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Kasbah Bivouac Lahmada
kasbah bivouac lahmada is a charming traditional kasbah located between the arms of the sand dunes erg-echebbi,double rooms with private bathroom,nice panoramic views and facilities .camel trek ,excursion 4*4 . transport from the station to the kasbah IS available all the day just contact us before ..
we offer also tours from marrakch or fes to merzouga through a beautiful places.
Availability & RatesTo view availability and prices please select dates and click 'Update Dates'
B&B Facilities & Policies
- 24 Hour Reception
- 24 Hour Security
- Airport Transfers
- Bicycle parking
- Free Breakfast
- Cable TV
- Cafeteria
- Free City Maps
- Free Parking
- Self-Catering Facilities
- Laundry Facilities
- Luggage Storage
- Meals Available
- Outdoor Swimming Pool
- Outdoor Terrace
- Parking
- Restaurant
- Swimming Pool
- Tea & Coffee Making Facilities
- Towels Included
Cancellation PolicyThis property has a 3 day cancellation policy. Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.
Must-Read Guesthouse InfoThis property has specific Terms & Conditions.
Please Note:
Cancellation Policy: 72 hours
Check in time: 12pm
Check out time: 12pm
Credit Cards Not Accepted as payment upon arrival, cash only
Breakfast Included
Taxes Included
free transfer from the bus station of rissani or in merzouga to the kasbah.
DirectionsShow MapHide Map
From Rissani take the roads of merzouga when you pass the bridge after 5 km you will find a publicity panel for the hotels and arrow you turn lift and follow the wood pegs.
Also you can contact us in our office in rissani from 09h00 to 20h00 .we located beside a galerie 'maisondetresor' in front of the hospital ,and we well explain to you how to get to our place or we send someone to pick you up.
Located Near
Close to the Sahara in a beautiful spot in Merzouga.


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When words are at their most difficult, express your thoughts with flowers. It is a time-honoured tradition to express love, compassion, friendship or respect at a funeral with floral tributes.
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HART 6: The very model of a modern calibrator?
Can HART, version 6, turn your calibrator or field programmer into a primary asset management tool? CONTROLs Ian Verhappen takes a closer look at the latest and greatest in field calibration.
THE HART Communication Foundation recently released the latest update to its HART protocol. Version 6 enhances HART's ability to meet needs of modern asset management solutions that track the health of field devices. Users worldwide are paying more attention to their field devices' condition because they know more than 60% of requested maintenance is unnecessary, and that more than 80% of all automation maintenance is spent on field devices, while only about 2% goes to host control systems.
The Inertia Effect
When asked how asset management systems will affect how work is done, recently retired automation professional Terry Molloy, PE, replied, "I'm familiar with all of these issues you raised questions about, as I got to suffer through this process in the 1970's as we moved from pneumatics to electronic instrumentation in the utility industry. As I used to say when making presentations to students about our industry, 'We use state-of-the-art technology with fifteen to twenty years of proven reliability.'" This statement sums up the sentiments of several respondents though there are several companies in the resource sector who are making serious attempts at overcoming inertia.
Wilfred Hartmann, an engineer with one of the largest chemical companies in Europe confirms Terry's sentiment since his field calibration tools continue to consist of field voltage/current meters, mA-calibrators, mA-simulators, RTD-calibration, level detectors, ultrasonic flowmeters, and handheld configuration tools for HART-signals. However Hartmann continues, "Integration of calibrator signals in a Central Maintenance System (CMMS)? Hmm, why? Normally only temporary information is of interest. Explicit calibration is normally not done in the field (lack of accuracy of field calibration tools or bad calibration conditions) or documented elsewhere (paper certificate)."
So even though the calibrator companies are rushing to put the ability to interface with the CMMS, some industry professionals are wondering whether the gains talked about at the beginning of this article are real. If they are real, there are just as real hurdles that must be overcome, on either end of the wire, to make the data from calibrators useful to the enterprise.
Leaping the Hurdles
HART devices typically have an ASIC to contain all the information on its capabilities and functionality. Because of this, they normally require a complete instrument replacement to add new features or capabilities. The host systems do not have the ASIC limitation so they will be able to take advantage of HART 6 as soon as the appropriate software release becomes available from the suppliers. Because HART 6 is fully backwards compatible with all existing HART installations, there will not be any impact on the installed base.
Of course, if a new field device is necessary to obtain HART 6 features, the question posed by Jim Sprague, a member of CONTROL's Editorial Advisory Board, and an engineer at a major Saudi Arabian oil company, says, "We should be concerned about this issue, especially with FF coming on strong."
Jim Sprague says, "Our company -- and I believe the Middle East in general -- is woefully behind in integrating smart instrument calibration & verification systems into our central maintenance systems."
"The biggest problems are," Sprague continues, "that we have a wide mixture of installed smart instrument protocols. In our refineries, gas plants, stabilizing plants, and many GOSPS, we have mostly Honeywell DE & Foxboro FoxComm instruments, with a smattering of Yokogawa Brain, HART, and now FF. Thus, any calibration system has to be developed at a plant basis, rather than company-wide. I've seen Druck, Fluke, Loveland, Beta, and many others being used (and not used) in our plants."
Furthermore, Sprague notes, "There is no legislation here (yet) forcing us to develop a centralized recordkeeping system."
"We seem to have lots of supervisory turnover in our plant maintenance organizations – it seems to be stepping stone to other jobs," Sprague goes on. "Plus maintenance is a stepchild, with only functional ties to our engineering organizations, so they don't get the central direction needed for change," he concludes.
Wilfred Hartmann, of the world's leading chemical company, adds to this list of impediments the additional requirements for a calibrator to be, "Explosion proof, and have a battery or rechargeable battery power supply."
Coming Soon to a Calibrator Near You
The three main manufacturers of portable calibrators, Emerson Process Management, Beamex and MTS will soon incorporate the capabilities of some or all of the new HART 6 however until these features are available at both ends of the wire they will be of little value to End Users. Therefore, just like any new technology it will be up to the End Users to vote with their wallets and purchase the equipment with the features they require.
