text: Pregnancy What Should You Expect at Your Twelve Week Ultrasound? The twelfth week of pregnancy is an important and exciting milestone. It marks the end of the first trimester (one down, two to go!) and at this point, your baby is fully formed, right down to the teeny-tiny toes. For many women, an ultrasound at twelve weeks provides the first glimpse of what is happening inside, and it is certainly the first in-depth look at the little one you'll be holding in a matter of months. Why Get A Twelve-Week Ultrasound? Beyond the pure joy of seeing your baby for the first time, the twelve-week ultrasound provides your doctor with important information about how your baby is developing. The Twelve-Week Ultrasound Allows Your Healthcare Provider To: Make sure you are carrying just one baby and not two (or more)! Check the baby's heartbeat. It's usually around 160bpm at this point. Look at baby's head, chest, arms, legs, and sometimes kidneys to ensure everything is developing as expected. Measure baby from the crown to the rump to determine baby's gestational age. Measure nuchal translucency (a collection of fluid under the skin at the back of your baby's neck). Nuchal translucency is an early measurement that can help to identify babies that might be at risk for a chromosomal abnormality. How The Ultrasound Works To have your 12 week scan make an appointment with the maternity hospital or you can schedule an appointment at t private ultrasound clinic such as Ultrasound Dimensions. Before your appointment, drink a little water – a slightly full bladder helps push your uterus into position for easier viewing. Don't overdo it! You don't want to spend your first glimpse of baby wishing you could empty your bladder. A medical diagnostic sonographer or midwife will put a little gel on your belly to ensure good contact and comfort with the transducer – a wand that slides across your belly to provide an image of what's going on inside. What You'll See, And What You Won't On the monitor, you will be able to see what the sonographer sees, though it may be difficult for you to interpret all of the images. The image appears in black and white and various shades of grey. If the baby is in a good position, you may get a 3D look at baby as well. Your baby is about three inches long right now, and you'll be able to see him or her stretching, bouncing, and moving around. Speaking of gender, the external genitals are apparent on a twelve-week ultrasound, but they appear only as a small nub between the legs. There are theories about how to tell the difference between a boy and a girl at this stage, but they aren't universally accepted and you'll probably need to wait until later to know for sure. In any event, the baby's nose and chin are easy to make out and provide you with your first look at your baby's face. In all, the twelve-week ultrasound takes about 10-15 minutes to perform. Fifteen minutes to lie back in a quiet, darkened room and get a first look at the little one growing inside of you. Enjoy the quiet, and that first glimpse of what's to come. Share this article to connect with everymum on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest About the Author Clinical Specialist at Ultrasound Dimensions: Medical & Pregnancy Scan Centre Monica Healy is the clinical specialist sonographer at Ultrasound Dimensions medical and pregnancy scan centre in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Monica has been working in ultrasound and with expecting couples for over 30 years. Before founding Ultrasound Dimensions, she held the Clinical Specialist position at St. Vincent's University Hospital, has lectured at UCD and is a very proud mother of six children. To learn more about ultrasound and pregnancy scans visit Ultrasound Dimensions. Ultrasound Dimensions, Medical & Maternity Ultrasound Clinic, 21 Main St. Blackrock Co. Dublin Ireland 01 210 0232 email@example.com www.ultrasound.ie Comments Please login to leave a comment.


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Top Product Reviews
MK Belted Collection All-in-One Wristlet and Crossbody Purse
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subset: commoncrawl


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Jiaji Chen
Jiaji (George) Chen joined the Bing Center in June 2015 after graduating from Brandeis University with a BS in Biology and Neuroscience. Prior to officially joining us, he worked at the Bing Center as a student intern during several of his summer and winter breaks. His role in the lab will be to support the team in its various research projects.


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Grannick's Bitter Apple Deterrent Spray; Available for ferrets or small animals
Online Price $19.98Regular Price $21.97
This variant is currently sold out
Grannick's Bitter Apple taste is a taste deterrent and training aid designed for ferrets or small animals. The effective bitter apple taste is designed to discourage fur biting and hair chewing. It can also be utilized as a training aid to discourage your small animals or ferrets from chewing on items that you do not want chewed. Available in an 8 oz. pump spray bottle.


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Joey Bada$$ speaks on the criteria for joining his Pro Era crew, his recent collaboration with DJ Premier, and his 90s-influenced rap style.
Joey Bada$$ is fresh off the release of his crew's new mixtape, PEEP: The Aprocalypse, and also recently got his own DJ Premier beat. All this from a kid, who just celebrated his 18th birthday last week. Joey stopped by Sway In The Morning to speak on how his success came together.
Joey cited the importance and structure of his Pro Era crew, explaining that it's not all about hip hop. "It consists of fashion designers, graphic designers, and just all around thinkers", said Joey, but insisted that not just anyone is accepted as a member. "Everybody is most definitely not welcome", Joey set the record straight, "We real strict and we real tight." The Brooklyn emcee gave some insight into how an audition for the team works. "They start chillin around with the crew, and someone will just take up a specific line of duty." he said. Once initiated though, the crew members are fairly tight-knit, as joey explained, "It's a brotherhood. It's all about the relationship, the bond."
The young rapper also revealed how we was able to hook up with legendary producer DJ Premier, saying it came from an endorsement. "I did a one off single with mountain dew and they linked that up for me". Joey, whose sound is very indebted to boom-bap beatmakers like Premier was very excited about the collab, calling it " a dream come true".
On his 90s demeanor, Joey was insistent that he is just doing him. "I'm a 90s baby. That's how i look at it" said Joey. "That's never what i try to do", Joey said of his seemingly referential flows. He concluded. "When I rap, that's just what I give off, it could be a subconscious thing, but that's just me right there."
Watch the full interview below.


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KCW-04 / Counter Weight (4KG)
Constructed from heavy duty painted iron, Kupo counter weight is designed to work with a boom to balance heavier lighting rigs. Feature a locking clamp makes it can easily be moved up or down the boom accordingly whereas a bag remains at the end of the boom only. The rubber pad reduce s surface damage and enhances gripping actions. Fits for any tube size between 20mm and 35mm in diameter.


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A friend sent me this yesterday and I found it so rich and provocative that I asked his permission to share it (the opening disclaimer is his, not mine):
**WARNING: This email contains graphic depictions of ignorance, lack of intelligence and stupidity in the areas of theology, philosophy and psychology—not to mention English, if you count redundancies.
Dear All:
Last Friday in my FYS class we Skyped-in Jeffrey Galli as a guest speaker. It was a day I had been anticipating for over two years. Jeffrey's answers to two of our questions resonated with me the most. I thought I'd share my thoughts with you on this, especially in light of the email I sent you last week.
By way of background, Jeffrey Galli is high-level quadriplegic. On July 4, 1998, he broke his neck diving into a swimming pool, sank to the bottom and basically drowned to death. Upon being told by other children that his 17-year-old son was motionless at the bottom of the pool, Jeffrey's father ran to the pool, dove in, drug out his son and resuscitated him.
After saving Jeffrey's life, his father then spent the next 10 days contemplating killing him. Jeffrey was alive, but a spinal cord injury rendered him paralyzed from the neck down. He would never be able to breathe on his own without the help of a machine. His life would be one of extreme dependence, never of independence. So Jeffrey's father debated whether to disconnect his son from the ventilator.
Rescuing Jeffrey is a book written by Jeffrey's father about this 10-day period and details why he ultimately decided not to kill his son. (Sorry to give away the ending; it's still a good book.) I read it during the summer of 2009 and told myself that one day I would use it in an FYS class. Last Friday that dream came true.
Of these two questions, one was asked by a student and the other by me. The following is a summary:
Student: Did you ever pray to God during all of this?
Jeffrey: No I did not. I don't believe in God. And I didn't believe that praying would cure my paralysis. Many people visited me in the hospital and prayed over me. I allowed them to do it because it seemed to make them feel better. But it's just not something I believe in.
Bob: Why do you want to be alive? You wanted to die shortly after your accident, and your dad obviously considered killing you—what changed and has your decision vacillated over time?
Jeffrey: I was under a lot of medications shortly after my accident. When I got off the medications and was around friends, I decided I wanted to live. But I'm also glad I possess the right to choose to die if I so desire. [Jeffrey lives in Rhode Island and believes state law would permit him to instruct someone to turn off his breathing machine. I don't know if that's correct.] I want to live, however, for the possibilities of the future. I hope that things will get better in the future. And you have to live to be a part of those possibilities.
What struck me about Jeffrey's first response is that I couldn't help but wonder whether he would have prayed to God if, in fact, there was some assurance that praying would cure his paralysis. But then again I guess that's just the whole point of faith. You have to pray even when you don't know for sure. Otherwise, what person in a wheelchair wouldn't pray? And for that matter, what person wouldn't pray for a million dollars if they knew they would get it by praying? [See disclaimer above.]
And as to Jeffrey's second response, I couldn't help but think of the movie Shawshank Redemption. I could easily hear Red and Andy Dufresne talking about hope. But there was something about Jeffrey's belief in hope—dare I say faith in hope—that rang familiar.
At this point I must confess to being particularly contemplative on this issue, especially today. Twenty-two years ago today, on November 21, 1989, I also became a quadriplegic. During my freshman year at St. John's, I walked across the hallway on the fourth floor of Tommy Hall and was paralyzed by a student who put me in a full-nelson wrestling hold and broke my neck.
Like Jeffrey, my injury was an accident. And like Jeffrey, people prayed over me. Oh yes, Lourdes water was washed over me in waves, rosaries festooned my ICU room, prayer-cards filled the daily mail, and many an Abbey monk stood vigil at St. Cloud Hospital. Unlike Jeffrey, however, I prayed to God with unbridled intensity for my paralysis to go away. Prayers so pointed and persistent they could bore holes into diamonds.
Yet fast-forward to 22-years later, and Jeffrey and I both sit in our wheelchairs. Two different paths to the same result. Don't get me wrong—I still believe in God. But that's my own personal belief. I don't try to push that on anyone who believes otherwise. And I'm often as reluctant to talk about my faith as the next person holding a can of Spot-Shot, wanting to avoid cleaning the white carpet after stepping in the freshest steaming pile of political correctness. But Friday it occurred to me that maybe Jeffrey and I aren't so different in our faith. And maybe Red and Andy were just keeping the carpet clean.
Early in the book, Jeffrey's father openly doubts the philosophy being pushed on him that "Life meant there could be hope, and hope meant there could be a life worth living." To be sure, issues surrounding right to life and right to death are extremely complicated, highly politicized, and very personal. And those on both sides of these arguments are inevitably left scraping the bottom of their shoe. But maybe there's plenty of common ground, too.
My last question to Jeffrey before ending the call was whether he had ever thanked his father for not killing him. To my surprise, the question caught him off guard. He said he never had, but he seemed to like the idea of doing so. I felt like I had just nailed a 60 Minutes moment.
I'll try to spare you from a cheesy ending to this email, and refrain from including some lame reference to being thankful this Thanksgiving Day. But I would be remiss if I did not mention all that I am thankful for. After 22-years of being in a wheelchair, I am without a doubt thankful to be alive. Jeffrey and I may have taken different paths to get there, but on that we both agree. But more importantly, when I reflect on all the wonderful things that have transpired in my life over the past 22-years, I am most thankful that so many of my prayers have been answered. Most of which, I never even knew to ask for.
Have a happy Bird Day!
Bob Bell is an assistant professor at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University


