity. But, since we're talking ripping, not things like encoding, I'm not even close to worried that my rips aren't top notch (they are).
What one should worry about is of course crap "guesstimates", and thus artifacts – especially if you listen to MP3s and other lossy formats.
The thing about this (or basically any other form of ripping,) is that it _will_ do a better job than any CD-player that has to move on, in order to not interrupt the "data stream". The CD-player has to go with the best guesstimate much sooner than anything else.
(depending which playback-system you use, of course. But all else equal, it will better).
As error correction is just that, corrections, it's of course very good, that it goes over and over again, when the disc is damaged. But really, it's quite superfluous if your CD's are just reasonably in shape.
I am much more worried about jitter in playback-equipment, than I am when ripping, and I posed this question to an audio engineer-friend of mine, just to be sure. It's when playing back an audio file, jitter reduction has any meaning. And, just like me, he would be wary of introducing yet another layer of jitter-reduction, as that in itself, might, just might, introduce artifacts. And that was what we tried removing/reducing in the first place.
With this said, there's a huge pile of … snake-oil floating around, especially among "audiophiles".
As I said, EAC is good, because it runs over and over again and again, however, the jitter-claim is, shall we say, a bit of claim. And when ripping (reading the cd), the only difference is that it can check and recheck as opposed to a stand-alone cd-player many more times.
It's good, but it's not the holy grail.
–– all of this pertains to a "decent" print which isn't way damaged, of course.
For the life of my, though, I don't get why anyone would use EAC, if they're going to thin the crap out of it afterwards?
It was just that I noticed above you said..............
You never know, they may just read threads like this.
Not that I'm leaving, but I just wanted to say thanks for a great thread, you guys.
Last edited by Piper; 03-15-2008 at 04:21 PM. Reason: Added the stuff below "ADD:"
So much happens in my absence, I have a hard time forming coherent posts without losing my already limited train of thought. I'll simply quote from above and respond in kind.
Most players that do support WAV playback only support it at CD audio levels (16bit/44.1kHz) because it's just easy to add it to the list of supported codecs. It's the way the DAC reads the bitstream and it's no work to include it. I don't think any manufacturer actually intends to sell millions of units on the basis of WAV support alone.
Also, I think you missed specifically what I was trying to say in that you are extremely niche in that you want WAV playback at something that is not CD audio specification. WAV itself, I still assert is not an appropriate format for end-use playback, and you're asking for a player that supports bit depths and sampling rates different from something a user would rip from a CD. I'm not saying that that makes it an irrelevant format, I'm simply saying it's like using a full hardware rack setup to compress Britney Spears to mp3. The purpose of the device is different. That's why there are consumer level devices and professional level devices.
The real fun of EAC is the overly redundant error correction. It's trying to read the CD as a bitstream like a drive would read a data disc, not like an audio stream which is what most rippers are essentially doing. Without ticking 'error correction' on your ripper of choice, you're essentially ripping the CD full speed like your standalone player would. Even worse, most rippers read at the full speed of the CD drive, and it's reading the CD probably 20x faster than the standalone player would, which leaves even less confidence in it's ability to get the bitstream right. EAC probably doesn't do any better than any other ripper can with a sufficiently high fidelity copy, but it never hurts to be sure.
Besides, as a format, CD audio is a little frustrating. There is no 'holy-grail' ripper, but EAC sure comes close.
As far as your assertion that mp3 is basically a worthless format. Consider my own dispelling of the snake-oil about uncompressed lossless audio. To the end user listener--even so called audiophiles--properly encoded VBR mp3 is indiscernible from CD audio to a level that is statistically equal to CD. Listeners are given a sample of CD audio ("A"), then made to listen to the same sample encoded with the highest quality VBR mp3 ("B") (for specifics: -V0 LAME @ ~ 250 kbps_. They are then asked to listen to a sample ("X") and decide which of the two prior "A" or "B" by selecting one or the other. Only about 1% of the time do the results differ from 50% right/50% wrong (the expected null hypothesis). Thus, 99% of the time, a listener cannot tell the difference between mp3 and CD. Don't misunderstand, I don't mean to say that continual modification of said mp3 would not be distructive, simply that for end-use listening, it's a wholly acceptable format.
