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A 2004 defense spending bill that the U.S. Senate might pass as early as next week could effectively kill the Terrorism (formally Total) Information Awareness program through a defunding provision. The bill states, "No funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense...or to any other department, agency or element of the Federal Government, may be obligated or expended on research and development on the Terrorism Information Awareness program." TIA, which has a projected 2004 budget of $169 million, aims to uncover evidence of terrorist activity by mining a vast database of Americans' personal records, but both left-wing and right-wing critics oppose the program on the grounds that it would be used to spy on innocent American citizens. Following the Senate vote, a joint committee will have the final say on the TIA defunding provision, and seek to align the Senate bill with a House version that does not explicitly block TIA funding. Both bills indicate that the use of TIA on American citizens is dependent on congressional approval, a provision requested by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who amended an earlier bill to deny TIA funding unless the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) furnished Congress with a detailed report on the program. DARPA submitted such a report in May, but privacy proponents such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation declared that the study merely paid lip service to TIA's privacy implications.
For more information on, and ACM's reaction to, TIA visit
Despite the popular notion that Wi-Fi is ruined as a business opportunity, some media and technology leaders gathered by investment banker Herbert Allen seem to think otherwise. Among the business luminaries were Intel's Craig R. Barrett and Andrew S. Grove, who have made Wi-Fi a central platform for their company's mobile computing business after earlier promoting a standard called Home RF. Barrett acknowledges Wi-Fi has succeeded in part because of its grass-roots advocacy; Intel is building Wi-Fi circuitry into all of its mobile computing chip sets, including the Centrino brand the company plans to spend nearly all its advertising budget on this year. In addition, Intel is going ahead with a pilot of WiMax, a wireless protocol that transmits data up to 30 miles at maximum speeds of 70 Mbps. Intel plans to use WiMax to close the "last-mile" gap between end users and high-speed applications such as digital high-definition television, and intends to use existing Wi-Fi antennas to pick up on the WiMax signal. Wayport CEO Dave Vucina says that even standard Wi-Fi access business plans show promise, given the right distribution point: He says subscription Wi-Fi and free Wi-Fi are complementary and not competing, pointing out that coffee drinkers still go to Starbucks even though they have free coffee at the office. Still, Wireless Internet and Mobile Computing publisher Alan Reiter says there is serious debate about whether to offer Wi-Fi for free or not from commercial establishments, given early evidence that free Wi-Fi boosts mainline business at hotels and restaurants. And then there are the grass-roots advocates, who continue their construction of entirely free Wi-Fi mesh networks in urban areas such as San Francisco; the largest free Wi-Fi groups in that area recently joined up to link 12 nodes, and plan to add another 20 nodes this month.
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American programmers are worried their jobs are being endangered by the offshore outsourcing of highly-skilled tech positions to India, China, Russia, and other developing countries where the workforce is cheaper. Furthermore, outsourcing opponents are concerned that U.S. tech leadership could be shattered by this trend, which reportedly provides nations such as India and China with the support needed to bolster their own tech infrastructures. A November 2002 Forrester Research study estimates that the number of tech jobs farmed out overseas will balloon from about 27,000 in 2000 to 472,000 by 2015 if the current rate of outsourcing continues. Cap Gemini Ernst & Young reckons that the average wage for an Indian computer programmer, including benefits, is $20 per hour, while an American programmer with commensurate expertise earns an average of $65 per hour. Executives argue that outsourcing's advantages extend beyond cheaper salaries: Convergys' Jean-Marc Hauducoeur notes that Indian workers display greater staying power, thus saving a great deal of money in employee recruitment and training. The approximately 350,000 college engineering graduates India produces annually is also attractive, note many U.S. executives. Boeing, Dell, Motorola, and Intel have all opened Russian branches, while Microsoft is exporting software development jobs to its India Development Center in Hyderabad. Executives claim that programming skills alone do not guarantee American workers job security, and say the really secure positions are found in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and other emerging fields.
The ClusterWorld conference held in San Jose in June pitted 236 computer programs developed by universities, software firms, and government research departments around the globe against each other in a gladiator-style tournament where the winning algorithm would gain control over a parallel computer comprised of 2,500 computer processors. The competition, nicknamed Grid Wars II, "gave me the opportunity to test my algorithm," explains Mark Wenig of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "It is a perfect environment to test and compare different approaches." Wenig's program, dubbed Rogue, was derived from genetic algorithms and modeled after the process of natural selection to build the optimum fighting code through evolution. Control of processors can be wrested away from occupying programs if a rival program can strike the other program three times using virtual "bullets." Programs can also correspond between occupied processors to launch a coordinated assault on other programs or put up defenses against attack. The contest eventually came down to Rogue versus Cobra, a manually-written program devised by a Moscow State University computing student. Cobra scored an eleventh-hour victory, which Matt Oberforger of Engineered Intelligence said may have been due to the program's ability to effortlessly communicate and proliferate rapidly.
Optical computing applications are arriving in the form of biometric identifiers and network switching equipment. Actual computers are not far behind, say those in the optical computing field. Driving demand for optical computing, which relies on quantum mechanics theory developed by Albert Einstein, are the physical limits faced by traditional electronic computing and Internet infrastructure. Demonstrations at the University of Rochester have shown optical computing allows near-instantaneous computation, and NASA researchers have built logic gate circuits entirely from optical components. Real-world applications of optical computing are seen in networking equipment from smaller firms such as Chiaro Networks, Procket, and Caspian Networks, all of which are challenging entrenched vendors that use mostly conventional packet switching technology. Chiaro Networks founder Eyal Shekel says his company's optical phased array and router design allow capacities up to maybe 1,000 times those provided with conventional technology. Optical computing technology is also paving the way for holographic and biometric identification applications similar to those depicted in the movie "Minority Report," according to A4Vision CEO Grant Evans. His company is working on a facial-recognition system using optical technology that the U.S. government could use to screen travelers entering the country. "There are many applications that will become available, a year or two from now, based on optical switching," proclaims Shekel. "The future of optical computing is now arriving."
India's National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) issued a report to quell concerned American and Indian parties' worries about outsourcing and the H-1B visa program, which critics claim are taking jobs away from American workers. The report estimates that the number of H-1B visas approved for Indian engineers declined by more than 50 percent between 2001 and 2002, and is anticipated to fall even further this year. In an effort to forestall a ban on outsourcing, Nasscom contends that the practice has enabled some U.S. companies to avoid mass layoffs: The association claims that transferring jobs to India allowed U.S. banks, insurance companies, and financial-services firms to save $6 billion over the past four years, and channel part of those savings into the creation of 125,000 additional jobs. Nasscom estimates that Indian IT firms employed almost 60,000 people in the United States in 2001, while roughly 170 such companies possess U.S. branches. To reassure people that outsourcing to India will not end, Nasscom released a McKinsey & Co. report projecting that Indian software and service exports to the United States will total $8.5 billion in 2003-04, while the United States will save between $10 billion and $11 billion through outsourcing to India in the same period. Meanwhile, the United States is expected to export $3 billion in high-tech products and services to India. India's software export services industry could be hit hard by H-1B visa restrictions, given that Germany recently decided to set limits on the number of annual green card allotments to foreign professionals. Meanwhile, outsourcing restrictions are particularly worrisome for India's IT-enabled services sector.
U.S. military personnel and American citizens living overseas will have the opportunity to cast absentee ballots for the 2004 elections over the Internet, courtesy of the Pentagon's $22 million Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment (SERVE), which Federal Voting Assistance Program director Polli Brunelli envisions as an alternative for people who cannot vote by mail. Voters participating in SERVE can register to vote and cast ballots from any Internet-accessible, Microsoft Windows-enabled computer terminal; local election officials will employ the SERVE system to process registration applications, transmit absentee ballots, and instantaneously receive voted ballots. SERVE participants will include eligible voters with homes in Hawaii, South Carolina, and certain Arkansas, Florida, Minnesota, Ohio, North Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Pennsylvania counties. One of online voting's perceived advantages is the elimination of arduous absentee ballot counting, but critics such as Harvard University's Rebecca Mercuri say there is no reason to think that Internet voting is any more immune to hacking, computer viruses, and other forms of electronic tampering than other supposedly "secure" systems. Brunelli claims that her office is implementing exceptional security measures to guarantee the SERVE system's protection, including redundant firewalls, intrusion detection tools, and attempted break-ins by "white hat" hackers. Advanced encryption technology will be utilized to muddle messages containing the ballots while digital signatures will be used to confirm voter identity.
