text:
If brevity is the soul of wit, "Seminar" is the height of funny.
Theresa Rebeck's Broadway hit takes us inside the snarky world of a posh writers workshop where students fork over $500 a week to be subjected to massive doses of derision with a side of cruelty. Crisply directed by Amy Glazer in its regional premiere at San Francisco Playhouse, this fast-paced comedy of bad manners zips along for 100 minutes full of quips and zingers, but is ultimately also quite insightful about the vulnerability of truth in an insincere world.
Some critics have knocked the play for a lack of substance, others have suggested it is misogynistic at its core, but both criticisms miss the point of the satire entirely.
Rebeck, best known for "Smash" on television as well as tart comedies such as "The Scene" and "Bad Dates," reveals a lot about her own life and work here. She examines the way writers are consumed by the publishing industry, the sexual politics that shut women out of the A-list, and the absurd lengths to which artists will go to pursue their voice.
In this case, four fledgling scribes line up like lambs before the slaughter in a tony Upper West Side apartment (gorgeous set design by Bill English). Meet the name-dropping wannabe Douglas (Patrick Russell), the nephew of a famous writer; the sexy schmoozer Izzy (Natalie Mitchell); the sheepish young man Martin (James Wagner); and the smart and well-heeled Kate (Lauren English), who plays host to the class in her family's elegant Manhattan manse. It's a rent-controlled nine-bedroom flat with a view of the river that costs just $800 a month, which Martin wryly describes as a "subsidy for the rich."
Pretension is an obligatory pose here, and these four like to squabble about "the exteriority" and "the interiority" of various and sundry writers' colonies and bandy about labels like "postmodernism" and "magic realism." Coddled from preschool to college, these 20-somethings are so smug it's hard to believe how quickly they shrink and quiver once their legendary teacher arrives. In these first scenes, which don't yet flow as naturally as they should, the play appears to be a parody of big trust funds gone bad.
Once a famous novelist, Leonard (a sublime Charles Shaw Robinson) now seems dedicated almost entirely to braying about his globe-trotting escapades from Chechnya to Somalia and ripping his students to shreds. Leonard also knows his flock has fragile egos, and he takes every opportunity to poke at their weaknesses. Rebeck delights in verbal displays of viciousness here.
After reading just five words, he dismisses one student's life's work as a "soul sucking waste of words," that's "relentlessly talent free." In fact he can't even be bothered to throw her pages into the trash, preferring instead to let them merely drop to the floor.
He labels another of his cub writers a "whore" and sends him packing for Hollywood, where he can get rich peddling his "detached tone of perplexed intelligence."
Robinson shows his mastery of nuance and timing as the gonzo writing guru, sliding from withering to wooing in a flash. It seems some of his protégés are more than willing to trade sexual favors for literary advancement. Others are hoping to find a chink in his armor to prove that his denunciations of their work don't matter. It hardly matters to Leonard, who is enough of a narcissist to bask in any power afforded him.
English charts Kate's path from prim to pragmatic with great tenderness. Russell and Mitchell need to push harder to show us the emotions that drive their extreme characters. Wagner is thoroughly likable as the writer so scared of failure he can't take the risk of being read. But the actor hasn't found the character's heat, the anger that motivates his first stab at standing his ground.
For her part, Glazer is an old hand at giving Rebeck's glossy comedies heft. She orchestrates the romp with an ear for the truths hidden in what people say, so that every bit of betrayal and bed-hopping feels real. By the time the play goes deeper than parody and captures some of the terror and pleasure of the writing process, we are rooting hard for one of these perpetual adolescents to get it together.
Certainly the play takes some shortcuts, like depressed women binging on potato chips and ice cream (really?), and not all of the characters are etched with the same level of subtlety. But when the teacher finally discovers one of this students has a real gift, the true love story of the play begins. "Seminar" charts the dysfunctional romance between writers and words, and it's a doozy.
Contact Karen D'Souza at 408-271-3772. Read her at www.mercurynews.com/karen-dsouza, and follow her at Twitter.com/karendsouza4.
By Theresa Rebeck, presented by San Francisco Playhouse
Through: June 14
Where: 450 Post St., San Francisco
Running time: 100 minutes, no intermission
Tickets: $20""$100, 415-677-9596, http://sfplayhouse.org


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Giant Spider Crab
Photograph by David Doubilet, National Geographic
As if bathed in moonlight, a giant spider crab (Macrocheira kaemferi) is illuminated by a diver's lamp in Japan's Izu Oceanic Park. Protected from some predators by its hard exoskeleton, the creature—which can grow to ten feet (three meters) wide—can also blend in with the ocean floor. Under deeper cover, it can disappear beneath the sponges and other marine life it uses to adorn its shell.