How HART Works
Simlar Like most communication protocols, the HART protocol also follows the OSI 7-layer model using layers 1, 2 and 7, and is based on the Bell 202 telephone communication standard and operates using the frequency shift keying (FSK) principle. The digital signal is made up of two frequencies— 1,200 Hz and 2,200 Hz representing bits 1 and 0, respectively. Sine waves of these two frequencies are superimposed on the direct current (dc) analog signal cables to provide simultaneous analog and digital communications. The digital communication signal has a response time of approximately 2–3 data updates per second without interrupting the analog signal. A minimum loop impedance of 230 is required for communication.
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Brian's TripTrick brain teasers appear difficult at first, but they have a trick that makes them really easy.
Brian was taking a trip through the mountains. He had all his gear, and he had a helmet on. Suddenly, a bear started to run at him, and it looked angry. He tried to run, but the bear was getting closer. He pulled off his helmet, and he was in his room. How did this happen?
AnswerBrian was wearing a virtual reality helmet, and his "gear" was the computer simulating the trip. His helmet was what made him see the images.
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Last month technicians from GCHQ, the UK electronic surveillance agency, stood over journalists from The Guardian newspaper to make sure that they destroyed a computer containing files leaked to them by Edward Snowden, the former contractor to the US National Security Agency. This week the British police abused anti-terror legislation to detain David Miranda, the partner of Glenn Greenwald, a Guardian journalist, and seize his files. Coming up next: officials from the NSA and GCHQ bang their heads against a brick wall in frustration at having allowed Mr Snowden to abscond with their secrets. It would be as effective, and legal.
© The Financial Times Ltd 2016 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.


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Emergency Plumber in Mountain Lakes NJ
Emergency Plumber in Mountain Lakes NJ
Mountain Lakes 24 Hour Plumbing Resuce - Serving Mountain Lakes and surrounding areas. Highly trusted for over 15 years!Call Now! (888) 828-4823
For Emergencies - CALL (888) 828-4823
You should be sure that you go just for an accredited plumber and also a good idea is to read the many different testimonials on the site. Locating a professional plumber for an emergency in Mountain Lakes NJ is not so easy a job. When you get a seasoned plumber it's possible to remain assured they are attentive to the standards and quality to be maintained.
In a crisis or emergency plumbing scenario, services must be accomplished immediately and also the parts used may not always represent your very best options regarding price. A service like a plumbing inspection report will serve as your preventative measure to spot hazards and prevent incidents that might harm your house. By allowing the expert plumbers to deal with the complex plumbing issues, you will delight in a cost-effective support. When you're looking for the ideal plumbing solutions, you'll need to keep in mind that reliability has become the most vital aspect you require to examine.
A plumber can evaluate your house and put in a top quality backflow preveter valve. In this instance, it is going to be smart to opt for a dependable and skilled plumber. All reasons aside, it's always a very good point to learn how to seek the services of the optimal/optimally emergency plumbers not simply to be sure we get our money's worth but also to make sure the challenge is resolved once and for all.
The expert plumbers won't only conveniently get rid of the previous fixtures (of your restroom or kitchen), but in addition be sure in properly installing the new ones in accordance with the neighborhood plumbing or building code. From the few points above you should have the ability to observe why it sometimes essential to employ a professional plumber. If you need to locate a good emergency plumber it's always essential to think about a few important facets.
It's a Sunday and you're watching your favorite late night soap before going to bed. And just as you're about to call it a night, you find yourself with a burst pipe in the kitchen sink. You need an emergency plumber inMountain Lakes NJ, but is there one available at this time of night, on a weekend no less?
On times like these, it pays to know someone to do the job for you. If you have an existing plumber that delivers quality service, then good for you. But if you're looking for someone and have not decided on which one to hire just yet, here are a few tips to help you make that all-important decision:
1. Certified. Just like any other professional, a plumber comes with a certification. Make sure that you hire someone that is fully certified as a plumbing specialist. Never assume that all plumbing companies that offer these types of services come with a certification. Do your research.
2. Trustworthy. The best way to find a trustworthy plumber is to ask a close friend, family, or a good neighbor for recommendations. They're the best people to ask because they've experienced the services first-hand and they will never lie to you about it. This works in the same way they won't let you hire someone who has worked for them and delivered bad service.
3. Offers 24-hour service . They are called emergency plumbers for a reason. If your pipe broke in the middle of the night, you can't just turn off your water source until the next morning when a plumber is available. Search the internet for plumbing that offers 24-hour services in Mountain Lakes NJ, or look them up at the directory listing. Surely one or two companies exist in your community.
4. Efficient. Have you ever had the experience of calling for a plumber and nobody ever picks up the phone? Or have you had a plumber reach your home an hour late from the original appointed time? These things may be little, but they can say so much about the quality of service you may be getting. If your plumber is like this, then it's time to say goodbye and hire another one.
These are just four tips to help you get started. If you've found what you're looking for, make sure to build a lasting relationship to save you the trouble of finding a new one time and time again.
Plumbing is serious business. Never entrust the emergency plumbing service in Mountain Lakes NJ to someone who is not capable, trustworthy, or dependable.
Emergency Plumbing Company … Plumber 24 Hour Service


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Looking for more information about Zuzana Gruenberger?
Search through millions of records to find out more.
Search through millions of records to find out more.
March 3, 1933 — Kosice, Czechoslovakia
Zuzana was the youngest of three children born to Hungarian-speaking Jewish parents in the city of Kosice. She was the baby of the family, and they called her Zuzi. Her father was a tailor whose workshop was in the Gruenbergers' apartment.
1933-39: In November 1938, when Zuzana was 5, Hungarian troops marched into Kosice and made it a part of Hungary. The Hungarians changed the name of the city to Kassa. The Hungarian government was friendly to Nazi Germany and introduced anti-Jewish laws in Kosice.
1940-44: In 1941, one year after Zuzana began school, the Hungarians moved the Gruenbergers and other Jewish families to camps in other parts of Hungary. The Gruenbergers were released the following spring and returned to Kosice, but Zuzana's brother and father were taken soon after for slave labor. In 1944 Kosice's 12,000 Jews, including Zuzana, hermother and sister, were rounded up by Hungarians who were cooperating with the Germans. They were sent to a brickyard at the city's edge and put on trains headed for Auschwitz.
