text:
Hand turns in rocky outing as Marlins drop finale
Left-hander pitches into fifth after allowing pair of first-inning homers
DENVER -- Marlins manager Mike Redmond had his pick of two Brads to start the rubber match against the Rockies. As it turned out, they both proved to be ineffective options in the Marlins' 7-4 loss to the Rockies Sunday at Coors Field.
Left-hander Brad Hand got the nod but lasted only 4 1/3, allowing seven hits, four runs and three walks. In mop-up duty, right-hander Brad Penny didn't fare much better, surrendering three runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings of work in the series finale.
The defeat came on a day which all four National League teams in the Wild Card standings ahead of the Marlins also lost.
"I guess [it's a blown opportunity], but at the same time, I guess it's a blessing if you're going to drop one and everyone else is too," Casey McGehee said after the Marlins fell back to a game under .500.
Hand dug the Marlins in a hole starting in the first. Charlie Blackmon led the inning off with a single to set up Nolan Arenado's two-run homer to left-center. Two batters later, Michael McKenry tacked onto that total with a solo shot.
"I gave [the Rockies] a three-run lead in the first inning and when I put my team in that situation, it's hard to come back from," Hand said.
The Marlins got two back in the second when Jeff Mathis' double brought home Adeiny Hechavarria following his one-out triple. Christian Yelich followed by singling home Mathis to complete the Marlins' first of two two-run rallies.
In the fourth, Hechavarria found himself on third again after Blackmon lost his hit in the sun. But with Mathis and Hand grounding out and Yelich striking out, the Marlins were unable to capitalize on the leadoff triple.
After erupting for 13 runs on 16 hits in series opener Friday, the Marlins totaled 23 hits over the next two games but could only produce eight runs.
"We had some more opportunities to help ourselves out and score some runs," Remond said "You've got to do that in this ballpark. ... Four runs in this ballpark is just not enough."
Hand's command issues put an end to his day in the fifth when he dished out three free passes, including one that walked in a run. After he barely missed Blackmon's head with one pitch and plunked Arenado's elbow with another, manager Mike Redmond had seen enough.
To clean up the bases-loaded mess, Redmond called on Penny, the same pitcher he picked Hand over to start Sunday's game. Penny induced a shallow fly ball and a weak grounder to keep it at a 4-2 deficit.
But with the bases loaded again the seventh, Penny couldn't repeat his magic. After Drew Stubbs' RBI double in the previous inning, DJ LeMahieu's double brought home two more to break open a three-run lead.
The Marlins' only other offensive outburst came in top of the same frame. They scored two on three consecutive hits in the seventh cut it to a 5-4 ballgame, but that's as close as Miami would get before Penny gave both runs back.
Redmond could have pinch hit-for Penny to start that inning but choose to stick with the long man to give a break to a worn-out bullpen.
"We needed some innings out of him," Redmond said. "It's wasn't perfect, but we played 13 innings [Saturday] so you've got to get as much out of guys as you can. He was our freshest arm."
In his return from a fractured glove hand that cost him over two months, Rockies right-hander Christian Bergman scattered nine hits, hanging in for 6 1/3 innings despite allowing four runs to earn his first career victory.
Cody Ulm is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
6. Windows 8.1 offers improved core apps, including Internet Explorer 11 and better SkyDrive integration. But it also removes a few features.
Some of Windows 8's core apps, such as the Bing News app, have gained a following. But others, such as the bare-bones Mail client, have provoked particular derision.
Windows 8.1 will offer not only improved versions of existing apps, but also several new titles, such as Windows Movie Maker. Many additions are sure to delight, such as the Camera app's new panorama mode, or Internet Explorer 11, which supports new Web standards and can allegedly open up to 100 tabs without a performance slowdown. But other new features will face scrutiny, such as the decision to remove Facebook and Flickr integration from the Photos app.
This removal stems partly from the fact that SkyDrive is fully baked into Windows 8.1; now that users can easily store and access photos both locally and in Microsoft's cloud, the company evidently feels hooks to third-party photo hosting sites are no longer necessary. The move could upset some users, but if Bing Smart Search is a hit, Microsoft might end up being right.
7. With Bing Smart Search, Windows 8.1 combs not only your computers but also the Internet and SkyDrive.
Unlike Windows 8's Search Charm, the new Bing Smart Search function doesn't separate query returns into categorized lists -- e.g. apps, files and so on. Instead, it aggregates results into a single fluid page that includes not only local files, but also returns pulled from SkyDrive, Bing Web search and more.
The results, which include vivid image previews, could encourage users to make use of the cloud. Bing Smart Search includes Microsoft's optical character recognition (OCR) technology, which can search for text in images and gives users with thousands of images a new way to sort through the chaos.
8. Windows 8.1 introduces better Modern UI multi-tasking.
Microsoft's Windows 8 TV commercials often point out that iPads can't multitask but Windows tablets can. But in the original version of the Modern UI, the multitasking feature -- called App Snapping -- only allowed apps to be viewed in one configuration -- one app occupied 75% of the screen, split vertically, and the other app occupied the rest.
Windows 8.1 allows up to four apps to be snapped together, depending on the device's resolution. It also allows users to dynamically alter the size of each app window, eliminating the earlier version's constraints.
9. Windows 8.1 adds lots of small touches.
Though Windows 8.1 largely resembles its predecessor, it adds a number of small touches that could add up to a more enjoyable user experience. Additions such as the boot-to-desktop mode and UI-unifying wallpapers already speak to Windows 8.1's expanded customizability, for example. Other examples include twice as many ways to resize Live Tiles, the ability to organize Tiles into groups, and more controls for unpinning or deactivating given apps.
Windows 8.1 also enables automatic updates by default, adds useful business features such as Miracast, and supports intriguing emerging technologies such as 3-D printing. Stubborn Live Tile skeptics might not be converted, but for some, Windows 8.1 could form a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts.
10. Windows 8.1 will launch with much nicer, and much more attractively priced, devices.
Windows 8 launched with a dearth of touch devices, and the few that were available were expensive, hampered by hardware flaws, or both. The story will be different for Windows 8.1. Highlights include Microsoft's Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, which will hit stores next week; Dell's powerfully spec'd and attractively priced Venue tablets; and Lenovo's 8-inch, $299 Miix2, unveiled this week.
Desktop-oriented users might be intrigued by an emerging variety of touchscreen all-in-one PCs or ultrabooks, meanwhile, or even docking stations and external monitors that turn tablets such as the Surface Pro 2 into desktop PCs.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Get an overview of this hotelAirport hotel with free breakfast and free WiFi
Popular property highlights
Near SplashDown Waterpark
Hyatt Place Dulles Airport - South is a 10-minute drive from Dulles International Airport, and 6 minutes from the National Air and Space Museum. Guests can drive 15 minutes to Manassas National Battlefield Park, and just a little farther to SplashDown Waterpark.
Free hot breakfast
The 24-hour Gallery Menu and Market serves meals and snacks around the clock. Guests wake up to a free breakfast with hot and cold choices, and can freshen up with a dip in the seasonal outdoor pool at the end of the day.
Free WiFi and 42-inch TVs
Crisply designed guestrooms feature living areas with sofa beds and wet bars, providing ample room for guests to relax in. Homelike comforts include a Hyatt Grand Bed®, a coffeemaker, and a mini-fridge. With free WiFi and a 42-inch flat-screen TV, it's easy to enjoy some downtime.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new window
Hyatt Place Dulles Airport - South
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Hyatt Place Dulles Airport - South features a seasonal outdoor pool. The hotel offers a coffee shop/café and a snack bar/deli. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. High-speed wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary.
Business amenities at this 3-star property consist of a 24-hour business center, limo/town car service, and meeting rooms. Event facilities measuring 1600 square feet (149 square meters) include conference space. This business-friendly hotel also offers multilingual staff, coffee/tea in the lobby, and concierge services. An area shuttle within 5 mi and a roundtrip airport shuttle at scheduled times are complimentary for guests. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
Hyatt Place Dulles Airport - South is a smoke-free property.
