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The mistral blows much at St Tropez. It has swept the streets so that their surface glistens as if it had been polished, and the air is phenomenally bright and clear. The port has a spanking morning look. In summer it is a favorite resort of yachtsmen, and of painters, those especially of the comfortable academic sort, who, having made a profitable mariage de convenance with Nature and the Schools, are often yachtsmen too. Already many of the small white boats that crowd the harbour are in commission. Decks are polished, stores are fetched and carried, one encounters people who have stepped straight from the novels of Mr Victor Bridges, wearing sweaters, smoking pipes, and even speaking English, on the quay. But most of them are Frenchmen disguised as Englishmen, since between la vie sportive and an Anglo-Saxon get up there's an indissoluble connection.
I find this an agreeable resort, and more. I cannot entirely acquit the place of being a little picturesque; but it is also beautiful and charming. Freshness is one of its qualities, and an unexpected one. This much-reputed pirates nest, which has certainly an exotic air compared with Cannes, achieves a remarkably successful combination of cleanliness and antique quaintness. The cleanliness is partly a product of the wind, which will not suffer smells; the quaintness is obviously not entirely independent of deliberate promotion, human nature being what it is, and Gallic nature being even more so. Excellently situated to be the object of a pleasant drive from the larger resorts of the Riviera, St Tropez naturally does not refuse to meet the taste for artificial simplicity. Along the quay and the principal street are restaurants, rustically prick't out, from which the man of sense instinctively retreats, whatever the state of his purse, since there is a kind of indignity in being made to pay more than a thing is worth, as if one were a new-rich fool without discrimination.
But despite these superficial blemishes, St Tropez has great character. Its antiquity is genuine enough. It was certainly a Greek colony, and possibly a Phoenician one; it was known to the Massilians as Athenopolis, and has been suggested as an alternative situation for that lost city of Hercules which some opinion places on the other side of the peninsula. But it was the colonization of the place by Genoese adventurers in the Middle Ages that really established the existing port; and a good deal in its atmosphere that is attributed to Moorish influences would probably be much more justly considered Genoese. These settlers and their descendants held the town by one of those arrangements characteristic of the time, which provided that they should defend the adjacent coasts against invasion. Twice the Tropezien fleet drove off an attacking force; and it is apparently the second of these occasions that is commemorated by the annual ceremony of the bravade, a celebration which involves the election of a Captain of the Town, the discharge of a vast amount of ammunition, a procession, and a farandole.
St Tropez is spiritually the end of the Cote des Maures, though geographically the region extends to the Argens. From la Foux the coast is served by the main motor route connecting Hyeres with St Raphael, and thus with Cannes and Nice. Commercial greed and the sheepish folly of the prosperous have caused this final strip of the Cote des Maures to be more intensively exploited than any portion of the French coast between the peninsula of Camarat and the Spanish border. The road is lined with palms and backed by villas. But inland rise the familiar rounded hills; and although the coast is less indented than on the other side of the peninsula, and thus provides a smaller variety of scenery, it is still very charming. This is a district of detached villas, with large and bosky gardens, rather than of towns; and if, as is probable, there is more bad architecture along these fifteen miles of coast than in the whole of Roussillon lumped together, at least the woods hide most of it.
Beauvallon, which figures with some prominence on the map, is really the Golf-Hotel-Beauvallon-sur-Mer (Var), with a hundred and sixty bedrooms, golf prive, plage de sable fin, 4 tennis, domaine 40 hectares. Ste Maxime, on the other hand, I found to be very definitely a resort, in a pro founder and more melancholy sense than any place I had yet encountered. It is one of those places of which it may be truly said that distance lends enchantment to the view. Before the War it was a small seaport, to which a few people went in winter. Of late years the demand for summer plages has led to its development; and two or three large hotels have been run up, into which the unprotesting flock of the gullible and mindless are herded by their masters, lords of enterprise and propaganda. These sheep-pens, rabbit warrens, tenements for termites, have not yet been opened for the season; two out of three villas carry notice-boards announcing that they are to let. Despite this dismal out-of-season atmosphere, I am exorbitantly charged at a cafe on the principal promenade for some very inferior the au citron, consumed in far from fashionable company.
Afterwards I take an extensive walk about Ste Maxime and its outskirts. Notwithstanding that a' few of its new buildings have some architectural merit, the general impression created by the place is that the whole of it has been bought up by some cynical and vulgar speculator, whose aim is the exploitation of the contemporary herd; a herd composed of those who, lacking standards by which to discriminate between the good and the bad in any case, are indifferent where they go, so long as they can boast of having spent the summer on a Mediterranean plage, and of having been made to pay a high price for the privilege. In this respect Ste Maxime is a melancholy microcosm of the mod-ern world. A resort, if it is to make any appeal to the critic capable of distinguishing between the real and the false, must offer either every civilized amenity, like Cannes, or else nothing but comfortable accommodation and such gifts as nature has bestowed, like Cavaliere. In either case it may not be to one's personal taste, but it will have character, an individual quality that one must recognize. Ste Maxime makes a miserable descent between two stools. It is a vulgar sham, a nothing. I have no doubt it is very popular.
When I got back to the station, determined to shake the abundant dust of Ste Maxime off my feet, the wind was blowing so hard that a notice on the door of the waiting-room requested the traveller not to open it, but to go round to the other side; adding the one word, mistral, as sufficient explanation. Despite the spiritual and physical depression induced by the rawness of the town and the bitter gust, I was a little cheered by this touch of sensible and homely informality. It is not in every country that one would find a station-mistress capable of such enterprise and wisdom. I like this little railway, with its happy freedom from petty regulations, which permits a train to stop between stations for the benefit of a single passenger who wishes to descend. You cannot run great enterprises so. But that is no reason why the inevitable soullessness of such undertakings should be extended to small ones, as is often done in these days, when a mechanical and pointless efficiency is the god of every jack-in-office. It is an agreeable thing to be reminded sometimes that there are still institutions in which neither the humourless inflexibility of officialdom, nor the lick-spittle abomination they call service, has been substituted for the human practice of courteous and reasonable acquiescence in a patron's wishes.
La Nartelle, Val d'Esquieres, and so forth, are bunches of hotels and villas, all more or less popular, and even perhaps a little fashionable, in summer. St Aygulf is larger. It is the final, ultimate resort of the Cote des Maures. At this point we reach the mouth of the Argens. The mountains crop behind, the railway crosses the river and a small lagoon, and slants across the narrow windy valley to Frejus.
Frejus is the Forum Julii of the Romans. After Actium there floated over the fields which now lie between the station of the Ligne du Sud and the little town, the captured galleys of defeated Antony. For the sea has retreated from the Roman port; and those who dislike the neighbouring resort of St-Raphael say that the wind has blown it out into the bay. It is significant that it is those who dislike St Raphael who speak thus. As for Frejus, no one bothers either to dislike or like it, or to consider it at all as a place where one might stay. Yet I spent two days there, stopping at a great rambling hotel, where one went up and down stairs and lost oneself in endless dark green corridors like forest paths, as in an English coaching inn, and was very kindly treated. But I must admit that there is really nothing to make one stop at Frejus, and that such advantages as it may have over a popular resort are purely negative. I have, how-ever, a certain tenderness for Frejus. There is something touching in the repetitious earnestness with which this shrunken little town (with every justification) proclaims its one treasure, the Cloister of Notre Dame, as "one of the marvels of all France"; and (with none at all) proclaims itself as "the Pompeii of Provence." The fact is, that though the Roman town was five times the size of the present one, I doubt if it was ever either very beautiful, or much esteemed as a place in which to live. It was a garrison and warehouse town, a point of disembarkation and a centre of distribution for military and commercial traffic coming into Gaul. Its amphitheatre, instead of being majestically constructed of great blocks of stone, like those of Nimes and Arles, is built of brick. To-day it has a very unpreserved and rustic look: grass grows in the middle, the cigale chirrups, the air smells of thyme. The Butte St Antoine is nothing but a sort of rampart, built to prevent the wind from blowing the ships out of the harbour, which I should think was very necessary, though it would not keep the mistral off; if indeed the mistral blew here in those days, and the whole climate of the Mediterranean has not greatly changed, as some have thought, since Roman times. The Lantern of Augustus, supposed to have been the office from which the harbour master issued his orders to shipping, is a little tower with a pointed roof, the least like a Roman building, I believe, I ever saw.
