text:
Printable View
The male of the species is often more colourful.
The sickest wetsuits ever!
I'm dribbling on this suits!
Built with one of the tops neoprene, ultra light and warmer and with a sick design...

I present to you, JANGA!

Some awesome pictures, more info on
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/JA...96732453705315

http://www.jangarevolt.org/
<br /
I smell a company Rep............
he has poor grammar if hes a rep,please dont make me look at those ever again!
i understand the black argument for the wetsuits. its a scientific fact that warm is the blackest color. Absorption color spectrum and all that. has anyone considered he might only be wearing them when the water is warm enough for a 3/2 only? cmon guys. surfing is art. dont ruin people's creativity or it will stagnate and then you will all be complaining that it happened. stop giving this guy crap for a being different. Xcel makes a blue and white comp suit and i bet if he had said Xcel, half this argument wouldnt even be happening.
ulissis, please post pictures and give us an update when you get it and break it in. Personally i would at least like to try one. I think they look sweet. Have a good one
wow. dig up my webbed gloves and my devo cassette.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mailinglist Archive: opensuse-factory (279 mails)
|< Previous
|Next >
[opensuse-factory] High Power Consumption during sleep with Kernel 2.6.29-rc6
- From: Raymond Wooninck <tittiatwork@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 17:26:39 +0100
- Message-id: <BAY118-W1701660265BF33DD7BCE5CAFA70@xxxxxxx>
I believe that I detected a regression in the newest kernel 2.6.29 regarding
Power Consumption during Sleep (S3 state). As I reported before I had problems
with resuming after sleep with the kernels before 2.6.29-rc6, so I didn't use
Sleep anymore. Now that the resume issue is resolved, I started to use Sleep
again and I noticed that my battery (full loaded before Sleep) was drained in
maybe something like 5 or 6 hours.
As I have a IBM Thinkpad with the famous Radeon chip, I validated if the
radeonfb module was loaded and if the workaround was enabled. This was the
case, so the question is where this power drain is coming from.
I have now tested the kernel 22.214.171.124 and 2.6.29-rc6 with the same
installation. This means that I am just rebooting to use the other kernel. What
I have detected is that the 22.214.171.124 kernel behaves normally and with a normal
low power consumption during sleep. I am using the famous sleep test script
from www.thinkwiki.org
This test script gives the following output :
Sun Mar 1 20:57:44 CET 2009
before: 33380 mWh
after: 31700 mWh
diff: -1680 mWh
seconds: 2056 sec
result: -2941 mW
Your model seems to be affected.
Tue Mar 3 21:04:34 CET 2009
before: 31170 mWh
after: 30990 mWh
diff: -180 mWh
seconds: 1342 sec
result: -482 mW
Congratulations, your model seems NOT to be affected.
I will create a bug for this issue and there I will attach the corresponding
dmesg and pm-suspend.log's for both kernels. But I just wanted to know if other
Factory users are seeing the same behaviour.
Drag n' drop—Get easy photo sharing with Windows Live™ Photos.
To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxx
For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@xxxxxxxxxxxx
|< Previous
|Next >


text:
Trade-offs for mobile broadband
Post a comment
Personal communication services show that it is possible to provide mobile access and have been popular among users. Now third-generation, or 3G, communications open the possibility of faster data rate mobile applications, but the spectrum needed for 3G overlaps some of the spectrum currently used for fixed wireless applications.
So it is time to take advantage of the lessons learned from existing commercial system deployments of cellular phone and existing mobile data access systems, such as Ricochet, cellular digital packet data (CDPD) and RAM Mobile Data. Taking advantage of innovative technology while concentrating on sound RF principles will provide 3G users with the best service combination of functionality and cost and will also encourage optimal use of a limited resource: spectrum at easy-to-use frequencies.
Fixed wireless will always be more spectrum-efficient than mobile access techniques because mobility requires an omnidirectional antenna (one that radiates in all directions). Mobility is possible only with relatively slow data speeds or with a very extensive infrastructure. It is technically and financially unfeasible to support high data rates in a mass-deployed mobile system. Of course, "high speed" and "mass deployed" are in the eye of the beholder and, more important, in this case may be traded off for each other.
To be sure, the exponential growth of the number of Internet users has been amazing; but even more astounding is the exponential growth of Internet traffic. This divergence between the number of users and the amount of traffic is the result of average users needing more bandwidth, that is, higher access speed. More bandwidth is required because more and better information, as well as more multimedia content, are available through the Internet. The better the Internet gets, the more of it everyone wants.
People will always want portability and mobility: the more convenience wireless engineers give them, the more they want. These two market realities are forcing the matter of providing high-speed access in mobile systems. Major telecommunications operators have spent billions and are preparing to spend much more to solve the last-mile conundrum. However, the simultaneous physical implementation of both high speed and mobility for a reasonable price is not so simple.
High data rates require broad bandwidths-simple enough. This was proved more than 50 years ago and is still true in the new millennium. The 3G mobile cellular phone systems offer Internet access with the promise of 2-Mbit/second data rates. Although these data rates are achieved quite handily in the wired world and routinely in the fixed wireless spectrum-for example, multichannel multipoint distribution service is 2.1 to 2.7 GHz and local multipoint distribution service, 24 to 40 GHz-they are a bit harder to achieve in the architecture of a mobile system. This is one reason that the 3G IMT-2000 proposal limits mobile users to 384 kbits/s.
System planners as well as politicians and FCC commissioners must be cognizant of the trade-offs involved in high-speed wireless systems. High data bandwidth comes either through unsophisticated modulation with wide spectrum allocations-which is very expensive-such as analog FM modulation, or through advanced, compressed modulation techniques such as 64 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) and its derivatives. More sophisticated modulations are used to reduce the required bandwidth for a given data rate. However, the more bits per hertz transmitted, the better the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required to allow accurate demodulation at acceptable bit error rates (BER).
At a given path loss, sufficient SNR is achieved either by narrowing the bandwidth, which limits the data bandwidth, or increasing the power of the transmitter. Of course, narrowing the spectrum bandwidth improves the noise power, but it also forces a higher-order modulation to transmit the same amount of data. Looked at in another direction, doubling the data rate may be achieved either by using a higher-order modulation with the same RF bandwidth-that is, going from quadrature phase shift keying to 16 QAM, which requires roughly 7 dB better SNR-or by doubling the RF spectrum bandwidth, which requires 3 dB more transmitter power.
The real-world realities mean that neither approach achieves the desired outcome of more data bandwidth at the same power level, since either the SNR must be increased to support the more complex modulation type or the received power must be higher to overcome the wider noise power.
Several solutions are available for high data rate systems. The transmitted power can be increased; the distance to the reception node can be shortened, resulting in an increased number of nodes, and/or directional antennas can be used so that the transmitted power is concentrated toward the intended receiver. All of those solutions will improve the signal level at the receiver. However, the first two result in increased background noise. On one hand, the users in adjacent cells also must increase their transmission power. On the other, they must, of course, be closer to adjacent basestations. Each of these approaches has a point of diminishing returns that limits net data throughput in an area because interference increases from nearby nodes. The transmitter power must be increased again to overcome this interference, or path length must be shortened even more to overcome the interference of other users in nearby cells.
That raises several questions. First, how do cell phones, with their omnidirectional antennas, operate with large cell sites? The data bandwidth is narrow, which means the SNR is improved by narrow spectrum bandwidths resulting in low-noise power bandwidths. The data rate for most cell phone systems is less than 20 kbits/s. Second, what about spread spectrum solutions? Deployment experience with code division multiple access has shown how difficult that is to do in reality. Spread spectrum is subject to the so-called waterfall effect when the traffic load approaches the upper limit. Once the number of users exceeds that limit, every user in a cell experiences quality problems. Next, what about existing mobile wireless data services? All of them have either very narrow data bandwidths or an extremely low user density. The data rates are advertised to be 70 kbits/s but experienced rates are typically less than half that.
Finally, how do fixed wireless systems operate with high data speeds? They overcome the path loss matter by using antenna gain to reduce wasted transmitted energy. The antennas provide directivity for the radiated energy concentrating it where it will enhance the SNR (and BER) rather than radiating it in all directions. Even a little antenna gain improves the situation considerably. An antenna with a 17-dBi gain at the subscriber site reduces transmitted power by a factor of 50 for the same SNR at the receive site. This means reducing the power from 1 W to 20 mW for a typical high data rate link. More important, the radiation is directed toward the intended receiver rather than omnidirectionally. The side lobes on a small directional antenna are typically more than 10 dB below the main beam, thereby reducing interference to other cell sites. Of course, mobility is nearly impossible with a directional antenna since the antenna must be aimed in the correct direction.
Another thing users want is an option for self-installation of the access module inside their homes. This means that the path loss calculations must take into consideration the attenuation that would occur through the building walls when wet from rain, or through a wall with aluminum-backed insulation or through a window screen. Those conditions make the argument for a directional antenna even stronger. Any transmitter would need to increase the output power enough to overcome the additional losses; therefore, the side lobes of a directional antenna would go up proportionally. However, they would still be lower, by the gain of the antenna, than if an omnidirectional antenna were being used.
The 2.1-GHz band is more vulnerable to foliage attenuation and losses through walls than are lower-frequency systems. Every experienced cell phone user has noticed how much better the lower frequencies penetrate a building-for example, broadcast radio, TV signals or even 870-MHz digital AMPS cell phones-vs. 1.8-GHz PCS phones. Generally, the lower the frequency the easier it is to receive a good signal or transmit from inside a building. Using a high-speed wideband access system at 2.1 GHz as proposed by 3G will be frustrating to users when inside a building and, once again, the distance to the access nodes will have to be reduced, resulting in more nodes and a high noise floor of interference.
Desired connectivity speeds will continue to increase, putting more demands on an access system. Any given connection speed will be less satisfying to users over time. It is easier to offer faster speeds to more users with directional antennas than with omnidirectional ones.
Everyone wants faster connectivity. Mobile access is an important business opportunity with many possible applications. However, the majority of legitimate mobile applications do not require high-speed access. For example, checking traffic, receiving financial updates or finding phone numbers, vendor locations, product price and availability and airline schedules do not require high-speed connections.
Going back to the principles outlined in the beginning of this article, the optimal solution is to use spectrum efficiently consistent with subscribers' requirements. One solution is to deploy high-speed, fixed wireless access using a large number of micro- and picocells. The microcells are wireless nodes that bridge a central community basestation and several neighborhoods' piconodes. For example, microcells might address distances of up to 4 km. A layer of picocell wireless bridges would support path lengths of 400 m. Those micro- and piconodes could be distributed based on three criteria: number of subscribers supported, maximum distance to the farthest subscriber and total traffic in the micro- and picocell.
In this scenario, most fixed or transportable subscribers would be able to find a piconode that has visibility from any room in their homes from which they wish to operate. The microcells could be co-located with existing cell phone hubs and the picocells could be roof-mounted nodes, each with a directional antenna toward the microcell and four sector antennas to cover the neighborhood's users.
This scenario allows very-high-frequency reuse through a large number of micro- and picocells that may be accessed via small directional antennas that are user installed. It takes advantage of the directional antennas to maintain low amounts of useless, randomly radiated energy.
Another major advantage of this multilayered concept is that truly mobile users may use omnidirectional antennas and work from picocells that are nearby. Of course, the system operator will want to limit the amount of traffic transmitted over the omni antennas to prevent the noise floor from rising. That could be done via differential pricing or restricting the upstream data rate when using an omni antenna.


