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Amendment S proposes amending the Colorado Constitution to:
Amendment S makes changes to the state personnel system, impacting approximately 32,500 individuals in full- and part-time permanent positions in state government. The measure applies only to classified employees in the state personnel system and does not affect non-classified employees (about 41,000 individuals), most of whom work in the legislative and judicial branches and at institutions of higher education. All employees are covered under applicable state and federal employment laws, such as those protecting against discrimination.
State personnel system. In 1918, Colorado voters amended the state constitution to create the state civil service system. In 1970, the system was updated and renamed the state personnel system. It currently requires that:
• employees be hired and promoted according to merit and fitness;
• job candidates be scored and ranked using a competitive exam;
• hiring decisions be made from among job candidates with the three highest scores on competitive exams;
• eligible veterans be able to receive a hiring preference for only one position;
• positions be filled by Colorado residents unless certain conditions are met; and
• employees provide 12 months of satisfactory service before becoming certified as classified.
Other portions of the system are governed by state law or rule, including processes to evaluate candidates and job performance,
respond to grievances, and terminate employment. The system is administered by the state personnel director (head of the Department of Personnel and Administration), with oversight from the independent State Personnel Board.
Exemption from the state personnel system. Exempted positions are specifically listed in the state constitution and include most employees of the state courts, the legislature, and the state's institutions of higher education, as well as department heads and members of certain boards and commissions. Political appointees serving the administration of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are also exempt. Similar to the private sector, exempted employees and their state agency employers may each end the employment relationship at any time. In these positions, there are no universal standards for evaluating candidates, assessing job performance, or responding to grievances.
Amendment S allows the state personnel director to exempt certain additional management and support positions, up to 1 percent of the total number of employees in the state personnel system. Based on the current figure of about 32,500 classified employees, the measure allows an estimated 325 new positions to be exempted. Currently, most departments have only one exempt position, the department head. If voters approve Amendment S, additional exemptions may include deputy department heads, chief financial officers, public information officers, legislative liaisons, human resource directors, executive assistants to department heads, and members of the senior executive service (SES). The SES is a performance pay plan authorized by state statute to compensate up to 125 positions with a high level of management responsibility. SES positions are currently allocated according to department size, and new exemptions may be similarly distributed.
Evaluating and hiring job candidates. Currently, candidates must be ranked based on the results of a competitive exam using criteria set by each department and following rules issued by the State Personnel Board. In practice, each candidate is awarded up to 100 points based on the results of his or her exam, with additional points awarded if he or she qualifies for a veterans' preference. The measure allows for the use of other objective methods to evaluate, compare, and rank job candidates. These other methods may include written exams, oral boards, search committees, or the use of non-numerical criteria, as long as they meet professionally accepted standards. Current law requires hiring managers to choose among the three
candidates with the highest scores. Amendment S allows the top six candidates to be considered, regardless of the evaluation and ranking method used. Under the measure, the state personnel director, rather than the State Personnel Board, will be required to issue rules for the evaluation and ranking of candidates through the public rule-making process.
Hiring preferences for veterans. Under the current evaluation process, an eligible veteran or his or her surviving spouse receives five additional points on his or her competitive exam score. A disabled veteran receives ten additional points. Once an individual has been hired by the state using a veterans' preference, he or she may not apply the preference again to another position. Amendment S allows a veteran to continue to use preference points when applying for most
other positions in the system. Hiring temporary employees. Colorado's constitution allows for temporary employment of persons for up to 6 months to address a short-term or urgent hiring need. State rules clarify that a temporary appointment may not exceed 6 months within a 12-month period. The measure extends the time limit for temporary employment to 9 months,
and state rules may be adjusted accordingly.
Residency. Colorado's constitution requires that positions within the personnel system be filled by residents of Colorado unless the State Personnel Board finds the position requires special education or special qualifications and the position cannot be readily filled by a Colorado resident. Amendment S gives the state personnel director the authority to waive residency requirements as well. It also eliminates the residency requirement for positions located within 30 miles of the state border.
State personnel system oversight. The five-member State Personnel Board, which includes three members appointed by the Governor and two members elected by classified employees, sets policy for the system. None of the members may be a state employee. Currently, board members may serve an unlimited number of five-year terms and may only be removed for cause. The board is responsible for setting rules for conducting competitive exams used to evaluate candidates for positions in the system, approving exemptions from residency requirements, and hearing appeals to certain decisions made by the state personnel director.
If approved, Amendment S:
• reduces board terms from five years to three years for members appointed or elected after January 1, 2013;
• limits board members from serving more than two terms;
• allows two appointees to serve or be removed at the Governor's pleasure;
• removes the authority of the board to set rules for the process and criteria used to evaluate and hire candidates for positions
in the system; and
• allows the state personnel director to set the rules for evaluating and hiring candidates and to approve residency exemptions.


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Rubber Gaiters by M. Du Jour
M. Du Jour has finally completed making their rubber spats, and wore them into the office today! They are made from chrome snaps from Britex, up-cycled truck inner tubes, and rivets, with pattern guidance from Minnie at thankyoufornotbeingperky. These spats are très chic, with a touch of la brute, and are ideal for rainy San Francisco winter weather. No more unsightly rubber galoshes; these will keep your calves dry, and your attire en vogue.

subset: commoncrawl


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Please check the status of this specification in Launchpad before editing it. If it is Approved, contact the Assignee or another knowledgeable person before making changes.
Launchpad entry: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/upstart/+spec/common-script
This specification aims at providing a way to set up an environment for all scripts in a job file. This is done by adding a script section containing a shell script that will be executed before any other script.
This feature is needed because if someone wants to define a shell function or a variable that will be used in all the scripts of a job file, he/she will need either to copy the declaration at the beginning of all scripts or will need to put these declarations in another file and source it at the beginning of each script. The solution proposed here will simplify hat by not having to copy and paste the same code many times.
Use cases
- Often SystemV init scripts are configured by shell scripts sourced before the script. You should be able to source a script once and not have to source it in every script.
- Some distros use shell functions for starting and stopping the network. You should be able to define these functions once at the beginning of the file and use them everywhere else.
It will be possible to write scripts inside a new section that begins with common script and ends with end script. This script will be executed before any other script and in the same environment. For example:
common script source /etc/rc.conf ifup(){ ... } ifdown(){ ... } end script post-start script for if in $INTERFACES; do ifup $if done end script
No idea ... sorry.
ScottJamesRemnant: not that difficult, it could be done by simply concatenating the scripts in job_run_process, it may be easier if we force the /dev/fd/NNN trick, but it's possible either way.
Data preservation and migration
These changes are backwards compatible with the previous behaviour.
Unresolved issues
Maybe it could be possible to add a common script that will be sourced after any other script that would for example clean temporary files created in the common script that ran at the beginning. But it is not necessary because this cleanup can be written in a shell function that is easily called at the end of all other scripts.
ScottJamesRemnant: interaction with exec?


