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Mega-Party at Wex Saturday, April 10
For its annual big fundraising event, GenWex—the Wexner Center's young patrons' group—hosts Off the Grid on Saturday, April 10 from 9 pm to 2 am throughout the Wexner Center for the Arts. Hundreds of people are expected to attend. Details follow.
WHAT: All-night, late-night dance party featuring music and entertainment provided by local performers Anna and the Annadroids, local soul band Nick Tolford and Company, and Columbus' DJ Detox. Chicago-based mashup wunderkinds The Hood Internet headlines, taking the stage at 11:30 pm with its mix of vintage soul, indie, and hip hop. Fabulous food all night long from a dozen Dine Originals Columbus member restaurants. Partygoers can also see the sports-in-art exhibition Hard Targets before it closes the next day. More info on the party and the bands, a list of restaurants, a video, and more: wexarts.org/offthegrid
WHAT FOR: A good time—and a good cause. This party benefits the center's wide range of nationally recognized educational programs.
WHERE: Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St. Café, lobbies, galleries, Performance Space.
TICKETS: $40 in advance, $50 at the door. For tickets call visit wexarts.org/offthegrid. Must be 21 to attend.
WHO HELPED: The Wex reached deep into the city's vibrant arts, civic, corporate, and (even) dance- club scenes to pull out a range of members for the evening's host committee. In addition to selling tickets for the night, the 36-member group helped to design the evening's décor and set up a series of pre-event parties.
WHO ELSE HELPED: Wex designer Erica Anderson created the distinctive look of the logo and posters. Her streetscapes adorn two locations: 601 N. High St (Yukon Building, in the windows of the former Starbucks) and on the façade of the former Garden Theater on N. High just south of Fifth.
MIXTAPE: Listen to the featured bands and groups here: http://bit.ly/aFEuxI
FACEBOOK: RSVP here: http://bit.ly/9jmm1C
ABOUT GENWEX: GenWex is the center's young professional (or semi-professional) art fans group. Part social, part educational, GenWex holds events throughout the course of the year such as concert warm-ups, events with curators, gallery tours, trivia nights, meet-ups, and more.
Off the Off the Grid is sponsored by Big Lots, and receives event support from Dine Originals Columbus and Superior Beverage Group. Promotional support is provided by Alive and Sweatin'.
GenWex is hosting a series of events leading up to the big night to spread the word and, in some cases, raise more funds for Wexner Center education programs.
March 18: Sweatin': Off the Grid
GenWex will take over the monthly dance-party at Axis Nightclub (861 N. High St.) run by local dance-party entrepreneur (and host committee member) Scotty Niemet. Admission $5.
March 27: Café Bourbon Street
A collection of local bands and DJs fill the night at the music venue (2216 Summit St.). Proceeds for the night, including a raffle, will go back to Wex education programs. Admission $5.
Happy hour at Bodega (1044 N. High St.) just before the sold-out show by The xx, five days before Off the Grid.


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In most cases reports for major decisions will include an equality impact assessment, which will be published and available for the public to read. They look at the positive and negative effects a decision may have on different groups of people. We can then enhance the positive impacts and minimise any negative effects.
Understanding how different people will be affected by our decisions helps us develop policies and services that are appropriate and accessible to all, and meet different people's needs.
Equality impact assessments for savings 2016/17
The Council faces further funding cuts from the government in 2016/17, but continues where possible to develop savings proposals which protect frontline services. The impacts of all proposals for 2016/17 have been reviewed and where there is a material impact, an equality impact assessment has been completed. These are listed below.
Given the scale of savings to be found it is becoming increasingly difficult to minimise impacts without stepping back and considering radically different ways of delivering services. To support this process the Council has adopted a corporate plan and is delivering cross cutting programmes to redesign services. Budget scrutiny task groups have also been established by the Governance and Resources commission.
This year the Council also carried out a cumulative impact assessment to understand the compounding impacts on a specific equality or vulnerable groups that arise from changes across a set of services.
- read the cabinet report on the 2016/17 budget
- cumulative impact assessment summary [pdf, 111.14Kb]
- proposed introduction of charging for Telecare services in Hackney [pdf, 66.99Kb]
- final phase of delivering the day care transformation - project agreed in 2012 [pdf, 92.96Kb]
- review of mental health residential care packages and cost of care - this is a continuation of existing policy. See:
- changes to special educational need transport (to follow)
- homelessness strategy EIA 2015/18 [pdf, 435.13Kb]
- temporary accommodation strategy EIA 2015/18 [pdf, 357.99Kb]
- traveller sites lettings policy EIA [pdf, 115.03Kb]
Page updated: 24/03/2016 17:19:43

subset: commoncrawl


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In true Irrational style, the TV spot for Bioshock: Infinite glistens and shines as it takes you on a pre-rendered blast into Columbia.
Now that I think about it, it's been a very long time since I've seen a TV ad which restricts itself to just one scene.
It's vaguely reminiscent of the original award-winning trailer for Bioshock in that regard - being confident enough in itself to sell you on a small, self-contained story rather than bombard you with blink-and-you'll-miss-it edits.
Infinite has been coming out with some impressive videos already, and the style appears consistent through to the advertising campaign.
Check out the video below:


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Progress was made Sunday night at the Garden for the Rangers, albeit incrementally.
The first 15 minutes felt like a replay of Friday night's forgettable performance, yet by the end of the evening, the Rangers had two points and Henrik Lundqvist was able to celebrate for a moment in this uneven season of his.
The King's stop on Mikael Backlund in the seventh round of the shootout — the Rangers first one of the season 34 games in — gave the Blueshirts a desperately-needed 4-3 shootout victory over the Flames, snapping a five-game home losing streak (1-4-1) that threatened to turn a team-record, nine-game homestand into a 16-day nightmare.
"It was just a big relief to finally get two points," said the beleaguered Lundqvist, who reacted with the look of such relief after his clinching stop, spreading his arms, raising his blocker skyward and gazing toward the roof as if to say "finally," after he was beaten by Paul Byron and Lee Stempniak to extend the shootout in earlier rounds.
"It's a big win for us. Right now, you have to look at it as taking baby steps in improving, and [to] start winning. You can't turn this around right away. You start with one period, then two periods, then a game."
Benoit Pouliot goal was the game-winner in the 4-3 final of the shootout and Mats Zuccarello, Brad Richards and Dominic Moore also scored for the Rangers.
Lundqvist (18 saves) was beaten twice on the Flames' first eight shots in the opening period, but rebounded and wasn't pulled as he was on Friday. Instead, he stood tall throughout the contest, keeping the Rangers within striking distance in the early going as they scrambled in their own end, picking up just his second win in his last seven starts.
NHL Headlines
Progress was made Sunday night at the Garden for the Rangers, albeit incrementally.


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Developing Narrative Theory
Un libro in lingua di Goodson Ivor F. edito da Taylor & Francis, 2012
- € 127,90
- Il prezzo è variabile in funzione del cambio della valuta d'origine
"We live in an age of narrative: life stories are a crucial ingredient in what makes us human and, in turn, what kind of human they make us. In recent years, narrative analysis has grown in interest and use across many areas of research; up until now, however, this rapidly developing approach has lacked the firm theoretical underpinning that would allow researchers to both approach such research in a reliably structured way, and to interpret the results more effectively. Developing Narrative Theory looksat the contemporary need to study life narratives, considers the emergence and salience of life narratives in contemporary culture, and discusses different forms of narrativity. It shows in detail how life story interviews are conducted, and demonstrateshow the process often begins with relatively unstructured life story collection but moves to a more collaborative exchange, where sociological themes and historical patterns are scrutinised and mutually explored. At the core of this book, the author shows that, far from there being a singular form of narrative or an infinite range of unique and idiosyncratic narratives, there are in fact clusters of narrativity and particular types of narrative style. These can be grouped into four main areas: Focussed Elaborators; Scripted Describers; Armchair Elaborators; and Focussed Describers. Drawing on data from several large-scale studies from countries across the world, Professor Goodson details how theories of narrativity and life story analysis can combine to inform learning potential. Timely and innovative, this book will be of use to anyone researching or developing learning strategies and resources, as well as those interested in lifelong learning and professional and self-development practices"--
Informazioni bibliografiche
- Titolo del Libro in lingua: Developing Narrative Theory
- Sottotitolo: Life Histories and Personal Representations
- Lingua: English
- Autore : Goodson Ivor F.
- Editore: Taylor & Francis
- Collana: Taylor & Francis (Hardcover)
- Data di Pubblicazione: 02 Novembre '12
- Genere: Education Adult and continuing education
- Argomenti : Education Biographical methods Discourse analysis, Narrative Research Postmodernism and education
- Pagine: 146


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My Nonprofit Reviews
139 profile views
1 reviews
Review for Easterseals Midwest, Ballwin, MO, USA
After volunteering with Life Skills for the past 3 years, I can honestly say my life has changed for the better. From sharing a joke with my Friend in Deed buddy to working with the wonderful Life Skills staff, being a L/S volunteer is an amazing experience!
More Feedback
Would you volunteer for this group again?
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
Role: Volunteer


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Carver's Warehouse
Built in 1806, Carver's Warehouse is Manchester city centre's oldest surviving warehouse and the only one built of stone. Its reincarnation as an office building was confirmed when it was opened on 22 May 2008 by Manchester City Council's Sir Richard Leese.
Offering superb offices of real character behind a contemporary extension, the building is currently home to office tenants Marketing Manchester, Martin Stockley Associates and a Cafe/Deli operator. The sensitively restored, listed building comprises six floors of office accommodation all set within a magnificent piece of Manchester's heritage.
Office suites available from 315sq ft – 7000sq ft with car parking.


