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The Elf on the Shelf®: A Christmas Tradition is a cleverly rhymed children's book explaining the story of Santa's scout elves, who are sent to be Santa's eyes and ears at children's homes around the world! Adopt your own scout elf and learn the tale of Santa's finest helpers. The whole family will enjoy this Christmas tradition.
At the North Pole, scout elves have their own way of celebrating birthdays, as told in the enchanting children's story The Elf on the Shelf®: A Birthday Tradition. Find out the little-known story of how Santa's helpers celebrate birthdays—and how you can invite your scout elf to share that tradition with your family!
Elf Pets®: A Reindeer Tradition, tells the story of the North Pole's special pets and how you can adopt and love your own reindeer! Each animal wears a heart charm around its neck that fills with Christmas magic each time you cuddle it! On Christmas Eve, that full heart will help Santa's sleigh fly.
Need more to explore?
Visit our kids section for fun games, coloring pages and activities, or parents, visit our blog for family-time craft ideas, recipes and up-to-date scout elf news! If you're visiting our site from another country, check out The Elf on the Shelf® U.K., Ireland and Mexico sites for more information about The Elf on the Shelf® where you are!


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Found a similar product cheaper elsewhere?We promise to beat any price by 5% - Try our Price beater
Virtue Bar is a delicious, yoghurt drenched cereal bar, perfect for those tempting moments in-between meals. The protein and fibre content contain less than 95 calories per bar.
The low GI carbohydrates and protein content contribute to the maintenance of normal brain function and to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass respectively. Virtue Bar contains a natural source of calcium used for the maintenance of normal bones and teeth.
Available in a variety of delicious flavours, you can now satisfy your hunger without compromising your daily calorie intake. As a quick and convenient snack, Virtue Bar can help support an active and balanced lifestyle.
Please note that the labelling on this product is provided in English as a minimum. French, Italian, German, Spanish, Danish, Swedish and Finnish may also be present on a product by product basis.
Consume as a snack in between meals as required.
Warning: Excessive consumption may cause laxative effects. This product should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet. Consume as part of a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Store in a cool dry place, out of direct sunlight.
For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. Also, may contain egg, peanuts, nuts and products thereof.
Double Chocolate Flavour: Oat Blend (30%) (Malted Oats (Oat Flakes, Palm Oil, Barley Malt Extract), Rolled Oats, Oat Flour), Protein Blend (14%) (Soya Protein Crispies (Soya Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Colour (Calcium Carbonate), Salt), Milk Protein, Whey Protein Concentrate (Milk)), Inulin Syrup (Oligofructose, Fructose, Glucose, Sugar), Humectant (Glycerol), Milk Chocolate Flavoured Coating (8%) (Sugar, Non-Hydrogenated Palm and Palm Kernel Oil, Whey Powder (Milk), Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Wheat Flour, Emulsifiers (Soya Lecithin, E476), Flavouring), Polydextrose Syrup, Crisp Rice (Rice Flour, Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin)), Wheat Crunchies (3.7%) (Wheat Flour, Rice, Sugar, Whey Powder (Milk), Salt, Rapeseed Oil, Emulsifiers (Glycerol Monostearate, Soya Lecithin), Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate)), Stabiliser (Acacia Gum), Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Flavourings, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Trucal®(Milk Mineral Complex), Antioxidant (Mixed Tocopherols).
Serving Size - 1 Bar (30g)
Servings Per Container - 12 Bars
|Per 100g
|Per Bar (30g)
|1289 kJ/308 kcal
|387 kJ/92 kcal
|8.7 g
|2.6 g
|of which saturates
|3.8 g
|1.1 g
|46 g
|14 g
|of which sugars
|8.8 g
|2.6 g
|21 g
|6.3 g
|16 g
|4.8 g
|0.43 g
|0.13 g
The nutritional information is based on the Double Chocolate Flavour version, when choosing an alternative flavour the nutritional values may vary by up to 10%
Where reviews refer to foods or cosmetic products, results may vary from person to person. Customer reviews are independent and do not represent the views of The Hut Group.
(150 reviews)
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I find these bars excellent for before or after the gym. I also have these if I feeling the need for chocolate, they take my mind off it. I would recommend these as they taste good and fill you up too.
Taste so good and only 92kcal! Highly recommend, great for on an on the go snack
Good bars for the calorie conscious! unique but pleasurable taste, chewy so it feels like a true snack, i would recommend this product for definite! Goes Well With:Tea/water or as a dessert.
Both the chocolate and maple pecan bars are great. I use them as a mid afternoon snack when the blood sugar starts to drop or post workout and they are fantastic. Also great flavour when you need something sweet. The biggest plus is the fibre content as this is so important, so great all round. Goes Well With:Coffee
MP Max Elli Virtue Bar is really good . This protein-rich snack satisfies my hunger between meals and helps me to look after my diet . Together also with a good training I can now control better my body weight.
These bars are a godsend when you need a sweet tasting pick-me-up. The maple and pecan bars are lovely, soft and chewy, and I have used them when I just need something small to tide me over. Lovely!
I bought the box for the chocolate flavour, and just a sample for the maple & pecan flavour. I was not dissapointed. The chocolate flavour was amazing. It satisfied my hunger throughout the whole day (i have three a day). My diet includes one protein shake in the morning, a satisfying lunch, and another protein shake for dinner & a virtue bar 2 hours after each meal. The chocolate one isn't overly chocolate-y, which means it isn't too sickly, it tastes like one of those chewee bars, thus perfect for me! The maple & pecan one is a bit on the sweet side, so satisfy's my needs when i'm craving something sweet! I've just ordered another three boxes of the chocolate flavour and one of the maple & pecan one - so you can see how good these are and helps knowing they're only 95 cals!
Good for killing the chocolate cravings. Good as an afternoon snack
Absolutely love these bars. Im not a big chocolate fan but once i changed my eating habits and have been eating alot less sugar and alot healthier i found i fancied something sweet every so often, these are ideal, for me i would take one of these over a chocolate bat any day. Really nice taste and unbelievable at the fat and calorie intake.
I have just got back into the gym after 20 years to loose weight and tone up and the hardest think I found to beat are chocolate cravings. I swear by the Virtue double chocolate bar as it really hits the spot and being the lowest calorie bar I've found doesn't jeopardise the good work having watched what I eat that day or sugar intake as I'm lowering the carbs too. Even though it states it is yoghurt covered it doesn't taste of yoghurt just chocolate. It's just big enough to stop you wanting another one and I sometimes team it chopped up with some diabetic ice cream as a treat now and again. Seems to be working as I'm still loosing weight!Goes Well With:Cut into small pieces with diabetic ice cream and strawberries
Good taste but small, so you end up having more than one...Goes Well With:Good for curbing a sweet tooth if you are very disciplined
This bar was a surprise and a little gem in my opinion. Its crunchy with a small bit of chewyish too but will not kill your jaw at all, texture is great and flavour is not bad for a protein bar! Its a nice small snack to go with a cup of coffee or tea. Highly recommended for the snack cupboard as a high fibre/protein/low sugar replacement for your kitkats!Goes Well With:Cup of tea or coffee.
Lovely chocolate taste, definitely hits the spot when you need a fix of something that tastes naughty without the caloriesGoes Well With:As a snack or low calorie desert bar
I really like these. They were chocolatey and low in calories which is just what I wanted. Would definitely buy again.Goes Well With:A cuppa
My wife loves these bars at only 95 cals they are just what she needs with her coffeeGoes Well With:Coffee
its really good if you want something sweet and you avoid chocolate. If you want to loose weigh or build mussles its for you
Love love love these. Handy high protein, low calorie snack. So tasty and filling for the size Goes Well With:Tea
Good low calorie energy bar and still tastes nice! Would deffinitely recommend!
These are so tasty and moreish, definately worth a taste and a bargain too. Goes Well With:Sometimes I cut them up with fruit, seeds and yoghurt
Bought these an a snack to have in the evening as they are low calorie and low sugar. They're a lot more chewy than I thought and quite similar to a flapjack. They are quite small but they taste rich so it's okay - they are also relatively low in price compared to some of the other bars.
These are great because they really hit a chocolate craving on the head. The chocolate taste is creamy but almost like dark chocolate without being bitter. They're nicely chewy as well so it feels like a big snack. They are quite small, but because the flavour and texture is so good I don't feel like the size lets it down, because they're low in calories! Goes Well With:I cheated and spread peanut butter on them and that was amazing, but otherwise it goes well with a cup of coffee or as a small dessert after dinner
Taste so good and with so little fat
Nice great tasting snack. I don't get bored eating it!
Good low calorie energy bar - would prefer more protein and less carb content but iifym this is a great choice- tastes good.
Brilliant snack bar for anyone looking for fat or weight loss, great amount of protein and fibre and low carb and all under 100kcal ! Find these amazing as a snack or even a desert after my lunch, quilt free ! The chocolate tastes fab and love the chewy, almost flap-jacky texture. Super satisfying without all the extra calories ! Would love more flavours ! Goes Well With:Apple, protein shake, fruit , great on its own
They are great, but make no mistakes: these are basically tasty little chocolates, with some oats and protein packed in. They are not some diet product.
great tasting bars, the only issue have is with the size i have to have at least 2-3 bars a time this is the only issue i have. they are good as contain a good amount of finer for the calorie count and a good amount of protein, by eating two of these bars a time you are in my opinion eating 1 quest bar, for the finer and fat amounts these two bars equate too Goes Well With:on their own peanutbutter
Really good bar if your watching the calories, great for on the go. Would defiantly buy again.
Love this product. It's a great chocolate/sugar fix pre/post workout or even as a snack!
I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed any type of bar that is high in protein until now, and being a girl and not wanting to 'bulk' just tone i find this low cal and high protein bar a staple whilst at uni all day and just want a quick boost. It also fills you up, i've had one for breakfast before and lasted till dinner time without feeling hungry (not that i was trying to do this)
I love these bars! They are very tasty, chewy and great to grab on the go if you are feeling hungry. Low in sugar and high in fibre you don't feel guilty after eating one.
Excellent Flavour, and good nutritional value - However, the size of the bar is too small. The price however does balance this out as they are good value for 12 bars Goes Well With:Fage, on it's own, porridge.
Delicious, calorie friendly and good value. Goes Well With:Tea!
Big fan of virtue bars, very tasty and one of my favourite snacks now! Only reason they don't get a complete five star set is because I wish they were a bit larger.
Keeps you fuller for longer and tastes great too!
Nice taste and good after a heavy weights session. Just the right size and good if you need a chocolate fixGoes Well With:Tea or coffee
Great for on the go and after a work out. Good taste and texture.
Not a fan of protein bars because of the bland taste but this tastes so good! Helps to kill my chocolate craving! Highly RecommendGoes Well With:Cup of Tea :-)
I *love* these little bars. OK so they aren't the same as chowing down on a share sized bar of CDM but that said they are very chocolately and the texture is nice and chewy. They really fill you up and if you are craving chocolate they do nicely as a fix. I've started having them for my mid morning snack and they help me see through until lunch. Good little bar and nice with a cup of tea!Goes Well With:A nice cup of tea and a sit down.
These are great for a quick snack especially at work and they taste really good i love these and would recommend these definetlyGoes Well With:Anything
These are nice felt took a while to get used to at first as quiet chewy but filled me up as a snack and curved my chocolate cravings!
I used to eat one or two of these every day but I won't be doing that anymore as the Maple & Pecan flavour has been discontinued since the repackaging. Yet more idiocy from My Protein. I'm going over to Protein Works, like many others have.
These bars are amazing. I was a bit apprehensive as I wasn't sure how receptive my taste buds would be to the bar as I'm not too keen on cereal bar types of snacks but this is amazing. It tastes so good, you feel guilty for eating it but then realise that it's only 92 kcal and it stops hunger cravings. Defiantly will be ordering these on a regular basis! Goes Well With:On its own, cup of green tea or a protein shake :)
Great little protein bar, hits the spot when having a sweet craving
Great snack pre and post workout or as part of a breakfast on the go! Really good taste and nice and light. also covers the chocolate cravings!
Great price, tastes good, using this as a snack in between meals is a great way to keep me going. Love this product!
These bars are very tasty and keep me feeling full for a long period of time. Very good value for money.Goes Well With:A protein shake
Very pleased, Just had the double chocolate bars delivered after only ordering yesterday and choosing cheapest delivery option. Obviously I wanted to try one straight away and I was very pleasantly surprised at the taste! They are delicious and don't feel like a low calorie snack at all. Only negative I wanted another straight after lol but that's why I'm on a diet! I have tried plenty of bars in past even ones that claim to be completely natural like 9 bars have high calorie, carb and sugar contents so am happy to pay the extra money for these bars of deliciousness as a well behaved treat! Also got them reduced and if I have them once a day they will last just shy of 2 weeks so think they are good value for money. Will defo be ordering again Niccie Goes Well With:I am also happy with and recommend the following products Crunchy peanut butter (massive tub!) Diet&whey protein shake cookies and cream Nice tasting effective products
These are amazing low calorie, very tasty and satisfying snack bars. You don't feel guilty at all for having one. Definitely going to buy some more as they are excellent. Double chocolate flavour is great. Love the Myprotein site, delivery is so fast, can't wait to place my next order !!!Goes Well With:Elle true diet milk chocolate flavour & mini pink Elle shaker !
Bought these a while ago, didn't like them at first. Came back to them again after Xmas due to starting a job with odd working hours and wow, these have stopped me snacking on crisps and chocolate whilst at work. Helps me last the extra couple of hours before getting home to make dinner. Highly recommended - high protein, high fibre and low calorie... what more could a girl want?! Oh yeah and the wrapper is pink too :pGoes Well With:Coffee