text:
I recently went down to Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, CA for a few hours. It was a lovely little day trip getaway.
Japanese Gardens
Hakone Gardens is a Japanese garden. In fact it "is the oldest Japanese and Asian estate, retreat and gardens in the Western Hemisphere". I really love Japanese Gardens and enjoy exploring the differences between them. I've been to Japanese Gardens here in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, in San Diego's Balboa Park, in Los Angeles and in Buenos Aires. And now in Saratoga.


text:
Security probe after police guarding Kate and George leave documents on Caribbean flight
A Royal protection officer escorting the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George to the Caribbean left important documents on their BA plane, it emerged today.
Kate and her baby son flew from Gatwick to St Lucia before taking a private plane to Mustique.
It has now emerged that a police officer accompanying them left a file, thought to be related to security, on the British Airways plane.
It was promptly returned by staff.
The Middleton family have rented a £5m villa, costing £8,500 a week, to celebrate Carole's 59th birthday.
Prince William has stayed behind to continue studying for his 10 week agricultural course at Cambridge University.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said today: "On 25 January a Metropolitan Police Service officer left some documents on a plane.
"The documents were returned to the officer within hours by airline staff.
"The papers didn't contain any classified documents and the circumstances of the loss are currently being looked into."
The break is the first foreign holiday for six month-old future King Prince George, who was said to have behaved well during the long flight.
He and his mother were travelling with Kate's brother James Middleton and Royal bodyguards on the 747 jumbo jet.
The group met Kate's parents Michael and Carole and her sister Pippa at the four bedroom villa, which comes with a butler, chef, housekeeper and gardener, as well as a lush tropical garden.
A Clarence House spokeswoman said: "We don't make any comment on security matters".


text:
Guidance for implementing Vietnam's "special consumption tax" will be effective beginning 1 January 2016.
The guidance—Circular 195/2015/TT-BTC, as issued by the Ministry of Finance—addresses certain factors such as how to determine the "taxable price" for purposes of the special consumption tax. There also are measures concerning imported automobiles.
Examples are included illustrating how the special consumption tax credit is applied at the import stage or paid at the procurement stage.
Read a December 2015 report [PDF 145 KB] prepared by the KPMG member firm in Vietnam: Circular 195/2015/TT-BTC provides guidance on the implementation of Special Consumption Tax ("SCT") regulations
The KPMG logo and name are trademarks of KPMG International. KPMG International is a Swiss cooperative that serves as a coordinating entity for a network of independent member firms. KPMG International provides no audit or other client services. Such services are provided solely by member firms in their respective geographic areas. KPMG International and its member firms are legally distinct and separate entities. They are not and nothing contained herein shall be construed to place these entities in the relationship of parents, subsidiaries, agents, partners, or joint venturers. No member firm has any authority (actual, apparent, implied or otherwise) to obligate or bind KPMG International or any member firm in any manner whatsoever. The information contained in herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation. For more information, contact KPMG's Federal Tax Legislative and Regulatory Services Group at: + 1 202 533 4366, 1801 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.


text:
Apple has "significantly reduced" its iPhone orders to its manufacturers, as it "begins prepping" for iPhone 5. That's how Neil Hughes at AppleInsider sees it, based on an investors note from Sterne Agee stock analyst Shaw Wu. See also iPhone 5 release date, specs and rumour round up.
In the note, Wu told his readers that "he has found in his checks with suppliers that Apple has reduced iPhone orders by between 20 and 25 percent from the 35.1 million units the company shipped in the March quarter," according to Hughes. Go to iPhone 5 will "launch" in September.
If it's ordering fewer phones, it will be shipping fewer phones. "If those numbers hold for the current June quarter, that would result in shipments of between 26 million and 28 million iPhones. That result would be below Wall Street consensus of between 30 million and 31 million." Visit iPhone 5's iOS 6 firmware to be revealed in June.
But, there are the phones already in the channel inventory. Wu estimates that there 8.6 million iPhones in the channel inventory, with 2.6 million added in the most recent quarter. "That channel inventory allowed the company to reach a supply-demand balance of between 4 and 6 weeks," according to the AppleInsider story.
Based on past history, Apple can expect a slowdown in iPhone sales, the closer we come to the expected announcement of the next iPhone. At the same time, it presumably wants to have enough phones to meet all the demand during the run-up to that announcement, while making sure there's manufacturing capacity to meet expected demand for the Next iPhone.
AppleInsider quotes Wu: "It appears AAPL is opting to be conservative with its suppliers to factor in a potential 2-quarter pause ahead of the refresh and also to manage inventory."
In 2011, as AppleInsider notes, Apple reported record sales of 20.34 million iPhones during the June quarter, and 17.07 million in the September quarter, "as Apple drew down inventories ahead of the iPhone 4S launch." But that seems to assume that Apple, in effect, didn't have enough iPhones to meet demand. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that demand for iPhone 4 fell off, especially in the second half of the September quarter, but not as much as Apple executives had feared.
Wu "believes investor expectations should be drawn in for the June quarter as well as the following September quarter," according to AppleInsider.
Rollup isn't a corporate inventory management specialist, and Apple's Tim Cook definitely is, but low-balling Apple sales for two quarters -- half of the year -- doesn't seem like a great inventory management strategy.