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Headquartered in Gig Harbor, WA, Big Feet Pajama Company (Big Feet Pjs) is a manufacturer of high-quality footed pajamas (footie pajamas, footy pajamas), onesies, pjs and sleepwear for children, men and women. Footed PJs Call (253) 509-0936 or (888)682-FEET to order footie pajamas by phone.
Copyright © 2016 Big Feet Pajama Co.. | Hosting and Web Design by: Olympic Web Design


text:
Array Colored Bond Paper, 20lb, 8-1/2 x 11, Assorted, 100 Sheets/Pack
Brand: Pacon®
Item #: PAC101048
- Create attention-getting newsletters, reports, personalized stationery, flyers, brochures.
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Greener Alternatives
Create attention-getting newsletters, reports, personalized stationery, flyers, brochures. Acid-free for archival quality. Can be used in printers, copiers or typewriters. Size: 8 1/2 x 11; Paper Color(s): Assorted; Paper Weight: 20 lb; Sheets Per Unit: 100.
Create attention-getting newsletters, reports, personalized stationery, flyers, brochures. Acid-free for archival quality. Can be used in printers, copiers or typewriters. Size: 8 1/2 x 11; Paper Color(s): Assorted; Paper Weight: 20 lb; Sheets Per Unit: 100.
|Paper Color(s)
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|8 1/2 x 11
|Paper Weight
|20 lb
|Pre-Consumer Recycled Content Percent
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|Product Comments


text:
Thursday, Dec. 5 • 7 p.m. CT
American Bank Center • Corpus Christi, Texas
The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi women's basketball team will play its first game of the season in the American Bank Center on Thursday, as it hosts UTSA for a 7 p.m. tilt.
• The Islanders are coming off a roadtrip in which they went 3-0 with wins against Belmont (72-62), Tennessee State (76-74) and Texas State (68-60). This is the first time since the 2004-05 season that the team has had three straight road wins.
• As a team, A&M – Corpus Christi is first in the Southland Conference in three-point percentage, shooting at a .365 clip from behind the arc. Brittany Mbamalu and Jasmine Shaw have recorded a majority of the treys, combining for 26 of the teams 38 made shots from deep.
• The Emerald Beach Islanders Classic marked the first time since 2010-11 that the Islanders hosted a tournament at home. A win against Western Illinois led the Islanders to an appearance in the championship game of the tournament.
• The Islanders come into the 2013-14 season with the Southland's top-ranked recruiting class.
• The team features 10 newcomers this season after losing three starters and eight total letterwinners.
• After struggling to find offense last year, Marshall transfer Jasmine Shaw has become the main offensive threat for the Islanders. Last season no Islander had more than two 20-point games. Shaw already has three and is averaging 16.8 points a game through the first six this season.
This will be the 18th meeting between the Roadrunners and the Islanders with UTSA leading the series 11-6. The Roadrunners have especially had the upper hand as of late, winning the last 11 of 12 games after A&M – Corpus Christi won the first five. Last season, the Islanders dropped a road game to UTSA, falling 52-40. The last time the Islanders beat UTSA was a 52-48 win on Jan. 23, 2010.
Most of the matchups between the two came in Southland Conference play, with 12 of the games played in conference. The Islanders had the most success against UTSA in nonconference play, with A&M – Corpus Christi winning all four games before both schools were part of the Southland in the 2006-07 season. The Roadrunners got their first nonconference win against the Islanders last season though, as the two schools still scheduled a matchup with the departure of UTSA to Conference USA.
The Roadrunners are 4-4 on the season, as well as 1-1 against Southland opponents with a win against Northwestern State (62-49) and a loss against Lamar (63-59). UTSA has also been knocked off by two Big 12 teams, as it fell to Texas 63-43 in the Roadrunners' season opener and to No. 9 Baylor 92-62. They have struggled on the road so far this year, losing both games they have played on the road. UTSA is also 1-1 in neutral site games.
While the Islanders have been hot from behind the arc, the Roadrunners have had a hard time knocking down shots from outside, shooting just 20.9 percent from downtown.
For the second straight game the Islanders overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to comeback to beat Texas State 68-60. With just 10:47 left to play the Islanders were in trouble, trailing the Bobcats by 16. However, that is when A&M – Corpus Christi made its run, storming back to go on a 25-4 run over a stretch of nine and a half minutes to take the lead en route to its third consecutive victory.
Heading into their two games in Nashville, the Islanders had been outrebounded by 27 total boards. However, A&M – Corpus Christi dominated the rebounding stats in its trip to the Volunteer State, outrebounding both Belmont and Tennessee State by 13. The Islanders then came back last week to outrebound Texas State by 19, while also snatching up 23 offensive rebounds compared to the Bobcats' seven.
A&M – Corpus Christi has now vaulted to third in the conference in offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and rebounding margin.
Jasmine Shaw, a senior transfer from Marshall, has tallied three games of 20 or more points this season and is almost averaging 16.8 points a game. Last season, no Islander had more than two games with more than 20 throughout the entire 2012-13 campaign. She currently ranks seventh in the Southland in scoring and first in the conference in free-throw percentage at 87.5 percent.
In the game against Tennessee State, she struggled from the field, going just 3-of-12 and 1-of 6- from downtown. However, she still made a huge impact on the team, setting a career high in rebounds with 13 — seven offensively — and in assists with nine. She also knocked down seven of her nine free throws to give her 14 points on the night, meaning she came just one assist short of picking up the first triple-double in Islanders' history. For good measure in that game she also hit the game-winning jumper with five seconds left and recorded four steals in the matchup.
Senior Brandi Huff had a breakthrough performance in the matchup against Tennessee State, setting a career high in rebounds while matching her top scoring outing. The Rockport-Fulton native notched her first career double-double, pulling down 11 boards to go along with a team high 15 points.
Freshman Brittany Mbamalu has mad a significant impact on the team, especially with her pinpoint shooting ability from three-point range. She has contributed more than a third of all of the teams made threes, and 13 out of 15 of her made field goals have come from downtown.
In her first two games she only saw two minutes of action in both games. However, she logged 19 minutes of play against Southern Utah, and went 3-of-8 from behind the arc for nine points, earning herself a spot in the starting rotation.
In her three games as a starter, Mbmamlu has had double-digit scoring performances in each outing with 14 against Belmont and Texas State and 11 against Tennessee State. She also tallied seven boards against the Lady Tigers and five against the Bobcats.
Shaw and senior Ashley Darley were named to the Emerald Beach Islanders Classic All-Tournament Team. Darley was also a major cog in the offense throughout the week, picking up a double-double against Western Illinois with 13 points and 11 rebounds to help the Islanders advance to the championship game.
In both of its two loses A&M – Corpus Christi has come up just short, losing by an average of just five points. In its loss against Fairfield in the championship game of the Emerald Beach Islanders Classic, the Islanders were just one play away from tying the game up. However, down three, they were not able to get a three-pointer off before the buzzer sounded. Then in the matchup with Southern Utah, the Islanders trailed by just four late in the game before the Thunderbirds pushed the lead back to seven before the final horn sounded.
With the departure of eight players from last year's squad, the Islanders only have four returners for the 2013-14 season made up of three seniors and one sophomore. The leading scorer out of the bunch was Ashley Darley, who was second on the team in points scored with 7.9 a game. Darley also ranked second on the team in rebounds per game and steals per game last year.
Taryn Gregory also returns for her final season after starting in 20 games last year. She comes into the year ranking fourth in career free-throw percentage with a .764 overall mark her first three years. Brandi Huff rounds out the trio of seniors after ranking third on the team in rebounds.
The lone sophomore on A&M – Corpus Christi's roster is Ashanti Plummer. The Manhattan, N.Y., native enters play this year after making an impact on the team her freshman year, ranking second on the team in games started with 22 and first in the team in blocks and 11th in the Southland in the same category.
The Islanders enter this season with the top-ranked recruiting class in the Southland after signing 10 newcomers. However, five of them join the Island University with collegiate experience – three at the Division I level.
Two of the transfers have played for coach Royce Chadwick, as Shay Weaver and Jasmine Shaw come to the Island University after playing for him at Marshall. Shaw will look to make an immediate impact, while Weaver will sit out this season because of NCAA transfer rules.
Alissa Campanero will look to get the ball in the hands of shooters as she dished out 4.9 assists per game last season with Odessa College and has experience in Division I after playing her freshman season at Hawaii.
Adebayo played at Eastern Oklahoma State Community College and averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per game, while securing 12 double-doubles, picking up First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region and Third Team NJCAA All-American honors.
Lexy Harris joins the Islanders after averaging a double-double with Angelina Community College, averaging 12.8 points per game and 10.9 rebounds to go along with 2.1 blocks per game.
Rounding off the highly touted recruiting class are five freshmen, with all but one of those coming from Texas. Ranked No. 63 in the ESPN Girls Recruiting National Rankings was Camesha Davis who averaged 16 points and 8.5 rebounds at Desoto High School. Another freshman that comes to the Coastal Bend almost averaging a double-double is Doshi Davis who averaged 11 points, 8.3 rebounds as a senior at Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas.
A freshman that managed to average a double-double her senior season of high school was Brittany Mbamalu, pulling down 10.1 rebounds a game to go along with 20.8 points. She was also named first team all-district her junior and senior seasons. Looking to help out a team that averaged less than 50 points a game last season is Kassie Jones, who was ranked 10th in Texas in scoring her senior year, averaging 24 points a game.
The lone freshman from outside of Texas is Rau Jau' Terry who comes to A&M – Corpus Christi from Louisville, Ky., and was rated one of the top 250 players in the country by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
After finishing last season 3-15, the Islanders have been picked by the Southland coaches to finish ninth in the conference, while the SID Poll has A&M – Corpus Christi occupying the 10th spot.
The Islanders will play their final game before a 10-day break for finals on Sunday, as they take on Texas-Pan American at 2 p.m. at the American Bank Center.