- Free WiFi
- Outdoor seasonal pool
- Free breakfast
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Conference space
- Total number of rooms - 123
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- 24-hour front desk
- Number of floors - 6
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Elevator/lift
- Bar/lounge
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Coffee shop or café
- Concierge services
- Free airport transportation
- Express check-in
- Express check-out
- 24-hour fitness facilities
- Free wired Internet
- Limo or Town Car service available
- Meeting rooms 2
- Multilingual staff
- Luggage storage
- Free self parking
- Snack bar/deli
- Long-term parking (surcharge)
- Conference space size (meters) - 149
- Number of meeting rooms - 2
- Year Built 2007
- Free area shuttle
- 24-hour business center
- Conference space size (feet) - 1600
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Outdoor pool
- Television in common areas
- Smoke-free property
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- Outdoor pool
- Separate living room
- Free Wi-Fi
- Area shuttle (complimentary)
- Snack bar/deli
- Sofa bed
- Refrigerator
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi , Free wired Internet
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi , Free wired Internet
Long-term parking (surcharge), Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Premium TV channels
- Pay movies
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Air conditioning
- Free newspaper
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Phone
- Free local calls
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Designer toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Shower/tub combination
- Down comforter
- Flat-panel TV
- Desk
- Sofa bed
- Iron/ironing board
- Cable TV service
- Free WiFi
- Free wired Internet
- Separate living room
- Partially open bathroom
- Sofa bed size
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- In-room climate control (heating)
Where to Eat
A complimentary buffet breakfast is served each morning between 6:30 AM and 10 AM.
Bakery Cafe - Onsite café. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. A children's menu is available.
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the hotel include a seasonal outdoor pool.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
- Roll-in shower
Hotel Policies
Check-in time ends at 1 AM
Minimum check-in age is 21
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Special check-in instructions:
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! Up to 4 children 6 years old and younger stay free when using existing bedding. Children may not be eligible for complimentary breakfast.
- Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 75 per pet, per stay (maximum USD 175 per stay), plus a one-time cleaning fee of USD 100
- Dogs only
- 2 per room (up to 50 lb)
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
- Deposit: USD 15.00 per night
Optional extras
- Pet fee: USD 75 per pet, per stay (maximum USD 175 per stay) plus USD 100 one-time cleaning fee
Hotel Name
- Hyatt Place Dulles Airport South
- Hyatt Place Hotel Dulles Airport South
- Chantilly Hyatt
- Hyatt Chantilly
- Hyatt Place Chantilly
- Hyatt Place Dulles Airport South Hotel Chantilly
- Hyatt Place Hotel Chantilly
- Hyatt Place Dulles Airport South Hotel
We should mention
This property offers transfers from the airport. Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. The seasonal pool will be open from June to September. Up to 4 children 6 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. Children may not be eligible for complimentary breakfast. The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation. The photos in this description reflect the brand standard and are provided for illustrative purposes only.


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Results 21 to 40 of 76
Thread: [VS] Outfit guide
Great guide, but an addition: ALWAYS BE TALKING as SL. Incredibly important. I myself have a hard time playing under a silent SL.
Guide to Platoon Leaders (PLs)
What a Platoon Leader (PL) is:
The Platoon Leader (PL) is the leader of a Planetside 2 platoon, four 12-man squads. The PL is responsiuble for coordinating his or her squads, directing them towards areas where they will be of use to the overall goal of the night, and where they will have good fights.
The PL is responsible for the overall strategic decisions for the platoon, and if there is multi-platoon coordination going on, to implement the orders of the Supreme Giraffe (SG).
The PL is on the command channel receiving sitreps and intel from Radio Operators (ROs), and deciding on orders for the squads, to handle any situations that may arise. PLs tend to watch the map a lot, and play the FPS game a bit less, although this can vary between leaders.
Running an open platoon (open to any player) can be an effective way to herd some of the zerg towards where they can be of use.
What your job is:
- If there is no SG:
- make sure there is a comms liaison
- decide on an overall objective for the next few hours
- communicate this objective to the platoon members
- If there is a SG
- receive objectives from them
- relay any pertinent information or requests to them
- Decide how to use your forces to achieve your objectives
- Give orders to the ROs of your squads, as appropriate
- Receive intel and sitreps and adapt your strategy, resulting in new orders as needed
- Keep in mind that people want to have fun; fun generally means good fights
How to be a good PL:
General tips:
- Learn to read the map; learn to discover threats, predict enemy movements, detect encircling attempts etc. This comes naturally with experience.
- Get on /leader or /l chat (leadership cert required); listen in on what's going on there
- Use your liaison (comms liaison) to coordinate with other outfits and any pubbie players
- Everyone is in the outfit to have fun playing with good people in a good atmopsphere. Try to give people something to remember (in a good way) from your time as PL. A massive gal drop, a combined arms rush, an epic WW1-style infantry push across the plains of Esamir, an epic defense of an Amp Station far behind enemy lines, anything.
- Added: You don't actually have to be PL in-game! As long as you get a SL slot, you can use /leader chat and smoke. The platoon waypoint is often not needed for tactical play, and the PL role in-game comes with a lot of management duties when people start moving around.
- KEEP CALM. And bring a towel.
Increasing the effectiveness of the platoon:
- Give clear and precise orders to your squads
- Don't split up too much; try to keep squads within easy reinforcement distance of eachother
- Don't bunch up too much; sending four squads to fight 6 enemies makes everyone feel superfluous
- Plan one move ahead; this allows squads to set up for their next move before their current objective is fully completed
- Learn when it is appropriate to
Winning the respect of your squads:
- Set up a shout to all of your squads, use it every now and then to shout encouragement or convey general information and orders; players love to feel like they are a part of something larger then themselves
- Have a goal for the night, explain it to the entire squad using your shout-to-all key
- Be supportive; players like to feel that what they do is seen and appreciated, use the shout-to-all key some times
- Be assertive; "uhmm, well..." is not the best response to a request for orders, if you can't decide, ask for suggestions
- Be respectful and humble; your will is the law, generally speaking, but all your decisions might not be the best. Be respectful of feedback from squads and redirect them as appropriate.
Running an open platoon:
- Most people like to have a purpose; don't be afraid to give order
- Use in-game platoon voice comms
- Be clear, precise and assertive
- Order of business
- Come up with a plan, any plan will do, as long as it sounds reasonable
- Convey that plan to your platoon, in a clear, precise and assertive manner
- Explain how to implement the plan
- Implement the plan
- Having RPS veterans as SLs in the open platoon really helps!
Last edited by EsotericReverie; 03-05-2013 at 06:19 PM. Reason: Added another little bit.
- If there is no SG:
- Join Date
- Jul 2012
- Location
- Switzerland, GMT+1
- Posts
- 156
Blank filling lines, anyone?
Last edited by Silgidorn; 12-04-2013 at 04:52 PM.
Taking the lead (not pun intended) from Esoteric's excellent guide, I've posted a bit about how I, as a reluctant leader, approach making decisions:
Last edited by MrEclectic; 12-04-2013 at 05:26 PM. Reason: Moved to the cops of giraffe thread
Guide to Supreme Giraffes (SGs)
This, I have never tried, so I'm just pulling this out of my arse. Any input from those who have experienced it would be appreciated. I'll fix the formatting and categories of tips when I get some feedback and put some more content in there.
What a Supreme Giraffe is:
Supreme Giraffe (SG) is our term for the pinnacle of outfit leadership, coordinating multiple platoons. The SG has of the same responsibilities as Platoon Leaders (PLs) do, and if there are less than 50 outfit members online, the PL will in practice also be the SG, so this guide also applies to any PLs acting alone.
The SG should have some supporting staff to help cope with the task of leading an organisation so large. The comms liaison, or just liaison, will interface with other outfits via the Vanu Accord TeamSpeak server, and through /leader and /orders chat. Having one or two advance scouts increases strategic awareness immensely, spotting enemy and friendly movements before they show up on the map.
The SG sets the goal for the his or her period of reign, preferrably something concrete that can be easily conveyed to the players. As with PL, any SG should aim to set up at least on set-piece moment, something that will have everyone working together towards something impressive to show off the scale of the game.
What your job is:
- Make sure someone is comms liaison
- Set a goal for your leadership
- Figure out what forces are at your disposal, decide how to put them to good use
- Explain to everyone what's going to happen
- Give specific orders to each PL under your command
- Try to keep on top of the changing topography of territory control and troop movements
- Adjust your strategy as needed, interacting with other outfits for the glory of Vanu!
How to be a good SG:
General tips:
- Be decisive and assertive
- Have a plan; doesn't need to be a good plan, but it needs to be clear
- Be ready to throw your plan out the window; change your mind iof you must, but not too often
- Set up a shout to all players under your command; use it, sparingly, for encouragement, and to announce the next step of or any major shift in your plans. Also use it if you need all players to do something together, such as redeploy to warpgate.
- Get on /leader or /l chat (leadership cert required); listen in on what's going on there
- Use your liaison (comms liaison) to coordinate with other outfits and any pubbie players
- Give your PLs a lot of leeway in how to direct their platoons; general orders are preferable ("Platoon 1, hold the western flank. Platoon 2, take and hold Mao Tech.")