But the cloister is superb; and one ought, perhaps, to extend this compliment to the whole cathedral, or at least to its exterior and its Baptistery. The cathedral is Romanesque, which in itself is almost a sufficient guarantee that its form is good; and recent cleaning has revealed the fine col-our of the fabric. The carving of the sixteenth-century doors, protected by shutters which the amiable guardian will unlock for you, is very intricate and fine. The Baptistery dates from the fifth century, and is thus older even than that of St Sauveur at Aix, though that has some still more ancient columns, those they say, of a pagan temple that once occupied the site. In point of age and state of preservation, this Baptistery of Frejus is said to be unique. The cloister, with its upper story, and its wooden ceiling decorated with incised and painted figures of every variety that the introverted medieval imagination could suggest, from an angel to a centaur with a woman's breasts, must certainly be so. Until a few years ago the arches of this cloister were bricked up, and most of its beauties hidden. The highest praise is due to the Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques and the Ministry of Fine Arts for their intelligent restoration, and to the present guardian of the cloister for his careful maintenance.
It is characteristic of Frejus that this excellent official is, so to speak, everything and everybody where the local monuments are concerned. Having parted from him at the door of the cathedral, I went round the corner to the Syndicat d'Initiative to make a few inquiries. There was a door with a bell and a notice requesting one to ring. I rang; and there appeared my friend of a moment since, this admirable Pooh-Bah, who, owing to my tactless haste, had not had time even to disguise himself or change his hat.
A short way up the inland road to Cannes from the cross-roads in the centre of the town one passes on the left the barracks, an unusually attractive example of its kind. A little further on, a turning on the same side takes you to the ruins of the Roman theatre. They are of little interest or value, but enjoy some favour as an afternoon resort for the younger Forojulienne matrons and their children. There are still some fragments of the aqueduct which brought the water of the Roman city more than thirty miles from the Siagnole; but scarcely anywhere a complete arch standing, save in one place where I counted five.
I walked this way to an uncertain destination on a warm afternoon, after a cool morning of mistral. A mile or two outside the town a rough road goes to the right to Valescure. At the corner is a military camp, with a cemetery in which many of the Colonial soldiers who died in the late War are buried, or at least commemorated. This extraordinary cemetery consists of what is referred to as a Missiri Soudanaise, an Indo-Chinese pagoda; and, for the rest, of hundreds upon hundreds of little tombstones, each one bearing an unpronounceable outlandish name. The Missiri Soudanaise presented itself as a collection of weird carved wooden figures, grotesque representations of animals and monsters, a little like those on Indian totem-poles, painted in brilliant bizarre colours. At first sight the whole thing seemed rather meaningless and jolly; but as one looked further, it took on a strangely sinister appearance in these peaceful, sunny, European surroundings. A little Oriental soldier unlocked the door of the pagoda and invited me to enter. The interior was overcrowded and gaudy, full of modern brasswork and bright stuffs, without any of the repose or beauty we associate with Chinese art. I wondered whether the little soldier had any religious feeling about the place. I was a little embarrassed by his presence. I dropped a coin, as a contribution to the upkeep of the shrine, into the box, which (since even in an Indo-Chinese pagoda we are still in France) was provided for the purpose. There was a good deal of France in that conjunction: the military pomp, the large gestureand the assumption that somebody else would pay for it.
I thanked my guide for his attendance. He disclaimed thanks with smiles and a polite word. I should have liked to know what he thought about the adjacent demonstration of the effectiveness with which the blessings of civilization had been conferred upon his race. But a dozen incompatibilities of thought and feeling separated us; and besides, I reflected, it was probably a sentimental fallacy to imagine that he would be likely to have any opinion of his own.
I took the path for Valescure. Its pale dusty surface wound among dense groves of pine trees, extending up a slope ahead of me to the horizon. In the distance the foliage appeared to have the close-packed texture of parsley, but it was the wrong colour. The needles of these southern pines, however, have a much fresher, greener colour than the blue tone we associate with the species in the north. The tops of a few white buildings projected from the close green mass. In such surroundings one misses the rich variety of an English wood; but these trees, particularly those of the umbrella kind, can be very beautiful. I know not whether there is any objective basis for the popular belief that the smell of them is healthy; though there is obviously plenty of subjective truth in it, since nearly everybody thinks so. But then, I know not whether there is any objective basis for anything. Nor does anybody. So why worry? They smell very nice.
Valescure is unique. It consists of a number of huge magnificent hotelsnot of the modern gimcrack barrack sort, but sumptuous and solid mansions, isolated in the woodsand a few private houses, which I am not going to call villas. There is also a golf-course. I can only compare it to the out-skirts of Bournemouth as they must once have been, or to the most secluded quarter of Roehampton in a happy yesteryear. And yet these comparisons must give a very inadequate conception of the place. It sleeps with a beautiful detachment from the noisome business of the unquiet world in the aromatic midst of its encircling woods. It is a land where it is always afternoon. No one has ever met anybody who has ever been there, just as no one has ever met Sir Basil Zaharoff or the Dalai Lama. Valescure does not advertise itself, no public conveyance goes to it, and if you wish to go there you must either walk, as I did, or hire a car. There has never been a French town or village, however small, which did not gather about some centre of communal life, hotel de viIle, place, or cafe. Valescure has no such centre, unless perhaps it be the golf-course. It is essentially not a French place, but an English one. Its only named thoroughfare is called after an English colonel. On a fine afternoon in spring its visible population consists of a nurse-maid wheeling a baby in a perambulator. But as I turn my steps towards St Raphael, I am met by an obvious English parson out of uniform, and by two English cars containing obvious English families.
It is said that Lord Brougham, to whom the prosperity of Cannes is due, considered settling at Valescure before he decided to go to the other side of the Esterel. I am ignorant whether it was on climatic grounds that he rejected the neighbourhood of St Raphael. This town, being exposed to the mistral, has the reputation of being cold in winter; yet it is a winter resort of considerable age and standing, largely owing to the influence of the writer, Alphonse Karr, who, having settled in the place, perhaps considered himself obliged to justify his choice by public proclamation of its merits. Its position at the mouth of the valley of the Argens, which is a natural corridor for the north-west wind, is certainly against it; but the blowing of the mistral does not necessarily exclude sunshine; and I must suppose that St Raphael has attracted those who like a bracing place.. So far as my slight acquaintance goes, Valescure appears comparatively sheltered. Not so St Raphael, to whose climate, during the period of my sojourn, the term fresh might be very reasonably applied.
By one definition (that which excludes the Cote des Maures and the region west of Toulon) St Raphael is the first resort of the Cote d'Azur. Its appearance is by no means unattractive. To the west is Frejus-Plage, with its naval aerodrome. Then comes a small harbour, with yachts and fishing-boats; and finally the modern town, extending on the east to the foot of the red-and-green and mass of the Esterel. St Raphael has a spacious air, in contrast with Ste Maxime, something of a mellow look. The Boulevard Felix-Martin is a handsome promenade, embellished with fine palms, and lined to landward by very tolerable buildings; and here, on a sunny morning, when it is not too cold, you may stroll at your leisure, looking at the sea-planes and the two or three warships which are usually moored a short way from the shore.
Though St Raphael has an ancient nucleus, its only old building is an eleventh-century Church of the Templars, in an extremely wretched and dilapidated state. They will show you the house where Gounod composed Romeo and Juliet, and the Maison Close of Alphonse Karr, to whom the natives show a proper gratitude by naming streets and erecting statues in his memory on every hand. It was at St Raphael that Napoleon landed on his return from Egypt in 1799; and it was from here that he embarked, fifteen years later, for Elba, disguised in the uniform of an Austrian officer, lest the zeal of his countrymen to show that they could spurn a fallen hero as well as they could cheer a triumphant one should bring about his death.
To go from what is ancient history, and therefore ridiculous, to the sublime, it was at St Raphael that I ate an excellent dejeuner, which included a portion of one of the best roast chickens I have ever tasted, and certainly as good a chou-fleur au gratin as I ever have, accompanied by a young Beaujolais, which, with this meal, may perhaps be considered by the purist to constitute a reversion to the ridiculous. And St Raphael has yet another claim on my memory; for it was there that I saw two young men, in all other respects apparently normal and law-abiding citizens, of whom one wore a tight-waisted brown jacket, long grey plus-fours, with stripes, over bare legs and bedroom slippers, and a golf cap; while the other displayed a piece of brown fur in place of a necktie.