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DALLAS (November 9, 2012)—Former President George W. Bush's nephew George P. Bush has made a campaign filing that is required for someone to run for office in Texas.
Tim Sorrells, general counsel for the Texas Ethics Commission, said George P. Bush filed a campaign treasurer appointment on Wednesday.
Sorrells told The Associated Press Thursday night the document is required for someone to become a candidate under campaign finance law.
Sorrells didn't have other details on the filing. And Bush did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
The document doesn't specify what office Bush might seek.
Republican Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said Friday he thinks the younger Bush will likely seek his job in 2014 or will run for attorney general.
George P. Bush, 36, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, said in September his goal was to run for office.
The younger Bush lives in Fort Worth, where he runs a consulting firm.


text:
12 Sided Dice, D12
D12, twelve-sided dice. Includes classic 12 sided dice, in the shape of a dodecahedron, and also crystal shaped twelve sided dice. Perfect for generating a random number between 1 and 12.
Transparent Blue and White 12 Sided Dice$0.75This 12 sided transparent dice has white numbers on a clear blue dice. These look great when you hold them up to the light. It is almost as good as rolling a jewel or at least it looks kinda close. Great dice. Learn More
Clear Blue Double 12 Sided Dice$1.00This fantastic double 12 sided die is clear blue with a white dice inside. A great way to roll two D12s at the same time. A real cool novelty item Learn More


text:
More and more often these days, where there is smoke there is a drug problem. Like police departments elsewhere in Colorado and the nation, Pueblo is battling the latest drug scourge: methamphetamine.
Not only is it more difficult to combat because it is almost a cottage industry, the leftovers from the production process are a major health hazard.
Mobile production labs housed in cars, moving vans and anything else that can hold the modern day stills long enough to convert cold medicine into drugs.
With equipment and ingredients readily available in the average discount store, hack chemists are churning out thousands of dollars worth of highly addictive dope and hazardous byproducts created in the chemical reactions necessary to cook the drug.
Cleanup costs routinely roll into the tens of thousands of dollars.
Extended Web Coverage
Fast Facts About Meth
Many people may be unaware that they're living near a meth lab. Here are some things to look for:
Presence of the following items could indicate the existence of a meth lab:
Source: www.kci.org [Koch Crime Institute]


text:
Gloucester County uses Gloucester Alert to immediately contact you
during a major crisis or emergency. Gloucester Alert delivers important emergency alerts, notifications and updates to you
on all your devices:
When an incident or emergency occurs, authorized
senders will instantly notify you using Gloucester Alert. This alert system is your personal connection to real-time updates, instructions on where to go, what to do, or what not to do, who to contact and other important information.
Please log in to manage your account, or click 'New User' to set up your account.
County of Gloucester complies with all state and federal rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability in admission to, access to, or operations of its programs, services, or activities. In addition, Gloucester County encourages the participation of people with disabilities in its programs and activities and offers special services to all County residents 60 years of age and older. Inquiries regarding compliance may be directed to the Division of Disability Services at 856-384-6842/New Jersey Relay Service 711 or the EEO office at 856-384-6903.