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In anticipation of a pan-European prohibition on high-tech exports that contain six toxic substances--lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers--several major American electronics manufacturers are racing to eliminate these materials from their products through the institution of new standards and the refinement of their design, equipment, and manufacturing processes. Among the components known for containing lead are printed circuit boards, which are incorporated into nearly every consumer electronic product made in America. Though American companies have already embarked on efforts to jettison most of the other banned materials, it is the ban on lead that promises to have the most wide-ranging effects on the U.S. electronics sector. Motorola, Intel, IBM, Texas Instruments, Agilent Technologies, Hewlett-Packard, and Celestica are working to establish industry standards for environmentally safe manufacturing through the National Electronics Manufacturing Industry (NEMI). NEMI believes lead should be replaced in electronic products by a composite material made of tin, copper, and silver, with the trade-off being higher cost and potential reliability downgrades. Among the companies that have made notable progress in eliminating lead from their products is Solectron, which was prompted to do so in order to satisfy the needs of clients such as Sony and Olympus Optical. However, Sanmina-SCI's Eamon O'Keefe notes that some customers do not want environmentally-friendly products unless they have no other choice. The European Union-approved toxic substances ban goes into effect on July 1, 2006, and it will be preceded by the August 2005 enactment of Europe's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, which calls for electronics manufacturers to recycle obsolete products.
Dan Gillmor writes that California legislators are displaying contempt for the public good by failing to institute privacy legislation because such actions benefit their financial supporters rather than their constituencies. Gillmor cites the political death of SB 1, a bill that would have given people more control over how financial giants handle their personal information, as an example of this perfidy: Most legislators on a key committee did not vote on the measure, which in their view demonstrates that they were not taking an anti-privacy stance. Gillmor hopes that voters will make such "craven" politicos pay for such behavior by ousting them from office and passing the California Financial Privacy Initiative next year. Following the enactment of the financial privacy law, Gillmor believes elected officials and the public should then focus on radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, an emergent technology that could make supply-chain management cheaper and more efficient, but could also be exploited as a surveillance tool. He argues that the RFID industry is not being honest with the public about how the technology could affect privacy: Embedding the tags in products could make them easier to track in a supply chain, but could also be used to keep tabs on the consumers who purchase such products long after they have left the store. Gillmor contends that the RFID threat should be dealt with on a federal level, but concedes that state legislation may be the only answer, given the current "pro-business tilt" on Capitol Hill. He suggests that people who shop at Wal-Mart, a major RFID advocate, should warn the company that deploying RFID tags would make them alter their shopping behavior. Gillmor recommends that voters concerned about privacy contact their U.S. representatives and senators and urge them to either refuse to weaken already-enervated federal legislation further or institute solid privacy provisions.
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Quantum computing, thought by many to be the next logical evolutionary step in information processing, is supposed to harness the unique nature of quantum physics, which allows for the superposition of quantum states. "Quantum computing begins where Moore's Law ends--about the year 2020, when circuit features are predicted to be the size of atoms and molecules," proclaims MIT academic and former IBM Almaden Research Center director Isaac L. Chuang. However, commercial applications of quantum computing remain elusive: The technique is mainly fueling interest among researchers struggling to solve complex mathematical problems that conventional systems are ill-equipped to handle, such as the factorization of higher and higher prime numbers. IBM has made strides, first with a five-qubit machine that could carry out order-finding for a given function, and later with a seven-qubit system that successfully factored the number 15; however, Chuang contends that a practically useful quantum computer will have to manipulate several dozen, if not thousands, of qubits. One of the immediate barriers to a successful quantum computer is the difficulty in controlling atomic behavior so that the system remains effective, and most quantum computer models feature error correction systems that can reduce the theoretically available processing power. In addition, quantum computers may not be necessary if processing power continues to increase and more economical technologies such as grid computing flourish and mature. One of quantum computing's most intriguing potential applications is quantum encryption, which directly relates to number factorization. Quantum encryption rests on the theory that quantum computing could be used to provide crack-proof data exchange as well as break existing cryptographic systems.
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Speaking at a recent forum in Boston for chief security officers, former White House cybersecurity advisor Richard Clarke said the U.S. government is not yet a leader in cyberspace security. In fact, many U.S. agencies have been rated unsatisfactorily in the area of IT security, according to assessments by the General Accounting Office and other groups. Clarke said that both public and private organizations must strive to reduce product flaws. This includes educating software programmers to write more reliable code and eliminate such security flaws as buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Clarke also believes that software devolvement and distribution need to be overhauled. He advocates greater cooperation among the following corporate departments: IT security, physical security, human resources, and the legal division. Companies that do this will be in a better position to predict and take action against security threats, he said. Clarke added that although the president's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace is a positive step, the agency in charge of cyberspace and threat assessment--the Department of Homeland Security--still needs to harmonize a total of 22 disparate departments, which could take five to seven years.
Several companies, IBM among them, are developing weather simulation programs that tap the number-crunching power of supercomputers to provide precise, high-resolution local forecasts. IBM's effort, Deep Thunder, collects forecast data culled by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's network of satellites and other equipment and narrows its focus to supply detailed 3D graphical visualizations of expected weather patterns in local areas. One forecast from the federal agency splits North America into a grid of squares that measure 12 kilometers on each side, with future climate conditions simulated at the corner of each square. Deep Thunder scales down the boxes to one square kilometer, narrowing estimates accordingly, and then lets the simulation model generate the 3D visualization. Deep Thunder produces forecasts with 1-kilometer resolution for the New York City metropolitan area every three seconds, and 4-kilometer forecasts for a region extending from Hartford, Conn., to Philadelphia every 12 seconds. The IBM researchers generate two high-resolution forecasts per day, as a demonstration to prospective customers and as a way to check the precision of the simulation models as they boost Deep Thunder's processing power. IBM researcher and Deep Thunder development leader Lloyd Treinish notes that the system successfully predicted with astonishing accuracy the severity of a Presidents' Day snowstorm for Westchester Country and northern New Jersey nine hours before the National Weather Service released an official forecast. However, some meteorology experts see problems in high-resolution weather simulation: Clifford F. Mass of the University of Washington cautions that slight errors in initial climate estimates can lead to major forecasting mistakes.
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Technology trends point toward a revolution in the storage market by 2006, when today's leading vendors will either have capitulated their proprietary bastions or become obsolete, writes Jan Oltsik. Cheapening hardware components are making advanced storage features available at low price points, while Ethernet and Internet Protocol (IP) continue their advance on the esoteric Fibre Channel standard. Ethernet and IP mean storage networking technology opens up to far more technology workers familiar with those popular protocols, and also allows new application capabilities such as backup, remote mirroring, and content distribution. In addition, network intelligence means data does not have to be kept at end points, but can be stored on the network itself--a far more scalable model. J2EE and Web services programming tools can be used for storage applications once network intelligence is introduced, replacing vendor APIs. Currently, storage industry leaders such as EMC are slowly moving from their proprietary technologies, and do so at their own peril. Just as IBM was unable to slow the advance of client/server computing, today's storage vendor leaders need to adopt cheaper, network-based technology or lose out to smaller, more innovative firms. As this shift continues, corporate buyers would do well to postpone large storage initiatives until the industry landscape adapts.