text:
Legal Question in Business Law in Illinois
small business
I did $1800.00 worth of simple assembly work from my home last year and received a 1099 MISC. for this work. Would there be a tax advantage for me to form an S-Corp for future income. Estimated income this year will be 10,000.00
Asked on 2/11/09, 7:18 pm
1 Answer from Attorneys
Burton Padove Indiana and Illinois Lawyer, Burton A. Padove
Re: small business
This is an accountant's question. The attorney does the n accountant is better qualified to guide you concerning tax advantages of one kind of entity as opposed to another.
Answered on 2/11/09, 10:41 pm
Related Questions & Answers
Male Discrimination I have applied for a full time medical position, for which I am... Asked 2/09/09, 11:31 pm in United States Illinois Business Law
Business liability part 2 Here is more information for the previous question nder... Asked 2/09/09, 10:48 pm in United States Illinois Business Law
Co Owner of a car I and my brother in law , we bought a car. His credit was very... Asked 2/09/09, 12:41 pm in United States Illinois Business Law


text:
: Club:
~>{*Shiny Hunters Club}<~
View Single Post
May 17th, 2009 (11:43 AM).
Heart's Soul
Hey, look, I was gone.
Join Date:
Nov 2007
My Arceus is hacked, definetly. My Regis are hacked as well, but everything else is basically real or should be. Some Midori Metagross is also traded, but I think it's also hacked, due to being a shiny from an egg. Also, my Munchlax are mainly hacked.
Also, I just found out that I do not have a shiny Empoleon. I don't have any shiny starters, except for some Charizard. (All are hacked) I've also found hacked Celebi on my ranch.
I have most legits, but some are hacks. I'm still looking for more shinies to add to my shinydex, which lists all hacked and non-hacked pokemon. I was able to give my friend some real hacked pokemon, got an Arceus back from him, lv. 20, too tough to train, he said. With the stats that it had, it's impossible.
Still, about 70% of my shinies are from hacks (including shiny hack), but some are real. Now, where can I find a Mewtwo?
I've been on this forum for about 10 years now. You guys wanna see a rare badge? I got some rare badges.
Heart's Soul
Joined Nov 2007
Heart's Soul
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Heart's Soul
Find all posts by Heart's Soul
Find threads started by Heart's Soul
Ignore Posts by Heart's Soul


text:
Hopefully someone can help.
Use picture for reference.
Thanks a bunch guys.
What about a KK taste just before it rolls out?
XDA Developers was founded by developers, for developers. It is now a valuable resource for people who want to make the most of their mobile devices, from customizing the look and feel to adding new functionality.
Are you a developer? | Terms of Service
Copyright © xda-developers. Hosted by Leaseweb


text:
The Russian Drunk guy
January 15, 2015 · Public
Bucky ur doin an awesome job man, im learning Html now with ur tutorials. Also im registered on your youtube for a long time now under name skystarcom or some shit like that :)
anyways once again u doin a very good job, even my wife started learning with me.
I come from russia, live in canada, and no im not a drunk person lol, i dont even drink, just for fun the name, anyway bucky would be good to talk 2 u in person on skype or teamspeak one day, i got so many questions but i dont wanna ask em coz the answer might be in the next tutorial, so ill shut up until im done with all of em.
thanx for your good work buddy


text:
News Publication
- Save the Children launch website designed with CORU's help
- Attempts at surgical removal are of no benefit to asbestos cancer sufferers finds trial led by CORU's Tom Treasure
- CORU's work shows effects of selective citation on surgical practice
- Pandemic flu countermeasure work published in Vaccine
- Editorial praises CORU's simple risk stratification model
- Tom Treasure's talk is ranked among top three presentations
- The Ekjut trial in India is selected as Trial of the Year!
- Christos Vasilakis gives keynote lecture at Young OR 17 conference
- CORU informs national policy on pandemic flu
- CORU work examines the foundations of triage
- Christina Pagel gives invited talk at RCM conference
- Martin Utley gives invited talk at the MASHNET workshop
- Making sense of statistics
- UCL helps engineer to heal his own heart
- Christina Pagel has paper published in The Lancet
- Martin Utley promoted to professor
- Professor Tom Treasure attends NICE International conference
- Citation for Steve Gallivan
- NCEPOD report highlights concerns over chemotherapy
- CORU 25 year celebration
- Marfan aortic aneurysm: Golesworthy wins Healthcare Award
- CORU projections of skilled birth attendance rates in world's poorest regions published
- CORU's Skilled Birth Attendance paper is a BMC Highly Accessed paper!
- CORU's visual outcome monitoring tool (VLAD) goes global!
- Number of people living with cancer set to increase significantly
- CORU article highlights challenges in implementing modelling toolkits
- Health financing website receives positive feedback!
- Is surgery to remove secondary cancer always a good thing?
- Sonya Crowe awarded Improvement Science Fellowship by the Health Foundation!
- CORU work helps child heart teams get clearer picture of their results
- CORU's work with the Department of Health's health protection team continues
- UCL Partners successful in bid to host a new £9 million CLAHRC!
- Funding bid to understand complications following children's heart surgery successful!
- Editorial published in Heart discussing the benefits and risks of monitoring mortality
- Health research partnership launches to tackle major health challenges
- CORU's Tom Treasure discusses colorectal cancer in the BMJ
- UK death rates for children's heart surgery have almost halved over past decade
- Prof. Steve Gallivan
- Improving risk adjustment in the PRAiS model - PRAiS2
- Martin Utley and Sonya Crowe win OR Society Goodeve Medal
- Christina Pagel wins prestigious Harkness Fellowship
- New parent-led website that opens up NHS children's heart surgery data to families launches
- Dr Sonya Crowe Appointed Lecturer in Operational Research
- PRAiS2 work published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery
Health financing website receives positive feedback!
4 February 2013
Last year, Save the Children launched a health financing website (equitablehealthfinancing.org) designed with the help of Christina Pagel and Martin Utley of CORU and colleagues at the UCL Institute of Global Health. We initially reported on this last year, but now early reviews are in! Preliminary feedback has proven very positive and we are hopeful that this methodology could become a new way to bridge the gap between academic evidence and policy.
The work has recently been published (1) in a new journal JMIR: Research Protocols.
1. Skordis-Worrall J, Pulkki-Brännström A-M, Utley M, Kembhavi G, Bricki N, Dutoit X, et al. Development and Formative Evaluation of a Visual E-Tool to Help Decision Makers Navigate the Evidence Around Health Financing. JMIR Research Protocols. 2012 Dec 21;1(2):e25.


text: Video News: United Kingdom A day of reckoning for Chris Brown A day of reckoning for Chris Brown. On Monday a Los Angeles judge orders him to stay in jail at least until his April 23 probation violation hearing, related to his 2009 assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna. He was arrested last Friday when he was dismissed from a rehabilitation facility, triggering a violation of the singer's court-ordered treatment. Brown had been in the Malibu, California, rehabilitation center for anger management, where he was sentenced to a 90-day program. He was dismissed from the program for violating four in-house rules, including inappropriately touching a female client on the elbow. Los Angeles Superiro Court Judge James Brandlin explains his reasoning. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE JAMES BRANDLIN SAYING: "I am particularly troubled by the fact that in addition to the noncompliance with their local regulations that there was a statement that was allegedly made by the defendant during the "morni © DailyMotion - Tuesday, March 18, 2014


text:
January 10, 2011
Happy parents Elizabeth and Richard Stillwell with little Sawyer, who was delivered on Monday as Providence Hood River's official First Baby of 2011.
Stories this photo appears in:
Tyke wins first baby contest
Jan. 5, 2011
Jan. 5, 2011
Comments are subject to moderator review and may not appear immediately on the site. A user's first several comments must be manually approved by a moderator.
Please read our commenting policy before posting.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.


