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Apple CEO Tim Cook writes open letter to customers concerning iOS 6 Maps
Apple CEO Tim Cook has posted an open letter to customers on Apple.com{.nofollow} concerning iOS 6 Maps. iOS 6 Maps, which replaced the original, Google-powered iOS Maps app with one that drew data from TomTom and others, but which was more wholly owned, controlled, and realized by Apple, has been the subject of controversy since launch due to the quality of data in many areas.
In the open letter, Cook apologizes for the current state of iOS 6 maps, and even goes so far as to recommend competing products from the App Store and the web. He also assures iOS 6 users that Apple will be working "non-stop" to make iOS 6 Maps live up to Apple's standards. (If you want to help Apple improve it, you can submit corrections using the built-in tools.)
Apple began buying map-releated companies in 2009. Earlier this year, iMore learned Apple planned to remove as much of Google from the core of iOS as possible, including at the location data level. It later became known that Apple and Google had been feuding for some time over features, branding, and data usage in the original maps app.
Interestingly, in a poll of iMore readers conducted last night, more than 50 percent reported a positive outlook on maps. Back before iOS 6 Maps was even announced, iMore reported on the realities of Apple's the upcoming Maps product, trying to set realistic expectations. That report now seems to have been largely accurate.
Due to the nature and importance of the problems with iOS 6 Maps, mainstream news organizations have been reporting on it throughout the last week. When that happens, Apple typically knows they have to issue a statement and take back control of the story. Previous open letters have included the iPhone 4 "antennagate", the lack of Flash plugin support in iOS, the health of Apple's late CEO, Steve Jobs, and the use of DRM (digital rights management) on iTunes music. In other words, It's a BIG DEAL and a very public sign that Apple is taking a situation very seriously.
Google is expected to release a version of their popular Maps product into the iOS App Store eventually, although they're playing it coy at this point. The deeper problem Apple still has to address is -- how could Apple let this happen? How could Apple release a product that could reasonably be seen to have this consequence, without internally identifying and pre-emptively addressing it at either of their two announcement events, WWDC or the iPhone 5 event, and how could they let the story run away from them for a over a week before responding? This isn't a case of measuring a response to an unforeseeable situation twice and cutting it loose to the press and public once. This is a case of risk assessment and mitigation gone wrong, and of brand currency expended.
Apple doesn't only have to fix maps, they have to fix the process that resulted in Tim Cook having to write this letter.
Source: Apple.com
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Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.
Blah blah blah... we're working on it... blah blah blah... There are also apps from Garmin, TomTom, Telenav and a host of others... and he pimped Waze? Really? Waze is worse than Apple's own maps...
You seem to know what you are talking about....NOT! Considering Waze has better customer rating and reviews then any of those Apps you mentioned...combined!
Waze was crapola for me. Hated it. Sucked worse than NFL replacement refs.
LOL NFL replacement refs! Not sure when you last tried it, but they have done a lot of improvements.
Waze is an amazing app and that's all I've used. It is an open source map in that users are allowed to edit map changes themselves. Sure, when it came out it wasn't the best, sorta like wikipedia, but as more people have been editing out the changes, it's gotten really good, sorta like wikipedia too. I recommend it to all my friends.
Comparing Waze to Wiki - that's a selling point. Any idiot can edit Wiki, and they often do with blatant lies. If Waze is all you've ever used, you might think it's cool. If you've ever used something from Garmin or TomTom, etc. you'll know just how bad Waze is.
I have used them all, even the expensive ones. I used to stick mostly with TomTom until I went back for another test of Waze. It is dramatically improved. The traffic data is really good. It has even saved me from cops several times which is something TomTom will never do. Even the voice prompts are much better in Waze. It actually sounds like a human which is surprising for a free app. I have also done a few road corrections for some local roads that had just been created and were already in Waze but weren't named yet. The changes that are coming in 3.5 looks really exciting too. It is getting Glympse like functionality for texting links to people so they can track your progress and get a real time ETA. You can also do a caravan and track every one in your group. Also when you arrive at your destination it gives you the option to save the location of your parking spot. The guys behind Waze are getting very creative. Apple will never add this sort of stuff to the built in Maps App. It isn't like Apple to add lots of features to the built in apps. Hell they still don't have a freaking snooze button for calender reminders which is a total joke.
I'd have said the same until recent months. It's the shyt, now.
Blah blah blah... suck! Blah blah blah... hated it! Blah blah blah... crap. Blah blah blah...
*where I live* (and that's important), outside the US, Waze is about 100 times better than google maps and 200 times better than apple maps, as far as navigation goes. I only remember one destination waze got wrong in the 2+ years I've used it, and that one destination was closer to reality than either google maps or apple maps ever got. Waze can point me to my parents' place, almost, right street but 3 blocks away from their place. Google maps puts me about 4 kilometers away, in a totally wrong area of the city they live in, and Apple maps puts me about the same distance away but on the other side of their place. So...maps, like everything else, is as good or as bad as your experience dictates...for me, Waze kills everything else.
Either you are delusional, haven't really tried Waze or haven't tried it in a long time. It is the best Nav app in my opinion and it is free. The should be releasing version 3.5 soon.
I think his point was to point out a few popular, but more importantly, FREE, apps. Had Tim suggested a $30, $40, or more app, people would raise a bigger $#!tstorm for Apple to reimburse or provide a free GPS app. In the way chosen, he is not only admitting the issues, but highlighting the strength of Apple's solution. Choice. A robust App Store. Web Apps. Remember, at the end of the day? Apple users have the most choices. We will get a Google Maps app, we have access to it on the web, we have tins of choice in our App Store, plus we will get Apple's offering that will become the best due to the sheer volume of users. It is like movies, tv shows, books, etc. All other platforms will have the Google, the Amazon, including iOS. But only iOS will have the Apple versions of these items IN ADDITION to the others. And I know kch agrees, too. He just happens to have an issue with Waze, so what?
Well said.
As a iPhone user I am concerned that nobody at apple stood up 1 year to 6 months ago and said "hey this map thing isn't working out how we imagined it would, we should do something about it!"
But with the wealth of data and reports provided by 100 million+ iOS devices, it's a lot easier to comb through and find these problems to fix them. Real usage is how Google Maps got to be what it is today, Apple is betting on the real usage of their maps app to improve it beyond what they could do in house, most likely.
We are all beta testers for Apple- each device, each new feature they roll out, it's never really final or they wouldn't keep updating. Like it or not, this is the way it is. I personally prefer it this way because we all have a say in what may be integrated into the next version. Apple usually listens to our feedback so give them constructive ideas not just "maps suck, fix it."
It's fine for them to improve their products based on user feedback but that does not excuse the creation of a subpar product - especially in the absence of pre-existing, superior product.
Yes, I agree with that also. I haven't personally had any issues with the maps app as of yet. I used it extensively last weekend while out of town and it worked beautifully, I never got lost and it was able to find places like "the closest Starbucks" or "where can I get breakfast" and then direct me there efficiently. Maybe I just got lucky ;)
Im sorry was google maps a great product when i first rolled out? I highly doubt it was, google maps is a great app now because of millions of people using it in past few years, and don't act like google maps was perfect. apple maps will get better in time, and they had to do for their users with google not willing to give ios users turn by turn,
You are correct. Google maps wasn't perfect when it first rolled out. But you weren't using a superior product before someone dumped it on you. That is the problem here. Apple should have rolled out an optional public beta this year, to collect user data from those willing to early adopt, don't need transit direction, or would like turn-by-turn. They still have a year on their google licensing agreement. Also, I didn't give Google $600 , but I paid that to Apple...so no, I don't want to spend time populating their mapping data.
I agree! Something like maps is not a brand of code that 100 people in a lab can work on for years and get right. The world is a huge place and it is going to take a lot of input from a lot of users to fix problems. I can remember when Google Maps was nowhere near what it is now. It just takes time. Maybe what Apple should have done was not tout it as being a complete experience and just put it out there in beta. Lord knows Siri has come a long way in a year because it works the same way. It has to have real world experience. But hey, its a risk. Apple did not get where they are without taking them.
I think part of the problem is that whenever Apple released its maps app there would have been problems. A lot of modern maps are refined and improved from crowd sourced data and you just cant get that without folks using it. On the other hand Apple made a big mistake and should have put it out as a beta, just as Siri was, and then people would have understood that their input would improve it. What is even stranger is that Apple maps is supposedly better than Google's in China, and yet they never bothered ro check the UK mapping information. Perhaps they felt that the UK mapping data would be consistant as it doesn't alter too much and China, a rapidly evolving economy, needed most resources. Whatever the case you can bet an iphone 5 that Apple will throw engineers and cash at the problem to solve it! For myself I use the maps app in the UK and Ive found the routing very good, and the app quite speedy as a vector drawn app compared to the tile approach Google uses but thats just my experience. Its usually more accurate than my built in sat nav in the car.
I agree, i havent seen any of the problems most people are encountering, and its been working fine for me.
I wonder how many people are returning their phones because google maps is gone.
Doubt any!
Probably the same number of people who divorce a spouse after discovering that he doesn't aim very well in the restroom - very few. That doesn't excuse his bad behavior or absolve him of the need to do better.
+1 Amen to that!
The letter is fine but how does the most valuable company in the world let this happen? Hmmm ..
what is your point, companies make mistakes all the time, them being the most valuable company does not mean anything.
When he says their commitment fell short, it means Apple Maps fell short as being a World Class product.
In almost two weeks they still haven't managed to add the second largest city in Sweden. I can understand that some roads and landmarks are off, but when big cities are missing it's just bad. At least they seem to have managed to move Berlin from Antarctica now.
Aww, common. Don't you know our philosophy? If it's not in the USA, it doesn't matter. j/k of course.
Hey, now you won't get any meatballs! Bork bork ;)
Question would Steve have even pushed Maps out if he was still alive? Are we going to start seeing Apple released every month now just like Android? Maps needs a search engine just like google maps.
Yes, Jobs would have pushed Maps out. .
My impulse is to strongly disagree but things like antennagate make me pause. I'm going to say *pulls hand from arse* that he would not have done this unless it was concurrent with the Google option's availability.
Well, I would assume it depends on how accurate the maps were around where Steve was. Antennagate, you can dismiss in that he might never have encountered it while using the phone. Maps, if they didn't give him accurate results, I believe he would have tossed it back immediately and ripped them a new one. Which means they're probably accurate for the areas they tested (Apple campus area. :) ).
At the risk of seeming like a newb... I'm activating my IP5 today from IP4 so Siri and stuff will be new to me but what, specifically is so horrible about Maps? I've been using the handicapped version on my IP4 (no voice or fly over features) and it's worked quite well at getting me to my destination. And it loads WAY faster than Navigon - which is an otherwise great map app as well.
There isnt anything wrong in my opinion. Its a fairly decent app, it almost looks the same as the Google app, again this is my opinion.
Many users in many different locations have found poi and navigation to be subpar for their areas. Simple as that. Salt on the wound is how well those things worked on the previous GM app. Voice or no voice, whatever navigation is provided sound be accurate. It's too important not to be. Then there is the absence of Street View. And thus, my choice to remain on 5.x. (Also, YouTube, jailbreak, etc)
you could always just download the youtube app that google released. its really great,
transit directions have also been removed. lot of people in big transit cities like nyc, chicago, etc, depended on them. i know apple maps gives suggestions on replacements. not sure if they are as good.
Location search is also extremely poor -- if you are used to searching by general terms, be prepared to start searching by exact name instead. Example posted in other thread, if you search for "Padres" in San Diego, their stadium Petco Park does not come up in Apple Maps, but it does in iOS5 and in Google's webapp. Even when their data is accurate, their engine's ability to adapt non-exact search terms to it is years behind what they used to ship.
The point of interest thing I heard on another podcast is to search for Hospital. Tried it on mine recently. It works great. If your pet is injured that is (shows the nearest veterinarian hospital)... Not so good if you're looking for human hospitals. One of those things that can be tweaked on the back end for the search, but it's still funny.
Maps being a joke, iPhone coming out of the box being scuffed up, and iOS 6 being all hateful against wifi. All this and I can see why Apple has for the first time in a while has fallen in customer satisfaction surveys. It's a tiny drop but they usually go up with each new OS release. Hopefully Apple will be able to fix the OS and with support from the users get the maps App to become somewhat usable.
Partner with map quest or hell purchase them. I believe apple can do street view there are other companies that do the hole camera while driving thing. Apple has some deep pockets. Better start throwing down if you want this to be a flag ship app.
People are so stupid and whiny. It's a new app, of course there are going to be a few problems. But in my experience so far, the core functions of the new Maps have worked perfectly; I don't give a crap if the 3D view of some stupid place in *insert country name here* looks contorted. How were Google's Maps at first? Were they perfect?
People ARE stupid. They're especially stupid when they think that their experience must match everyone else's experience. So if it works for them then it works for everyone, everywhere. Like you said, stupid.
I never said that since my experience was good, that everyone's else's would be, too. Why don't you learn to discern; reading's only half the battle, you twat.
I discern quite well. You say the core functions work for you but call others "whiny," suggesting that theirs work fine or that they're dissatisfied with what YOU think should be enough for them. Your experience doesn't necessarily reflect that of any one else. It is stupid to suggest otherwise.
