text:
HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Admit it, you're going to miss DeAndre Jordan in a Los Angeles Clippers uniform. You're going to miss the dunks and the off-court comic pairing with Clippers All-Star Blake Griffin.
But if we are reading this Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Clippers-Doc Rivers trade situation right, Jordan is headed to Boston in one part of a complex potential trade scenario that also will include Rivers departing Boston for the Clippers and the chance to chase championships with a few familiar faces (Kevin Garnett and perhaps Paul Pierce) as well as a few new ones (Griffin and potentially Chris Paul).
Monday's hot name, Eric Bledsoe, the player both sides refused to budge on, is apparently out of the deal now.
It's complicated, I know. But aren't these blockbuster scenarios always a bit more complicated than the average trade?
The latest from around the basketball world on this saga …
Celtics ready to deal for Jordan and two first-round Draft picks …
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: After pushing for the Clippers to take back long-term contracts, the Celtics relented and have shown willingness to complete the deal for DeAndre Jordan and two first-round draft picks, sources said. The Clippers are willing to give the Celtics Jordan and one draft pick, but were resisting a second future pick, sources said.
The two teams are planning to talk again on Tuesday morning, and the fragile negotiations could climax over the draft pick compensation, sources said.
If the Clippers become the championship contenders that they expected this trade will make them, the additional draft pick would likely be near the end of the first round.
The financial investment in this deal for Los Angeles is unprecedented for the franchise, and it could be giving it 11th-hour pause. The Clippers must pay a $3.5 million trade kicker on Jordan's contract and finalize an agreement with Rivers on a five-year deal worth approximately $35 million, league sources said.
Serious talks but still no deal …
Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com: Sources close to the process told ESPN.com that the Celtics and Clippers held "substantive discussions" Monday on the proposed multilayered transactions that would send Rivers and Celtics star Kevin Garnett to Los Angeles. But the teams, sources say, remain unable to agree on a final trade framework to go through with the two deals, even after Boston relented on its insistence that the Clippers include prized young guard Eric Bledsoe as part of the package for Rivers and Garnett.
Another element of the talks, sources said, is the negotiations between Rivers and the Clippers on a coaching contract. Rivers has three years left on his original five-year, $35 million deal with the Celtics and will be looking to stay in the same salary range if Boston ultimately receives what it deems sufficient compensation to let the 51-year-old out of that deal.
So the Clippers, in what NBA coaching sources are terming a "separate process," have moved ahead with their coaching search just in case, for one reason or another, they'll be unable to pry Rivers out of Boston. They've arranged sitdowns this week for Byron Scott (Tuesday) and Brian Shaw (Wednesday) with Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Lionel Hollins, the other finalist for the Clippers' job before the pursuit of Rivers got serious, already met with Sterling.
Numerous sources connected to talks continued to express optimism Monday that the Celtics and Clippers will eventually agree to terms this week, with some interpreting the Clippers' plans to resume talks with the likes of Shaw and Scott as their latest thinly veiled message to the Celtics that they aren't afraid to walk away from the table.
"It's a dance right now," said one source close to the process. "I think it'll eventually happen. They're just staring at each other."
Is Ainge satisfied with this haul?
Sam Amick of USA Today: The only question that matters at the moment is whether Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge eventually will decide that acquiring fifth-year center DeAndre Jordan and two future first-round picks is fair compensation for losing his coach and his 37-year-old big man.
If he does, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, this deal will likely get done. If he doesn't, and instead insists that third-year Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe must also be in the trade, then Rivers and Garnett would stay put and the Clippers would simply hire one of the coaching candidates who have interviewed for their vacant job (former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins and Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw lead that group).
While Celtics small forward Paul Pierce is not part of the trade talks, he could be bought out of the final year of his contract this July ($5 million of his $15.3 million) and join Rivers and Garnett with the Clippers as a free agent if this deal went down. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the talks.
While Rivers would not technically be part of the trade, the Celtics would allow the Clippers to sign him as part of the agreement. Rivers has a non-compete clause in his contract that would be nullified, and he would forgo the three years and $21 million remaining on his Celtics contract.The Clippers are prepared to pay him just less than $7 million annually, but only if they can bring him in without mortgaging their future by losing Bledsoe.
Yet if Rivers were willing consider giving back some of his earnings as a way to ease Ainge's pain, that could be a way to nudge these negotiations along. The Celtics could move forward with a new coach whose salary would be, in essence, paid for by the old coach.
Rivers still grappling with his decision?
Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: If the Celtics plan to part with Rivers, they want a young piece, draft picks and salary cap relief. Realizing that signing [Jason] Terry and [Courtney] Lee to multiyear deals at the mid-level exception (5-plus million) was a mistake, the Celtics would prefer the Clippers accept those deals to facilitate clearance to negotiate a contract with Rivers.
Meanwhile, a source close to Rivers told the Globe that Rivers is still grappling with the decision, especially as the trade gets more complicated and negotiations more contentious. The talk of the Clippers acquiring Paul Pierce in the trade are remote, especially since the Celtics would have to honor his deal and send him to the Clippers with a $15 million salary.
And don't expect the Celtics to waive Pierce just to see him sign with the Clippers during free agency. If they decide to trade Pierce, and NBA sources said the team is open to the possibility, they want a return for his services unless waiving him will allow him enough salary cap space to sign a solid free agent.
The consensus around the league is that a decision on this has to be made this week and Rivers is looking worse by the day because of his indecisiveness.
Key decision makers, Ainge and Sacks, stuck in neutral …
Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times: The main characters are Boston Coach Doc Rivers and All-Star forward Kevin Garnett, trying to get to the Clippers as a duo. The men calling the shots — Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks — can't seem to reach agreement on a mutually satisfactory deal.
So both organizations were stuck in neutral by Monday evening after player names were tossed back and forth, the talks at a standstill but not completely over, according to NBA executives who did not want to be identified by name because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the situation.
The two sides intend to keep the talks alive Tuesday. But the Clippers also plan to have coaching candidates Byron Scott and Brian Shaw meet with owner Donald Sterling this week in case the team can't make a deal to get Rivers, executives said.
Shaw, associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers, on Tuesday is scheduled to meet for the second time with the Denver Nuggets about their head-coach vacancy. Then Shaw is to meet with Sterling on Wednesday. Shaw interviewed face to face with the Clippers last week, but this will be his first sit-down with Sterling, executives said.
Scott, former coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets and New Jersey Nets, is scheduled to meet with Sterling on Tuesday afternoon, the executives said. Scott also met with the Clippers last Tuesday but didn't talk with Sterling.


text:
Space Safari on CD-i
>> Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The game was published by New Media in 1994, but was only available to my knowledge for a very limited time from McNo of Colchester. Programmed by BEPL, who also created Wordplay and Food of France. Programmer Mr Graham Trott very kindly shares his experience with me on producing this quality game..
''Space Safari was quite a challenge; the animations required some special graphical coding techniques to keep their size under control. But the use of the meta-language meant we could develop piece by piece, and once each piece was done it rarely needed much changing. The system was so modular that things
almost never interfered with each other...I look back with some nostalgia at Space Safari. It was a very difficult title to program, requiring a good deal of ingenuity to handle the needs of the graphics. But I always liked the result''.
Many thanks to Graham for his time.
The game involves classifying animals and their habitats. You must 'beam' them into their correct categories; for example a toad is an amphibian. There are difficulty levels too, and I like how you have to work against the clock which makes the game challenging. Also good is the space age theme.
Courtesy of Alan @ Philips CD-i Zone Read more...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Get the biggest holiday shopping deals delivered to your inbox! Click here to sign up for the DEALBOSS newsletter.
CLICK HERE for Amazon's Christmas Light and Decoration Sale.
If you want to save the most on holiday decorations, shop after Christmas, when you can save an additional 10 percent.
Of course, waiting won't help if your neighbor's decorations are putting your decorations to shame this holiday season.
But don't worry — there's also an opportunity today for you to buy holiday decorations today and save.