Zuzana and her mother were gassed immediately on arriving in Auschwitz in May 1944. Zuzana was 11 years old.
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White House: Obama wouldn't block GOP debt bill
The White House says a House Republican bill to extend the government's borrowing authority for three months still faces concerns in Congress but press secretary Jay Carney says that if it reaches President Barack Obama's desk, "he would not stand in the way of the bill becoming law."
The White House in the past has voiced reservations about a short-term debt ceiling extension. But on Tuesday, Carney said the three-month plan by House GOP leaders is significant because it "de-escalates the sense of conflict."
The government is on track to surpass its $16.4 trillion debt limit in late February or early March. Congressional Republicans had initially wanted to use a vote to extend the debt ceiling as leverage to win spending reductions, creating the threat of a first-ever government default.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text: Viewing Favorites - 3 of 3 Acting with James Franco Episode 3: Scene Work Immortal Scene Work. James Franco and his brother Dave do a scene from "Rebel Without a Cause." James FrancoJudd ApatowDave FrancoFunny Or Die May 22, 2008 1.3m Views More Info Full Credits James Franco Uploader Judd Apatow Producer Dave Franco Actor Cohen/O'Brien Producer Funny Or Die Uploader Hall of Fame Channel Additional Credits Produced by Judd Apatow, Andrew Epstein, and Cohen/O'Brien. Directed by Andrew Jay Cohen Written by Brendan O'Brien & Andrew Jay Cohen. Edited by Ryan Case. Special Thanks: Jake Szymanski, Vince Jolivette, and Kate Pulley. Stats & Data 23,145Funny1,441Die 1,301,129 Views May 22, 2008 Published Category Web Series Sketch Tags James Franco his brother Without a Judd Apatow Andrew Epstein Andrew Jay Cohen Brendan O'Brien jake szymanski Dave Franco acting rebel James Dean Rebel Without a Cause Transcript ->Now we are going to recreate a scene fromWe were coming right back, I told you.You sure?Sure, I'm sure.Well somebody's gotta say action.Action. ->No, you can't say action.Why not?You're not the director, you're an actor.Okay.So somebody else has to say action.Action.Why did you run out on me?We didn't run out on you.You sure?Sure, I'm sure.Can I keep it?What do you think, here.You want me to rub the jacket against my--Yeah, that's what he did.I'm not gonna rub the jacket against my face.Just rub the jacket against your face and smell it.Why would I wanna smell the jacketBecause that's what he did,That's, I mean that's typical man.Of course, of course I get to be James Dean.Let me...you're such a good actorYou can't play James Dean, I'm James Dean.I...Actors sniff jackets.Okay, well--Actors act, actors sniff jacketsOh...He did. ->Okay.You're a rebel without a cause?You sniff it. ->You sniff it.Nope.Just what I thought, you don't know how to act. Up Next: Gary Cole & Dave Franco in "The General" AUTOPLAY Up Next In: 10 Gary Cole & Dave Franco in "The General" Would You with Dave Franco Acting with James Franco Episode 3: Scene Work A Message from James Franco's Mom Follow Browse Related Comments Favorites 3+ more View All ▶ Acting with James Franco 4+ more View All ▶ The Best of James Franco 10+ more View All ▶ Hall of Fame 220+ more View All ▶ 10+ more View All ▶ James Franco 50+ more View All ▶ Judd Apatow 20+ more View All ▶ Dave Franco 4+ more View All ▶ Cohen/O'Brien 4370+ more View All ▶ Funny Or Die 220+ more View All ▶ Hall of Fame Vaguely Related Videos Vaguely Related Pics & Words Advertisement Tags: James Franco his brother Without a Judd Apatow Andrew Epstein James Franco Judd Apatow Dave Franco Funny Or Die Hall of Fame Advertisement


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Rachel Bilson & Hayden Christensen engaged
People has confirmed reports that Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson are engaged. Because if there's one movie that deserved to spark a real-life romance, it's Jumper. – – Anyone who just agreed with that statement, immediately stop reproducing:
According to a friend of the actress, the two, who costarred in 2008's Jumper, got engaged in December.
"They're so excited," says the pal, adding that no wedding date has been set. "They're a great couple. Rachel seems thrilled beyond belief."
I'm personally ecstatic about this news. What's a worse punishment than marriage for being involved with the Star Wars prequels? Nothing. You can't even beat that.
Photos: Flynet


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Topic: fireworks
I love the fireworks,I can identify with them a bit better than the xmas snowflakes Janet
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I love the fireworks,I can identify with them a bit better than the xmas snowflakes Janet
Janet....Having grown up in Germany I have to admit to missing the firecrackers and fireworks on New Year's Eve. The bigger cities seem to have it but, generally, in the US it is the 4th of July celebration very much alike the New Years celebration in other countries. You are also way ahead being in Australia. Happy New Year.
Best wishes,
New Zealand is first and then the east coast of Australia to see in the new year and fireworks are very big particularly in Sydney.I will be just watching them on the telly though Janet
Happy New Year to you Janet - it is 6:00 in the morning of New Years Eve day here here - I just got up & getting ready to go to work. Still dark - no fireworks here.
I love fireworks too. Sweden does it BIG on New Year. Sometimes i get so excited over them I start hysterically laughing and cant stop myself. I will giddily laugh over the fireworks the entire time. Afterwards my face hurts from it. Once a couple moved away from me because I was too much.
Kris,my brother is in Sweden for xmas,I have an ex sister in law and nephew in Stockholm,they are sending lovely snowy photos back of the blended group of them Janet
Be glad you have no need to identify with snow flakes. I'll take fireworks over snow any time! I was watching the Sydney fireworks on TV at 7AM our time on the morning news. Probably at the same time as you were watching them. Happy New Year everyone.