- Relay any intel your scouts give you to your PLs.
- Added: always do a debriefing session after any night of organised play (see below)
Added: Debriefings:
- Debriefings should always be held after ay night of organised play
- Bring any leaders and ROs and anyone else who wants to participate into one channel on Mumble
- Suggested agenda:
- Goals for the night; did we succeed? Why?/Why not?
- Did we have a good time? Why?/Why not?
- PL feedback; contact with squads, overall strategy, crisis management
- Spotlights, possibly squad by squad to minimise chaos; let anyone put the spotlight on something that was especially good or well handled, to give recognition and to encourage good play
- Lessons learned; jotting down a couple of notes as a summary of the discussions on this point and posting on the forum would preserve the most important aspect of the debriefing for future reference
- Good job everyone, back to business!
Last edited by EsotericReverie; 15-04-2013 at 02:13 PM. Reason: Added a bit on debriefings
- Join Date
- Jul 2012
- Location
- Switzerland, GMT+1
- Posts
- 156
Mhmm. Might fit there. We'll see. I really want to keep them short and digestible, so people don't feel overwhelmed.
A guide for giraffes (or grunts)
Lots more to add here, certainly, but I'm too tired to think of anything more right now. This is the fifth guide like this that I've written within a few hours' time... Feedback greatly appreciated, as always.
What a giraffe is:
The giraffes, or soldiers, squaddies or grunts, are the ones who get things done, the ones without whom all the leadership people would just be a waste of air. The giraffes are sorted into squads of 12, led by one Squad Leader (SL). Four squads make a platoon, led by a Platoon Leader (PL), and the SL has a Radio Operator (RO) to keep contact with the platoon leadership.
The giraffes shoot the baddies, revive their friends, repair facilities and vehicles, infiltrate, pilot, drive and generally make the world go 'round.
As a grunt your first priority should be to enjoy yourself while shooting the other guys.
What your job is:
- Know who your SL is
- Listen to what your SL says
- Follow SL's orders (to the best of your ability)
- Shoot the other guys
- Ask if there's anything you feel unsure of
- Be excellent to each other
How to be a good giraffe:
General tips:
- There are lots of good guides out there on how to play the game, etc. Check YouTube and other sites.
- Added: Try weapons out in VR Training before buying, you can learn how they ahndle, how they sound etc before putting any money or hard-earned certs down. Also a great place to learn how to fly!
Section added: Improving squad play:
- Work together with your squad mates; stick together, provide cover, healing, ammo, call out enemy movements
- Call out enemy movements, ask for help when you need it etc.
- When doing so, use cardinal directions and absolute locations ("Infiltrator north of spawn building, moving east") "I need repairs" or "Enemy Sundy at my location" is never enough information.
- Use the 'Q' key to spot enemies, every friendly within 150 m gets a reticle over the enemy's head when you do (and you get a spot XP bonus if someone kills them within a few seconds!)
Earning your SL's respect:
- Know the difference between banter-time and orders-and-focus-time
- Be quiet when he or she is directing the squad; see previous point
- Comply with orders, within reason; otherwise, let SL know why you cannot
- Get a mic and speak up, or learn to type quickly in /squad or /s chat
- When asked to redeploy or load up in a vehicle, be quick about it, or state that you will catch up on your own
Section added: Sunderers fuel fights:
- If you se an enemy Sundy, call it out so your squad can destroy it
- 50 of your early certs should go into the AMS for the Sunderer
- If you have it (remember to equip it too!), ask your SL if more Sundies are needed, they often are, and this is easy to lose track of when leading a squad
- If unsure of where to deploy Sunderers, ask someone who is more experienced
Last edited by EsotericReverie; 12-04-2013 at 05:52 PM. Reason: Added things MrEclectic suggested
Esoteric is on a roll today!
One more thing. When you have the certs, one of your priorities should be the AMS module for the Sunderer. They blow up in myriad ways all the time, so more are always needed. Don't be afraid to ask where to deploy one, if you're unsure. And always ask if we need more sundies. We usually do.
For this guide it would be neat if we could fix a pdf or something where you can navigate by clicking links etc. Of course you can do that in docs as well. Anyway, Giraffe guide should be the first guide you see.
Addition to PL and SG - it is their job to make sure there is a liason as well. And it's everyone elses job to take the job as liason.
Aye, good plan. Will add that! Should write a similar guide for the liaison role too, I suppose.
I meant that it's the PLs job to remember that a liason should exist - they themselves should not do it.
"Make sure there is a comms liaison" must be adequately non-specific, surely? A bit tough, of course, if there is nobody online who wants to be liaison... Eclectic's wording might be better.


text: Harry Grant Williamson,born in Indiana, 31 March 1866, met his wife Sara while studying art at the Hague. They married in the Netherlands and their first child,Marshall, was born there.Harry did many book and magazine illustrations and covers (Saturday Evening Post,Harpers,etc) as well as landscape paintings. He was a member of the Salmagundi club in NYC,and the Society of Illustrators.He died 9 November 1937,In New Jersey. JVB. I would love to learn more about him and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Faerûn is a name of the continent, which is the primary setting of the Forgotten Realms world. It is the western part of an unnamed supercontinent quite similar to real-world Eurafrasia. It is set on the planet Toril (more formally, "Abeir-Toril"). Other parts of this supercontinenent include Kara-Tur (original setting of the D&D Oriental Adventures campaign setting), and Zakhara, home to the Arabian Nights setting Al-Qadim. Maztica, home of a tribal, Aztec-like civilization is far to the west, across the Trackless Sea. The subterranean regions underneath Faerûn are the Underdark.
Economically and technologically, Faerûn is comparable to Western Europe during the late Middle Ages. Gunpowder (here called smoke powder and different in its composition from historical gunpowder) is starting to make an appearance, but much of the armament is still dominated by swords, spears, bows, and the like. Most of the population consists of farmers, organized somewhat loosely in a semi-feudal system. There are also a number of notable cities, and trade between nations is common, comparable to the Renaissance era. Likewise, there are regions where more barbaric tribes and customs persist.
The great equalizer in this setting is the presence of magic. This is subdivided into divine and arcane, with the former empowered by a god in one of the Pantheons, and the latter by peculiar rituals or innate abilities which manipulate the Weave, the source of magical energies. There are many shades of grey in this mixture, with the societies containing both good-natured magic practitioners and those with a decidedly evil bent. Psionics are transparent to magic (which means that everything that affects magic will affect psionics and vice-versa). Arcane magic is called The Art and Psionics are called The Invisible Art. The only advantage of smoke powder seems to be that it can be used by non magic-users, which represent the vast majority of the population.
Faerûn is also home to a number of non-human creatures of varying degrees of civilization or barbarism. Among these are several different races of dwarves, gnomes, halflings and elves, as well as goblins, orcs, lizardmen, ogres, various giants, and even dragons.
- See also Geographical index of Toril
The continent includes terrain that is as varied as Europe, western Asia, and much of Africa is on Earth; it also is significantly bigger than the United States (as shown in a first-edition comparison map). Besides the exterior coastline to the west and south, the most dominant feature on the continent is the Sea of Fallen Stars. This is an irregular inland sea that keeps the interior lands fertile and serves as a major trade route for many of the bordering nations.
Next in significance is the Shaar, a broad region of grasslands in the south that, together with the Lake of Steam, separates the area around the inland sea from the coastal nations at the southern edge of the continent. To the east, Faerûn is bordered by a vast regions of steppe from Kara-Tur, and in the north are massive glaciers (Pelvuria and Reghed) and tundra. South of the continent, separated by the Great Sea, is the sub-tropical land of Zakhara.
The continent includes the following geographic and political regions:
- Northwest — A region of wilderness, difficult winter weather, orc hordes, and barbarian tribes, this region is generally referred to as "The North". It is a mostly-untamed region that lies between the large Anauroch desert in the east and the expansive Sea of Swords to the west. This area contains the High Forest, Icewind Dale, Savage Frontier, Silver Marches (Luruar), Sword Coast, Neverwinter, Mithral Hall, and the port city of Waterdeep. This area is one of the most popular regions for role-playing campaigns set in Faerûn, and has been the setting for a number of popular computer role-playing games.
- North — This region stretches from the wide Anauroch desert in the west to the eastern edge of the inland Moonsea, in the northern region of the continent. It is a region of contrasts, with the forested Dalelands, the wastes of Anauroch, the coastline of the Moonsea, The Vast, and the bitterly cold steppes of The Ride.