subset: commoncrawl


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Facing a dozen students, Matthew Sanford slides onto a mat, his thin legs pointing straight ahead. "Prepare your minds to do yoga," he says. Moving from row to row, he adjusts backs and shoulders, telling the class, "Wonderful things happen a little at a time."
No one knows that better than Sanford, 41–paralyzed from the chest down at 13, when his spinal cord was severed in a car crash that killed his father and older sister. Crushed by the loss, he struggled with doctors' devastating advice to forget his lower body. "I was a very athletic kid," says Sanford, who grew up in Duluth, Minn., and has an older brother, "then, for 12 years, I dragged my body around." Focusing on his mind, he graduated from college with top grades and earned a master's in philosophy.
Around that time a friend who was a massage therapist suggested Sanford meet with a yoga teacher she knew. He did and noticed that despite his limited movement, he felt newly aware of his body. Using arm strength and a sense of balance–he places his legs into position with his hands–he has mastered dozens of poses like "boat" and wide-leg forward bend. "My life's been hard–that doesn't change," Sanford says. "But as I do yoga poses I didn't know were possible, my view expands."
Married to Jennifer, 41, and the father of 7-year-old Paul, Sanford started teaching yoga to disabled students at Minneapolis's Courage Center rehab facility in 1997. Five years ago, Sanford opened his studio, where he teaches mainstream students like Mia Lynch, 39. "He's had a great impact," she says. "I see what he's done in his life and it inspires me to do more with my own."
updated 02/26/2007 AT 01:00 AM EST
•originally published 02/26/2007 AT 01:00 AM EST


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The other night we needed a relatively quick easy dinner and I decided to go with an old standby, grilled cheese sandwiches. What's more simple than a grilled cheese sandwich? All one needs is three ingredients; a couple pieces of bread, a couple slices of cheese, and a good tasting butter. Even simpler was the fact that the butter I used, Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil, only contains 3 ingredients as well; sweet cream, canola oil and salt.
It wasn't a fancy meal (you probably won't be seeing friends pinning this one of Pinterest), but it was a meal everyone ate without any coaxing or debates. Nice and simple. As for the butter? It had a pleasant natural taste to it which cooked up nicely and left our warm sandwiches tasting like a wholesome meal.
Disclosure: The author received product samples and a gift package from Land O'Lakes, including multi-purpose spreaders, a cutting board, and multi-tier oven rack for Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil, for recipe development and review purposes. All opinions are my own.


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NORTH ROYALTON: Chasing perfection can be a daunting task.
Just ask North Royalton.
During football season, the Bears ran off nine straight wins before a Week 10 loss to Hudson denied them a perfect season.
Half a dozen of those football players then traded shoulder pads for sneakers and joined their basketball teammates in running off 11 straight wins before Saturday's overtime loss to Barberton.
Perfection may be eluding the Bears, but as the football team found out, you don't have to be perfect to do something that's never been done before.
"We won a lot of games and broke a lot of records in football," said senior Travis Tarnowski, quarterback of the football team and starting point guard for the basketball team. "That's what we wanted to do with basketball."
Records may come later, but for now, the Bears will have to settle for just winning a lot of games.
The 11-0 start was the school's best since the 1993-94 season, when the Bears went 20-0. It remains the basketball program's only perfect season. That team finished No. 2 in the final state poll before losing to St. Ignatius in the district finals.
The Bears are also 4-0 in the Northeast Ohio Conference Lake Division. A win Friday against Mayfield will complete an undefeated run through the first round of division games.
It was Mayfield that denied the Bears a share of the NOC title last season.
"We played Mayfield the last game of the year for the conference championship and lost on our home floor," said coach Tim Matus. "That's in the back of their minds."
The team graduated just one starter from last season's team, which went 13-9 overall and 5-5 in the Lake Division. Ask the Bears how they improved so much, and they'll all point to experience.
"We've been playing with each other since like fifth grade," said senior Nick Krempasky. "We just know what each other are going to do."
Along with experience, the team defines the term "balanced scoring." Six players average between seven and 10 points. The Bears share the ball so much that five players had at least 20 assists through 11 games. And Krempasky — not the Bears' main ball-handler — led them all with 3.5 assists per game.
The Bears also possess a deep bench. Junior Logan Chuppa and senior Tyler Smolinski, a former starter, are usually the first reserves call upon by Matus. Ten players got on the court in each of the first 11 games.
"We have a lot of guys who can score," said senior Evan Wypasek. "We've gone through streaks where everybody is getting buckets. We've done a good job moving the ball this year."
Chuppa and Krempasky average seven points, Nick Woods and Tarnowski average eight points and Wypasek averages just more than 10.
While experience goes a long way, the players point to one other thing as a key to success this season — freshman center Omari Spellman.
Spellman has put his 6-foot-7 frame right in the middle of all the Bears' experience and provided something they didn't have last season.
"We do have a post presence now," said Wypasek. "People know about him and are aware what he's capable of. He's had games where he's dominated down low. When teams double team him, it leaves more guys open."
Spellman, a transfer from New York, leads the team in rebounding (6.1 per game) and is tied with Wypasek at 10.3 points per game. He also has 30 blocks and shoots 83 percent from the line (27-of-33).
It was Spellman who hit two free throws with 0.3 seconds left in overtime to beat Bedford earlier this season.
"I knew from day one of conditioning and practices the intensity that this team brings. I knew we were going to be good," said Spellman. "I wasn't too concerned about (playing time). I wanted to play team-concept basketball. I didn't need to shoot 20 shots a game."
Tarnowski, who admits it was nerve-wracking when he played on varsity as a freshman, is impressed with Spellman.
"I thought he'd come in, get rebounds and do what he had to do to be a role player," said Tarnowski. "But he's really stepped up and made plays, like that Bedford game. To be a freshman and be on the foul line with 0.3 seconds left. I can't even understand what he was going through."
Of course, all this success is nothing new for the Bears under Matus. The coach is just two years removed from leading the team to an 18-5 record and a division title. Wypasek and Tarnowski were members of that team, which had a 12-game winning streak during the season. The Bears also won their division in 2008-09.
Matus has said more than once that reclaiming the division title is unfinished business for the Bears. Whatever happens after that would likely be a bonus.
And with the way some North Royalton teams have performed this school year, the bonus could be substantial.
The football team, despite missing out on a 10-0 season in the fall, went on to win its first-ever playoff game. The girls volleyball team won the program's first district title and reached the regional finals. The girls cross country team made only its second trip to the state meet.
That kind of stuff can be contagious.
"I knew we would carry it over to basketball," said Krempasky. "This is our senior year. Our last chance."
Tarnowski agreed.
"That's how it was in football. We knew we'd never play football again with these kids," he said. "We can't play football anymore so let's make the best out of basketball."
Contact Patsko at (216) 986-6066 or email@example.com.
Follow me on Twitter @ScottPatsko