"Changed my mind so much I cant even trust it
My mind changed me so much I cant even trust myself"
Excellent post, Sassafras!
Heck, Adobe Soundbridge doesn't do much else besides wav (yes, I know that's not a "consumer" app – praying it will eventually support much, much more).
Wavs are pretty big, I'll grant you that. But so is raw and tiff-photos, yet, as memory gets cheaper and more and more people see through the claims of "cd-quality" and "pro picture quality" (with jpegs, no less), more and more people chose to buy equipment that are able to play back/shoot/show these types of formats. I'll get back to the quality of lossy formats at the end of this post.
Plus they have become so cheap, you'd be hard pressed to actually find a DAC-chip only capable of running at a mere 16bit/44.1kHz.
Take a look at this link (sorry, had to link it this way, because if I remove the frame and link directly to the page, it asks for login). This is Wolfson chipset, the same brand as in the P2, albeit not the same model (more of this after the link):
[edit: the stars above should be changed into "t-iny-ur-l" (without the dashes) – I have no clue why it does that. But whatever, it's just a link to a google image search, and it's a looooooong url]
Take a look at how much that chip retails for in quantities of a mere thousand. Yes, that's right 1 dollar and 44 cents. And this was in fact all the way back in juli 2002. Six years ago.
Anyway, my point is, it would take nothing away from the MP3-afficionados out there if samsung chose _not_ to cripple the player in this area. Oh, did I mention their cameras are able to play WAVs?
[quote]Something like how 45 RPM vinyl has higher fidelity than 33 1/3 RPM ...
Haha, yes. Something like that
I'm not saying it's basically a worthless format. I don't like it for a variety of reasons. One of these is future-proofing my files. I know I could have both, but that means having to maintain yet another library. I don't want to do that.
Secondly, I think it's a stretch when people are saying that because a given set of "average" people can't tell the difference, then nobody can.
Most people can't even tell the difference between a file sampled at 16bit/44.1 kHz encoded to mp3 @ 128kbps and the original at 96kHz/24bit, played as pcm.
Further, most people can't tell the difference between good and bad headphones.
Then, of course, there's the problem that's inherent of any logarhithm: They're tailored to a given average audio file/audio fingerprint. MP4 is a much better codec for music, all else being equal. But it too have the same problems of lack of dynamic range, tailored to a given type of music and so on. In short, I am saying that I don't like mp3's as the quality, no matter how high a bitrate will have problems with some types of music, giving me, the listener, anything but the ideal listening session.
Further, remember the MP2-format? Although old as hell, it's still used in pro-audio. I am not kidding!
You can laugh (I would), but the reality is, that when it comes to reproducing speech, it's a much better codec than both mp3 and mp4. They're each tailored to a given "fingerprint". And that, in a nutshell, is my problem with lossy formats: I don't like the decision-part, and I don't like that the audio quality varies because of this. Hence I choose to not use lossy formats whenever I can get away with it.
I think that with the advent of BWF-files (wav-files with metadata) and cheaper and bigger memory chips/hdds that uncompressed audio will gain acceptance once again. MP2/3/4 and whatnot will slowly die, because it's simply not necessary to compress the shyte out of it in order to bring the best of your audio with you. Much like on the "photo-scene".
On the other hand, I'm not an "snake-oil-audiophile" by any means. I listen to my fair share of podcasts and whatnot, and I even have two (different) radios from Tivoli Audio I use a lot
(ouch, yet another humongous post …)
If this continues, this thread is going to rival wikipedia in the sheer quantity of useless knowledge.
As you might have noticed, I just said that my entire collection is encoded in FLAC, but my primary player doesn't even support it as a playback format. Your next question is likely how I choose to listen to my files on a device that seems so limited in capability. The answer is: I take the time to transcode to mp3 any album as I want it on my device. It takes about 2 minutes per album using the same frontend encoder (Using the LAME codec) and if I was to transfer a significant chunk of library, would be very time consuming. Luckily, I only use my player to listen to tracks that I'm in the mood for, and on average, only about 4-5 albums are going on or off the player at any one time. That's not implying that my music tastes aren't eclectic, I have over 300 GB of music (stored as about 85% FLAC and about 15% mp3) and my mood changes as rapidly as the weather. I don't have a need for a DAP that is going to playback my files as I store them because, to me, the slight inconvenience of having a storage format and a playback format incongruence is minimal.