What, are you really blaming the customers? FFS, the CEO had to write a letter apologizing to the customers and suggest them to use other apps. Don't you think that is because the app is faulty? Good for you that the App is working fine for you.. but you know this is a MAP application right? People use it as guidance on the road.. and when it's not working properly, can you imagine how frustrating it would be? Sitting in your car in the middle of nowhere and try to make it work. Nobody is talking about perfection here, why do you have to take it to the extreme? It's about having a Map app that could work decently.. and its not even the case here. The effing CEO had to write a letter to apologize.. and you dare blaming the people using it? Who's the moron here.
I commend Apple for owning up like this, but this does little to restore consumer confidence and they had already publicly stated that they were working on it. What they should be doing is fixing the issues with Maps starting with the low hanging fruit by going through all the map errors reported on blogs, etc and publicly letting people know they have been fixed. They need to keep up that momentum and continue to feverishly fix other errors that are reported through the app and work with Yelp and other services to improve their data. For any errors that would be considered fairly major like city and town names not appearing they could start a blog listing everything they have fixed if they're really serious. As another example, there is a McDonalds about a mile from my house, but if I search for "fast food" it doesn't appear, while several other fast food chains do show up further away. However, if I specifically search for "McDonalds" that place appears in Maps and even has Yelp reviews, so Yelp knows about it, but it is either wrongly categorized or their search isn't very intelligent. Making sure their POIs are correctly categorized, especially for big chains, or making sure the search picks this up surely would be relatively easy to fix and test and would resolve a whole slew of problems on a large scale.
Steve would be very upset. MS, Nokia, and Google are probably rofling right now.
How do any of anyone give apple a pass on this? I swear to fucking God, you idiotic iTrolls will let Apple get away with anything they want. A poster above said he actually PREFERS it this way. Another said people are just whining. The Map feature has got to be a top 3 used feature of a smart phone, and this abortion of an app does not work. What is wrong with you people, Apple doesn't pay you for this cult like behavior.
I think your question was rhetorical, but I heard a pretty good answer for this recently. Back in the day, Apple was the upstart company. They were the underdog. They were the one whose aspirations were so much higher than their stock price. People therefore became protective of them. Now, they are the largest or among the largest companies in the world. Apple doesn't need our protection anymore. They aren't kids anymore. But it IS time to grow up.
I figured Phone, Email, and Messages would be the top 3 features of a smartphone, followed by calendar, Internet, then maybe maps. Honestly I never used my iPhone before for directions because without turn-by-turn I'll stick to my old GPS thank you... yes there are glaring issues that need to be resolved, but I would have traded it any day for turn-by-turn directions. After I upgraded to iOS 6 is the first time I ever used the maps because it is finally useable. All the other stuff will be fixed with time, and like many of the images going around the errors have to do with satellite images and nothing to do with maps and directions.
Had google provided apple the same features on android phones, we probably would still have google maps on iOS devices. It's a shame really.
Yep. Too bad Apple was unwilling to reach into its deep pockets to provide that experience to its users. Google had a list of demands, (that would help them continue to accrue revenue from the iOS base) that they wanted met, before allowing iOS users to have some of the features currently limited to Android. If Apple was unwilling to provide them, you know what would do it? Cash. Money talks...and Apple has no lack of it.
the beginning of the end...
Yeah right, I don't think Apple's downfall will be because of an app.
At least the came out and apologized and acknowledge the problem. Most companies like Motorola and the other systems won't acknowledge problems just user error. Give Apple a little time they have a proven track record that is why we all waited and preordered, stood in line etc so we could have an Apple product. It is aggravating and makes us mad but considering what Apple does have a little faith and they will have it fixed and it will be awesome just like everything else they do. Right now use Scout if you need a back up.
There are those (e.g., Gruber) who poked at Google for being surprised that Apple went their own way with maps. OK. But I think the more relevant question is why was Apple so underprepared? Apple had to have known they wanted to ditch Google Maps a long time ago, and it isn't a secret on how much effort is required to acquire, develop and update map data for a robust mapping service. So is it even a good idea for Apple to become a data service company? I don't think they can just farm out and paste together mapping data into something that works. Google has shown how much effort is required, and I'm not sure that kind of effort is in Apple's DNA. Either they invest big or forget it.
I don't think you can really fault Google though. I mean, from a business standpoint who would have thought that your competitor would pull out of their licensing agreement with a year left, and release a sub-par program? I'm sure they had internal studies showing that Apple would be able to create a competent maps program by X date, and would have been prepared to release an app by then (which I believe would have been next year's announcement).
Agree with not faulting Google. I sure hope Apple pulls this off but also will be much happier (I hope) when Google Maps app for iOS hits the App Store.
My IP5 came with giant glossy paper maps? Like the kind you would buy at a gas station. Is anyone else getting them?
depending on where you are located, the severity of the apple maps varies. Certainly it's probably better in the US than abroad. I live out in the sticks, and at first the satellite imagery quality was horrendous (all the way from Beta 1 to even beta 4). Then shortly before official launch, with the GM release, the quality got better. And i'm noticing improvements yet since the 9/21 intro. So Apple certainly isn't sitting on their a$$ but it will take time to address ALL the issues. The transit part though, that I imagine is a big frustration for that that relied on it with Google maps. For me though, the turn-by-turn is a good tradeoff, but that's because I don't rely on transit as I don't live in a big city.
To defened Apple on this move truly shows how blind and infatuated you are with this company. The fact they came out with this half assed app is unacceptable, maps is a big drive to consumers this day on what handset they choose. I doubt Apple would allow any of thier own employee's to give them half ass work and have the employee say, " hey this is just the start of something big, give it time!" I've read how Steve Jobs belittled his employees who didnt performed to task. I dont know whats worse the app, Apple's response, or the people who are defending Apple right now>
I have yet to have an issue with Maps. I like the SIRI integration and being able to say, "Give me directions to..." And she does it. I have Garmin and Navigon that I paid quite a few bucks for (+annual subscription). Maps is FREE navigation. Yet to steer me down a wrong path. I don't care about the satellite images. Never had. Think it's cool going on the computer once in a while looking at them, but that's about it. Doesn't Apple usually correct things that people complain about. Yes. I'll happily use it as I wait for a release improvement down the road, while at the same time cancelling my Garmin subscription.
Would I go back to Android just for google maps? Hell no! There are too many free and paid alternatives for iOS. Yea there are flaws in Apple Maps but it's not a deal breaker from iPhone and iPad.
So what if many of the 3D pics of a bridge are twisted and other screwy pics. It's just not that deep. I've read blogs where folks are freaked out over the maps issue. Even one Apple tech blogger said he cancelled his iPhone 5 pre order because of the maps and is getting a Samsung GS III. As a friend of mine always says "Dude relax!"
now to all that are complaining about the ios maps app, its pretty easy to fix, like the letter says use the google maps web app if its google your jonesing for or download the other maps apps available in the app store. now please STHU. BTW why didn't google have a maps app available to download when they knew apple was kicking them to the curb. apple had no choice but to release its own native maps app, its gonna take time and it will get better .
Exactly. Options are what is so great about iOS Apps. There are plenty of FREE options for those that cannot be bothered with iOS 6 Maps.
The apple maps work awesome for me.
WOW! So we are supposed to help Apple?!? What about them helping us out with the damn data cables for the iphone 5 i bought.....cannot sell those directly now? This is total bu****it! Apple screws up but we have to help them.....yea right.
New cable formats are the nature of the beast of technology. Come on. You wanna play you gotta pay.
I cannot use Apple's 'Map' program, as all I get is 'fuzzy & blurred' images of what I want to look at. I expect better from Apple, and not a lame apology from Mr Cook. I also fail to see how by continuing to use it will improve the app. Or is this another lame excuse while they 'rush' to update it??
I appreciate, and accept the apology from Apple. I believe that Maps will become the best in the world (for consumer use) and Apple will stand behind it. Apple made an error and realizes that. Things take time and anyone complaining can take Mr. Cook's advice and use many more options that are FREE. Constructive critique will help not only Apple, but all of the end users who want the Maps app to be the best.
I suppose you believe in the Easter Bunny and that their is no hate or corruption in the world, where money, greed, power, or control doesn't drive people or the economy? Can I partake in your alternate reality? It certainly sounds very dreamy.
Why attack me? I've owned Apple products for a long time now and realize they aren't perfect, never once have I said they are. I choose to accept the apology, and realize that Apple has a pretty good track record of correcting these things. If you choose not to, thats fine, I wont lose any sleep over it, or attack you about it. Have a nice day.
Who's attacking you? Don't be paranoid.
Now...go to mama and dada.
By gawd. Many of you who always rationalize Apple's decisions whether they are right or wrong are in serious need of major psychiatry. It took Google 7 years to get where they are today in the Mapping empire. Do you seriously think your God, Apple can change the natural course of evolution and do what Google did in a few months or even a few years? That mindset defies all logic and rationalism. Let me remind you. Tim Cook admitted a mistake was made that NEVER should've happened in the the first place. It is not a "oops, we didn't consider this or that". It's a monumental lack of good judgment. This is a TRUE reflection of Apple's development team and those who approve of bad decisions. It IS what Apple is TODAY and their is NO INDICATION they will change their attitude. I can just see Samsung now running new commercials mirroring the Apple vs Windows Vista ones we chuckled about many years ago. Except this time, it will be at Apple's expense. As we have heard a lot recently but some of you just can't see it because of shorting of your wiring and circuits in your brain, Apple is dropping the ball too often. It is not the Apple that most of us expect and have pleasantly experienced. Make no mistake, these issues including lack of innovation is the shifting point in the Smartphone dominion. Apple has "Jumped the Shark" with the iPhone 4S. All future updates will be incremental at best as we have seen with the iPhone 5. Those in denial that their God is not omnipotent will once again come to Apple's defence when the majority of people will no longer consider the iPhone, rather it will be something from their rival. Having said that though, Apple will still remain powerful in the tech world, just not in the Smartphone industry. That is now in the past. Lastly, Cook says we can use the competitor's mapping product. I say, thank you Mr. Cook. I will since you have permitted me do so. I was afraid you were going to throw a lightening bolt at me if I didn't have your approval. BTW. Do I have your permission to go the washroom?
This is the most balanced and insightful comment I've seen here. The apologists will apparently accept a smoking pile of crap map program as long as it comes from Apple. The 4S definitely outgunned my old HTC EVO 4G but that was apparently a different Apple than the one that produced this joke of a mapping program.
You know, everyone always complained about how long it took Apple to release features that others were releasing left and right. However, when Apple DID release those features(be it hardware or software), they were almost flawless. What people didn't seem to realize is that Apples motto at the time was "If were going to do something, we going to do it RIGHT. We're not going to be pressured into releasing something that we feel is unfinished and not ready for prime time just to make the general public happy or meet some imaginary deadline." And even though that motto aggravated the bajeebus out of me and many others at times, the end result was an experience that was nothing short of magnificent. That really set the standard for Apple products both software and hardware. Unfortunately, I worry that that was something that Steve Jobs himself enforced on the whole company. With him gone and with the bugs that we are seeing with the new release, I wonder if that Apple died with Steve. Maybe Tim Cook isn't the type of person to say "I don't care how badly we need to release it this year, if it isn't ready it just isn't ready." Or, maybe this is just a hiccup in the imperfect world of technology. Either way, I'm sure that Apple will continue to work hard on their products until they get it right.
Ha! It won't be with the iPhone if that's what you're hoping for. This is not a hiccup, not at all. It's a colossal mistake. Perhaps, on a slim chance, this will cause Apple to re-evaluate how they implement features, designs, and features. However, the odds are that this won't happen. Only when their marketshare of the iPhone takes a huge hit, will this cause them to take action instead of just talking.
Hey i appreciate that Mr cook knows when he has produced something which is less than spectacular, and is humble enough to admit it. Big ups to Mr Cook for not adding any BS with it. Thank goodness i did not jump on the ios6 bandwagon like i usually do because i just knew that their maps would be lacking. I guess ill wait until 6.1 or whatever they call it comes out or at least until google release their app so i can at least get turn by turn....
You're living in a fantasy world if you believe for one nanosecond Apple will solve the mapping issue in iOS 6.1
Now I would like him to address the WiFi issues we are still having. Mostly on the iPhone 4S, and new iPad. Really getting tired of my phone dropping the WiFi connection. I have done all the fixes listed in the forums. I do not want to go back to iOS 5.1.1. I wonder if it is a problem with ota download? That is the only thing I can see, but you should not have to connect to a computer for every download.
The New Apple ..get used to it... more to come
Funniest comment I read about this: (on ModMyi.com) "Steve Jobs would have blamed it on the earth." I chuckled...
It's ridiculous. It's like they didn't even test the maps program before releasing it and calling it the second coming on maps. It's an absolute embarrassment. Cook had to issue an apology. That ridiculous first response of "It will get better if you use it more"?? Whoever came up with that should've been fired. The process that allowed a half baked maps program to replace a fully functional and working maps program definitely needs to be addressed. You can bet that Google is in no hurry to make a Maps program for iOS6 and you can be sure that there will be enhancements to their next version of maps on Android. Sure, there are other maps programs to use on iOS, but that isn't the point. The point is that Apple touted their maps program as being the best thing since the invention of the wheel and it is a complete and utter CRAP MAPS PROGRAM. It was so obviously crap that none of their media shills could publicly tow the party line on this issue. Cook had no choice but to apologize for this embarrassment.