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INWOOD - Life hasn't been easy so far for Jayden Edwards, a 7-year-old with autism, but recently Edwards has found a way to turn lemons into lemonade.
While Edwards is only seven years old, she experiences the emotions consistent with those of a 12- or 13-year-old. Her body is maturing at a faster rate than normal, due to precocious puberty.
Jayden suffers from Sensory Processing Disorder, in which she is overly sensitive to things such as touch, her mother, Jessica Edwards, said.
Article Photos
Journal photo by Chelsea DeMello
Jayden Edwards and her mother, Jessica Edwards, sell lemonade Sunday at the South Berkeley Fire Department in Inwood. Proceeds from the sale will help purchase a guide dog for Jayden, who is autistic.
Jessica wiped away tears as she described the challenges Jayden has faced at such a young age. Jessica said Jayden, who is the oldest of three children, suffers from anxiety and depression as a result of her disorder and emotional behaviors.
"She's talked of suicide multiple times," Jessica said.
Jayden has also not been able to develop socially and Jessica said her daughter gets bullied in school. Jayden described getting teased on the bus one morning.
"I was wearing my Elsa hat and some girl yelled 'nice hair, old lady,'" she said.
But with the help of a nonprofit organization called 4 Paws for Ability, Jayden and her family are looking to change all that.
4 Paws for Ability is an organization that provides service dogs to meet a variety of needs, including mental, physical and emotional disabilities. The dogs service children, adults and veterans across the country. 4 Paws for Ability was founded in 1998 by Karen Shirk.
Each family is asked to fundraise $14,000 to obtain a service dog, according to Shirk. Shirk said that while the price of the dog actually can cost up to $56,000, depending on the type of dog needed, the fundraising is an effort made by the families to take ownership in the process.
"We don't help families who don't help themselves," Shirk said. "Disabled people are just as capable as everyone else, so that's why we ask our families to support our mission. Once they do that, they qualify."
Jayden began raising money for her service dog companion a few months ago by selling lemonade and sweet tea through Jayden's Lemonade Stand.
This past Sunday, Jayden and her mother served up glasses of lemonade at the Inwood Volunteer Fire Department.
Jessica described the fundraising process as bittersweet. Along with the challenges of the behavioral problems Jayden faces, Jessica said some days the stand will make $400 and some days only $14.
So far, Jayden has made $3,500 toward the $14,000 goal, or 25 percent of the initial fundraising goal needed. In addition to the $14,000, Jayden will need to raise $2,500 so that she can travel to 4 Paws for Ability and be acclimated to her new companion.
Jessica said she is very excited for Jayden to have the service dog because she will be able to take it everywhere as a social companion in her life.
Shirk said the bond between a service dog and a child with autism is special because it provides the potential for the child to build the skill of companionship, which could lead to relationships with others.
"Humans are so complex; it's very difficult to read a human being. With a dog, it's very simple. If a dog is happy, it's happy. It's very easy for a child to develop a relationship with a dog," Shirk said.
Since 1998, the organization has placed 850 service dogs with those in need.
Shirk said she founded the organization after she was denied the right to a service dog because she was told she was "too dependent on a ventilator."
"They thought I was so disabled I wouldn't be a productive member of society well, obviously, they were wrong," Shirk said.
Jessica said as a parent of a child with autism, the experience is both challenging and rewarding.
"It's exhausting, but when you have these good moments, it's so fantastic," she said.
In addition to setting up the lemonade stand across the area, donations can also be made by going online to www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/4pawsforjayden. Jessica has also created a Facebook page for Jayden at Facebook.com/Jaydensjourney14.
Jayden's Lemonade Stand will also be selling lemonade during the Inwood Volunteer Fire Department's open house from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21.
Staff writer Chelsea DeMello can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 215, or twitter.com/cdemelloJN.


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In this video, Motley Fool tech and telecom analyst Andrew Tonner tells investors about a recent study from a group of economists at eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY ) Research Labs, comparing geographic areas where the company had withdrawn its Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL ) ads with areas where it hadn't over a three-month period. The company found no significant loss in sales between the two areas. Does this call into question the efficacy of advertising with Google? Andrew tells us why having a major advertiser like eBay lose faith might have an impact on Google, and he gives investors some key takeaways for their own investing theses on these two companies.
As one of the most dominant Internet companies ever, Google has made a habit of driving strong returns for its shareholders. However, like many other Web companies, it's also struggling to adapt to an increasingly mobile world. Despite gaining an enviable lead with its Android operating system, the market isn't sold. That's why it's more important than ever to understand each piece of Google's sprawling empire. In The Motley Fool's new premium research report on Google, we break down the risks and potential rewards for Google investors. Simply click here now to unlock your copy of this invaluable resource.


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Building Community: Take Two
Our recent community discussion and film screening of "Hawo's Dinner Party" received so many RSVPs, and started so many rich conversations, that this past Tuesday, Oct 11, we hosted a repeat of the same event. Allowing those who had been waitlisted a first chance to grab a seat, and then expanding to invite ESOL students, and leaders within the religious community, the group was composed of families from different traditions.
With some tastefully assembled appetizers, everyone divided themselves among the tables, under orders to sit somewhere they could make new friends. After briefly discussing our first reactions to the film, we took a second look at the issue of immigration, through the lens of various faiths, and then again through the myths we always hear, and the facts we rarely face.
Finally, we examined our own experiences of a time when a total stranger became a close friend, and how such changes come to pass. These stranger-to-neighbor stories showed us that it takes just one moment for power dynamics to shift and to open the way towards mutual cooperation.
Thanks so much to our co-sponsors: FaithAction International House, Church World Service, Islamic Center of Greensboro and Zaytoon Restaurant.


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HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 63 degrees, according to the National Weather Service office in Huntsville.
Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low of 43 degrees.
New Years Day will begin with a 20 percent chance of showers before noon, then mostly sunny and breezy with an afternoon high of 55 degrees.
The wind will be northwesterly at 10 to 15 miles per hour with gust to 25 miles per hour.
Sunday night will be mostly clear with a low of 28 degrees.
Sign up to receive a daily weather report via email for free at al.com/newsletters. On the go? Sign up for important weather alerts delivered to your phone, a free text service provided by al.com and the National Weather Service.


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|Click for larger image
Book cover picture of Thiebaud, Wayne. WAYNE THIEBAUD: Working with Composition, Scholastic Art February 2003. New York: Scholastic, 2003.
First printing. This issue focuses on California artist Wayne Thiebaud's still life paintings, including articles on his use of pastry, cakes, and cityscapes. Illustrated throughout in full color. Includes artist of the month, and the critic's corner on the rear cover. 16 pages, including the covers, stapled. Measures 8 1/2 in by 11 in. Fine. Uncommon. .
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text:
On Wed, 30 Jun 2004, Gergely Korodi
> I'm running Debian 3.0 and Mandrake 9.0--the following problem persists
> under both of them.
> I've set up my runlevels so that I can conveniently switch off all
> networking and related services when I don't need them, for security
> considerations. As such, runlevel 2 has no networking, and runlevel
> 3 has full networking (setting up interfaces, sshd, xinetd). I'm
> booting into runlevel 2 by default, and when I need the network, I just
> issue the command "telinit 3". Then "telinit 2" drops me back to no
> network. Here is the list of my rc2.d and rc3.d directories for the
> exact services (under Mandrake):
> $ ls /etc/rc[23].d
> /etc/rc2.d:
> K09dm@ K50xinetd@ K90network@ S17alsa@ S20xfs@ S95kheader@
> K15numlock@ K60atd@ S12syslog@ S18sound@ S75keytable@ S99devfsd@
> K45sshd@ K89internet@ S15gpm@ S20random@ S90crond@ S99local@
> /etc/rc3.d:
> K09dm@ S12syslog@ S18sound@ S40atd@ S75keytable@ S95kheader@
> S10network@ S15gpm@ S20random@ S55sshd@ S85numlock@ S99devfsd@
> S11internet@ S17alsa@ S20xfs@ S56xinetd@ S90crond@ S99local@
> The problem is that this only works when I use telinit under the virtual
> terminals. Normally, the services are printed out as they are
> started/stopped indicating if the command was successful. But when I
> try to do the same from X11 (I just launch it with startx, and su to
> root in an xterm), "telinit 2" and "telinit 3" apparently have no
> effect; nothing is printed out, and the prompt reappears
> instantaneously. Services are not affected. Curiously, when I go back
> to the virtual terminals while X is still running and issue the commands
> there--they're working.
> Can anyone explain why telinit is not working in an xterm, and how to
> correct this?
I could be wrong, but doesn't X require networking (port 6000 on
localhost). So it would be kind of foolish to kill networking from X
which would render X unusable. Maybe the system recognizes that this
would render your current terminal unusable and therefore saves you from
making such an error.
For example some people have problems when they or something (like dhcp)
changes their hostname on the fly, because that new hostname may not have
permission (xauth) to access that X server or the system may not be able
to find a local IP for the new hostname.
David Efflandt - All spam ignored http://www.de-srv.com/