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Snap ik. Wie niet. Wat een uitzicht hebben die mensen.
ik wou dat ik daar ook een huis had Ank
Thanks Ardy, Yes I had a good Day, But I'm tired now. It was a long car drive and all the way rain. Then is 250 miles much. But I loved the hours I had with Elly.
And Ardy, you can walk with me anytime, even in the middle of the night. lol
I'm a little late getting to your walk today. What a beautiful house and view. Thanks, Ank. Hope you've had a good day.
Great Pat, thanks.
He will be back, Ank. :)
Thanks Elina Hanne Sandy Sister and Pat. Your right it's a beautiful big willow. There are of them around here. Sometimes when it's a very warm sunny day I go under it for a few minutes to enjoy his shadow. The house is also very lovely. And they have a great view. Pat you're changed. I assume given the color that it is for the cancer month. I like it. But I hope your little darling will be back next month.
Love it :))
Wow, that is one huge weeping willow! Such a pretty place to live Ank. Thanks
I think it's the largest weeping willow that I've ever seen. It's marvellous!! Thanks Ank!!
Ank, dit is een mooie foto zeg en wat wonen deze mensen hier mooi zo aan het water!
This is also with the telephoto. It is a detail of the photo from Thursday.
Good night Trudy. I just waked up. Go out all day. I leave in 15 min. and return in about 12 hours. Sleep well.
Walking by water is always rejuvenating! You have such a lovely area. Good night!


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'Water/Reflection' of Midcoast talent
Damariscotta — River Arts on Route 1 invites the public to the opening reception for its latest juried exhibition, "Water/Reflection," Friday, Sept. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. More than 90 pieces of art in a wide variety of media by 65 Maine artists from Lubec to Portland will be on view in the show, which will run until Oct. 2.
The juror for the exhibition is Jacques Vesrey, award-winning artist/sculptor who has shown worldwide and lectured on design and concepts within his work in France, Italy, England, Canada, China, New Zealand, Australia and 28 U.S. states.
Midcoast artists with work in the show include Larry Kinney and Robert Richardson of Camden; Petrea Noyes of Lincolnville; Brian Hitchcock, Jeremy Maxwell and Gwen Sylvester of Rockland; Lucinda Talbot of St. George; Dianne Horton of Swanville; Geoff Bladon of Tenants Harbor; Sherry Dec, Anne Heywood and Carl Solberg of Waldoboro; Brian Krebs and Polly McGrory of Warren; and Joan Freiman of Washington.
River Arts holds 10 themed, open, juried exhibitions per year, with some of Maine's most prominent art community members as jurors. More than 800 different Maine artists have exhibited in these shows. The gallery program creates opportunity for artists to have their work selected, participate in the gallery process and sell their work. More than 7,000 people visited the gallery and participated in events and workshops last year. For more information, call 563-1507 or visit riverartsme.org.
Courier Publications' A&E Editor Dagney C. Ernest can be reached at (207) 594-4401, ext. 115; or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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At Gemvara, we believe that the platinum amethyst celebrity style jewelry you wear should be precious because it's personal. Every beautiful Gemvara design is made just for you, in your choice of gems and precious metals. Your child's birthstone in yellow gold. Your favorite gem in sterling silver. Add your own meaning to every design, creating beautiful memories and brilliant reminders. It's jewelry for all life's occasions, from an engagement or Mother's Day to your own personal milestones and celebrations. Gemvara uses only the highest quality materials to craft your platinum amethyst celebrity style jewelry with meticulous attention to detail. Our precious metals are recycled or responsibly mined. Our wide selection of platinum amethyst celebrity style jewelry by Bijoux & Bijoux, Jeet Palavwala, Gemvara Essentials, and other talented designers means you can find jewelry that's just your style. Amethyst comes from the Greek amethystos which means not drunken because this gem is said to keep you sober. Amethyst is the February birthstone and the 6th anniversary gem and 17th anniversary gem. Platinum is exceptionally rare and luxurious to the touch, with a recognizable heft in your hand. Naturally white, its purity makes it hypoallergenic as well. Clean your platinum amethyst celebrity style jewelry with mild dish soap: use a soft brush where dust collects. Gemvara's fine quality platinum amethyst celebrity style jewelry is designed to be passed down for generations to come, crafted by hand in the United States.
We can help right away. Chat with a jewelry expert now!


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Joseph Junior Adenuga (born 19 September 1982), better known by his stage name Skepta, is an English rapper, Grime Artist, MC, songwriter, record producer and recording artist with African roots from Nigeria. Joseph began rapping whilst co-founding the independent grime collective Boy Better Know in 2006. His main style of music consists of grime fused with British hip-hop. Skepta released his debut studio album 'Greatest Hits' in late 2007 independently, followed by 'Microphone Champion' in 2009. The album produced the popular Top 100 singles "Rolex Sweep" and "Sunglasses At Night". Skepta produced the majority of the album and was also released independently.
Skepta signed to AATW in 2010 and entered into commercial success with his first Top 40 single "Bad Boy", which peaked at number 26. His highest charting single to date, "Rescue Me" peaked at number 14 in the same year. Skepta gained his third Top 40 entry with "Cross My Heart". In January 2011, Skepta's third and first non-independent studio release 'Doin' It Again' was released and charted at number 19 on the UK Albums Chart.
Skepta has released five singles from his third studio album 'Doin' It Again' (first with a major label), entitled "Bad Boy", "Rescue Me", "Cross My Heart" featuring Preeya Kalidas, "So Alive" and "Amnesia", as well as a video for "Hello Good Morning (Grime Remix)". Three singles charted in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, with "Rescue Me" being the most successful at number 14. "Cross My Heart" came in at number 31 and dropped out of the Top 40 a week later. 'Doin' It Again' spent three weeks in the Top 100 album charts and debuted and peaked at number 19 on its first week of release.
In 2012, Skepta released two singles from his fourth album. Skepta's second major label album was intended to be released in the fourth quarter of 2011, entitled 'The Honeymoon' but was delayed till 2012. After a disappointing response from the first two singles, Skepta decided to release a purchasable mixtape, entitled 'Blacklisted'. It was released in December 2012 along with music videos to support the release prior to the release.
Click here for the full biography and discography of Skepta
|Top of Page


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You can help stem bee decline, say speakers at Prairie Day
By: Joel Stottrup, Princeton Union-Eagle
August 25, 2011
It was the kind of day and place for the pollinating bees to be out and about during the Prairie Day events last Saturday at Prairie Restorations, Inc., located along County Road 45 just south of Princeton city limits.
It was close to 80 degrees with sunny skies and the prairie flowers in the fields at Prairie Restorations were just the thing for honey bees and native bees to hang around in.
Such landscapes are needed more than ever across the countryside now, said two speakers at Prairie Day, as they voiced concern about the decline in numbers of honey bees and native bees.
The speakers were Marla Spivak, a professor in entomology at the University of Minnesota, and Elaine Evans, a graduate student at the U of M. Spivak lectured on honey bees, her specialty for which she has gained much recognition, and Evans talked on native bees. Honey bees are not native to the U.S., Spivak noted.
Both talked about the threats to these insects that are among the pollinators of many vegetables and fruits in the world.
As one of the pamphlets they handed out on bees explains, "pollinators are essential to our world," and that bees, along with butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, wasps, flies, beetles and some bats, move pollen between flowers, enabling them to produce seeds.
The pamphlet, from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, states that these pollinators are necessary for the reproduction of roughly 70 percent of the world's flowering plants. The resulting seeds and fruits thus provide food for countless other animals ranging from songbirds to grizzly bears, it notes.
The pamphlet adds that pollinators are also essential to human life, in that one of three mouthfuls of food and beverage require the presence of a pollinator. It notes that without pollinators, there would be no apples, pumpkins, blueberries or many other fruits and vegetables.
Prof. Spivak says the decline of bees can be traced to post-World War II when agriculture turned to monoculture crops. She explains that clover, a critical foodstuff for bees, has been left out of corn and soybean rotations in vast Midwestern fields and replaced with synthetic fertilizers.
Also, the use of insecticides, pesticides and fungicides became widespread, which is detrimental to bees, she notes. At the same time, corn is wind pollinated and soybeans self-pollinate so they do not need bees, she adds.
According to Evans, diseases that had shown themselves in commercial bees, have spread to bees in the wild.
Some might recall within the past two decades hearing about the decline in honey bee populations and how a mite was considered one of the causes. Spivak and Evans said that the varroa mite has been a big problem for honey bees for 20 years. Because of these mites wiping out so many honey bees, Spivak and Evans said, there are very few honey bees in North America nesting in trees anymore. They were originally in the wild after escaping commercial colonies, Spivak noted.
Spivak and Evans pointed out differences between bees and wasps, the main one being that wasps have shiny bodies, while bees have fuzzy ones. When people state that bees are bothering them at their picnic, those aren't bees, but are yellow jackets, a kind of wasp, Spivak explained.
Among the statistics Spivak pointed to in her lecture were:
• The value of United States crops that depend on pollination is $18.9 billion.
• The value worldwide is $217 billion.
• Bees pollinate alfalfa that is eaten by cows and pollination increases coffee yields by 30-40 percent.
• The decline of honey bee numbers began after World War II, but became precipitous since 2006.
You could go to many web sites on the honey bee problem and see that the decline has become a "global phenomenon" rather than just being a U.S. one.
When the decline of honey bees jumped since 2006 scientists called the problem colony collapse disorder, not knowing exactly what it was, Spivak said. Even before that, the number of honey bee colonies dropped from a high of about 6 million in 1945 to about 2 million in 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Evans' lecture
Evans, in giving a profile on native bees, said that the world has about 20,000 species of bees, and that North America has about 4,000 bee species. These North American bees collect nectar but don't produce honey, she noted.
Evans explained that bumblebees are social bees that live in colonies similar to honey bees and that Minnesota has 17 species of bumblebees. Only the queen bumblebees survive the winter in bumble bee colonies, with the queen continuing to build a new colony the next year, Evans said.
Local beekeeper
attests to the decline
Rural Princeton beekeeper Paul Warpeha was asked this week about his experience with honey bees since beginning to keep them about 30 years ago.
It has been "very difficult in the last several years to winter the bees," he said. "It seems they are not as vigorous going into the winter. Different mites, bacteria, environmental pollution, we are assuming are the causes."
Warpeha noted bees declining in a hive from a high of 40,000 to 50,000 to a low of only 20,000. When that happens they are not making enough surplus honey to harvest, he explained. His problem with his honey bees has especially been during the winter, he noted, explaining that not as many survive that period.
Warpeha agreed with Spivak and Evans about the decline of bee-friendly crops in today's agriculture. Yellow and white clover is not planted for forage anymore, he noted.
Warpeha and Spivak also said that alfalfa today is harvested earlier to maximize the amount of protein and that means fewer blooms for the bees to use.
What to do about the problem?
Find alternatives to pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, and enhance bee habitat with trees and forage plants that produce flowers that bees like, Spivak recommended to help stem the decline of bees. Also planting native grasses and flowers help, she said.
Leave some dead trees standing and some bare, untilled ground, along with grassy margins for bees to nest in as well, Spivak said.
The message from Spivak and Evans was clear. That was to try to turn landscapes back to more natural ones with plenty of diversity in flowers. Also leave places for bee nesting. Check out the Xerces Society web site for various recommended plants.
By providing more habitat for bees it could be that humans may also enjoy a more interesting view, one with more variety and color in both plant and animal life.
Read the article in Princeton Union-Eagle