Blue Whale
Photograph by Wolcott Henry, National Geographic
Sailboat-sleek, a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) slices through the waters of California's Channel Islands. The largest blue whale was confirmed to be nearly 110 feet (33.5 meters) long and 418,000 pounds (190,000 kilograms), making members of this species the largest animals on Earth. As such, the blue whale has virtually no natural predators.
Humboldt Squid and Diver
Photograph by Brian Skerry, National Geographic
A diver swims near a Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) in Mexico's Gulf of California. Also called jumbo squid, Humboldts travel in large schools and are notoriously voracious, occasionally even attacking divers.
Giant Clam and Divers
Photograph by Bill Curtsinger, National Geographic
Divers in the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands spot a giant clam (Tridacna gigas) anchored to a coral reef. During the day, the animal's fleshy mantle—which contains green algae—spreads over its open shell to take in sunlight. The sun feeds the algae, which in turn, nourishes the mollusk.
Young Blue Whale
Photograph by Flip Nicklin, National Geographic
Blending in with its ocean environment, a blue whale calf (Balaenoptera musculus) looms like a submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. At a mere 45 feet (14 meters) long, it's at risk of being killed by killer whales and large sharks.
Diver With Giant Clam
Photograph by Gordon Gahan, National Geographic
Exposing its mantle and inhalant siphon, a giant clam (Tridacna gigas) is in the ideal position for a diver's examination in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland, Australia. While in their larval stage, giant clams must swim and feed in the water column. But once they grow to adulthood, these largest of bivalve mollusks permanently affix themselves to surfaces such as sand or coral reef rubble.
Diver and Bluefin Tuna
Photograph by John Anderson, National Geographic
The silvery magnificence of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) swims past a diver in Japan's Tokyo Sea Life Park. The fish's belly meat is prized as the finest sushi in the world; one fish can easily sell for tens of thousands of dollars on the world market. Its meat is in such demand that overfishing—some illegal—leaves the giant bluefin population at risk of collapse.
Great White Shark and Diver
Photograph by David Doubilet, National Geographic
After luring a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) with chum, diver Andre Hartman ends up perilously close to the premier predator off the coast of Gansbaai, South Africa. Although attacks on humans do occur—with some resulting in death—shark scientists believe that great whites approach people more out of curiosity than predation. Unfortunately, they're inclined to "taste" what is unfamiliar to them.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
If theme parks were airlines, the price of admission to the Magic Kingdom might vary depending on how far in advance you bought the ticket, whether you wanted to go on a Tuesday or a Saturday, and if your visit happened to fall during the high-demand season around Christmas.
Though airfare-style pricing is catching on in other industries, many theme parks typically have offered it only for special events. But the idea of boosting revenue with such dynamic pricing and other types of variable-ticket systems has been getting some attention. This month, for example, the topic drew scores of park operators to a panel discussion in Orlando, Fla., during the annual meeting of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the industry's largest trade group.
"Day-of-the-week pricing, where you price cheaper during the week and more expensive on the weekends, is extremely uncommon. I think there's a gold mine right there," said Martin Lewison, an assistant professor at Farmingdale State College in New York who studies attraction pricing.
"More parks are using seasonal pricing -- high season, low season, shoulder-seasons pricing," Lewison said. "Remember, this is an industry that used to be, 'Set it and forget it.' The price was set for the season, and nobody thought about it again."
Mark Danemann, founder of the pricing-software company Siriusware, said variable pricing is common in the ski industry, which uses multiday, midweek and low-season discounts to spread its customers more evenly throughout the season. He hasn't notice it as much in the theme-park business.
"But I think people are starting to pay attention to it," he added.
While not all theme parks use variable-pricing systems for everyday admission, the approach does pop up in conjunction with certain special events and add-on services.
Walt Disney World, for example, uses a sliding scale for tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, an after-hours event presented in the Magic Kingdom during the holiday season. An advance, adult ticket for a Thursday might cost $58.95, while the same ticket for a Friday might sell for $64.95. This year, the price for such a ticket will peak at $67.95 for the final party on Dec. 21. The company uses a similar structure for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights.
Universal Orlando charges less on quieter evenings for admission to its annual Halloween Horror Nights. This year, Florida residents were able to buy single-night tickets for Sundays, Wednesdays or Thursdays for $41.99 each. But on Fridays the price was $51.99, and on Saturdays it rose again to $66.99.
Universal also uses a dynamic system to price its Universal Express, a supplemental, go-to-the-front-of-the-line pass good at many of its theme parks' attractions.
The price of each pass is tied to "demand," according to the company website. Express passes cost as little as $19.99 each on some days but can jump to $25.99 or $49.99 on others. This year, for a few days right after Christmas, Universal is charging $69.99 a day for a pass good only in Universal Studios and $99.99 for a pass good in Islands of Adventure -- or $109.99 for a pass good in both.
