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Penal code: The coming world of trial by algorithm
- 06 September 2013 by Katia Moskvitch
- Magazine issue 2933. Subscribe and save
- For similar stories, visit the Crime and Forensics Topic Guide
(Image: Gerard Dubois)
We are creating a society where all-seeing intelligent computer code can punish every wrongdoer – but do we want it?
JOHN GASS was certain he'd done nothing wrong. Yet there it was, in black and white: the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles had revoked his driving licence.
It took him nearly two weeks, numerous calls to the registry and a court hearing to put things right. For the 41-year-old it was a nightmare, threatening his livelihood as a professional driver. For the registry it was clear: Gass had committed fraud by applying for more than one driver's licence – caught thanks to a facial-recognition algorithm.
In Massachusetts, and most other US states, the headshots on millions of licences are scanned routinely to spot criminals, underage drivers, people using fake names, and those suspended from driving. Yet in Gass's case, originally reported by theBoston Globe, the computer had made a mistake. It was policing-by-algorithm gone wrong.
Over the past few years, law enforcement agencies have begun replacing human police officers with efficient, all-seeing, algorithms. They watch for crimes using ubiquitous sensors, cameras, facial-recognition software and intelligent computerised analysis. From traffic offences to theft, increasingly it's an algorithm watching out: alerting police, or even dispatching punishment with no human oversight whatsoever.
Advocates argue that automated policing cuts cost, frees up resources and ensures wrongdoers do not escape justice. Yet many lawyers and computer scientists warn that we may not want to live in the algorithmically enforced world we're headed for. Not only does it do away with key principles of civilised societies – such as discretion – it could also force us to change our behaviour in undesirable ways.
While the sophistication of automated policing has accelerated in the last few years, its roots can be traced back decades. It began with traffic policing. The first automatic licence-plate recognition cameras appeared in the mid-1970s in the UK. By 1979, trials were running on the country's longest road – the A1 – and at the Dartford Tunnel in London. Two years later, British police made their first arrest based on a plate-recognition camera spotting a stolen car.
Cameras to monitor traffic lights, bus lanes and more followed worldwide. Gradually, they were connected via the internet to processing centres, which allowed rapid access to police and vehicle-registration databases. From 2008 at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport in the Netherlands, for instance, cameras began to routinely check all incoming cars so that authorities could be rapidly notified if known offenders were fleeing the country.
The most significant change in recent years, though, has been improvement in the intelligence of the algorithms behind the camera lens. For example, many speed cameras can now pick out newcomers to the area. These drivers can sometimes escape without a fine if they are only a little over the speed limit, according to Steve Wright, who specialises in policing technology at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK. Local people spotted passing that way before, by contrast, get stricter treatment.
The processing centres have also become highly automated, dealing with thousands of offences per day. Some authorities in Europe have dispensed with human oversight altogether, says Ernst Koelman, spokesman for the Dutch Traffic Enforcement Team at the National Public Prosecutor's Office, based in Utrecht. If a roadside camera in the Netherlands is satisfied that it has captured an offending driver's number plate, says Koelman, this data is often automatically sent to the Dutch Central Fine Collection Agency, part of the Department of Justice. There, algorithms use the number plate to search for the name and address of the car owner, before calculating a fine and readying a letter. "If there are no doubts by the system, no human being will see the letter sent out," he says.
The scope has now widened beyond traffic misdemeanours. Increasingly, algorithms are capable of making sense of the human behaviour on CCTV. At some UK car parks, the algorithms embedded in security systems are watching for car thieves. They deduce that if you walk directly to a car and drive off, you are the owner. But if somebody hides in the shadows or zigzags through the parking lot checking out cars, then something fishy is going on. Algorithms are also being tested that can identify – in real time – faces in a crowd, people with a particular gait, or suspicious packages.
(Image: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
"A human can probably monitor four, maybe five CCTV cameras simultaneously, for probably 20 to 30 minutes before their attention starts to slip," says Ron Fellows of IBM, which is one of several companies developing smart software for policing and antiterrorism. "Our CCTV technology is programmed to look at what people and things are doing in a particular area; it can spot not only that somebody is moving through that area, but also whether they put down a package and then walk off."
IBM software now employed in various US and UK cities can also forecast the location of crimes. "Predictive policing" systems built by IBM and companies like PredPol of Santa Cruz, California, sift through vast records of past offences, weather, social media, and other contributing events to display maps showing where offences are likely to occur, prompting police to boost patrols at specific times.
As more and more data streams become available to enforcers, and the intelligence of the algorithms continues to grow, the scope of automated policing is likely to expand, applying to many more types of offence.
To an extent, the technology required is already being embraced. Consider the recent exposure of the US National Security Agency's PRISM program, which employs algorithms to track down suspicious behaviour in all electronic human interaction.
While many advocates argue that it can only be a good thing to reduce crime, for some, this trend is worrying. As smart cities and the "internet of things" come online – with their ubiquitous sensors and tracking devices – algorithms will be able to monitor and punish human behaviour to an unprecedented degree. The possibilities this raises are scary, says Gregory Conti, a military intelligence officer and director of the Cyber Research Center at West Point, New York.
Sensors in roads, buildings, cars, personal devices and more would allow rigorous enforcement of even the most minor infractions (see "No offence intended"). Consider driving in a US state where all of the following are misdemeanours. "Float a mile or two above the speed limit that is a ticket, turn your wipers on and wait a minute before turning on your headlights that is another ticket, roll through a stop sign at a deserted intersection that is another. We would all lose our licences in a matter of hours, if not minutes," says Conti.
Nothing to hide?
Of course, defenders of automatic policing say that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. But no code is bug-free.
Slip-ups like the driving licence error that falsely implicated John Gass are far from isolated. Last year Kansas City resident Steve Mills was reportedly handed an arrest warrant because an automated red light enforcement system had sent a penalty notice to the wrong address, triggering the warrant when he didn't pay up. And there are plenty of examples of computer errors adding innocent people to no-fly lists – even senators and toddlers.
For this reason, humans must be able to intervene in automated policing, says Mick Neville of the Metropolitan police's CCTV unit in London. "The computer should be the slave, not the master." It may be acceptable for minor traffic fines, argues Neville: "No one's really hurt, you might say; but we shouldn't start arresting people and putting them in prison because a machine says so." Still, it happens: in the early 2000s, a British pensioner called Derek Bond was held for three weeks when his name was flagged at passport control while holidaying in South Africa – the fault was crossed wires in a database of wanted international criminals.
For many, the concerns run deeper than errors. The fact that these algorithms are often proprietary, with decisions that can be impossible to unpick, challenges fundamental principles of the law. "One of the tenets of a democracy is that citizens know the nature of why they are being investigated or stopped for a crime," says Gus Hosain, executive director of rights group Privacy International. "However, it is unlikely that the inner workings of the algorithm – the analysis that makes the decision – would be shared because law enforcement agencies would not want to divulge the data points they use, nor the reasoning."
The problem of hidden reasoning may apply particularly to forecasting crime. As a possible harbinger, consider that many parole decisions in the US are now assisted by machine-learning algorithms. By applying statistical analysis to a prisoner's characteristics and past crimes, these advise parole boards if a person is likely to reoffend – but do not reveal why. Without caution, widening the use of such opaque algorithms could lead to a world akin of Kafka's novel The Trial, in which a man stands accused but has no opportunity to defend himself.
Another concern is that law books were not written to account for the "perfect" enforcementprovided by tireless, all-seeing security systems. For centuries, law has been moderated by human police officers, jury-members and judges. Society is built on a bit of contrition here and discretion there. "While human judgement can lead to capricious and ad hoc interpretations and unequal justice, it can also be used to provide for the exceptional cases, which cannot necessarily be foreseen ahead of time," says Andrew Adams of Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan. Consider the driver who busts the speed limit rushing a critically injured person to hospital, for instance. For an algorithm, everything is "a binary decision", says Adams.
Discretion also allows law enforcers to prioritise effort on offences that most deserve the attention of a judge and jury. "An officer can devote more resources to investigating the theft of a vital piece of medical equipment than the theft of an iPod," says Woodrow Hartzog at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. "It seems like we are a very long way from being able to convert such complicated decision-making process into code."
It is possible, then, that algorithmic enforcement may place unanticipated pressure on the justice system, by feeding in a river of minor offences, and "false positive" identifications like that of John Gass, with a commensurate rise in court appeals. "In the same way that defendants routinely challenge the use of radar guns, speedometers and other technologies used to collect evidence of a crime, so too can prosecutors expect that other technologies in automated law-enforcement systems will be challenged," says Hartzog. For example, in 2010 a man in Ohio attempted to challenge a speeding ticket in court by displaying contradictory GPS location data from his cellphone. With all this additional legal wrangling, Conti warns that courts may be "unable to handle the load, clogging the court system... and due process will inevitably suffer".