text:
District on course to maintain tax levy
ROCKFORD — The idea of lowering the Rockford School District's tax levy next year and saving taxpayers anywhere from $35 to $70 on their property tax bills is dead.
The proposal, which got the support of a school board subcommittee on budget and finance earlier this fall, hasn't been talked about in more than a month, and members of the subcommittee doubt it will get brought up by anyone with decision-making powers before the Dec. 31 deadline.
The Rockford School Board voted in September to collect essentially the same amount of property tax revenue next year as it did this year, about $157 million.
Despite the flat levy request, the district's tax rate, which is applied to property values to calculate how much taxpayers owe, is expected to go from $6.68 to $7.24 to collect the same amount.
Some members of the subcommittee had hoped that their suggestion of lowering the levy and getting the rate closer to $7 would get new life after the idea was shared with the public in October, but that hasn't been the case.
Ken Scrivano, Rockford School Board president, and board member Mike Harner said they stand behind their votes to maintain the levy.
"I prefer to keep it where it's at," Scrivano said. "I have no desire to raise it."
Based on inflation, the board could have raised the rate to $7.33. That would have amounted to another $2.4 million in revenue next year.
The board lowered the district's rate by 58 cents this year, a substantial decrease that resulted in $26 million in savings for taxpayers. Subcommittee members Sunil Puri and Ted Biondo said they still believe the district can get by with less cash next year. It has a $150 million cash surplus.
The subcommittee's suggestion would amount to about $4.2 million less in revenue next year.
"It's a token amount that could have been given back to residents," said businessman Puri. "Given the surplus, it completely could have been done."
The district has taken good steps in fiscal and taxpayer responsibility in recent years, Biondo said, but he agrees with Puri.
"They could have lowered it fairly easily," Biondo said.
Corina Curry: 815-987-1371; firstname.lastname@example.com; @corinacurry