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English | Espańol
All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 2
Note that the rich man's dialogue with Father Abraham shows that he knew Lazarus by name (see Lk 16:24). This indicates that the rich man (traditionally called 'Dives') likely knew the poor man lying at his very door.
Twice Dives asks Father Abraham to dispatch Lazarus to perform tasks that a servant boy would typically perform (Lk 16:24, 27). Possibly Dives regarded Lazarus as no more than a servant. Perhaps Dives occasionally sent Lazarus to run errands for him. If that is the case, he certainly took advantage of Lazarus as an occasional "worker," but one without "health care" benefits. Eventually Lazarus stopped being healthy enough to be useful to Dives. At that point, the dogs paid more attention to Lazarus than did Dives.
"More tortuous than all else is the human heart" (Jer 17:9). We men and women can become so hardened of heart that we think only of our needs and not of the needs of others. Is there anyone in our lives to whom we only pay heed if they can be of assistance to us? The great chasm separating Dives from Lazarus in Jesus' parable did not just appear in the afterlife (Lk 16:26); Dives dug that abyss each day that he disregarded his fellow human beings during his lifetime. Though Lazarus lay at Dives' door, it was as though he was on the other side of the Grand Canyon. "If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (see Heb 3:7, 15).


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When you dispel an enemy's magical defenses, those defenses crash down with debilitating effects.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast dispel magic or greater dispel magic, caster level 11th.
Benefit: When you successfully make a targeted dispel check against an opponent, that opponent must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC equals the DC of the spell used to dispel) or be stunned until the start of your next turn. If the save succeeds, the opponent is instead sickened until the start of your next turn.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Jason Bulmahn, Tim Hitchcock, Colin McComb, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Russ Taylor.


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There are 17 Results with the keyword : "Neurosciences"
© Inria / Photo G. Maisonneuve
Open ViBE2 - mind control made possible with brain-computer interfaces
The creation of this consortium and the work it has undertaken have culminated in the development of innovative industrial prototypes. OpenViBE2 has made it easier to prepare for the future of 'brain-computer interface' technology and its applications in the French and international video game market. This large-scale French project has opened the door for numerous and future technological developments and economic opportunities.
Home > News > News from Inria > Open ViBE2 - Interfaces cerveau-ordinateur
Careers at Inria - Interview
Stanley Durrleman - PhD Student
Stanley Durrleman recently received the Gilles Kahn award for his PhD carried out at the University of Nice - Sophia Antipolis. Having had his PhD jointly supervised by the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Cachan, as part of the ASCLEPIOS project-team, he is currently conducting post-doctoral research at the University of Utah in the US. We take a look back at a scientific career in applied mathematics, which began with no preference for a specific field. He then moved into medical imaging.
- Team project ASCLEPIOS
- PhD Student
- Inria Sophia Antipolis-Méditerranée Research Centre
- Medical simulation
- Stanley Durrleman
- Biomedical images
- Neurosciences
Home > News > News from Inria > Stanley Durrleman - doctorant
A large-scale French project on video game applications for brain-computer interfaces
OpenViBE2 (2009-2013) is a collaborative research project supported by ANR funding and which is looking into the potential of so-called "brain-computer interfaces" (BCI) in the field of video games.
Home > News > Mediacentre > Open ViBE2
The Second International Conference on Mathematical NeuroScience (ICMNS) will be held at the Congress Center in Juan-les-Pins, on the French Riviera.
The goal of this event is to provide an interdisciplinary conference to bring together theoretical neuroscientists and mathematicians interested in using and extending mathematical concepts and methods for solving problems in neuroscience. In turn, we expect that the connections and insights gleaned through mathematics can pose future questions to experimental neuroscience.
Place : Congress Center Antibes Juin les Pins, France
Guest(s) : Wulfram Gerstner (EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland), John Rinzel (New York University, USA), Antoine Triller (ENS Paris, France)
Home > Centre > Sophia > Calendar > ICMNS 2016
European Research Council 2016
Fabien Lotte awarded an ERD Starting Grant
Fabien Lotte is a researcher at Inria's Bordeaux centre. He works on brain-computer interfaces by modelling the learning processes. He has just been awarded an ERC Starting Grant, which will allow him to open up this still recent field of research to the human factor, an aspect that has been largely overlooked by the specialists and that could help improve the use of interfaces.
Home > Centre > Bordeaux > News > Une bourse ERC Starting Grant pour Fabien Lotte
Brain and emotions
Semaine du cerveau 2017
The 19th edition of the "Semaine du cerveau" will take place from 13 to 19 March 2017 throughout France.
The theme proposed by the "Université Côte d'Azur" this year will be "Brain and Emotions".
You can find here more information on this event as of January.
Home > Centre > Sophia > Calendar > Semaine du cerveau 2017
Join us!
Interview of Maciej Krupa; applied mathematics researcher
Of Polish origin, and having lived in Canada, the United States and the Netherlands, Maciej Krupa is a mathematician specialising in the field of mathematics applied to the neurosciences. He joined Inria in 2012, on one of the very first "Advanced Research Positions" contracts within the Mycenae team. Now member of the MathNeuro team-project, he looks back on his experience at the institute.
Home > News > News from Inria > Interview de Maciej Krupa, chercheur en mathématiques appliquées
Inria Innovation Lab CertiVIBE : Mensia Technologies & HYBRID project-team
Since 2015, Inria and Mensia Technologies have been working within the Inria Innovation Lab CertiViBE, whose objective is to facilitate the development of medical devices based on OpenViBE, Inria's flagship software used as a daily support for research, and to promote transfer possibilities in the medical field.
Home > Innovation > Research Partnerships & Transfer > Inria and SMEs joint Labs > Inria and SME/SMI > CertiVIBE
International Conference on Mathematical NeuroSciences (ICMNS 2018)
The 4th International Conference on Mathematical NeuroScience (ICMNS) will be held at the Congress Center in Juan-les-Pins, June 10 to 13, 2018
Place : Antibes - Juan les Pins, Congress center France
Home > Centre > Sophia > Calendar > Conférence Internationale Neurosciences et Mathématiques (ICMNS 2018)
Journée de l'innovation 2018
The Innovation Day ("Journée de l'Innovation") is an annual event organised by the National Education Ministry. It aims to promote innovating pedagogical actions conducted in schools, colleges and high schools. This year, 450 projects have been submitted and 30 were selected, five among them in the "Science and technology culture" category. One of this project is carried by Dr. Lauren Thévin from Inria Bordeaux – Sud-Ouest.
Home > Centre > Bordeaux > News > Journée de l'innovation 2018


text: We have the utmost confidence in J.J. Abrams. He's pretty much trained his entire life to direct Star Wars. But, dude, what are you doing? How could you not cast Danny DeVito as BB-8? And, honestly, Jon Hamm as Hamm Solo would have really freshened up the series. Last night, Saturday Night Live revealed some alternate Star Wars: The Force Awakens auditions, which featured Bobby Moynihan as George Lucas lurking in the corner trying to use the force to get a Coke Zero. New fan theory: In the clip, John Boyega (who is in the actual movie) looks at the script, laughs and says, "A black Storm Trooper." Does that confirm he's actually a Storm Trooper and not just in disguise as a Storm Trooper in A New Hope throwback way? Does this also confirm that Emma Stone will play a yet-unrevealed part-Asian woman?


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RacingBetter News
|Tuesday 17th April 2018
Can the Lion Roar in The Craven?
- All 10 winners were having their first run of the season
- 9 of the last 10 winners had won at least 2 races, the other had won its only race
- 8 of the 10 winners were rated between 111 and 122, the others were rated 87 and 94
- 6 of the 10 winners had previously won at Newmarket
- 5 of the last 10 favourites have wo
- 4 of the last 5 odds-on favourites have won, though the loser was trained by John Gosden
- Ryan Moore has ridden 3 of the last 8 winners
- SP's have ranged from 4/6 to 14/1
- Winners had run between 1 and 9 times prior to success
Craven Stakes Runner-By-Runner Guide 2018
Glorious Journey
Bidding to become the first horse since Twice Over in 2008 to win the Craven having had two unbeaten runs as a two-year-old. Currently only rated 107 but Twice Over was only rated 94 at this stage of his career. Has also won at Newmarket.
Just Brilliant
Peter Chapple-Hyam hasn't trained a winner of this race since 1995, but this one tries to emulate last year's winner Eminent having won his only previous race at Newmarket. Yet to be given an official rating so still falls into the could be anything category. Was ridden by Ryan Moore to his previous success but is now ridden by Jamie Spencer, who last rode the winner of the Craven Stakes in 2009.
Won two of his six races so far but he's raced in Meydan already this season, and the last 10 winners were all making their seasonal debut. However, his rating of 112 makes him officially the second highest-rated contender. Yet to race at Newmarket.
Roaring Lion
Tops the ratings on a mark of 118 and two of his three wins came here at Newmarket. Bidding to become another odds-on favourite, though is trained by John Gosden whose Foundation was beaten at odds-on in the 2016 renewal. Form of his second to Saxon Warrior in the Racing Post Trophy looks top-class.
Sir Hamilton
Raced three-times already this season and only rated 89 after five starts.
Beaten just two of 27 rivals in his two races so far. No Hoper.
White Mocha
Rated 99 after winning two of his three races, though not raced at Newmarket. Ryan Moore takes over in the saddle, though his record for Hugo Palmer isn't overly impressive.
Roaring Lion complies with most of the prominent statistics of the past 10 winners, and the fact Foundation was an odds-on loser for John Gosden in 2016 is worth overlooking with the Gosden stable in excellent form. Glorious Journey could be the horse with the most improvement to come but he needs to find at least 12lb if he is to get his head in front.
Craven Stakes Tip 2018: Roaring Lion


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In the world of supercars, carbon-fiber body panels are old news and now carbon-fiber tubs are the new rage. Within the average car-buyer's reach, carbon fiber anything is just about out the window. Well, Ford may have something to say about that in the future.
Currently Ford is working with the folks at Hightech.NRW to develop a carbon-fiber body panel development process that could revolutionize the construction of every car on the road. See, the reason carbon fiber is so expensive is because it takes many labor hours to build even the smallest piece. What Ford is working on is developing pieces in just a fraction of the time it currently takes, starting with constructing a Ford Focus hood in less than 15 minutes.
The main goal of this project is to ultimately reduce the weight of these panels by about 50 percent in an effort to lift fuel economy. A cool side effect of this process could possibly be the use of these panels on more high-performance Ford products, like the Mustang GT and the Ford Focus ST.
Ford's plan is to lower the weight of its cars by upwards of 340 kg (749 lbs) by 2020. This would take a car like the Focus ST and suddenly drop its curb weight to as low as 2,300 lbs. That would jump it to an impressive-for-its-class 9.12 pound per horsepower. To boot, it would sharply increase its already stout 23 mpg city and 32 mpg highway.
Now, are there really 700-plus pounds of weight to be dropped from the Focus ST's body? Likely not, but that gives us an idea of the benefits that this fuel-saving measure can have on us performance junkies. Ford does not plan on these panels being ready for use any time in the near future, but eventually they should be a part of Ford's complete lineup. With the automotive world being a copycat-heavy realm, all of the other manufacturers will likely follow suit quickly.
Click past the jump to read Ford's press release.
Press Release
BRENTWOOD, UK, Oct. 9, 2012 – Ford Motor Company today unveiled a prototype carbon fibre bonnet that could help lower fuel consumption.
The carbon fibre reinforced plastic Ford Focus bonnet displayed at the Composites Europe event in Dusseldorf, Germany, is constructed from the super-strong material more usually associated with hand built racing vehicles or high-performance super cars.
The prototype bonnet is 50 per cent lighter than a standard steel part. As a result of an on-going research project involving engineers from the Ford European Research Centre, production time for an individual carbon fibre bonnet is fast enough to be employed on a production line – a significant step towards using more lightweight materials.
"Reducing a vehicle's weight can deliver major benefits for fuel consumption, but a process for fast and affordable production of carbon fibre automotive parts in large numbers has never been available," said Inga Wehmeyer, advanced materials and processes research engineer, Ford European Research Centre. "By partnering with materials experts through the Hightech.NRW research project, Ford is working to develop a solution that supports cost efficient manufacturing of carbon fibre components."
The involvement of the Ford European Research Centre in the Hightech.NRW research project follows Ford's partnership with Dow Automotive Systems; a collaboration announced earlier this year that will investigate new materials, design processes and manufacturing techniques. Dow Automotive Systems and Ford will focus on establishing an economical source of automotive-grade carbon fibre, as well as high-volume manufacturing methods.
Carbon fibre offers a very high strength-to-weight ratio. It is up to five times as strong as steel, twice as stiff, and one-third the weight. Advanced materials such as carbon fibre are key to Ford's plans to reduce the weight of its cars by up to 340kg by the end of the decade.
"There are two ways to reduce energy use in vehicles: improving the conversion efficiency of fuels to motion and reducing the amount of work that powertrains need to do," said Paul Mascarenas, Ford chief technical officer and vice president, Research and Innovation. "Ford is tackling the conversion problem primarily through downsizing engines with EcoBoost and electrification while weight reduction and improved aerodynamics help to reduce the workload."
Ford has partnered with specialists from the Institute of Automotive Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Henkel, Evonik, IKV (Institute of Plastics Processing), Composite Impulse and Toho Tenax for the Hightech.NRW research project.
Funded by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the project began in 2010 and, despite being set to continue until September 2013, has already made significant progress towards its targets of:
Developing a cost effective method to manufacture carbon fibre composites for body panel applications that can be incorporated into existing vehicle production processes
Significantly reducing individual component production times
Reducing the amount of finishing work required
Meeting requirements for painting
At least 50 percent reduction in component weight
Initial testing suggests that CFRP components such as the prototype Ford Focus bonnet will meet Ford's high standards for stiffness, dent resistance and crash performance. The component has also performed well in pedestrian protection head-impact tests, thanks to its innovative construction of a special foam core sandwiched between two layers of CFRP.
The techniques that have been refined and developed for the prototype Focus bonnet will not be seen in production in the near future but they could be transferred to higher volume applications at a later date.


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Buckminster Fuller: Dymaxion Car
Hsiao-Yun Chu, David Jenkin (Eds.)
Ivorypress, Madrid, 2010
In 1933, the visionary architect, engineer and designer Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) built a car that was at that time the world's most fuel-efficient car. The Dymaxion Car ran on 35 miles per gallon, while every other car on the road struggled to manage half that amount; zeppelin-like in appearance, it was streamlined to minimize wind resistance and was capable of carrying six to eight passengers. Fuller designed two more Dymaxion Cars over the following year, though none of the three saw production. In his book Everything I Know (1975), Fuller remembered: "Many people said to me, after I built three of these cars, 'I'm sorry your car wasn't a success.' And I'd say 'What do you mean?' They said, 'Well you didn't get it into production.' I said, 'I wasn't going into business, I was producing a vehicle. And it was extremely successful. I learned an incredible amount.'" Today the Dymaxion Cars look dynamic, beautifully designed and several paradigm shifts ahead of their time, and Norman Foster has taken up their legacy with a new vehicle of his own. This monograph reconstructs the history of Fuller's first three models for the Dymaxion Car through detailed plans and archival photographs, and relates the production process of Dymaxion #4, a new prototype produced by Norman Foster, which was launched on the street in 2010.


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CHICAGO (AP) — A federal civil trial pitting two panhandlers against one of the nation's largest sheriff's departments got underway Monday, in a case stemming from a lawsuit that alleges the men were improperly stopped from begging at a popular Chicago square.
A federal civil trial pitting two panhandlers against one of the nation's largest sheriff's departments got underway Monday, in a case stemming from a lawsuit that alleges the men were improperly stopped from begging at a popular Chicago square.
Kim Pindak and Sam Phillips claim they lost up to $10 a day over four years because Cook County sheriff's deputies told them repeatedly they couldn't ask for money at Daley Plaza, best known for its iconic Chicago sculpture by Pablo Picasso.
Pindak, 63, said during a break in the trial that he was forced to supplement his income by begging because all but $30 of his $750-a-month federal disability assistance went toward paying living expenses at an assisted-living facility.
"A lot of people see us as scam artists," he said. "I don't live in the Waldorf Astoria. I'm just trying to survive."
Wearing a sports jacket his attorneys bought him for the trial, Pindak said over lunch that he never imagined he would one day be a subject in a rare panhandler case to go before a federal jury. He quickly added, "I never thought I would be a panhandler, either."
He said he once aspired to become a physician before suffering debilitating mental illness. The extra income from panhandling allows him to buy an occasional coffee, a pair of shoes or sometimes books about his favorite hobby — chess.
Back in the courtroom, he often looked uneasy as he sat at a table for the plaintiffs. The judge, Rebecca Pallmeyer, has presided over some of the most notable cases in recent Illinois history, including the corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. George Ryan.
In recent years, courts nationwide have increasingly agreed that asking passers-by for money is constitutionally protected free speech under the First Amendment, said Rebecca Glenberg, a civil liberties lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
The case in Chicago will examine whether lax or nonexistent training for sheriff's deputies regarding panhandlers' rights contributed to violations of Pindak's and Phillips' rights.
Pallmeyer already ruled that the men's rights were violated, at least in some instances. Jurors will be asked to come up with a dollar amount for any damages determined.
Pindak calculates he may have lost up to $10 a day for four days a week over a four-year period because of the sheriff's department; that could add up to more than $8,000.
Adele Nicholas, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told jurors during her opening statement Monday that the case is about the responsibility law enforcement agencies have to adequately train their staffs about citizens' rights. She said money wasn't the point.
"This case is about something bigger," she said. "It's about responsible police practices."
But an attorney defending the sheriff's office, Patrick Russell, told jurors there was never a concerted effort to bar panhandlers from Daley Plaza. At worst, he said, panhandlers like Pindak might have been asked to "move along" from time to time.
He said they were not arrested, detained or prosecuted.
"So I ask you: What are the damages?" he said.
Another attorney for the plaintiffs, Mark Weinberg, has filed other panhandler lawsuits. One, a 2001 class-action suit, argued it was illegal for Chicago to define panhandling as disorderly conduct. That suit was settled, entitling 5,000 panhandlers to payouts of $400 each.
City ordinance prohibits aggressive panhandling tactics. But no one accuses Pindak or Phillips of that.
Phillips said he simply holds a sign while panhandling that reads, "I'm Just Hungry."


text: Episode 528 - Triple Threat (2019) 07/10/2019 Hi everyone! Here's one of two films I was able to watch in the bunker, especially given the amazing cast, and in particular Iko Uwais. He's definitely a favorite of mine ever since seeing "The Raid: Redemption" (Episode forthcoming), and the sequel, "The Raid 2" (Episode also forthcoming). For a couple other films, check out "Mile 22" (Episode #232), which has a few stylistic similarities to today's film, and the incredible and brutal "The Night Comes For Us" (Episode #295). I also can't wait


text:
. . . The decision to return to digital was the result of several months of inner debating. My reasons for abandoning film were covered in a previous post I'm Moving Back To Digital
Now as you've no doubt guessed from the title (and the photograph), the camera I have purchased to take over the role of my ONLY street camera is the Fuji X-E1 with the Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8 – f/4 XF Mount Lens.
I hesitate to use the phrase 'kit lens', as traditionally such lenses included with a new camera are of questionable quality.
This lens is most definitely not one of those as will become apparent (I'm talking Leica image quality here).
Continue reading "Fuji X-E1, Initial Impressions as a Manual Street Photography Camera . . ."


text:
pro-rata tranche
A type of loan where the credit is split, or syndicated, among a number of financial institutions. A pro-rata tranche normally features a line of revolving credit that has an end date similar to a term loan. Viewed as favorable toward the syndication of lending institutions, a pro-rata tranche distributes the credit among a number of banks thereby greatly reducing the potential loss.


text:
I have a new shop! Buy all my latest books here!
As if the above offering weren't enough to satiate your appetite for poorly-drawn mockeries of nature, I also have a guest strip up today over at Goats. And if you're a Goats reader who's just joined us: hello! Sit down and make yourself at home! I have biscuits. The Beaver and Steve facebook group is growing at an alarming rate, so why not come along and join the FUN? No pandas allowed.
- James18 May 2007
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text:
A co-worker of mine and I were recently given a task to perform integration testing on OData and Web API services. You can view his posts on the subject in his series: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Traditionally, one might mock the web requests and responses, but by using the TestServer found in Microsoft.Owin.Testing namespace, we can start an in-memory HTTP server for doing full integration tests. You can get the NuGet package here.
To start create a new Unit Testing project with MS Test and a new ASP.NET MVC / Web API project. In the ASP.NET MVC / Web API project install Web API 2.2 and Web API 2.2 for OData v4.0 and OData v1-3. For the unit test project, install Web API 2.2, Web API 2.2 for OData v4.0 and OData v1-3, Web API 2.2 OWIN Self Host, Web API 2.2 OWIN, and Microsoft.Owin.Testing. Below is a sample of a unit/integration test for setting up an OWIN test server for in-memory integration testing:
namespace SelfHosting.Test
using Microsoft.Owin.Testing;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using Owin;
using SelfHosting.Test.Models;
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Web.Http;
using System.Web.Http.Dispatcher;
using System.Web.OData.Builder;
using System.Web.OData.Extensions;
using WebApp.Models;
public class SelfHostingTest
protected TestServer server;
public void Setup()
server = TestServer.Create(app =>
HttpConfiguration config = new HttpConfiguration();
public void TearDown()
if (server != null)
public async Task TestODataMetaData()
HttpResponseMessage response = await server.CreateRequest("/odata/?$metadata").GetAsync();
var result = await response.Content.ReadAsAsync<ODataMetaData>();
Assert.IsTrue(result.value.Count > 0, "Unable to obtain meta data");
public async Task TestWebApi()
HttpResponseMessage response = await server.CreateRequest("/api/values").GetAsync();
var result = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
Assert.AreEqual("\"Hello from foreign assembly!\"", result, "/api/values not configured correctly");
public async Task TestODataPeople()
HttpResponseMessage response = await server.CreateRequest("/odata/People").GetAsync();
var result = await response.Content.ReadAsAsync<ODataResponse<Person>>();
Assert.AreEqual(result.value.Count, 3, "Expected 3 people to return from /odata/People");
The OData meta data is serialized into a POCO (Plain old C# object):
namespace SelfHosting.Test.Models
using System.Collections.Generic;
public class ODataMetaData
public string odatacontext { get; set; }
public List<Value> value { get; set; }
public class Value
public string name { get; set; }
public string kind { get; set; }
public string url { get; set; }
By using a generic ODataResponse class, we can deserialize our OData response into any POCO:
namespace SelfHosting.Test.Models
using System.Collections.Generic;
public class ODataResponse<T>
where T : class, new()
public string odatacontext { get; set; }
public List<T> value { get; set; }
public ODataResponse()
The beauty about using the TestServer is that it is self-contained and the HTTP server is inaccessible outside of the process. Once the tests complete, the server is shutdown. The WebApiConfig registered with the TestServer determines which controllers and routes to load for testing. No production code needs to be changed in order to test existing Web API and OData controllers. The only problem that I have found is that attribute routes don't seem to register correctly. Perhaps I have not found the correct method of registering the attribute routes for the TestServer.
Here is the Visual Studio 2013 solution with both a web project and a unit testing project:
SelfHostingUnitTest.zip (1.39 mb)
I will try my best to include everything necessary to get started with Neo4j. This is not meant to be a guide on how to program with C#, Visual Basic, Java, Cypher, or Gremlin. You will need to either have prior experience with those languages or read other resources to learn about them. If you don't understand some of the computer science jargon, please let me know and I will try and make the wording more clear.
I'm not going to go into too much graph theory in this tutorial. You should have a basic understanding of what a directed graph is and how to create a data model since you seem to be interested in graph databases. All that you really need to know about graph theory is that a graph is a set of related nodes representing entities with relationships connecting the nodes.
Graph databases are an excellent way to model social data compared traditional relational databases. Social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook use graph dbs for quickly querying through millions of users and their relationships to other objects or users. It would be much slower to use an RDBMS for a website like Facebook because of the need to select from tables with millions of records and perform joins on those tables. Joins are expensive operations in SQL databases and graph databases don't require explicit joins due to the nature of a graph's structure.
About Tools
Java is a programming language that runs in a virtual environment allowing it to run on thousands of different devices that have a Java virtual machine. Neo4j is an enterprise level graph database written in Java. Neo4jClient is a .NET client for interfacing with Neo4j's REST API.
About Neo4jClient
Neo4jClient serializes and deserializes objects to and from JSON to interact with the server which makes it very easy to store and retrieve objects.
I'm assuming you already have Java installed, but if you don't, you will need the JRE for Windows installed in order to run Neo4j. You can download the JRE from Oracle. When downloading the JRE, you can choose either the standalone JRE or the JDK, which includes the JRE. The JDK is mainly for Java developers and is not required if you don't do Java development. Also, about whether to choose x86 or x64, I'd recommend that you choose x86 for simplicity. Most likely, you won't need 64-bit addressing with your Java installation. This would only be if you have another project that requires the x64 release. The easiest download is any of the .exe installers as it will guide you through the installation process. Installation should take about 5 minutes and then you'll be ready to move to setting up Neo4j.
Next, you should download Neo4j from neo4j.org. Unless you want to be bleeding edge, it's recommended to download the Major Stable Community Version. At the time of writing, this is version 1.8.1. Make sure to get the Windows specific download. Follow the directions on the download page and open up a command prompt with administrator privileges to start your newly installed Neo4j server. Once you have started the server, you can browse to your web admin interface at http://localhost:7474. From there, you can use the Data browser page to create nodes and relationships. In the console tab, you can query your database using Cypher or traverse the graph using Gremlin. You can even send HTTP requests to the REST API if you want to learn about how to talk to Neo4j from other tools. In the Indexes tab, you can create indexes for fast retrieval of nodes or relationships. I will talk more about indexes later. You are now ready to setup Neo4jClient.
Visual Studio and Neo4jClient
You need to have Visual Studio 2010 Professional or higher or Visual C# 2012 Express Edition (free) installed to be able to install Neo4jClient using the Nuget package manager. Unfortunately, Nuget does not work with Visual C# 2010 Express Edition.
Create a new Visual C# or Visual Basic project and then proceed to installing Neo4jClient. You can install Neo4jClient by managing Nuget packages on your project or by running the following command in the Package Manager Console:
Install-Package Neo4jClient
Brief Overview of Neo4j and Neo4jClient
Indexes are created for fast retrieval of information at a later point. This is extremely useful when querying a graph database on the order of millions of nodes. Manual traversal is slower and less efficient. One of the advantages of graph databases is speed and it is important to utilize indexes to increase speed.
Full text vs. Exact
A full text index is for searching on a node's properties text, allowing partial or complete text to be searched. For example, if you have a set of nodes representing the Star Wars movies, if you search for nodes in the Movie index with a name like "Star Wars" with a full text index, you will get all nodes containing the text "Star Wars" in the name property.
However, an exact index requires that you search on a node's properties text with exact text. For example, if you have a set of nodes representing the Star Wars movies, if you search for just the text "Star Wars" in an exact index, it will not return anything because there are no nodes with just the text "Star Wars"
Relationship Properties
In addition to adding properties to nodes, relationships can also have properties. This can be helpful if you are trying to better describe a relationship. If you want a more complex data model, you can add a payload class to your relationship class to store properties on your relationship. This is often referred to as attributes of a relationship in graph theory.
For example, you could add a property called "comment" to the Directed relationship to add extra information about the direction of a movie from a director. This would improve the data model to provide more information about movies as a whole.
Sample Database Setup
Once Neo4jClient is installed, you can setup a sample database by using the following code:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;
using Neo4jClient;
using Neo4jClient_Tutorial.Models;
using Neo4jClient_Tutorial.Models.Relationships;
namespace Neo4jClient_Tutorial.DAL
/// <summary>
/// Class to provide sample data for the graph
/// </summary>
public class Scaffolding
GraphClient client;
public Scaffolding()
client = new GraphClient(new Uri("http://localhost:7474/db/data"));
private void CreateNodesRelationshipsIndexes()
// Create Indexes
client.CreateIndex("Movie", new IndexConfiguration() { Provider = IndexProvider.lucene, Type = IndexType.fulltext }, IndexFor.Node); // full text node index
client.CreateIndex("Director", new IndexConfiguration() { Provider = IndexProvider.lucene, Type = IndexType.exact }, IndexFor.Node); // exact node index
client.CreateIndex("Genre", new IndexConfiguration() { Provider = IndexProvider.lucene, Type = IndexType.fulltext }, IndexFor.Node); // full text node index
// Create Entities
// Movies
Movie swI = new Movie() { Name = "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace", Description = "Begins the story of Anakin Skywalker" };
var starWarsEpisodeI = client.Create(swI,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Movie>[0],
new []
new IndexEntry("Movie")
{ "Name", swI.Name },
{ "Description", swI.Description },
{ "Id", swI.Id.ToString() }
Movie swIV = new Movie() { Name = "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope", Description = "First Starwars movie to debut on the big screen" };
var starWarsEpisodeIV = client.Create(swIV,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Movie>[0],
new []
new IndexEntry("Movie")
{ "Name", swIV.Name },
{ "Description", swIV.Description },
{ "Id", swIV.Id.ToString() }
Movie indy = new Movie() { Name = "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", Description = "Second movie in the original Indiana Jones trilogy" };
var indianaJonesTempleOfDoom = client.Create(indy,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Movie>[0],
new IndexEntry("Movie")
{ "Name", indy.Name },
{ "Description", indy.Description },
{ "Id", indy.Id.ToString() }
Movie jp = new Movie() { Name = "Jurassic Park", Description = "First Jurassic park movie" };
var jurassicPark = client.Create(jp,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Movie>[0],
new IndexEntry("Movie")
{ "Name", jp.Name },
{ "Description", jp.Description },
{ "Id", jp.Id.ToString() }
Movie et = new Movie() { Name = "ET", Description = "ET phone home" };
var ET = client.Create(et,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Movie>[0],
new IndexEntry("Movie")
{ "Name", et.Name },
{ "Description", et.Description },
{ "Id", et.Id.ToString() }
// Directors
Director lucas = new Director() { Name = "George Lucas" };
var georgeLucas = client.Create(lucas,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Director>[0],
new IndexEntry("Director")
{ "Name", lucas.Name },
{ "Id", lucas.Id.ToString() }
Director spielberg = new Director() { Name = "Steven Spielberg" };
var stevenSpielberg = client.Create(spielberg,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Director>[0],
new IndexEntry("Director")
{ "Name", spielberg.Name },
{ "Id", spielberg.Id.ToString() }
// Genres
Genre sf = new Genre() { Name = "Science Fiction" };
var sciFi = client.Create(sf,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Genre>[0],
new IndexEntry("Genre")
{ "Name", sf.Name },
{ "Id", sf.Id.ToString() }
Genre adv = new Genre() { Name = "Adventure" };
var adventure = client.Create(adv,
new IRelationshipAllowingParticipantNode<Genre>[0],
new IndexEntry("Genre")
{ "Name", adv.Name },
{ "Id", adv.Id.ToString() }
// Create Relationships
client.CreateRelationship(starWarsEpisodeI, new PartOf(sciFi));
client.CreateRelationship(starWarsEpisodeIV, new PartOf(sciFi));
client.CreateRelationship(indianaJonesTempleOfDoom, new PartOf(adventure));
client.CreateRelationship(jurassicPark, new PartOf(sciFi));
client.CreateRelationship(jurassicPark, new PartOf(adventure));
client.CreateRelationship(ET, new PartOf(sciFi));
client.CreateRelationship(georgeLucas, new Directed(starWarsEpisodeI, new Models.Payloads.Payload() { Comment = "George Lucas' second Star Wars trilogy" }));
client.CreateRelationship(georgeLucas, new Directed(starWarsEpisodeIV, new Models.Payloads.Payload() { Comment = "First Starwars movie that George Lucas directed" })); client.CreateRelationship(stevenSpielberg, new Directed(indianaJonesTempleOfDoom, new Models.Payloads.Payload() { Comment = "Lucas wrote the story while Spielberg directed" }));
client.CreateRelationship(stevenSpielberg, new Directed(jurassicPark, new Models.Payloads.Payload() { Comment = "Huge box office success" }));
client.CreateRelationship(stevenSpielberg, new Directed(ET, new Models.Payloads.Payload() { Comment = "One of Spielberg's most successful movies" }));
I've attached a sample ASP.NET MVC 4 project for Visual Studio 2012, but you should be able to get it working in Visual Studio 2010 by importing the code without any issues. It includes all entity, relationship, and payload models. I added a few basic views for visualizing the data. Feel free to fill out the method stubs to create views to view the rest of the entities. I will look at creating another tutorial building on this project for adding/deleting/updating items from the database. I've also attached an image of the final graph. It should be easy to determine which nodes are what type of entity based on the relationship definitions. Please let me know if you have questions in the comments below.
Neo4jClient Tutorial.zip (12.48 mb)
Today, I was looking at a method of authenticating users in the IGA desktop application using the website's membership provider. I remembered a post I made a while back on Stack Overflow about how to authenticate users with Ignite OpenFire and in the answer, there was some Java code showing how to correctly hash a password with a salt and compare it with the membership table. I ventured into porting the algorithm to C++ and was successful! Here's the C++ code for anyone interested:
QString hashPassword(QString password, QString salt)
// get utf-16 representation of password
QByteArray passwordBytes((const char*) (password.utf16()), password.size() * 2);
// get utf-16 representation of salt
QByteArray saltBytes((const char*) (salt.utf16()), salt.size() * 2);
// decode base64 salt byte array
QByteArray saltDecodedBytes = QByteArray::fromBase64(saltBytes);
QByteArray dst;
QByteArray hashed = QCryptographicHash::hash(dst, QCryptographicHash::Sha1);
return QString::fromLatin1(hashed.toBase64().data());
Please note that in order for this to work, your passwords must be hashed. I had to convert any non-hashed passwords using an automated script that I found on Stack Overflow. It's pretty straight forward. Just add a second provider that uses hashed passwords and get the passwords from the encrypted/clear text provider and change them using the hashed provider. Be sure to set your default provider to the hashed provider so that you won't have to run this script at a later point. I had to modify the code that I found from Stack Overflow a bit to use a try catch block around the user.GetPassword() method as some passwords may already have been hashed and can't be decrypted. Here's the C# code for anyone interested:
void HashAllPasswords()
SqlMembershipProvider hashedProvider = (SqlMembershipProvider)Membership.Providers["HashedProvider"];
SqlMembershipProvider encryptedProvider = (SqlMembershipProvider)Membership.Providers["EncryptedProvider"];
if (encryptedProvider == null || hashedProvider == null) return;
Dictionary<string, string> passwords = new Dictionary<string, string>();
int unimportant;
foreach (MembershipUser user in encryptedProvider.GetAllUsers(0, Int32.MaxValue, out unimportant))
passwords.Add(user.UserName, user.GetPassword());
catch (Exception e)
using (var conn = new SqlConnection(
using (var cmd = new SqlCommand(
"UPDATE [aspnet_Membership] SET [PasswordFormat]=1", conn))
foreach (var entry in passwords)
var resetPassword = hashedProvider.ResetPassword(entry.Key, null);
hashedProvider.ChangePassword(entry.Key, resetPassword, entry.Value);
Lately, I've been researching graph databases (NOSQL) as an alternative to traditional relational databases. The performance increase from a graph database compared to a relational database is phenomenal. To get my website rolling, I'm planning on using SQL Server 2008 R2 with the Microsoft Entity Framework. Once the data models are in place, I can then work on writing a SQL to graph database server application for migrating my data model into a graph database. There are several .NET libraries available for interfacing with Neo4j's REST API and the data migration should be trivial. My database migration tool will consist of using the Entity Framework to connect to SQL Server 2008 R2 and one of the .NET frameworks for manipulating Neo4j's REST API. I'll continue to post updates as they become available.


text:
The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Human Resource Management (Blackwell Encyclopedia of Management)
The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Human Resource Management provides clear, concise, up to the minute and highly informative definitions and explanations of the key concepts covering the whole of the fast changing field of human resource management. Bringing together specially commissioned and carefully edited entries from an international team of the world's best known and respected scholars and teachers, this will become the standard reference for students, researchers, academics and practitioners. The Dictionary has been carefully designed to give both the expert and the newcomer overviews with succinct presentations of the most important traditional and contemporary issues in human resource management. With entries ranging from extended explorations of major topics to short definitions of key terms, this major reference work gives the user:Authoritative and comprehensive coverage of the whole field, from strategic to international HRM, with in-depth articles in technical areas such as personnel selection, compensation, and legal environment.A fully indexed and cross-referenced for detailed research with relevant citations for further study. Definitive entries covering the very latest development in human resource management from downsizing and TQM to the effects of the World Wide Web.A completely international perspective and author base. This dictionary is part of the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Management which contains ten further volumes of the key areas of management science developed under the editorship of Professor Cary Cooper from the Manchester School of Management and Professor Chris Argyris of Harvard Business School.
[b][color=red]Purchase premium accounts in order to enjoy unlimited downloads with resuming support
***If link dead, please leave a message, we will update immediately***[/color][/b][/center]


text:
Welcome to the most comprehensive Chester County PA real estate site on the web. Please use this free resource as often as you like and feel free to contact us when you are ready to talk with a Realtor.
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Learn More About Scott Darling


text:
Trump's favourite buzzword could be the start of a new battle for free speech
8 April 2018
The American Dialect Society made its 2017 word of the year, 'fake news.' This follows in the steps of Australia's Macquarie Dictionary, who made 'fake news' their 2016 word of the year. But between 2016 and 2017, a lot has changed.
As a word, 'fake news' has taken on several different meanings and connotations. What began as the favoured label for describing clickbait and biased media has slowly become a pejorative for any news a person may dislike.
The aforementioned, American Dialect Society, defines 'fake news' as being both 'disinformation or falsehoods presented as real news' and 'actual news that is claimed to be untrue.'
How these two definitions can exist for the same word puzzles me. They seemingly contradict each other, and their meanings are reliant not only the context of a conversation but who is speaking.
For some, an article or website being labelled 'fake news' could actually make it seem more trustworthy, as a recent Facebook failure has shown.
French President, Emmanuel Macron, is one of the first world leaders to openly lead a charge against 'fake news,' attempting to make the practice illegal, at least during election campaigns.
This would put in jeopardy websites, publications, and social media accounts who operate solely to spread disinformation and heavily biased material. The problem with this, however, as I'm sure you've already picked up on, is the question of who gets to decide what news is fake.
As news and opinion increasingly become less discernible, is a ban on disinformation really just a limit on free speech? 'Fake news' is an incredibly subjective term that certainly means different things to different people.
Put in the hands of someone like Donald Trump, a ban on 'fake news' could mean the elimination of any media outlet he simply disagrees with. By removing competition, it could also mean that news organisations biased in his favour end up gaining a stronger platform to trumpet his agenda.
Macron stated he would enforce his ban through empowered judges and an empowered CSA—the French equivalent of the FCC. They would be able to remove internet content deemed false and in some cases, block the websites where that content comes from.
Is anyone OK with giving their government this much power?
This was all in the pursuit of 'protecting liberal democracies' such as France, which Macron added as needing 'strong legislation' to combat against 'propaganda.'
Legislation in this vein is an affront to liberal democracies.
A free media is one of the first steps to ensuring a free society. I simply can't see a situation where this kind of power exists and isn't abused or misused. It could certainly be used to silence publications who hold breaking information about a political scandal or case of corruption.
The mere existence of such governmental power could be enough to stop people from speaking up, in fear that their website or social media account may be taken down.
For millions of people, nowadays, the internet is their livelihood.
If this kind of legislation starts finding its way into the parliament or congress of more countries, then we are all in deep trouble—especially Americans living under Trump.
Biased media and disinformation isn't necessarily a problem for the government to fix, even if it's only because they might make things worse. Although it isn't a perfect comparison, look at what's currently happening with YouTube and its creators' struggle with demonetised content, where any video tackling a controversial topic may have its advertising removed.
The subjectivity of 'fake news' makes me feel the same way about this as I do on the topic of hate speech. They're both bad, but really, it depends on who's doing the defining and whether they want to stifle the ability to express controversial opinions.
At what point does a biased article become 'fake news'? To what extent does the battle against disinformation justify the potential stifling of free speech? What does this mean for websites like The Onion? Is creative and professional satire dead in a world where 'fake news' is shut down?
The slippery slope is indeed steep, so let's not indulge in it just yet. Legitimately fake news is bad; however, the removal of 'disinformation or falsehoods presented as real news' could also mean the removal of 'actual news that is claimed to be untrue.'


text:
Watch Now
6 services
Spencer and Emily make plans to visit a nearby college, but they have very different agendas for their time spent on campus. Spencer's singular focus in figuring out Ali's apparent connection to the school contradicts Emily's real fears about her plans for after she graduates. And after a stinging attack by "A," Aria and her brother Mike don't see eye to eye regarding what's best for their parents. Meanwhile, Hanna becomes increasingly frantic when she makes another horrifying discovery among her mom's things, leading her to make a desperate move - with disastrous results.


text:
Is it possible that John McCain can lose his home state of Arizona?
With new polls and early voting results showing the state is in play, during the last 48 hours the Obama Campaign has reversed gears and redirected its army of volunteers in the Grand Canyon state back to their home turf to "get out the vote" rather than making calls and canvassing in crucial swing states.
Dave Cieslak, the communications director for the Obama Campaign in Arizona told HuffPost's OffTheBus:
"Of course, our volunteers can go where they want, but for the last several days we've been focusing their calling efforts right here in Arizona. We're certainly moving in the right direction. The AZ poll has us within 2 points of McCain. Project West [Poll] has us within 4, and Rasmussen has [us] within 5 and the Research 2000 has us within 1 point. All of those polls are single digits. The polls are tightening because of our extraordinary volunteers."
The Obama Campaign headquarters in Phoenix was so packed on Monday that volunteers were sitting on the lawn, on the porch, and in their cars in the parking lot with their calling sheets and using their cell phones.
For the past three months, many of the Arizona Obama volunteers spent most of their time making calls - and even traveling - to other battleground states, where an Obama's path to victory relied heavily upon electoral wins in the Rust Belt states of Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania and western states like Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada.
"I've been in five states for Obama. I was in Ohio for the chunk of October, but I had to come back home to help our downstate candidates and my home state GOTV for Obama" said super volunteer Lauren Kuby from Tempe, AZ, who was an early Obama supporter and organized a Women for Obama group a year ago.
The formerly ruby red state of Arizona is turning purple and might even turn blue according to Kuby. Her district registered 4500 new Democrats in the past two years. However, she still considers an Obama win in Arizona a long shot. "He'll only win here if it's there's a [national] landslide," said Kuby.
Kuby had just returned from a Howard Dean event at her local Democratic headquarters and Don Bivens, Arizona State Party Chair told Huffingtonpost, "You don't get the chairman of the national party in your state the day before a national election, if he doesn't think we can win."
Bivens spent the day with Dean crisscrossing the state with Dean and said that the state party was now closely coordinating their GOTV efforts with the Obama Campaign, expecting - and hoping - for an Obama win.
"Now we've got two major armies and we just passed the millionth registered Democrat in the state. The Republicans have 1.1 million here. But remember, it's the Independents in Arizona who really decide any election. There are 800,000 registered Independents and they broke 2-1 for the Democrats in 2006. Of course, there's the homeboy advantage McCain has but with our ground game and early voting, we've got a shot," said Bivens.
Early voters in Arizona experienced the same 3-5 hour wait as other early voting states and with approximately 120,000 newly registered Democrats since 2006, Bivens felt cautiously confident that his state may go rouge and give Obama a narrow win.
According to Bivens, of the 34% of Arizona voters who requested mail in ballots, Obama was ahead 47-46 in a Bruce Merrill Walter Cronkite School Poll.
Jean Vickers from Tucson is an active Democrat. For the last three months she has been volunteering at her local Democratic office, specifically focusing on GOTV within her district and plans on "popping the champagne" should Obama eke out a victory on Tuesday.
"It's going to be close but I think there are still just too many conservatives in Scottsdale and Phoenix but the new residents are changing that. If we could beat McCain that would be sweet...it would be the first time this state went Dem since the 50s."
"Most people who move to Arizona bring their politics with them and one half of the current registered voters have never seen McCain's name on a ballot or seen him once. The state isn't a Goldwater state anymore. It's definitely purple and may even go blue," predicted Bivens.


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Sweet Chilli Prawn Kebabs/Skewers (8 skewers)
Frozen Sweet Chilli prawn cultets on skewers (500gm) ready to go straight on the BBQ or Hotplate
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Altar Server Ministry- Grades 4 and older
The Altar Server helps the liturgical assembly pray by leading the procession, as cross bearer, assisting as acolytes, ringing bells and book bearer. It is open to boys and girls grade 4 and older. The altar servers serve at the weekend Masses as well as Funeral and Wedding Masses.
Adult Altar Server Ministry
During the week for Funeral Masses we have an Adult Altar Server Ministry. They are a wonderful symbol of support of the entire parish community at a very difficult time. Funeral Masses are normally scheduled at 10:00 am or 11:30 am.
The Ushers primary role is to assist parishioners in seating for the Eucharistic Assembly. Ushers take up the various collections as well as hand out the weekly bulletins. The Ushers straighten up the worship space after all the Masses.
The Lector proclaims the Word of God at Mass. The Lector also reads the Prayer of the Faithful during Mass. The Lector communicates our faith through proclaiming the Word of God.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
The Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion assist the priest and deacon in distributing the Body and Blood of Jesus to our brothers and sisters. Ministers serve at Sunday Mass, Weekday Mass.
Ministers can also serve in bringing Holy Communion to the Homebound as well as those in our area nursing homes.
Caretakers of Church Linens
The Caretakers of Church Linens launder the linens used for the Celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist. The Caretakers of Church Linens clean the altar cloths, corporals, finger towels, and purificators for each Mass.
Music Ministry
The Music Ministry here at St. Joseph's strives to bring beauty and dignity to our Masses through song. Membership in the Music Ministries here at St. Joseph's offers an opportunity to let music become a part of your gift from God.
Adult Choir, Youth Choir, Contemporary Ensemble, Cantor Ministry
Hospitality Committee
The Hospitality Committee coordinates refreshments and set up for special events during the year e.g.- receptions, breakfasts, etc…


text: Robert Wosnitzer joined New York University Stern School of Business as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Management Communication in September 2015. Professor Wosnitzer's research focuses on financial cultures, ethics, and regulation. His recent work studies the social and cultural histories of trading credit instruments and derivatives, and he is a founding member of the Cultures of Finance Group at NYU's Institute for Public Knowledge. Professor Wosnitzer received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Media, Culture and Communication, both from New York University. Prior to joining NYU, he traded and placed debt instruments with institutional clients for over a decade at firms including Lehman Brothers and Wells Fargo Capital Markets.


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My guest for this week is Erik Ohlsen, owner of Permaculture Artisans an ecological design and installation firm, as well as licensed contractor, in California. He is also a permaculture teacher and began teaching in 2001.
He was suggested as a guest on the facebook page for the show, facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast. If you'd like to suggest a guest, that's a great place to do so. You can find requests there from time to time for who I should reach out to for an interview. If there's anyone you'd like to hear, let me know there.
After reading Mr. Olhsen's biography on his company website, the suggestion to interview him was a natural fit, because of the work he's doing to make permaculture a viable career. As one of my desires as an instructor is to provide a meaningful way forward for students so we can show how permaculture works to a broader world, being able to have a permaculture job, whatever your niche, is vital. Erik is someone who is making that happen, and he's sharing it with others through his Permaculture Skill Center.
That center forms the framework for our discussion. In this episode, beyond the normal introduction to Erik and his work, we also talk about professional permaculture, the need for a strong work ethic, including our word as our bond, and developing working economic models to show how permaculture can be a viable career path.
Some points that stand out from this conversation was the role of mentors, experience, and the ongoing search for knowledge.
Those people we connect with provide voices that shape the direction we go with our personal practice. I can't speak for Erik, his own words do that well enough, but I'm deeply thankful for Ben Weiss and Dillon Cruz for guiding me through the formal training of a PDC. As one of their first PDC students, as I watch my own understanding grow, it's interesting to go back and sit in on a class with Ben and see how his style and methods have changed since those early days.
From there came the teacher training with Jude Hobbs, Andrew Millison, and Rico Zook. Each one of them I've been in touch with each of them since. Though our relationships change from the teacher-student paradigm, it becomes more and more one of permaculture colleague. The confidence that instills, that my former instructors welcome me as an equal yet still offer their encouragement on my own work, is invaluable.
But those are people in the industry. As Erik noted in the interview, there are other places to find mentoring. I have several family members who continue to teach me about home repair and maintenance. There's my friend John, who is a craftsman and maker who will, with a warm spirit, answer my questions about energy, electronics, and engineering, even when we're tired from hours of martial arts practice, or sitting down over a pint and supposed to be socializing. I get in turn get a better understanding of these and can use my role as a teacher to relay these ideas, more plainly, to others. Taking the time to reflect, or you might say observing and interacting, on our life experiences provide many many places where we can gain knowledge and skills applicable to permaculture practice. In particular, I think this is important so we can find our personal niche in all of this and become a "Jack of all trades, and master of one".
Which is where I liked Erik's personal story because it shows an example built on experience, not on schooling. Though I have a personal bias towards academia, because of the credentials it provides and the shortcut it can be towards societal acceptance, plus I'll admit I was one of those kids who really liked school, I recognize that schooling isn't a path for everyone. More time in school is useless unless you've found a calling that allows you to devote yourself to the work; to turn the school experience into a true education. As I'm discovering on my second and third pass through college, now at the graduate level, I'm ultimately the one responsible for an education, whether it's inside or outside of the classroom.
Choosing an experiential route is just as worthwhile, if you're ready to put in the equally hard work to make a name for yourself. Going out on your own, even when supported by like minded individuals, isn't the easiest road to follow. You'll be doing a lot of bushwhacking and brush clearing to find the paths that intersect and run parallel to your own, but you can do it. Erik and others like him in the world can help show you the way.
Even if you choose the schooling route, and the pieces of paper that come with them, you'll still need the experience to back it up by being out there and doing the work so you can show people what you're capable of.
Regardless of which path you choose, I'll be here, with you, throughout your journey.
Erik Ohlsen
Permaculture Artisans
Where Erik Teaches:
Earth Activist Training
Regenerative Design Institute
The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center
Some of Erik's Mentors:
Penny Livingston-Stark
Brock Dolman


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It's June, of an odd number year, and right on time, DAZ3D released the new figure line, Genesis 8, with its flagship model, Victoria 8.
Yes, DAZ3D skipped Genesis 4. Their reasons are pretty sound. First, Gen4 is the shorthand for Generation 4, or Victoria 4 and Michael 4. This avoids confusion. Second, it ties in with Victoria 8, avoiding further confusion.
When Victoria 7 appeared in June, 2015, my response was, "Oh, hell, no!" No, that's being kind. I was vulgar, hostile, and antagonistic. My resolve lasted fourteen months. Now, I work exclusively with Victoria 7. This time, I decided to buy Victoria 8 on the first day and put her through a series of tests before I said yay or nay.
I said that when Victoria 8 appeared, for me to switch from Victoria 7, V8 was going to have to really impress me. She was going to have to step off the computer screen, perform one heck of a lap dance, build me a stiff Manhattan, and take care of cleaning the place so I don't have to. Has all that happened this week? Let's find out.
With Victoria 8/Genesis 8, DAZ3D makes the following claims:
- The most backward compatibility ever, through included clones for Genesis, Genesis 2, & Genesis 3
- Includes clones for Male and Female figures for better use of content across sexes
- New eyes, toes, fingers, lashes, and more
- More realistic bending and articulation across the figure
- Enhanced PowerPose support, including an all-new expression interface
- Major muscle groups now flex automatically as the figure moves and poses
- Dramatically more realistic skin through an all-new Iray Uber Shader
I'm going to look at the first, fourth, sixth, and seventh in depth. The third, new eyes, toes, fingers, etc., is actually the only major difference between Victoria 8 and Victoria 7 (I'll get to that in a minute). The eyelashes are now geografted props instead of being part of the mesh. Why, may I ask? As for PowerPose, that only benefits the animator, not the still artist. So, in both cases, DAZ3D is pandering to the game developer. They don't benefit me, so I could not care less.
As for the dramatically more realistic skin, that is definitely true! However, it's part of DAZ Studio 126.96.36.199. It comes with an enhanced Iray Ubershader. I've used it already on my Victoria 7s and tested it on a V6 and V4. So, to claim it's a feature of Victoria 8/Genesis 8 is disingenuous.
Victoria 6, Victoria 7, and Victoria 8, Side-by-Side
I loved Victoria 6! The only reason I switched to Victoria 7 was the improved sculptability of the figure, and that was made possible by Xenic101's Muscular HD Morphs, and Zev0's Vascularity HD, Shape Shift 3, and Breast Control 3 systems. Otherwise, she was a primitive brick. Here the three generations are, side-by-side:
V6 on the left, V7 in the center, V8 on the right. This is something that DAZ3D didn't tell us. V8 is taller. I put Measure Metrics on V6 and V7, so I know for a fact that they are both 5'11". So, V8 must be 6'2″. Yet, they advertise her as 5'10". Someone can't read a measuring tape.
The Meshes
Here is the mesh for Victoria 6:
This is what I loved about Victoria 6. Notice the complex intersections in the brows, the mouth, the shoulders, the upper chest/collarbone, and tops of the breasts. These mimic the natural topology of the human body, and permit an astonishing array of character morphs that parallel realistic people.
Compare to Victoria 7:
Simplified. Far too simplified for my tastes. This is pandering to game developers. They don't care about realism. They need maximum movement with minimal resource clogging. It's funny, however. Victoria 6 still loads and renders faster than the more primitive Victoria 7. That Zev0 can develop morphing systems for this, and Fred Winkler can get astonishingly realistic people out of this are testaments to their talents and genius. If not for those two content creators, I'd still be working with V6.
Now, Victoria 8:
DAZ3D calls her the most advanced Victoria yet. Really? V8 is a copy of V7. In fact, based on the mesh, she doesn't deserve the name Victoria 8, but rather should be called Victoria 7.2.
The Faces
Again, V6 left, V7 center, V8 right.
Again, V6 has the most pleasing and morphable face. I thought V7's face was too hard and her mouth just plain ugly. I should have withheld judgment for Victoria 8. She looks too masculine. It's politically correct these days to not be able to tell men from women, but it's biologically incorrect. Over on the DAZ forums, V8's supporters deride those of us who don't like V8's masculine face by saying, "I guess they've never seen a real woman." Personally, I think that's an affront to women. My wife certainly doesn't look like me! My other complaints are V8's face is long, where V6 and V7 have heart shaped faces. And, again, V8 has a mouth big enough to fit a tankard.
Flexion of Muscles
DAZ3D claims that Victoria 8's muscles flex as she moves. Let's see.
Well, yes. To a degree. Some. To get that claimed level of flexion, the figure's arms and legs need to be nearly doubled over onto themselves. That's fine for yoga poses, but not most everyday or action poses.
Compare to Victoria 7, with Muscular HD in action:
A superior level of muscular flexion and definition is possible with Victoria 7, with systems already in place. Systems that do not exist for Genesis 8, and may not if Xenic doesn't want to upgrade yet again.
Backwards Compatibility
DAZ3D claims that Victoria 8/Genesis 8 is their most backwards compatible figure yet. They claim that she will wear all clothes for Genesis, Genesis 2, and Genesis 3, as well as accepting their poses. Is this true? The answer is a qualified no.
Here's Reason Number One, the zero pose.
This is Victoria 7's zero pose, one used by V4, V5, and V6 as well.
Now, Victoria 8's zero pose:
DAZ3D moved from the classic T pose to an A pose. The A pose is preferred by game developers. Now, I understand the game development community is good business, but DAZ has a sister company called Morph 3D that is specifically geared for that community. So, why muck with us still artists like this?
The A pose throws all legacy poses into a fit. Forget using them! Unless … There is hope. Sickleyield, perhaps one of the best content creators in the business, designed a T pose for Victoria 8, as well as a tutorial for adapting legacy clothes to fit her. It works for poses, too. You can find it in Sickleyield's Journal on DeviantArt. Highly recommended if you plan to use V8. But we shouldn't have to resort to that kind of convoluted process.
Now, here's the second reason V8 isn't as backwards compatible as DAZ3D claims.
This is the list of all figures supported by Victoria 7/Genesis 3 Auto-Fit:
Now, for Victoria 8/Genesis 8:
Do you see who is missing? DAZ3D wants Victoria 4 and Michael 4 to just go away.
Some claim that Victoria 4 clothes were never supported by Genesis. Uh, her name is up there for Victoria 7. As for them fitting, take a look at this:
Iryndelle here wears AeonSoul's Classic Fantasy for Victoria 4. Iryndelle is a Victoria 7. For the first two years of her existence, she was a Victoria 6, and wore the same outfit. In fact, it fits V7 better than it fit V4, and it was designed for V4.
How does it fit V8?
YIKES! I stopped right here. This is with Sickleyield's T pose applied to V8. Auto-Fit tried to place the arm jewels in the original pose. So, V8 will not take V4 clothes.
UNLESS … I can't remember his name to give him credit, but someone on DeviantArt developed a workaround. He applied V4 clothes to V7. Then, he transferred them to V8. They fit like tailored gloves. So, there is that option.
Now, how do Genesis clothes fit Genesis 8. Well, let's take a look at Auto-Fit.
This is the Auto-Fit pane for Victoria 7, and it's the same for Victoria 6:
Now, the Auto-Fit pane for Victoria 8/Genesis 8:
Again, see what's missing? Footwear, capes, gloves, pants, and shirts all qualify as none. For V6 and V7, if we did not specify the type of garment, the adjustment and effects morphs did not convey to the applied figure. They do for V8, regardless, but there are limitations.
Here is what the Auto-Fit looks like in action:
This is Out of Touch's Button Up 2 for G3F on a V7. Now, below, is the same on V8.
It looks kinda wrong. Just a touch, like Vicki stole it out of her little sister's dresser. The biggest problem is the effects morphs do not perform as well as they should. The shirt opens, but the buttons don't move with it, and it doesn't open as far as it should.
Now, I haven't tested to see if Genesis 8 finally avoids the nasty tearing of the mesh on long skirts from previous generations, or avoids the "crash into the cleavage" that happens with tops that bridge the breasts.
Oh. Once again, you can forget about giving V8 any high heeled shoes from previous generations to Victoria 8. It ain't happening! Sickleyield gets it to work, but I don't think it's worth the hassle.
How about the reverse? For a whole fourteen months, I bought V7 clothes to go on my V6 characters. They fit quite well. This is AerySoul's Aery Mage for V7 on Victoria 6:
Now, Throne Defender for V8 on V7:
Well, she's trying to wear them. It's that A pose that's throwing Auto-Fit off.
So, backwards compatibility of Victoria 8/Genesis 8 exists in theory. In practice, is it far less flexible and thorough than that of Victoria 7/Genesis 3.
How about that Male/Female clones so we can transfer clothing across sexes? Take a look at this:
Aura wears Pirate for G2M boots. Not only are they designed for Michael (a male), but they're from a previous generation. Victoria 7/Genesis 3 already does across sex clothing transfer, at least, as far as I need it to go. So, this new feature of Victoria 8/Genesis 8 doesn't benefit or interest me.
Character Transfer
This is the big one for me, the deal maker or breaker. I have custom made recurring characters, the primary ones being Aura Lockhaven and the Sarethian Seven. According to DAZ3D, characters can transfer from one generation of Genesis to Genesis 8 without difficulty.
So, I tried transferring Aura Lockhaven from V7 to V8. She has been a V4 and a V6 in the past. To transfer her from V4 to V6, I rebuilt her slider-by-slider. For V7, I created a shaping preset of her V6 incarnation, and applied it to a raw Genesis 3 Female. Ninety percent of the sliders transferred without difficulty. The ones that did not no longer existed. The missing 10% was a simple matter of tweaking.
Victoria 8/Genesis 8 has the same exact morphing sliders as Victoria 7/Genesis 3, so the transfer should be 100 %. Was it?
Oh, I suppose Aura (on the left) could be standing with her 40 year old cousin. It's that massive difference between the two base faces. Victoria 8's face isn't just long and masculine. It's also older. Aura is twenty-two. She also doesn't have a double chin. Her V8 mouth is too wide and her lips too thin. Here's the profile:
From the nose up, the V8 version looks great. Below the nose, she looks horrid. Now, granted, Aura is a V7HD. The HD morphs don't exist yet for Victoria 8, but they will probably appear within the next week. It's pretty standard for them to be released within ten days of a major character launch. That could make a lot of difference.
I couldn't test her body. Aura's body is morphed using Shape Shift 3 and Breast Control 3 by Zev0. He will have to release Genesis 8 versions before I can test a below the neck character transfer of Aura from V7 to V8.
Skin Transfer
DAZ says that V7 skins will fit V8. Do they?
Well, yes. I'll give credit where credit is due. They fit perfectly. However, now the V8 Aura looks even worse. Aura's skins are G3F, designed for G3F, enhanced in Skin Builder 3 for G3F, and worn by G3F. Just because it fits V8 doesn't mean it works. Again, it's that totally different base face shape.
As of today, I can't use Victoria 8/Genesis 8. I have no need. There really isn't any difference is meshes, so why bother? The major differences are things I can't use (separate eyelashes) and things I won't (that face!). V8 offers too much of what I don't need, and not nearly enough of what I do need.
For me to use Victoria 8/Genesis 8, Xenic101 and Zev0 will have to release new Genesis 8 versions of their morphing systems. Morphing systems to turn this androgynous supermodel into a real woman are underway. Powerage has released Breast Factory 8 for Genesis 8. I use the G3F edition on my standard models to give them a different look. Fred Winkler is already performing his magic. His V7HD characters were some of the reasons I switched from V6 to V7. He got the granite slab of the Genesis 3 mesh to look like a real woman. He's doing it again for Victoria 8 with his new character Elizabeth. She has a feminine face, and a natural height.
With any luck, perhaps Zev0, or someone, will release a Face Shift 8 that will take care of that ungodly mouth and horsey face on V8.
That does not in any way mean that I can ever use V4, V6, or V7 clothing on a V8. Not without a lot of effort and too much work; effort and work that I should not have to do. Perhaps, a Genesis 8 version of Wear Them All will take care of those issues.
Until then, I'm sticking with Victoria 7. If I have to make my own Manhattan and vacuum my own carpet, I'll do it with a trusted friend.


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1985 Taylor's Vintage Port
Portugal, Douro
Intense ruby colour, now just beginning to open out. Rich, complete, multidimensional nose, displaying elements of both youth and maturity. Aromas of ripe berry fruit, liquorice and butterscotch with scented violet notes. The palate is […]£75.00MWS: 97
2003 Taylor's Vintage Port
Portugal, Douro
Inky purple black with narrow magenta rim. Classic Taylor nose, with exotic scents of violet and gumcistus set against an impenetrable background of intense dark berry fruit. The 2003 Vintage Port shows a stylish and […]£75.00MWS: 98
1970 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Portugal, Douro
A deep garnet core with a faded brick rim. The nose is still tight, youthful with notes of liquorice, raisin, boot-polish and a little lemongrass. Very well defined. The palate is full-bodied with firm tannins, […]£160.00MWS: 98


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|I think I did a good job choosing the design
My family celebrates Christmas with the thought of that Jesus is the reason for the season. Wherever you are and whichever part of the world you are right now. We want to say
Welcome to my blog! Join me in my world..my daily journey of motherhood... where I share Random Thoughts, Recipes, Health and Wellness info, Product Reviews, Giveaways, Inspirational Words, Practical things I do as a mom and a wife, Family Stuffs and Anything that I want to blog about.
|I think I did a good job choosing the design
Very nice.ReplyDelete
That is one thing I failed to do this year sis so I just sent out ordinary cards.ReplyDelete
Ok lng yan sis, you are a very busy momma kasi. The ordinary cards are also good, I did that for few years and I just added verses or messages on it. Maybe next year you will be able to do it again. We planned this 3 months ago and this is our first personalized Christmas cards.Delete
PM me your addy so I can send you a card, not this year but in the coming years hehehe..Delete
It's always nice and sweet to send a personalized cards.ReplyDelete
Thanks for reading my post. I will be delighted to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment.
Grace, Peace and Blessing!!


text:
Tonight, Kasi had a concert. We went as a family, and it was soooo hard on me. As hard as I try, there are still things that upset me, and sitting in the audience, knowing that this is how it is going to be from now on, was more than I could take. I don't want to have to split the things the kids do...I just need time, and I think that is hard for some people to understand. Even though I do not want in any way to reconcile with my husband, I am mourning the loss of my marriage. It is not an easy thing, no matter how upbeat I sound all the time.
I also have a horrible habit of speaking what is on my mind without really thinking. I have got to stop doing that. I find myself continuously apologizing, and it's making me crazy. I told Bob today that I think I might need to go see my doctor to get some type of nerve pills or something.
Either that, or I need to learn how to make margaritas at home.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A Rough Night
scribbled by jenn around 7:55 PM
related to: craziness, emotions, separation
3 comments:
Hi Jenn !! It is Dawn. I have forgotten my blogger password. Sounds like we need to talk. I will plug my phone in now and call you right after 10:00 your time, right at 9:01 my time. Hang in there !! *HUGS*
- March 8, 2011 at 8:54 PM
- Donna said...
Lottsa Margaritas.....Hahaa
- March 10, 2011 at 9:38 AM
- Biz said...
I am with Donna - learn how to make margaritas!!
Hang in there - it has to be tough but you can be strong for both you and your kids :D
- March 15, 2011 at 3:15 PM
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