At SeaWorld Orlando's Discovery Cove, a boutique park that requires reservations, the admission price varies throughout the year, a dynamic model that "allows our guests the ability to find and take advantage of lower prices during off-peak seasons," said Toni Caracciolo, the park's vice president of marketing.
"I think there was a lot of dialogue a couple years ago on whether consumers were willing to accept this," said Scott Sanders, a former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts vice president who is now president of Integrated Insight Inc., a Central Florida consulting company.
"The jury is out, but I believe they're starting to lean to the fact that, yes, (consumers) will," Sanders told park operators at the IAAPA convention this month. "In general, consumers are willing to accept pricing as long as they perceive it to be fair."
Sanders doesn't think attractions need to follow the lead of airlines, whose pricing systems are too complicated.
He thinks Disney, his former employer, is doing a good job with its theme-park pricing, which is built around its Magic Your Way tickets. Though a one-day, two-day or three-day ticket costs the same throughout the year, the more days of admission you buy, the less you pay per day.
Neither Universal Orlando nor Disney Parks and Resorts would discuss their pricing strategies.
Theme-park consultant Dennis Speigel said he thinks the major parks are looking into airline-style pricing.
"The theme-park arena and world -- which I've been in all my life -- is slow to grasp and pick up on things like this," he said. "But it's coming. It's going to happen."
Others said they don't expect an industry giant such as Disney to be the first to experiment, however.
"They have to be much more careful because they are the 800-pound gorilla," said Lewison, the assistant professor. "I think they're far less likely to make a drastic change. ... The cost would be greater than the benefit to do that kind of move."


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Most winter recreationists are guilty of a snow dance or two when conditions look lean in December. With religious-like fervor, skiers and snowboarders pray to the Snow Gods, and shake their fists at the fickle deities during sparse seasons like the 2011-12 winter.
Snow prediction is a tricky and much sought-after skill, but giving credence to publications like the Farmers' Almanac, which just published its most recent forecast last week predicting a mild winter in the West, and even the Climate Prediction Center's long-range climate outlook can be just as much a leap of faith as dancing widdershins in the snow, according to Golden Gate Weather Services Certified Consulting Meteorologist Jan Null.
"I have looked at previous Farmers' Almanacs and their accuracy is well less than 50 percent. None of their reports are peer-reviewed. They're selling books to farmers," Null said.
"About a third of our economy is weather sensitive. If someone really had the answer for long-range weather forecasts, these people would be so incredibly rich they'd be hiring Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as servants," he said.
Null stressed that there is a sharp difference between climate analysis and publishing a long-range forecast. Temperature and precipitation averages can be useful tools, but they can't tell how much snow will fall during the next winter season, he said.
There's a lot of variability from season to season, and while one El Nino year can bring epic snowfall, another can be unseasonably dry. In fact, Californians don't have anything to worry about when it comes to El Nino, a equatorial weather phenomenon that sometimes occurs in the Pacific Ocean, since it never comes to the state.
Farmers' Almanac Editor Peter Geiger insists that the reports they publish are true forecasts that can accurately predict even daily weather. The Almanac's predictions started back in the 1800s, when the publication's first editor came up with a mathematical formula that took sun spots, planetary position and the effect of the moon on the earth to make long-range forecasts.
That formula and skill have been passed down from generation to generation of prognosticators. The pseudonym Caleb Weatherbee has also been passed down through the years to each of the organization's seven soothsayers, an alias used to hide the true identity of the people making the predictions, Geiger said. Weatherbee was not available for comment.
If you're one of a fairly large group of people that gives the Almanac at least some credence, then there's not a lot to get excited about in the Sierra Nevada this season and some snow dances might be in order. Weatherbee predicted cold and lots of snow in the east while the West Coast will experience warmer and drier conditions than normal, with a mild winter and moderate snow fall.
In an AOL poll, 82 percent of the people who responded said they trusted the Farmers' Almanac either "somewhat" or "a lot."
For Heavenly Mountain Resort spokesman Russ Pecoraro, it's exciting to read a positive report from the Almanac, but it won't affect the ski resort's plans for the season.
"The Farmers' Almanac is pretty consistent. But we're going to prepare for the season the same way. We've been doing this long enough to know that you can throw all those predictions out the window and sometimes the best way to determine weather is just to look out the window," Pecoraro said.


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This year, Porchlight Players has signed up as one of the many non-profits who can benefit from the Eagle Valley Community Fund proceeds that come from the big Minturn Rummage Sale at Maloit Park each August.
We are looking for people who would like to help contribute to Porchlight Players by applying their hours worked to our organization. It's simple: when you sign in, just put Porchlight Players' name down as the organization you are working for. After the sale, they will add up all the hours worked for us, and give us a check based on the number of hours we accumulated!