I understand your need, you're not wrong. You're just different
The wolfsen codec is crap. Plain enough. Samsung made a poor decision in using this component on their SOC design.
As far as different codecs being better at different sound "fingerprints" you're bang on. I wouldn't go about recommending mp3 for anything but music, because it's not designed to reproduce other sound types. It's bad for speech and downright awful for movie tracks and other things with huge dynamic range.
You could always look into the Speex codec if you want a really good high compression speech audio compressor
"Changed my mind so much I cant even trust it
My mind changed me so much I cant even trust myself"
Come to think of it, I don't think I would mind doing what you're doing if it were photos. It just becomes too much if I have to "work with" yet another format. It's bad enough having to incorporate and use Dalet* from time to time.
I do see where you're coming from, though. We have different thresholds and areas which we perceive as "cumbersome".
Well, just don't blacklist me for being a spammer
* http://www.dalet.com/Solutions-for-digital-radio
I chose the P2 for the pretty factor, and because I primarily use low impedance IEMs (between ~16 and 40 ohm) that don't need a massive amp to drive. Right now I'm stuck on my q-Jay armatures. They're probably the best sounding headphones I've ever heard that weren't large cans. By far. So precise and yet not cold, they're so smooth it's like candy in my ears. If you're looking for good IEM's, I would consider them.
"Changed my mind so much I cant even trust it
My mind changed me so much I cant even trust myself"
now i just need to aquire an ear which cares about these things(through time and expensive equipment which i can't afford atm i'm sure it will)
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Role-playing games have come a long way since The Legend of Zelda started the genre with its sword-slashing hero and revolutionary game mechanics. Games like Mass Effect and Fallout 3 fused first-person shooting with RPG elements -- deep storylines, morality meters, and free-range exploration -- creating an immersive video game experience that lets gamers take the lead, choosing paths and influencing the details of the story. Mass Effect 2 builds off its predecessor, and the result is 2010's first game of the year nominee.
ME2 sets the stage for a partnership between Commander Shepard and human-first organization Cerberus. Players jumping into the ME universe for the first time might have to settle into the story which goes like this: All intelligent life in the universe is threatened by an ancient mechanical species known as the Reapers. Every 50,000 years, the Reapers awake to wipe the universe clean for newer species of life to grow. ME1 ended with Shepard defeating the rogue agent Saren while the various alien fleets fought off the Reaper Sovereign.
Starting ME2 up for the first time, players can opt to begin a fresh career or import one from a saved ME1 file. Importing sets up the game to follow the story decisions made in the first game and can also add extra credits, levels, and morality points. The opening sequence sets up a partnership between Shepard and Cerberus, a human-first organization with a shady reputation. Cerberus' leader, the Illusive Man, gives Shepard the means and information to investigate the disappearance of colonists in the outlying systems beyond Alliance jurisdiction.
The gameplay has been finetuned with cover-based mechanics similar to Gears of War. Pressing the A button near a wall or edge will place Shepard's back to it. Aiming and firing can be done from behind cover making combat less of a stand and shoot (and get shot at) affair. Shepard will have different weapons and special abilities, biotics, available to him depending on what class is chosen. The infiltrator class gives Shepard the ability to cloak and find a new position to snipe from. The soldier class specializes in weapons as opposed to biotics, while the vanguard class does the opposite. Leveling gives skill points which can be applied to make abilities stronger, laster-longing, and even greater in effect over an area. Maxing out an ability, for example incinerate, opens up a choice to make it a more focused blast or give it a greater splash when it hits a target, allowing it to spread to other enemies.
Shepard can map three abilities to the LB, RB and Y buttons. Targeting and shooting are done with the triggers. Allies are also easier to control thanks to a new ordering system. While weapons and biotics can be chosen manually by holding the LB or RB buttons, mapping a specific ability to the left or right position on the directional pad orders that ally to perform that task. Pressing up orders both of the allies to attack a specific target, and pressing down orders them to rally to Shepard's position. When no target is chosen, pressing either left or right orders the ally assigned to that button to approach that spot. It may sound complicated, but it makes the game much easier to play, and essentially gives the player more abilities to complement the class they're playing.
