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Our weekly look back at the stories you may have missed.
Our weekly roundup of the most intriguing articles about cities and urbanism we've come across in the past seven days. Share your favorites on Twitter with #cityreads.
"Unlivable Cities," Isaac Stone Fish, Foreign Policy
In Invisible Cities, the novel by the great Italian writer Italo Calvino, Marco Polo dazzles the emperor of China, Kublai Khan, with 55 stories of cities he has visited, places where "the buildings have spiral staircases encrusted with spiral seashells," a city of "zigzag" where the inhabitants "are spared the boredom of following the same streets every day," and another with the option to "sleep, make tools, cook, accumulate gold, disrobe, reign, sell, question oracles." The trick, it turns out, is that Polo's Venice is so richly textured and dense that all his stories are about just one city.
A modern European ruler listening to a visitor from China describe the country's fabled rise would be better served with the opposite approach: As the traveler exits a train station, a woman hawks instant noodles and packaged chicken feet from a dingy metal cart, in front of concrete steps emptying out into a square flanked by ramshackle hotels and massed with peasants sitting on artificial cobblestones and chewing watermelon seeds. The air smells of coal. Then the buildings appear: Boxlike structures, so gray as to appear colorless, line the road. If the city is poor, the Bank of China tower will be made with hideous blue glass; if it's wealthy, our traveler will marvel at monstrous prestige projects of glass and copper. The station bisects Shanghai Road or Peace Avenue, which then leads to Yat-sen Street, named for the Republic of China's first president, eventually intersecting with Ancient Building Avenue. Our traveler does not know whether he is in Changsha, Xiamen, or Hefei -- he is in the city Calvino describes as so unremarkable that "only the name of the airport changes." Or, as China's vice minister of construction, Qiu Baoxing, lamented in 2007, "It's like a thousand cities having the same appearance."
Why are Chinese cities so monolithic? The answer lies in the country's fractured history. In the 1930s, China was a failed state: Warlords controlled large swaths of territory, and the Japanese had colonized the northeast. Shanghai was a foreign pleasure den, but life expectancy hovered around 30. Tibetans, Uighurs, and other minorities largely governed themselves. When Mao Zedong unified China in 1949, much of the country was in ruins, and his Communist Party rebuilt it under a unifying theme. Besides promulgating a single language and national laws, they subscribed to the Soviet idea of what a city should be like: wide boulevards, oppressively squat, functional buildings, dormitory-style housing. Cities weren't conceived of as places to live, but as building blocks needed to build a strong and prosperous nation; in other words, they were constructed for the benefit of the party and the country, not the people.
Even today, most Chinese cities feel like they were cobbled together from a Soviet-era engineering textbook. China's fabled post-Mao liberal reforms meant that the country's cities grew wealthier, but not that much more distinct from each other. Beijing has changed almost beyond recognition since Deng Xiaoping took power in 1978, but to see what Beijing looked like in the past, visit a less developed part of China: Malls in Xian, a regional hub in central China famous for its row upon row of grimacing terracotta warriors, look like the shabby pink structures that used to dot western Beijing. Yes, China's cities are booming, but there's a depressing sameness to what you find in even the newest of new boomtowns. Consider the checklist of "hot" new urban features itemized in a 2007 article in the Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily, including obligatory new "development zones" (sprawling corporate parks set up to attract foreign direct investment), public squares, "villa" developments for the nouveau riche, large overlapping highways, and, of course, a new golf course or two for the bosses. The cookie-cutter approach is such that even someone like Zhou Deci, former director of the Chinese Academy of Urban Planning and Design, told the paper he has difficulty telling Chinese cities apart.
"Money Grab," Mark Bergen, Next American City
In 1978, three real estate developers in Boston set their eyes on a decaying waterfront property south of downtown. The lot, owned by the bankrupt Penn Central station, was up for $3.5 million. The deal fell apart. A few years later, one of the trio, Frank McCourt, bought the land for around three times the rate and set up shop on the 24 acres, using them mostly as a parking lot. He and his wife became the largest private developers in South Boston.
In the coming decades, state and city leaders made a series of heavy infrastructure investments stretching into the McCourts' acres. They broke ground on the Central Artery and Tunnel, a $14.6 billion highway project known as the Big Dig, and launched the Silver Line, a massive bus rapid transit operation that put a station at the center of the property. Frank McCourt contributed $25 million to fund the station project, but only after the city reimbursed him $30 million for the land that was seized. And after McCourt, in an eminent domain suit, won an additional $57.5 million.
McCourt was not just a real estate guy. He was a baseball fan. In 2002, the grandson of a one-time Boston Braves owner attempted to buy the Red Sox and move them south, to the land on the waterfront. When his bid failed, he quickly put the property on the market. Then he bought the Los Angeles Dodgers. He sold his waterfront acres for more than $200 million. Even if McCourt didn't build the baseball field of his dreams, it's fair to say he made a killing on the attempt.
"The Benefits of Big," Sarah Karlinsky, The Urbanist
Los Angeles differs from the Bay Area in many ways, but one of the biggest differences is its sheer physical size. The City of Los Angeles is enormous, covering 469 square miles and housing 3.8 million people. Compare to San Francisco, at 47 square miles, Oakland at 56 and San Jose at 177, with populations of roughly 800,000, 400,000 and 950,000, respectively. To put it another way, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose — the three "central cities" of the Bay Area — could all fit inside Los Angeles' city limits with nearly 190 square miles to spare.
The County of Los Angeles is larger still. It encompasses more than 4,000 square miles and includes some of the cities that we think of when we think of L.A.: West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Long Beach, Pasadena and Santa Monica. It is the most populous county in the entire nation, home to roughly 9.8 million people. And the broader Los Angeles region as defined by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) includes Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernadino and Ventura counties in addition to Los Angeles County itself, covering more than 38,000 square miles and roughly 18 million people. Compare this to the ninecounty Bay Area, which covers 6,900 square miles and includes 7.1 million people. Los Angeles — the city, the county, the region — is simply enormous.
"Could Beer Help the Twin Cities?" Marlys Harris, MinnPost
It only takes a menu in a local restaurant listing exotically named concoctions like Fulton Lonely Blond, Left Hand Chainsaw Ale and Rush River Double Bubble to let you know that craft beers are booming.
There are now 2,126 breweries in the United States – about 350 more than last year – according to the Brewers Association, a national trade organization. Most of them fall into the "craft" category, which means that they produce fewer than 6 million barrels a year, have ownership that is predominantly independent, and emphasize malt brews. The industry employs 104,000 people nationwide, full- and part-time. And that's not even counting their microbrew and brewpub cousins, which are restricted to under 15,000 to 35,000 barrels a year.
Minnesota has been a stalwart in the beer boom. Clint Roberts, spokesman for the Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild, says his group now has 50 members, including 35 breweries and brewpubs. Membership grew by 30 percent just in the last 18 months. In 2010, the industry provided 17,554 jobs statewide and paid $156 million in sales tax.
"How Portland Got Its Groove Back," Matthew Yglesias, Slate
While I was in Portland, Ore., last week to give a few talks on economic policy, at least four different people told me the same joke about the local economy.
"Portland," they said, "is where young people go to retire." Fun city, in other words, but a bleak labor market. The joke turns out to be borrowed from the IFC show Portlandia. The city is described as reminiscent of a time when "people were unambitious; they'd sleep till 11 and just hang out with their friends." Or a time when there were "no occupations whatsoever, maybe working a couple of hours at the coffee shop." This is said with affection on the show, but the city's reputation for labor-market difficulties weighs heavily on residents, particularly because they're proud of its quality of life. If, despite all the bike paths and painstakingly made pour-over coffee, you're an economic backwater, that seems to suggest you're doing something wrong.
And it wasn't just jokes told in coffee shops or on TV shows. In 2010, a consortium of area business groups released a report (PDF) attempting to explain "why Portland-metro's economy underperforms" relative to comparable cities such as Seattle, Denver, and Minneapolis. The authors noted a substantial and growing gap in per-capita income between the Portland and Seattle metropolitan areas, driven primarily by weak workforce participation.
"The Dark Ages," The Economist
Britain's streets are starting to look as gloomy as its finances. North Yorkshire started switching off street lights in the middle of the night earlier this month and wants 60% of its lights to go off between midnight and 5am. Shropshire, which began its "part-night lighting" programme in June, hopes to extinguish two-thirds. This will save money. Hertfordshire, which is reducing operating hours for about 70% of its lights, thinks the scheme will cut energy bills by 35%, saving £1.3m ($2m) a year.
Darker streets in the small hours frustrate night workers and inconvenience clubbers. But many groups welcome blacker nights. Lovers of wildlife reckon street lights confuse owls, bats and moths. Stargazers enjoy respite from a sky-obscuring orange glow. And all-night lighting is bad for the overall environment. Street lights in Devon account for around a third of the council's carbon emissions.
Top image: A woman stands on an overhead bridge on a hazy day in Beijing's central business district (Jason Lee/Reuters)


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I have a website that I had built about 8 years ago and uses a java applet for plotting graphs. I did the original programming of the applet for my first site and then professional programmers took my coding and incorporated it into the current site 8 years ago. The site is database driven and works very smoothly and is providing very specialized data to very large US utility companies.
With the recent upgrade of Java, I now get a message saying
"Do you want to run this application An unsigned application from the location below is requesting permission to run."
"Running unsigned applications like this will be blocked in a future release because it is potentially unsafe and a security risk"
"click Cancel to stop this app or Run to allow it to continue."
I guess this means that I'm going to have to get my java applet signed. I haven't really got much idea how I should go about this, could someone give me some pointers? Do I need to buy a digital signature? I notice there seem to be different levels of signature, can someone please advise what I would need?
Thanks for your help.

subset: commoncrawl


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The marketing campaign for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows is now in full swing with a little less than two months to go before the film's released. While I was pleasantly surprised by the goofy first trailer, I found the random Alice Cooper cameo to be a little irksome and cheesy. That said, it's good to see Burton doing comedy again and I'm hoping for the best from this adaptation of the cult soap series. Nine character posters have now been unveiled, giving us a colorful look at this strange, strange family. The plot involves a vampire (Johnny Depp) who awakens in 1972 after having been buried for 200 years and tries to reconnect with his descendants.
Hit the jump to check out the posters. The film also stars Eva Green, Chloe Moretz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jackie Earle Haley, and Bella Heathcote. Dark Shadows opens on May 11th.
In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.
Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.
Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.
Posters via Empire.


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Capuano undergoes MRI, receives calf injection
BALTIMORE -- Dodgers pitcher Chris Capuano had an MRI and platelet-rich plasma injection Thursday in his injured calf muscle, the club announced.
Capuano left Tuesday night's game with a strained left calf muscle, which he said he originally felt stretching before last Thursday's game in San Diego.
That was the game that left Zack Greinke with a broken collarbone because of a benches-clearing fight. Capuano said his calf worsened sprinting from the bullpen to the infield during the brawl.
Capuano, who opened the season in the bullpen, took four days of treatment and believed he was healthy enough to take Greinke's start, but was injured in the second inning covering first base and placed on the 15-day disabled list.
Capuano did not accompany the club to Baltimore, and manager Don Mattingly said he did not know if Capuano would join the club in New York next week.


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Banned Super Bowl Ads [VIDEO]
Remember when the commercials that aired during the Super Bowl were as big a deal as he game itself? Yeah, there's still some good stuff during the game, but a lot of companies have taken the fun out it by jumping the gun and airing their "Super Bowl" commercials days before the big game. Not to mention the internet "leaks". So we've seen a lot of these special commercials days, or even weeks before kickoff.
That leaves us with the commercials that were "banned" from this year's game. Publicity stunt or actual censorship? Who knows? But for whatever reason, you won't be seeing these ads tonight:


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Privacy Policy
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The Site is hosted and operated in the United States. Your Personal Data will therefore be transferred to and processed in the United States where the privacy laws may not provide an equivalent level of protection to those in your home country. By using the Site, and providing us with any information, you consent to the transfer of your information to, and its processing in, the United States.
You have the right to access your Personal Data held by us and, if necessary, have it amended or deleted. You can also request not to receive email communications and/or other marketing information from us. For more details please contact us by telephone at +65 6622 8722 or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com or write to us at:
Data Protection Officer
SPE Networks - Asia Pte. Ltd.
10 Changi Business Park Central 2
#03-01 Hansapoint@CBP, Singapore 486030
Except to the extent limited by applicable law, we reserve the right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy at any time, by prominently posting notice of the amendment on this Site. The changes will become effective fourteen days after posting and will apply to any Personal Data you provide to us after that date. If we make any changes to this Privacy Policy that materially impact the way that we collect, process or store your Personal Data, we will, to the extent that we have your email address, notify you by email. You will be given the choice at that time to consent to the use of your Personal Data in such manner.
Effective Date: This Privacy Policy was updated 9 January 2015 and is effective as of that date.


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Koenigsegg Agera One:1 Details Revealed, World's First "Megacar"
Koenigsegg is celebrating its 20th anniversary in a mega way. The Swedish supercar maker has revealed more details about the Koenigsegg Agera One:1. The world's first "megacar" gets its name from its 1 metric horsepower per 1 kilogram power-to-weight ratio, and creates a new supercar sub-genre as the first production car to make 1 megawatt of power.
The 1340 kilogram (2954 pound) Koenigsegg Agera One:1 produces 1340 metric horsepower or 1321 hp U.S. hp. That's 187-hp more than the current Agera R, and 137-hp more than the much heavier Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. While Koenigsegg hasn't revealed all the updates to the megacar's twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8, we know the new Agera One:1 features 3D-printed variable turbo housings for improved response and low-end torque, as well as a 3D printed titanium exhaust end piece that saves 14 ounces of weight. Another weight saving measure includes a 20-percent lighter carbon fiber chassis made with new high modulus fibers.
Koenigsegg has also paid close attention to the Agera One:1's handling dynamics with variable ride height, as well as adjustable shock absorbers and spring ratio stiffness. Active aerodynamics includes independent left and right flaps under the front splitter and a hydraulically actuated dual plane rear wing mounted to the top. Koenigsegg says the Agera One:1 is capable of 2.0 g in lateral acceleration on street-legal cup tires, and that the active aerodynamics provide 1344 pounds of downforce at 160 mph.
Although developed as a track-focused car first, the automaker says the Agera One:1 has as an estimated top speed of above 273 mph, which would put it above the 1244-hp Hennessey Venom GT's unofficial 270.49 mph run, and the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport's official 268 mph run.
Inside, the Agera One:1 sports vented carbon fiber racing seats with memory foam padding, 3G internet connectivity for telemetry, performance, lap times, and software upgrades, as well as its own iPhone app. The 3G connection and GPS are also used for a Predictive Active Chassis and Aero Track Mode. An active noise cancelling seat option is also available.
Koenigsegg will reveal more details at the Koenigsegg Agera One:1 debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next week. Unfortunately for us, all the megacar's specs are good for bench racing -- Koenigsegg says every planned production vehicle has been sold.
Source: Koenigsegg


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Gernot Heiser is CTO and founder of Open Kernel Labs.
Earlier this year, Open Kernel Labs and its research partner, NICTA (Australia's Information and Communications Technology Research Centre of Excellence), announced completion of groundbreaking long-term research and development providing formal mathematical proof of the correctness of a general-purpose operating-system microkernel and virtualization platform.
The project centered on the need to assure extremely high levels of reliability, safety, and security in mission-critical domains that include aerospace, national security, and transportation. The correctness proof will significantly reduce the effort required for certification under formal security or safety evaluation regimes, such as Common Criteria, and paves the way for deploying trustworthy virtualization technology for business-critical applications in mobile telephony, business intelligence, and mobile financial transactions.
Formal Verification: Key to Secure and Reliable Software
Existing certification regimes center on software processes, testing, and conformance to specifications of models of software. By contrast, the formal verification project actually proved the correctness of the code itself, using formal logic and programmatic theorem checking -- the first time this has been achieved for a general-purpose operating system (OS) kernel or hypervisor. The verification eliminated a wide range of exploitable errors in the kernel, including design flaws and code-based errors like buffer overflows, null pointer dereference and other pointer errors, memory leaks and arithmetic overflows, and exceptions.
The project entailed more than five years of work by NICTA and researchers from the University of New South Wales on behalf of OK Labs.The joint team verified 7,500 lines of source code, proving over 10,000 intermediate theorems in over 200,000 lines of formal proof. The verified code base, which underlies the OK:Verified platform (project name seL4), is a newly developed OS microkernel. It is derived from the globally developed and deployed open source L4 project and is designed for use as a hypervisor that can support multiple virtual machines.
The code constitutes a third-generation microkernel and is influenced by the Extremely Reliable Operating System (EROS) project. It features abstractions for virtual address spaces, threads, inter-process communication (IPC), and, like EROS but unlike most commercial systems, capabilities for access control. Initial development and all verification work was performed on an ARMv6-based platform, with a subsequent port of the kernel (so far without proof) to the x86 architecture.
The proof was machine-checked and is one of the largest proofs ever completed. Formal proofs for specific properties have been conducted for smaller kernels and code bases, but what the team achieved constitutes a general, functional correctness proof, which has never before been realized for software of this complexity or size.
To reach this milestone, the team invented new techniques in formal machine-checked proof methods, made advances in the mathematical understanding of real world programming languages, and developed new methodologies for rapid prototyping of OS kernels. This work went beyond the usual checks for the absence of certain specific errors. Instead, it verified full compliance with the system specification. The project has yielded not only a verified microkernel but also a body of techniques that can be used to develop and verify other pieces and types of software.
Smaller is Better
Large code size and complexity are the archenemies of software reliability. Experience shows that well-engineered software tends to exhibit at least two to five bugs per thousand lines of code (kLoC), and where there are bugs, there are, most certainly, security or safety vulnerabilities. And, as many mobile/wireless devices now field hundreds of thousands, even millions of lines of code, they therefore may have literally thousands of bugs with concomitant vulnerabilities.
The security and reliability of a computer system can only be as good as that of the underlying OS kernel. The kernel, defined as the part of the system executing in the most privileged mode of the processor, has unlimited hardware access. Therefore, any fault in kernel implementation has the potential to undermine the correct operation of the entire system.
The existence of bugs in any sizeable code base is inevitable. As a consequence, when security or reliability is paramount, the usual approach is to reduce the amount of privileged code, in order to minimize the exposure to bugs.
The best way to manage this complexity and accompanying reliability challenges is to architect systems to limit the size of security- or safety-critical components. The trusted computing base (TCB) comprises the part of the system that can violate security policies. If the TCB is small enough, it becomes feasible to engineer it to the highest standards.
TCB reduction is a primary motivation behind security kernels and separation kernels, the MILS (multiple independent levels of security) approach, the use of small hypervisors as a minimal trusted base, as well as systems that require the use of type-safe languages for all code except some "dirty" core. It is the reason why Common Criteria, at the strictest evaluation level, requires the system under evaluation to have a "simple" design.
Easily said, but not as easily done. Rich functionality (like GUIs and sophisticated application programs) is generally implemented on top of powerful, function-rich OSes like Windows, Linux, or Android. These are themselves large and complex, and consequently full of bugs. But the OS is inherently part of the TCB of whatever program is running on top.
One simple and elegant solution to the challenge of TCB reduction is based on virtualization: A system is partitioned into several virtual machines (VMs), each containing a separate subsystem. For a typical mobile device, one VM would host a rich OS supporting the user-facing software, another a real-time OS (RTOS) supporting the wireless communication software, and a third VM would contain and protect security- or safety-critical software (possibly running directly on the virtual hardware without any OS). In such a setup, the TCB of the critical subsystem would consist of little more than the hypervisor that implements the virtual machines. The security and safety of the system would then hinge on the trustworthiness of a relatively modest-sized hypervisor. By adapting the hypervisor to the specific requirements of mobile systems (and the similar requirements of other consumer electronic devices), with careful design and implementation of a minimum set of primitives, a total TCB size of approximately 10 kLoC is achievable.
The number of bugs in such a small code base can be reduced to a small number by using good software-engineering techniques, and one can hope that none of them constitute vulnerabilities. However, with human lives and national security at stake, we should take a more pessimistic approach than hoping for the best, and assume that there are critical bugs unless proven otherwise.


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Two castles stand opposed, bridged by an uneven, narrow pathway. One is yours, and you're quite fond of it. See how the parapets catch the sunlight ever so stylishly? The other is your enemy's; they're a jerk, and their crappy crenellations are driving down your property values. Also, their castle sucks, justification enough to try crush it using an enormous rolling stone. Unfortunately, they'll have a chance to plan and build up some security, doing everything they can to derail your razing rock.
Get through their defenses and you're one step closer to crushing their unsightly tower (see also: their hopes and dreams). But don't take your turn for granite. Once your turn is over, your opponent's begins...
NOTE: This project has been confirmed as a title in production but has not yet been confirmed for release on this system. Please check back for official info.
Release Region: United States
Release Date: August 31, 2011
Publisher: Atlus


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Chris Bosh
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Sports Verdict: Bigger Impact In The NBA Finals? Chris Bosh Vs. Tim DuncanPerhaps the most key matchup of this matchup will be Tim Duncan vs. Chris Bosh. Which center will emerge as the bigger impact player? Craig Carton joins the Sports Verdict set to debate!
Will Heat Roll To 2nd Straight NBA Championship?LeBron James and the Miami Heat are off the NBA Finals for the third straight season, with their series against the San Antonio Spurs set to get underway on Thursday. SI's Ian Thomsen joined Toucher & Rich on Tuesday to discuss the series, and shoot down a Ray Allen rumor.
Heat Down To Last Shot In Game 7Game 7. Eastern Conference Finals. The last time the Miami Heat were in this situation, they were coming off a convincing Game 6 win in 2012 and blew out the Boston Celtics 101-88. What a difference a year makes.
Pacers Focus On LeBron At Own RiskThe Miami Heat are going to have quite a challenge in front of them from the opening tip of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami must find a way to once again play a near perfect half against the defensive-minded Indiana Pacers.
Miami Heat Take 3-0 Lead In Series After 104-91 Victory Over BucksThe Miami Heat's latest spurt might have run the Milwaukee Bucks right out of the playoffs.
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Jrue Holiday Becomes Youngest Player In Sixers' Franchise History To Be Selected For All-Star GameJrue Holiday was selected for his first All-Star game, becoming the youngest player in Sixers franchise history to be named an All-Star.
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Archive for category Tourism
Tourist Attractions in New York City
Posted by mehwish9 in General, Grammar, To Do, Top Tourists Destination, Tourism, United States of America on November 12, 2012
New York City is located on a harbor on Atlantic coast of northeastern USA. It is the most populous city of America as well as most populous metropolitan area in the world. It is such a wonderful city and visitors who have a chance to visit this city suggest that it should be seen once in lifetime. Major and most popular attractions in New York City include the following.
Wall Street
Wall Street area is the most beautiful and popular area of this city. What makes it different from other areas of New York City is its rich history and magnificent architecture. The most impressive buildings in this area include:
- Federal Reserve Bank
- India House
- New York Stock Exchange
- American International Building
- 40 Wall Street
- One Wall Street
While visiting this area, you cannot afford to miss Trinity Church to visit as it is one of the oldest churches of this city. The most prominent feature of this area is the Charging Bull sculpture which you might have also seen in many movies as well.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
This museum is known to be one of the finest and largest museums in world. This museum was founded in 1870 and is located in Central Park of New York City along Fifth Avenue. Collections in this museum also include about 2 million works of art spanning.
Empire State Building
Empire State Building is not only a popular tourist attraction but also a romantic place to visit. It is one of the most well-known sky scrapers in world. Best feature of this building is the outdoor observation deck on 86th floor which is at a height of 381 meters. Being on such a high tower is a thrilling experience in itself. It is even more thrilling to see this building at night because this tower lights at night and colors of lights are set according to different important events like Christmas and 4th of July.
Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty is the landmark attraction of New York City. Boat tours are arranged to access Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. The best part during a visit to this attraction is that visitors can also climb to the top of Statue's Crown. The view from top is quite breathtaking. You can see Manhattan downtown and New York harbor from top of this statue. You can even view Statue of Liberty without going inside it from Battery Park promenade or also from Staten Island Ferry.
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge is 5989 meters long and connects Manhattan and Brooklyn. It is not only a tourist attraction but an architectural wonder also. It provides opportunity to see beautiful views of Governor's Island, Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge Park. This bridge was opened in 1883 and since then, it has been attracting a large number of tourists who love walking across it.
This place is dotted with seafood markets, eateries and specialty shops. If you are shopping freak, you will find Chinatown one of the best places in New York. Chinatown is the best place to buy souvenirs as a memory of your visit. Here you will not only fine less-priced shirts but also fake Rolex watches and Gucci bags. Most of the tourists, however, visit Chinatown for food. Here you will find a large assortment of Chinese cuisine. Malaysian and Vietnamese food is also available here because some of the population here belongs to Malaysia and Vietnam.
Besides visiting above mentioned places, you must also visit:
- Central Park
- Fifth Avenue
- Times Square
- Madam Tussauds Wax Museum NYC
- Radio City Music Hall
- American Museum of Natural History
Popular Attractions in Cannes
Cannes is a city of France that offers endless options of tourist attractions. Cannes is known all over the world for its stunning attractions which never fail to impress its visitors. The best tourist attractions in Cannes include the following.
La Croisette
The beautiful and glamorous stretch of La Croisette is one of the major attractions in Cannes. Its picturesque beaches are dotted with world-class restaurants, resorts, cafes and designers boutiques. La Croisette is actually located close to Mediterranean Sea and is the place where Cannes Film Festival takes place. It is the perfect place in city for enjoyment, relaxation and entertainment.
Palais des Festivals et des Congres
This place is a landmark of Cannes and has become a symbol of city. Built in middle of 20th century, this place presently houses Cannes Film Festival. It is actually located in main boulevards of Cannes named La Croisette. You can have a number of entertainment options around Palais. Interiors of this place house an auditorium which has a seating capacity of 2500 people. In evening, visitors can also enjoy services of casinos here. You can also dance in night club or dine in Palais's restaurant.
Plage du Martinez/Martinez Beach
It is a popular tourist attraction in Cannes and it offers exciting attractions. Here you can enjoy a number of water sports including parasailing, windsurfing, helicopter rides and scuba diving. It is also equipped with traditional parasols and 400 sun lounge chairs.
Musee de la Castre
This attraction is located in old part of Cannes. In past, it was a castle but since 19th century, it has been housing art museum. Here you will find an amazing collection of art related to cultural heritage of Cannes. Permanent and temporary exhibitions are also displayed in Musee de le Castre. It also displays 19th century paintings by local artists which depict magnificent images of Cannes. The museum also has a collection of 200 musical instruments, sculptures and decorative arts.
Must See Attractions in Toronto
Posted by mehwish9 in Canada Tourism, General, Grammar, To Do, Top Tourists Destination, Tourism, Tourism Industry on October 14, 2012
Toronto is the capital city of Ontario, Canada. It is one of the most favorite tourists' destinations as it has a large number of attractions which draw millions of visitors every year. Here you can find historical, cultural as well as commercial and modern attractions filling the heart of visitors with enthusiasm. Some of its must see attractions are as follows:
Casa Loma
Casa Loma is an interesting place to visit for the tourists who like historical places having rich architectural designs. It was built in the early 1990's by a wealthy businessman of Toronto named Sir Henry Pellatt. When you will visit this place, you will definitely love its atmosphere and splendor. You will enjoy a lot while walking on the winding paths through the stunning and spectacular gardens that surround this mansion. It is one of the most romantic historical mansions at Toronto which is capable of reviving your sense of wonder. There are splendid towers, beautifully decorated suites; secret passageways and 800 foot underground tunnel that links to the lavish stables and strikingly beautiful gardens.
Toronto Islands
Toronto Islands offer you a magnificent view of the city's skyline. These islands are almost 150 years old having 262 homes, 650 people, gardens and parks. Other attractions in the islands include: picnic areas, swimming beaches, bicycle and boats rentals and much more. It has been estimated that 1 million people visit these islands every year and many of them like to see Center Island because of its famous Centreville Amusement Park. In this park, you can enjoy more than 30 different rides providing fun to the kids and adults alike.
The CN Tower
Having a height of 1800 feet, it provides an opportunity to the visitors to have a bird's eye view of Toronto. There is a glass elevator that takes you 1122 feet high to an observation deck. The specialty of this observation deck is that, here a portion of floor is transparent. There is also a revolving restaurant at the top of this tower and provides a chance to enjoy a lot. There are thousands of shops in this tower providing almost everything you can imagine. For the entertainment of kids, there are rides, an arcade and motion stimulators.
Royal Ontario Museum
This is a beautiful building whose exteriors are made of glass. Being the largest museum of Canada, It offers a lot of fun and enjoyment with its 40 galleries of art, natural science, archeology and six million items. This museum has a collection of African art, European history, Canadian history and more interestingly the dinosaurs. This museum has the biggest assortment of fossils in the world.
Kensington Market
This market has become a mixture of restaurants, shops, cafes and traditional clothing shops. If you want to know about the true and rich culture of Toronto, this market is the best place to visit. Here in this market, you can find a large collection of imported goods from Asia, Caribbean, Middle East and Europe. A number of artist studios are also open for the public. In this market, artists work with media including prints, metal work and sculptures.
In North America, Toronto has the second largest Chinatown. Here you will find jewelry, household items, clothing and different other items. Also there are a large number of restaurants which not only provide Chinese food but also Asian and Vietnamese food.
These were some of the most popular attractions in Toronto which can be truly called must see places of Toronto.
What to See in Japan
Commonly known as the 'Land of Rising Sun', Japan is one of the favorite countries of tourists. There are a lot of things in Japan that are worth-seeing and therefore attract a large number of tourists towards this beautiful country. If you ever make a plan to visit Japan, then take a look at this article as it contains the famous things and attractions which you must see in Japan.
Most of the gardens in Japan are located in the calm and peaceful surroundings of monasteries and some are located in the ruins of the castles of feudal lords. They display a very rich look of Japanese art and culture. There are a lot of attractions to see in Japanese gardens but the most worth-seeing are the ponds which are vital parts of every garden. They don't only show Japanese's peoples good taste but also add marvel and beauty to these gardens.
The gardens in Japan have different types including Tsukiyama Gardens (hill gardens), Karesansui Gardens (dry gardens) and Chaniwa Gardens (tea gardens).
Most of the population of Japan consists of Buddhists therefore temples in Japan are the houses of worship for these people. These temples should not be missed to see during the visit to Japan as they are beautifully made and present a beautiful blend with lush and green vicinity. The architecture of these temples is also out of this world and must see.
The castles in Japan were initially built for military purposes but afterwards they transformed into commercial centers as the time passed and eventually they became popular tourists' attractions. They are truly a master-piece as they were built after careful planning and by the untiring efforts of thousands of labors.Shrines
There are almost one million shrines in Japan. Most of them serve as a worship home for the followers of Shintoism. These shrines are located in the isolated areas of this country, near to forests, to provide a peaceful and calm feeling to the visitors. When these shrines were first built, they were quite simple but with the passage of time they began to look like Buddhist temples due to the influence of Chinese architecture. On the basis of the architecture style of these shrines, they are divided into four types: Nagare, Shinmei, Taisha and Hachiman.These were some must visit attractions of Japan that deserve at least one visit in the life time of a tourist.
Tourists Attractions in New Castle, Australia
Posted by mehwish9 in Australia, Australia Tourism, General, Grammar, To Do, Top Tourists Destination, Tourism on August 28, 2012
Do you want to visit a city that is a popular tourist's attraction for both business and leisure travelers? If yes then visit New Castle. New Castle is 162 Km away from the city of Sydney and is considered as one of the most important cities in Hunter area. Being one of the biggest cities of Australia, New Castle is home to several attractive tourists destinations which draw million of people round the year. Some of its major tourist's attractions are:
King Edward Park
King Edward Park is located at Ordnance Street in New Castle and boasts of being one of the finest and best recreational parks in New South Wales. The major attractions which you can enjoy seeing in this park are excellent ocean views which can be seen from within the park. Here you can also see Norfolk Island pines and a sunken garden. On the southern boundary of this park, you can find remains of Shepherd's Hills & Gunner's Cottage which functioned from 1890 to World War II. Near car parking, you can also see some of the military leftovers. King Edward Park is not only a venue for family picnics and barbecue but also it turns into a movie venue in summer. To the north of this park, you will enjoy visiting New Castle Beach, Stockton Beach and Nobbys Head. Carriage drives, picnic facilities, playgrounds and electric barbeques are some other attractions of this park.
Nobbys Beach
Nobbys Beach in New Castle is another major tourist attraction. Here you can go for enjoying surfing and other activities as well. Nobbys Beach is closest beach to harbor and from city center and you can easily reach there as a number of transportation means are provided to get to Nobbys Beach. This beach remains crowded all year as people come here to enjoy the views of exotic beach. As I mentioned earlier, it is a best place for surfing because conditions here are quite feasible. Standard wave quality and sandy and rocky bottom of this beach make it a perfect place for surfing. Moreover wave's length is mostly 50 to 150 meters on average days and there is also no threat of sharks on beach. In summer months, you can enjoy different sports on this beach including kite surfing.
New Castle Region Art Gallery
The New Castle Region Art Gallery is located at Laman Street and remains open for visitors from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening from Tuesday to Sunday. This gallery exhibits a wonderful variety of things including jewelry, ceramics, textiles and handcrafted glass. Other items which you will find in New Castle Region Art Gallery are art books, paper goods and catalogues. By displaying these items, Gallery shows its commitment towards nurturing development of art work. Several tours, exhibitions, workshops and events are also held in this gallery every year for enjoyment of locals and foreigners as well.
Bar Beach
Bar Beach is 500 meters long having rocky platforms and silvery sands. A tour to Bar Beach not only offers the visitors to see natural beauty but also provides them to perform several beach activities. Bar Beach is a pleasant and safe location where you can come with your family for picnic or just for lazing around. Crystal clear waters of beach and clean sand provides visitors to enjoy panoramic views of city. Every year, during summer holidays, a sand modeling contest is also held at Bar Beach. Numerous participants come here to take part in this contest from all over the world. Another attraction of this beach is that it is adjacent to an airstrip so flying freaks can fly and explore beauty of this beach in another interesting way. Some of the other activities which you can enjoy on beach include fishing, camping and surfing. Facilities provided by this beach are:
- Shaded area
- Car park
- Café
- Public toilet
- Kiosk
- Parking for disabled
- BBQ facilities
- Public telephone
- Sheltered area
- Picnic area
Fort Scratchley
Fort Scratchley is a must-visit monument of New Castle which is located at New Castle Harbor's entrance. It was built in 1882 to protect New Castle port from enemy. It is also known by some other names like Fort Fiddlesticks, Captain Allan's Hill, Signal Hill, Flagstaff Hill etc. Fort Scratchely displays rich military history of Australia and today it is considered as a major landmark in Hunter Valley region. Other attractions of this Fort include four 80 pounder rifled muzzle guns and two Mark VII breech loading guns.
Shortland Wetlands Center
This attraction is located in Hunter Region of New South Wales and is a perfect nature tourism destination in New Castle. It is spread over an area of 45 hectares and provides home to more than 250 species of wildlife such as ducks, reptiles and birds. The new name of Shortland Wetlands Center is Hunter Wetlands Center. Attractions at this center include rich and diverse fauna which is due to fresh water lagoons and non-tidal fresh water wetlands. Here you will find a wide variety of animals like frogs, birds and fishes. You will also find attractive and enchanting flora at reserve which includes different species of trees like the Swamp and Mahogany. Other recreational activities at this center are:
- Boardwalks
- Children's Discovery Playground
- Observation Decks
- Birdwatching
- Dipnetting
- Walking Trails
Besides children's birthday parties, functions are also held at Wetlands along with picnics and barbeque parties.
These were some of the major attractions in New Castle, Australia. These attractions are the main reason why one should visit this wonderful place in New South Wales city.
Top Tourists Attractions in Switzerland
Posted by mehwish9 in General, Switzerland, Switzerland Tourism, Top Tourists Destination, Tourism on August 18, 2012
Switzerland is an ideal destination both for tourists and newly married couples. The reason is quite clear. A visit to Switzerland provides you a chance to see marvelous natural beauty and awesome views of Alps. That's why it is also known as The Land of Alps. It is not strange to listen from a tourist that he dreams of a tour to Switzerland. There are a lot of places to see in Switzerland but some of them should not be missed at any cost. These tourists' attractions include:
The Chillon Castle
This is the most renowned castle of Switzerland which is situated on the Coast of Geneva Lake. It is the most visited remarkable monument of Switzerland. It was built in 11th century and was the residence to the Counts of Savoy. It consists of 100 buildings, have three courtyards and four great halls offering stunning looks of lake. It is opened for the general public providing them to see caves, halls and bedrooms.
Swiss National Park
Swiss National Park is the finest place to see the views of Alps. This park is so big that it covers half the area of Switzerland. Here you can also see some animals including eagles, marmots and elks. It is a worth-seeing park but it is not permitted to pitch a tent and spend night in this park. Tourists are also not allowed to disturb plants and animals or to take anything home from the park. Moreover dogs are strictly forbidden in this park.
This small town is located at the foot of famous peak of Swiss Alps. The name of the peak is Matterhorn. This town was discovered in 19th century when British mountaineers conquered Matterhorn. Zermatt is famous for its beautiful ski resort where you can enjoy skiing. If you are not interested in skiing then there are several other options. You can enjoy dining in a gourmand restaurant. There are also markets around the town where you can do a lot of shopping.
Jet d'Eau
It is a fountain in Geneva which has now become a familiar sight of this city. It is among one of the tallest fountain in the world. It is so tall that it becomes visible wherever you go in the city. Other must visit places in Geneva include Cathedral de St. Pierre, The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum and a lot more ancient buildings.
Swiss Transport Museum
The Swiss Transport Museum exhibits ships, air crafts, automobiles and locomotives along with other means of transportation. Here you will enjoy seeing Planetarium, IMAX Theater and stunning collection of the work of Swiss painter named Hans Erni.
Zurich is a major city of Switzerland. Although it is a 2000 years old city but here you can visit cafes, boutiques and other items representing contemporary life. The attractions in Zurich include:
Churches: St. Peter, Grossmunster, Romanesque
Parks and Nature: Chinese Garden, Botanical Garden, Zoological Garden and Uetliberg
Museums: Swiss National Museum, Zurich Museum of Art, Museum of Design, Haus Konstruktiv, Rietberg Museum.
These were some important places of Switzerland which every tourist wants to see. If you are interested and have all the resources then get ready, pack your bag and make a visit to Switzerland.


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dmlandry necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 132 diseños de 26 diseñadores freelance.
Audiotoniq is a start-up company developing devices to enhance the human senses. Our initial product focus is similar in form factor to a Jawbone Bluetooth headset, geared toward audio reproduction.
Our solutions will be of premium build quality with attention paid to human factors and intuitive use. Our approach is to buck trends and take risks -- we want our customers to feel that they are part of an exclusive group of forward-looking visionaries.
Audiotoniq seeks to create a relationship and a community around our products.
Our potential customers are social media consumers spanning GenX and Younger Boomers (approx. 35-60). They are tech-savvy, having grown up steeped in technology and used it extensively in their professional lives.
They like to solve their own problems, using the Internet as a research resource -- searches, forums, FAQs, etc.
They tend to be professional, educated, mid-income level and higher.
Our target audience is concerned about brand image, but also looking for high value in their purchases (quality over quantity). Less concerned with buying "traditional" brands, more likely to associate themselves with trendy or hipster brands.
We are looking for a corporate logo design for use on all types of collateral and product.
- product branding
- web page
- business cards
- letterhead
- powerpoint templates
- signage
Descriptive terms:
- technology excellence
- attention to the customer
- rebellious
- simplicity
- essential
- helpful
- approachable
It must be readable and attractive both large (e.g., a banner) and small (e.g., on a very small electronics product). Two versions are acceptable if needed.
An element of the logo may be appropriate for use as an app icon.
Sample logos should explore different casing: all uppercase, all lowercase, mixed.
Colors should be neutral to masculine, and conducive to B&W and grayscale reproduction.
Sample logos that we like include:
Sony Vaio
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Making technology work for you...
X- Window System is the core graphic-framework for Unix/Linux desktops. Sadly, it does not works very well with low-power mini-pc's like Raspberry Pi and therefore alternatives like Wayland are being developed. MicroXwin is a kernel-based X Windows implementation, which claims to be the smallest and fastest X implementation promising a faster, stable and has low-latency GUI on mini-pc's with the added advantage of being a unified Linux distribution that can run Android and Debian/Ubuntu applications simultaneously. Both Android and Debian apps run at native speeds and unlike other hacks Debian apps don't depend on Android and has full compatibility with all Android applications.
This is looking to be a great solution to the lack of proper graphic-driver problem on Debian ARM, which prevents proper YouTube and HD video playback on these devices where Android will act as the solution under the unified distribution. VolksPC, the company behind MicroXwin have also shared two videos - one showing Debian-Android duality, and the other showing upto 66% faster desktop performance on Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi is not designed to run heavy KDE or Gnome based Dekstop interfaces and users are looking forward to a more responsive and modern desktop then current default LXDE shell. Wayland Weston is the answer with it's minimal and fast compositor which is suitable for many embedded and mobile use cases like RPi.
Maynard a new desktop environment designed for the Raspberry Pi utilizes Wayland and the power of Hardware Video Scaler (HVS) inside the BCM2835 chip of Raspberry Pi's hardware to offer a much smoother, yet modern looking working environment on limited system resources. The future default Desktop environment for Raspberry Pi is far for complete, but has started to take a nice shape destined to be a fully-functional, light and pretty shell. Do watch the video demonstration shared below and follow the simple installation instructions to try it yourself.
Many Linux distributions including the official Debian based Rasbian distro for Raspberry Pi makes uses of X11 or XServer windowing software to render the user interface, the problem is X11 is not optimized to use the graphics core of RasPi efficiently resulting in degraded lagged window composition. The Raspberry Pi core team has now decided to bypass X11 completely and move over to the open-source Wayland composition protocol.
The overall results are really exciting, while still in development the team prepared a video demonstration comparing the two and results are really promising. The video comparison and links to details including how to install the technology preview on Raspbian are shared below (click Read more).


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Colored Gemstone Earrings
In Stock | STYLE: 001-210-02561
Available on Next Open Business Day
14KY 2) OV. SAPPH. TWISTED DOOR KNOCKER $250*Prices are subject to change based on fluctuations in metal prices and currencies
Jewelry with the Past is a dynamic collection of lightly worn jewelry at unbeatable prices. Here you can find classic pieces, modern white gold items and bridal jewelry. This collection accommodates a wide variety of tastes. Take a look, you will be pleasantly surprised
General Details:
Available on Next Open Business Day


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Edward Shallow (5 Albums, 38 Tracks)
TAGGED AS:edward shallow, soundtrack, 8bit, video-game music, downtempo, See More...
TAGGED AS:edward shallow, soundtrack, 8bit, video-game music, downtempo, chiptune, electronic, 4bit, See Less...
- Please contact me about creating music for your project
- I love to hear about your projects and desires to create an immersive experience.
Exploration of the free, by the free. Cognitive liberation. Habitual behaviour that becomes autonomous within the culture ends the culture and creates a hive. The two differ in one key factor. Purpose. Hive care for a cause. They have been assigned an ideology to which they are willing to risk their material body for.Whose ideology are you programmed to? Who controls the code? Concept? Language?The altruistic nature is limitless. We are the embodiment of the universe attempting to create perfection in the moment - absolving ourselves of our cultural programming and questioning every feedback loop of thought. This allows for paradigm shifts to occur at an exponential rate - ever approaching and discussing perfection, as the process of the universe honing itself to the golden ration of trans-dimensional importance.Direct accountability, in the moment, with an appetite of the future. The ability to hold exponentially diverging hypothesis, concepts and ideas, with an insight towards a singularity. Whether we reach the singularity means nothing, it's that we're working towards it. We exist on the edge of a boundary of increasing complexity, we just need to pay attention.


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Giant open world! Lasers!? What? But it is beautiful!
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Posted 10 June 2014 - 12:06 PM
Posted 10 June 2014 - 01:22 PM
Excitement! And bomb arrows (it looks like, anyway)!
Posted 10 June 2014 - 03:53 PM
I was really hoping (by the way Aonuma was talking too...) that the cloak would come off and Link was a girl. Some people are still thinking that might be the case and I would love it so much.
Posted 11 June 2014 - 05:11 AM
It's not Link according to Aonuma? The thick plotens...
Posted 11 June 2014 - 07:36 AM
Posted 12 June 2014 - 05:16 AM
Aonuma...no...not cool.
Posted 12 June 2014 - 07:02 AM
Posted 12 June 2014 - 02:53 PM
I really like how it looks. I'll need to see more of it to say for sure though. Beyond anything else the fluidity of the motion seemed really impressive.
By the way Hanz, why is it not cool that Link is a guy? I honestly do not see the problem with it either way. If you want to make the argument that it would be progressive, I could easily make the counterpoint that being progressive for progressive's sake is in fact not being progressive at all. If Link were to ever be a female (which I am opposed to, may the heavens help my obviously sexist soul) the most important thing, I think, would be that it didn't feel forced and wasn't emphasized.
Posted 12 June 2014 - 03:06 PM
Nothing, the problem is the misleading phrasing of the original statement. There is a large contingent of fans who want a female Link or playable main character Zelda (myself very much included), and it feels like the first statement was an intentionally false lead.
I am by no means the only one disappointed about this:
Posted 12 June 2014 - 04:13 PM
The problem I have with that is two-fold.
One is that measuring intent is inherently subjective. What Aonuma said might just be what he said. I didn't read it as "Link might be female" at all until I saw it pop up on a message board. People are blaming Aonuma for something he didn't do himself, but that they did to themselves.
Another one is that people are implying a female Link is somehow better, more positive or more good than a male Link. I have a problem with this because not only is it sexist towards men, it is actually sexist towards women as well. No one person is in and of themselves better because of their gender.
And then there is the absolutely asinine comparison to the Assassin's Creed thing which is just clueless. You'd think a person advocating something like this on a blog like this would know better.
Posted 12 June 2014 - 06:47 PM
Posted 13 June 2014 - 03:15 PM
Exactly what LM said.
And I'd like to emphasize that although I think a female Link would be a stupid idea for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that I think that making characters female for the sake of them being female is just plain dumb, if they were to create a Zelda game with a female link, it's not like I wouldn't play it. I'm sure it's still just as great. It's just that bogging the series down with gender politics is really tiring and stupid to me.
How about we create a new game with a female lead that actually is her own character instead of refitting male characters to be female characters? What this whole uproar implies to me is that we as a western culture, even these so-called "feminists", still do not see a female character as wholesome and worthy of being her own thing as a male character. No, we must forcefully squeeze a female character into this role. Because that's "progressive" apparently. It reeks of hypocrisy to me.
Posted 13 June 2014 - 03:29 PM
Back to the topic at hand though, I'm interested to see why the arrows look like they're mechanical (and why there are lasers in a fantasy world). It seems out of place with the backdrop, but then, I was concerned about the trains in Spirit Tracks at first as well.
Posted 18 June 2014 - 05:10 AM
No annoying Fi like thing in this one!
Posted 18 June 2014 - 05:58 AM
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Mixed messages from the Council
In this issue's episode of Council Watch, councilors give landmark status to Bataan Memorial Park but vote down the LGBT-friendly Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Day. Conservative councilors—Trudy Jones, Brad Winter, Dan Lewis and Michael Cook—shot it down. Don Harris left the meeting before the vote.


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When studying layer 4 load balancing it is natural to also compare the Layer 7 load balancing options as well. Layer 4 load balancing is relatively simple while layer 7 load balancing is far more complex. For this reason while Layer 4 load balancers are normally available free of charge and at the same time they are extremely good at what they do, load balancers that combine Layer 4 and Layer 7 load balancing are far more complex and for this reason you need to prepare to purchase them as they are not available as free ware.
Layer 4 load balancing defined
One of the best known Layer 4 load balancers is Microsoft Network Load Balancer or NLB, this is a core network load balancer software that is available to users of mission critical Microsoft applications including Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft OCS the unified communications platform. Like other Layer 4 load balancer solutions it is fairly simple. Most layer 4 load balancers perform the following functions:
- Load balances at a simple level and directs traffic based on server response time
- Each server shares the same IP address
- The least busy server responds to the content demand
- Round Robin DNS is extensively used
Layer 7 load balancing is more complex but far more efficient
Layer 7 load balancing is effectively ruled by directing the traffic according to the application that is being used.
So the servers are divided up and used based on their specialization to deliver:
- PHP applications
- Java content
- Rich graphic content
Each task here can be allocated to a different server and this is different to Layer 4 load balancing where replication is the key. At Kemp we have combined the simplicity of Layer 4 load balancing with the content sensitive and rich options offered by layer 7 load balancing and delivered these combined in a way to get the best from both platforms.
User experience is key to us and making it easier to have a "great user experience" is our goal by making complex decisions simple, at Kemp that is what we do.


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Saturday, October 18, 2008
Giant Sucking Sound
Yes, the Grand Nagus himself! I think the Giants will woo more independents if we put HRP on the ticket. Maybe he can bust a move or two for us at first.
Yes, first base. In 2008, it was a chasm of Giant suckitude:
Bowker (71 games at 1B, 111 overall) .255/.300/.408 (84 OPS+)
Aurilia (82 games at 1B, 140 overall) .283/.332/.413 (95 OPS+)
Ortmeier (13 games at 1B, 38 overall) .219/.315/.313 (66 OPS+)
Ishikawa (29 games at 1B, 33 overall) .274/.337/.432 (100 OPS+)
Then one arrived who fit Monty Python's Shavian quip "you shine out like a shaft of gold when all around is dark" . . .
(cue Metallica)
Yes, Pablo. Our adorable Pablito. Little Money.
Sucking sound? What sucking sound?
.345/.357/.490 in 41 games, 17 at first base. Good for a 120 OPS+!
Pablo sparkled at A+ and AA ball in 2008 before his call-up. He has a career .787 OPS in 452 games in the minors. He'll turn 23 in August of next year. No less than Brian Sabean declared "I think at this point we'll pencil in Sandoval as our first baseman."
Quite a ride for our free-swinging youngster from Venezuela. I think 1B is his best spot--with Molina our starter for 2009 and Posey in the wings, catcher is not in the works. If Sandoval is a major-league hitter, then let's keep him happy and healthy at the least demanding spot on the field. I was impressed by his grace and athleticism--he looked good at third and running the bases--so I imagine he could be an above-average fielder at first.
Can Pablo hit for a full season? He'll have to. Does he have what it takes to plug the hole and stop that goddamn sucking sound? He better. Because if we don't get Mark Texeira, there is no one else on the FA market. And unless Sabes suddenly becomes Billy Beane and plucks an unlikely under-valued blocked prospect or latent rookie star out of some other team's grasp, we have no one else.
I'm neither optimistic nor pessimisstic about Pablo Sandoval being our 2009 first baseman. I just know that he is our ONLY option at this point. There is no real competition for the job, other than Travis Ishikawa (a career .803 OPS in 708 minor league games), who certainly looked better than either Bowker or Ortmeier. But Ishikawa has never seemed to impress the brain trust until his spectacular effort at Fresno (38 XBH in 48 games, 1.107 OPS) last summer. Can the big lefty make a push for the job? Or is he doomed to a platoon/bench role for some other team?
More important than that--is Pablo the man? Heckle on, O My Brothers.
I ripped off the HRP image from somewhere.
I don't remember where.
I don't think Ross cares.
3 comments:
- Brother Bob said...
Pablo can play anywhere, but Villalona will probably only be able to play first, and we will want his power in the lineup eventually. So put Pablo at third? Depends on how good Gillaspie turns out to be.
So the question is how soon will these youngsters be ready. Throw Posey into that equation also.
Pablo should continue in his 3-position role in '09, until things sort out.
I don't assume Frandsen is going to become an impact player, likewise for Scheirholtz, Ortmeier, Burriss or Velez. We had a roster full of decent 6-7-8 hitters. We need HITTERS.
- Sun Oct 19, 11:49:00 AM PDT
I really don't like this post. Ross Perot was no great shakes to look at on a tv across the room, up close and highly pixilated on my highly computer monitor is just too much.
- Mon Oct 20, 04:58:00 PM PDT
Pablo can play third, but is it his best position? I like his bat a lot and I think he can pick it over at the hot corner. Is Villalona a stiff with the glove? I guess we'll find out soon enough. I would still like to take a shot at Teixeira. Maybe Perot can jump in to the race today and help out like he did in '92
- Tue Oct 21, 12:35:00 PM PDT


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I love writing headlines that I, as a publisher, would reject in a heartbeat. But when there is no one around to prevent you from making a mistake, well, just go with it.
My guess is that the offer seemed low to MSLO based on what the new owners would get as part of the deal. At issue, generally, is future booked ads, future receipts, past liabilities, and the like. There are a lot of details that need to be worked out to close a deal and sometimes it just doesn't happen.
But Whole Living staffers need to keep their chins up, many titles miraculously find new owners shortly after the doors close. The reason is simple enough, what is sold after a title is closed is usually the branding rights, circulation lists and the things other than hard assets, past booked revenue and liabilities.
You can almost hear that MSLO's chief executive Lisa Gersh is keeping the door open in the quote she gave the WSJ: "Whole Living is a terrific brand in a high-interest category," Gersh said. "Our valuable content will be leveraged across our media platforms and we will continue to look for strategic opportunities to further capitalize on it."
Whole Living has not turned out to be a good acquisition for MSLO. After acquiring the title for $6 million in 2005, the title has turned out to be bleeding red ink. One would think that the product would perform best in an environment like MSLO where there are like titles. But sometimes the opposite occurs, the title gets little bits of the ad schedules acquired by the other titles in the publisher's portfolio, often the title can not attract advertisers that want that particular title by itself.
If a new buyer can deal with a couple years of losses, and if those losses can be lessen through decreased G&A expenses, then maybe it will be a good fit for a new owner. With the last issue scheduled to be the January/February issue, we should find out if, like many of the Reed titles shut down at the end of '09, if a new owners steps up in the new year.