Perhaps the most profound change promised by algorithmic enforcement, though, is how it could affect our day-to-day behaviour. Are we prepared for the consequences of "perfect" enforcement? Our everyday decisions would inevitably change with the knowledge that we are constantly watched by algorithmic punishers, Hartzog explains, ready to fine or arrest us for any slip-up.
"If individuals know they are likely under surveillance, they have decreased autonomy and are less likely to engage in important kinds of behaviour necessary for human development," argues Hartzog. "For example, surveilled individuals are less likely to voice opposition to the government or support for unpopular opinions." Does the risk of letting some people get away with wrongdoing balance the threat to the liberty of millions of citizens?
Automated policing certainly promises to tackle crimes and misdemeanours that once went unnoticed. And we have the technology to expand its scope so that many more types of behaviour are covered. Yet if we do embrace this world of algorithmic enforcement, it will come at a price.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Penal code"
No offence intended
Never break the law? Perhaps that's because you get away with it without realising. Many people accidentally commit lesser offences and civil misdemeanours every day. In a world of ultra-efficient algorithmic policing, punishing them could get easier.
For example, in some countries, it's an offence to be drunk in public or en route to a sporting fixture. You don't even need to be sozzled in many US states – simply holding an open container of alcohol on the street is enough. Today, police often either turn a blind eye, or simply fail to catch people. But what if it were easy to monitor public drunkenness through ubiquitous, automated CCTV? Could an algorithm send you a fine for staggering home from the pub? The financial incentive for unscrupulous authorities is there. And the technology too: computer scientists in Greece have already developed algorithms that watch for evidence of inebriation by analysing certain patterns in temperature and blood flow to the face.
Similarly, sensors and face-recognition algorithms monitoring future roads could help law enforcers fine more minor misdemeanours than today. For instance, to cycle lawfully in the UK at night, cyclists must have lights, and amber reflectors on their pedals – many are unaware of this civil misdemeanour, but they escape punishment because it's too time-consuming to enforce. And to the surprise of many pedestrians in the UK, where jaywalking is legal, an algorithm could soon catch them failing to use a road crossing in the US, Europe, or Australia – where it is illegal.
Then there are myriad offences accidentally committed online daily: in the UK, it is contempt of court to tweet the name of an alleged victim of a sexual assault during a court case, and people using social media to breach UK injunctions have also faced legal action in recent years.
It's become clear this year that organisations like the US National Security Agency are capable of using algorithms to monitor our every move online. While today such systems are on the lookout for terrorism, it is conceivable that officials of the future might use the same information for tracking and punishing offences that, accidentally or not, you probably committed yesterday.
Richard Fisher
Katia Moskvitch is a writer based in London


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/3/2014 (1185 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Three new exhibitions will open the spring season at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba with a public reception on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The Main Gallery will showcase Brandon-based artist Barb Flemington's collections of found objects in "Specimen Gardens" and Winnipeg photographer David McMillan's photographs of the abandoned Ukrainian city of Pripyat, site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, in "Exclusion Zone."
Both exhibitions speak to obsolescence, growth and the constant tension between the inevitability of change and desire for preservation.
In the Community Gallery, Angie Currie Nor Addin's installation "After Loss" draws from her experience of travel to Chernobyl and Pripyat and focuses on the tragic losses that followed the nuclear meltdown.
Flemington's reconfiguration and arrangement of obsolete objects combines her private collections with those of the AGSM alongside specimens from other institutions, such as taxidermy birds from the B.J. Hales Collection. The artist will rearrange these "specimen gardens" many times throughout the exhibition.
Meanwhile, McMillan's haunting images of the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant depict a city simultaneously suspended in time and undergoing constant change. He has been travelling to Ukraine every year since 1994 to photograph the 30-kilometre contaminated zone around the plant after a reactor meltdown in 1986 left the city uninhabitable.
Like the objects in Flemington's collections, McMillan's photographs of Chernobyl and Pripyat show places in a state of constant flux, where time is made tangible through growth and decay.
Nor Addin's installation "After Loss" also responds to the reactor meltdown in Chernobyl and the evacuation of the surrounding towns.
After learning about the disaster and seeing McMillan's photographs of cities and villages taken over by nature, Nor Addin travelled to the area in 2008 and 2009, and has been making work about it ever since.
The word Chernobyl means "black grass" or "black stalks," which foreshadowed the leaking of radiation into the ground and the subsequent burial of entire towns and forests in an attempt to contain contamination.
Nor Addin's use of clay, with its origin in the earth, strives to express the failure to contain the release of an invisible force that forever transformed the lives of those who were told to evacuate for only three days and were never allowed to return.
The three artists will be in attendance at the opening, and the exhibitions will remain free and open to the public until June 7 in the Main Gallery, and May 17 in the Community Gallery.
The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, located at 710 Rosser Ave., can be accessed either from The Town Centre parkade or the first floor of The Town Centre mall through the elevators near the library. Parking in The Town Centre is free for AGSM visitors.
Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday evenings until 9 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. Afterhours workshops and tours are available by appointment.
The curator's tour of the exhibitions will take place on Thursday, April 10, at 6 p.m.
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- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 pounds ground beef (half chuck and half sirloin)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup drained capers
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
- One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the beef, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook over high heat until no trace of pink remains, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until coated. Add the raisins, capers, olives, tomatoes with their liquid and 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the picadillo is saucy.


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BERKELEY -- Saturday saw several big additions to the California full-contact camp roster, including a trio of local defensive backs in Hayward (Calif.) Stellar Prep's Chandler Gumbs and the Pittsburg (Calif.) duo of Shurod Thompson and Jordan Parker. Another big name showed up to help hand out some pizza for lunch to the campers: Marshawn Lynch. But, just as suddenly as Lynch showed up – staying as close to anonymous as a Super Bowl-winning tailback can (several campers questioned whether or not Lynch was Lynch, having seen reports of him finally showing up to mini camp with the Seattle Seahawks) – he disappeared into the foliage, his job done for the day.
-- Back on the field, Gumbs drew praise from several Bears coaches, including Garret Chachere, while Thompson and Parker teamed up on both offense and defense for several big highlights in the first camp session, and then retreated into the Simpson Center for Student Athlete High Performance for an hourlong meeting with defensive backs coach Greg Burns, where they broke down Cal game tape.
Some of Thompson's highlights included a huge hit on the Richmond (Calif.) Salesian quarterback on a naked boot to the right side, crushing him on the sideline short of a first down. A series later, Thompson scored a touchdown on a leaping grab, one of two on the game.
-- BYU defensive line commit David Lui was on campus to work out for the coaching staff, a week after committing to the Cougars. He flew out for one day of work, and was then headed back to camp in Utah. His foot speed was a bit plodding, but he has a lot of power. Push comes to shove, it wouldn't be shocking if he winds up moving to the offensive line at some point down the road.
-- The star of the latter half of the day had to be Merced (Calif.) quarterback Tyrone Williams. I've seen Williams twice before during seven-on-seven competitions during the spring, and each time, he's gotten more and more accurate, and his motion has moved closer and closer to something that's easy to stomach. Cal offensive coordinator Tony Franklin liked what he saw of Williams, who completed his first seven passes against a secondary that included both Thompson and Parker.
Williams will get to work out personally with Franklin on Sunday, the final day of camp, as Franklin told him he didn't want to pull him away from the rest of his Merced team during team work.
-- Another quarterback who got one-on-one time with Franklin on Saturday was Hunter Petlansky. The 2016 signal-caller had a rough go of it on Friday, with several errant snaps throwing off his timing, and uneven throwing. On Saturday, Petlansky was slinging, able to use his superior athleticism to escape defensive end/linebacker Kori Collons during their full-pad game, and using his swift feet to move the pocket and complete passes downfield. Franklin even called several series for Petlansky, and provided play-by-play advice and coaching.
-- Petlansky was taken aside by Franklin in the middle of the day to work out with several wide receivers outside of the rest of camp activities. One of Petlansky's favorite receivers during that time was Santa Rosa (Calif.) Maria Carrillo 2015 athlete Alex Netherda. Petlansky was quite taken with the 6-foot-1, 195-pound athlete, who he called "White Chocolate."
Netherda is very reminiscent of Bryce McGovern, but with a little extra length. He's an all-around athlete who's jumped off the field over the first two days of camp. Is he a Pac-12 scholarship athlete? He could be, but if he's available at the end of the recruiting cycle, he'd be a hell of a value grab. He played running back and wide receiver during early scrimmage sessions, occasionally playing safety. He played free safety last season, and strong safety the season before. He will return to playing running back and strong safety this year, but his best position is as an inside receiver. Definitely someone to keep an eye on, and the Cal coaching staff knows it. Netherda has spoken quite a bit with Burl Toller and Pierre Ingram, and a bit with Franklin and head coach Sonny Dykes. Franklin tapping Netherda to catch passes in the private side session "meant a lot," to him, but, he said, "It's easy to look good with a top-notch quarterback like this guy," pointing to Petlansky.