- Northeast — This remote area begins in the cold, forbidding lands along the great ice sheets and continues south toward the northeastern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. It is bordered on the west by the mountain-hemmed land of Vaasa and stretches east to the vast steppes of the Hordelands. This region also contains Damara, the Great Dale, Impiltur, Narfell, Rashemen, and Thesk.
- West — This region includes the nations south of Waterdeep and north of the Shining Sea, that border along the Sea of Swords. The west includes Baldur's Gate, Amn, Tethyr and Calimshan (the "Lands of Intrigue"), Evereska, Lantan, the Moonshae Isles, Nimbral, and the Western Heartlands. It also includes the multitude of islands that lie to the west in the vast ocean called the Trackless Sea, collectively named the Nelanther Isles.
- Interior — With the exception of the Shining Plains, these lands lie along the irregular coastline of the western Sea of Fallen Stars. In the north the Dragonmere arm of the sea extends far to the west, ending close to the Western Heartlands. To the south, the Vilhon Reach forms a second arm leading to the southwest. The notable areas within this region include Chondath, Cormyr, the Dragon Coast, Hlondeth, the Pirate Isles, Sembia, Sespech, Turmish, and the Shining Plains.
- East — Most of the nations in this region border the eastern expanses of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Here the sea forms a long arm that travels to the east before turning south to become the Alamber Sea. The northern nations of this mysterious area are termed the "Unapproachable East" and the southern nations the "Old Empires" in campaign setting publications. This region includes Aglarond, Altumbel, Chessenta, Chondalwood, Mulhorand, Murghôm, Thay, and Unther. Many of these nations allow slavery, and depend on slaves for much of their economy.
- Southwest — This region lies along the great Chultan peninsula that juts out toward the west. The waters to the north are named the Shining Sea, a body bounded by Calisham to the north and joined to the Lake of Steam through the Straits of Storm. To the south of the land is the Great Sea. Located in this area are Chult, Lapaliiya, Samarach, Tashalar, and Thindol.
- South — This land lies to the south of the regions around the Sea of Fallen Stars, being somewhat isolated by the Lake of Steam in the west, and the vast length of the Shaar. It is bordered along the south by the Great Sea; to the west by the Chultan peninsula region, and in the east by Luiren. The south includes the Border Kingdoms, Dambrath, the Great Rift, Halruaa, the Lake of Steam, and The Shaar.
- Southeast — These lands lie to the south and east of the grassy plains known as the Shaar, along the shores of the Great Sea opposite the land of Zakhara. The region includes the lands of Durpar, Estagund and Var the Golden (collectively called the Shining Lands), Luiren, the land of Halflings, Ulgarth, the Eastermost extent of Faerûn, and Veldorn, the land of monsters.
- Underdark — The immense complex of caverns and passages that lie beneath many parts of the continent of Faerûn — it contains cities of drow including the infamous Menzoberranzan and the ruins of Ched Nasad, as well as Maerdrimydra, Llurth Dreir and Sshamath; cities of duergar such as Gracklstugh and Dunnspeirrin; and almost unpronounceable cities of kuo-toa, illithids, and beholders.
Notable CharactersEdit
The following individuals figure prominently in the lore of Faerûn, particularly in Forgotten Realms novels and RPG.
- Artemis Entreri
- Arilyn Moonblade
- Bruenor Battlehammer
- Cattie-brie
- Danilo Thann
- Drizzt Do'Urden
- Elminster
- Gareth Dragonsbane
- Guenhwyvar (big cat)
- Jarlaxle Baenre
- Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun
- Regis the halfling
- Taegan Nightwind
- Volo
- Wulfgar


text:
Spectator — September 2002
By Tom Fexas
The Night of the Devil
|Part 2: Down the Tubes
I tiptoe past the line of wooly heads hanging over the fence and make my way to the cottage. I knock on the door, and Mrs. Client opens it. The interior is dimly lit, and there's soft music playing in the background. "Where is Nathan?" I ask. She says he is upstairs in bed, passed out in a drunken stupor as usual. Well, I think, men are usually not too interested in the details of the interior anyhow, so we sit down. I start to pull some drawings out of my briefcase. But before I do, she says that she is not really interested in the plans just now, as she slides closer to me on the sofa. I jump up, finally realizing exactly what is going on here. With a lame excuse like, "I need to have the hotel laundry clean and starch my skivvies for my trip back to Florida tomorrow" or some such foolishness, I rapidly make for the door. Although at the time I was single and carefree, fooling around with clients' wives was not on my list of favorite things to do. I trot down the lane--this time never hesitating at the row of devil heads--jump into my car, and peel out on the gravel.
The boat was in Florida waters for a number of years, and every time I saw her, all I could think of were those damned devil heads hanging over the fence. Such is life for the hard-working yacht designer. In addition to drawing pretty pictures of boats, engineering the structure, and overseeing construction, he must also deal with life's little foibles. It is a wonderful profession that I would recommend to any masochist.
Tom Fexas is a marine engineer and a designer of powerboats. His Web site is www.tomfexas.com.
Previous page > The Devil, Part 1 > Page 1, 2
This article originally appeared in the January 2003 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.


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- Admissions
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- About Plattsburgh
College wouldn't be college without a little irresponsibility. Reunion wouldn't be Reunion without a little reminiscing about the wild stuff that happened way back when.
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Office of Alumni Relations
Room 113 Hawkins Hall
101 Broad Street
Plattsburgh, N.Y. 12901-2681
Phone: (518) 564-2090 or (800) 964-1889
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For Obama, a snow cone in Denison, Bud Light at fair
President Barack Obama greets workers as he orders a beer at the Iowa State Fair during a surprise visit Monday night. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack looks on at left. The president is on a three-day campaign bus tour through Iowa.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
President Barack Obama bounded down the stairs Monday from Air Force One after arriving at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Neb. When he reached the tarmac Obama shared a few laughs with airmen.
As the president left the stage Monday afternoon in Council Bluffs a pair of "Barack diehards" got his attention. Decked in Obama T-shirts, hats and pins, Karla Laughlin and Sally Norton, of Omaha and Papillion, Neb., resspectively, hollered "thank you" as the president walked by.
Without breaking stride, Obama turned and pointed at the women, a large smile on his face.
"We love Obama," the women both said afterward.
"Oh my God," Norton said of the president pointing their way.
The president took the stage to U2's "Beautiful Day," on an overcast morning. But during his speech the sun came out, much to the joy of the president and the thousand in attendance
The crowd booed at mention of Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin congressman who GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney named as his running mate Saturday.
The president was at times "loud and assertive" while declaring his reasons for seeking a second term. "In America hard work pays off."
"What's holding us back is Washington politics," the president said.
A "four more years" chant broke out less than 10 minutes into the speech.
A tour of the drought
The drought — what else? — was the focal point for President Barack Obama on the first of his three-day trip through Iowa.
In his speech before a crowd of 1,000 in Council Bluffs, Obama focused on the lack of rain and record heat before moving on to other campaign planks.
From there the president traveled to the farm of the McIntosh brothers — Dean, Don, Roger and Richard — in Missouri Valley, about 30 miles to the northeast. Along with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Obama discussed the drought and the yellowed, dry corn on the farm.
After a look at two portions of the McIntosh land, Obama spoke to a crowd of about 50 on Roger and wife Karen's front lawn.
With a tire swing hanging close by, Obama discussed the impact of 60 percent of the country in drought. Corn yields are down one-third, livestock producers are having trouble feeding their herds.
The McIntoshes called it "the worst in decades," he said.
"It's hot and dry," Obama said. "And summer's not over yet."
The president told the group about plans to help farmers and ranchers throughout drought-affected states.
The Obama Administration, with Vilsack leading the way, plans to buy an excess bulk of meat — $100 million worth of pork, $15 million worth of chicken and $20 million worth of lamb and catfish — now, to be stored on ice, instead of later in the year, for the military and a number of government organizations. He likened it to crop insurance, which farmers may buy to hedge against low yields, for ranchers.
"We are going to stock up," he said. "Prices are low, ranchers need to sell. It makes sense."
Obama also encouraged Congress to act on a farm bill that would help agriculture producers now and "ensure long-term security." Other help from his administration includes access to emergency loans and government-owned land for grazing.
"This won't solve the problem," the president said. "We can't make it rain. But this will help farmers like the McIntoshes."
A snow-cone stop
President Barack Obama knows snow cones.
During a stop in Denison, a town of roughly 8,000 in Crawford County, the Hawaii native stopped by a Tropical Sno stand for an afternoon treat.