Hi Janet,
I saw some of the fireworks over the Sydney bridge this morning on the news and they looked very good indeed. Scotland also does the fireworks big time to bring in the new year, especially in Edinburgh from the castle which is perched above the city centre and it does make for a very impressive spectacle. Hogmany is a big thing in Scotland with various celebrations. The one in Stonehaven, a small town on the east coast is very different. About 60 or so people walk down the street swinging fire balls around themselves to bring in the new year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAWjGHYy … re=related
Best wishes and a happy new year to you.
Thanks for posting that link. It was fun to watch and interesting to see how others celebrate. I now also know that in Scotland the holiday is Hogmany. The internet is wonderful, isn't it? Bringing us all closer together. Hope you are doing OK.
Hi Darla,
I'm glad that you enjoyed the link. Yes the internet is indeed a wonderful thing. It does indeed as you say bring us all so much closer together. You in Wisconsin, me in Scotland and the rest of us from all around the planet. All of us making new friends and being able to be here for each other and help one another, no matter where we are in the world.
Yes I am okay, as is mum. Things have been hard as you would imagine, but we are just getting on with everything as that is what dad would have wanted us to do. Christmas and all of that has been most quiet indeed and to be honest, we just want that to be over and get into the new year.
And for you and everyone else who may want some fireworks this new year's but don't have them. Here's some from Edinburgh for you all.
See you all in 2010.
Best wishes to you all.
Thanks Gavin. Great Fireworks Display!
I am glad to hear you & Mum are doing OK. Yes, it is hard, but I know that you are right in that all of our loved ones would want us to carry on. I like you am relieved it is over for another year. Take care Gavin. My best to you and your Mum, too. See you in 2010.
The information expressed is not medical advice. The discussion boards are not intended to replace the services of a trained health professional or to be a substitute for the medical advice of physicians or other healthcare providers. Read the full disclaimer.


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11 February 2012
Formalism Recap
Aretae responds, with the other prong of his anti-formalism.
To clarify, there are two possible weaknesses to formalism. The first is that it might simply fail to achieve its purpose: it is supposed to free us from the destructiveness of power used to maintain or increase power, by unifying power into a single sovereign — but even a de jure absolute sovereign may still have to compromise, with the popular, the wealthy, the well-armed, and those compromises might lead to just as damaging internal conflict as the more explicitly dispersed power structures we are familiar with.
The second possible weakness is that whoever is in power might resist beneficial innovation in technology or social organisation, for fear of the unpredictable results.
Strictly speaking, the second is just an instance of the first: if a ruler has absolutely no fear of being usurped, he has no reason to resist disruptive innovation. So if I perfectly dispose of the first problem, I can go home.
My previous post was a response to the first weakness: that even if de jure absolute, the sovereign would have to face threats, and if he feels he needs to deal with a threat by compromising on policy, we are back in coalitional government.
In the original statement of formalism, Mencius Moldbug had one solution for these weaknesses: the machine-gun. If that really works, great, but I'm not totally convinced.
So my recent posts were to say: if the sovereign really has to compromise, giving away power is bad, but giving away money and status is not so bad. I've actually made the same point before, on Over-Mighty Subjects.
Bear in mind that what I'm trying to create here is not a future written constitution or a handbook for princes, but a political formula which will support good government.
The machine-gun solution sounds far-fetched, because we assume that use of excessive force against popular insurrection will turn neutrals against the sovereign and make the problem worse. But we live with a political formula of popular sovereignty, which says the ruler has a duty to listen to and to appease the mob. There is therefore a presumption that the mob is right and the government is wrong. In my formula, the duty of the ruler is to prevent faction by keeping his sovereignty intact and undivided. The common presumption would be that the mob is wrong and the rulers right. I don't think this is far-fetched — on the contrary there is ample precedent for such a popular attitute.
So, I'm the sovereign (this argument applies to formalism generally, so it doesn't matter right now whether I'm the hereditary king, or the SovCorp CEO, or the ruler under some other formalist system). I have absolute power, but there are a few guys who if they really wanted to, could cause me trouble. Let's say Alrenous, who asked me how one gets latent power, is running a TV broadcaster: if he started using that to build a political base — well, I could have him shot, but he might already have so much support that that would start to undermine the political formula. Or if I had him shot too soon, before he'd really made a move, I'd be creating a whole lot of paranoia.
Alrenous gets invited to head office/royal palace, and we have a chat. I explain that I have no wish to interfere in his business, so long as he doesn't challenge my rule or my exclusive competence over law and policy. The Honorable Sir Alrenous leaves the palace and goes back to work, with official marks of status and a pension for life, and makes no move towards politics. Other TV magnates get the same treatment. If one rogue does try to build a political movement, well, that's treason and he should have taken the deal. The guys who did take the deal will stay onside.
That's not a perfect solution to Formalist Weakness #1, but it's adequate: I leave business mostly alone, because I want the economy to flourish and pay me taxes, but I don't tolerate active opposition, and because the virtue of loyalty, the key part of the political formula, is popularly established, that stance is understood and respected. I collect taxes and become stupendously rich: the optimium level of taxation over the long term is probably around 30% of GDP, a bit less than governments collect now, but while current governments waste 50-90% of it, I spend a third to a half on essential state services, and the rest is mine.
(I assume you would probably prefer not to spend 20% of your income on making the sovereign or SovCorp shareholders stupendously rich, but it's still a better deal than you get now.)
As an aside, those riches are necessary: we are used to the idea that successful businesses can influence government, but the main consequence of the separation of powers is that government influence can be bought incredibly cheaply. Steve Sailer marvelled recently at the concept that it seems to be cheaper to buy the presidency of the USA than to buy the college football championship. In Britain, the cost of buying policies is a couple of orders of magnitude lower still — entire 5-year general election cycles are fought with single-figure millions of pounds, total. If the ruler actually had control of the money the government currently wastes, he would be utterly immune to the influence of a few piddling millions here or there. It seems weird to write, as I did above, about governments bribing businessmen, but it shouldn't.