Whether you are a "regular" up there volunteering, or you have never been before, you can help us continue to put on the great shows we do for free or a very reduced cost by supporting us via the Eagle Valley Community Fund's annual Rummage Sale. Thank you for your support!
Ann Olin, President
Porchlight Players, Ltd.


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A simpler, more effective approach to software documentation
Not just another screen capture application. ScreenSteps helps you answer questions by automatically creating image-based documents as you capture screenshots.
Using the integrated authoring tools you can quickly annotate images and add text. When you are finished you can export to HTML, PDF, Word (DOCX), WordPress, TypePad, Bloger, Movable Type, MindTouch, Confluence, Googles Sites, Joomla or ScreenSteps Live.
Required OS: 10.4
Tags: screen , capture , screenshot , screencast , instructional , tutorial
3 Opinions
It's a payable document authoring tool with good features for creating online documentations or printed manuals.
Some workflows are a little bit confusing.
I can't believe how much time I spent on Pages, Word and Google docs trying to streamline my methods for creating CMS documentation for clients. Why didn't I know about this app sooner?
Developer seems responsive and pushes out new releases with features that the community asks for in a timely fashion.
Good stuff!
- Confuuusing interface.
- Slooow performance.
- Awesome results.
- Nifty annotation tools, such as sequential numbering by simply clicking on items in the screenshot.
- Buy it if you A) can't stand giving instructions to your Mom over telephone... or B) Have a company (say, software developer or what have you) and wish for a simple way to make quick manuals that are easy to add, edit and rearrange items in.
- If you don't have a specific need for this kind of tool, you can favorably use the old fashion way of taking screenshots and make notes in TextEdit.


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Woman, 70, dies in Montegut fire
Published: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 11:53 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 8:41 p.m.
Danny Farkas ran toward his neighbor's flaming home with a garden hose when he saw the sparks.
The blaze consumed a Montegut mobile home early Monday morning, killing Ruby Sevin, 70, said Danny Theriot, Terrebonne Coroner's Office chief investigator.
Two adults and a child escaped unharmed from the home in the 1100 block of Cross Street, Montegut Fire Chief Toby Henry said.
Farkas saw fire falling from the Christmas lights lining Sevin's home about 4:50 a.m., as he took his dogs outside.
"There's something wrong. It's too bright," he said as the fire exploded across the mobile home.
He hurried toward the house and saw its other residents in the street.
"They were trying to get into the trailer to get the woman out," Farkas said.
He woke another neighbor, and together he said they threw the water on the fire.
"But it was too late," he said. "The fire was too strong."
Then he heard a loud blast come from the house — then another and another.
The noise woke Cassondra White, who lives across the street.
"It sounded like something blew up," she said. "It sounded like a gunshot."
When fire fighters arrived, the mobile home was engulfed. The fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes.
"There was so much fire. It was so intense, it was clear there was no way that anyone could survive," Henry said.
The fire's cause is undetermined, and the Fire Marshal's Office has launched an investigation, Henry said.
Farkas said Sevin, who was bed-ridden, was a "good person" who had been sick for some time. A pet ferret also perished.
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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SubG is really dicking us around with this movie. MAKE UP YOUR MIND!
Harp Heaven made this image shortly before going completely insane and killing 12 people.
Nick Thorn is doing his part to take down Tim Burton, and I for one support his revolutionary efforts.
liquorhead confuses me with Fragmaster and doesn't deserve a comment.
guvnor is like Orville Redenbacher combined with a cyborg parrot.
REFORMED HOG - Former member of the swine family, has now agreed to behave like a proper dog. Free to patient home willing to overlook physical defects. 555-2519
What do you do when The Dark Knight himself pulls a boner?
Available in Large, which is actually a Medium stretched out to appear bigger.
If you're in a tight spot, this is going to be really helpful (I'M JOKING. I'M KIDDING AROUND)
If guns were dogs, the world would be a better place. That's the premise of this one!
Photoshop Phriday showcases the tremendous image manipulation talents of the Something Awful Forum Goons. Each week they tackle a new theme, parodying movies, video games, comics, history, and anything else you can think of. If you want in on the action, join us on the Something Awful Forums!
Copyright ©2016 Rich "Lowtax" Kyanka & Something Awful LLC.


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MARIETTA - Models strolled the runway on Sunday, showing off the latest prom styles and bridal fashions before hundreds who attended the third annual Bridal and Prom Expo at Marietta's Lafayette Hotel.
Anna Shank, 16, of New Martinsville, was especially interested in prom dresses and jewelry as she looks forward to the April 26 prom at Magnolia High School.
"I prefer the floor-length dresses, but with short sleeves," she said. "And I like the champagne or turquoise colors."