subset: commoncrawl


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This free buyer's guide helps farmers evaluate the cost-effectiveness of owning and operating hay equipment.
Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.


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If you look at what makes a business successful, you'll probably notice that the company understands how to communicate. Businesses need to tailor their communications to several audiences, such as employees and vendors. But communicating correctly to potential customers will likely mean an increase in sales.
Prospects need to know that you exist and that you offer unique products and services that can help them. Since June is Effective Communication Month, here are some tips to help improve your communications with your potential and existing customers.
Choose a channel please.
The technology of recent years has literally given you access to dozens of ways to reach your target audience—a website, Facebook, Twitter, direct mail, e-mail, signage and billboards, to name a few. You need to understand your target audience to know which of the communications channels will more effectively reach them, and within your budget.
We hear you loud and clear.
You will most likely choose more than one medium to reach your audience. It is now important to make sure you message is consistent across all of them. If a person looks at one of your direct mail pieces, then they should feel a similar tone and design on your website. This helps people remember your company and build your brand.
You have two ears and one mouth.
So often in conversation we focus on the speaking part. But we all know that listening is the number one rule of effective communication. Ask current customers how you're doing, what they like about your business and how you can improve. Through this you will improve your customer relationships and find ways to better reach new customers.


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A guy hides an engagement ring in the sand on a beach. Guess where this is going - right on the RidicuList.
Post by: Anderson Cooper
Filed under: The RidicuList
Anderson, when I started watching this ridicuList piece I chuckled with amusement and then ended up doing the ugly laugh moaning with recognition of direct experience. Yes, I can share that the lack of common sense as it relates to wedding rings is not exclusive to the Brain Surgeon/Einsteins. The same goes for a highly-educated-at-Stanford-and-UCLA-physician who specializes in NUCLEAR MEDICINE who now has been lovingly provided with way more then the original wedding ring; my husband has FOUR rings of eternal love.
Each a RidicuList story of its own spanning 15 years and 4 children!
Furthermore, I can also relate to Dr. Sanjay Gupta's opinion that oftentimes the Common Sense factor is inversely proportional to the IQ score of a person who intellectually consumes 'Calculus and Physics for Dummies' as pleasure reading. This same person gets cited for driving to slow on the freeway (admitting speed limits are just a suggestion), continues making a too tight turn around a gatepost gouging out the side of the SUV (because he was already committed) and REALLY does not know how to tie his shoes (therefore buys only slip-on styles). Our four kids and I could regale you with many side-splitting stories of Pop's shenanigans, however we are too busy pulling our hair out in frustration.
Revealing his endearing nickname will have to suffice . . . Dr. Magoo!
Why would people bury engagement rings just to propose? So stupid!
I have to tell you another one. My father, during his medical training, accidently threw his wedding ring away when he took off a pair of surgical gloves. He didn't notice until it was too late. He never got another one; He was happily married to my mom but never wore another ring.
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