text:
EXCLUSIVE: Deadpool Dons the Venom Symbiote in "Back In Black" #1 First Look
Comic Books
Showing results 26-65 of 143
"Saga" scribe Brian K. Vaughan discusses the ever-evolving universe of the acclaimed series, the recent hardcover collection and more.
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples continue their "flawless and consistent vision" with "Saga" #24, the last issue before the planned hiatus.
"Saga" and "Y: The Last Man's" Brian K. Vaughan discussed his approach to world building, sense of character and ability to defy expectations.
"Saga" leads the pack of Harvey winners, picking up four awards at last night's Harvey Awards, presented as part of the Baltimore Comic-Con.
Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples continue their excellent run with "Saga" #22, which delivers "everything you hope for, and then a little bit more to boot."
The Eisner Award-winning artist takes center stage in a revealing behind-the-scenes look at her process and the making of "Saga."
Brian K. Vaughan delighted his fans with stories from his career, why he's done with television and, of course, behind-the-scenes details on "Saga."
Fiona Staples debuts the cover art for the first hardcover collection of hers and Brian K. Vaughan's "Saga."
"Attack on Titan" claims top two spots! Japan's proposed child pornography law to exclude manga, anime! The role of political cartoonists! Plus more!
Casey Gilly's got 99 problems, but finding fifteen comics with awesome female representation ain't one.
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' "Saga" #19 opens a new chapter in the series, with an issue that "just keeps bringing the hits."
But Marvel's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" cracks Top 20! This weekend, it's Toronto Comic Arts Festival! New York Post drops its comics page! Plus more!
DC and Marvel are shut out of bookstore Top 20 again! Co-CEO Jon Goldwater on how Archie Comics has changed! A doujinshi chilling effect? Plus more!
In this week's CotW, Lying Cat gets her due, Legion lives up to his name, Deadpool's zombie homages continue and more!
The smash hit Image Comics series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples continues, with "Saga" #18 bringing the third arc to a climax on Jan. 29!
Brian K. Vaughan gets deep about his past and future, from DC's upcoming "Swamp Thing" collection to what's next in "Saga" and "The Private Eye."
Image lands nine titles in BookScan's Top 20 for December! "Jihad Jane" sentenced to 10 years for role in plot to kill cartoonist! "Speed Racer" rights revert to Tatsunoko!
ROBOT 6's contributors select their favorite comics of the year, including "Dial H," "The Property," "Hawkeye," "Marble Season," "Six Gun Gorilla," "March" and "Saga."
U.S. judge finds all pre-1923 Sherlock Holmes stories have lapsed into public domain! Interviews with Vaughan and Staples, Zdarsky, and Graham! Plus more!
Terry McGinnis activates the Bat-Signal, a velociraptor makes one giant leap for dinosaur-kind, Prince Robot IV gets it on, a watery nod to Ophelia & more.
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples continue their smash hit series from Image Comics, and CBR has a preview of "Saga" #17, on sale 12/18.
Angoulême International Comics Festival has announced its 35 official selections for the 2014 convention, including "Hawkeye, "Saga" "My Friend Dahmer" and more.
The Eisner Award-winning "Saga" continues from Image Comics, brought to you as always by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.
Eric Stephenson welcomed a range of Image creators to the Thought Bubble stage to talk about the company and their creator-owned work.
An impromptu conversation with a comic book store employee leads Blake Northcott to wonder why Image Comics titles are striking a chord with female readers.
This week, Finn gets spooky, Marco and Alana get romantic, The Shadow gets surreal and Dream gets -- well, two spots.
Still in rare form, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples present a "strong issue full of good character work" with "Saga" #15.
Sean Phillips and "Saga" 2013 British Fantasy Awards winners! Italy's Lucca Fest attracts record-breaking 300,000 people! Spotlight on CBLDF!
Image Comics' "Saga" #15 starts to bring numerous story threads together in the latest issue by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples. The book goes on sale October 30!
Image Comics' solicitations for January 2014 include favorites like "The Walking Dead," "Saga" and new titles including "Deadly Class," "Minimum Wage," "Egos" and more!
Writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples continue their Image Comics series with "Saga" #14, an issue that helps to illustrate why it "has rapidly become a comic for the ages."
Courtesy of Image Comics, CBR presents an exclusive preview of "Saga" #15 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Gwendolyn and Slave Girl think ponder the future September 25!
The award-winning artist of "Saga," Fiona Staples, spoke with CBR about her process, thoughts on comic book coloring and her reaction to the comiXology hiccup while sharing an exclusive preview of issue #14
Image Comics has provided CBR with its December 2013 solicitations featuring images and info for "The Walking Dead," "Saga," "The Saviors," "Dead Body Road," "Krampus!" and more!
This past weekend at LoneStarCon 3, Image Comics' "Saga" by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in the annual awards presented by the World Science Fiction Society.
This week, sees a game of 52-card pickup, a staring contest, fashion crimes of future past, a tale of the golem, and an optic blast.
Kelly Thompson gives writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples' "Saga" #13 4.5 stars, calling the series "easily one of the best ongoing comics around."
Courtesy of Image Comics, CBR presents an exclusive preview of "Saga" #13 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples. The search for cult romance novelist D. Oswald Heist begins August 14!
It's "The Walking Dead," "Saga" and lots and lots of manga on July bookstore chart! Inclusion of pro cosplayer stirs debate ahead of Salt Lake Comic Con! "Attack on Titan" spawns another series!
How digital transformed from perceived threat to "catalyst"! Brian K. Vaughan on "Saga," "The Private Eye" and "Under the Dome"! Len Wein talks Wolverine, and not receiving movie credit! Plus much more!
Archives: All | Comic Books | TV/Film | Video Games | Web Comics


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Tuesday, December 11, 2012
No Compromise
Posted by Shreve & Co. at 12:00:00 AM in Stephen Webster (27)
Uniqueness is hard to achieve when you are trying to please everyone. But when you have a niche; when you have accolades that share your tastes, compromise will not be a word in your vocabulary. This is true to Stephen Webster, the man, the brand. "…I knew I could give people something exciting, that I'd never have been able to do if I'd been making three-stone diamond rings for the trade." This statement made by Webster himself encapsulates his style; a style that has always brought excitement and intrigue by making jewels stand out and speak. Known for leaning heavily on his rock and roll influence, Stephen Webster has been a go-to for many A-listers. He had done works for Madonna for Guy Richie, Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera and adorned Lisbeth Salander star Rooney Mara for the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie. Stephen Webster's brilliance is apparent in many collections such as the Jewels Verne and the Seven Deadly Sins. The latter captures lust, envy, sloth, wrath, gluttony, and pride in seven eye catching pieces. In luxury rock and roll jewelries, there are a lot of 'cool' pieces. But none can compare to Stephen Webster. For your Stephen Webster pieces, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Stephen Webster.
References: http://www.professionaljeweller.com/article-10672-stephen-webster-adorns-girl-with-dragon-tattoo/
Written by Shreve & Co. at 12:00:00 AM in Stephen Webster (27) | Comments (0)
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And what other settings can I modify, considering I have a hardwired connection and great computer to get the best streaming quality?
my options are as follows keyint=250:vqscale=0:vqmin=2
the only video file engine I have enabled is tsmuxer
A few other questions
What do you guys look for as far as codecs, release names etc on downloads (legally owned of course)
How do I access multiple audio tracks using PSM?
How do I access non-hard subtitles like seperate SRT files?


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Automating On-Wafer Measurements with the new Agilent IC-CAP WaferPro
Webcast - Registrato | Where & When
Why this Webcast is important:
Agilent Technologies has recently introduced a new DC and RF automated characterization software environment to help test engineers achieve more efficient on-wafer measurements across temperature. This breakthrough solution efficiently controls DC/CV Analyzers, network analyzers, probers, switching matrixes, temperature chucks as well as the powerful 4070, 4080 and 41000 series of Agilent Parametric Testers. The new software is integrated into the IC-CAP Platform and takes advantage of its powerful measurement and programming environment to allow the definition of a custom library of efficient measurement routines such as adaptive measurement algorithms that can greatly reduce the overall measurement time. This presentation will cover the key benefits provided by this innovative solution and provide a short demonstration of its capabilities.
Who should view this Webcast:
Device Modeling Engineers
Where & When
|For more information
|At Your PC
|View the recording of the Jan 27, 2011 live broadcast
Prices shown are list prices and are subject to change without notice.


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learningscience.org About Us Tool Examples Report a Link?(Good or Bad!) Search Teacher Comments Do a Demo? Credits Tech Help
In the rectangle above, you will find the fundamental concepts and principles that underlie this standard. Below you will find a list of recommended "learning tools" for this standard. All links are in yellow, just click the link. Numbers are for reference only. Use our "Tell a Friend" feature, at the bottom, to send this page to a friend!