Article Photos
Photo by Sam Shawver
Carol Rossi, a Parkersburg South High School exchange student from Brazil, models one of more than 55 prom dresses during Sunday's third annual Bridal and Prom Expo at the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta.
Emily Shank, 14, accompanied her sister to Sunday's expo.
Asked if she might inherit Anna's prom dress in a couple of years, Emily said, "I'll want to get my own."
Among the 29 vendors showing off their wares and services Sunday was Two Peas In a Pod Florist.
"This is our first time in the show, but by 2:30 p.m. we had already picked up three orders for weddings," said Pat Peoples, co-owner, with husband Bill, of the Marietta florist shop.
She said prom-goers were also showing some interest.
"A lot of people were looking at our bouttoniers and corsages for their proms," Peoples added.
Elizabeth Ault, owner of Black Tie Affair in Marietta, was also participating in her first bridal show.
"This is a good event," she said. "It helps when people can actually see what we do, and several people have been interested in doing a setup."
Ault's business leases everything from linens, napkins and tablecloths to dinnerware, tables and chairs for weddings, corporate affairs and other events.
"We also have a 15-passenger van to transport guests or employees," she said.
Parkersburg residents Stephanie Johnson and Chrie Morris, both 26, are planning weddings. Morris said her date is slated for October, while Johnson hasn't set the big date yet.
"I already have the dresses, but this is a nice place to get some other ideas for my wedding," Morris said.
Johnson agreed.
"I'm still looking - I haven't said 'yes' to a dress so far," she said. "And this event has been very helpful with a lot of resources and ideas."
Prom and bridal dresses took center stage during Sunday's expo.
"We're showing more than 55 prom dresses and 55 bridal dresses today," said Janet Faye Smith, owner of Faye's Boutique in Vienna, who co-sponsored Sunday's event with local radio stations V96.9 and 93R owners Sam Yoho and Tom Taggart.
Smith said her shop carries a large variety of prom and bridal dresses and accessories, as well as tuxedos for the men.
"We even try to match the tuxedo vests to the bride or prom dresses," she said.
White is still a traditional favorite in wedding dresses, but Smith said color is the preference in prom outfits.
"The trend is a lot of vivid colors - purple, orange, green - even camo and zebra," she said. "And the styles range anywhere from minis to short and floor-length dresses."
Yoho said Sunday's event was a success.
"This is our third year, and we've seen people coming through all afternoon," he said. "And the vendors have been making a lot of sales and connections."
Both he and Smith are looking forward to another event next year.


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Facebook Likebox Slider for WordPress 2012
Facebook Likebox Slider for WordPress 2012 is Here!!! This eye catching WordPress Facebook plugin by ARSCODE makes it easy for visitors to Like, connect and share right from your website as they're viewing it. This bad boy is AWESOME!!! It also includes sliding tabs for YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and G+!!!
Likebox sliders are so important to capture new fans at the exact moment they are enjoying your content. Never lose visitors, convert your hard work driving traffic by boosting your Likes. This is social media lead generation at its finest. Check out the video and screen shots below. You can purchase your copy Cheap here:
Facebook Likebox Slider for WordPress
It is a Social Slider plugin for Facebook on WordPress. Easy to install, simply to configure, very flexible with nice design. Facebook Likebox Slider is a flexible plugin with Facebook faces, stream and header. Very easy to install and configure with nice design.
Features included:
Very easy to install
Locale settings
Middle/Fixed vertical position
Live preview
3 click configuration!
Light/Dark color scheme
Left/Right side available
stream and faces available
3 nice layout designs
CSS3 ready
Powered by jQuery (noConflict mode)
Facebook Likebox/Twitter Slider for WordPress Video:
How much is a new Like, Fan, Subscriber or Connection Worth To You? Check it out here before it's gone: Facebook Likebox Slider for WordPress


text:
Definition of heuristic in English:
1Enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves: a 'hands-on' or interactive heuristic approach to learning
More example sentences
- This work will follow two complementary approaches, heuristic and machine learning.
- Emotions, he says, are 'our main heuristic guide to discovering moral truths'.
- When we use the term 'discourses' we refer to a heuristic device which enables us to talk about configurations of metaphors, analogies and connotations.
1.1 Computing Proceeding to a solution by trial and error or by rules that are only loosely defined.
Example sentences
- Using its rule base, SA performs a wide range of heuristic tests on email headers and body text to identify and score spam.
- Other iterative heuristic rules that have been commonly used include the prioritization of sites by the rarity of the surrogates present in them.
- His research interests include evolutionary computation, heuristic optimization, policy and strategic analysis, and social algorithms.
1A heuristic process or method.
Example sentences
- It should be pointed out that this process is a heuristic.
- Here are the heuristics we use in determining what level someone is at.
- Like everything else in sociology, it's a fuzzy heuristic.