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BEIJING — Relatives shrieked and sobbed uncontrollably. Men and women nearly collapsed, held up by loved ones. Their grief came pouring out after 17 days of waiting for definitive word on the fate of the passengers and crew of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet.
Malaysia's prime minister gave that word late Monday in an announcement from Kuala Lumpur, saying there was no longer any doubt that Flight 370 went down in the southern Indian Ocean.
Relatives of passengers in Beijing had been called to a hotel near the airport to hear the news, and some 50 of them gathered there. Afterward, they filed out of a conference room in heart-wrenching grief.
One woman collapsed and fell on her knees, crying "My son! My son!"
Medical teams arrived at the Lido hotel with several stretchers and one elderly man was carried out of the conference room on one of them, his face covered by a jacket. Minutes later, a middle-aged woman was taken out on another stretcher, her face ashen and her blank eyes seemingly staring off into the distance.
Most of the relatives refused to speak to gathered reporters and some lashed out in anger, urging journalists not to film the scene. Security guards restrained a man with close-cropped hair as he kicked a TV cameraman and shouted, "Don't film. I'll beat you to death!"
Some relatives staying at hotels in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur were notified in person of the imminent late-night news conference by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, and some heard over the phone.
Some received a heads-up by text message, said Sarah Bajc, who has been awaiting news of the fate of her boyfriend, Philip Wood, ever since the plane disappeared March 8 on a night flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard.
"Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived," the text message said. "As you will hear in the next hour from Malaysia's Prime Minister, we must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean."
Bajc noted in an email that the prime minister's announcement made no mention of confirmed wreckage, "so no real closure," but she also said the time for grief had begun.
"I need closure to be certain but cannot keep on with public efforts against all odds. I STILL feel his presence, so perhaps it was his soul all along," she wrote. "It looks like the first phase of our mission has ended. Now Philip's family and I will need some time for private grief."
Wang Zhen, whose father and mother, Wang Linshi and Xiong Yunming, were aboard the flight as part of a group of Chinese artists touring Malaysia, said he heard the announcement on television in the hotel where he has been staying.
"My mind is a mess right now. Can we talk later?" he said by telephone.
Nan Jinyan, whose brother-in-law Yan Ling, a medical company engineer, was aboard the flight on a business trip, said she was prepared for the worst when she heard the Malaysian prime minister would make a statement.
"This is a blow to us, and it is beyond description," Nan said.
At the Lido hotel, where many of the Chinese relatives have complained about what they have described as incomplete or contradictory information provided by the airline and Malaysian authorities, two distraught women and a man came to address journalists nearly two hours after the announcement.
"I tell you, this was the wrong way to release this information," one of the women said between sobs, speaking over the bellows of security guards trying to hold back the crush. "It's all so black," she said, using the Chinese expression for opacity and deceit.
In Kuala Lumpur, screaming could be heard from inside the Hotel Bangi Putrajaya, where some of the families of passengers have been given rooms.
Selamat Omar, father of a 29-year-old aviation engineer aboard the flight, said in a telephone interview that Malaysia Airlines had not yet briefed the families on whether they will be taken to Australia, closer to where the plane is believed to have gone down. He said they expected more details Tuesday.
"We accept the news of the tragedy. It is fate," Selamat said.
Associated Press writers Didi Tang and Ian Mader in Beijing, and Todd Pitman and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
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Download Finance PowerPoint templates for your presentations.
See Also: Puzzle PowerPoint Templates | Digital Dots PowerPoint Templates
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The Feature List Layout comprises three sample PowerPoint presentations: one each to create a visual list for 4 features, 5 features, and 6 features. These work great when you have too much information to fit within one slide. This solution lets you use multiple slides, but the visual result is still that of one single slide!
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August 3rd, 2010
Change your thinking to kick that cigarette habit
Imagine how tantalizing, how powerful the craving for a cigarette is. Then imagine you could stem that craving by merely changing the way you think. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that merely thinking differently could help control cravings.
"Most people think that the reason smokers use substances is because of a lack of self-control," said Kevin Ochsner, associate professor of psychology at Columbia University. "We show they don't lack it, the problem they have is they may not know what strategy to use."
Let's face it, our brains are wired for short-term rewards, whether it is the first drag on a cigarette or the first bite of a hot stack of pancakes. According to study authors, the strategy to curb those cravings is almost deceptively simple: re-wiring the brain to think long-term.
Ochsner and colleagues gave brain scans to 21 people who reported regularly smoking. They posed two scenarios. In one, they measured what happened in the brain after asking smokers to think about the immediate rewards of smoking, for example the first drag on a cigarette, how the smoke would feel entering the lungs, or the sensation of smoke curling out of the mouth. In the second scenario smokers were asked to imagine the long-term consequences of smoking - health problems associated with it - such as emphysema or heart disease.
By way of comparison, the same was done with food. Study respondents were shown photos of delectable, fatty foods and asked to think about the short-term rewards (how great the food would taste), and the long-term consequences (obesity, diabetes, heart disease) while their brain activity was measured.
Turns out, something as simple as focusing on the long-term consequences of smoking (or eating fatty foods) could control the craving.
"This gives us a biological explanation for how cognitive regulation of craving works," said Hedy Kober, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and the study's lead author. "By changing the way they think about cigarettes in moments of craving, by focusing on the negative long-term consequences, [smokers] can reduce craving and change their own brain activity."
Two areas of the brain are at work when we crave things - the prefrontal cortex and the ventral striatum. The prefrontal cortex is an area associated with reasoning and the ventral striatum is associated with emotion, desire, and craving. Among study participants, successfully curbing cravings involved activating the reasoning part of the brain more than the craving-driven region.
Except re-wiring the brain, re-shaping how one thinks about craving, is far from simple - it is a long process. And then there are important questions about the biological underpinnings of addiction. Still, study authors say that thinking differently is powerful therapy.
"It takes a sustained, continuous effort," said Ochsner. "It is teaching you a new kind of emotional response instead of just going reflexively. It's slow and painful but we absolutely have the potential to do it."
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.


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For Teens
These are some links to useful information on the internet especially for teens.
- All Music Guide
- Look for information on your favorite artists, songs, and style of music.
- ACT Test Prep
- Sample tests, tips, and other information from ACT, Inc.
- Collegeboard.com: SAT
- A full-length SAT practice test and scoring guide.
- Health Information from FDA for Teens
- Health information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Includes articles on topics like playing a sport with exercise-induced asthma, how loud music affects your ears, and how to prevent STD's. From FDA Consumer Magazine.
- Teenreads
- A great place to find book reviews by other teens, author interviews, and information about new titles.
- U.S. News.Com Education
- A very useful source for students selecting a college or university.


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Wildcats speed up Clinton, reach 3-AAA finals
Oak Ridge coach Aaron Green had one simple message to his team before leaving the locker room to start their District 3-AAA semifinal game against rival Clinton.
"The last thing I said in the locker room before we came out was, 'It's our 11 versus their six or seven,'" coach Green said. "'Play aggressively and don't play on your heels.'"
The Wildcats turned up the speed and jetted past the Dragons to make the championship game with a 67-31 win Saturday at Campbell County.
Oak Ridge (23-5) bolted out of their transition offense and began the game with a 13-2 run. The Wildcats would only extend it from there in another classic physical match between the two teams.
"It's always very physical and a chippy game," Green said. "Rivalries are like that. I am proud of our guys.
"We didn't play perfect but our effort and our energy was there. Our press sped them up enough and got it to our pace."
The 'Cats defensive press forced 22 Clinton turnovers which made the blood boil hotter.
Clinton (12-16) drew a technical from Kevin Steen in the first quarter that pulled the Dragons within 19-12 at the end of the first quarter but cooler heads prevailed.
"It's every year we get up 10-20 points and Clinton always tries to get into our skin," junior post Isaac Merian said. "The rivalry is huge, and I love it.
"And we are going to the championship."
The Wildcats were able to spread the ball around to 10 different players who scored on the night and jump out to a 38-25 lead at halftime.
"They were trying to clog the lane and take away Isaac and those guys inside," Green said. "They played a lot of defenses. They played triangle-and-two, zone, sagging man. So the paint had a lot of traffic in it."
That lead was extended by a 7-0 run in the third and any hopes of a seventh straight win for the streaking Dragons was snuffed out.
Merian finished with 11 points despite the strong inside play from Clinton. Jaylin Henderson led all scorers with 20 points. Cory Fagan had 13 and Rian Hall had nine.
Jacob Williamson had 18 points to lead Clinton after scoring just nine in the Jan. 11 meeting between the two teams. Steven Antonelli and Tyler Duncan chipped in 10 points each.
Oak Ridge will get its third chance to beat Powell Tuesday in the District 3-AAA championship at 7:30 p.m. The Panthers defeated their rival, Halls, on a last second tap in by Clay Payne to win 44-42.
"I am ready to play Powell," Merian said.
Both the Oak Ridge and Powell boys will host in the first round of the Region 2-AAA tournament. The first round will be Saturday. The Oak Ridge girls will play Friday on the road in the first round. No times have been set for either night.
Robert Holder can be contacted at (865) 220-5508.
Clinton 49,
Oak Ridge 70
CHS- Tyler Duncan 10, Chase Lowe 2, Alex Willard 1, Nick Richmond 3, Steven Antonelli 10, Jacob Williamson 18, Birdman McKamey 5.
ORHS- Jaylin Henderson 20, Kevin Steen 3, Rian Hall 9, Ted Mitchell 4, Cory Fagan 13, Rashad Gray 4, Nick Bradley 2, Tim Grabenstein 1, DeMauray McClanahan 3, Isaac Merian 11.


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Today's Music: Ricky Nelson – Garden Party
Note On Today's Music: The song is apropos of nothing, just a nice mellow number But if you don't know it already, look up the story behind the song.
Welcome, welcome all! Brand new month! Brand new year! Same old foolishness! What wasn't the same old though was some of the stuff I read this week!
Red put up her latest site! Carrie is very excited about something, and TC History Gal gave me a Wonderful Team Member Readership award, and I couldn't be more honored!
Thanks to them, and all of you for letting me finish and start the year in such great company!
Last week, in between the eating and the drinking and the rushing and that horrible, tragic tofu and butter incident, the calendar rolled over. As happens every year, tons of resolutions were made (admit it, you made some). So we asked the most relevant question – What resolution will you break first?
Here's what you said. (As always, my answers will only last a few days in italics.)
To vote in these damn polls on Friday & not Thursday at 11:59pm! SheSnaaped
(Oh, if only you'd gotten this posted in time!)
To enjoy a very nice Picnic, oh that is a choco bar 🙂 Androgoth
(That choco bar is for eating, Andro. Andro?!?)
The early to bed clause, unless there is a good reason 😉 Androgoth
(Laziness is an excellent reason! Or…so I've heard…)
My resolution to not make New Year's Resolutions…Ugh. KJ
(Catch 22!!!)
My resolution to not break resolutions. WG
(Break that one first just to get it out of the way!)
I am going to get up from my coma after working all of 2012 ~ Red
(Hey, I worked through 2012 in a coma too!)
I thought we made New Years Revolutions – I'm taking over Maine.
(Careful – I hear Stephen King has…things…to keep it safe…)
Hey Jude, john, paul, george, ringo – let's go sing at the revolution! Buddhakat
(You're up ninth.)
What?!? Revolution?!? Where?!? buddhakat
(Earth. Once a day.)
Drinking alcohol… guaranteed I can't keep that one. I like my sauce. ~ Bpmuse
(I was enjoying some as I wrote this response.)
That I will stop convincing noobs to order milkshakes at the Bistro. Brain Tomahawk
(But how else will they ever learn?)
Getting Freshly Pressed-Lily In Canada
(I thought you'd go for…steamed! HAHAHAHAHA!!!)
That I'm not making resolutions (GiggsMcGill Jill)
(Well, if you're not gonna play along…)
It's time for those again? I didn't make last year's yet. Lizzie
(Just write up the stuff you did and backdate them!)
my daily goal of being showered and dressed by noon – sandylikeabeach
(Woah! Baby steps there, Sandy. Baby steps.)
Not to break resolutions, then something about eating. Carrie Cannibalistic Nerd
(What if you broke bread with a resolution? Two for one!))
to stop dressing up squirrels….well, somebody has to do it!……..zannyro
(I bet the squirrels have some resolutions they would like to share with you!)
not to make resolutions anymore… NBI
(You sound very…resolute.)
New Year? Did we survive another apocalypse? (Twindaddy)Stuphblog
(Let's see…work…taxes…traffic…No. No, I don't think we survived at all.)
To never mentally flip someone off! x, Becca
(Doing it physically is so much more rewarding…)
Pro wrestling with Mexican midgets. I really want to beat Mascarita Sagrada.
(You'll use any excuse to wear a spandex onesie!)
I'll probably forget while I'm finishing off the champagne! (words&otherthings)
(As long as you've resolved to finish the champagne, I think this year is a win.)
Swearing like a mother f#*%$* truck driver…oops. That didn't last long. Dammit
The one where I tell myself to make a resolution. SnaapAlongG
(How would you hear you over the voices in your head?)
Not to be envious of other people's mad blogging skills
(For a value of "mad" that equals "insane".)
To run naked in a bar (Frank)
(Eh, it's been done.)
To survive to 2014. Elyse 54.5
(Um…you realize these were resolutions to break, right?…)
Congratulations to Anonymous for this weeks winning answer! And from the offered choices, the most popular was , Resolutions? We don't need no stinking resolutions so congrats to everyone that wants to struggle through the year with no fixed purpose forced on them by tradition!
This week, it's all about dealing with the consequences of our actions. Yep, we're going to have to face up to all teh bad decisions we've made over the last several weeks. On the bright side, if we start now, we'll be in fine shape for beach season! (Yes, I want to fit properly into my banana-hammock this sumer!)
So below is this weeks question. Answer now or think about it over a snack. But answer by 2359 EST, 10 Jan, because that's when this one ends.
And until next week, here's some Mitch Hedberg that I hope you enjoy! (One warning – dude's a potty mouth. Big time.)
First, there's a sandwich recipe here that I hope at least one of you try!
And there's a little overlap here, but it's worth it, just for "spaghetti". You'll see it when it comes around.


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Explore Senior Housing options in Negaunee, and nearby cities. Use the advanced filters to search specific care types such as 55+ Living, Independent Living, Alzheimer's Care, Assisted Living, Continuing Care, Low-Income Affordable, Respite Care and/ or Home Care.
Independent Living communities are senior housing communities designed for independent seniors that desire the conveniences of community living. These communities offer a senior lifestyle filled with recreational, educational and social opportunities.Independent Living Communities may also called … Read More >


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Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer-winning author of 'The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love,' dead at 62
By The Associated Press The Associated Press
on October 14, 2013 at 11:14 AM, updated October 14, 2013 at 11:22 AM
Hijuelos died of a heart attack in Manhattan on Saturday while playing tennis, according to his agent, Jennifer Lyons.
"The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" became a best seller and earned him international acclaim. He won the Pulitzer for fiction in 1990, making him the first Hispanic writer to receive that honor.
The novel tells the story of two Cuban brothers who journey from Havana to New York to start an orchestra. At one point in the story, the brothers appear on the television sitcom "I Love Lucy," which starred Lucille Ball and her Cuban bandleader husband, Desi Arnaz. The book was eventually turned into a movie starring Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas.
In his 2011 memoir, "Thoughts Without Cigarettes," Hijuelos writes of how he struggled against being labeled an "ethnic" writer and notes that even today there are few other Latinos whose work, despite the considerable number of talented authors, has been awarded the same recognition.
After a trip with his mother to Cuba as a young child, he became ill with a kidney disease and was hospitalized for a year, during which he loses his Spanish-speaking ability, and never truly recovers it.
"For the longest time, all I would know was that I had gotten sick in Cuba, from Cuban microbios, that the illness had blossomed in the land of my forebears, the country where I had once been loved and whose language fell as music on my ears," Hijuelos writes. "Of course, diseases happen anywhere, and children get sick under any circumstances, but what I would hear for years afterward from my mother was that something Cuban had nearly killed me and, in the process of my healing, would turn my own 'Cubaness' into air."
It was an experience of displacement and a never-ending inability to reach an identity he inherits that many Cubans of his generation can understand. It also defined much of his development as a writer, as he initially hesitated to embrace his story and that of his family as a source of inspiration for his fictional characters — too ashamed to put them on paper, believing the world was indifferent to his tale.
Hijuelos was born and raised in New York City and enrolled in local community colleges where an array of early writing teachers — Susan Sontag, Donald Barthelme, and Frederic Tuten — encouraged him to continue to pursue his craft. He was also exposed to Cuban and Latin American writers including Jose Lezama Lima, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Carlos Fuentes, whose work inspired him.
His other novels include "Our House in the Last World," "Empress of the Splendid Season," "Dark Dude," "The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien" and "A Simple Habana Melody." He was also received the Rome Prize and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.
Associated Press writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report.


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Children of the Plumed Serpent: The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico closes this Sunday. As Quetzalcoatl embarks on the next leg of his journey, thanks to our most recent partnership with 826LA, he leaves behind another generation of artists and storytellers inspired by his handiworks—the grandchildren of the Plumed Serpent.
In 2010, when we began to think about ways to get the Los Angeles community involved with the exhibition, I was volunteering at 826LA, a local non-profit organization that encourages students aged 6–18 to develop their creative thinking and writing skills and foster the ambitions of young authors in their after-school tutoring and weekend workshops. Because of their focus on storytelling, they seemed a natural partner for Children of the Plumed Serpent. Together with 826LA's Julius Diaz Panoriñgan, Director of Education, and Birte Klug, the Venice Programs Coordinator, we hatched a plan to introduce the next generation of Plumed Serpent aficionados to the visual storytelling techniques used in the painted codices featured in the show.
Birte, Julius, and I plunged ahead devising a series of eight weekend workshops at the Echo Park and Venice 826LA locations and LACMA to introduce the kids to the signs and symbols used by ancient artists. Over the course of the class they learned how painters communicated important life events like birth, marriage, and conquest, in addition to key places without words. With the help of the 826LA volunteers, the adventures and misadventures of Lord Eight Deer (a key figure in the exhibition) and his rival Lady Six Monkey came to life for the students and they began plotting their own pictorial histories.
One Sunday morning, several weeks ago, 826LA came to LACMA. Two school buses traveled from east and west to bring the students and their families to the exhibition. In the galleries, the budding storytellers reenacted episodes from the Codex Zouche-Nuttall for their families. The day culminated with everyone drawing their own personal codices. Twenty-first century symbols marked the important events in the lives of the grandchildren of the Plumed Serpent: graduation, summer visits to Six Flags or Disneyland, and friendship. This next generation of heroes called on the conventions of the codices and invented new names and titles for themselves such as 15 Teddy Bear or 9 Flower Falling Petal.
Three of the students—Hier Ávila, Dayanara Martinez, and Briseida Granados—spoke with me after their visit to LACMA to walk me through their codices and explain what the visit to the museum meant to them. Last year Hier's basketball team won passes to Six Flags during a tournament. Their visit on August 30, 2011 became the subject of his codex. Like the Mixtec artists, Hier used red lines to divide the page into different scenes and he gave himself two names—5 Eagle and 3 Serpent—and his trusted companion, his puppy, was also baptized with a name—9 Flint.
Dayanara and Briseida both memorialized their families. Dayanara's dad is from Oaxaca and she was impressed with the way the artists were able to communicate with only pictures. "It was hard at first," she said, "but you can learn." Briseida, the oldest in her family, remembered her first sleepover. "It's tough when you're the oldest because you have to do everything first so the first sleepover was a big deal." Briseida told us that her father, an artist, was also inspired by the exhibition. He decorated a kitchen wall of their house with the day signs Eagle and Crocodile. She now sees them every day. The fact that these brightly colored pages, painted five centuries ago in Mexico, recorded an adventure epic without the use of any text, sparked the students' imagination and brought Quetzalcoatl a new group of fans. Check out 826LA's flickr site for additional photos from the Sunday workshop.
Victorial Lyall, Associate Curator, Latin American Art


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I am a soon to be retired Duke Medical Center library researcher, who enjoys writing. I have been writing on Wikipedia for years and have begun to write
ebooks. My pastimes include selling books on EBay, genealogical research, baseball (Pittsburgh Pirates), collecting antique furniture and coins, and spending time with Kingsley, my cocker spaniel.


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Hot Online: Jim Leyland retires as Tigers manager
Something to talk about
Carol Burnett received the top U.S. prize for humor Sunday, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Burnett launched her namesake variety show in the 1960s during a time when men dominated the genre.
Trending on Twitter
After announcing his retirement as manager, Jim Leyland of the Detroit Tigers was trending on Twitter on Monday morning as everyone shared their thoughts and thanks. The Tigers are the fifth team on the hunt for a new manager, according to news reports.
Hot video: Breaking a Guinness record for most "body burns"
A total of 21 people were set aflame in Cleveland on Saturday in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for "Most People Performing Full Body Burns." The group broke the previous record of 17 people.
More Content Now


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Hawk's Nest deal not done yet
ROCKFORD — The Winnebago County Board agreed Thursday it has nearly 1 million reasons to re-examine its contract with former Sheriff Don Gasparini and partners.
By doing so, the board also agreed to temporarily put the brakes on the purchase of the former Hawk's Nest Restaurant at Chestnut and Church streets. The board in September overwhelmingly approved paying $950,000 for the lot that has a fair market value of $175,000, according to the Rockford Township Assessor's Office.
The county covets the property for its future use as a 72-vehicle parking lot for county employees.
Reading from a prepared statement, Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen said:
"The Hawk's Nest lot has not been closed on at this time. Although the property shows immediate and significant potential to help relieve the parking issue, we have requested, and the owners have agreed to a two-month extension of the contract, with the county paying the agreed earnest money deposit of $125,000."
Christiansen also said there have been at least two other parties who have approached him with interest in the lot.
"Given this new information, we plan to use this extension to explore possibilities of a combine lease arrangement with other users. ... Due to the uniqueness of this property, and in order to guarantee a comprehensive evaluation, we requested a second appraisal, which we anticipate receiving within the next few weeks."
While downtown parking remains at a premium, the county is bound by labor contracts to provide parking space to employees and had been leasing space at the city's concourse parking deck connected to the BMO Harris Bank Center. However, much of the deck has been deemed structurally unsound and county employees lost more than 100 parking spaces in June 2012 when the city shut down access to 369 parking spaces in the concourse.
The lack of parking became more acute when the city alerted the county of its discussions to raise its leased parking fees from $22 per month to at least $60 per month, which would increase the county's overall cost by $151,848 per year.
The former Hawk's Nest was purchased for $630,000 in 2005 by Church and Chestnut Development LLC, which is managed by Gasparini, attorney Paul S. Nicolosi and Scandroli Construction owner Carl Scandroli. All three have given money to Christiansen's campaign fund.
The county agreed to pay the Hawk's Nest owners $200,000 to demolish the restaurant and build the parking lot. The remaining $750,000 of the purchase price represents the property value according to an independent appraiser.
Unlike a traditional appraisal made on value comparisons of similar properties, the Hawk's Nest lot appraisal was based on hypothetical conditions — how much the property would be worth if it were a commercial parking lot leasing spaces at $53 per space, per month. That's the rate the county currently pays for parking. The appraisal further assumes the owner can earn $15 per space by charging rent during more than 70 events at the BMO Harris Bank Center each year.
"We were under the impression they do this all the time," finance committee chairman Ted Biondo said after the meeting.
"It would be like if I made my home a bed and breakfast. Because of the (projected) income, rather than the $140,000 it's worth, they give me $525,000, because eventually, you'll make income on that bed and breakfast. I thought that was how it was done in business, but apparently not.
"So we're going to change that process to make sure we have all the information beforehand."
The board has sold $3.8 million in bonds to pay for the $950,000 Hawk's Nest transaction, a $1.2 million acquisition of the Rosecrance Ware Center and its 105 parking spaces, $800,000 for manufacturer Excelsior's building and improvements to its property, $6,000 for a small lot south of the Criminal Justice Center, as well as other capital improvements.
The two-month extension on the closing of the Hawk's Nest deal is not expected to impact the other projects.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; firstname.lastname@example.com; @chrisfgreen


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Meeting Notes 2010 07 20
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Revision as of 02:47, 14 July 2010 by SpammerHellDontDelete (talk | contribs) (Created page with 'The 119th Meeting of Noisebridge == Crew == '''Get someone to grab the membership binder now. Get someone to take notes.''' * Moderator: * Note-Taker: == Agenda == === Intro…')
The 119th Meeting of Noisebridge
Get someone to grab the membership binder now. Get someone to take notes.
- Moderator:
- Note-Taker:
Introduction and Names
- Anyone new to the meeting/space should stand up and say something cool.
- What Noisebridge is about: We make stuff and so can you!
- A brief primer on consensus process: We agree and so should you!
Financial Report
Funds in bank:
Membership Binder
- Read off any names from the binder for the past month.
- Anyone up for join this week should introduce them selves then leave the area in search of gifts for the rest of the group.
What's Going On at Noisebridge
One short sentence about each of the following:
- Circuit Hacking Mondays (7PM, 2169)
- Python Mondays (6:30 PM, 2169)
- Linux system administration certification study group 3 PM to 6 PM (turing)
- Linux discussion group 6 PM to 8 PM (turing)
- SCoW craft group - Wednesdays at 7PM
- GameDevelopment - Wednesdays at 8PM, back from Berlin and 2010 class is in session
- Programming_for_Poets Gentle introduction to Processing; most Thursdays at 8 if !(5MoF)
- Linux system administration certification study group 3 PM to 6 PM (turing)
- Shop Friday still plans to come back when the shop is done.
- Sensebridge and the EEG group - Sundays at afternoonish (1-2ish) - come to try brain scanning
- Spacebridge - Sundays at 5PM planning meeting this Sunday to decide
- Knots, Go, and Locks! - Sundays 3PM
Project Updates
Consensus items
Discussion Items
End of Meeting
- PGP Key Signing could happen now, check the list to see who wants in on the action.
- Put back the membership binder.
- Save the meeting notes to the wiki.
- Send a copy of the meeting notes to the discussion list.
- Copy the Meeting Notes Template for next week's agenda and update the main wiki page's link to it.
- Enjoy a cocktail with your fellow hacker or robot.


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I finally had a chance to catch up with my usual source the other day. S/he has proved a bit skittish on the classified information since last year blew up so spectacularly. (Rumor has it that someone close to George is a recovering Anita Blake addict, unknown to LucasBooks, and when the word of Jaded Conquest trickled up The Maker himself squashed the book.)
Luckily for all of us, this next project is a great deal more G-rated.
The Jar Jar Binks Mysteries were originally conceived and outlined just before The Phantom Menace – and shelved in the wake of the Jar Jar backlash. Additionally, the Jar Jar Mysteries are in the running for a Clone Wars spinoff. "Dave Filoni is pushing for Ahsoka to star, but George is very keen on Jar Jar," my source says.


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The following op-ed was co-authored by Situationist contribtor Jon Hanson and a Situationist fellow. "In crisis, beware illusion of reform" was published in the Providence Journal.
* * *
IN CASE you missed it, global financial markets have been rocked by a series of unsettling events. The collapse of Lehman Brothers and the $700 billion government bailout package are only the latest in a string of shocks — a string that, if investors' worst fears are realized, represents the beginning of a much more dramatic unraveling of the global financial fabric.
Seven years ago, American markets were in similar turmoil. Such companies as Enron were using "aggressive accounting," "special-purpose entities" and other balance-sheet tricks to hide risks and represent themselves as healthier than they were.
The accounting scandals of the early 2000s and the reform that followed have much to teach us about our approach to the current crisis. Then, as now, the problem stemmed from convoluted financial instruments that few people could disentangle. Then, as now, corporate behemoths that had seemed invincible came crumbling down (Enron was the biggest bankruptcy in history until WorldCom, which was the biggest bankruptcy in history until Lehman Brothers).
Then, as now, virtually everyone agreed that a big part of the solution was to be found in some sort of additional regulation. Today, Barack Obama calls for "regulatory reform," while John McCain (a long-term proponent of deregulation) has called for "comprehensive regulations that will apply the rules and enforce them to the full."
It was that sort of regulatory impulse that, in Enron's aftermath, gave us the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("SOX"), which President Bush called the most far-reaching overhaul of America's business practices since the Great Depression.
Sure sounded promising. The latest bailouts and scandals will no doubt lead to similar reforms, some of which are already in the works. An important question, then, is what those reforms should be — a topic that will occupy many scholars, policymakers and commentators in the upcoming months.
Unfortunately, there is a good chance that those reforms will not have much long-term effect. The real risk is that we get the illusion of reform, not meaningful, substantive and lasting reform. Calls for change come loudly when a crisis rears its head. Inevitably, however, the fervor fades, as workaday duties, dentist appointments, American Idol and the pennant races distract the public and, in turn, policymakers.
While the rest of us turn to other matters, the regulated entities themselves will maintain a steady focus on one question: existing regulations and how to weaken them.
In the aftermath of Enron and WorldCom, corporations, to maintain their legitimacy, initially expressed outrage and wholeheartedly supported new regulations. Members of the Business Roundtable were "appalled, angered and, finally, alarmed" about the problem. President Bush was right, in their view, to berate the bad-apple business executives and to call for more rigorous regulatory standards for all. "We must and will be at the forefront of supporting these reforms," the Roundtable concluded.
Riding the wave of that consensus, lawmakers took a series of steps, patted themselves on the back, and moved onto other matters, and we all assumed the problem was solved. With that, what had been implicit resistance turned to explicit pressure from the business community to minimize and undo the "reform."
Consequently, the post-Enron reforms never lived up to the post-Enron rhetoric, and the regulatory teeth that Sarbanes-Oxley initially flashed have been blunted by pro-business revisions. Some provisions never made it into SOX, such as a requirement that lawyers report to the Securities and Exchange Commission if a company's board failed to respond to warnings about misconduct.
Other provisions exist only on paper, such as Section 404's "assessment of internal controls," the compliance date for which has been repeatedly delayed (for nonaccelerated filers) and now stands at Dec. 15, 2009. The Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, with the blessing of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and in the name of "U.S. competitiveness," has promoted several reforms that make it harder for companies to be sued and more difficult for the SEC and others to regulate.
The committee's members include heavy hitters from the world of business and finance, including Thomas A. Russo, the vice chairman and chief legal officer of Lehman Brothers.
If history is any guide, the same sort of dynamic will unfold this time around. The reforms that we see will be largely procedural, not substantive — check this, sign that, certify here, jump a hoop there — and they will not fundamentally change the situation that produced this crisis. The reform will look sweeping, because it will be broad-based and ballyhooed as "tough." Soon enough, the business elite will complain that, indeed, it is too tough. We will learn that small-business owners and entrepreneurs, not to mention Fortune 500 firms, are being tangled and tripped up in overregulation and needless compliance costs.
The mantra of "markets good, regulation bad" and the primacy of shareholders will return. Erstwhile concerns about third parties — such as the taxpayers who are bailing out companies — will gradually be eclipsed by claims that those very groups are the most harmed by the new regime. After all, these burdensome regulations go too far and "hurt American competitiveness," "drive business, jobs and tax revenues overseas," "increase costs for consumers," and so forth.
Such is the "law of unintended consequences," which apparently applies to only regulations and regulators, never markets.
The reform, which might look promising initially, will be rolled back, whittled away and watered down (corporate lobbyists are already positioning themselves to grab a piece of the $700 billion bailout).
That's the thing about illusions: What appears to exist doesn't. To address the financial crisis, regulatory reform is certainly needed. But no less important will be mechanisms for girding those regulations against the influence of the regulated. Beware the illusion of reform.
* * *
For a related Situationist post, see "The Situation of Illusion."