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Nov 9, 2009
Dec 2, 2009 7:40 AM
The Decline of the 3 Point Shot and What it Means for Basketball...
By Scott Nadler
Five-Star Basketball
The Decline of the 3 Point Shot and What it Means for Basketball
Throughout the history of basketball, there have been many rule changes which have significantly altered the way the game is played. The use a shot clock, widening of the lane, and the addition of a 3 point line come to mind immediately. The NBA has instituted several rule changes as of late in order to open up the game, increase scoring, and limit the physicality in the league. For example, the elimination of hand checking and forearm use in the backcourt and imposing stricter penalties for flagrant fouls have greatly impacted the freedom of an offensive player. As a result of the rule changes, scoring has gone up 5 points a game over the past 10 years, shooting percentages by 1%, 3 point shooting by 2% and 100 fewer fouls are being committed in today's game as opposed to the late 90's.
Last season, the NCAA made a rather noteworthy rule change of its own, moving the 3 point line back one foot, from 19 feet 9 inches to 20 feet 9 inches. The reason for the change is similar to the NBA's recent changes, which is to increase floor spacing. Its impact thus far (it's very early mind you, but still fun to evaluate) has been fascinating and it's going to be interesting to watch its long term effects.
So why is it fascinating you ask? Well, the 2007-08 season, the final season with the 3 point line placed 19 feet and 9 inches from the basket, marked the highest overall 3 point shooting percentage since the 1996-97 season at 35.02%. (1996-97 was the earliest season I could find these statistics for). The new rule was then enforced last season (2008-09) and the 3 point shooting percentage dropped almost 1% to 34.18%. And this year, 3 point shooting has dropped even further to 33.23%, it's lowest in fourteen years. Teams are attempting roughly one more shot a game then last year (37.46 shots as opposed to 36.73 shots) and are making slightly less shots (12.45 as opposed to 12.56).
So what does all of this mean? And what is the main reason for the drop in the 3 point shooting efficiency? I think the first thing to look at is how teams are defending these days. Due to its impact on scoring and how effective teams were at making 3's (35.02% 2 years ago), coaches have focused more on defending the 3. You hear coaches and commentators all the time talking about "running your man off the line" or showing a hard closeout. The emphasis here is to force your opponent to put the ball on the floor and make a play, as opposed to standing flat footed to shoot a 3. Now, since the line is moved further back, it takes an extra step to properly closeout, making it more difficult on the defense.
Therefore, coaches have altered their teams' defensive positions on the court, decreasing the gap of a help defender from the lane to his man. As a result, driving lanes have opened up and dribble drive offenses are becoming more and more popular. Guards are getting into the lane with more frequency in today's game as opposed to, say, ten years ago.
Furthermore, I think we will begin to see more and more teams playing zone, more specifically a match-up zone, especially if the 3 point numbers stay where they are. A zone will negate dribble penetration and matching up on the perimeter will allow the defense to get out on shooters. Man-to-man will always be the primary defense, but I think it'll be customary for teams to switch up their defenses and implement zones from time to time.
Failing to understand one's limitations is another major reason for the collegiate shooting woes and all other woes for that matter. You don't see Tim Duncan leading fast breaks or Steve Nash crashing the offensive glass or LeBron James; well, LeBron can pretty much do everything so we'll leave him out of this. But here's my point. Taking a shot from 3 point range isn't that difficult to do. Catch the ball and let it go, that's it. Making the shot on the other hand has been the problem and we're seeing more players, who can't shoot, shooting. College players today feel a need to shoot long distance shots in order to appear more attractive to professional scouts both in the NBA and in Europe, where the 3 point shot is essential to the game.
It's great for individuals to diversify their games. I love 7 footers who can step out to shoot 3's and I love seeing guards post up - but only if those players possess those skills. Understanding what you can and cannot do and what your strengths and weaknesses are is essential to team success. "Play your game." You hear it all the time and its one of my favorite axioms in basketball. Every team and player should live by that phrase.
The various rule changes over basketball's history have always been put in place to better the sport. Can you imagine if there was no shot clock and teams could hold the ball out with a lead? What would defenses do if there was no 3 second violation and Shaq could just camp out all day under the hoop? The game of basketball today is changing drastically right before our eyes. From the European influence coupled with the success of the 2006 Phoenix Suns (who are back by the way if you haven't been paying attention) the impact of the 3 point shot is more evident than ever. Teams are not only pulling and spotting up for 3's on fast breaks, but they're encouraged to, which would have been unthinkable not too long ago. Teams are hoisting up more 3's than ever and it's just a matter of time before all 5 guys on the court will be expected to shoot 3's and that day will be here before we know it. I'll be revisiting the topic of 3 point percentages as the season goes on, but evaluating the evolution and seeing the bigger picture will teach us a lot about where the game is going.
What do you think?
Thanks for reading. Visit www.5starbball.tv for more basketball talk, video, etc!


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Maya Angelou's Rock Star Chapter
The late Maya Angelou began her professional career as a singer. Released in 1957, her one and only album, "Miss Calypso," featured a cover photo of the future poetry giant in an alluring red dress and leaning over bonfire. It came out during the height of a calypso craze sparked by Harry Belafonte's hit "Banana Boat Song (Day O)."
Having grown up singing in church, Angelou went pro as a nightclub singer. Following a divorce from her first husband in 1954, she did a stint as an exotic dancer in San Francisco, then caught the ear of the managers of a music and comedy club. "After four months dancing the hootchy-kootchy at the Bonne Nuit Dance Club, I opened as the star, singing calypso songs at the Purple Onion. I went from making $300 a week to $750 a week," she wrote in a 2013 autobiography.
Read more: Poet, Author Maya Angelou Dies at 86
The sort of ethnic stereotypes Angelou went on to challenge were used to market her as a singer. In early press materials, the young African-American woman born in St. Louis was described as "a Watusi born in Cuba."
Originally released by the Liberty label, the "Miss Calypso" album featured five songs composed by Angelou, including a bluesy ballad called "Scandal in the Family." (The album was reissued by the Scamp label in 1995.) "Singer's name value is a rising commodity," wrote Billboard in a 1957 blurb review. The short-lived music trend also led to Angelou's screen debut in a movie released in 1957, called "Calypso Heat Wave."
More: Maya Angelou's Most Memorable Quotes
Soon after, however, Angelou abandoned her singing career, a move she described in "The Heart of a Woman," her 1981 autobiography: "But I made the decision to quit show business. Give up the skintight dresses and manicured smiles. The false concern over sentimental lyrics. I would never again work to make people smile inanely and would take on the responsibility of making them think. Now was the time to demonstrate my own seriousness."
Still, an invitation to perform at the Apollo Theater delayed her departure from the stage, at least temporarily. As she recalled in the book, during her performance she was hit with some verbal abuse by a heckler, but then succeeded in leading the Apollo audience in a sing-along of "Uhuru," a song about freedom.
Read more: My Day Eating Cornbread Salad With Maya Angelou
Though "Miss Calypso" was the only album she put out as a singer, Angelou contributed to multiple recording projects as a writer and poet. With Quincy Jones, she wrote songs for the 1968 Sidney Poitier film "For Love of Ivy," including a hit recorded by B.B. King, "You Put It On Me." She and her recitations were featured on a 1996 album by Ashford & Simpson. And in 2011, she contributed to a recording by the rapper Common, which led to a dispute between them over his use of the n-word in the song, "The Dreamer."