As part of a 12 Days of Deals promotion, Amazon has just launched one of its most aggressive site-wide Christmas sales. Many discounts will match the clearance sale prices we see in the days that follow Christmas.
At worst, you'll pay about 10 percent more now versus December 26 — and if you need lights, you need lights!
The sale is a one-day-only event, so Happy Savings!
CLICK HERE for Amazon's Christmas Light and Decoration Sale.
- The best and last bedding bargain of 2018
- These wireless headphones are as good as Beats and Bose at one-third the price
- Amazon's top Marvel toy deal of the season just dropped
- This cord-cutting device was a top holiday deal, and it's still on sale
- A top solar power bank to charge your devices is on sale today
Who is Matt Granite?
- Matt Granite is a freelance consumer reporter who produces stories and video for this Station, Amazon and others. He is not compensated by the brands featured here. This Station and its parent company may receive a share of the revenue from the site that sells the product if you purchase one of these products using the link on this page.


text:
Memorial Day is one day out of 365 that we take the time to memorialize those soldiers that made the supreme sacrifice to ensure our freedoms. It doesn't matter whether this person was in the Revolutionary War or in the Iraq War, these brave men suffered the raining of bullets, inclement weather, homesickness, hostility even from their own Country they are defending just doing their part to make our great Country enjoy the freedoms we now have and continue to have. War is ugly, evil and not something we want to do, but must in order to be free or to protect our homeland. Sometimes we forget and take for granted for all the wonderful privileges we enjoy.
Clyde Everett May, Jr.


text:
India's Reliance MediaWorks (RMW) has appointed VFX supervisor George Murphy as chief creative officer.
Murphy received a best visual effects Oscar for his work on Forrest Gump and has also worked on Jurassic Park, Planet Of The Apes, King Kong, Starship Troopers and The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
In his new role he will work with studios, directors, producers and key creatives to help them achieve their vision on a wide range of projects.
"Building on RMW's current strengths, we will be expanding and refining the offerings from our Burbank team, with an aim to establish a hub of exceptional expertise in the areas of visual effects, animation and digital content creation," Murphy said.
RMW CEO Venkatesh Roddam added that the move should also give the Indian film industry greater access to globally recognised creative talents.
Murphy has previously worked with VFX houses such as Industrial Light & Magic, ESC Entertainment, Electronic Arts, WETA Digital, and Disney's ImageMovers Digital.


text:
Canadian multi-threading specialist Fabric Engine has officially launched v1.0 of its eponymously named high-performance computing (HPC) platform this week under the AGPL license. This new release aims to combine the power of multi-core hardware to bring multi-threaded and compiled performance to dynamic languages such as JavaScript and Python.
Fabric Engine has highlighted the speed of usability advantages of dynamic languages, but says that they are ultimately slow compared to compiled languages unless rebuilt to provide performance — which in turn introduces additional costs.
The company's USP rests upon its claim that Fabric Engine will give the "same performance" as multi-threaded C++, yet retain the ease of use and speed of iteration of dynamic languages.
The firm's customers have gone on the record saying that Fabric Engine also benefits from using a language very similar to JavaScript for high-performance operators (vanilla JavaScript/node.js for everything else) -- and that this reduces the need to use C++. The upshot being that developers can then potentially avoid the whole code-compile-run cycle and use a more immediate execute model.
According to the company's official news stream, "On the server and in the cloud, Fabric Engine is ideal for addressing compute-bound problems that require raw execution performance. With node.js, Fabric Engine provides an asynchronous compute model that works well alongside the other services that node provides."
NOTE: High-performance applications (HPC) encompass such apps as those used in game development, animation, film production, GIS, medicine, and other industries that are greedy for performance.
Fabric Engine currently runs as a browser plug-in and is currently in beta for a Python/QT desktop framework.


text:
Hiring a Presenter
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2010-03-01
After several months of rebuilding our business, we have finally peeked the interest of a few investors. However, one of our shortcomings is that neither my business partner nor me are good presenters. We are thinking about hiring someone to present during the interviewing process. Is this common? Do you think this is a good idea if we can get our presenter up to speed on the company's mission, goals and objectives? Any help would be appreciated.PRIVATE: Members Only
Investors are Human
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by RichieBlueEyes on 2007-12-14
Tags: Venture Business Personalities
Reminder Investors are Human too. They have emotions and generally like people. They don't like being pitched. Make friends with them, develop real relationships. Don't just go up to them after a panel event and say "Hi, I'm Joe, Can I have your wallet, I build social poop"
Build relationships, investors are people like you and me.PRIVATE: Members Only (102 Characters)
Angel Networks
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-07-29
Tags: Pitching Angels
If you are looking at venture funding for your first round, I would suggest that you consider an Angel round first. Why" A friend of mine just got early terms to raise $1 MM for 40% of the company in their first round of funding, and it was a preferred round with all of the standard VC protections. This seems fairly aggressive for a new company with bright prospects.
There are great angel networks throughout the world that will offer MUCH more reasonable terms, and, depending on the investors that you attract, you should be able to secure the necessary advice and counsel on business decisions. You can always save the venture round for later, if needed. Members, read on for some concrete advice...PRIVATE: Members Only (1601 Characters)
Avoid the Associate!
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-03-31
Tags: Pitching Associate
Do not deal with associates in the early part of your pitching process. Identify at least one key partner to be your conduit into a funding source. Associates are important to have engaged later in a deal cycle. If a partner is not present on the early calls, assume that the fund is doing competitive research in a sector. This is a waste of your time.PRIVATE: Members Only (325 Characters)
Example VC Pitch Deck with Explanations, Samples
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by KipMcC on 2009-08-26
Tags: Pitching Resources
Recently, I shared this outline & pitch deck example with the Capital Factory companies in Austin, Texas; you may find example slides, download the PPT template file, and read descriptions / discussion for each here:
1. Title Slide
* The get everyone in the room and sitting down slide; Don't roll forward from here until you have everyone in the room and paying attention if you can help it.
2. Agenda + Company Overview
* Make sure you're covering what they want to cover; ask if you're missing anything before launching into the pitch
* This is also the slide to give a quick summary of your company. This summary is important because it will give any other partners at the firm you talking to a "snap shot" of you're company after you're gone; it's helpful for other partners in the firm to have at-a-glace info on what you do, in what market, company details, and so on.
3. Market + Market Context
* Why is your market interesting? Are there any compelling dynamics currently at play?
* How do you fit in? This can help set up your unique competitive advantage / "secret sauce" slide.
4. One-slide company overview: THE SLIDE
* In many cases, your entire pitch will be an interactive conversation while sitting on a single slide; this should be that slide.
* Done right, this allows you to describe what you do, who you do it for, why that's important and your vision for the future.
5. Business Model; How we make money
* How, exactly, does your company make money? Do you have any examples of this working so far?
* Does any part of your business act as a "loss leader" for another, more valuable part?
* Do you have two models running simultaneously? is that good or bad & why? Make sure you clearly describe and delineate between them…and hopefully describe how they benefit and support each.
6. Progress, Mile stones, look into the future
* What you've accomplished so far?
* What you plan to do in the near future? In what timeframe?
7. Competition & your company's "Secret Sauce"
* You relative to others in your space.
* The question that you must answer well: if your company is successful, how will you defend its business from competitors who see your success and want some or all of it for themselves? What can you do differently? What can you do uniquely and realistically for how long? What CAN'T (or is really really hard to) be duplicated? What is your special tech, model, process, team advantage or unique solution?
8. Current Partners, Customers & Pipeline
* Who are you working with today? Who will be your customer tomorrow?
* How, exactly, do you acquire customers? How much does it cost to acquire them? What is your average deal size? How could your business increase the average deal size? What is the average deal size of other companies in this same market? Does this information align with the Market Size / Market Context data from Slide #3 ? (hint: it should) Once you have a customer, can you sell them MORE stuff more easily? Why / why not / how much / when will you have it to sell? What is the expected life-time value of a customer (be careful to think about this relative to the cost to acquire a customer)?