text:
Daniel was just an average guy. He was a great videogame player, a big fan of sci-fi movies, and a novice RPG player. In the midst of an RPG, he was teleported to a castle. At first, Daniel believed that he was having a massive hallucination. Eager to keep playing within the RPG to create his own adventure, he decides to go along for te ride until his delirium comes to an end. Once inside the castle, Daniel is inhabited by a mysterious shadow. This dark spirit can communicate with Daniel, but not control him. The shadow has a simple goal: to escape from the prison of Daniel's body. There's a catch, though-- the dark spirit can only escape if Daniel perishes.
Games that strike a perfect balance of "brutal" and "fair" are hard to come by. Role-playing games like Dark Souls punish so mercilessly that some consider the rewards too few in between countless deaths and frustrations to be worthwhile. Not everyone finds that kind of torture fun. One little game from Spain takes that challenging trial-and-error gameplay, makes it manageable, and blends it with the style of Castlevania, where every screen holds fresh hordes of enemies and traps, as well as shortcuts to make navigating a colossal castle drastically but not infinitely easier. UnEpic is the RPG for Dungeons & Dragons nerds who ever wished they could teleport away to a fantasy realm of dark priests and reanimated skeletons. A newcomer to the... Read Review


text: Hello everybody I have a question with this input HIGH Z on Avalon I have a fender jazz bass with a 9 volt battery in the back.(This mean active) also I don't know if it is low impedance or high impedance OUTPUT Anyway,in order to record this Fender Jazz Bass, is better to connect directly to this input HIGH Z in the Avalon? Or I have to use some pream or DI before? Also,There is a LINE INPUT connector on the back panel in the Avalon Preamp. Wich is INPUT is recommended and why? Some help please with my question. Thank You


text:
I wanted to talk about the conversation around the leases, especially with Darcy Morrison running around claiming that Alameda Point has generated $126 million in net income over 12 years. As proof, she points to David "Action Alameda" Howard's "analysis" of the ARRA's cash flow analysis (wonky terms, but stick with it for a second). That should have been her first tip off that she should check her math.
Tag: Budget
Alameda Bridge Closure – Part II
The Alameda County Director of PUblic Works, Daniel Woldesenbet, has sent a letter to all County Supervisors identifying the impacts of the Governators proposed shift of local gas taxes. Right at the top of page 2? "Estuary Bridges"
Alameda Transit Riders Alert
AC Transit riders should be aware that AC Transit is looking at service cuts of about 15% in response to the CA Legislature/Guvenator's glorious budget. The budget removes annual operating money from all transit agencies for the next 18 months leaving California transit agencies with large holes in their budget.
It's Wednesday, Bloody, Wednesday in Alameda
Last week, Alameda's new Interim City Manager, Ann-Marie Gallant, let the city employee unions know that next Wednesday (May 6), she will be announcing significant staff cuts. Whether this will include the much murmured department consolidation (Police/Fire, Planning/Development Services, Cats/Dogs) remains to be seen.
Alameda has a New City Manager
Alameda got a new (2-year [minimum] interim) city manager last night. Ann Marie Gallant And the vote was most interesting. 3-2 with Tam and Gilmore dissenting.
MTC! Protect AC Transit Service tomorrow
Tomorrow, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) will be voting on how to spend the stimulus money approved last week by President Obama. It's not often a government or we have a chance to see the actions of the highest office in America translate so quickly and action in our local community. Based on the MTC staff report, this decision will have a large effect on transit in Alameda and the East Bay.
Friday Budget Follies
Reading this mornings coverage of the state budget, I can't focus on anything else beyond how dispiriting it is to watch our state make such ugly, terrible choices. Alameda will not escape this.
Clearing the air, part 2
A reader writes in: "are you stupid? or just evil?" you decide.
Clearing the Air on redevelopment debt
Redevelopment bonds are not directly tied to city finances. Yet many are making the case that they are.
Measure VV?
AC Transit has a parcel Tax on the Ballot. Vote yes, it needs your support.


text:
Skater Skirt - black
In Black. Keep it feminine with a gorgeous day skirtMake sure you invest in a variety of day skirts for those warmer days. To channel the trends for SS13, choose tie dye prints and floral designs, which look effortlessly feminine in maxi styles. Basic jersey styles are not going anywhere, so add jersey midi skirts to your wardrobe! Denim skirts make a comeback, so work the 90s look with high- waisted denim pencil skirts and denim skater skirts. For the ultimate summer look, choose ombre shades and pastel hues, teaming with gladiator sandals and a basic tee for a casual style this season. stock quantity:85


text:
U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Mike Enzi were among others introducing the State Mineral Revenue Protection Act Tuesday, in hopes that it would protect money they say is rightfully owed to the states under the Mineral Leasing Act.
The bipartisan group of senators say the piece of legislation would allow states the option of collecting their own share of federal mineral revenue. Senator Enzi says in a media release more than $53 million is owed just to the State of Wyoming. A grand total of nearly $111 million is owed to all 50 states,a according to his figures.
U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis introduced a companion bill on Tuesday as well - the . In a media release, she says it would protect Wyoming's share of the revenue from the federal government.
Representative Lummis says under the Mineral Leasing Act, the federal government is required to pay 50 percent of mineral royalties back to the states. She says it's written into law - and not negotiable. Her legislation would amend the MLA to grant states the option to collect their share of those royalties, similar to the bill introduced in the U.S. Senate.
To read a copy of the bill introduced into the Senate, and Senator Enzi's figures related to the amounts owed to each state, click on the attachments below.