-- Along the offensive line, there were two standouts: Caleb Blakeley and Dmitri Acken. Blakeley had a much better day on Saturday than Friday, laying out four pancake blocks in team scrimmages, as opposed to the zero he notched on Friday. Blakeley attributed his increased productivity at center to lessons from offensive line coach Zach Yenser, and a bit more time with his weekend teammates. That said, Blakeley has had maybe one bad snap over the first two days. He's easily been the most consistent center. Blakeley continues to be on Cal's radar as a potential offeree.
Acken was an unknown coming into camp, and he was the subject of much praise both from coaches and his teammates for his ability to pull at the right guard spot. His affinity for the right guard spot is impressive, considering that he's played almost exclusively at defensive tackle for the previous two seasons. Two more inches and he's probably a BCS-level lineman, but he'll make some FCS team very, very happy if he continues to be as diligent in his work ethic as he has been already. Acken said he's heard from San Jose State, Cal Poly and Sacramento State recently, and he's headed to the Cal Poly and UC Davis camps soon. Right now, he favors Davis, and wants to major in viticulture.
-- 2016 Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley middle linebacker Nick Kane also stood out, and he's been under wraps for a while. The secret, however, is starting to get out, after his performance recently at Stanford's camp. Yale has expressed heavy interest – verging on an offer – and the 3.7-GPA student also has Northwestern and Duke sniffing around. Kane has visited Cal before, during spring ball, when he had lengthy talks with Chachere, sat in on a linebackers meeting, did film review and gave the staff some more of his film. Kane is a very heady linebacker who comes downhill hard, but could use some time in the weight room to move some of his weight around. He has a good, long, wide frame that just needs a bit of refinement. Another one to watch.
-- Two other standouts over the course of the first two days include Darius Powe -- no, not that Darius Powe, who he "my twin," as not only are their names spelled the same, but pronounced the same as well – and Nigel Center.
Powe has gained more than 20 pounds of muscle since showing up at Cal's camp last year at this time, and as a cornerback/wide receiver, he's one of the more physically gifted 2016ers in camp, outside of Thompson. He has some big shoes to fill in the El Cerrito (Calif.) secondary this coming season, but it's hard not to think he'll do a fine job. He's got very, very long levers, plays with good leverage and, though he comes loose at times, he's got a ton of upside.
Center plays on TMP Elite 7-on-7, which is normally stocked, making him a bit of an afterthought, but seeing him work up-close with Burns is very revealing. Center has known Bears target Isaiah Langley since he was six-years old. The two are very close, with Langley giving his stamp of approval on the 6-foot-2, 196-pounder. Center had to take off the middle portion of the day as his right foot was bothering him, residual pain from an injury suffered earlier in spring.
CAMP CONFIDENTIAL: DBs Galore
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Contract Details: Azzinaro and TuiasosopoCal defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro and quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo are each signed for two years, and slated to make over $600,000 each over the length of their…
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History repeats itself with ChristopherLike his older brother, 2020 shooting guard Joshua Christopher snags his first scholarship offer from California.
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Discussion in 'Great Skate Debate' started by letsskate, Jun 3, 2011.
I believe Lauren is with Damon Allen.
She switched to Damon Allen before last season.
Oops, "just wondering" beat me to it.
Yes, but you knew when. Better info!
I thought Christy Ness was Kristi's coach.
Happy to hear that Agnes has switched.
Free Brandon!
My bad, you are correct.
Christy Krall was formerly Christine Haigler, who represented the US in the 1964 Olympics.
from the article [bold mine]:
Is Agnes training in Colo Sprs. then moving? Or is Christy going to be a permanent fixture in Agnes's skating career?
Also, I wonder what type of coach David Santee is. Never saw him in this capacity before...
BEST news of the year!!
I'm thrilled that she's getting away from Eville Tom Z., but even more happy that she'll be working with Christy Krall (if only part of the time).
YAY Agnes!!
Yay! And there's nothing better to improve your basics than to skate day in and day out with Patrick Chan.
Looks like everyone's prayers have been answered. Congrats to Agnes and Santee on their partnership.
Besides Patrick Chan, you mean?
Krall recently has taken on Joshua Farris (she's listed as his primary coach, Damon Allen is Farris' secondary) and she has worked with many skaters, both in and outside of Colorado Springs, on jumps with Dartfish.
He has a coach? I thought he sprang full-grown from the head of Zeus.
Thank you, Agnes, for having the sensibility that Rachael didn't regarding Tom Z.
I'm really excited to see how she does next season.
Just noticed that there's no quote from Tom in the press release. Makes me wonder if it was a messy break-up...
Nonetheless, go Agnes!
Wow, this has been quite the off-season for coaching changes, and it's only June, lol. Good for Agnes, although it sounds a bit odd - she's staying in CO Springs but Santee is her head coach. I'm guessing she's staying put for school reasons (w/o checking her birthdate, I *think* she would be a senior in h.s. this coming year) and perhaps will make a physical move next summer. I look forward to seeing what her new coaches can do. She's got tons of talent, but her current situation just wasn't working.
Based on her deteriorating performances last season, Pfund might do best to make a coaching change, too.
I think Alex Johnson is looking to switch to pairs - is he still doing singles?
I believe so, yes. He mentioned on Twitter this week about competing at the Broadmoor Open this month.
Pfund would be wise to consider a move, as well. I do wonder why what used to be a good training environment for many skaters deteriorated rather quickly. Sure, Tom was never a Frank Carrol, who could produce the whole package, but at one point he had a stable of skaters who competed well and seemed happy. And certainly, Tom could have sought and still could seek out advisers or specialists to assist with the deficits in packaging, spins etc . . . Maybe I'm wrong, but to me, these moves appear to be deeper than just skating and packaging.
I wondered about his background
I don't know much about David Santee.. Krall is a jump specialist? I am thinking Agnes needs a good basic skating coach instead? David Santee is what kinda coach?
I remember reading something awhile back about Agnes Z having a fairly difficult financial situation. Perhaps she needs to stay in Colorado Springs to finish high school and allow her parents (mother?) to get them situated back in Chicago. JMO.
Agnes is very talented. I hope this change works for her.
David Santee was the interview subject of a manleywoman skatecast a few years ago: http://www.manleywoman.com/episode-10-david-santee/
ETA: Best of Chicago 2010: Sports and Recreation
I really don't see the benefit of this. Krall has always been available to her and how can David provide any significant coaching with him in Chicago and Agnes in Colorado? If they were so great together, why did she leave Santee in the first place?
double post!
Well, this is a good news development. I wish Agnes all the best with her coaching change!
Still in a million depressions over other recent developments though, especially regarding Caitlin and Paul.
The benefit is that she's getting away from Tom and his misguided views of training and competition.
In addition, Krall is a jump specialist who can hopefully assist Agnes in developing greater consistency, fixing her slight lip, and adding 3/3 combinations to her repetoire.
If Agnes feels more comfortable with Santee in charge of her training versus having Zakrajsek as her coach, then more power to her.
Doesn't she already have 3T/3T?
Yes, but maybe she wants to do 3F/3T or 3Lutz/3T, esp since how good her lutz is.
Yes, but she's reportedly been working on 3Lz+3T's in practice for the past year. Hopefully Krall can help her make this combination competition-ready.
I wish Agnes great success with her new coaches. I had wondered if their would be some budding rivalry with Agnes and Rachael contending for Nationals medals under the same coach, but now BOTH have left, so we'll never know.
And a for Patrick Chan, um, just because he is swoon-worthy and tangentially somewhat relevant to this thread
It's just her mother. I believe she lives with grandparents as well.
I assume (but can't be sure) that, unless she becomes an international superstar in the skating world and can basically go to any college she wants with tons of scholarships, she will likely consider colleges based on cost. Where is Santee? Is he near some good schools?


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- Group bookings available
- Minimum stay of 1 week
- Our summer booking period runs from June to August however, if you need a room outside of these dates feel free to contact us and we'll try our best to help
Not found what you're looking for?
We have summer accommodation available in great destinations for you to book for just a few nights or the whole of summer – extend your stay with us or book at any one of our 53 residences in 21 cities.Find out more
Central summer accommodation throughout the UK
Planning on staying in the city over the summer months but stuck for somewhere to stay? Don't worry; we have plenty of availability across our portfolio of residences so you have an abundance of choice. Our summer accommodation puts you at the heart of the action, no matter what you're planning on doing during your stay.
Perhaps you're staying on as a student throughout the summer months, or maybe you've managed to get yourself onto an internship. Whatever your reasons to stay in a particular city, we'd love to try and help. You don't even need to have stayed with us in term time – our summer accommodation is completely flexible.
On the other side of things, it's totally okay to want to leave your current Liberty Living residence and try somewhere completely new for a change of scenery! Students can just stay on because they know exactly how fun it is living here with us.
Plus, our student accommodation here at Liberty Living actually isn't just for students (confusing, we know!). Once the majority leave to go back home, we open up our doors to the general public for the summer months. Of course, if you stay with us you're going to have a few students milling around – it's what we're here for, after all – but we'd love to have you stay for your next event, conference or weekend trip away.
Our residences have outstanding facilities and they're in great locations. So, whether you're looking to work or play, we can accommodate you.
Great value
Great value
Here's the thing about summer: you probably love it, but so does almost everyone else. That means hotels cost an absolute fortune because everyone has the same idea and wants to escape to somewhere new. Even if you absolutely have to be somewhere over the summer months – like at University or work – it makes no difference to us.
That's where we come in. At Liberty Living, we offer excellent quality summer accommodation to anyone and everyone who needs it – subject to availability, of course. We have a range of different room types and the best part is that we don't charge extortionate prices just because it's the summer – that wouldn't be fair.
Our rooms are excellent value for people looking for summer accommodation in any of our 19 UK cities. Sure, you won't get a concierge service at night or a little chocolate on your pillow when you return to your room; but you will get a room all to yourself, inclusive of bills, CCTV and even a 24 hour security team, in most cases. The majority of our rooms have En-suite facilities, too. There are even added bonuses like a management team to sign for all of your packages – something you probably wouldn't get in a hotel.
We work out the cost of your stay depending on how long you'll be here, so you'll only pay for the nights you spend with us. Despite the premium locations of our residences up and down the UK, you won't be paying premium prices, we promise.
Short or long stay
Short or long stay
During term time, our student accommodation is only available to be booked for set contracted periods. However, over the summer months there are no such restrictions, which is why our summer accommodation is ideal for those looking for a short or long stay.
Providing we have the rooms available, you can stay with us for as little or as long as you would like, during our core summer period. This is especially ideal for those wanting to stay for a little while, because those hotel stays soon add up.
We have guests staying with us because they're simply in town for a festival or sporting event. For example, we proudly hosted for people from all over the world during the 2012 Olympics in London, and despite a few baffled tourists wondering why we couldn't offer bed and breakfast (spoiler alert!), we were the ideal choice for hundreds of people who needed somewhere that wouldn't break the bank.
London also has dedicated summer accommodation available for interns, many of whom decide to stay with us during a transitional period of their life shortly after they graduate. Of course, our summer accommodation can house interns up and down the country, too.
To be honest, you might just be looking to stay somewhere for one night after a conference or even a concert. If that's the case, talk to us – we may well have a room for you.
Range of rooms
Range of rooms
Depending on the location you want to stay in, we have a range of rooms to suit all tastes and budgets.
We have rooms with single beds and those with double beds. Most of our rooms are for single occupancy; however we do have rooms available for double occupancy, too. In addition to our spacious Single and Double rooms, we also offer Studios and Shared Apartments. When you stay at Liberty Living, you're also permitted to have guests visit you, something which isn't often possible in a hotel.
Many of our rooms are En-suite, but for added savings, you can choose to stay in a cluster flat with a shared bathroom. With the exception of our Studios (which have their own kitchen), you will share kitchen facilities with others. The bonus of having access to a kitchen could literally save you hundreds of pounds compared to staying in a hotel and paying to dine out every night.
Regardless of the type of room that you choose, you'll be staying in top quality accommodation with the very best of facilities. The residences are all centrally located in the 21 cities we offer, and are very well looked after by our teams.
There's on-site maintenance and security, and even friendly management staff who'll be more than happy to give you advice about the local area or sign for your mail if you're out and about exploring the local attractions.
Top facilities
Top facilities
All of the residences at Liberty Living come complete with state-of-the-art facilities which will allow you to make the most of your stay, no matter which city you'll be staying in.
We understand that staying in a hotel has its advantages but we aim to create a home away from home for the duration of your visit with us. That's why we provide everything you could think of to make your visit more enjoyable. In terms of facilities, all of our residences are kept to the highest standards.
There will be a kitchen for every single one of our residents to use, no matter how long or short your stay may be. You'll be able to purchase a kitchen pack for your arrival if you choose, and you can access the kitchen at any time of day.
Also, many of our residences have common room areas complete with television sets and areas to relax, so you can either hang out there or with your new-found friends. Some of our residences even have gyms or dance studios that you can use to keep fit; please have a look at the individual residence information before making your summer booking so that you know exactly what facilities you'll have access to.
You'll get bedroom furniture including a bed, wardrobe and chair. Most residences do not include bedding; however, a pack can be purchased from us prior to your arrival – just let us know. You'll also have access high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi which we have throughout all of our residences.
Ideal for conferences
Ideal for conferences
Booking hotels for business conferences can soon get expensive, we're well aware. If you've been tasked with arranging the accommodation for your next work event, we may be able to help.
We have summer accommodation available for conferences in London thanks to the fact that we have several residences in the area. It's an especially expensive city, and booking hotel rooms for groups of staff can soon add up. Plus, you have to find a hotel with space for everyone in the group, and in all honesty it's a total hassle.
At Liberty Living, our residences can accommodate large groups of people, so we're the ideal hosts for your next big conference or work event.
Of course, it's not just London we serve – we can accommodate you and your company at any of our 53 residences in 21 cities across the UK and Europe.
Face it – after a long day at work, the last thing you want is to return to somewhere uncomfortable or lacking in things you need. Our rooms can provide a home from home for business people, whatever their purpose for visiting.


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LeBron James tied a season high with 38 points and Dwyane Wade added 31, leading the Miami Heat to their sixth straight win Monday night, a 96-82 victory over the Charlotte host Bobcats. James and Wade shared Eastern Conference Players of the Month for December, announced earlier Monday. James made 15-of-26 shots and had nine rebounds with five assists, while Wade had 11 rebounds. Chris Bosh scored 11 points for Miami (27-9), which has won 11 consecutive road games and 18 of 19 overall.
Stephen Jackson scored 22 points for Charlotte, which again played without second-leading scorer Gerald Wallace, who re-injured his ankle in practice Sunday. Wallace missed five games with the injury earlier this season. Charlotte held a 39-32 lead midway through the second quarter before Miami closed the first half with a 15-4 run. The Heat never trailed in the second half. D.J. Augustin scored 16 points for the Bobcats (11-21). They are 2-2 under interim coach Paul Silas, who replaced Larry Brown last week.


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This is J headband!
I just ordered the black wallpaper "This is J" headband. The dragon one I wanted was out of stock.
Anyone have one of these and like it????
I have the Sakura pink, and I love it! For some reason, I like it better on straight hair than curls though, but I think that's just me. I also just ordered the Vintage Flower White, which I have wanted forever. Here's a pic of the Sakura Pink, and please excuse the dirty mirror. ;)
OH how cute!!! Yeah I'm bummed about the dragon one :( I love yours & all the other colors to! I can't wait to get it!
I have some.
They fit fine, but the paint crackle thing was weird. I felt better after learning that some of them were supposed to crackle to look distressed. I just like a "whole" look better so it bummed me out at first.
Oh cute redceltic: Those looks adorable! I'm definitily going to order more, so long as they are comfortable. That's why I'm starting w/ the plain black (and cheaper) one! Ha!
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text:
Details & Care
Ciaté Glitter Paint Pot adds sparkling dimension to your nails for a stand-out manicure.
- 0.45 oz.
- By Ciaté.
- Item #615086
Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polybutylene Terephthalate, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Triphenyl Phosphate, Acrylates Copolymer, N-Butyl Alcohol, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Silica, Benzophenone-1, Ethylene/Va Copolymer, Diacetone Alcohol, Trimethylpentanediyl Dibenzoate, Polyvinyl Butyral, Alumina.
Ingredients are subject to change at the manufacturer's discretion. For the most complete and up-to-date list of ingredients, refer to the product packaging.
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Set of 3 Rose Bushes
Cozy cotton Meow Quilt
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Woman arrested in La Quinta after kicking, spitting on officer
LA QUINTA, Calif, - A 20-year-old La Quinta woman was arrested Wednesday night after causing two accidents while allegedly driving drunk, then kicking a sergeant in the face before spitting on her.
It appears everything started just before 11 p.m. Wednesday night, when Whitney Harrison, 20, of La Quinta, crashed her Toyota Corolla into a car stopped at the intersection of Washington and Fred Waring. Harrison fled the scene travelling south on Washington.
Harrison continued south on Washington against oncoming traffic, and soon hit a car travelling in the northbound lanes. Harrison drove from that collision scene as well, made a U-turn onto the southbound side of Washington, and stopped inside the parking lot of Applebee's Restaurant in La Quinta.
When police finally located Whitney Harrison, she became combative with deputies and kicked a sergeant in the face before spitting on her.
Harrison was arrested for driving under the influence, hit and run and battery on a peace officer. She was taken to John F. Kennedy Memorial as a precaution and booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio.