9. Financial Details (revenue, expense, HC, projections)
* What is your current and future headcount (this equates to your burn rate as headcount is almost always the biggest expense)?
* what is your current monthly/quarterly burn rate and how does that ramp over time?
* what is your current revenue and how does that ramp over time?
* How quickly are you approaching a cash-flow breakeven point?
* What's your revenue run-rate 12 months from now? What's the net loss / gain over the same period?
10. Funding "ask" + use of proceeds (timing, other firms)
11. Team Overview
12. Thank you, questions, contact info (no example slide)
High-level guidelines:
* Create your own deck! Create a deck that allows you to tell your story according to your style; name the slides what you want; tell your story with text or pictures (within reason)
* Don't leave out critical information! This outline is my suggestion of a "critical information" list; no rational investor will fund your company without knowing the information suggested by this outline.
* Proactively answer big-ticket questions! If there are obvious, elephant-in-the-room sort of questions regarding your business: address them before they get asked. This is always a better way to go.
* Be passionate and informed! Investors invest in the team – show them your passion and be sure to know data from adjacent or competitive markets, companies, and models.
* Finally, it's really important to have enough white space in your presentation format. I like a white background because it prints and projects cleanly. I like titles that are single-line and as few words as possible; and I try to keep the text/image area "middle part" of the slide as open as possible. In general, right angles are easier to make look clean than circles but your mileage may vary. Less is more when it comes to the presentation template.PRIVATE: Members Only
Just Get Through 2009
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-12-04
Tags: Operations Crisis Burn Rate
I'm fundraising right now and it is absolutely brutal. I want to to tell all entrepreneurs, "Fight through this. You can raise capital." But that isn't true. You may not be able to raise capital until 2010 no matter how good your product or company is. It is not a reflection of you, just the external factors that are largely out of your control.
Survive until 2010 and position your company to take off as the next economic cycle does. These things always come back. While it is bad now, it will eventually get better. The Wall Street guys will get tired of losing money and companies will start hiring again.
I hope I am wrong. (Boy, do I hope I'm wrong.) Maybe Obama will follow through on his plan to eliminate capital gains tax on investments to startups. That would help us immensely. But I have heard nothing about that since it was mentioned during the campaign.PRIVATE: Members Only
Is Open Deals / Angel Soft Bad for Angel Investing? I Think So...
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by J on 2008-09-13
Tags: Venture Business Angels AngelsSoft
I have been trying to pitch organized angel groups, more and more of whom are using Angelsoft. When I contact someone from the group, I normally get a response to put my deal into the Angelsoft system, which also apparently powers www.open-deals.com.
The problem is that nobody responds:
I have been an angel investor in the past, and it has always been more about coaching and personal relationships. It's not about scrutinizing a young financial model that arrives through email to evaluate hypothetical returns. It is about helping an entrepreneur to realize those hypothetical returns by sharing experiences and providing some capital.
With Angelsoft, all of the personal aspects of angel investing seem to be removed from the equation. My materials are submitted through Angelsoft forms, and then disappear into some system that encourages a group of busy angels evaluate the opportunity in a black box. Do they like it" Do they hate it" Do they even read it" I have no idea, since I have never heard anything!
My advice is for angel groups try to find a way to interact with the entrepreneurs that pitch, and entrepreneurs should try to get in front of angels if they really want to close a deal...PRIVATE: Members Only
5 Reasons Convertible Debt Sucks
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by fnazeeri on 2008-06-20
Tags: Preparation Convertible Debt
I just posted this over on my blog [http://tinyurl.com/3n4wsz] but figured some folks might be interested here as well.
There are two scenarios where convertible debt is typically used: bridge financing and angel financing. I've raised convertible debt a few times and I have to say that in most angel funding scenarios it sucks as a way to finance a startup (I think it's okay for bridge funding, but I'd avoid that too if possible). Why"PRIVATE: Members Only (3971 Characters)
When You Don't Get a Response...
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by zip on 2008-02-01
Tags: Pitching Responses
The thing I read over and over on this site is, "He never wrote me back!" or "He didn't call me back!" Let's face it, if you're going to to deal with VCs, you have to play by their rules. Many VCs are not great about getting back to folks when the decision is "pass" or "maybe." So, when some VC doesn't get back to you right away, chalk it up as a "pass" or a "maybe" and move on. If they get back to you belatedly with a "yes," be surprised and enjoy the moment.PRIVATE: Members Only
Stack Your Board with People Your Investor Can't Argue With
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by RichieBlueEyes on 2008-03-05
Tags: Operations Board
You should always be in control of your own board. There is a simple way to do this, stack your board with people that are beyond reproach that are in your corner. Yes, you need to be well connected to pull this off but if do, you could end up with at least an even say on the board. Most entrepreneurs get board members from referrals, I say, get your friends! Don't get 100 board members, just a few that no one can tell you to get rid of...After-all you just gave them free stock...so they'll probably back you at least for the first year. However, don't get rubber stamp people that won't do anything. Make sure to get people that actually will be active.PRIVATE: Members Only (149 Characters)
Have a Lawyer That's a Friend
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by RichieBlueEyes on 2007-12-14
Tags: Preparation Lawyers Friends
Lawyers are great - when they are on your side. They are horrible when you are just a toad in their collection of clients. Find an honest lawyer and become friends. You need someone on your side. At the end of the day, the term sheet will come down to negotiation, I would rather have a shark of a lawyer who has my interest at heart negotiating the terms then me. Why" He can get away with being an ass and I can't. Pretty simple, eh"PRIVATE: Members Only (288 Characters)
The Game of Innocence
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by MrJames on 2007-12-10
Tags: Preparation Strategy Venture Business
Aspiring entrepreneurs be warned. Venture capitalists will provide money for your idea, but they often walk away with most of the value, especially if you are not careful. Like an amateur sitting at a table of professionals, the cards are stacked against your success, so be prepared. Know the game.
Here are some anecdotal facts. There are five times as many people working in venture capital as there are CEO's that are funded each year (~16,500 vs ~3,000). The average venture funded CEO is fortunate to make 1/10th to 1/20th the return on exit as the venture capitalists. Just the legal fees on a later stage deal will run $50,000 or more per party involved, and the venture capitalists always flip the bill, directly or indirectly. Who do the lawyers work for again"
No matter how nice, no matter how fair, and no matter how genuine a venture capitalist appears, you are being out-smarted, out-lawyered, and out-maneuvered the second you sit down and ask for money. The first step in winning is to understand their motivations: (1) control, (2) risk, and (3) opportunity, in that order. Let's take a look at all three.
The entirety of a venture investment centers around control, and control takes many forms: control of the board, control of the voting, control of the investment capital, and, most importantly, control of the management. Venture capitalists are "control freaks," and the psychology of control is embedded in nearly every aspect of the deal legal structure. Assume that most financing terms, from Board meeting frequency to protective provisions have some origin in control, and analyze them as such. Ask yourself: in good times and in bad, how do these terms affect my behavior as a CEO" For example, did Google really need to have 14 Board meetings in one year... ever"
Venture capitalists are excellent at managing risk. It is assumed that at most venture investments fail, but approximately one in ten succeed. Following this simplistic logic, a venture capitalist would need to make at least $10 from every $1 invested in a success to recover from the 9 losses. Now, not every deal is a total loss, but a lot are. Complex protections are inevitably put in place. Let's look at a common scenario: a company receives $10 MM for 50% of the stock in a participating preferred with a 2x liquidation preference. The company sells for $25 MM right after the investment. How much does the founding team make" Nothing. The "50%" is legalese.
Venture capitalists are not very good at spotting opportunities, or they might have better odds than 1 in 10. However, they are very good at "managing" opportunities as a result. Here are some examples. Venture capitalists do not say "no" (for risk of losing an opportunity). They postpone meetings until you are achieving success, and they flock around markets with success stories. Ever wonder why a venture capitalist calls you out of the blue asking about your company" It's probably because a competitor is succeeding. Every wonder what "demonstrate traction" actually means" It means a nine figure IPO or liquidity event in your sector. Your dream is just potential, and you will be held on the sidelines until "the time is right" for the venture capitalists to make money.