The rest of the game has been improved with an addition-by-subtraction philosophy. Equipping weapons and managing inventories has been replaced with newer research and weapons locker systems that take a lot of the guesswork out of building the best team for each mission. Characters are tailored for specific tasks, and those that are weapon-based can implement ammo types to shred organics, deflate shields, burn armor, or freeze enemies into place. Research schematics and weapons can be found or bought. Weapons can be interchanged at the beginning of missions or at lockers.
Exploring the universe has also been reworked. Planets can be scanned from space to find elements used in research and development or anomalies which start missions. It's a significant change from the first game where players had to land on each planet and scour the surface in a vehicle. This approach gives players a chance to either sit back and search or get right to the action.
Other things seem to be more complicated. The mini-map can be brought up by pressing and holding the RB button. That means, finding enemies requires a pause in gaming. Holding the RB button also points the player to the next objective which can also be done by pressing in the R or L stick. Using the sticks to point the way doesn't always work because it takes a little time to spot where Shepard is heading. Standing still for a little bit will get it working right.. Still, it's a useful tool because it prevents players from advancing the story when there are unexplored areas that could hold upgrades, credits, or ammo.
Like the first game, Shepard's actions will affect how characters will react to him. Cutscene button presses have also been added. Pressing the left or right trigger when an icon pops up will commit Shepard to either a paragon or renegade action. In one scene, a mercenary begins work on a gunship that will be used to take out a recruit. Pressing the right trigger when the icon pops up cuts to Shepard performing a renegade action by electrocuting the merc. Shepard can also pursue a love interest by talking to certain characters in between missions. Players with an imported character can also choose to forgo pursuing a love interest by remaining faithful to their first love.
Overall, the game works because the player is in control of a deep game that aspires to be more than a flash in the pan experience. Some may choose to play the game by choosing only paragon paths, but they may be in for a surprise when their good intentions set them up for a tough situation. It makes players realize that the world of ME2 isn't black and white. It also gives the writers a chance to put players on the spot to make tough decisions. On one of the missions, Shepard can reason with one ally who's willing to murder. Players can either feed that anger or work for peace. It's subtle and thought-provoking. Being put in extraordinary situations can test a player's true character if they take the game seriously enough.
The third game in the series will also have an option to continue the story from an ME2 save. Knowing that the events in this game can influence the story in a subsequent one makes it all that much more engaging. Voice acting in ME2 is top notch, and the characters are so well written and deep that the last mission, a suicide mission that requires careful planning, will have some players grieving over allies who couldn't make it. It's revolutionary and blurs the line between video games and reality. When a player begins to weigh the consequences of an action towards an imaginary character onscreen, it's just another step towards building more realistic games.
Mass Effect 2
Developer: Bioware
Released for: Xbox 360, PC
Rating: 5 / 5


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Attending the incredible Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Procurement Conference Small Business event today at the Universities at Shady Grove took more than determination and will, it took the ability to brave a severe weather alert that turned the streets of the metro area into a rain soaked mess and made the trip to Montgomery County very difficult; however, the event continued on for those small business owners who braved the elements.
It was an incredible day of information including a session from the United States Department of Homeland Security which was moderated by Kevin Boshears, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. The session included valuable information that was provided by Sharon M. Davis, Small Business Advocate, Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization for the Department of Homeland Security and Melissa "Lisa" Jenkins, Small Business Specialist, Transportation Security Administration.
Leaving Petworth at 6:30 a.m., the high winds and rain created an ominous weather environment as the severe flood alert from The Weather Channel app said that there was a severe flood alert for Montgomery County. With dark clouds, heavy rain and high winds, the weather might have stopped some people; but successful small business owners do not become successful small business owners by being deterred by bad weather. Arriving for the first breakout session with Homeland Security in room 1052 found every seat taken in a capacity filled room as Boshears, Jenkins, and Davis gave a brilliant presentation that received an ovation from the small business leaders who attended the session. The session taught small business owners how to connect with the federal government to get contacts for their small businesses. There were 24 powerful sessions during the conference.
