text:
by Raphael Rogers | 17th January 2017
In this talent feature we're looking at the work of filmmaker Raphael Rogers, who shot an inspiring short film about melting glaciers in Alaska and gives us some useful tips on filming in cold environments. The choice of story elements, the human perspective, filming angles and choice of music caught our attention. (Intro by Sebastian Wöber) A couple of months and on a whim.. we decided to go and experience Alaska. Being the people that we are we always bring our camera gear on trips. You never know what you'll find in the wild lands of an alien place. Plane tickets this time of year were incredibly cheap, something like $300 roundtrip from LA to Anchorage. That was for a reason. Almost nothing was open as far as tourist expeditions go. And… it was cold. We are filmmakers that live in LA. We do all kinds of productions, from sci-fi shorts to music videos and commercials. Check out Aura's other work here: www.weareaura.net Filming in Cold Environments – Preparation Preparing ourselves meant many layers of thermals and enough snacks that we could hike a glacier for hours and trudge through mud, water, snow and ice. Also batteries… lots and lots of batteries. You should know that most batteries loose capacity in the cold, so you should also make sure you store them in a way to keep them warm. As a general rule, if your body can take it, most of the time your camera can take it. I'll go into the details of the gear below and how we made it work, but I learned that if you're smart about how you use your gear and where you place it, it will work perfectly. The Gear & the Challenges We shot mainly with a Sony A7S II as well as a Sony a6300 on a Beholder DS1 Stabilizer. For drone work we shot with a DJI Phantom 4. Pro tip: We also own the ikan EC1 Beholder – soooooo much better. The A7S and the a6300 never went down in the cold. No issues with batteries or anything of the like. There were a few times with the Phantom when it wouldn't launch and gave me warnings that the battery was too cold. To fix this I would hold the battery up to the car heater and then launch it after a minute or so. Another tip would be to tuck the batteries inside your coat next to your skin while hiking. Pro tip: For drones, if you're serious about filming in cold environments, you can get a drone battery heater for the DJI Phantom 3 series. There's also a DJI inspire 1 battery heater and the new DJI Inspire 2 has self-heating batteries out of the box. Unfortunately there's no heater for the Phantom 4. Pro tip 2: Do not heat batteries beyond 104°F (40°C) as they might break. The most challenging part of filming in Alaska at this time of year turned out to be the rain rather than the cold. My Phantom handled it fine (not recommended!) but we were all soaked by the time it returned home. And I was constantly wiping the lens! What we learned Honestly, I would take the ikan EC1 Beholder gimbal to get more stabilized shots. I would also rent real crampons when hiking on the glaciers! So slippery. A lot of this was run and gun so being prepared for it was a guessing game. I think we guessed fairly well even though we had to deal with the weather. Post-production was all done in Adobe Premiere, including coloring in Lumetri! I'm a fan of the ease of having it all in one place. Our rock star editor killed it. It was definitely a process figuring out how to handle the issue of climate change without twisting the story in any way. We just wanted to tell a real first person story and I think we accomplished that. The genesis of this film happened on a random road in Seward Alaska and was quite a piece of luck or fate or whatever you want to call it. We didn't know Rick before we went but it turns out it's pretty easy to ask someone to tell their story. Most people want to. I hope you enjoy the piece! Do you have experience and more tips on filming in cold environments. Let us know in the comments. Featured video created by: Raphael Rogers, Paul Rennick and Kristin GerhartRead more
by Sebastian Wöber | 10th October 2016
Two weeks ago we were impressed when the new ultra-compact DJI Mavic Pro was announced. As a drone enthusiast of course I had to get my hands on this new tech and compare it to the DJI Phantom 4 and Inspire 1. Here is our DJI Mavic Pro review where we look at image quality in particular. If you are interested in our free DJI Mavic Pro LUTs, you can download those here. DJI Mavic Pro Review – Image Quality Several early Mavic Pro review videos currently circle the web, where testers claim that the Mavic Pro image is much softer than previous drone generations. In light of the already limited 4K quality of drones like the Phantom 4 or Inspire 1, this claim made little sense, so we set out to get our hands on our own early DJI Mavic Pro review sample to check and here is our observation. DJI Mavic Pro Camera It seems like most reviewers out there were not aware that the DJI Mavic has a built-in "tap autofocus" system, like the Zenmuse X5 and Zenmuse X5R cameras for DJI Osmo and DJI Inspire 1. If you forget to autofocus, your image will eventually be out of focus. And if you compare this out of focus image to other drone footage, of course it will be softer. So after a tap autofocus and after aligning the image of the DJI Mavic Pro, DJI Phantom 4 and DJI Inspire 1 (Zenmuse X3) I concluded that the image of all three cameras is very similar in quality. 600% crops of 4K images For HD productions the image quality of the DJI Mavic is acceptable. If you use a LUT, like our free cinema5D instaLUT for Mavic, or any other grading process, it is possible to get a nice image from the DJI Mavic Pro, just like I showed you in my Mastering Drone Footage series. On the other hand, the image of all these drones is far inferior to other cameras or the DJI Inspire 1 RAW for that matter. (Check out our detailed comparison here: LINK) Unfortunately the data rate on the DJI Mavic is still 60 Mbps, just like on the Phantom 4 and Inspire 1 and for anyone who is a bit more serious about filmmaking 60 Mbps is hardly enough. Again, for HD productions the image will be mostly fine, but if you aim higher or would like to crop into an image the quality could be better. Considering the small size and intelligent sensor technology built into the Mavic (read all about Mavic's high tech here), this drone is still an impressive piece of technology that will be very useful on any smaller documentary style production where weight and size is an issue. DJI Mavic Pro Review – Pro's & Con's Here is my summary of pro's and con's for the DJI Mavic Pro: PRO's ultra-compact and lightweight ergonomic and foldable remote 27 minute flight time stability, easy to fly intelligent flight modes and sensors 4K image comparable to Phantom 4 & Inspire 1 65 km / h, fast speed CON's Same low bitrate as previous drones Low dynamic range as previous drones Vertical angle of camera is limited Tap Autofocus is a source for errors In conclusion this is the best compact drone money can buy right now. If you want higher quality get a DJI Inspire 1 RAW. Otherwise, the DJI Mavic Pro is highly recommended. If you are interested in our free DJI Mavic Pro LUTs, you can download those here. We hope you liked our DJI Mavic Pro Review and comparison to Phantom 4 and Inspire 1. If you have any thoughts on the matter let us know in the comments. Song by: Art-List.ioRead more
by Sebastian Wöber | 6th October 2016
The DJI Inspire 1 is an incredible drone. In my tests and comparison of the X3, X5 and X5R cameras on the DJI Inspire 1 Pro I found that especially the Zenmuse X5R RAW camera delivers amazing images in 4K. But what about X5 ND filtration? On sunny days just closing the iris is not enough. So which is the best ND Filter for the DJI Zenmuse X5 and Zenmuse X5R cameras used on the DJI Inspire drone and DJI Osmo handheld gimbal? The Best DJI X5 ND Filter I found 5 6 different ND filters I could test both with the DJI Inspire 1 RAW and with the DJI Osmo RAW and compared them to each other that is both compatible withe the Zenmuse X5 and the Zenmuse X5R camera. First I compared the filters in the field under varying light conditions, then I did another comparison in our test lab. Check out the video to see the results. Here's an overview of the different filters I tested and their properties explained. In the conclusion I will summarize my findings and recommendations. Polraoid VariND Weight: 15g ND filtration: 1-8 stops Weight balancing: filter, extension ring and 49mm fotasy lens hood (EU: Link) The Polaroid VariND is the most affordable of all the filters. It performed well, just had a slight orange tint. There are no hard stops, so it is not as convenient to use as the B+W. In order to be ok with gimbal weight you should use an extension ring and 49mm lens hood. The original DJI lens hood can not be used when this filter is on. The filter has no IR cut. US: BUY HERE EU: BUY HERE B+W XS-Pro MRC VariND Weight: 26g ND filtration: 1-5 stops Weight balancing: filter and 49mm fotasy lens hood (EU: Link) The B+W XS-Pro MRC VariND is a lot more expensive than the Polaroid, but build quality is excellent, it has hard stops and it looks quite neutral with a slight orange shift similar to the Polaroid. In order to be ok with gimbal weight you should use 49mm lens hood. The original DJI lens hood can not be used when this filter is on. The filter has no IR cut. US: BUY HERE EU: BUY HERE Heliopan VariND Weight: 49g ND filtration: 1-6 stops Weight balancing: Too heavy. Filter is not recommeneded. The Heliopan VariND feels like a solid product. It has hard stops and accurate markings and the image looks very neutral. Only at the far end I noticed an ND cross, so the ND filtration was not even. Unfortunately this filter is too heavy as an X5 ND or X5R ND. The filter has no IR cut. BUY HERE Tiffen XLE Series Intermediate 3.0 IRND Weight: 13g ND filtration: 10 stops Weight balancing: filter, DJI weight ring, and 46mm fotasy lens hood The Tiffen XLE Intermediate IRND filters 10 stops of light and has an IR cut built in. This was too much even for a sunny day and the IR cut turned my image green to counter magenta shift. The result was not neutral, so this option is not for me. BUY HERE Tiffen XLE Series Premiere IRND 3.0 Hot Mirror Weight: 13g ND filtration: 10 stops Also available in: Weight balancing: filter, DJI weight ring, and 46mm fotasy lens hood Just like the intermediate, this Tiffen XLE Hot Mirror IRND filters 10 stops of light. Too much exposure reduction for my tastes and the IR cut turned my image green. I was not happy with the result. If you need a good IR cut filter this Hot Mirror seems better suited than the intermediate option though. BUY HERE Formatt Hitech Firecrest IRND 1.5 Weight: 8g ND filtration: 5 stops Also available in: 1 stop, 2 stops, 3 stops, 4 stops, 6 stops, 7 stops, 8 stops, 9 stops, 10 stops Weight balancing: filter, DJI weight ring, and 46mm fotasy lens hood Just like the two Tiffen filters, this Formatt Hitech Firecrest filter has no variable ND functionality. It filters 5 stops of light and according to the manufacturer there is also an Infrared filtration built in. The image was very neutral and had a slight blue shift that I liked. It is the lightest of all the filters tested and not too expensive. US: BUY HERE EU: BUY HERE Conclusion For me the Formatt Hitech Firecrest IRND 1.5 was the ideal filter for sunny shoots. The neutral image looks clean, it is light and affordable and even has some IR reduction, though I did not seem to need that when testing the other filters. As a VariND the B+W seemed like the best option. Especially for the DJI Osmo as an X5 ND it would be ideal with hard stops and a clean image. As a budget option the Polraoid would also do the job, but another adapter ring is needed to balance it properly. I hope this review was helpful for you. If it was please consider buying your gear through our recommended retailer's links. And if you worked with any of the filters or other X5 ND filters please let me know about your experience in the comments.Read more
by Sebastian Wöber | 18th September 2016
Ready to take your big boy camera to the skies? The DJI M600 is DJI's latest flying platform and a heavy lifter that can even carry the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K. Check out this M600 review and see which things you should consider if you've got your eye on the latest toy in affordable drone and camera technology. The DJI M600 was first introduced to us during NAB 2016 in Las Vegas. It is a large hexacopter camera drone for serious professional aerial cinematography. What makes the DJI M600 so interesting for us is that it competes with other large camera drones and can lift heavy payloads, but is comparably easy to use (more on that later), affordable and integrates with DJI's ergonomic flying solutions compatible with many camera types. DJI M600 Review – The Boss of the Skies Compared to DJI's earlier large drones, the DJI Spreadwings S900 and S1000, the new DJI M600 can lift heavier weight, integrates the Ronin MX gimbal stabilizer for large camera compatibility and is easier to set up. It also uses DJI's next generation A3 flight controller and Lightbridge 2, and can be upgraded with the D-RTK GNSS system for centimeter-accurate flight positioning. The A3 flight controller has a failsafe system and Lightbridge 2 delivers 1080 over a 5km distance. The M600's wings can be collapsed downward The DJI M600 flies 65 km/h and up to an altitude of 2500. In this review I will not compare other large flying platforms, but rather focus on the differences, benefits and downsides in comparison to the much smaller DJI Inspire 1 RAW drone. I believe this will be helpful for those struggling to decide whether to upgrade their small flying platforms to a bigger form factor and use larger cameras like the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K. There are other reviews out there that discuss how the M600 stacks up against other large drones. Preparation When the DJI M600 and Ronin MX packages arrived at our office in Vienna, there was no doubt that there was a long process of preparation ahead of us before undertaking our DJI M600 review in Switzerland later that month. We had to assemble and test many parts because, as in any other production, you want to be ready for any eventualities when shooting begins. The M600 when the wings are folded away. This is as small as it gets unfortunately. That preparation time took longer than expected. I estimate it takes about 3-4 hours to assemble a DJI M600 with a Ronin MX for the first time. There are well made instruction videos on the internet, and if everything goes according to plan you'll have a drone ready to fly by the end of it. In my case, the HDMI cable inside the drone was DOA, so it had to be replaced. Other than that, the software for the M600 and Ronin MX needed to be updated with a Windows computer, because software wasn't yet available for Mac. I will not hold this against DJI, as I applaud them for bringing out new technology to the market so quickly, and I heard from other professional flyers that setup time is much quicker and easier in comparison to previous or competing platforms as everything comes readily integrated and setup with the M600. My ultra-light and flexible replacement HDMI cable. One thing is clear for me after setting up the DJI M600, though. This is not a product that's anywhere near ready to be used out of the box. It needs time, care and a basic set of technical skills. It cannot be compared to a DJI Inspire 1 RAW, which you can just pull out of the box, switch on and fly. Looking at the charging process below is a good visual representation of the complexity between using an Inspire 1 RAW, and M600 with Ronin MX and URSA Mini 4.6K camera. Both can fly for about 15 minutes with these batteries: Charging the DJI Inspire 1 RAW battery and remote Charging the DJI M600, Ronin MX, URSA Mini batteries and remote Even though preparing to fly with a DJI M600 is a lot more time-consuming and difficult than with a DJI inspire 1 RAW, there are several reasons why you could decide to go with an M600 anyway. The simplest argument is that you can fly any camera, while the DJI Inspire 1 RAW restricts you to always fly the Zenmuse X5R, but more on that topic later. If you're interested to find out how the DJI Inspire 1 RAW performs, you should check out these extensive reviews I did: How Does the Osmo RAW Compare to Professional Cinema Cameras? DJI Inspire 1 vs. Inspire 1 PRO vs. Inspire 1 RAW – See the Difference Shoot Aerial Video Like a Pro – Mastering Drone Footage – PART 1 Let's fly that M600 beast with an URSA Mini 4.6K now, shall we? :) Working with the DJI M600 & URSA Mini 4.6K Getting the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K airborne on a DJI M600 turned out to be harder than expected. Installing the DJI Ronin MX on the M600 is a straight forward process, and the gimbal works just like it would on the ground. You don't have to tune anything, if you did it all right, it should just all work together. In addition, you can easily control and manipulate settings on the Ronin MX via the DJI Go App and the remote that controls the M600 itself. Perfect! But then, I quickly found out that