text:
The whitetip reef shark earns its common name from the conspicuous white tips found on the first dorsal and upper caudal fins, occasionally found also on the second dorsal and lower caudal fins (4) (5). Small dark spots are scattered across the body, which is grey-brown in colour, fading to white on the underside (4). This small shark is moderately slender with a broad and flattened head, rounded snout, down-slanted mouth and large eyes (3) (4). The whitetip reef shark can be distinguished from the similar silvertip (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) and oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) sharks by being much smaller and more slender, by lacking the white tips these two sharks have on the pectoral fins, and by possessing a second dorsal fin that is significantly larger than in these two species (3) (5).
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text:
Hundreds remember ReeAnne Halonen, 1943-2010
ReeAnne Halonen got her last wish. A Dixieland band on Nov. 14 led family and friends with trumpet and trombone blaring in a funeral procession up the street to a park two blocks from her home.
White Sox fans say "Danks" you for the win
The Chicago White Sox have had a couple of rough games due to poor pitching performances recently but that all changed Monday night, July 26, when they brought their game against the Seattle Mariners.


text:
FIRST AND LAST Co. Ltd. Thai Lottery Lucky Numbers Generator Trial 8.1
Designed for fun to pick your lotto numbers. You are able to pick upto 7 random numbers from a range of 1 - 99. It also has support for a bonus number. It has the ability to print and save these numbers for checking at a later date. It has full multiple database support which will enable you to keep track of as many games as you wish. It will enable you to enter favorite and/or excluded numbers which you want/dont want drawn for every draw it generates. There is also a graphical representation of your lottery database where you can see how many times certain numbers have come up and see if they are considered to be hot, cold or average. Finally, you are given the choice of picking multiple lines from a mixture of hot, cold, average or random numbers.
Yes, it's another one of those lottery number generators. Generate upto 200 groups of numbers at the click of abutton AND save them all to file.
LotsaLotto is a powerful random lotto number generator that allows you to generate numbers using a range of options to suit your needs. You can choose the highest and lowest ball to draw, odds or evens, sequences, duplicates and more..........
Picking the right lottery numbers is the greatest challenge of all lottery players. Actually, intuitive ability is very important in all forms of gambling especially lotto. But now for the first time ever, you can train your psychic mind to give you the winning lotto numbers. How does this work, you ask? You develop and expand your psychic ability to correctly predict the winning lotto numbers.
CoolLotto is a tool intended for examining anticipated lotto numbers. It uses two statistical coefficients to inform the player about hidden regularities within the numbers. They increase in proportion to the odds with which the numbers can be drawn.
True Random Numbers or Cryptographically Secure Pseudo-Random Numbers with applications like password generation and evaluation or lotto.
Decision Analyst STATS is a free, easy-to-use, Windows-based statistical software program for marketing research that performs multiple functions. Stats 2.0 requires a Windows-based operating system to run. Decision Analyst Stats does not run on MAC computers.
Lotto Logic Professional is a full-featured advanced lottery prediction program which helps you to select tickets for any lottery. It works with lottery games such as Pick-3, Pick-4, Pick 5, Pick-6 and Pick-7 all the way through to Pick-10. Up to 2 bonus numbers can be used for games such as PowerBall or Mega Millions and it can also handle games such as Keno and Quinto.
Lotto is a very popular gambling game. All the person needs is to predict the numbers that will be drawn in the next round. Have you ever found yourself looking at previous draws and trying to figure out any logic in drawn numbers sequences? If you think that there might be some kind of logic, then you should try Stonito Lotto, it will do all the work for you.
Lotto software program Lotto Hat is an exciting lottery software program that attacks the lotteries from several directions at once.
Lotto Hat lottery software wheels your lotto numbers using its wheeling systems or allows you to import your own, or can generate unique filtered wheels on the fly and reduce them to fit your budget.
LOTTOmania is a utility pack for lotto players that will help them in filling out their tickets using the most popular winning patterns. This program can be used with systems drawing 4 to 8 numbers out of a 1 to 99 number pool, retrieving the history of results of the most popular lotteries in a wide number of countries.
Lotto Aim is equipped with a very comprehensive analysis system, including an original data analysis and seven transformation data analysis. It provides a data diagram entailing more regularity, and its analysis function includes data analysis, arrangement analysis, circulation analysis, positional code analysis and relation analysis.
FractMus is a algorithmic-music generator that generates melodies using mathematical formulas.
FractMus uses two counters as an iteration control for the algorithms.
Melodies are always played from the Start counter, which counts in thirty-second notes.
The End counter marks the point were the music stops.
Win A Lotto is a complete lottery application for MS Windows that supports all lotteries with as many as 10 regular numbers and up to 3 bonuses. It helps improve your odds of winning the lotto with complete statistical analysis, wheeling tables, database updates from the web, and an easy to use interface with instant and historical results for your tickets.
LOTTOmania is a utility pack for lotto players. It will help them in filling out their tickets using the most popular winning patterns. LOTTOmania will let you choose the type of lotto you want to bet in. This program can be used with systems drawing 4 to 8 numbers out of a 1 to 99 number pool, retrieving the history of results of the most popular lotteries in a wide number of countries.
CastleLotto helps you predict the right numbers to win Lotto. Analyze your own numbers in depth. Examine past results. Which numbers are most likely next draw ? Generate weighted random numbers. CastleLotto supports all major forms of Lotto.
SL4 is a multi-award winning open source 6/49 Lotto database application that is based on the South-African National Lottery which started on Saturday 11 March 2000. Your chances of winning a 6/49 Lottery Jackpot is about 13 983 816 to 1. But using SL4 might just increase your chances of winning.


text: The ship despite being supposedly refurbished, is old and shows it. The upper exterior actually showed chipped paint which was visible from a distance. We could see it from our hotel room which was across the street from the port. The upper deck deck which contained the hot tubs had obviously been neglected and had no decor except for a slab of of white paint. The mosaic benches were chipped and outdated. All the windows were dirty. Hard to imagine how they could have neglected all of them from the main dining room to our room. The robes given to you at the spa were shredded and looked as if they were 10 years old. No room in the men's locker room except for one seat. Gym equipment was old and outdated. Seating in the upstairs theatre could not have been more uncomfortable. Low back and hard seating. The food was mediocre except for the steak specialty restaurant. The Italian was ok but not enough of of a selection. Service in the main dining room although well intentioned was very erratic. Had issues with the internet for the first 24 minutes of use and management graciously gave me a 10 minute credit. Cut in staffing meant there was no one to assist in the internet cafe which made it difficult and expensive on some of the old timers. The post lunch snack options were limited and closed shortly after returning from excursions. It seemed there was an absolute attempt to cut corners especially since we cruised last year on the Eurodam and we were very pleased. Never again will we cruise with Holland America. And no music at sail away! I find it difficult to believe HA ranked 5th in the travel & Leisure poll. Obviously no one was on the Veendam.


text:
Legendary soul singer Wilson Pickett died Thursday at age 64, his agent confirmed to the Associated Press.
The "Mustang Sally" and "In the Midnight Hour" singer suffered a heart attack at a hospital near his home in Virginia. Chris Tuthill, a spokesman for the singer's management company Talent Source, said Pickett had been suffering from health problems for the past year.
"I loved him and I'm sure he was well-loved, and I just hope that he's given his props," the singer's son, Michael Wilson Pickett, told WRC-TV in Washington, the AP reports.
Pickett – known as "Wicked Pickett" for his unique singing style and high energy on and off stage – was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was considered influential in the development of R&B.
Both "Mustang Sally" and "In the Midnight Hour" were included in a Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
The Alabama-born performer got his start singing gospel music in church. After moving to Detroit as a teenager, he joined the group the Falcons, which had a hit, I Found Love, in 1962. Two years later, Pickett was signed to Atlantic Records, and recorded many of his early songs at the famed Stax studio in Memphis, Tenn.
He was most recently featured in the 2004 soul music documentary Only the Strong Survive.
R&B Great Wilson Pickett Dies at 64
Billy Tompkins/Retna


text:
Counselors recognize students who have overcome obstacles
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on February 4, 2010 1:46 PM
News-Argus/PHYLLIS MOORE
Gladys Diggs, left, counselor at Charles B. Aycock High School, was named counselor of the year for Wayne County Public Schools during Wednesday's annual counselor awards ceremony at central office. Students recognized for overcoming obstacles to become successful in school were, from left, Cierra Garner from North Drive Elementary School, Abby Keen from Grantham School, Carolynn Johnson from Southern Wayne High, Dillon Green from Norwayne Middle and Harley Yelverton from Charles B. Aycock. Absent was Ethan Shingleton from Brogden Primary School.
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text:
Top Definition
The most legendary man in the history of the world.
BM: Man, did you see Chestnut down that extra large steeped tea?
BB: Yeah, Chestnut is such a legend
BB: Yeah, Chestnut is such a legend
Chestor_Is_A_Legend가 작성 2008년 05월 04일 (일)
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
a pair of boobs, a good rack
dude, check out that chicks chestnuts!
that one kid with lots of free time가 작성 2007년 04월 03일 (화)
When a guy puts his balls in between a girls chest, while she massages it. Hence the name CHEST...NUT
glopmon123가 작성 2011년 05월 30일 (월)
When he knew he was about to cum he pointed his dick right at her huge tits. They both knew a chestnut was imminent.
Marchel가 작성 2013년 03월 19일 (화)
a boobjob, where a man's nuts meets a woman's chest
Dude, katie and andy just chestnutted last night.
AznUrban가 작성 2010년 03월 26일 (금)
While a woman is lying on her back you straddle her chest and stick your cock in her mouth. As she's choking on your wang you stick your balls in between her tits and jiggle her b3wbs which massages your nuts.
Jill had such big knockers that I had to give her the chestnuts.
yannimyfanny가 작성 2008년 03월 11일 (화)
To punch somebody for little to no reason
"So we were at this bar having a good time, when out of nowhere Zach just chestnuts a complete stranger, and we got thrown out.
Rob Freidman가 작성 2008년 01월 27일 (일)


text:
This is the 12th year the museum has participated in the program. To locate a toy drop-off location near you, click here.
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Pentamidine in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Melanoma
Recruitment status was Recruiting
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pentamidine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.
PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well pentamidine works in treating patients with relapsed or refractory melanoma.
Melanoma (Skin)
Drug: pentamidine
Genetic: gene expression analysis
Genetic: polymerase chain reaction
Genetic: western blotting
Other: bioluminescence
Other: immunoenzyme technique
Other: immunohistochemistry staining method
Other: laboratory biomarker analysis
Phase 2
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Treatment of Melanoma With Wild-type p53 and Detectable S100B Using Pentamidine: a Phase II Trial With Correlative Biomarker Endpoints
- Clinical response [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Wild-type p53 and S100B status at baseline [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Pre- and post-treatment changes in the concentration of S100B and p21 in tumor biopsy samples [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Serial levels of serum S100B [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|July 2008
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|July 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
- To determine the response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory melanoma that expresses wild-type p53 and S100B treated with pentamidine.
- To observe the effect of this drug on the expression of S100B and p21 in tumor biopsy samples.
- To observe the effect of this drug on S100B detectable in serum.
- To observe the time to progression in these patients.
- To assess the toxicities associated with the administration of this drug in these patients.
OUTLINE: Patients receive pentamidine IV over 2 hours 5 days a week for 2 weeks. Courses repeat every 4 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Patients undergo tumor tissue and blood sample collection periodically for correlative laboratory studies. Samples are assessed for p53 status and S100B, p53, and p21 expression by immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, luminescence assay, and ELISA.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed for 30 days.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Genders Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Histologically confirmed melanoma
- Relapsed or refractory disease
- Tumor expresses wild-type p53
- Measurable S100B by immunohistochemistry
- Measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques or as ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
- Tumor amenable to biopsy
- Must have been evaluated for potentially curative resection
No unstable or symptomatic brain metastases (e.g., seizures, headache related to tumor, or presence of neurologic deficits attributable to tumor)
- Patients with stable brain metastases (by CT scan or MRI) are eligible provided they were treated with local therapy > 4 weeks ago AND do not require maintenance steroid treatment
- ECOG performance status 0-2
- Life expectancy > 12 weeks
- WBC ≥ 3,000/mcL
- ANC ≥ 1,500/mcL
- Platelet count ≥ 80,000/mcL
- Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL
- Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times normal
- AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times normal or creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
- Not pregnant or nursing
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 3 months after completion of study treatment
- Able to take oral medications on a regular basis
- No history of allergic reactions attributed to pentamidine
- Mean QTc ≤ 470 msec (with Bazett's correction) on screening ECG
- No history of familial long QT syndrome
- Proteinuria ≤ 1 on two consecutive dipsticks taken ≥ 1 week apart
No concurrent uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:
- Hypertension
- Ongoing or active infection
- Symptomatic congestive heart failure
- Unstable angina pectoris
- Renal failure
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
- Recovered from all prior therapy
- Any number of prior chemotherapy regimens allowed
- More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C)
- More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy or major surgery
- More than 30 days since prior participation in an investigational trial
- No concurrent medication that may markedly affect renal function (e.g., vancomycin, amphotericin, zoledronic acid)
- No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
- No other concurrent investigational agents
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00729807
|United States, Maryland
|Greenebaum Cancer Center at University of Maryland Medical Center
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
|Contact: Clinical Trials Office - Greenebaum Cancer Center at Universit 800-888-8823
|Principal Investigator:
|Edward A. Sausville, MD, PhD
|University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center
|Responsible Party:
|Edward A. Sausville, Greenebaum Cancer Center at University of Maryland Medical Center
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00729807 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|August 7, 2008
|Last Updated:
|December 16, 2009
|Health Authority:
Keywords provided by National Cancer Institute (NCI):
recurrent melanoma
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Neuroendocrine Tumors
Neuroectodermal Tumors
Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal
Neoplasms by Histologic Type
Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue
Nevi and Melanomas
Antifungal Agents
Anti-Infective Agents
Antiprotozoal Agents
Antiparasitic Agents
Trypanocidal Agents
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 26, 2016


text:
A man contracted by the city was injured early Monday morning after a county bus struck the light pole he was working on.
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|Kaedrin Weblog
Sunday, September 28, 2008
6WH: Week 2 - The Lycanthropic Edition
The Six Weeks of Halloween continues this week with a trio of movies featuring Werewolves, along with the usual spat of movie trailers and comedic shorts. Enjoy:
In an effort to further steal from kernunrex, I picked up a pack of Halloween Jones Soda this week... I chose the not-so-adventurous Blood Orange flavor, which I really liked a lot (though it's a pretty standard orange soda style flavor, it's still tasty). Up next will be the Candy Corn flavor.
Posted by Mark on September 28, 2008 at 12:15 PM .: link :.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Moon
A few years ago, The Onion put out a book called Our Dumb Century. It was comprised of a series of newspaper front pages, one from each year. It was an interesting book, in part because of the events they chose to represent each year and also because The Onion writers are hilarious. The most brilliant entry in the book was from the 1969 edition of the paper:
Utterly brilliant. You can't read it on that small copy, but there's a whole profanity-laden exchange between Houston and Tranquility Base that's also hysterically funny. As it turns out, The Onion folks went ahead and made a video, complete with archival footage and authentic sounding voices, beeps, static, etc... Incredibly funny. [video via Need Coffee]
Update: Weird, I tried to embed the video in this post, but when you click play it says it's no longer available... but if you go directly to youtube, you can get the video. I'm taking out the embedded video and putting in the link for now.
Posted by Mark on September 24, 2008 at 10:04 PM .: link :.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Six Weeks of Halloween: Week 1 - The Friday the 13th Edition
I stumbled upon Kernunrex's annual six weeks of Halloween posts a bit late last year, so I only did four weeks myself. This year, I'm prepared. This is my favorite time of the year, and like Kernunrex, I think it's a great excuse to explore one of my favorite genres.
When else can you impersonate another person all day and not be arrested? On what other day would it be socially acceptable to decorate your yard with imitation corpses? Only during Halloween do hollow, burning fruit look good on your porch. Most of all, Halloween somehow makes most everyone in the country a fan of my favorite genre. One day just isn't enough for this type of fun; I make it six weeks.Excellent. To start things off, I watched some Friday the 13th movies. I've seen most of them before, but mostly only in pieces. Last year, I revisted the original, this year, I've revisted the next three installments.
Also, since we're pretty early in the season, feel free to leave some recommendations in the comments. I have a bunch of movies in my queue, but nothing I consider very essential, so recommendations are welcome.
Posted by Mark on September 21, 2008 at 07:22 PM .: link :.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Probing Video Games
Clive Thompson's latest video game article is about how players of online video games collaborate, analyze and develop strategies for beating difficult bosses. One example he gives is a game called Lineage, where groups of 150 players stage assaults on fiendishly difficult enemies. Constance Steinkuehler, a game academic at the University of Wisconsin, was fascinated with the game and how the players were able to quickly identify and exploit weanesses in the bosses. She eventually figured out how her teenage compatriots were accomplishing the feat:
A group of them were building Excel spreadsheets into which they'd dump all the information they'd gathered about how each boss behaved: What potions affected it, what attacks it would use, with what damage, and when. Then they'd develop a mathematical model to explain how the boss worked — and to predict how to beat it.Sound familiar? I've often mentioned Steven Berlin Johnson's book, Everything Bad is Good For You on this blog, with particular focus on the concepts of probing, telescoping and decision-making. The process of probing a game (or in this case, an enemy), developing a hypothesis, reprobing, and then rethinking the hypothesis is essentially the same thing as the scientific method or the hermenutic circle.
Steinkuehler also studied a popular World of Warcraft message board to see what the folks there were talking about. It turns out that people there are mostly doing science!
Only a minority of the postings were "banter" or idle chat. In contrast, a majority — 86 percent — were aimed specifically at analyzing the hidden ruleset of games.I've never actually played WoW, but I find this behavior fascinating. Towards the end of the article, Thompson talks about education:
And here's the thing: The (mostly) young people engaging in these sciencelike conversations are precisely the same ones who are, more and more, tuning out of science in the classroom. Every study shows science literacy in school is plummeting, with barely one-fifth of students graduating with any sort of sense of how the scientific method works. The situation is far worse for boys than girls.That would certainly make for an interesting class. As I've noted before, it should be interesting to see if video games ever really catch on as learning tools. There have been a lot of attempts at this sort of thing, but they're often stifled by the reputation of video games being a "colossal waste of time" (in recent years, the benefits of gaming are being acknowledged more and more, though not usually as dramatically as Johnson does in his book).
Posted by Mark on September 17, 2008 at 08:47 PM .: link :.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Clone Wars & Context
Not too long ago, I mentioned that George Lucas' involvement in a project usually does not bode well for that project. I admit to a certain amount of bandwagon-jumping there, but at the same time, I think it's justified. Jeff Jenson at EW thinks otherwise:
But the haters got it wrong — about The Clone Wars, about Lucas (''Sellout''? What does that even mean these days?), and about the current state of Star Wars in general. Missing from much of the overheated bashing of The Clone Wars was the crucial point that it was made for kids, not the grown-ups for whom the original trilogy remains (ridiculously) sacred. Several reviews simply revisited and rehashed the bitter disdain many adult Star Wars fans have for the prequel trilogy. I get that bitterness. But my young Star Wars-loving children don't, nor do the kids who were raised on the prequels and (heresy!) actually liked them.Now, I was one of the few who plunked down their $10 to see the latest Clone Wars movie, and I do think that hyperbolic response of movie critics was unjustified. The movie is nothing special, but it does not deserve to be among the worst movies of the year. For all its failings, it's still well made and it contains a coherent story (albeit, not much of one). So why the disproportionate response? I think the answer is context.
First, everyone heard the story behind the release of this film. Namely that Lucasfilm was putting together a TV series for Cartoon Network, and that after producing the Pilot episode, they decided to put it in the theaters to see if they could rake in some more cash from mopes like myself. Jenson wonders in his article what "sellout" even means these days, and it's a fair point I guess, but it's pretty obvious that this is a pure money grab on Lucasfilms' part. I'm reminded once again of David Foster Wallace's1 brilliant essay, F/X Porn, where he discusses some of the business decisions that drove the plot of T2:
The studio backing for "T2'''s wildly sophisticated and digital F/X therefore depends on Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger agreeing to reprise his Terminator role. Now the ironies start to stack, though, because it turns out that Schwarzenegger -- or perhaps more accurately "Schwarzenegger, Inc.," or "Ahnodyne" -- has decided that playing any more malevolent cyborgs would compromise the Leading Man image his elite and bankable record of ROI entails. He will do the film only if "T2"'s script is somehow engineered to make the Terminator the Good Guy. Not only is this vain and stupid and shockingly ungrateful [12], it is also common popular knowledge, duly reported in both the trade and the popular entertainment media before "T2" even goes into production. There's consequently a weird postmodern tension to the way we watch the film; we're aware of what the bankable star's demands were, and we're also aware of how much the movie cost and how important bankable stars are to a big-budget movie; and so one of the few things that keeps us on the edge of our seats during the movie is our suspense about whether James Cameron can possibly weave a plausible, non-cheesy narrative that meets Schwarzenegger's career needs without betraying "T1"'s precedent.(emphasis mine) Like T2, the production and financial situation of The Clone Wars was duly reported and common knowledge among the public before the film's release. We know what we're watching is simply an episode in a TV series, which automatically knocks it down a peg due to the negative connotations of TV. Add on the perceived greed of releasing it in theaters and marketing it to the traditional Star Wars fanbase (while it may certainly be more suitable for children, as Jenson notes, I don't remember it being marketed that way), and it goes down another peg or two.
Second, the stakes of the film are rather low. This is most likely the result of its TV heritage, as it would have been fine as a pilot episode for a series that will most likely continue to develop the various strands that were introduced in the movie. But when you put it in the theaters, you're begging to compare it to the other 6 films. While the prequels tend to be a bit muddled in terms of plot, the stakes are clearly high. And the original trilogy has even higher stakes. Furthermore, the movie can't even approach the stakes of the first Clone Wars series (more on this later).
Third, the tension is non-existent because the film takes place between Episode II and Episode III. In addition, the grand majority of the characters in the movie are also in Episode III, so, for instance, we know that the duel between Anakin and Count Dooku will result in a draw. Ah, but how can I say that when I also like the original Clone Wars series? It's easy. That series came out before Episode III. Furthermore, while that series featured many of the same characters as the movies, it also featured a whole slew of Jedi who were not main characters in the movies. So when these normally peripheral Jedi are placed in the spotlight and cornered by General Grievous, there is a genuine feeling of suspense (incidentally, Grievous was a great, menacing character in the series - making him a total letdown in Episode III, where he turned out to be an incompetent, cowardly weenie).
Yes, many of these complaints have very little to do with the craft or skill that went into the movie, but context matters. Whether it's expectations, innovation or the crowd you saw a film with, it's clear that context makes a big difference. For a movie that takes place in a beloved SF universe with a grand tradition, context matters even more, which is why I think you can see a lot of exaggerated complaints in reviews. To be sure, it's not a great film, but it's not one of the year's worst either.
1 - Surprisingly, it seems that David Foster Wallace was found dead recently. I guess I should dust off my unread copy of Infinite Jest and give it a read sometime. Perhaps after I finish Anathem.
Posted by Mark on September 14, 2008 at 08:40 PM .: link :.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Goodbye, Trackbacks
So while I am able to write a post now, the problem of the mysterious core dumps is still apparently not solved. I logged into my account last night to find that I had a nice 2 gb of core dumps in my movable type directory. These files must have accumulated during the past few weeks, and it's obvious that my original posting problem wasn't the only malfunction that was creating core dumps. In any case, I checked the system again tonight and found about 600 mb of files in my account. Great. At least that narrows it down a little, as I haven't logged in to MT since last night. So if it's not something I'm doing in MT, it's got to be something that is accessible to everyone, like comments or trackbacks. After some halfassed troubleshooting, I was able to cause a core dump by sending a legitimate trackback to my site. Somehow I doubt that's the only thing causing a problem, but clearly, it needs to go.
Trackbacks were a nice idea, but in reality, they've gone down as something of a debacle. The general concept is to provide a way for one blogger to notify another blogger when they've linked to their blog. So I write a post that links to another blog, and I can "ping" that blog to let the author of that blog know that I've linked to them. In addition, a link back to my post appears on their post. Sounds nice, right? And it is... when it works. The problem is that the system is completely open, so the spammers had a field day. And the trackback management functionality (including anti-spam measures) has always lagged behind comment functionality, so there always seemed to be problems. In other words, trackbacks basically became useless, and a maintenance nightmare. Also, the implementations of the trackback protocol on different blogging engines tended to be a bit strange (Wordpress blogs can never seem to ping my blog successfully.)
The general concept still exists in other forms. Aggregators like Technorati are partially driven by Pings. They deal with spam too (among other issues), but again, the concept remains valid. Six Apart and others are attempting to rework the concept, at which point it might prove useful again.
Alas, it will not exist on this blog anymore. Of course it's not a big loss. During the 8 year tenure of this blog, I've received exactly 11 legitimate trackbacks. I have no idea how many spam trackbacks I've received, but it's somewhere around way too fucking many.
All of which is to say that I'm mucking around with my blog's templates, so things might appear wonky for a bit. If you're having problems, feel free to email me (or post a comment, as that seems to work fine).
Update: Author comments. It's funny, I really should have removed trackbacks a long time ago. I guess I'm just lazy. Let's just call it blog template inertia. Oh, and there was also at least 2 occasions where I thought to myself, I should remove trackbacks! They're useless!, at which point I would receive a few trackbacks in the next couple days. But the last one was well over a year, and the core dumps provided a convenient excuse. Incidentally, only 160 mb of core dumps in the past day since I removed trackbacks. Hurm.
Posted by Mark on September 11, 2008 at 09:10 PM .: link :.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Link to Someone New
Just another set of blogs I have never linked to before. Enjoy.
Posted by Mark on September 10, 2008 at 07:49 PM .: link :.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Zoe's Tale
At the risk of greatly simplifying my reading process, it's possible to categorize books into two categories: page turners and slow burners. Page turners are incredibly easy and entertaining reads, while slow burners require a little more effort to digest (and usually take longer to read). Both types have their plusses and minuses, and naturally, most books fall somewhere between the two types, with certain rare and extreme exceptions. For instance, Gravity's Rainbow is a typical slow burner - packed densely with fascinating ideas and esoteric concepts and beautifully written, it is also a very slow read that requires full attention (i.e. not something you'd want to read at the beach or on a plane). On the other hand, the books of John Scalzi would be best characterized as page turners.
Since discovering Scalzi a few years ago, I've quickly devoured most of his books. The first and most notable is Old Man's War, an entertaining military SF book with a twist: the soldiers in this novel begin their service at 75 years old. Scalzi hits all the military SF tropes while retaining an entertaining and page turning feel. Not terribly original, but it featured likeable characters and a fun overall arc. He followed that up with a sequel, The Ghost Brigades, which follows a different branch of the military (the special forces). Once again, it was an entertaining page turner, though in my opinion, it did not reach the heights of Old Man's War mostly because of the galactic-sized plot hole that the story hinges on. His next novel, The Android's Dream (which, contrary to its title, doesn't feature much in the way of androids or dreams), is independent of what has now become the Old Man's War Universe, and is probably my second favorite of Scalzi's novels. Scalzi then returned to the OMW Universe and wrote The Last Colony. Where the first two novels in the series focused on the military aspects of the universe, this novel focuses on the colonies. The heroes from the first two books, John Perry and Jane Sagan, head up an expedition to colonize a new planet, much to the chagrin of a collective of alien races. Once again, I breezed through the book in no time and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite a few seemingly loose ends or abrupt plot maneuvers.
Which brings us to Scalzi's latest novel, Zoe's Tale. The story is set in parallel with The Last Colony and depicts mostly the same events, but from the perspective of Zoe Boutin Perry, the 16 year old adopted daughter of John Perry and Jane Sagan (the heroes of the first two novels). This is actually a tricky proposition, for a number of reasons. First, while retelling the same story from a different perspective has been done before (Scalzi himself mentions the two most obvious examples in his acknowledgements: Orson Scott Card's Ender's Shadow (Which retells Ender's Game from the perspective of Bean) and Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (which takes minor characters from Hamlet and makes them the focus)), it is by no means a simple matter to portray the same events in a new and exciting light. Second, the character of Zoe, a teenage girl with rough childhood, presents something of a challenge because the book is written in first person and I'm pretty sure John Scalzi is not a teenage girl (he is, in fact, a 38 year old man). If he couldn't manage to find Zoe's voice, the book simply couldn't have worked.
Overall, I think he managed to clear both hurdles, but not by a ton. Like his other novels, I blew through this book in just a few days, and it was indeed quite entertaining. However, there were a few things that didn't quite work for me. As I mentioned before, the story takes place in parallel with the events of The Last Colony, and for a good portion of this book, the concept doesn't really play that well. As a teenage girl, Zoe doesn't really have much to do during a good portion of the story. Events are happening around her, but she's not really driving or even responding much to them. Much time is spent building relationships with a small group of friends, while her parents are dealing with bigger and more exciting problems. Luckily, the loose ends in Colony that I mentioned above give Scalzi what he needs to empower Zoe, and the last third or so of the novel really kicks into gear. In particular, we get a little more on the indiginous life form on the colony's planet (which are described as similar to werewolves). In Colony, the situation with the werewolves escalates to nowhere. Some things happen, and then that subplot is basically dropped in favor of another, more dangerous threat. To be honest, I still don't think Scalzi has weaved the werewolves subplot into the story that well, but Zoe's encounter with them does add some more perspective, and actually plays more of a part in this novel than it does in Colony. The other major event that is only briefly mentioned in Colony is Zoe's diplomatic mission to the Conclave (which was essentially a deus ex machina maneuver on Scalzi's part). This represents the climax of Zoe's story and is handled well.
As for Zoe's voice, I think Scalzi certainly does well enough. Speaking as someone who has never been a teenage girl myself, I can't say this with authority, but I didn't have many problems with the character. I think Scalzi did go a bit overboard with the themes of friendship and love, which are repeated over and over as the story progresses, but it works reasonably well within the story. After several books, it's also worth noting that Scalzi's main characters all seem to engage in witty, rapid-fire dialogue, but I'm not really complaining about that yet. It's part of what turns the pages, after all.
In the end, I don't think this is Scalzi's best work, though maybe teenage girls will get more of a kick out of it than I did (and I think it could work as a standalone novel as well, which would might make it even better). On the other hand, I devoured this novel just as quickly as the others, and enjoyed it almost as much. While I very much enjoy these characters and the OMW Universe in general, I do hope the Scalzi moves on to something else, at least for a novel or two. He has a done a good job in mining his universe for interesting stories, and each novel has a very distinct feel (the first two give different flavors of military service, while the next two give different perspectives on the colonization process), but I'd hate for new novels to become tired retreads of the existing material. In any case, I do recommend Zoe's Tale to anyone who enjoyed the first three, and I also highly recommend Old Man's War for any SF fans out there (and The Android's Dream is also quite good!)
Posted by Mark on September 07, 2008 at 07:48 PM .: link :.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Link Dump and Quick Hits
Just a few links that have caught my interest lately.
Posted by Mark on September 03, 2008 at 08:11 PM .: link :.
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text:
Top Definition
one of the sickest rappers
"did u hear that cormega song?"
"yea it was blazinnnn hot!"
"yea it was blazinnnn hot!"
by shady KiDD April 05, 2003
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
A thug with real talk and who's respected in the street's of Queens. The True Meaning of Realness.
Word on the street is a four four can't stop mega.
by DutchMaster March 19, 2005
Greatest rapper ever
ni99as ask why i write so violent
my brain transformed in a dorm in rikers island
my brain transformed in a dorm in rikers island
by Phillip December 01, 2003
the only rapper to ever give one of the greatest of all times, nas, a hard time in their beef. one of the most underrated emcees ever, came out of queensborough
cormega gave nas a hard time, unlike gay-z, fifty "candyass" cent, lil "assclown" weeyzy, etc
by immynimmy April 06, 2008
Just another rapper.
But he good
by Nas hates Cormega June 02, 2003
a rapper I only give credit to for one song: 'Get Out My Way'
How dare Cor try Nas, hah!!!!
by *Wonderboy Marvel* September 06, 2003


text: This is one of Italy's most important collections. In wood, ivory and bronze, they are partly displayed in the Gallery, but the collection is very large and also takes up another wing of the Hotel. It includes rare museum pieces, such as a particular rare red coral crucifix. They express a profound spirituality.


text:
Magazines Hydrocarbon Engineering LNG Industry
Oilfield Technology
World Coal World Pipelines World Cement
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The Brazilian government controlled Petrobras has been exploring an offshore subsalt area as part of an oil-for-stock deal that was signed in 2010; it was during the exploration of this area that the company discovered the reservoir.
The find confirms previous analysis that predicted Petrobras' Franco field stretched towards the northeast of the Santos Basin.
Once it is fully operational, Petrobras hopes to make 845 000 bbls/d from the field, a figure that is roughly equivalent to 13% of the company's total estimated output for 2020. Petrobras has also stated that the Franco reserve may contain approximately 6 billion bbls.
Adding to the good news, the first samples from the region have shown the oil to be of "good quality" of only 28 degrees on the API scale, making it a more valuable grade of crude than the majority of what is produced in Brazil.
Published on
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Palladian Publications publishes five international B2B magazines targeted specifically
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World Coal, Hydrocarbon Engineering, World Pipelines and LNG Industry.


text:
Buffet breakfast included, FREE cancellation! The best available and most suitable rate on the web for clients who want to be free to amend or cancel their booking until 1 day before arrival
Despite its central position, the Palace Hotel Moderno can be easily reached by car, which can then be left in the large private car park or a private garage.
A pedestrian precinct, recently up-graded and covering the historical centre of the town, opens out just in front of the Hotel. The railway station is a short walk away - close, but not too close to disturb.
The elegance and comfort of the Palace Hotel Moderno are obvious from the moment you cross the threshold, and will remain with you at every moment throughout your stay.
Years of experience and guests with a wide range of different requirements have taught us to make all possible comforts and services available to our visitors. And the experience and professionalism of our dedicated staff guarantee that every new request can be met speedily and efficiently.
24-reception, a comfortable reading room, a TV room, 2 internet point and free wi-fi all enable our guests to relax and feel at ease even during a brief wait or at the end of a day's work.
PALACE HOTEL MODERNO Via Martelli, 1 - 33170 Pordenone
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text:
The presented work details elaborate research work as well as in soil physics chemistry, biomass production, as well as nutrient cycling in agroforestry plantations, changes in microbial soils, and hydrological cycling in municipal effluent irrigated plantations. The work thus reveals basic economics of raising effluent irrigated plantations. Data analysis used in this thesis is both - most pertinent to the planning sciences as well as advanced. The use of REML and Canonical variates shall draw attention of all plant / biology researchers.
Ajay, Sharma.
Ajay Sharma is an agriculture graduate, a post graduate in forestry (both from India), and holds a PhD (from Australia) focusing municipal effluent disposal using plantations. He has published 3 dissertations, 2 booklets, 3 book chapters, 15 journal articles and 11 conference publications.


text: What is My One Sentence Bible? 9-9-10: To ensure a victory for themselves, the opposition will send guards to validate their claims. Matthew 27:63-66 Even when the truth is made public, it's easier to believe a rumored conspiracy theory that can be spread like wildfire. Matthew 28:11-15 No matter what happens, know that the Lord [Read More…]


text:
You can take the girls out of Jersey, but there's no way you can take the Jersey out of these girls.
On Sunday night's "Jerseylicious," Glam Fairy Alexa Prisco is presented with a business opportunity in Houston, Texas.
A bride-to-be has fired her makeup artist and found Alexa online, and she needs hair and makeup for her wedding this upcoming Sunday.
Alexa clears the trip with Gatsby owner Gayle Giacomo, who is not thrilled. Alexa not only needs to take Olivia Blois Sharpe with her, she needs hairstylists Tracy DiMarco and Gigi Liscio too. The girls will be gone from Saturday through Monday.
Tracy in particular is excited about the opportunity. She wants Alexa to recommend her to her contacts in the fashion industry.
But Olivia and Tracy both dislike that they have to work together, after the debacle at Sonic the week before. Alexa advises them to suck it up.
The only hiccup in the plan is Alexa's fear of flying. The supersavvy businesswoman has never even been on an airplane.
Despite popping xanex before the flight, Alexa is freaking out. The foursome arrives at the airport an hour before take-off, and make a huge scene at the check-in, while Tracy grows increasingly frustrated with the lack of travel knowledge.
Somehow, they make it to Houston on time, and head out to dinner together, clad in all their Jerseylicious glory. The people of the lonestar state are visibly appalled as Alexa, Tracy, Gigi and Olivia walk by. One gentleman in a cowboy hat actually starts laughing out loud when he sees them.
At dinner, Alexa quizzes the girls to prepare them for the wedding the next day, and Tracy fields the questions, prompting Olivia to call her a suck-up.
Tracy quips back that she's just trying to be professional.
"Professional like you spit in my face at sonic?" Olivia shoots back. Anddddd we're back.
Alexa breaks up the squabbling by clacking a pair of tongs at the girls, while simultaneously saying "be serious."
The next day at the wedding, it's crunch time as six people need to be made up in two hours. While Tracy hits all the right notes, Olivia falls behind on makeup. Alexa repeatedly tells her to pick up the pace in front of her client, while Olivia grows frustrated.
The wedding is successful, despite some choppy moments during preparation. As Alexa bids goodbye to the bride, a guest pulls her aside and asks her to teach a "glaminar" the next day at her house, even though Alexa has promised Gayle they will all be back by Monday morning.
Alexa agrees to the seminar and later tells the girls. Gigi and Olivia are skeptical, since they have appointments with clients on Monday, but Tracy is all for a continued opportunity and a fat check.
The girls head out to a "honky-tonk" for a drink.
At the honky-tonk, Olivia chides Alexa for criticizing her in front of a client.
"I'm not scared of Alexa anymore," Olivia says, adding she wants to speak her mind and is tired of being condescended.
When asked if Alexa called Gayle yet about staying an extra day, Alexa says no. Olivia visibly rolls her eyes, remembering the last time she was stuck between the Gatsby and Glam Fairy and almost lost her job.
When Alexa calls Gayle, Gayle is not happy.
"Alexa, this is totally last-minute again," she says. "I am really getting tired of this bullsh*t."
Alexa weasels her way into keeping Tracy in Texas for the seminar and sending Gigi and Olivia back home.
At the glaminar, Tracy and Alexa work the room, teaching a social club — not exactly sure what a social club is, but it appears to be a group of middle-aged unemployed women with rich husbands — about teased hair and smoky eyes.
"I don't care what people say about girls from New Jersey, y'all are genuises," says one socialite.
Great. Just the representation New Jersey needs in another state.
At the salon, Gayle is swamped with walk-ins and clients. She even gives Anthony a call to see if he can come over last-minute. Anthony Lombardi is also swamped (what's with people getting their hair done on Mondays?) and can't drop everything to help out at the Gatsby.
When Alexa returns the next day, Gayle confronts her about the last minute chaos she caused.
"I'm tired of being a springboard for her business," says Gayle. "I can do without the disrespect."
Gayle alludes to possibly ending the business partnership with Alexa, but the episode remains with the status quo in place.
Things are looking ominous, though.
"it's time to make a change," Gayle says.
Jerseylicious airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on The Style Network.
More "Jerseylicious:"
• 'Jerseylicious' Style Network reality show returns to highlight N.J. hair salon
• 'Jerseylicious' star Alexa Prisco: 'Jersey Shore' comparison is offensive
• Getting personal with 'Jerseylicious' stylist Gigi Liscio
• Style Network announces 'Jerseylicious' season 2 premiere
• Video: An inside peek at the 'Jerseylicious' salon
• 'Jerseylicious' fashionista dresses it up
• Jersey becoming the state of reality TV


text:
|SRJC Jazz Combos concert slated Dec. 5
The Santa Rosa Junior College Jazz Combos, directed by Bennett Friedman, will present their fall concert on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Newman Auditorium on the Santa Rosa campus. The concert will feature saxophonist Mary Fettig as guest artist. Admission is $5. Parking on the SRJC campus is $4. Tickets will only be available at the door. For further information, call 527-4249.
Featured works will include Joshua Redman's "Jazz Crimes," "Moment's Notice" by John Coltrane, and many jazz standards.
After her studies at UCLA, Fettig became the first woman member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. From there, she made her way in the music business as a performer, teacher, and clinician. She is currently on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Proceeds of the event benefit the SRJC Foundation Jazz Studies fund.


text:
Bill O'Reilly and Liz Cheney sparred over the Iraq War on O'Reilly's Thursday show.
Cheney was on to promote the memoir she co-wrote with father Dick Cheney. O'Reilly, however, started by noting that the former vice president had never agreed to an interview. "I don't believe he likes me very much," he said. "I'm a little perplexed."
"Am I chopped liver?" Cheney responded in rather surprising Borscht Belt style.
O'Reilly said that the Bush administration had left "two big deficits": the economy and Iraq. He wondered why the administration was so "taken by surprise" when the subprime market collapsed. Liz Cheney said that it was Democrats' fault for not regulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The conversation then turned to Iraq. O'Reilly played the infamous footage of Cheney saying the U.S. would be "greeted as liberators." Liz Cheney said that this had, in fact, happened.
"Here's why you're wrong," O'Reilly said. "We weren't greeted as liberators. We were greeted in a way that was tentative."
"That's not true," Cheney said. "Yes it is," he replied. He asked her if she knew how many people were present when Saddam Hussein's statue was pulled down.
"Do you know how many, Bill?" Cheney asked. "Yes, I do," he said. "A couple hundred ... Baghdad is a city of millions."
Cheney wondered what O'Reilly would have done. "Talked to Saddam?" she scoffed. He said he would have gone the "elder Bush" route and "strangled" Iraq with a blockade. She disagreed with this approach.
"I don't expect you and your father to agree with me, OK?" O'Reilly concluded. "But the blood and treasure that the United States spent in Iraq has now come back to our country in a very negative way."
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text:
4 hours ago, Charles wrote
@GordonBGood: C++ is a widely used general purpose programming language that is at a level of maturity in C++11 that makes it more productive than you're giving it credit for. As Herb states, he and the standards folks need to put more emphasis on libraries, standard libraries for C++. Of course, this means they are, they will. A native BCL doesn't make much sense, but a set of portable, standard, efficient(of course, this is C++!) domain-specific libraries certainly does.
What is the C++ Renaissance in your opinion? How would you define it? I'm not sure it's the same as we, Microsoft, intended. Please elaborate.
I'll grant you everything you say in the first paragraph. C++11 indeed is much easier to use than any previous C++ standard, and from the Windows 8 Developer Preview and Visual Studio Developer Preview we can see that progress is being made on developing libraries to make it easier to do most of the things that one can already do very easily in equivalent generations of C# (or now VB).
As per Herb's talk here, Microsoft's view seems to be that the C++ is making a comeback or "Renaissance" in that it will become the programming language of choice for almost all applications programming due to the need for "more bang for the watt". At least some of his extrapolations are flawed, such as that mobile devices application programming is moving to C++; as I stated in a previous post, Apple has always been pro native language programming and of the other (two) major programming environment providers (other than Microsoft), C++ is at most a somewhat poorly supported secondary programming environment as compared to the "Coffee type" languages, meant more to be called through p/invoke (actually JNI) calls. Thus, there is no trend or movement to C++ there. As to use for server code, the point is likely well made that there is a requirement for the higher efficiency of C++ - other than that ASP.NET might still be desired as a more tightly controlled security model
Where there is a movement toward better native C++ support or a "C++ Renaissance" is within Microsoft itself, with native code C++ support in Visual Studio now making it feel like a first class language as compared to a distant cousin. This goes in hand with the support for WinRT, which of course is actually a native code implementation under the covers. With this movement, C++/CLI now feels like a distant cousin without much of a future as it is one of the languages without a formal connection to the new WinRT "Metro style" apps.
The view expressed in this video seems to be that higher and higher percentages of application programming will be done in native C++ over the next ten years due to this need for more "bang for the watt". I don't see that happening. As always, one will choose the appropriate language for the job. For faster development times where maximum performance isn't crucial, languages like C# (or even the quite low performance F#) will be chosen; where there are limitations in a VM environment, either a "pure" C++ development will be chosen or one will use a hybrid of VM languages calling more efficient C++ written libraries as required to overcome those limitations or for maximum performance. Nothing has changed, other than that C++, especially for Microsoft environments, has been made a little easier to use. If Microsoft really believed that most programming for the future needs to be done in C++, than those other languages would be de-emphasized with ways of porting existing code to native.
So that's my view: Thank you Microsoft for an improved C++(11) including conformance to the new standard(s) and libraries that support previously sorely lacking standards such as new asynchronous programming models and even advanced concepts such as AMP; however, even with all of this it isn't going to replace C# (and maybe VB) where programming productivity matters. As to other programming environments, one does what one must. I will likely (reluctantly) develop an Android app completely in C/C++ in order to overcome some limitations of the Android Java environment restricting memory use, but the majority of applications will continue to be written in Java in spite of the potential performance hit; for other applications such as games, C/C++ will be chosen for performance over Java. I would think that the same decisions would be made as for developing applications for Windows tablets or for a new version of Microsoft Phone (assuming it might support writing apps in native code), with a decision to use native C++ eased somewhat by the fact that Microsoft have provided a much easier to use and more powerful set of development tools for C++ for Microsoft products than as provided for Android's NDK.