Tom Leighton, the chief scientist of Akamai, recently spoke at the Fifth International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics about his belief that operation of the Internet is hindered by inadequate use of Border Gateway Protocol and Domain Name Services, as well as peering relationships that interfere with efficient data routes and the technique of servicing content from a central location. Arguing that additional backbone capacity is unnecessary, Leighton says, "You've got 70 million users on an unreliable, overused network." He says instead of scaling the Internet to support more centrally-hosted applications, applications must move to the edge of the network using a distributed framework that brings content closer to users using existing routes. Akamai has coordinated a number of mathematicians to help determine more streamlined methods of content distribution, using Combinatory Optimization, which has allowed Akamai to release new traffic-direction algorithms from time to time. Leighton says, "The best we can hope for is an overlay to hide [the Internet's] worst deficiencies."
Computer scientists at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a program that will automatically log someone onto the nearest computer at the sound of their voice or laughter. In an effort to make it easier for their staff to log onto networked computers, the researchers have created SoundHunters, software that makes use of sound recognition and intelligent agent technology. With the aid of microphones on computers, SoundHunters is designed to recognize a voice, and then use strategically placed intelligent agents to determine the location of the individual in relation to the nearest computer. Intelligent agents can listen to the footsteps of a person moving throughout an office. "Once the agents have worked out the direction the person is going, they would even be able to stay one or two steps ahead," says researcher Arkady Zaslavsky. Although the researchers have more work to do to improve SoundHunters' ability to distinguish voices, marrying sound recognition and intelligent agent technology has become a reality.
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A June 5 White House memo sent to federal agency directors indicates that President Bush's proposed research and development budget for fiscal 2005 will have five priorities: Counterterrorism, nanotechnology, networking and IT, environment and energy, and understanding life processes on the molecular level. The anti-terror R&D priority advises agencies to focus on research into improving the detection and response to chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks; the development and implementation of technology designed to help first responders; and new technologies that can turn huge volumes of intelligence data into "actionable knowledge." The nanotech priority reinforces the essentialness of the National Nanotechnology Initiative to the current administration, as it relates to home security, biomedicine, and material science. The networking and IT R&D goals stress the importance of cybersecurity, network innovation, and high-end computing, while the memo says environmental/energy R&D is key to economic growth as well as national security. The memo, authored by White House science advisor John H. Marburger and former White House Budget Director Mitchell Daniels, also detailed criteria that would be used to assess the effectiveness of federally funded R&D programs. The criteria, which are a component of the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), focus on three areas: Relevance, quality, and performance. In terms of relevance, federal R&D projects are required to be clearly outlined, in keeping with national priorities and customer needs, and pertinent to the dedication of taxpayer resources; quality assurance requires the use of a clear and justifiable technique for allotting the lion's share of R&D programs' funding; and guaranteeing performance depends on programs setting and adhering to multi-year goals marked by yearly performance metrics and watersheds.
Since the inauguration of MIT's Project Oxygen roughly four years ago, researchers have churned out approximately 20 advanced communications technologies designed to "[promote] human interaction, more natural interaction between people and machines," according to MIT computer science professor Randall Davis. Examples of Project Oxygen innovations, which were available for public perusal when MIT recently opened up its Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratories, include the Cricket Indoor Location System, a network of beacons and sensors that can be distributed throughout a room to track the location of tagged objects within a few centimeters using radio frequency and ultrasonic technology. Scalable Location-Aware Monitoring (SLAM), another Project Oxygen technology, allows tag systems or sensor data to be integrated with distributed software applications. Researchers note that the SLAM architecture could be used to assist the fire department in getting people in a burning building to safety, as well as enhance inventory tracking for retailers in conjunction with radio frequency identification technology. The project's Mobile Teleconference application is designed to facilitate adaptive teleconferences by assessing the available lines of communication and choosing the optimum communications link between user handhelds. The Resilient Overlays Network application works along similar lines by selecting the fastest route between IP addresses, cutting packet loss and making latency a thing of the past. Sponsors of the five-year Project Oxygen initiative, including Nokia and Hewlett-Packard, have collectively donated $50 million and could employ technologies yielded from the project within their own products.
A number of leading IT experts repudiate Nicholas G. Carr's assertion that IT's strategic value has been lost to commoditization, although Andrew McAfee of Harvard Business School thinks Carr's stance has had one positive effect--it brings the IT debate into sharp relief. Cutter Consortium analyst Tom DeMarco says Carr makes a poor case for his argument by presenting three graphs for railroads, electric power and IT; though all three graphs follow similar curves to indicate commoditization, DeMarco says that Carr makes the mistake of using computers to symbolize IT in general. Harvard Business School's Rob Austin elaborates on the flaw in Carr's reasoning, saying Carr believes that IT's chief problem is its ubiquity, when in fact a paucity of ability to innovate with IT is the real problem. NASA acting CIO Paul A. Strassman argues that how an organization uses IT, rather than just buying IT, is the critical issue. DeMarco declares, "you can't count on a single-shot competitive advantage, but you can gain a continuing advantage by being a continuing innovator in IT." Carr postulates that CIOs will revert from strategists to bean counters, but McAfee says the role a CIO plays depends on circumstances, and notes that major organizations will require CIOs to play many parts, including strategists, cost minimizers, business needs assessors, and organizational change specialists. Austin adds that a CIO must be a visionary, and be able to communicate his vision clearly to less technologically inclined people. DeMarco concludes that this "element of vision...can't be commoditized."
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Applications convergence is expected to revolutionize the enterprise, and key to this development is a "logical enterprise" model based on an array of building blocks. These fundamental elements include IP telephony or Voice over IP (VOIP); unified messaging; Computer Telephony Integration (CTI); Extensible Markup Language (XML); VoiceXML (VXML); Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and SIP-supported "presence;" and the Speech Applications Language Tags (SALT) protocol. VOIP will emerge as a complex application, while SIP and presence will allow users to be contacted according to preference. XML and VXML, in concert with text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and other technologies, will interface with legacy unified messaging and call-center programs. This will clear the way for the integration of enterprise communications applications and end-user and business applications. The logical enterprise model is split into a data layer, an applications layer, and a customized user portal--however, some of the model's building blocks will be commercially unavailable for a few years. The maturation of XML, VXML, and SALT, combined with the increased cost-effectiveness of multiple applications accessing a common data set, will allow data storage to become more and more independent of applications. Parts of the applications convergence model are currently being deployed by vendors such as Cisco, Siemens, Avaya, Nortel, and Alcatel. "This technology shift allows us to rethink our approach to communications in terms of interactions between people and resources," notes Chris Vuillaume of Alcatel.
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The Roy softball team wasn't expected to win another championship after losing last year's 5A MVP, Macauley Flint.
Luckily, they still had this year's MVP, Jordynn Barrera.
The junior shortstop was the Royals' catalyst all season long. Barrera hit five home runs and recorded 17 extra-base hits for the season, including two doubles in the championship game. Coach Amanda Koford, who won a state championship when she was a pitcher at Roy, put Barrera at the top of the batting order for a reason.
"As a pitcher, there was nothing worse than having the leadoff get a hit off you," Koford said. "That's something Jordynn did every single game."
When Barrera got her first taste of state tournament play as a freshman, she knew she wanted more of it. She always felt that great things happen when you put in the time and effort. The Royals were expected to win state last year they even wore shirts with targets on their backs. This year, Roy was the one shooting the arrows.
"Nobody really believed in us," Barrera said. "Nobody thought Roy would be a threat again that we were done. We weren't done, obviously. We did what we had to do to get back to state and show everyone that we could win one more title."
Barrera will spend the offseason playing ball with her club team, Salt Lake Pegasus. She's yet to commit to a college, but feels there's plenty of time to decide her future during her senior year.
With Barrera returning for one more season with the Royals, perhaps they'll have next year's MVP, too.