The drivers of the second and third vehicles were not injured. The officer sustained no injuries.
She posted a $3,000 bond today, according to jail records.
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Dave McFarland – jQuery for Agile Prototyping
February 17th, 2012
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:45 — 7.4MB)
Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS
Technologies are often misunderstood at their outset. This misunderstanding leads to a lack of adoption. This lack of adoption leads to the technology not reaching its full potential or not being utilized in useful ways. This is essentially what happened to JavaScript. Detractors said it wasn't a real programming language, and its capabilities were ignored.
Dave McFarland notes that Google's use of JavaScript in Google Maps makes a lot of people take notice. People began to see what you could do with JavaScript and began exploring. The emergence of JavaScript libraries, such as jQuery, has further expanded the reach, making complex programming tasks much simpler.
Dave is a web developer, author, and teacher. He says that for designers, jumping to the programming side is easy when you have libraries and plugins. JQuery uses a familiar syntax that designers know from CSS. Creating rich, interactive prototypes becomes a reality for designers. Even though the code may not be 100% production-ready, it greatly increases the speed of the whole process. Listen to Jared Spool's interview with Dave to pick up tips on using jQuery for Agile prototyping.
Check out Dave's full-day workshop from UX Immersion 2012, now in our All You Can Learn Library.
As always we want to know what you're thinking. Share your thoughts in our comments section.
Recorded: January, 2012
[ Subscribe to our podcast via ←This link will launch the iTunes application.]
[ Subscribe with other podcast applications.]
Full Transcript.
Jared Spool: Welcome, everyone. Today on the SpoolCast, I have with me Dave McFarland, who is going to be speaking at our upcoming UX Immersion event, which is going to be in Portland in April, April 23rd through 25th. And Dave is going to be giving a full-day workshop on JavaScript and jQuery for designers. And I got a chance to see Dave present at the WebVisions Conference in Portland.
And if you are thinking that you might want to learn how to program in JavaScript and jQuery so you can be doing prototyping and other great things, this is absolutely a fabulous workshop. He starts at ground zero and just moves right up, and you're going to love it.
But today we're going to talk about what it's like to be programming as a designer, and all those things. And I have with me here Dave McFarland. Hey, Dave.
Dave McFarland: Hi, Jared.
Jared: So, how long have you been using JavaScript and the likes?
Dave: Yes, well, let's see. I started learning JavaScript I think maybe 13 years ago, no, maybe about 14 years ago, so in the very early days. And I've been teaching it for about 11 years. So I've pretty much seen the entire evolution of the language from its early incarnations for making little sprites appear all over the screen, or annoying little tickers at the bottom of your status bar, to what we have today with JavaScript and kind of advanced web application functionality that JavaScript provides.
Dave: Well, it was, you know, introduced by Netscape, I believe in 1995, though I'm not totally sure if that's true.
Jared: Not too long after Netscape had its browser in the world, so it wasn't there for the first versions, but it did appear pretty soon after that, then.
Dave: Yes, and initially it was called LiveScript. And apparently the legend behind all this is that somebody in marketing talked to somebody at Sun Microsystems, who were pushing their Java programming language, and that was seen as the next great thing that was going to revolutionize computing. And they said, wow, that Java has a lot of buzz behind it, so maybe we should ride its coattails. And somehow they made some sort of agreement with Sun to sort of use the name, so JavaScript was named after Java, even though in reality it's not based on Java.
There are many differences between the languages, so it's not really Java. So it's caused endless confusion, especially for my students. That's one thing I teach immediately, like the first day of a JavaScript programming class, is that JavaScript is not Java. So when they have their job interview, don't accidentally say they're Java programmers, because not only will they confuse their employer, but they might end up having to do some programming that they don't know what it is [laughs] .
Jared: Right, yeah. So, is the JavaScript of today remarkably different than those first versions?
Dave: Yeah, certainly. I mean, there's been kind of a convergence of things that have happened to make JavaScript now really one of the premiere programming languages. Not just on the web, but really as something worth learning, even just as a technical thing.
Jared: Oh, and that never happened with anything other than JavaScript.
I think another thing that happened is that there was just a lack of an imagination, that people didn't really know what JavaScript could do. So there were a lot of dinky little things in the early days, sort of cutesy visual things that weren't really about usability. In fact, if anything probably were negative or negatively impacted the usability of a site. Things like the little sparkles that would trail your cursor as you moved your mouse around.
And so I think people didn't know what it could do, so they just did a lot of sort of glitzy little things that weren't very useful. And I think it really took Google to step up with Google Maps for people to see that, wow, JavaScript can do these really amazing things that improve the usability of a site, in fact, are fundamentally important to how the site works.
Google Maps is such an incredible example, because it draws in a lot of different technologies, Ajax being one of them, so that you can get this kind of real, immediate interactive feel where you were just grabbing a map and scrolling across, dragging it across your screen.
And for those who are listening to this who are maybe younger and did not live in the days before that, we had other maps like MapQuest, where basically you would click, and then you would wait, and the screen would refresh, and you'd get a new chunk of a map. And then you would click again, and then you would wait, and the screen would refresh, and it was a very kind of staccato rhythm, not a very fun experience, and not very interactive, and certainly slow. And I think Google Maps really changed people's perspective on how immediate the user interface for websites could be and how fast they could react to users.
Jared: Yeah, I remember when Google Maps came out, it was all abuzz. And that was really when this idea of being a front-end developer became fashionable, that you would actually be developing code to run on the browser that wouldn't be running on some server in the background. And it was a different language, and you had different constraints, and you had all these synchronization issues you had to worry about. So that's about the time when that really became very popular. If you could do that kind of magic that Google Maps did, you were really desirable in the marketplace.
Dave: Yes, and I think another thing that Google did is, it made JavaScript OK for computer scientists. Like, I think there was always a prejudice against JavaScript as not being a real programming language, not having a lot of the things that you'll find in Java or C++, or other traditional programming languages. So I think there was not a big pool of talent exploring what JavaScript could do, because there was sort of a prejudice that it wasn't a real language, so people were spending their times with server-side languages and things like that. And I think once Google said, look, we're Google, we know technology, we're using JavaScript, people really sort of took notice.
And then I think that's really been part of the rebirth of JavaScript, is all of these really smart programmers jumping on board with JavaScript and doing really amazing things with it, and, you know, making money [laughs] with their web applications and their programming skills.
Jared: I'm interested sort of in the timeline, because all of a sudden, designers are talking about using JavaScript. I'm meeting more and more designers, there's this whole discussion that's going on about designers that can code are more valuable in the marketplace. So this shift from developers using it to do production code to designers using it to do things like prototyping, that's a recent thing.
Jared: So having these tools really simplifies the programming for something like a Prototype. So if I want to mock up, let's say I wanted to make a message-handling thing, like a Gmail like interface for messages in my application. If I want to mock it up so I have new messages, and composing a message, and sorting the messages and stuff, now that I have these libraries, that becomes much easier to do, right?
Dave: Yeah, yeah. So, jQuery in particular sort of has a mission to make JavaScript programming easier for web designers. So a lot of the ways that you interact with jQuery will be familiar to web designers. For example, a lot of what JavaScript programming is about, especially UI programming is, taking elements on a page and changing them.
Maybe animating them, or hiding them, or showing them for example with a tabbed panel, you'll have lots of different HTML elements on the page, but only some are visible at one moment, like the one tab that you have selected. You can click on another tab and you'll see another panel. So basically, you're hiding and showing HTML elements.
And jQuery uses CSS syntax, or cascading style sheet syntax, for selecting those page elements that you're going to hide and show. So if you're a web designer and you know CSS, then jumping into jQuery, there's all this familiar terrain that you can sort of draw your knowledge. It'll be familiar to start using it, because it's talking the language of CSS that you understand.
In addition, it just has these helper functions. Things like Animate, which will animate something on a screen, or make it fade out or fade in, which are really rather complex things to do programmatically. But all that technical difficulty is hidden behind a single function, and one little line of code does this cool stuff. And so it's really much simpler for designers just to sort of jump on board and start doing pretty amazing things.
Jared: Yes, the folks that I've seen who are now rocking the prototype world, really it almost felt like they had this huge fear about it. Like, they were going to put on a blindfold and just jump off into the deep end. And then they got in there, and they're like, hey, wait a second, this is actually pretty easy. Why do you think there's all this sort of mysticism about how complicated it is?
Dave: Well, I mean I think it traditionally was complicated. I mean, JavaScript programming was hard. So I think without a library like jQuery, jumping into JavaScript programming is really, really, really complex. When I was approaching my publisher, O'Reilly, to write the first edition of my JavaScript book, you know, they wanted me to write a JavaScript book, and I said, "well, I'll write one, I love JavaScript. But I'll tell you, I don't want to do it unless I bundle in a whole discussion about a library as well."
But with a library like jQuery, you can skip so much stuff with JavaScript and jump into doing really powerful visual user interface design. When jQuery was really starting out and getting a lot of traction, there were a lot of JavaScript programmers in the blogosphere who were poo-pooing it, or saying, "yeah, it's a great place for a beginner to start. And, it's kind of cool, but it adds all this code, so if you just know JavaScript you're good."
Within six months, the majority of those bloggers were changing their tune and essentially saying, you know, jQuery or one of the other competing libraries are so incredibly useful and make development so much faster that even these people who were hardcore JavaScript programmers started using libraries like jQuery because it really just cut their development time by tenfold.
Jared: And so, the things that jQuery does, as I understand it, there's basic jQuery, and then there's plugins, right? And the plugins aren't created by the same people who created jQuery. They're like open source, people are doing them all the time. Have I got that right?
Dave: Yeah, exactly right. I would say that's another reason why jQuery has so much traction, is that not only do we have jQuery, which makes programming JavaScript much simpler, but even that can be hard. I mean programming is programming. There's a lot of stuff conceptually in it that isn't always easy for a designer to understand–you know, even things like variables. Certainly things like loops can be complex things for a designer to handle. So given that you've got jQuery–even that might be a little bit hard.
So the next thing that makes jQuery so enticing is that there are other programmers out there creating these Plugins, which range anywhere from a simple little thing for styling tables to really complex things like tapped panels or a calender widget for selecting dates in a form–for example, like a sign-up form for making reservations. And with these plugins, a designer can really just include the jQuery file, which is a JavaScript file, include the library file, and then add a tiny bit of code and suddenly transform their entire page.
So you'll see a lot of designers who really don't even consider themselves JavaScript programmers at all, being able to leverage jQuery, plugins and a tiny bit of code that they've learned to build fully functional–either a prototype or a complete website with lots of kind of interactive functionality.
Jared: It seems to be really cool, because once you get a prototype running that sort of represents what you intend to build and you can sit down with your developers, and you could say, "This is what I'd like to see us build," right? It doesn't even matter if the code you produce as a designer is production-ready. It's no different than if you gave them some sort of specification or some hand sketches or something done in Photoshop, from the perspective of the developer, because they're going to start from scratch with things they need to do for the production-ready environment. But the fact that you can create a prototype that shows what you intend and shows all the interactions–that to me seems really, really powerful.
Dave: Yeah. And I mean, you could develop something that you just sort of hand off and say, "This is exactly what I want." And they could then, if they felt like the code wasn't good enough, they could easily optimize it or rewrite it to fit you know, the technical standards of the organization. But, yes, we are definitely moving far beyond the days where, "Here's my Photoshop files, guys. Why don't you flip through and see this is the next thing that happens on the page when you interact with it."
I mean designers can build fully interactive prototypes. And now it's becoming much more common for designers to not even think of Illustrator or Photoshop as the beginning grounds for web design, but actually just jumping into a text editor and building HTML as the starting point for their designs.
Jared: Yeah, I was talking over the weekend with Nathan Curtis, who's one of the designers at a firm called EightShapes. Two years ago everything they were doing was resulting in PDFs. They'd create these very ornate PDFs, they love InDesign, and they were creating these very ornate PDFs that described everything in the application. And he taught himself very quickly JavaScript and HTML and CSS.
And now he says he lives in TextMate all day and he produces code. And they get ideas done five times as fast. The developers love it because they can go in and they can look at what he did and they know the dimensions of things and they see the interactions of things. Even if they have to convert the code for their own environment, they're able to pick that up really fast.
I was with a team and we were doing sketches, and then we went home for the day. We came in the next day, and one of the guys had worked for a couple hours and he actually had a rough working version of what we had sketched out. I asked him how long he'd spent on it, and he said, "It was only about an hour, because everything we were doing was already ready-made in terms of plugins and base functionality." I said, "Have you been doing this for a long time?" He says, "No, I just picked it up a few weeks ago. I just got into jQuery for the first time. I've never written any programs before in my life. It's just so easy." Do you think that's typical or is that unusual?
Dave: Oh no, I hear that all the time. It's incredibly empowering for technically inclined designers to jump over that hurdle where they feel like they can't program to being able to do really, really amazing things. I see a lot of people sort of say, "Oh, these plugins, what a handicap they are. Basically you're not learning the underlying technology." I see all of these kind of enabling technologies as really a starting point for real programming. I see a lot of people who sort of–they get into jQuery. They start using the plugins. They're learning more and more about JavaScript and jQuery, and at a certain point they become dissatisfied with what plugins can do, because they now grok the entire JavaScript world.
They start programming their own. They start making their own plugins. Or they'll take a plugin and they'll rewrite it. I think this sort of entry level enabling technologies are amazing. They help generate a new breed of programmer that we wouldn't normally have, because the barrier to entry was so high in the past, and now it's so low that people can get really jazzed and they start to ramp up their own skill set in a way that's really comfortable for them. They become better and better programmers.
Jared: Yeah, I mean this makes perfect sense to me. Do you have a Trader Joe's near you?
Dave: Oh, yeah.
Jared: We have them here and one of the things that I've recently learned is that you can do amazing things with Trader Joe's stuff, right. One of the first recipes I learned involved taking their tapenade, which is this mixture–I don't make tapenade. It's got…
Dave: Olives, right?
Jared: Sometimes it's olives, vegetables, and–I don't know. It's just this sort of relish, I guess, is what you would think of it as. You take a jar of that and you put it in pasta and chicken, and all of a sudden you've got this amazing dish. It's a restaurant-quality dish. And the thing was, when you were talking about plugins for jQuery, I was thinking of the same thing. I actually don't know how to make tapenade, but I can actually delight my family with this amazing dish that I throw together after work in about 10 minutes for no effort. And they're like, "Oh, my gosh, this is awesome." And I'm like, "Yeah, I emptied a jar of tapenade…"
Jared: "…whatever that is." That's like programming with plugins. I don't know how the plugin works, but it does everything I need it to do, so who cares?
Dave: Right, right yeah.
Jared: Frankly, I don't know how the processor moves bits around but I can get it to do my email. So you know, I don't seem to be handicapped because I don't actually know how that's working.
Dave: Yes. I don't know if you saw this article on the Inc website for Inc.Magazine. I think it was January 2. They had an article, "The Value of the Designer Who Codes." It's about having designers who know how to code, or engineers who are designers as well. They talk about Quora, a social answer network. A lot of the people there are designers and engineers, and they don't use Photoshop. They use text editors to code and design, and since they're all sort of into the technology, they can all talk. They're all on the same page.
You don't have that same kind of communication divide that often happens between a design team and an engineering team when you're so separated by your disciplines. And I think that's another really neat thing about people who learn jQuery, learn JavaScript. Even if they don't go the full distance to become masters of that and programmers, once they understand it, they can talk it. They can talk to engineers, and they can talk to technical people. And the ability to sort of have a dialog around UI stuff, especially the technical parts of implementing UI stuff, it really helps the whole process of building web applications.
Jared: I'm hearing from our clients–and you can tell me if you hear this–is that when you have some organizations that have sort of not been very sophisticated on the front end because the designers don't know how to code and the back end folk haven't done that much with front end development. So they tend to have like that old MapQuest interface, where you click and you wait and you click and you wait.
And then a designer starts to do stuff with just some prototypes in jQuery, and they whip it up really fast. That actually sometimes motivates those back end guys to actually say, "OK, if this guy can do it we should be able to do it." And then suddenly the whole–you know what they say, a rising tide raises all boats. Everybody has suddenly got more front end skills, and they're realizing that this isn't as complicated as we thought it would be.
Dave: Yeah, no, I think that's an excellent point, because I think we talk about maybe designers feeling intimidated about programming. I think there are back end people who are intimidated or at least don't understand the front end experience. They don't understand the interactive experience. Things like PHP is not an event-driven programming language. It's not about somebody clicking on something, or moving their mouse, or interacting with different page element.
So there's a really different mindset in those types of programming. I think as server side people get more introduced to jQuery and to plugins, for them that demystifies the front end programming experience. You're bringing in more talent. You're bringing in these back end programmers, who are now like, "Wow, I get it. I can do this." And they learn JavaScript, and they start doing really cool stuff as well.
Jared: Yes, I think that there's a lot of interesting stuff that's happening here, and I'm really excited about it. You and I were talking last week about the workshop that you're going to be doing at the UX Immersion Conference. I was surprised at how much you're packing into this day, where basically people who just know a bit of HTML, and CSS and a little bit about how the DOM works and stuff–they can go from just that knowledge to doing all these cool things in JavaScript and jQuery because it is really that straightforward.
Dave: Yeah, yeah, no, I mean at the end of the day, people can start adding all sorts of interesting user interface elements. The ubiquitous slider that we now see on home pages, where you've got some picture and content, and then it — zoom — slides away. There's another picture, more content, and you can click and dive deeper into the site. That's like all over the place. And with jQuery, there's a variety of plugins to help with that. And in my workshop, I'll show one of them. Really with some very simple HTML and this plugin, you can put that pretty jazzy effect right on your home page in a matter of minutes.
Jared: That's just amazing to me. It's great. I mean once we get prototypes so effective it really does give us a way to talk about our designs. There's an old saying which is talking about design is like doing interpretive dance about jazz.
Dave: [laughs] Right.
Jared: And having a design that you can actually play with, that you click on things, you can see what it does next, and you can sit down next to your developer and you can say, "OK, this is what I want to have happen." They can take the mouse and they click on it and they can see what it does next, and they go, "Got it." That's got to speed things up by light years.
Dave: Yeah.
Jared: Though I guess light years is a distance.
Dave: Yeah. So maybe not light years but light…
Jared: Light something.
Dave: …something.
Jared: Yes. Some unit of speed.
Dave: Yeah. Programming person-hours.
Jared: Yes. [laughs]
Dave: And I think one of the things is when you can rapidly build an interface, you can test that interface and innovate. And I think what we're probably going to see is because of things like jQuery, where we can rapidly throw up an interface, we can test it, we can view it and we can imagine the next step, we're going to see a lot of really interesting evolution of user interface design and usability patterns that'll come out of the ease of use of a lot of these JavaScript libraries.
Jared: Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. And I'm looking forward to your workshop. I want to come out being a Ninja JavaScript coder.
Dave: All right. I will do my best to allow you to be a Ninja.
Jared: OK. Awesome. David, thank you very much.
Dave: All right. Thanks, Jared.
Jared: If you guys are as fascinated by this as I am, then you're going to want to join David in his full day workshop at the UX Immersion Conference. It's going to be in Portland April 23rd through 25th. You can find more details about that by tootling around our website at uie.com. There will be a link to the conference there. And once again, as always, I want to thank you all for encouraging our behavior, and we'll talk to you next time. Take care.


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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg teacher education program is among Ohio's best according to two recent indicators.
In April, the education department became the first small liberal arts college in the state to be recommended for full accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Those national accreditation standards have recently become more stringent, more performance-based.
Wittenberg education majors this year also continued its record of 100 percent passage of Ohio teacher licensing exams. How Wittenberg compares with other programs will be released Sept. 15.
The team of examiners from NCATE was most impressed with the department's performance due to the extensive documentation and presentation led by Charles Novak, professor of education, and Lora Lawson, assistant professor of education. The Council will consider the recommendations on Oct. 12.
The department was recommended for full approval in all six categories, with only two areas of improvement cited. Those are both unusually positive outcomes for any accreditation site visit, according to Robert Welker, professor of education. The six standards evaluated were:
Knowledge of content and pedagogy for teaching -- passed;
Assessment system to measure student-teacher performance -- passed;
Field experience -- passed; (one area of improvement -- more interaction needed with a diverse higher education faculty).
Diversity, preparing teachers to succeed in diverse environments -- passed;
Faculty qualification, performance and development -- passed; and
Facilities -- passed (one area of improvement -- improve handicapped accessibility in Blair Hall).
The site examiners were particularly impressed that the education department has adopted its own mission statement, based on the Wittenberg mission statement, Welker said. This gives the accreditation body a firm understanding of the conceptual framework on which to evaluate performance.
The department's mission is to "produce educational leaders as a force for constructive social change."
"What's important to me," Welker continued, "is that we believe in preparing teachers that not only have confidence, but they have character, and they care enough about their communities to try to change things for the better."
"Liberal arts schools have a very important place in preparing good teachers because we care about those three things."


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Have a Tax Question? Ask a Tax Expert
Hi & thanks for using our service. I'll do my best to give you a complete & accurate answer. Please ask me to clarify anything you don't understand.
If you'd like I'll opt out of this, but I didn't want to leave you hanging----I answered both of these questions--------maybe the answers got lost in the posting problems?
There's no cap on interest rates for non-profits (now referred to as not-for-profits).
My last answer explained in detail the procedures for real property taxes...........are you referring to some other type of tax?
Tax exempt entities are not supposed to pay taxes.
Tax exempt entities are not supposed to pay taxes. What is the process for getting the tax refunds for mortgage related taxes?
Are you talking about real estate taxes? Those are the only taxes normally paid with your mortgage payment.I gave you the exact procedure you have to use to attempt to be exempted from real property taxes. Who owns the property? If it is you or your spouse, you won't get any exemption for past or future real estate taxes. Clergy have to pay taxes just like everyone else. Churches are exempt. How is the Church organized? What type of entity do you have?
Church entity. The Church owns the property through my wife and I. Mortgage taxes and real estate taxes appear to be related. Are you stating otherwise?
There is no such thing as "mortgage taxes". There are real estate taxes often paid into an escrow account with the lender and then periodically turned over to the taxing authority.
Alright then. Real estate taxes on Church owned property sir.
The "Church" can't own the real estate "through my wife & I". Whoever is on the deed which is recorded in your local registry of deeds, legally owns the property and will be taxed on it. Unless you have a separate legal entity, and property is recorded in that name; you won't be entitled to any exemption.
I have such a document. What is the recoupable exemption percentage concerning the taxes?
You having the document doesn't help. The Registry of Deeds will only accept deeds for recording in the name of individuals, partnerships, corporations, LLC's, LLP,s or trusts. Unincorporated entities, for example "Ace Carpet Company" or "My XYZ Church" are not eligible to hold title to real property.
If you had such an entity, and the status as a Church was recognized by the taxing authority, then there would be no real estate taxes. But as I explained in my answers to the other series of questions the ability to recover taxes already paid would depend on the assessment date & filing for an abatement within that period. On a going forward basis, if the real property taxes are substantial, you'll need to measure the ongoing cost of maintaining a separate legal entity, getting the real property title transferred to it & applying for the exemption you are entitled to. I strongly recommend that you seek legal counsel to accomplish this as you may very well only get one attempt at it. As hard as it might be for you to believe, running a legitimate Church, there are those among us that routinely use this method to attempt to avoid real estate and income taxes on the commercial ventures they undertake. so that's what you're up against.
On another matter, surely you don't consider the $12. in the last question as the substantial bonus you promised?
I told you the Church property was owned through my wife and l. No contradiction. I clearly stated my questions for amended tax year filing. No contradiction.
I told you the Church property was owned through my wife and l. No contradiction. I clearly stated my questions for amended tax year filing. No contradiction. I resent your questioning the legitimacy of my Church given my well documented and free contributions to a global representation.
I'm not doing any such thing........in fact reread my answer............the point is the church can't own the property for purposes of real estate taxes, among other things "through your wife and I".............I'm just trying to save you from running into a stone wall. This isn't my first rodeo.............I've represented major not-for-profits involving several "subsidiary" entities, Universities, Hospitals, Social Service & Health Care organizations & yes several clergy and my own Church. So, do what you wish with my advice, but I stand behind what I'm telling you 100%.
What you're getting with "JustAnswer" is Rolls Royce advice at VW prices. We aren't doing this for the money. We generally gethu our professional satisfaction from helping people. I'm not judging you or the church you've organized in any way. You are the customer. We try to treat you that way. If I accept a question I work just as hard for $5. as I do for $100. As I recall, nobody wanted to take this topic on. Well I get a lot of those........we use to call them "loss leaders"............but I don't look at it that way......I also took you at your word that you were willing to sweeten the pot so to speak.............either way......I hope I've helped you.
God will judge us both appropriately.
Have a good day sir.
Yes, I'm sure of that & you have a Happy New Year & good luck with the church. Thanks again!


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I hang out in the machine shop that produces Zips Water Pumps. We have a lot of extra odds and ends laying around that could be used to build a rather unique truck. Where as I do not have a rod of my own yet, Zip has offered to help me build one out of spare parts. We just saw a 34 fifth wheel that caught my attention. It was featured in the 1956 January edition of Rod & Custom. They had two drive axles built from a model A. Would it be possible for me to down load that article or does anyone else know of a new narrow double rear end I could use. Honestly though, I'm not looking to pull a lot of weight and may go with a narrow 9 in. and a dummy rear axle behind it on a buggy spring. All input is appreciated!
Actually i'm putting 2 drive axles in my 47 snubnose,but I am running wider axles than you are going to use but the concept is the same.There is a company making the transfer case for driving the rear axle. If you search the internet for 4x4 or 6x drive conversion, you will come across it. If you look through the site for SEMA show in Las Vegas for the last 2 years you will see the chevy duellie with that set up. There was even an article over that time in the TRUCKIN' magazine.
It's a zippy day, take a look at Darrell Zipps' '34 truck. You can probably cantact him at http://www.zippermotors.com . He did it using a tag (undriven) axle along with the driven axle..


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This is a discussion on Virginia Adds Tennessee Back on Reciprocity List within the Concealed Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; The Virginia State Police have added Tennessee back on to their reciprocity list. I was not told the reason for the removal in the first ...
The Virginia State Police have added Tennessee back on to their reciprocity list. I was not told the reason for the removal in the first place. The good thing is that reciprocity has been restored.
Stay Safe,
Gary Slider
Co-Owner Handgunlaw.us
Member Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network
"[A]rms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. . . Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them."
- Thomas Paine, Thoughts On Defensive War, 1775
I was just in VA today. I was actually wondering how this was working out. It's good to know that VA doesn't have other "shall issue" states on the chopping block.
Yeah I was wondering about this if VA is accusing anybody of lax training requirements no offense their ones to talk. VA is probably the most LAX state which has a training requirement.
Its not about guns...Its about Freedom!
Assistant Instructor @ http://www.green-ops.com/ Located in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area "Why should your training be any less special?"
It was probably just a mistake, and someone simply forgot to include it the first time. Glad that it was corrected.
Someone apparently recovered from their 'brain fart'.
Proverbs 27:12 says: The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Certified Glock Armorer
NRA Life Member
This is something you want to make a mistake about, but we are all human. I knew it had to be something stupid like this. Glad it all got fixed.
When Seconds Count, The Cops Are Just Minutes Away!!
Carry On!
Situation Rectified!
Semper Fi
"The gun is the great equalizer... For it is the gun, that allows the meek to repel the monsters; Whom are bigger, stronger and without conscience, prey on those who without one, would surely perish."
Gary....... you just made my day!
Really great news for sure.
I am puzzled as to why we were removed in the first place but, at least we are back again!
This is great news! Thanks Gary!!
,=====o00o _
l_--- \___l---[]lllllll[]
(o)_)-o- (o)_)--o-)_)
I had heard that Tennessee was sent a form by Virginia to update something concerning reciprocity, and it "got lost on a bureaucrat's desk" here in Tennessee. When the storm erupted, Tennessee expedited the processing of the form and got it back to Virginia post haste.
There may be no truth to it, but that is essentially what was reported on Tennessee Gun Owners forum.
If the public are bound to yield obedience to laws to which they cannot give their approbation, they are slaves to those who make such laws and enforce them.--Samuel Adams as Candidus, Boston Gazette 20 Jan. 1772
Veteran--USA FA
NRA Benefactor Life
Tennessee Firearms Association Life


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Results 1 to 3 of 3
Thread: Carbon Monoxide Warning!
- Rep Power
- 39
Carbon Monoxide Warning!
As the temperatures dip and the use of furnaces and space heaters rises, so does the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas. If it builds up in your home, it can cause serious illness and death. More than 500 Americans are killed by carbon monoxide poisoning every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Any motor vehicle or fuel-burning heater -- such as your furnace, gas water heater, or portable butane or gas heater -- can emit carbon monoxide and should be inspected every year. The wider availability of carbon monoxide detectors makes it easier than ever to install one in your home. Get into the habit of checking its battery every time you check your smoke-detector batteries.
Never burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn't vented properly, never heat your house with a gas oven, and never run a generator in an enclosed space. Also, don't ever warm up your car in a closed garage.~*Michelle*~~Wife to Rick since Dec. 19, 1986~~Mother to Richard, 27, Chris, 24, and Dakota, 21~~Special Education Teacher~
- Rep Power
- 23
Thanks, Michelle.12-29-2004, 10:06 PM #3
- Rep Power
- 0
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for the reminder. Also, if I might add...if you have alot of snow in your area, as we do...we need to check on our heat "outtake" outside.......making sure it is not covered in snow!!
Be Blessed...and Safe!
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WGP-22 - Pike & Shotte Infantry Regiment
40 Infantry.
This product is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue and paints not included.
This box contains all you need to field a pike and musket-armed regiment of the period, be it for the Thirty Years War that ravaged Europe or the English Civil Wars where Royalist battled Parliament for control of the country.
Return to: 17th Century - Box Sets


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US President Barack Obama will create a new White House post that's responsible for protecting the country's critical computer networks, a step he said was crucial to confronting one of the biggest national security challenges.
For what is likely the first time ever, the leader of the free world spoke publicly about botnets, phishing, malware, and other internet-based attacks that not only threaten millions of individuals, but the country's military and intelligence networks as well. He also recounted his personal brush with cyber espionage, confirming for the first time a report that travel plans, policy papers, and other files were accessed after hackers penetrated his presidential campaign's computer system.
Read More
ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda
© Copyright 2017, International Telecommunication Union
The information presented within this blog comes from various organizations around the world. ITU encourages users to seek more detailed information from the original source through the links provided.
Links to third-party websites are provided for the convenience of all users. The ITU is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content on these third-party websites. ITU does not offer any guarantee in that regard nor does ITU endorse the third-party organizations, their sites or content.


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Take CableTV.com's Advice and Make DIRECTV Your Next TV Service Provider
Are you searching high and low for the best TV service provider in Altha? Your search just got a lot easier, thanks to CableTV.com! We take the results of independent consumer surveys and use them to rate the cable companies and television services available in your area. For instance, according to our research, DIRECTV comes out on top when you compare both satellite TV and cable companies in Altha, FL.
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CableTV.com can help you find the cable company in Altha, FL that checks all the boxes on your list. Not only do we rate the packages and prices of local TV providers, we also gauge how each company performs when it comes to providing dependable service and helpful customer support.


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- About this Journal ·
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International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications
Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 297416, 3 pages
Health Information Accessed on the Internet: The Development in 5 European Countries
1Northern Research Institute, Tromsø, Norway
2Telemedicine Research Group, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
3Division of Addiction and Specialized Psychiatry, University Hospital of North Norway, N-9291 Tromsø, Norway
Received 3 September 2012; Revised 12 November 2012; Accepted 14 November 2012
Academic Editor: Velio Macellari
Copyright © 2012 Per Egil Kummervold and Rolf Wynn. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The aim of this study was to summarize and analyse findings from four prior studies on the use of the Internet as a source of health information in five European countries (Norway, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and Portugal). A cross-study comparison of data was performed. All the studies included fit with a trend of a sharp and continuous growth in the use of the Internet for health information access in the major part of the last decade. Importantly, the Internet has become an important mass media source of health information in northern Europe. While the use of the Internet for health information is somewhat less common in the south European countries, its use is also clearly increasing there. We discuss the advantages of cross-study comparisons of data and methodological challenges. As the use of the Internet for health information is likely to peak in some countries in the near future, new population surveys on health information access should focus more on the details of information that is accessed and which sites that are most used and trusted.


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Dictators seem to have an issue with gays. A perspicacious lot, dictators fight some sort of gay threat invisible to regular people. While Christians and traditionalists might decry gay acts, leftist dictators go straight to hating and oppressing gay people. From Nazi Germany to today's Iran, this tiny and largely invisible minority has had a lot of trouble at the hands of dictators. Russian strongman Vladimir Putin is the latest windmill tilter with his laughable oppression talk. After all, when Islamic terrorists are blowing up Sochi, why not oppress the gays?
Enter the Village People. Some self-appointed leaders of the gay movement – whatever that is – want former front man Victor Willis to use his YMCA song as a protest against Putin's weirdness. After all, YMCA is an anthem to anonymous gay sex, so the song would be a dog whistle to those who place Putin's gay oppression on the same level as his trampling of an entire nation's rights.
In addition to a talent for campy disco, Willis also seems to have a brain for politics and self-preservation. He declined to present his song as a protest, implausibly claiming the song is not really about casual gay sex. In fact, Willis knows that YMCA and the Village People brand is extremely valuable. Every sports event, wedding, and movie that exploits YMCA's catchy groove puts a few dollars in the royalty pot. After Gary Glitter was exposed as a vicious pedophile, the sports anthem playlist got a little thin.
Perhaps Willis practices self-interest, or perhaps he likes that his songs represent good times as much as gay sex. Either way, he made the smart and classy choice by not poking a hornet's nest. Smart-gay here.
Enter Chris Kluwe, who is straight by the way. This week, Kluwe dumped on his former employers at the Vikings, claiming his termination was due to his support for gay marriage. He showed how his coach asked him to tone his politics down, presumably to focus on things like punting. The Vikings are in the business of winning games – in 2013 losing. If Tim Tebow's distraction from the field was intolerable, a gay marriage hammering punter should have taken the advice to shut-up.
The Vikings claim Kluwe was fired because of his inadequate play, which may be the case considering the importance of punters. Most people watch football for entertainment, not to be reminded of divisive politics, which makes Kluwe dumb-gay. The left's penchant for joyless negativity might fly on MSNBC with its cry-baby pundits, but the NFL is a no-excuses league that likes to keep its brand clean.
Overturning millennia of social tradition takes brains and tact, not a whiny blow-hard whose only talent is vindictive sniping. Bob Costas, that means you too. Those who want to advance the gay agenda – if there even is one – should consult Mr. Willis.