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Or is it a trick to split Conservatives?
Everything\'s well...
The NDP wants the 10 most important positions in parliament filled by bilinguals.
The ten key positions, all highly-paid, include the Auditor General, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), the Privacy Commissioner, the Access to Information Commissioner, the Ethics Commissioner and the Commissioner for Lobbying.
Currently only Auditor-General Michael Ferguson, recently appointed by Stephen Harper, is not bilingual. Ferguson was given a year to learn to speak French. All the others are fluent in both official languages.
This New Democratic Party initiative comes after Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser criticized the appointment of the unilingual Ferguson in his last report.
Fraser goes further. He accused the Harper government of "violating" the Official Languages Act by appointing Ferguson, a unilingual Anglophone after being clearly warned not to do so. Harper is not the sort of guy who appreciates being criticized openly.
New Democrats have quickly learned a few Machiavellian tricks, mainly how to get the conservatives bouncing up against themselves.
The NDP legislation has the potential to divide conservatives into two camps - those who favor bilingualism for holders of high positions as officers of Parliament, and those who are satisfied to continue the pattern of unilingualism so prevalent in Ottawa in the past which usually favored, in Ottawa, almost always an English-speaking person.
Indeed, this is precisely what happened. Minister Max Bernier quickly proclaimed that he is in favor of the NDP legislation favoring bilingual officers. Bernier is proud Beauceron who speaks excellent French as well as English. He is also close to the Montreal English-speaking business community.
"Very good bill," said Bernier. "I can tell you that personally I will support it and I hope that my government will support it."
Is that clear enough?
Bernier added: "We are in a bilingual country, and officers of Parliament should be bilingual from their appointments."
James Moore, from British Columbia, who is a fully bilingual, and happens to be the first French immersion graduate from B.C. to make it to cabinet, surprised many by speaking out against the NDP legislation on bilingualism.
If there is a minister who would expect to support bilingualism for parliamentary officers, it would be the minister who answers for official languages in Parliament.
That's the perplexing predicament in which Harpers finds himself. One minister is for the NDP bilingualism, one against. So which way does Harper go? And don't ministers have to all agree - cabinet solidarity and all that?
Ah, those wicked NDP. They've learned the game of politics awfully fast and are about to stick it to Harper no matter which way he turns.
So which minister is going to pay for it with his job, or will one of the two have to eat crow? Is there a cabinet reshuffle in coming?


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ROCKET CENTER - Alliant Tech is leveling off property south of Route 956 in anticipation of future expansion of the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory plant.
With no more room available for expansion at the existing plant complex, ATK is improving about 20 acres of land across the road, essentially flattening an area for future development and installing required drainage systems and other features.
ATK officials said that while the company has no immediate plans for the property, the work "provides options for potential industrial base growth."
In addition to grading, the project involves construction of two new storage magazines for explosives, which will replace older storage units at ATK, which manufactures advanced weaponry, ammunition and other military hardware.
According to ATK, the work is generating about $6 million for the local economy, including 35 construction jobs. The work, which began in July, is expected to wrap up this summer.
The photo looks north-west toward Dan's Mountain, with the ABL plant visible at the far right.
(Tribune photo by Richard Kerns)
Location, ST | website.com


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February 04, 2013
DE Da'Shawn Hand of Woodbridge, VA released an updated top five list on Twitter Monday night. The only change from his top five a month ago was the addition of Florida and the deletion of North Carolina. Hand has a strong relationship with new Florida defensive line coach Brad Lawing dating to Lawing's days at USC, and that's why he added the Gators. His top five schools now are USC, Florida, Virginia Tech, Michigan and Alabama. Hand plans to go to Virginia Tech's junior day in April. He plans to visit USC this summer. Last season Hand had 110 tackles with 40 tackles for loss and 16 sacks.Tweet
Published August 24
Published August 23
Published August 22
Published August 22
Published August 19
Recruiting Notebook August 24th]}
Location, ST | website.com


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In Tony's own words: "This is a standard cuboid transformation of an Eastsheen 5x5x5. It is 100% fully functional and quality is good."
Tony admitted further:"When I was half way through contructing this puzzle I learned that Katuhiko Okamoto was also making it. Since mine is slightly different and made an alternative way, he has no objections to it."
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The FDA is going to investigate whether the "Aeroshot" canisters of inhalable caffeine are actually safe. When you hear about widely available and totally unregulated drugs like this that are available with absolutely no medical supervision whatsoever to any kid who wanders into a convenience store, it makes you ask: is that stuff any good?
Let me know. Kinda tired of NO-Xplode.
[Photo via Facebook]


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Wednesday October 19, 2011
Thomson, Ga--They are the highest scoring team in the state of Georgia and the points Thomson is putting up this year, is kind of scary to be honest with you. What's even more scarier, most of the points are in the first half. One big cog in that machine is our player of the week, quarterback Josh Jones.
His numbers keep getting bigger and bigger it seems and this week he accounted for five touchdowns. Three through the air, and 185 yards passing, and two on the ground, on two carries and 61 yards. He's become a complete player and is well aware it's about team first.
"It just worked out how we worked out at practice." said Josh Jones "We had good hard week at practice and repetition and the things just felt good in the game. The offense is starting to click in the new system and we're all getting use to it and it's beginning to flow with us."
"Of course he's not a state guy" said coach Milan Turner "He sees it and that's great and its like icing on the cake. He's a team player and he just goes out there every Friday night and sells out for his teammates and he's reaping the benefits of that."
What might be more amazing, Jones is only playing about 25 to 30 offensive plays a game. Imagine what the numbers would be otherwise. For his efforts, we honor Thomson's Josh Jones as our Operation Football Live player of the week.


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High Interest: Feb. 14
Published: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8:24 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8:24 a.m.
"Lunch and Learn" will be from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at Express Employment Professionals offices, 1979 Hendersonville Road, Suite B, Asheville.
The seminar will cover the topic of the "Poor Leadership and Communication" that is one of the top five threats facing businesses today, according to business executives across the U.S. Numerous studies indicate that the number one reason people quit their jobs is due to poor leadership and communication, a reason for departure given even more often than money alone.
Lunch will be catered by Valet Gourmet.
Space is limited so registration is required.
For more information or to RSVP, contact Meredith Campbell at email@example.com by Monday, Feb. 18.
A new economic impact report released by the National Beer Wholesalers Association titled "America's Beer Distributors: Fueling Jobs, Generating Economic Growth & Delivering Value to Local Communities" provides the first-ever comprehensive report on bee distributors' total impact on national and state economies.
The report provides an indepth view of beer distributors' economic contributions by taking into account how beer distributor activities are intertwined with many parts of the economy, especially the personal services sector. The report also details how resources contributed by beer distributors help to support the local communities where the companies make their home, including contributing to charitable causes and promoting responsible alcohol use and adds the impact of these activities to the usual impacts of distributor operations.
Among the key findings are:
u N.C. beer distributors directly employ 3,869 people.
u N.C. beer distributors generate $1.39 billion in total economic impact statewide.
u N.C. beer distributor activities contribute $298 million to the federal, state and local tax bases. This does not include an added $320 million in federal, state and local alcohol excise and consumption taxes on beer sold in North Carolina.
u Beer distributor contributions to local community activities generate $4.7 million annually.
u Capital investment resulting from N.C. distributor operations translate to a total of 9,856 jobs statewide.
The report was produced by Dr. Bill Latham and Dr. Ken Lewis of the Center for Applied Business & Economic Research at the University of Delaware.
The Western North Carolina area is becoming a beer mecca with the location of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's East Coast operations in Henderson County and Oskar Blues Brewery operating in Transylvania County.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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- Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog Vacuum Sugg. Price $1,049 Our Price $949.95
- Miele Dynamic U1 Cat & Dog Vacuum Sugg. Price $715 Our Price $649.95
Gifts for Pet Lovers
Choosing gifts for pet lovers is a delight with our assortment of dog lover gifts and cat-friendly gifts. You can choose from dog beds that can be monogrammed for a special touch. These dog beds have anti-microbial soft polyester stuffing. Other great gifts for pet lovers include dog collars that can be personalized. We also have water bowls in different designs like chalkboard bowls and stoneware bowls in this collection. Most pet lovers will also appreciate pet treats and we have included organic doggie treats in this collection. For more gifting option based on personality, take a look at our gifts for bakers and gardener gifts.