Back to the main point: buying off the latently powerful with status and money is not perfect, but it's an adequate response to the danger of internal factions arriving and skewing policy away from effective government, and towards strengthening one faction or another. But not being perfect, it does not eliminate Formalist Weakness #2. I've bribed the TV broadcasters, they get their pensions and their knighthoods and they swank around, but meanwhile someone's invented the internet, and these TV guys could be on the way out.
Sure, I can do the same again with the internet crew. But, there's always some risk, while I know exactly where I stand with the TV lot. Also, if the TV companies as a group realise where things are headed, my deals with them might start to break down. The safest thing for me to do is to strangle this internet crap in the cradle. I make policy, I'm unchallenged, it's central to the culture that nobody interferes with my rule, so if I say many-to-many publishing is a threat to state stability and is not allowed, that's the end of that. And so it goes: the economic and social structure is frozen, because the one we have is the one that keeps me in power. This is Aretae's point in his latest piece: "The coalitional nature of government is therefore primarily interested (in effect) at stopping innovation."
If states are small and in competition, the threat of falling behind economically balances the threat of internal instability. It's ambitious enough, though, to be trying to engineer how one state should work. We're not realistically going to get to choose how big states are — that depends largely on military aspects that are beyond my expertise, and in the long run subject to change. Moldbug's Patchwork of city-states would be great, but all we can do is hope.
All I can really say is, If you knows of a better 'ole, Go to it. An aversion to disruptive innovation is likely to be a feature of any stable government at all, and I don't accept that unstable government is a price worth paying to avoid it. Note that our current governments, behind the curtain, are moderately stable, and indeed we have the aversion to innovation that goes with that. In the mid 19th century, power fell into the hands of factory owners, and for a hundred years we had all the innovation that could benefit mass manufacturing industry. That was very good for economic growth, but don't be fooled for a moment into thinking it was perfect: I think if you look at the mutualists and agorists, they have substantial evidence that policy over that period was specifically pro-mass-industry, not generally pro-growth.
Aretae says small states and hyper-federalism will protect disruptive innovation, but the ruling coalitions of those small states, however concentrated or dispersed, will have exactly the same interest in preventing disruption, and what's to stop them cooperating to achieve that? Hasn't that been the dominant mode of international relations for the last half century? Small states become federations, federations become large states. All in the name of peace, trade and internationalism, of course, but what is the end result? ACTA.
The problem is real, I don't have a solution, but the more secure the sovereign is in his power, the more the risk-benefit balance tilts towards growth rather than stability.
16 comments:
- sconzey said...
The whole point of aligning power, responsibility and renumeration is to ensure it is always rational to work with the regime, rather than against it.
So the internet comes along, and the great King Anomaly has tweeted that he is generally in favour of free pornography and captioned cats. Mupert Rurdoch thinks: "Well, if I let it go, I might loose a significant amount of money from my old-media networks. On the other hand if I threaten to withdraw support from the King and build my own political base I will definitely loose the great income he gives me, and I may stand a chance of being shot. It's a no-brainer, lol."
As to the internet, on the one hand it's a great way for dissidents and malcontents to communicate with eachother. On the other hand, it's a great way for your security services to monitor the communications of the dissidents and malcontents!
In the past, if the government wanted a database of the names, ages, likes, dislikes, martial statuses and political affiliations of it's subjects, not to mention networks of friends, it would be incredibly expensive to collect and there would be incredible public outcry. Facebook does it at a profit.
- 12:39 pm UTC
- Leonard said...
Do not underestimate the machinegun. Or, perhaps in the future the somewhat kinder and gentler options for mob control that technology offers: tear gas, rubber bullets, subsonics, and tasers to disperse any mob that does not disperse after being read the riot act. (And no uncertainty that such actions will be ordered.) Followed by public trials featuring whippings for all participants convicted failing to disperse when ordered. (It will be easy to determine who they are because the entire mob will have been videographed in high definition from many angles. And any recidivists are probably already wearing a tracking anklet.) A few stripes on the callow back will be a tremendous learning experience.
And yes: "mob", "riot", etc. are the words that will be used. It does get back to ruling formula. As you say, in democracy there really is no such thing as a "mob"; there are only righteous demonstrations where the heroic people "speak truth to power". How can the people, who are supposedly sovereign, be in the wrong? In democracy there is only barely such thing as a "riot"; to be a "riot" a mob's actions must be so flagrantly illegal and destructive that there is no possible way that anyone even on the furthest left can spin them as a justified response to oppression.
In neocameralism, we expect a very different political formula. All political formula have "we" and "them". In democracy, the masses are "we"; the "them" are any individuals who stand outside the mass for any salient reason, of which possession of wealth is the most obvious. Because the rulers are always a minority, they can always be spun as part of "them", too; thus the source of democracy's famous instability. In neocameralism, "we" are the rulers and the law-abiding. The "them" are the rabble, including people that would challenge the state, which is seen as the source of order from which the blessing of liberty flows. To be against the state is to be against society, or at least, the middle and upper classes. It is to be an anarchist in the most negative sense; a wrecker.
It is certainly possible to use the internet to organize wreckers, just as anyone else. But organization is not what matters; it is mass. Can you get enough men with guns together to beat the police and army? In neocameralism, democratic ideology should be roughly as popular as smoking is now, for same reason: when the ruling elite makes X a condition of entry, people come to realize that not-X is a bad idea. And this is the reason why you won't have to buy off any Mupert Rurdochs.
- 4:35 pm UTC
- candide3 said...
@Leonard: And no uncertainty that such actions will be ordered — and executed. That's exactly where the problem is. Trotsky's "History of the Russian Revolution" (which I recommend whole-heartedly) deals extensively with this issue. Besides, mob control is only effective against a mob. To protect the state, one has to study coup-d'-etat techniques as well — October 1917 revolution was no riot. This issue will continue to be relevant until we have viable robot armies.
@AMcGuinn: your description of a successful formalist sovereign sounds very much like Russia and other ex-USSR republics, except the Baltic states and possibly Georgia. The sovereignty is most pronounced in the Central Asian 'republics' which are basically shitholes, but other states are not that much better off and smart people have been leaving in droves for the last 20-25 years. Of course, this might just be an indication that the rulers are not sufficiently enlightened.