"I know shaved ice," Obama said, noting what the locals in Hawaii call the frozen dessert.
The president took a bite of his "rainbow" flavored snow cone – cherry, lime and watermelon – and told the about 80 in attendance, "This is a finely shaved ice. Outstanding."
"Really good."
After Obama got off the campaign bus he stopped to talk with members of the crowd, asking youngsters when school starts and if they play sports.
While ordering, Obama offered to buy a few snow cones. Local elementary student Dawson Evers took the president up on his offer.
"It was awesome," the 10-year-old said. "I never thought I'd get to meet the president."
Though 10, Evers said if he were voting age, Barack Obama would have his vote.
Before coloring his mouth — as Tropical Sno calls it — the president spoke with a pair of teachers new to Denison High School, congratulating them on their jobs and vocation.
"When I woke up today, when we got together this morning (at school) for meetings, I never thought I'd have this opportunity," said
Kelsey Lally, who teaches English.
"Doesn't happen every day," added physical education teacher Amy Nelson.
'OK, let's get our beer'
President Barack Obama had a cold beer at the Iowa State Fair — and a cold pork chop to go with it.
The president stepped off his all-black motorcoach with the presidential seal on the side at 7:24 p.m. and walked down 33rd Street on the fairgrounds, shaking hands, hugging and posing for pictures before ending up at the The Bud Tent almost an hour later, where he ordered a Bud Light and accepted a pork chop from the president-elect of the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
Upon entering the fair, Obama immediately was given a navy-blue Iowa State Fair baseball cap, which he accepted and wore throughout the visit.
On his stroll down the fairgrounds, he met Iowans young and old, including the 2012 Iowa State Fair Queen Abrah Meyer, of Redlyn, a high-school government teacher and Iowa State Fair CEO Gary Slater.
He was accompanied by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa. Senior campaign adviser David Axlerod was on hand as well.
When he crouched to meet Cole Nelson, resting in his mother Deborah Nelson's arms, the 9-month-old reached out and honked the president's nose. Obama chided Jordan Nemitz, of Ankeny, for wearing an Atlanta Braves T-shirt rather than one for the president's favorite team, the Chicago White Sox. In their brief chat, Nemitz told Obama about playing baseball and described an arm injury he had suffered.
Obama walked up to Cinnie Smith's Gourmet Mini Cinnamon Rolls but declined to order one. "I'm saving space for a pork chop on a stick," he said.
As Obama approached The Bud Tent, the crowd broke out into chants of "Four more years!"
As he began to order, they began chanting, "Four more beers!" One man near the front of the crowd waved a Mitt Romney for president sign.
At the beer counter, Bud Tent owner Mike Cunningham II presented Obama with a T-shirt reading, "Save Water; Drink beer," which was accepted by a staffer.
"OK, let's get our beer," Obama said. After chatting with Cunningham, he called out to the crowd, "Hey, everyone who's over 21, you gotta buy a beer." In response, a man in the crowd shouted back, "On you?"
That led Obama to offer to buy 10 beers for people in the crowd. He walked to the counter in which patrons could buy tickets to redeem for beer and appeared to purchase tickets and hand them into the crowd.
He took a sip of beer as he posed for photos with Cunningham and other Bud Tent staffers.
As Obama stood at the Bud Tent, he was approached by Greg Lear, the president-elect of the Iowa Pork Producers, who offered him two large pork chops on a Styrofoam plate. Obama accepted the chops, but then yelled to nearby pool and staffers that he needed a knife. With none being available, he ate a pork chop with his fingers.
Lear told the pool reporter that he'd been waiting with the pork chops in hand for quite a while, ensuring that it they were cold by the time the president ate them.
"They'd have been a lot better 45 minutes ago," he said.
(Editor's Note: This article comprises White House press pool reports by Jason Noble of The Des Moines Register and Mike Brownlee of the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil.
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text:
Yanks unable to put away Mets, drop opener
Gardner does his part with amazing catch to rob a two-run home run
NEW YORK -- The Yankees thought they had their player of the game picked out the moment Brett Gardner's back crashed into the padding of the outfield wall, his glove soaring over the 385-foot marker to reel in a sixth-inning drive.
From his vantage point on the mound, Phil Hughes said he'd witnessed the best play ever made behind him. Daniel Murphy got his revenge later, though, lacing a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning that stunned the Yankees with a 2-1 defeat in Monday's Subway Series opener at Citi Field.
"I did a terrible job out there," said losing pitcher David Robertson, who left a cutter up that Murphy laced into center field. "I kept falling behind in the count, couldn't throw a breaking ball for a strike, and when you make mistakes like that against a good team, they make you pay for it."
After Gardner stole a two-run homer from Murphy with his terrific play in the sixth inning, the Mets tied the game with David Wright's long homer off Hughes in the seventh, then moved runners to second and third in the eighth as they pounced on an ineffective Robertson.
Second baseman Robinson Cano sharply threw home to cut down Mike Baxter at the plate on a Ruben Tejada fielder's choice, but Robertson allowed the go-ahead hit to Murphy, giving the struggling Mets their first lead of the evening.
"It's been a little bit of a frustrating time for us," Murphy said. "And to battle like that, to just absolutely battle, it felt like it was a big moment. I was really excited."
Hughes cruised through six scoreless innings before challenging Wright with a fastball in the midst of a tough at-bat in the seventh. The Mets' captain got him with a long blast to left, but Hughes still was able to feel good about his outing.
"I thought my fastball was pretty good at the start and it got better as the game went along," said Hughes, who allowed just four hits with no walks and six strikeouts. "Obviously, it would've been much different without Gardner making that catch. That was unbelievable."
Girardi said there should be no shame for Hughes in getting beat by Wright, who crushed his seventh home run of the season but just his first at Citi Field.
"David Wright is a perennial All-Star and a very good player," Girardi said. "He's put up big numbers for a long time and he got the best of Hughesie in that at-bat. He's a superstar and he put a superstar at-bat on him."
Brandon Lyon pitched a scoreless top half of the eighth inning to pick up the victory in relief of Jon Niese. The left-hander allowed just one run over seven innings, but with eight hits off Niese, the Yankees felt they should have been able to do more damage.
"I honestly don't know [what made Niese tough]. I feel like I saw good pitches against him," catcher Chris Stewart said. "He got out of some situations. He was just able to make good enough pitches to get out of jams and kept us off balance."
The Yanks brought around their only run off Niese in the sixth inning as Gardner laced a leadoff triple past the dive of left fielder Lucas Duda, then scored on Jayson Nix's soft single to right field.
In Gardner's mind, that only partially atoned for a first-inning misplay of a Wright drive to right-center that went for a triple as Gardner crashed into the fence.
"I thought I had another step or so," Gardner said. "Thank goodness it's a part of the park where it's a fence, not a wall. The poles out there have got some pretty good pads in front of them, so I'm fine."
He'd make up for the play entirely by leaping in a moment reminiscent of Endy Chavez's catch in the 2006 National League Championship Series across the parking lot at Shea Stadium, robbing Murphy of what should have gone for a two-run homer.
"It wouldn't be as difficult if I was a little taller," Gardner said, cracking a grin. "You've just got to hope that you're able to get a good clean jump. You want to get back there close to the fence as possible, but you don't want to run into the fence or hit the fence on the way up. I was able to time it just right."
Murphy hopped around first base and spiked his helmet in frustration, while from the back of the mound, Hughes pumped his right fist high in the air to celebrate Gardner's catch.
"Pretty special. It looked for a while like Gardy was going to be the star of the game, with the triple and then taking away the home run there," Girardi said. "But it didn't end up that way, unfortunately."
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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I read somewhere that meat can be introduced since 7 month old. I did so to my baby but then she suffered from constipation. Is time for introducing solids different for every child?
I read somewhere that meat can be introduced since 7 month old. I did so to my baby but then she suffered from constipation. Is time for introducing solids different for every child?
Dear lovingmum,
Thank you for your question.
Meat can actually be introduced from 6 months of age (alongside continued breastfeeding). If you are following baby led weaning then you can certainly offer your child a huge variety of healthy food that they can feed themselves from 6 months. Steamed chicken is very popular with babies and they will often suck the nutrients out of the chicken and spit out the rest which is, of course, totally fine.
It is really important that breastmilk is your baby's main source of nutrients up to 12 months of age. Following baby led weaning and not 'helping' your baby at all with their food (i.e. not putting any food in their mouth yourself or helping to put it in their hands etc) should ensure that your baby is still predominately drinking breastmilk. At 12 months of age a baby can actually still get over 90% of their nutritional requirements from the breastmilk alone. Therefore, at this age it is important to still breastfeed on demand (in the day and night).
What sort of meat has your baby been trying? It is important for it to be low in salt for a baby's health and to avoid constipation.
Remember; food is for fun until they are one (the blw mantra)! Continue to breastfeed your baby whenever they show signs of hunger and let them enjoy exploring other food which is healthy, low in salt and natural without overly encouraging them to consume it - they will get there when they are developmentally ready.
Warm wishes,
Thank you for your response, LJ. I used to make red rice, spinach and beef puree for my baby. The pediatrician told me that the constipation was because of the beef intake so I stopped giving it. I didn't know that it's better for the baby to feed herself. What if the baby swallow the food?
Yes it is absolutely fine for a baby to eat solid food alongside breastmilk from 6 months of age and when they show the signs of developmental readiness (e.g. reaching for food, able to sit unsupported). This is known as baby led weaning and there is now a wealth of research behind it. Have a look at the Baby Led Weaning website. A baby will then explore food and try it at their own pace which is far less likely to lead to constipation and less likely to cause them to reduce their breastmilk intake at this age.
You cut the food into 2-3 inch chunks/ sticks so that the baby can grip onto the food and there is still plenty of food extending their grip. A typical meal for your baby at this age could include: steamed chicken chunks, banana pieces, avocado slices and wholemeal pasta. Many babies will just play with and explore their food and may not really start properly swallowing it until 10 months - this is absolutely fine because the breastmilk should still supply the majority of what a baby needs up to 12 months of age.
You just avoid hard small pieces of food that could be a choking hazard e.g. nuts and dates with stones. You should also keep your baby's salt content to a complete minimum - in this sense chicken can be more suitable than beef. Often a baby will sound like they are coughing when they are learning to eat but they are actually just learning how to move the food in their mouth and throat. In the baby led weaning book by the health professional Gill Rapley it explains how choking is actually more likely with spoon feeding where a baby cannot control how liquid the food is.
Baby led weaning can be a wonderful way to let your baby explore, try and eat food at their own pace and set them up for a lifetime of healthy, happy eating.
Warm wishes,
I've checked the website. I think I'll give it a try. Thank you for answering my question and giving such valuable info.
Best regards,
That's great. If you can get hold of the book then it is excellent and explains the science behind baby led weaning too.
How is breastfeeding going?
Warm wishes,
Thanks for asking. I have to admit that the expressed breast milk is not enough to feed my baby for the whole day (8 to 9 hours a day) so I every time the breastmilk is run out, she is given formula. She has no problem so far so I think it's okay. What do you think?
Are you still offering her breastmilk direct from the breast as well? I'm just wondering if there's a particular reason you are mainly expressing your breastmilk?
Well, breastmilk is still best. It is wonderful to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months but from 6 months breastmilk is still far more advantageous compared to formula milk....to two years of age and beyond.
Constipation, which you mention in your first post above, is much more likely in babies who have formula milk. Unfortunately formula milk also removes some of the immunological properties of the breastmilk. It is just not as complex, delicate or nutritious as breastmilk.
Remember that no breast pump will be as efficient at extracting milk from the breast as your baby. Also, breastmilk is produced on a supply and demand basis - so if not enough breastmilk is being produced from the breast then your body will stop producing the required amount of breastmilk...and it becomes a cycle. You could still increase your breastmilk supply by going back to breastfeeding your baby on demand at the breast in the day and night if you wanted to. Speaking honestly, this is what I would choose in this situation because of the huge advantages to your baby and you of breastfeeding on demand. If you wanted to do this by solely pumping then you would need to pump so you simulated your baby's feeds which could be every 4 hours (day and night, or perhaps 5 depending on your baby and the amount of milk you express each time).
I want to encourage you that you are doing a great job in giving your daughter some breastmilk whatever you choose from here. But there are even more advantages to breastfeeding your daughter on demand, and working to increase your milk supply to do this, so that you do not need to give her any formula milk.
Please do let us know your thoughts on this. I hope you do not mind my honesty on this subject.
Warm wishes,
Warm wishes,
I think the right time is when you baby will be 1 yr it is the right time to introduce the meat. There is will be a digestion problem for the babies.


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Comment of the day
I found myself returning back a couple of times to Ken's comment in reply to Karen Coyle's post on the III SkyRiver lawsuit against OCLC:
I see your point about the 'zero sum game'–to a point. However if we take a broader, more inclusive view of the 'library function' we'd see it's a *booming* market-and seems to be practically recession proof. Google's mission statement defines it squarely as a 'library' company. Interviewed in Wired their CEO proudly talks about how they are 'good now at cataloguing and indexing stuff'. And it's not just commercial organisations like Google and Amazon that have 'disrupted' the conventional library market. Wikipedia and OpenLibrary are part of the growing 'social economy'. So I think the action is a symptom of a much wider change. 'Conventional' libraries and library companies are scrambling around trying to get their slice of the 'zero sum game' because they can't see beyond it and develop radically new services and products. They are leaving it to others. It's the 'Innovator's dilemma' if you like.
It summarizes nicely some thoughts I've been harbouring for some time as well. Apologies to Ken, but I didn't have the time to get a Blogger account to view your profile to cite your name more fully.
Ouch of the day — 'We were thinking about librarians'
Tuesday's Ottawa Citizen carried an article (original here) on the "wild ducks" at IBM's Almaden labs, where the company gives its employees a significant amount of leeway to run amok with creative and innovative technological explorations – kind of a think lab on steroids. Here's an extract that struck me:
Some projects don't pan out. In the early 1990s, Haas and IBM's database management team wanted to figure out a way of searching the web, something that didn't click.
"If we did it right, we might have invented search before Google," Haas said. "Be we had the wrong model, and we totally missed the boat. We were thinking about librarians." [my emphasis]
I also like the quote that "We're different. It takes a different kind of craziness here" — an appropriate statement on what I think we need a bit more of in the library community.


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Now that Greece has dealt with its fiscal emergency, it can turn its attention to another impending crisis: the physical fitness crisis.
A new survey published by the European Commission reveals that Greece scores at the bottom – along with Bulgaria and Italy – of a ranking of member states by sports participation. Just 3 per cent of Greeks play sports regularly, a fact that woud surely make the ancients pole vault in their graves. By contrast, Ireland came top of table with 23 per cent, closely trailed by the Nordic countries. Read more


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Recent rains may have helped wash away the drought from many areas in the Corn Belt, but April showers continue to stall corn planting across much of the heartland. In the latest update to its weekly Crop Progress report, the USDA said that 4 percent of the nation's corn has been planted, 2 percentage points above last week's report.
Progress is no doubt slower than last year. At this time in 2012, producers already had been in their fields for weeks and 26 percent of corn had been planted.
The early spring of 2012 is now a distant memory as many states are still facing freezing temperatures and rainy conditions. Eight states reported no corn planting progress for the second week in the row, including Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Read more from the Crop Progress report here.
However, not all states are struggling against Mother Nature. Five states have reported substantial progress in planting corn – North Carolina (64 percent), Texas (59 percent), Tennessee (31 percent), Kentucky (15 percent) and Missouri (13 percent).
Despite initial setbacks, May is promising to bring more spring-like weather.
John Dee, agricultural meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring, is forecasting more rain and snow through the end of this week but drier conditions next week, according to a Reuters report.
"It will be warmer, with not as much precipitation next week, so there will be some improvement for fieldwork," Dee said.


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/12/2013 (1348 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The ukulele, the slide guitar and Maui: Put them all together, and the music of Hawaii will embrace you, enchant you and it might even make you fall in love.
Maui has an astonishing number of talented musicians who make sweet music from brunch till dusk, then play late into the night at kanikapila (the Hawaiian equivalent of kitchen parties). International acts visit often and Grammy-award-winning local artists and world-famous rock stars make Maui their home. You'll find everything from rock to jaiwaiian (Hawaiian reggae) -- if you know where to look. Almost every first-time visitor wants to take in a luau, and that can be just the beginning for an exploration of the rich musical history of Maui.
The music of Maui began with the sea. When the first islanders arrived in Hawaii in their canoes from Polynesia around 400 AD, they were already on intimate terms with the rhythm of the waves. With that silky, steady backbeat on the sandy shore, they raised their voices in complex harmonies of chants called mele oli. Then, using what nature provided, they created instruments from gourds, bamboo, rocks and conch shells to accompany the dancers in mele hula. When the missionaries arrived in 1820, they translated hymns into Hawaiian himeni and the churches swelled with converts. Guitars arrived shortly after, followed by the braguinha, brought to the islands in 1879 by Portuguese sailors. Hawaiians called it the Uku lele, which translates to "jumping flea," a good way to describe the flying fingers of a ukulele player.