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What storage managers are buying and why
Our second installment of the 2006 edition of Storage magazine's exclusive Purchasing Intentions Survey reveals key storage technology purchasing decisions by storage managers across all industries.
The second installment of the 2006 edition of Storage magazine's exclusive Purchasing Intentions Survey reveals...
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key storage technology purchasing decisions by storage managers across all industries.
Like the proverbial certainties of death and taxes, storage managers can count on two factors affecting their budgeting bottom line: data growth and the need to protect that data. Those two themes weave in and out of the results of the second installment of Storage magazine's 2006 Purchasing Intentions Survey.
Our purchasing survey is administered twice a year: in the spring when budgets are fresh and optimism prevails, and in the late summer when hard reality forces some adjustments to planned projects and associated spending. Historically, our second survey has served to confirm technology planning and to point out where adjustments have been required (see "About the survey").
Overall, storage spending is up, with an average budget increase of approximately 5.2% indicated by respondents. That figure is marginally higher than the 5% anticipated increase reported in the spring, which may mean that some additional funds were allocated to handle underestimated growth or unexpected expenses (see "Storage growth drives buying plans," Storage, June 2006). Fifty-four percent said their budgets increased, with 29% citing a rise of more than 10%; less than 12% said their budgets decreased.
Based on the 477 respondents who provided budget information, the average storage budget for 2006 is $3.6 million--a figure that, not surprisingly, has risen steadily. One year ago, the average storage budget was $3.3 million. While $3.6 million is a fairly substantial budget, it should be pointed out that 48% of the companies surveyed reported storage budgets of less than $1 million.
As in the past, disk storage takes the biggest bite out of storage budgets, accounting for 44% of the pie--a number that has remained essentially unchanged for two years. The rest of the average budget is consumed on a roughly equal basis by staff, storage software, switches/networking hardware, removable media and services (see "Where your budget dollars go," at right).
Dollars for disks
As past surveys have shown, the need for more disk capacity is the leading reason why storage managers make new storage technology purchases. Last spring, respondents planned to add an average of 37TB of storage capacity; in the most recent survey, that number edged up to 40TB--33% higher than one year ago. That's not a total of 40TB of installed storage, it's 40 new terabytes of capacity: additional disks in existing arrays and entirely new disk subsystems (see "Planned disk storage purchases [2006]," at right). Given the level of growth, it's not surprising survey respondents indicated that 59% of their disk expenditures in 2006 will be for new SAN arrays (see "Primary disk storage expenditures [2006]," below).
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange's (CME) storage budget rose approximately 10% this year, with much of that increase earmarked for new storage systems. But increasing capacity isn't the firm's only issue. "It's less about capacity," says Joel Kulesa, storage architect at the CME, "but more about transaction rates and number of physical volumes, which have been increasingly fast."
Adding disk to achieve better performance doesn't necessarily mean upping the number of spindles in existing arrays. "We get better transaction rates by adding more storage frames and fewer single points of failure," says Kulesa. He also sees some economy in adding entire frames, rather than increasing the number of disks in the firm's existing tier-one EMC Corp. and Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) Corp. arrays. "Adding drives costs almost as much as adding another storage frame," he notes.
Kulesa says the CME has looked into alternatives to high-end arrays, but the prospects haven't been compelling as yet. "We've been a little hesitant to jump on those platforms for our high-availability projects," he says. "Their costs aren't dramatically low enough to make it worthwhile to try."
For some companies, disk represents a major portion of their storage budget because they've undertaken major storage restructuring projects. Stewart Taylor, manager of information technology at Creative Benefits, a Vista, CA-based benefits outsourcing firm, reports that his storage budget rose approximately 10%, with the increase almost entirely earmarked for revamping the storage infrastructure. Taylor replaced a mostly DAS environment with a Compellent Technologies Storage Center array. "This was a major deal," he says, and not necessarily representative of typical budgeting at the company. He says dramatic price decreases for storage arrays made the transition feasible. "When I first got onboard, they told me to look into it [a SAN] and it was over $300,000," says Taylor. "Now we're down to $70,000."
Creative Benefits also evaluated other vendors' arrays, with Compellent and Network Appliance (NetApp) Inc. emerging as its two finalists. In the end, functionality and price were the decisive factors. "The NetApp had a lot of whistles and stuff," says Taylor, "but, boy, each one of them costs."
The storage budget for the City of North Vancouver, British Columbia, also increased. While much of this year's budget growth was to accommodate salary increases, a portion of the budget was designated for a DAS-to-networked storage migration, among other projects. "We're pretty much redoing our operational infrastructure," says Craig Hunter, manager of IT for the city. The keystone of North Vancouver's upgrade project was the addition of a NetApp array with 3TB of capacity. Hunter is well along with preparations for his 2007 budget, which he expects to be similar to this year's. "At this point, it's probably in that range for next year," says Hunter, who hopes to add another array. "Longer term--six months, I guess--we'll have a DR [disaster recovery] SAN at our business-continuity site."
The storage purchases made by Kulesa, Taylor and Hunter reflect the disk subsystem purchasing patterns of the aggregate survey responses. Larger companies overwhelmingly opt for high-end disk systems, such as the EMC Symmetrix and HDS TagmaStore USP that Kulesa says are staples of his shop. Predictably, midsized businesses are more likely to purchase midrange systems, such as the Compellent and NetApp boxes acquired by Taylor and Hunter.
EMC still the most favored
Among our survey respondents, EMC is still the major supplier of disk subsystems, with 46% saying they've already purchased--or plan to purchase--an EMC array (see "Who you bought your disk systems from," at right). Consistent with past surveys, Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co. ran second, with 33% saying they added HP storage to their shops. IBM Corp. (with 29%) surged past Dell Inc., coming from five percentage points behind in last spring's survey to six points ahead in our most recent survey. That was the most dramatic change among disk vendors, and may suggest that IBM's alliance with NetApp to fill holes in its low-end and midrange product lines may be bearing some fruit.
Once again, features and functionality were cited by 32% of respondents as key factors in making a disk subsystem purchase--criteria that have been consistently cited as most important across all product categories in this and past surveys. Having a foot in the door also gives a vendor an edge, with 21% saying that having other technology installed by a vendor will likely influence new purchasing decisions. Company size is also a factor, with larger companies more focused on support issues and small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) being more price sensitive.
Is iSCSI turning a corner?
While the overall buying plan for iSCSI technology was unchanged in last spring's tallies, there was a striking change in how companies plan to use iSCSI- based systems (see "Planned iSCSI deployments," at right). In both the earlier survey and the most recent one, 31% of companies indicated plans to implement iSCSI. Last spring's number represents a significant jump in interest in iSCSI, and the current number suggests companies are carrying through on their buying plans.