subset: commoncrawl


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i added a couple of popular keywords to the clickbank ads module, but when clicking on post now, it goes to a blank page, refreshed and tested with lots of different keywords, it's still not working. pls advise. thanks
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The fans of symphonic music and video games have found a harmonic convergence in live orchestral performances of game soundtracks.
Since the initial Video Games Live! concert four years ago at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl, co-creators Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall have powered-up the event into an international touring production. After performing three shows in 2005, the duo will conduct more than 60 this year from Seattle to Pittsburgh with stops in Taiwan and Japan.
For each date, host Tallarico and conductor Wall work with the local symphony prepping the two-hour show. "Some (classical musicians) are apprehensive, as well they should be. They have been playing Stravinsky and Mozart all their lives," Tallarico says. "You can see them sit down for the first time and the players and crew are (reading the music and it says) World of Warcraft and Sonic the Hedgehog thinking 'What is this?' But then when they play the music for the first time together you can kind of see them looking around nodding their heads (that) this is legitimate music."
It's not just musicians stretching their comfort zones at Video Games Live! Three generations attended a recent performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts. Many had never seen a symphony live. And some were unfamiliar with the music to classic games such as Super Mario Bros., as well as more recent games such as Halo. "We're trying to bridge the cultural divide between people who understand classical music and people who understand video games," Wall says.
An hour before the performance, all mingled in a celebratory festival atmosphere. Diehard video game fans wore costumes of favorite characters -- a popular favorite among youngsters: the green elven costume of Link, the hero of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series. Even more wore T-shirts adorned with video game logos including Rock Band, Half-Life and Activision, the popular publisher of classic games such as Pitfall! and the more modern Call of Duty and Guitar Hero games.
Families lined up to get pictures of their children with a man dressed in the black, special ops gear of Solid Snake, the protagonist of the Metal Gear Solid games. "I'm used to it," says Chris Pegues of Richmond, Va., a veteran of video game music concerts and conventions. "It's a meeting of the digital meets the classical."
Another costumed attendee, Jay Newhard, 28, of Silver Spring, Md., agreed, calling the event "a crossing of worlds." He wears the anime-influenced garb of Auron of Final Fantasy X; his wife Ashley is dressed as Yuma from the game. "It's culture to see an orchestra play," he says. "It's nice to have parents come and appreciate all the aspects (of games) and I'm sure parents love to get their children to see an orchestra. And the kids will be doubly interested because it's video games."
Wife Ashley sees "every age" in attendance. Although she doesn't play video games – she observes husband Jay's exploits – she says, "I appreciate the music, the artistry and the story that goes into them."
Just before the orchestra takes the stage, a dozen or so of the best costumes are led onstage and the crowd votes by applause – an old-school character, Pac-Man, takes the prize.
Interactive entertainment is key to the Video Games Live! experience. Early in the show, Tallarico picks a fan from the crowd and has him put on a T-shirt with a trackable Space Invaders game. While the symphony played a Space Invaders-inspired piece, a live game is projected onscreen and the fan runs left and right to move the on-screen base while clicking a handheld joystick to fire at the encroaching invaders.
Later, the winner of a pre-show Guitar Hero contest is brought onstage to play Sweet Emotion, a song in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. While he racks up a phenomenal score of 300,000-plus, the orchestra plays along and Tallarico, a cousin of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, plays real guitar.
Video Games Live! as having all the power and emotion of a symphony orchestra combined with the energy and excitement of a rock concert, mixed together with all the cutting-edge visuals, technology, interactivity and fun that video games provide," Tallarico says.
After an opening segment that paid tribute to classic games including Frogger, Joust, Centipede and Tetris, game designers Hideo Kojima and David Jaffe provided video introductions to arrangements devoted to their creations Metal Gear Solid and God of War. A choir of two dozen accompanied the 74-person orchestra.
Internet pianist Martin Leung performed two solos, one re-enacting his YouTube sensation of playing the music from Super Mario Bros. blindfolded. Game pioneer Ralph Baer, who invented the first home video game console game – it became the Magnavox Odyssey – and received the National Medal of Technology in 2006, mades a live appearance via Skype video conference. And local game designing legend Sid Meier made a guest appearance onstage to introduce the music from one his studio's games, Civilization IV.
Listeners hooted as Tallarico introduced each piece of music; the loudest cheer came for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. "It really is a hybrid form of entertainment," says Tallarico, whose own game composing credits include Advent Rising. "What is great about it is it is also helping to usher in a whole new generation to appreciate symphonies and symphonic music."
It took he and Wall, whose game scores include Mass Effect and Myst III and IV, three years to organize that first concert. Symphonies and orchestras weren't the only participants that were hesitant. "Can you imagine me making the phone call to Japanese game company Taito that made Space Invaders saying, 'We would like to play your music from 1977 with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. What do you say?'" Wall says with a laugh. "Now they are much friendlier. They ask how can they get their music in the show."
The concept has proven so popular that a competing tour, Play! A Video Game Symphony (www.play-symphony.com) in 2006. That tour played Wolf Trap in 2008 after Video Games Live! did two shows in 2007 with the NSO at the Kennedy Center.
As video game production values have risen, it's no challenge to "put together a showcase that the music can be substantial," says Kim Witman, director of Wolf Trap's opera and classical programming. "The bottom line is you realize this is the next generation's symphonic pops."
Upcoming tour dates:
July 18 -- Houston
July 23 -- San Diego
July 27 -- Cincinnati
July 31 -- Lewiston, N.Y.
Aug 29 -- Taipei County, Taiwan
Sept. 21-22 -- Tokyo
For more information on Video Games Live!, click here.
By Mike Snider
Video and photo by Rene Alston
Mike Snider began covering the video game industry during the Super Nintendo-Sega Genesis clash in 1992. An original pinball wizard, he eventually was seduced by Robotron: 2084 and Tempest. These days he is a fan of action/shooters and lives out his Keith Moon fantasies playing a mean drum kit on music games. More about Mike.
Brett Molina has been writing about video games for USA TODAY since 2005. He is well-versed in Madden NFL, the fighting genre and first-person shooters. The first video game he played was Asteroids at a local arcade. He has been hooked ever since. More about Brett.


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Discovered someone who looks like a good match? Send an email to them or just a wink and see if they're interested. With a little luck you'll be on your way to finding your soulmate.
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3:33 Jill Mahoney: Gillani: Until April 8, I was a low-profile, medium-sized venture capitalist and financier. I have been in this business for 23 years. I would like to state that I am a visible minority. I have seen no sign of prejudice or racism from this Committee, or anyone else in regard to the matter before this Committee.The Toronto Star published an article by Kevin Donovan full of unsubstantiated distortions and innuendo, attacking my character.
3:33 Jill Mahoney: Gillani: That article referred to Mr. Jaffer and Mr. Glémaud, in ways that distorted our business and personal relationships. Subsequent to the article published April 8, other media piled on the bandwagon, spreading inaccuracies and innuendo. On Saturday, April 10, 2010, yet another unsubstantiated article in The Toronto Star said that I boasted about being a banker to a biker gang. I said no such thing. I have provided the Committee with a timeline to help you follow what happened, from my perspective.
3:33 : JT:Mr. Gillani -- visible minority and he says right off top he has seen no sign of racism by this committee -- shot at patrick Glemaud who last week criticized the committee for what he thought was bigotry. he is outlining his timeline.
3:34 Jill Mahoney: Gillani: On Sunday, April 11, 2010, I put out a Statement on Canada News Wire which read: "I urge all interested media following my story to carefully examine the reporting, sources/attribution, and fact-checking of Mr. Donovan's articles instead of merely copying and accepting them at face value."
3:34 Jill Mahoney: That Toronto Star article of April 8 unleashed a media storm. The swirling tornado of accusations has turned my life into complete mayhem. I am here today to answer questions in regard to my involvement with Rahim Jaffer, Patrick Glémaud, and Green Power Generation-GPG for short. We first met in August of 2009 and I have met Mr. Jaffer on 6 other occasions since then.
3:35 Jill Mahoney: I have provided you in advance with relevant documents which I believe you have.
The services offered by GPG listed on both the GPG website and Mr. Jaffer's personal website, were what my company, ISI, was interested in. GPG formalized the provision of those services in a contract with my company.
On page 2 of that contract, which was revised by Mr. Glémaud, dated September 21, 2009, it states that:
"The Consultant warrants and represents that it is in ongoing dialogue with, and has valuable connections to and with, the government of Canada and various departments, ministries, and wholly or partially owned entities thereof, all for purposes of providing participatory and non participatory government funding (and other incentives) as well as ongoing support for various prospective private sector projects, ventures and initiatives.
3:35 : JT: He says he has met Mr. Jaffer "six" times. Mr. jaffer suggested last week that he didn't really pursue his relationship with Mr. Gillani as there were no "synergies".
3:36 Jill Mahoney:
I would like to draw your attention to that September 21st, 2009 date:
- that was after my initial meeting with Mr. Jaffer at La Castille Restaurant;
- it was after my Harbour 60 Steakhouse dinner;
- it was after Mr. Jaffer's arrest by the OPP; and
- it was after the social dinner with Mr. Jaffer and his wife, then Minister Helena Guergis.
3:36 Jill Mahoney: Gillani: This date should be compared to testimony last week, when the principals of GPG said there were no "synergies" with ISI and ended their relationship with me. Now, it has been noted by many that trying to get access to both funding and government services in Ottawa is a labyrinth task. I was under the impression that Mr. Jaffer and Mr. Glémaud knew what they were doing with regard to government funding access-there was never any underhanded or with "undue influence" plan.
3:36 : JT: Talking about access -- says he wqas under impression that Mr. Jaffer knew how to "negotiate the government maze"
3:36 Jill Mahoney: Gillani: Simply, they said they knew how to negotiate the government maze. However, they never obtained any grant money for any company referred by ISI. ISI never paid any money or gave any compensation to them or their company. Further, Mr. Jaffer and I were to travel to China together on April 13, 2010. Yet Mr. Jaffer seemed to state to this Committee last week that he ended our relationship months ago. This was untrue.Report Typo/Error