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75 Arreton Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
- 5 Bedrooms
- 3 1/2 Bathrooms
Once the farmhouse of a prominent Princeton Township estate, this rambling stone residence has even more inimitable antique character than expected, as well as large rooms for entertaining and sunny spaces basking in the privacy afforded by 4+ acres, which have evolved over decades into an elegant combination of lush lawns, walled gardens and natural woodlands. In addition to the main entry opening to the formal rooms, both with fireplaces, a sheltered stone walkway provides a charming alternate entrance into the family room with windows along three walls and a door to the wisteria-draped terrace. A brick-floor sunroom is a cheerful place to enjoy breakfast with a view. The large kitchen adjoins with a center island over tumbled tile.

subset: commoncrawl


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One of the equipment that is highly needed in classrooms, businesses and residences is a pencil sharpener. A solid as well as sharp pencil sharpener is a necessity when you are working. During your search, think about getting an electric sharpener, as well. Following are the advantages you get from an electric pencil sharpener.
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text: Perfect as a backdrop for a dessert table, a photo booth, or to add a riot of color to any area. The set comes with 60 streamers in a range of blues and greens. You also receive 6.5 ft of fishing line to fling your streamers over, simply attach each end to something sturdy.


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The sci-fi novel is a 20th century classic, but is this one too far out for a son? Thanks to Alyssa for suggesting the intriguing Ender as our Baby Name of the Day.READ MORE >>
Sunday Summary: 8/22/10
Please tell me that I'm not the only person who watched My Fake Fiance, the first pairing of Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence? It was raining, the baby was fussy … wait, never mind. Someone else must've tuned in – enough of us for ABC Family to greenlight a new original series called Melissa […]READ MORE >>


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Smith and Wesson serial number search
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May 9, 2008, 09:17 AM
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Join Date: May 6, 2008
Posts: 2
Thank you very much for your time and the detailed reply. That was a lot of great info, especially the load recommendations as I would have more than likely made the mistake of using an improper round.
One of the reasons I bought this piece is that it has an entertaining history. Apparently it was a duty weapon for an San Jose area officer in the 60's and 70's and then was eventually sold as a private transaction to an officer at my department around 1980. Shortly after that it was stolen from the officers home during a burg. and used in a crime/shootout (actully true though I thought he was pulling my leg at first) and eventually returned after being collected by San Jose PD at the crime scene. Since then it has collected dust in our department safe until this past week when I purchased it.
I checked the grip and it doesn't match the diamond pattern in the picture, so it must have been replaced at some point. The person I bought it from believes the original owner was an armorer for his department and he believes a custom trigger was also installed.
I've attached a couple of pics. The gun is actually in much better shape than the pics make it look as it had 20+ years of dust/grime on it at the time the pics were taken. The only real wear is some light to moderate holster burn at the muzzle. So neither of us knew what it was worth and we eventually agreed on $120. Since the guy I bought it from is a good friend I don't have any intention of taking him for a ride. Do I owe him some more money? Thank you again for your help.
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Home video monitors you can view on your smartphone or tablet
Home web cam and surveillance systems used to be complicated and in many cases they required professional installation or assistance to get them up and running. But now there are quite a few systems on the market that not only are easy to set up but they also come with apps so you can view the video feed on your smartphone or tablet. To give you a sample of what's out there, I tested four popular systems. Here they are, in no particular order.
VueZone - The VueZone personal video network system makes setting up a home video surveillance system so easy, anyone can do it. The system I tested came with the VueZone Gateway unit and two motion sensor-cameras ($289.95). To get the system running all I had to do was register the gateway online and plug it into my router, push the sync button on the gateway and switch on the two cameras. I then downloaded the iPhone app by scanning the nifty QR code in the manual, and literally 15 minutes after I took everything out of the box I was viewing live video on my iPhone from two cameras.
The cameras are very small and light, about the size of a large egg, and require no wires because they run on disposable Lithium-ion batteries (included). Using ingenious peel-and-stick magnetic mounts, you easily can put the cameras almost anywhere. Want to watch a baby in the nursery at night and keep track of your dogs during the day? Just put the mounts where you want them and move the cameras as needed. You can add up to 25 cameras to one gateway and have a view of every room in your house. Add-on cameras start at $79.95.
The apps are available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry and I tested the first two. It worked very well and allowed me to view each camera individually or view them all at once, capture a snapshot, record video or digitally pan and zoom any of the cameras. If you buy the motion-sensor cameras you also can configure the system to email photos or short video clips when there is movement within 15 feet of the camera. Some of these features require you pay for a premium VueZone service plan. The basic VueZone account is free and allows you to view your cameras in a browser or through an app, but that's all. Service plans start at $4.95 a month or $49.95 a year.
You also can view your cameras on the VueZone site using a web browser. To get an idea of the quality of the cameras take a look at this recorded sample, provided by VueZone:
The image in the sample above is pretty good by indoors the image quality isn't great, especially in low light. Video and photos have a lot of digital artifacts and blue noise in the shadow areas. The digital zoom, while helpful to a degree, degrades the image further. Overall, however, this is an excellent system and it gets the best marks for ease of setup and expandability.
Logitech Alert 750i Master System - The second system I tested was this one from Logitech. If you have access to a Windows computer this is also very easy to setup. If you have a Mac, you can't register and configure this system at all unless you borrow a Windows PC, which is what I did. You may be able to run the software with an Intel Mac using BootCamp to run Windows, or running Windows through Parallels software, but I was not set up to test that. Once the system is configured on your network, however, you can control it on your Mac using a web browser or the premium version of the app.
The Logitech system uses a technology known as HomePlug. HomePlug systems use network modules that you plug into your electrical outlets and they effectively use the copper wiring in your home to create a wired network. This is a great system to use if you don't want to use wireless or if you want to use cameras in places where the wireless network signal is weak.
The 750i Master System ($299.99) comes with three main parts, a network connector for your router, a network connector for the camera and the camera itself. Also included is some mounting hardware, a tabletop stand for the camera and a microSD card for storing recorded video. To set things up you install the included Logitech Alert Commander software on a Windows PC connected to your network, plug in one network adapter and connect it to your router then plug in the other and connect it to the camera. The software discovered the camera immediately and the system was up and running.
This system also has apps for iOS, Android and Blackberry. The free version of the apps and browser interface (Mobile Viewer and Web Viewer) let you view cameras but not control them. The paid version (Mobile Commander and Web Commander) gives you controls like digital panning and and tilting of the cameras, motion sensor alert controls, viewing of recorded video, operation of up to six cameras and configuration of one-way audio for cameras that have a microphone (like the 750i). Using the paid version of the app or web interface costs $79.99 a year.
On the Windows PC, the Alert Commander software is very robust and has many additional features, including the ability to back up surveillance recordings to your hard drive.
The image quality of this system was one of the best, second only to the Schlage LiNK system (listed below). Video and captured photos were very clear even when viewing them large on a laptop screen. The HomePlug system works very well and is easy to set up. As long you plan to place your cameras in locations near a power outlet, this system is very easy to set up. Additional cameras are available to expand the system and they start at $229.99. Compared to the $79.95 add-on cameras with the VueZone system, this system could get expensive fast.
One more thing...photos on the Logitech site show the 750i camera suction-cupped to a window and hanging from a ceiling with no visible wires. The set does come with a suction cup and ceiling mount as shown but this is not a wireless system. So just be aware of that.
Foscam FI8918W with Surveillance Pro - This is the system I have at the Gadget Guy household and although it's not as easy to set up, it offers a lot of features the others don't. The Foscam FI8918W has become somewhat of a cult camera among those who prefer to take the DIY approach to setting up a home surveillance system. The camera itself is excellent, with full, motorized pan and zoom with patrol mode, infrared lights for low light video, motion detection (with notification via email) and two-way audio. It has an ethernet port and also has full WiFi capability, so it can be used with HomePlug network adapters (similar to the Logitech system) or can be used anywhere within the range of your WiFi network.
The camera comes with built-in configuration software that you access through a web browser. Once configured you also can view the video feed from each camera through a browser-based interface that is served through the camera when you connect. Setup is not automatic like it is with the VueZone and Logitech systems, so remote access requires a static IP address or an dynamic IP address service, like DYNDNS (the one I used). You also need to know how to open ports on your router to allow the video to be seen outside your firewall. Foscam has a page with instructions for camera configuration and port-forwarding for various router brands. This stuff is not real difficult but may intimidate some people, so if you would prefer a system that sets up automatically then this is not a good choice.
To view and control the cameras on my system I use the Foscam Surveillance Pro app on the iPhone ($4.99) and it's excellent. With this app you can pan and zoom the camera in eight directions, change motion detection settings and patrol-mode presets, adjust brightness and contrast, change resolution, control the infrared lights and take a snapshot. The app can support up to 144 cameras that can be viewed in a grid or individually. On the Android side of things and app called uCam4Foscam ($4.99) looks like the best choice to control Foscam cameras. The description says the app gives you viewing of unlimited cameras, pan and tilt controls, snapshot capture, zooming (if supported) and sharing via email Facebook or Twitter. So the feature set is not as complete as the iPhone app but the basics are there. Blackberry apps also are supposed to be available.
Image quality on the Foscam FI8918W is very clear and sharp but the color is kind of washed out. Because it has infrared lights, this camera has night vision capability and can capture video in complete darkness without calling attention to itself when doing so. You can view a live demo of a Foscam here (name and email address required). There are no monthly service fees with this system.
I bought my Foscam cameras on Amazon.com for $90 each. So for $185 ($5 for the app) I have a two-camera system with many advanced features that can be controlled from my iPhone and iPad. That's a great value as compared to the other systems, but only if you're willing to learn how to configure the cameras. Be warned, however, that because these cameras are so popular there are knockoff versions being sold on eBay. Buy from a reputable source to make sure you get an authentic Foscam.
Schlage LiNK - This system is capable of much more than just home surveillance because in addition to viewing and controlling cameras you can control your locks, lights and thermostat too. For the purposes of this piece I will focus only on the camera functions. Watch for a full review on the Schlage LiNK system and all it's features in a future post.
I saw this system in action at a model home in Tampa and it's really impressive. Schlage is a lock manufacturer, so they offer starter kits that include a door lock. They come as a deadbolt kit or a lever kit, in three finishes. Each kit includes a wireless bridge, wireless door lock and light module ($299.99). If you don't want a door lock and light module you can buy the wireless bridge for $99. Cameras must be purchased separately. The wireless camera is $189 and the wired camera (ethernet) is $49.99. So a wireless system with one camera would be $288.
The connection method is similar to the VueZone system. You connect the Schlage wireless bridge to your router, login to the Schlage site and initialize your wireless bridge and camera. The system use special Z-Wave wireless technology for communication between the bridge and the modules. Additional cameras and other modules can easily be added to the system at any time.
Apps are available for iOS, Android and Blackberry and you can find out of your device is compatible by texting PHONE to 695465 from your device. An optimized app for the Apple iPad also is available.
The image quality from this system is the best of all the systems I tested. At the demo I viewed the system on a 42-inch TV, an iPad and an iPhone. The Schlage LiNK web application is outstanding and if choose to use all the available modules it can give you incredible control over your house from the palm of your hand.
This system requires a monthly home automation subscription ($8.99) and the first month is free when you activate your system. For those who are interested in home surveillance and automation, this is the one for you.
All of these systems have their advantages. VueZone is an excellent system with the greatest ease of setup. The Logitech system is a great solution if you don't want to use wireless cameras and want easy setup and an excellent picture. The Foscam camera is for the DIY (Do It Yourself) person who is willing to take time to set up a system in exchange for excellent features and less cost. And the Schlage iLink is the ultimate for those who want home surveillance and more. So all you have to do is decide which system is best for you.
(NOTE: No beagles were harmed during testing for this review.)