text:
" Genre: Role-Playing / Publisher: Bethesda Softworks / Platform(s): Windows / ESRB Rating: M - (Mature) / Media: DVD-ROM "
Oblivion is the game people would not shut up about back in 06. The main reasons it was a big topic for gamers is that in 2006, graphics like these where unheard of and godly. They had a unique property of mind control to them, as you see they actually blinded people to the games faults. People would say that Oblivion is the best game ever, and their main argument as to why was because it looked nice. That's like me saying a really beautiful girl is the best person ever because she looks nice. She may look nice, but what about her personality? In comparison, what about the games features and story?
Oblivion is the 4th game in the Elder Scrolls series. A line of ambitious fantasy RPGs starting with Arena in 1994 and Daggerfall in 1996 to Morrowind in 2002. The anticipated 5th was rumoured to be expected in 2010, but now it is unlikely due to no official word from Bethesda.
My only other encounter with the elder scroll series was with Morrowind in which I ran around in some muddy countryside in the rain for a few hours while fending off weird sub-human creatures. So basically it was just like Glastonbury festival. In Oblivion you start off in a dungeon in the imperial palace. You're never told what crime you committed so I just assumed that I was there for running around killing everybody while playing the guitar with my teeth. Then the emperor showed up played by Captain Picard and I liked him a lot. He was the only character that seemed to know he was in a game. He took one look at me, saw the camera floating behind my head and said "Oh no you're the main character" and then dropped dead. Not before giving me the main quest that I may do inbetween robbing everybody and fast travelling.
I chose a very original character, a big guy with lots of armour and big weapons. Partly because I have no imagination and because I attempted magic in morrowind and it was the quickest way to lose my limbs.
The GUI was a lot more user friendly - at least for a fantasy RPG. I still couldn't figure out how to drop things. It was clearly designed for the consoles which was disappointing. On some menu's it was almost like looking at my computer monitor down a bloody well. Even if the GUI was the greatest one ever designed, oblivion would still be condemned for its biggest flaw.
Let me tell you about immersion. Immersion is when you're taking a midnight stroll after a marathon of thief 2 and find yourself looking for your visibility gem. Immersion is when you're playing Condemned alone in the dark and your cat brushes against you before being immediately launched through the roof team rocket style by cannon-like projectile vomit. If a game can draw you in then it can usually make up for a lot of flaws. Immersion can save a game and lack of it can be a bullet right between the eyes. For a game that tries so hard Oblivion is the least immersive game I've ever played.
Granted the game world is huge and if you wanted to travel from one side to the other you better bring a picnic. But frankly if you take one look when you emerge blinking into daylight then you've pretty much seen everything. It's like they took some English country side, added a few wolfs and copy and pasted it a thousand times until you have a world the size of Yorkshire. Fortunately you can bypass the repetitive landscape by teleporting to anywhere you want, but that defeats the point of having a huge world.
Now about the characters. They all have this weird, stiff unreal quality about them. There are about a hundred million individuals with maybe 2 voice actors and personalities between them. Neither of which are any good. The NPC convocations are a joke, with the number of voice actors you often find people conversing with themselves about how they like buying objects from the shop owned by themselves.
The game may be deep and full of quests with a complex skill system, but it's all for naught if it won't let me in. Whenever I start to lose myself in the game I see an NPC walking into a wall or being forced to play that ridiculous pie game when talking to people, then I'd come crashing down to earth where I'm nothing but a geek trying to outsmart a cloud of 1s and 0s. So ultimately they tried too hard to impress us.
I decided to buy Oblivion after my step brothers told me how great it is; I soon discovered they weren't wrong!
You firstly start off in a prison cell, where you are able to choose your character's race and appearance, as well as their birth sign and class, all of which contribute to your character's skills. Your character can be anything you want, ranging from a thief to an archer, or a warrior to a mage.
As your character levels up, you can add points to different skill areas, such as strength, agility, intelligence and more. Upgrading these areas at each level determines how skilled your character is in these areas, making your character as unique as you like!
Different classes have their own strengths, causing your character to excel in certain areas. For example, selecting a mage makes your character capable of casting powerful spells, but causes him/her to be less skilled with weapons (except for staves), while selecting a warrior makes your character strong with swords, axes and maces, but weaker with spells. However, these are not the only classes. There are many more to choose from!
In order to complete the game, you must successfully complete the main quests which are given to you one after another from the start; however there are hundreds of other quests which you can complete in your spare time, earning you money and/or objects and items.
With the money you earn, you can purchase weapons, armor, items, houses, horses, spells and much much more! Alternatively, you can try your luck at pickpocketting NPCs (Non-playable characters) to steal their money and items, as well as sneak into shops and homes to steal whatever you can find.
I love games which give the player the ability to make their own choices to how they react and reply to other characters, and Oblivion does just that! On occasion, you are given a multiple choice of answers to give to a character when asked a question, changing the outcome of the game depending on your choices. You can also choose whether you would like your character to be good or evil, by having the freedom to help others, or to hurt or kill them if you wish. But beware the guards!
In the game, you can also join a number of guilds. For example, you can join the mages guild to become skilled in magic, and to unlock new capabilities, such as creating your own spells and enchanting your armor and weapons with new effects. You can also join the thieves guild, where you are given quests to steal certain objects from places or people to increase in rank, and to earn rewards. There are more guilds too but I won't rant on.
The map is huge! There are a number of towns and cities to visit, as well as the odd cave in various random places. You can fast travel between towns and cities, or any other location if you have already previously visited it.
As you progress through the game, your fame/infamy rises, depending on the good or bad deeds you do throughout the game, or on the quests you complete.
There is so much more I can say about Oblivion as there are so many things you can do, making it a game which will entertain you for a long time before becoming bored!
Overall, I love this game and thoroughly enjoy it. I definately recommend it for any adventure/RPG lovers. I give Oblivion an 8/10!
How to do this game justice? With its open-ended gameplay, you can modify your character's appearance, abilities and skills before setting off on your own path. Unlike other games intending to be of the same ilk, the player isn't forced along the main quest towards the game's 'end'. Rather, you can take your time, if you so wish. Picking flowers, murdering townsfolk and helping priests all on the same day is not uncommon in the fantastically detailed in-game world.
The game starts after the assassination of the Emperor. Before his death, you are charged with finding his previously-unknown heir to the throne, Martin. It sounds simple enough. But Martin is trapped in a city which is being besieged by daedra, demon-like creatures from another plane.
As mentioned before, everything is up to you. Will you be a heavily-armoured Orc with a hammer the size of a child, a sneaky Wood Elf, or a powerful Breton Mage? All possibilities are open to you, and as such, this is a game I'd highly reccommend to anyone interested in the spellsword-type RPG.
Oblivion, simply, is one of the best RPGs ever made. It sits up there with the likes of the Final Fantasy games and The Legend of Zelda as a masterstroke of the genre, superbly engineered and a huge, massive rehaul of the already excellent Morrowind that preceded it.
The premise sees you playing a noble young man who is very quickly thrown into a plot of political intrigue, leaving the King dead and you possibly being framed for it. You're on the run, causing you soon to come across the fiery Oblivion gates, while you also try to learn the nature of your existence, hunting down your father. However, the plot isn't so much important as the execution, which is absolutely brilliant.
This is an even bigger free-roaming world than the last Elder Scrolls game, and reportedly to complete the side-quests and fully explore the land, it takes about 200 hours. The campaign is also engrossing enough and that even if you stick ridigly to that it will take you about 15-20 hours. This is a living, breathing world that's got its own clever mythology, but most impressively, it is brought to life by some stunning visuals that are superbly rendered and among the most realistic worlds I've seen in any game.
It is difficult to do this game justice in a few hundred words: it has an epic scope, stunning graphics, a great soundtrack, a deep, intricate plot, and more to do than anyone could ever possibly want. Also, the levelling system is intuitive and complex, meaning that players are rewarded not simply for grinding but also for how they play the game strategically. Rarely are games this satisfying or this deep: this is a benchmark of gaming and a game that simply has to be played.
Wow! What a game this is! This is a massive first person role playing game, with swords, magic, thievery and lots and lots of monsters!
You are allowed to play the main plot as quick or slow as you like opting to take on the many side quests before continuing with the plot. The main plot and sides are varied and interesting and generally involve lots of fighting!
The graphics are fantastic and as such this required a bit of a monster PC when it came out, I doubt it would play on the minimum stated specs very well.
There are also a ton of fan made addons to get that change any aspect of the game from introducing more varied wild animals to changing the way weapons and magic works.
This was also the first game to kick off the current trend for paid downloadable content when they released armour for horses... still that's how things go!
This game will last you for hours and hours, I played for a very long time and never go anywhere near finishing, the main reason I stopped is that I got stuck with no weapons in one part with some nasty baddies.. just lost interest after that!
Can't really fault this game, if you've got the time to play then go ahead, but remember this is one for the long haul, not just a quick blast!
Oblivion will go down in history as one of the all time great games, up there with the likes of Halo and Grand Theft Auto. You are literally thrown into a collossal fantasy world with almost infinate possibilites, and are let loose.
The aim of the game, as with most RPG's, is to become more powerful. You can take the usual route of killing monsters but you can also become a thief and rob the towns, amassing great wealth in the process. You could join a guild and carry out contracts for them, or you could go to the arcane university and become a student learning magic. You can even just become a madman and attempt to destroy everyone and everything, which is also possible.
Bethesda has also taken a new scaling approach with Oblivion. No matter where you go or what you do, you will fight enemies which are roughly your level. To begin with this is brilliant, but as you become more powerful the fights never get any easier, meaning that all sense of becoming a hugely powerful being is lost - unless you invest in the extremely overpowered yet entertaining spells and weapons available.
The races the player can choose from are also customisable to a certain degree, allowing for thousands of combinations over a few humanoid races.
For me however, the two most surprising features of the game are the graphics and the voice acting. The graphics are almost photo-realistic (once the long loading times have completed) and there are literally thousands of lines of dialogue in many different voices, all recorded. It is a very impressive feat.
Basicly, if you are an RPG fan then you cannot do without this game.
As far as RPG's go, this is quite possibly the finest game I have ever come across. Visually, from the moment you step out into the world, you will find it stunning, beautiful, and extremely vast.
The sheer scale of the world in which this game is set means that no matter how long you play the game, it is unlikely you will ever explore every hill and valley, or walk past every tree.
As you might expect, there is ample quest content to suit the scale of such an adventure, and despite the main storyline not being as expansive as some might like, there are many side quests which are equally enjoyable and collectively far more time consuming.
Expansion pack titles, such as 'The Shivering Isles' also open up a whole new area of map around a third of the size of the main world itself, and also offer many more enjoyable quests to complete and characters greet.
I suppose the points that make the game so spellbinding are for the most part, all the small points of realism and attention to detail. Arrows can be retrieved from slain foes and trees, the voiceovers are of excellent quality, and the sheer freedom to go anywhere, and do anything you wish, is truly compelling. The only small complaint I might have is the loading times between new areas of the map, but that is to be expected from such a monumentally large, and visually excellent game I feel.
Some might feel that X box 360 games are too expensive, and perhaps certain titles are. But if you like RPG's, are looking towards value for money and hours of visually captivating enjoyment, then Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, will suit your needs perfectly.
Oblivion is not so much a game, but more of a life experience - and what an experience!
You knew that Bethesda were going to create something wonderful as soon as it was announced that there was to be a follow-up to the groundbreaking, fan-favourite Morrowind, and they most have certainly delivered. Oblivion is a game that must be seen to be believed and any fan of gaming simply must give it a try.
The fourth in the immensely successful Elder Scrolls Series is an open world role playing game, where you can go where you like, do what you like, speak to who you like, steal what you like (although there will be consequences if caught) and kill who AND what you like. The possibilities are boundless.
Oblivion does have a main quest, whereby you must close the dreaded gates of oblivion and stop the demons spilling through into Cyrodiil (the lush game world you will be exploring). However, most of Oblivion's fun is found outside of this, as there are literally HUNDREDS of hours of side questing to be enjoyed (my first playthrough clocked at 200 hours, compared to between 10 and 20 with a regular game - that's value for money, right there).
Along with these side quests -- which may involve killing monsters, tracking down a grieving widow's lost ring, or even eliminating a rat problem in a citizen's basement -- there are acres and acres of beautiful, superbly-rendered game world to explore. There are rolling hills, roads, rivers, waterfalls, caves, forts, dungeons, settlements, villages, towns, cities, churches, farms, ruins etc. etc. to discover, and you probably won't want to stop until you have seen every little blade of grass in this wonderfully created world.
Along with simply exploring, since this is an RPG, there is the loot factor. While exploring a goblin filled cavern is great, doing so and uncovering treasure to help upgrade your character is far more fun -- the race to find the sharpest sword, and the toughest armour is at times distracting, in fact, but this is not a bad thing at all.
And the great part is that you can choose to do all this (and much much more, I cannot stress this enough) in any way you choose, in any order you choose and with any type of character you choose -- you may wish to be a mighty warrior, slashing your enemies to pieces, or you may decide upon being a mage who prefers fireballs and frostbolts to swords and shields -- it's entirely up to you.
I'll conclude now, as I really could ramble on about this game all day. To summarise, the freedom offered within Oblivion is astounding and a world is waiting within this creamy coloured box (and indeed outside of it, with the active modding community that this game has) that simply has to be explored.
This game was aroun £15.00 when I bought it.
This is a role playing game and you can endlessy modify the character you play the game. The characters are from 10 races, thes include: Argonians (reptiles), Breton (good at magic and healing), Dark Elf (Elf), High Elf (Elf), Imperial (person), Khajiit (cat like animal), Nord (warriors), Orc (heavy armoured being), Redguard (person/warrior) and Woodelf (elf). Each race has specific skills and you choose which race at the beginning of the game and modify it to you preference.
The game is rated 15 as it 'contains moderate violence'. Which it does as you have to attack most things that you meet.
To play the game you use a keyboard and a mouse, the controls are quite easy to pick up and if they aren't to preference, they can be easily changed.
The aim of the game is complete the main quest which is to find the lost hier and relight the dragon fires to stop the gates of oblivion. However, you can make this game last forever just by exploring and trying different things, which you can't get easily bored of as there is so much to see and do. When you are wandering round, you can collect things to make spells and potions which help you with the quests.
It is a game where each time you play its different, and isn't easy to get bored with.
Overall, it was well worth the money!
The game is a really addictive game, the game has stunning graphics and really good game play.
At the moment the game is priced at around £14.99 in GAME.
This game is nothing short of a masterpiece, which i wholly recommend buying.
The game has a massive world, full of NPC characters, all with their own lives and jobs, a realistic physics system, amazing graphics, and incredible storyline.
The ability to gain spells was one of my favourite features, the spells are some of the most diverse i have seen, and combat using them feels realistic and balanced.
The quests, which are numerous and exciting are well worth playing, for they allow you to gain access to specific buildings, weapons, and spells.
you can fight in an arena, or go hunting and sell wool to merchants.
There are so many things to do, that it is beyond the scope of this review, but i do know once you pick it up, it will keep you enthralled.
The main plot is intriguing and fun to play, and the many types of weaponry and combat types are enough to keep you safe from the dangers of the world.
Many types of races to choose from, and many types of classes too, even the ability to create your own.
Do whatever you want, and see repercussions in the world.
The ultimate Free roam fantasy game.
Two thumbs up!
I was first introduced to Elder Scrolls when I received Morrowind free with my graphics card so having enjoyed it I decided to give Oblivion a go.
The graphics are clearly far superior to those of Morrowind and the games is more structured. In Morrowind I found myself getting lost because I wasn't sure where I should be going and considering the amount of walking you had to do it was quite annoying to find out I had then reached the wrong city. Neither of these things are a problem in Oblivion. Your quests are clearly logged for you to check up on and if you get sick of walking or riding to towns, once you have visited them you can click on them on your map to travel there (time passes but you don't have to take you character through it).
The world in Oblivion is vast and the number of quests is quite high. Not only does the main quest have a substantial number of sections, there are so many side quests that you may accidentally miss some out. The side quests aren't little 5-10 minute quests either, they're usually very detailed and will take you just as long as the main quest sections.
As there are so many NPCs it can become a little tiresome to hear the same phrases over again but you probably won't notice it until you're a fair way through the game as there is a range of dialogue. The problem is that because the game will take so long to complete you'll have heard the same phrases quite a few times. I would have preferred more unique phrases for the NPCs and more interaction with NPCs that are normal townspeople i.e. not those that give you quests.
The controls on PC cannot be faulted, it's very easy to find everything you want to use. You will run into more monsters in Oblivion than Morrowind so the controls are key, you need to be able to switch to combat quickly. Due to this you'll also have to save much more frequently than in Morrowind as the monsters level up with you which does place great emphasis on how you spend your points.
Overall it's certainly an improvement on Morrowind both in terms of graphics and gameplay. You will however need a very good graphics card to run Oblivion if you want it to be smooth. As far as replay value goes, the game is so expansive that completing all of it just once is like to take you at least a few weeks and you're not likely to play it all the way through again. Although it's by no means perfect it is enthralling and just edges closer to 5 stars than 4.
I was, and am still in love with Eldar Scrolls III: Morrowind, and its excellent expansion packs. Seeing Oblivion in all its next-gen glory and the promise of an improved combat system had me champing at the bit.
The visuals cannot be argued with, the buildings, landscapes, characters and items all look fantastic and everything seems to glisten in the sun in a rather satisfying way.
The melee combat has been improved over Morrowind, with fights taking more than stats and some rapid clicking to win fights.
They have managed to improve the playability and practicality of the theif classes as well, making them a viable alternative to being a warrior or a mage.
Yet somehow this game fails to improve on or even maintain many of the key elements that made Morrowind so great.
Graphically, while the landscapes are stunning there is nowhere near the variety as in Morrowind and it feels almost as if the same few square miles of idyllic English countryside have been repeated over and over. However, this might not actually matter as you wont get to see 90% of the map due to the....
"Teleport anywhere you want whenever you want system" this 'ability/feature' totally ruined the game for me. One of the most entertaining aspects of Morrowind was the fact that you sometimes had to go on long, trecherous hikes through bizzare, fantastical terrain to complete a quest, on your way you would stumble across hidden slave dungeouns, remote farmhouses with dark secrets, mind warpingly spooky shrines and meet some interesting NPC's. Theres none of that here as you only have to travel anywhere once, which probably explains why most of the cool things i mentioned above are less abundant in Oblivion.
Also, you can now ride a horse, which is totally pointless as a horse is slower than instant teleportation and you cant fight properly on it.
Then there is the auto-levelling system, whilst this can serve to keep the game balanced it also means there is little point in doing all the things that usually make sense in an RPG such as levelling up and taking the time out from main quests to explore strange new areas, gain experience and find powerful new items. If you do bother to do such things you will find that you have gained very little as the average bandit no longer has some authentic looking leather armour and a longbow, instead they seem to resemble Space Marines in heavy armour and swing weapons that crackle with magical energy and if you havent structed your skillset well they will actually be more threatening to you than they were at the start of the game.
The other side of this coin is that there are no really hard areas in the game, every dungeon is simply fairly challenging.
The decision to vocalise nearly every line of dialouge in the game backfires totally and far from increasing your sense of immersion manages to completely dissapate it. When you are talking to a gruff ork woman and you suddenly trigger a line of speach that only exists for a sultry temptress she starts speaking like she just had a voice box transplant. There are only 3 or 4 voice actors for each sex so despite the vast number of npc's you might as well only talk to a few of them as they all sound the same.
Unfortunately even the storyline held me less than I hoped it might, it wasnt so shrouded in mystery and intrigue as in Morrowind and many of the supporting characters were two dimensional and frequently annoying, and the best character dies at the start.
There is still a lot to like here, but the only thing it does better than Morrowind (and even then thats debatable due to lack of variety in landscapes and settings).
Its a good game, but it is vastly inferior to its predcessor and add-on packs, plus to run it and get to appreciate the stunning visuals you need a VERY nice PC. Buy the Morrowind Game Of The Year Edition which includes both expansion packs for half the price.
This is the best game ever made! I am really good at it and it is the best thing since sliced bread. There is loads of things that you can do in this game, the level system is a really good idea because it means that the monsters you fight have the same ability as you so you are equally matched against everything you fight (apart from rats and mud crabs, they are just annoying) The level system is also good with the equipment that you get, as it means you are never overpowered, and it motivates you to level up so when you do quests for (e.g. the 'Dark brotherhood') you get given better stuff (e.g. black band - which is a ring) There is always another quest to do, and all the quests are well sized and packed with action and rewards. I particularly like all the bonuses you get from joining an advancing through the guilds, especially the mages guild, as you can create your own spells and enchant your own items, Either to do more damage, or enhance your own character. I also like how you can customize almost everything about your character including well thought-out races, star signs (which give you extra bonuses), name and appearance. If anyone can ever not find anything to do, you probably haven't started playing the game yet because there is ALWAYS something that you can do. I congratulate the makers of this game! What the game is generally about is you can make another you in a fantasy world that can be as evil or good as you like and save the world with him, or you could roam around joining some guilds and getting quests or you could even decide to randomly kill everyone you meet. So basically, there is no set thing on what you do, you choose what to do and when to do it, and make your character super-powerful in the process.
In keeping with the Elder Scrolls tradition, players will have the option to experience the main quest at their own pace, and there will be plenty of opportunities to explore the vast world and make your own way. Numerous factions can be joined, such as the thieves or mages guilds, and each contains its own complete storyline and the chance to rise to the head of the faction and reap further rewards. Oblivion features a groundbreaking new AI system, called Radiant AI, which gives non-player characters the ability to make their own choices based on the world around them. They'll decide where to eat or who to talk to and what they'll say. They'll sleep, go to church, and even steal items, all based on their individual characteristics. Full facial animations and lip-synching, combined with full speech for all dialog, allows NPCs to come to life like never before.


