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*What's all the fuss about carbs? Low carb foods, no carb diets. Just what is carbohydrate? Should you avoid it because it makes you fat?
There is little doubt that the human body uses carbohydrates most efficiently for energy production (as opposed to fats and proteins). So there isn't really any reason to avoid carbs, even if you're trying to lose weight. But there is a BIG difference between the natural, wholesome, 'good' carbs we are designed to eat and the unnatural, highly-processed, 'refined' carbs so many of us consume on a daily basis!
These 'bad' carbs are contributing to a health crisis in America and other parts of the world in the forms of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Millions of people are simply unaware of what they are doing to their bodies every time they eat processed carbs. What's worse, many parents don't realize that they are setting their kids up for a lifetime of health problems by allowing them to develop the 'junk food habit' at a young age.
Bad carbs are refined, processed carbohydrate foods that have had all or most of their natural nutrients and fiber removed in order to make them easier to transport and more 'consumer friendly.' Most baked goods, white breads, pastas, snack foods, candies, and non-diet soft drinks fit into this category. Bleached, enriched wheat flour and white sugar – along with an array of artificial flavorings, colorings, and preservatives – are the most common ingredients used to make 'bad carb' foods.
Bad carbs are harmful mainly because the human body is not able to process them very well. Our hormonal and digestive systems developed over the course of millions of years. Yet only in the past 100 years or so have humans had access to these highly-processed carbohydrates in abundance. Our bodies simply didn't have time to adapt and evolve to handle the rapid changes in food processing.
Because of this, most of the processed carbs we eat wreak havoc on our natural hormone levels. Insulin production, especially, is 'thrown out of wack' as the body attempts to process the huge amounts of starches and simple sugars contained in a typical 'bad carb'-based meal. This leads to dramatic fluctuations in blood glucose levels – a big reason why you often feel lethargic after eating these unhealthy meals.
Also, it's important to realize that most processed carb foods provide only 'empty' calories – calories with little or no nutritional-value. Eat enough of these empty calories and your body will quickly turn them into extra body fat, as anyone with a weight problem already knows all to well!
The regular consumption of large amounts of high-sugar, low-fiber, nutritionally-poor 'bad carbs' eventually leads to a much higher risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and more. It's pretty clear that the abundance of processed carbs and unhealthy trans-fats found in so many foods is a major cause – if not the biggest cause – of many of our modern chronic health problems.
Carbohydrates provide energy for the body. Once consumed, they travel to the liver, which breaks them down into glucose, or blood sugar. Carbohydrates are especially used to provide energy to the brain and to the central nervous system.
Carbohydrates are labeled as complex or simple. This reflects how fast the sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Eating too many foods high in carbohydrates can cause your calorie intake to go up, making you gain unwanted weight. Alternately, a lack of carbohydrates can cause malnutrition and weaknesses. Carbohydrates provide most of the energy the body needs to function. About 55% of your energy foods should come from different varieties of carbohydrates. Much more than that, however, can be detrimental to health. Someone who derives 75% or more of total energy from carbohydrates can be lacking in protein and fats.
Health problem can develop when someone eats too many complex carbohydrates that contain refined sugars. These sugars lack vitamins and fiber but offer a lot of calories. Eating too much refined sugar will lead to weight gain. Examples of these foods include white flour, polished rice, table sugar, and white pasta. A good rule to remember when eating carbohydrates is to eat them in as natural a form as possible
Here are 5 basic guidelines for carbohydrate consumption that are based on current scientific knowledge:
Get most of your carbs from fruits and vegetables. Carbohydrate is the primary macronutrient in fruits and vegetables. In other words, these foods contain a lot more carbohydrate than protein or fat
- *Eat whole grains instead of processed grains whenever possible. There's nothing wrong with including a moderate amount of grains (wheat, rice, etc.) in your diet, but these grains should be whole grains such as brown rice rather than refined grains such as white flour. Refined grains have been stripped of their fiber, a type of indigestible carbohydrate that slows the absorption of other carbohydrates, and most of their other nutrients.
- *Vary your carb intake with your activity level. Unlike protein and fat, carbs are used only to provide immediate energy for mental and physical activity. Any carbs consumed in excess of the amount needed to meet immediate physical and mental energy needs are converted to body fat. So the amount of carbohydrate you consume needs to be determined by your activity level. If you don't exercise and have an office job, you should not consume more than three or four grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight daily. If you perform physical work or exercise moderately, aim for five or six grams per pound. If you are highly active, seven or eight grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight will be needed to keep your body functioning optimally.
- *Strictly limit your sugar intake. The sugars that are added to foods such as cookies and candy bars and to beverages such as lattes and energy drinks should be avoided as much as possible. They add a lot of calories to these products and thereby promote weight gain. Consuming large amounts of sugar over many years may also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes independently of weight gain. If there truly is any "bad carb," sugar is it.
- *Pay attention to how carbs affect you physically and mentally. Different people react to carbohydrates differently. Some people absorb carbs in foods much faster than others do and are thus more susceptible to "blood sugar crashes" an hour or two after eating a high-carbohydrate meal. Pay attention to how you feel and function after consuming large amounts of carbs and adjust your diet accordingly. If you feel lethargic and perform poorly after eating carbs, you should reduce the amount of carbohydrate in your diet.
- *Eat protein with your carbs. When protein is consumed with carbohydrate, the carbs are absorbed more slowly and the meal is more filling. It's a good idea to consume some form of lean protein whenever you consume carbohydrate-rich foods.
You can't talk about carbs without mentioning the glycemic index (GI). The GI is a way of comparing different carbs by ranking their effect on blood sugar levels.
The glycemic index of food is a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. Carbohydrate foods that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. Their blood sugar response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.
What is the significance of Glycemic Index?
- *Low GI means a smaller rise in blood sugar and can help control established diabetes
- *Low GI diets can help people lose weight and lower blood lipids
- *Low GI diets can improve the body's sensitivity to insulin
- *High GI foods can help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
How to switch to a low GI diet
- *Breakfast cereals based on wheat bran, barley and oats
- *"Grainy" breads made with whole seeds
- *Pasta and rice in place of potatoes
- *Vinegar and lemon juice dressings
In short, the goal should be to build a good plan including the low Glycemic Index foods. This way, hunger is minimized, and there is less of a tendency to "cheat" or overeat. Consequently, you can continue to lose body fat or maintain your weight – once the excess pounds have been lost. Even for those whose main objective is not fat loss, foods that are low on the glycemic index will help alleviate mood swings and regulate energy levels.
Take good care of yourself and live the best life possible!
The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.
Glenn Ellis, is a Health Advocacy Communications Specialist. He is the author of Which Doctor?, and Information is the Best Medicine. A health columnist and radio commentator who lectures, nationally and internationally on health related topics, Ellis is an active media contributor on Health Equity and Medical Ethics.
For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com


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BHS in Mansfield are sporting new charity button badges to support the work of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
The Mansfield store on Westgate is selling the badges for a suggested £1 donation throughout August.
Available in different children's characters, including footballers, pirates, superheroes, robots, rock stars, and wizards, these new badges are not only an ideal accessory or gift for girls and boys alike, but they will also support the work of the NSPCC, helping to protect vulnerable children through its projects and services.
Simon Moss, head of retail operations at BHS, said: "This August sees another really exciting opportunity for us to make a difference for children – raising vital funds for the NSPCC, not only through the sales of these exciting new style NSPCC button badges but also through a host of summer fun filled fundraising activities. Colleagues across all our stores are looking forward to an August fundraising extravaganza and we know that all our wonderful customers will get behind us and join in the fun to help us raise even more money for such a worthy charity."
BHS has been working with the NSPCC since 2006 and raised a massive £1.2 million to support the charity's services, which help many thousands of children and young people every year.
Money raised from this fundraising activity will support the charity's services in Nottinghamshire and across the UK.
It will help protect children through its projects and services including ChildLine – the UK's free, confidential 24-hour helpline and online service for children and young people – and help the NSPCC answer more calls from adults with concerns about a child. It will also enable the charity to develop innovative and pioneering services for children who have suffered abuse and harm.
For more information please visit www.nspcc.org.uk


text: Figure 3-20-21 Mistake-Proofing the Design of Health Care Processes - Figure 3.20. A wheelchair with footplates Return to Document Figure 3.21. Benign failure: footplate is absent or unavailable Return to Document Page last reviewed May 2007 Internet Citation: Figure 3-20-21: Mistake-Proofing the Design of Health Care Processes -. May 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. https://archive.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patient-safety-resources/resources/mistakeproof/mistakefig3-20-21.html