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An Abuse of Power?
Mall Cops
Online readers respond to "You've Heard It Effin' Before: Cops Wash Out With Soap Another Galveston County Potty-Mouth," by Richard Connelly, August 20:
Backing the officer: If you cuss at a cop, you get what's coming to you. Even if the cop is treating you in a way you think is unfair, stooping to their level just makes it worse. And I can just picture a 15-year-old cussing at a cop; he's bound to be a smartass who needs it anyway.
Blue October
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Out-of-control cops: Fuck that cop and all other unarmed man-killing cops in this state. They are out of control. There exists no law that says you have to respect anybody, much less a man giving you trouble, even if he is a cop. This notion that you must stay still and show your hands when pulled over, and this yes-sir, no-sir bullshit, only allows cops to walk all over the public, or shoot them, which seems to be the preferred method of law enforcement in Texas.
Sue him: You have got to be kidding me, Jacob. So I am guessing the First Amendment doesn't mean much to you? Cops don't get to be offended by vulgar language. Language is not disorderly conduct (check the Supreme Court rulings on it). This kid should beat the ticket without even a fight simply on First Amendment grounds. Vulgarity is not against the law.
I happen to be a professional in my field and have all the respect in the world for the police, right up until they abuse their power. And this is an abuse of power. I have 30-some-odd tattoos and wear a wallet chain to work at one of the largest oil and gas companies in the Houston area. I would probably drop an F-bomb myself if an officer told me I needed to leave a mall based on my wallet chain. I have never been a gang member and never will be. I also wear a cowboy hat and boots along with the wallet chain, so I expect I wouldn't be asked to leave the mall by these peace officers, but if that's the case, then it's discrimination.
Any way you shake it, the officers in question were wrong, and any statute that allows them to kick people out of a public place based on attire is a violation of the right to freely associate. If you look into it, many states, counties and cities have tried and failed to do this, based on the rights given to us in the Constitution.
I am very happy to have cops for friends and never think ill of departments as a whole, but let a cop tell me to leave somewhere based on my attire when I am otherwise within the law, and there will be more than an F-bomb. I am not talking physical violence at all. I am talking civil rights lawsuits, which is exactly what the mother in this case should be talking to lawyers about right now.
Romeo Sid Vicious
Talking Blue
Online readers respond to "Aftermath: Blue October and Its Mystifying Cult at Verizon Wireless Theater," by Chris Gray, August 17:
Intense: I think Blue October has so many followers here because it's a Houston band. I was at this show, and it was pretty good. The energy was intense and seemed to never have stopped. Some may say I'm crazy, but I just saw Depeche Mode last week at Lollapalooza, and in my opinion the Blue October show from the other night was much better. Justin had the crowd into it, the setting was more intimate, the energy was stronger. It was just a better show all around. (And yes, I do realize that I'm comparing apples to green apples here.)
Jeff Flowers
Cash cow: It's just they are a Houston band with some sort of fame outside of those bands that play at Sherlock's on a Friday night. Blue October will always make money off these fans way into their tenth mediocre album.
It's real: Maybe their fans are so loyal and know all the lyrics because most of them hear where Justin's coming from. They understand his ups and downs. Maybe because their music is real! Get over yourself! FYI, I don't even live in Texas. I get it!
Interesting accent: Talent or no, it's quite an "accormplishment" to sell that many records.
Phony: I went to the show because a friend had an extra ticket. The whole thing just seemed so put on to me that I doubt he even has all these "troubles" he sings about. It sounded more like he has picked a depressing theme and just run with it. Every song was the same thing over and over.
Pathetic: Blue October is my favorite band, they are real, not just put on. I've been to enough shows, tracked the band long enough, read all the interviews, done my homework, met them and I can assure you that the lyrics are real. How can anyone argue differently after listening to all of the albums? Every lyric out of Justin's voice sounds so sincere. Every song has its own, separate meaning. And every song means something different to everyone listening. The fans are proof that anyone wasting their time putting down this band, or any other beloved band for that matter, is pathetic and needs to get a life!
To each their own: Some can relate, some can't. But don't diss those who do and what it may mean for them! Maybe try talking to a few fans (not just some guy in a beer line during the show) to try to "get it," if that's what you were trying to do. Because it seems like you were looking for a negative comment.
Thank goodness we are all different or this would be a boring world. We all can't love Britney Spears and Hinder.
Health Fare
Online readers respond to "Conservatives Defend Whole Foods While Liberals Boycott," by Robb Walsh, August 17:
A great country: I don't agree with government-run health care either. We all have a right to our own opinions and boycotts too. That's what makes the USA so great.
Mystery: I have never understood why "progressives" think they are the only ones who like a good healthy meal.
Slash the prices, then: It wasn't exactly a secret that John Mackey was a union-busting multimillionaire libertarian. But it was nice of him to advertise the fact in the WSJ.
Whole Foods is a great place to work for a couple of years if your wish to display your piercings, tattoos and other fashion choices outweighs a need for decent health insurance and a chance for advancement.
Since Mackey's so sure a healthy diet will help us live to 100, surely he'll be slashing prices across the board!
Down with WF: John Mackey should be utterly ashamed of himself, but of course he is so far beyond being able to feel it...never mind, I just won't be going to WF anymore. Screw him.
Joe Gracey
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4.0 4.0
5.0 5.0
Things I liked: The removable goggles are definitely a plus.
Things I would have changed: I wear glasses, so I bought this mask because of the anti-fog capabilities. I did experience some fogging. But not too bad. If you use a balacava that only covers your head and not your mouth, fogging is gone. A good quality fan would still be awesome.
What others should know: Shot the mask with a 425 psi AEG and there were'nt even any marks left.