the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K with a small V-Mount battery is already on the brink of the weight limit of the M600, and only fits on the Ronin MX with some creative techniques. The biggest problem is the camera's LCD is on a side of the camera body that can't be accessed while it's mounted on the Ronin MX. The second problem is that the camera's power button is behind said LCD, meaning I needed to switch the camera on and then quickly assemble the gimbal before flight. Not ideal, but this is a problem specific to the combination of the URSA Mini and Ronin gimbal. The SDI signal was run through an HDMI converter into the drone, and the length of the camera was on the Ronin MX size limit by a few milimeters with the Canon EF-S 24mm pancake lens that I used. Ideally you would get the DJI wireless link to transfer the camera preview to the drone. I simply used the HDMI cable straight into the camera. Not ideal, but it works. It is probably easier to fit an Arri ALEXA Mini or a RED Epic on a Ronin MX gimbal, but none of them will deliver quality at the same price as the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K. This is why we tested with the latter. That said, if you plan to use an URSA Mini on this drone, be advised to use DJI's Ronin MX camera battery solution, as you would not be able to fit any lens on it other than a pancake when using a heavy V-Mount battery, like I was. Also we hope Blackmagic Design will soon fix the magenta corner issue that was also apparent with the camera we tested (see video). Maxing out the weight (15kg takeoff weight) of the M600 proved to affect the flying behaviour to a certain degree. On the one hand, this powerful drone had no troubles to take off the ground easily, but I noticed that the heavy camera would make the whole gimbal construction swing on fast movements, which was sometimes visible in the footage. This is of course to be expected and nothing the drone can't handle. Quite the contrary, the DJI M600 is a beast that flies with an understated warm sound and follows your input accurately, just like a DJI Inspire 1 would. The M600 is a little quicker and the Inspire is more agile. One thing that affected my test is that DJI could only provide 1 set of batteries at the time, so I had 15 minutes of flying time in the Swiss alps and I was not able to make that 10 hour travel a second time just for a reshoot. Unfortunately it started to rain in mid flight, so the flying time was reduced to just 8 minutes in total on two occasions. Ideally you would also make sure that not only the video feed, but also camera controls are connected to the flight controller, by getting the right remote controller suited to your camera. The Benefits of Working with the DJI M600 What is great about working with the M600 is that you have a very powerful drone that fully integrates with DJI's Go App system and is upgradable with the D-RTK GNSS for centimeter accurate flying, added redundancy, etc. Basically you can mount whatever other accessories you like, not only to the drone, but also to the camera. And this is the most important argument for this drone. Besides incorporating the A3 failsafe functions and latest DJI technology, it can be used with any camera, lens and accessories you choose. You can use a camera as small as the Inspire 1 RAW's very own Zenmuse X5R or a camera as large as the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K, and anything in between. If the Ronin MX is too large, you can use other mounting brackets for the Zenmuse cameras or the Zenmuse Z15 brackets for smaller cameras like the Sony a7 series. For me this is the kind of drone I would use to complement a project like a commercial or fiction film, where the highest quality and consistency is needed and where I have a safe and controlled environment to prepare and fly. I have not used a drone like the Freefly Cine Alta yet, and I'm sure it's a great product if you have the money, but for $4,600 the DJI M600 is hard to beat: a heavy lifter that offers a lot of drone for little investment, and one that should certainly be considered by professionals. The Downsides of Working with the DJI M600 Having had the direct comparison to the DJI Inspire 1 RAW while testing the DJI M600, I noticed a few things you might want to consider before upgrading to a drone as large as this one. First and foremost, size makes a huge difference here… and not in a good way. After going through several days of reviewing the DJI M600, I can now fully appreciate the benefits of a small drone, and I can say with confidence that smaller is better when it comes to flying them. I have tested and used the DJI Inspire 1 RAW on several occasions now, and I'm still blown away by the quality of the Zenmuse X5R camera. Few other cameras reach this standard, and with an easy DaVinci Resolve workflow, this camera is, in my book at least, very hard to beat for aerial cinematography. There are many factors about a drone that can contribute towards getting the desired shots. The ergonomics and small size of the DJI Inspire 1, for example, allow me to have everything with me in a single box and be ready and flying within roughly 2 minutes after getting out of my car. Four batteries will last me an hour. I could climb a mountain with it and get those precious shots. The DJI M600 is much more limiting in this regard. I had the M600 and URSA Mini packed across six cases. You need an extra case for the M600. It was a lot of heavy luggage that took about 20-30 minutes to set up. Not to say that a large drone is not worth the extra effort, but the setup speed of smaller drones is an invaluable asset to getting great shots, especially when you're a small crew or even on your own and out and about shooting special places. After all, it is all about content! Another lesson I learned is that a large drone greatly limits your flying possibilities in the public. Setting up and flying a DJI M600 is a lot scarier for passerby's than a small drone and people get more and more sensitive to them too. Conclusion Making this DJI M600 review was a great experience for me. On the one hand, I was very impressed with how the DJI M600 and Ronin MX combo give me the freedom to use any kind of camera and accessories in order to achieve the shots I need at a relatively affordable price. This drone would be a great help on commercial shoots where we need to fly a certain camera or lens with a reliable and familiar system while still keeping costs to a minimum. On the other hand, I can now fully appreciate the ergonomics of smaller drones like the DJI Inspire 1, and especially that the possibilities that the DJI Inspire 1 RAW offers with the Zenmuse X5R camera and lenses will be more than sufficient for my creative vision on most projects. In future versions of the DJI Matrice series I hope DJI will work on making the large form factor easier to use. I certainly see room for improvement when it comes to foldaway size and use of less batteries. All in all, other user reports seem to suggest that DJI is once again ahead of the pack when it comes to the latest in drone flying technology. The price and eco system they have built continues to be probably their most compelling argument. My advice: only go for a larger drone if you know what you're getting yourself into. If you do, the DJI M600 is an affordable tool that can get the job done and is worth considering. Music by: Art-List.io (Garden of Things – Two Third)Read more
by Richard Lackey | 4th August 2016
There's been a significant DJI price drop on the Inspire 1 Pro and other DJI products, so if you haven't taken the plunge, now would be a good time. As of this morning, it should be much easier on your wallet. If you are interested to know more about some of those products, don't miss Sebastian's excellent related articles: "How the DJI Phantom 4 Uses Artificial Intelligence", "DJI Inspire 1 vs. Inspire 1 PRO vs. Inspire 1 RAW – See the Difference", and "X5 vs. X5R Analyzed – Which DJI Zenmuse Should You Get?". Taking it one step forward, get some valuable tips to how to fly your drone and nicely treat your material afterwards: Shoot Aerial Video Like a Pro – Mastering Drone Footage – PART 1 and PART 2. Now for the real deal: DJI Inspire 1 PRO Quadcopter with Zenmuse X5 4K Camera and 3-Axis Gimbal – Reg Price $3899 | Now $3,399 DJI Zenmuse X5 Camera and 3-Axis Gimbal with 15mm f/1.7 Lens – Reg Price $2,199 | Now $1,799 DJI Zenmuse X5 Camera and 3-Axis Gimbal – Reg Price $1,699 | Now $1,299 DJI 512GB SSD for Zenmuse X5R Camera – Reg Price $1,499 | Now $999 DJI 512GB SSD for Zenmuse X5R Camera (3-Pack) – Reg Price $3,000 | Now $1,799 DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter – Reg Price $1,399 | Now $1,199 DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter Kit with Spare Battery – Reg Price $1,479 | Now $1,299 DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter Kit with Two Spare Batteries – Reg Price $1,559 | Now $1,399 Hope you will have many hours of fun flying, and don't forget: fly safely!!!Read more
by Olaf von Voss | 3rd August 2016
Filmconvert has just announced their latest camera profile, this time for the DJI Osmo X3 camera. As it is the same piece of hardware internally, the Phantom 4 and Inspire 1 are also included in this free update. Get the Filmconvert Treatment for the Osmo X3 Not so long ago, a log gamma curve for in-camera aquisition was something you could only find in really high end cinema cameras. As time goes by, nearly every decent camera in the market is capable of capturing footage with a higher dynamic range than plain Rec709. At that point, a handy piece of software called Filmconvert comes into play. It not only converts log footage back into good looking imagery, but also adds film grain and certain looks of actual film stocks. Now, even the tiny DJI Osmo X3 camera gets its own Filmconvert profile. For such a small sensor as the Sony 1/2.3″ model, it's even more important to treat the resulting footage in a way that takes away the digital harshness which is typical for sensors of this type. Oftentimes it comes with a strong video-esque look due to the very deep DOF and other things like ugly moiré patterns. The Osmo X3, just as the Phantom 4 on-board camera, is capable of shooting in D-Log, which is a custom gamma curve created by the engineers at DJI. With it you'll get a flat looking image, but it has a much higher dynamic range in return. In order to revert that washed out footage back to normal in post, Filmconvert is here to help with its now released profile for that very camera. How to Filmconvert Your Footage Step one: You need to apply the Filmconvert effect from within your favorite NLE such as Premiere Pro CC or, if you've already finished editing your piece, it's available for DaVinci Resolve, too. There's even a standalone version, but for me it's much easier to stay in my application of choice and work from there. (Tip: add an adjustment layer on top of your footage and drag the filmConvert effect there to avoid individual FilmConvert clip corrections. Then do minor needed changed on the video clip itself). Step two: Choose the correct profile, in this example the DJI Osmo X3 profile. This will transform the log footage back into the realm of Rec709. Step three: Now you can choose your favorite film stock, such as Kodak 5207 Vision 3, and tweak the settings to your likings. Usually, the amount of film grain is a bit too high, at least to my liking. There you go: after that, your footage will suffer less from that harsh video look. These steps are valid for every available camera profile, of course. Conclusion I really appreciate the progress in which Filmconvert develops new profiles for different cameras. The DJI Osmo X3 is certainly not the best camera in the world, but with the help of its D-Log profile and the Filmconvert treatment it actually looks kind of nice! One more thing to have in mind: you should get a variable ND filter for that camera! Since it lacks a variable aperture, the X3 has to increase the shutter rate like crazy, which results in ugly jittering. It's a good idea to tackle the problem in the first place by setting the camera to manual (1/50 shutter and ISO 100 for example) and controlling the exposure with the variND only. Filmconvert is $149 for one host application or $219 for the complete bundle, check out their site for more information. Download the new profile on the Filmconvert.com websiteRead more
by Sebastian Wöber | 14th July 2016
DJI just announced the introduction of a drone zoom camera called the DJI Zenmuse Z3. It is an upgrade to the popular Zenmuse X3, which is their entry level integrated drone camera used on the DJI Inspire 1 and DJI Osmo. The Zenmuse Z3 will offer a zoom of up to 7x. That is a 3.5x optical zoom with a digital scaler doing the rest. Although the press release indicates this zoom camera is aimed mainly at industrial applications such as inspection and surveying, it certainly also gives filmmakers interesting new possibilities. A different focal length can come in handy in many filming situations. The Zenmuse Z3 is compatible with the Inspire 1, Matrice 100 and Matrice 600 drones. Unfortunately it will not be compatible with the DJI Osmo, though a separate version for the Osmo will apparently be launched in August. It can capture the same 30fps 4K video and 12mp dng stills as the Zenmuse X3, so we can assume the quality will be similar. The higher-priced Zenmuse X5 and X5R offer much better quality in comparison (see our test video here). The DJI Zenmuse Z3 is integrated into the DJI GO app and uses a swipe gesture to zoom in and out. The effective zoom range of the DJI Zenmuse Z3 is 22 mm to 77 mm on its Sony 1/2.3-inch sensor, and it has a maximum aperture of F/2.8 and F/5.2 at 22 millimeters and 77 millimeters respectively. While low quality is a concern, this is certainly a step in the right direction for DJI. I think we can assume that an upgraded lens for the Zenmuse X5 and X5R is on its way, which may offer the same kind of zooming functionality via their app. The only negative news about this announcement is that it might stir up people's privacy concerns even more. The "I cannot zoom in anyway!" argument will certainly not hold water any longer.Read more
by Sebastian Wöber | 28th June 2016
We've been testing the new DJI Zenmuse X5 and X5R RAW cameras recently and we were really curious to see how they compare to the standard Zenmuse X3. If you're interested to see the quality difference between the DJI Inspire 1 vs. DJI Inspire 1 PRO vs. Inspire 1 RAW check out this video we shot. When we looked at the difference between the Zenmuse X5 and X5R cameras we found that the X5 can't really compete with the fine RAW quality of the X5R. However it was unclear wether the upgrade to an X5 was worth it in terms of image quality. The X3 is the camera that sits on the normal DJI Inspire 1 drone as well as the DJI Osmo. Both devices can be upgraded with a Zenmuse X5 or Zenmuse X5R camera (The Osmo X5 adapter is needed for the Osmo upgrade) DJI Inspire 1 vs. DJI Inspire 1 PRO vs. Inspire 1 RAW – Verdict So how good is the Zenmuse X5? Looking at the footage we shot it is clear that the Zenmuse X5R resolve much more color gradations than both other cameras. Also, as previously analyzed in our lab test, we can see how the codec and processing of the Zenmuse X5 looses a lot of information with heavy compression. What surprised us was that clearly the Zenmuse X5 resolves more detail than the Zenmuse X3. This is mainly true in full 4K though. When watched on an HD screen the difference is neglectable. In terms of color both cameras seem to have very low color resolution and dynamic range, resulting in a very washed out image that is not easy to grade in post-production. Processing on the Zenmuse X5 seems to be much cleaner though. While we don't like the magenta tint all over the image, the end result seems more like a flat "LOG" image than the one we get from the Zenmuse X3, even though both cameras were set to "D-LOG". Testing Environment This test setup was not perfect and not scientific. The X3 and the X5 have very different focal lengths so it is hard to truly compare them side by side. We wanted to take the chance to get a rough feeling of how the 3 cameras perform and especially what the difference between the X3 and X5 truly is. We hope the video gives you some insights on this topic. All cameras were used on the same DJI Osmo, with similar (X3) or identical (x5 and X5R) exposure settings and under full sunlight within a 15 minute timeframe. The filming position was changed for the X3 due to the different focal length. What do you think? Now you've seen the 3 cameras side by side. What do you think about their quality, especially in terms of a DJI Inspire 1 vs. DJI Inspire 1 PRO vs. Inspire 1 RAW comparison. Is it worth the upgrade to the X5, or would you go all the way to the X5R?Read more
We only send updates about our most relevant articles. No spam, guaranteed! And if you don't like our newsletter, you can unsubscribe with a single click. Read our full opt-out policy here.
© 2016. All Rights Reserved. cinema5D OG, Kranzgasse 22 / 9-10, A-1150 Vienna, Austria
Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Contact | Got a Tip?