The irony is that the venture capital behavior is largely a response to other abuses by CEO's. At this point, however, the venture capitalists have gone too far. The opportunities in building a venture funded start-up are gone for the great entrepreneurs. It simply makes more sense to go it alone.
You can quote me without attribution.PRIVATE: Members Only
Focus on the Business Model, Not the Technology
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-05-09
Tags: Pitching Presentation Model
Too many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of being so enamored with their technology or widget, that they spend 55 minutes on how great their technology platform is, and only the last 5 minutes on how they are going to monetize it. Of course, there are always exceptions, but given time and resources (cash) your technology CAN be duplicated, and if it's a good idea, count on it. You stand a better chance if you split up your pitch into two sections, 1. technology and 2. business model. Take the time to be as much of an enthusiastic expert in your market segment as you are on your technology platform. Bottom line, VC's want to know how you are going to make them rich, period. Miss this vital point, and you immediately lose their interest.PRIVATE: Members Only
Watch Out for Old "Option Plan Reload"
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-04-03
Tags: Negotiation Options
When negotiating your term sheet, pay particular attention to issues around the stock option plan. For a series A deal, you will want to have about 15% of the total (fully diluted) shares available for your management team. This is a clever way that VCs will try to add more shares and dilute existing investors. E.g. by making you reload the pool to, say, 22% they are lowering the price per share as they will fund after the reload. They then avoid dilution later when you want/ need to reload the pool.PRIVATE: Members Only (395 Characters)
Pick the First Investors Really Wisely
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-04-02
Tags: Preparation Targets
Your first investors in the angel round or Series A will set the tone for your business and all of your fundraising going forward in a big way. These investors will be your long-term partners in any future funding event, helping your company secure future rounds, or, in the worst case, sabotaging future rounds through indecision or desire for control. Members, read on...PRIVATE: Members Only (1833 Characters)
Know the Trends
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-04-02
Tags: Preparation Strategy Trends
Venture capitalists tend to invest around trends in the various investment sectors that they cover, which makes sense from a capital concentration standpoint in a given sector. You may be pitching a business that is not related to the current trends, since the trends change every few months, but it is important to understand them. The partners and associates will be actively researching the trends, so a lot of the questions in a pitch meeting will be influenced by the current trends. Questions that may appear irrelevant to you as an entrepreneur may be influenced by the current sector trends. Be prepared.PRIVATE: Members Only (438 Characters)
Software Outsourcing Eye Opening Lessons Learned
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Richard on 2011-10-22
Don't Let a Venture Capitalist De Flower Your Startup Without Making a Commitment
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by ammosov on 2010-06-06
Tags: Negotiation Terms Board
Basically, never let a VC to skip taking a board seat because this means they might be an evidence they want an option to dump the startup or do a Round A on miserable terms.
NYC Venture Funding or Lack Thereof...
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by RichieBlueEyes on 2009-03-12
Tags: Venture Business Economy East Coast Bootstrapping
So the NYC investment climate is going through serious issues. The angel market has drastically changed as most angels are from the world of finance and no longer have disposable investable cash and the few angel deals that are getting done are at far lower valuations. On the venture side, 'risk' is not being funded. Unless you have revenue (and don't need money) or extreme traction it's probably not worth the time raising money. Sure people who have made money for that exact investor in the past can still raise some money but beyond that, unless you're 'perfect' you'll have a hard time. Even then expect 2-3X liquidity preference, restrictive employment agreements and flat to down rounds even for high growth companies. I saw a company that is trending towards $20MM in revenue in a high growth category doing a flat round at a 3X liquidity preference. Times are tough. Time to call on the old friends and family and Bootstrap. It will not be fun. Still talk to investors and get coverage so they know you so if you happen to hit a stroke of luck or genius and take off, you can create some competition and maybe get decent terms but don't expect to easily raise money. Sure, you can get meetings and maybe even some feedback, don't expect an easy check from angels or VC's in NYC. Seed Capital has been crushed, Angel money is crushed and Series A money is trending towards Series B money or to pump into existing companies or entrepreneurs proven to that investor.
With all that said, always keep pitching but Bootstrap your ass off.PRIVATE: Members Only
Lessons From the Last Crash
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by fnazeeri on 2008-10-27
Tags: Operations Crisis
It's pretty rare that during a crash and recession there are employees and managers with recent experience on how to handle the situation. Well, the "good news" with the Great Depression 2.0 is that a whole bunch of us have relatively fresh experience. Last time the financial grenade went off in our lap. This time, we're collateral damage, which means it should be less painful assuming similar size crashes (which is looking less and less like a valid assumption).
In any event, here are some lessons I learned from the last time through this mess:
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by fnazeeri on 2008-06-24
Tags: Venture Business Humor
Show that You Know the Way to the Exit.
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Black Squirrel on 2008-05-27
Tags: Preparation Liquidity Model
"This Way to The Egress -> "
- P.T. Barnum
An important part of your presentation to investors is the exit strategy; to wit, how are the investors going to get their money back"
Devote a couple of those 16 precious PowerPoint slides to the exit. Show comparable companies to the one you plan to build, and their acquisition dates, prices, capital raised and the excellent financial return to *their* investors. Show that you know the names of the prospective acquirers in your space. Show that you understand the way multiples of revenues and earnings are calculated for acquisition prices in your sector. Don't talk too much about IPOs....PRIVATE: Members Only (494 Characters)
Avoid Exclusivity
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-09-29
Tags: Negotiation Exclusivity
If a fund asks you to go exclusive in the term sheet - AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE. The usual reasoning by the fund for the exclusivity is the difficulty of due diligence. I have had a venture fund pull out after the company signed a completed set of closing documents, and the company was left high and dry with no other warm prospect. You have no control over the decision making of a fund, and, therefore, you should never sign something that limits your options without compensation.PRIVATE: Members Only
Convertible Debt
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-09-11
Tags: Preparation Convertible Debt
I've had a few people recommend this as a viable (and even preferable) option for us. I know there have to be others out there who are looking for honest feedback as well.
Experienced entrepreneurs - post your thoughts (as comments) on whether its a good, a bad, or (as I suspect) a conditional thing.PRIVATE: Members Only (151 Characters)
Compensate Investor that Brings in Outside Investment
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by mazzarello on 2014-01-06
Looking for advice on what to pay a person for bringing in significant fund raise for the company.PRIVATE: Members Only (583 Characters)


text:
2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
E 550 Cabriolet
Automatic (7 Speed)
Stunning two owner,Accident Free, Alberta local 2011 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL 550 AMG! This SL is absolutely loaded with, 5-Spoke AMG Wheels-Heated & Ventilated Leather Memory Seats- Parking Sensors- Illuminated AMG Door Sills- Glass Moon roof- Heated Neck scarf- Power Trunk- Keyless Go Engine Start and has 3M protection on Hood & Headlights! Interested? Contact a Luxur Director today for more information.
Edmonton Largest Indoor Pre-Owned Vehicle Showroom.
We offer the most competitive Finance and Open-End Lease Rates. Contact our Business office for more information.
Email or Call today to book a viewing! All our vehicles come with a CarProof Report and go through a very in-depth inspection, done by Certified Technicians. We are happy to provide any information you may want regarding any of our vehicles. We are very proud of our rating on Google, please check them out for yourself. We don't have any hidden fees! You pay advertised price plus GST! AMVIC Licensed Dealer!
Come see why everyone's coming in for the Luxur Experience!
Open 7 Days a Week! 11925-Kingsway Ave NW, Edmonton Alberta.
The decision to own a certified pre-owned luxury vehicle is clear peace of mind and reliability at a pre-owned luxury vehicle price. With a solid reputation for reliability, performance, safety, and value, a Luxur Fine Cars of Edmonton Certified Pre-Owned Luxury Vehicle is a great opportunity. Certified Pre-Owned Luxury Vehicle from Luxur Fine Cars of Edmonton will give you access to several financing and open leasing options, longer terms, and the most comprehensive vehicle warranties on the market.