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The Rudy & Torre push (for) prostate tests by Susan Ferraro of the New York Daily News (14 June, 2002) is a well intentioned step forward in the battle against prostate cancer. Unfortunately, Messrs. Giuliani and Torre may have been misinformed. Early detection of prostate cancer by the PSA test has not been proven to increase survival. In fact, no randomized clinical trials have been completed that definitively establish the efficacy of radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. Improved survival associated with PSA screening is primarily due to earlier detection of asymptomatic prostate cancer, with unchanged time of death (known as lead time bias).
Given the availability of definitive treatments for prostate cancer, the benefits of early detection and value of screening are intuitively appealing ideas. However, such has not been documented to be the case and the medical community may be promising more than they can deliver. By way of example of the potential harm of widespread PSA screening, a prospective analysis (Marshall. JAMA, 274:607, 1995) of the evaluation of PSA detection of prostate cancer from one of an infinite number of studies (Gann et al. JAMA, 273:289, 1995) demonstrated a positive predictive value of 13%, i.e., a positive PSA test in a man with prostate cancer. This meant that 87% of men who had a positive PSA test would not have cancer, but would be subjected to the psychological and physical trauma associated with investigation of their elevated level of PSA. Of those patients with localized prostate cancer, who elect to have a radical prostatectomy, 25-35% will have a recurrence within five years, while coping with incontinence (up to 30%) and impotence (up to 60%).
It is ironic with all that has been written about how big a problem prostate cancer is, nowhere do we find these sobering facts. For instance, while a 50-year old man has an approximately 40% chance of developing asymptomatic (non-clinically significant) prostate cancer within the next 25 years, the chance that he will experience any clinical symptoms and be diagnosed with prostate cancer is 10% and the chance that he will die from prostate cancer is 3%. While a 50-year old mans chances of dying from non-prostate cancer are 20%, his chances of dying from cardiovascular disease are 50%. How big a problem is prostate cancer?
In the end, heightened fear brought forth by the introduction and aggressive marketing of a non specific screening test and media attention focused at high profile celebrity cases has misled the public into believing that the PSA test has only a positive impact and that prostate cancer more often than not is an aggressive, fatal disease. And how many men are aware that failed treatment of early cancers has converted slow growing to more threatening tumours (Wheeler et al. Cancer, 71:3783, 1993)?
Given the foregoing facts and in keeping with the first ethical principle of medicine primum non nocere (first do no harm), in some cases maybe the best treatment is no treatment.
Richard J. Ablin, Ph.D. Robert Benjamin Ablin Foundation for Cancer Research Mahwah, NJ 07430


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Memphis's Southern Heritage
Letter-to-the-editor in Memphis's The Commercial Appeal:
I can't express how much I agree with the writer of the Feb. 7 letter "No honors for traitors." I, too, am a native white Southerner and Memphian. My great-grandfather fought for the Confederacy. That's my family's history; it's not something about which I boast. He never bought or sold human beings, as Nathan Bedford Forrest did, but he fought against the United States to divide this country. It's done and cannot be changed. I don't know much about this man, but I do know he came back from the war and became a minister. Maybe the war changed him, as many claim that Forrest changed.
It doesn't alter the fact that both these men fought for the right to hold humans as property, and were willing to split the country to see to it that slavery was extended into the new territories. Don't give me the bunk about "states' rights." The South has a miserable history of treating African-Americans with cruelty and injustice, decades after the South lost the war…


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Developers get access to Windows 7
SAN JOSE, Calif. Microsoft Corp. has made a version of the next-generation of its Windows operating system available to a limited set of professional developers. Windows 7 Release Candidate can be downloaded by subscribers to the company's MSDN and TechNet services. A broader release will be available online on May 5.
Microsoft gave its first public look at Windows 7 in a conference last fall.
The new version includes a handful of features made popular elsewhere but new to Windows. For example, it includes an ability to securely stream media from a home server to a remote Windows 7 system, similar to the capability pioneered by Sling Media.
Windows 7 also includes a multi-touch capability popularized by the Apple iPhone that is expected to be widely used in portable systems including notebooks, tablet PCs and netbooks. The multi-touch interface will be at the core of the Win7 user experience, Microsoft said, and in the new software release supports an ability to select, drag and drop items inside Web sites.
The new version also provides enhancements aimed to ease navigation and search including updates top the Windows taskbar. Example screen shots of Windows 7 are available online. In addition, premium versions of the new operating system will support running multiple virtual Windows XP sessions.
Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 8, will sport a new capability under Windows 7 to host secure sessions. The feature prevents browsing history, temporary Internet files, cookies, and user names and passwords from being retained by the browser.
Windows 7 still supports 32-bit processors. Minimum system requirements for the software include a GHz-level 32-but processor with a Gbyte of system memory and 16 Gbytes of available disk space or 64-bit x86 processor with 2 Gbytes RAM and 20 Gbytes of disk storage.
A Windows 7 system must also contain a graphics chip supporting the Microsoft DirectX 9 applications programming interface and the Windows Display Driver Model 1.0.


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This singer/songwriter and industry rebel isn't really interested in commercial success. "I would never write commercially or dress commercially or behave in any way that would inspire mainstream success," Brandi Carlile explains on her site. What does concern this undefinable talent is her connection with the legions of fans who show up for her live shows. Those dedicated fans have even more to appreciate with the release of Brandi's latest album, Bear Creek, named after the Washington studio where it was recorded. The track, "That Wasn't Me," is a melodic tale of addiction and the search for recovery. Its somber video stars noted performer Kris Kristofferson as a paroled prisoner trying to find himself outside the prison gates.
Brandi was born and raised in Ravensdale, Washington near Seattle. She's been performing since the age of seven and as a teen took pretty much any gig she was offered. When twin musicians Tim and Phil Hanseroth left the Fighting Machinists, Brandi bravely approached the brothers about forming a new group. All that work would paid off for Brandi and her new band when Columbia Records signed her in late 2004 after hearing some of the songs she recorded on her own. Brandi's debut album came out the following year and received enthusiastic reviews. In 2007, she followed-up with The Story, which led to ABC's Grey's Anatomy featuring several of her songs on the popular TV show. General Motors also showcased one of her songs in a high-profile commercial spot during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Give Up the Ghost in 2009 was another critically-acclaimed offering by the rising star and she diligently continued to tour. Now with her latest album, Brandi is reining in even larger crowds, but still somehow manages to stay grounded. That's just part of the reason we're true fans of this artist. We also love the fact that she donates $1 from every concert ticket sold to the Looking Out Foundation.
Check out the video for "That Wasn't Me" below before heading over to I AM THAT GIRL's YouTube channel. While you're there, don'��t forget to tune into our Music Mondays playlist, which is updated every week.
Image courtesy of Omahype.com


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Jennifer Haberkorn and Kara Rowland
The Washington Times
September 24, 2009
[efoods]Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday turned back a Republican amendment to wait 72 hours and require a full cost estimate before the final committee vote on the health care reform bill.
It was the committee's first vote out of more than 500 amendments awaiting them, in what has already been a contentious mark-up session.
The amendment would have delayed a vote on the final bill for about two weeks to allow the Congressional Budget Office to complete its final analysis on the cost and implications of the legislation.
Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans for the amendment, further signaling that she may be an attractive swing vote for Republicans.
Instead, the panel passed an alternative amendment that would require the committee to post the full bill, in "conceptual" instead of legal language, as well as as a CBO cost estimate.


text: Hi, In process of purchasing a SSR 320pt. Waiting for ROFR. Have never purchased a timeshare before but have bought and sold a few houses. I am wondering whether the $200.00 title insurance policy is needed as it is a Disney Property? I always do when I buy a house to protect against liens etc, but am contemplating this for some reason. Any input would be appreciated.