1.1 (heuristics) [usually treated as singular] The study and use of heuristic techniques.
Example sentences
- An example is the use in military affairs of an ancient enough science, heuristics.
- A serious problem with 'mathematical idea analysis' is that heuristics cannot distinguish true results from false ones.
- This is an application of heuristics, learning from practical experience.
heuristically adverb
- Example sentences
- My layered theoretical approach, moving heuristically from individuals to social relationships to wider social structures, was reflected in the multiple readings employed within this analytic strategy.
- By restricting the search space heuristically, the algorithms can handle larger number of sequences.
- The number of sessions needed and the type of treatment carried out were determined heuristically, depending partly on the nature of the symptoms and partly on patients' priorities.
Early 19th century: formed irregularly from Greek heuriskein 'find'.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: heur|is¦tic
Definition of heuristic in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
= trending


text:
Integrity is at the core of GTRI's reputation for excellence. We are committed to professional integrity within our organization and with our interactions with customers.
Compliance Assurance Program
GTRI's Compliance Assurance Program was established in January, 1998 to provide an organizational framework for compliance with new regulations and policies due to our transition to FAR 31.2 cost accounting.
Our compliance program is among the first for higher education. However, we are following in the footsteps of colleagues in the commercial defense and medical research industries who have used compliance—or ethics and business conduct—programs for many years.
Code of Business Conduct: A Summary
GTRI's Code of Business Conduct outlines expected behaviors for all employees assigned to GTRI. The highest standards of ethical business conduct are required of GTRI personnel in the performance of our organization's responsibilities. Employees will not engage in conduct or activity that may raise questions as to GTRI's honesty, impartiality, reputation or otherwise cause embarrassment to the organization. This guide is consistent with recently released statements of ethics by the University System of Georgia and Georgia Tech.
The following is a summary of the guidance provided in this document.
If in doubt, ask: The GTRI Compliance Assurance Office will be contacted regarding any ethical dilemmas or questionable behavior within the organization, or behavior that may conflict (or seem to conflict) with GTRI's commitment to proper ethical conduct. A confidential call to the 24-hour Georgia Tech Hotline (1-866-294-5565) will also ensure that any ethical matters will be handled expeditiously. Employees will refrain from retaliating against those who report any violations. In addition, employees should seek guidance, if in doubt about any conflicts of interests with GTRI stakeholders. Such conflicts should be considered when dealing with sponsors, other government staff, our communities, and any political and private consulting activities.
Respect for all: Everyone with whom we interact should be treated with fairness, dignity and respect. We should work together and ensure a working environment free of drugs, environmental and other workplace hazards, and a strong safeguard of institute-owned property including software and electronic data. All internal and external audits and investigations will be handled with full cooperation and integrity from all employees.
Product integrity: GTRI generated products, including related information, data, and ideas, as well as information entrusted to us by our sponsors will be handled with extreme care. We follow all applicable government, GT, and GTRI policies related to the protection of classified information, export control, and research subjects.
Financial integrity: Our financial dealings must be above reproach. We must conduct our work in the most cost effective manner, maintain accurate/complete financial and time reporting records, and ensure proper cost and pricing for our research proposals. We must ensure that all GTRI expenditures are for the benefit of the sponsor and the state of Georgia.
Excellence: We strive for excellence by continually improving the way we do business and always performing at the highest levels of quality in all GTRI work. We seek ways to expand our knowledge through professional development. We seek to be innovative in all we do.
Accountability: We hold ourselves and each other accountable for ethical business conduct.
Other Resources:
For the full version of the GTRI Code of Business Conduct, click here.
Georgia Institute of Technology Code of Business Conduct
University System of Georgia Code of Ethics


text:
The new AMD FX 8350 Black Edition Processor with 8 cores, and it's unlocked for your overclocking pleasure. Experience unmatched multitasking and pure core performance with the 32nm 8-core desktop processor. Get the speed you crave with AMD Turbo CORE Technology to push your core frequencies to the limit when you need it most. Go beyond the limits of maximum speed with easy-to-use AMD OverDrive™ and AMD Catalyst Control Center™ software suites. But the best part of all? You'll get all this impressive performance at an unbelievable price. You'll be asking yourself "what competition?" in no time.
- Unlocked AMD FX 8-Core Processor
- AMD Turbo CORE Technology
- New Instruction Capabilities
- AMD Balanced Smart Cache
- AMD Wide Floating Point Accelerator
- HyperTransport™ Technology
- Integrated DRAM Controller with AMD Memory Optimizer Technology
- AMD Virtualization™ (AMD-V™) Technology
AMD PowerNow!™ Technology (Cool'n'Quiet™ Technology)
AMD's product warranty does not cover damage caused by overclocking even when overclocking is enabled via AMD OverDrive™ software.