Because iSCSI is easier to install and less expensive than Fibre Channel it remains more popular among SMBs, with 35% of midsized companies and 34% of smaller firms saying they're implementing iSCSI systems. Only 24% of large organizations say they're on the iSCSI bandwagon.
However, the strongest indicator that iSCSI storage may be approaching some level of maturity is the types of applications it now hosts. While iSCSI is still used primarily for end-user storage and backup, more companies are starting to use it for their mission-critical applications and e-mail. Forty-two percent say they'll deploy mission-critical apps on iSCSI vs. 30% only six months ago (see "iSCSI SAN applications," at right). Similarly, e-mail is gaining favor as an iSCSI app, with 37% indicating they'll deploy their e-mail on iSCSI storage--a nine percentage point jump from last spring.
Creative Benefits' Taylor didn't opt for an all-iSCSI array in his move from DAS, but he did the next best thing. "We went with a mix and got iSCSI and Fibre Channel," says Taylor, describing the dual-protocol capabilities of his Compellent system, although he may not be quite confident enough of iSCSI performance to put the company's key apps on it. "Our main production stuff is on the Fibre Channel," says Taylor, "and anything that's back end is running on iSCSI."
Net effects
Storage networking infrastructure trends remain generally stable. The average number of installed SANs at responding companies is 3.4, with all company size segments reporting a slow, but inexorable rise. A year and a half ago, a significant drop in the number of installed SANs (2.4) was reported across all company sizes. That dip may be attributed to consolidation efforts; if so, the subsequent climb in the number of SANs suggests that storage growth has caused a shift in gears from consolidation to accommodation.
Network architectures built around director-class and other high-port switches are also becoming more prevalent. Twenty-nine percent of responding companies say they'll acquire switches with more than 128 ports this year. Nearly 47% of large companies report having director-class switches at the core of their storage networks. The CME has a dual core-edge fabric in place, but it's built around fairly hefty directors and switches. "We have core chassis-type machines functioning as an edge to provide a little higher availability and make scaling a little faster," says the firm's Kulesa.
Among switch vendors, Brocade Communications Systems Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. continue to duke it out for the top spot. The two companies are in a statistical dead heat, with 43% of respondents saying they bought or plan to buy switches from each company this year (see "Switch purchases in 2006," at right). When asked to name a prime switch vendor for 2006--a question that reflects mindshare more than market share--Brocade and Cisco are deadlocked again with 33% each. But Cisco might have the upper hand; when asked to name their primary vendor for 2007, Cisco outscored Brocade 39% to 32%, representing the first time Cisco has led in this respondent ranking. Of course, Brocade's recent acquisition of McData Corp. is likely to have a significant effect on user preferences and ultimate buying patterns, which weren't recorded in our latest, late-summer survey.
Casting the net wide
Spending on building out WANs increased by five percentage points vs. last spring as storage managers fortify their DR readiness with long-distance replication. Once again, DR is the most cited factor for increased WAN spending, as indicated by 67% of responding companies vs. 60% a year ago. (See "Key reasons for wide-area storage network purchases," at right)
Another key component of a business-continuity plan is ensuring that there's ample bandwidth between geographically distant data centers. Forty percent of survey respondents noted that connecting data centers was at least part of the motivation for WAN investments. To ensure adequate connectivity, 45% say they'll buy more or faster long-distance communications lines.
A fair amount of interest was reported for relatively new wide-area technologies such as wide-area file systems and WAN acceleration, with 22% and 19% of respondents, respectively, planning 2006 purchases.
Disk and tape together
The number of large companies that indicated they'll increase disk-based backup spending jumped from 58% to 65% since last spring. But at the same time, plans for tape-related purchases increased by 10 percentage points. In fact, across all company sizes, plans for tape purchases--or actual purchases--increased.
With tape spending bouncing back up (as reflected in our most recent survey results), a pattern spanning the last two years is beginning to emerge. In the spring edition of the survey, respondents tended to express their intention to lower their expected tape expenditures, while responses to the fall survey edition reverse that trend. This is likely caused by a combination of two factors: overly optimistic expectations that disk in the backup process will eliminate tape and the sooner-than-anticipated wearing down of aging tape libraries.
"The old library was giving us fits and starts," says Creative Benefits' Taylor, "and I saved some big bucks on a fax server deal." He applied the money he saved toward a new Spectra Logic Corp. Spectra T50 tape library. While the T50 tape library solved his tape problem, Taylor doesn't view the new library as a final solution. "Our plan is to move to disk-based backup next year," he says.
New data protection technologies, like continuous data protection (CDP) and single-instance storage, are beginning to gain some traction among storage managers. For CDP, 22% of respondents say they already have or will implement it, while 45% will evaluate the technology. That latter number is down from the 50% reported in the spring, and may reflect the caution with which storage professionals approach data protection technologies that are significantly different from what they have in place.
There may be other issues besides revamping data protection schemes. The CME's Kulesa has an interest in CDP, but "so far we haven't seen any solution that can remotely keep up with our transaction rate."
Planning for next year
For many storage managers, planning for the next year's budget starts right about the time the current budget is approved. It's an arduous process that requires company-wide vision and the ability to anticipate the unexpected. But the process of deciding how much you'll spend and what you'll spend it on typically also involves finding places to trim current costs.
"So far, we've been relatively immune to cutting costs," says Hunter with the City of North Vancouver, but even stable budgets can look a bit shaky when costs are rising. "We're also looking at ways of maintaining my headcount."
For others, reining in costs is a matter of revisiting current practices. "We've been finding ways to centralize licensing," says Kulesa, referring to the CME's current licensing arrangement for Symantec Corp.'s backup app. He thinks they might be able to trim costs a bit through consolidation and by reducing the number of licenses required.
"We had to cut costs," says Taylor, as he explains how his company accommodated the purchase of its new array. They cut back a little by delaying some work on a few app projects and security enhancements. "I know that's going against the grain," says Taylor, "but if you don't have any data to secure, what does it matter?"
About the survey:
Storage's Purchasing Intentions Survey is administered twice a year. This is the fourth year we've asked storage managers to respond to the survey. Survey responses for this edition of the Purchasing Intentions Survey were gathered in August 2006, with a total of 564 responses overall, representing a broad cross-section of industry sectors. The number of responses for particular questions varies because respondents were asked to only answer questions in the product categories for which they have purchasing authority.
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