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bad hair day(Informal)
When everything seems to be going wrong for you.Context:
-Hi, how are you?
-Well, to be frank I'm not the luckiest today. I think this day has been cursed upon me. Just as I was leaving for work this morning, I spilt coffee all over my new dress and I didn't have time to change. Unfortunately, that was the least of my problems... as I arrived at the office and reached for my bag, I realised that I had left it at home! So I had to quickly drive back and fetch it. When I finally found it,I noticed my son George had been stuffing all his used diapers in there whilst I had been thinking that my husband had been taking them to the bins! It took me an hour to finally clean it all out but it still stunk so I just took my necessities and threw them into a tote bag. I was so late at work that my boss ordered me to stay after hours so I couldn't go to my sister's birthday party in the evening. It was a disaster!
-Wow, it seems like you had a bad hair day, to say the least!
Category: b, body, informal
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text: Sean Kellogg <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote: > [...] When a user downloads phpbb2 and joins it with PHP to > create the finished derivative product it seems they are in violation of the > license. Can users call the combined thing "0x6a671236" or something? It'd still be accurate to say it's produced from phpbb2. I doubt many of them refer to that bit by name anyway. Yes, it sucks. EU users might not need to worry: I think a directive says that copying necessary to use software isn't infringement (from memory of the summary in last Autumn's copyright consultation paper by the European Commission). > I was under the impression that d-l took it as one of its responsibilities > to ensure that users don't get put in these sorts of situations. Responsibility to ensure? Can't really ensure it, so can't really take that responsibility on with any honesty. I think we try our best. Is picking this over our best? PHP seem unlikely to try enforcing against phpbb2: Q. I've written a project in PHP that I'm going to release as open source, and I'd like to call it PHPTransmogrifier. Is that OK? A. We cannot really stop you from using PHP in the name of your project unless you include any code from the PHP distribution [...] (from http://www.php.net/license/ ) Having a PEAR-approved licence which requires untruthful statements seems a more obvious and fixable problem. -- MJR/slef My Opinion Only: see http://people.debian.org/~mjr/ Please follow http://www.uk.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct


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Last month, Amazon—retailer of books, makeup, vacuums, and the Kindle—launched its second publishing imprint, AmazonCrossing. The imprint, like its predecessor AmazonEncore, relies on crowd sourcing, or "customer feedback and other data," in developing books for the American public and expansion of the literary canon. Unlike AmazonEncore, the imprint reaches beyond our borders, translating into English world literature deemed exceptional and deserving of a wider audience. However, AmazonCrossing's inaugural title, The King of Kahel, received this comment about the original French edition from Amazon.fr reviewer "T. Joel": "It is rare that I abandon a book due to lack of interest. This is the case for this book." The French title has eight customer reviews, and its overall rating is 3.5 stars out of 5. Clearly, Amazon relied heavily on "other data" in making this debut choice by Tierno Monémbo, translated into English by Nicholas Elliott. The book did win the 2008 Prix Renaudot in France and, one assumes, sold enough copies to jibe with AmazonCrossing's editorial algorithm.
Literature in translation has been a reliable cause of anxiety for book people, even in the face of such larger problems as the threat of Kindle-like devices eclipsing the printed book, public libraries falling to the clutches of private companies, Barnes & Noble selling more travel Scrabbles than hardcover books, and the effect of the economic downturn on literature that is expensive to print and not guaranteed to sell. With a very low percentage of international literature published in the U.S. each year, boutique publishers, imprints, and university presses assume the task of reminding readers that before Anna Karenina became a classic and an Oprah book club alum, it lived in the "literature in translation" ghetto. The National Endowment for the Arts and other national arts organizations increasingly fund translation projects in the hope of bringing new world literature into the American reader's beach bag.
While these niche publishers are consistently praised for the literature they produce, earning awards, review attention, and increased public funding, what they are not doing is selling The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo each season. It's fair to assume that Amazon, on the other hand, one of the few consistently lucrative ventures in the book industry, makes a move on a new market only if there's money to be made. I'm willing to bet that AmazonCrossing's debut list, which includes nonfiction from one of "Ukraine's Top Ten Most Influential Women" (so named by Correspondent magazine) and a novel lauded as China's Gone with the Wind, lacks the coherence, sophistication, and element of surprise that defines the lists of small translation presses. In lieu of living in Paris, working at a used bookstore, delivering pizzas by motor scooter, and devouring French literature to find one gem that has unfathomably never been published in English (as goes the history of one translation publisher I admire), the AmazonCrossing editorial outlook appears to be publishing-by-numbers.
Despite these doubts, should small translation publishers be wary of AmazonCrossing's effect on the market? Has the company devised a way to make money on translated books? With the announcement of AmazonEncore in 2009, trade publishers wrung their hands over Amazon's new publishing model that cut out the middleman. However, the fear that this model would prove agents, editors, publishers, publicists, and distributors dispensable has thus far proven to be unfounded. While Sweet Farts: Rippin' It Old School, a children's title by AmazonEncore author Raymond Bean, has enjoyed modest success, it's not a game changer. Scholastic soldiers on. Likewise, translation presses shouldn't fear the impact of AmazonCrossing on the market. If anything, expanding the percentage of books published in the U.S. from other languages (with the translator's due credit spelled out on the cover) may help to bring translation further into the mainstream. And I could be proven wrong; Amazon may have discovered a method for identifying worthy international literature that isn't muddled by crowd sourcing, that fits appropriate translators with authors, and that serves the international community.
We'll find out. In the meantime, I look forward to receiving New Directions' spring catalogue.
Kara Mason is a freelance writer and an editor at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.


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As our parents age making sure they are protected legally becomes crucial. For elderly people, the aims of legal protection are threefold: protection of the aging loved one, protections of beneficiaries and dependents and protection and perseveration of assets.
All three aims can be achieved by utilizing two types of documents, 1) powers- of-attorney documents and 2) trusts.
A power-of attorney grants authority to a designated person to act in place of another in making decisions and handling legal and financial affairs.
The three most common types of power of-attorney documents used in to protect elderly people are: nondurable, durable and springing.
Nondurable power-of-attorney: is used for a limited purpose and time, to achieve a specific goal; such as sale of particular piece of property, or other single transactions.
Durable power-of-attorney: may be used for a variety of things and may be used until the grantor revokes the agents or dies. The power of attorney terminates upon the death of the grantor.
Springing power-of-attorney: a springing power-of-attorney springs into effect upon the occurrence of a specific stated event, such as illness or unavailability of the grantor.
A trust establishes a legal relationship in which the trustee holds property for the benefit of another. By transferring property such as real estate, bank accounts and brokerage accounts, the beneficiary continues to receive the benefits of assets, but allows another to act in their stead in the management and distribution of assets.
Living trust: allows assets to be transferred from the grantor into a trust during life. In effect, asset ownership and control is transferred from the named individual to the trust. Tangible assets such as real estate and bank accounts are transferable into a trust. The trust provides for the continued care and support of the beneficiaries. A beneficiary may serve as trustee and oversee trust management. If your parent is the initial trustee, it is advisable to appoint a successor trustee to allow for smooth transition in the event your loved one is no longer able to act as trustee.
Spendthrift trust: a spendthrift trust provides financial support to one whom the grantor believes lacks the financial responsibility to handle their financial affairs.
Special needs trust: a special needs trust allows for the support of a person with special needs. These are particularly useful for the continued support of adult children who have special needs and/or are disabled.
Support trust: a support trust provides for the continued support and maintenance of a person being supported by the benefactor. This may include minor children who are financially supported by the senior.
Investment trust: an investment trust is created specifically to hold income and profit derived from income producing assets.
For more information on elder planning visit [Link Removed]
Fantastic information Laurie. I am always concerned for my parents and this is just what I needed to read today. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thanks Laurie for the reminder.
Sometimes it's easier not to do anything and pretend that our parents are not getting older, but it's so important to get all matters in order while everyone is still healthy and sane.
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T20 India v/s Australia Match Live @ GIlly's Resto Bar
T20 India v/s Australia Match Live @ GIlly's Resto Bar
An intese cricket rivalry comes to the fore of the world stage. It gets even better because it's on a Sunday evening.
Well that makes for the perfect evening setting for you all.
Come over and cheer for your team. Bring your gang along and make some noise.
Watch the BIG GAME on the BIG SCREEN, LIVE!
- Date :
Sunday, March 27, 2016 - 6:30pm to Monday, March 28, 2016 - 1:00am
- Time :
- 6:30 pm to 1:00 am
- Phone No :
- +918892072331
- City :
- Bangalore
Stay updated on premium parties & Lifestyle events in your city : Sign Up On LiveInstyle.com