- 12:41 pm UTC
- Leonard said...
candide, yes, execution of orders is always an issue. However, again advanced tech will make things much easier. You suggest robot armies, but you can achieve nearly the same level of fidelity with mere humans. You just have to make sure that they are powerful when loyal, and weak when traitorous.
The neocameral state will impose the requirement for permissive action links on all heavy weapons. (We already have crude ones in many cars.) Soldiers who attempt a coup find their tanks, heavy machineguns, mortars, etc. don't work. Loyalists are not similarly encumbered. They can therefore easily defeat the coup. The rebels hang. But they know this ahead of time, and probably just don't even try it.
Right now, cryplocking all handguns seems expensive, and it would be somewhat inconvenient (since they'd need batteries and batteries need charging). But I think even with modern tech, we could design an assault rifle with a built-in iPhone equivalent (radio + battery + CPU + memory + video camera), that would run the gun including disabling it on command. It would seem quite useful for the state if there were high-def video captured and uploaded automatically every time any of its weapons had the safety off.
And Moore's law keeps more-ing. In 10 years, iPhone-level power will be 1/30 the price and half the size, with 10x the battery life. So putting an iPhone in every pistol will have a modest overhead.
- 4:19 pm UTC
- candide3 said...
@Leonard: personally I think the whole 'cryptlock all arms' idea is silly. Small arms (including mortars) are highly effective but very simple machinery. In fact, they are explicitly designed to be that way. They are easy enough to manufacture (even Pakistan's tribal areas turn out AK-47 ripoffs) and there are vast quantities of them in circulation. The owner actually has to strip down (as in, take apart almost completely) and service his weapons every day, and it's not exactly rocket science — one doesn't even need to be literate (tribal areas again). On top of this, many everyday objects we are surrounded with can be weaponized, and the daily flow of goods and traffic on our roads is so huge that sneaking in a couple of truck-mounted nuclear bombs (HT War Nerd) or howitzers is a cinch. You would have to set up a very, very thorough surveillance system to have decent chances of deterrence. Such a system would have to be almost 100% automated too, as hiring sufficient numbers of reliable human operators would be hardly possible logistically or economically. Sure, techno-geekery is fun, but consider for yourself how practical it is.
- 8:17 pm UTC
- candide3 said...
Now consider the situation when the sovereign does have the technology for robot armies, automated surveillance systems etc. I ask, what would the sovereign need humans for? Why concern oneself with humans and their needs? They can't defeat you (by construction) and your robots etc. can do almost anything better than a human. Humans are inefficient, expensive and difficult to manage. Just let them live in stone age.
- 8:28 pm UTC
- Anomaly UK said...
@sconzey - The internet was a random example: any new technology which has large economic effect will undermine the currently-powerful and strengthen someone else. The trick is not to be too dependent on the currently-powerful
@Candide - I'm not too worried about battles between the security forces and terrorists with home-made guns. Imported guns are a bigger risk, but my issue is with the PAL itself. The theory is sound, but many broken crypto implementations are built on sound theory.
I think Putin aspires to Formalism, and I did have his relationship with the oligarchs in mind when I wrote the "Honour" post. He's a very long way from achieving it -- there are many strong independent power centres, and so the deals he has to do with them are much less one-sided than would be ideal. He even has to have elections. I think he suffers very badly from the threat of disruptive change, and has to work hard and do a lot of damage to defend the economic status quo that supports his key allies. Even so, you could claim he's the best ruler Russia's had in a century.
- 12:16 am UTC
- candide3 said...
@AMcGuinn: well, I guess we agree on the silliness of weapon PALs even if our reasons are a bit different.
he's the best ruler Russia's had in a century
Maybe you're right, but seeing as in the XX century Russia was blessed with such luminaries of good government as Nicholas II, Lenin, Stalin and Brezhnev... that is not a high bar to jump.
As for Putin's relationship with the oligarchs, these days he has them around his little finger. Witness the farce of Prokhorov's presidential candidacy, for instance. Other than the oligarchs, what 'strong (!) independent (!) power centers' did you have in mind? Security services? Putin is the security services (modulo Aretae's objections). Kadyrov, Tatarstan, other national republics? Meh. OSCE, EU, Germany?
In actuality Putin does not even need 90% of the Russian people. His economy is the extractive industries, other stuff is just extra. Thatcher was reported to have said that a population of more than 10-15 million in Russia is economically infeasible, mainly because vast overland distances and harsh climate make production uncompetitive compared to more southern locations; Putin would probably agree.
Anyway, even if Putin is trying to implement formalism (i.e. alignment between notional and real power structures), his particular brand of it is unappetizing.
- 6:19 pm UTC
- Leonard said...
Candide, assuming strong AI puts us beyond the singularity, and in such circumstances it is rather strained to be debating the form of government. We currently can build weapons locks. Designed a gun with a permissive action link with radio control is doable today.
I am aware that many weapons are relatively low tech. Yes, old weapons (including all those AK47s and handguns) do not just cease to exist in my scenario. And many types of weapons are easy to manufacture, if crudely. However, at the very least the state can control which weapons its own forces use; it simply does not supply them with any other kind. Any group may attempt to coup using crude bombs and simple guns, maybe including crude mortars. But this won't succeed against a group with modern tanks, aircraft, and artillery.
I do think it would be quite easy for the state to forbid the private possession of tanks, armed aircraft, and artillery.
I see no reason why a cryplocked assault rifle cannot be stripped and cleaned. The obvious design is fire-by-wire -- that is, there is only an electronic connection between the trigger and the firing mechanism. This does not preclude taking the barrel and chamber apart and cleaning them. The state can easily monitor the status of its guns if it needs to.
I doubt the sovcorp would really need to ban old guns, but yes, I do think that they could if they wanted to. We're not talking about a limited state here. The way to get rid of guns is not so much law and enforcement, but social pressure. On the top end, make gun use unfashionable; on the low end, put a stop to rampant crime so that gun use is not necessary. Even today you can see this in progressives: they loathe guns and would never possess one themselves because that is low class. And that despite living in a society where guns are fairly useful due to the high crime.