Boshears dispensed with the confusing rhetoric and jargon that makes the business of government contract procurement so confounding and downright muddleheaded to many small business owners. In plain English and clear delivery, Boshears explained exactly what small business owners need to do get government contracts. After his presentation it was easy to see why Homeland Security ranks number one among government agencies most successful in helping small business owners gain contracts.
In his presentation, "10 Current Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Opportunities," Boshears resembled a wise, grey haired, college professor sharing information with a packed class of college students. "DHS start year was 2003. Before the 22 government agencies came together to create DHS it was like a maze. We have streamlined the process to help small business owners with government contracts that buy the goods and services for the customers. Most of our contracting options are done with 1400 companies. About 10,000 of those companies are small businesses. We do market research. I am not using any fancy terms or jargon. I am telling you the way it really works to get government contacts," Boshears said.
The fact that government contracts are public information gave the small business owners insight into the importance of research and doing homework when applying for a small business government contract. Jenkins kindly reminded the small business owners to do their homework and good research. She said that if she had an example of two small business owners who came to her for a government contract she would look at a well-researched and well prepared application as opposed to an ill prepared and poor researched application. She asked the enthralled attentive class which of the two they thought would get the contract. The small business owners unanimously told Jenkins that it would be the small business owner who had done the proper homework and research. "I am your friend," Jenkins said. "I love my job and I love helping small business owners," she said.
Boshears, Davis, and Jenkins were surrounded by small business owners after the session. Boshears was honest in his assessment of what small business owners need to do to procure government contracts, "You have to be persistent. Human beings input the information that you provide. I'll be honest, it is possible that an email address is recorded incorrectly. You have to contact us. If you don't hear from us maybe information was recorded inaccurately. Be persistent," Boshears said. Davis agreed with her colleague. "I can process an application in 10 days if there are no problems. If I find a problem and return the application for correction then it is 30 days for corrections, 30 days for review, so you are looking at 60 days," she said. However, the point was reiterated that well prepared and well researched applications stand the best chance of being approved.
A federal government contract can save a small business from bankruptcy or closing. Donald Trump was given assistance by President Jimmy Carter when the Trump business empire was in danger in the 1970's. All small business owners need programs and information to make their small business a success. The MCCCMD Procurement Conference brought together 24 brilliant sessions. There were too many for one article. In the series of six articles that have been prepared to provide full coverage of the history, sponsors, and success of the govConNet network there will be a greater discussion of all of the organizations responsible for the success of the conference. Stay tuned.
To learn more about the programs, sponsors, and participants at the event today go to: www.mcccmd.com.
Suggested Links
- The Summit for Success achieves another victory for American Express OPEN
- Small business owners are being recognized for great service by turnstone
- Summit for Success offers unique opportunity for small business owners
- WIPP Webinar educates small business owners
- A Successful WOSB Forum at the State Department


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After 11 years of not being able to have children…it's the Encouraging Story of the Day!
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I never type pinyin anymore
Is this a bug? It seems to be completely gone. I only seem to type English meanings for things these days.
Could you check the setting in your next learning session - in the menu at the top does it say "skip pinyin" or "include pinyin"?
best wishes
It said "include pinyin," I don't know how it got changed. Anyways I changed it back.
I had the same thing happen to me. I just happened to notice when I clicked on an "edit this word" that it was set to skip and I had to tell it to include pinyin.
At home it seemed to keep turning itself off randomly (the pinyin). I had to turn it back on (and then reload the lesson) almost every time I started something new. Don't know what was going on. I don't believe I ever turned it off.
I will check this out: there as a bug last week where the button was saying that it was doing the opposite. Ie if you saw it saying "ignore pinyin" then it was in fact already set to ignore pinyin; conversely if you saw it saying "include pinyin" then you were actually already set to include it. Might that have been the cause of this trouble? That has now been fixed if so, but it would be good to know if that is the cause of the issue that you had, or if there is something else that I should be looking for,
best wishes and apologies for the annoyance,
I don't believe that was the problem. It seemed to keep changing to "skip pinyin" without me doing anything. Multiple times.


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The Baltimore Orioles may have fired him as their manager at the
end of last season, but Mike Hargrove still doesn't think that city
is for the birds. Heck, he liked the people, his rented condo on
the Inner Harbor, even the surrounding countryside.
But the former Indians player and manager didn't cry into his
black baseball jersey when he moved back here late last year to
take a job as senior adviser with the Tribe. Instead, he was
looking forward to once again enjoying he things he missed most
while away.
1. Reading Bill Livingston's columns in The Plain Dealer instead
of having them read to him over the phone. "Every now and then, I
would get a call from a friend in Cleveland saying, 'You're not
going to believe what Bill wrote about you this time,' " explains
Hargrove, who describes the sports columnist's criticisms of him as
"a dig here and there."
2. Pestering longtime Indians employee Barb Lessman, now Larry
Dolan's secretary. "I try to embarrass her as much as I possibly
can, any way I can think of. She blushes real easily."
3. Working on that first heart attack at Schoop's, a hamburger
joint in Winter Haven, Fla., during spring training. "They make the
biggest, greasiest burgers around."
4. Continuing the effort in town by ordering veal scallopini at
at at Johnny's Downtown. "I've known the owners, Joe Santosuosso
and Paul Anthony, for a long, long time, and it's a great
restaurant -- the food, the ambiance, the service, the whole 9
5. Driving on Interstate 77, believe it or not. "If it's the
wrong time of day, you're in trouble," he admits. "But the
Baltimore-Washington Parkway is the worst. I don't know that I've
ever seen traffic consistently congested the way it is on
6. Restocking the humidor with Hoyo de Monterrey cigars (the
ones with a Maduro wrap) at the Cousin's Cigar location in downtown
7. The chance to play an occasional round of golf with Tribe
bench coach Buddy Bell without having to fly to Bell's Chandler,
Ariz., home during the off-season to do it. "A lot of people have
the misconception that we play golf all the time. But we
8.Teeing it up at Westfield Country Club. "It's nice and quiet,
a beautiful complex," Hargrove enthuses. "My favorite hole is No.
10 on the South Course. It's a pretty view off the tee, and it's
challenging. If you hit a good tee shot, you're rewarded for it,
and if you don't, you're in trouble."
9. His own back yard. "The only thing I didn't like about the
condo was that I couldn't cook out." Now, he can fire up the grill
and burn the supermarket catch or kill of the day without
generating an ominous cloud of smoke on his 23rd-floor balcony or
incurring the condominium association's wrath.
10. His first grandchild. "When she's not crying, I hold her and
I feed her some," Hargrove says of 5 1/2-month-old Madison Marie,
who lives in Akron with daughter Melissa and her husband, Mike
Dies. That, however, is the extent of Grandpa Hargrove's child-care
contribution. "I changed my first diaper in 14 years last week, and
I hope it's another 14 years before I change another one. That's
why she's got a grandmother."
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Have you seen Emi-Jay hair ties? They are my absolute favorite! They don't bend, break, tear or snag the hair and are super cute. My friend Sarah at Whoorl just spoke about them right here.
Did you know they are super inexpensive and easy to make?
About a month ago I was checking out the daily plum on Pick Your Plum, a daily crafters dream, and they were selling 12 yards of Halloween colored elastic for $3. I thought the colors were great and ordered it not really knowing what I would do with it. It arrived and I realized it was a similar material that my favorite hair ties were made of. SCORE! Enough elastic to make 48 hair ties for $3!!!
Then I was shopping for some fabric at my favorite fabric shop (Jenny's Fabrics at 8984 Warner Ave. Fountain Valley CA 92708) and saw several more colors for .97 a yard. OMG!!!
Tonight I sat down to make the ties and thought I would share how incredibly easy it is…
1. Gather your supplies. You need a ruler, scissors and colored elastic.
2. Cut the elastic. For hair ties cut to 8 3/4″ and for head bands 22 inches. A yard is enough elastic to make 4 hair ties.
3. With the shiny side facing out, tie the ends in a knot.[gallery link="file" order="DESC"]
4. Tie back your fabulous hair.
5. Or wear them as bracelets until you're ready to tie back your fabulous hair!
Wouldn't it be fun to have some hair ties of your own?!
I'm giving away 9 hair ties, one of each color, made by moi!
To enter, tell me which color is your favorite in the comments below.
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for 2 more entries and let me know you did so in the comments.
I will use Random.org to choose a winner on Friday 11.11.11. at 11:11 pm.
That's super good luck! I hope you win!