text:
A District Court judge has gone on trial at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court charged with deception while she was a practising solicitor.
Heather Perrin of Lambay Court, Malahide, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to inducing a client to leave half his estate to two of her children.
Opening the case this morning, prosecuting counsel Dominic McGinn said the alleged offence was uncovered when Ms Perrin was appointed a judge in 2009 and transferred her practice to another firm.
Mr McGinn said the case involved a client, Thomas Davis, who had been a friend for decades.
He had given instructions to leave €2,000 each to Ms Perrin's children and the bulk of his estate to his wife's nieces.
The trial was told Mr Davis signed the will, but did not read it as he trusted Ms Perrin.
He later requested a copy of the will, which took some months to be delivered to him. It appeared to be in order.
However, the solicitors who took over Ms Perrin's practice later discovered the original will, which contained the names of Ms Perrins two children as beneficiaries of the residual estate along with his wife's nieces.
Mr Davis told them this was not his intended will.
The residual estate included part of the proceeds from the sale of a house jointly owned by Mr Davis for €1.8m along with a large sum of money in a savings account.
Ms Perrin originally said the mistake was a secretarial error, but later told gardaí the will reflected Mr Davis' intentions.
The jury was also told the new legal firm O'Hanrahan Quaney had contacted Mr Davis because they were concerned about other documents unrelated to this trial, which they believed had not been drafted correctly.
He had written to them in response to say he did not want them to act for him. It emerged that these letters were drafted by Heather Perrin and sent on her advice.
The legal firm refused to hand over documents to a man who came to collect them as they had some concerns. It later emerged he was there on the instructions of Ms Perrin.
O'Hanrahan Quaney became concerned and checked through the documents when they found the will.
They thought it unusual that Ms Perrin's children were beneficiaries of the larger part of the will.
When they checked with Mr Davis he told them the will was incorrect.
The will was later changed but Mr Davis left in the bequest for €2,000 to each of Ms Perrin's children. The court was earlier told he knew them well and was fond of them.
Ms Perrin denies the charge. The trial continues at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.