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$11.00 Sale: $9.89
Item Discontinued
After Cindy & I spent the day at the scrapbook expo we knew we would be to tired to fix dinner after we got home from a long day of shopping so my dh & I took Cindy out to our favorite chinese restaurant we've been going to for 14 years.
My fortune cookie reads "A secret adventure is in store for you" Well I don't know about a secret adventure, but boy oh boy was the rest of this trip an adventure. We had so much fun and still only into day 2 at this point!
Oh and I think the scroll sign is upside down or sideways, but oh well... not like I know what it says anyway. HAHAHA!!!
$0.93 $0.74
$11.00 $9.89


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Police: Deathbed confession in mystery of missing cannon
Some Dartmouth College students could help solve a 40-year-old mystery about what happened to a World War I cannon missing from the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington.
Police say a man on his deathbed confessed to taking it. He says it's buried under the Dartmouth College football field.
Police found an ammunition carriage beneath the bleachers at the stadium. They believe the cannon may be buried nearby.
The Dartmouth geophysics class will scan the area and to try to locate the cannon.
Police say they don't know who the man was who confessed to taking the cannon.
Veterans Home administrator Colleen Rundell says she doesn't want to prosecute anyone. She just wants the cannon back.


text:
Latest Articles in All
August 4, 2009
August 2, 2009Education remains key, but updated standards and WOCDs could help efforts to prevent child fallsAs a product safety engineer and leader of the product safety group for Andersen Windows, and administrator of the manufacturer's "Look Out For Kids" program, Kathy Coen is responsible for safety advocacy and injury prevention efforts. In 2000, her work led to a meeting with Kim Healey, founder of the Timothy Healey Foundation, a child safety advocacy organization named for Kim's son... more »
August 2, 2009Understanding the basics can help a manufacturer upgrade its product line to meet tax credit and new Energy Star criteriaWith the impending changes to Energy Star and the .30/.30 tax credit requirements of the American Rescue & Recovery Act, now, more than ever, fenestration manufacturers are looking at every option available for performance improvement and making product adjustments to take advantage of the sudden flurry of activity in the market. There are literally endless possibilities for designing... more »
August 1, 2009
August 1, 2009Product development advances despite weak market and installation issues attract more focusDespite challenging economic conditions, suppliers say the impact-rated market is continuing to improve thanks to manufacturers' R&D efforts. Mother Nature doesn't care that the economy is a mess. Hurricanes do not decrease proportionally with the country's GDP. In fact, as the 2009 hurricane and tropical storm season kicked off in June, the National Oceanic and... more »
August 1, 2009
July 29, 2009Atlanta event looks more promising as window and door makers gear up for better timesWith the light the end of the tunnel coming into view, window and door manufacturers will make their way once again to GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo this fall. More than 400 exhibitors and 9,000 attendees are expected for this year's show, scheduled for the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, September 30 through October 2. "While residential window and... more »
July 28, 2009
July 21, 2009
July 15, 2009


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My daughter, Lucy, is almost three years old, and has Rett Syndrome. It is a debilitating condition that has robbed her of speech, the ability to walk, control her hands, and talk. This makes it difficult to figure out how to let her explore the world as every other child does. When I was a little girl, I spent most of my time outside, playing with my cousins. We did all of the things little kids do: rode bikes, caught tadpoles, made forts, pretended we were getting married with bouquets of ferns, played in the mud and in brush piles, rode four-wheelers, swam … you get the point. We lived right beside each other, our moms knew we were safe and so we were just set free each morning and required to return home for meals. It was just the best.
Lucy can't eat a snack, or look at a book, or color without someone else's help, usually mine or her Daddy's. There are actually very few things she can do without assistance, and this breaks my heart in so many ways, but one way in particular is that she can't just be a "kid" and do the silly things kids do. It is her right and it has been taken away from her because of Rett Syndrome, so I spend a lot of time wracking my brain about ways I can help her to still do things that kids like to do, but especially things that I like to do and that I want to share with her and pass on my love of.
At the beginning of March I flipped the calendar page and the picture was of an adorable duckling. I told Lucy how I love ducklings and maybe we would get some someday and about a week later she used her PODD communication book (click here for more information on the PODD) to say, "I have an idea, buy ducks now"! It was the first time that she has asked me to buy her something! So Lucy got ducklings. I already have a small flock of chickens, so we are familiar with the care required of baby birds. Together we named them Lucky and Ping. She can't really hold them because of her lack of hand functioning and constant stereotypic hand movements, but she pets them, looks at them, and we even started a little "book" about them. She is the author of the one line in the book and it says, "I like them, soft. Thank you."
Lucy and I planted a small container of lettuce, spinach, and arugula to make our own salads. I mixed all of the seeds together in an old spice container and then used a wrist band to help Lucy hold on to it and sprinkle the seeds into the pot. She said, "I like this, special, favorite, garden."
Lucy can finger paint, and she uses a special cuff to hold a crayon. One day, she said she wanted to help feed herself more, and she is slowly, carefully learning to walk. I helped her make beautiful valentines to give away this year and she did most of the "work". Sometimes she pretends to be a superhero (Tooty McScooty 2.0 is her crime fighting name) with her Daddy, and she flies around the room. I love every second that we spend together, even the challenging ones, but all I wish for her is to be free of me. I wish she was free to say everything that comes to her mind right when she thinks it, and I wish she was free to run away from me when I tell her to hold my hand. I wish she was free to be silly, and mischievous, and to explore this world that she knows so little about in any way that she sees fit.
I feel so envious when I hear or read about all of the amazing things other parents can do with their children. I feel envious not that they do them, but about the ease with which they can do these things, because even though it is difficult and challenging, and is always outside of that darn box, we still do those things that I want Lu to experience. And we will keep doing them. It's just a matter of brainstorming, patience, and bravery.
About Julie Shaffer
My name is Julie Shaffer and I am a stay-at-home mom. It is the greatest job I have ever had. I write about Lucy because she is amazing, and I want the world to know about her. She defies Rett Syndrome every day with a smile on her face.
Please feel free to visit my regular blog at: www.understandinglu.blogspot.com
For more information on Rett Syndrome visit: www.rettsyndrome.org


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Hi guys,
Had an aftermarket stereo fitted a couple of months ago, all was fine. Then it stopped working, the steering wheel controls adapter was stopping it from working. The bloke fixed it but meant I couldnt have my steering wheel controls. Got fed up without them so tried again at a different audio shop, he said its something which Vauxhall will need to sort.
Anybody idea what I need to do or whats wrong with it?


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New app aims to create gender-inclusive online community
By Maria Caspani
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Frustrated by what he saw as the non-inclusive world of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) mobile apps, a Harvard student set out to create one that would be truly inclusive of all genders.
According to young developer Eric Cervini, most social networking and dating apps that cater to the LGBTQ community rigidly categorize their users by gender identity, sexual orientation and physical appearance.
"When we log on, we're constantly told to be a man, to have a perfect body, to act or to talk a certain way, to be someone other than who we truly are," California-born Cervini said in a statement.
His app "Q" lets users choose from over 20 genders to include all those who identify as queer, a term used by some to encompass the many facets of gender identity and sexual orientation.
In the United States and beyond, a growing movement views gender as a complex, mainly psychological phenomenon in which a person's external anatomy is no longer the defining factor.
According to Cervini, Q is "a community-driven social networking app for humans - of all genders and sexual orientations - who identify as queer."
The app still allows some filtering and requires members to display first names and faces while encouraging them to describe themselves in "memoirs" that have no character limit.
"Q is...about creating a queer community that is devoted to making its members of any gender or background feel welcome," said Cervini. Continued...


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Mexico at 200: Living Legends
As part of Mexico at 200, Q2's exploration of the past two centuries of Mexican symphonic music, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas conductor and New York native Alondra de la Parra examines the birth of contemporary Mexican music by presenting those living composers who have already sewn their distinctive styles into the fabric of Mexican culture.
Mexico at 200: Living Legends is the third show of Mexico at 200 and shares music by the older generation of living composers, teachers, and musical luminaries: Blas Galindo, Mario Lavista, and Federico Ibarra.
Hear Mexico at 200 every day at 7 a.m. and p.m., starting Tuesday, May 25, and continuing through Friday, May 28. Mexico at 200 celebrates the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence.
Mexico at 200 is curated and hosted by Alondra de la Parra, with research assistance from Joshua Feltman. The producer is Alex Ambrose, and the executive producer is Limor Tomer.