If you're looking for automotive financing, you've come to the right place. Luxur Fine Cars is Edmonton's leader in affordable auto financing for consumer and commercial needs. From a Beetle to a Bentley, we'll secure the finance solution that suits your needs and budget. Our finance team will work hard and find you the right auto loan or lease for you. We work with people of all incomes and credit levels, contact our finance team today for free advice and guidance.
Commercial and Personal open-end leasing is our specialty and we promise to make your auto leasing experience as smooth and easy as possible. We want to see you in the vehicle of your dreams!
* Note: We always do our best to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information, however, we cannot be held responsible for anything that is listed incorrectly. For new vehicles, price listed does not include accessories. Please contact the dealer/seller for official pricing and vehicle information, and with any questions that you might have. Displayed prices generally do not include taxes and other fees.


text:
Personalised Number Plate InformationAll the information you need to buy or sell your registration number
Number Plates
Number Plates
Each number plate has 1, 2 or 3 letters and one or more numbers. Number plates listed here have recently been sold but we have many similar numbers. Please call us or visit our main number plate website
Number plate results shown. If you want to go to our main website you can use our reg plate search facility.
Regplates have over 99% of all available number plates available to buy online 24 hours a day. We are members of MIRAD, APRT & CNG trade dealers associations.
All number plates are transferred in accordance with the DVLA.
Number Plates Recently Sold Search - ASA registrations
The following number plates are based on ASA number plates
Our team of trained personalised number plate staff will professionally handle your transfer as swiftly as possible with all paperwork change over handled for you including the V5, tax disc and MOT certificate. We offer advice without technical 'jargon', and are always competitive on price.
If you are looking to sell a private plate, our personalised registration plates valuations department can give you an accurate market value on your registration number by post or by e-mail.
Personalised Cherished Number Plates
Since their humble beginning in 1903, cherished numbers have continued to increase in popularity often adding the finishing touch to our prized possessions and very often prove to be a valuable investment.
The First Number Plate Ever Issued
A1 assigned in 1903
The Motor Car Act 1903, which came into force on 1 January 1904, required all motor vehicles to be entered on an official vehicle register, and to carry number plates. The Act was passed in order that vehicles could be easily traced in the event of an accident or contravention of the law. Vehicle registration number plates in the UK are rectangular or square in shape, with the exact permitted dimensions of the plate and its lettering set down in law.
You can find out where your personalised registration number plate was originally issued here.
Following the astounding America's Cup success one cheeky Kiwi is auctioning off a TEAMNZ number plate on Trade Me - with a starting bid of $20,000.
The user floppy9 has listed the plate from Taranaki. It urged buyers to "be the first to show them off around the streets of New Zealand".
Peter Burling was at the helm for Emirates Team New Zealand this week, when the Kiwis overwhelmed holders Oracle Team USA 7-1 to lift the Auld Mug off Bermuda on June 27.
Three bids had already been placed at the time of writing, bringing the total up to $20,100.
One buyer suggested a trade with their "ORACLE" plate that they wanted to get rid of.
Floppy9 advised to hold on to it until the next America's Cup as a good investment.
The seller divulged in the Questions and Answers section that they had bought the plates a very long time ago. They said the successful bidder would receive brand new plates instead of the ones pictured.
The Perak Road Transport Department (JPJ) is receiving many enquiries about three unique vehicle registration numbers that resemble the Malay phrase "Aku Boss" (I am the boss).
State JPJ director-general Mohd Zawawi Zakaria said they were expecting many bids for the vehicle registration numbers AKU 805, AKU 8055 and AKU 1305 over the next two weeks.
"The bidding starts today and ends on July 18," he told reporters at the JPJ building here.
There are three categories of numbers being offered, namely golden numbers, attractive numbers and popular numbers.
Mohd Zawawi said there is a minimum RM10,000 bid for golden numbers (1 to 10), RM2,000 for attractive numbers (11 to 19) and repetitive numbers (e.g., 22, 777, 9999), while bids for popular numbers start from RM300.
"Even though 805, 8055 and 1305 are normal running numbers, these numbers will be listed under the popular numbers category due to expected demand," he said.
However, he warned the potential winner of the AKU 1305 number to ensure JPJ specifications for registration plates are followed and not to place the "1" and "3" numbers so close together that it reads like a "B".
Read more at
The first series of number plates were issued in 1903 and ran until 1932, using the series A 1 to YY 9999. The letter or pair of letters indicated the local authority in whose area the vehicle was registered, for example A - London, B - Lancashire, C - West Riding of Yorkshire. In England and Wales the letter codes were initially allocated in order of population size (by the 1901 census) whilst Scotland and Ireland had their own sequences incorporating the letters S" and "I" respectively, which were allocated alphabetically: IA = Antrim, IB = Armagh, etc. When a licensing authority reached 9999, it was allocated another two letter mark, but there was no pattern to these subsequent allocations as they were allocated on a first come first served basis. There are three interesting anomalies where a zero has been issued - The Lord Provost of Edinburgh has S 0 and his Glasgow counterpart has G 0 while the official car of the Lord Provost of Aberdeen has RG 0. In addition the Lord Mayor
It was 1980 when legislation was passed to allow Illinois drivers to order vanity and personalized license plates. As defined then, vanity plates contained up to six letters or the numbers 1 to 999. Personalized plates had a combination of desired letters and numbers. In the very first year, 24,000 state residents decided they wanted to pay extra to show off their vanity to fellow motorists.
Drivers were displaying personalized plates long before 1980 however.
There was no law that he could find before 1980 authorizing such plates. Instead, he figures it likely was a typical case of not what you knew being important, but who you knew.
There's no question, however, that it was 1907 when the Motor Vehicle Act, which required motorists to register with the secretary of state's office, became law. For a one-time $2 fee per vehicle, motorists received a round aluminum disk with a registration number to affix to their vehicles. (Drivers had to furnish their own plates until 1911. The disks were dropped in 1917.) From July 1, 1907, to June 30, 1909, the state registered 20,224 vehicles. Sidney S. Gorham, of LaGrange, was issued license plate number 1.
As you might guess, that "one-time fee" didn't last long. Probably realizing they had a cash cow on their hands, the state began charging an annual fee in 1909 and re-registered all vehicles.
More interesting plate trivia: In 1912, front plates were perforated so more air could flow through a car's radiator. Aluminum license plates were issued for the first time in 1950. The slogan "Land of Lincoln" debuted in 1954, although a requirement for showing Lincoln's image was dropped because it was deemed impractical at the time.
Purple and white plates were issued in 1964 to honor both McKendree College and Rockford College (as they were known then). In 1966, for the first time in 30 years, fees were increased 50 cents to pay for a new reflective coating. In 1977, drivers were able to complain about lousy photos on their licenses for the first time. The discontinuation of annual plates in 1979 ended a 67-year run, the longest in the United States. In 1985, all vehicles were charged the same fee ($48) rather than one based on horsepower.
For the motorist who has everything, including a sense of humour! - Reg Plate Special Cherished number plate dealer Image Registrations are offering a unique opportunity for the savvy motorist to show they have the vehicle, the reg plate and a sense of humour! The East Yorkshire based company are marketing the ultimate reg plate to make a tongue in cheek statement.
car registration VUL 64R is offered for sale at £3395, a snip compared to the 'phantom' or 'hummer' it may well end up displayed on.
We think this registration plate will appeal to clients who have all the toys and appreciate the fun aspect of this unique reg number plate" said Bruno Morris at Image Registrations. He went on to say "the plate reads so well as it is almost a prefect spelling of vulgar!".
VUL 64R can be purchased now through Image Registrations, online at www.regplates.com or by telephone on 01482 627 628."
The RTA announced on Wednesday that customers can now check out both available and unavailable numbers as well as those that are likely to be available in the future.
Sultan Al Marzouqi, director of Vehicle Licensing at the RTA's Licensing Agency, said: "This service does not only allow customers to enquire and buy the current codes, but also future codes (Up to Z). Customers can log onto RTA's website (www.rta.ae) by clicking 'Inquiring about Distinctive Number Plates' to know about the available numbers and buy them online."
He added that the system has been developed and programmed to provide information about available and unavailable numbers along with their prices.
The system also enables enquiring about numbers in four different ways: by code, by number of digits, by entering the numbers required, or by the price.
The RTA also offers distinguished number plates through online auction as well as through live auctions, drawing huge interests from enthusiasts with some plates going for millions of dirhams.
Last year, the single-digit plate D5 was auctioned for Dh33 million, the highest priced number in Dubai.
A TOTAL of 58 number plates are due to go under the hammer at Highlands College next week as part of an auction organised by the Infrastructure Department.
During the last two events, the auction raised more than £421,750 with the money going towards buying equipment for Driver and Vehicle Standards – the department's authority which oversee the registration of the Island's vehicles.
In 2013 one anonymous individual paid £71,000 for the plate JSY 1.
Infrastructure Minister Eddie Noel said that he was expecting one number plate to receive particular interest from bidders this year.
Established For Over 25 Years
the Cherished Numbers Guild
Our service
- Free transfer service - your paperwork is handled by our trained team
- Over 25 years expertise - long established and trusted company
- DVLA Recognised Reseller - linked directly from the DVLA website
- DVLA Registered Number Plate Supplier - in line with all DVLA & MOT regulations


text:
Guest on Tista Ray's website
06/13/2013 Guest on Tista Ray's website
Today I am pleased to have Diann Shaddox , the author of 'A Faded Cottage', with us. She joins us with Quaid Witherspoon.
••• click below to read more Guest on Tista Ray's website
Translate this page
Yahtasay, hello.
Hi I'm Diann welcome and join me on my adventure. I'm the author of "A Faded Cottage" & "Whispering Fog" and Founder of Diann Shaddox Foundation. I'm a member of the Wyandotte Nation & I have Essential Tremor (ET). I love to travel, cook, which leads to eating and I love wines. Chardonnay is my favorite unless I'm eating steak then I'll take a glass of Cabernet.
Diann XXOO
Follow Diann's Blog
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Ask Diann Shaddox
1 member
...March 01, 2013 to March 31, 2013...
Books we've read
View this group on Goodreads »
September 2017


text:
From Secure Computing Wiki
This page is designed to provide an applied-level of support. The OpenVPN HowTo has lots of great examples and configuration option.
Help with creating a VPN which connects multiple lans. Server and clients have lans behind them. This will help you understand how to use the route, push route, and iroute commands.


text:
Top 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Writing a Business Plan November 23, 2010Posted by wooddickinson in consulting.
Tags: Business, Business plan, change, Consulting, Entrepreneur, fear, Small business, Startup company, Target market, Think, Wood Dickinson, Work
3 comments
Writing a business plan is often a crucial first step to getting your start-up off the ground. A good plan can help you raise money, recruit members of your management team, set your marketing strategy and, perhaps best of all, refine your thinking. A plan riddled with errors? That can sink you. Here are 10 mistakes that entrepreneurs frequently make when crafting their business plans, according to Akira Hirai, a consultant in California who advises start-up companies on elements of business-plan writing, including competitive analysis and financial forecasting.
Being All Things to All People
You cannot expect a business plan to appeal to every possible audience. With this in mind, try to pick one business model, and to focus on one industry or one problem. Otherwise, you risk spreading yourself too thin, and potentially creating a sprawling plan that makes a bad first impression.
Being Boring
If a potential client gets two pages into your plan and is bored, that's a terrible sign. It is important to have the reader interested right from the executive summary on the very first page. And don't neglect your cover page: a well-designed logo never hurts.
Measuring the Size of the Market Too Optimistically
Although it may seem impressive if you project vast markets and the potential for huge sums of revenue, outsize financial estimates often appear gimmicky to investors. Worse, big numbers often make you sound as if you don't know what you're doing or how hard it will be to penetrate your target market. Don't make big promises unless you're absolutely sure you can keep them.
Lacking the Confidence to Sell Your Product
In an effort to portray confidence, too many business plans ignore the competition that a new business will face. Doing so betrays a lack of sophistication. Few if any ideas face zero competition. Even if your concept is completely original, you should take into account forces that compete with your product or service, including different solutions to a problem, different ways that customers might choose to spend their money, and inertia in the marketplace.
Repeating Yourself Too Much
Avoid repeating a few catchphrases and a few simple ideas in ten different formulations. Nobody wants to hear the same thing over and over again. Be sure to keep your plan's fundamental message consistent throughout, but employ creative language and appealing imagery to flesh out your ideas.
Using Too Much Jargon
Remember that not everyone in business is familiar with cross-industry lingo. If you have a background in a specific industry – this is especially true in science and engineering – try to use simple, specific, and concrete phrases to describe your business. Rely on general terms that most everybody will understand.
Not Being Consistent
Eliminate contradictions. Make sure that the information in your plan is consistent — that, for example, a financial chart deep within the plan does not undermine a fact used in an earlier section. Make absolutely certain that every fact about your industry, the market, and key competitors is accurate and readily verifiable.
Failing to Incorporate Feedback
Presenting a business plan about which you have not received feedback is an easy amateur mistake to make. Remember: Presenting to a top investor a draft business plan that contains silly errors or gaps in logic is worse than presenting no plan at all. Try reaching out to a few friendly contacts who have vetted business plans in the past before you begin to share it with qualified potential investors. However….
Taking Too Many Perspectives Into Account
…Do not go so overboard in anticipating lines of questioning or identifying possible flaws in your thinking that a reader will have a hard time following the narrative thread. Make sure you address some likely investor objections, but balance the desire to be clear-eyed with the overall objective, which is to make a persuasive pitch.
Failing to Acknowledge the Competition
Successful plans come in all shapes and sizes and formats, so don't worry about crafting one that looks and reads exactly like every other plan that's out there. Your goal isn't to fit in; you want your business plan to stand out. Remember: If you create a proposal that expresses your idea and your personality, you will be more comfortable and confident when you are called on to present it.


text:
HD Johnny Cash Wallpaper by
HD Johnny Cash Wallpaper
Go Back
Funny & Cute Wallpapers
Bob Marley Wallpapers
Video Game Wallpapers
Ultra HD Wallpapers by
Wild & Cute Animal Wallpapers
Pink Wallpapers
Car & Motorcycle Wallpapers
Mobile Phone Wallpapers
Music & Film Wallpapers
Latest HD Wallpapers
Download this Free Awesome Full HD Johnny Cash Wallpaper right now. This wallpaper features Amazing Ultra High-definition detail and awesome custom design. Now you can easily Personalize the look of your favorite Desktop, Laptop, Smart TV, Mobile Phone, Tablet or Android supported devices with this amazing Johnny Cash style wallpaper. This wallpaper is available in 1920 x 1080 Full HD or 3840 x 2160 4K Ultra HD size. All our full hd wallpapers that are featured here on spliffmobile can be customized to fit almost any screen size perfectly. Quickly and easily download your favorite wallpapers directly to your favorite devices with a few clicks and transform the look of your device. New hd wallpapers are added all the time, so bookmark this page, share it or please download our Google Chrome App for Free for our latest content and come back often for more amazing HD Wallpapers. For any help or assistance please
contact us
Size: 1920 x 1080
Size: 3840 x 2160
Now you can get all the latest 4K ultra HD
for your favorite Desktop, Laptop, Television, Mobile Phone or Tablet Devices . You can easily view all the latest wallpapers right here for your favorite devices and download them in 1920x1080 Full HD or 3840x2160 4K Ultra HD .PNG image format. Also Get On Time Up to Date Notifications on All New
hd wallpapers
releases and news as each becomes available. Spliffmobile.com is not owned, regulated or associated by some or all of the trademarks used on our website. Should you need any help or need to please
contact us firstname.lastname@example.com
***Please allow up to 72 hrs for us to reply to your e-mail. You can also sign-up for our free monthly newsletter & receive up to date notifications about all newly added content. Please Follow Us on Google+ or Follow Us on Twitter For Free Daily Updates and Notifications. Please do not forget to signup to our free monthly newsletter to get All Your Favorite 4K Ultra HD Wallpapers on Spliffmobile.com right to your inbox! Only The Coolest Wallpapers Get Featured Here so please bookmark us and check back often for new wallpapers and news updates.
Please see our full privacy policy here
We use only .PNG images for the best display possible on your device. Should you require .JPG please let us know and we will e-mail the correct format to you. You may also submit your own wallpapers for inclusion, or the be featured on Spliffmobile.com Please contact us for details on how to
submit your own wallpapers
to spliffmobile.com. Enjoy browsing our site and we hope you find your favorite hd wallapers for your favorite desktop, laptop, television, mobile phone or tablet devices. All wallpapers that are found on spliffmobile.com are either modified, customized or belong to public domain. Should we feature content on our site that you feel is too similar to your own please contact us immediately and we will address any issues or concerns that you may have. Download free; cool hd wallpaper
for your desktop, laptop, or mobile devices. All our
free wallpapers
and backgrounds can be customized to fit most hd screen sizes perfectly. Please browse through our wallpaper list and download your favorite wallpapers quickly and easily with a few simple clicks. Here you will find only the best quality wallpapers for your desktop, laptop or mobile devices. You can easily set any of our wallpapers as your desktop background, laptop wallpaper or as your mobile wallpaper. Easily personalize your current background with
cool wallpapers
and enjoy changing the look of your favorite devices. You can easily choose between 1920 x 1080 Full HD or 3840 x 2160 4K Ultra HD sized wallpapers. Some users with large desktop or television screens might prefer 4k wallpapers for the best possible display; to set your
desktop wallpaper
please see your operating system requirements for setting your
. Our Full HD 1920 x 1080 wallpapers look amazing on any laptop, and most of them are also available on your mobile devices. To set your downloaded wallpaper as your laptop wallpaper or mobile wallpaper please see each respected device's instructions. All of our hd wallpapers are free to download and for personal use. You may submit your own wallpapers to us at any time, and we may feature your wallpaper/s on spliffmobile.com with your own feature page and a link to your website or social page/s. Please check back often for cool wallpapers, for your desktop, laptop or mobile devices and always change your wallpaper! New hd wallpapers are added all the time, so bookmark this page, share it or please download our Google Chrome App for Free and come back often for more
amazing wallpapers
. For any help or assistance please
contact us
Follow @SpliffMobile
about us
sign up
Now Available on
4K Ultra HD Wallpapers
Desktop Wallpapers
Mobile Wallpapers
PC Wallpapers
Laptop Wallpapers
Ultra HD Wallpapers
Wallpapers For Mobile
Free Stickers
Copyright © 2013-2015
Tumblr Hit Counter


text:
OEM partners include:
Cloudmark integrates technology from best-of-breed security leaders to provide service providers, mobile network operators and enterprises partners with the highest innovation available on the market today.
Our key technology partners are Global Relay and Splunk.
United by a common goal of eliminating all forms of messaging abuse, Cloudmark is associated with key, global industry alliances that provide a forum to educate all members of the messaging ecosystem, including vendors, subscribers and partners.
We are an active member in the following organizations:


text:
Photovoltaic cells printed on sheets aren't news, nor are LEDs and ultrathin lithium batteries. What's news is a combination of the three which can help give light to 1.5 billion people who live in impoverished areas without access to electricity.
Frederik Krebs came up with this combination of solar panels and LED lights which, while definitely a work-in-progress, could bring cheap light to some of the world's poorest regions. I call the lamps a work-in-progress because despite being durable enough to last several years, they run at a mere 1% efficiency. But with the expected final cost of $7 a piece, they're full of life-changing potential, despite that low efficiency.
Some prototypes of the lamps are currently being tested in Zambia. As seen in the picture, the solar panels are left laying flat during the day and then rolled up (and secured with snap-button) into a cone-shaped lamp. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the results of the prototype tests and a final product, because no one should go without artificially lit nights. [IEEE Spectrum via Pop Sci]


text:
History of The Athenaeum of Ohio / Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West
Founded in the early 1800's, the seminary division of the Athenaeum of Ohio -- Mount St. Mary's of the West -- ranks as the third oldest Catholic seminary in the United States and the oldest Catholic seminary west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The school was created by Bishop Edward D. Fenwick, the first bishop of Cincinnati, when he established St. Francis Xavier Seminary and the Athenaeum College on May 18, 1829.
In 1851, the seminary was renamed Mount St. Mary's of the West to avoid confusion with the original school name of St. Francis Xavier Seminary which grew also to encompass a growing Cincinnati-based Jesuit college. The college was destined to become Xavier University.
The founding of the seminary also served to establish an early library in 1833 that today houses an outstanding theological and historical collection. The collection includes one-of-a-kind manuscripts from as early as the 13th century as well as rare Ohio historic works some of which were used as part of the Ohio Memory Project, a State of Ohio Bicentennial effort to preserve Ohio history on-line.
The present-day campus of The Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary Seminary includes 76 acres of manicured grounds surrounding an impressive granite stone building constructed in 1929 in the Mount Washington area east of Cincinnati.
Inside, the building contains several rare works of art including six mosaics produced by the Vatican Studios in Rome, circa 1910. The collection of mosaics and other original art, including significant paintings by Juan de Roelas (1558-1625) and Benjamin Joseph Haydon (1786-1846), brings many visitors to the building.
Today the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West continues its mission to prepare men for the Catholic priesthood and diaconate as well as to educate lay graduate students in two other divisions of the institution - the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program (LPMP) and Special Studies.
The Athenaeum of Ohio is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. It is authorized by the State of Ohio to grant the following degrees: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theology, Master of Arts in Biblical Studies, Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, and Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry.
Early History
Early Church leaders discovered it was practical to establish both a seminary to train and ordain Catholic priests along with a college to provide higher education to a community. A few priests were required for the seminary as well as a few well-educated professors for the college.
The seminarians had two or three daily theology classes, but could use much of the rest of their day teaching college students whose tuition supported the needs of the seminarians.
In the year Bishop Fenwick founded the seminary, Cincinnati was a boom town. Its population was about 30,000 with more and more settlers arriving daily. Commerce flourished along the Ohio River and Cincinnati was at the center of the economic pulse. Schools, banks, hospitals, theaters and industries sprung up. The public landing was crowded with steamboats.
Understandably, the Diocese of Cincinnati also was experiencing rapid growth and the frame church which housed the bishop's residence and the fledgling seminary in the center city became inadequate to serve the droves of newcomers. Alphaeus White, an early Cincinnati architect, designed new seminary and college buildings which were completed in 1832 on Sycamore Street.
John Baptist Purcell, Fenwick's successor as bishop of Cincinnati, recruited religious orders to provide a more professional teaching staff. In 1840, the Jesuits assumed control of the Athenaeum College and renamed it St. Francis Xavier College - strictly a lay college with no seminary dedicated to the formation of priests.
In 1841, to continue the seminary, the Vincentian priests agreed to operate it. The seminary, now separated from the college, was moved to St. Martin's in Brown County, Ohio some 42 miles east of the city. The agreement with the Vincentians was short-lived because Bishop Purcell insisted on complete control of the seminary.
The loss of the Vincentians resulted in instability for the seminary and its students. Seminarians moved from Brown County, returning to the Jesuit College and then to the attic of the bishop's residence at the newly built Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains in downtown Cincinnati.
The Seminary on Price Hill
Bishop Purcell was committed to development of a permanent seminary of excellent reputation, with a new building, learned faculty, and financial support.
Two significant gifts - five acres of land on Price Hill west of downtown Cincinnati and more than $22,000 from two successful businessmen - enabled the bishop to fulfill his dream.
On October 2, 1851 a new seminary building was dedicated, one year after Cincinnati was made a Catholic province encompassing the dioceses of Cleveland, Louisville, Detroit and Vincennes and the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. Creation of the Cincinnati province made its see an archdiocese and its bishop an archbishop.
With the opening of the new Price Hill building, the name of the seminary was changed from St. Francis Xavier Seminary to Mount St. Mary's of the West. The new name was selected in honor of Mount St. Mary's of the East in Emmitsburg, Md., where Bishop Purcell had been rector. Mount St. Mary's of the East, founded in 1808, and St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Md., founded in 1791, predate The Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West.
By 1870, the seminary had reached a pinnacle of success with an enrollment of 126 men. The curriculum included a wide range of theological studies with texts in Latin, English and German.
The building was an architectural gem in the center of impressive, landscaped grounds. A catalogue of the library published in 1873 listed 14,168 volumes.
Financial difficulties arose in the 1870s. In 1879, the seminary closed for eight years. When it reopened, the new academic program lacked the vitality of the earlier seminary and change was foreseen. By 1900 Cincinnati was rapidly changing, too.
Inclines lifted streetcars to hills surrounding the Cincinnati basin --Mount Adams to the east and Price Hill to the west. The inclines gave the populace easy access to the surrounding high ground resulting in rapid new development. The Price Hill seminary building became surrounded by new housing and the once serene area hummed with activity.
New Seminary Homes: Mount Washington and Norwood
When the financial crunch ended and the seminary reopened on Price Hill in 1878, there were 17 students, but the institution was poised for growth as Cincinnati's population continued to climb and its economy prospered.
In 1891, enrollment reached 68, and a year later 98. The length of study for the priesthood was lengthened from four to five years and it was the opinion of the archbishop not to reestablish a preparatory college seminary with the graduate school. Instead, in 1890, a separate college seminary - St. Gregory's Seminary - was opened in Mount Washington, east of the center city.
In 1904, the two seminaries moved again.
Archbishop Henry Moeller, over the objections of many priests, decided to transfer the seminary from Price Hill to the Mount Washington site of St. Gregory's preparatory school. In turn, he ordered the preparatory students to move into the city near the cathedral. The archbishop sold the Price Hill building to the Sisters of Good Shepherd for use as a training school for girls, which it remained until 1959. The building was razed in 1962.
Archbishop Moeller had a grand mission as early as 1906 to build a new cathedral, archbishops' residence and seminary. The next year, the archbishop accepted a donation of 16 acres in Norwood, some eight miles north of the center city, for development of his vision.
Construction of the archbishops' residence started in 1908; but construction of the seminary was delayed with groundbreaking not occurring until 1921 with dedication in 1923.
When the doors first opened in Norwood that year, there were 180 students at the Norwood seminary while the St. Gregory's preparatory seminary was reestablished in Mount Washington. St. Gregory's quickly grew to include a four-year college and a new four-year preparatory high school.
The Athenaeum Of Ohio
With the death of Archbishop Moeller in 1925, Archbishop John Timothy McNicholas was appointed to lead the archdiocese.
The new archbishop saw a need to develop a unified agency to coordinate all educational work in the diocese. This new organization was incorporated under the laws of Ohio as The Athenaeum of Ohio in March, 1928. The incorporation restored the name of the early college and seminary, founded by Bishop Fenwick in 1829.
The Athenaeum of Ohio was chartered to grant degrees for Mount St. Mary's of the West and St. Gregory seminaries, a teachers' college and a graduate school of science.
Within three years of the death of Archbishop McNicholas in 1950, the teachers' college disbanded and the graduate school of science severed ties with The Athenaeum of Ohio. These moves were overseen during a reorganization of The Athenaeum of Ohio under Archbishop Karl J. Alter, successor to Archbishop McNicholas. At the end of reorganization, only the two seminaries remained - Mount St. Mary's of the West and St. Gregory's.
Archbishop Alter's reorganization, however, included formal accreditation for the seminaries. In 1953, The Athenaeum of Ohio was admitted as an associate member of the Ohio College Association and granted full membership in 1957. Also in 1953, application was made for accreditation with the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools which voted in 1959 to accredit The Athenaeum of Ohio as a graduate school granting masters degrees.
St. Gregory's Seminary
With the reestablishment of St. Gregory's Seminary in 1923 and the addition of a four year high school to the established college, a larger building was required. It was needed to replace the existing structure on a large tract of archdiocesan land in Mount Washington, once called Cedar Point.
A new high school building, which today houses The Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St., Mary's Seminary, was built in 1929 at a cost exceeding $1 million. The new three-story, granite stone building was built in the Lombard style Romanesque architecture and included classrooms, laboratories, student dormitories and faculty apartments. By 1931, 263 students were enrolled at St. Gregory's Seminary.
From 1955 to 1963 more than $5 million was funneled into seminary building expansion and reconstruction required after a 1956 fire that gutted the south wing of the existing building.
Declining Enrollment; Norwood Closes
By the mid-1960s, the seminaries were experiencing declining enrollments.
In 1961 and 1962, the first two years of high school were discontinued and by the time Archbishop Alter retired in 1969, the high school was a year from closing.
Archbishop Alter saw the decline begin and continue. In 1965-66, there were 566 students at the Norwood and Mount Washington seminaries. The number fell to 426 in 1968-69, partly because the junior year of high school was dropped. One year later, when Archbishop Paul F. Leibold succeeded Archbishop Alter, the number tumbled to 356 partly because the senior high school year was discontinued.
The trend continued through the 1970s until, in 1980, St. Gregory's college seminary was closed. Mount St. Mary's of the West in Norwood was returned to Mount Washington with 70 seminarians in 1981. By 1998, only 27 seminarians were enrolled at Mount St. Mary's of the West.
The Present
In the second decade of the 21st Century, The Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary's of the West is rekindling a vibrant past as it reflects a changing Church in a new millennium.
There are clear indications the seminary's enrollment is rebounding. The number of seminarian suites was expended in 2011 from 46 to 70 and newly appointed Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, building on the work of Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk, his predecessor of 26 years, has made it his goal to fill the seminary.
In 2010 the most recent capital campaign for The Athenaeum of Ohio -- Investing in Our Future, Preserving Our Legacy -- succeeded with more than $19 million generated. In 2011, there were 36 seminarians studying for the priesthood including men from other dioceses without seminaries who have found an outstanding priest formation program at Mount St. Mary's of the West.
The decline in seminary enrollment, however, pushed the seminary to broaden its scope. Today it is the theological center of the archdiocese. Many lay men and women are enrolled in the institution's Lay Pastoral Ministry Program (LPMP), created in 1975 as one of the country's first lay ministry programs. It is designed to train lay Catholics in the various ministries of the present-day Catholic Church.
Additionally, The Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary's Seminary includes the Catholic deacon formation program and a pastoral counseling program.
Ohio's oldest Catholic seminary stands on the threshold of a new and exciting era. In 2004, The Athenaeum of Ohio-Mount St. Mary's Seminary celebrated its 175th anniversary, just one year after the State of Ohio celebrated its bicentennial year.
At the dawn of 2011, plans are being made to replace the building's aging terra cotta tile roof and 780 windows. "Smart Classrooms" are advancing the institution's technological ability to meet the demands of education in a highly technological world. The Athenaeum Annual Fund which provides restricted money for operating needs has increased steadily and significantly over the past decade.
- A History of the Seminaries of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati 1829-1979 by Rev. M. Edmund Hussey.
- A History of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati by Rev. M. Edmund Hussey, 1998
- Chapel of St. Gregory the Great by Joe Shadle, 1995
- Archives of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, file: Papers Concerning Vatican Mosaics, 1955-63
- The Eugene H. Maly Memorial Library files. Assembled by Sr. Deborah Harmeling, OSB, head librarian, 2002
- Mount St. Mary's of the West: A Gateway to the Priesthood, 1829-1929.
- History of Mount St, Mary's of the West by Michael J. Kelly and James M. Kirwin, 1894.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia, 2001, Page 1265