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I described the new Access UI in this post and this post way back in March. Now I'll run through how you program the ribbon UI using VBA. In a future post (we're still working out the content) I'll do another post on how to do the same thing using macros (so the app will run in disabled mode).
The ribbon UI presents a ton of new flexibility for us creating Access and for you building apps on top of Access that wasn't there before. As described in the posts on the ribbons, there are a lot of new control types that can be placed in the ribbon, and there's much more flexibility about how they are presented. The downside to this additional flexibility is that the ribbons are more complex to create than the old command bars. Building ribbons isn't beyond the reach of any successful Access user today, but it will take some more work. The upside is that the end product can be significantly better.
Here's an example of an application with a customized ribbon UI:
(Click image to enlarge)
The app has a rich set of controls, including a dropdown to let different users log on:
And of course after each user logs on, you can fire code to both update the contents of the ribbon itself and to take actions inside the application. Here is an example of the changes to the ribbon itself:
The application can have multiple tabs, just as Access does, and the user switches between them just as in the regular Access ribbons. Here's the Form ribbon:
In addition, custom ribbons can use the full range of controls available in Access. Here's an example of a dropdown button on the Reports tab:
And an alternate split button presentation for the same data:
Controls on the ribbons can how have "Super Tooltips" (not sure if that is the real name?). These are extra large tooltips containing more, and richer information than the command bar style tooltips, but that launch in just the same way.
There are 5 steps to customizing the ribbons:
The ribbon definition is a simple XML file and can be easily created in any text editor, but if you're using Microsoft Visual Basic.NET 2005 Express Edition or Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition, you can get IntelliSense for your code. Visual Web Developer looks something like this:
You can point it at the custom ribbon schema at http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/01/customui and VWD should pick up the correct file, which is called customUI.xsd. Alternately, you can download the file from http://officeblogs.net/UI/customUI.xsd.
This enables VWD to provide type-ahead IntelliSense for the correct ribbon xml.
You can see the XML file for the sample application we're building by clicking here. The contents of the file are:
Next, you need to write the routines that are called by the ribbon when an action is performed. Here's what to keep in mind when writing these routines:
In many cases, you can use a single routine for many events. For example, you might have a single subroutine that handles opening forms in your database using button controls in the ribbon. The tag attribute in the button can be used to store the name of the form, and the generic routine simply opens that form name. For example, such a routine might look like this:
Public Sub onOpenForm(control as IRibbonControl)
' Open the form which is specified in the tag attribute
DoCmd.OpenForm control.Tag
End Sub
' Cached copy of the RibbonUI. Used to invalidate the ribbon to
' refresh controls.
Public gobjRibbon As IRibbonUI
' customUI onLoad event handler
Public Sub onRibbonLoad(ribbon As IRibbonUI)
' cache a copy of the Ribbon so we can refresh later
Set gobjRibbon = ribbon
' Then, to refresh the entire ribbon, call:
You can look at the macros in this example database to get a better idea of the code to write.
Simply create a table in your database called USysRibbons. This table should have 2 columns:
The table should looks something like this:
Now simple create a record for each ribbon you'd like to create in the table above. Note that this is already done in the image above.
Next, you go to the Access Options dialog and under Toolbar Options, choose the ribbon for the selected object. Again, you can see these settings most easily in the attached database.
Here are a few general things to remember:
For additional resources take a look at these sites:
The next post will be the first of several drilling down into using Access in conjunction with Windows SharePoint Services.
Comments: (46) Collapse
While an original skeptic and still eagerly anticipate better documentation I found this to be true for myself. A couple hours reading and playing, I have been able to start my custom ribbon. I work for a large corporation and we only deploy runtime so I basically have "Data Entry" and "Reporting" that uses MS standard controls (but not all of them) and usually all I need after that it is "Navigation" and finally "Administation". I am trying to get these all on one tab but each will have it's own group. I have not got far enough to see what this will all look like once I standardize the control size (I dislike the LARGE, I write business apps and not edutainment) but am switching my view to cautiously optimistic.
Access Items: 1) Auto repeat on forms, reports
2) Color scheme
3) Switch file, QAT has some icons twice
4) Recent files not shown until you close the current file.
5) Nav pane - toggle (completely) on F11, or way to hide it; have options for tabs like old style (too hard to find stuff); have detail in columns like the old way
6) When you change window option it doesn't update until you close and open. 6/1206 Well, once again I strongly agree with Alex. I installed the new beta last week. I really like some of the features. PDF is great, sorting and filtering in reports is awesome, I can see where tabs could be nice. And I think the Ribbons interface works very nicely in Word and Excel. Overall, however, from strictly a developer perspective, I must say, I am disappointed. I apologize if I am misinformed on some of the following points. If there is a workaround on any of these, please enlighten me. As expressed in some of the other threads, there are too many things I am "forced" to comply with in the new version. If someone wants ribbons, that's fine, but why I am forced to NOT used standard menus and a standard (classic) Windows interface? For an end user that is just using the application (not developing), the interface simply doesn't work! (My understanding is that custom menus ONLY work with Access 2003 versions? Couldn't get them to work in Access 2002 versions. Not good!). I really don't like the Navigation Pane. The old tabbed version was much easier to navigate and understand. I miss the multiple columns in detail view! Its been said many times, but I am compelled to say it again. Sharepoint and/or SQL Server is usually NOT an alternative for a custom Access solution. People use Access as a mid point solution between Excel and SQL; the idea is to AVOID the high cost of a server solution when client server functionality is not needed for a particular solution. And finally...per the post of Alex..is the security issue! SO IMPORTANT! And so ignored in Access. Its nice to have the functionality of using Sharepoint and SQL, but to offer it as the solution to security just doesn't cut it! I now see there really is NO end user security model (I guess it was stated in earlier posts, I was in denial). Why can't this be an option?? The old security model was really very good, but totally ruined by the crackability of SYSTEM.MDW. PLEASE...make this an option, with strong encryption of passwords. It would be SO simple to implement, and by making it optional, even if defaulted to off, wouldn't we have best of both worlds for users across the board, as well as developers? Are we developers beating a dead horse? Seems our ilk raise the same issues here over and over again, and quite honestly they seem to be pretty much ignored. If things aren't going to change, please level with us now and just dish it out directly. I for one am getting much more involved in Dot Net. As amazing and powerful as Dot Net is, there is still no beating Access for its RAD capabilities (and, BTW, performance!). If things don't change in A12, I'll just bid my fond farewell and uninstall the Office 12 Beta. An equally unhappy StepUP. --------- 7/12 Erik, Thanks for responding to my post today on the blog. I have been so upset with a few issues relating to the new version that I have not really proceeded with any testing of the new features. I really think the user level security issue will be a sore point for many other developers like myself, as well as users. I simply do not understand why it can't be included as an OPTION, rather than the only option being "use SQL or Sharepoint if security is a concern". Access IMO has always had a good security model, but it has been rendered essentially worthless by the weak encryption of passwords. Also, not allowing menus as an OPTION leaves me clueless, especially when other Office 12 products still use menus! I have been developing Access app for over 13 years. SQL or Sharepoint would simply not be a possibility for most of my end user customers. The reason they went with Access in the first place for their applications was because it was a low cost alternative with minimal management requirements. You are shutting out this type of user if they require even minimal security in their apps. Many government agencies and larger companies will no longer use Access for this reason. I surely understand that it could not have the level of security of a SQL Server, but it COULD be made quite secure, and quite easily, by Microsoft. I have a retail product that I sell, written with Access XP. You are more or less killing Access retail products without these options available. I DO NOT want an end user seeing ribbons! I want to have the choice of presenting a standard Windows interface, which everyone that uses a computer pretty much understands. Again, why can't these be optional? Why not include standard features, that already exist, for those that want to use them? If you feel that you have no influence in passing these concerns on to Microsoft management, would it be possible to direct them elsewhere through other channels? As great as many of the new features in Access are, if the status of some of these core issues is not changed, I will be abandoning the product as a developer. I believe you will see a similar trend with other developers as well, based on the concerns expressed in the blog. Thanks for listening. Regards, John Fitz
StepUP Consulting --------- You bet, and thanks for being an enthusiastic Access user! I'd encourage you to play with the application. I believe you'll find a lot of things to like, and you may find that I've done a bad job of describing the things you're concerned about and they may actually work fine for you. Access 12 does have strong encryption of passwords and does a great job of encoding databases - this is all significantly improved over Access 2003. An encrypted Access database is reasonably secure on the user's machine (in fact the user can swap out our encryption for any that they choose and make it arbitrarily secure). User-level security is another story. I assure you that we didn't remove the feature lightly, and had a number of really smart people think about the problem for a long time, and still fail to figure out a solution. The challenge is we can't figure out how to make user level security secure. I'm sorry that I can't go into the details here, but the general problem is that it is impossible to decrypt only part of the database. Since we can't make it secure, we're really doing users a disservice by calling it user level security. I understand that it created a speed bump for users wanting to see other data, but it didn't provide sufficient security. We couldn't ship it without it being secure, and we couldn't make it secure. Making it an option is simply the same problem again. As far as the ribbons, there's no reason your app has to show the ribbon. If you've replaced Access's toolbars with your own in XP, they'll carry forward unchanged to Access 12. We actually think the ribbon is a significant improvement (and have a whole lot of user data to support this) but if you'd like to use your existing command bars, they should carry forward just fine. Thanks again for your long-term usage of the product and for sharing your concerns with Access 12. They definitely help us make the product better and we really appreciate the time and effort you've shown. Thanks,
Erik Rucker
Group Program Manager, Access --------- 7/14 Erik, Again thanks for the reply. Please allow me to address some of your points purely from a developer's perspective. I see many of the new features in Access being directed to the end user, and that is fine. If a non-programmer type of user wants to develop an application, many of these features will be a great help. But here is what I have found in my 13 years of working with Access. End users are very limited in going beyond just the basics of developing a true relational database app. Even with some of the nice new templates that are in A12, as soon as new functionality is required (and of course, that ALWAYS happens), they pretty much make a mess of things. You can't expect a non-technical person to understand normalized database structure, or write VBA code. The new macro capabilities are nice, but we all know that coding is simply required to do a lot of more advanced stuff. I have made a business in large part of fixing Access apps, built by end users, that were broken or causing major problems. Ribbons? I think they work great in Word (better than great...awesome!), but for an end user that is not doing development...well, IMO, just confusing and a waste of screen space. Yes, they don't have to be displayed and that is great. But again, why TAKE AWAY the ability to show a custom menu? This is just completely baffling to me. Also, did I miss something? The docmd.showtoolbar is no longer available in macros, although it IS in code. Also, I can do CommandBars("MyCustom").Visible=True. But they only show within an "Add In" tab. Why?? Again, its a big waste of space. As for some of the other new features:
-Email forms....nice, but I've been doing emails with merge and file attachment capabilities via CDO for years.
-PDF...nice, also been doing that with code for quite some time.
-Advanced filtering...yes, this one I like. But again, I've done some really cool things in filtering with custom shortcut menus, and have had the ability to filter reports from an interface since 2.0 (I DO very much like the in report filtering though). And many more examples. People have complained that Access hasn't really progressed since A97. I say..that is great! Its a great testament to just how powerful an app Access really is, once you know how to tap into its power (much of that is via VBA, with the abilities to declare Windows APIs). Now as for security...the points you make about it, and what I am looking for, I think are 2 different things. You said "the general problem is that it is impossible to decrypt only part of the database". Why I would like to see has nothing to do with that. I am talking about just 1 thing : strong encryption in System.mdw. THAT is what is severely broken in the security model, and to fix that, it seems to me, would be a no-brainer. A critical part of many of my apps is the ability to control, by user or group, who-can-see-what (i.e. accounting can see XYZ report, but can't edit its data). WHY TAKE THIS AWAY? Its SUCH a fundamental part of any decent data application. I plan on getting back into Beta 2 now. Forgive me if some of my concerns are due to lack of understanding or knowledge of the new version. Please reconsider some of the se fundamental issues that are critical to the developer community. After all, without the developer, Access would certainly not me where it is today..the most popular desktop DB in the world. Thanks, John Fitz
StepUP Consulting 7/17 Thanks for the explanation on security, but again I'd have to say we are talking 2 different worlds here. In most apps that I deploy, I don't give a hoot about database encryption. Basically, with no ability to restrict access to data, forms or reports, using an Access 12 format for a custom app becomes a total deal breaker for me. Every system that I have ever used or seen, no matter the environment, employs some kind of user identification to enforce security. So if a client refuses to go the SQL or Sharepoint route I have to say to them that Access 2007 is out of the question. The following comments on Garry Robinson's blog from developers reiterate some of my concerns: ----------------------------------------------------------------
-I love Access but currently feel a little gloomy about the future. Access is being dumbed-down. Microsoft said Access 12 would be much easier for novice users - then don't make it part of Vanilla Office. Most users will therefore use Excel rather than trying Access anyway. MDB seem to be an endangered species. ACE will not support user-level security or replication. These were powerful features. Why didn't Microsoft beef up User Level security and replication rather than ditch it (unless it's to force us to use SQL Server as a back end). Access is brilliant for the SME environments I develop application for. I find .NET unfriendly and backward, much less 4GL than VBA, and I don't want to use SQL Server as a backend for most applications. For one thing, some clients will not allow SQL Server on their networks. For another, the extra development time will push my costs up. The much-hyped extra functionality with SharePoint is surplus for most of my clients too. -I find it difficult to comment on this loss of workgroup security apart from saying that I am very concerned. There is very little information on what is happening. We know we are losing it, but all we have heard is that there is a beefed up database password. There is new navigation stuff being built in, but does this mean no-one can get at, say, the Connect property of a linked table? Assuming, perhaps wrongly, that this version of the database password mechanism won't be cracked (unlike previous versions), it gives just the one level of access to the database. In previous versions, developers used user-level security because the one level afforded by a database password was insufficient.
Two questions for Microsoft (asked elsewhere but no reply received):
1) Why are you removing an important feature that has been in the product since the start? I thought MS were hot on security now.
2) If I have misunderstood what is happening, why, oh why won't anyone at MS tell us how to bring at least a modicum of security to the way we work at least 90% of the time, i.e. with an MDB/ACEDB back end (I'm assuming SQL Server and Sharepoint back ends manage to reach something like 10% of the total)? The other stuff in this next version of Access looks really good to me, but this security thing has got me really worried. If it is not done properly, the new Access becomes just a whizzy toy (unless your customer can pay the extra for a SQL Server or Sharepoint back end. Many will not.) -With the loss of User security and replication, I see little reason to upgrade myself or clients. My clients do not want the added cost of SQL Server, (most are clients with 5 to 50 users and a shared data MDB on the server works just fine), and I make extensive use of user/group managed security to manage the applications. As an Access programmer since v1.1,I am tired of MS constantly forcing radical change requiring TOTAL rewriting of applications, simply to produce incompatibility with previous versions and forcing users to upgrade. MS has been kicking the Access community like an old can. -I have been considering upgrading an Access 97 project for some time, but it relies heavily on user level security to allow groups of users varying read and write access. With the possibility of needing to completely re write these areas the attraction of Access diminishes! -The missing user-level security in the new Access 2007 turns out to be a big issue for me as well. I have no way of joining a workgroup file I created, and thus when trying to open one of our databases, I just get an error message saying I don't have enough permissions. It seems to me that Microsoft doesn't want people to get away with developing serious database systems with Access. They'd rather have you purchase a SQL Server license, I suppose... I'm rolling back to 2003. -I've been having a play with Beta 2 and it appears to me that security is just about dead in Access 2007. Even with the Navigation Pane set to restrict access to database objects, you can still get to all of them by opening another database and using GetObject to hook into your so-called secure database. For example, any linked table is easy to get at and alter the data. I have done it with a front end linked to an Access back end, but would think the same thing would be true for a front end linked to SQL Server (and Sharepoint?). So that means Access with linked tables has no security. Oh joy.
The only thing that comes to my mind to get round this is to use stored procedures for all data access (if you have SQL Server as your back end and more time on your hands than most people), make all your forms unbound (again, time consuming) or bind your forms to a DAO or ADO recordset built from inline SQL opening up a password-protected Access back end or server database. Don't bother storing queries in the front end as they are wide open too. -Being yet another developer since v1.1 I have applications that rely on workgroup security. Why can't MS provide a simple method of locking users from the "guts" of the system? Stop users accessing tables directly for a start in an MDE, then we can control user access via code simply enough. My users can not afford to implement MSSQL nor do I have the time to redevelop apps. (I'd love to, but it's not going to happen). MS needs to support the many developers who develop for small/medium sized business for whom Access provided a very cost effective solution. Sharepoint? Who cares? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Erik, as to your comment that ".. given our stature as a company, it is legally nuts for us to ship something like ULS that isn't actually secure", I don't really get that one, since this has been a known problem in Access for many years, yet I have never heard of any prior legal ramifications of it to date. As for menus, you stated "The only alternative would be to resurrect all the old, but of course that UI is (a) gone, and (b) missing all the new or modified functionality which makes up most of the app. So this would be a huge effort and the result would be a worse user experience (again, since all of our data shows that the ribbon really is a significant improvement)." If that is true, why is the "Old UI" still in the 2007 versions of Outlook, InfoPath and Publisher? I disagree with your assessment, I think another alternative would be to have the new UI as the DEFAULT, but give the user (and developer) the OPTION of using the standard Windows interface. Why is it a huge effort to keep something that is already there? Can you imagine the backlash if Microsoft decreed that .Net developers could not add menus to their UI, only ribbons? Isn't the art and profession of programming and custom application development all about options? It always has been for me, in fact its really why I have been in business for the past 13 years. Whereas most canned software can only fulfill 80% of a user's needs, with Access I almost always can say to a customer "Yes, we can do that". With some crucial options in the the new version being taken out, this will no longer be the case, and that is sad. I know you guys are working really hard on the new version and have done a great job in many respects. But with some of these fundamental issues, I really feel you are going to short circuit the evolution of Access being a premier development tool going forward. Thanks, John Fitz
StepUP Consulting 7/18 UA Forum I'm curious as to how many people, particularly developers, are aware of the new "security" model in Access 12? User level security (ULS) has been removed from the new version of Access. Replication has also been taken out. Many people know that security in Access has been broken for a long time, mostly because passwords in the database and workgroup file can be easily cracked. But I have always thought that the security model in Access was a really good one for a local, file based database. Seems to me it could be fixed, or at least considerably shored up, easily by Microsoft with stronger encryption. Why this was never done has always baffled me. So what is Microsoft's "fix" for this situation? Just TAKE ULS OUT, and replace it with the "Trust Center" model. Now, you can no longer restrict access to objects in the database by user or group. Its pretty much an all or nothing scenario with this new model. The standard response to this concern in the Access 12 blog has been that, if security is a key concern, then SQL Server or Sharepoint should be used on the back end. I simply do not understand the thinking here. What secure system does NOT employ some kind of user identification? Seems to me that the intent with the new version is to simplify Access for the end user, but in doing so they have removed a great deal of capability to do customization in an application. How many people are aware that you can not have menus in Access 12? You can still have toolbars, but they are placed with a ribbon tab. Maybe some people will love "Ribbons" (I really DO like them in Word and Excel), but to force them on an end user is kind of..well...crazy. Why not leave in the OPTION to have a standard Window interface? Why not have the OPTION to use the existing Access security model and just fix the "crackability" of the security model? I would like to carry this further, perhaps make an appeal to Microsoft in some way. I have been in contact with Erik Rucker, Program Manager of the Access development team. The team has worked really hard on the new release, and many of the new features are really very nice. Erik has been very gracious in explaining the thinking behind the decisions on interface design and security. But to me, as a long time Access developer, I think some of their decisions will have a real adverse effect, particularly on developers. You thoughts please. 7/25 "You must consult who REALLY develops application with Access, before working on the new releases of product." I agree with that sentiment. Supposedly, developers WERE part of the early testing groups, but I find it hard to believe that there was a true representation of folks who are really serious developers. I can not imagine any developer, especially those that do it for a living like myself, who would be happy with options being taken away and crippling some of the great capabilities of past versions of Access, in spite of some of the new cool features. BTW, another thing that I am not happy with is the basic look of the forms. I guess these XP theme styled type of forms are OK with many people but I prefer the classic Windows form style. I like a basic, clean look that uses screen real estate efficiently. AGAIN and AGAIN I have been asking myself, why take away this and other options?? Yes, Access is an end user tool, but it also is a SERIOUS development tool. Developers want options, so they can develop in whatever style they choose. As someone in this thread pointed out, can you imagine the reaction if Visual Studio developers were forced to use Ribbons and could not fully control the look and feel of there apps? A second BTW: I followed the steps outlined earlier in this thread for removing the ribbons, but it did not work. Anyone else try this? 7/31 AA I wonder how many developers are following the Access 12 blog (blogs.msdn.com/.../default.aspx). Certainly some of the items in the wish list have been addressed. I like the new filtering capabilities, especially in reports. A layout view for forms and reports is nice. A Totals row in datasheets is pretty neat. However, overall I am very disappointed in what I have seen so far in Access 2007. It looks like the thrust of the new features is to "dumb down" Access, I guess in an attempt to attract more end users who might otherwise try to build an Excel worksheet to hold their data. In doing this, however, they have taken away a good deal of flexibility in this new version. In the new format (.accdb) there will be: -The new Office 2007 "Ribbon" UI which takes up a whole lot of extra screen real estate, and which has NO visual tool for modifying it (It can be modified through a complicated process of creating an XML file, using VBA code and creating a "USysRibbons" table in the app). -No User Level Security. The standard answer in the blog for questions about ULS is that if you require security in your application, use SQL or Sharepoint on the backend. You will no longer be able to restrict rights based on user or group for tables, queries, forms and reports. Many people know that security in Access has been broken for a long time, mostly because passwords in the database and workgroup file can be easily cracked. But I have always thought that the security model in Access was a really good one for a local, file based database. Seems to me it could be fixed, or at least considerably shored up, easily by Microsoft with stronger encryption. Why this was never done has always baffled me. So what is Microsoft's "fix" for this situation? Just TAKE ULS OUT, and replace it with the "Trust Center" model. -No replication -No menus -No support for independent toolbars (toolbars can be displayed with a "Ribbon" tab) -A "Navigation" pane which replaces the database window, but which can not display object names, descriptions and dates in separate columns, and can only be docked or hidden. -A UI that currently only has 2 color choices (I believe they are going to add additional ones) and which shows windows only in an XP, theme type style. 08/11/06 I'm glad to see someone from the Access development community speaking out here. I'll say it again...I can not believe that there is not a tool to customize the ribbons. Mike stated that "Unless Microsoft really digs in and fully supports the developer community with documentation and examples that really explain how to create and customize ribbons, ribbons will never be accepted by developers". I would add that they will not be well accepted by end users either. Most "power" users and many everyday users of previous Office versions customize their toolbars to suit their particular needs. When you create an entire new UI and don't have the ability to customize it, aren't you defeating the purpose of a better UI in the first place? And for a true developer tool (i.e. Access) to not have the OPTION to use either ribbons or standard menus and toolbars is outrageous, IMO. Clint, you mentioned that "After using Access 2007 for the 1.5 years to build all our templates--I couldn't stand to go back using 2003 because the new product is so much easier to use". Could you please be more specific and how HOW you find it so much easier to use? I am honestly making an effort to work with the new version, and just don't see it. For me, the ribbons are just in the way during the development process. They take up far too much space and don't react as I would like them to. I was never a fan of templates, so years ago I built my own templates and code to go along with them, so the new templates are pretty much useless to me. I guess the auto-format is OK, but again using my templates, I already have forms and reports formatted the way I want them to be. The Nav pane is, well, a Pain. I have seen the same complaints about it again and again. At the risk of being redundant...why not have the OPTION to display the database window as in the older versions? The coding IDE is pretty much unchanged (thank goodness!) so there is no gain there. I DO like the layout view, especially in reports. But other than that, again from a developers standpoint, I find it actually more difficult to work in the new version. I am very surprised that there are not more comments from the developer community about Access 2007. I can only guess that developers have already in large part abandoned Access, and if that is true in perhaps it is because the have given up on known issues like security, or have seen the new version and do not want to be so severely restricted in their development options. Mike, I have been an Advisor subscriber for years and have always enjoyed your articles. What kind of feedback are you guys getting about A12?
Ooopppsss....sorry I inadvertently copied my entire text file of Access posts and notes to the last thread. Well, maybe it will make for some good reading by anyone who is interested. For anyone who is NOT interested, please skip down to the section after todays (8/11/06) date. :)
Well, so far people are pleased that Microsoft is paying so much attention to Access. Really -- people love the stuff they're finding, like the new capabilities to search and sort datasheet view, the ability to create custom Navigation Pane groups, the report "layout view" -- those are exactly what a lot of people have been wanting. The main issues are the removal of user-level security, replacing toolbars & menus with the ribbon, and (to a lesser extent) the loss of replication. Many people are finding that Access 2007 really doesn't care what version of data file you open (MDB, MDE, ACCDB, etc), so people who really need ULS can just continue using their existing MDBs and have it all.
Even then, however, they have to deal with ribbons. Because there's no support for 'traditional' toolbars & menus in '07, they'll have to do something like use forms to build a good menuing system for the MDBs they run under '07.
My concern, and I'm sure we share it equally, is that a segment of Access developers will decide that '07 isn't worth the upgrade if they end up running their old MDBs under '07, and lose their toolbars and menus in the process. The question is how large that segment is.
I just wish there was a -painless- upgrade for menus and toolbars (BTW: Today I'm picking on the ribbon because that's the chapter I'm writing this week!) -- you know, a tool that'd analyze the command bars in an Access MDB, build the equivalent XML, etc. -- essentially do it all.
I'll tell you the #1 off-putting thing for Access developers: A Microsoft guy (or gal!) opening Visual Studio.NET to compose the XML for an Access ribbon. I heard numerous guffaws and complaints at the April Advisor conference about that one. The fact that there's no acceptable XML editor built into Access is a biggie for a lot of people. I've begun using the "Visual Web Developer 2005 Express" for composing the XML -- now, THAT'S a smart XML editor! But, please, stop using Visual Studio.NET for building XML in demos -- it makes it look as though .NET is a requirement for customizing ribbons!
Also, I finally figured out that "USysRibbons" is a magical table name -- the MSDN article that discusses "LoadCustomUI" is, apparently, out of date. Just adding USysRibbons table is enough to get Beta 2 to pick up custom ribbons. Apparently, you do not have to use LoadCustomUI as documented in Frank Rice's MSDN article (msdn2.microsoft.com/.../ms406046.aspx).
"Building ribbons isn't beyond the reach of any successful Access user today, but it will take some more work." Beyond overstatement, this is complete misstatement. Customizing menus and toolbars was completely accessible to the end user. This is an affordance for developers who use Access, not for Access users. I am sure developers will love it. Many IT folks will love it. If for no other reason than that it makes the user more dependant on their expertise. No amount of puffery can disguise the fact that user customization has been completely deprecated in Office 2007, except of course for the all-important choice of color scheme.
Thanks for the update Mike. I find it interesting that you stated that "the ability to create custom Navigation Pane groups" was something that developers wanted (I assume you are referring to developers?). I really don't get that one. The only thing I ever wanted for the database window (now Nav pane) is a permission to disallow end users from viewing it. Of course, since there are no longer "permissions", its kind of a moot point. I really am not a fan of the Nav pane. I wish it wasn't docked, and also wish it had the capability to display columns like the old database window. I'd love to see a poll in Advisor as to what people like and dislike in the Access 2007 beta.
Some time ago I ran an article titled "Access Wish List" (or something like that) and invited people to add their own wishes to a blog on the Advisor site (my.advisor.com/.../13958). Over the last year and a half this article has picked up about 150 responses (Advisor only posts the last 30 or so). One of the more frequently-requested "wishes" was the ability to add a custom group to the Database Window, and add all different types of objects (tables, queries, forms) to it. You could, for instance, put all the "Data Entry" objects into one group, and all the "Reporting" objects into another. And, even though you add an object (like a table) to a group, it still appears along with all the other tables when you view by object type.
Access 2007 supports grouping -- you can add custom groups and add any type of object you want to it. Right-click on the Nav Pane's header and select "Navigation Options". The left side is "Categories" (which I haven't quite figured out!) and the right side is groups. Use the Add Group button to add a group, then when you return to the Nav Pane, use the Navigate to Category>Custom to show the group you created. You can then drag and drop from the "Show All" list to your group.
It's not the most intuitive interface -- I would have preferred a simple right-click on the Nav Pane, then select "Add Group" or something, but the current design works.
Most Access apps are so small developers don't need groupiing, but not too long ago I heard about a massive Access app used by the St Louis Airport that has over 2,000 database objects in it (I haven't any idea why he hasn't broken this out into smaller front-ends!). You can see the value of logically grouping objects in this size of application. It's cool that it lets you put dissimilar objects into each group -- that keeps all the "functionally" related items together. You know how hard it is, sometimes, to know which queries go with which forms and reports -- this is, at least, one way to group these objects. (Personally, I believe logical grouping is better done with a strong prefix naming convention but I like how the Nav Pane groups things.
Viewing an object's details in the Nav Pane is a real PITA -- I still have discovered how you can easily tell which form is newer than some other form. I really wish the Nav Pane supported columns so we could see modification and creation dates easily. Or, perhaps a tool to quickly generate a datasheet view of objects and their primary properties for maintenance purposes?
I've some Access applications with a "main" Menu Bar AND a ToolBar with the more common options. How I make to obtain the same one, with Access 2007?
>> I would have preferred a simple right-click on the Nav >> Pane, then select "Add Group" or something In custom groups you can multiselect objects and right click and choose Add to group | Group names. There is also a way to create new groups. >> I still have discovered how you can easily tell which >> form is newer than some other form. I really wish the >> Nav Pane supported columns so we could see >> modification and creation dates easily. There is a grouping option for Created Date and Last Modified date. These options should make it easier to see what objects were recently changed. Also, if you right click on the header there is a View | Details option. We don't list them in a table but with the grouping headers the objects should start falling out into nicely grouped buckets. I also find the search bar makes it really easy to find specific objects (especially, if you are using a naming convention).
Mike, I just read your Advisor article on Access 2007. Nice job on summarizing the new features, and I was glad to see your comments about the Ribbon interface and removal of ULS and replication. I posted a comment to your article and hope other Advisor readers will do the same. I would love to see a rallying of developers who are as concerned as I am about what is being done to Access 2007. I say..lets start a movement to save Access!!!
Thanks for the tip, Clint! I hadn't noticed the 'grouping' shortcut. Office 12 makes good use of right-clicks. I haven't worked enough with the Search Bar to discover all its options, but I like it a lot, especially for large projects.
I'd still like a "list view" of db object details, though. I'm sure FMS or someone will create an add-in to provide that sort of lookup.
StepUP: Thanks for the compliment on the article! Initially I started out to show how many of the reader "wish" responses had made it into Access 2007, but quickly ran out of space. It goes without saying that a lot of suggestions didn't make it into Access 2007, but a ton of other new things made it. So, I reduced the piece to "10 features" -- not even, necessarily, a "top 10" list.
My hunch is that we'll see a ribbon customization tool for Access before too long -- Clint & Erik's comments make it clear they understand the need for a way to graphically customize ribbons. Clearly, using the "Add In" ribbon to support legacy toolbars & menus is a compromise. I'm sure we'd all rather have an intelligent conversion tool that'd reproduce toolbars and menus as 'real' ribbons.
I'm with you on ULS, though. Microsoft is focusing exclusively on data security by suggesting we look to SQL Server and Sharepoint as security vehicles. The suggestion that we use a database password to secure Access application fails to address the need to secure different portions of an app from different segements of users. The only real solution is to stick with the 2000/2003 format MDB, which sort of defeats the reason to migrate to Access 2007. I don't know what it is about the ACCDB format that makes ULS and replication so difficult. After all, security and data exchange are two fundamental operations (and requirements) in database systems.
Mike, I agree with your assessment on ULS 100%. Having permissions on individual objects has always one of the key features I use in my apps, in spite of the security flaws. I would have no problem writing my own security structure within an application, but that is rendered pretty much useless with the all or nothing "Trust Center" model as I understand it. If anyone can think of a way to make individual objects secure with the new design, I'd love to hear it. As it stands now, I see no reason to upgrade to Access 2007 from a developer perspective. Clint stated that he finds it far easier to develop apps in 2007, but I have been at a loss to find this to be the case, with the exception of layout view in reports. Taking away ULS, menus and toolbars, and replication is far too big of a price to pay for some of other feautures that have been added.
I know the title of this thread is "Customizing the New Access UI", but there has been quite a bit of discussion about the non-repairing of User Level Security (ULS) with the new Access 2007 file format, which is, for me, a huge issue. You may be interested in a thread over at UtterAccess.com where Brent Spaulding and I (Alan Cossey) have been trying to set up a method to get back to this. At present our method is just stopping users from access data in tables and queries directly (we hope!) and we have not got down to specifying who can use what forms and reports. That latter part could be done in a variety of ways, e.g. checking the user's Windows ID with code, and so we are not looking at that bit. For us the most important bit is that we think we are getting some control back by stopping the user from getting at tables and queries directly. The basic idea is to open a connection (via a class so that the connection is not public) to the tables or queries in a separate database using code with that database's password embedded in the code, then open our form or report, then close the connection. It seems that if this is done, the user can use this particular form or report OK, but they can't open other forms or reports from the Navigation Pane. Since this involves security, we may well have missed something and there may be a huge hole in our thinking, which we hope someone will find before we put too much faith in this method. Hopefully, however, we are heading down the right track and would be interested in people's thoughts.
Note we have assumed that the user will be able to always get to the Navigation Pane and see what forms and reports are in the front end. The thread is at www.utteraccess.com/.../showflat.php
I'm a part time and amateur developer responsible for an Access based system for thirty guys who work from my HO and from remote offices. I find Access 2007 (Beta 2) an exciting opportunity to roll out solutions I have needed for some time (easy access to sharepoint being the main one). I love the new ribbon but I need to have custom icons displayed depending on the data. I have tried everything to get them and the closest I can get is a non-tranparent image! I've done it using .Net and directly in Word or Excel. Anyone got a simple solution (without using .Net) or is this coming in Beta 2 TR or the release version?
Can anyone tell me where to find the names for each option/menu that can be disabled or enabled in a customized application? I try to get rid of the top form tab where user can right-click, even if the right-click is disabled on the form. Very annoying.
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For those of you who don't know it, I am a huge advocate of desktop virtualisation. If you read a previous article, then you may know of Parallels Desktop. Parallels Desktop is a tool that is considered to be one of the best solutions for you to create and run Windows installations on the mac in a virtual machine.
Earlier on today, Parallels released Parallels Desktop 7 for the mac. It is faster and better than its predecessor(Parallels Desktop 6). On top of that you can buy, download and install Windows 7 into a virtual machine right from within parallels. In addition to this, the new version of this application supports Mac OSX Lion. Not only that but it also allows you to run OSX Lion inside a Virtual Machine. As before, you can download, install and run Google's Chrome OS inside a virtual machine. However, you can download, install and run Fedora Linux and Ubuntu Linux inside Parallels Desktop 7. On a side-note I personally prefer to install Fedora and Ubuntu myself and customise the installations to my needs.
If you have Parallels Desktop 6 or 5, then you can upgrade to version 7 for $50 in the USA(£35 in the UK). The standalone copy will cost you $80 in the USA(£64).
Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement of Parallels Desktop. Additionally, this is not an endorsement of Parallels Desktop.

subset: commoncrawl


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Yesterday | Bradford Today
ERA: In wake of burglaries, residents urged not to be vigilantes
The man who has been burglarizing Bradford residences is still on the lam, and Bradford City Police are warning locals against taking the law into their own hands to effectuate his capture.
Do undocumented immigrants contribute to the economy?
Are You as Liberal as President Obama?
Monday | Bradford Today
Hamlin Bank contribution to Pitt-Bradford to benefit high school students
Hamlin Bank and Trust Co. of Smethport has made a $100,000 contribution to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford that will allow more high school students to take advantage of a program that allows them to earn college credit at minimal cost.
Monday | Bradford Today
Pitt-Bradford students to demonstrate trail mapping project
Students from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will present a digital map of the Richard E. McDowell Trail at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons.
Monday | Bradford Today
VIDEO: Thompson commemorates 50th Anniversary of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
Following the completion of legislative business Monday in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Glenn 'GT' Thompson, PA-5, delivered remarks in recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradford, Pa.
Thompson Recognizes 50th Anniversary of the University of Pittsburgh...
Following the completion of legislative business Monday in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Glenn 'GT' Thompson, PA-5, delivered remarks in recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradford, Pa.
Southern Tier Symphony to present 'Winter Prelude' in Sunday concert Dec. 8, 2013
The Southern Tier Symphony will perform "Winter Prelude," featuring selections from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite," at 3 p.m. Dec. 8 in the Bromeley Family Theater of Blaisdell Hall at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
'Duck Dynasty' inspires Pa. church to go 'camo'
BRADFORD, Pa. A northwestern Pennsylvania pastor inspired by the popular reality TV series "Duck Dynasty" is encouraging his congregation to come to church in camouflage clothing on Sunday.
Charles T. "C.T." Schellhammer
Charles Thomas "C.T." Schellhammer, 74, of Bradford, died Saturday at Bradford Regional Medical Center following a short illness.
East Coast Winter Storm Threatens Thanksgiving Travel
A major winter storm will unfold across the East Coast on Wednesday, threatening to create a nightmare for the millions of Thanksgiving holiday travelers--even those elsewhere in the United States.
ERA: Bradford to cruise into Christmas with Friday parade
Come Friday afternoon, Bradford will bring in the holiday season as the annual Cruisin' Into Christmas Parade marches down Main Street.
Three Waive Hearings on Assault Charges
Three people have waived preliminary hearings on assault charges in two separate cases.
Pitt-Bradford to present Chekhov's 'The Seagull'
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford's Division of Communication and the Arts will present Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" this weekend.
The Post-Journal, Jamestown New York
At approximately 10:43, Dillon L. Penelle, 24, of Bradford, Pa., was traveling on Interstate 86 when an argument with his passenger allegedly caused him to jerk the steering wheel.
Frank Williams has been elected president of the Don Raabe Big 30 Charities Classic Committee for the 2014 All Star Football Game to be played August 2 at Parkway Field in Bradford.
Hanley Library to host International Games Day
Hanley Library at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is one of more than 1,000 libraries around the world that will celebrate the American Library Association's 6th annual International Games Day @ Your Library this Saturday.
Pitt-Bradford to offer iPhone workshop
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will offer a workshop on the Everyday use of iPhones and iPads next week.
Artifiacts from Fishkin Maya Collection to be exhibited at Pitt-Bradford
Artifacts from a collection of Maya pottery once belonging to Bradford natives Jerome and the late Jack Fishkin will be on display at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford from Thursday through Dec. 13. The Fishkins donated the collection to their alma mater, St. Bonaventure University, which is loaning the artifacts for the exhibition in the ... (more)


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In addition to the news that the Station Fire Panel Discussion has been postponed, the LA Times has had two articles in the past two days discussing the Station Fire and further investigations into what really happened. Links are given below.
Forest Service investigates withholding of key Station fire information
August 3, 2010 | 4:32 pm
The U.S. Forest Service has launched an inspector general's investigation and invited Congress to order a broad inquiry into last summer's disastrous Station fire, after the recent discovery that dispatch recordings from the critical early hours of the blaze were withheld from The Times and a federal review team.
Federal inspector general launches probe of Station fire
By Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times
August 4, 2010
A federal inspector general has launched an investigation and the Obama administration has invited Congress to order a broad inquiry into last summer's disastrous Station fire after learning that dispatch recordings had been withheld from a U.S. Forest Service review team.
The telephone recordings, from the critical early hours of the blaze, also were withheld from The Times, which requested them under the Freedom of Information Act.
The inspector general's probe will focus on why the several days of recordings were not provided to The Times or turned over to the Forest Service inquiry, which concluded that the agency's initial attack on the fire was proper.


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Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2043, 11 August 1885, Page 2
Ur to the present not many natives have attended the tangi over the remain* of the old chief Tamati Ngapora- Mannhiri. This is to bo accounted for by so many now being engaged in more remunerative employment on the r.nlw.iy and road works m the distuct ; aNo because of Tawhiao and the deceased s daughter To Kama, having determined tint the deceased shall be buried at his own place at Taupiri. The body will leave Whatuvhatilvm for thai j>lace to-day, here it v ill be met by Major Te Wheoro and tho lower Waikato native*, and intoned there after tho u>ual tangi Am<>ng->t other visitors to the old man before he died was hi-i old friend and fellow- woiker the Rev. K. Burrows, of St. Stephen's, Parnell, who administered the last rites of the church to his did friend and fellow Christian. Tho interview between them was a most impressive and touching one, and the old chief passed away perfectly happy and contented in his hopes for the future. Ituvvi with Tawhiao, whose friendship for each other is veiy greit, remain together in attendance on the rem vms and to receive isitors. Our prospectors have not yet (succeeded in finding a payable goldheld. Two of the Wanganui prospectors are heie. Whether they have succeeded in finding a poldfield is only known to themselves. Great indignation i* felt heie at Promising John's paitial conduct in granting penniasion to the YVanganui people to send out prospentors in the King country, while Barry and others who have expended tune and money in endeavouring to do tho same thing, were ignonnniously expelled. Our members in the House should see to this and use theii best endeavours to relegato the Hon. Mr BallancJ to the duties of a private member. — (Own CorresiMindent, August 10th.)


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- home
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Transforming Mumbai into a World-Class CityWith support from the Cities Alliance and the World Bank, Mumbai has been undertaking a nearly ten-year initiative to transform itself into a world-class city with a high standard of living for all citizens. More » |
Morocco's Tetouan Paves the Way With Its City Development StrategyOne of the first cities to undertake a City Development Strategy (CDS) in the Middle East-North Africa Region, Tetouan inspired other municipalities to adopt a similar strategic urban planning process. More » |


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Does the thought of public speaking make your stomach turn in knots? Have you ever felt like you were having a panic attack while giving a class presentation? Does a migraine headache sound more appealing than a giving a speech?
via How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking | Clutch Magazine.
Related articles
- Gain Clarity & Confidence with EFT: Conquer Procrastination, Phobias and Fear of Public Speaking (balanceandpowerblog.com)
- How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking – Stage fright to Stage presence (slideshare.net)
- How to Breakthrough Ten Common Fears (thechangeblog.com)
- Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking (publicwords.typepad.com)
- 7 Strategies to Become a Better Public Speaker (goleadergrow.wordpress.com)
- Improving Your, Um, You Know, Public Speaking (speakingskills2020.typepad.com)


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Spiced Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
Submitted by: Karmagirl
Serves: 8-10
Preparation time: more than 30 minutes
- Serves: 8-10
- Preparation time: more than 30 minutes
- A really healthy and delicious soup full of flavour.
1 kg Kent or Jap pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
1 piece orange sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 onion, chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 L reduced salt chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
Squeeze of lemon
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or fresh coriander (optional)
- Toss pumpkin in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in a baking dish and roast in a preheated 200°C oven for about 30 minutes.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add onion, chilli and garlic and sauté gently for a minute or two.
- Add pumpkin, sweet potato and stir. Add cumin and curry powder and stir to toast the spices.
- Add enough chicken stock to cover vegetables and bring to the boil.
- Turn to low, add orange juice, cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Puree in a blender in batches. Return soup to pan to reheat.
- If too thick, thin with extra stock or water. When hot, season to taste, add lemon juice and stir through parsley or coriander. Serve.
Recipe notes
Just replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock for a vegetarian version. You can add lite cream or lite coconut milk at the end, but I find it really not necessary.
Reviewed by: Samanda, Aug 11 2013 10:11PM (more reviews by Samanda)
Quick and easy soup
Reviewed by: Lanalee, Jun 23 2012 4:33PM (more reviews by Lanalee)
Delicious way to include sweet potato
Reviewed by: taree, May 4 2012 4:31PM (more reviews by taree)
Easy and tasty
Reviewed by: Melleegee, May 1 2012 11:18AM (more reviews by Melleegee)
An absolutely delicious soup, highly recommend!
Reviewed by: jazziecat, Apr 29 2012 9:02PM (more reviews by jazziecat)


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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Articles of Faith: Complete Vol. 1 (1981-1983)
I instantly liked Articles of Faith the first time I heard them.
"Bad Attitude" is in my Top 5 Hardcore Songs of all-time, easy.
AOF is a noteworthy group from the hardcore genre mainly because of Vic Bondi's lyrics. He had a lot more to offer in that department versus the whole "I'm hardcore/fuck you/I hate stuff" tunes which were more the norm then the exception during that era. Granted, those ideals are kind of what make hardcore what it is/was in some ways.
At any rate, Articles of Faith had musical chops to boot and played fast and intelligible hardcore that anyone could co-sign and get down to.
I chose to upload the first volume of the Complete Discography seeing as it has all the early stuff.
AOF Discography/Web Page
Articles of Faith: Complete Vol. 1 (1981-1983) Full Album
Articles of Faith,
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Itunes refuses to accept the feed so until we trick them here is how you add it yourself. When itunes is open you will have a button labeled "advanced" and when clicked it will give you the option of "subscribe to podcast". Click that then copy and paste this link:
Your welcome!
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UPDATE: 1:29 p.m.: She's also doing a book signing at Bistro 31 in Highland Park Village, as my Pegasus News colleague Shannon Sutlief pointed out, and that one does have a set time: 1:30 to 3 p.m.
ORIGINAL POST, March 4: Brandi Glanville, a much-gossiped-about figure as one of the stars of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is coming to Dallas this weekend to sign her new book, Drinking and Tweeting: and Other Brandi Blunders.
The book is billed as a tell-all memoir that gives her side of her very public split with husband Eddie Cibrian, who left her and their two children to marry LeAnn Rimes.
Glanville will be signing copies of the book Sunday afternoon, March 10, at the Grapevine Bar at 3902 Maple Ave. What time, you ask? The Grapevine has this to say on their Facebook page: "We don't have a set time, she is going to brunch and will be by afterwards." So there you go.
Glanville discussed the book — and other personal things — last month on The View.


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X-Men Origins - Wolverine details
Formats: | 12 DVD, Blu-ray |
Starring: | Liev Schreiber, Aaron Jeffery, Dominic Monaghan, Hugh Jackman, Lynn Collins, Danny Huston, Taylor Kitsch, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Henney |
Director: | Gavin Hood |
Genres: | Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
Studio: | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
Collections: | 100 Most Wanted, Best of 2009, Top 400 All-Time Rentals, Top from 2009 |
Name | Discs | |
X-Men Origins - Wolverine |
12 Feature |
DVD Information
Run time: | 1 hour 43 minutes |
Rental release: | 19 Oct 2009 |
Main languages: | English, English Audio Description |
LOVEFiLM Review
By Tom Charity from LOVEFiLM
It's Hugh Jackman's turn in the limelight...
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Most helpful review
An improvement on The Last Stand
By Ben4King (14 reviews) from London , 01 May 2009[Highly rated reviewer]
An improvement on The Last Stand
After Brett Ratner's dire The Last Stand fumbled the ball, Wolverine arrives with the future of the X-Men franchise resting on its shoulders. The result, something nowhere near Singers classy X2, yet just about good enough to be worth seeing.
Not being well versed in comic book lore, its tricky for me to judge its respect to the source material however Hugh Jackman is reliable (and hairy) as ever, even if he is hamstrung by a grumpy vengeance storyline, that forces him to be a moody git for most of the running time. Its much more fun to watch him making flippant quips and chomping cigars, but those moments are few and far between. Liev Schreiber's great as an unhinged (and even more hairy) Sabretooth, Dominic Monaghan's Bolt is interesting but sadly underused and I didn't think there would ever come a time that I would say this, but Ryan Reynolds is actually funny. I know, its shocking!
There are too many other cameos to list here and at times it just feels like watching a fan service conveyor-belt. Several potentially interesting people come and go without ever being explored and the wider context of a fragile, paranoid society on the brink of a culture war between mutants and humans, is not touched on at all. Its a straight action-revenge story that inspires no mulling of the bigger issues whatsoever.
It does at least all hang together. Its helps that it is bookended by a pulsating opening sequence that jumps between several historic battlefields and has a satisfyingly epic finale that neatly ties in with the first X-Men movie. I guess I was just hoping I might be able to engage my brain a little bit.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(310)Hugh-gely Disappointing!!
By BethJohn (17 reviews) , 04 Oct 2011All in all very disappointing . Good to get an origin story of Wolverine and Hugh Jackman is the best thing in this movie. Yet, the story was pretty poor, the majority of the action a let down and the majority of the CGI was somewhat lacking.
Not good.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Crazy but entertaining
By TrogTrident (88 reviews) from Rochdale , 03 Oct 2011The first two X-Men films were great. The third less so. And like a lot of people I really liked the character of Wolverine.
So, to get a chance to watch a Wolverine movie was something I was looking forward to. Until I saw the reviews which were very mixed. But having just caught the film it isn't half bad.
Yes, it's very silly and the story's not the greatest. But it's a superhero film so what do you expect? It's got bags of energy, there's plenty to see and even the quiet spots have some nice moments and a few little twists.
Rent it. It's great fun.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Hugh's the best?
By a customer , 19 Sep 2011An absolute master-class, with the amazing Hugh Jackman in it. The ripped, rather good looking and funny Hugh Jackman shows us at his best, definitely his best in the X-Men movies as he takes on just about everyone. I thought it was a brilliant movie with plenty of action, but unlike other action movie this one actually has a brilliant story line. Comic Book Movies ftw- Was this review helpful to you?
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Not very entertaining
By a customer , 14 Aug 2011Film was rather short.... Unsatisfying.... Its okay for passing the time but dont expect a major thrill from this film. Now what i wanted to know and watch was wolverines origins but beimg a fan of the comics this movie does not share the same link.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Would recommend this.
By TTiimm (11 reviews) , 05 Aug 2011I wasn't expecting too much from this movie to be really honest with it being a prequel. I was expecting lots of shoe horned scenes put in to try and explain issues with the earlier movies that would only rea,lly please the die hard X-Men fans. I am pleased to say I was pleasantly proven wrong.
Effects are outstanding and actually combine with a very well written and acted out script. Anyone that has seen any of the previous X-Men movies will just love this one. Although you certainly don't have to have seen any of the other movies to enjoy this as it stands alone as a great film.
Would recommend this movie to all and not just the X-Men fans!!!- Was this review helpful to you?
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- April 14, 2011
- 11:18 a.m.
- Suggest removal
- Reply to this post
larrycroix#210492 writes:
in response to michael#212864:
Croix is presenting an idealized situation that is rare in real life. His pay-out numbers are way high, and some of his information is just plain wrong. He also glosses over the fact that the employee and employer pay into the plan over time and that amount of money is substantial.
Now, all the PERS plans are based on years of service. If you have the perfect life and enter civil service immediately after school, getting to 30 years or more is easy. However, if you're like most of us who have a varied work history before we 'settle down' in that cushy government job, getting to 30 years is rare. You get 2% per year of service. IF you made this mythical $60K per year, then 30 years would net you a $36K pension. The PERS1 limit is 30 years. The PERS2 has no limit and never has had.
Now let's take this mythical guy who retires with 30 years service at 65. The actuarial tables say he will be dead by 78, so he gets 13 years of retirement times $36K is $468K. Bear in mind that he has paid into the system about $270K. Now public math is about to fail me, but now figure out what the average long-term CD rates were for the last 30 years (not today's paltry rates) and figure out how much interest he could have made off that $270K he contributed. If you use the "Rule of 72" and assume a 6% intrest rate average, his money would double every 12 years.
The State invests the employer half of these contributions in securities and has historically done very well in making a whole lot of money off these retirement funds. The point is that the average retiree will not "use up" his own contributions into the system when you take into account the net present value of the money he contributed over the years and the amount of interest he could have earned in conservative investments like long-term CDs, which have averaged about 6% and been as high as 10%.
The plans are acturaially sound--and they are pre-paid. That's a CRUCIAL point here. It sounds like the "taxpayers are burdened" with paying these pensions. Taxpayers certainly paid the wages of the employee over time, and in that sense the pensions are 'paid by the taxpayer,' but the employee and employer are the ones who paid into the PERS system over the years. The employee paid his half out of his own wages. You can perhaps argue that he should never have been employed in the first place, but you can't argue that he didn't pay into the system and that he paid as much into the system than he'll ever get out unless he somehow manages to beat life expectancy.
I'll cover some inequities in the next post.
Actually the state actuary says once an individual that reaches the age of 65 they have a life expectancy of 85 for a woman and 83 plus for a man. SS table from 2006 is lower by part a year.
At birth life expectancy is 78.
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Griffin Powerdock Dual Charger for iPad 3, iPod2/iPhone - Black
Catalogue Number: 212-9659
- For Ipad, Iphone & Ipod Models With A 30-Pin Dock Connector
- Unobstructed Sound Path For Ipad Speakers
- Valet dish for your change and keys
Product Details
Charge up your Apple device with the Dual Powerdock from Griffin. This stylish dock is versatile enough to supply a 10 watt charge for your Apple iPad, iPad 2 or a smaller 5 watt charge for iPhones and iPods. The GC23126 Powerdock also comes with a handy valet dish dish for your change and keys. What's more the AC power supply comes with 4 international plug adapters so the dock can be used when you're out of the country.
back to topProduct specifications
Key Information | |
Type | iPod accessory |
Colour | White |
Features | |
Suitable For | iPod/iPhone |
Dimensions | |
Product Height | 24.0 Centimetre |
Product Width | 17.5 Centimetre |
Product Depth | 6.8 Centimetre |
Product Weight | 0.45 Kilogram |
Buy from Tesco
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there good....but they got booed off at red rocks when they played wit tech
poor guy got booed off at red rocks haha
there good....but they got booed off at red rocks when they played wit tech
No way, I haven't heard this story before.
SaInTwIcKeD said:there good....but they got booed off at red rocks when they played wit tech
They sucked ass!!! We booed them off stage at Red Rocks cuz we want tech not some fags who do the same thing over and over. Be original and change it up. Murs was sick though and of course Tech destroyed the stage. I couldn't talk or hear after that concert. Best night of my life
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The card is stacked with UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and M1 vets, including well-known names such as James McSweeney, Emanuel Newton, Steve Lopez, Shane Nelson, Alonzo Martinez, Blas Avena and many more.
The event is held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas tomorrow, on the 4th of November. First fight starts at 7pm, doors open at 6pm. Tickets are still available, priced at $35, $50, $75 and $125.
Official SCC 3 Weigh-In Results
Shorty Weikel (146) vs. Kui Goncalves (146)
Sidney Silva (170) vs. Cameron Diffley (172)
Blas Avena (173) vs. Shawn Fitzsimmons (170)
Phil Dace (170) vs. Dave Terrel (169.5)
Shane Nelson (154.5) vs. Lance Wipf (155)
Porfirio Alves Jr (160) vs. Alonso Martinez (160.6) *catch weight bout 160 lbs
Dominique Robinson (159) vs. Steve Lopez (160) *catch weight bout 160 lbs
Emanuel Newton (204.5) vs. James McSweeney (204)
Bristol Marunde (185) vs. Jay Silva (184.5) *SCC Title Fight
John Alessio (155.5) vs. Luiz Firmino (155)
Weigh-In photos: Facebook.com/superiorcagecombat


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Written on: 21/03/2010
Very impressed with this machine, used mine for a few years with absolutely no problems. Buy this product!
As rated by real users
"Great value and does its job" Read More
"A chav rowing machine!" Read More
"Wholly Satisfied WaterRower Cu..." Read More
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"This review is for the I Rower..." Read More


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Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013 | 8:40 p.m.
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Find fun things to doin the West Palm Beach, FL area
Posted: 2:51 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012
Billy Bell was just the beginning.
Another local dancer, 21-year-old Dreyfoos School For The Arts graduate Eliana Girard, has made the Top Ten on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance, which airs Wednesdays from 8-10 pm. She will appear on tomorrow's episode, and, should she survive the weekly eliminations, return to dance again next week. Her berth in the Top Ten guarantees her a spot in the show's tour, which comes to Hollywood's Seminole Hard Rock on Dec. 5.
Girard isn't the first Dreyfoos graduate to score big on SYTYCD - Billy Bell appeared in both seasons 6 and 7.
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By Chris Nichols
I just got back from some meetings in Orlando, Florida. There are many beautiful golf courses in the area, and I had the opportunity to drive by Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course and see this phenomenal golf hole.
Surrounded by water and sandwiched between two sand traps, this hole could easily be summed up as "challenging"! But is it really? Interestingly enough, the green is no different in size than a standard hole without the water and the the sand traps. In other words, it's not any more difficult to get the ball on this green than on any other green at your local golf course.
Why then, when we look at this hole, do we automatically add the words challenging or difficult to its description? It lies with where our focus is centered. If we are focused on the goal or objective (aka the pin and hole), and not on the visual distractions (aka the sand traps and water waiting to gobble up your golf ball), it's much easier to get the ball on this green. Golf course designers like to add these obstacles because they understand that the principle of target fixation will distract the golfer and increase the difficulty of the hole.
How often do we allow external challenges, Continue reading »
By Jared James
In my last post I spoke about goal setting, and what we actually have to focus on in order to never set goals that we don't meet again. I have received responses from many of you who feel that you have everything in order, and yet you still don't seem to be getting what you want out of your business or life. Many times this is because we still have "inner conflicts" that have yet to be resolved. Watch the video below to see what I mean.
Jared James is the CEO and founder of Jared James Enterprises (JJE) and travels around North America speaking to and coaching REALTORS®. Connect with Jared at www.jaredjamestoday.com, on facebook.com/jaredjamestoday, or follow him on Twitter @jaredjamestoday.
By Anand Patel
I received several emails from my last post on using a vision board to help engrain your personal and professional goals, which reminded me of a very important point I did not discuss – "the buy-in." Many asked if your vision board should be kept private or shared with others. Well, that is entirely up to you.
What I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing like having the support and encouragement of your loved ones in the pursuit of your goals, dreams, and aspirations. For that reason, I recommend sharing your board with your spouse, parent, children, best friend… whoever you confide in and rely on for support and strength. More than likely your goals involve them anyway so the sooner you get them to see how they are a part of your "big picture," the sooner you will have their encouragement in achieving your goals.
I shared my vision board with my wife and it didn't hurt that I included a picture of Santorini, Greece (My wife and I have been wanting to visit Greece for some time now). I also incorporated the phrase "Family First" as a reminder to keep everything in perspective and how to allocate my time. That, among several other phrases and pictures on my board, helped her understand my "why." There is a big difference between TELLING someone your goals versus having them SEE your goals first hand. The same effect it has on you, it will have on them.
So, it is entirely up to you if you want to keep your board private, but getting your support team to "buy-in" on it will definitely help you along your journey.
Good luck and Happy New Year!
Anand Patel is a broker licensed in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi with Elite REO Services and Elite Premier Properties. You can connect with Anand on Twitter: @anand_tampa; Facebook: www.facebook.com/livingelite; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anandpatel1 or on the Web at www.anandsblog.com.
By Anand Patel
With 2011 coming to a close it seems everyone is talking, blogging, and tweeting about setting new goals for 2012.
Well, let's not jump the gun! What about the goals you already set for yourself that you haven't accomplished? Whatever you do, if they are worthy goals you truly wish to achieve, don't abandon them just yet!
Before giving up and setting new goals, why not seriously look at what you have already set for yourself. Do you know what these goals of yours look like? I mean, deep down inside, can you visualize, feel, smell, and even taste these goals? If not, maybe your vision is getting bored, and it's time to get your goals down on a VISION BOARD.
A vision board is just that — a board that helps you visualize your goals. I put my first vision board together this past August to help me really ingrain some of my short-term and long-term goals. If you're a visual person like me, there is something very powerful and moving about having real pictures of what you hope to achieve laid out right in front of you to look at every day.
If this sounds like something you want to give a shot as we prepare for 2012, it's very simple to get started:
- Get a poster board. I went to Staples and purchased a 20″ x 30″ sturdy board. Get whatever size you think will work best for you.
- Get away from any distractions. Find some quiet time, either late in the evening or early morning with a notepad and "brain dump" your current goals and all that you want to have, do, become over the next three, five, 10 or even 20 years. Think BIG and don't hold yourself back. Don't let your mind tell you that it's too crazy if it's something you REALLY want to achieve.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help get the juices flowing:
- How much money do I want to make per year? $250,000? $800,000? $2 million? (Why Not! Think BIG!)
- What kind of clients do I want to work with? First-time home buyers? Investors? Retirees? Celebrities? Continue reading »
By Brooke Wolford
I arrived home yesterday from the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Anaheim, Calif. I felt invigorated and yet somewhat overwhelmed. I had taken so much in while at the conference and my REALTOR® A.D.D. kicked right in. All the information I received while at the conference was amazing and I really didn't know where to begin implementing the things I learned.
There were many sessions I attended where I learned valuable tools to use in my business. But I have to say, I learned the most from the fellow agents I met while at the conference. I never realized how much other agents would be willing to share with me.
On my plane ride in, I met Deanna Wiener, Broker/Owner of Cardinal Realty in Oakdale, MN. We spent a good amount of time while in flight discussing our business. It was terrific to hear about her business as she was a veteran agent and had so much insight on our real estate market. I was able to share some things with her as well. It was a great start to the weekend.
I met some really amazing people while at the conference. Fellow agents were so willing to share information with me. At times, I was really taken back by other REALTORS®' generosity. Continue reading »
By Jared James
Jared James is the CEO and founder of Jared James Enterprises (JJE) and travels around North America speaking to and coaching REALTORS®. Connect with Jared at www.jaredjamestoday.com, on facebook.com/jaredjamestoday, or follow him on Twitter @jaredjamestoday.
By David Krichmar
Let's go old school for a moment. Trust me, I am not saying online marketing (social media) should not be No. 1. But until humans become robots and do not have eyes, there are other ways to market as well. Here is the first half of seven ideas I have come up with to market yourself offline:
1. FSBO's- Yep, the dreaded "for sale by owner." Yes, they can be a waste of time; but honestly, how much time does it take to ring a door bell? That's all the time it takes to approach a FSBO. Instead of taking the usual, "Can I list your home?" approach. How about offer to do a marketing flier about the home with your info? If the seller has any buyers that are interested in the home ask them to give you a call. Offer to post their home on Twitter, Facebook, and blog about it. It can't hurt you to try a different approach than most REALTORS®.
2. Real Estate Magazines- We all love to look through the real estate magazines that show homes for sale. Grab a bunch of these from your real estate office or from your grocery store. Then staple your business card to the front and drop off a copy monthly at your local salon, dentist and doctor offices, oil change places, etc. What does it take to do this? Some business cards, a staple, etc. Try it!!
3. Books- Yes, books are dying. But until they do, go by your local book store (Barnes and Noble or a local used book store) and find the real estate section. Stick a business card in the first chapter of every real estate and mortgage book. How long can this take???? Seven minutes per store — I timed it myself.
Stay tuned for Part II to read the rest of my great suggestions to market yourself offline.
David Krichmar has been in the real estate business since age 19 and is currently a mortgage expert in Sugar Land, Texas. Connect with him at www.daveyourmortgageguy.com or @DaveMortgageGuy.


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Toaster Tuesday (004) with a touch of Library Post…
Toaster Tuesday is a series of posts about e-readers, specifically my experiences as a new Nook owner. The concept was partially inspired by a show called Battlestar Galactica. Basically the antagonists in the story are the Cylons, who are robots. The humans like to call them Toasters. I figured since there is a dichotomy between organic and electronic in the book world as well, I'd play with the idea and (affectionately) refer to my Nook as a Toaster. (Her real name is Ariadne, though, thank you very much.)
Me hanging with Walt Whitman at Panera Bread. Yum yum!
Back when I used to hate on ereaders, one of the arguments that kept me from purchasing one was price. Not of the ereader itself, but of the files I'd be downloading and reading. I felt that for the price of a physical book–all that paper, the text on it, the actual story–whenever I found deals, the books were worth the money. Compared to some of the prices I've seen for ebooks (more than $10 for an ebook!!), I was really skeptical about paying the same or more for a few megabytes of data. That I would never physically hold.
I still turn my nose up at higher end ebooks (unless I'm desperate). I often go for the ones that are free or only a few dollars. But the gold mine of ebooks wasn't just those classics free from Project Gutenberg. It was in my local libraries. You see, a lot of libraries have been keeping up with the times as best they can. This doesn't just include computer upgrades, it also extends to their collections.
The Long Beach Public Library, Los Angeles Public Library, Orange County Public Library, and County of Los Angeles Public Library all have ebook collections that can be accessed online. (Yes, I'm a patron of all those libraries. :)) Now, their selections vary and they don't have as many ebooks as physical books available, but there's still a good chance of finding something to read. If you're wary about ebook prices but are still interested in an ereader, check out the local libraries and see if they offer an ebook collection. Usually the ebooks can be "borrowed" for two weeks. If your time runs out and no one else is waiting for it, you can "borrow" the ebook again. It's quite simple. The files can be downloaded to your computer, then uploaded to your device. That's how it works with my Nook, anyway.
You're probably wondering when I'm going to talk about all of those ebooks I get from LibraryThing, or the other ebooks I've received for review. Well, I'm saving that for another post.
The other way to read ebooks not readily available at the library or for free from the Barnes & Noble e-store is to simply go to your local Barnes & Noble. You get an hour of free reading on your Nook everyday in-store. If you're a fast reader (unlike me) it's a great deal for you. Even if you're not fast, sometimes you can read more than the often short ebook samples allow in a day's hour. It's not as convenient, sure, but for free, it's a pretty good deal.
There's also a lending feature on the Nook that I'd like to talk about, but I don't actually know enough to write about it yet. But I will someday!
Now you see why this post had a touch of library post in it. What can I say, I love libraries AND I love my Nook! I get ecstatic when I can combine my affections for the two!
Toaster Tuesday (003)
Baaaaarely squeaking in on Tuesday here, but I made it! You can't say I didn't, haha! Okay, so this here is Toaster Tuesday if you're new to the blog…
Toaster Tuesday is a series of posts about e-readers, specifically my experiences as a new Nook owner. The concept was partially inspired by a show called Battlestar Galactica. Basically the antagonists in the story are the Cylons, who are robots. The humans like to call them Toasters. I figured since there is a dichotomy between organic and electronic in the book world as well, I'd play with the idea and (affectionately) refer to my Nook as a Toaster. (Her real name is Ariadne, though, thank you very much.)
That's me hanging with Edgar Allan Poe in Barnes & Noble. Ariadne's mother ship!
Okay, last week I let Mr. Brick and Miss Mortar win the argument. But this week I'm going to talk about a reason why my Nook and other e-readers are made of win.
So, you're (or, more likely I am) sitting waiting for a doctor's appointment, or you're out hanging at your favorite library, or maybe just chowing down at In-n-Out or wherever. (Mm… In-n-Out…) And you have your Nook with you. Well, what if you're not in the mood to read the historical suspense thriller you were reading last night? Or what if you really want to check out that other book you bought on a whim because it was only 99 hot cents? (Okay, we're really just talking about me now, aren't we?)
No problemo! It's right there on your Nook, waiting to be read! All of the ebooks you've purchased and downloaded to your device are available for your perusal as long as your battery's charged. If you've already downloaded it, no wi-fi connection necessary!
Or maybe you're writer like I am. Ever wanted to be able to carry your works-in-progress with you without having to deal with shuffling pages, the threat of paper cuts, or somehow losing that goldmine of ideas? Well, just convert your files to the correct format and you can read your own work on the device just as if it were any other ebook. You can even still highlight passages and make bookmarks and leave comments attached to the file on the device!
Total truth: I do have my own work stored on my ereader. For just one of my personal files, that's over 200 pages of my writing in a nice, compact package in case I need a refresher on what I wrote previously. Heck, I even have my friend's work stored on my ereader because my life has been so hectic these days, I want to be able to pull it up when I find a few seconds to spare.
It's really easy to arrange, too. The Nook does read PDF files, but I find using the cool program called calibre helps with formatting a Nook-compatible epub file so that the text doesn't get all wonky when I try to change font sizes. I even chose my own cover images for my works, because I am dorky like that.
So that's another reason I fell and fell hard for the Nook. It's just so.. convenient. It will never take the place of a physical book in my hands, but it's pretty darn handy, gotta say.
Toaster Tuesday (001)
Current Nook Book: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
So I've been sitting on this idea for a series of posts for some time. I suppose the best way to start things off is to explain…
Way back in June I got a Nook for my birthday. Now, I wasn't exactly an enthusiast when the first ereaders came out. In fact, I was a huge skeptic even when I saw the Nook Color for the first time. But then I tried using it. And then I went back to use it… And I kept going back. I actually formulated a plan to get as many discounts as possible so I could get one into my possession for as little cost as necessary. But I got over it. Basically the features I was interested in were things I could do on my laptop or on a smartphone. I still wasn't interested in having a device on which I could read digital books. So I swallowed the urge to buy one.
Then the Nook Simple Touch Edition came out… and I started drooling again… and my friend sent me this gift…
That's me chillin' at home with Joseph Conrad on my Nook. =)
And I love paper books. You guys know from my Beg, Borrow, & Steal posts how much I love paper books. For a long time I hated ereaders just for the fact that they were taking business away from paper books. But…
I love reading on my Nook. It just seems so much… easier. Or something. I don't know, it didn't take any adjusting to get used to it. I love the fact that I can read without holding a book open with my hands. Tapping the touch screen to turn the page doesn't seem awkward at all. And being able to adjust the font size is really helpful too. And last, but not least, sometimes ebooks are shorter than their paper counterparts. Literally. (See what I did there?) Often it's not a huge difference as the content is the same, but even in the reading experience, I feel like I'm reading just a little bit faster.
That isn't even commenting on the compact size, the light weight, the clear text, and the lovely ability to download books instantaneously when I want them. And I cannot say how thankful I am to have a convenient way to read files from NetGalley and other free downloads.
So, yes, I'm a convert. But there are still downsides, and I still buy and read paper books as well. As is my nature, I'm divided and yet whole.
But back to the point of the post. I was explaining why this series of posts will exist. Well. I decided that since I'm a new ereader convert, I'm going to explore the ereader experience. So every couple of weeks I'm going to be chronicling my adventures with my Nook and hopefully discuss topics related to or aspects of the Nook itself in short(er) posts. I will at times do comparisons between the paper book experience and the ereader experience. (And at times the paper books will win the day!)
But, you may be asking, what the heck does any of this have to do with toasters?
Well, I don't know if you've ever heard of a show called Battlestar Galactica. My friend, Lexie, got me into it (no spoilers! I haven't watched the fourth season yet!). I love it to pieces. It's amazing. And basically the antagonistic force is the Cylons, who are robots. The humans like to call them Toasters. I figured since there is a dichotomy between organic and electronic in the book world as well, I'd play with the idea and (affectionately) refer to my Nook as a Toaster. (Her real name is Ariadne, though, thank you very much.)
I would love to get feedback on these posts, whatever your opinions on ereaders (or Battlestar Galactica… or whatever). We can discuss pros and cons, you can try to sway me from the dark side, or if you have a Kindle or other device, I'd love to hear how your experiences are similar or different. If you have similar posts on your blogs, I'd love to link to them to keep the discussion(s) going.
So, that's my inaugural Toaster Tuesday post! Ariadne is preening in a corner right now, fully charged. Time to get some errands done, then more reading. Woohoo!