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This is a discussion on iTunes / iPod Problem within the Apple iOS forums, part of the Tech Support Forum category. Hope someone can help.
My daughter has a 4th gen nano which iTunes is now not seeing, well says not
Windows 7 - Windows XP - Windows Vista - Trojan Removal - Spyware Removal - Virus Removal - Networking - Security - Top Web Hosts


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All the Same in the Dark? Not in NYC
By Peter Elstrom
I knew things were getting serious when Anthony started closing up early. It was about 5 p.m. on Aug. 14, and I had just walked home from BusinessWeek's offices in midtown Manhattan.
Sure, I had heard that the blackout of 2003 had put out the power as far west as Michigan and as far north as Ottawa. But I had never known Anthony Lee, the manager of the New Westside dry cleaner/laundromat on my West Side block, to be affected by the foibles of the outside world. Every morning -- Sundays included -- he opens the shop a couple of minutes before seven. The screech of the graffiti-covered metal gate rising over the glass windows and doors serves as my alarm clock, sounding many mornings well before I'm ready for it. So when Anthony said he was closing up three hours early, one of the things that makes New York truly New York, one of the things that demonstrated its invincibility seemed to fade with the light.
"No choice," said Michael Kim, the owner of New Westside, who stood outside the store with Anthony. Mr. Kim is 58 years old, with a quiet friendliness and weathered eyes. He emigrated from South Korea 24 years ago and bought New Westside in 2001. Anthony had worked at the location for several years before and Mr. Kim asked him to stay on as manager.
There was little point in staying open that night, Mr. Kim told me. The cash register wouldn't work without electricity, so he couldn't take in any dry cleaning. The self-serve washers and dryers can't be used, much to the disappointment of an eager few hoping to get their clothes clean, even as the largest-ever power outage robbed millions of people of electricity.
All things considered, my wife and I had it easy on Aug. 14. We work about two miles from our apartment, so it was just a short stroll home for each of us. There were thawing shrimp from the freezer that we were able to cook on the gas stove, and I took a bottle of white wine out of the lifeless refrigerator to go with it. Dinner was candlelit, quiet, romantic. Afterward, we walked over to Central Park to look at stars that haven't been visible from Manhattan for years. Mars was a deep red, hanging low in the eastern sky. A man with high-powered binoculars told us the planet is closer to the earth than it has been in 60,000 years.
As we headed back home, it was obvious that some of the neighborhood businesses were enjoying the blackout as much as my wife and I. Ray's Famous, a pizzeria at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 82nd St., had a line of some 30 people in front of its door. Mohammed Ali, a 34-year-old from Alexandria, Egypt, who manages the store and several others like it, could keep on cooking pizzas because his ovens run on gas. That night, he sold slices as fast as he could make them, charging $3 or $4, depending on the toppings. Some customers were upset at what they thought was price-gouging, but Mr. Ali explained that he couldn't make change because his cash register was out.
Mostly, though, people were grateful. One man gave him $50 for a whole pizza and told him to keep the change. How much business did Mr. Ali do that evening? "Double," he said. How much exactly is double, I asked? "If normally it's $100, then $200," he said. I told him I understand the concept, but how much money are we talking about? "Double," he repeated. I stopped pressing him. Clearly, it had been a good night.
Just across 82nd Street, at the corner grocer, there was a slow-moving line waiting in front of the closed door. Every few minutes, the door opened and one or two people were let in. With the lights out in the store, John Singh, a tall, 40-year-old from India who sports a pencil-thin moustache, didn't want people inside who could grab things and head out without paying.
Alas, Mr. Singh didn't have the same kind of night as Mr. Ali. True, Mr. Singh sold lots of soda, water, and beer, but he didn't do anywhere near the amount of business he normally does. It was simply too slow, letting people in one-by-one. He stayed open until 11 p.m. or so, then decided to close a couple hours earlier than normal.
Overall, the mood throughout the neighborhood was more festive than frustrated. Next door, two men and two women pulled out lawn chairs to sit on the sidewalk and drink beer by candlelight. Knots of people wandered up and down Amsterdam Avenue with flashlights, stopping to chat and occasionally duck into one of the street's many bars. Indeed, out of all the businesses that stayed open during the blackout, it looked like bars were doing the best.
One of the most crowded was The Dead Poet, a bowling-alley-shaped establishment with a long bar of wood and brass in the front and scattered tables and chairs in the back. A chalkboard on the sidewalk proclaimed that all beers -- bottles and draughts -- were $3 each. Ally, a striking blonde working the bar, explained that the owner wanted to sell what he could before the beer got warm.
It was sweltering inside, partly because of the heat and partly because of the crowd, which spilled out onto the sidewalk. Ally served up beer and her own recipe of rum and Chambord shots. From what I could see, the bar was making a pretty good dent in its inventory. No chance that the enterprising owner was going to be stuck with lots of warm beer.
Early the next morning, I woke up with the light on my nightstand shining into my eyes. My first thought: Rum and Chambord? That didn't sound like a good idea even last night. Then I realized that the electricity had come back on. I turned off the light and slept for what seemed like seconds before I heard it: the familiar screech as Anthony lifted up the metal grate in front of New Westside.
With the power back, Anthony, like many other business owners, was opening up right on time, eager to get back to work. Fifteen hours after the power went out, it was back -- at least in my neighborhood -- and life in New York began to return to normal.
Elstrom is a Senior Editor for BusinessWeek in New York
Edited by Patricia O'Connell


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Campaign turns spotlight on the ugly face of smoking
Page Tools
You're so vain
these advertisements, from a new British
anti-smoking drive, aim to confront young people with the impact of
smoking on their looks and attractiveness.
The advertisement shows an attractive, fashionable young woman brandishing a cigarette and a smirk. In the next frame she is smiling fully: her teeth are yellow, her gums black, her fingers nicotine-stained.
"Fags are the worst accessory to put with any outfit," reads the advertisement, part of a British anti-smoking campaign.
Rather than focusing on the negative health effects of tobacco, the campaign, "Ugly Smoking", tells women cigarettes will ruin their skin, and make their breath smell and their hair brittle.
The idea has caught the attention of Australian smoking researchers and psychologists, who agree that young people are more likely to respond to anti-tobacco campaigns that highlight ill effects in the here and now, rather than warn of the risk of cancer and heart disease in the future.
"To many young people, consequences when you are 40 or 50 are so far-fetched as to be inconceivable," said Ron Borland, a researcher at the Cancer Council of Victoria. "These campaigns are trying to draw on things that are of real concern to people today, like how attractive I look."
Professor Borland said the campaign - which has a parallel men's campaign that warns of the link between smoking and impotence - is part of a new breed of "reality" anti-smoking drives. The message must have an emotional resonance with its target audience to be effective.
Focusing on good looks might be contrary to traditional doctors' health warnings, but if it worked it was worth it, said Sarah Edelman, a psychologist at the University of Technology who specialises in behaviour change. More females aged 14 to 19 are taking up smoking than males of the same age.
"It's absolutely rational and sensible to focus on vanity rather than health effects when you are dealing with younger people," Dr Edelman said. "Their primary concerns are physical attraction and social acceptability you need to try to make the image appear really daggy or socially desperate."
Get the SMH delivered for as little as $3 a week - SAVE 21%


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Replacing rear engine mount bracket need bolts
So doing some maintenance on my car I realized my rear engine bracket is cracked and I'm going to have to replace it. I need to get bolts for the install but not sure of the sizes, I'm referring to the 4 12mm bolts holding the bracket to the transmission. Thanks!
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text:
The Shades of
Time and Memory
The Second Book of the Wraeththu Histories
Storm Constantine
Stafford, England
The Shades of Time and Memory: The Second Book of the Wraeththu Histories
By Storm Constantine
© 2004
Smashwords edition 2009
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
The right of Storm Constantine to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.


text:
SHERLOCK/DR. WATSONCanon Doyle
SHERLOCK/DR. WHOCrossover Doyle
my other Sherlock designs
slash i sheep it sherlock bbc sherlock sherlock holmes john watson dr watson i dont have friends johnlock watson nerd geek britain fandom canon fanfiction slash ships ship i ship it shipping slash pairings text typography bbc consulting detective holmes 221b slogan nerds nerd culture girl nerds doctor who who uk england dr who the doctor sherwho wholock valentines gifts valentine valentines day love sex funny pop culture tv
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text: I have been troubleshooting my CTS 3.6 to determine why #4 cylinder is misfiring. The computer sets two codes one that identifies random multi misfire and the other open fuel injector circuit #4. I swapped the #4 coil and injector with #1 and cleared the codes. After running the engine the computer set the identical two codes. I have replaced the plugs and changed the oil and filter. I cleaned and inspected connectors, tested wire from #4 injector to CPU wire tested good! Does anyone have any suggestions what I should test next?