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Enquiry from Online Galleries regarding "A Pair of Regency Mahogany Hall Chairs"
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In the manner of GILLOWS OF LANCASTER & LONDON (worked 1730-1840)
A Pair of Regency Mahogany Hall Chairs
c. 1810 to c. 1825 England
Offered by Baggott Church Street Ltd
£4,650 gbpRequest Information Call Dealer Favourite Item
The oval backs with gadrooned scroll carving terminating with domed paterae and supported by a pair of carved scrolls. The tapered boarded seats are supported by fluted turned and reverse sabre legs.
English, circa 1810 - 1825
Back Height 33" (84cm) Seat Height 16.5" (42cm) Width 16" (41cm) Depth 13.5" (34cm)
Stock No. 8339
English, circa 1810 - 1825
Back Height 33" (84cm) Seat Height 16.5" (42cm) Width 16" (41cm) Depth 13.5" (34cm)
Stock No. 8339
Stock Code8339
Baggott Church Street Ltd
Baggott Church Street Ltd
Church Street
+44 (0)1451 830370Favourite Dealer Request Dealer Alerts
Opening Hours
Open Monday-Saturday 9.30-5.30
D J Baggott, C M BaggottView Dealer Location


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Puppy: Jeves
Profile: MY NAME IS LEXUS(LEXY) AND I AM 11 YEARS OLD WITH AN AWESOME DOG JEVES(JEBERS) HE 2 YEARS OF AGE AND WE JUST LOVE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH UNFORTENTLY WE DON'T LIVE TOGATHER ANYMORE(TEARS) I NOW LIVE WITH MY MOM AND HE LIVES WITH MY GRANDMA..BUT ANY WAYS I LIKE MAKING FRIENDS JUST LIKE HIM SO I HOPE YOU LIKE WHAT I NEED TO OFFER !! THANX AND BYE BYE.
Friends: 15
Member Since: October 7, 2008Add to Friends
Name: Jeves. Age:2 Born:Omaha,Ne. he is a wonderful dog. He is very funny and is always there for me when i'm sad.He is not just my dog he is a family dog.His name is Jeves but we all call him Jebers.How did he get that name my cousin made it up!anyway me and him just love haging out but i try every day that i see him to teach him some trix.. he knows how to: sit shack highe five lay down sorry 4 the arer he's a pitbull and love me thats all for now ta ta ta!!View Profile


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HUNDREDS of local people turned out last weekend as a charity walk from Dublin to Belfast in aid of soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan stopped off in Lisburn.
Geordie Spence and Bert Smith MBE, members of the Irish Guards Association Ulster Branch, completed their 128 mile walk last Saturday.
They were joined by fellow branch member, Maghaberry man Frank McCracken, for the final leg of the walk from Lisburn Civic Centre, where members of Lisburn City Council showed their support for the event, which is expected to have raised thousands of pounds for the Irish Guards Appeal Fund, in order to support wounded Irish Guardsmen, who have been seriously injured during their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A special wreath laying service was held at the grave of Guardsman Trevor Bell, who was killed in Aden in 1967, at the site in Trummery Lane on Friday. Around 130 people went along to pay their respects.
Speaking about the event Frank said: "Local people lined the approach route as the walkers came up the hill to the graveyard. Trevor's brothers David, Fred and John, and his niece Cherilyn were there, whilst Bert read Trevor's citation and laid the wreath. The last post was played and Reverend McCartney, the Minister at Aghalee Parish finished with prayers."
Frank joined the walk from there, completing the journey from Lisburn to Belfast on Saturday morning.
He added: "It was great to see so many people turn out to support us. I'd like to give a special mention to the PSNI for their support throughout, all of the councillors in Lisburn who gave a good turnout and Cyril and the team at Pretty Mary's in Moira who provided tea, coffee and sandwiches before the wreath laying ceremony."
There was an added surprise for the walkers as they made their way down the Moira Road from Trummery. Local man Ernest Hayes, who grew up with Trevor Bell, invited them into his home, where he presented a generous donation he had collected towards the fundraising.
Lisburn's Deputy Mayor Councillor William Leathem and Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson spoke at a service at Lisburn City Council on Saturday morning, before the walkers set off to Belfast.
Mr Leathem said it was "an honour" to welcome Bert and Geordie back to Lisburn.
He added: "Lisburn City Council recognises the dangers faced by those fighting in battles on foreign soil and the reported loss of human lives and the infliction of serious injuries humbles us, in the face of such bravery, camaraderie, and dedication to duty. It is for these very reasons that I was privileged to welcome the Irish Guards Association and Guardsman Bell's brothers to Lagan Valley Island.
"I would like to congratulate Geordie and Bert for their superb fundraising effort and local man, Mr Frank McCracken for helping to co-ordinate this journey," he concluded.
Some 150 local people were at the Civic Centre to show their support ahead of the final leg of an incredible journey.
Lagan Valley MLA Basil McCrea joined the final leg along the Lagan Towpath. A wreath was laid at Belfast City Hall following the four hour walk.
Mr McCrea said: "We must never forget those who go on to lose their lives in Afghanistan, but we must also remember those who return with life changing injuries. Despite all our aches and pains, it is a privilege to be able to walk.
"Those returning with injuries should be treated with dignity. They must be given the support and opportunities that society owes them. The turnout at Belfast City Hall showed how much the public support our troops."
If you would like to donate you can do so online at www.bmycharity.com/walkforthewounded


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I love geeking out with the geeks! The geeks at Burn HQ found this nifty little feature today while playing around in FireFox: a 3D view of our site, because viewing a site in 2D is so last year.
What it is, is actually a developer tool released by Mozilla a few months ago.
"Nicknamed Tilt, it is a brand new WebGL-based website visualization tool that highlights the structure of a page better than a flat view, so anyone can immediately understand the relationship of the code to the page output."
It seems the guys at Mozilla felt that developers needed to understand the structure of page rather just understanding how to develop one.
"While developer tools like 'view source' have always been useful to learn about how to develop a page, the 3D View more clearly illustrates how the parts of a website are structured."
Apparently it works off the z-index an HTML property that specifies the stack order of an element.
Blah blah it's flipping awesome! Just watch this video. Cue time well spent. So right click on a page, click on inspect element and select 3D view, enjoy!


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From America's leading experts on parent-child communication, authors of How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk and Siblings Without Rivalry, comes a breakthrough guide telling parents and techers how to handle one of the burning issues of our day: how to motivate kids to succeed in school at a time when schools are rife with violence and many students are openly rebellious.
Teaming up with two award-winning teachers who well know the problems of our faltering school system, Faber and Mazlish adapt their unique, time-tested communication strategies to the specific concerns of the classroom.
Once again using the dramatically effective "dialogue" technique (what to say and how and when to say it) that has made their work famous worldwide, they illustrate how to use this method to help kids handle the schoolwork and behavioral and peer problems that interfere with the learning process.
©1995 Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish (P)1995 Simon & Schuster
"Too much abridgement"
I'm a big fan of this series of books, but this abridged version just didn't have enough meat on it. I wish I'd bought the paperback instead.
"Audio volumes wye irregular"
I did not like the different volumes the program took when changing in between different voices. the story itself is good for teachers, not necessarily for parents wanting to homeschool.
"Awesome insights"
I have an amazing 6 year old. She can do so many things, but when she shuts down on me it over. This book has given me some things to work on. I am learning better ways to communicate and have her actually speak back to me without screaming or disrespect. . The paths they have given are great opportunities to get your kids talking.
"Enriching dramatization"
Excellent entertaining story form format with examples and interacted dialogues to help you master how to talk to kids.
"Perfect for parents with children in school"
This book is full of great insights into the mind of children, and how hard it is to be a teacher. I know this will help me be a better parent and better at relating to my children's teachers.
"A MUST READ for teachers"
As a teacher this book is a "MUST READ". This book is Less then a two hour listen, and has transformed my classroom climate dramatically. With that being said this book was designed as a reiteration of "How to talk so kids will listen, and how to listen so kids will talk" for the classroom specifically. The book starts off slow, but once it gets into its actual content it was life changing.
"cheesy dialogue"
I have not yet finished this brief listen but I am disappointed so far. The conversations between the stereotypical characters made me roll my eyes--who knew that getting frustrated with kids isn't a good way to communicate with them?! The material here is probably evident to anyone that spends time with children.
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


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FREE SHIPPING on orders of $85 or more
An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2017
Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from Paeda the first Christian King of Mercia. The surname Piddock referred to the son of Paeda which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.
Piddock Early Origins
Somerset where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
Piddock Spelling Variations
Piddock Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Piddock include Pidcock, Piddock, Pidocock, Pitcock, Pittock and others.
Piddock Early History
Piddock Early History
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Piddock research. Another 270 words (19 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Piddock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Piddock Early Notables (pre 1700)
Piddock Early Notables (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Piddock Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Piddock or a variant listed above:
Piddock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Piddock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Contemporary Notables of the name Piddock (post 1700)
Contemporary Notables of the name Piddock (post 1700)
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Seigneur, je te prie, garde ma vie
Motto Translation: Lord, I beseech thee, save my life.
Piddock Family Crest Products
Piddock Family Crest Products
See Also
See Also
Other References
The Piddock Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Piddock Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 20 October 2015 at 11:03.
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7 Comments
tatteredsoul Artist from United States
Like the visual affect. +1
neilbryan19 Artist from United States
RLMarkossa Artist from Brazil
free_agent08 Artist from Philippines
like it on a tee.. +1!
Love it!
carlosbuerano Human from Philippines
I wanna fly up in the clouds ! :)
RLMarkossa Artist from Brazil
Great OpticalIllusion!