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Jan 01, 2000 | 320 Pages
"Donatella Rossi has translated and annotated two important ancient Dzogchen texts from Bon, the native religious tradition of Tibet. Her useful introduction gives a broad overview of the history of Bon as well as a brief study of the history and doctrines of the teachings of Dzogchen in Bon. The short section on methodology, which precedes a helpful examination of key Dzogchen terms, offers a succinct appraisal of the two texts presented. Donatella is to be greatly commended and thanked for her work in translating and commenting on two important Dzogchen texts, and for the valuable insights it offers."—The Mirror
"A fascinating and joyful book to recommend—perceptively edited."—Thomas Peter von Bahr, New Age Retailer
"Very interesting and . . . should attract the attention not only of specialists in this field but also of non-Tibetologist readers."—Tibet Journal


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GDCOnline: liveblog of Dr Bartle's talk
Messrs Bartle and Trubshaw's astonishing contrivance.
[edit: Follow along with Richard's slides available here (PDF)]
Thank you all for getting up early or not having gone to bed yet. Feel free to keep cellphones on so if they ring they can wake people up.
I am going to tell you things that i have never told others before about the origins of MUD.
I am here because i cowrote the first virtual world MUD. Almost all today's MMORPGs descend directly from them, but that isn't actually relevant. What mattered isn't that we were first, but that we were unaware of any others. We would have gotten virtual worlds anyway, the important thing is that when we did it we didn't have anything to base it on, which meant we had to establish some principles and guidelines, and form views on what we were making and why.
This isn't meant to be a history lesson. So i won't be talking about how our computers were the size of exhibition halls, or telling you how great text is compared to graphics, because it is an argument i have won many times and still lost, i won't be telling you about how great permadeath is …. God uses it, it can't be bad… And i won't talk about customer service and how we managed the game back t hem, or how we tried to get money and what legal systems we used or didn't care about.
Instead, "if i am to create a world, how shall it be, and why?" that is what i will be answering.
This is a picture of a snowman in a furnace in world of Warcraft.
When Trubshaw started, he was interested in the machinery, the technology. Rube Goldberg. Build an intricate machine and set it ping and whoa, it works. But he was also interested in making a world that was separate to and hopefully superior to reality.
I was more interested in the world creation side, to build a world where people could BE and BECOME themselves, all to do with freedom. But i also was interested in systems. Therefore from both these points of view, it was important for both of us that players would feel that they were part of the world, that when they visited, they were IN the world, a concept now called immersion. Because then, it shows that your programming works but also because it means we could give you what it was about– LIBERTY.
Computing dept 1978, not a lot of girls around. I married one of the two girls, two years below me. Not a lot of social graces around, you'd speak to a girl, even if you were pathetically charming, they'd grab your heart and throw it on the ground… But in a virtual world, that didn't matter.
So we wanted to make a world that was separate from the real world.
When Roy started, he wanted to make sure that the technology worked. That took hm about an hour. Sending messages from one player to another. The next thing was implementing the physics, how the world worked. That took him about a month.
Today, if someone hands you 30 million dollars to start an MMO, you might think oh i should make a fantasy world, or you might thing about genre, and where to put expansions. But you wouldn't think about the core physics.
If you are a game developer, you don't make games you want to pay, you make games you want to develop. When i ask students why they want to make games, they say that they have liked games their whole lives, so i ask them if they like beer. Brewing is nothing to do with drinking beer…
So starting from physics is about asking what are the tools in your toolbox… If you start by thinking about the world, you are making assumptions about what is possible to implement, whereas if you think about the physics, that lets you go beyond what is possible.
Roy and I had another good reason for trying to think in terms of basic science. This is news to many in this part of the world, but there is this wacky theory called "evolution"… One of the things that the human brain has gotten through evocation is the ability to process information in an instant. I can't stop my brain seeing you as people. I can see o this stage that i am above the ground, and millions of processes in the back of my head have figured out that there is distance here.
The brain expects the world to work in a mundane fashion. When we were designing MUD we felt we should put as few barriers as possible i the way of believing that you are in the world. So we tried to make the world appear to be as realistic as we could. When it didn't, we wanted people to think there was a reason, that it was intentional and not a bug. If there is not explanation for something, it is either a bug or players shouldn't notice it at all.
Our rule was, if there is no reason not to conform to reality, then conform to reality' so that people aren't constantly challenged to suspend disbelief. This is why it was more simulationist than we might do today. This was a coarse approximation… If you carry an icicle it would melt, but we wouldnt implement the equation for heat transfer.
And yet in world of Warcraft my orc is carrying the same glass of milk in her backpack after four years!
So when i talk about physics, it is this kind of thing. Light cannot pass through a closed wooden door. Most MMOs don't have doors these days… Or what happens when you pour four pints of water into a three pint container. Most MMOs don't do this. And plate armor doesn't float… Barbarossa on the Crusades got really hot and decided to swim in a stream with his armor on and never came out.
So this is what an uninformed player would have expected to have happen without evidence otherwise. When you poke with a sword, it should give you a nasty cut, it is what "should happen". And then the more inclined you are to believe it really is real.
In a text world, people rally did get very immerse, because there were not pictures to persuade you otherwise. But sadly the principle of mimicking reality was carried forward, the reason for it was not. And that means that if you don't know why it is there, you change it for operational or other design reasons. And over time, people have left this simulationist aspect behind, and now people are not simulating reality but rather the last MMO. Things we do today that would have baffled players in the 80s:
If the goblin had a sword, why was it hitting me with a stick?
You can dye armor but not paint it? But you can paint the walls of your house, but not any other walls? Wall paint is special paint that only works o the walls of MY HOUSE.
I can build a snowman in a fire, and neither is affected. In real life, one of them is going to lose.
Why don't those foul creatures come to help their allies? I can see them, why can't they see me? Does this axe have a silencer? You walk into a dungeon, armor clattering… So in MUD, you are being attacked by a goat, and there is a thief in the room,m, and maybe if the goat was doing well, he might join in, but if the goat was losing, the thief would leave in case he was next in line.
In mud2 there were a baton and bow, wave one and it would teleport you to the other. One player dropped the bow in a well, where it fell in a river at the bottom, and was carried by the current and got stuck in a grate that led to a secret room, and people used it as a secret place to stash your stuff. A player did all this, realized there was no other way into the room.
MUD2 also had a keg of gunpowder, usually employed in shooting out a door with a cannon. But another player put it in a coracle, set fire to it, dropped it down the well, the coracle flows downstream, hits the grate, fire spread to the gunpowder, and exploded and killed the guy in the secret room who thought it was safe.
This worked on 33mhz box with 50 simultaneous players. It would probably work on my remote power point clicker. It is not hard to program or expensive to execute. It isn't too complicated for players… Rather, it makes less sense for things NOT to fall with gravity.
It also doesn't leave the door open to exploits unless you have implemented physics inconsistently. If you use multiple inheritance, you get a lot of this behavior for free. Just inherit from explosive object…
However, it CAN annoy players. So a player had 10000 sovereigns, or 176lbs. So carrying his money is carrying a fully grown man on his back. But this does open up puzzles.
But exasperating players is a valid reason not to do something. That is why when you go into the restroom in a movie, you know that something bad is going to happen rather than us seeing them go to the restroom. In real life, we do need to go, unless we are british royalty, or are in Star Trek and have it beamed out of us…
You could actually piss on a fire and put it out in MUD… Unless you were s female character… There were more than cosmetic differences between male and female characters.
But today's virtual worlds are really quite superficial. Why?
This lack of understanding of immersion goes beyond the physics. There are some things that people do for a laugh that break immersion. You go into the bank in storm wind and thief are NPCs named Olivia, newton, and john… Is this bad? No, the question is whether you even thought about the issue in the first place. You should know the consequences of it. If you do it because people seem to like a joke, then it is at a superficial level.
Likewise the horror a mud player would have of the following exchange
You salute smartly.
I didn't say smartly! Ask your self, do you want players to be immersed or not? The answer No is perfectly fine, but you should make the decision consciously.
Here is Dagna the dwarf from Dragon Age…
Once physics existed, then there was the setting. I could have chosen anything. I wanted it to be immersive, in some ways familiar but also unfamiliar… So i decided to root it in English folklore. These days that is called just "fantasy". I had experimented with it in a board game. I wanted players to know enough about the world to think they could survive, but to feel disquieted… Not knowing if the gait was friendly.
To this end… I had read Tolkien. But i didn't put in orcs. I had wad Robert e Howard because i was a boy. I had layer dungeons and dragons. But i eschewed all of these.
I could have done things that i liked instead. Serious candidates included three musketeers… But there were no good roles for women. There was the arabian 1001 nights, it has a magical world, it would have worked well. Another idea was escape from a prisoner of war camp, escape from a Colditz castle sort of thing, but it was depressing, and if you escaped, then what? And Camelot was also on my list
But i went for English mythology was because it was a continuum, it just goes back in time, not a point in time like the others. And then i could use time as a metaphor for menace… Back then we didn't flag a zone with just levels, we used time to flag menace, if you were in the1930s it was somewhat more safe, but if it came from the 1830s it was dangerous, and if you saw something from the neolithic, you were going to die.
How many designers today have the luxury of using metaphor?
You all do. You just don't.
I am not here to gloat. I am here to say that you do have the choice. Why make MMOs? You could be working in a bank. If you want to do it because you want to help the world, go work at a charity. Why do you do it? Because somehow you want to express something, and yet people don't even though they have the tools right there.
I chose fantasy because it provided resonance, and dissonance. But today choose fantasy because it is a well understood trope that delivers solid knowledgeable expectations. If you are being progressive your dwarves aren't drunkards with a scottish accent. I noticed that in Dragon Age. O love dragon age. I played it all the way through and will do it again, because i have no life.
MUD didn't even have dwarves, it had dwarfs, and not as player characters, and tolkien couldn't spell.
Inventive doesn't mean a new class hybrid. There were text MUDs with hundred classes and 30 races… I didn't know what to choose? Which collection of consonants with no vowels or vowels with no consonants? Di you even need classes?
When I this talk supposed to finish? Five minuets? You say that but you haven't got the tasers.
Trubshaw didn't build in game rules. It was more eve online than second life though, acting within the context. But the hardware was not up for it. So we had to gameify it… Adding game elements into the physics. It was a major change in our philosophy. MUD lacked a sense of purpose. So i out in what we now call an achievement system, examining options like equipment, which we ruled out because of lack of disk space, skills, levels, xp without levels, linked quests which we decided againt because they were too structured. I also had ideas Ike democracy, ,be voted on to gain a level.
I settled on levels, because they were easy to understand, and gave you a sense of your place in the social order. And they give you intermediate goals. The thing is, other things would have done that. So why choose levels? What tipped the balance in favor was that they showed CURRENT social order. Roy Trubshaw and I raged against the british class system. To you Americans, my british accent sounds like erudite and Ike a hollywood villain. To british people, i sound like I work on a farm and roy like he works in a factory. Do i hate VOIP, yes! So we had levels so you could break out of class structure. MUD only had ten levels, each which had its own personality. Players spent enough time to know that what level 9, legend meant [puts his Legend award on table, applause]
There was nothing to stop you from advancing except ability and strength of character. It was meritocracy. So all of you playing these MMOS with levels, it is because you are raging against the british class system. It was a political statement.
Not a chance i would get this Legend award in England.
The people who followed the subsequent MUDs and MMOs didn't know this. They added other things, and didn't understand the soul behind this, and added more levels. Again, it is fine to have a million levels, it is about KNOWING WHY.
At the moment, gear is the preferred achievement system when you reach the level cap. Why are you doing that? What is it saying? It is consumerism is good, the more stuff you have e more important you are. I am not going to make judgements about it, you give me stuff, i am aas happy as anyone else. But if that is what you want to say, why not have a fully consumerist game? Why not have a no levels? If you know the point you are trying to make you can remove the distractions and press on with what you are really trying to say.
This is a man in a shop.
Roy thought that combat would be handled by the physics of the world. The first thing that i made in MUD was an ox that if you hit it with an axe, it died. Much like a real ox. But that wasn't a lot of fun… Kind of, but not the kind of fun where you think the ox might hit you, sort of a like taking an axe to a toddler.
There are basically two ways to make fighting… Where you did it command by command, or as an event stream where stuff happens automatically. Roy did the second becaues he was short on time. I interspersed the other kind, so you could do special things while the stream happened.
Today this remains. But the range of combat options is wider while the CHOICE is narrower. Fifty spells you could cast but you only use four.
We had different weapon effects on different monsters, and creatures could level up.
But we didn't have classes. We didn't have races, and i still think races are a bad thing. We felt they were a racist concept. Character classes came later, with wholesale adoption of ideas from dikumud.
So MUDs changed from being about being yourself, to being a guided experience.
Combat was one of the weakest areas of MUD and it has gone on unchanged since then…. Why are there no experiments?
It is as if you "man shop" it. A woman looks at everything and picks the best one. A man shop is where you walk in and say "that one will do."
So we had to think through everything from first principles. We tidbit have a paradigm to work to. I am sure that the other folks who invented these things like Jacobs, Flinn and Taylor, Farmer and Morningstar, Klietz and Alberti, would have the same anecdotes.
I have two points.
The WHY you do things are important.
And the choices are still available to you.
Normally my slides look like this other look. Why did my slides look like this old fashioned style?
So i could criticize today's game design principles under the guide of a history lesson. It was a contrivance.
And that is what mud was too, roy and I ripping into the class system… We were the first in our families to go to university ever. It let us say unpalatable things about the real world under the guise of a game.
We wanted to make a virtual world because we didn't like the real one. And you can do the same thing.. If you are a game designer, you have to have some of your soul in the game design.
35 Responses to "GDCOnline: liveblog of Dr Bartle's talk"
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Raph Koster, Simon Carless, Max Geiger, Nicole Lazzaro, Christian Arca and others. Christian Arca said: RT @simoncarless: RT @raphkoster Loved Bartle's talk… Liveblog posted on my site #gdconline [http://bit.ly/9rNU7f] […]
Brilliant stuff. Thanks, Richard, for the thoughts and thanks, Raph, for the post.
The reason I quit WoW was because there wasn't enough "why." The reason I can't stomach SecondLife for more than a few days, here and there, every couple years, is because it's almost entirely "why." I keep hoping for something in the middle…
Question for Richard… if levels come from a hatred of the British class system, what does that make RMT leveling? The equivalent of buying a title?
Now that was worth reading. That is game design as a good songwriter might see it. Do it because you have something you want to get off your chest.
For some reason, I thought of Harold Bloom's construction of great art as a recognition of previous art and going, "Well, that's mostly wrong. This is how you do it right." I'm probably misrepresenting the man badly, but meh.
It also reminds me of this, which I read recently:
Wow, Raph, that's some amazingly fast typing!
Thanks for making me sound a lot saner than I'm sure I did at the time.
Good job Raph.
Richard is always utterly thought-provoking and fascinating. I feel I am learning just from being asked the questions he poses.
Lucidity in a crazy world, at last!! Very inspiring!
Thanks Dr. Bartle and Raph.
The whole of the talk was entertaining, thought provoking, and educational, but the last few minutes was what really spoke to me the most. It was very inspirational and reminded me why I quit being a lawyer and decided to make games in the first place.
Thanks Dr. Bartle,
But I feel cheated by time. Richard didn't get enough into reasons for social design (although he touched on it with perma-death and elsewhere), and without social design it might as well be a single player game, maybe with multiplayer options…like WoW.
Ahh, I see. That was Raph's thing to do.
Amaranthar >Ahh, I see. That was Raph's thing to do.
We didn't arrange it in advance…
yes. "why", not "how" IS the central factor that has been devalued by "virtualization" and its interface via the computer over the last 25 years.
as for "social game design".. and any "whys" behind it, well the sad truth is that the "social" has very little to do with the people, but much more with designs for the machine systems that distribute them.
yes we all still have choices. Just realize "why" is much harder "game" puzzle than "how" when others have made it possible for you just to click a button to "win".
other than yucks that's about ALL one can learn from Digital GAMES… sorry to kill other book deals..;)
I had always assumed that the MUDs borrowed conventions such as levels and loot fixation from Gygax, Arneson and company.
I don't say that in any way to diminish the work of the MUD pioneers. I know there are critical differences between a multi-user design and a tabletop RPG. But if the launch of Champions demonstrates nothing else, it shows that designers are still mining a rich legacy of material that predates MUDs… with or without understanding the 'why' of those systems.
As a player, I've never experienced loot acquisition as consumerist. Instead, for me the act of acquiring relates directly and (more importantly) solely to the enhancement of the characters' abilities. Emphasis added as I'm talking about the feelings and experiences of desire, acquisition and possession.
Specifically, I rarely have a desire for a specific loot item apart from the generalized desire for a stronger character that is the movitvation base for ALL actions within the MMO. It isn't the same kind of desire as the RL desire for stuff; if anything, the motive in MMOs feels to me to have less stuff, to continually streamline one's inventory to only have what's optimally useful.
Granted, there are consumerist elements, but I think there are significant abstract differences. Unlike RL, game items (generally) do exactly what they say they will, immediately, and permanently. Buying loot feels more akin to buying a license for a higher stat value (and all its cascading effects) than to buying a "time-saving" kitchen gadget or "energy-boosting" energy drink. It is as much ritual as anything else, the cashing in of game-accomplishment credit dressed in familiar consumerist clothing (so that you can tell him apart from his twin brother Level).
Oh, and forgot to say: great and inspiring piece. 🙂 The above was, is, just a thought I had about part of all that discussion that I felt like tossing out there. As ususal, it grew in size and got away from me. 😛
Champions doesn't predate MUDs actually. 1981, sez Wikipedia!
You're right. First MUD was '78.
The general point stands — MUDs were build upon the shoulders of RPGs, and MMO developers are still dipping into that well. DDO would have been a better example, perhaps, as the tabletop mechanics are clearly visible.
As a player, I've never experienced loot acquisition as consumerist. Instead, for me the act of acquiring relates directly and (more importantly) solely to the enhancement of the characters' abilities.
But isn't this just the subjective experience of consumerism? We always buy the new thing because we think it will give us some ability we didn't have before, perhaps an abstract one such as getting a romantic partner, social acceptance or a new confidence.
Mindless consumerism is something we ascribe only to other people whose motivations we don't understand, or for whom we can be more objective, seeing that consumption won't really get them the thing they might want.
But when we do it, it always seems to make sense.
Yukon Sam>I had always assumed that the MUDs borrowed conventions such as levels and loot fixation from Gygax, Arneson and company.
I did borrow levels in MUD1 from D&D. However, I looked at several things that could potentially do what I wanted to do, and chose levels from those. If D&D hadn't have had levels, I might have gone with either a straight XP system or a skills system, or if I'd thought about it more then perhaps a linked quest system. The reason I chose levels over the other techniques that would have done the same job was because it dug at the British class system. I mentioned this to Roy Trubshaw when I described what I was planning on doing with the gamification, and he liked it; we didn't have a big debate about it or anything, though, because we basically agreed on that kind of stuff. Roy hadn't even played D&D.
Loot was just one way to get XP in MUD1. You also got it for beating things in a fight and for doing certain difficult-to-do things (eg. entering the Fountain of Wisdom). The way you scored for loot was to destroy it, too, so you had to decide whether you wanted the longsword or the points you'd get from destroying it (inventories weren't saved across play sessions – they were for about a year in an early version, but we ran out of disc space so had to drop the idea).
Mindless consumerism is something we ascribe only to other people whose motivations we don't understand, or for whom we can be more objective, seeing that consumption won't really get them the thing they might want.
The extra adjective there isn't actually redundant. Consumerism isn't "consuming stuff is a badness people do"; it's a consumer-centric worldview. Or in this case, a consumer-centric game design. Basically, a game designed around having people go and get more stuff all the time is consumerist.
It's not like Bartle is saying it's a bad thing. Actually, he quite pointedly says he's not judging it as a bad thing.
I, on the other hand, have no qualms about denouncing the non-satirical renditions of it. 😛
So you don't have to reinvent the wheel, but designers had better be able to explain from first principles why the wheel is the perfect fit for the vehicle they're building.
And it wouldn't hurt players who frequent message boards to consider those same principles before asking for spoilers, cup-holders, and hood-mounted .50 cals.
A fascinating talk! Thanks to Dr. Bartle for giving it and to Mr. Koster for helping those of us not there to experience it. Incidentally, Dr. Bartle, as an aspiring online game designer I recently finished your "Designing Virtual Worlds" and it was a truly revelatory and enlightening experience. Thank you for writing it.
Although it is very unclear right now as to whether I will ever be able to implement any of my design concepts for online gaming, I very much appreciate the call to innovate you have given and the lessons you provide from your own experiences. I hope that in the near future we are able to see a multitude of different ways to solve the many problems posed by MMOGs.
However, I fear that with "World of Warcraft" we have experienced a "Birth of a Nation" moment, in that a new art – used loosely – form has had its first runaway smash success, attracting immense amounts of external attention, just as film had with Griffith's magnum opus. For the foreseeable future I think that the virtual world medium is going to continue to move to solidify the design decisions made in the seminal work. Of course, Griffith led to such great things as United Artists and Eisenstein, so perhaps not all hope is lost…but I feel that we are moving into a momentous time for virtual worlds and that the next five to ten years will be perhaps the most important time span to establish what is acceptable in them and what is not for a very long time.
We always buy the new thing because we think it will give us some ability we didn't have before, perhaps an abstract one such as getting a romantic partner, social acceptance or a new confidence.
In a sense, this is my point. The consumerist experience is very heavily based on the ephemeral and subjective. Consider the Porsche versus the Protege.
In contrast, the purchase of a given piece of gear in a given MMO is rooted very firmly in the objective, in the explicit stat bonus the gear will absolutely provide. The +5 sword versus the +2.
While there is an element of prestige to having the top-most equipment and an even stronger vanity element to having gear that looks unique or cool, in my own experience I've based purchase decisions almost entirely on the greatest efficiency of converting acquired gold to heightened game statistics (bang for the buck).
No one goes to a McDonalds because they desire 450 calories of nourishment. Even a price-conscious consumer that's trying to get the most / best meal for the dollar isn't making their choice based on the statistics of nutrition. Contrast this to someone trying to figure out how much higher they can raise their armor value with the gold they have on them.
The strongest drivers of consumerism lie in the subjective elements of desirability that are largely subtracted in the MMO, both by much more explicit information (and much stronger guarantees) about an item's actual effect and the level of removal of the player from actual experience of the purchased good (you might as well base in-game food choice on how "nutritional" it is since you don't really get to taste it, and you don't have to care how comfortable that armor is to run around in).
Further, most of the prestige motivations don't emerge until the higher levels of play, and purely vanity items are often capitalized in the traditionally consumerist cash shop, turning them into traditional consumerist goods.
Thus, hmm… thus I suppose my point that with more perfect markets and more rational behavior consumerism diminishes? That's actually an interesting conclusion I seriously just saw now, as I was typing this. (No, literally this sentence. 😛 )
Yukon Sam>So you don't have to reinvent the wheel, but designers had better be able to explain from first principles why the wheel is the perfect fit for the vehicle they're building.
Maybe not from first principles, but they had better be able to explain why this wheel is better than all those other wheels they could have used, and why they actually want a wheel in the first place. "Hey, they work on cars, let's try them on our boat!".
Andy>I recently finished your "Designing Virtual Worlds" and it was a truly revelatory and enlightening experience. Thank you for writing it.
Well, I had to; otherwise, someone else would have.
>Although it is very unclear right now as to whether I will ever be able to implement any of my design concepts for online gaming
You probably can implement them, because unless they're graphics-specific you can do it in text. However, if you want people to play your ideas, well, that's a different matter…
>However, I fear that with "World of Warcraft" we have experienced a "Birth of a Nation" moment
Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to write my book before WoW came out…
>I feel that we are moving into a momentous time for virtual worlds and that the next five to ten years will be perhaps the most important time span to establish what is acceptable in them and what is not for a very long time.
My worry is that we will lose all that's special about them. We've already lost so much; back in the early days, there was no equivalent of character sales or gold farming because playing MMOs (MUDs as they were back then) was itself fun. People would no sooner have bought a high-level character back then than today's Dragon Age players would buy a save file. The slide is long but inevitable – even WoW today is thin and watery compared with what it was like 5 years ago. We'll need revolutionary change, not evolutionary change, if the players of the future are to see MMOs that bring back the awe.
"Hey, they work on cars, let's try them on our boat!".
Funny thing; the analogy I made originally had tank treads and GEV fans before I cut it down. Had to make room for the cup-holders.
Richard said, My worry is that we will lose all that's special about them. We've already lost so much; [snip] We'll need revolutionary change, not evolutionary change, if the players of the future are to see MMOs that bring back the awe.
One direction I've wanted to go in is to target the education system rather than ride the entertainment industry. Granted, that piggybacks off my belief that we can fix the damned thing, but surely you've seen the article on Quest to Learn by now. (IIRC, it was in NYTimes.) But when I was working on mine, I made it a fairly explicit that since my goal wasn't profit (breaking even would have suited me), I was free to choose schools for my demographic. Whole other question of actually getting it endorsed or played… but baby steps.
Oh, found article:
Great article! I particularly liked the bits about the snowman in the fire, etc. I remember playing Alone in the Dark (some 18 years ago) and being very disappointed that I couldn't pour the pan of soup over a fire to put it out. Instead I had to find (***spoiler alert***) a pitcher of water in the bathroom. I still enjoyed the game, but felt the playtesting had been a little lax. Haven't played a MUD (didn't want to get addicted!) or any MMOGs yet, but love playing RL RPGs. I'm sure somebody will manage to make a virtual RPG that can work out the physics like a real GM can!
Richard>My worry is that we will lose all that's special about them. We've already lost so much; back in the early days, there was no equivalent of character sales or gold farming because playing MMOs (MUDs as they were back then) was itself fun. People would no sooner have bought a high-level character back then than today's Dragon Age players would buy a save file. The slide is long but inevitable – even WoW today is thin and watery compared with what it was like 5 years ago. We'll need revolutionary change, not evolutionary change, if the players of the future are to see MMOs that bring back the awe.
I think I understand what you are saying here, and I have to say it does seem like a backwards slide to me in many ways as well. I stopped playing WoW over a year ago, but I spent 3.5 years with the game and remember well the shift from a huge, epic, wild-and-wooly VW to one where the rough corners have all been filed away and the vast majority of gameplay became a matter of going through the motions as you are gently funneled through content in the equivalent of a choose-your-own-path theme park ride.
My bet is that this happened because, once it became obvious that WoW was a money-printing machine, there was no (or not enough) infrastructure there to prevent the focus being shifted from providing a fun game experience to growing and maintaining the subscriber base, with lowest-common-denominator pandering (i.e. Cataclysm) becoming the inevitable means to the end of keeping it just fun enough to prevent people from cancelling their accounts until the servers go dark.
For the immediate future, I don't see this trend reversing itself — the potential (if illusory, maybe) financial rewards are simply too great to buck it right now. The new Star Wars MMOG appears to be "WoW in Space", and from what I've seen the Warhammer 40k MMOG will be the same. The one major different MMOG, EVE, has the vehicle-based and wide-open sandbox MMOG genres pretty well cornered at this point, and anyway I'm not aware of any big-buzz competitors to EVE under development. Bungie seems to have a big secret project going on now that Halo is over (at least for them), but although they have proven themselves able to revolutionize game genres it's not clear yet what they are planning, and even if it is an MMOG I suspect it is at least 3 years away.
I personally have no aversion to text (my philosophy degree speaks to that) but although I've done some work with a text adventure game idea, I'm at a loss where to begin working on a MUD. Could you give any advice?
One final note, I suspect that the reason people pay for VW avatars is because it is impossible to duplicate and share them, thus (due to supply insufficient to meet the demand) they are valuable. If players had a means to do this, they would be much less expensive, although it would also completely reshape persistent virtual worlds, and not for the better in my opinion. But there has long been a save-file-swap culture with many games, and for some (like Dwarf Fortress) it is an important part of the game's community.
It was inevitable that WoW would slide as it did. The game was based on "easy", so much so that players didn't even have many decisions to make on their own. A game based on that, the "Year 2525 syndrome", is going to go in no other direction than deeper into it. Human nature, from both the player and the producer perspective, is the obvious cause.
Human nature is a complicated thing. What once was desired goes out of fashion. People rebel against what they once wanted. They find that it wasn't what they really wanted after all, and almost feel misled. The fashionable becomes the mocked. But not until they move on. This is WoW's future. And at this point, it's only as far off as the coming of a better MMO gaming experience. Which seems to be stubbornly shy.
I'm looking at the same stagnant pool of MMOs as the rest of you, but I don't see doom. I see potential. I see opportunity. I see a supercooled beaker of liquid waiting only for the right seed to hit it and turn it instantly into a brilliant crystal, leaving everybody to wonder, "Whoa! Where did THAT come from?"
I can't predict where that seed will come from. But I would guess that there's an above average chance that it's somebody who reads this site on a regular basis.
And if it is, all I can say is, "kid, what are you waiting for? We need you!"
Amaranthar>It was inevitable that WoW would slide as it did.
I don't agree with this completely, although I do agree in large part. Part of the problem I see with WoW is that the designers consistently failed to plan ahead more than a few patches, and every time an expansion has been released there has been a massive overhaul of game mechanics. A good example is the defense stat – it went from being a bonus to tanking in vanilla, to crucial in TBC, to crucial (for some classes) in WLK, to now removed from the game in Cataclysm.
While I expect mechanics to develop as the game develops, these wild swings do not indicate to me that there has been enough long-range planning going on, and thus what look like uncontroversial decisions made early in the process end up coming back to foul things up badly after a few iterations. (See the notion of "generative entrenchment" for a philosophical basis for why it is important to make early design decision carefully…indeed as it is obvious that Dr. Bartle and Roy Trubshaw did way back in the days of MUD.)
That's easy for me to say, though, I've never developed an MMOG and no doubt my armchair quarterbacking is laughably simplistic. I do think, however, that WoW has really devolved into an exercise in pandering to the base. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, although it usually is and in this case certainly could have been handled better. And hopefully will be in the next generation of MMOGs.
Yukon Sam>I'm looking at the same stagnant pool of MMOs as the rest of you, but I don't see doom. I see potential.
I absolutely agree, and that is a major reason why it is that I am very excited at the idea of becoming a MMOG designer. However, I really recommend that people look at what happened to the medium of cinema when "Birth of a Nation" was released and look at what is happening to MMOGs in the aftermath of WoW. Although there had been feature films before, BoaN standardized the feature as the standard format for cinematic works, and codified a huge number of cinematic tropes (most or all of which had been discovered/invented years if not decades before) into the standard filmmaker's toolkit of meaning. It also made an unbelievable boatload of money and attracted attention to the medium (which had long been marginalized and dismissed) like nothing had before. I suspect that in the next 5-10 years we are going to see the typical high-profile VW have a scale very similar to that of WoW, all using different combinations of WoW tropes until we shake them out into a well-developed toolkit that can be used modularly across VWs to provide a familiar (but not necessarily realistic) set of devices that players will use to make VW experiences meaningful independent of the particular VW they are playing, just as we can understand various types of shots and cuts in movies without having to relearn what they all mean every time we see a new film.
(Dr. Bartle, if you are still reading this, I guess my analogy makes you a Porter, or maybe both of the Lumiere brothers…sorry my film history is a little rusty, I know there were some very important early British filmmakers but their names escape me at the moment.)
Again, my point here is simply that WoW is a watershed moment in VW design, and like any such moment there are going to be consequences. But it is also a very exciting period we are entering, and for the best and brightest and luckiest now is the time when you will be able to make your mark on everything in VWs from this point onward.
Andy>Dr. Bartle, if you are still reading this, I guess my analogy makes you a Porter, or maybe both of the Lumiere brothers…sorry my film history is a little rusty, I know there were some very important early British filmmakers but their names escape me at the moment.
Heh, when I wrote Designing Virtual Worlds I was thinking more along the lines of Eisenstein. Whenevr today's film theorists want to talk about montage, they reference Eisenstein; his name is like a keyword for a whole body of montage theory that came afterwards but was based on his work. I saw that virtual worlds didn't have anything like that – some early coherent body of work that could be used as a foundation for later theories – and so that's what I tried to write. Maybe a hundred years from now, virtual world theorists will refer to DVW, and maybe they won't, but they'll refer to something. I just gave them one thing they could latch onto if they wanted, but it's not as if I care whether they do or not as I'll be long dead by then.
Andy>I personally have no aversion to text (my philosophy degree speaks to that) but although I've done some work with a text adventure game idea, I'm at a loss where to begin working on a MUD. Could you give any advice?
Figure out why you want to work on one.
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Working With Singing Bowls - A Sacred Journey.
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A book to enable every individual to find contentment and self-realization through the power of sound. Tibetan singing bowls have a noble origin, one which Andrew Lyddon utterly respects in guiding the user into a practice to enhance meditation and enable spiritual growth. It is the path of nada yoga, or union through sound.
Andrew's writing however, is utterly practical and he deals one by one with every question the aspiring player of singing bowls might want to ask.
Andrew Lyddon came to singing bowls after hearing such masters as Frank Perry play at the white Eagle Lodge. He gives sound workshops himself, and is a mental health social worker when not relaxing and meditating with bowls.
Softcover | 64 pages | ISBN: 9781905398102
Note: Free shipping in the USA only. International shipping is available for an additional cost and will be billed separately with your approval.
Price: $12.95