- Product Description
- AMD Black Edition AMD FX 8350 / 4 GHz processor
- Product Type
- Processor
- Processor Type
- Number of Cores
- 8-core / 8 threads
- Cache
- Compatible Processor Socket
- Socket AM3+
- Clock Speed
- 4 GHz
- Max Turbo Speed
- 4.2 GHz
- Manufacturing Process
- 32 nm
- Features
- PowerNow! technology, streaming SIMD extensions, streaming SIMD extensions 2, MMX instructions set, HyperTransport technology, AMD64 technology, integrated memory controller, streaming SIMD extensions 3, Enhanced Virus Protection, AMD Virtualization, streaming SIMD extensions 4, AMD Turbo CORE technology
- Product Type
- Processor
- Type / Form Factor
- Number of Cores
- 8-core
- Number of Threads
- 8 threads
- Cache
- Cache Memory Details
- Clock Speed
- 4 GHz
- Max Turbo Speed
- 4.2 GHz
- Compatible Processor Socket
- Socket AM3+
- Manufacturing Process
- 32 nm
- Thermal Design Power
- Architecture Features
- PowerNow! technology, streaming SIMD extensions, streaming SIMD extensions 2, MMX instructions set, HyperTransport technology, AMD64 technology, integrated memory controller, streaming SIMD extensions 3, Enhanced Virus Protection, AMD Virtualization, streaming SIMD extensions 4, AMD Turbo CORE technology
Cache Memory
- Installed Size
- Package Type
- AMD Processor in a Box (PIB)
Customer reviews
Write a review for the AMD FX8-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8 Core AM3+ 4.0GHz 16MB 125W here!
Top stuff
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Posted 31/12/2012
I bought this chip to replace my 8120 which was bought in hast while waiting for the 8150 to be in stock.
I'm very glad I rushed to get the 8120 as this is the chip the 8150 should've been.
I'm running a Crosshair V with a pair of 6950s in Crossfire and the CPU has not gone above 60% even running BF3 and Far Cry 3 on 27" screen. With a Kuler H20 I haven't seen temps above 40C, not played with overclocking but will have a fiddle soon.
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
Reviewed by Steve. Review Posted 23/01/2013
What a CPU, i was using an i5 2400 and when i was making DVD's it took forever, my friend recommended one of these and it takes only 7 minutes to convert and write now! Its 5 minutes faster now and the CPU is the same price. BARGAIN!!! Thanks BT and AMD
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
fx 8350
Reviewed by dave. Review Posted 09/11/2012
I bought this CPU to upgrade from a 1090t ,I can tell you I'm glad I did ,my PC is a fair bit faster and now I can run my memory at its full speed ,for me its worth the money,cant wait to give it a go for gaming and video editing should fly on those tasks just like the 1090t did .Well done BT.com and AMD I'm very pleased with it
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
Just amazing
Reviewed by Suhail Ahmad. Review Posted 05/06/2013
Been using since 07/11/12. I'm really impressed. AMD made some good architecture improvements over FX-8150. I have tested this and at stock, it is 15% faster than the FX-8150. Idle cpu temps is 32-34C. On heavy load, cpu does not exceed 44C (with my 1 week old Akasa Venom medusa air cooler). With my previous Arctic Cooling A30 cooler, idle 37/38C. Load 48-52C (depends on task). Beats the hell out of intel's flagship i5-3470K & i5-3570K cpu in all MT tasks and other tests. In some MT tests, FX-8350 even beats I7-3770K (in others, almost on par). FX-8350 £120 cheaper than i7-3770K with almost equal MT performance in W7. Tested in Linux, FX-8350 dumps on i5 & 3770K. With Jim Keller, Piledriver R2 (Vishera 2.0) and Steamroller will be very special. AMD said to release Vishera 2.0 FX cpu c.June 2013 (they have already released Richland A10-6800K APU). Cant wait for Vishera 2!. FX-centurian (TBR) will have stock clock of 5GHz!. Nov 2013 new APU to have ARM support cores!.
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
The opinions expressed in this reviews section are those of our customers and not of BT Shop. Nothing contained herein amends BT Shop's terms and conditions.


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Mr. Charles "Chuck" Walten James, age 67, of Seymour, Tenn., was born Nov. 11, 1945, and passed away Jan. 3, 2013, at Kindred Rehabilitation Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
He was of the Church of Christ faith.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jimon and Mary Elizabeth James; his infant daughter, Connie Michelle James; sisters, Betty McCaslin, Donna Whittaker and Linda James; brothers, Gerald and Gary James.
He was a Vietnam veteran serving our country in the U.S. Army.
He is survived by his wife, Connie James; son, Scott James and wife, Hope, of Clinton, Tenn.; daughter, Christi Banks and husband, Scotty, of Maryville, Tenn.; and his grandchildren, Kaley Banks, Adam Banks and Eric James.
He is also survived by sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to noon on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, at Valley Grove Baptist Church in Knoxville. The funeral will begin at noon with Dr. William H. Sims III officiating. Interment will follow in the Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery.
Jackson Funeral Services in Oliver Springs is honored to serve the James family. We invite you to share your thoughts and memories with the family at jacksonfuneralservices.com.
Location, ST | website.com


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Oracle's ZFS Storage ZS Series, the next generation application engineered storage, delivers higher performance, greater efficiency, easier management, lower TCO, and deeper co-engineered integration with Oracle Database and Oracle Applications when compared with NetApp's products.
Watch the video (2:46)
Top 7 Reasons Oracle ZFS Storage ZS Series is a Better Choice than NetApp
1. NetApp Filers Cost 244% More to Own and Operate
Industry analyst Wikibon conducted a comprehensive economic value analysis of Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance compared to traditional filers, including NetApp. The total four-year cost of ownership of the traditional NetApp filers was 244% higher or more, depending on the workload. According to Wikibon, "The high-end ZFS storage array is the highest performing hybrid storage device that has been analyzed by Wikibon, and in a class of its own when it comes to high-write I/O environments."
2. Up to 2x Better Performance, 2.7x Lower Cost and over 3.9x Price-Performance Advantage
Oracle ZFS Storage ZS Series leverages a multithreaded operating system, more CPU cores, a massive DRAM-centric architecture, and larger flash cache to deliver faster performance and innovative data services. The entry level Oracle ZS3-2 Storage Appliance has up to 2.7 times as many cores as NetApp's FAS8020 model and 42X more memory and 4X more flash. The result? Up to 2x better performance with 2.7x lower cost and a price-performance advantage of over 3.9x than NetApp as shown on industry standard benchmarks.
3. 3x to 5x Reduction in Storage Footprint
Oracle Hybrid Columnar Compression, which is only available on Oracle storage, typically compresses historical Oracle Database data by 12x. NetApp filers don't support Hybrid Columnar Compression. For data warehouses and archive data, customers can benefit from an immediate 3x to 5x reduction in their storage footprint by migrating to Oracle ZFS Storage ZS Series. As analyst DCIG states, "Without HCC, running Oracle Database is like operating a car in degraded mode."
4. Spend 73% Less Time Managing Storage
When it comes to fine tuning, storage administrators leverage the easy-to-use and information-rich DTrace Analytics to manage Oracle ZFS Storage. In fact, Strategic Focus has demonstrated that an Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance requires 36% fewer steps and 73% less time for total analytics, including analysis and troubleshooting in VM environments, compared to competing systems from NetApp. Save valuable time and ensure performance and uptime easier and faster.
5. Engineered with Oracle Database and Applications
As the next-generation application-engineered storage, Oracle ZFS Storage ZS Series continues to be co-engineered with Oracle's complete software stack for deep hardware and software integration that's not available on third-party storage systems, including NetApp filers. For example, Oracle Intelligent Storage Protocol, a feature of Oracle Database 12c available only with Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance, eliminates over 65% of the manual processes needed for database storage tuning. With this direct line of communication between the database and storage you can free up over 3x of your administrative resources to focus on revenue generating activities. With the latest version of OISP, ZS Analytics can reduce the steps to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks in Oracle Database 12c pluggable database environments by 67%.
6. Superior Virtualization Support
Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance, unlike NetApp, takes full advantage of advanced, multi-core CPUs providing superior support for SMP workloads such as VMware. This, together with a much larger cache than what NetApp offers, enables Oracle ZFS Storage Appliances to support tens of thousands of VMs per system and avoid boot storms by easily booting 16,000 VMs in 7 minutes. Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance easily handles the unpredictable, highly threaded I/O that saturates the CPUs of conventional NetApp filers after only a few hundred VMs, leading customers to have to purchase yet more filers, leading to filer sprawl.
7. 11x Faster Backup than NetApp
With ever-shrinking backup windows, the last thing you need is a slow backup system for Oracle engineered systems. And, if you need to restore your data, you want it to be available and restored quickly so you can get your business applications back online. Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance for Backup and Recovery backs up data 11X faster and restores data 7X faster than NetApp. To meet your backup/restore SLAs choose Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance over NetApp filers.
Oracle is co-engineering storage with its entire software and hardware stack to bring applications, data, and storage closer together. Our goal is to help enterprises dramatically accelerate applications while using less physical storage capacity.
Oracle ZFS Storage ZS Series, the next-generation application engineered storage, offers a groundbreaking way to manage and expand your storage environment. With twice the performance and over 3x less cost of NetApp's products, Oracle ZFS Storage ZS Series provides higher efficiency and scalability and simplified management at a lower TCO compared to NetApp's offerings.