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The Sorel Joan Of Artic Wedge Leather boots were inspired by Cree winter moccasins, and feature quality construction. They have a full-grain leather a...nd suede upper, seam-sealed waterproof construction, faux fur detailing, bonded frost plug that keep feet warm down to -25 degrees below zero, and a waterproof vulcanized rubber shell. Read More
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|2,400 sq. ft.
|Property type
|Minimum Stay
|3 - 7 nights
A 6-bedroom modern house with newly renovated bathrooms located in the lively neighborhood of Capitol Hill, Seattle. With a sleeping capacity for 16 guests, the house is definitely ideal for large groups. It is conveniently situated within walking distance to downtown and Seattle's most visited spots like Volunteer Park (about 5 minutes walk), Cal Anderson Park( 3 minutes distance), Pike Place, Space Needle and a lot more !
Capitol Hill area is an urban neighborhood with tons of night life and things to do for people old and young. Right in the heart of the action just steps from some of the best restaurants, local bars, coffee shops, entertainment and shopping places. The area is very safe so kids can go to the park, 20 somethings can head for the night life, while others can just enjoy the great Seattle feel of living in a one of the most popular areas of Seattle for your time in Seattle.
The Space is well designed and posh so you have plenty of places to sleep and plenty of space for mingling with friends or family. Feel free to bring your furry friend.. We are pet friendly.. Just because your family has fur doesn't mean we should discriminate. We also clean our homes thoroughly after each guest so we don't leave dander or things that make people who are allergic sneeze or sniffle. We do however, leave it up to you if you want to bring that one crazy relative with you though (don't worry we all have one at least ) .. That can be a personal decision ;-)
We are kid friendly as well in fact each house comes with a pack and play to make you stay easier. If you don't want to lug stuff across the airport or country we can help you find a rental agency that rents kids car seats, toys, and the like.
We also have a number of connections we can help set you up with. Florist, Restaurants etc.
This VRBO partner has demonstrated and is committed to fast response times, the best rates, and a great traveler experience.
The house is very spacious, and is in a very convenient and central location. Our group of 15 decided not to rent cars and found that everything was a reasonable walk or Uber away.
We paid for early check-in, but found that the cleaner was still there when we arrived. Unfortunately it was never communicated to the cleaner that we got the early check-in and they had to rush cleaning and making the beds. We did get a refund, but the house was not as clean as it should have been due to the miscommunication.
Additionally, the heat on the first floor did not work and the owners said no one could get to it for a week. The temperatures were in the mid 50's to low 60's during our stay and we spent a lot of time bundling up or packing into the smaller recreational areas on the second floor to warm up. The lack of heat was very unfortunate and put a big damper on our enjoyment- otherwise I'd highly recommend this property.
This house is gorgeous! It's well appointed with everything you could need to for a large group. The furnishings are great and it has enough of all the little things that you don't even think about but need - plenty of towels, serving dishes, etc. AND it's in the middle of Capitol Hill!! There are probably 15-20 restaurants/bars within walking distance. There's also a grocery store around the corner. Honestly, the location can't be beat!!
Also, the staff are just amazing. I can't say enough good things about them. They are very responsive, accommodating, and ready to assist in any way possible at a moments notice!! We would absolutely stay at this house again!'
This house was a great landing spot for a group of people in town for work. Correspondence with the management was spot on. They were prompt, friendly, welcoming and helpful with everything interaction.
Family and friends aging from 6 to 68 gathered from all over the country for my son's wedding and we stayed at the Fun House. It was an easy four block walk with luggage from the Light Rail's Capital Hill stop. I was especially pleased to find that the sleeping quarters at the Fun House were well separate from the living area, so that anyone who wanted to sleep could sleep while those who wanted to stay up and visit or play could do so. We enjoyed the hot tub and the back porch and the back yard table in the sun. The beds were in fact all "real" beds as described, some more comfortable than others. The two bathrooms and three showers were perfect and there was never a line. The "movie star" room as my grand-daughters aptly named it was a big hit and a big help for folks as they readied for the wedding. We are already looking forward to our next stay!
We rented the Fun House for a 3 generation family vacation. This unique house provided exactly what was described. We had 16 people and the sleeping situation was more than adequate. There was plenty of space and areas for main gathering, young children, young adults and grandparents. The only issue we had was issues with the internet and the house does not provide cable TV. I have rented numerous homes and have never experienced this. It would not have been an issue except the grandparents stayed at the house more than others and with the internet issues they had trouble watching internet TV. One TV did have local stations but it was upstairs in a bedroom. I would recommend they move that to the main living area. The owners were quick to respond to fix the internet issues. The best part of this house is the location. A big highlight is the dressing room. It was perfect for all the girls to get ready and not tie up a bathroom. We were within a quick cab ride or short drive to anything we wanted to do. Restaurants, coffee shops, yogurt, grocery store and bars all within walking distance. Our family thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to Seattle.
Enjoyed our stay. There are plenty of beds, just enough for all of us. The location is great. There are lot of paces to dine and hang out that are near the house, literally walking distance. The host is easy to communicate with . They are responsive to our needs. We recommend this house. One suggestion is to add more kitchen items like utensils, plates and bowls but other than that , everything was perfect.
We are just steps from the most active day and night life in Seattle. There are 100's or restaurants, upscale coffee shops,local bars, entertainment and shopping spots within the area that are literally blocks away. Within 1 block you have the Starbucks concept store where they try out new tactics to be deployed worldwide AND the best coffee in Seattle (not Starbucks) .
The house's closest park is the play ground for a school which is 1 block away. You can also go 4 or so blocks further to Volunteer Park and Cal Anderson Park which are much larger and great places to hang out and see the locals do their thing.
Capitol Hill is the most sought after neighborhood in Seattle and this house sits right in the middle of it all but is just enough on the edge so that it is not running over you and are able enjoy a good night's sleep. There is something for everyone in this area 5 years old to 90 years old.
Within 1 block you have a theater, 20 restaurants or bars, what some say is the best coffee in Seattle, and even a place that makes everything with chocolate, including the drinks.
You can't get more 'Real Seattle Living' than this place.
Capitol Hill is the the home of many well-renowned music venues and bars. Also known as the Eclectic and Energetic, the area represents a combination of the old and modern. The neighborhood also has abundant art galleries, trendy fashion shops and a lot more!
|Refundable damage deposit
|Cleaning and Supplies
|$245 + Tax
|Pet Fee
|$150 + Tax
|Tax Rate
***Depending on the time of rental, minimums may be up to 7 nights. ***
***There may be a price increase for short or min. stays.
Not all dates are equal. Holidays, events, booking times, or availability may effect your prices.RATE MAY VARY . '
We can only honor prices found on http://christoproperties.com/
We promise the house is always worth! Its a great location and a great space


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The jagged Class 4 summit of...
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The jagged Class 4 summit of Wilson is a little time consuming. Seen from the El Diente ridge.
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Team USA
Columbia is proud to be an official sponsor of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, in a partnership that extends through 2022.
The U.S. team consists of 40+ world-class ski athletes, who use Columbia in diverse and challenging situations where apparel design and technology clearly impacts athletic performance.
The U.S. Moguls team currently wears the Parallel Grid Jacketin a patriotic color-block design as their 2014-2015 World Cup competition uniform jacket. The U.S. Aerials team requires an entirely custom kit for their uniforms, which Columbia designers have developed specifically to address their unique performance needs.
Other team pieces in the U.S. collection include the Diamond 890 TurboDown Jacket and Bugaboo Ski Pant. Non-competition versions of these styles are seasonally available for consumers to purchase online and in stores.
Columbia. Tested Tough by the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team.
Other Links
• Recommended Products •
2014-15 U.S. Freestyle Moguls Ski Team. Photo: Garth Hagar/U.S. Ski Team
2014 U.S. Freestyle Aerials Ski Team. Photo: USSA
Kiley McKinnon, 2014 Freestyle Aerials practice at the UOP, Park City. Photo: USSA
Olympic champion Hannah Kearney trains at Aspen Highlands. (Photo: Garth Hager, U.S. Freestyle)


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Home >> Electronics >> Accessories & Supplies >> Audio Cables & Adapters >> Coaxial Cables & Connectors >> Plastic Mesh Wrapped M/M Optical Fiber Digital Audio Cable 9.8Ft 6mm OD
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When Karen's daughter Madi was suffering from severe eczema she began searching for better quality natural products. It became obvious quite quickly that it wasn't an easy task which is one of the reasons she decided to open Good Earth Beauty Natural and Organic Beauty Shop. At Good Earth Beauty you can shop without reading ingredients worrying about what you'll find. Every product is natural and/or organic and nothing is tested on animals, a practice which Karen is committed to fighting. It's an online beauty store run by one woman and her two person team who want to help you make healthier choices.
I was given a bucket full of products to check out during Christmas and they were all a treat. Now I'm able to offer up the same 4 products to you as a giveaway. Let's learn about them below.
Natural Products Flower Power Mini Wipes:
These wipes are small but great for refreshing yourself after a long day. One wipe won't take off all your make up but will give you a nice healthy way to wipe off the yuck. Often after a long day at a press junket where I have to put on a lot of makeup I'll just feel so gross, even just holding one of these wipes up to my face is helpful.
Natural Products Chocolate Cupcake Handcream:
I won't fib, this went straight to my friend FromTracie.com daughter Katie as a Christmas gift. She's 9 and it made her day. It smelled heavenly, exactly like a piece of milk chocolate and the cream was frothy like an actual cupcake with frosting. Not at all heavy. I've been told she uses it all the time. After it absorbs into your skin it isn't overwhelming, you won't smell like a cake.
Moon Valley Organics Lotion Bar:
This item is lost on me because it is so amazing at what it does and I simply don't have many skin issues. Karen, the owner of the store swears by it's eczema healing abilities. What you do is put it next to your bath or sink and when you are still a bit damp you pick it up and rub it in to your skin. The smell is heavenly, like lemon vanilla. It absolutely softens the skin, I use it on my elbows and hands. However I know it would be better used for someone in a harsh climate that really needs help. I hope someone who wins will be able to get the full benefit from this outstanding product.
Gabriel Organics Red Seaweed Purifying Gel:
I love this product. I have really oily skin, I mean we are talking drips down my forehead kind of oily. The Red Seaweed Purifying Gel has aromatic extracts of rosemary and lavender meant to regulate this oil production. It works. I can't use it everyday, more like once a week but it really does the job. I can tell this is a high quality product.
As I mentioned before, all the products sold on GoodEarthBeauty.com are natural and/or organic so there won't be any surprises during your shopping experience. Orders under $50 have a $5 shipping fee and over $50 are free. Best part, free samples are included in your order. Don't you love that? If there is something you know you want to try, ask them and maybe they can get a sample out to you.
Now you can enter to win these fabulous products which are all natural and organic beauty! That's something to be proud of.
*I received media sample. All opinions are my own. This contest is open to US residents ages 18+ only. Contest will run until March 29. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize.