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Colts set to tee it up again as Patriot games loom
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. On a picturesque campus where high-IQ students are capable of exchanging ideas about binary bit streams, electrochemical cells and inter-modulation, it seems fitting that the Indianapolis Colts are back in the lab seeking a special formula for getting over the hump.
The Colts are the only NFL team that stages training camp at an engineering school, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
And they are the only team in the league to win 12 games in each of the last two seasons but have title dreams short-circuited both times by the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, the MIT of the NFL.
But of course, this training camp initiative punctuated by an emphasis on upgrading the secondary and becoming more physically dominant is not about the Patriots.
Coach Tony Dungy: "I've refrained from zeroing in on the Patriots."
MVP quarterback Peyton Manning: "Everybody on the outside, certainly TV (types), they want to point to that game in November (the Colts and Patriots meet Nov. 7 on Monday Night Football in Foxboro, Mass.). Teams that have done that in the past may have won that game but wound up 6-10."
Over the past two seasons, the Colts are 0-4 against the Patriots (including a loss without a touchdown in the playoffs last season) and 27-6 against the rest of the NFL. No wonder people keep asking if they can buck the trend.
"Are they inside our heads?" said the Colts' Dwight Freeney, All-Pro defensive end and reigning NFL sacks leader. "Yeah, to the fact that we haven't beaten them and we need to beat them. We play them in the regular season. Psychologically, that will be there a little bit to get the monkey off our back.
"But it's not as bad as people think it is. They think we see the Patriots and just crumble. It's not like that."
Of course it isn't. Just listen to Bill Polian, the Colts' president-general manager, who built the Buffalo Bills into a four-time Super Bowl participant and then laid the groundwork for the Carolina Panthers to emerge from expansion team to contender.
Polian thinks the Colts are among at least six teams in the dominant AFC with the talent capable of challenging New England's throne.
"I have the highest regard for them," Polian said of the Patriots, who have won three of the last four Super Bowls. "But I'm not going out and slitting my throat. We're not bad. We're just not as good as they've been the past two years.
"It's not that Bill (Belichick) coaches five times better than anybody else, though he's a marvelous coach. Their organization is not five times better. It's just the way it is."
If the Colts are to change that and break through to a championship, they can look at their recent losses to the Patriots as a blueprint for taking the next step even if they never see New England in January again.
Defensive shortcomings targeted
Their losses to the Patriots exposed some distinct weaknesses and a puzzling aspect that doesn't take an Einstein to figure out.
A solid, big-play defense has been critical to the Patriots' success and provided numerous examples to remind the Colts that the NFL's most prolific offense needs to be balanced by play on the other side of the line.
This isn't news to Polian and Dungy, who made his mark in the league as a defensive strategist. They have plowed resources into a fast, athletic defense that tied for third in the NFL in takeaways (36) and sacks (45) but was routinely stung by big plays.
Remember Corey Dillon, rumbling for 42 yards to set up a second-quarter field goal for New England in that playoff loss last season? Polian recalls it as bad tackling.
In the passing game, it was often even worse throughout last season as breakdowns kept some games closer than need be with a 522-point offense in tow. Only four AFC teams allowed more touchdown passes than Indianapolis, and half the 26 scoring passes were thrown from at least 20 yards. Five of the strikes covered at least 40 yards.
"That's not what this defense is designed to do," said Dungy, who uses Cover 2 zone schemes similar to those successful for him when he was Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach. "We want to make people take the long route. That's our No. 1 thing: We've got to cut down on the long passes. It's a matter of experience in the system."
Although injuries contributed to 10 starting combinations in the secondary last season, the Colts are primed for even more changes. Michigan's Marlin Jackson, chosen 29th overall in the draft, was the franchise's first first-round cornerback since 1984 and is likely to crack the starting lineup. The Colts went cornerback in the second round, too, with Illinois' Kelvin Hayden.
"They're both good tacklers, and they pack a wallop," Polian said.
The selections fall in line with last year's top choice, second-round safety Bob Sanders, and defensive backs chosen in the second and third rounds in 2003, safety Mike Doss (battling Joseph Jefferson to keep his starting job) and cornerback Donald Strickland.
All are linked by a desire to be physical.
"It's an ongoing puzzle that we're trying to solve," Freeney said. "We need to send certain messages, like we're all fast but just don't come across the middle."
Making plays when they count
The toughness theme also applies on an offense stamped by the star power of Manning, who set the NFL's single-season record in 2004 with 49 touchdown passes, receiver Marvin Harrison and running back Edgerrin James.
Polian ranks the goal-line and short-yardage rushing among the team's top three problem areas (with long passing plays allowed and kickoff coverage), which brings to mind blunders in the last two regular-season losses to the Patriots.
Indianapolis finished a 38-34 loss at the RCA Dome in 2003 by failing to punch in a touchdown after setting up first-and-goal at the Patriots' 2-yard line. In the fourth quarter of the regular-season opener at New England last September, James fumbled away the ball on a first-and-goal rush from the 1. The Patriots won 27-24.
The results were pivotal. Had the Colts won those games, the ensuing playoff meetings would have been held indoors at the RCA Dome rather than wintry Gillette Stadium.
"It's really about making the plays when they're there," Manning said. "Obviously, we do that a lot, otherwise you wouldn't win 12 games two years in a row. But usually four or five plays determine a game."
Dungy, whose 64 victories with Indianapolis and Tampa Bay since 1999 match Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid for most in the NFL during that span, is at a loss to explain why his team has failed against the Patriots in high-pressure situations.
Consider turnovers. Indianapolis had the NFL's best ratio during the 2004 regular season (+19) yet committed three giveaways in the 20-3 playoff loss.
Certainly, the Patriots deserve credit for forcing some of the errors, but Dungy remembers the dropped passes and an errant snap from punt formation in the same vein.
"In the playoffs, you have to do well what you do well most of the time," Dungy said. "That's what those guys do well. They play their game, whether it's the Super Bowl or a preseason game. They don't necessarily rise to the occasion.
"When we've played them, we felt like we've had to rise to the occasion; we don't do the things we normally do."
New England has endured some significant losses during the offseason, including the departures of coordinators Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis, the health-related leave of linebacker Tedy Bruschi and the retirement of linebacker Ted Johnson.
But there is no discernable chatter in the Colts camp about the Patriots being "ripe to be picked" the pregame choice of words from kicker Mike Vanderjagt that backfired in the last playoffs. New England is still considered the team to beat. Or one of the teams.
"We've got to assume that the Patriots will be good," Dungy said. "But there's no guarantee that they're going to be the best team in the league this year. So if you put all of your focus, all of your emphasis on beating them, there's no guarantee of anything.
"We've got to focus on getting ourselves better and fix our weaknesses. If we play the Patriots in the end, we'll deal with it then. We've just got to find a way to put ourselves ahead of them and anybody else out there."


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360 ft. wire antenna 22db gain?
Discussion in 'Amateur Radio Antennas' started by linearone, May 1, 2009.
Page 1 of 2


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New Delhi: Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal said he would have no option but to follow "the law of the land" if an action had to be taken against the agitating pilots, while appealing to them to resolve the matter amicably and return to work.
"(If) they don't follow company rules and procedures, I don't think we are left with any option and will follow whatever the law of the land is," Goyal told CNBC TV18.
He asked the striking pilots to follow the Bombay high court order and cautioned them against the contempt of court.
The agitation by Jet Airways pilots to protest the sacking of two of their colleagues entered the second day on Wednesday with the private carrier cancelling over 100 domestic and international flights across the country, leaving passengers stranded.
On whether he would close operations, Goyal said, "I will not allow to be held hostage. Whatever has to be done, we will do it. I hope it doesn't happen.. There are 30,000 employees involved... it is the question their livelihood..."
He added, "I hope things go back to normal... that's my only request to people who are misleading... and go back to normal operations."
Goyal said he has "no difficulty meeting" the pilots to resolve the matter amicably as it will be good for the company, the future of these employees and the reputation of the country.
Goyal said the pilots were rostered for duty on Monday after they assured they would not agitate and they agreed to meet the management on Thursday. However, the pilots went on mass sick leave as they knew passengers would be stranded at both domestic and international airports.
The pilots of the airline have been reporting sick en- masse since Tuesday. They had warned the management of the agitation from 7 September.
The pilots decided to go on mass sick leave from 7 September as the regional labour commissioner is conducting conciliatory proceedings between the pilots and the management of the airline and any strike before the proceedings get over was declared illegal.


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Big Data photo courtesy of hrringleader.
Over the past couple of years, the hottest trend in enterprise technology has been the evolution of HR applications from basic benefits, payroll, and workforce management to a variety of applications covering a much wider set of needs – from finding potential employees and predicting the need for specific skills to optimizing employee capabilities to the appropriate offboarding and succession of core talent. To get a strategic advantage, HR departments are being asked to use "Big Data" to "Moneyball" and quantify their approaches. But is this really the right way to go?
To determine this, consider what Big Data really is. Big Data is a set of technologies designed to store, process, and analyze data that does NOT fit into traditional spreadsheets, databases, and other basic structured data sources. Depending on whether you need your data to be faster, bigger, or more varied, you may be looking for specialized high velocity messaging solutions, cloud-based and multi-tenant storage, high performance analytic engines, Social Network Analytics, sentiment and natural language processing, or video analytics. This is the world of Big Data. A practical definition of Big Data would be 5+ terabytes of data, including some aspect of machine data, interactions, video, or high velocity streaming data.
In this context, is HR looking for solutions that can hold hundreds of terabytes of data and provide real-time analysis? Or are you really looking for some analytic insight for existing data? Chances are that you need a little bit of both depending on the maturity of your current HR data, the maturity of your current analytic capabilities, and your appetite for new and emerging technologies. But you should start with basic analytics and traditional data discovery tools before talking about Big Data.
For your current HR data, you have probably invested in some level of HRIS system to keep track of your employees and define your cost or profit centers. In addition, you have some level of workforce management to track hours worked and to seek what level of resources you have in-house to carry out key projects. This data, in and of itself, is already a wealth of data that is often underutilized to provide greater insight for your organization. As a basic example, consider that all of your employees have usernames and passwords for one or more applications, including email, ERP, CRM, document management, marketing asset management, and many other potential use cases. What happens when you start tracking your application usage on an employee-specific or department-specific basis? You may find out that you need to build a new office, or at least invest in new application licenses and network bandwidth, even before employees fully realize for themselves the extent to which their own work may be hampered or degraded.
Organizations that have invested more deeply into HR, training, market research, and succession management may have even more data regarding the skills of their employees, the ability to benchmark internal talent against readily available talent, and the relative volatility of performance for each position. The value of this data can quickly be increased by integrating tactical decisions and communications with higher-level KPIs to seek how the best employees work or if there are fundamental gaps that internal employees have relative to the market. This approach can also detect potentially troubling aspects in the organization, such as if employees start losing key skills or performance as they continue to work in an organization, or if they fail to learn skills at the same rate as the general market. This may indicate a need for cultural or development changes within the company.
It is important to realize, though, that these approaches are NOT Big Data, but a combination of data integration and analytics capabilities that likely exist already in mid-sized to large enterprise organizations. To get insight like this, start working both with IT and line of business executives to build out the potential value of these approaches and take advantage of the business intelligence initiatives that your company has built out for financial and operational insight. In fact, by being the visionary who understands how to bring human resource insights to a higher level, you may get the HR "Big Data" result you are looking for with just a bit of internal resource allocation. And given the choice of Big Results or Big Buzzwords, good HR professionals should choose results every time.


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12-22-2011 05:11 AM - edited 01-25-2012 01:25 PM
I have an annoying problem with my K330 (7727), which I own about one week now.
When I shut down the system in the usual way (Windows 7), the system turns off, but about 3-4 seconds later it automatically restarts again.
This also happens, when I turn off the system using the power switch (pressed short)
The only possibility to turn off the system permanently (and instantly while Win7 is running) is by pressing the power switch a few seconds (causing error messages during the subsequent reboot).
To find the cause of the problem I already tried several options, but all without success:
- Verified the BIOS settings for wake-on-lan etc. - All settings are OK
- Disconnected all USB devices - No effect at all
- Verified the power settings in Windows 7 - All OK
- Exchanged the power supply (!) - No effect at all
- Booted from a Linux boot disk - No effect at all
I therefore expect issues with either the motherboard or the BIOS.
BIOS: I have revision DKKT23AUS installed and cannot find any other (newer) BIOS version on the Lenovo website.
Is there a way to re-install the BIOS? Where can I find this firmware?
Are there any other options (apart from the motherboard) which could cause this issue?
I am getting desperate ......
Can somebody please help me?
REMARK: The PC has been returned to LENOVO. They have installed a new motherboard. System is running again ...
That is very wierd. 1st off, I would shut the system down. Unplug the system. Remove the CMOS battery from the Motherboard. It looks like a watch battery, usually a C2032 size.. Allow it to sit for few minutes to allow the capacitors to die down. Put it all back together and see what happens. On my system BIOs there is a setting for if I want the computer to be on during certain times of the day. Make sure yours is not set for that in anyway.
Thanks Toughbook for your reply.
I have gone through the procedure you proposed, but no luck. The issue remains ...
The BIOS settings are set correctly again (I checked again).
Are there any other options left?


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Pokemon Black / White
Nintendo DS
Rated E
(out of 4)
Like tree-rings or geological strata lie the Pokemon games, marking video-game history since the twilight of the black-and-white Game Boys. The release of a new Pokemon title is especially meaningful to me, since it was these adorable little battling monsters that first started me on my critical career back in 1998. Now, thirteen years and a few technological revolutions later, I pick up Pokemons Black & White and . . . I'm still playing the same game.
Not exactly the same game, of course, but so tightly on-model that a Pokemaniac falling through a time-portal from '98 — after they got over the shock of time travel and the novelty of the DS itself — would be instantly conversant with Black/White. This is either a testament to how right designer Satoshi Tajiri got it the first time, or to Nintendo's understandable reluctance to futz with a multi-billion-dollar jackpot formula. Either way, it is the familiar deal: go forth, capture Pokemon, make them fight and get tougher, repeat until you've "caught 'em all" — or a portion you can live with.
The Pokemon gameplay loop is fiendishly capable of setting up a compulsion loop in the player's brain; few games have this level of "just one more" stickiness, the kind of Zone that obliterates time. Battles are quick and crunchy, little self-contained nuggets of endorphin with just enough real strategy to them to give the feeling you're doing something rather than midlessly paddling at buttons. And there's always a reason to fight just one more battle; whether it's a favorite monster who just needs a little more experience to evolve or a new area just around the corner, Pokemon games are tuned such that something's always almost about to happen. Satanic devourers of time, really.
Our notional time-travelling Child of the Nineties would, of course, be stunned by a few major changes to the pokeformula, the most obvious being the visuals on the DS. But even here, the way the world is rendered is more evolutionary than revolutionary; as pretty and polygonal as eveything is, it is all still unmistakably Pokemon —especially the battle screen, which is beyond "classic" and into "dated." Within this aesthetic there are a few pretty mind-blowing set-pieces, though; I would never, for example, have expected a Pokemon game to deliver an RPG city that actually felt like a city, but there it is.
Another thing that might astound our chrononaut is the Black / White storyline. Structurally, it's no departure from the "long line of bosses to beat" backbone of the other Pokemon games, but it's notable in that it features something like introspection. The relationship between humans and pokemon has always been problematic — the world's entire economy and culture is based on trapping obviously sentient beings and making them fight each other — and the issue is here for the first time explicitly addressed in-game.
Not very thoroughly, granted, but it certainly marks a departure for a series that (probably for good reason) has never considered the basic insanity of its premise.


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I'm a PhD student working on post-industrial urban renewal, and my advisors have strongly encouraged me to take architecture courses before I spend the next year doing fieldwork interviewing architects and urban planners.
I'm considering taking Columbia's Intro to Architecture program but I'm wondering: is it actually an introduction or is it more a chance to build up your portfolio before applying to grad school? My background is only in social science and I've never taken a single architecture course, so I'm really looking for a way to become familiar with the discipline from an insider's perspective--however, I imagine the theoretical aspects will be much more useful to me than the practical/studio experience.
I live in NYC so travel and living expenses are not an issue, and I'll (hopefully, fingers crossed) get some grant money to cover part of the cost. All things considered,
1) Would anyone who has done this program in the past recommend it for someone in my position, someone who has no intention of becoming an architect but wants to gain some introductory knowledge? and
2) Can anyone describe the balance of theory and practice? Do the professors and TA's care about or emphasize anything outside of building a portfolio?
i think as a Phd student, you'd be better off sitting in on architecture lectures than taking that intro to arch course.. I think its basically a course to help high school students build their portfolio or give me an idea if architecture is what they really want to study.
Ask any architecture student from uni or check the school's website for schedule of classes and sit in on them.
Thanks so much for the information. I'd love to sit in on an architecture class, but I'm having a hard time finding one that meets during the summer (unfortunately during the academic year I'm not able to: teaching, departmental requirements, etc.). Do you have any suggestions for classes in the NYC area that meet during the summer?
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Just like with airliners, where navigation devices create the "tracks" they run on, you create these predicatble paths with vehicle to infrastructure comms. And you have emergency lanes where cars can stop in case of mechanical failures.
I think you are absolutely rigt about that. What makes that sceanrio a bit more complicated, in my humble opinion, is that there are already 250 million cars on the road that are not capable of following the "tracks" they are supposed to run on.
I wonder at which point "normal" cars will be phased out, as analog TV today.
Interesting you say that, Kris, because that's exactly what I was wondering when I was talking to one of the market analysts earlier today. When things like V2V (vehicle to vehicle) communication becomes a mandatory feature (more stories on this topic later) in new cars, obviously, the automotive industry will start looking for some sort of incentives for a small add-on device for "normal" cars, just like the TV industry was looking for the government's help for D-to-A down coverters.
How this will all play out is still too early to tell. But things are definitely getting interesting!


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Discussion in 'Android Devices' started by vgjfelix, Jul 15, 2013.
Make sure you comment on the video page (it won't be counted here!).
What the hell are those pictures in your gallery? Let's find out and get rid of them!
Did you know there's a second swipe down option from the top of the screen for complete settings? You do now
And remember that a long press of the button brings up the settings for the selected feature!
Tip number 2 my friend. Right at the top of the thread!
What was tip #12? That seems to be missing from this thread.
Edit: This video
How to speed up the response of the home button
^ Thanks to that tip, I (re) enabled the double home tap for S Voice that I apparently/unknowingly disabled when I initially got my phone.
Some nice hidden gesture controls for the built in media player:
It will probably be a lot easier if you edit the original post and add all of the videos to that instead of creating new posts for them (then you can hit "report" on the other posts and request them to be deleted).
Also wrapping each video in the Hide tag will help the page load a lot faster.
Just a few tips to help clean up and beautify your awesome thread a bit.
Editing the original post won't send email notification of new posts/videos for those who are subscribed to this thread.
that is great. Thank you and yes, sometimes some things you want the volume up and now I can control that on the right side. Very very nice video. Thank you.
Then add a new post with "new video added to OP!" in there.
That's how I did the updates for a custom ROM thread I was overseeing. All updates were in the OP, and new posts were added stating something new was there.
A cleanly kept updated thread is much easier to read and keep track of what the updates are.
There is also limitations by forum software on how many images/videos you can hotlink per post. So it's not as easy to keep them all in one post like you're saying as it is links & text. Personally, I'm fine with how he's doing it and am just thankful he is.
Oh you're not even the op.... thought I was replying to him.
Yeah, it's a bit of a conundrum on how to manage the thread but it's easiest for me to just post in the traditional. I would hope that if you like the videos you subscribe to the channel so you can get emailed new vids...
Anyway. Here's a quick power saving tip on your SGS4:
Here's how to check your phone without touching it
Good tip, but hand air gesture things don't work for me on my phone (VZW MDK). I recommend that you explain via video tip on how to enable and use multi window mode on the S4. I finally figured that out. Thanks.
Want to change the Galaxy S4 Lockscreen message? Here's how to do it:
I never have seen a keyboard come up on my i337 as depicted in your video. But it could be that's because I've been running Nova Prime for so long I've forgotten if the stock launcher does or not. Is this exclusive to TW?
Thanks, but this doesn't appear to work if you have a pattern lock. Maybe it does with the PIN lock. Or it could be my firmware (VZW MDK).
Maybe take the security off, change the screen message and then put it back on. I just put a pattern lock on and my message remained as my custom one.
Anyway, here's another video. The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a floating video option and here's how to use it:
^ That's pretty neat, but too bad it only works with the stock Video player.
Another ten tips means a volume compilation:
I really learned a few things from your video tips. You have a nice clear voice too. Thank you thank you.
I have a question with my S4 & installing the flash player. I followed you explicitly, including permissions, and when I click on the apk app in my download folder, there it is, just like yours, but when I click on the Install button, nothing happens, no initiating notice, nothing. I have Boat & Dolphin installed, but of course, can't test them til I can see flash player installing.
Any suggestions please would be appreciated. USCellular 4.2.2


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Berlin (Aug. 4)
Ludwig Haas, 55, leader of the National Democrats, died here yesterday. Haas was the leading executive member of the Central Association of German Citizens of the Jewish Faith. Since 1912 he had been a member of the Reichstag and in 1918 was minister of the interior of Baden. During the war Haas was director of the Jewish department of the German civil administration of the occupied Polish territories.


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Dog owner charged after his pit bulls maul 9-year-old boy
Wed, 22 Jan 2014 21:14:15 GMT —
A dog owner is out on bond after his mixed-breed pit bulls mauled a 9-year-old boy on a rural road just outside Progreso.
Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested 37-year-old Jose Americo Garcia on Friday afternoon.
The Progreso man was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail under an attack by dog resulting in serious bodily injury charge.
Court records obtained by Action 4 News show that the boy was attacked off Skysoldiers and Baker Roads on January 15th.
A passerby called 911 when he saw the three dogs mauling the boy.
Deputies learned that the dogs belonged to Garcia and that they were always loose around his house, which does not have a fence.
Records show that the boy had severe injuries to his right arm and legs that could result in permanent scars or disfigurement.
Garcia was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail on Friday but released a short time later after posting a $25,000 dollar bond.
Hidalgo County Animal Control officials picked up the animals, which are in custody at the Palm Valley Animal Control shelter in Edinburg.
A judge issued an order to euthanize the three dogs late Wednesday afternoon.
Palm Valley Animal Control Director Robert Russell confirmed that the three animals were put to sleep.


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Coles released by Jets
Published: February 25th, 2009 | Tags: Free Agency 2009, Jacksonville Jaguars, Laveranues Coles, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets
The Star-Ledger reports that the Jets have released WR Laveranues Coles, but both sides are leaving open the possibility of his return.
- "We didn't leave on bad terms," Coles said. "It's not out of the question that I could come back.
- "I look at it as a long-term thing," he said. "It's something my agent (Roosevelt Barnes) and I (discussed) for a long time. I trust my agent. He's been in my corner for a long time. He gave me his opinion. He said he truly believed we could get a long-term deal on the open market and I took his word for it.
- "I want to go somewhere where I can finish my career. I don't want to bounce from team to team. I hope to play another three or four years."
But if Coles doesn't return to the Jets, where could the receiver land? One of the most obvious destinations would be Jacksonville, where Coles maintains a residence. The Jaguars could use some receivers after releasing enigmatic Jerry Porter. The Dolphins could be another team of interest, pairing Coles with former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington.


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http://florida.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1415304>NOW YOU CAN GET THREE MONTHS OF ACCESS TO ITG FOR JUST $9.95
In order to make sure Florida Gators-related news stories don't fall through the cracks, once or twice a week The Silver Lining will take on a "news and notes" format to keep you up-to-date with the latest goings on in the world of University of Florida athletics.
Gators basketballers combined for two exciting NBA finishes on Wednesday as Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah and Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons each scored buckets in the last minute of their games to lead their team to victories in overtime and regulation, respectively. Through Wednesday, Noah is averaging career-highs in points (16), rebounds (9.8), assists (3.5), blocks (2.4), steals (1.4) and minutes (39.8). He's registered 17 or more points in five games and has notched four double-doubles. Parsons is also averaging career-highs in points (12.4), boards (6.4), dimes (3.6) and minutes (38.3). It is early in the season, of course, but both appear to have taken major steps in improving their games over the summer.
Although some anonymous sources ripped New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow early in the week, coaches and teammates have spent the rest of the week coming to his defense and claiming that the criticism of him were "cowardly" and ridiculous. "It's stupidity," said Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, according to the New York Daily News. "I mean, he's on our team. He's been a great teammate. Guy's been doing everything we've asked him to do. You can't say too much about him because he's a guy that's been a team player."
Two five-star commitments officially signed with Florida men's basketball on Wednesday as point guard Kasey Hill (Clermont, FL) and power forward Chris Walker (Bonifay, FL) officially signed and submitted their National Letters of Intent. Each ranked in the top-10 nationally - No. 9 and 8, respectively by Rivals - the duo will have a tall task in replacing at least three important players set to depart after the season. Hill and Walker are not just two of the best prospects in the nation, they're friends who basically committed to the Gators together albeit seven months apart. The duo has also spent plenty of time playing AAU basketball together and has been a dynamic force on the court on those teams.
Only the men's basketball signees got publicity this week, but Florida actually brought in a ton of talent in a handful of sports. Women's basketball added the No. 1 overall player in the state and No. 13 player nationally in 6'2" forward Ronni Williams, who is the highest-rated woman to ever join the program. Softball got its 2013-14 signing class started with three players including pitcher/first baseman Delaine Gourley, who head coach Tim Walton called "a game-changer and program-changer." Women's tennis inked the No. 8 player nationally in Kourtney Keegan, an important signee for the Gators as the team looks to replace Lauren Embree and Caroline Hitimana at the end of the 2012-13 campaign. Men's tennis, which has had a rough go of it lately, added three top-35-ranked players including the former No. 1-ranked junior player in Maxx Lipman.
Reinstated to the basketball team on Friday, junior point guard Scottie Wilbekin will play on Sunday in (see below) but will not be reinserted into the starting lineup. Head coach Billy Donovan originally suspended Wilbekin indefinitely but promised early in the week to make a decision on the length of his suspension on Thursday. Wilbekin is expected to eventually start again for Florida once he regains form and earns the coaching staff's trust again in practice. It is the first suspension of his UF career and amounted to three games including the Navy-Marine Corps Classic, which was canceled at halftime.
Solid weekend action is ahead for the Gators as soccer looks to advance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament when they take on Central Florida on Friday at 7 p.m. Volleyball has a pair of matches over the weekend against LSU (Friday, 6 p.m.) and South Carolina (Sunday, 1:30 p.m.) in its last home stand of the season. Cross Country will compete in the NCAA Championship on Saturday beginning at noon. Finally, football celebrates Senior Day on Saturday against Jacksonville State (1 p.m.), and men's basketball looks to improve to 3-0 in a neutral site game in Tampa, FL against Middle Tennessee on Sunday (4 p.m.).


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Covering some stylistic distance tonight, again a variety in music that is fun to be heard. This also is an opportunity to not only play new releases but also catch up with some great stuff that was waiting on my wait list for quite some time. May the juice be with you getting into tracks by AxBx, Biomass, Hecrom, Kebiin, Klangwald, Masterblaster, and PiXtar.
Splendid times with: http://www.syndae.de/episodes/532-episode-197
Yours, Stefan


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Garnier Moisture Rescue Lightweight UV-Lotion SPF 15 Reviews
Saves my face!With harsher weather coming during winter, I'm going to love using this because it really does help to rehydrate my face! I did notice though, that I had to go from using just one pump of it up to two. I seemed to be breaking out more if I only used one....not sure why. But nonetheless, it works very well, and over the warmer months it was good because I spent tons of time outside and the sun mixe...read mored with hot weather was very drying for my face. It's cool and refreshing when you apply it, definitely a perk! — 5 years, 10 months agosarfraned | 48 reviews
Brings lots of moisture to the skin!This product is a million times better than the Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream, it leaves your skin feeling refreshed and moisturized without it being oily and have SPF 15 is also great! Wish the SPF was higher like SPF 30. — 5 years, 11 months agosha22583 | 21 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 4 of 4 people said helpful
Moisture without the greasy feelingThis moisturizer goes on smooth and my skin feels soft. It doesn't feel greasy, it's lightweight and has a nice light smell. It compliments the moisture rescue facial wash pretty good. What would be nice is if they did make this a bit heavier, so that it last longer through out the day. — 6 years, 7 months agophotomom83 | 5 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 1 of 2 people said helpful
Not Bad.First off, this is a somewhat biased review because of my skin: I'm allergic to a few components in skin care items that basically make it so that I can't use any American made sun screen and most "SPF" lotions. This one however, does not contain those components and I am therefore biased. I was immediately irritated when I opened the package: Garnier has never been known to be "cheap", but the bo...read morettle of this item is absolutely terrible and just screams "cheap". The lotion itself is nice and lightweight though it doesn't actually feel like its doing much. — 6 years, 8 months agokbrinck | 22 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 2 of 3 people said helpful
Good for eveyday!I have combo skin and it seems to work great b4 foundation...its not sticky or anything and my skin just drinks it up..dont apply to much or else skin looks oily..great for combo skin idk about super dry skin tho..but i like it(: — 6 years, 9 months agoJuicyHeart13 | 46 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 3 of 4 people said helpful
No Rescue HereLike the coordinating cleansing foam, this moisturizer was no rescue to my dry skin. It's lightweight and smells great, but I often find myself adding more product after it 'dries'. I use two pumps for my face and two for my neck. That should be enough, but sometimes I'll still feel dry around my nose, mouth and forehead. My skin even flakes a bit too. I had to try this and for the price I wa...read mores excited, but it left me high and dry. Bummer...was hoping for better from Garnier. I wouldn't recommend this product for someone with dry skin. There are much better moisturizers out there in the drug/discount stores. — 6 years, 9 months agojayboo5 | 76 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 2 of 2 people said helpful
Good ValueI bought this with the moisture rescue gel-cream. I like that this is a very light-weight product and has SPF. I tend to breakout with heavy creams or lotions, but haven't had any issues so far and I've been using this about 3 months. My one complaint is it can feel a little sticky or tacky on my skin the first few hours. I usually wear it under makeup and that covers up that feeling. Solely as a ...read moredaily sunscreen and light moisturizer (not anti-wrinkle or smoothing, etc) it's a good value for a basic lotion. I'm going to start using a serum for anti-wrinkle with it though. — 6 years, 10 months agoMrsMegara | 6 reviews
Good daily moisturizerI can't believe this hasn't been reviewed! I think it's a decent daily moisturizer. It's not a heavy moisturizer and while it feels light, it does moisturize. I think it's a good product over all. I'm acne prone and this doesn't break me out. There's a smell to it so if you have issues with scents then don't buy this. I don't tend to notice light scents so this doesn't bother me. I've had the bott...read morele for about a month now and can't even tell I've used any. A little goes a long way and I could see this bottle lasting months. I also like that it's in a pump and there's a way to "lock" the bottle without having to push down and turn. — 6 years, 10 months agoMiaoudeminou | 35 reviews
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Lincoln Wallen
: DreamWorks Animation SKG
Want to see projects Lincoln Wallen is developing? Visit Variety Insight .
Latest Headlines: Lincoln Wallen
Already a Golden Globe winner, the Oscar-nominated "How to Train Your Dragon 2" displays a level of sophistication beyond anything DreamWorks Animation has achieved before.
The distance between Hollywood and Silicon Valley is being bridged by people like Seacrest and Systrom, who are emblematic of an ongoing cross-pollination between these two worlds.
Execs from all the major studios testified to the myriad innovations they're bringing to film distribution on digital platforms at the Variety Entertainment Summit on Wednesday, the first of a…
As some lament physical DVD declines, others foresee digital goldmine
As DreamWorks Animation ramps up to release three toons a year, the company has promoted Lincoln Wallen to serve as its new chief technology officer.
Full of moving scenery, lights, projections, film and magical illusions, but devoid of actual magic, the Broadway production of "Ghost" is a lumbering megatuner with little to offer beyond a…
The executive orchestra: Music executives, Part I
Exec Suites


text: iStock [ How Much Do the Items in 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' Actually Cost? By Drew Weisholtz December 2, 2013 The cost of Christmas is going up. Read More Category: Christmas, Holiday, Lawton News Tags: The Twelve Days of Christmas Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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The driving forces of land change in the Northern Piedmont of the United States
Geographical Review
- By:
- Roger F. Auch, Darrell E. Napton, Steven Kambly, Thomas R. Moreland Jr., and Kristi L. Sayler
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS
AbstractDriving forces facilitate or inhibit land-use/land-cover change. Human driving forces include political, economic, cultural, and social attributes that often change across time and space. Remotely sensed imagery provides regional land-change data for the Northern Piedmont, an ecoregion of the United States that continued to urbanize after 1970 through conversion of agricultural and forest land covers to developed uses. Eight major driving forces facilitated most of the land conversion; other drivers inhibited or slowed change. A synergistic web of drivers may be more important in understanding land change than individual drivers by themselves.
Study Area
Additional publication details
- Publication type:
- Article
- Publication Subtype:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- The driving forces of land change in the Northern Piedmont of the United States
- Series title:
- Geographical Review
- 10.1111/j.1931-0846.2012.00130.x
- Volume:
- 102
- Issue:
- 1
- Year Published:
- 2012
- Language:
- English
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Publisher location:
- Hoboken, NJ
- Contributing office(s):
- Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
- Description:
- 23 p.
- Larger Work Type:
- Article
- Larger Work Subtype:
- Journal Article
- Larger Work Title:
- Geographical Review
- First page:
- 53
- Last page:
- 75
- Country:
- United States
- State:
- Maryl;New York;Pennsylvania;Virginia
- Other Geospatial:
- Northern Piedmont


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After watching two months of limited summer workouts, Arizona coach Sean Miller became tempted to add some full-court pressure and trapping to his defense.
Actually, he probably didn't even need to see that much.
Just watching freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson tie his shoe probably would have done the trick.
"He has extremely long arms," Miller said last week, as the Wildcats wrapped up summertime workouts.
"His wingspan is more than seven feet and he really uses that on the defensive end."
Miller said he's also been impressed defensively with well-regarded freshman forward Aaron Gordon, and has a number of improving defenders returning this season, even without the hard-nosed Kevin Parrom and Solomon Hill around.
So he's thinking about tweaking his man-to-man defense, which has generally improved steadily since Miller's arrival in 2009 but struggled at times last season.
"I believe in man-to-man - that will always be the primary defense that you play - but there are a lot of different things you can do within man-to-man," Miller said. "Using our athleticism is something I would be foolish not to take advantage of and I think our team has a lot of ability on defense.
"Trapping and pressuring the ball, maybe even changing defenses some, is something we've looked at all summer and again it's always about putting your talent in the best position to be successful."
The Wildcats kept opponents to an average of 66.3 points in Pac-12 games last season but finished last in three-point percentage by allowing an average of 37.7 percent during conference play.
But this time, Arizona should have players at every position who can break down an opposing offense, with full-court pressure or in a half-court man-to-man. Here's a look at the players:
Point guard
• Who: T.J. McConnell, junior, 6-1, 190
• Why: McConnell earned a spot on the Atlantic 10's all defensive team in 2011-12, when he averaged 2.8 steals a game, the third highest total in Division I. During last season's NCAA tournament, the Wildcats compared him to Ohio State's Aaron Craft on both sides of the ball.
• Miller said it: "T.J. was one of the best players in the nation his freshman and sophomore years at getting steals."
Shooting guard
• Who: Nick Johnson, junior, 6-3, 200
• Why: The athletic Johnson grew as a defender last season to the point where he was regularly assigned to take on an opponent's top perimeter player, while backup combo guard Jordin Mayes also began to embrace a defensive role in 2012-13. Miller said last week he believes Johnson will be an all-Pac-12 player this season.
• Miller said it: "One guy I've really been impressed with is Nick Johnson … where he is defensively, where he is maturity-wise, (with) his ability to shoot and play with confidence and do so many things for our team."
Small forward
• Who: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, freshman, 6-7, 205
• Why: Hollis-Jefferson may come off the bench but will impact the defense at a number of positions with his length and intensity, with a 7-foot wingspan that allows him to play bigger than his size.
• Miller said it: "No question he's very talented on defense. He's got really long arms and great quickness."
Power forward
• Who: Aaron Gordon, freshman, 6-8, 210
• Why: Gordon is expected to start at small forward, but he can shift over to power forward, in large part because his physical game and relentless intensity suggests he can handle it defensively.
• Miller said it: "A lot of times you can't play a guy at two positions because he can't make the adjustment on defense. On offense he's OK, but to ask him to guard a perimeter player versus a big man - that's a much different dynamic. With Aaron, that's his strength. He's already answered that on defense."
• Who: Kaleb Tarczewski, sophomore, 7-0, 260
• Why: The New Englander's big body isn't just handy for scoring around the basket. He also causes opponents to think twice about getting there. In addition, forward Brandon Ashley's defense improved late last season and junior transfer Matt Korcheck brings another physical touch to the post.
• Miller said it: "Kaleb Tarczewski is somebody people don't talk a lot about as a defender. But if you look at how he played defense a year ago, that was one of the reasons we had such a good season. Brandon and him and Grant (Jerrett, who departed as a freshman) did a good job a year ago. What we hope is Kaleb progresses to be even better as a sophomore."


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Spatial Imaginaries and Critical Geographies Across the Pacific: A Graduate Student Conference
The Asia Pacific Americas Research Cluster (APARC) and the Pacific Islands Research Cluster present:
Spatial Imaginaries and Critical Geographies Across the Pacific: A Graduate Student Conference
The Asia-Pacific-Americas Research Cluster (APARC), in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Research Cluster, hosts its fifth annual graduate student conference, engaging graduate students in a dialogue on the historical production of space and place across Asia Pacific America. We examine these sites in the context of global capital, diasporic and transnational flows of people, commodities, and ideas, dominant and emergent cultures, and past and present counter-hegemonic struggles. There will be a conversation with Chamoru poet and scholar, Craig Santos Perez, and a keynote by Hsuan Hsu.
Hsuan L. Hsu is Assistant Professor of English at UC Davis. He works on 19th- and 20th-century U.S. literature, Asian American Literature, cultural geography, visual culture, comparative racialization, and theories of globalization. His forthcoming book, Geography and the Production of Space in Nineteenth-Century American Literature (Cambridge), examines the representation of spatial scales in authors such as Charles Brockden Brown, Herman Melville, Henry James, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Sui Sin Far.
Readings and further information available from firstname.lastname@example.com.
Co-sponsored by the Department of History, the Department of Literature, the Department of Anthropology, and the Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity.