text:
BPL Community Profile
Ryan Elsey (paintballswimguy) - BPL Forum Member
You cannot send this user a personal message (PM) because they have not specified a PM email address yet.
All Forum Posts by Ryan Elsey
Packs are probably pretty easy, unless you want to go down to where the materials were made as well. ULA Mountain Laurel Designs Zpacks McHale? Neoair, and Neoair trekker are american made...
HI-TEC, ICON, VASQUE, and PRINCETON TECH on sale
The clymb just started selling Hi-tec and Icon gear today, they also have some vasque and princeton tech stuff on sale as well. http://www.theclymb.com/invite-from/RyanElsey I've attached a l...
Curtis, how are you able to refill the big zip without removing it from your pack. I'm using a ULA circuit, and i'm not really a fan of repacking my pack around my bladder every time I refi...
I just bought this pack a week ago brand new for $215 shipped. Wish i would have waited. Good luck with your sale, good deal on a good pack
Reverse fill Camelbak without pump
I'm trying to rig up a way to reverse fill my camelbak without a pump. Basicly, I want to use a soft sided nalgene canteen or platapus canteen 1L to fill the camelbak. Basically, i want to u...
campmor 20 down long
Campmor makes their own 20 degree down bag in size long, it wieghs 2 lbs 6 oz. Its $109
Campmor 20 down long
Campmor has their own sleeping bag. for $109 Its a 20 degree 550 down fill bag, size long 2 lbs. 6 oz stuff size 7 x 14 http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40066 Its a good ba...
Depend on how you hike
It really depends on how you hike. If your like me and are overly cautious with your downhills, they will help you gain a good bit of speed as well as safety. I personally think they save my knees ...
Thanks for the advice everyone. Unfortunately, its still the best jacket I could afford even if I bought a new one. So i'm probably best off trying to renew the DWR.
Precip felt Clammy
So i went on a 20 mile day hike on the AT yesterday, near the blue-ridge parkway. It was the hike from you know where... 1 mile in, it started snowing, then sleeting, then raining, all with 40 mph+...
All Reader Reviews by Ryan Elsey
Ryan Elsey has posted no reviews.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
There is a considerable amount of detail regarding the water
treatment of swimming pools and spa baths on our website to help
you. This is found by clicking on "Use
and Safety" where you can see how to use our products,
or to download safety data in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. You
can get a free Acrobat file reader if you don't already have
one."Pool Glossary" explains
a lot of the terms and definitions which occur when pool maintenance
is discussed.
If your questions are not answered though, we are pleased
to receive enquiries from customers in the UK and will do our
best to help you subject to the terms of use of this website. Please see "Legal Info"
In order to offer our best advice, please give as many details
as you can regarding your query such as:


text:
Hi there. Got the munchies?
sign up!
Daisey's Diner
My Order
Start your order by picking a category on
the left.
Order Together
Invite friends and coworkers to join you in your order. It's easy and everyone earns points.Invite
Menu Specials
Click a menu special or leave it to us. (?)
10% Instant Rebate
Get a 10% instant rebate as FoodlerBucks with your first order from this restaurant.
Foodler User Review
September 2nd
Foodler, lifesaver for someone who needs to eat!I may go overtime when it comes to lunch but thankfully, Foodler is there for me. I never have to worry. They will deliver whatever I'm in the mood for. Today I wanted TGIFridays YES, I got it!!! Fast and Friendly via DASHED!
- Fat


text:
Posted: Wednesday, September 5, 2012 8:34 PM
Hey guys. Looking to have some fun with a thick, sexy, curvy woman? Then look no further. My incall is located in Torrington, CT, right off of Rt.8. I also do outcalls to the Torrington area, Waterbury area, and everywhere in between. Call me for more information. Let me put a smile on your face. 8609909148. Thanks :)
• Location: Northwest Connecticut, Torrington Incall/Outcall
• Post ID: 5190582 nwct


text:
You may also like
Rate Dr. Rubie Ellis
Dr. Rubie Ellis's Ratings
I would respectfully requestthat no one leave and or post any ratings if they are not my patient. My patients lives and privacy are my greatest priority I do not solicit comments from anyone. I did not make this profile. So please do not post any statements for or against me. I take my reputation seriously and will legally protect it. Sincerely Dr Rubie Ellis
Was this rating useful? 0 [[ userState['ratings'][43916].votes_count ]]
I never rated this therapist! I don't no who gave her this rating, because I didn't. I would appreciate if whoever put this up would take it down and will ask me (Mrs. Jackie Dobbs) before posting something I didn't say over the internet! Sincerely Mrs. Jake Dobbs
Was this rating useful? 0 [[ userState['ratings'][43915].votes_count ]]
She is a straight forward, and compassionate therapist who doesn't want her patients on pills. She teaches you how to deal with your issues and then get past them. My family survived because of the help she gave us. Sincerely, Mrs.Jackie Dobbs
Was this rating useful? 0 [[ userState['ratings'][43914].votes_count ]]
Top Hospitals in Kansas City, MO
Top Urgent Care Centers in Kansas City, MO
Find a Doctor by Specialty
Featured Articles
You may also like
Top Psychologists
#1 of 246
#2 of 246
#3 of 246
#4 of 246
#5 of 246


text:
The Magazine
Sister Kerry
From the October 4, 2004 issue: The candidate's sibling causes a stir overseas--and at home.
Oct 4, 2004, Vol. 10, No. 04 • By KATHERINE MANGU-WARD
For the second time in as many weeks, blogger conspiracy theorists may be onto something. There has been no discernible fallout from Ms. Kerry's comments at the campaign headquarters. Perhaps this is because she could plausibly offer the "just following orders" defense. After all, she was speaking about a nation that her brother has called part of the "coalition of the coerced and the bribed."
Blood, they say, is thicker than water, so perhaps Kerry has forgiven his little sister for causing a stir. But another cliché might also be fruitfully applied to the Kerry campaign's situation: With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Katherine Mangu-Ward is a reporter at The Weekly Standard.


text:
February 13, 2007 10:37 PM
Happy Valentines' Day
Even though it is still 1 hour and 15 minutes away from Valentines' Day, I have been receiving chocolates, candies and cards from my floormates and friends. Walking through the street, I feel I am immersed by those red and pink hearts. Here is a little FYI for those who are curious about the origin of Valentine's Day in North America.
Valentine's Day was probably imported into North America in the 19th century by British settlers. In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts. Her father operated a large book and stationery store, and she took her inspiration from an English valentine she had received. Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary."
In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manners of gifts in the United States, usually from a man to a woman. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry. The day has come to be associated with a generic platonic greeting of "Happy Valentine's Day."
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!!
Yang Cao | Permalink | Comment on this article | Comments (1)
Comments (1)
Hello, this is a great summary of what valentines day really is. I would have never guessed that Worcester, MA is a place for lovers. I recommend sending chocolate on valentines day!
Posted by Sandra B | 2007-08-14
Post a Comment
Monthly Archives
Recent Posts
Finals, Life and Confusion of a College Kid
EDITED: What goes on in those bspace chat rooms


text:
HELSINKI -- Anaheim's "Big Three" is maybe the best line in hockey, but forgive coach Randy Carlyle if he was a bit nervous about the trio during this preseason.
Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan combined for 103 goals and 245 points last season -- that's three points per contest, even though Getzlaf missed 15 of them with a head injury. This preseason Anaheim's top line had combined for just 7 points (4 goals) in the five games they played in.
Making it worse, they were a combined minus-18 and weren't contributing much on the power play to offset the imbalance at even strength.
"[Carlyle] had a little talk with us today," Perry said after the Ducks defeated Jokerit HC Oyj 4-3 in overtime Tuesday at Hartwall Areena. "He just wants more from us. We haven't done a whole lot in this preseason. We've been fighting the puck a little bit. He talked to us about getting back to basics and doing the things that we normally do that helped us last year and the years before."
The message was received. Perry led the way with 2 goals and an assist, while Getzlaf had the game-winning tally in the extra session and an assist. Ryan set up Cam Fowler's goal at the end of the second period.
They combined for 6 points and were in on every goal Anaheim scored in a 4-3 victory. That was more like what Carlyle expects.
"We've had a conversation with those three that we needed more coming Friday night, and it wasn't a situation where you could just turn the switch on and say, 'I'm going to be ready,' -- that they had to prove to us that they could go out and play at that high level and they did that tonight," Carlyle said.
"They were on the ice for the tying goal, so it is not all good, but when you have those big guys -- and you saw the skill set of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan -- they can control the puck and can be very hard people to defend. I think some of the situations prior to tonight, they haven't really taken the puck to the net or chose the right situations to take the puck to the net as we're accustomed to.
"It is always a little worrying for a coach preparing your club for the season and you want your big guys firing on all cylinders."
Perry earned League MVP honors last season and reached the 50-goal plateau for the first time. He showed off his scoring touch early against Jokerit, collecting a pass from Saku Koivu and flipping a backhanded shot past goaltender Eero Kilpelainen at 6:12 of the opening period.
He stationed himself at the edge of the crease during a Ducks power play and less than six minutes later it was a 2-0 advantage after Teemu Selanne put a pinpoint pass on his stick for an easy one-timer.
Perry very nearly had a natural hat trick -- his wrist shot from the left circle beat the Jokerit goaltender high to the far side, but the horn to signal the end of the period went off as he was releasing the puck.
After a dominant first period, the trio didn't control the contest with each shift but Ryan made a key play to help thwart Jokerit's momentum on the Fowler goal and Getzlaf made sure it was a good ending for Anaheim a little more than a minute into overtime.
"I thought we had a good start, but we kind of faded a bit and got away from our game plan," Perry said. "We found a way to win, and you can't complain about a win I guess.
"I think we need to manage the puck a little bit better. There were a few too many turnovers, and we got away from our game a little bit in the second period and we got trapped in the neutral zone some. We're a team that gets on the forecheck and cycles the puck, and when we do that not too many teams can handle us down low. I think we just need to get back to basics and we'll be alright."


text:
MAC 266 Small Angle Brush Reviews
Nice brush, but not the best for precise gel eyelinerI have had my 266 brush for years. I originally bought this to use with potted gel eyeliners (MAC's fluid line, Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner, Clinique brush on cream liner, etc.). At first, this brush was great for that purpose. It won't give the most precise, thin line, but it was excellent for creating a winged look. Over time, however, the hairs began to fray a bit. This made it that much more...read more difficult to get a precise line and made the flick at the end look sloppy. When I wear gel eyeliner, I want a very clean look so this is a deal breaker. For the price and alleged quality of MAC brushes, I do expect them to last longer than mine has without fraying and such. I take great care of all my makeup brushes, cleaning them gently, reshaping them and drying them over the edge of my bathroom counter so I doubt this is due to my own treatment of the brush. I still rate this brush decently because I can use it for other things. It still works well for brow powder and powder eyeliner despite its frayed point. I have since moved onto a Louise Young brush for gel eyeliner application and it is amazing. To anyone considering the 266 brush, just keep in mind what you plan to use it for and that it has the tendency to fray. I have a couple friends who also own the 266 and have said the same thing about it. — 2 years, 8 months agoHeathRene | 274 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 1 of 1 people said helpful
Furry Friend Friendly and stuffFirst off i love that this has synthetic bristles, i've never liked natural hair brushes, they're too scratchy and irritating, plus they're not animal friendly. It performs like a champ, lines perfectly. Eyes or eyebrows, it has yet to let me down. Hasn't shed yet though mine's still fairly new. I saw another reviewer had posted she's had hers for years, so i'm pretty stoked that i won't need to b...read moreuy another liner brush for years, well, unless the world ends next year. lol. :) but hey a least i will have perfectly filled brows and beautifly lined eyes when we explode, or drown, or the aliens come back. — 4 years, 5 months agoluxylexi | 234 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 2 of 2 people said helpful
My FAV Mac brush!I LOVE LOVE LOVE this brush. I use it to fill in my eyebrows with shadow, as well as apply my Mac Fluidline gel liner to my eyes. It's picks up the perfect amount of product and makes brows look natural and perfect. It's also perfect for making the cat winged eyeliner look, it makes the process easy and quick. The little pointed wing comes out perfect every time with the shape of this brush. The b...read moreristles are perfect in terms of stiffness, not too soft and not too hard. I LOVE this brush, I own 4 of them! They last forever too, my oldest brush is over 6 years old and is still good as new. Highly recommended. — 3 years, 2 months agoModernDayWriter | 205 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 2 of 3 people said helpful
My number 1 Favortite brush ever!I LOVE this brush...what an amazing tool to line eyes and fix brows like a pro! — 2 years, 6 months agoSurely | 11 reviews
Review subjectUs this to blend eyeliner for the smokey eye look — 2 years, 6 months agopez44321 | 2 reviews
LOVE IT!Use it everyday! Works great for eyebrows, or if you want to use eyeshadow as eyeliner for your waterline, bottom lash line and top lash line! I just love it! — 3 years, 5 months agomakeuploverx | 8 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 1 of 2 people said helpful
An essential in my cosmetic case!Of the beauty products worth the splurge, makeup brushes are one of these. This is one of my go-to eyeshadow brushes in my routine. I use it to create a defined line when using black or dark eyeshadows, and the tapered brush helps me achieve a slight or dramatic "winged" look to the ends of my ends with ease. It also "grabs" my eyeshadow and delivers concentrated pigment, so that's less time fussi...read moreng over the intensity of the color. Yes, MAC is very, very expensive, but these brushes are dependable tools that last quite a while and make your daily cosmetic application less of a hassle and more of an art form. Save up for this brush, or any of the MAC brushes, if you have to! — 3 years, 7 months agoNardulli_is_a_Product_Junkie | 15 reviews
NEW BUY... & I LOVE!I have no clue why it took me so long to get this angled brush?! It's perfect to apply my Fluidline. The lines are so straight. It's the ONLY tool that lets me master the 'winged eye' look — 4 years, 6 months agoSpicyLatina | 17 reviews
Mac Angle BrushI like this angle brush because I can use it for my eyebrows when applying my eyebrow powder since I don't use pencil, I have also used it another time for applying eyeshadow to the top and bottom of my eyelids as eyeliner. For me it's a multi purpose angle brush and it's always good to have one, especially if your into makeup. — 5 years, 3 months agoLoyalty | 59 reviews
MAC 266This brush is very versatile which makes it a good value and a good brush to have in your collection; I use this to apply brow powder, powder eyeliner and cream eyeliner. I've had mine for years and washed it hundreds of times and it's just as good as when it was new. Highly recommended. — 5 years, 9 months agoSusan1221 | 47 reviews
to top
My Reasons for Reporting This


text:
Description: In this scene, you'll be watching two hot and horny Latin beefcakes do anal. Antonio and Leonardo are good looking Latinos with dark skin and well toned muscles. Leonardo goes for the bottom and gets his asshole plugged with Antonio's shaft.
Duration: 03:00
Views: 83
Date: 18 months ago
Tags: Latino
Uploader: hardlatingays


text:
Fall into the Season with the Health Benefits of Pumpkin
The fall season is in swing meaning the flavors of autumn are also here. For centuries, pumpkin has been a fall favorite for many. Little do autumn lovers know, there are many benefits of pumpkin besides carving them for decoration.


text:
CHCI Welcomes the Largest Cadre of Fall Students for Award-Winning Leadership Programs
CHCI welcomed the arrival of eleven Public Policy Fellows (PPF), eight Graduate Fellows (GFP), and 24 Fall Congressional Interns (CIP), making this the largest group of fall program participants in the history of the organization. Specifically, this will be the largest-ever class of Fall interns, thanks to a new grant from the Ford Foundation. In total, 43 college students and recent graduates from 19 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are taking part in the nationally recognized and award-winning leadership programs focused on developing the next generation of Latino leaders.
CHCI's Leadership Programs, which include the CIP, PPF, and GFP, work to expose talented young Latinos to the inner-workings of Congress, while preparing them to become part of the workforce pipeline to staff positions on Capitol Hill, where Latinos continue to be vastly underrepresented. CHCI also strives to create diversity within its own classes of program participants. The 2013-2014 class of Fellows and 2013 Fall Interns collectively represent 12 different Hispanic ethnic backgrounds, with degrees or majors in 21 different fields of study, 77 percent come from homes with a household income of less than $45,000, and 60 percent are the first generation to attend college.
The Interns and Fellows participate in weekly CHCI leadership and professional development sessions and meet with corporate representatives, nationally elected officials and foreign dignitaries. They also engage in a community service project during their stay in Washington, D.C.
CHCI's Fall Congressional Internship Program is supported by the Ford Foundation, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and UPS. The CHCI Graduate Fellowship Program and the CHCI Public Policy Fellowship Program are made possible by: AARP, AFL-CIO, Altria Group Inc., Amgen, API, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BP Foundation, Cargill, The Coca Cola Foundation, Fundación Azteca America, Google, MillerCoors, New York Life Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Shell. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of CHCI's Leadership Development Programs.


text:
Total War Battle Map Editor Now Available
Posted: 23 May 2012 02:51 PM PDT
TEd offers the ability to create and automatically share Land, Naval and Siege Battle Maps with other players. The maps can be used in both Single player (Custom Battle Mode) and Multiplayer. TEd can be accessed from the "Tools" menu in the Steam Library.
Deus Ex Human Revolution Update Released
Posted: 23 May 2012 02:29 PM PDT
The patch includes:
- Some players accounted a problem where the Tai Young Medical shuttle in Hengsha would not arrive. This has been resolved.
• Existing save-games can be loaded and continued from normally, the shuttle will now arrive.
- We have provided a workaround for stability and performance issues on AMD FX CPUs with specific firmware versions.
- We have made further changes to reduce stuttering in the game.
• Improvements to background streaming of resources. (on DX11 only)
• Workarounds have been added for issues that can happen with Windows asynchronous file IO.
• We have improved parallelism with the graphics driver on dual-core machines. (should also benefit machines with more cores)
- SSAO has been improved to look less noisy.
- Various minor issues with 3DVision have been resolved.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Beta Update Released
Posted: 23 May 2012 10:52 AM PDT
• Fixed issue with mouse cursor becoming non-visible after launching a game via the server browser
• Fixed UI crashes related to more than 10 players in a game
Pre-Purchase Now - Sleeping Dogs, 10% off!
Posted: 23 May 2012 10:36 AM PDT
Welcome to Hong Kong, a vibrant neon city teaming with life, whose exotic locations and busy streets hide one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations in the world: the Triads. In this open world game, you play the role of Wei Shen, an undercover cop trying to take down the Triads from the inside out. Torn between your loyalty to the badge and a criminal code of honor, you will risk everything as the lines between truth, loyalty and justice become permanently blurred.
Daily Deal - Lucidity, 50% off!
Posted: 23 May 2012 10:05 AM PDT
Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!
Stellar Impact Update Released
Posted: 23 May 2012 09:29 AM PDT
Version 1.13
Adds :
- 3 new maps created by our community.
2vs2 map called "surrounded" made by Suntox
4vs4 map called "Mining colony" made by Everian
6vs6 map called "Anchorage" made by Spiz
Fixes :
- Some tooltips have been corrected.
- Double turrets removed on "Hell Pass".
- The minimap of "Extraction field" has been fixed.
Balances :
- The armor of the "Support ship" has been lowered by 10 points.
- A light side turret has been removed from the "Support ship".
- The "Forcefield" now can take critical damage.
- The shield of the skill "Defense turret" has been raised to 500 points.
- The armor of the skill "Defense turret" has been lowered to 25%.
- The skill "counter-measures" is now effective against the classical shot of the artillery ship(when the area of effect is shown), but not against its skills.
Ranking :
- Custom games are now ranked.
- The ranking system has been changed to be more relative to the level of the players. A victory grants 10 points and a defeat removes 10 points.
- All the ranks start at 1000 points.
- For our veteran players their ranking will be calculated by their victories/defeats.
The fan-maps have been modified in order to respect the gameplay constraint.
Due to the instability of the game from the release, we're gonna reset all the "desertion" to all our players. This is a chance for a new start.
Thanks for your attention and have a good day commanders.
Tindalos Interactive
Total War: SHOGUN 2 Update Released
Posted: 23 May 2012 09:16 AM PDT
- Total War Battle Map Editor (TEd) tool now available, offering the ability to create and automatically share Land, Naval and Siege Battle Maps with other players. The maps can be used in both Single player (Custom Battle Mode) and Multiplayer. TEd can be accessed from the "Tools" menu in the Steam Library.
- New Multiplayer Campaign Resynchronisation feature – When Multiplayer Campaign players become out of sync with each other (aka "desynchronisation" or "desync"), the game will attempt to resynchronise the players so they can continue playing (aka "resynchronisation" or "resync").
- Various fixes to prevent Multiplayer Campaign desynchronisation before resynchronisation is required.
- Fix for crash loading into the "Sea of Japan" Naval custom battle map.
- Fix for campaign map armies pathfinding causing them to becoming stuck on coast lines.
- Fixed stats for Kisho Ninja units.
- Fixed sound when broadsides are fired by players' ships in Historical and Custom Battle mode battles.
- Improved garrisoned infantry animation and pathfinding when attacking (to stop units moving on the spot and prioritising reforming over firing).
- Improved match making between avatar types to reduce erroneous match making between Total War: SHOGUN 2 avatars and Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Fall of the Samurai avatars.
- Host and Host's teammates will now receive experience after a battle if the clients' team had an open slot.
- Fix for Key Building timer in Avatar Conquest Mode, so that when a player loses a building, then re-captures it, the timer no longer continues to count down from when the building was first lost, now resetting. Fix in place for the timer not being displayed under certain circumstances.
- Fixed performance drop (low FPS) when accessing the recruitment tab for the Fukushima province in Single Player Campaign mode.
- Fixed crashes in Avatar Conquest Mode tutorial.
- Fixed bug where AI were only recruiting Kobaya ships on the Total War: SHOGUN 2 campaign under some circumstances.
- Fix for bug where camera scroll didn't work when the mouse was positioned over certain UI elements.
- Fixed Avatar Conquest Mode exploit where players could ignore funds bracket.
- Fix for Total War: SHOGUN 2 generals pre-battle speeches playing when playing as Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Fall of the Samurai clans.
- Fix for crash when positioning the mouse over coastal batteries in Miyako Bay Historical Battle Mode on Hard or Very Hard difficulty.
- Minor text fixes for Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Fall of the Samurai tutorials.
- Fix for armies reinforcing a besieger bouncing around that besieger until they run out of movement / action points (aka "Army bobbling").
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Fall of the Samurai mons will now appear on unit banners in battle.
- Improved transition blending for combat animation.
- Negative phase removed from Banzai.
- Improved Windows 8 preview compatibility.
- Fixed a number of issues with veteran clan skills
- Fixed the Stricken Unholy forge retainer effects
- Various miscellaneous crash bugs fixed.
- Various miscellaneous user interface bugs fixed
Toki Tori 2 Beta Update Released
Posted: 23 May 2012 08:47 AM PDT
Today's Toki Tori 2 update focuses on our new and improved level editor. Check it out and if you've made something worth sharing: send it to email@example.com!
Midweek Madness - Fallen Earth, 25% off in-game items!
Posted: 22 May 2012 03:02 PM PDT
Additionally, all users that sign-up during this event will receive an in-game Steam T-Shirt and "Gordon's Ward" crowbar for their character!


text:
Insurance Technology
Featured Articles
Latest News
Contact Us
Insurance Technology Industry News
[January 17, 2013]
BRIEF: Students learn to budget in the 'real world' in Pascagoula
PASCAGOULA, Jan 17, 2013 (The Sun Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Students from Pascagoula and Gautier high schools learned some "real world" budgeting skills Thursday morning at the Family Interactive Center in Pascagoula.
The program was put on by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and volunteers from Regions Bank.
Each student was randomly assigned a career, salary, marital status and number of children. They were then prompted to visit the 13 stations and decide how to spend their money on different "real world" essentials including groceries, housing, insurance, transportation and utilities.
___ (c)2013 The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.) Visit The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.) at www.sunherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
Back To Insurance Technology Homepage's Homepage
Enabling Collaboration in Insurance: The Role of Communications, Content, and Processes
Insurance Contact Centers in the Cloud: Communications as a Service (CaaS) Goes Mainstream
Transforming the Insurance Customer Experience with Business Process Automation: A Three-Tiered Approach
View all Whitepapers
Weekly Live Demo
Contact Center Solutions
Register Today!
Case Studies
Customer Case Study: New York Central Mutual
Customer Case Study: Western & Southern Life
View all Case Studies
Contact Us
Phone: +1 317.872.3000
        +1 800.267.1364
Web Chat: Chat live now!
Visit other TMCnet sites sponsored by
Interactive Intelligence:
Accounts Receivable Management
Communications as a Service (CaaS)
Contact Center Solutions
Powered by
Technology Marketing Corp
. © 2015 Copyright. | Ph: 800-243-6002, 203-852-6800; Fx: 203-853-2845 |
Contact us


text:
POSTED: 4:35 p.m. HST, Nov 25, 2011
LAST UPDATED: 1:51 a.m. HST, Nov 26, 2011
Two Hawaii island men have been charged this week in connection with the manufacturing of counterfeit money in Hilo.
Chase K. Tam, 24, of Hilo, was charged with first-degree forgery and third-degree theft. His bail was set at $5,500. Alexander M. Barnett, 27, of Kea'au, was charged with 36 counts of first-degree forgery and had his bail set at $360,000.
Tam and Barnett were arrested about 10:40 p.m. Nov. 19 after they were identified as using counterfeit currency at a Hilo gas station. Tam was charged Monday. Barnett was released Tuesday, pending an investigation, but arrested the following day after detectives uncovered additional information and evidence, police said. He was charged Thursday and appeared in court today.
Police said the men were involved in the manufacturing and passing of counterfeit U.S. currency.


text:
Jason Repko reinstated from DL to take Jim Thome's roster spot
Get the 1500 ESPN SportsWire delivered to your inbox daily, and keep up with all the news in Twin Cities Sports
The Minnesota Twins have reinstated outfielder Jason Repko from the 15-day disabled list to take the vacated roster spot of Jim Thome, who was traded to the Cleveland Indians on Thursday for a player to be named later.
Repko had been sidelined with shoulder soreness.
The Twins still have one open slot on their 40-man roster.


text: This Fall, ABC will premiere its hour-long drama, "Flash Forward," which stars Joseph Fiennes and chronicles the aftermath of a global event in which everyone in the world blacks out for 2 minutes, 17 seconds, and then has mysterious visions of six months… into the future. After the jump, watch this über-expository clip that pretty much explains the entire show, and then tell us at "Family Guy" creator (and voice of pretty much all the male characters) Seth MacFarlane isn't in this scene. The king of TV show flashbacks in a show about flash fowards? TNT may know drama. But ABC knows irony.


text:
Here's an interesting article on the history of the cubicle. Apparently, the original intent was much different than what we now experience. Companies searching for the most economical solution impeded the ideal.
The new system included plenty of work surfaces and display shelves; partitions were a part of it, intended to provide privacy and places to pin up works in process. The Action Office even included varying desk levels to enable employees to work part of the time standing up, thereby encouraging blood flow and staving off exhaustion.
I try to get up every so often while working to encourage blood flow and relax my eyes and hands. It's not enough, though.
The article from Fortune also touches on the workspace of the future. It seems like the next step in office furniture is simply staying home. Telecommuting would be wonderful. Even moreso for someone who feels moving to low-cost-of-living areas is the right thing to do. You can keep your high-paying New York City job and telecommute from Montana, dropping by a in person only a few times a year.
Published or updated March 9, 2006. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @ConsumerismComm on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.


text:
Plastic Surgery Beverly Hills and Rancho Mirage
Welcome to Ordon-Chopra Plastic Surgery and The Plastic Surgery Institute. It would be our privilege and pleasure to take care of any and all of your plastic and reconstructive surgical needs. At Ordon/Chopra Plastic Surgery, we offer the full spectrum of noninvasive, minimally invasive, and major plastic and reconstructive procedures. With over 35 years of experience in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery, Dr. Andrew Ordon and Dr. Ritu Chopra formed a unique team. Dr. Andrew Ordon with a background in head-neck surgery, head-neck reconstruction, and rhinology has focused his practice for the past 30 years on aesthetic facial and body surgery with special emphasis on facelifts and the nose. Dr. Ritu Chopra with a background in general surgery emphasizing all types of breast surgeries and body contouring procedures, also now specializes exclusively to aesthetic plastic and reconstructive surgery including both plastic surgery of the face, body, and breasts. Together as a team, the two doctors have pioneered the 0 Lift short-scar facelift as well as the tandem surgeon, total body makeovers, which have both been featured numerous times on the doctor's TV show and other media outlets.
Featured Media
Joan Rivers on The Doctors
Today Show – Dr. Ordon
Doctor Back from Haiti
Abdominal Lift


text:
Skip section navigation (navigation may have changed)
Section navigation
How teachers use girlshealth.gov
Here are a few examples of how teachers are using girlshealth.gov in their classrooms:
"I sent an E-mail blast to all the parents at Dana Middle school and added your web site to my bio page on our school's web site."
"I am a college professor who teaches a college health class at an urban high school and the materials I found on this site are issues that these young girls face daily. I found the hand outs to be the most beneficial for this population because they are easy to use and read."
Tell us how you use girlshealth.gov in your classroom using our Question/Comment Form!
Content last reviewed August 12, 2007
Page last updated October 31, 2013


text:
Sadly, there are still people in the world who want to see every acre of land, every plant, mineral, wildlife and water resource exploited for its maximum short-term economic reward. And there are others who would like to see our remaining wild areas preserved as museums where no human is allowed except, perhaps, for scientific study.
Then there are the rest of us, who just want to be able to get out in the outdoors and have fun. We want to visit beautiful, wild places and enjoy them. I think most of us hope in our hearts that they will still be there for generations to come.
Do these things when you're in the outdoors so that others can enjoy nature as you just did:
- When hiking, stay in the middle of the trail to minimize erosion of new soil and widening of trail
- Carry your litter and others if you find any lying around
- Use only downed, dead wood on established firepits or better yet, use a camp stove for cooking
- Camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose your own waste properly
If each of us takes the maximum amount of enjoyment that we can from our time outdoors, while consciously having as little overall impact as we possibly can, that leaves more for our kids and our kid's kids?
via Nashua Telegraph


text:
Who's Online:
Wow, what a marvelous story. You certainly have your uncle's gift for storytelling! Although I must admit if one of mine had whispered ' Put...on..the Ring.' I would have gone through the roof!
Not every story ends happily, although some – like Sam's – do. All that is gold does not glitter. Love and infatuation are two different things and can easily be confused. The world is not divided into "goodies" and "baddies" – there are shades of grey everywhere. Most importantly, ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things; you don't have to be a prince or a beautiful young orphan to deserve to have a story told about you. No other book has ever taught me so much.
Wow, I feel like I totally missed out. I didn't discover Tolkien until I was an Old Woman Of Twenty-Six. Reading this made me miss childhood--quite an achievement since I loathed childhood with a deep fiery Balrogian passion. I love the stuff with the songs; my friends and I used to do stuff like that, only our made-up lyrics were often X-rated (because yes, I was a weird and pervy child that grew into an even weirder and pervier adult). The actor John Hurt once referred to acting as a "grown-up method of playing cowboys and Indians." I think fiction-writing is pretty much the same thing: the kids inside us get all dressed up in sophisticated words and play pretend. And it's totally awesome. :)
As one English major to another (wink), I must say that this is fantastically well written. Actually, it's fantastically well written: there's a solid intro and conclusion combined with a fluidity and readability that just doesn't happen enough in essays.
Author's Response: Oh, thank you *glows* actually that's a point - my bio still says I'm a Classics major, I must remember to change that! Thanks for the review.
Firstly, I must say how much I throughly enjoyed reading this.
Secondly, my childhood feels oddly empty as I was not introduced to Lord of the Rings until I was well into my teens. I know, it makes me hang my head in shame. Though looking back Lord of the Rings in its little way has always been in my life. For example when I used to ride the stables frequently tested new possible school horses and there was a pair that came called Frodo and Pippin and I thought 'What adorable names' Or there was a beatiful old horse named Baggins, Show name was Bilbo Baggins of course and Baggins was the abseloute favorite of my Grandfather who would sometimes come to watch me ride. Baggins was a very strange looking horse, handsome, but strange, he was an American Paint Horse and he was solid white with dark streaks in his tail and his only marking was a black spot that was over the one side of his head and he had blue eyes, I had to mention the blue eyes becuase of your 'Trapped' story of course! ;)
Thank you so much for sharing this, It was a truly excellent and heartwarming read.
Though one final thought
"Hard lines," Grandma told us (a Yorkshire-ism, if anybody's confused).
My grandfather used that expression in front of me all the time when I was younger and he was the only one I had ever heard use it and now I sometimes use it myself though I must say I never knew where it came from, I do now!
Author's Response: Yay, someone else who's heard "hard lines!" When I'm up at uni, nobody understands what I mean by it, along with one or two other phrases. I'm really glad you enjoyed the essay - I had a lovely time writing about it :-)
Aww wow that's awesome! Some lovely memories there :-)
I love Queen too - and I also imagined the Ents to look like those apple trees from the Wizard of Oz!
That was so much fun to read. Thank you for sharing - both of you.
Wonderful and magical! That's an amazing story, I absolutely love it! Wow! I'm speechless.
Author's Response: Aww! Thank you, Caller! It's partly thanks to you that it exists at all :-) anyway I'm glad you enjoyed my ramblings, and if you want to add your own memories then that would be wonderful.
Nice story. That does sound perfectly terrifying "put on the ring..." ACK!
I watched the Bakshi version after dad read us lotr and could never forgive it for being *different* from the books. Getting over that, it certainly kept us entertained!
This is such a good idea for a round robin. I'm curious what else may be added.
Author's Response: Thanks for the review, Kitt; yes, it was petrifying as a small child! Never mind my parents, I don't think I've ever quite forgiven Tim for that...although I suppose you could say it's testament to the powers of Tolkien's creation that the concept of the Nazgul frightened us all so much. I giggle at parts of the Bakshi cartoon now, especially the depictions of Aragorn and Sam and Boromir, but it holds so many precious memories that I can't be too mean about it! I'm not sure whether people will want to add to this or not - it's quite personal by nature - but if anyone does post more then I'll be extremely interested to read about it! Feel free to chip in yourself, if you like :-)


text:
Report: Hakeem Nicks misses OTAs over contract situation
Sam Spiegelman
If you haven't heard yet, Hakeem Nicks did not attend organized team activities Wednesday.
Tom Coughlin said Nicks "should be here," despite the sessions being voluntary, though Eli Manning said he didn't expect the wideout to attend.
But while many attributed Nicks' no-show to his numerous injuries, reports indicate the wide receiver may be sitting out OTAs to express unhappiness with his current contract situation.
Nicks is due $2.725 million this season, the last of his rookie deal. And while the team is currently mangled in complicated negotiations with Victor Cruz, it appears another headache may be on the horizon.
In February, it was reported the Giants were giving Nicks' next long-term deal priority over that of Cruz, despite Cruz being a restricted free agent and Nicks having one more season left on his contract.
Nicks, who is recovering from a knee scope and a 2012 campaign plagued by both knee and foot injuries, recorded career lows in both yardage and touchdown receptions in 2012.
Coughlin said Nicks could have participated with some "limitations" in order to prevent any setbacks in his recovery.
Of course, Nicks' health may ultimately prove to be the most important storyline for the 2013 Giants, as the team currently goes on without the services of Cruz.
Follow Sam on Twitter @SamSpiegs


text:
I am working on an assignment for my 9th grade U.S. History class. I need to interview a Vietnam Veteran. I just need a few questions answered and then you can tell me what you would like my class to know about the Vietnam War.
1. Your name
2. What years did you serve?
3. What position or job did you have?
Thank You,
Jacob Box


text:
Umass-boston vs. Keene State
April 18, 2012
|Donny Delpha
|(1, 0)
|Henry Bristol
|21 (0.553)
|Current Record
|go to Umass-boston page
|Taylor Jette
|(3, 2)
|Ryan Hart
|(2, 2)
|Matt Schairer
|(2, 2)
|Kevin Carey
|(2, 2)
|Jt Galloway
|(3, 1)
|Dylan Gatto
|(1, 2)
|Ian Hart
|(2, 1)
|Kyle Peterson
|(0, 2)
|Brooks Billingham
|(1, 0)
|Taylor Wicke
|(1, 0)
|Sean Leblanc
|(0, 1)
|Christopher Pellati
|(0, 1)
|Jack Rogers
|7 (0.875)
|Eric Palmer
|5 (1.000)
|Current Record
|Keene State
|go to Keene State page
|The Game Story:
|BOSTON, Mass. 4/18/12 – With a strong defensive effort coupled with a team-best five points from Taylor Jette (Simsbury, Conn.) the visiting Owls of Keene State College (6-5, 3-1 Little East) defeated UMass Boston (2-10, 1-3 Little East) by the final score of 17-1 Wednesday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center Field.
The one goal given up by the Owls is the fewest they have given up in a game since May 2nd, 1998, when KSC defeated Franklin Pierce 28-0.
"Defensively our whole unit played a great game," said KSC head coach Mark Theriault. "There wasn't one guy who stood out, they all played really well."
Jette led Keene State to their third straight win, second in conference play by tallying three goals and two assists. JT Galloway (Simsbury, Conn.) was also instrumental in the win as he too finished with three goals, while also adding one assist to his line.
Goalies Eric Palmer (Hineburg, VT) and Jack Rogers (Acton, Mass.) combined for the victory as the duo made a total of 12 saves respectively. "I was able to give each of them one half of action and I thought they both played really well," said Theriault.
Jette was also the Owls top groundball earner as he collected five in the contest, followed by Sean LeBlanc (Simsbury, Conn.), David Shaw (Acton, Mass.), and Christopher Pellati (West Islip, N.Y.) with four. Shaw was also the go-to face-off man for Keene State as he won nine of his 13 face-offs. "Shaw did a great job on face-offs for us today," said Theriault. "We hope to see more of that going forward."
Scoring the Beacons only goal in the contest was Donny Delpha. The freshman ended Boston's scoring drought in the third quarter on an unassisted play. The goal marked his 22nd of the year overall.
In goal Henry Bristol continued to make some huge saves for the Beacons as the freshman finished with 21 stops on the day.
On day UMass Boston finished 15-for-24 on clear attempts, while Keene State went 17-for-20 overall. Both teams were scoreless on man-up chances. The Owls led the contest in both shots and groundballs with 55 and 53 respectively. UMass tallied 21 shots and collected 25 groundballs.
Wednesday's contest got off to a physical start as official's flags went flying early. The afternoon's first goal did not come until the 10:07 mark of the first quarter on a man-down tally by Ian Hart, his 19th of the year.
From there Keene State would get off four more goals before the opening quarter came to a close. The second quarter saw a four goal showing from the Owls as they entered the halftime break with a 9-0 lead.
After the intermission, Delpha ended the one-sided scoring affair with the Beacons only goal of the day at 14:17 of the third quarter. Unfortunately that goal could not alter the momentum of Wednesday's contest as Keene State came firing back scoring the afternoon's final eight goals. All three of the Owls fourth quarter goals came within a 53 second window to secure the conference victory.
The Owls return to action on Saturday, as they will head to UMass Dartmouth for a 4 p.m. start.


text:
I guess Shadowbane is going to reset its server, putting everyone back to square one. A bold move, and interesting enough that I might have to check back in to Shadowbane, especially since its free…
Shadowbane reset sparks interest.January 31, 2008
Flying solo.January 31, 2008
Tobold has a rather popular (based on replies) post with a simple premise; would you buy WoW if it was a single player game? The immediate reaction I think most people have is 'no', because logging on and seeing other players running around or chatting in the different chat channels is just something all WoW players have grown accustomed to.
But with all the changes to WoW since release, especially with the 2.3 patch and how it applies to the old world content, does old world WoW really need to be online? Most zones are void of life, almost all quests can be completed solo regardless of your class, and the XP system in WoW actually encourages players to solo.
If you repackaged the 1-60 game in WoW and sold it as a $30 box in stores as a single player no monthly fee game, I think it would sell like crazy. The low system specs combined with the still serviceable graphics would mean the game is highly accessible, even more so now that you have removed the internet connection and monthly fee requirements.
A few people point out that offline, the grindy gameplay would be more obvious to the player, and that would ruin the enjoyment, yet I can't help but ask how that is any different than what the majority of WoW is now, pre-70? People avoid PUGs, and most guilds are either raiding or PvP focused, two aspects that would be removed from single player WoW. Give the single game a 5 or 10 player hosting option, and you cover the 'I just play with my friends' crowd as well.
To me the more important issue raised by this is not whether it would sell, but on how this reflects on MMOs in general. Do the majority of MMO players really just desire a single player game? How is it that a genre built around the ideas of player interaction and a virtual world has transformed into a monthly fee single player game? And is this the natural evolution of the MMO market, or is WoW just an odd phenom, and once the phenom is over, do we go back to the 'norm' before it? Or has WoW changed the MMO space forever, leaving behind it a trail of online single player games?
Goons, EVE, and Freedom!January 29, 2008
This Wired article is making the rounds on various blogs, and as it focuses on griefing, which is somewhat related to PvP, I figured I would throw in my two cents. Go read the article first, if nothing else it's an interesting piece.
The biggest 'news' out of the whole thing seems to be the intent of the Goons in EVE Online to not only destroy your ship, but to make you quit the game itself. Many people are viewing this as exactly the reason no sane developer would let such PvP exist; who wants to lose accounts and money, right? The somewhat ironic thing is that EVE Online, a 4 year old game that had a horrible launch, no marketing budget, and is limited in its appeal due to being Sci-Fi and terribly difficult to get into at the start, is still growing at a very healthy rate. Go look at what MMOs launched around the same time as EVE, and see how many of them are still growing or even maintaining their numbers.
So how is it that a game which allows players to abuse others and to beat them to the point where they quit is still growing? Has WoW not taught us that unless we give everyone access to everything in a no risk solo manner, we are doomed to fail miserably? Sure the slaughter of 'sheep' worked in 98 with Ultima Online, but we have grown since then, all the 'sheep' have options now, and they won't stand to be butchered. As soon as the first sign of unwanted danger arises, they cancel their account and jump ship, leaving that game to slowly rot and die, right?
Yes, some do get frustrated and quit. It would be foolish to think otherwise and clearly this type of game is not for everyone. But how many players have downloaded the trial for EVE because they have heard or read about the incredible stuff players are doing in EVE? How many read the story about the bank heist, or heard about a titan being destroyed in an epic battle, and said 'that's awesome, let me give that game a shot'. Can you say the same thing about the first time Onyxia was killed, or the first time someone completed an epic armor set in WoW? How many players signed up for the WoW trial because of some guild's raid progression or high ranking Arena team? And all those stories are products of EVE's design, a design which gives such great freedom to its players. Take away that freedom, and you quickly take away every great moment in that games very rich history, a history which has no doubt created more paying accounts than it has destroyed. In gaming, just like in life, freedom is a double edged sword. Some will find ways to abuse it, while others will embrace it and creating unexpected and positive results. The real question is, are you a communist (WoW player) or a free thinking man/woman (EVE)? (bets on who will fail to see that as a joke anyone?)
And before everyone points out that WoW has 10 billion users, let's just remember that WoW is a phenomenon that is as much a product of timing as it is of game design. A far more accurate comparison would be something like EQ2 or LoTRO numbers, which are still higher, but not in a hundreds of thousands vs millions way. Oh and before this turns into another PvP vs PvE debate, keep in mind I'm not saying all PvE games should be burned and destroyed, but rather that the market supports both styles in a financially viable way. Had WoW not gotten lucky, perhaps both styles would be viewed as equally viable models, but that's an entirely different post…
The Witcher, gaming done right.January 29, 2008
Over the last few days all gaming has come to a near standstill thanks to The Witcher. I figured I would put down what really strikes me about the game. Notice that this is all purely based on a limited amount of time with the game, specifically up to the start of Chapter 3, which is perhaps 20 hours in, so things might get better/worse as I get further in.
First I'll just cover the basics; The Witcher is gorgeous, and not just in a 'million polygons per model' technical way. Everything in the game looks 'right', it all fits together and never draws you out, while still having its own unique look. The characters, the towns, the monsters, even the weapons, it all works. The sound is equally good, oftentimes being used as a queue for combat, be it to continue a combo or to inform you that something just popped up behind you and is ready to take your face off. The voice acting, while always debatable, works for me. From the random banter in town between NPCs, or towards you as you pass them, to dialog during the many in-game cut scenes, nothing you hear will ruin the gaming experience for you, and at times will make you laugh or slightly shock you in its directness. More than once I've been running through town only to stop on a dime and turn around due to some NPC yelling something vulgar at me. While amusingly childish in a game like Grand Theft Auto, for some reason in The Witcher it sounds real, and at times it can be tough to disconcert random quips from something story driven, which is a huge plus towards immersion.
The combat system, a timing driven take on the Diablo's 'click to attack' model, is solid but not great. If the appeal of The Witcher relied heavily on its combat model, it would simply be an average game, but due to the fact that everything else in The Witcher is top notch, the combat being serviceable is not an issue. This is not to say that the combat is bad, as visually all the combos and finishing moves look fantastic, and the system itself has a bit of depth with the different sword types and fighting styles. For me however, I find I look at combat as a means to an end, I engage to push the story along, rather than engage for the pure enjoyment of the system itself.
This brings me to the parts that I feel The Witcher hits dead on, story and immersion. In most RPG's you either play the good guy hero, or are given obvious choices whether to play the good guy, the neutral guy, or the 'kinda bad but ultimately going to save the world anyway' guy. The Witcher is all shades of gray, with most choices being a tough call between the lesser of two evils, with future impacts that are very difficult to predict. Knowing that regardless of the choice you make, a possibly innocent NPC is going to get butchered actually makes you stop and think. And instead of trying to pick the dialog option that will yield the most gold or grant the best item, I often found myself thinking about which path will leave the characters I like alive, or which choice I should make to exact revenge. It's odd that such meaningful choices are so rare in games, that it is so rare for a game to come along and do a great job in hiding the outcomes so naturally. Without even being halfway through the game, I've already been genuinely surprised a few times by the consequences of my past actions, choices that at the time seemed so unimportant are coming back to haunt me and determine the future of my progression. Once you see a result, you honestly get that 'what if' feeling, leaving you to wonder how different things would be if you made a different decision a few hours back.
The story itself is also interesting, a simple case of chasing a murderer and thief that quickly gets very complicated. The game is filled with great characters, each one as two faced as the next. That seemingly helpful grandfather turns out to be a cannibal, the local thug leader becomes an ally, and the shady merchant turns out to be nothing more than a shady merchant rather than some greater evil, despite his best effort to make himself seem important.
Everything has an adult overtone to it, which is mostly successful. The f bomb gets used, plenty of women get called whores, actual whores walk the streets, you sleep with a bunch of women, some of them whores, racism is rampant, kids get sold into slavery, and it seems everyone you talk to is a murderer, rapist, or just plain crazy. The few times you talk to a seemingly honest character, you suspect them more than anyone else, since it feels like everyone in The Witcher has skeletons in their closet. All of this would not matter much if the choices you made did not have so much impact, or if the game did not pull you in as much as it does. A classic case of the sum is greater than its parts I guess. To me personally the whole 'adult' thing works, and feels natural, but others might find it crude, offensive or maybe even childish.
To me The Witcher is a breath of fresh air, not only for RPG games but gaming overall. While not one single feature is revolutionary, the game overall just feels so different than any game before it. While a game like Oblivion gave us a huge world to explore, it was still filled with the generic RPG characters we have seen time and time again, with a story that while well crafted, did nothing truly memorable. In contrast, it's going to be difficult for me to go back to another RPG after playing The Witcher. I think that more than anything else is a statement to the impact The Witcher makes. Highly recommended.
Virgin Worlds Podcast 100!January 28, 2008
Congrats to Brent on show 100. A huge achievement for an awesome site. Go check it out!
edit: That "I love that" clip has to be one of the better sound bites ever, right along with the whole Archlord praise piece, great stuff.
Misunderstanding PvP.January 25, 2008
I think 'PvP' is the new 'nerf'. Remember back in the day anytime anything bad happened, it was called a nerf? And nerf was this dirty word you used to blame the developers for everything going wrong in your MMO? That's the reaction to PvP now. As soon as it pops up, out comes the mob to burn it at the stake and save humanity from the horrors. Ah the fickle MMO crowd, how we love you.
In my post below I talked a bit about 'impact PvP' and my hopes for it in Warhammer. It looks like I should have defined 'impact PvP' first, as there seems to be some confusion about what exactly that means, and what it does NOT mean.
Impact PvP does not mean UO98, where I can go around and gank you at will, 24/7, and completely ruin your gaming experience while collecting your head to put on my vendor for the world to see. We all accept that what 'worked' in 98 will not work now. It does not mean AC Darktide either, another free-for-all PvP setup. No one is asking for a mass murder simulator when we ask for PvP.
I also don't mean WoW PvP, which sadly consists of one meh form, and one trash form. The meh are the battlegrounds, where skill and common sense are thrown out in favor of a point grind for shiny epics that are eventually handed out to everyone who logs in. While not downright terrible, battlegrounds are a poorly tacked on feature in WoW that are terribly imbalanced due to WoW's PvE focus. Fun little distractions, they are a poor representation of actual PvP.
The trash is the STV ganking, pointless for both the ganker and the victim, and the pinnacle of what PvP should NOT be. Sadly WoW PvP is the ONLY PvP experienced by a large portion of today's MMO population, so it's no wonder so many people hate it. Hell if WoW PvP was my only experience with it, I would jump right on the carebear* train as well.
What I do mean when I say impact PvP is what happens in a game like EVE, a game entirely driven by its PvP, a game where everyone is affected from its impact. The reason the miners and mission runners are able to profit is due to PvP, the reason the market works is due to PvP, and the reason players stick around for years, not months, is due to PvP. Even if you have never fired a single shot at another player, and never been shot yourself, PvP has impacted you.
And the groundwork for such a system has to be set early. Why else can CCP (the developer of EVE) manage to balance so many ships and fittings, keeping so many of them viable options, and Blizzard can't seem to balance Paladins vs Shamans? Lets not kid ourselves here, the reason both sides have access to both classes now is because after many attempts, Blizzard caved in and gave up; the easiest way to balance anything is to make it identical. Warhammer has that chance now, with its multitude of classes. They don't need (and should not) be equal, just balanced enough to make it work. Sounds simple, but its hard to nail down, yet not impossible.
So while I completely understand people's apprehension about PvP, especially from the WoW-only crowd, I also think too many people are selling it short. Remember that an MMO is a virtual world, one that SHOULD be player driven, shaped not by the latest patch or update, but by the community that logs in each day. Don't sell PvP short in the assumption that it's only form is a 10 on 1 gank performed by a group of 13 year old kids, but rather the very basic nature of me vs you. Also don't assume the only form of PvP is actual 'physical' combat, the 'who has better gear or faster fingers' stuff. PvP is just as effective in an economic sense, or something as simple as spreading rumors and distrust among your enemy. Illidan will never care that you undersell him in the market, or that you spread a false rumor about him, or that you just snuck in and took all his resources, but players will. They will care and react, and you will react back. It's endless content without the need for a new instance every three months.
*Oh, and while I throw around the word carebear, it's purely because I am entertained by the word and its UO-inspired context. Don't get too caught up in it, I 'carebear' just as much as anyone else when I log in, even in EVE.
Another Warhammer rant, add it to the pile.January 23, 2008
Rant on carebears incoming, you have been warned.
Why don't people understand that Warhammer Online plans to be a PvP focused game? Again, PvP focused. Player vs Player. The focus of Warhammer will be to fight other players. The gameplay is based around the assumption that people like to PvP, that they enjoy PvP. We good on that? Ok, moving on.
If you HATE PvP, you won't like Warhammer. "I plan to avoid PvP" should be translated to "I'm not looking forward to Warhammer Online, it won't offer what I want". If you make a list of things you enjoy in an MMO, and near the top you put crafting, raiding, exploration, questing, etc, and PvP is missing from your top 5, Warhammer is not the game for you.
On almost every single Warhammer post on any blog I read, I see a comment or two basically stating "I don't like PvP and I'm looking forward to WAR, hopefully I will like it". I sincerely hope you HATE Warhammer. I mean absolutely HATE it. Because if carebear Joey likes Warhammer for its fun questing, crafting, and easy solo nature, that means everyone looking forward to Warhammer for it's impact PvP will hate it.
They don't mix people, and you know what, THAT'S OK! There are plenty of solo-friendly MMOs out now, one of them being the current 800 pound gorilla called WoW. It's very solo friend, easy epics abound, and it's a great casual game. LoTRO, EQ2 are also great PvE games, along with countless others. The triple A fantasy PvE market is well represented, no worries.
The most upsetting rumor out of Warhammer's beta was that it was WoW-like, a rumor that was addressed and emphatically denied by Mythic. If (big if, I know) they deliver on their mission statement, the Warhammer Online gaming experience should be radically different than WoW, at least in areas where it counts; game balance and goal focus. PvE games balance skills/classes/items around PvE content, and feature PvE as the end-game (raiding). PvP games are the exact opposite; balance is designed around PvP, with PvE balance being an afterthought. People PvP for the enjoyment of PvP first, and any rewards that come from it are secondary. If you currently 'grind' PvP in order to achieve some items/skills to help you progress in PvE, you have the wrong mindset.
I can only imagine the general forum one week after launch. Right below and above and in-between the "Warhammer stole it's lore/look from Warcraft!" posts we will see "Warhammer needs more solo-friendly quests!", followed by "I'm level 50 with nothing to do but PvP, fix it Mythic!". Why are so many people so hell bent on trying to make a PvP game what they want? Why is the "It's a PvP focused game" message so hard for some to understand or accept?


text:
... i think i remember. it is not in the menus ...whilst in the map, point to somewhere close to where you are then with one of the four green symbols (one is a flag, one is four arrows, one is a magnifying glass, one is a tourist info i) an option comes up to find, and then you can find nearest poi by type.
sorry it was a couple of months ago now.


text:
Custom Closets Sparks
Sparks Custom Closets Are Superb
From your home closet to your garage storage, you can make the most out of every room in your home with your new Sparks custom closets. Re-imagine the way that you function inside your home by creating new solutions for getting organized.
We like to start with one of the most problematic places we can find in your home. For some this is creating a home office somewhere in the house. For others it is simply getting organized in their walk-in/reach-in closet.
Whatever the case is for you, the storage solutions are limitless. We'll walk you through each step of the way to help you find innovative ideas for all your organizational problems.
California Closets has tons of ways that you can build a home office in your house. Whether you are ready to devote an entire room for your workspace or simply want to transform an unused nook in the kitchen, we can help you make it happen. Sparks custom closets are growing and are better than ever at solving all of your organizational problems.
Sparks Custom Closets: Get Yours!
Don't wait to renovate and refresh your home with amazing new Sparks custom closets. You can transform every room in your home in a flash with the help of California Closets. We're devoted to your ultimate satisfaction, so whatever the problem is we're there to help you fix it. Call today to find out more about how to get your very own Sparks custom closets!


text:
Cristobal Alonso
Sergey GribovSergey Gribov is a technology entrepreneur with 20 years of experience. Over the years he participated as a founder or top manager in many startups in USA, Israel and Russia. Sergey has a lot of experience in IT, across such sectors as software development, VoIP, bioinformatics, finance, internet, social networks and e-commerce. Today Sergey is Managing Partner at Startup Access, angel investor and also taking part in top management / board of several startups in IT/Internet space, as well as consulting / mentoring different companies in Russia and USA. Sergey holds an MBA from MIT and B.Sc. in Computer Science, Cum Laude from Beer-Sheva University.
Tiit Paananen
Currently Tiit participates in Estonian Development Fund as Entrepreneur in Residence. Tiit advises the Smart Specialization and Startup Estonia program teams. His tasks involve structuring the smart specialization activities, in addition to increasing local and international coordination and collaboration.
Jevgeni Kabanov
Mike Reiner
Tobias Stone
Jon BradfordJon is an "old-fish" at startup accelerators. He is MD & Co-Founder of TechStars London (Formerly Springboard) based in Cambridge and London, UK; Partner in the TexDrive (Moscow). Jon founded the Difference Engine, Europe's first acceleration programme, which he re-invented into ignite100 - Europe's only £1m accelerator. Jon is also an advisor to the RockStart Accelerator (Amsterdam) and Startup Highway (Lithuania). Jon originally trained as an accountant with Arthur Andersen, and worked for various start-ups and turnarounds, in London, Europe, Australia and US. Twitter Linkedin
Gareth Gumbley
Kristjan Konks
Burton Lee PhD MBAStanford Engineering School | Innovarium VenturesBased in Silicon Valley, Burton is Managing Director at Innovarium Ventures, a senior financial, technical and strategic advisory services firm that works closely with European and Valley startups, investors, universities and corporations. He is also a Lecturer at Stanford University in the Engineering School, where he teaches and does research on European entrepreneurship and innovation. Burton is also a startup mentor at Seedcamp in London, and with Innovation Center Denmark in Silicon Valley.Linkedin Twitter
Andrey Kessel
Kristoffer LawsonHolvi
an unrepentant entrepreneur with a long background in product and technology innovation. He was a key founder of bank disruptor Holvi, where he built many of the core technologies, the user interface and developed the messaging and sales channels as the key evangelist. He is also founder of the largest digital art festival in the Nordics, The Alternative Party.
He relaxes by running the Traveling Salesman blog, which meticulously documents startups of the world through crazy expeditions. In addition to being a stubborn perfectionist in usability, he has coded in almost everything from Motorola 68k assembler to Self. He is an active in the demoscene hacker community, loves Doctor Who, listens to too much avant-garde electronic music, and drives a Caterham 7.
Andris K. Berzins
Christian TestmanChristian is an industrialist with both international corporate experience as well as an angel investor and serial founder. An economist by education, he started his career at Tandberg (Cisco) and went on to found the global Ericsson mobile e-commerce unit. During the Internet boom years he served as EVP of FAST Search & Transfer (Microsoft Enterprise Search). He then invested his time and money into startup companies like Paradial (Logitech), before forming the ICD group of companies in 2011. His passion for mobile payment and security shows through companies like Authente, Encap & TrustNorway. @ChrisTestman Linkedin
Andrey Sergeyev
Michael Geer
Daniel Blomquist
Steve TaylorSpecialties: Business support for startups. Business strategy & planning for startups. Brand & proposition development Building management teams Mentoring entrepreneurs
Jennifer Hicks
Yuriy ZaytsevYuriy is currently responsible for developing Microsoft's ecosystem of application partners in Central and Eastern Europe. His focus is on helping others build successful businesses using Microsoft's technologies. Yuriy has 15 years of experience in technology world. Prior to current role he held several positions in Microsoft, including running business development team chasing high-profile early adoption customers in Europe. Linkedin
Colette Ballou
Twitter Linkedin
Alan Moore
Manu Mäkelä
Anthony Hicks
Viesturs Sosārs
Mikko Suonenlahti30 years of global management experience in business building, of which over 15 years as a successful "hands on" venture capitalist in the US and in Europe and 10 years in operations.Linkedin
Allan Martinson
Allan has been investing in and managing the largest internet & high-tech success stories in the Baltics: Baltic News Service (after >20 years of existence still the dominant news agency in the region), MicroLink (the largest Baltic IT and technology group), Delfi (the largest portal in the Baltics), SAF Tehnika (the first listed technology company in the Baltics), MTVP, Cherry Media. Linkedin
Priit Salumaa
Thom Cummings
Herty Tammo
Ivar Siimar
Jaak Laineste
Lauri AntalainenLauri Antalainen is a serial entrepreneur. In 2004 he founded the consultancy Advisio and served as a CEO until the beginning of 2010. By then it was one of the largest consultancies in Estonia with 20 full-time employees. Advisio helps startups and other companies to raise money from funds, VC-s, angels, banks and private equity. In 2011 Lauri co-founded another start-up, LogistIT, and serves as a Member of Board there.
Martin Villig
Paul Smith
Rokas Tamošiūnas
Yrjö OjasaarDeveloping technology projects by finding leadership, advisors and financing for startup technology companies. Applying experiences with entrepreneurship, corporate governance, carrying out fundraising, M&A, IPOs to help prepare European startups for international success.
Timo Ahopelto
Kristjan Hiiemaa
Alexander Novozhenov
Adil Mohammed
Robert Lees
George BerkowskiChairman of the MIT Enterprise Forum UK (now part of the MIT Technology Review Magazine Network), seasoned startup guy, always neck-deep in a new venture or two. Now he is founder @NotHotel and head of Product HAILO.
Mat Clayton
Andrus Oks
Stanislav Ivanov
Andres Susi
Andrus Purde
Ivo Remmelg
Tarmo TaelIn 2002, Tarmo graduated from the TTK University of Applied Sciences as a transport and logistics engineer. He joined DPD Estonia courier logistics company in 2001 (then BLS Eesti Ltd) as a sales representative. Later, he moved on to leading the sales and marketing department. Since 2006, he is the CEO and chairman of DPD Eesti. Until 2010 Tarmo Tael acted as a board member of the Estonian Logistics and Freight Forwarding Association. Since 2009, he has been a board member of the Tallinn School of Transportation. Linkedin
Marvin Liao@marvinliao Linkedin
Amid Moradganjeh
Allan YoungCurrently in development
Allan Young is currently founder of Runway, one of the largest incubators in San Francisco. He is also a founder of CallSocket, a next generation call center. He was most recently a founder at a Y Combinator company called LaunchHear. He used to run a venture fund which achieved three large IPOs.
LinkedIn Twitter
Allan Lees
AMLWorldwide Allan Lees has 24+ years in hi-tech. Founder/CEO of three venture-backed start-up companies (2 acquired). Expertise in B2B, enterprise software, cloud services, security, mobile, telecoms, financial services. Strong operations focus on product management, marketing, sales, business development.
James YorkYork Consulting
Dr. Winfried Richter
Winfried is an entrepreneur based in Stuttgart, Germany. He operates as co-founder in startups and as an entrepreneurship guide for medium-sized companies. Corporate meets Startup: Currently Winfried is establishing the Institute for Business Innovation in Stuttgart, which strives for enabling established corporations in thinking/acting/being like a startup.
Before, Winfried gained over twenty years of experience as executive and managing director in the German high-tech machine tool industry at Trumpf and Felss. He had a particularly international focus and set marks in the fields of strategy, branding and leadership. By developing new and innovative business fields he repeatedly was able to set new trends.
Juan Sáenz-Diez
Nicola Schirru
Keywords: analytics, strategy, business planning, business modeling, determination, and fun!
Andrei Korobeinik
Today he works on his social dating site Flirtic, is a president of Estonian Chess Union and a board member of Enterprise Estonia.
Christopher MuenchhoffPrivate Investor
Christopher Muenchhoff is an investor and business angel.
He co-founded DealPilot.com, one of the first price search engines, in 1997 and exited the business to Shopping.com in 2001.He has further experience working with many entrepreneurs, investors and young companies over the last fifteen years.
Chrysanthos Chrysanthou
Darius Dunlap
LeeAnne HaworthHaworth International
Specialties: program/project management, international market research/analysis, international marketing, lead generation, international business matchmaking, international business strategy, US market entry, startup consulting, marketing and localization.
Paula Marttila
Paula is one of the connectors and influencers on the European early stage startups scene, and is often found at startup conferences, competitions and hackathons as judge and speaker. As tech writer she has been covering startups since 2009.
Peeter Mark
- CEO and Founder of Cloutex.com.
- Managed and built up Microlink (the largest IT-company in Baltics) branch in Lithuania. Microlink's success in Lithuania raised the attractiveness and valuation of the Microlink acquired by the US corporation entering Baltics.
Peter Kadas
Besides his roles as a VC he is trying hard giving back to the Hungarian and the global startup community through his blogs, Startupdate (in Hungarian) and the Traction Tribe Blog (in English).
Priit Kallas
Ragnar Sass
He is also loving to advise others and share experience where it could help. He is mentoring startup founders regularly.
Specialities: startups, marketing, startup-events, lean startup, accelerators/incubators, raising investment, hiring, getting traction, media, PR
Raido Pikkar
Position was quit to start a IT field start-up venture and this has led to being a serial entrepreneur in the field. Evangelizing the Nordic and Estonian startup scene as one side effect.
Specialties:leadership, team-building, strategy analysis, roadmap and focus, KPI, venture capital and pitches
LinkedIn Twitter
Roy Vella
His objective is to create possibilities through people, products and partnerships and I have consistent results in developing ideas into businesses and individuals into teams. His particular expertise is in being a strong customer advocate to bridge the gap between engineeringvision and market reality.
Telemachus LuuNephoScale
Telemachus is responsible for NephoScale's technological vision, product strategy, and technical operations. Prior to co-founding NephoScale, he spent 6 years at GoGrid in senior management roles within Finance, Product Development, and Engineering. He was instrumental in defining GoGrid's architecture, features, and go-to-market strategy. At NephoScale and at GoGrid, he has worked with over a thousand technology startups in helping them deliver their products & services onto robust, scalable, and secure infrastructure platforms.LinkedIn Twitter
Prior to GoGrid, Telemachus spent 7 years designing large scale networks for a portal company, systems integration firm, and his own consultancy.
Telemachus earned an MBA from Santa Clara's Leavey School of Business with a concentration in Finance, and a BA in Economics from U.C. Berkeley.
Tarvo Tamm
In April 2014 Tarvo joined a newly established company in the health technology space.
Emrah YalazEmrah Yalaz is the co-founder of String Ventures, an Istanbul-based product design studio aimed at young startup ecosystems, focused on incubation and seed stage deals. Between 1998 and 2009, he designed, built and launched enterprise software products focused on data analytics, solving large quantitative problems rapidly. The hit product handles the life-cycle of a mortgage loan, and handles 6 of 10 mortgages originated in US.
Bob Mollen
Bob focuses his practice on international corporate and securities matters and legal crisis management. He has extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions and securities offerings, including matters involving regulated industries such as technology, multimedia, financial services, telecommunications and professional services. Bob has advised UK operator Virgin Media since 2005, including in its recent US$23 billion acquisition by Liberty Global, its prior dispositions of its content and broadcast assets, and certain other matters.
Bob regularly advises technology and other companies, including early stage companies in a broad variety of sectors, in connection with their establishment and expansion of US operations. He also advises clients on the US federal securities laws and their extraterritorial application, as well as economic sanctions and other trade regulatory matters.
Bob is a co-editor of "Coming to America: The Legal Basics" and works closely with various accelerators (including TechStars London and Barclays Accelerator) and government organizations to advise and mentor non-US companies considering US expansion.
Bob is recommended in M&A by the UK Legal Experts Guide and has been recognized by Legal 500. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Hegle Sarapuu
Hegle is an entrepreneur and one of the first UX designers in Estonia. She is the co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of Trinidad Consulting, the leading UX design and business analysis company in the region. Hegle has worked in the IT industry for more than 17 years and seen projects of all shapes and sizes.
She spends most of her time helping companies build better products and services, while giving special attention to startups. Bad UX is one of the main reasons companies fail. Hegle is here to help you build a great user experience and a great product. LinkedIn
Agur Jõgi
Siim Lepisk
Marek Mühlberg
Sven Lillepalu
startuppers, specialists who want to keep themselves close to the beat, feel passion and participate!


text:
FedEx Opened First-Ever Lemonade Stand For Charity In New Orleans, Enlisted NFL Stars To Help Raise Funding For Junior Achievement Students
FedEx enlisted Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver and... Fotografia de notíciasAlfred Morris,Arte, Cultura e Espetáculo,Cidade,Donald Driver,EUA,Estados da Costa do Golfo,Federal Express,Ficar de Pé,Green Bay Packers,Horizontal,Nova Orleães,Pessoa a Estudar,Receiver,Running Back,Washington RedskinsPhotographer Christopher PolkCollection: Getty Images Entertainment 2013 Getty ImagesNEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 31: FedEx enlisted Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver and Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris to run a lemonade stand with Junior Achievement students in the Super Bowl XLVII Media Center, one of the most highly-trafficked venues of the Super Bowl city. The event celebrated the 10th season of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year awards and allowed the students to run their first business. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for FedEx)


text:
On Saturday I'm taking off for a month of walking in the Alps. Tentatively I will be walking the Tour de Mont Blanc and if my legs are up to it, perhaps right on to the Walker's High Route. That should be about 3 weeks walking. But it all depends on the condition of my diabetes; right now things look pretty good, but if the cramps in my legs return then I will change to an easier walking route, like perhaps walking the Jura Mountains in the north of Switzerland, or lots of shorter walks in southern France or Northern Italy. Have to see when I get there.This is the gear list I've come up with for now. I'm just too busy to get the proper weights written down or to offer the list iin a proper table. Let me know what you think!Pack:
Edited by butuki on 08/01/2007 07:20:10 MDT.
And be safe. No doubt you have agonized over that list for months, so I won't give any silly advice except take a second shirt?!I look forward to the awesome photos for your blog/site, but hey, no pressure : )
Brett, thanks for the encouragement. I'm both psyched and nervous... maybe too much thinking about all this! Actually any advice you may have would be great. I'm still kind of anxious about the gear I'm taking. And I just discovered that the Austrian Alpine Club membership card for which I joined last week for the hut discounts and travel insurance (and the only mountain walking insurance that I've been able to find that covers people from other countries and covers diabetics) has my name wrong and the people at the UK office who issued it refuse to acknowledge the mistake and reissue my card before I take off on Saturday. That basically leaves me with no travel insurance... very scary for a diabetic. I'm not sure what to do... give up walking in the Alps or just go and da*n the torpedos. I'm so upset I can't sleep tonight.If I take the Paramo jacket I won't need another shirt because the Paramo jacket is like a warm shirt in itself. But I am taking a MontBell Chameece Henly Neck Long Sleeve Shirt, which I forgot to add to the gearlist.Anything else you think I might need?What are you doing for the summer? Any good walks planned?
Miguel,don't worry about your packlist. It covers the essentials and it will be more than OK for the TMB and HR.I understand your worries about your diabeties but perhaps it helps that at least on the TMB you will see lots of other hikers and every few days, you have the opportunity to visit some towns.
I would staple your receipt and email to UK office to the membership card as proof of the mistake and go for it. Your receipt and email shows you paid for insurance and chances are you will not have an accident.
Miguel ......your list is perfect, the TMB is an "easy rute", full of people, full of huts, if you need something chamonix and courmayeur have shops and shops whith all the gear that you can imagine.....Please ..... ejoy your walk and forget your worries ;-)ps . (take the rainbow :-)
Edited by pitagorin on 08/01/2007 15:57:21 MDT.
Good luck, whatever you will take with you, you will have a great time. I am sure you will love the TMB and there will be so many opportunities to make great pictures or to sketch (by the way; what sketch/note book are you using..Moleskine?)Don't worry about looking like a climber, that's what will set you apart from the regular tourists but I always like to have some descent looking clothes because I always end up spending more time in towns than planned.I would love to read about your experiences when you return.Happy hiking.Jeroen
Edited by jeroenman on 08/03/2007 06:57:44 MDT.
You must login to post.
MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED TO POST: You must be a Forum, Annual or Lifetime Member to post messages in the backpackinglight.com forums.


text:
Professional Advice - Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital
Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital is the premier provider of compassionate, advanced, multi-specialty veterinary care in Central Texas. We pledge to provide the finest personal service in state of the art facilities. Our supportive caring environment attracts the highest caliber team members. Our unified approach results in an unparalleled experience of healing and nurturing the human-animal bond.
CTVSH is made up of two 24-hour facilities that offer referral services. Each department functions independently, yet interacts closely to provide the best overall care possible. We offer services in the following areas:
- Surgery
- Internal Medicine
- Dermatology
- Ophthalmology
- Rehabilitation and Conditioning
- Neurology
- Sports Medicine
An appointment with CTVSH starts with a referral from your family veterinarian. CTVSH works in cooperation with your veterinarian, forming a comprehensive health care team.
For more information, visit our website.
4434 Frontier Trail
Austin, TX 78745
Tel: (512) 892-9038
Fax: (512) 892-7811
Map & Directions
301 Chisholm Trail
Round Rock, TX 78681
Tel: (512) 961-3334
Fax: (512) 961-5201
Map & Directions


text:
This is my first response to my post "Where have all the unskilled jobs gone?"
It concerns paper mills and workers related to the person who responded.
I am but offering a prediction. An informed one yes, but an extrapolation.
The problem with the statement, " Big data/automation cannot replace the human element when it comes to crafting and dealing with physical manufacturing processes." Is that this is already occurring. The issue is not if this is possible, but can it be achieved cost effectively. There are already plants that offer light's out automation. It is not science fiction, it is a process that has already started and is being taken up more and more in new plants each day.
Blacksmiths, farriers and many trades have passed. These have been skilled trades that many thought could never be replaced. Computers were people once. These rooms of people would add and do calculations (even log charts) for many purposes including shipping. They were essential. In a matter of years they became obsolete and have been completely replaced by newer technologies.
For these people, it is a tragedy. More so when they do not see and react to the changes until too late.
With forethought, we can plan and be prepared.
The shame in what you have written and the true tragedy is that you have told of a dying industry. Paper plants are already becoming automated. More importantly, paper has a shelf life. We will not be using the vast volumes of paper forever.
I have linked a paper (http://www.tappi.org/Downloads/unsorted/UNTITLED---eng01108pdf.aspx). This is on Complete automation on paper mill warehouses. It is a decade and more old already. Old mills will be replaced slowly, new mills will start more and more to become completely automated.
We can be angry at these changes and want to have a world where we know what we do now will be a role our children may also move into, but this is not going to be the case.
The economics of machines becoming less expensive and people more allow only one determination. These types of industry will change and manual labour will vanish. For those in these industries, it is a tragedy. For the whole of society, we have more at a lower cost. I am sorry for their loss, but the gain to the many exceeds the costs.
The tragedy is not new. Just as blacksmiths and farriers bemoaned the losses they experienced, so too will many alive now.