text:
This happens all the time, you hop on your favorite public transport and kick your feet up for the ride. Resting your kicks against the upholstery on a neighboring seat. With this being such a common experience, you can only imagine how many times a commuter lost in thought has looked at their kicks against the upholstery and saw the possibilities.
Sure most don't think about how cool it would be to place public transport upholstery patterns on sneakers, but Nike does. The pattern of choice is drawn from the London Underground, specifically the upholstery that debuted in 1978 by Misha Black.
NSW has translated the pattern onto the Air Max 1 and Air Max 90 using a jacquard weave.
On the Air Max 90, the Jacquard weave is applied in a very smooth a flat way, giving it a one-piece quality. The Air Max 1 uses the Jacquard weave in a more textured way with a stitched build. Completing the look, the Roundel logo is placed on the tongue of each sneaker.
The kicks are releasing on Saturday (14th of December) through shops that include Foot Patrol in a size range for both men and women.


text: | Reprints September 7, 2012 by Carlos M. Rivera-Serrano, MD; Brian J. Park, MD, MPH; Robert L. Ferris, MD Abstract Thyroid hematoma secondary to blunt trauma is uncommon, and no consensus exists for its management. We describe the case of a 46-year-old man who presented with neck swelling after he had sustained a blunt-trauma injury to his neck while playing soccer. Imaging revealed a large mass consistent with a thyroid hematoma. The patient was admitted for observation and followed up with serial imaging. He was eventually discharged without surgical intervention. However, he later underwent a thyroid lobectomy to treat compressive symptoms and for cosmetic reasons. Pathology revealed that the patient had a papillary thyroid carcinoma, which might have predisposed him to the hemorrhage. Thyroid hematoma secondary to blunt trauma has been documented in normal thyroid glands and in glands with preexisting benign pathology, but to the best of our knowledge, no report associating this condition with a thyroid carcinoma has previously been reported in the literature. A neoplasm should be suspected in a case of thyroid hematoma that fails to resolve with conservative treatment. The management of this condition is surgeon- and case-specific, and the overall prognosis is good. ENT Journal provides full text articles to our registered members. Please log in or sign up for a FREE membership to view the full content: REGISTER AS A MEMBER If you are already registered, SIGN IN You may also like to: Sign Up For The Free eNewsletter Printer-friendly version


text:
So I noticed a lot of my friends actually wanted something like spawn protection, so I made it. It is nothing fancy, just something I whipped up. I am going to be making a more custom one later.
This is an addon that will allow players to take no damage upon spawn. People with spawn protection will not be able to damage others and others will not be able to damage them. You can change the duration, material of player while protected, protection text for the HUD, and HUD colors via the config file. You can even make your own HUD if you so desire.
Here are some pictures:
Turret shooting while protected
Basic HUD notification
Dead after spawn protection is over (pointless but lol)
Garrysmod.org: Download
Let me know if it needs anything!


text:
Level up your game with Asics mens hoodies
If you think that tennis clothing options and the use of different accessories can't bring a change to your game, then you got to think again. In order to be the best version of yourself, you need the most comfortable clothes and other accessories by your side. To do so, we recommends using nothing but the best of what various international sports brands have to offer. Here, at Tennis-Point, we have assembled a wide array of various products from several reputed brands like Asics. The new range of Asics mens hoodies is certainly an example of the same.
Take a look at these Asics hoodies for men that are featured right here. Available in different sizes, styles, colours, and more, these products are designed especially for men, keeping their aesthetics and physical attributes in mind. Now, you can perform your best and bring an edge over your competitors by picking the most desirable sport hoody from our store.
These Asics mens hoodies are made from premium materials and ensure a durable and long-lasting fit. Don't stop yourself and browse our wide range of tennis products. These hoodies will come handy to you on various occasions and guarantees to make you stay comfortable all day long.
Asics Mens Hoodies
- Your choice:
- Asics
- Men
- Reset selection
Asics Tennis Apparel
Spiral Hoody Men - Grey
£42.90£24.90Available sizes:
The crossed out prices are the RRP.


text:
This product is no longer available.
You can try these similar gifts instead.
Whatever It Takes Executive Padfolio with Calculator
They're not the kind who gives up easy. When they hit a wall, they get up, climb over, and keep on going. This padfolio and calculator will keep them organized throughout the work day. Help them continue on their path.