text:
Crosby Celebrates Her Trek HeritageBy Michelle
July 6, 2005 - 10:57 PM
Denise Crosby's career has been marked by reversals. Initially having shunned the acting profession, not wanting to be associated with the "family business" of her grandfather, Bing Crosby, she later followed him into performing. And although she left the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation before the end of the show's first season, she has since produced two documentaries about fans of the Star Trek franchise and its impact.
Speaking to Chase Masterson at TheFandom.com, Crosby said that she had always performed in grade school, but "then I kind of went through a rebellious period where I didn't want to do anything that was associated with my family." She was turned off by Hollywood's fickle nepotism until she traveled and did some modeling in Europe; then she took an acting class, and "realized it was not about being a Crosby, but about who I was as an actor...from then on it was very exciting, and I was hungry for knowledge and work."
Though Crosby left The Next Generation due to frustrations with the limitations of her role, with other opportunities open to her, she remained friendly with several of her co-stars and producers - so much so that she was invited back to play her character Tasha Yar's daughter, Sela, after Tasha died in "Skin of Evil" only to return in an alternate timeline in "Yesterday's Enterprise."
"What a chance, to play your own daughter!" she exclaimed. "I don't know if that's ever been done. Only in sci-fi can you pull that off, unless you've had a million facelifts...and in Hollywood I guess that's possible!" Masterson pointed out that Crosby started a trend among Star Trek guest stars of getting killed off only to be hired to do ten more episodes, and Crosby noted, "The odd thing is, I had to die to get the best episodes."
In "Redemption" and "Unification", viewers learned that Sela had been responsible for her own mother's death. "I gained a lot of inspiration from the movie Dances With Wolves, because it really reflected how you are a product of your environment," explained Crosby. "If you're raised with wolves, you're going to be a wolf. Sela was this little baby whose mother was killed, so she was sort of brainwashed by the Romulans entirely to be the enemy of her human side. She fiercely held on to that. What I was looking for eventually to happen was that she would come crashing face to face not only with humans but with her mother's allies, her shipmates, and would have to deal with something that she had suppressed and denied...it's sort of a fascinating, complex thing."
Such difficult family relationships are not unknown to Crosby, who grew up estranged from her own half-siblings: "That Norman Rockwell thing was not happening in my family." In Deep Impact she played a woman who was forced to give her baby away, and in Pet Sematery she played a woman who was murdered by her own son. Calling herself a "big fan of Stephen King", Crosby noted that the film was "an amazing, amazing thing to do", directed by her friend Mary Lambert, labeling the theme of matricide "risky stuff."
"There's horror films and there's horror films, monsters coming out of the dark and children who eventually kill their mothers! That's just chilling," she said. "Horror films come in and out of favor. They always have had an audience, but in terms of when the studios are making them...right now they're making them again!" Crosby has a new one coming out called Mortuary, in which she plays, "again, a mom, but I sort of turn the tables on the children."
Though it appears that no further Paramount Next Generation movies will be made for some time if ever, Crosby said that she would love to reprise her role as either Tasha or Sela. Reminded by Masterson that she one said Tasha could have kicked Kirk's butt, Crosby recalled, "Jonathan Frakes and I had an aikido master come to the set twice a week, and during lunch, while everyone else was running off to the commissary, we would practice." She lamented that she had not kept practicing after she left the series.
Despite her premature departure, Crosby finds it ironic that she has since made two Trekkies films about the franchise and its fans, using her access to the actors and writers. "I'm a fan of documentaries and I have been as long as I've watched movies," she revealed. "When I started to go to the conventions and I started to come home and tell people where I'd been...friends of mine who were not fans of Star Trek, who had never even seen an episode, were fascinated by the fact that people get together and celebrate this show, and go to this degree." She found the gatherings interesting in and of themselves, "forget what TV show it's based on: Is it a religion? Is it a social phenomenon? And why, and how?" Director Roger Nygard, with whom she had worked on a previous movie, urged her to pursue the project.
Crosby became particularly close with teenage fan Gabriel Koerner, who appeared in Trekkies and has since become a special effects designer, working on Enterprise among other projects. "He's on his way, which I told him at fourteen was going to happen," she laughed, expressing her envy that now Koerner has an Emmy nomination while she does not. "I'm going to audition for you, and you'd better remember me!" she announced for his benefit.
For more, including Crosby's reunion with her TNG castmates at a recent Philadelphia convention, download the interview at TheFandom.com.
Discuss this news item at Trek BBS!
Add TrekToday RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fan? Then visit CSIFiles.com!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Talk loud and clear
The outstanding speakerphone brings the CD2 series to the center of family life. Thanks to the sound level boost, conversations can really be shared with everyone around.
Always have the phone numbers of your loved ones available: Save up to 100 names in your phonebook.
Easily read from the phones' illuminated display
Handsfree mode uses a built-in loud speaker to amplify the voice of the caller, allowing you to speak and listen during a call without holding the phone to your ear. This is especially useful if you want to share the call with others or take notes during a call.
The digital sound offers overall better dynamic range and more clarity.
The handset shape is designed to fit perfect in your hand.
Set the sound level of your phone to the degree it fits you the most


text:
I have started a new Republican website, www.republicander.com please take a look and give me your feedback and ideas. I am new to the website thing and need help developing this into a great site. Any and all help will be greatly appriciated.
Thank You,
James Terpening
Tags: GOP help Republican spector swine


text:
Research In Motion reported some unimpressive Q1 results on Thursday and its stock paid the price on Friday. Business Insider has been digging for info about what the heck happened, and one source says that part of the problem is the company's branding message.
"Their recent efforts with the 'BlackBerry LOVE' campaign have failed – and I think it is obvious that the 'LOVE' theme is simply inconsistent with the real and authentic 'can do', 'make it happen', and 'entrepreneurial' attitude of their core user base. The campaign was not authentic to the true nature of the company," the source said.
Overall, this source identifies the company's big problems as its inability to see its own issues and effectively reach out to the consumer space.


text:
Value Added in English Schools
Value-added indicators are now a central part of school accountability in England, and value-added information is routinely used in school improvement at both the national and the local levels. This article describes the value-added models that are being used in the academic year 2007–8 by schools, parents, school inspectors, and other professionals in local and national governments. The article outlines the development of value-added models in England following the introduction of national testing at ages seven, eleven, and fourteen in the 1990s. It describes the current "contextual" value-added models in detail, looking at the mathematical specification of the multilevel models and discussing the practical choice of explanatory attainment and contextual variables. The article also describes various uses of the value-added models, including in the published school achievement and attainment tables and in the RAISEonline system that supports schools in their self-evaluation and development planning and informs external inspection. © 2009 American Education Finance Association
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.
Volume (Year): 4 (2009)
Issue (Month): 4 (October)
Pages: 415-438
|Contact details of provider:
| Web page: http://mitpress.mit.edu/journals/
|Order Information:
|Web: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/edfp
No references listed on IDEAS
You can help add them by filling out this form.
This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.
When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:tpr:edfpol:v:4:y:2009:i:4:p:415-438. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Kristin Waites)
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.
If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.


text:
Can you equip any pistol with an silencer?
I've got a question. Can you equip every pistol with an silencer and use the right bullets? Or have you use special weapons like the HK Mark 23?
Pistol Supressors:
yes....almost anything can be fitted with a supressor.
#1 is a new longer barrel to be threaded, and then the supressor.
$ 200 one time transfer tax if legal in your state. figure 3 months to get approval after all paperwork is submitted.:cool:
autos only
the paperwork required to have a suppressor in the field are as clear as the Hudson river at low tide:
Section 10: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/05/foghorn/ask-foghorn-how-to-buy-a-silencer/
which is why I don't bother with suppressors
fyi original post was about 8 years ago.
|All times are GMT. The time now is 02:43 AM.
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.


text:
Research Topics
F G Campos
Country: Brazil
Detail Information
- Diet and colorectal cancer: current evidence for etiology and preventionF G Campos
Department of Gastroenterologoy, Colorectal Surgery Unit, Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Brazil
Nutr Hosp 20:18-25. 2005..Thus, current recommendations for decreasing the risk of CRC include dietary measures such as increased plant food intake; the consumption of whole grains, vegetables and fruits; and reduced red meat intake...
- Impact of parenteral n-3 fatty acids on experimental acute colitisF G Campos
Department of Gastroenterology, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, SP, Brazil
Br J Nutr 87:S83-8. 2002....
- Pharmacological nutrition in inflammatory bowel diseasesF G Campos
Department of Gastroenterology, Colorectal Surgery Unit, Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Nutr Hosp 18:57-64. 2003..The real efficacy of these nutrients still need further evaluation through prospective and randomized trials...
- Predicting complete response to neoadjuvant CRT for distal rectal cancer using sequential PET/CT imagingR O Perez
Angelita and Joaquim Gama Institute, Rua Manuel da Nóbrega, Sao Paulo, 1564, Brazil
Tech Coloproctol 18:699-708. 2014..The objective of this report was to identify PET/CT features that are associated with a complete response after CRT...


text:
Violet Fizzies
We recently discovered the recipe for Violet Gin Fizzies, and now we are obsessed. Light and frothy, the aromatic flavors of Hendricks Gin play nicely with the Creme de Violette and orange citrus oils. It's a lovely spring time drink - and it's gorgeous purple hue sure goes nicely with all those fluffy blossoms outside!
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and vigorously shake (do not add ice yet, this is your dry shake). Add a few cracked ice cubes and shake a second time. Strain into a cocktail glass, and top with seltzer. Squeeze an orange peel coin over the foam, gently rim the glass with orange citrus oil, and float the coin on top.
For the full post, visit Gastronomista.


text:
32 CFR 806.20 - Records of non-U.S. government source.
(a) The Air Force, in compliance with Executive Order 12600, will advise submitters of contractor-submitted records when a FOIA requester seeks the release of such records, regardless of any initial determination as to whether FOIA exemption (b)(4) applies. See § 806.15(c) and § 806.31. Due to a change to 48 CFR, submitter notification is not required prior to release of unit prices contained in contracts awarded based upon solicitations issued after January 1, 1998. For solicitations issued before January 1, 1998, conduct a normal submitter notice. Unit prices contained in proposals provided prior to contract award are protected from release, as are all portions of unsuccessful proposals (before and after contract award) ( 10 U.S.C. 2305(g)).
(b) Department of State involvement. Air Force FOIA managers will notify their MAJCOM (or equivalent) FOIA office, in writing, via fax or e-mail when the Department of State becomes involved in any Air Force FOIA actions. The MAJCOM FOIA office will provide 11 CS/SCSR, via fax or e-mail, a summary of the issues involved, and the name, phone number, mailing address and e-mail address of: their own FOIA office point of contact; the Air Force record OPR point of contact, the DoD component FOIA office point of contact (if any), and the Department of State point of contact. 11 CS/SCSR will inform SAF/IA of any State Department involvement in Air Force FOIA actions. (See § 806.7(b).) An example of a memo advising 11 CS/SCSR of State Department involvement in an Air Force FOIA action is provided in § 806.27.


text:
Arkansas River
I am planning on going to the Arkansas again but closer to Canon City. I'll take 115 down from the springs but where are places that I can go from there? I have never fished the Arkansas but once below the dam. I have no clue as to where to go by Canon City, I saw someone's post about the first two pullouts but have no clue where those are.
Thanks in advance any help!
Re: Arkansas River
I haven't fished it that far South. If no one on here is able to help with the pull-out details give Royal Gorge Anglers down in Canon City a call. Depending on when you get to town to fish, stop by there. They might have more advice if you pick-up some flies :) Enjoy the fishing and let us know how it goes.
Re: Arkansas River
Lots of fishing between canon city and salida. If you are having troubles finding a spot shoot me a pm. The water all through the canyon is gorgeous, easy to read and very fish-able.
Re: Arkansas River
I shot you a pm.
Re: Arkansas River
Last time I drove between Canon city and Salida, there were plenty of good pullouts to check out. I don't know any specific holes, but the river looks pretty easy to read and to find access from the highway.
A little far drive for me, but further south does sound appealing and warmer!
Re: Arkansas River
Re: Arkansas River
Re: Arkansas River
My brother would kill me for discussing this in public but here you go. Down toward Florence can be very good but highly dependent on river flows. The numbers seem much lower down toward Florence and just after Florence but the the fish are healthy and can become quite large.
Just about the entire river through Canon City is good, access via the city trail system is great with multiple trail heads along the river that van be used as an access point. The section is best fished prior to the caddis hatch in spring due to the numbers of fish and dependency on river flows and clarity. There are a couple of feeder creeks just up stream from Canon that will create very difficult fishing during runoff and high precipitation.
The river really is a gem from just after Texas Creek all the way up to Salida and onto Beuna Vista. The river is known for the Mother's Day caddis hatch but the blue wing olives in March are my favorite bugs and the river is less crowded.
Re: Arkansas River
I have never fished below Canon City except when I am fishing in the reservoir on the upstream side. It looks like good water and looks as though there is access. Bill Edrington will let you know for sure and specifics if you stop in and chat at him or shoot him an email.
Re: Arkansas River
Thanks. I have a customer in Florence that I see every 2-3 weeks. It looks like easy access at 115 but I've never seen anyone fishing there, and have never had the time to stop. Changing my schedule...
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:05 PM.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.40 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2017 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
2005-2017 The North American Fly Fishing Forum. All rights reserved.


text: Leather gloves with Black Watch Item F8792 Size: All sizes are US sizes. Size Charts Quantity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Prices do not include taxes. Add to Bag Wishlist Add to Bag Add To Wishlist share: size & fit Product Details We made these cozy leather gloves with a holiday-ready Black Watch pattern on the front. Fun fact: Black Watch tartan is named for—you guessed it—the Black Watch, a regiment formed in 1725 to guard the Scottish highlands (in kilts, naturally). Leather, wool. Import. Item F8792.


text:
This is the first of a two-volume bible commentary covering the Psalms and examining the role of these biblical poems throughout Jewish and Christian history.
Provides a fascinating introduction to the literary, historical, and theological background of psalmody.
Examines the psalms through liturgy and prayer, study and preaching, translation and imitation, and musical composition and artistic illustration.
©2008 Susan Gillingham (P)2013 Audible Ltd
There are no reviews for this title yet.
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


text:
We often talk about the way stories bring your mission to life for supporters and inspire donors to give. Storytelling champion Andy Goodman reminds us that stories can also work within our organizations to inspire and build stronger teams. In a recent Q&A with The Bridgespan Group, Goodman shares Why Nonprofits Need to Be Storytellers and offers three types of stories that can strengthen your cause from the inside.
Creation stories
Simply put, these are the stories that tell the story of how and why your organization was founded. Creation stories often involve someone overcoming adversity, a vision for a different future, or transformation. These stories help root people in the culture of your nonprofit, motivate staff, and set expectations for your ongoing work.
Andy says: If you work for an organization, you should be able to answer the question, "Where did this organization come from? Who started it? When? Why?"
Value stories
These stories illustrate the key qualities of your organization, what you stand for, and why you're so passionate about what you do. Many organizations may have similar core values—justice, determination, diversity—but the way these values are expressed should be unique to each group. These values become tangible when they're illustrated through storytelling. Value stories help your staff and volunteers identify with your organization on a personal level, and provide a common ground that can improve collaboration among co-workers and increase loyalty to your cause.
Andy says: What I ask organizations is, "Tell me stories of your people living and expressing those values in their work." Have these stories ready so that when people ask you about your organization's values, you can respond not with a list, but with stories.
Striving to improve stories
These stories reinforce the resiliency of your organization and show that you're evolving and improving. Telling stories about a mistake or other lessons learned helps others benefit from your shared knowledge and fosters an environment of exploration, acceptance, and camaraderie.
Andy says: I think [striving to improve stories] are extremely healthy to have, because invariably when someone does screw up, you want to be able to throw your arm around his or her shoulder and say, "You know what? It happens. Carole made a similar mistake. Let me tell you the story about the mistake she made, how she learned from it, and how she did better next time because that's how we do it here."
The whole interview is full of a-ha moments and worth a careful read. Check it out, then post a comment below to share an example of a story you're telling in your organization. I'll select a few of the best ones to feature in an upcoming post.
(Thanks to Mark Rovner of Sea Change Strategies for alerting us to this fabulous piece.)


text:
The Wahkaw
Volume XXII #1
Spring 2003
2 Table of Contents
3 A letter from your WCGS-President, Loren Dake
4 Obituary of Member, Reverend Dr. Charles E Mason
5-9 Joseph Leonais, early Sioux City Pioneer
10 Records Show Laws Affecting Female Ancestors Varied
How much is that baby in the Window? 1922-Sioux City, IA
11-13 Terms of Confusement
14-16 New Genealogy Books at the Sioux City Public Library
17 Early 1855 Map of Iowa, Can you find some discrepancies?
18-19 Findings on the Earliest Naturalization Books in the Woodbury County Courthouse
20-25 Submitters Name Index of Member Ancestor Charts (to be continued in future issues)
32 Cemetery Sales Page
33 Sales Page--Officers of the Woodbury Co. Genealogical Society


text:
Christian Cantrell has written a tutorial on HTML5 Rocks about how to bring the power of desktop publishing to the Web using CSS Regions and CSS Exclusions. Christian goes into some detail on how to use the CSS Object Model for Regions in the latest version of Chrome. He also looks into the upcoming CSS Exclusions specification that brings text wrapping around irregular objects to your browser.
Take a look at Christian's tutorial on bringing magazine-like layout to the web, and learn how you can use some of these features to create more compelling experiences in the future.


text:
Two sought in Black Friday shooting at Fayetteville mall
Posted November 25, 2011
Fayetteville, N.C. — Cumberland County authorities are looking for two people who fired gunshots inside and outside a busy Fayetteville mall early Friday morning as shoppers lined up for post-Thanksgiving sales.
Debbie Tanna, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said the first shots were fired outside Cross Creek mall, near the food court entrance, around 2 a.m. One man ran inside the mall, and a second ran after him, firing more shots near Macy's.
Detectives were reviewing surveillance video to identify the shooters and to try to find out more about what happened. Anyone with information about should call the sheriff's office at 910-323-1500.
No one was injured, but witnesses described the scene as chaotic as shoppers tried to leave the mall.
"People were running, and they were yelling," said Brock Blanks, who said he and his friends ducked for cover when they heard gunshots.
"Our first instinct was to hide, to get away from the situation," he said.
Two sought in Fayetteville mall shooting
Some smaller stores closed in the wake of the shooting but have since reopened, Cross Creek Mall spokeswoman Tammy Hopkins said.
"From what we understand, obviously, it was an isolated incident, an unusual incident," she said. "It doesn't seem to have dampened the shopping spirit at the mall."
Still, Blanks said, it will be tough for him to forget what he saw.
"I mean, you see stuff like that happen in the movies, but you really don't expect it to happen," he said.


text:
|Fresh Faces
|Age (at audition)
|Dance Group
|Position Reached
Fresh Faces was a dance group act in Season 8 of America's Got Talent. The group was eliminated in the Quarterfinals.
Fresh Faces is a dance group of five young girls from Queen Creek and Chandler, Arizona. Brynn Rumfallo, Jaycee Wilkins, Dylynn Jones, Bostyn Brown and Jenna Valenzuela are nine and eleven years old and have been performing together since they were only three. Fresh Faces is trained in every style of dance, including jazz, hip-hop, ballet, musical theater, lyrical, acro and tap. They train at Club Dance in Arizona. They specialize in and are known for their "freakish flexibility." The group works together on a daily basis, training 20 to 25 hours per week. Dylynn Jones and Jaycee Wilkins are from DJ's mix from Disney Channel's Make Your Mark in 2012. They were the youngest contestants and they won, so they were in the show Shake It Up with the stars Zendaya Coleman and Bella Thorne.
Fresh Faces's audition in Episode 806 consisted of dancing as a group to "Die Young." Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, and Mel B voted "Yes," sending the act to the Vegas Round.
Vegas Round
Fresh Faces was one of thirty acts to advance straight to the Quarterfinals in New York without performing in Las Vegas in Episode 808.
The Fresh Faces' Week 1 Quarterfinals performance in Episode 810 consisted of dancing as a group to Icona Pop's "I Love It." They did not receive enough votes to be sent to the Semifinals in Episode 811, eliminating them from the competition along with Special Head and Hype.
After The Show
In 2016, Brynn joined the cast of the Lifetime series Dance Moms, becoming a member of the Abby Lee Dance Company's junior elite team during season 6. It was confirmed that she and her mom Ashlee returned for the show's 7th season in 2017.
External Links


text:
Man arrested on attempted murder charges
Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:06:09 GMT —
Myrtle Beach police arrested Cletis Edward Baker, 37, around 4:30 Friday morning.
The Camden man is facing an Attempted Murder charge.
Baker was arrested after police responded to an assault, that happened Thursday night, off North Ocean Boulevard at Cabana Shores.
The 43-year-old victim said she was assaulted by Baker and the incident was confirmed by a witness, according to responding officers.
Baker "tried to choke her and smother her with a pillow," according to David Knipes with Myrtle Beach police.
He also said the woman is Baker's girlfriend.