A stay at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel will put you in touch with the music, culture and values of the ancient Hawaiians. A unique Po'okela (excellence) program for staff focuses on the geography, religion, mythology, economics and technology of old Hawaii. The goal is to impart the essence of Hawaiian culture, an open-hearted sharing, to guests and to the community. And that includes music. This spring, for the fifth year, the hotel hosted the Maui Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival featuring five Hawaiian steel guitar masters sharing their talents through performances, workshops and kanikapila jam sessions.
According to steel guitar artist Joel Katz, one of the headliners, "Steel guitar is quintessentially Hawaiian. After all, the first steel guitar was invented in Hawaii in the 1880s by Joe Kekuku when he was just 15. The soulful sound made by drawing a steel bar across the strings became a sensation and Kekuku travelled to the U.S. and Europe, influencing jazz and blues artists and finding a special kinship with country guitar players."
You can hear Katz perform at the premi re luau in Maui, the Old Lahaina Luau. There are a dozen luaus on Maui, but this one is outstanding. As the sun sets on the beach behind the circular stage, you'll be drawn into the ancient mythology of the early Polynesians through story, song and dance.
On Wednesday nights, you don't want to miss George Kahumoku Jr.'s Slack Key Show -- Masters of Hawaiian Music at the Napili Kai Beach Resort. (Slack key combines open tunings with a fingerpicking style that alternates bass, rhythm and melody, all on one instrument.)
The winner of four Grammy awards for best Hawaiian album, Kahumoku invites the best slack key, ukulele and steel guitar artists from around the world to share the stage. Slack-key virtuoso Ledward Ka'apana is a regular, with his own following of Led Heads. As the night ends, all the headliners gather on stage and the music floats through the open-air pavilion up into the starry night. Stay here and you can enjoy a moonlight stroll through fragrant gardens to your condo by the sea after the concert.
The bay is a perfect place for novice paddle boarders and snorkellers. It's hard to believe when you look out at the immaculately landscaped grounds of the Napili Kai this idyllic site was once covered in thorn trees and skunk cabbage. Fifty years of hard work by Canadian owners created such a friendly atmosphere families return annually and staff stay on for decades.
If rock 'n' roll is more your style, drop in to Fleetwood's on Front Street in Lahaina and have a cocktail on the rooftop patio overlooking the harbour. Arrive around 6:30 p.m. when a bagpiper salutes the sunset. After dark, it's a perfect spot to recline on the Moroccan-style benches covered in throw pillows and watch the stars. The owner is none other than Mick Fleetwood, and an expensive drum kit sits on the second-floor stage waiting for his occasional visits. Live bands play the rooftop Thursday through Saturday.
In Wailea, the sunny southern part of the island, the Fairmont Kea Lani makes a great home base for music lovers. This luxury property has more than 20 acres of lush landscaped grounds, three meandering pools and a classic powder white beachfront.
One of the best places to watch the sunset is the Fairmont's open-air Luana Lounge that overlooks the pool and the ocean from a marble balcony. Luana means "relax" in Hawaiian and you will, especially if you're listening to the laid-back classical guitar of a friendly local musician like Eddee Sebala. A native Hawaiian, Eddee joined the navy and moved to Scotland for seven years to work on a nuclear submarine before he got tired of the snow and decided to follow his dream. "All I ever wanted was to play music and make people happy and now that's what I do." Eddee brings the open-hearted spirit of Hawaii to life.
Starting from the Fairmont, you can sample live music from jazz to jaiwaiian at any of the lobby bars along the 2.4-km Coastal Walk. It skirts the coastline with the Four Seasons, the Grand Wailea, Wailea Beach Marriott and the new Andaz Maui at Wailea on the right, and the pounding ocean surf on the left. Pop in during hana hou (Hawaiian happy hour) to see Reiko Fukino, a guitar player with a vast repertoire, at the Grand Wailea.
"I like to mix it up," she says. "There are a lot of excellent musicians playing the lounges here, like Sal Godinez on piano and Marcus Johnson on bass playing jazz at the Four Seasons, and the pianist and composer Gene Argel. If you find someone you like, just ask them where they're playing next."
No musical trip to Maui would be complete without a visit to the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului. More than 1,700 music, dance and art exhibits take place here every year. Such acts as Elton John, James Taylor, Steve Miller and Canada's own Delhi 2 Dublin have performed here. Hawaiian musicians take the stage at festivals here year-round. With so many artists to choose from, you're bound to fall in love with the music of Maui.
-- Postmedia Network Inc. 2013


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The defence industry represents a critical and highly influential force in the UK economy. In recent years, defence spending totalled almost £40 billion, and the sector provides employment for more than 280,000 armed forces personnel alone. Furthermore, the military offers recruitment opportunities to about 10,000 new entrants each year.
But the defence industry also encompasses many private sector employment opportunities, most of which are supported by lucrative government contracts, and Defence recruitment agencies routinely find placements for ex-military personnel, CAD designers, marine engineers, aerospace experts, and a diverse pool of other jobseekers.Engineering, manufacturing, and personal security make up significant portions of the industry, so positions range from skilled manual labour to highly technical R&D jobs. In any case, those in the industry tend to be well paid.
Salaries range from £25K to £65K, and the average annual income is just under £40K. London and Scotland are by far the highest paying regions in the UK, with salaries averaging about £47K, while annual earnings in the North East are substantially lower than elsewhere in the nation, (only £33K). Advanced degrees are required for most upper-level positions, and many areas of the industry are quite competitive.
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JUNIOR athletes from Halesowen Athletics Club travelled to Stoke to take part in the Youth Development Meeting for the Midlands East One Division.
First places were achieved for many of the club's athletes at the event on Saturday, May 31.
Under 13 Safia Paraiso ran the 75m B race in 10.9s to take the first win of the day and the 2nd win wasn't far behind with Isaac Gould winning the under 13 100m A race in 13.7s.
Team-mate Ben White then took first place in the B race in 14.1s.
The sprinters continued to perform well with Josie Oliarnyk winning the under 15 100m A in 12.5s and Lauryn Elliott winning the B race in 13.6.s In the under 13 150m A race Iris Oliarnyk ran a PB to win the A race in 20.0s.
Halesowen went on to dominate the 200m sprints with wins in both the A and B races in the U15 boys 200m (A-James Andrews 23.8, B-Ryan Shippy 24.8), under 13 boys 200m (A-Harvey Warmington-Christmas 27.0s, B-Ben White 28.9s) and under 15 girls 200m (A-Josie Oliarnyk 25.6s, B-Molly Jenks 26.1s).
There were more successes in the 300m. Charles Hilliard won the under 15 A competition with a PB of 36.2sand Katrina Simpson won the girls A race in 42.8s.
Moving into the middle distances Jack Macfarlane took the win in the under 15 800m B race in 2.31m and Abigail Saker won the girls A race in 2.28.3m
On the field Katrina Simpson jumped 1.55m to win the under 15 girls high jump event and in addition to winning the high jump in 1.20m in the boys under 13 B event, Alexander Johnson also won the Long Jump B competition with a PB of 4.01m.
Molly Jenks won the under 15 girls Long Jump A with a leap of 4.93m and Iris Oliarnyk jumped 4.75m to win the under 13 girls A competition.
Josie Oliarnyk threw 9.61m to win the under 15 shot put, over half a metre further than the second placed Radley athlete and Cara Clarke threw a PB of 8.44m to win the B competition. Lauren Whensley threw 7.32m to win the under 13 competition.
Lee Wright won the under 15 discuss competition with a throw over 5 metres further than the second placed Worksop athlete, taking the win with 36.45 as well as winning the Javelin B competition with a throw of 33.50m. Sam Chance threw 21.97m in the hammer B competition to add to the wins!
Finally under 13 athlete, Tilly Giles, threw a PB of 23.49 to win the Javelin A competition.


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TI Announces OMAP4470 and Specs: PowerVR SGX544, 1.8 GHz Dual Core Cortex-A9by Brian Klug on 6/2/2011 3:01 AM EST
- Posted in
- Cortex A9
- Smartphones
- Mobile
30 Comments
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iwod - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkSo basically an Apple A5 without the two M3 core. But 1.8Ghz is amazing, Is it really intended to be a Mobile Chip?
I think Apple needs to up the game a bit. Reply
Chloiber - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - link? Why ?
First devices arrive in "first half of 2012". Just "lol". And the A5 of the iPad 2 still has the better GPU. Reply
ebolamonkey3 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkNo, the SGX 543 and SGX 544 are the same except the latter support DX9. Reply
NMR Guy - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkThe A5 uses an SGX543MP2, so yes, the A5 has a better GPU. In the end, though, it's all about balance in the mobile game, so this will be just what a lot of manufacturers are looking for. Reply
domdym - Thursday, November 03, 2011 - linkipad is dual gpu the omap is single. Reply
jjj - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkAny clue if it's on 40nm or 32/28nm ? Reply
jjj - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkI know the 4xxx series is on 40nm and 5xxx on 28nm but don't want to just assume .Qualcomm said today they are sampling MSM8960 this month and MSM8960 should be on 28nm so i figured others should be having 28nm soon too.. Reply
Wilco1 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkFrom the press release:
"The 45nm OMAP4470 processor is expected to sample in the second half of 2011, with devices expected to hit the market in first half 2012. "
OMAP5 will be 28nm indeed. Reply
Brian Klug - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkLike the rest of the OMAP4 family, it's 45nm. Apologies, I should've made that a bit clearer ;)
-Brian Reply
Shadowmaster625 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkI see that the smartphone world is innovating much faster than the x86 world. I been saying for a while that intel/amd need to have a couple cores like this so they can keep their monster x86 cores powered down when you are reading a web page or typing into a box like this. I am thinking a 386 with 8k of cache, clocked at 66 MHz would do the trick. A tiny little core. Reply
dagamer34 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkThat'd be a real waste of die space. Besides, pretty much every CPU since the Core days in 2006 has had the ability to underclock itself, and the Core iX series is able to turn of entire CPUs. And while web browsing may not be that demanding, there are always little background tasks that require some CPU. Reply
ahmedz_1991 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkagree with dagamer Reply
Shadowmaster625 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linka 386 with 8k of cache would consume how much of a i7-2600k die? 2%? 1%? How can that be awaste of space if it enables 10% or more power consumption reduction? You are the epitomy of stagnation in the x86 world. No facts. No numbers. Not even any intelligent estimations. You just know it wont work. Reply
sum1guy - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkYou don't understand how an Intel CPU works.
You could put a 66 MHz CPU on there that create your page in 100 ms, or the 3.43 GHz CPU can create the page in 2 ms and then go to sleep. Intel looked into what you're suggesting over a decade ago, and concluded that it always makes sense to have more power than you need. When you're working on an easy task, you just finish the task faster and then power down. Reply
Galaxie500 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkThe rules are a bit different on very low power devices though. Peak power draw, as opposed to average power over time, is also important. If that 3.43GHz CPU requires a huge inrush of current during that 2ms, the battery may not be able to supply it. It may actually be better to draw a steady, lower current for 100ms, especially if it simplifies the design of the power supplies. Reply
Klinky1984 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkSeriously a 386 w/ 8k cache would be pathetically underpowered for doing anything really useful besides idling. Those two 266Mhz M3 cores probably run circles around 386. Also the i386 instruction set is antiquated as most software is now optimized for i586 & i686 sets, plus all the MMX/SSE extensions.
Now integrating a low powered Atom CPU might be more valuable, but more research in clock throttling & powergating is probably a better use of our time. A lot of idle power consumption for recent computers has been the horrible idle power of GPUs. My Radeon 4850 sucks too much power sitting idle two minor 2d/3d composition in Win XP or Windows 7. Luckily this is starting to change as GPU vendors take idle & peak power more seriously. Reply
Zoomer - Monday, June 20, 2011 - linkNot to mention that such a heterogeneous setup would need OS support for it to work well. Sure, one could build hardware support for switching, but that will be horribly inefficient, as the hardware can only guess at the workload. Also. it'll make the already horribly complex front end (x86 decode) even more complex.
Phones are mostly idle most of the time, but it needs to perform housekeeping tasks, like checking in with the mobile network periodically. SoCs may even support that in hardware. The ARM ISA is also vastly less loaded with historical BS; they could also revise it if necessary, since the issue of backwards compatibility is really a non-issue. It'll just be a recompilation. Not so for x86. We still need to run quake, and IPX/SPX not working was the last straw. Reply
mustafaka - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkThey are following the footprints on a path already innovated by the x86 world. I know there are major differences between the architectures. However they have common problems and solutions as well. Reply
FunBunny2 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkThey hardware instruction set of an Intel processor might surprise you. Reply
mustafaka - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkStill even the failures of the pioneers are hints to the followers. Reply
JMC2000 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkIt would have to be P5 or P6-based at minimum... A 386 or even a 486, wouldn't cut it. Intel could integrate one or two Atom-like cores with a Core-i Series chip, and AMD could integrate some Bobcat-like small cores and Phenom or Bulldozer-based larger cores. Reply
sum1guy - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkIt is not necessary to pair small processors with large processors for power efficiency. Intel already studied it.
CPU A runs at 1000 MHz and works on hard problems
CPU B runs at 100 MHz to save power
So you have an easy task that you'd like to pass to CPU B. CPU B performs the task in 100 ms. CPU A performs the task in 10 ms and then sleeps for the next 90 ms. Intel concluded that a super fast processor that is idle most of the time is more energy efficient than a slower processor that is running most of the time. Thanks to modern power gating, it makes sense to throw a super powerful CPU at even the simplest of tasks. It simply performs the task quickly and then power down. Reply
lmcd - Sunday, October 07, 2012 - linkUmm, Intel isn't as right as you think. They had to spend A TON of R&D to get power gating to the point that what you suggested works reasonably well.
As for why it still isn't perfect...
Think about it: execution cores 3x the size of the little core out of the "big little" at the same speed are still going to use more power. And the instructions common for LP cores might be different than those common to regular usage. So where do you draw the line? And if you draw a line anywhere towards the low power side, you have peak performance compromises, so still less than optimal efficiency.
Two different core types, with power gating or asynchronous clocks, is easily viable and probably more efficient Reply
sleepeeg3 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkInnovating?! They are just making things faster. If intel wanted to make a 10GHz processor, they could. It would probably also require a 10lb block of silver to cool it.
Unlike the x86 world, mobile chips are slow enough that they are not constrained by heat, they are only constrained by battery life. Every one of these speed increases comes at an increase of power consumption and lower battery life. They can keep doing this forever until batteries will only last a minute on a charge. Why? ...because people believe faster=better. Not sure what anyone does on a cell phone that requires this increase in speed.
As for your suggestion to use a 386, it is not a terrible idea, but the system components all draw a large amount of power, beside the CPU and integrating it would just add to the cost of the board that no one cares about. Sleep or standby consumption is not enough for most consumers to care about, unless they buy into this global warming nonsense. Reply
erple2 - Tuesday, June 07, 2011 - linkThey're nearly synonymous. For a while, mobile chips in the x86 world were slow enough that they weren't constrained by heat.
As ARM chips get faster and faster, they're going to start heating up, and the constraints of being able to cool them become more and more important. I realize that there are architectural differences that are somewhat in ARM's favor for the class of workloads the ARM is expected to do vs. an x86 processor, but you're still eventually going to run into the heating issue.
If for no other reason, fully discharging a Li-Ion battery in 1 minute will probably cause it to catch fire. Reply
djgandy - Friday, June 03, 2011 - linkI fail to see the innovation you speak of. I see slapping more cores on and upping clock rates with die shrinks. Looks like it is mirroring the x86 market but is about 7 years behind.
Remember smart phone chips are also getting a larger because their performance is seen as more important. You can't compare phones from 5 years ago with phones of today simply for this fact. Reply
sleepeeg3 - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - linkYou can just hear that battery life being sucked away! I think they are trying to convert mobile phones back to corded. You will need to cord constantly plugged in, just to keep it charged! Do you think we will get to use those nifty spiral wound cords again?
So now we will be able to... preview a demo of UT3 on our keyboardless cell phones? I don't get it. Would be much more excited to hear that the new phones lasted a month without a charge. That would be awesome. Reply
Veerappan - Thursday, June 02, 2011 - link"2.5x overall graphics performance increase; support for DirectX, OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenVG 1.1, and OpenCL 1.1"
OpenCL support on a mobile GPU could introduce some nice possibilities. Reply
erple2 - Tuesday, June 07, 2011 - linkTrue, but I think it's more interesting from the giant massively parallel ARM based "servers" that are planned perspective. I wouldn't see that as a viable anything on a mobile device (yet). Reply
jessie320 - Monday, July 11, 2011 - linkwhat is the package type? Flip chip BGA ? Reply