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your utility from the damage of cyber crime, sabotage and bad practices depends
upon all personnel following the basic principles of cybersecurity. Your
operations and IT teams cannot succeed without the support of everyone else on
staff. Security awareness/training has been proven to be one of the
most effective "low hanging fruit" means to improving the security of
utilities. This four-part webinar series provides Cybersecurity
Awareness Training to every member of the utility staff and has been structured
as a series to build upon and reinforce the training
Part IV Agenda
Why is Joe Hack Still In Our Office and Still with Admin Access?
Space Issues? Need to Use "Cloudy" Cloud Services?
Who Dun' It?
Instructor: Chan
Senior Solutions Specialist, N-Dimensions Solutions, Richmond Hill,
APPA Member:
Nonmember: $179.00
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Team Fortress 2's bustling hat-based economy is getting another rare addition, thanks to the launch of Scribblenauts Unlimited. Pre-ordering the game through Steam before it launches next week will get you a choice of Maxwell or Lily's rooster hats, which honestly aren't that much sillier than the other hat options in TF2.
Maxwell's comes in red and Lily's in pink. The hats will be available as soon as you pre-order Scribblenauts, so you don't have to wait for its November 20 release date to don your rooster cap. Scribblenauts Unlimited is also planned for the Wii U, but of course, you don't get to wear a ridiculous looking hat that way.
Zachariah Scott, a cinematic designer at BioWare, may have an unfair advantage when it comes to Source Filmmaker clips, seeing as he's not exactly an amatuer, but whatever. If professional videos are what we get when professionals use the tool, then we're all winners.
In this clip, TF2's Medic has an...episode after the loss of his beloved bird. It's far more haunting than I would have thought before I pressed play.
Bad Medicine [YouTube]
Team Fortress 2's new Mann vs Machine mode gets surprisingly thoughtful in this series of pieces done by artist biggreenpepper.
tf2 Heavy MVM [DeviantArt, via Dotcore]
Photoshop artist Valentin Baguirov used a combination of Photoshop and Valve's Source Filmmaker to create these movie poster beauties. Drag the slider over to compare and contrast.
You can view the full-sized versions—both original poster and Team Fortress 2 poster—below.
TF2 Movie posters [Behance via Dotcore]
By way of careful study and hundreds of hours of naturalistic observation, I've ascertained that some PC gamers actually don't> like Windows 8 all that much. Which – in retrospect – seems like a pretty tremendous waste of my time, because it was punch-me-in-the-eyeball obvious all along. But while everyone else becomes vocally enraged, outraged, and other directions of rage, Valve's actually trying to do something about it. The king of swing (and also PC gaming) is pushing to build Linux into a viable gaming platform with Steam for Linux, and now, it's taken the oh-so-crucial step of, you know, letting said masses use it.
It was Valve boss Gabe Newell's birthday on November 3, and to mark the occasion, some kids from 4chan's /v/ (the board's video games group) went and paid him a visit in the flesh.
In addition to giving him a giant card (which they do every year), and getting the chance to wish him a happy birthday in person (not to mention pick up some swag), they also presented him with a gift. A box. Which Newell was charged $2.50 to open.
Inside? A hat.
I won't say this often, but well played, /v/, well played.
UPDATE - Now with video.
For Gabe's birthday, 4chan's /v/ sent him THIS card [Reddit]


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The Rise and Fall of Expansions & DLC
I've been wanting to get some detailed feedback on the views and opinions of RPGWatch goers regarding Expansions & DLC. Since Christmas has essentially begun in our household, I have more free time than usual to attempt to properly convey what I would like to elicit.
First, let me define Expansions and DLC. This definition is just MY definition. But for the purposes of this thread, if you all can amuse me and just accept it as a baseline for discussion.
Expansions and DLC are essentially the same thing, the latter term being used more often by marketing departments as the digital era descends upon us (thus 'DLC' or (D)own(L)oadable (C)ontent) while retail with it's physical boxes (usually more associated with the term 'expansions') slowly meanders into the fog of the past.
In a nutshell, expansions/DLC typically require the 'base' game and they simply add some measure of additional content to it.
Sidenote: Unofficially, there seems to be some distinction, primarily with gamers, that suggests 'Expansions' imply that there will (or should) be MORE content than what a DLC might offer. But this difference shouldn't distract the topic of conversation in that regardless, expansions and DLC simply add additional content to a base game. For simplicity sake, for the remainder of this thread I'll refer to expansions and DLC simply as DLC.
With that out of the way, I'd like to better understand why it is that many people have a negative view of DLC. I've seen and read the disdain toward it numerous times and I already have some ideas of why people don't like it. But I often wonder if people don't like HOW the concept is being used by developers/publishers or if it is the concept itself they don't like. Or perhaps both. Or perhaps some of you have a completely different framework of how you view this subject.
Growing up along with the dawn of videogames, I always looked forward to games and any additional DLC that might come along for it. My first exposure to the concept of DLC was the Forge of Virtue for Ultima 7, The Black Gate. I had spent the better part of nearly two years anticipating Ultima 7. After spending several months playing it and finally finishing it, later the gaming world learned there would be an expansion to the game. It was wonderful news and it was universally looked forward to.
This experience isn't a clear-cut case anymore. And I'd really enjoy reading all the different viewpoints each of you here might have on the subject.
I have said all I want about this topic numerous times already. I just don't like how DLC is handled compared to past physical expansions. My opinion is not going to change anytime soon.
Let this pic and post by the Rampant Coyote explain my viewpoint.
DLC is everything that is not a part of the vanilla game.
Is it just horse armor or an expansion bigger than original game on it's release, doesn't matter, it's still DLC.
It's impossible today to categorize them all. And we can't use only RPGs in this.
I'll take Sims 3 as an example for nonRPG. Maxis makes items/stuff DLC, but also expansions that beside items bring new gameplay actions. It's not only that, they also make so called world DLC that with a new maps to play on add more items and a gameplay change or two.
But in the end it's all - DLC.
The problem we (yes we do) have with different DLC is to determine is it worth buying. In my case, I'd always buy all four F:NV DLC because those were quality stuff.
But would I ever buy horse armor DLC? No. Sadly, many did. And because of those many, instead of quality DLC, today's DLC tend to be plain useless and overexpensive junk.
And we can't go forward until ppl stop buying junk already. Will that happen? It will. Not because ppl will get smart but because ppl will lose their money needed to spend on proper games by being milked through phonegame scams.
DLC and expansions are different imo. Sure they both add content, but DLC includes pointless stuff like alternate costumes, horse armor, music etc. Prior to digital getting so popular, companies offered much more sizable content additions through expansions. Sure, I don't have to buy that pointless DLC but it does take resources away from making quality additions. When I hear expansion, I expect sizable additions.
My personal distaste of DLC stems from my standard of value per hour of entertainment. I expect to pay no more than $1 per hour of entertainment and DLC rarely ever fulfills that requirement whereas expansions like D2's LoD easily did.
Oh horse armor. I remember that. Many a Bethesda fan made that day I tell you.
DLC is a natural response to the growing online market, if companies could do it in the past, the would have. It's not cost effective for a company to sell a 5$ physical box with one hour adventure, but its very cost effective to sell a 5$ online DLC with that one hour adventure. In the past, the only way to keep building on a successful game was to release 30$ expansions, so companies had to make longer meatier expansions then the do today.
The difference between DLC and expansion really comes down to people comparing the new system to the old one.
I don't really think there is anything wrong with DLC, as long as it good value. The problem is that a lot of times, it's not. When companies where making one or two big expansions to their game, the expansion would be well covered and reviewed. With DLC, you got 30 different armor packs and bonus missions. Most of the time, it's a lot harder to figure out if it's something you would like or not.
My personal view is that anything that take over 10 hour to play though is an expansion and anything that doesn't is a DLC, but if you ask someone else you might get a different answer.
My general reaction to DLC is to either wait for the Gold Edition (happens often), avoid the whole DLC (if it's only MP) or even avoid the whole game (if it takes more than 30 seconds to find which DLCs I need and why; example: Civilization).
I could tolerate DLC if they bring something worthwhile to the base game. An honest 1999-like expansion pack is always welcome. Some new content for SP game? sure, but I'd rather wait for the inevitalbe bundle/Gold/GotY deal. Horse-armor, fluff/OP weapon pack, map packs for civilization? I don't mind them, if they come with that GoTY edition, but count me out.
Btw, I really dislike the idea of Day 1 DLC, since I feel that I'm being cheated out of a part of the game that should have been there in the first place. That's even more reason to wait for whole "season of DLC" to end before making a purchase.
Personally, I believe that Expansions & DLCs are pretty much the same thing,
but what differs both is the creator's / publisher's approach to both.
In earlier times, an Expansion could be considered a Bonus, something for the real fans, those who dug that main game. They got kind of rewarted. Sometimes even by an increase in difficulty (Incubation comes to mind).
At one point within the last 10 years ( I think it was rather in the second half of the last decade ), the creators and the publishers - I almost always always blame the publisher, almost never the original creators ! - came to a point where someone had the idea of using the DLC as a kind of tool not to give the players some kind of reward - no, instead to use it as an additional way to "milk" them.
This shift or change can be felt. Personally, I don't think that the infamous Horse Armor was the beginning of that - but to me it was the start of that. In my opinion, the Horse Armor was merely an experiment, an Versuchsballon, an afterthought.
And then, someone else in "the industry" must have analysed that Horse Armor.
And came to the conclusion that it was THE PERFECT way to milk people even more !
A third shift or changed to that appeared only within the recent years.
This was when another analysis took place, and someone came to the conclusion that DLCs can be used as an "indirect DRM" tool - because ONLY legit users/buyers of a game would be able to install it ! Especially if the DLC encompasses some checks whether the game spcimen was legit at all. Microsoft and their "Genuine Check" come to mind.
So, in my opinion, Expansions / DLCs changed by three steps :
1. Named "Expansion", acted like an reward to the hardcore players
2. Named "Downloadable Content", acted like an additional way to get customers buy something which is connected to that game
3. Named "DLC", acted like an indirect DRM, because checks were made to determine whether the game is legally aquired or not.
And I personally believe that it is step 2 & 3 which makes people have so negative emotions towards DLCs. Because of their usage as "tools", and the absent "reward factor", so to say.
Because DLCs of now have become mas market things, and are no longer aimed at an select group of die-hard fans of certain, special games.
For RPGs I hate DLCs, I only play them once, follow and finish the story, and then uninstall. For strategy games like Paradox's Crusader Kings 2 and Europa Universalis 4, I love DLCs, as they usually change the gameplay or add gameplay enough so that it feels like playing a different game.
The first thing is that, contrary to the myth broadcasted over the last few centuries, firms do not try to cater to all potential customers. If so, these days, every potential customer of shoes would have shoes on their feet.
Firms try to elaborate schemes to optimize their streams of revenues and optimize their profits. Part of this process is to turn down any stream of revenue that ruin the scheme on a larger scale. Firms do not chase every dollar around, they chase every dollar that consolidates their schemes.
Big difference.
The current business plan (scheme) of mainstream video compagnies is:
-break even with productions costs through preorder and first week after release sales.
-use the hype momentum to saturate the main target audience over the next few weeks after release
-once saturation is reached, bring down the prices to appeal to some other target audiences (like players who buy games not because they want to play them but because buying a $60 dollar game for only $15 is such a deal! etc)
The postponer is included in the larger picture as set by marketing gurus. By postponing, they act the way gurus expect them to act. Gurus do not want their $60 as the postponer's various demands ruins the scheme on a large scheme. Gurus want those $15 or $10 to consolidate their scheme.
Marketing is about hype and to build up hype, you need an echo chamber.
More and more, games are designed to respond to that requirement. More and more, games are designed to be experiences to be shared with a larger communauty which is going to act as an echo chamber.
Distribution platforms like Steam, which make readily available social features, help the process as it makes it so easy to include features that will help to build up hype and convey it through a communauty.
For example, it can be that strictly sp gameplay game that includes Steam features to compare players one with another ("will you be the fastest thief in the world?") etc
As a consequence, it means that games are more and more designed to be social experiences to be shared.
It means that these experiences work better when the communauty is large and aroused.
It gives these games a life expectancy of three months to be fully experienced. After that, playing the game means a reduced experience.
Postponers do not want to accept the requirements of the main offer? Fine. They will be provided with a lesser version that comes for a deflated price as it fits.
They will be given the opportunity to experience the game in a period when the game has lost most of its gaming value.
Postponers' demands would ruin the billion dollars scheme. Firms do not want those $60 that mean sacrifying millions of dollars on the other hand.
Especially when they know how to get those $15 from postponers to consolidate their scheme.
So yes, marketing gurus produce the postponer. And that is exactly what they want.
But that would exclude a lot of the expansions of yesteryear. Most expansions seem to have been between 1/3-2/3 the length of the base game, and as most base-games did not reach the 10h mark, then it would be unfair to expect the expansions to do the same.
My view is that DLC=expansion. Some expansions are really small, while some are really big. And while minor content expansions were rare they did exist (this one for an example would probably have been a 4 DLC by today's standards). The reason why they did not generally release expansions like these was because the market for them was small.
By the way, everything these days is downlable content. DLC does not mention any size of content to be labelled DLCs.
Main games are DLCs and so are any of their add ons due to digital distribution being the main outlet for PCs distribution.
Hmm, I seperate the two terms in my mind it seems. In the case of Skyrim, I consider Hearthfire to be DLC and Dawnguard and Dragonborn to be expansions. I buy all of it and could care less about a sale when I do so. I buy it when I'm ready to replay the game. If a game is on the fringe of what I play, I wait for game of the year versions. If it is a pure crpg, I'll buy it all when I'm ready to play. For instance, I started playing Skyrim earlier this month. I didn't own Dragonborn and could care less about Heartfire, but I bought both to bring the game up to date for this playthrough.
I thought I'd tackle this from a purchaser point of view, maybe helping to illustrate Chien's idea. I don't wait for sales on anything I want. If I see a sale and it is something that I may play someday, I'll bite. If it wasn't for the pricewatch thread, I would never know about sales, because I don't look :) Games are my hobby, and I pay full price gladly in the hopes of promoting more games.
I think the real trick is in patience. It's in waiting for the publisher to start selling the entire game package on Steam, game + DLC's, for the same cost as the original base game or less. Of course, who wants to wait a year or two…:-/
I don't have a negative opinion of DLC in the same way I don't have a negative opinion of capitalism.
Capitalism would have been a fine economic system if people were different. But people are people, so a system that's so easily exploitable will be exploited. That's just how it is.
I do have a very negative opinion about how people exploit systems and concepts to maxmise personal gain.
The problem with DLC is precisely that it can be anything - and as such, it's much easier to manipulate and market as something it's not.
Expansions used to have significant content - or at least that was the expectation - and they were judged accordingly. If an expansion didn't have much content and didn't expand the base game in significant ways - it would be deemed a bad expansion.
DLC has no inherent quantity or expectation of quality - and as such, it's much easier to convince people that it's worth it. It can be anything - and everyone will have their own completely subjective opinion about every kind of DLC. There's really no way to review DLC and approach anything remotely objective.
There ARE people who're fine with paying 5$ for a couple of in-game items and a new virtual chair. No one can say it's not worth it.
So, DLC isn't a problem in itself - and it can easily represent something matching a true expansion. But it's very rare - and the reason is that true value for money will result in smaller returns for the business people.
DLC, for the business person, is the perfect opportunity to minimise cost and maxmise revenue. All you need is a reasonably strong franchise or "base" - and you can use the impulse-level cost of DLC to manipulate your audience to buy pretty much anything. Once you have a solid fanbase - you can essentially print your own money by spitting out trivial content at impulse-level prices.
With the right systems and infrastructure, you can create content with almost no effort at all - and since people will buy a turd if it says "Call of Duty" or "FIFA" - you're all set for quite a while.
You can even set up the infrastructure for the money you can expect to get from the initial sales of the base game. The fact that you sell "new content" that was already produced or already ready to be produced at the click of a button is never going to be known to your audience anyway.
So, you tell me, is that a good or a bad thing for the consumer? If you don't have a problem with this, then it's not a bad thing. Hardly a good thing, either - though.
You can open up a shop, having several ideas in mind - some of them even at the same time :
- Helping people
- Offering people a service
- Using the shop as a tool to gain more money, personally
- Using the shop as means to exploit people by creating unnatural desires in them to buy things, thus make them kind of addicted
and so on.
The change in Philosophy occurred at one point in the past - or has it always been there ?
However, nowadays, one can say that the bigger tzhe company/fiorm, the more is is only serving one purpose : Exploiting customer's purse and amassing money into the direction of the shareholders & top positions within that firm.
This is the change in Philosophy :
No more is the customer the center of the firm development,
but the money is.
All the firm's actions are centered around the question : How can this generate even more money ?
This means that customers are no more regarded as humans - but as money-bags, to put it very cynically.
Where does this come from ? This center around money ?
I don't know,
but the perhaps mopst easiest explanation would be to say it's just greed.
Greed of whom ?
In my opinion not the Greed of the workers,
but rather the Greed of the Shareholders, and the firm's top positions, since they usually hold a quite large amount of the shares.
However, no matter how you put it, in my opinion the change is there, it's that the economy is centered around money.
It's as if "Money" has become a Meta-Being, of which we are all nothing but string-puppets, and the strings are called "greed".
We need to change that to focus the customer againb, so that the economy becomes part of Humanity again.
And, right now the trend is there to even measure behaviour that should not be measured against economy values, to measure it against economic values.
One example is that cutting of school years of 13 to 12 here - simply to make pupils ready for "the Market" in much shorter time.
And it is an open secret that school learning is no more for the benefit of the pupil - it is there for the benefit of "The Economy" ( the faster they can get to work, the better for the firms ! ) , because pupils are considered "human resources" nowadays, or "work-meat", to put it more cynically.
Edit : I just found this comment (Source below) :
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