text:
Jumbo Offshore's crew, engineers and subcontractors have successfully completed the first leg of their current Transition Piece (TP) installation project. Jumbo's DP2-vessel Jumbo Javelin installed the TP's, the first 18 of a series of approx. 110, within schedule. The work for the Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm (GGOWF), off the UK's south-east coast, will take up the better part of the rest of the year. This is the first time that TP's have been transported and installed using a free floating vessel on DP.
After loading the 270 t TP's in the Port of Flushing, the Jumbo Javelin sailed, with open hold, to the offshore location. There, she positioned herself on DP and lifted the first TP onto the monopile. After leveling the TP to its final position, the space between TP and foundation pile (annulus) was filled with grout to fix it permanently.
It was the first time that TP's were installed on monopiles from a free floating vessel on DP in one trip. Safety, transport, installation, TP-accessibility and grouting operations were all handled according to plan. To give crew safe access from the Jumbo Javelin to the installed TP, as well as efficiently guiding the grout hoses, the Ampelmann II was used. This ship-based, self stabilizing platform actively compensates vessel motions, enabling safe access and support in wave heights up to Hs = 2.5 m (significant wave height).
The Jumbo Javelin uses its DP2-system to create, amongst others, a working environment in which TP's can be installed in wave heights up to Hs = 1.5 m. With a high transit speed of up to 17 knots, the vessel is well-equipped for wind farm installation work. Installing the 18 TP's confirmed the suitability of Jumbo's concept: transportation and installation by the same vessel, fast transit to the installation site and short relocation times from one position to the next.
Maritime Today
The Maritime Industry's original and most viewed E-News Service
Singapore oilfield services company Swiber Holdings Ltd said on Friday it has applied to place itself under judicial management instead of liquidation.
U.S. drillers this week added oil rigs for a fifth consecutive week, Baker Hughes Inc said on Friday, but the oilfield services provider and some analysts cast
Norwegian oil firm Det norske said it expected to reach full production at its Alvheim FPSO (floating storage, offloading and producing unit) overnight after a leak,


text:
Released: Jan 01st, 2006
Running Time: 86
Director: Angela D'Angelo
Company: Macho Man
Distribution Companies: Legend
Cast: Julian Ramsey, Blake Taylor, Orion Cross, Kayla Quinn, Joey Jay, Chris Dano, Rico Valentino, Stephanie Wylde, Cherry Poppens
Critical Rating: AAAA
Genre: Gay Specialty
Yet another strong entry in a consistently excellent series. Kayla Quinn, Chris Dano, and Joey Jay turn in a killer threeway with moments of absolute frenzy personified in the buxom form of a screaming and swearing Quinn, who is at her peak while fucking Jay with a clear strap-on. (Dano, who has been away from porn for a while, makes a welcome return.) The second and third scenes are progressively milder but support the release well, providing a nice diversity of moods: Orion Cross gets boned nicely by Stephanie Wylde sporting a thick strap-on dick; Cherry Poppens' tender treatment of her two twink boyfriends brings the video to a sweet end. In addition to the overall quality of this release, the passion of the Quinn, Dano, Jay scene earns this volume a pre-nom for best bisexual video.
Retailing: Of special interest to those seeking a high energy, fem-dom sex encounter with two men.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Eisner Gets the Axe
Eisner Gets the Axe
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How the election looks to backers of the Republican nominee
Perhaps the hardest thing to do in contemporary American politics is to imagine how the world looks from the other side. I've made no secret of why, as a Republican, I oppose Donald Trump and what he stands for. But I've also been talking to his supporters and advisors, trying to understand how they see and hear the same things that I do, and draw such very different conclusions. What follows isn't a transcription—it's a synthesis of the conversations I've had, and the insights I've gleaned, presented in the voice of an imagined Trump supporter.
"You people in the Acela corridor aren't getting it. Again. You think Donald Trump is screwing up because he keeps saying things that you find offensive or off-the-wall. But he's not talking to you. You're not his audience, you never were, and you never will be. He's playing this game in a different way from anybody you've ever seen. And he's winning too, in a different way from anybody you've ever seen.
The most personally moving, and most fundamentally patriotic, moment of the Democratic National Convention was the appearance by the bereaved parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan, and the statement about the meaning of their son's life and death, and about the Constitution, by Mr. Khizr Khan.
After Khizr Khan spoke, politicians and commentators on most networks said they were moved, humbled, inspired, choked up. (Commentators on Fox did not say these things, because their coverage cut away from the Khans for Brit Hume and Megyn Kelly, plus a Benghazi ad.)
Narcissism, disagreeableness, grandiosity—a psychologist investigates how Trump's extraordinary personality might shape his possible presidency.
In 2006, Donald Trump made plans to purchase the Menie Estate, near Aberdeen, Scotland, aiming to convert the dunes and grassland into a luxury golf resort. He and the estate's owner, Tom Griffin, sat down to discuss the transaction at the Cock & Bull restaurant. Griffin recalls that Trump was a hard-nosed negotiator, reluctant to give in on even the tiniest details. But, as Michael D'Antonio writes in his recent biography of Trump, Never Enough, Griffin's most vivid recollection of the evening pertains to the theatrics. It was as if the golden-haired guest sitting across the table were an actor playing a part on the London stage.
"It was Donald Trump playing Donald Trump," Griffin observed. There was something unreal about it.
Not the people—the term. How generational divisions have driven down voter turnout over the last century of American politics.
Throughout the 2016 U.S. presidential election, pundits and activists have debated how to get more Millennials involved in politics, always stressing their distinctive character. But it was actually this tendency to slice up the electorate into unique generations that drove young people from politics in the first place.
In the 19th century, children, youths, and adults "mingled freely together" at rowdy campaign rallies, lured by the holy trinity of booze, barbecue, and bonfire. Older citizens introduced young people to politics, helping to drive voter turnouts to their highest levels in U.S. history. "It's the 'big fellow,'" observed the Republicans canvassing in pool halls and saloons in the 1880s, who does the best job getting "the 'little fellow"' into politics.
A church facing setbacks elsewhere finds an unlikely foothold.
At the end of 2013, in the low-slung, industrial Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, a bevy of officials came to attend the ribbon cutting of a huge former hotel that had undergone a top-to-bottom, multimillion-dollar renovation. Speaking before the throngs of celebrants who blocked the flow of traffic, Taiwan's deputy director of the Ministry of the Interior praised the group that funded the renovation and presented them, for the 10th year straight, with the national "Excellent Religious Group" award.
"For years you have dedicated your time and lives to anti-drug work and human- rights dissemination," said the director, echoing praise offered by the mayor's office and the president's national-policy adviser.
Last night, in her overall very successful acceptance speech, Hillary Clinton said with ruthless precision about her opponent:
Ask yourself: Does Donald Trump have the temperament to be Commander-in-Chief?
Donald Trump can't even handle the rough-and-tumble of a presidential campaign.
He loses his cool at the slightest provocation. When he's gotten a tough question from a reporter. When he's challenged in a debate. When he sees a protestor at a rally.
Emphasis added, as it was in her delivery:
Imagine—if you dare, imagine—imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.
I can't put it any better than Jackie Kennedy did after the Cuban Missile Crisis. She said that what worried President Kennedy during that very dangerous time was that a war might be started—not by big men with self-control and restraint, but by little men—the ones moved by fear and pride.
Fight or flight, or sleep
Last month, my wife and I found ourselves in a disagreement about whether or not our apartment was clean enough for guests—the type of medium-sized disagreement that likely plagues all close relationships. In the midst of it, there was a lull and, feeling exhausted all of a sudden, I got up and left the living room. In the bedroom, I immediately fell face down into the sheets. The next thing I knew it was 20 minutes later and my wife was shaking me awake. I hadn't meant to fall asleep; I just felt so fatigued in that moment that there was nothing else I could do.
This wasn't new for me. A few weeks earlier, I had come into conflict with an acquaintance over some money. We were exchanging tense emails while I was at my office, and I began to feel the slow oozing onset of sleep, the same tiredness that came on when, as a child, I rode in the backseat of the car on the way home from some undesired trip. A sleepiness that overtakes the body slowly but surely and feels entirely outside of your control.
A collection of books recommended by The Atlantic's editors and writers
The Atlantic's editors and writers share their recommendations for summer reading—new titles, old favorites, and others in between.
By Yaa Gyasi
In her first novel, Yaa Gyasi cleverly weaves the intergenerational tale of a family through a series of short, but interrelated stories set in what's now Ghana during the mid-18th century. The two women at the center of the novel, Effia and Esi, are half-sisters who wind up on vastly different paths. One is captured during a battle between tribes, sold, and winds up on a slave ship bound for the U.S. The other—separated from her village and married off to a British slaver—ends up living on top of the dungeons that hold her own kin and hundreds of others who would also become slaves. The novel traces the lineage of these women through the tales of their children, and their children's children, and so on—up until the present day.
The convention dust has settled, and it's back to the chalkboard.
When compared to Donald Trump's single education policy-related sentence in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention, Hillary Clinton's remarks on the subject Thursday night were certainly more extensive, as she sought to emphasize a track record of making schools, teachers, families, and students her political—and personal—priorities.
In accepting the Democratic Party's nomination for president, Clinton touched repeatedly on education, from her work years ago supporting legislation on educating students with disabilities to her recently announced plans to make college "tuition-free" for low- and middle-income families at public universities. She also vowed to work toward a future where "you can get a good job and send your kids to a good school no matter what zip code you live in."
The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here's what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.
What is the Islamic State?
Where did it come from, and what are its intentions? The simplicity of these questions can be deceiving, and few Western leaders seem to know the answers. In December, The New York Times published confidential comments by Major General Michael K. Nagata, the Special Operations commander for the United States in the Middle East, admitting that he had hardly begun figuring out the Islamic State's appeal. "We have not defeated the idea," he said. "We do not even understand the idea." In the past year, President Obama has referred to the Islamic State, variously, as "not Islamic" and as al-Qaeda's "jayvee team," statements that reflected confusion about the group, and may have contributed to significant strategic errors.
Welcome to Inishturk, where they really don't like Donald Trump.
In an animated interview, the filmmaker gives advice on creativity.
Without childcare resources, some families send their children back to be cared for by relatives—only to return at the age of five.


text:
HOUSTON (AP) - Jon Singleton wound up with an inside-the-park home run after a call was reversed on video replay, Chris Carter and Jason Castro also homered, and the Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 on Saturday night.
Brett Oberholtzer pitched seven strong innings and Jose Altuve scored the go-ahead run on back-to-back throwing errors by Toronto.
Singleton drove in L.J. Hoes in the eighth before getting called out on the tag at home plate. The Astros appealed the call and had it reversed upon review.
Oberholtzer (4-7) gave up two runs on six hits while striking out five and walking one to win his second consecutive start.
R.A. Dickey (9-11) was tagged for five runs on nine hits over seven-plus innings. He struck out three. It was Dickey's first loss since July 18 after winning his previous two starts.


text:
Parameter change in a script
This project received 15 bids from talented freelancers with an average bid price of $333 USD.Get free quotes for a project like this
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Project Description
We want to pass URL parameter in the search form. Exmaple: now url goes to [url removed, login to view] and we want to make it go to [url removed, login to view]
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- Forbes
- The New York Times
- Time
- Wall Street Journal
- Times Online


text:
Re: BOA Secured Visa - change to Unsecured
I have everything with Bank of America, Checking, savings, CD, Brokerage, Mortgage. Credit card.
I love BOA. That is my favorite bank. Only problem is you have to send them a payment in mail for CLI
Otheriwse you can transfer money to any account just using drop down menu.
(1,506 Views)


text:
News By Tag
* Healthcare
* More Tags...
Industry News
News By Location
Industry News
Princeton House Behavioral Health Begins Women's Programs in North Brunswick
Expands Access to Women's Mental Health Services in Central New Jersey
The arrival of these programs represents a significant expansion of women's mental health services in Central New Jersey by PHBH, as previously these services had only been offered from its Princeton, Hamilton and Cherry Hill locations.
"We've seen increasing demand for services from Middlesex County, with some women now traveling an hour or more," said Nathalie Edmond, Psy.D., director of PHBH Women's Programs. "Bringing our Women's Programs to North Brunswick improves access to the specialized behavioral health care that women need."
The programs are organized into four tracks: Women's Wellness; Women's Trauma; Women's Trauma and Addiction; and DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) Skills.
Mental illnesses often affect women and men differently – some disorders are more common in women, and some express themselves with different symptoms. The increased understanding of these differences has brought about more specialized treatment like the Women's Programs of PHBH, a unit of Princeton HealthCare System.
Research has shown that women have better outcomes in such "gender-sensitive"
The Women's Programs will be offered on an outpatient basis from PHBH's existing North Brunswick site at 1460 Livingston Avenue following a 6,200 square-foot expansion for new group therapy rooms, consultation rooms and offices for physicians and clinicians.
PHBH has also launched a centralized admissions number -- (609) 688-3707 -- where people can call to obtain information or schedule an appointment for any of the Women's Programs regardless of location.
Additional information about the Women's Programs is available at www.princetonhouse.org/
About Princeton House Behavioral Health
Princeton House Behavioral Health (PHBH), a unit of Princeton HealthCare System, is a leading provider of highly skilled and compassionate behavioral healthcare at the inpatient, partial hospital and intensive outpatient levels of care. We offer relief at times when life becomes challenged by mental illness, emotional difficulties or addiction. A multidisciplinary team of board certified psychiatrists and highly qualified professionals provide a high level of treatment and care for people with acute psychiatric illnesses, substance abuse problems, and co-occurring disorders. In addition to its main inpatient campus in Princeton, PHBH also has outpatient sites in Princeton, North Brunswick, Hamilton and Cherry Hill
John Patella
Patella Ink Creative Communications
Cranbury, NJ 08512
# # #
Business Services, news received and mail to some website. my main Business this job. site Business system services.
Account Email Address Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse


text:
use the following search parameters to narrow your results:
e.g. subreddit:aww site:imgur.com dog
subreddit:aww site:imgur.com dog
see the search faq for details.
advanced search: by author, subreddit...
~6 users here now
Great insights:
William H. Whyte - Social Life of Small Urban Places
Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA - Designing Healthy Communities
Suggested Reading:
The Life and Death of American Cities - Jacobs
Walkable City - Speck
Suburbanation - Duany, Plater-Zyberk, and Speck
The Image of the City - Lynch
Cities for People - Gehl
Walking home - Greenberg
The nature of urban design - Washburn
Further reading:
Related subreddits:
Useful online tools
Street Design Tool
Flood Map
CAD Maps
Map Customization Wizard
This is an archived post. You won't be able to vote or comment.
Question for those in urban design/real estate/property development... (self.urbandesign)
submitted 2 years ago by jesandma
What type of firm do you work in? How did you get your start?
I have an undergraduate degree in Urban Planning and I'm currently working for a nonprofit community development group. I'm interested in doing urban design/real estate/property development, and currently looking at possibly getting my MBA. Just curious about career paths as I sort my own out!
[–]remogul 1 point2 points3 points 2 years ago (0 children)
I would research some real estate development companies and choose one that is doing work that you would enjoy. Most bigger companies have design and planning departments that collaborate with the financial and deal making sides of the business.
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text:
Real time information,
real life collaboration.
Absolutely Amazing!!! LOVE It!
- "I absolutely love this plug in! It's the best money I've ever spent. I'm a real estate broker with not much web development knowledge (first Wordpress site), and it's been easy for me to navigate and integrate with my current Flexmls provider. It works very well! I'm super happy with it. – By Sam Sandoval.
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- You will learn how to make every email you send an opportunity to engage, capture and nurture new business.


text:
Narrow your search
What do you get a guy who's probably seen every gadget imaginable? If he's a music fiend like Dan Ackerman, try a USB device packed with tracks by the Fab Four.
Apple is now packing a USB drive in with the new MacBook Airs that contains system recovery software. Previously this was only offered in disc form.
Jerry Jalava builds a USB key into his prosthetic finger
A Hong Kong company claims it's the first of its kind.
The LaCie USB Key Max lets you keep your data in the palm of your hand.
Hybrid version for HD broadcasts and digital or analog cable goes for sale.
A secret compartment stores and reads microSD cards.
Ten wrong passwords will erase all data.
A Tiffany version is only a matter of time
'Flash Survivor' is another Terminator wannabe


text:
Hi ! First thanks a lot for this Plugin, it's just Fabulous !
I'm currently using WP 3.4.1 + BuddyPress 1.6.1 with WPPA.
I have multiple users who - after registration - may become "contributors". I wish each one to be able to create HIS single album and manage IT only.
I wish they have No access to Other's albums.
Is that possible ? Can't find the way.
(at this time any contributor may upload in any album, if I give them "upload" rights)
Thanks for help.


text:
Texas State University is proud to have been designated a Top Military-Friendly University by Military Advanced Education's 2015 Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges & Universities, ranked 16th in the nation in the Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges 2015 and consistently ranked in the top 15% of military friendly colleges by G.I. Jobs magazine since 2009.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions welcomes inquiries from interested military veterans. If you're a veteran and in need of additional guidance regarding the admission process, contact Carlos Laird at firstname.lastname@example.com. Information on veterans' benefits and services is available online at Veteran Affairs.
As with all new and transfer applicants, admission of veterans is based solely on academic course work; military transcripts are not used for admission purposes. Military transcript credits may be applied to your Texas State transcript, but only after the 12th class day of each long semester or the 4th class day of each Summer term, and only after the academic college to which you are applying has approved the credit.
All prospective students, including veterans, are required to submit an official high school transcript (or GED certificate), regardless of the number of college hours earned or high school graduation date.
Prospective students without college credit or whose only college credit was received prior to high school graduation should apply for Freshman admission.
Prospective students who have completed 1-29 transferable credit hours during or after high school but have not yet finished 30 credit hours, are considered a transfer student (1-29 hours) for admission purposes.
Prospective students who have completed 30 or more transferable credit hours are considered a transfer student with 30 plus hours.
Test scores are not required for application purposes if a student's date of high school graduation is three years or more prior to the semester in which they plan to enroll. However, applicants can submit scores if they wish to do so. Scores must be submitted if they are from within the three year period prior to enrollment and/or if the applicant has not completed at least 30 transferable hours at the time of application.
Students wishing to utilize federal veteran benefits must be enrolled in courses for a specific degree-seeking program. A list of undergraduate degree programs can be found here.
Former Texas State students who are members of the U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard who withdrew from Texas State as a result of a call to active duty are eligible to re-enroll without paying the readmission fee or completing a new application. The student must return within a year of being released from active duty.
To re-enroll please submit the Returning Military Information form along with a copy of the DD214 with release information or a letter from the commander with release information. You can also contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to have your status reactivated.
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
429 N. Guadalupe Street
San Marcos, TX 78666


text:
Journal of Global Optimization
An International Journal Dealing with Theoretical and Computational Aspects of Seeking Global Optima and Their Applications in Science, Management and Engineering
The Journal of Global Optimization publishes carefully refereed papers that deal with all theoretical, computational, and applied aspects of global optimization. Original research articles explore optimization in the widest sense, including nonlinear, stochastic and combinatorial programming, multi-objective programming, control, games, geometry, approximation, and algorithms for parallel architectures.
In addition to papers covering theory and algorithms of global optimization, the journal publishes important papers on numerical experiments and applications in engineering, management, and the sciences. Of special note, readers will find thoughtful examinations of problems arising from applications.
Apart from full-length articles, the journal features short communications on both open and solved global optimization problems. It also offers reviews of relevant books and special journal issues.
Latest Articles
A biased random-key genetic algorithm to maximize the number of accepted lightpaths in WDM optical networks
Julliany S. Brandão, Thiago F. Noronha, Celso C. Ribeiro (August 2016)
Projection algorithms for nonconvex minimization with application to sparse principal component analysis
William W. Hager, Dzung T. Phan, Jiajie Zhu (August 2016)
Algorithms for the partial inverse matroid problem in which weights can only be increased
Zhao Zhang, Shuangshuang Li, Hong-Jian Lai, Ding-Zhu Du (August 2016)
- Impact Factor 1.219
- Available 1991 - 2016
- Volumes 65
- Issues 245
- Articles 2,459
- Open Access 37 Articles
Stay up to Date
Find a Volume or Issue
- Journal Title
- Journal of Global Optimization
- Coverage
- Volume 1 / 1991 - Volume 65 / 2016
- Print ISSN
- 0925-5001
- Online ISSN
- 1573-2916
- Publisher
- Springer US
- Additional Links
- Topics
- Industry Sectors
Continue reading...
To view the rest of this content please follow the download PDF link above.


text:
A man is in critical condition after the small plane he was flying crashed in Wayne County on Friday afternoon, according to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
An early Thursday morning robbery at a South Newport service station left a woman injured.
The main suspect in the Friday night robbery of the Family Dollar Store in Walthourville has been apprehended, Liberty County Sheriff Steve Sikes said Thursday.
ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Public Health is urging residents to clean up around their homes, yards and communities and discard unnecessary items that can hold water. "Tip 'n' Toss" after every rainfall to reduce the number of mosquitoes and prevent the spread of Zika virus in Georgia. To date, no locally transmitted Zika cases have been reported in the state, but cases have been reported in returning travelers.
A fire Saturday night in Hinesvillle displaced a man from his home.
Authorities are investigating a fatal accident that happened early Wednesday morning in Gum Branch.
The Long County Sheriff's Office had a road safety check Thursday night on Highway 84 west of Ludowici, near the Wayne County line.
The Hinesville Police Department recently launched a service that makes accident reports available online.
Ludowici police Chief Robert Poppell asks drivers stuck in traffic at the intersection of Highway 57 and McDonald Street not to stop on the CSX railroad tracks.
Recent reports filed with the Hinesville Police Department include:
A fire Saturday night in Hinesvillle displaced a man from his home.
The Long County Sheriff's Office recently bought rifles with confiscated funds.
Armed robbers endangered three people and took an undisclosed amount of money from the Family Dollar in Walthourville Friday night.
SAVANNAH - Three defendants - two from Liberty County and one from Long County - have been sentenced in federal drug and gun cases, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia announced Thursday.
A doorbell early Sunday woke up a Thornbriar Drive resident and started a chain of events that left him with a gunshot wound, police said.
The following are among the food service establishments inspected in June by the Liberty County Health Department. The department scores on a 100-percentile scale. Kitchens ...
The following are among the food service establishments inspected in June by the Liberty County Health Department. The department scores on a 100-percentile scale. Kitchens ...
STATESBORO - A federal indictment has been returned charging a Glennville man and a Fleming man, along with 12 other South Georgia residents, with conspiring to ...
The Liberty County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit has seized a large amount of narcotics.
Law-enforcement officials are investigating the shooting death of Dennis Pavao, 43.
A man has been arrested in connection with a June 20 fire that destroyed R&J Produce store on E. G. Miles Parkway, according to ...
A Walthourville man narrowly escaped injury Thursday after someone shot through his front door, according to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.
A 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged with killing a 70-year-old Jesup man, according to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
The June 28 midnight patrol was the last for Hinesville police Lt. Thomas Ovitt, midnight shift watch commander.
Authorities are investigating what they term a "possible homicide" in Jesup.
A Hinesville father convicted of killing his baby daughter had his murder conviction and life sentence upheld by the Georgia Supreme Court, according to a ...
© 2016 Hinesville Publishing - All Rights Reserved
Powered By


text:
|Repositories of re-usable, re-purposable content.
|Repositories of re-usable, re-purposable content.
|MOODLE is customizable with a large number of plugins and addons freely available from http://moodle.org
|Blackboard is continually incorporating new products into their LMS, but at a cost to users.
|Promotes student-student interaction and teacher-student interaction.
|Facilitate student-student and student-faculty interaction.
|Multimedia content
|Multimedia content
|MOODLE is open source and free to download over the internet.
|Blackboard limited to institutions which pay annual licence fees
and annual increases occur,
|Contains whole course and/or supplement ones
|Whole courses only
|Customizable: colour, themes and logo titles
|Customizable: colour, themes and logo titles
|Restricted access to students - access pages but cannot change them
|Restricted access to students - access pages but cannot change them
|Teachers have editing rights
|Teachers have editing rights
|Use file uploads to help students learn, and the dropbox program for submission of assignments.
|Use file uploads to help students learn, and the dropbox program for submission of assignments.
|Accessing grades is a one click process
|Accessing grades takes several steps
|Presents important information in the centre of the page, and general information down the sides of the page
|Information categories and subcategories run down the page
|Collaborative: Teachers can post in forums and students can see and interact within a discussion.
|Uses email to transfer information from teachers to students. Blackboard Connect (at an additional cost), alerts students to deadlines within a course.
|Automatically updates its calender when quizzes are added.
|Cannot perform this function.
|Run on institutions servers, but requires a person to monitor or run offsite and monitiored - cost for numbers of students and data traffic.
|Run offsite and monitiored constantly, each upgrade incurs costs increases.
Proprietary only one company to work with.
|Mobile app for smartphones free.
|Mobile app at $5.99 US as a one off payment, use is charged annually to the institution via an annual license.
|Course resources can be downloaded and viewed offline
|Offline option not applicable to Blackboards version yet.
|MOODLE community willing to help solve problems encountered http://moodle.org/forums/
|Help sites obtained by Blackboard http://help.blackboard.com/ http://www.moodlerooms.com/ http://www.netspot.com.au/
|Google docs integration.
|Google docs integration.
|Allows users to set up alerts and notifications inside courses
|Allows users to set up alerts and notifications inside courses
The following article compares MOODLE to Blackboard:
For a more in depth comparison between MOODLE and Blackboard please watch the following video:
Moodle 2.0 versus Blackboard 9.1 -- a Brief Comparison. (Nov 7, 2010).
More information about both mobile apps can be found at:MOODLE mobile app Blackboard app
However, tablets and smart-phones offer new ways of learning, but not for all students, so as Daniels (2012) indicates institutions will have to give or loan devices to students to start with. Problems exist regarding i-phone and i-pad which do not support Java or Adobe Flash two technologies used for creating web based applications, unlike Android tablets and smart-phones. In addition, smart-phone screens are small to deliver sophisticated learning applications easily, therefore, tablets may become the device of choice for mobile learning in future at all institutions.
What others have to say about MOODLE over Blackboard:4MOODLE.com
MOODLE News
MOODLE 2 versus Blackboard 9.1
The rivalry between the two biggest LMS's continues:
Moodle v Blackboard


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I would like to quickly and easily associate an featured image with each pretty link.
I know that I can create html and wrap an image in a link, but if Pretty Link itself could actually have an option to create the html 'on the fly' and display it in the link for copying, that would be fantastic.
Hope I am explaining this clearly.
Great plugin!


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This is an extraordinarily beautiful cemetery, not only due to the variety of design in the original layout and land contours, but the maturity of the trees and shrubs. The good fortune of being substantially well endowed for a long time is very apparent. It contains some 54000 graves as of year 2006, and new graves are still being added. Find-A-Grave lists about 7200 at this time. See also the Erie Cemetery Association website, eriecemeteryassoc.com, as it presents the most complete and authoritive listing available of graves and their locations. However, it does not generally show the photos of the overall view of the grave area, present photographs of individual monuments, nor does it more than than a minimal amount of personal information about the interred.
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If you're traveling near New Braunfels this summer, make plans to see these rare beauties.
Twin Reticulated Giraffes, the only living set of twins and the second reported set of living...
3 years 8 weeks ago
The radical first drop sends you 81 degrees straight down.
This POV video of a test run of the Iron Rattler is enough for me.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas at San Antonio unveiled the...
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The choice in beer these days is almost overwhelming.
Craft beers are taking shelf space that has long been dominated by the staples of the biz -- beers like Coors, Miller and Budweiser....
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Self-image colors our lives, often to the darker hues.
"I have some work to do on myself," said one woman, whose eyes were opened after participating in a powerful experiment by the...
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I don't often shop for groceries at Walmart, but the sparse produce shelves I've seen on occasion there apparently aren't isolated incidents.
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Forbes placed Amarillo among 25 metropolitan areas it ranks as "Best Places for a Working Retirement" in 2013.
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Please take a moment to consider the valiant work of the Endangered Chocolate Bunny Commission.
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Predicted 2013 Easter spending, according to a National Retail Federation annual survey:
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S. Redman White, the author behind Barney the Dinosaur has switched gears so much with his latest creation, you might get whiplash.
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November 30, 2015
A record number of attendees gather to honor industry leaders.
November 23, 2015
The gift is the largest ever to the department.
November 18, 2015
Agenda to focus on value-added UV processes.
November 18, 2015
Bradley Thompson II of Inland Press named chairman of the board.
November 17, 2015
Mike D'Angelo, Don Schroeder and Kevin Berisso will headline conference.
November 10, 2015
Reports more than 23,800 registants for this year's show in Atlanta, GA.
November 9, 2015
Award winners represent top tier of the imaging industry.
November 5, 2015
Bowers served as VP of operations for Miller Zell and GM of the Miller Zell Graphic Center.
November 4, 2015
To be held at Brampton, Ontario facility on November 10
October 28, 2015
The 2016 registration will open in December 2015.
October 13, 2015
"We've long held that BLI and InfoTrends are highly complementary businesses," said Gerry Stoia, president and CEO of BLI.
October 7, 2015
Sun Chemical's Ramasamy Krishnan to be honored with Inventor of the Year Award
September 29, 2015
Registrations are up more than 40% than in 2013.
September 23, 2015
Chem Show has shortened seminar times to enable attendee participation in more sessions.
September 23, 2015
Conference sets attendance record with 384 people in attendance.
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The Bantam B Blue Team is looking to schedule Non League Games. We can host on 10/4 @ 8:30 am, 10/25 @ 8:30 am, 11/15 @ 6:30 pm, and 1/11 @ 3:00 pm. We are looking for reciprocal ice. If any of these dates work for you please email or call me to see if we can work something out.
Chris Crabtree
Coach/Team Mgr
ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators.


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Drama series for four- to six-year-olds about the parallel lives of parents at work and their children who stay with warm-hearted minder Granny Murray. Tina takes her old auntie on a day trip to Bruges. The taxi breaks down and leaves them stranded. Tina hails a different kind of transport to let them see the sights.
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Covercraft Noah Car Cover
- Regular Price: $291.65-720.30
- Our Price: $198.00- 489.00
- Shipping:FREE SHIPPING
- Rating: (125)
- The Covercraft Noah Car Cover provides all-weather protection for your vehicle
- Features Kimberly-Clark's best outdoor fabric
- Film Barrier Technology blocks dust and moisture
- High-tech, bonded 4-layer composite construction
- Resists dust, UV rays, and even acid rain
- Breathable fabric lets moisture and water vapor escape
- Gray finish
- Made in the USA
- 4-Year Warranty
Dust, rain, and harsh sunlight can do a real number on your vehicle's paint job. Don't let your ride suffer from these hazards - keep it safe and protected with a Covercraft Noah Car Cover.
The Covercraft Noah Car Cover is a great choice for all of your indoor and outdoor vehicle covering needs, with a multi-layer composite design that features Kimberly-Clark's top outdoor fabric. The bottom layer of the Noah is a polyethylene/nylon blend that sits easy on your finish. The central layer features a vapor-porous design. Its microscopic holes are large enough to let water vapors to escape, yet so small that dust and water droplets can't get past it. The outer polypropylene/polyethylene layer is durable and UV-resistant to stand up to the punishments of outdoor storage. The result is a reliable car cover that's both durable and safe on your paint.
Your Covercraft Noah Car Cover is backed by a 4-year warranty.
Covercraft Noah Car Cover Customer Reviews
Overall Rating:4.8 of 5
Average Install Time: Instant
Showing 10 of 125 reviews. See All Reviews.
The cover arrived a week ahead of the delivery date. The cover was actually thinner than I expected but we'll see how the performance is once the weather gets cold. Installation the first time took less than 5 minutes and with the helpful removal folding tips the next time should be about 90 seconds.
Install Time: Instant
Good quality cover for the price will buy another as needed.
Install Time: Instant
I purchased this Covercraft Noah Car Cover for a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland based upon current reviews and another Noah cover I had purchased some years ago. Delivery was in a matter of days and that's fast. I took this car cover from the USA to Costa Rica and simply followed the initial instructions. The cover fits like the proverbial "glove". There are no hanging areas nor any area not covered. This is a really nice cover! I'm more than pleased. Thank you, Auto Accessories Garage, for the great parts and service. And thank you for supporting our active and retired Marines. We do appreciate it!
Install Time: Instant
This is the first time I have purchased a car cover for any of my vehicles. My cousin recommended this product and brand after he had the same one for his vehicle. He said it was the best car cover he has ever used and I took his word. I must say after installing the cover you could definitely feel and see the great quality of the fabric. Also a day after we installed it, it rained and even slightly snowed. The car cover remained practically dry and I could definitely tell it will do great throughout the winter. I highly recommend this brand for anyone looking for a durable high quality car cover.
Install Time: Under 30 minutes
Love the cover. Have had the Noah cover before and loved it. Great in all weather
Just what I needed for the car. Kinda wish it had the car logo on it now that I think about it but anyway. Good for winter storage for the car.
Install Time: Instant
Simple review, I have used this cover with all my vehicles and have always been happy with the fit, the protection it provides, and ease of folding for storage.
Install Time: Instant
Very nice product. The fit is excellent.
Install Time: Under 30 minutes
This is my third cover from Auto Accessories Garage. After a mistake once of buying a more inexpensive cover at another provider, that literally hung off the car and would fall off if the wind would blow, I've never looked back. The cover fits tight and the pockets for the side mirrors are a must. It helps keep the car cool in the summer and prevents staining when it rains. Overall I am very satisfied with my third Noah cover.
Install Time: Instant
Great service. Received quick. Fantastic product. Fits perfectly. I'm very Satisfied, I would highly recommend the manufacture and this distributor.
Install Time: Instant
Showing 10 of 125 reviews. See All Reviews.


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39 reviews | 4.2 out of 5
Was considering Dyson, but they are way too expensive and the plastic on the Dyson looks Cheap.
In the past always use Panasonic vacuum, so even though this Panasonic were not available for sale at the store, and online can be bought online,
I trust enough to buy it without ever seeing it in person before I buy.
Turn out, I made a good choice.
The Plastic casing of the Panasonic Vacuum were much better than Dyson,
and the Vacuum power is very very powerful.
This Vacuum also came with many included accessories to help reach certain hard to reach place.
The Dirty / Clean Sensor also help to make sure we do not left the carpet still dirty.
I am glad I bought this Vacuum !!!
I did a lot of research on my next vacuum cleaner and I found that the Panasonic brand vacuum cleaner is very popular in Europe. I watched videos on Youtube and read different articles and reviews and found that the reviews were excellent for this vacuum cleaner. I love it---especially the dirt sensor that tells you when the vacuum is no longer picking up dirt and the suction is great. It is fits around the baseboards and around and under my furniture very well. This is a purchase that I do not regret.
Ive had this vacuum for about a week. I bought it to replace my Dyson that I had for 6 years and it recently cracked. My husband wanted another one because he really likes the telescope feature on the Dyson. I was convinced I could find something comparable without the big price tag. So far this Vacuum does the job. I mean its definatley no Dyson but i think its going to work for us.
Pros: great price, looks nice, retractable telescope wand, good attachments, bare floor attachment is great, bagless (canister fits well in base and seems easy to clean), easy to use (my 12 year old and my husband can figure it out)
Cons: a bit heavy, alittle hard to push when vacuming the carpet, a bit loud, the cord seems not to fit well when wrapping it back around the holders, suction ok Overall I think this works for us as 75% of our home is hard wood and the rest is carpet. My husband and my daughter like it as well so we will keep it. I also like that I didnt have to break the bank for it. Oh yeah... my toddler dumped a whole box of cinnimon toast crunch in the middle of the living room yesterday and the vacuum picked it all up with ease. Hopefully this vacuum will last a while. I recommend :)
Purchased this vac to replace my Hoover Whisper Cyclonic. The Hoover is great... we just repurposed it to the cottage after a few years. The panasonic looked great on paper, but that is where it ends. I wanted a vac that could be half canister, half regular and this made those claims. I just returned it to my local Walmart after a week of use. The Whisper Cyclonic was very, very quiet, but this Panasonic has a shrill, high pitched whine to it when on. It has no height adjustment for different carpets. It has terrible suction at the brushroll. When you are using the wand, it is decent, but for carpets it is not good. It is heavy and cumbersome to move and it pushes like a tank. I don't usually write reviews, but this vac is not good. Purchased the Shark Upright for 170.00 after returning this one and whereas I can't review that one yet, the Shark has suction to burn compared to this Panasonic. We vacuumed with the Panasonic minutes before putting it in the box to return, and when we re-vacuumed upon return home with the Shark, it picked up a good amount, especially very, very fine dust, that the Panasonic left behind. Enough to let me know for sure that the Panasonic was not doing the job. The Shark feels a bit plasticy and is smaller, but it has well more power and suction. Going to try it for a week or so and see. Wish they still sold my Whisper Cyclonic! Do yourself a favor and skip this vacuum. Hope this helps.
Very quiet and powerful to pick up pet hair all around the house especially furniture. Highly recommended.
This little vacuum has a lot of suction and does a great job. It's not as big as the Bissell I bought that lasted less than a year and it's not nearly as loud, either. The handle is adjustable so you can adjust it to your height. Very nice feature there. The thing is a little heavy but once it gets moving, it's not so bad. I can't think of one thing that I dislike about it. It's quiet as far as vacuum cleaners go, it gets around great, the attachments are handy, it has great power when it comes to sucking up dirt. It's not like we live in squalor here nor is this an overly large house but we have to empty the dirt catcher several times while we're vacuuming. We vacuum regularly so you wouldn't think there would be that much dirt but we do have two boys and a dog and they bring in dirt because that's just what kids and dogs do. Right? This vacuum sucks up everything and fluffs the carpet in such a way that it looks new. I like this machine a lot and would definitely recommend it. It's a bit more expensive than some of the others but it's worth it.
This is a great machine, but I have very bad hands, and the weight causes a lot of pain. Other than that.......it does a great job cleaning and the first time I used it my carpet looked many times better than it had in months. I have two cats, so you can imagine how much hair is deposited on my royal blue carpeting. The vacuum cleaner is a great machine, and if you have bad hands you can get your hubby or significant other to do it for you. ;-)
the suction is great. removable hose with handle makes it easy to reach the cieling.
the only thing i wish was it had the automatic cord roll up.
overall a great product the thing has suction you wont belive.
My old Panasonic had died as far as I was concerned. Cord had a lot of electrical tape on it. I noticed Wal*Mart had a Panasonic Vacuum in the store. Well, I didn't want that model so I went online. The MC-UL915 had the telescopic wand an a longer cord plus it was recommended for pet owners. My cat had died in Nov. of 2013 but I knew kitty fur was still present in the house. Wow, did I find out just how much. It is amazing how much this vacuum picks up. Carpet freshener powders apparently was being left behind by the old vac. I was able to vacuum the curtains and valances without needing to bring in the ladder or step ladder. I vacuumed my son's room 4 complete times and each time I kept getting more stuff out. By the time I steam cleaned it once, the water I dumped wasn't nearly as dirty as it had been in the past when I steam cleaned. I love that I can pull out the wand and vacuum the blinds. There will be 1 attachment that will not have a place onboard for storage. I love that you have the carpet or bare floors feature, to stop the beater bar when using the hand attachments or using it on bare floors. In bare floor mode, I was able to clean my laminate floors better than with the dust mop. The vacuum is a little heavy but you get over that pretty quick. The dirt sensor helps you also determine whether or not you got everything up in the carpet. Pay close attention when disassembling the canister to clean it out so you can remember how to re-assemble. I don't feel it is as noisy as my old Panasonic that had a bag in it (which my husband quickly pointed out). As a matter of fact if I had the cell phone in the same room with me, I was able to hear it ring. Plenty of power cord to help you complete a big room before needing to unplug to move onto another room. Hate when your vacuuming along and suddenly you lose power because you came unplugged from the wall. Not an issue with this one. Will now be able to vacuum carpets at least once a week and do the laminates more often.*
This vacuum has everything I want. I have a dog and it really picks up the hair. Has a lot of great features and is so much quieter than most.
GOOD: Quality built materials. Loaded with features. Very quiet. Strong in suction.
Nice filtration system. BAD: Bad maneuverability (Rubber wheels make it hard to turn on the carpet).
Little heavy (because of high quality material used). I got mine little defective (handle is...), so i am going to return back. But I will order another one! One little defect in the handle cannot make me to stop enjoy using it. Overall I can say in one word - this is the PANASONIC. With this brand you can't go wrong. I am a big fan of Panasonic (please DON'T think that I am working for them), because it is one of the most reliable brand on the market.
Purchased this Panasonic to replace the Dyson I've had for 6 years. The suction was VERY good (I joked that I thought it was pulling dust up from the basement and through the sub-flooring). However, the design is poor. When using the attachment to vacuum floors, the base doesn't easily roll behind. When I turn to pull the machine behind me by hand, there's nothing to grab hold of. I ended up pulling it by the cord holder thing. I also ended up taking the cleaner back to the store. Disappointed.....and still looking for a replacement. Maybe Dyson again?
This is the second one I bought. I bought one for my daughter and she loves it and then I bought one for my husband for Christmas. Although he hasn't taken it out of the box yet, I know he will like it.
And I mean STRONG! This truly seems like one of those vacuums professional cleaning services use. It is so powerful, it can "eat" your carpet. It is heavy, it is noisy, it is big. If you are looking for something light and maneuverable - don't bother. But if you want your house to be clean this is the man for the job! It is easy to empty, although the quick empty hatch is a bit messy. I would rather open it and clean. Easy to disassemble and wash. Long wire. Very functional, long telescope pipe. the rubber-extendable pipe is kind of hard to stretch but maybe this way it's going to last longer. So far so good. Does its job very well!
I have purchased this VC after reviewing many other products in the price range. I am extremely satisfied. It cleans very thoroughly. You can wash so it does not get clogged!
The only con is that I am constantly loosing one attachment because it does not have a special place on the 'body' of the VC to attach. So I am constantly in search of that attachment. I know, with better organizing I would have always tracked it down in time :) but, Panasonic, please do make the next generation better by clicking it in one place with the rest of the equipment. In short, I love this product, as any other Panasonic!
I never realized that Panasonic made vacuum cleaners for many years now. I would guess based on the quality of this model that they have an idea on how to build them correctly. This vacuum feels solid and not flimsy like the few Hoovers I have had in the past. But with the solid feel it is a little heavy to be dragging up and down the stairs. I personally do not mind, but my girl does. The suction is good, not the best on the market mind you, but for the price it is good. Overall I would recommend this vacuum to anyone who is looking for a good value that should hold up longer than other brands in this price range.
This is my second one of these Vacume Cleaners, I had the first one for about 5 years before it broke. At this price point that is what I have become accustomed to for a life span. I have owned a few other brands before this one and they were all a little more expensive and had less features. Which is why I purchased another one of these when my old one broke...
Even though this unit is made of plastic, just like ever single other vacuum made, it is very very heavy and durable! The thing picks up stuff you wouldn't imagine was in your carpet. Works really well on hardwood floors as well. I enjoy the switch to change from bare floors to carpet activating the brush. Also the automatic floor height is a HUGE time saver and plus when using this!
I checked out several vacuum before I purchased this one. I liked several things about it such as the dirt sensor, turbine brush, and wand adjusting to 12 feet. I have owned my vaccum for over a year now and think it works just as well now as when I bought but I have had problems with the cord retracting. It doesn't always want to go back in. I have had to get that adjusted once.
This is my second Panasonic vacuum cleaner. My original Panasonic upright lasted years and is still running. I was looking to get a newer design. I think the value, price & features are excellent. It compares very well to a Dyson Animal and at a much better price. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a new design/technology Hepa/Cyclone/Upright vacuum.


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There are currently 398 users online. 104 members and 294 guests
Most users ever online was 4,561, 11-01-2015 at 23:20.
Anyone heard of this Company, Keen ultralight? https://keenul.com/ Their Hammock is exactly what i'm looking for but not sure if they are legit. TheirDucky90319 Today, 15:01
To meet the needs for the dimensions you provided, I would suggest an UCR ridgeline that can adjust to a maximum of about 115". That will give thegfstanley Today, 14:53
Glad to hear your making it up for this Andrew. Looks like the Gluttony-Green Timbers crew is back. I'm bringing some extra gear ( tarp, UQ, hammockmichigandave Today, 14:49
Hey Everyone,
I just posted a new article on our blog:
From the Couch to the Hammock: Why Do We Hammock?
I picked up the fixins for a breakfast bake and the biggest beef roast they had. Also grabbed some extra coffee, tortillas & Frank's Red Hot. I'llChristo456 Today, 14:29
I like the color combo - went with royal blue and lime green for my wife's under quite. How does the Moroccan blue compare to royal blue?
"New prices" above.charlieb Today, 14:16


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When it comes to entertainment software, there really is no business like show business. Our ERP case studies from those in the industry tell us they are acutely aware that no matter how glamorous it might sound, the hard parts of business still have to be done; The financials processed, staff looked after and management decisions made. The transparency that Greentree offers is absolutely critical. Not only because the Entertainment industry is so publicly exposed but also due to the complex regulations and funding models it is often subject to.
Data entry backlogs are history for this broadcaster; Greentree easily handles transactions across multiple offices.Read customer story
Eyeworks Touchdown
Eyeworks Touchdown needed financial software with excellent reporting tools. Greentree was the answer.Read customer story
Curious Film
Curious Film saves 5 days a month in admin time, freeing up staff to focus on what they do best – being creative.Read customer story
The P.A. People
Greentree helps The P.A. People to deliver value-added service, ensuring top-class financial & asset management.Read customer story
Candis' Greentree system has grown with the business, representing a "quantum leap" in company performance.Read customer story
Museum of Old and New Art
A leading tourist attraction uses Greentree to process large amounts of visitor payments, and keep costs under control.Read customer story
"Greentree has helped us reduce the time it takes to calculate and report withholding tax deductions to IRD from three days down to just 15 minutes."Read the full story
Without live data and operational intelligence, manufacturers risk falling behind the competition, says Greentree's Harry...Read moreNews
New technology could fail without the right resources....Read moreBlog
The world seems to be moving faster every day. As much as we all try to keep up-to-date we know it's not that easy. To...Read moreProduct Showcase


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As much as Kitesurfing Lanka develops our dream is to see the community develop as well. We want the environment and local resources to be cared for, we want the local fishing communities to thrive and if we can be a positive impact for their benefit we would be stoked.
Our goal is that other hoteliers would follow the same ethos, we work with the communities and the people of the communities. Like that its a win win, we are not to be independent but Interdependent.
KSL Community (Impacting Education, Kiting & Environment)
The warm smiles of them are something you would rarely experience anywhere else in the world. The kids, the fishermen, the shopkeepers will all talk to you. Be your friend.
The beauty of the island, even a rural village like Kandakuli is teaming with natural beauty. Kalpitiya is home to very unique eco systems both on land and sea.
KSL does not want to be just another business venture. While we want you – our friends to have an experience of a lifetime, we also want to see our community benefit. We want to see people's lives changed for the better.
Our completed project list is here.
Though kids go to school, research reveals that there is lack in key career skills among the people – namely English Language, Information Technology and Career Skills. We would encourage you to be part of this support programmes by:
- Gifting some Educational Books/ Tools/ Computers etc(used are fine)
- Take time off kiting to be part of a workshop to develop people
- Pledge to the maintenance of the preschool and teachers salary
Developing Sri Lanka's Next Generation Kiters
The sport of Kitesurfing is now known in Sri Lanka. We are proud to have sponsored Mawfeel (Mogli) to complete his IKO Instructor License. He now teaches the sport at KSL and supports. He is now sponsored by Zian Kites and continues to work with us.
His story is here;
Opportunities through Kitesurfing
Almost 90% of our staff are employed from the village. Most who would have worked as fishermen now are developed to work in the hospitality industry. 2 of our staff even had the opportunity to travel to overseas – a first for them – for leisure and kitesurfing. Kitesurfing opens horizons for them.
Kalpitiya has a huge problem with refuse. Many of the persons have a hard time even putting food on the table so environmental concerns are the least of their problems. However, we have made it our mission to talk to them, be a an example and help change their mindset concerning the environment. Slowly we see villages growing gardens, keep their roads clean and reusing.
At KSL our organic refuse is sent to a piggery which glass is collected and send to Colombo. Paper recycling sadly has not yet started. All leaves and even the waste water from washrooms is converted to compost. Planting of native species of flora is happening within KSL
Our long term plan is to get more involved. We are looking at funding for recycling or a simple incineration plant that can serve the peninsula. We aim to use zero plastic bottled water by 2016. .


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To say that it's about time would be a gross understatement: Saturday Night Live has finally added a Black female… Read More
Since their sketch comedy show bowed in January 2012 on Comedy Central, Key and Peele have become cult heroes by hilariously puncturing… Read More
Harvard University's famous undergraduate humor publication The Harvard Lampoon has some exciting news: Alexis Wilkinson… Read More
We are not "old Black" nor "new Black" we are ALL Black.
Last week, it came out that Saturday Night Live has been quietly auditioning Black female comedians recently… Read More
Bill Cosby wasn't yet 50 when he performed in his last televised standup comedy special, "Bill Cosby: Himself." Thirty… Read More
Suggesting Comedy Central sketch shows are increasingly becoming Judd Apatow's version of a farm team, the producer has partnered… Read More
If North Korea were to drop a nuclear bomb on the United States, Dave Chappelle would "hope it lands in Hartford, Connecticut."… Read More
I just watched Dave Chappelle quit stand up. Out in the Comcast Theater in Hartford, Connecticut, shivering in the open air, I can't… Read More
The official return of Dave Chappelle is now upon us: The first date of the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, which Chappelle… Read More
1. It is the responsibility of the Negro to reject any history of America that includes slavery. Reminding the Negro of slavery will… Read More
We are not "old Black" nor "new Black" we are ALL Black.
Vernon Reid Talks 30 Yrs of the Black Rock Coalition
Justin Adu Explains African Amedia
Beautifully Brown Grace Jones
Why Did Ben Carson Mock Police Brutality
Detroit's New Activist Generation


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Downtown Eau Claire
Downtown Eau Claire Summerfest
Wineries & Breweries
Performing Arts in Eau Claire
Play & Win at Carson Park
Dickey's BBQ
When you visit Eau Claire you'll find a variety of attractions and fun to keep the entire family occupied! Whether you're interested in special events, festivals, concerts, theatre, sports, visual arts, musical performances, or local food and beverage specials, you'll find everything you need to know to plan your perfect getaway here. Check out our calendar for some of the most exciting and popular events in the Eau Claire area. If you have a specific request for planning your visit to Eau Claire, use the search button in the upper right corner to uncover the events that can make your stay unforgettable!


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Photos of Recipes?
Is there a way to include a photograph in the entry?
Every year, The Old Farmer's Almanac holds a recipe contest with cash prizes.
The next recipe contest will be announced when The 2017 Old Farmer's Almanac is published in August/September, 2016. Stay tuned to enter!
As your editors, we certainly all enjoyed tasting these delicious recipes in our test kitchens! Click below to enjoy the "best of the best" recipe shared by Almanac readers.
First Prize: Florentine Spinach Dip
Second Prize: Pesto Strata
Third Prize: Dressed-Up Crab Rangoon Dip
First Prize: Carrot Ginger Soup
Second Prize: Apple Cider Risotto With Carrot Confetti
Third Prize: Spiced Carrot Biscuits With Salted Caramel Butter
First Prize: Beets and Potatoes Au Gratin
Second Prize: Raspberry Roasted Beets and Chevre Over Shallow, Walnut, and Beet Greens Couscous
Third Prize: Sweet Cherry Tomato and Beet Crostini
First Prize: Spicy Bacon Pizza With Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese
Second Prize: Bacon, Italian Sausage, and Bean Soup
Third Prize: Creamy Spaghetti Torte With Bacon
First Prize: Mocha Truffle Loaf
Second Prize: Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Sugar Cookies
Third Prize: Slow-Cooker Smoky Chili
Honorable Mention: Rich and Spicy Beef Stew
First Prize: Pumpkin Harvest Soup
Second Prize: Southwestern Pumpkin Hummus
Third Prize: Pumpkin Nutmeg Knots
Honorable Mention: Ginger Thai Pumpkin Bisque
Honorable Mention: Pumpkin Waffles with Butter Pecan Butter
First Prize: Shrimp and Corn Soup
Second Prize: Crispy-Coated Catfish in Creamy Buttermilk Sauce
Third Prize: Meat Loaf With Buttermilk
Honorable Mention: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Honorable Mention: Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Tangy Buttermilk Dipping Sauce
Is there a way to include a photograph in the entry?
Hi Shauna, We welcome photos and this often makes a better entry. If you can not enter on the form, you can always send us an image to: email@example.com Thank you.
If I am in culinary school, but I haven't been paid for cooking anything, can I still enter?
Hello. Just want to clarify what you mean by "unpublished" - I have a blog and have published my original recipe there, but apart from that, it has never appeared in any magazine nor have I earned any money for this recipe. Would this be eligible?
As long as you have not published the recipe in a book or magazine, your recipe is eligible.
How does the Old Farmers Almanac define "amateur cook" for the purpose of this contest?
The Almanac defines an amateur cook as someone who is a home cook and cooks for pleasure and not for money.
Is there a limit to the number of recipes one can enter?
Hi Terri, There is no limit to how many recipes you can enter! Go for it. Best, the OFA editors
Simply Delicious Baked Asparagus
Layer a cookie sheet with fresh asparagus.
Spray with cooking spray or brush with cooking oil.
Sprinkle with any desired herbs and spices.*
Bake in preheated 350F oven for 15 mins. Check for tenderness. Bake an additional 15 mins or until desired tenderness is reached. Serve immediately.
*I like to use Italian herbs and fresh ground pepper. Or, alternately, use sesame seeds, soy sauce and other Asian-inspired herbs.
Can amateur cooks of any age from any country enter?


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This plugin works great for me in Firefox. But, for some reason, copy and pasting the code given in the plugin settings into a text widget makes IE9 show two drop down language areas.
Firefox only has one drop down.
The issue with IE9 is that the site won't translate since there are two drop downs. No matter which you select, nothing happens.
Will post if I find a solution.


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Japan Stocks Traded in U.S. Fall as Oil Surges; Australia Gains
Japanese stocks traded in the U.S. fell after oil prices surged, raising concern that higher energy costs will hamper the nation's economic recovery. Australian stocks rose.
American depositary receipts of Canon Inc., the world's biggest camera maker, dropped 1.9 percent in New York, and those of Panasonic Corp., an electronics maker, retreated 1.1 percent. Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Australia's No. 2 oil and gas producer, climbed 1.5 percent in Sydney today. The Japanese government will acquire a stake in Tokyo Electric Power Co. to influence management and ensure a steady electricity supply, the Mainichi newspaper reported, citing an unidentified government official.
"There are more listed companies in Japan that feel the negative effects of higher oil prices since they cannot pass on costs, than companies that benefit," said Takero Inaizumi, head of equity research in Tokyo at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. Speculation that Tokyo Electric may be partly nationalized "could adversely affect shares of banks and financial stocks."
The Bank of New York Mellon Japan ADR Index fell 1 percent yesterday. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 0.4 percent today. New Zealand's NZX 50 Index was little changed in Wellington.
Futures on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index were little changed today. The index fell 0.2 percent yesterday as a Federal Reserve official said interest rates may need to rise and concern about Europe's debt crisis grew.
Crude Oil Rises
Crude oil for May delivery rose 2.4 percent to $106.72 a barrel, the highest settlement since Sept. 26, 2008, on the New York Mercantile Exchange, amid concern that the Libyan conflict will prolong production cuts.
The Nikkei 225 declined 12 percent in the Japanese fiscal year that finished yesterday, and dropped 4.6 percent last quarter. Among the 33 industry groups in the Topix, utility companies including Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the nuclear plant crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, tumbled the most last year, followed by brokerages, while oil refiners climbed the most.
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru cars, may be active today after the company said it will suspend output of passenger cars in Japan through April 5.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 1.4 percent this year through yesterday, compared with gains of 5.4 percent by the S&P 500 and almost no change by the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. Shares in the Asian benchmark are valued at 13.7 times estimated earnings on average, compared with 13.7 times for the S&P 500 and 11.1 times for the Stoxx 600.


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A 3-month-old has died, the victim of abuse allegedly at the hands of his own father.
Colorado Springs police say they were called on the morning of April 15 to 1617 E. Woodmen Road, Apt. #141 regarding a 3-month-old infant who was unconscious and not breathing.
The infant was transported to Memorial Hospital Central by ambulance. Medical personnel tried to resuscitate the boy but he was pronounced deceased at approximately 9:29 a.m.
The El Paso County Coroner's Office completed an autopsy and has determined the manner of death was homicide and the cause of death was due to multiple blunt force strikes. The victim has been identified as 3-month-old Jayden Pierce.
The baby's father, 19-year-old James E. Pierce, has been arrested and charged with First Degree Murder. He made his first court appearance Tuesday, and is being held in jail without bond.
It's unclear what may have triggered the alleged attack on Jayden, but it's the kind of the death that some say can be prevented.
Sally Duncan is a Trauma Outreach and Injury Prevention Specialist at Memorial Hospital. She didn't comment on this case, but she says child abuse often stems from parents who are frustrated with their crying baby.
"People lose their patience, get very frustrated with crying babies thinking they have to solve the problem and they may shake, toss or hit the baby," said Duncan.
Duncan is working to prevent future child deaths, by teaching parents how to cope with crying babies. Before leaving the hospital, all new parents are required to watch a video showing the dangers of hitting or shaking a baby.
There are other resources available for parents who are in a tough situation. KPC Kids Place offers free childcare for up to 72 hours. You can call their 24-hour hotline 719-634-5439.
If you have information about this incident please call police at 719-444-7000. If you would like to remain anonymous you can call Crime-stoppers at 719-634-STOP (7867) or you can simply text CSPD and your tip to 847411 (TIP411).
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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|"Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge" #1 on sale July 16
Celebrating the launch of our new site back in April, CBR News dialed up Geoff Johns for a lengthy four-part interview to discuss his four ongoing DC Comics titles -- âGreen Lantern,â âAction Comics,â âJustice Society of Americaâ and âBooster Gold.â And as promised, with âFinal Crisisâ #1 now in stores and #2 solicited to include a âspectacular return from the dead,â we checked back in with the superstar writer to discuss his Flash-fueled tie-in miniseries, âFinal Crisis: Roguesâ Revengeâ and perhaps more importantly, the apparent return of Barry Allen to the DC Universe.
Johns, for obvious spoiler-sensitive reasons, couldnât share many details about what role the Silver Age Flash would play in âFinal Crisisâ or âRoguesâ Revenge,â but he said the DCU was big enough to support multiple speedsters, with both Jay Garrick and Wally West currently active with âJustice Society of Americaâ and âThe Flash,â respectively.
âI donât want to comment on it too much, obviously, because it will give away whatâs coming, but I think the DC Universe is a very big place and the characters are very strong,â Johns told CBR News. âI wish I could get more into it [Barryâs return] but I think it will probably be a little too revealing.â
Johns did admit that a Flash usually plays a significant role in DCâs âCrisis,â events, and rightfully so. âThe Flash is one of most important characters in the DC Universe. Heâs right there with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern,â Johns said. âI think there is no question the Flash belongs in the Top 5. Thatâs probably the reason why Flash is front and center. And obviously, there have been some dramatic changes to Flash during times of âCrisis,â but I just think, in general, he should be a big part of any big event. Any big story thatâs in the DC Universe, if it involves the DC characters, he needs to be there, because he is vital to the Top 5.â
|Barry Allen died in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and briefly reappeared in the sequel, "Infinite Crisis"
Barry Allen died in Marv Wolfman and George Perezâs âCrisis on Infinite Earthsâ and returned briefly to confront Superboy-Prime alongside the fourth Flash, his grandson Bart Allen, in Geoff Johns and Phil Jimenezâs âInfinite Crisis.â Allenâs return to DCU was strongly implied in the final pages of last monthâs âDC Universeâ #0 and garnered interest form mainstream media.
On April 30, the morning the 50-cent DCU teaser book was released, Johns was quoted in âNew York Daily News,â as saying, âWhen the greatest evil comes back to the DC Universe, the greatest hero needed to return.â
Asked by CBR News if he was excited to have the Silver Age Flash back in the DCU sandbox, Johns responded, âOf course. I am thrilled to see that character. Again, I canât say too much because I am in the know but I think the thing about Barry Allen is heâs got such a great life outside the costume that really never got to be explored in the last 20 years of comic books. I think there is a lot of potential there for something.â
With possible spoilers still on high alert, Johns added, âI am thrilled with what DC has cooked up for the Flash [coming out of âFinal Crisis]. Thrilled.â
|"DC Universe Zero" strongly implied that Barry Allen has returned to the DCU
Johns wouldnât clarify which Flash he was referring to -- Wally, Barry, Jay or even the recently deceased Bart -- nor would he say if he would be involved in the characterâs future plans. âRight now, Bartâs not around. Youâve got Jay and Wally and for the time being Barry. Itâs still open,â said Johns. âAs for me being involved or not, again, sorry but I canât really talk about it.â
What Johns can talk about is âFinal Crisis: Roguesâ Revenge,â with #1 due in stores on July 16. The âFinal Crisisâ tie-in reunites the writer with the artist from their fan favorite run on âThe Flash.â Johns said Scott Kolins is doing amazing work on the project that readers are going to love. âFrom the title, you know itâs a story thatâs centered on the Rogues. When Scott Kolins and I did our run on âThe Flash,â a big part of it was redefining and reintroducing the Rogues. The Rogues have gone though a lot of turmoil since we left the book and we have been dying to get back to these characters ever since we parted ways.â
The current incarnation of the Rogues includes Flash adversaries Abra Kadabra, Mirror Master, Heat Wave, the Pied Piper, the Trickster, Weather Wizard, and their frostbitten, fearless leader Captain Cold. The band of baddies was duped by Inertia into killing Bart Allen in the pages of âThe Flash: The Fastest Man Aliveâ and are in the midst of finding their way back to Earth in âSalvation Run.â
|On sale June 25, "Final Crisis" #2 promises a "spectacular return from the dead"
âThe Rogues are characters I really grew to love and understand and I wanted to do more with them,â explained Johns. âI always had stories for them; stories for what they could go through and what could happen to them, and where I would want to take them if I got to keep writing them, so itâs something that Scott and I have been talking about for a long, long time and the opportunity presented itself where Scott was available, I was available and everything was lining up in DCU to showcase the Rogues and the Flash.â
Johns continued, âThereâs a change in the air. The air is electric. And the Rogues come back from all of this crap that they have been through and theyâre tired. They are ready to call it quits. And when they find out maybe they can feel a bit better about where they are leaving things if they take out this kid [Inertia], who orchestrated the murder of Kid Flash. They go for it.â
Johns revealed there was âno questionâ that Captain Cold is the main character of the series and that he will also narrate the book. âEverything I love about Captain Cold was encapsulated in the issue I did, âThe Flashâ #182, which was my first Roguesâ issue,â said Johns. âHeâs a guy who has an extremely tough exterior but deep inside him, as much as he despises it, thereâs a touch of his heart that still beats and no matter what, he just canât shut that off. And it bothers him. He wishes he was as sociopathic as some of these other guys. But he canât be. At the same time, he is always able to shut it off for a little while, if he has to get really nasty. There is just something that appeals to me about his attitude. He doesnât care about these secret societies. Heâs like, âanother one, give me a break. It will come and go, like they always do. Weâre not joining this time. No.â
|Geoff Johns and Scot Kollins' "The Flash: Rogues" collects the acclaimed adventure from their run on "The Flash"
âThat is his whole attitude with Libra and this secret society in âFinal Crisis.â The Rogues are the rogues of the supervillains. And Captain Cold is the rogues of the Rogues. The Rogues are separate from everybody else. They have an allegiance to themselves.â
Asked if Captain Cold would ever have his heart warmed so much he would consider switching sides and use his powers for good instead of evil, Johns said, âNo way. He wouldnât do it. It would never work for him, long-term. He would never be a good guy. Heâs crossed that line too many times. And heâd cross it again if he had to. He has no interest in it. He lives hand-to-mouth. He just wants his share. âLeave me alone!â You know what I mean? Thatâs all he wants. He wants to get from Point A to Point B and not be bothered.â
Johns said when writing the Rogues, there is a fine line where they canât be âgoofyâ or âpsychotic.â âI call them âsuperthugs.â Most of them are blue collar, Weather Wizard being the exception,â Johns explained. âHeâs actually a lot more educated and refined than the others but he still chooses to lower himself to their level and hang out with them for a variety of reasons. Each of Rogues has their own reason for sticking around and each of them has their own problems and goals.â
The writer said there is really no other group like them in comic books and thatâs why he is most attracted to them. âThey talk about mundane things once in a while but they donât live mundane lives. They are not the regular guys that sit around and watch a game at a bar. Theyâll watch it at their place and theyâll have some kegs they swiped,â laughed Johns. âThey are really complex characters. I donât think they get the credit they deserve.â
|"Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge" #2
In fact, Johns places the Flashâs rogues right up their with the most wanted of any other hero active in DCU, right behind the baddest of the bad, the ones operating in Gotham City. âI am really proud of the roguesâ gallery we have built up for Green Lantern,â offered Johns. âI think his rogues are growing into something more and more special. I think Supermanâs got a great roguesâ gallery too. Flash has a great roguesâ gallery. Flash, for me, has the second best roguesâ gallery. Batman has the best. You can not beat Batmanâs roguesâ galley. Itâs impossible. The characters are so compelling, and so deviant and so sinister. And theyâre really reflective of Batman. Iâd love to do Batmanâs rogues one day. He just has a plethora of great villains. But Flash has a great range, as well. Youâve got the Rogues. Youâve got Gorilla Grodd. Youâve got Reverse-Flash. Youâve got Abra Kadabra. You really do have a lot of great villains with the Flash universe too.â
Johns said the Rogues are going to go through something in âRoguesâ Revengeâ that changes their outlook moving forward. âHeat Wave doesnât turn into fire or anything,â quipped Johns. âIâve got no interest in changing who they are. But what they want and what their motivation is and whether or not they are going to stick around are what the questions are.â
Check back to CBR News all this week for more stories spinning out of âFinal Crisis,â including Brad Meltzer on âDC Universe: Last Will and Testament,â Greg Rucka on âFinal Crisis: Revelationâ and Peter Tomasi on âFinal Crisis: Requiem.â
Now discuss this story in CBRâs DC Comics forum.


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Social applications (games, sharing, and location-based applications and services) are very quickly becoming the most prominent types of applications. These social applications have the potential to grow from a few users to millions of users in an incredibly short period of time, and as such, they need a robust, scalable, and dependable platform on which to run to meet the growing demands of the users.
Social Gaming
In their January 2011 Social Gaming: Marketers Make Their Move report, eMarketer predicts that the social gaming market will increase to $1.32 billion in revenues by 2012, up from $856 million in 2010. As the social gaming market continues to grow and become more profitable, many companies are looking to take their games to the next level and platforms to allow them to do it.
If we take the founding principles of Windows Azure (on-demand scalable computing resources, storage, and geographic delivery) and apply them to the needs of social games, we can quickly see how Windows Azure and Social Gaming is a perfect match. Companies like Sneaky Games (the developers of the Facebook fantasy game Fantasy Kingdoms) and Playdom (the makers of Bola Social Soccer, a Facebook, Sonico, and Orkut game with over 5 million users) are already using Windows Azure as their backend platform.
In the next instalment of Canada Does Windows Azure, an ongoing series featuring Canadian developers and their Windows Azure stories, you'll see how Toronto-based Huge Monster Inc. (Twitter, Facebook), developers of Code of War, designed, developed, and deployed their popular Facebook game using Windows Azure.
Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games
To make it even easier to develop social games with Windows Azure, the same folks who brought you the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 and iOS have now released a preview of their latest toolkit, the Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games. The toolkit allows you to quickly get started building new social games with Windows Azure. It includes accelerators, libraries, developer tools, and samples. It also has specific services and code to handle capabilities unique to games, such as storing user profiles, maintaining leader boards, in-app purchasing, and so forth.
As a starting point, the toolkit also includes the source code for a game called Tankster, created by Grant Skinner and his team at gskinner.com. The game is built with HTML5 and comes complete with reusable service-side code and documentation. It also supports a variety of social interactions including messaging, wall posts, and comments while player achievements and game stats are presented on a live leaderboard so gamers can interact with each other.
Try your skills at a round of Tankster >>
Next Steps
So what's next?
Download the toolkit >>
Then have a look at the samples and Tankster.
Deep dive into the architecture behind Tankster - Part 1 >> Part 2 >>
If you've previously developed a game, see how you can overlay the functionality provided by the toolkit onto your game. If the toolkit doesn't fit with your game, no worries. Think about your game's architecture and where you can leverage Windows Azure's on-demand compute, storage, and geographic delivery services to get your game in the Cloud. Either way, take this opportunity to see how you, too, can leverage the benefits of Windows Azure. If you don't have an existing game, now's the best time to sit down and design one!
ISVs, one by one, across the country are realizing the benefits of Windows Azure and are sharing their stories. Last week, I shared the story of Connect2Fans and how they are successfully using Windows Azure to support their product. In the weeks to come, I will be sharing more of those stories.
These stories clearly demonstrate realized benefits; however, a new study by Forrester Consulting is now available looks at them in depth.
The study interviewed six ISVs that had developed applications on the Windows Azure platform (Windows Azure, SQL Azure, AppFabric). These ISVs were able to gain access to new customers and revenue opportunities and were able to capitalize on these opportunities using much of their existing code, skills, and prior investments.
The study found that the ISVs were able to:
I highly recommend reading through the full study if you are considering Cloud options and are looking to understand the details behind these findings.
Read the full study >>
This article also appears on I See Value – The Canadian ISV Blog
Happy Canada Day! Let's celebrate with yet another Windows Azure developer story!
A few weeks ago, I started my search for untold Canadian stories in preparation for my talk, Windows Azure: What's In the Cloud, at Prairie Dev Con. I was just looking for a few stores, but was actually surprised, impressed, and proud of my fellow Canadians when I was able to connect with several Canadian developers who have either built new applications using Windows Azure services or have migrated existing applications to Windows Azure. What was really amazing to see was the different ways these Canadian developers were Windows Azure to create unique solutions.
This is one of those stories.
Leveraging Windows Azure for Applications That Scale and Store Data
Back in May, we talked about leveraging Windows Azure for your next app idea, and specifically, usage scenarios around websites. We talked about how Windows Azure is ideal for sites that have to scale quickly and for sites that store massive amounts of data. Today, we'll chat with Morton Rand-Hendriksen (@mor10) and Chris Arnold (@GoodCoffeeCode) from PhotoPivot.com and deep dive into the intricate ways they've used Windows Azure as a backend processing engine and mass storage platform for PhotoPivot.
PhotoPivot is an early stage, self-funded start-up with the potential for internet-scale growth as a value-add to existing photo platforms by adding a DeepZoom layer to peoples' entire image collections. This, coupled with its unique front-ends, creates a great user experience. PhotoPivot experiences huge, sporadic processing burden to create this new layer and is constantly in need of vast amounts of storage.
Jonathan: When you guys were designing PhotoPivot, what was the rationale behind your decision to develop for the Cloud, and more specifically, to use Windows Azure?
Morten: Cloud gives us a cost-effective, zero-maintenance, highly scalable approach to hosting. It enables us to spend our valuable time focusing on our customers, not our infrastructure. Azure was the obvious choice. Between Chris and I, we've developed on the Microsoft stack for 2 decades and Azure's integration into our familiar IDE was important. As a BizSpark member, we also get some great, free benefits. This enabled us to get moving fast without too much concern over costs.
Chris: I like integrated solutions. It means that if (when?) something in the stack I'm using goes wrong I normally have one point of contact for a fix. Using something like AWS would, potentially, put us in a position of bouncing emails back and forth between Amazon and Microsoft - not very appealing. I've also been a .NET developer since it was in Beta so using a Windows-based platform was the obvious choice.
Jonathan: What Windows Azure services are you using? How are you using them?
Chris: We use Windows Azure, SQL Azure, Blob Storage and CDN. Currently our infrastructure consists of an ASP.NET MVC front-end hosted in Extra Small web roles (Windows Azure Compute). We will soon be porting this to WordPress hosted on Azure. We also have a back-end process that is hosted in worker roles. These are only turned on, sporadically, when we need to process new users to the platform (and subsequently turned off when no longer needed so as to not incur costs). If we have a number of pending users we have the option to spin up as many roles as we want to pay for in order to speed up the work. We are planning to make good use of the off-peak times to spin these up - thus saving us money on data transfers in.
We use SQL Azure to store all the non-binary, relational data for our users. This is potentially large (due to all the Exif data etc. associated with photography) but, thankfully, it can be massively normalised. We use Entity Framework as our logical data layer and, from this, we automatically generated the database.
We use Blob storage for all of the DeepZoom binary and xml data structures. Public photos are put in public containers and can be browsed directly whilst non-public photos are stored in private containers and accessed via a web role that handles authentication and authorization.
One 'interesting' aspect to this is the way we generate the DeepZoom data. The Microsoft tools are still very wedded to the filing system. This has meant us using local storage as a staging platform. Once generated, the output is uploaded to the appropriate container. We are working on writing our own DeepZoom tools that will enable us to target any Stream, not just the filing system.
Our existing data centre was in the US. Because our Silverlight front-end does a lot of async streaming, users in the UK, noticed the 100ms lag. Using the CDN gives us a trivially simple way to distribute our image data and give our worldwide users a great experience.
Jonathan: During development, did you run into anything that was not obvious and required you to do some research? What were your findings? Hopefully, other developers will be able to use your findings to solve similar issues.
Chris: When designing something as complex as PhotoPivot, you're bound to run into a few things:
Jonathan: Lastly, what were some of the lessons you and your team learned as part of ramping up to use Windows Azure or actually developing for Windows Azure?
Chris: Efficiency is everything. When you move from a dedicated server to Azure you have to make your storage and processes as efficient as possible, because they directly effect your bottom line. We spent time refactoring our code to 'max out' both CPU and bandwidth simultaneously. Azure can be a route to creating a profitable service, but you have to work harder to achieve this.
How did we do it? Our existing back-end process (that, basically, imports new users) ran on a dedicated server. Using 'Lean Startup' principles I wrote code in a manner that allowed me to test ideas quickly. This meant that it wasn't as efficient or robust as production code. This was OK because we were paying a flat-rate for our server. Azure's pay-as-you-go model means that, if we can successfully refactor existing code so that it runs twice as fast, we'll save money.
Our existing process had 2 sequential steps:
During step 1 we used as much bandwidth as possible but NO CPU cycles. During step 2, we didn't use ANY bandwidth but lots of CPU cycles. By changing our process flow, we were able to utilise both bandwidth and CPU cycles simultaneously and get through the process quicker. For example:
Another HUGELY important aspect is concurrency. Fully utilising the many classes in the TPL (Task Parallel Library) is hard, but necessary if you are going to develop successfully on Azure (or any pay-as-you-go platform). Gone are the days of writing code in series
Thank you Chris and Morten. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking us on this deep dive exploring the inner workings of PhotoPivot.
In Moving Your Solution to the Cloud, we talked about two types of applications – compatible with Windows Azure and designed for Windows Azure. You can consider the original dedicated server hosted version of PhotoPivot as compatible with Windows Azure. Would it work in Windows Azure if it were deployed as is? Yes, absolutely. However, as you can see above, in order to really reap the benefits of Windows Azure, Chris had to make a few changes to the application. However, once done, PhotoPivot became an application that was designed for Windows Azure, and leveraging the platform to its max to reduce costs and maximize on scale.
If you're a Flickr user, head over to photopivot.com and sign up to participate in the beta program. Once you see your pictures in these new dimensions, you'll never want to look at them in any other way. From the photography aficionados to the average point-and-shooter, this is a great visualization tool that will give you a new way of exploring your picture collections. Check it out.
Join The Conversation
What do you think of this solution's use of Windows Azure? Has this story helped you better understand usage scenarios for Windows Azure? Join the Ignite Your Coding LinkedIn discussion to share your thoughts.
Previous Stories
Missed previous developer stories in the series? Check them out here.