text:
Your browser does not support iframes.
As you know, the Carroll County 4-H Shooting Sports Club is gearing up for state and are we ready!
This past Sunday we had two trap shooters hit 25 out of 25 – WOW. It is a custom for the other members of the team to shoot the cap of the member who gets a perfect score. So Cameron Darnold had his cap shot numerous times as shown in the picture. Luke Heveline also had a perfect score and did not wear a cap so his cap will be shot by the team members next Sunday.
New events
Thursday, Aug. 10
First day of school for Christian Academy of Carrollton.
Ready Fair at Cartmell Elementary, 4-6 p.m.
Kathryn Winn Open House, 4-6 p.m.
Carroll County Middle School registration night, 6-8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 11
Sixth grade jump start, 9 a.m.-noon at Carroll County Middle School.
Saturday, Aug. 12
"Mass in Point Park"
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church of Carrollton will hold a special Hispanic mass Sunday, Aug. 20, at Point Park. The mass will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the shelter area. All are welcome.
If you are in a Christian circle you probably heard this phrase: "Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship", and the syllogism that accompanied this saying: "religion is a man's attempt to reach God, Christianity is God's attempt to reach man; Therefore, Christianity is not a religion." This became so familiar to us that we adopt it without thinking this saying has many inherent problems. I believe this type of reasoning is invalid for three reasons for being in contradiction:
The Carroll County Public Library will offer "Food for Fines": refresh your account with the Back-to-School fine amnesty. Bring any one of the following items from Aug. 1-15: Mixed vegetables, canned carrots, pork and beans, canned soup and/or canned ravioli, each item brought in will reduce your fine by $5. Please check expiration dates as expired food will not be accepted.
The Carroll County Senior Center is located at 110 Sixth St., Carrollton, Frances Steurer, Center Manager, (502) 732-7026; e-mail: email@example.com. Breakfast is served 8 a.m. Monday and Wednesday, lunch is served 11:30 a.m. each day, please call by noon the day before to make a reservation for lunch.
School starts next week. Social media will be flooded with first day of school pictures, and parents are split on whether the first day of school is an unofficial holiday they look forward to or a day they dread, maybe as much as their children.
I think the first day of school creates a little buzz around our community. Things look just a little bit different: more traffic in the morning, fewer bikes riding around town, an empty County Pool, days start getting shorter and evenings begin to fill up with football, soccer, volleyball and homework. The library is no different.
Port William Historical Society kicked off a fundraising drive to raise $50,000 for make much-needed repairs and improvements to the county's oldest structure — the Masterson House.
The group has planned a day filled with events for Saturday, Aug. 12 to help close in on its goal to fund projects at the historic house.
Port William Historical Society President Deborah Garrett said the day will include a 5K walk run, a car wash, auction and all special sales set up at the Masterson House.
Copyright © 2017
The News-Democrat is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Carroll County, KY and the surrounding area.


text:
This is the website/blog of Philosopher Stephen Law. Stephen is Reader in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London, and editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy journal THINK. He has published several books (see sidebar). For school talks and media email: think-AT-royalinstitutephilosophy.org
Monday, September 12, 2011
WLC powerpoint?
16 comments:
- faithlessgod said...
Rhetoric and Sophistry
- September 12, 2011 at 8:34 AM
Rough overview but this is a Jesus historical one. For God's existence he usually plays to his updated version of Kalaam's Cosmological argument. From memory the slides he uses are generally bullet point in content.
- September 12, 2011 at 8:50 AM
Also this may help:
- September 12, 2011 at 8:52 AM
- Paul Wright said...
Bayes Theorem on a slide entitled "Ehrman's Egregious Error", in his debate with Bart Erhman (intending to gesture at Earman's "Abject Failure" response to Hume on miracles). Blindsided the guy a bit. Don't expect civility from Craig.
Personally, I'd like to see more people pointing out that Craig is a Christian evangelist and noting how far his various arguments go towards making Christianity sound reasonable. Considered as arguments for evangelicalism, the Kalam falls to Hume, the moral argument to Craig's disgusting position on genocide, and so on. Craig calls his opponents out for being off topic when they try this ("we're arguing about moral ontology, not about the Bible") and to the extent that they're off topic for the particular argument, he's right. Nevertheless, Craig's 5 ways finish with an altar call for Christianity, so it's fair to point out that even if you accept the earlier arguments, you should find a better God than Craig's :-)
- September 12, 2011 at 9:34 AM
- Tony Lloyd said...
"even if you accept the earlier arguments, you should find a better God than Craig's"
And you don't find one, which I think is an important point. Refutations are very powerful in that you can build up all the reasons you like for an idea but if the idea doesn;t work out then you have to abandon it. Modus Tollens (if x then y, not y so not x) sort of "trumps" everything else. Even to the extent that were you to have a purely deductive argument for x, if x falls to a refutation then you must conclude that you got your deductive reasoning wrong.
Stephen's Evil-God argument is one such refutation, whilst all Craig's arguments do is try to show that a belief in God is reasonable. But I don't think it matters how reasonable a belief is if it is evidently false.
Craig's argument against the Evil-God is likely to be an attack on the basis that it is arrogant to "tell God what to do" (I've seen a video where he makes this exact argument). I thought of a great Powerpoint slide to counter that. Start with a valid argument on the slide (eg "Socrates is mortal") and then anaimate in another premise:
Stephen Law is an arrogant tosser
Then ask the audience whether it's brought Socrates back to life!
Of course the "telling God what to do" is bollocks, reporting on what someone did is not "telling them what to do". It might be judging, but then Craig (and others) are equally judging when they say "God's a nice chap".
(BTW I think the Kalam falls at the very first premise. Why "everything that begins to exist has a cause"? Why not "everything after the Big Bang"? Or, getting all Kantian, "everything that can be experienced by rational creatures"? Or any of the infinite number of metaphysical principles that will fit the observed facts. The answer is, of course, that only the one used results in a conclusion of God's existence. So the Kalam argument chooses the premises to fit the conclusion. I don't see the need to give it the time of day after that.)
- September 12, 2011 at 11:55 AM
I haven't a clue ~ I'm sure you'll destroy the guy though ! If I may make a small observation: WLC is unconscious of his surroundings ~ he just zips through his script at 100mph. He doesn't do changes of pace to suit the flow of the debate. He's inflexible, charmless & a boor. WLC can't charm because he isn't interested in other people & their lives.
He doesn't care
Hitchens is the opposite ~ the first 5 mins of any Hitch video is a joy to watch as he establishes a link with the audience, the venue & the question at hand. Dan Barker is good in the same way.
Hitchens & Barker will not let the opposition control the speed or subject matter of the debate
- September 12, 2011 at 1:56 PM
- jeremy said...
Sam Harris debated WLC a few months ago, and wrote a brief postmortem here, which is probably worth reading.
I think the more philosophical approach likely to be taken by Stephen would be a better approach to WLC's specious arguments than that taken by Sam.
- September 12, 2011 at 2:04 PM
I would recommend the following links "How to win against WLC"
This page has links to 55 debates he has had with a number of them video so if desired could see the slides!
Countering his "arguments from the best explanation" which seem to be all of his arguments
- September 12, 2011 at 2:09 PM
I would recommend the following links "How to win against WLC"
This page has links to 55 debates he has had with a number of them video so if desired could see the slides!
Countering his "arguments from the best explanation" which seem to be all of his arguments
- September 12, 2011 at 2:09 PM
Good luck
- September 12, 2011 at 2:10 PM
An example Turek vs Hitchens [YouTube]
Not a great debate (don't watch it all), but instructional stylistically. Please compare the cadence & the audience engagement skills. Turek delivers as if scolding a child who is short on understanding, while Hitch credits the listeners with intellect & mature levels of empathy ~ he includes them
Turek opening @ 5:22
Inept, weak, poor joke & gets 'shouty'
Hitchens opening @ 28:40
Virginia. Beautiful 'Family Guy' dig at Turek which works well with a student audience. Controlled delivery. Good timing. Perfect gaps.
I don't think Hitch has ever used powerpoint or the obligatory atheist Apple computer stage prop :)
- September 12, 2011 at 2:25 PM
- Tony Lloyd said...
BTW, I didn't mean that you are an arrogant tosser, obv. But that you can show that it doesn't matter what Craig calls you, it doesn't affect the argument.
(oh, and this guy: http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=392 has a lot of stuff on previous debates Craig has had. He might even have copies of the slides, somewhere)
- September 12, 2011 at 4:21 PM
- Justin said...
True, by nearly all explanatory virtues, crags hypothesis fails to qualify for the best explanation. Dawes "theism and explanation" is a great start. Commonsenseatheism has a great summary series of the points in that book as well as an interview as well on his podcast "conversations from a pale blue dot"
- September 12, 2011 at 7:42 PM
Please see the debate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRadlJH67D0
I can assure you WLC is going to bring the same "arguments" .
- September 12, 2011 at 11:06 PM
- Chris Turner said...
make sure that you go first
the git always goes first (ALWAYS) then spiels off 20 arguments to define the debate - you answer ten, he points out the ten you didnt answer + two more, you are always on the back foot from then on. Don't fall for it - GO FIRST, insist
He is the master of appeals to authority, especially to biblical scholars - any argument you put forward will be not supported by "the majority of biblical scholars", like they get to vote of the truth.
He has no shame.
Don't be precious about it, make a big list of quotes by theists that support your points and contradict his and use them.
And he will put words in your mouth "by implication Dr Law accepts this that and the other" - see the debate with the australian Slezak.
If you use the Jesus wasn't dead argument - he will argue that the Roman's were efficient, they killed him with the spear, all abit Gladiatorish, he had teriible wounds etc(thats why he only lasted a little while!). There are lots of stories of people in the 17/18th century being revived after hanging in England. Point out the people that have escaped from american jails, POWs from germany, the IRA landing a helicoptor in a Northern Irish jail, and that Rome was corrupt - how many gold pieces to turn the other way - no more than our police want to give the mobile phone number of a 7/7 victim to the News of the Screws.
Why did the apostles go along with the story, maybe some believed and maybe others went along for usual reasons, for the power over others, the women and money, yes money - they had everything in common, followers sold everything and gave it in trust to the apostles (and if they kept any back they dropped down dead).
First do you hear!!!!
- September 15, 2011 at 7:14 PM
- Tony Lloyd said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- September 15, 2011 at 10:59 PM


text:
So last Sunday I had planned on running the Nike Half in SF, but the night before after spending most of that afternoon/night walking through the streets of SF, I decided to bow out of the race. It was a hard decision but thankfully I had my very awesome and supportive BFF to help me through it. A few blue moons later and a round of Fireballs and my blues went away.
This whole week my friends have been really supportive of my temporary injury and have been helping through it by coaxing me into going salsa dancing and into having some non-running related fun. They know this wont last long .
And with that... given that my leg is allowing me to run with some speed, and the pain has not come back, I feel like I'm well on my way to recovery and to going back to my normal schedule. So, this Saturday/Sunday I will have my last free weekend of non-running related fun. It will have an epic conclusion with an early Halloween party, my costume has been stitched together and is ready to go. It is going to be amazing!!!!
Anyways, I feel like I'm just so full of energy and so ready to go back, but I must say that I have truly enjoyed these few days of "normal" fun with friends.
Happy Running!


text:
West Sacramento, Calif. Raley's Family of Fine Stores has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership and voluntarily committed to reducing refrigerant emissions to help fight climate change and protect the Earth's ozone layer.
"For a number of years, Raley's has shared the EPA's commitment to decreasing refrigerant emissions through efficient HVAC systems and proprietary store design," said Ed Estberg, Raley's senior director of facilities. "This new partnership demonstrates our commitment to being an environmentally conscious retailer and supports our mission to be good stewards of the Earth."
EPA's GreenChill Partnership works with food retailers to promote green technologies, strategies, and practices that protect the stratospheric ozone layer, reduce greenhouse gases, and save money. Under the agreement with the EPA, Raley's has committed to the following:
- Require all new and remodeled stores to be free of ozone-depleting substances, in advance of the Clean Air Act phase-out requirements;
- Establish an emissions inventory and meet annual emissions reduction targets; and
- Develop a refrigeration-management plan that lists technologies, strategies, and practices used to achieve emissions reductions goals.
According to the EPA, GreenChill partners in the food retail business have refrigerant emissions rates nearly 50% lower than the EPA-estimated industry average.


text:
If Tears Could Build A Stairway
If tears could build a stairway,
and memories a lane.
I would walk right up to Heaven
and bring you back again.
No farewell words were spoken,
No time to say "Goodbye".
You were gone before I knew it,
and only God knows why.
My heart still aches with sadness,
and secret tears still flow.
What it meant to love you -
No one can ever know.
But now I know you want me
to mourn for you no more;
To remember all the happy times
life still has much in store.
Since you'll never be forgotten,
I pledge to you today~
A hollowed place within my heart
is where you'll always stay.
If you are the copyright holder of this poem and it was submitted by one of our users without your consent, please contact us here and we will be happy to remove it.


text:
Upgraded Property Reporting System Now Easier to Use
May 22, 2014
The latest version of the Property Reporting System (PRS) is now available. The following enhancements make PRS easier to use with more transparent displays of information:
- Ability to upload all individual and bulk assessments in the .XLSM file format
- Improvements to the Upload Failures and Validation Failures screens with elimination of upload and data validation failures more than 90 days old
- Automatic removal of failures of previous submission with same file name upon successful re-submission
- Main application page reveals of all upload and validation failures instead of in separate pop-up windows
- Accurate display of Assessment Received flag in due queue after successful upload of assessments
- New activity section in the Loan Details page shows our approval/denial reasons and comments of due date change and waiver requests
New PRS Resources
We encourage you to bookmark the new PRS web address of http:/multifamily-prs.covius.com, and download the latest resources on the Asset Management page.
- PRS Loan Management Form (LMF) Desk Reference
- PRS Loan Management Form (LMF) Bulk Template Desk Reference
- PRS Annual Income & Expense (AIE) Bulk Template Desk Reference
- PRS Quarterly Income and Expense (QIE) Bulk Template Desk Reference
- PRS Quick Start Manual
If you have any questions about templates or other PRS issues, please submit comments to the Multifamily Data Management mailbox with PRS Question in the subject line.


text:
A San Diego-based sailor has been killed in a combat-related incident in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.
Lt. Christopher E. Mosko, 28, of Pittsford, N.Y., died Thursday while serving in Nawa District, Ghazni Province. Mosko was assigned as a Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Platoon Commander to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, Afghanistan.
He was stationed at EOD Mobile Unit 3 in San Diego.


text:
Teleportation and D&D Standards
Expand Messages
- Howdy, all--
To start addressing some of the points that have come up
recently, here's a note on Teleportation.
Yes, the caveat that "Teleportation is instantaneous travel
through the astral plane" is a hoary old D&Dism, but I left it in the
power description because I basically decided what to keep and
what to toss on a case-by-case basis. As ever, I reserve the right
to make faulty judgments. ;) When I got around to teleportation, I
thought that for the sake of d20 utility I might as well change as
little as possible. I plan on giving Teleportation an expanded
treatment in the June issue of NHCOJ, and one of the
enhancements featured will be the "your teleportation doesn't
involve the astral plane" switcheroo. Cheap, too.
Cheers and best,
> I plan on giving Teleportation an expandedCool! Putting on my GM hat, I personally would let one switch it
> treatment in the June issue of NHCOJ, and one of the
> enhancements featured will be the "your teleportation doesn't
> involve the astral plane" switcheroo. Cheap, too.
from the Astral to a similar MO for free - if they want to create
conduits through something more reasonable, like the Ethereal or
hyperspace or whatever. :) It's just special effect.
Now, if their MO for teleportation involves some extra
functionality, that's another story! (Also, if there is ever
a "Teleport Trace" ability, switching to another "special effect"
may help throw it off. If you use controlled wormholes instead of
the Ethereal, for example.)
May I just add that you seem to be showing your teleportation
deftness? Your entry seems to exist in two places at once. ;)
The Shadow
Your message has been successfully submitted and would be delivered to recipients shortly.


text:
The Lumia 900 went on sale (pre-order) only a few days ago and if Amazon is a reliable market signal, early signs show that the Lumia 900 is off to a great start. The device has taken two of the top three spots on Amazon's 'Best Sellers' list for AT&T with the black model taking the top spot and the cyan model taking bronze medal (via WMPU).
It will be some time before we hear any hard sales figures unless Nokia or AT&T decide to release the numbers outside of their earnings calls (and they may not even announce it then). That leaves Amazon as the only indicator of how well pre-orders did in the first few days.
The Lumia 900 is Nokia's return to US soil with a flagship device. While the Lumia 710 has been on sale for a few months, Nokia is about to bombard the US airwaves with advertisements as it kicks 'rolling thunder' into high gear.
If you ordered a Lumia 900, let us know in the comments about which model you will be picking up. Many of you took part in our weekend poll, asking if you already placed your order in or if you are bypassing the Lumia 900.
With two color options available out of the gate and white coming in a few weeks later, Nokia has a color for just about everyone and when you sign a new contract, you can get the device for free.


text:
8 NEW Cool Buttons
I have uploaded 8 new cool buttons that you can use in your web site. 4 NEW "download" buttons; 4 NEW "add to cart" buttons; + 2 web product boxes
Includes a layerd & high resolution .psd file that are very easy to use and modify colors/text/shapes.
The fonts i used:
Frutiger LT 47 Light Condensed – http://www.fonts.com/findfonts/detail.asp?pid=202373
Helvetica Rounded LT Bold – http://www.fonts.com/findfonts/detail.asp?pid=434853&download=Download+Font
Futura LT Condensed Extra Bold – http://www.linotype.com/12701/futuraextraboldcondensed-font.html
Or you can use alternative fonts. Hope you'll enjoy working with them !
P.S. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I am more than glad to help you.


text:
In another attempt to push land-use decisions into the courtroom, environmental group Preserve Calavera is suing the city of Carlsbad over the City Council's approval of the Quarry Creek infill project, which will bring 656 apartments and condos, some of them reserved for low-income residents, to the 100-acre former site of a rock quarry and an adjacent 56-acre parcel of open space.
The project was duly vetted by staff and the city's Planning Commission, and in this case a full Environmental Impact Report was prepared. Even so, Preserve Calavera also accuses the Carlsbad council of violating CEQA. According to the Petition for Writ of Mandate, filed late last week, "the city failed to consider the environmental impacts associated with the project, failed to prepare and circulate required environmental analysis, and failed to adopt feasible alternatives and mitigation." Among the procedural CEQA violations is the claim that the council "committed to approving" the project in closed session, in violation of the state's open-meetings Brown Act.
Again, this is an attempt to bully a city into reversing an earlier vote. Several of the claims are specious, including turning a simple procedural question about Quarry Creek from a council member to the city attorney on the way out of a closed meeting into a Brown Act violation.
The council has done its job. The court should not be asked to second-guess it.


text:
Ann Arbor, Mich. Borders is introducing customizable e-gift cards. Available online at borders.com/giftcards in a variety of colors and creative designs, e-gift cards can be created and delivered to recipients via e-mail within 24 hours.
The cards are instantly redeemable online at Borders.com and in stores nationwide, and like traditional Borders gift cards, there are no fees associated with e-gift cards, and they never expire.
For added convenience, customers shopping at their favorite Borders superstore can order and purchase e-gift cards at one of the self-serve Borders.com kiosks located in the store.


text:
The Day After ... Reaction to the NCAA Pairings
by Adam Wodon/Managing Editor
For the first time since the inception of the 12-team bracket in 1988, the Division I NCAA tournament has a strict regionalized arrangement.
Years ago, college hockey put in a series of bracketing rules in order to get away from regionalization, mandating, for example, that the bottom two seeds in each region should flip-flop with each other.
The playing field changed, however, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedies. This year, the directive came down from the NCAA Championships and Competition Cabinet to avoid air travel if possible. Any team within 400 miles of a regional site must stay in that region and travel by bus. Every Eastern team is within 400 miles of Worcester, Mass., site of the East Regional.
The result: Six Eastern teams, including three automatic bids, all staying in Worcester; and six Western teams, including four that will fly anyway, all in the West Region in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Ultimately, it means the tournament's bottom three seeds are in the East bracket, which, most agree, creates an undesirable imbalance.
"I agree with that," said Jack McDonald, chair of the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey committee, and athletic director at Quinnipiac. "I'm not saying we like it, but with the parameters that were given to us, it worked out. The only leeway we had was in the top four [seeds]. Or if Harvard was not in, then someone from the west would've had to go east."
A simple switch of either Quinnipiac or Harvard to the West, with Colorado College (a team that's already flying) coming East, could have resolved most of the problem. But, again, the committee said it did what it was told.
"It was re-affirmed after the fall sports were done," said McDonald.
Now, had Michigan State won the CCHA championship, it would have received a bye over BU, meaning one Western bye team would have had to go East, and a bottom East team would have flown West.
One otherwise likely candidate to go East was St. Cloud State.
"My only official comment is that we're happy to be in the tournament and we're excited to be playing Michigan again on Friday night," Huskies coach Craig Dahl told the St. Cloud Times.
The team most negatively affected — at least on paper — is Michigan State (27-8-5), the No. 3 seed in the West. It has to face Colorado College (26-12-3), No. 9 in the Pairwise, in the first round, as opposed to Harvard or Quinnipiac, which would have been the opponent under past years' guidelines.
Cornell (24-7-2) winds up as a beneficiary — again, on paper. The Big Red was the last at-large team to make the field, and will play MAAC champion Quinnipiac in the first round. Nevertheless, if Cornell wins, the "reward" is facing No. 1 New Hampshire (29-6-3).
"We're happy to be in the tournament," said Cornell coach Mike Schafer. "Obviously Quinnipiac is a good matchup. When you look at it, things could've been worse. ... We could have had to play Michigan in their building.
"But the bottom line is, whoever you play, you gotta play. People thought Michigan would have an easy time with Mercyhurst [in 2001]. But it didn't happen. It's a one-game format and anything can happen. Our guys already know what happened last year [with Mercyhurst].
"We just have to worry about ourselves."
Quinnipiac is making its first NCAA appearance after defeating Mercyhurst in the MAAC tournament final.
"We're obviously excited to go to the NCAA tournament," said Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold. "It's an added bonus we're a five seed above Harvard. I certainly didn't expect that.
"Cornell has a storied program going back to the days of Ken Dryden. They're a top-10 team in the nation and I don't think they are, or there was going to be, an easy draw for us. You can analyze it up and down about who you want to play and not want to play. We were going to have to play a top-10 team no matter what."
Quinnipiac and Cornell met last year, and tied.
"We haven't seen them this year ... but they're a much better hockey team this year than last year," Pecknold said.
No. 3-seeded Maine (23-10-7) missed out on a bye to Boston University (25-9-3), despite defeating the Terriers in the Hockey East semifinals.
"I kind of expected it after I saw the PairWise and I know that the committee goes pretty much with those PairWise Rankings," said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. "Obviously, we would have loved to have that bye after stealing the five out of six points from BU over the last three weeks. But it's a full season you have to look at so we were not surprised by the seeds. BU's earned that opportunity."
Maine gets Harvard (15-14-4), because of the Crimson's improbable ECAC tournament run. Otherwise, Alaska-Fairbanks was the likely opponent for the Black Bears. If Maine wins, it would mean another meeting with BU, whereas, in the past, that rematch would likely have been avoided by flip-flopping seeds.
"We're excited to be in the East. That was the big thing we worked very hard for," Whitehead said. "As far as the matchups, we know we have our hands full with Harvard because they're playing very well right now. If we're fortunate to get past Harvard, we know it's a tough challenge the next night."
The other major gripe has nothing to do with the regional philosophy: No. 1 seed Denver (32-7-1) may have to face No. 4 seed Michigan (26-10-5), winner of the CCHA tournament title, in the Wolverines' own building in the second round.
"If you can fault us for anything, it's Denver perhaps having to play at Michigan," said McDonald. "We struggled with that. But there's not much we could do. We need more schools to put in bids [to host]."
Denver, the WCHA tournament and regular-season champions, awaits the winner of Michigan and No. 5 St. Cloud. Minnesota (29-8-4), the No. 2 seed in the West, will face the Michigan State-Colorado College winner.
"No question that Michigan has the home-ice advantage in Ann Arbor, but as I told our team and anybody who would listen [Saturday] night, we have trained and prepared for this for the last year or so," DU coach George Gwozdecky told the Denver Post. "This team is ready, prepared and excited, and no matter who we'll play, we're looking forward to that opportunity."
"I think we proved last weekend, after walking into Minnesota and beating them in front of 18,000 people [in the WCHA final], that will have the ability to overcome whatever we have to go through in Ann Arbor," DU goalie Wade Dubielewicz told the Post.
Still, with men's basketball teams traveling all over the country for the NCAA tournament, there remains a lack of explanation why college hockey and other sports were forced to be so strict with their brackets.
"I can't speak to the comparative," McDonald said. "Our field hockey team [at Quinnipiac] had to fly to Cal-Berkeley for a play-in game [in the fall]. ... We have to rely on the NCAA for what are we doing."
Despite the potential controversies, McDonald is putting a positive outlook on the situation.
"For the first time in history, there will be three sellouts [both regionals and the Frozen Four]," said McDonald. "The sport is growing, but what regionalization does is maximize the fan interest at each regional.
"It's a good bracket. We're pleased and I think in the midst of all that's gone on in the world, the regionalization for this year is going to ensure safety and, hopefully, sellouts."
Jim Connelly also contributed to this article.


text:
Servings: 8
For the pie:
9-inch prepared deep-dish pie crust in a pan
15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup grade B maple syrup
1 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch salt
For the whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust on baking sheet.
To make pie filling, in a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, heavy cream, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until center is barely set. Set on rack to cool.
When ready to serve, make whipped cream. In medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream, cinnamon and maple sugar until cream forms soft peaks. Serve alongside pie.
Per serving: 530 calories; 310 calories from fat (58 percent of calories); 35 g fat (16 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 170 mg cholesterol; 50 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 28 g sugar; 6 g protein; and 220 mg sodium.


text:
SapientNitro has named Michael Howatson its new executive creative director in Toronto.
"Being the leader of the creative team at SapientNitro in Toronto represents a unique opportunity to do something special on an ongoing basis," Howatson said in a press release. "Unlike almost anywhere else, the creative team here gets to harness the brute force of what SapientNitro can bring to bear on the technology side and then creatively dream without limitation."
The ECD role is a new position at the agency. SapientNitro says it created the role as part of the company's commitment to improve its creative activities in North America and Toronto in particular – an office Howatson says is growing.
Howatson has more than 20 years of creative experience. In 2001, he was made creative director Flying Colour Group in Tokyo. Immediately before joining Sapient Nitro, he was at BlastRadius serving as an executive creative director.


text:
Cloud Computing: 14 Million Reasons to Get With the Program…NOW
According to breathtaking new research from Microsoft, the result of a commission to analyst firm IDC, approximately fourteen million new jobs will be created by the year 2015, all of those jobs stemming from a swelling boom in cloud computing. Profits generated from such a boon in cloud activity to skyrocket to more than $1 trillion dollars within the exact same time frame. This combination of revenue heights and a shot in the arm to unemployment woes worldwide could potentially translate into an unprecedented shift in workplace structure. Readers, the take home figure is three years — the amount of time in which cloud's significance will mushroom.
Those professionals who are not yet cloud savvy should view these three years as an opportunity to self-educate, quickly and deeply. The most critical knowledge is the difference between Infrastructure as a Service, Software as a Service, and Platform as a Service, three cloud essentials which a recent article from Business Insider efficiently elucidates. Yet beyond such bottom-tier information, other crucial basics include an understanding of how cloud interweaves with the issues of the day, such as American governmental policy and European data protection protocol. (Hint: consistent reading of CloudTweaks helps you fulfill this aim with flying colors.)
IT folk, the pressure to step up your cloud prowess is also mounting at great speed. Information Week's recent cogent article on this subject advises IT professionals to aspire to become a sharp, self-sufficient pundit on all things cloud — the best method to maintain marketability into the coming years. Obviously reading top-quality blogs and journals is a great way to keep in cloud shape. (Please forgive this article's second shameless CloudTweaks plug.) But knowledge of cloud integration into already existent, traditional systems is also vital. Another important consideration: your skill at quickly and compellingly erecting a private cloud for your own current needs. The most marketable among us show no qualms making private clouds work well.
Even those not directly involved in IT can implement simple cloud intelligence into their quiver of assets. Form an opinion on the current state of cloud's security; locate and befriend others compelled by cloud computing and discuss the ups and downs of the technology. When in doubt, seek however you can to know a little more about the cloud each day. Failure to mobilize in these next three years will leave stragglers in a different, less desirable cloud – made of dust.
By Jeff Norman


text:
The Originators of Quick & Easy Cooking!
Must-Make Muffins: 12 Easy Muffin Recipes
Bonus: Get our newsletter & special offers for free. We will not share or sell your email address. View our Privacy Policy
White Chocolate Macadamia Muffins
We are adding the recipe to your Recipe Box.
This was added to your Recipe Box.
Click here to view your Recipe Box.
- 1 dozen
- 11 Min
White chocolate was made for this recipe! Yummy and worthy of finishing every last bite, your tummy will thank you for making and enjoying these muffins!
What You'll Need:
- 2 1/2 cups biscuit mix
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
- 3/4 cup half-and-half
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
What To Do:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine biscuit mix and sugar; stir in chocolate and nuts. Make a well in center of mixture.
- In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients; pour into well of biscuit mix mixture, stirring just until moistened.
- Spoon into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup two-thirds full. Bake 11 to 12 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from muffin tin immediately.
This recipe is from The Best of Mr. Food Cookbook Series Oxmoor House, Inc. If you would like more recipes like this, click here.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Are you sure you would like to report this comment? It will be flagged for our moderators to take action.
Thank you for taking the time to improve the content on our site.
Classic Chicken Fricassee
Our recipe for a one-pot Classic Chicken Fricassee will make you feel good through and through. It's made to taste just like the kind you grew up eating, featuring yummy veggies like celery, onion, carrots, and mushrooms. We love it over curly noodles!