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LOS ANGELES ---- The new-look Dodgers aren't pushing anyone around quite yet ---- least of all the Padres.
Loaded up on offense with the acquisitions of former Padres star Adrian Gonzalez, shortstop Hanley Ramirez and outfielder Shane Victorino, Los Angeles knocked around Clayton Richard, only to see a youthful Padres bullpen slam the door shut in a 4-3 win Wednesday night before a crowd of 50,506 at Dodger Stadium.
Carlos Quentin's seventh-inning sacrifice fly pushed the Padres ahead after the Dodgers handed Richard his shortest outing this season, and six relievers combined for 4 1/3 hitless innings to send Los Angeles to its seventh loss in 12 games since its headline-grabbing move to acquire Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto from the reeling Boston Red Sox.
Rookie Nick Vincent (Ramona High) pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings, rookie Brad Boxberger struck out two in the seventh, and Joe Thatcher and Dale Thayer teamed up for a scoreless eighth to hand a lead to Luke Gregerson, who hit Victorino with two outs to bring Gonzalez to the plate as the go-ahead run.
No matter. Rookie left-hander Tommy Layne got Gonzalez to ground sharply to second baseman Andy Parrino, who knocked the ball down and recovered in time to throw out Gonzalez at first. Layne recorded his second save a day after he earned his first major league win.
"The bullpen really has been solid over the last few months, and it's sort of coincided with how we've played," Padres manager Bud Black said. " ... Tonight, we had a bunch of rookies ... with Vincent, Boxberger and Layne doing their job, trying to make huge contributions to the cause.
"It's great to see."
A night earlier, the Padres' bullpen closed the game with 4 2/3 scoreless innings in an 11-inning win that ---- combined with Wednesday's victory ---- gave the Padres their second series win over the Dodgers since the All-Star break. On Wednesday, center fielder Cameron Maybin gave the 'pen a hand in the seventh by robbing Matt Kemp of a home run with a leaping catch against the wall for the second out of the inning, the defensive highlight of a game in which Maybin also extended his hitting streak to seven games with a fourth-inning single.
"I was just happy to redeem myself after just missing taking one away from Hanley (on Monday)," Maybin said.
There was plenty of redemption to go around after that 11-inning loss, what with Tuesday's extra-innings win, Chase Headley extending his hitting streak to eight games with two hits and the bullpen coming to the rescue after a rare off game by Richard, who allowed three runs on 10 hits ---- two by Gonzalez ---- in 4 2/3 innings.
Richard was unavailable after the game because he joined his wife in San Diego, where she was being induced into labor.
Spotted a 3-0 lead before he even stepped onto the mound, Richard allowed hits in four of the five innings he started. Luis Cruz plated a run on a single in the first, Gonzalez drove in another with a single in the third, and Ramirez tied the game with his RBI single in a fifth inning that could have been much worse for Richard.
Three of the first four batters in the inning reached base before Richard got Andre Ethier ---- the No. 6 hitter, sitting on 17 homers and 80 RBIs ---- to pop out to shortstop. Then Black pulled Richard after only 69 pitches for Vincent, who needed just one pitch to retire Cruz on a popup behind home plate.
Earlier in the game, Headley turned a nifty double play on a safety squeeze toward third, whirling to second base ---- instead of an easy throw to home for a tag play ---- where Logan Forsythe caught the ball and flipped to first to bail Richard out of a first-and-third threat in the second.
Dodgers starter Aaron Harang was hardly the model of efficiency. He needed 109 pitches to get through five innings, allowing three runs ---- two earned ---- on seven hits and three walks, with all of the damage coming in the first inning after the first three Padres reached base.
Everth Cabrera singled, Will Venable walked, and Headley followed with an RBI double off the wall in center field that scored two runs when Ramirez's throw to the plate skipped away from catcher A.J. Ellis.
After Quentin's groundout to third, Yasmani Grandal gave the Padres a 3-0 lead on an infield single to first.


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Photographer's Note
I was in Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusett when I took this photo. The light is always great in Menemsha, especially at daybreak and dusk. It's one of my favorite places.
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While I believe that vibration control's absence or presence can be measured, and so don't dismiss it entirely, it is a simple and necessary step to just remove the pillows during the audition. And then put them back. This speaks to basic methodology.
I Can See Clearly Now
Clarity Cable of Wichita, KS had a neat little demo going at T.H.E. Show. Rather than pairing their single cable line and new Clarity Audio Pillows with high-priced electronics, they intentionally chose inexpensive mass-market electronics. With a twist. The Infinity Beta 50 speakers were rewired with Clarity wire. (You can also find Clarity wire in MaxxHorn speakers). The CD player was a Panasonic DMP-BD30 with a flimsy chassis, etc. Yet the sound was impressively full-range and inviting.
Part of the secret, they told me, was Clarity's new vibration control pillows. "Put cable vibration to bed" is the company's line on these extremely lightweight babies. They contain a composite of materialsthey wouldn't tell me whatand are promised to be covered in black satin or something similar that looks far better than what you see in the photo. Clarity Audio Pillows cost $60 each for the large size (meant to be put atop components) and $30 for small pillows that wrap around interconnects. I'm told that a more expensive player (eg, Esoteric) needs fewer pillows, because it vibrates less than the cheap stuff.
Clarity's line includes different cabling for digital and analog. I didn't get a full price list, but a 2m pair of loudspeaker cables for digital amps costs $1800.
Clarity also demmed MaxxHorn's BlueMaxx CD Cleaner. Even though I was given a bottle to try at RMAF last fall, I've been relying on another brand that I knew greatly improved bass retrieval and dynamics. From the before-and-after demo I heard in Clarity's room, BlueMaxx does much the same thing. Gotta compare products when I get home. I'm so glad the stuff comes in a large bottlefar more economical than the competition
Thanks for pointing out the obvious. How did you come up with the name suits_me? (It's also spelled differently different times, making me wonder if you post under more than one name). Nothing seems to suit you. I've read a host of your comments, and every single one is negative and derisive. If we review low-cost equipment, you find something wrong. If we review high-cost equipment, you go on the attack. If a cable manufacturer answers your question, you say you'd prefer to read DUP's deleted drivel. In the end, all I can say is, I hope you find the writing and equipment that bring you happiness.
I went to the Clarity Cable room on Day 1 of THE Show and received a gracious greeting from Melissa, who volunteered a demonstration on The Clarity Audio Pillow. She played several cuts from her own CD on an inexpensive mass market CD player, first with the Pillows on then without (repeating the process several times until I was satisfied). It was noticeable that WITHOUT THE PILLOWS, there was smearing, less coherence, and a loss in musicality and dynamics. A big difference from the music that I heard when I entered the room and not knowing what the exhibitor was demonstrating. Enough of a difference for me to reach into my pocket to buy a pair of the large Pillows (roughly 6" x 5" in an off-white or beige cotton pouch). Melissa said these Pillows are available in a black cotton exterior pillow case.


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iControl Networks Secures First Smart Home Integration for New Samsung Gear 2 Smartwatch
Partnership Expands iControl's Ecosystem of Inter-Connected Lifestyle Devices and Apps
Mar 21, 2014, 08:02 ET from iControl Networks
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- iControl Networks, a leader in connected home technology and innovation, has partnered with Samsung as a featured app developer for the newly-announced Samsung Gear 2. Available in mid-2014, iControl's app for the Gear 2 will give consumers worldwide another convenient way to communicate with their homes at all times.
iControl-powered connected home solutions include Xfinity Home from Comcast, IntelligentHome from Time Warner Cable and Rogers Smart Home Monitoring, among others. The Samsung Gear 2 will be compatible with iControl Converge™ and iControl Touchstone™ solutions, offering another way to manage the things that matter most – homes, families and safety – all with the touch of a button. The Gear 2 will also feed data, including location and preference information, to better inform and automate the connected home and life experience.
"We're excited to partner with Samsung to offer people even more ways to control their homes with the touch of a button," said iControl's Jim Johnson, executive vice president and general manager of the Austin Business Unit. "The integration of Samsung Gear 2 with connected home technology brings us another step closer to a feature-rich and smarter lifestyle. The more devices that are integrated into our smart home cloud, the more information we can gather to ultimately create a highly personalized experience – both inside and outside the home."
For more information, please visit www.icontrol.com/.
About iControl Networks
iControl Networks is a venture-backed software and services company providing interactive solutions defining the connected home market. iControl software platforms, award-winning solutions that have made the connected home a reality, enable home security companies, broadband service providers and utilities to offer the next generation of home management, security and connectivity to their customers. Venture investors in iControl include Charles River Ventures, the Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers iFund, and Intel Capital, with strategic investments from a variety of service providers including ADT, Comcast Ventures, Comporium and Rogers Communications. For more information, please visit www.icontrol.com.
SOURCE iControl Networks


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Washington's Peterson has a career-best throw at the Brookhart-Crew Relays
FAIRFIELD — Washington's Tommy Peterson finally got the throw his coaches had been looking for.
The sophomore shot putter had a career-best throw of 48 feet, 3.75 inches to take third place at Monday's Brookhart-Crew Relays in Fairfield.
"He's been close," Washington head boys' track and field coach Steve Roth said of Peterson. "He'd scratched on a couple of 49s already. Coach [Scott] Danielson has spent a lot of time working with him on falling out of the ring, and it's really paid off."
Peterson's career-best throw heading into the Brookhart-Crew Relays was 46 feet, 4 inches. But he threw nearly two feet further on Monday night.
"He's consistently getting better and consistently taking care of himself," Roth said. "Each throw is getting better and better. Tommy has bought into what Coach Danielson has taught him, and he keeps improving."
Several of Washington's events showed improvement on Monday night. The Demons' shuttle hurdle relay team of Jacob Hennigan, Jack Giardino, Jeff Knupp and Gage Redlinger ran a season-best time of 1:02.84, but finished behind outstanding squads from Fort Madison, Mt. Pleasant and Centerville.
"We're getting there," Roth said of his shuttle hurdle quartet. "We ran a 1:01.62 last year to get [to state]. We're very close, and I'm very pleased with the way they're coming together."
Hennigan, a sophomore, also ran a personal-best time of 15.57 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles, taking third place.
"He's just getting better and better," Roth said of Hennigan.
Both of Washington's high jumpers — senior Austin Witt and freshman Michael Ellingson — cleared 5 feet, 6 inches for the first time in their careers. And junior Garrett Covington took third place in the 100-meter dash in a personal-best time of 11.85 seconds.
Washington's 4x200 relay team of Carl Sivels, Redlinger, Kyle Roder and Witt took third place in 1:34.94, and the 4x400 squad of Justin Hoffman, Noah Lebsack, Alan Sanchez and Austin Latcham was fourth in 3:37.94. The quartet of Ethan Hansen, Bryce Rickey, Giardino and Jacob Green finished fifth in the 4x100 relay in 48.45 seconds, and the 1,600 medley relay team of Tanner Knupp, Hansen, Spencer Woods and Curtis Vest was sixth in 4:13.32.
With the Southeast Conference meet being pushed up from Thursday to tonight due to poor weather in the forecast, Roth only ran his athletes in one or two events on Monday night. But he wasn't pleased with their concentration.
"I would have liked to have seen better focus from my guys," Roth said. "Maybe they were thinking about conference. I don't know what happened."
Roth said he knows that Peterson will be focused for the conference meet tonight. Peterson will be competing against the two Mt. Pleasant throwers who finished ahead of him in Fairfield on Monday night.
"I think he gets psyched up when he's throwing against Mt. Pleasant kids," Roth said. "They're throwing 50, and now he's throwing 48, and that's outstanding for Tommy."


text: The Knicks are playing great basketball. But the should have been like this since November. I know veryone is hoping for this year and so am I but even if we do not make it this year it will be because Herb Williams was not with us sooner. Thsi guy is a Pat Riley and Van Gundy disciple. He has got the team playing defense. Now over the summer. Phil, Larry, and Flip are talk of being the next coach. If all say no. Herb William aint bad at all. As a matter of fact I would want him here. For team severely flawed he has used them well as of late. Now I will not mention next year because it anit the time. But he we got something in Herb, right?


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Written on: 08/08/2010
Our SP470 is 7 years old and never faltered until this morning, when it has started to splutter, petrol and oil fine. Will book it in for its first ever service. This mower has been through a lot and until today it has been nothing but excellent.


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Thank you Ank. It was a great celebration and yes, everyone was Irish!!
I like this, everyone is Irish. So everyone has a reason to celebrate. This looks lovely Cathy, so sorry there are no ( or just little) Irish in NL. lol
Hi Jim. That's right ... we're all Irish today! It's 8C ( 46F) but windy ... so it feels colder.
Looks like it is cold today, Cathy. And I always heard that Everybody is Irish, today!
Oh, ok, I like the sound of that!
Yes ... and Morris dancers, Korean drummers, Chinese Lion Dance .. etc etc. Basically whoever wants to join in !!! ... :-)
Um, sorry, I'm confused! Scottish dancers in a St Patrick's Day parade?


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The Phoenix Mercury are a really good team. They made the right decision firing their coach last season and now everything is clicking for them. They have their sights set on a championship BUT I think it makes sense to fade them on Tuesday. They are coming off a playoff atmosphere type victory against defending champion and likely Western Conference Final opponent Minnesota. Diana Taurasi hit a last second shot to give Phoenix the win. They can wrap up the number one seed in the Western Conference with a win against New York but it won't be easy considering how desperate the Liberty will be.
New York trails Indiana by a half game for the final playoff spot in the east with 4 games to play. Tuesday's game against Phoenix will essentially be a playoff game for New York. Plus New York is coming off a loss in which they did not match the energy of their opponent. They realize this and will likely play with maximum effort on Tuesday. Check out this quote from New York's best player Tina Charles following their loss last game:
Another reason I like New York is their physicality. Check out this (hilarious) quote from Diana Taurasi from the last time Phoenix played New York:
I don't think Phoenix is going to want to get into a slug fest with New York and risk injury when they are so close to a championship run.
Phoenix is clearly the better team but on Tuesday it makes sense to grab the points with the dog.
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Mods: please move this thread from 'Everything Else' to 'Other Sports'. Thank you.
Gameday bump.
BOL Dub
Thanks Nickels. Current line is 5.5 (with some 6's still available).
Hi Dub, Got it at 6! have a good day today, cant wait for football!!!!
Thanks for your writeups dub. Good stuff
Sorry Ziggy, Nickels, and anyone else who followed. Thought I had a good one here but obviously didn't.
It's all good Dub! You'll get em next time!
Dont worry about it Dub. You are truly Legendary and Please bless us with another pick asap. Your long term winning record it solid
Surely u didn't think the N.Y. Liberty wud cover against Phoenix.... Liberty can score but they have no defence. Phoenix wins WNBA Championship this year. I can almost guarantee it.
Your share has been sent.


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- Released: Jun 8, 2010
- Sound: 9
- Lyrics: 9
- Overall Impression: 9
Users' score:
(2 votes)
Sound — 9
Churning out punk anthems with this level of regularity is no mean feat. On "In Desolation" Off With Their Heads epitomise the sound of modern punk at it's peak. Truth be told, it would be false to claim that each of the 12 tracks on this album have their own individual charm; at least half of them can be mistaken for another, but this in itself is the album's charm. Sticking firmly to one sound, and one desolate story Off With Their Heads have created a proper rock album here, not merely a collection of songs. There's nothing remotely innovative about the music, it's power chords, power vocals, power lyrics... Punk, basically. But maybe that's why it is so very good, because few other bands do punk this way any more; it's heartfelt and raw and ultimately anthemic. I have never seen this band live but I would bet good money they are awesome, the choruses to "Trying To Breathe" and "Clear The Air" in particular are begging for massive audiences. Whilst power chords form the basis of the music here, guitar solos and more interesting riffs are also included, which at times is essential to ensure the songs aren't all ultimately the same. On top of this, some impressive bass variations are present, to the point where it is almost reminiscent of Anti-Flag. "My Episodes" is the one quieter break on the album, a lovely, honest admittance of personal issues, with a romantic twist. This makes the perfect premise for "Clear The Air", the best end to a punk album I can remember.
Lyrics — 9
"ZZYZX" is the fourth song on "In Desolation" and lyrically covers the whole album's theme, summarised wonderfully in the line "I'll find myself or you'll find me dead." There is not much to say about the album lyrically other than the lyrics deal with the theme of being, aptly, in desolation. The way the lyrics are delivered though is crucial, Ryan Young's throaty, rasping vocal style perfectly compliments the lyrics and indeed the music. Backing vocals also have a key part to play, most evident in "Clear The Air" where the "God dammit I'm falling apart" refrain is accented perfectly by the backing "woah"'s. The excellent use of vocal layering whilst remaining raw and honest ensures that the powerful lyrics are conveyed with real meaning and intensity.
Overall Impression — 9
This is actually only Off With Their Heads' second album, but it speaks with such maturity that you would think that maybe they've been around for decades. One concern for me would be as to where the band will go from here. I have not heard the whole of their first album, but the bits I have heard have been much the same as this. If a third album of this type of material were to come out in a few years, Off With Their Heads may well stagnate. Nevertheless, "In Desolation" is everything you want from a punk album. It has power, it has meaning, it has big choruses and it thoroughly engages you; you want to know if the persona escapes their cycle of desolation following the album's ambiguous but fantastic ending. I not only highly recommend you buy this album, but you buy into this band. This is a punk band to believe in.


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The general consensus following the Nittany Lions' 31-10 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday was clear - yes, Penn State won, but quarterback Anthony Morelli is still struggling in big games.
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They say there is no substitute for locally sourced food and judging by the introduction of a unique pig producing company this firmly held belief looks like ringing true. And it's all down to the foundation of the pioneering. Truly Irish Country Foods, which is now making its presence felt locally. he North South Pig Company has big plans for its newly launched venture, Truly Irish Country Food brands.
The company will shortly unveil a big-budget television ad campaign to promote the Truly Irish range of Bord Bia quality marked and approved rashers, sausages and cooked hams to consumers across the country.
"It will take many years of investment in marketing and PR to get this brand to the level we require it to be at," said Jarlath O'Dwyer, a business consultant who is working with North South Pig Company on the new venture. "It means holding back profits and ploughing them back into PR and advertising and building the brand that way.
When you go down the route of TV and national newspaper advertising, you are looking at big budgets and that will have to come from the profit of the brand and also shareholder funds." Established in 1999, North South Pig Company comprises 140 pork producers from around the country, who are also shareholders in the company.
Representing a sizable 70 per cent share of the pork production market in Ireland, North South's aim is to counter fluctuating meat prices and increase the availability of home-sourced pork products in Irish supermarkets. The company works with processors based in Germany, shipping out an average of 600 sows each week. It is a sizable operation, which O'Dwyer believes has the potential to generate revenues of e1 million for Truly Irish in its first year of operation.
Investment in a high-profile TV campaign is part of a wider strategy to go head to head with established competitors like Galtee and Denny from the outset. The company involves its board of directors and shareholders in all key decisions. Consultants have also been brought in to help with national accounts, brand development, marketing, product development and relationship building. Just shy of three months in operation, Truly Irish already employs ten staff, primarily in sales and marketing.
The company's products are stocked in Supervalu and Superquinn outlets. "The next challenge is to expand the range within those retail chains to include puddings, joints and different types of meat and sausage products, as well as getting listed with Tesco and Dunnes Stores," said O'Dwyer. "Another challenge is to get into the food service channel, which will mean working closely with major food service distributors."After that the main focus will be on getting the name out there and getting the consumer to recognise the benefits of consuming the product."


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One of the more frequent visitors to Michigan State's campus this winter and spring has been Portage (Mich.) Central offensive guard Nate Jeppesen. The 6-4, 260-pound Jeppesen was back in East Lansing on Tuesday to take in a spring practice.
"They go really fast, really hard all the time and keep the tempo up," Jeppesen said. "They keep everybody on their feet and don't waste time. I like watching practices like that."
Michigan State is still evaluating Jeppesen for an offer, and the in-state offensive lineman remains high on the Spartans.
Article Continues Below
"The offer is still pending right now," Jeppesen said after Tuesday's visit. "I don't know where that is going to go, but they are obviously going to make the right decision. I just have to keep working hard.
"I feel great about them. Everything they say sounds like me, what I do and what I want to do."
Jeppesen currently holds three offers after picking up another last Friday from Toledo. He was previously offered by Western Michigan and Central Michigan, and was in Mount Pleasant earlier this week visiting the Chippewas.
"That went pretty good, actually," Jeppesen said of the Central Michigan visit. "I got to see a little more into what they have to offer, and thought it was pretty nice."
Next up for Jeppesen will be a visit to Eastern Michigan on Thursday and a trip to Western Michigan on Saturday. He also is looking at visiting Wisconsin the weekend of April 14.
"They have been sending me letters and sending me invites to stuff," Jeppesen said of the Badgers. "I haven't specifically talked to anyone there yet, but I am interested because they have always had a really good offensive line."


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ELYRIA — Shortly after 5 a.m. last Thursday, Mitzi Baird said her husband, Jack, jerked his arm, hitting her as they slept.
She thought he was dreaming, but as she turned to rouse him, the retired Elyria councilman who returned to office after a several-year hiatus, she learned the arm movement was probably an involuntary response to a heart attack he was having while lying in their bed.
Baird was unresponsive.
"I just immediately started CPR. It was the only thing I could think of doing," Mitzi said. "I screamed for my daughter to call 911."
Having the presence of mind to do CPR likely saved Baird's life. The 65-year-old Republican, who won re-election Tuesday night to claim another term as an at-large representative, suffered what Mitzi Baird describes as a cardiac arrest triggered by ventricular fibrillation, an often-fatal form of arrhythmia characterized by rapid, irregular fibrillar twitching of the ventricles in place of normal contractions, resulting in a loss of pulse.
"It was scary for a moment," Mitzi said.
Baird, who was able to answer questions Wednesday over the phone from his hospital bed at EMH Elyria Medical Center, said he got lucky.
"I was worried there for a minute, but I guess you can say my wife saved my life," he said. "I stopped breathing, and she was right there doing CPR until LifeCare showed up."
Once Baird arrived at EMH, Mitzi said doctors almost immediately decided her husband was a candidate for therapeutic hypothermia.
Doctors lowered his body temperature using one of two state-of-the-art cooling therapy machines the hospital received in 2011. The protocol allowed his body's metabolism to slow down, decreasing the workload on his heart, kidney, brains, lungs and other organs and kept vital tissues from dying due to the lack of blood flow experienced during a heart attack.
"It is amazing that his treatment exists in a hospital right here in our community," Mitzi said. "I don't think Jack could have gotten better care anywhere else."
Since being admitted to the hospital, close to Election Day, Baird's condition has steadily improved. Tuesday he was able to sign his name on an absentee ballot, and by Wednesday morning he was bugging his wife for election updates.
Mitzi Baird said didn't allow visitors Tuesday even though her husband was clamoring for information.
"You know Jack, he will tell you he works 24 hours a day, seven days a week," she said. "We are doing good. I just want to get him home and then he can get back to City Council."
Baird said he looks forward to getting back to work.
"I'm very thankful. It was a pretty good race, and really, I wasn't expecting to be back," he said. "I thank everyone who voted for me."
Baird was the second-highest vote-getter in the five-way race for four seats. Mike Lotko finished with 4,766 votes, Baird with 4,557 votes, Tom Callahan with 4,527 votes and Vic Stewart with 4,236 votes, according to unofficial results. Newcomer Chuck Martin, also a Democrat, received 3,976 votes.
Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @LisaRobersonCT.


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Spooky, creepy, dark stuff; paranormal; occult; and lots more! Some threads not for the faint of heart!
A group for everything to do with love and dating! Vent, brag, ask advice...Whatever!
Talk about sex, relationships, love, and everything related. Please remember to be respectful.
Movies, books, TV, comics, games, hobbies, interests, obsessions, anything and everything that affects your life and isn't covered in the other groups!
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Cosplay (コスプレ, kosupure), short for "costume play". It ain't a hobby, it's a lifestyle!


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Designed for iPad 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation, the Konig and Meyer 19722 Stand Mount holds an iPad securely and comfortably whether on stage, in the rehearsal room or at home. The strong prismatic element with its ergonomic clamping screw allows the iPad 2 holder to be attached quickly and easily to any tubes up to 30 mm diameter. The iPad snaps in and out of the holder effortlessly. The pivoting range is second to none, allowing the user the iPad position of their choice. The swivel movement can be adjusted from free to resistant. The iPad switches rapidly between the vertical and horizontal format without slipping.
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Copyright © 1996-2017 American Musical Supply, Inc. All rights reserved. American Musical Supply reserves the right to correct pricing and/or product specifications in the event of typographical errors found in our print catalog or on our website. If a product is listed at an incorrect price due to such errors or because of inaccurate information received from a supplier, American Musical Supply shall have the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed, whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is canceled, American Musical Supply will issue a credit to your credit card account in the amount of the charge.


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Acorn Energy, Inc. (ACFN) CEO James Andersen buys 1,000 Shares
Posted by: insider (IP Logged)
Date: November 16, 2012 11:05AM
President and CEO of USSI of Acorn Energy, Inc. (ACFN) James Andersen buys 1,000 shares of ACFN on 11/09/2012 at an average price of $7.86 a share.
Acorn Energy, Inc. has a market cap of $141.3 million; its shares were traded at around $7.44 with and P/S ratio of 7.5. The dividend yield of Acorn Energy, Inc. stocks is 1.8%. Acorn Energy, Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 0.2% over the past 5 years.
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Your original leading free studio quality acapellas provider.
Moderators: Forum Staff, admin
making pellas
does anyone have a fool proof way of making pellas?
Have you read the DIY forum moc? theres alot of techniques in there. I dont think theres ever gonna be a fool proof way to get perfect pellas everytime, differant tracks are gonna be needing differant eq cuts and boosts etc...... but in the diy section you can pick up some tips.
BS: i've tried a few of the methods talked about in the DIY Acapellas forum - never got high quality results though so i kinda gave up. its possible with some skill but i've never heard anyone i know isolate a vocal from an original track that sounded good enough to use in its entirety. hope u got about $600 bucks to shell out for cubase, reason, or soundforge.
ANSWER: go 2 the DIY ACAPELLAS FORUM 4 the steps > see TiMG's vocal extraction method
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