- 10:51 pm UTC
- candide3 said...
But this won't succeed against a group with modern tanks, aircraft, and artillery.
USA had all this and more in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistan has this and more, but for some reason puts up with the tribal areas which prevents minerals extraction. Looking with a wider eye, though, your argument misses the point. A modern developed country's wealth is in its people, i.e. in the cities and industrial zones. And modern cities are extremely vulnerable to assault by a small, highly organized opponent who knows what he's doing. Cripple the infrastructure and in less than a week the city will be a totally ungovernable mess. Thus our imaginary opponent has no need for tanks and aircraft. On the contrary, these things are easy to detect and so dangerous rather than useful. What he needs is small arms, mortars, explosives, maybe small artillery and, crucially, good organization and good technical knowledge.
permissive action link with radio control
Suppose the opponent uses radio jammers on the battlefield? Jammers are small and fairly low-tech. Or portable EMI devices... anyway I don't see these technical objections as truly decisive, see above and below.
I see no reason why a cryplocked assault rifle cannot be stripped and cleaned. The obvious design is fire-by-wire -- that is, there is only an electronic connection between the trigger and the firing mechanism.
Have you stripped a handgun or an assault rifle? I have. The firing mechanism needs to be cleaned and oiled as well, and it has to be simple, otherwise water and dirt will soon put it out of commission. And even if technical difficulties are overcome (with $5-10K/unit rifles being the likely result), as you correctly note, this does not solve the problem of imported or home-made weapons anyway, so you are reduced to social sanctions and persuasion.
- 11:42 am UTC
- Leonard said...
We're talking about different things. The point of cryplocking guns is not to defeat guerrillas, but to defeat coups.
I do not regard a guerrilla army as a serious threat to the state. It can be a threat, of sorts, to a state which is divided. As in our case, where we pit the State Department and its revolutionary allies versus the DoD on remote battlefields. There, the "enemy" can win -- because the enemy is us.
A unified state does not have that problem. When State and War work together, as was the case in WWII, they win, and there is no guerrilla resistance. The key element is to make clear to the subjugated people that the ruling state plans to rule them indefinitely, and it is prepared to deliver any level of violence necessary to that end. Men do not fight when they know they will lose. The sort of problems that USG has are of its own making. I assume you are familiar with Mencius Moldbug's writing on the subject?
Back to the specifics of cryplocking guns, which is somewhat incidental, but nonetheless of great interest to me:
I am sure jamming would be an issue, but it is an obvious attack so you should design to it. For example, my immediate idea (made up here after 30 seconds of thought) is to make guns turn themselves off if they cannot contact the net after, say, 8 hours. Maybe 24 hours. And also to build in an ethernet port, and to build working ethernet in key places. Loyalist forces would thus not be able to operate in the distant field for long periods of time. But this problem could be overcome via any working method of network access.
I have not stripped an assault rifle. However, I have a hard time believing that it would be impossible or even difficult to design a mechanism that triggers off a small movement of an actuator. Indeed, in a sense this is already the case. A small movement of the "actuating" finger on the trigger fires the weapon. So if nothing better is possible, have the actuator push an internal trigger, which then does exactly what it does now.
Another way to go is to remove the firing mechanism entirely. Electronically fired rifles already exist. I see no reason this technology could not be developed. It is of modest interest right now because the existing technology is well-honed to existing needs.
I don't think any of this tech needs to be anywhere near $5K. An iPhone is $500; a fancy firing mechanism might be another $100 or so. The first price is going to plunge due to Moore's law. The second would be addressed via mass production. But even if a secure rifle did cost $5K, the state has plenty of cash to afford them.
- 3:46 pm UTC
- candide3 said...
The point of cryplocking guns is not to defeat guerrillas, but to defeat coups.
Your idea of coups seems to be based on African and Latin American ones, where the regular army or other militarized branches of the state topple the government by brute force. Doubtless many coups are like that, but other coups in more important countries were not like that. You really should read Trotsky and Malaparte, not just Luttwak.
Regarding rifles, it is certainly possible to design such a mechanism, use electronic firing etc. However, technology is a tug-of-war and the more complicated it is, the less reliable and more vulnerable it is. Anyway I'm not out to knock holes in particular technological solutions. Technology being technology, there will always be holes to knock. My point is that a solution that overwhelmingly relies on technology is doomed to fail sooner rather than later.
- 6:14 pm UTC
- Leonard said...
The solution does not overwhelmingly rely on tech. It mostly relies on the same things that all human governments do: loyalty, greed, powerlust; leadership, dominance and submission. The tech is there to deal with some important edge cases.
- 7:38 pm UTC
- candide3 said...
@Leonard: if your solution mostly relies on the same things that all human governments do, it is bound to have mostly the same failure modes, and in modern states a violent uprising of the armed forces isn't an important failure mode. Considering just mutiny of the armed forces, soldiers throwing down their weapons and fraternizing with the revolutionary people has historically been a much more important failure mode, and PALs are completely ineffective against it.
- 10:14 am UTC
- Leonard said...
(1) coup by the armed forces is not a problem for Cathedral states. It is a large problem for most kinds of states, historically speaking -- states that used loyalty, etc. just as modern ones do. The Cathedral has evolved specific memes against it. One reason for keeping around a neutered opposition is to create a outlet for military discontents.
(2) Soldiers without arms are just people. As such, they are a mob, and can be machinegunned if nothing else. PALs prevent them from using heavy arms, at least, and possibly also lesser arms. As such, they can only degrade their revolutionary potential.
- 4:16 pm UTC
- candide3 said...
@Leonard: France in the XVIII and XIX centuries, Russia in 1905 and in 1917, Germany in 1918 and in 1933, were hardly Cathedral states. In all these cases desertion and inaction of troops, or anticipation and fear of the same, was a much more important factor than armed mutiny. In the post-WWI cases above, even machine guns were available (and before machine guns there was grapeshot and shrapnel). Didn't help much.
- 11:53 am UTC


text:
I am working on a project in which graphical models using javascript have been created. Now I have to create them using python. So I want to know is there any method by which I can import my Javascript code in python. You can click on this link( http://mbostock.github.com/d3/talk/2011 ... allel.html) to know which type of model I want to create in python.
Is it possible to create type of graphical model in python? If it is possible than which library will be suitable to create similar model in python.


text:
Q: I've been putting chemicals on my lawn for years and now I want to stop. Can you give me some advice on how to go organic?Will my lawn look awful for a few years?
A: Your question is a common inquiry as more and more residents want to cultivate their lawns without chemicals. This usually means managing pests without traditional pesticides. A visit to any lawn that is maintained in this way could answer your aesthetic concerns as examples are all around us. Many residential properties and public spaces have been maintained without pesticides for years, and they look great.
The first question to ask when considering a transition away from the use of traditional pesticides is what level of aesthetic appearance you find acceptable. Are you looking for "lawn perfection," with little tolerance for weed growth or damage from disease or insect activity? Are you looking to prevent or quickly terminate such problems if they do occur? If some weed growth is acceptable and occasional insect infestations and disease flare-ups are allowed as a natural possibility, then the transition to a lawn free of traditional pesticides will be easier.
Because you can't take away traditional pesticide management and substitute an environmentally friendly management method for every problem that may occur (like trading one pill for another), practicing lawn care in this way means the acceptance of a different philosophy of lawn care. The latter largely employs cultural methods that improve the general heath of your turf, enabling it to withstand occasional pest onslaughts rather than using chemicals to try to maintain perfection. Once you've accepted this new philosophy, you may want to employ the following steps toward removing traditional pesticides from your lawn care program:
Organic matter counts! This means using compost, either incorporated generously before seeding a new lawn or after core aerification on an existing lawn. Regarding the latter, remove the cores and work the compost down into the holes each September for several years.
Buy a mulching mower. Work autumn leaves and grass clippings back into your lawn. This will benefit your turf and the environment.
Raise your mowing height to 3.5 to 4 inches. More height means longer roots, increased drought resistance and more root material to compete with attacks by root feeding insects. It also means vigorous, taller grass plants that can more easily crowd out or compete with weeds.
Water your lawn. Lawns allowed to go dormant may survive and grow again, but weeds such as clover and crabgrass will gain an advantage. In most instances, experts suggest 1 inch of water per week (inclusive of rainfall) for lawns in the Northeast. This may be applied all at once during the cooler spring and fall, but is best applied in one-half to one-third inch amounts two to three times per week in the heat of summer. That's when grass roots deteriorate and deep watering serves little purpose.
Calibrate the output of your sprinkler. Place straight-sided containers within the spray pattern to see how much water your sprinkler delivers in a half hour. This makes it easy to follow suggested guidelines and avoid overwatering, which can cause or worsen disease outbreaks. Reduce the time grass leaves are wet. Do this by watering between 4 and 7 a.m. (the time of natural dew formation). If this schedule isn't possible, water so that the grass will be dry before nightfall. Never water grass at night.
Consider fertilizing your lawn. Several university turf experts have concluded that a properly fertilized lawn (not an over-fertilized lawn!) may be more dense and may actually benefit the environment more than lawns that are never fertilized.
Reduce the size of your lawn. Create beds of low-maintenance groundcovers where lawn is not essential. This can reduce the need for mowing, watering and fertilizing.
If pest problems occur, don't panic. Grass seed is relatively inexpensive and autumn comes every year. You can usually fix the problem then.
For Cornell University fertilizer guidelines that reflect current fertilizer laws and information on leaf mulching and grasscycling, contact your local Cooperative Extension or visit your local CUCE website.
Gerald Giordano, Senior Horticulture Consultant/Cooperative Extension Agent, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County
Addendum from Jerry:
There is a bit of a debate among turf experts about core aerification. Dr. Frank Rossi and Dr. Marty Petrovic on campus think it is only useful in the short term…but useless beyond that. Dr. Tamson Yeh at the Cornell research center on Long Island thinks it works in the long term as long as cores are removed and you get compost down into the holes.


text:
Computers are superbly fast and accurate at playing games, but can they be programmed to be more fun to play - to play like you and me? People like to play against opponents who are like themselves - opponents with personality, who can surprise, who sometimes make mistakes, yet don't blindly make the same mistakes over and over. The BotPrize competition challenges programmers/researchers/hobbyists to create a bot for UT2004 (a first-person shooter) that can fool opponents into thinking it is another human player. The competition has been sponsored by 2K games since 2008, with up to $7000 prize money. It was created and is organised by Associate Professor Philip Hingston, of Edith Cowan University, in Perth, Western Australia.
In the competition, computer-controlled bots and human players (judges) meet in multiple rounds of combat, and the judges try to guess which opponents are human. To win the prize, a bot has to be indistinguishable from a human player.
New BotPrize for 2014!
A consortium of Spanish researchers is launching a new BotPrize competition for 2014.
The new competition incorporates a number of innovations including a new crowd-sources judging system. There are cash prizes on offer, and there is plenty of time to get your bot into shape before judging starts in June.
For full details of the new competition, go to the new website. The old BotPrize site (this one) will remain available for historical and archival purposes.
Philip Hingston, February 2014
Two Teams win the BotPrize!
Here is a video piece about the result from DailyMotion (apologies for the advertising!):
Video Game Bots Act Like Real Humans by tvnportal
In a breakthrough result, after five years of striving from 14 different international teams from nine countries, two teams have cracked the human-like play barrier! It's especially satisfying that the prize has been won in the 2012 Alan Turing Centenary Year. Where to now for human-like bots? Next year we hope to propose a new and exciting challenge for bot creators to push their technologies to the next level of human-like performance.
The winners are the UT^2 team from the University of Texas at Austin, and Mihai Polceanu, a doctoral student from Romania, currently studying Artificial Intelligence in Brest, France. The UT^2 team consists of Professor Risto Miikkulainen, and doctoral students Jacob Schrum and Igor Karpov. Full results can be found on the results page. The two teams will share the $7000 first prize from sponsor 2K Games.
Here are some thoughts from Mihai about his bot