text:
One thing about rivalry games, the records can be thrown out the window because emotions and the want to win are often stronger.
That was obvious by the ferocious and undaunted play of Cal State Fullerton, which played host to Long Beach State on Saturday in a Big West Conference men's basketball game. With the 49ers missing their most hard-nosed player in freshman Travis Hammonds — out with a concussion sustained Thursday — they could neither match the Titans' intensity nor could they contain guards Michael Williams and Alex Harris.
Williams scored 28 points and Harris had 22 as Fullerton defeated Long Beach State 84-76 before 1,806 at a wild and crazy Titan Gym. The student section, in particular, went absolutely nuts once the Titans took control of the game in the second half.
It was a big loss for Long Beach (13-15, 9-5), which entered tied with Santa Barbara for second place, a game behind first-place Irvine with three to play. Now, there are just two games left — Thursday at Northridge and next Saturday at home against Riverside.
Afterward, coach Dan Monson talked about his team's lack of defense.
"Well, they're more athletic than us and we made it an athlete's game and we got exposed — especially defensively," he said. "I mean, we just couldn't keep them in front of us. They're more athletic. We give them space and they took advantage of it. We had no answer defensively."
Even though Hammonds does not start and is averaging just over six points per game, there is no replacing his tenacity and sheer will to win. Remember it was just Thursday that he calmly made the game-winning 3-pointer against Hawaii. Monson admitted Hammonds was greatly missed.
"Well, we missed him a lot, especially early when we had three starters with two fouls," Monson said. "And it turned out it wasn't a good game not to have him. Not only because we needed the toughness, we also needed the depth. We were really short-handed."
Mike Caffey led Long Beach with 22 points, but he had six turnovers. Tyler Lamb and Dan Jennings had 13 points apiece; Jennings, however, scored only two points in the second half. David Samuels contributed nine points, just two in the second half. A.J. Spencer scored six points for the 49ers, who shot 46.9 percent from the field compared to 56.4 percent for Fullerton.
The most misleading statistic? Long Beach won in the rebounding department — 45-27.
The 49ers led by as many as 14 points in the first half. But after leading 38-35 at the break, the Titans (11-17, 6-8) and their fans turned up the heat in a big way and led by as many as 15 points (74-59) with 6:40 to play.
Williams believes his team simply played with more intensity.
"I definitely agree with that," he said. "Our energy was really great and we kind of found a way to get it going as a team, especially in the second half. I felt like everybody just responded."
When the 49ers defeated the Titans by 19 points on Feb. 1 at Walter Pyramid, the home fans seemed to rattle the visitors. Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor believes Titan fans helped his team Saturday.
"I thought once we gave them reason to get into the game, they got behind us and they stayed with us the entire game," he said.
Even without Hammonds at their disposal, the 49ers got out to an 18-5 lead. They led 21-11 after Samuels scored his sixth and seventh points on a layup with 11:02 to play in the half.
Fullerton embarked on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 23-19. But Jennings, looking like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, made a 10-foot sky hook from the baseline for a 25-19 Long Beach cushion; Jennings had 11 points and five rebounds in the half.
The Titans kept fighting. Down 32-27, Williams scored on a leaping leaner and then came back with a layup to get his team close, 32-31.
Caffey, who could not hit from the outside, made a left-handed layup for a 34-31 49ers advantage. Spencer increased that to 36-31 with a layup. Fullerton still trailed by five points with time running out in the half, but Marquis Horne made a 16-footer at the buzzer to get the Titans within 38-35 at the break.


text:
Artist description:
Got bored and drew a cute demonic,in a way, little furry thing dx
Flash Draw Created Jan 22, 2011 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2011 uchihajuggala.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
uchihajuggala Jan 25, 2011
Lolzz ty :D
sassiegirl Jan 23, 2011
Thats su cuuutteee!! 8D 5/5 AND FAVES o3o
Page 1


text:
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted Samsung's latest motion for an immediate, temporary stay of Apple's injunction against the Galaxy Nexus.
The temporary stay only covers now through the time when the Federal Circuit will decide on Samsung's motion to stay the ban on a more permanent basis. According to Florian Mueller on FOSSPatents today, Apple has until July 12th to respond to the motion. The court will then decide on the possibility and duration of a stay for the entire length of the appeal process. This could lead to a yo-yo effect, as each side responds in their own timeline and the Court puts any stay in force, or disables it, as they did today.


text:
Vintage Schwinn - 10 Speed Pegasus Bicycle, AWESOME SEE
Sold for:
Start Free Trial
or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Sold Date:
- Source: eBay
You're looking at a 10 Speed " PEGASUS " Bicycle Made In Holland. This bike has been in storage for most of time. The owner purchase the bike and rode it very few times and stored it for years and I purchased and also had it in storage, so most of the few small scratches and scuffs on the bike is due to storage. This bike rides like a dream and the condition is GREAT. It does need some cleaning, some very light spots of rust and on the tires it has two 27 x 1 1/4 inch Schwinn tires in o.k. shape. I have riding it for a week and the tires do fine. I would recomend new ones. On the gears it has " SHIMANO EAGLE Gears ", for your 10 speeds. Serial No. 129399. Please understand this bicycle is NOT new, for the years...... WOW.......it rides SMOOTH!Any questions please ask and Thank for Your for your time! Local pick-up would be GREAT......or can ship UPS Ground base on location + 40.00 for packaging and materials.


text:
Legal Question in Construction Law in North Carolina
My husband hired a contractor to build an attached garage. Before the garage was finished my husband passed away. The contractor is now stating that my husband asked him to do some extra work that was not in the contract. There were no addemdum to the contract, nothing about this extra work was ever written up and signed by both parties, as was stated in the orginal contract.
My husband never mentioned any extra work that he needed done.
do I have to pay this contracto for the so called verbal work. can he put a lein on my property if I do not pay? I never signed the orginal contract but my name is on it.
1 Answer from Attorneys
It would probably be best to consult with an attorney, review the facts and have him/her write letter to contractor. If he hasn't started the extra work yet - just tell him he is not authorized to do any more work. If he has done it, then he may be able to place a lien on the property - it really depends on the facts.
Either way, a lien has certain requirements - it needs to be placed within 120 days of the last date of work and then the contractor would have to sue you within 180 days after the date of last work or else the lien would be cancelled by operation of law. The contractor could always sue for breach of contract but you may have valid defenses - again depending on the facts.


text:
By Joshua Winata
The Cove Herald
LAMPASAS — The Lampasas City Council faced internal opposition Monday to a budget amendment that would allow repairs to flood damage at Hancock Park Municipal Golf Course.
Councilman Jerry Grayson expressed reluctance to approve an affidavit declaring a "grave public necessity" exists and to authorize a budget amendment to transfer $380,000 from the city's general fund into the golf course capital fund.
At the July 9 meeting, the council agreed to prioritize the golf course in pursuing a $350,000 grant from the Office of Rural Community Affairs. However, after speaking with ORCA representatives, City Manager Michael Stoldt said projects such as debris removal would make a stronger application and stand a better chance for consideration.
The grant application was modified to reflect the new priorities, but funding for golf course repairs fell to the city.
Funding golf course repairs from the city budget requires an amendment in excess of 2.5 percent of the original budget, which is permitted in the City Charter, Section 6.04 during "cases of grave public necessity."
"Certainly a flood creates a grave public necessity, and not only is it a recreational facility that this will be used for—this will help safety hazards out there that must be addressed," Stoldt said.
While Grayson agreed golf course repairs are a priority, he said he would rather look for alternative ways to fund them.
"I've got a problem with us going this route based on what the city charter said," Grayson said. "There may not be any other way to get the money. That may be the case, but I'm just not comfortable signing an affidavit saying that it's a 'grave' event. I guess I missed something, but I don't see that it fits the criteria."
The mayor and the rest of the council were supportive of the ordinance, citing the negative effect the golf course closure has had on business development.
According to the assessment by City Attorney Joe Christy Brown, the use of facilities and alternative golf course routes in close proximity to hazardous roads posed a significant threat to public safety and qualifies under the charter provision.
"While that doesn't sound maybe like a grave concern, I assure you if someone's injured taking that route, it will feel grave to them and grave to the community," Faulkner said. "I think one way we can think about this is if these kinds of circumstances — harsh weather that does damage to the community — doesn't enable the council to take this kind of action, then what would?"
One of Grayson's primary concerns was the potential public backlash in labeling the golf course conditions as "grave," especially since the council has opted to keep most of the course open to the public.
"Do we need to be open if this is indeed that serious?" Grayson said. "I think the minute that this passes, the public is going to come in here wanting some pretty good answers."
Grayson suggested holding a public hearing to discuss the budget amendment. Mayor Judith Hetherly proposed a compromise by placing the decision to amend the budget as an item for discussion at the next council meeting to allow for public input instead of listing it on the consent agenda.
The council also faced a decision on whether to reopen Naruna Road, which was closed for 45 days at the May 29 meeting due to the loss of two bridges along Sulphur Creek. The construction of new bridges, which was approved by the council subject to the budget amendment approval, will not be complete for another 60 to 90 days.
The council members said they have received many requests from the public to open the road and would like to permit full access to the remaining areas of the golf course but they are also concerned about safety.
Recommendations were made to develop a plan combining limited closures and signage to allow golf carts and vehicles to use the road.
Liability issues were discussed with the city attorney during a closed executive session, and the Council decided to keep Naruna Road closed.
Contact Joshua Winata at firstname.lastname@example.com or call (254) 547-6481


text:
Mundo Unico Filtro Short Boxer 12300844
Sorry, no other customer-recommended styles found.
This product was discontinued September, 2013 and is no longer available. Please consider one of the Customer-Recommended Replacements above, or try a new search.
Relax in the comfort of these short boxer briefs. Features a cool stripe design. Made of Cotton/Nylon/Spandex.
Try these keyword searches with similar features: