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Discussion in 'BUILDS' started by yoothgeye, Apr 30, 2012.
All steel or else you won't see the actual bullet holes.
Yea, the shell on the top tube has soon serious issues. I know what my "associate image with..." part of my brain said. :roll:
Now, get ta buildin'.
Yeah what he said and I've always wanted one of those bikes.I know you'll do it proud. Peace
Did you see the photos, I have 2 of them, but one frame might have to die.
Can I come help you shoot it up or would that violate the all work must be done by the builder rule?
Looks great so far
I went back and looked at it again, same impression. What about inside the diamond? It's the proximity to the seat that doesn't help.
Big bullet (unfortunately) is decommissioned. I'm leaning towards 40 cal.
I think it would be allowable as shooting holes is not really "building."
It will not be on the frame unless I get a new vision for it, I'm still thinking outboard sidecar.
You have two of those frames?!? I told y'all I need to be down south! Y'all get all the best bikes! :x
I gave $20 for one (the one I'm building) and $15 for the "parts bike" which was more complete than the other, but also has more rust and I noticed the triple trees are bent, I think he tried to make it a quad tree...
Is that going to be a sidecar......or a cleverly disguised training wheel :wink:
Nope, you're wrong, I'm having 2 sidecars, one on either side. One will hold my helmet, the other my wrist, elbow, shin, and knee pads. :mrgreen:
Great for trail riding. Then you could paint little moms with strollers being crossed out on the side of the tank.
Save me a tank and a crank. :mrgreen:
I was actually thinking of having little decals made of a Toyota Prius and having them crossed out on the top or down tube.
I only have 1 tank, might use it, but not sure. Nothing special about the crank, but you like the chainring? Let me know Jake!
Went home to meet my wife for lunch, before she got there I went up into my bike bathroom to get something:
I knew when I first decided to build this thing last year that with all the extra weight I would want to address gearing to keep this from being a leg burner. When These Hyperco "Mike Spinner" bikes first showed up at Walmart I noticed the little sprocket on the 1 piece crank. Waited around till I found one for sale local, $5.
These Hyperco bikes come with a microdrive rear hub, but with the bigger sprocket on the Jesse James rear coaster, it should pedal REAL easy.
I was checking out the rest of the bike and it's basically perfect. A kid gave me a nice Haro frame, fork, bars, no seat or wheels. It has a nice 3 piece crank, same kid gave me the bent micro chainring off his Eastern BMX. I straightened it out and now with this Hyperco and the Haro I can make a decent bike, maybe for once I can flip something!!! I need some money for Olive Drab paint.
Re: █ ▌▌G.I.JESSE JAMES ▌▌█ 5/2 gearing solution
You have 5 pages of comments already. :lol:
Re: █ ▌▌G.I.JESSE JAMES ▌▌█ 5/2 gearing solution
To be fair, most of them are mine. :lol:
Re: █ ▌▌G.I.JESSE JAMES ▌▌█ 5/2 gearing solution
I know...I assumed they were yours, Peatbog's and KingFish's posts..ha ha. :lol:
Re: █ ▌▌G.I.JESSE JAMES ▌▌█ 5/2 gearing solution
Peatbog, a few, Kingfish can't be bothered, he's off vacationing around the world.
Separate names with a comma.


text:
Making a Game Engine: Transformations
Peer Reviewed by joew , dejaime, Dave Hunt
game engine transforms matrices
Making a Game Engine: Core Design Principles
Moving objects around in a scene is not hard to do. You simply draw objects at different locations each frame. Adding rotation, and resizing on top of that makes the code a little trickier but still not hard to manage. But then start trying to move objects relative to another such as putting a sword in a character's hand and things can get really tricky. The sword should stay in the character's hand regardless of what direction they rotate or where they move. This is where using matrices to represent these transformations is extremely valuable.
Coordinate Systems
In order for a coordinate to have any meaning there needs to be a point of reference to base that coordinate off of. Imagine you have a dot on a piece of paper. The dot does not have a coordinate unless you come up with a way to measure its location. One way would be to determine the distance the point is from the left side of the page and its distance from the bottom. These two measurements give the coordinate meaning since it has a point of reference, the bottom left corner of the page. The point of reference is known as a basis and any point measured relative to the same basis are said to be in the same coordinate system. If a worm were on a ball you could devise a way to measure the location of the worm on the ball. This coordinate would be the worm's location in the ball's coordinate space.
The ball itself also has a location but its location is measured in world coordinates. Let's assume that the location of the ball is measured from the bottom left corner of the image to the center of the ball. If you were to throw that ball the worm would move with the ball. The position of the worm in world coordinates would move as the ball moves, even though its position in ball coordinates stay the same. Transformations give us a way to convert between these coordinate systems relatively easy using matrices allowing us to easily keep the worm on the ball as it travels through the air.
Matrices have a lot of useful properties that lend themselves to solving many complex problems. We will be using them to transform objects on the screen. This article will focus on three simple transformations: translation, rotation, and scaling. I will be using 2D transformations for the sake of simplicity. The principles in the article also apply to 3D transformations. If you want to do 3D transformations, search around on the web for 3D transformation matrices. The jump from 2D to 3D is trivial with the exception of rotations. I am assuming you already know what matrices are and how to multiply them, what the inverse and transpose of a matrix are, and other basic matrix operations. (For help with matrices, try this video series)
So far this talk of coordinate spaces and matrices may seem to be complicated things when all you need to do is move or rotate objects. How exactly do these things help move objects on the screen anyway? Well, imagine you define a character sprite with a width of 50 and a height of 100. You could define four points that represent the corners of the sprite image (-25, 0), (-25, 0), (25, 100), (25, 0). These points represent the corners of the sprite relative to the character. So what whappens when the character moves? The transform of the player converts the points of the sprite to world space. Then the camera transform converts from world space to screen space to be drawn. If the player clicks on the screen you can use the inverse of these transforms to determine where on the character they clicked.
Basic Transformations
A translation simply changes an object's location. The matrix used to represent this is pretty simple too.
Tx and Ty is the number of units to move in the x and y directions respectively.
Rotates points around the origin.
The above matrix will rotate counter clockwise by θ radians.
Scaling an object changes its size. Scalar values in the range (0, 1) make objects smaller. A scale of 1 keeps it the same size, a scale greater than 1 makes it bigger. Really all the scale is doing is taking the current size and multiplying by the scale value.
Scales along the x and y directions by Sx and Sy respectively. When Sx = Sy the size will change uniformly. If you only modify a single value then the object will stretch meaning you can make an object wider by setting Sx to a value greater than 1 and keeping y the same. You can even make a value negative which will flip the object.
Using Matrices as Transforms
Transforming Points
Now that we have a few different transformation matrices we need a way to transform points using them. To do this you simply treat the point as a 1x3 matrix padding the extra slots with a 1 and multiplying it with the transform matrix.
The result of that multiplication is a another 1x3 matrix. Just taking the top two elements of the resulting matrix gives a new x, y pair of the point in the new coordinate system.
Transforming Directions
Transforming a direction is slightly different than transforming a point. Take a look at the example below.
The ball has been squashed. This is achieved by scaling the y direction down while keeping the x the same. If directions were transformed using the same matrix that were used to transform points, then you would get the red arrow as a result, but notice how the red arrow is no longer perpendicular to the ball. We want the green arrow that still is. To get that result, use the following equation.
As shown above, to get the proper matrix for transforming direction you need the inverse transpose of the transform matrix. You can avoid transposing a 3x3 matrix if you simply do a row vector multiplication in front of the matrix. Also take note that the third element is a 0 instead of a 1. This makes transforming a direction uneffected by any translations. This is proper behavior for transforming a direction since directions still point the same way regaurdless of where they are moved to.
Concatenating transforms
The three basic tranformations listed above aren't that useful on their own. To make things interesting we want to be able to join them together allowing objects to be translated, rotated, and scaled simultaneously. To do this we simply multiply the matrices together.
The resulting matrix, M, is a combination of scaling an object, rotating it, then translating it. Keep in mind that the order of T, R and S does matter. Since S is the right-most matrix its transformation will be applied first when transforming a point followed by R, followed by T. To see this grab some object nearby, such as a pencil, and hold it so it is pointing to the right. Now imagine that the pencil is first scaled by half in the x direction making the pencil shorter but not changing its thickness. Then the pencil is rotated 90 upward. The result is a short pencil with the same width pointing upward. Now switch the transformation order. First rotate it upward then scale. The resulting trasnform is a pencil of the same length but different width. So pay attention to the transform order.
One thing to note is that roatations pivot around the origin. This means if you move an object up ten units then rotate it clockwise 90 degrees it will end up 10 units to the right. If you want the object to pivot around its own center, rotate it first then move it.
Since matrices can be multiplied to concatenate transforms you can easily keep an object at the same position relative to another, like the example of the worm on a ball described above. You first create a transform using the position and orientation of the worm on the ball. This transform represents the conversion of the worm's local coordinates to the ball coordinates. You then create the transform of the ball relative to world coordinates. Since the worm is on the ball, to find the transform from worm coordinates to world coordinates you simply multiply them together.
Matrix insectToWorldTransform = ballToWorldTransform * insectToBallTransform;
Column Vector vs Row Vector
Before moving into the next section I should mention the difference between column vectors and row vectors. I have been using column vectors in this article. This means vectors are represented as a 3x1 matrix that is multiplied on the right of the transform.
The alternative are row vectors. A row vector is a 1x3 matrix and is multiplied on the left of the matrix.
Mathematically, these two methods are the same. Either one works. Some prefer how compact column vectors are to write out on paper. Others find row vectors to be more intiuative. The important thing is to pick one and be consistent with it. However, the graphics package you are using may require matrices for row vectors or column vectors. If you are using the other method you will need to convert your matrices before passing them in. To do so, simply transpose the matrix. As an example, the translate matrix using column vectors is
The same matrix for row vectors is
Also, keep in mind that when using row vectors the order to multiply matrices in is reversed.
So using row vectors, the left most matrix is applied first to the point and the matrix on the far right is applied last. An easy way to remember the difference is the matrix closest to the vector is applied first. This means the order is left to right using row matrices and right to left using column matrices.
Transform Class
Now that we have covered some basics of how transforms work let's build a transform class. Since we don't want to deal with matrices at a high level, we will allow the transform to be manipulated using a position, rotation, and scale. The transform class will also have children to allow for a heirarchy. When the parent transform moves all of the children move with it and the children's position, rotation, and scale will be defined relative to its parent. Finally the transform will extend the component class that is attached to a game object. Game objects and components are touched upon in this article.
class Transform extends Component { // the parent transform of this transform // if it is null then the parent transform // is the world coordinate system private Transform parent; // all of the transforms that have this // transform set as their parent private Transform[] children; // the position relative to the parent transform private Vector2 localPosition = new Vector2(0.0f, 0.0f); // rotation relative to the parent private float localRotation = 0.0f; // scale relative to the parent private Vector2 localScale = new Vector2(1.0f, 1.0f); // specifies if the localToWorldTransform // needs to be recalulated private bool isDirty = false; // the transform that converts local coordinates // to world coordinates private Matrix localToWorldMatrix = Matrix.identity; // specifies if the worldToLocalMatrix // needs to be recalculated private bool isInverseDirty = false; // the transform that converts world cooridnates // to local coordinates private Matrix worldToLocalMatrix = Matrix.identity; /* * Whenever any change happens that changes the localToWorldMatrix * this should be called. That way the next time localToWorldMatrix * is requested it will be recalculated */ private void setDirty() { // only update dirty boolean if it isn't already dirty if (!isDirty) { isDirty = true; isInverseDirty = true; // set all children to be dirty since any modification // of a parent transform also effects its children's // localToWorldTransform foreach (Transform child in children) { child.setDirty(); } } } // change the parent transform. // setting it to null makes the // transform a child of world coordinates public void setParent(Transform value) { // remove this from the previous parent if (parent != null) { parent.children.remove(this); } // assign new parent parent = value; // add this to new parent if (parent) { parent.children.add(this); } // changes parents effects // the world position setDirty(); } public Transform getParent() { return parent; } // calculates the transform matrix that converts // from local coordinates to the coordinate space // of the parent transform public Matrix calculateLocalToParentMatrix() { // Matrix.translate creates a translation matrix // that shifts by (localPosition.x, localPosition.y) // Matrix.rotate rotates by localRotation radians // Matrix.scale scales by a factor of (localScale.x, localScale.y) // These are the basic transforms that are described previously // in this article return Matrix.translate(localPosition) * Matrix.rotate(localRotation) * Matrix.scale(localScale); } // gets the matrix that converts from local // coordinates to world coordinates public Matrix getLocalToWorldMatrix() { // if the dirty flag is set, the the // localToWorldMatrix is out of date // and needs to be reclaculated if (isDirty) { if (parent == null) { // if the parent is null then the parent is // the world so the localToWorldMatrix // is the same as local to parent matrix localToWorldMatrix = calculateLocalToParentMatrix(); } else { // if there is a parent, then the localToWorldMatrix // is calcualted recursively using the parent's localToWorldMatrix // concatenated with the local to parent matrix localToWorldMatrix = parent.getLocalToWorldMatrix() * calculateLocalToParentMatrix(); } // clear the dirty flag since the // matrix is now up to date isDirty = false; } return localToWorldMatrix; } public Matrix getWorldToLocalMatrix() { if (isInverseDirty) { // the inverse is out of date // so it needs to be updated // the worldToLocalMatrix is the inverse of // the localToWorldMatrix worldToLocalMatrix = getLocalToWorldMatrix().inverse(); // clear the dirty flag since the // matrix is now up to date isInverseDirty = false; } return worldToLocalMatrix; } // transforms a point from local coordinates to world coordinates public Vector2 transformPoint(Vector2 point) { // matrix multiply padding the extra element with a 1 Matrix1x3 transformResult = getLocalToWorldMatrix() * Matrix1x3(point.x, point.y, 1); return new Vector2(transformResult[1,1], transformResult[1,2], transformResult[1,3]); } // transforms a direction from local coordinates to world coordinates public Vector2 transformDirection(Vector2 point) { // matrix multiply padding the extra element with a 0 // notice that the worldToLocalMatrix is used here // and the point is multiplied as a row matrix before the // transform matrix. This is the proper way to transform // directions as described before in this article Matrix3x1 transformResult = Matrix3x1(point.x, point.y, 0) * getWorldToLocalMatrix(); return new Vector2(transformResult[1,1], transformResult[2,1], transformResult[3,1]); } // transforms a point from world coordinates to local coordinates public Vector2 inverseTransformPoint(Vector2 point) { // same logic as transformPoint only with the inverse matrix Matrix1x3 transformResult = getWorldToLocalMatrix() * Matrix1x3(point.x, point.y, 1); return new Vector2(transformResult[1,1], transformResult[1,2], transformResult[1,3]); } // transforms a direction from world coordinates to local coordinates public Vector2 inverseTransformDirection(Vector2 point) { // same logic as transformDirection only with the inverse of the // inverse localToWorldMatrix which is just the localToWorldMatrix Matrix3x1 transformResult = Matrix3x1(point.x, point.y, 0) * getLocalToWorldMatrix(); return new Vector2(transformResult[1,1], transformResult[2,1], transformResult[3,1]); } public Vector2 getLocalPosition() { return localPosition; } // sets the position relative to the parent // and marks the transform as dirty public void setLocalPosition(Vector2 value) { localPosition = value; // set the dirty flag since the localToWorldMatrix needs to be updated setDirty(); } /* localRoation and localScale should also have getters and setters * like the local position does. Be sure to call setDirty in the * setters for each of them */ }
There is a lot of code there so let me explain the key points. First of all, I am using a dirty flag to indicate when the transform matrices are out of date. That allows the position, rotation, and scale to be changed multiple times and the matrix is only actually recalculated once it is requested, reducing the amount of uneeded recalculations. Also take note that the dirty flag is only set if the transform is not already dirty. This is to keep the setDirty call from propagating to all of the children every time the transform is modified and only setting the dirty flag when necessary.
The inverse matrix is also stored in the transform to keep from having to calculate it everytime it is needed. It has its own dirty flag so it isn't calculated if it isn't needed.
Using the Transform Class
Now that we have a transform class, let's see how it can be used. First of all, the localToWorldMatrix can be used in draw calls. Most drawing libraries will allow you to specify a matrix to position objects on the screen.
class Renderer extends Component { void render(graphics) { graphics.setTransformMatrix(this.gameObject.transform.getLocalToWorldMatrix()); graphics.drawSprite(this.frame); } // whatever else the renderer does // would go here ... }
Keep in mind the above code doesn't account for the view transform. Think of the view transform as the camera for the scene. If you wanted to be able to scroll the view of the scene you should specify a camera object and multiply all transforms by the worldToLocalMatrix from the transform of the camera.
graphics.setTransformMatrix( camera.transform.getWorldToLocalMatrix() * gameObject.transform.getLocalToWorldMatrix());
The transform could be used in game logic code
class Mine extends Behavoir { void update(float deltaTime, InputState input) { // transforming the zero vector gets that // transform's origin in world coordinates Vector2 playerWorldPosition = player.transform.transformPoint(new Vector2(0.0, 0.0)); // take the players world position and convert it the mine's // local coordinates Vector2 playerLocalPosition = this.transform.inverseTransformPoint(playerWorldPosition); // since playerLocalPosition is the players position relative to the mine // the magnitude of the position is the distance from the mine to the player if (playerLocalPosition.magnitudeSquared() < sensorRange * sensorRange) { this.detonate(); } } }
Transforms may take a while to fully grasp but once understood help simplify problems that would otherwise be a huge challenge to tackle. Hopefully this article helped you understand how to use them in your games better.
Article Update Log
5 Feb 2014: Initial release

subset: commoncrawl


text:
NYT ombudsman: JFK story ran on page 30 because editor questioned the timing
posted at 12:48 pm on June 10, 2007 by Allahpundit
Olby takes a lot of heat on this site but let's never forget that the difference between him and the rest of the media is one of degree, not of kind. How high up do the similarities run? This high:
A decision by editors not to play charges of a terrorism plot at Kennedy Airport on Page 1 last Sunday puzzled me and some readers — and angered others. Among the questions raised: Was the paper properly skeptical of officialdom, in this case the Bush administration? Was it too skeptical, just because it was the Bush administration? Was a political agenda at work?…
I asked Marty Gottlieb, the weekend editor and the senior editor in the newsroom when the decision was made, and [managing editor John] Geddes, who made the call from home, for more detail about their thinking…
Gottlieb told me he was mindful of a history of orange alerts that came at politically convenient times and previous terror plots that wound up amounting to less than they first seemed. He mentioned the case of Jose Padilla, who was accused in 2002 of planning to detonate a radioactive bomb. Padilla's arrest was announced by John Ashcroft, then the attorney general, in an unusual news conference via satellite from Moscow. After being held for years without charges, Padilla is now on trial in Miami, accused of conspiring to aid terrorists. A dirty bomb is no part of the case.
Was he also mindful of the fact that this bombshell dropped before noon on Saturday, the graveyard of the news cycle, and that there was absolutely nothing burning up the front page (except Bush's own beloved amnesty bill) that it would have or could have distracted from?
Here's another one from Allahpundit Studios, from my cubist period. I call it, "The Soft Trutherism of the Mainstream Media."
Related Posts:
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Debbie Wasserman Schultz warns police chief of 'consequences' for refusing to return her laptop


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Last Saturday was the second annual Internet Prom. Most of my family attended, but the whole concept is still a mystery to people. Come let me show you exactly what this fun, online event is about:
Amanda, who is a musician and vlogger, sent out a video saying there would be a 2012 Internet Prom with all the links to various sites around the internet that would keep people updated: I followed the prom info mostly on Facebook because that's my chosen social site. People talking about their dates saying yes (or not.) Exactly what the prom was all about. And asking if it was OK to go alone (this was a common thread in the months leading up to the prom. The answer was "Yes!" Or "I'll go with you!")


text:
Modern Spacious Flat in Munich-East
Size30 m²
Floor No.
- Internet/WiFi
- Kitchen
- Washer/dryer
- Parking available
- Lockable room
- Towels
Accommodation summary
|Leoprechtingstr, 81739 München, Germany
|Property type
|Property ID
|Acceptance rate
|Response time
|A few hours
|Calendar updated
|2 days ago
The apartment has its own entrance. Although it is located in the basement, it has two large windows that make the apartment very bright. It can accommodate up to two guests then can have really relaxing nights in a very comfortable double bed.
The apartment has been newly decorated and thus has a new kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, toaster and kettle. Everything you need for cooking is available. The beautiful bathroom for exclusive use is equipped with a shower, toilet, a sink, a small shelf and mirror offer everything you need for personal care. Fresh towels available free of charge as well as kitchen linen and a freshly made bed are included.
Televisions also Internet (wireless) can be used free of charge. And for a small fee the washer and dryer in the hallway can be used.
The apartment is located in the Waldperlach. This district is located in the east of Munich and is well connected to public transport. The bus stop ( Bus 55 - Waldheimplatz) is nearby and it takes only 8 minutes to the subway station Neuperlach center. The bus leaves every 10 minutes. For car drivers, it is also ideal as the parking hassles eliminated. There is ample parking available.
To get to the apartment, where are some sugestions: if you arrive at munich central station (Munich central station) take any S-Bahn to Ostbahnhof and then go by metro Neuperlach 5 South and exit at Neuperlach center. Then take bus 55 and exit at Putzbrunn Waldheimplatz. There is a Greek restaurant (terra creta).
There you have to walk 5 minutes to come to the apartment.
Cross the big street and go left until there is a small way Schöppnerweg (on the right side) Then just go straight ahead and you are there.
Hope to see you soon!
House rulesSmoking is not permitted in the apartment.
|Price for > 1 guests
|R 152 ZAR per guest/night extra
|Check-in after
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out before
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews of this property
Hello Roman
we were very satisfied with your apartment. All instruments were there, which one needs for breakfast or a snack. The fact that you also have a washer-dryer combination, we have considered as very successful. The only thing that does not quite fit into the picture, is that the closet is very small even for one person.
Thank you
Guru and Helmut
Hallo Roman
wir waren sehr zufrieden mit deinem Appartment. Alle Instrumente waren da, die man fürs Frühstück oder einen Imbiss benötigt. Dass ihr auch eine Wasch-Trocknerkombination habt, haben wir als sehr gelungen betrachtet. Das einzige, was nicht so ganz ins Bild passt, ist, dass der Kleiderschrank schon für eine Person sehr klein ist.
Guru und Helmut
Very nice time, Nice and helpful hosts Clean room and good access to bus and subway like when man in Munich is always highly empfelen
Sehr angenehmer aufenhalt, Nette und hilfsbereite Gastgeber Sauberes Zimmer und gute anbindung an Bus und U-Bahn immer wieder gern wenn mann in München ist sehr zu empfelen
The apartment was great, the description is 100% accurate. The connection to the city smoothly, 7 minutes by bus (runs every 10 minutes and can be reached in 3 minutes) to the subway and 15 minutes by the U5 for routes to (runs every few minutes). Owner very friendly and helpful. Again at any time.
Das Apartment war super, die Beschreibung zu 100% zutreffend. Die Verbindung in die Stadt reibungslos, 7 Minuten mit dem Bus (fährt alle 10 Minuten und ist in 3 Minuten zu erreichen) zur U-Bahn und 15 Minuten mit der U5 zum Stachus (fährt auch alle paar Minuten). Vermieter sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit. Jederzeit wieder.
Appertment Super stay and Super
Super Aufenthalt und Super appertment
Great accommodation completely new and very functional, quiet and close to stop the 'bus. Owner very friendly
Ottimo alloggio completamente nuovo e molto funzionale, silenzioso e vicino alla fermata dell' autobus. Proprietario molto gentile
Nice apartment in a quiet and green. Great hospitality and helpfulness of the owner.
Grazioso appartamento in un contesto tranquillo e verde. Ottima ospitalità e disponibilità del proprietario.
We spent five days here, and will definitely to looking at this location again.
Roman our host provided us with a warm welcome and an excellent array of city information, from the location of local supermarkets through to detailed journey planners so you wouldn't go wrong.
The location in the Waldperlach was perfectly situated: close enough to get into the city painlessly (a short bus hop to Neuperlach Zentrum and then the U5) and close to both the large Park & Ride at Neuperlach-Süd and the motorways for excursions outside of the city.
The decor in the room was wonderful, especially the owls on the lighting, wall and bedding which we loved... Then there was the lovely shower with the massive head which was perfect after long days walking around the city. The WiFi connection was also reliable and fast.
In all in, a great little apartment!
The apartment has made my stay in Munich perfect. It's not just all about hair dryer needs of the toaster, the microwave contain up to Senseo coffee machine, but the apartment is lovingly furnished. Bus timetables give a good overview of the public transport to get flexible until late at night from the downtown home. Also the description of the nearby shopping options are great. Not least the nice host has rounded the perfect stay. I can only recommend!
Das Apartment hat meinen Aufenthalt in München perfekt gemacht. Es sind nicht nur alle Notwendigkeiten vom Föhn über den Toaster, die Mikrowelle bis hin zur Senseo Kaffeemaschine enthalten, sondern die Wohnung ist auch liebevoll eingerichtet. Buspläne geben eine gute Übersicht über die Verkehrsanbindung und man kommt flexibel bis spät in die Nacht aus der Innenstadt nach Hause. Auch die Beschreibung zu den nahe gelegenen Einkaufsmöglichkeiten sind super. Nicht zuletzt hat der nette Gastgeber den perfekten Aufenthalt abgerundet. Kann ich nur weiterempfehlen!
Was good. Would be nice if there would soap for hand washing and proper toilet paper.
War gut. Wär schön wenn Seife zum Hände waschen da wär und richtiges Toilettenpapier.
The appartameto is really comfortable, really nice owners, great people!
L'appartameto è davvero confortevole, titolari veramente gentili, persone fantastiche!
- Quality assured accommodation
- Every host is verified by telephone
- Secure payment via SSL encryption


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Upfronts 2012: Fall TV Preview
We check out the coolest new shows coming this fall from the 2012 TV Upfronts in New York.
As our favorite television shows take their final bows for the year, the majority of studios are in New York this week taking part in the time-honored tradition of the Upfronts. Now what might you ask is an "upfront" and what in hell does it have to do with TV? The answer is: everything!
An upfront presentation is basically a fashion show where the studios present next fall's pilot episodes (the first episode of a new series), which act as a pitch for a series in general. These pitches are presented primarily to the Madison Ave crowd, the advertising league of America. Shows are judged for their potential to succeed past a few episodes, their ability to integrate consumer products, and most importantly, what advertisements can be paired or integrated with the show.
The level of interest from the "right buyers" can make or break a series' chance of a season order (traditionally for a 13-episode half, or 22-episode full season).
We've vetted some of the new shows hot off this year's upfronts to give you a glimpse of what's to come this fall.
Hottest new show: LAST RESORT
What it's about: Last Resort follows the crew of America's most powerful nuclear submarine, which is ordered to destroy Pakistan without reason. When the crew questions this and is the target of friendly fire, the sub retreats to a small island and declares itself the world's smallest nuclear nation.
Who's in it: Scott Speedman, Autumn Reeser, Robert Patrick
Second choice: Supernatural drama 666 Park Avenue
Hottest new show: REVOLUTION
What it's about: The world goes apeshit when all the electricity turns off one day. Fifteen years later, warlords and militias are ruling the Stone-Age world, but someone might just have a magical USB to turn things back on.
Who's in it: Billy Burke, Giancarlo Esposito, Andrea Roth
Second choices: Progressive family drama The New Normal and Silence of the Lambs prequel Hannibal (midseason)
Hottest new show: THE FOLLOWING
What it's about: A former FBI agent is reluctantly pulled back into service when a serial killer he put behind bars escapes from death row. Created by Scream guru Kevin Williamson.
Who's in it: Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea
Second choice: Rival adult sibling comedy The Goodwin Games
Hottest New Show: ELEMENTARY
What it's about: Sherlock Holmes gets a 21st century spin set on the streets of Manhattan. Audiences might have a love/hate relationship with the fact that Watson is a woman.
Who's in it: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu
Second choices: Dennis Quaid's 1960s VEGAS and star-studded odd-couple comedy Partners
Hottest New Show: ARROW
What it's about: DC Comics' Green Arrow is back in this updated version of the billionaire-turned-savior tale. Bonus points for Game of Thrones' David Nutter taking the helm as director.
Who's in it: Stephen Amell
Second choice: TV-obsessed psychological thriller Cult (midseason)
Which of these are YOU looking forward to the most? Post in the comments below!


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The 100th A320 Family aircraft assembled at Airbus' A320 Family Final Assembly Line China (FALC) was handed over today to Air China. This delivery from the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre comes some three years after the first aircraft was delivered on 22nd June, 2009.
The new A320, powered by IAE V2500 engines, is configured in a typical two class layout with eight business class and 150 economy class seats. The aircraft will be deployed on domestic routes linking Shanghai to other cities in China. Air China now operates 93 A320 Family aircraft, one of the biggest A320 Family fleets in China.
"We are delighted to have delivered the 100th A320 assembled in Tianjin to Air China today. The airline already operates a significant Airbus fleet and is a most valued and long-term strategic customer", said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. "We will continue to reward the trust our loyal customers place in our aircraft, by delivering the best quality product and support to enable the highest levels of operational performance."
On 31st August, visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao presided over a grand gathering of some 1,000 people in Tianjin to celebrate the completion of the 100th A320 Family aircraft assembled at the Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line China (FALC).
To date, more than 700 Airbus A320 Family aircraft are in service in China. 11 Chinese customers have so far taken deliveries from the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre.
As of today, more than 8,600 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 5,200 delivered to over 370 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world's best selling commercial jetliner ever. Airbus is the leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive family of eco-efficient airliners on the market, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Over 11,800 Airbus aircraft have been sold to more than 480 customers and operators worldwide and more than 7,400 of these have been delivered since the company first entered the market in the early seventies. Airbus is an EADS company.


text: The purpose of this post is to win an discussion/bet. Just curious if you ever had a chat with your significant other about "cuddling". Do most men do this freely, begrudgingly, only on cold nights, or not at all? Feel free to share whatever PG-13 related content and examples that you can on here. FYI this is a public poll too. ;-)


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Outstanding web site....Hope i learn a lot here. Looks like i will!!
Outstanding web site....Hope i learn a lot here. Looks like i will!!
Welcome and glad you're here. It just got a little
bit more "outstanding" with your joining....
Closing in on retirement.......
A government large enough to provide everything you need is strong enough to take everything you have. T. Jefferson
Welcome to the site. I am in columbus.
Chris Cree
Cree's Bees
Welcome Mike! You will learn a lot here, and you'll get to know a lot of great people too.
To everything there is a season....
Hello and Welcome!
Yes, you can learn a lot here about bees & beekeeping. Be sure to check out the "How to Start Beekeeping" subforum for tips & suggestions covering the basics.
I also recommend getting involved with a local beekeeping club. Clubs are great places to find mentors and get connected with nearby beeks. Looks like you're quite close to the Lorain club:
Welcome! About 4 years ago I wanted to get into beekeeping. No classes, I learned from Beesource and am still learning.... There are many experienced beeks here who enjoy teaching and discussing bees!!!
I'm in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus.
Find A Beekeeper - Swarm List
"There's nothing wrong with me, it's the rest of the world that has a problem"
Welcome, There is even a "Beekeeping for Dummies" and it is pretty good. They go cheap on eBay.
Welcome aboard! You wont find a better place to learn from. Ask as many questions as you can, that is the only way that you are going to learn. I am from southern Ohio, if I can help, let me know.
life is like a box of chocolates,you never know what you are gonna get


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Solar projects are becoming hot investments.
Scott M. Gawlicki is Fortnightly's contributing editor, based in Hartford, Ct.
Solar projects are becoming hot investments.
Taught from an early age to generate or procure power from the lowest-cost resources, America's utilities historically have scoffed at solar energy. In addition to its comparatively high cost and diminutive plant capacity, solar's variable and non-dispatchable output poses technical issues that most utilities would prefer to avoid.
But solar technologies have been steadily scaling up in recent years, and becoming more cost effective. Plus, renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in 33 states are forcing utilities to make solar and other renewable energy sources a substantial part of their generation mix. A 2010 market study by consulting firm IHS Inc. spells it out: cumulative renewables demand across all states with binding RPS policies will grow from an expected 137 TWh (terawatt-hours) in 2010 to 479 TWh by 2025, an increase of approximately 250 percent.
Facing the need to comply with state mandates, utilities are increasingly moving toward development and ownership of renewable assets—including solar.
"Of the installed PV systems over 10 MW in the U.S., almost all have utilities or utility affiliates as large equity investors," says Jay Paidipati, an associate director at Navigant Consulting. "Some of this is due to current and anticipated growth in compliance demand, but these projects can also provide good returns. Tax equity investors generally can command between 9 and 13 percent returns and [long-term] project equity investors typically command between 10 and 19 percent, depending on what stage of development they invest in."
With photovoltaic (PV) panel costs declining, technology developers introducing new concentrated solar power (CSP) designs, and the federal government offering development grants—as well as construction loan guarantees, accelerated depreciation and tax credits that were previously off limits—the outlook for solar investments is starting to look downright bullish.
"We view solar as a real growth story," says Tom Doyle, president of NRG Solar. The company owns and operates a 21 MW PV facility in Blythe, Calif., and is looking to invest more than $1 billion in two other projects—a 290 MW PV plant in Arizona and a 390 MW CSP plant in California. "We see significant growth in this space, which is why we control roughly 2 GW of proposals. Yes, there's also wind power, but we believe that going forward it won't grow like solar."
Solar vs. Wind
Solar capacity in the U.S. currently represents less than 1 percent of the country's electrical generating capacity, and any substantial uptick in that share is years away. But solar is quickly becoming a very real utility-scale resource and an investment opportunity; no longer are utilities making token commitments to solar power just to satisfy regulators.
That's because, depending on the location, a solar asset can be a more valuable grid resource than its biggest rival, wind power. A PV installation, for example, operates best at times of peak electrical demand. Plus, siting is much more flexible. PV arrays can be located close to load centers, and can be installed relatively quickly and in small increments,


text:
Hey! Don't think for one minute that I'm agreeing about the lack of menswear at LFW and the general confusion at the amount of fashion weeks (ahem!), but you should go and take a look at the rest of Sunday Best's most recent 'One Leg at a Time' cartoon. It's pure teh fashion lolz.
On an admin tip, Man About Town magazine has the best fashion events calendar in their latest issue. It's so useful I might even get it tattoed on one of my bumcheeks in a Reverend Peter Mullen-style protest.
By admin | October 8th, 2008


text: Back in August Governor Christie sent some letters to member of the NJBA thanking them for their essential work with honeybees. I thought to take this and run with it and ask the Governor for his help in suspending what I believe is wreaking major havoc with our honeybees; neonics. Poland, Italy, Germany, Spain and France all have banned or decreased use of these chemicals that are highly toxic to honeybees because beekeepers banned together and rallied to their ministries to ask them to. If NJ could be the first state to do this, perhaps the rest will follow. We will present this at our NJBA winter meeting where the Governor is scheduled to attend. There are several petitions to the EPA from various beekeeping and other groups to ask for a ban on the neonic registration. I figure if we ask for a suspension, we may get it! Thank you for any help with our petiton and you may want to start your own in your state. If anyone does, post it and I will sign as many petitions that anyone posts to suspend these chemicals!


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The Trend: Stylish Socks
This season, socks will take center stage as the ultimate accent and no, we're not talking about Hanes or any other kind you pick from a bag.
Launch Gallery
Categorizing socks as a trend seems on the surface to be a tad incongruous with the natural order of things; socks after all are an everyday occurrence, unless of course your professional life revolves around the beach or a pool or a far-left, granola-fueled hippie commune. But this season, the article of clothing you give the least amount of thought to, the one we'll forgive you for buying in bulk out of a bag, will take center stage as the ultimate accent.
In years past, this post has been held by such notable high fashion items as the tie, the pocket square and the ultimately divisive fedora. But in 2012 we're branching out, showcasing the sock as the premier pièce de résistance for any well-fashioned man.
Which makes having a whole stock of socks a must; as they are an everyday article of clothing, you'll need a healthy supply to keep the eye-catching allure alive. This trend extends to all walks of wear: formal, casual, business casual, everything. Never should you be caught without a captivating pair of socks. If you're wearing jeans, roll them cuffs to show 'em off. For a formal occasion, they'll stand out against the solid blues, blacks and browns of a suit. There are simply no restrictions on when these should be worn (maybe a funeral…a really formal, uptight funeral).
But look, maybe we've said too much, and what's that expression? A picture is worth a thousand words? We'll let you be the judge. Check out the gallery to see what our girls thought of this new trend; at the very least we can all agree that these socks look good on them...


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ALEX Toys Artist Studio Portable Essential Art Supplies Set
by ALEX Toys
In stock
Buy Online:
Product Description
Get creative with the Essential Art Kit – color, draw, paint or sketch all day long. 80 essential art materials in a beautiful wooden case keeps supplies organizations.
24 watercolor cakes, 24 colored pencils, 24 pastels, 2 paintbrushes, sharpener, kneaded eraser, sanding block
There are no reviews yet.


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Obama's law professor: If the Supreme Court strikes down the mandate, they must be biased political hacks
posted at 10:12 pm on February 8, 2011 by Allahpundit
One of the most pitiful, relentlessly irritating op-eds about O-Care that I've read since our long national nightmare began in summer '09. To understand what makes it so grating, you need to know that the author, Laurence Tribe, is not only a Harvard Law prof who taught Obama but a bona fide titan of constitutional jurisprudence on the left. He wrote a famous treatise on the subject and was, in his younger days, a perennial candidate for the Supreme Court when Democrats were in the White House. You might also remember him as the guy who sneered, amusingly, in a letter to Obama that Sotomayor isn't nearly as smart as she thinks she is, and who endorsed Kagan because he thought she'd be better able to keep Anthony Kennedy from "drifting" towards the right.
You need all of that as background for two reasons. One: If, per his credentials, you're expecting an argument for the mandate here that's novel or unusually penetrating, you're mistaken. His points about the Commerce Clause and Congress's taxing power are as pedestrian as it gets, stuff you've read in a hundred different permutations from liberals over the past 18 months. Two, and more importantly: The point of this op-ed isn't to make legal arguments at all. Ann Althouse has been destroying Tribe all day long, in three separate posts, on the nuts and bolts of his argument, but taking him seriously enough to respond to him might actually give him too much credit, I think. His goal here isn't to persuade Times readers that he's correct on the legal merits; his goal is to persuade Times readers that if the Supreme Court disagrees with him, it is, must, and can only be because they're right-wing hacks with no regard for the Constitution or for precedent. It's transparent narrative-building for liberal bien-pensants, a way of moving the Overton window so that any unfavorable ruling, notwithstanding the legal novelty of the mandate or the reasoning of the majority opinion, must be illegitimate. Which is to say, it's a nakedly political argument dressed up as a plea to keep politics out of law.
The justices aren't likely to be misled by the reasoning that prompted two of the four federal courts that have ruled on this legislation to invalidate it on the theory that Congress is entitled to regulate only economic "activity," not "inactivity," like the decision not to purchase insurance. This distinction is illusory. Individuals who don't purchase insurance they can afford have made a choice to take a free ride on the health care system. They know that if they need emergency-room care that they can't pay for, the public will pick up the tab. This conscious choice carries serious economic consequences for the national health care market, which makes it a proper subject for federal regulation…
Given the clear case for the law's constitutionality, it's distressing that many assume its fate will be decided by a partisan, closely divided Supreme Court. Justice Antonin Scalia, whom some count as a certain vote against the law, upheld in 2005 Congress's power to punish those growing marijuana for their own medical use; a ban on homegrown marijuana, he reasoned, might be deemed "necessary and proper" to effectively enforce broader federal regulation of nationwide drug markets. To imagine Justice Scalia would abandon that fundamental understanding of the Constitution's necessary and proper clause because he was appointed by a Republican president is to insult both his intellect and his integrity…
Only a crude prediction that justices will vote based on politics rather than principle would lead anybody to imagine that Chief Justice John Roberts or Justice Samuel Alito would agree with the judges in Florida and Virginia who have ruled against the health care law. Those judges made the confused assertion that what is at stake here is a matter of personal liberty — the right not to purchase what one wishes not to purchase — rather than the reach of national legislative power in a world where no man is an island.
I can tolerate him spoon-feeding talking points to the left about the Court's supposed illegitimacy, but please, in the name of decency, spare us the condescending, backhanded, surely-they're-better-than-that tone. John Yoo, who accuses Tribe of coming across "as a teacher instructing the Justices not to disappoint him," wonders why it shouldn't also be the case on a matter of first impression like the mandate that Breyer, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan are left-wing Democratic hacks if they vote to uphold the law — which, let's face it, they surely will. The votes of Republican appointees like Kennedy, Roberts, Alito, and even Scalia are in doubt here, but there's no doubt which way our four liberal all-stars will tilt, never mind what further expansion of the Commerce Clause might mean for a government of allegedly limited powers. Exit quotation from one of InstaGlenn's law-prof correspondents: "[I]t seems to me that the arguments against constitutionality are making supporters sufficiently nervous that they're doing some battlefield preparation…"
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End of an era: Merkel signals that Europe can no longer rely on the U.S.
With pronouns, the problem isn't Chelsea Manning. It's the government


text: My name is Wayne and I am soon to be 68 yrs of age,andI have been marries to same lady for 44 years plus. i live in Truro Nova Scotia and i am a retired residential realtor . i alsp worked 22 plus years in the automotive industry. I drive a 2010 Silverado RCSB 4x4 with a few cosmetic mods.I spend a lot of time on the computer so will be checking in on a regulat basis > thanks for having Me >


text:
Story highlights
- Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin wants to see space travel more accessible to the masses
- He works with the U.S. government to discuss the future of the country's space program
- Private companies are influencing space travel more than in the past, when the government dominated exploration
- Aldrin supports a lottery system for deciding who will become space tourists
Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is one of the privileged few to have walked on the moon, but he hopes space tourism will be much more of an equal-opportunity experience.
More than 40 years after the historic moon landing, Aldrin is now consulting for the U.S. government about the future of the country's space program and how to make space more accessible to everyday people.
NASA has driven space exploration for decades, but with the rise of Virgin Galactic, Space X and other companies that focus on suborbital flights, the private sphere and government programs are appearing to intersect in the realm space travel.
"Private wants a return on investment, a profit. I think there's some profits to be made by going to the moon," Aldrin says.
The bigger question may be how passengers are to be chosen. When this question was discussed 25 years ago, Aldrin says, an obvious answer was to offer the flights to the highest bidders.
"But somebody in the back of the room said, 'How about a lottery?' Man, my ears perked up at that, and I became a devotee of a lottery to select people," he says.
A lottery system would produce the kind of return on investment Aldrin wanted to see. "I wasn't interested in a big payoff or the profit made. I was interested in exposing space to a large number of people," he says.
Nowadays, Aldrin spends most of his time on the road, with a schedule packed with scuba diving trips, international meetings on space, visiting members of Congress and developing his nonprofit organization, which aims to build interest in space and advocate for affordable space travel.
Even for the man who has logged more than 280 hours in space and has literally seen the world, the inconvenience of earthly travel can still get to him -- most of all, the airport security checks.
It is perhaps fitting that Aldrin continues to explore, and not on land either, instead voyaging underwater with scuba gear. He counts Micronesia as one of his favorite places and has visited multiple times.
"I visited Pohnpei. I dove on Japanese war ships. And we recently dove in a further island, Palau. That was really good."
But the final frontier is still out there. Although Aldrin's mission for years has been for civilians to travel to the moon, his broader dream for space travel is for humans to land on Mars someday.
"I'm not trivializing Star Trek, because my hopes for the future is based on USS Enterprise, to boldly go where man's not been before," he says.