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If a property is sold at tax sale and the bid amount is greater than the total taxes, assessments, penalties, and costs due, the resulting excess funds are held in escrow and known as "Overage". According to SC Code of Laws Section 12-51-130, these funds belong to "the owner of record immediately before the end of the redemption period" and are available to be claimed and payable "ninety days after execution" of the tax sale deed.
If your property has been sold at a tax sale, you may be entitled to these Overage funds. Please see the overage lists provided below for confirmation of any available overage. The delinquent tax office will mail certified notification letters to anyone with available overage. If you have not received a letter, but would like to inquire about the possibility of available overage, please contact our office at 864-638-4147. If any overage is available, you may claim the overage at no cost by completing the Overage Claim Form included in your notification letter or provided below. If you have any questions or concerns regarding tax sale overage, please contact our office as soon as possible. This overage must be claimed within five years of the tax sale date.
Overage Claim Form
Overage Claim Form
2012 Overage List (Updated 10/31/14)
2012 List
2013 Overage List (Updated 09/11/15)
2013 List
2014 Overage List (Updated 03/01/16)
2014 List
2015 Overage List (Will be available ninety days after tax sale 2015 deeds are recorded)
Please read the following important overage information:
FOIA Request Form
Freedom of Information Request Form


text:
Nujoom Islands
City: Sharjah
Nujoom Islands dubbed as the floating stars of Sharjah is a masterpiece in design and plan, distinctly divided in to 13 sectors with 10 islands and 3 main lands. A cluster of islands within a sprawling mainland these form 'a city within the city' over 60 million square feet. A genuine retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life, Nujoom Islands is designed for the highest quality of residential, commercial and community lifestyle.The islands have a total of 33km of coastline with an intricate system of waterways and internal bridges to link the islands. The islands have high rise units with an amazing sea view. The islands blend the best of urban lifestyle with the remote calm of an island resort creating an idyllic, safe and tranquil environment to live.
Available in a choice of styles and plot sizes these exclusive dwellings are set along shaded avenues of trees, havens of greenery and easily accessible community facilities. The islands just don't offer beaches, lagoons and pools but also they recreate the charms of a maritime era in its very heart at the Old Town Harbour where the beautiful corniche, and stunning harbors set a dramatic background for a magnificent city center.www.nujoomislands.com


text:
Baking Audio Tapes Which Have "Sticky Shed Syndrome"
Copyrighted by Dave Luepke
Many audio tape formulations from the 1970s suffer from a phenomenon commonly known as "sticky shed syndrome". Such tapes were manufactured into the 1980s, until the problem was discovered. They were typically made with a polyester base and often with a "backcoating", and generally fall into the category of "high output tapes" designed to maximize signal-to-noise ratio and minimize distortion.
The primary problem with these tapes is that the polymer binder used to adhere the oxide to the base slowly absorbs moisture over time. The result is that the binder becomes somewhat viscious, and as the tape is pulled through the transport, the binder (and magnetic oxide) is stripped from the tape and adheres to the machine's parts, notably the heads and stationary guides. Unfortunately, a person cannot tell if a tape will have this problem simply by looking at it or running a cotton swap on it. Generally, the first indication is that the tape machine rapidly slows down and possibly begins to squeal, as a result of the deposits which quickly build up on its guides and heads.
There are two critically significant problems which result: 1. The stripped material includes magnetic oxide (not just binder), which is the material which holds the recorded information; thus, the "goo" which is deposited on the machine parts is in fact, lost signal; and 2. Parts of the tape machine, notably the heads and stationary guides, but also rotating parts over which the tape passes, become contaminated ("caked" would be a better word) with the stripped off material, interfering with their performance. While tape transports can be cleaned, magnetically stored signals which are stripped away from a tape cannot be replaced, and are lost forever.
Some years ago, it was found that there is a temporary "cure" which would allow these tapes to be played safely (if only for a couple of weeks). This solution is to "bake" the tapes at a low temperature for some period, as a means of evaporating the moisture out of the binder. This temporarily restores the integrity of the binder, allowing the tape to be played without significant amounts of oxide and binder being stripped away. It is important to re-state that this is a temporary solution. Also note that repeated playings may still result in unacceptable signal loss and deterioration.
I have researched this topic for a long time, and along with my own testing, I have developed a reliable approach to baking affected (or potentially affected) tapes, so that they can be safely played and transferred to another media.
During this research and testing, I found five primary factors which are critical to a successful result:
1. Do not re-wind or play the tape. Some sources recommend that you have a good, fairly loose tape pack (as opposed to a tight re-wound condition). While a loose (played condition) pack may be desirable, re-packing the tape has a high probability of damaging it. This is discussed further below.
2. Avoid stray magnetic fields. It is clear that whatever "oven" is used for baking, or where it is placed, it must be free of constant magnetic fields which can adversely affect the quality of the finished tape. Clearly, exposing a magnetic tape to a 60 Hz (power line) AC field for several hours will be detrimental to the recorded signal.
3. Baking temperature. A too low or too high temperature can cause undesirable results. At too low of a temperature, the moisture in the binder will not evaporate. At too high a temperature, problems may develop which affect the quality of the tape or the reel which holds it.
4. Baking time. By controlling the temperature, the tape can be safely baked for an appropriate amount of time without concern about over-baking. The lower temperature, the longer the tape can be baked without damage.
5. Window of opportunity. There are actually two windows involved here. One is the baking environment, meaning that it is not desirable to bake a tape when the air is too humid or too cold, etc. The other is in regard to when the tape can be transferred to another media. It does no good to bake a tape if it cannot be transferred until several weeks or months later. A reasonable schedule of events must be planned in advance. Ideally, the tape should be played and transcribed within a couple of days after baking, but certainly within a couple of weeks, depending on humidity conditions.
Re-winding or playing the tape. As mentioned above, it is critical to note that some sources of information about the process of baking tapes include advice with regard to the tape "pack". Specifically, it is sometimes recommended that the tape should be in a good "played condition" before baking it, to help ensure that the tape doesn't become stretched or pinched during baking.
While an even, loose pack is desirable, you should not wind the tape in order to achieve it. It is quite possible that there are layers of tape which are stuck together, and winding the tape is likely to cause irrepairable damage as sections of oxide are pulled off the base and remain stuck to the adjacent layer of backcoating or base, thus ruining that part of the tape. I advise people to leave the pack alone Here is an example:
Even if you "hand pull" some of the tape, or maybe play a minute or so to see how much oxide is shed or stripped, it is critical to be aware that the condition of the tape is likely to vary throughout the reel. In one example, the worst condition was near the hub, so even running most of it through the machine (bypassing the heads and non-rotating guides) would not have uncovered that hidden disaster.
All-metal reels. A second recommendation which you may have read about is the need for all-metal reels. In my experience, this is not necessary. I have baked tapes for up to six hours on plastic reels, with no adverse effects. In fact, if you have a tape on a plastic reel, and then wind it onto a metal reel, you may irrepairably damage the tape, as described above.
If you have tapes which you think you might want me to bake, just email me. I'm in the Dallas area. We can discuss the vintage and type of tape, and come to a reasonable decision about what to do. Since there is a wide variation of condition among tapes which need baking, there are no guarantees. However, as described here, I take a very conservative approach to baking and handling them. I can handle reels up to 12" and widths up to 2". Tapes will be returned via FedEx. I charge $20 per hour per tape, regardless of width, plus return shipping (FedEx, packed securely). Typically, a 1/4" tape requires 4 hours. Note: In most cases, I can bake multiple tapes at one time, so the rate is effectively "per hour" only.
If you want me to transfer your tapes to other media, we should make those arrangements before you send your tapes. Note that I only transfer 1/4" tapes. You will need to make other arrangements for transferring 1/2", 1", or 2" tapes.
If you have tapes which you may want me to bake for you, please send details along with contact information to tapebake1 at youramerica.net.


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Girls in Tech Launch Event: Sarah Hill on Why Human Media > Texty Tweets
Girls in Tech Mid-Missouri
Monday, November 5, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PST)
Who's Going
San Francisco, California
London, United Kingdom
Florence, Italy
Event Details
For the launch of the Girl in Tech Mid-Missouri Chapter, we're hosting Sarah Hill, a digital storyteller and Google+ hangout host for Veterans United. Sarah will talk about building a deeper connection online through face-to-face communication and how businesses can bring a human aspect to digital communication. Learn how to use Google+, vet Hangout guests, brainstorm topics and improve search rankings through YouTube keyword matrix.
Join us in welcoming Girls in Tech to the community and meet other women interested in technology, entrepreneurship and education. Cocktails and appetizers will be provided.
Questions about the launch event can be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com.
About Girls in Tech
Girls in Tech is a social network enterprise focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent and influential women in technology. As young women with the capacity to inspire, we made it our personal desire and passion to create and sustain an organization that focuses on the collaboration, promotion, growth and success of women in the technology sector.
Created in February of 2007, Girls in Tech (GIT) was founded by Adriana Gascoigne. GIT and was born out of a need to provide a place for women to cultivate ideas around their careers and business concepts involving technology.
Girls in Tech aims to offer a variety of resources and tools for women to supplement and further enhance their professional careers and aspirations in technology. Some of these resources include, educational workshops and lectures, networking functions, round table discussions, conferences, social engagements, and recruitment events.
When & Where
3500 Buttonwood Dr
Monday, November 5, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PST)
Add to my calendar


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MINNEAPOLIS—The Twins' roster board had a gaping vacancy as spring training approached, a blank space where a Double-A center fielder should have been listed. Minnesota had experienced a lot of turnover at the position during the winter, beginning at the very top—trades that sent away both major league center fielders Denard Span and Ben Revere. While reshuffling the remaining players as the organization projected its rosters, it became apparent they were going to be an outfielder short.
Enter Antoan Richardson.
"We needed a player, he needed a job. That was about as far as it went at the time," Twins farm director Mike Radcliff said. "But you never know what a guy is going to do with an opportunity."
Richardson, the Twins' final pre-camp signing of the spring, has done plenty with his. An eight-year pro who had been released by the Giants, Braves and Orioles the past three years, Richardson could have been a mere place-holder, winding down his career at his fourth different Double-A stop. Instead, he played his way to a promotion in a little over a month.
"He's turned out to be a match," Radcliff said. "He's done more than we expected."
A native Bahamian who was drafted four times—out of high school, junior college and Vanderbilt, once as high as the 13th round—Richardson finally signed with the Giants as a 35th-round pick in 2005.
He got the Twins' attention by hitting .336/.456/.403 in 119 at-bats with Double-A New Britain, the sixth time in his nine minor league seasons that his OBP has reached .398 or higher. He was promoted to Triple-A Rochester in mid-May and kept getting on base, drawing 21 walks in his first 20 games while hitting .299/.472/.403 in 67 at-bats.
With 295 career stolen bases, and a .402 career OBP, Richardson stands out, especially since Minnesota leadoff hitters had been a .188/.233/.229 disaster in the season's first two months. At 29 and standing only 5-foot-8, he's no longterm prospect, but "things happen sometimes," Radcliff said. "We're looking for guys who can grind out at-bats, take some pitches, steal some bases. So I'd just say: You never know."
• Rochester catcher Drew Butera had a setback in his recovery from a broken hand, but hoped to be playing in games by early June.
• Outfielder Joe Benson, a second-round pick in 2006 who was batting .192/.256/.285 with one home run in 42 games at Rochester, was claimed off waivers by Texas. Benson immediately hit home runs in each of his first two games for Double-A Frisco.


text: Just bought the $20 bundle special and unfortunately, the theme and the included plugin of my choice is not functioning, but since I DIDNT READ between the lines, im now stuck with $500 worth of product with no support. The latest wordpress was just released a few days ago, and im assuming that is why some things such as the revolution slider in the higher theme are not working. BUNDLES should be clearly marked as no SUPPORT! Sadly, the only way to find out that support was not included is when a problem arises an hour after purchasing.


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Can't watch on mobile.
If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn't thinking. ― General George Patton
Clear your mind, breath, be sure and confident of your shot, commit to the shot, take your shot.
In memory of Uncle Dick, 1st Marines, One of Korea's Chosin Few.
TS Penn
Fantastic video!!!!!!!! When she said thanks, I choked up! Great job Kim!
Nice job Will and good shooting Kim! Good going Greg!
Cool stuff
Soylent green is PEOPLE!
Hoyt Stratus
Mathews Creed
T/C Encore
Marlin 1895M .450
Greg and Will great Job!


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ONE OF MY New Year's resolutions is to learn a new language. This is not a new goal. My past efforts have been unproductive. For example, I've spent many hours watching Spanish television shows, some with subtitles, as an effort to learn the language. Yet I can't even figure out what's happening, even on reruns, because everyone speaks too fast. Now I'm actually willing to invest some money into learning a new language.
I mentioned my 2010 goal at a recent staff luncheon. My publisher, ever so supportive, insisted I begin with English. To my dismay, others at the table quickly started up a collection for an English as a second language kit.
I have a professional reason to expand my language skills. Concrete construction is becoming more international in study, sharing, and application. And if I want to participate, I must add a second language.
I was reminded of this just before Christmas. The World of Concrete's show manager asked about my availability during next month's show. A European concrete industry official who is planning to attend the show contacted her. He was hoping to meet appropriate counterparts from the U.S. market to share ideas and problems. With the help of WOC's great group of industry co-sponsors, we have arranged to set up some important sessions with translators.
More than ever, the world is looking at the U.S. for innovation in concrete construction. While European and Japanese researchers have led many concrete material improvements, there is no substitute for American engineering and concrete construction know-how. And we know how to build fast, safely, and creatively with concrete.
What makes U.S. concrete construction so different? It's our large number of concrete contractors. In other parts of the world, most concrete work is self-performed by the general contractor. So thanks to American ingenuity and initiative, our contractors are willing to embrace new ideas and materials faster than large engineering firms. And thanks to our great customers, American producers are the world's best.
It's this spirit of producer-contractor-driven ingenuity that draws ever-increasing numbers of non-North American attendees to the World of Concrete. Last year, we welcomed visitors from 105 countries. And non-U.S. visitors typically account for about 10% of the show's attendees.
I urge you to welcome our foreign visitors. Be open to their questions, and help direct them to your favorite tool, product, or piece of equipment. If you not not attend, please join our new LinkedIn account at www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2561855.
Fly ash update
In mid-December, our industry's future was put on hold again. The EPA delayed the fly ash as a hazardous waste ruling. In a note, NRMCA stated, "following months of anxiousness, multiple Congressional hearings, and countless Environmental Protection Agency and Office of Management and Budget meetings with fly ash stakeholders, the EPA announced the delay of its anticipated proposed rule that would have determined coal ash to be a hazardous waste. The rule, originally expected near the end of 2009, will be "delayed for a short period due to the complexity of the analysis the agency is currently finishing," EPA said.
As for a new due date, "EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has been committed since the beginning of her administration to complete these efforts, and expects to issue a proposed rule in the near future."
I urge you to read our story on this important issue on page 29.
Editor in Chief


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The Pregnancy Book by Dr. Sears is a uniquely authoritative and comprehensive guide to pregnancy for expectant parents today. The Pregnancy Book explains what is occurring in the womb during your pregnancy step by step, so that you can better appreciate why your body behaves the way it does and why you feed the way you do.
The Pregnancy Book by Dr. Sears includes a detailed special section on labour and delivery, a glossary of obstetrical terms, and a chapter covering "the tenth month" - postpartum.
William Sears, MD, and Martha Sears, RN, are the pediatrics experts to whom parents are increasingly turning for advice and information on all aspects of pregnancy, birth, childcare and family nutrition. Dr. Sears was trained at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital and Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. He has practices pediatrics for nearly thirty years. Martha Sears is a registered nurse, certified birth educator and breastfeeding consultant.
Paperback. 430 pages.
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