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Dial Bore Gauge - The Must-Have List
Great Tools You Can't Live Without When Assembling A Race Engine
One of the greatest things about stock car racing is there is no magic involved. Some may say there is, but it's usually just the winners not wanting to divulge their secrets. No, when you get right down to it, the only magic in racing is the ability of the driver to feel what his car is doing a split-second faster than anyone else on the track. The rest of it-the car-is just good ol' mechanical engineering, thermodynamics, and adhesion. There is nothing anyone else can do with a car that you and I, given the time, education, and inclination, cannot do just as well ourselves.
Many racers take this truth to heart when they attempt their own engine teardown and assembly. The equipment necessary for block and head machining is cost prohibitive and should be left to the engine shops, but there is no rule that says you can't do much of the rest yourself. If this describes your situation, then here's a breakdown of some of the most valuable tools any engine assembler can use.
Dial Bore Gauge and Crank Journal Micrometer When you get right to the crux of the matter, the difference between a race engine and an OEM street engine is in the blueprinting. A qualified engine builder can yank the engine out of your Sunday driver, tear it apart, put it back together using the same parts, and find horsepower. He can do this because he's a stickler for making every piece fit perfectly. A good engine builder spends more time making sure all his clearances are right-not too big and not too small-than he does turning bolts. That's why his measurement tools are more important than his wrenches.
Two of the most important measurement tools you can own are a dial bore gauge and a crank micrometer. Used correctly, a dial bore gauge is one of the best instruments for checking size, straightness and taper of the cylinder, cam and crank bores, as well as measuring the big end of the rod. Used in conjunction with the dial bore gauge, the crank micrometer reads the size of the crank, cam, and rod journals. These measurements are all critical because they help maintain proper clearances on all your bearing surfaces-the heart of an engine when it comes to proper oiling and reduction of parasitic losses.
Cam Bearing InstallerThe cam bearing installer is one of the most expensive tools on this list. But like the dial bore gauge, another expensive tool, it is absolutely necessary. Without this tool, there is no way to correctly install the cam bearings in all five journals without damaging them. Getting them out without this tool also isn't fun. The tool pictured from Goodson is a universal set that will work with just about any pushrod engine you can find, but both Goodson and Powerhouse Products sell installers for specific bore sizes that cost less. Another option is to have your engine builder install the bearings after he completes the machine work on your block. Still, if you plan to spend a lot of time working with your engines, this is a tool you will want to have.
Ring Filer Death, taxes, and gapping rings. Those are the immutable laws for engine builders. Rings have to be gapped to specific tolerances (provided by the manufacturer) so that they close up and properly seal off the cylinder bore when the engine heats up. The ring filer pictured is a top-of-the-line electric model with a motor that does most of the work for you, but there are also cheaper, hand-cranked models that do the job just as well.
Height Micrometer If you are installing your own valves and springs, the height mic is the quickest and most accurate tool for checking the installed height of the valvespring. You simply install the mic in place of a valvespring and then run it up until it has seated the valve, locks, and retainer. Spring height must be consistent across all your like valves (intake or exhaust) for you to have consistent spring pressures. If it isn't, your machinist probably cut a seat too deep. Knowing your spring height also helps you determine if you have enough valve travel for your cam.
Ring Compressor There are several versions of piston ring compressors, and they vary greatly in price and ease of use. You need a ring compressor to hold the piston rings tight in the ring grooves for the piston to fit in the cylinder bore. Generally, the tapered-sleeve-style compressors (right) are quicker and simpler to use. You just slide the rod and piston through the top of the sleeve, place the lot of it over the cylinder bore, and press the piston on in. Tapered ring compressors are also the best at getting a ringed piston into the bore without causing ring damage or breakage.
Connecting Rod Vise During the process of sizing your rods and installing the bearings, you will have your rods apart two or three times. A rod vise holds a rod securely so that you can properly torque the rod bolts and then get the rod cap off again without harming either the rod or the bearing.
Telescoping Gauges If you can't swing the cost of a dial bore gauge (depending on quality, they vary anywhere from $150 to $1,000), you can get by with a pair of dial calipers and a set of telescoping gauges. The gauges find the maximum inside diameter of an object and lock in place. You can use your dial calipers to measure the gauge to get your ID measurement. They're good for tight areas where it is difficult to get a dial caliper to fit.
Feeler Gauge This tool is used for those areas where the clearances are simply too tight to use a micrometer. A feeler gauge is most often used to determine end gap on your piston rings (slide the ring in the cylinder bore without the piston and insert the feeler into the gap) and for setting valve lash. Each of the feelers is marked with a specific thickness.
Cam Degreeing ToolsWe lumped all these together because they must all be used to degree in a camshaft and check piston-to-valve clearance. These are vital checks for building a healthy engine. You will need a piston top micrometer (top left) to determine piston TDC as well as 10 degrees before TDC and 10 degrees after TDC. A cam lobe lift micrometer (center on degree wheel) fits into the lifter bores and tells how much cam lift you have at different points in the cycle. A crankshaft socket (right) allows you to turn the motor over with a 11/42-inch ratchet or breaker bar so you can establish TDC. And finally, a degree wheel (the big, blue thing) installs on the front of the crankshaft and is used to establish crankshaft location in terms of degrees.
Volume Burette These are also sold as CC, or cubic inch, kits. The burette is used to fill a volume (usually the combustion chambers in your heads) with a liquid. Using the scale on the side of the burette, you can then read the amount of liquid used to establish the volume of the chamber. This is critical for making sure you are within the rules of your racing class for combustion chamber size and for determining compression ratio. In addition to a burette, to CC a combustion chamber, you will also need a clear plastic plate to form a roof for the area you are attempting to measure, but those are easy enough to make yourself. For more information on measuring volume and determining compression ratio, check out the May '04 issue of Circle Track.
Gasket Scraper Our first thought did not include a gasket scraper because you can get by with a razor blade and a putty knife, but this baby from Goodson is the best thing since race fuel. Instead of a sharp edge, this scraper utilizes a square carbide edge that can remove gaskets, rust, carbon, and about anything else that gets in its way. Dulling is not an issue, and with its heavyweight build, if you really bear down on it, it's not going to crumple up and allow you to turn your hand into hamburger when you ram it against the block.
Dial CaliperDial calipers are useful in so many areas, its difficult to make a list. This precision instrument is almost always found within an engine builder's reach. Designed with two sets of fingers to allow measuring both inside and outside height of an object, dial calipers are quite affordable given their many uses.
On-Head Spring CheckerAssembling cylinder heads can be tricky and requires special equipment, so most racers leave that to the engine builder. Still, you probably should check behind him to make sure you know what you're getting. On-head spring checkers are good for that. They allow you to check your spring pressures without disassembling the heads. This is a top-of-the-line model from Powerhouse Products, but cheaper, analog units are also available.
Parts WasherIf you are careful about properly cleaning everything that goes into your race engine, you will have a parts washer right beside your workbench. Even if a part isn't touched after it is taken out of the box, it should be washed thoroughly before installation. Because of the tight bearing clearances race engines run to increase oil control, any bit of foreign debris introduced into the system can be harmful.


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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive
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subset: commoncrawl


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Goldstar Medical Instruments drives its roots from generations old manufacturing company whichwas started by Mr Fazal Elahi in 1908. Goldstar takes pride in utilizing century worth of its family manufacturing skills, knowledge and techniques.Goldstar Medical Instruments I based in a 27,000 sq ft manufacturing facility. The factory is basedin the heart of Sialkot, Pakistan.
Goldstar Medical Instruments specializes in manufacturing Medical and Dental products. We bond with our customers to build a strong relationship. All Medical and Dental are made to highest perfection and quality. Consumers all across the globe trust Goldstar. We work to provide our customers with highest quality products.


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Water is life, but sadly more than a billion people globally do not have access to safe water. Lack of safe water results in untold suffering, diseases, infant mortality, stunted growth and economic loss. Waterlife aims to address this most critical need of providing access to safe water with a focus on underserved areas. We have a passion to bring in a business model to solve one of the most basic issues- balancing both profits and social equity and thus exemplifying what C K Prahlad mentioned as the " Bottom of the Pyramid" market. We are a " business with a soul" and started with our vision of providing access to safe water to everyone by the year 2020.
The pillars of our business model are sustainability of our solutions in all three forms- Economic, Social and Environmental. We are deeply conscious of the systems being self sustainable and economically viable. We provide education and awareness to bring in behavioral and move people away from contaminated water and disease to health and prosperity. We achieve this with deep respect for the environment and ensure that all our solutions are "Green and Environmentally Friendly" and has minimum possible adverse impact on the water sources and the environment.
To attain all the above, we adopt cutting edge disruptive technologies from across the world.


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[QUOTE=raiken;79431]The search engine is your friend...
User's guide:
Getting started guide:
Demo circuit collection:
LT spice guide:
Most of the blogs are spams as of late. Could there be better rules in place for users to create blogs. Use to see lots of useful blogs in the past, but now it is all spam.
[ATTACH]24407[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24408[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24409[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24410[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24411[/ATTACH][QUOTE=mozwell;285100]Lots of soundcraft docs here
soundcraft 6000
soundcraft cps450
soundcraft e8
soundcraft folio f1-6
soundcraft gigrac 1000st[/QUOTE]
I bought my Carlsbro Sherwood combo [a Cobra 90 variant designed for guitar and microphone] in 1985 and it came with an ON/OFF footswitch for the spring reverb, a pullover cover for the amp to protect it in storage and transit and 5 pages of instructions. In the hope that they may be of some use to someone at some time, I am posting jpeg scans of the instructions.
Share My Experience
After 12 years of once or twice a week use, every now and again, the unit
I have noticed that the topic of covers comes up with a certain amount of regularity. While I don't have any ABS lying around, there is a roll of Polytrichloroethylene which, when heated with a heat gun and pressed into a simple wooden form gave good results. I was then able to use Krylon Paint on the Inside - no wear issues. And since matte finish seems to be the preference here, I even too the PoC one and hit it with 1500 grit quickly.


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SKU:15417Artist:Compatible Figures:N/ACompatible Software:DAZ Studio 4.12Install Types:
SKU:15417Artist:Compatible Figures:N/ACompatible Software:DAZ Studio 4.12Install Types:
- Look at individual products in this bundle for install types
- Look at individual products in this bundle for install types
This product includes the following products
Walking, Trotting, Cantering, Galloping, and Jumping Actions Bundle is a 78-pose motion cycle for the DAZ Horse 2 and includes 54 Genesis rider poses. 132 poses in all.
The sequential poses give you a variety of choices for portraying single horses, with or without riders, as well as for stampeding herds and charging troops. The sequences are ideal for multiple comic book frames. And each cycle is suitable as basic animation key-frames.
Walking, Trotting, Cantering, Galloping, and Jumping horses are designed to merge with one another by transiting from selected key-frames. The horse can go from standing to walking to galloping (trotting and cantering) to jumping. It's a unique presentation of motion poses. There is a lot of latitude for customizing the poses and the combinations.
The DAZ Horse 2 pose series features a series of horse action and drama for every equestrian adventure imaginable. All motion cycles are based on the stop-motion photography of Eadweard Muybridge.
Poses to seat riders on horses are included for Genesis Basic Male and Female, Genesis V4 and M4, and Genesis V5 and M5. As partial poses they can seat your other Genesis poses on the horse. Walking, Trotting, Cantering, and Galloping sets also have fitted riders.
Horse textures are courtesy of CWRW.
What's Included and Features
- This Bundle includes:


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Kenneth.kowal necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 3 diseños de 3 diseñadores freelance.
I am President of FillShip.com - Fillship is a company that provides order fulfillment services for online retailers. So a if a business sells a product throught their website, we'll warehouse, pack and ship product as their customers order them.
Our market is any person or business selling something online - typically small to medium size ecommerce retailers. We work with the occasional Fortune 500 company but small onlibe retailers are our sweet spot.
I am looking for a graphic to be made, I guess it could be called a type of banner, to fit in the space on our homepage (http://www.fillship.com) between the blue navigation bar and three green headings below (E-commerce Retailers across to Selling to the US Market). It will replace the current text sentence starting with "Let Fillship...", the two blue buttons on the right, and images of the shipping cart and boxes.
The goal of the project is to create a graphic to fit the space that looks professional and catches the site visitors attention.
I am open to creative ideas on how it will look. The only requirements I have are that it fits the space in terms of width, and has buttons in the body of the image that link to the same pages as the current Free Trial and Blog buttons.
Obviously the graphic needs to fit in with the site in terms of color and styles. I can provide any of the images you see elsewhere on the site if you want to incorporate them.
In terms of messaging, attached is a mock up of the text that could be used. It is only a suggestion so do not feel it has to be used. The box images are very poor and not suitable for the site. Check out the site for a moment to get a sense of the messaging on the other pages. One additional point I would like to call out is out focus on "Specializing in Frozen Food Fulfillment.".


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Daytime TV is suffering mightily these days, with venerable soap opera stalwarts like "Guiding Light" and "As The World Turns" getting cancelled. So it seems counterintuitive that NOW would be the time that big name stars would decide that goofing around on a soap opera would be a hip thing to do. But here we are. James Franco did "General Hospital." Julianne Moore returned to "World" last month. And now, David Hasselhoff is also making his return to the genre. That's right. THE HOFF. Entertainment Weekly explains:
EW.com has learned that David Hasselhoff will briefly reprise his role as Dr. William "Snapper" Foster, Jr. on The Young and the Restless. He'll return to the show's Los Angeles set in May for an arc that will start airing in mid-June. The Baywatch star got his start in TV by starring on the popular sudser from 1975 to 1982.
His character's name was Snapper Foster? Okay, that's the greatest fictional name of all time. I want my son to be born again so I can name him Dr. Snapper Foster. You cannot go wrong with a name like that.
The Hoff, like Moore, is returning to soaps because he feels some sense of loyalty to the show that helped him get his start. Franco's stint on "Hospital" was done for the sake of supposed performance art. I think, either way, this is case of actors finding it noble to lend their notoriety to a genre on life support. It's the least they could do.


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Two Seattle men got stopped at the Canadian border for attempting to bring home several chocolate eggs for friends and family.
Brandon Loo and Christopher Sweeney were driving back from a trip to Vancouver, British Columbia when U.S. border guards discovered six illegal Kinder Eggs in their car, Seattle-based KOMO-TV reported.
Loo and Sweeney said they were then held for two hours in a detention center and told each egg carried a $2,500 fine.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
The chocolate eggs are illegal in the U.S. because children could choke on the small plastic toys inside.
Loo and Sweeney eventually got off with a warning.
"They wasted our time," Sweeney told KOMO-TV. "They wasted the money spent on the agents to do this and there are other cars that went through without checking them at all."
The U.S. Customs and Border agency confiscated more than 60,000 of the illegal sweets from travelers' baggage and international packages last year, according to The Associated Press.


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So much of what we find appealing about watches goes beyond the case dimensions, the movement, the crystal, bracelet or strap, and into the details of the watch. It is the details that matter to watch lovers, things like the hands, lume colour, depth of the dial vs. the thickness of the crystal, the on-wrist weight of the watch. Is the movement noisy? If the watch has multiple functions, are they simple to access and easy to read? Details, are what makes a watch unique, complete, and set it apart in the market. Unlike functions, caliber, or finish, details are what a lot of us pay for when buying a new watch.
The Citizen Promaster SST is a watch with interesting details. Yet another ana-digi watch from Citizen, this one is designed as something of a race watch, capable of measuring split seconds and with an aesthetic clearly lifted from the instrument cluster of a sports car. The feature list is beyond standard as the SST has several cool tricks up its sleeve:
- Stainless steel case with black ion plating (available in Ti).
- Water resistant to 200m (660ft).
- Non-reflective synthetic sapphire crystal.
- 1/1000th second chronograph (24hr max).
- Red backlit LCD.
- Average Speed Calculation.
- World Time.
- Alarm.
- 99-minute countdown timer.
- Rotating slide rule.
- Screw back case.
- Solid stainless steel bracelet with inset push button fold over clasp.
- Movement: U700 Eco-Drive.
- 7 Year Power Reserve.
The Case
This is a large watch; it measures in at 47.5 mm including the crown, but rides tight to the wrist at 13
mm thick. With such a considerable width this is a watch you will not soon forget; its ironclad grip on your wrist is a constant reminder that you are wearing something considerable. The case is large and the chronograph buttons are angular like the paddles on a pinball table. At the hinge for each button is a very cool looking hex bolt. The mode button is located at 8 o'clock and pressing it will cycle through all of the watches functions. Using the functions is as easy as using a chronograph. The crown is not used for standard time setting; it is actually used to change the main settings of any feature. Even though there are only four buttons (including the crown), the SST is very easy to use and the controls feel intuitive after only a few minutes. The large main hands make reading the time simple and the companion LCD gives you instant access to additional information like supplementary time zones, chrono values, and alarm settings. The LCD is very high contrast, making it unusually easy to read. The inclusion of an awesome red back-light makes the screen usable at any time by simply holding down the top chrono pusher.
Many of the SST's details are in the dial; the three-register counter that takes up the most of the upper half of the dial is an original design and its automotive aesthetic is very clean and purposeful. The left dial counts whole seconds while the right dial measures 24hr time. The center dial houses two hands: one measures 1/100th seconds, the other 1/10th. Both hands spin at the same time once the chronograph is activated. The 1/100th hand becomes a red blur that obscures the travel of the other hand. The ability to measure in 1/1000th seconds may not be of daily use, but the feature is a good example of attention to detail, and an indication of passionate watch design. This is a very well-planned watch as it heralds evidence of many years of experience making watches that the everyday man (or woman) wears. Citizen is good at the details, and they didn't miss a beat on the Promaster SST.
The Bracelet
The bracelet on the Citizen Promaster SST is chunky, heavy, and solid in every way. It is well made, fits together well, and is pleasing in both shine and feel on your wrist. The clasp is solid with little to no wiggle and the push button activation is sharp and built well. The bracelet on the SST has only one flaw: it is very heavy. Fortunately, for people as weak wristed as myself, Citizen has also made a titanium version.
I have had a series of Citizen watches, and I have liked most of them. Of the ones that fell thorough the cracks, it was always clear that Citizen had just ignored the details and followed the cookie cutter mold of watch making. But the SST shows that there is still some (good) lunacy at Citizen. The watch is huge, and unlike anything else on the market. Its chronograph is accurate to 1/1000th of a second (1/100th is displayed on an analogue register) while still allowing for 24hr total timing. In this situation, crazy is good. It keeps companies away from boring, cookie cutter watches that we have all seen before. It keeps them creative and focusing on the passion found in the details. Like the difference between a Toyota and a Lamborghini, both are cars capable of travel, but one exhibits a passion and flare for more then just travel. The SST is not a perfect watch, but it is a passionate watch, built for people who are passionate about watches — not just about checking the time, or wearing a recognizable brand.
The Citizen SST is a great looking upper mid-level quartz chronograph with a laundry list of features and a very unique and bold aesthetic. It is a multifunction watch that was designed for daily use, its features and functions simple in their application. This watch has some spirit, something intangible that made it fun to wear. Citizen lists this watch at $850 but it can be found for less then $700 online. For that price, you get a watch that is unique, well built, and designed around the details.
Article and Photographs By James Stacey
Follow Watch Report on Twitter @ twitter.com/watchreport
5 Comments
Picked up at JCP for $257 on clearance in January of 2010
Got one for USD 1000, but the titanium version.
The titanium one is surprisingly light-weight compared to the size of the watch, which is something that everyone who's held it have said. 'Loving it!'
I have had my Citizen Promaster SST for over 8 years now ,still runs great all analog hands still work perfect even the
100 of a second hand still works great hasn't flew off .The front glass has some minor scratches but I still get complements on how good it looks. It looks like they could make a alarm on these where you could hear them ,if mine is under my ear it wakes me up sometimes. A great time piece. It has never ran down ,that echo drive is great.
It a conversation piece because it has so much on it .43 city of different times in the world, Alarm,timer ,great calendar
With showing day ,month ,year.you can program it where you put how long the track is and it will give you the speed of how fast . Something that I had no use for.It has a large dial ,plus it has some weight on it being Stainless Steel,I have had many different brands of multi-funtion watches ,but this Citizen has lastest the longest and it still going strong?
Cannot figure out why the watch was discontinued, esp the version with the rotating bezel, I had a yachtmaster for 15 years before the crown had problems, I guess I will have to look for a used one.


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NASHVILLE, TENN.— Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac who also had a solo career, died Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. He was 65.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said Welch's wife found him with a chest wound at their south Nashville home around 12:15 p.m.
Welch was a guitarist and vocalist for Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to 1974. He formed the British rock group Paris in 1976, and had hits including "Sentimental Lady" in 1977 and "Ebony Eyes" in 1978. Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham did backing vocals on "Sentimental Lady."
Aaron said Welch apparently had had health issues recently. He said a suicide note was left.
Fleetwood Mac's career took off in the mid-1970s after Welch left the band. "Dreams" was a No. 1 hit in 1977 and "Don't Stop" the same year. It later became the anthem for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. "Hold Me" was a hit in 1982 and "Little Lies" in 1987.
Welch, a native of Los Angeles, scored his biggest hit with "Sentimental Lady," which reached No. 8 on the Billboard chart. His other singles included "Precious Love" in 1979 and "Hot Love, Cold World" in 1978.


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Related Energy Consumption Datasets
- Electric power consumption per person, kilowatt hours, 1960-2014
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- Renewable energy consumption, percent, 1990-2015
- GDP per unit of energy use, nominal U.S. dollar, PPP, per kilogram of oil equivalent, 1990-2015
- Energy consumption, quadrillion BTU, 1980-2017
- Coal consumption, thousand short tons, 1980-2014
- Access to electricity, percent of population, 1990-2016
- Fuel imports, percent of merchandise imports, 1962-2017
- U.S. energy consumption, per real dollar of GDP, thousand BTU, 1949-2015
- Energy end-use expenditures, percent of GDP, 1970-2040


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Breaking The Record: South African Woman Is 134 Yrs Old! (Oldest Woman In The World)
MSN reports "South African Kookoo Molookoo claims she is 134 years old, making her the oldest woman in the world. She is hoping to make it into the Guinness World Records"
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Editor's Picks: Domestic Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving
While my personal preference is for Beaujolais on Thanksgiving, there is something about Pinot Noir that just seems seasonally appropriate. Perhaps it's the hint of mushrooms and cranberries, the herbal flavors that can sneak in, perhaps it's just tradition. I grew up in Oregon and so my parents' Thanksgiving table (and, to be honest, any-time-of-year-table) often included a local Pinot. But whatever the reason, you're likely looking for a few good bottles this time of year.
The key is to find wines that don't feel overshadowed by sweet oak or hot alcohol, wines that can complement your food without stealing center stage. Here are a few bottles I've been loving lately, all from Oregon and California.
Adelsheim Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2010 ($32) This bright ruby wine is definitely a leaner style of pinot noir, not for those who are looking for heavy blueberry fruit. Instead it's bright and lively, with a little black pepper and little sarsaparilla spice, and a scent full of leaves and loamy forest floor. It's full of bright sour cherries and a little dry cocoa dust. Fresh wine, able to keep a meal from feeling leaden.
Lioco 2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($33) This pinot is earthy and mushroomy but not at all heavy; it has a vein of minerals and a pomegranate tang that calls out for food. Be sure to decant (decanters look festive anyway!) because it really benefits from a bit of air, and feels constricted and taut right out of the bottle. There's some mulling spice and orange zest flavor in this wine, which is just the right accent for the crispy skin of your Thanksgiving bird (and the crisp edges of your stuffing.) The juice (from mostly older vines) was fermented with wild yeast (with 30% of the clusters left whole.)
Montinore Estate 2010 Estate Reserve ($28) This wine has an inviting scent that evokes blackberry preserves, and the wine is silky, with cherry-like fruit and a sour-cranberry acidity that lingers in the finish, making your mouth water. This wine is more peppery and graphite-y than fruity, and it calls out for food. It really shines with a plate of turkey and stuffing. This biodynamic estate's 2009 Parsons' Ridge Pinot Noir is a delicious upgrade for 12 dollars more. Though it's from a warmer vintage, this wine's still lithe and bright with acid. It's a bit denser than the Reserve, with a hint of earth along with tart raspberry fruit and cinnamon. It's nice with mashed potatoes and awesome with turkey. But do you need to spend the extra dough if you're serving it with the Thanksgiving meal? Not really.
J.K. Carriere 2010 Vespidae Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($42) The grapes for this bottling come from four different vineyards, with vines ranging from 8 to 31 years of age. The wine's wild-yeast fermented in stainless and aged for 18th months in barrel. It's a smooth, silky wine, full of deep purple fruit and earth, with a hint of star anise and cocoa that complements the herbs and earthy flavors of a Thanksgiving meal.
Raptor Ridge 2010 Olenik Vineyard Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir ($35) This earthy scented wine offers a bright flavor spiced with pine needles and cinnamon red-hots. It's fresh and lean but has a nice layer of earthiness that will latch right into the mushrooms in your gravy or stuffing.
Chehalem 2010 Stoller Vineyard Pinot Noir ($48) This wine from the Dundee Hills of Oregon has a deep earthy aroma, but each sip is bright and fresh. The mushroom flavors are all there, and the tart top note means this wine could stand in for cranberry sauce at your table. There's a slight juniper/herbal character here, plus a hint of violets.
Belle Pente 2009 Belle Pente Vineyard Pinot Noir ($35) While a lot of the 2009s we tasted were meaty, trending toward sun-dried tomato-y, this one, while a bit fleshier than the 2010s, retains a lovely floral side, like lavender, licorice, chamomile, and white pepper, laced around the fruit.
I know, I know, pinot is super pricey. It's really hard to find a good budget bottling if you're married to the idea of pouring this grape (We've tried.) But you can add Heron California Pinot to your decent-under-$15 list. It's nowhere near as lovely as the bottles above, but fruity and juicy and certainly fine for a less-discerning crowd. If you're doing Thanksgiving wine on a budget, we recommend that you get a little more creative so you can get more bang for your buck.
Are you a lover of Pinot Noir? Which bottles will you be pouring this Thanksgiving?
About the Author: Maggie Hoffman is the editor of Serious Eats: Drinks. She lives in San Francisco. You can follow her on Twitter @maggiejane.
All wines except the Heron provided as samples for review consideration.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Richard Sherman nukes Skip Bayless, Kobe Bryant tells Serge Ibaka how he feels about nutshots, Mark Staal takes a puck to the eye, and the Lakers get tricky. Here are the best videos of the week.
"I'm Better At Life Than You": Richard Sherman Craps All Over Skip Bayless On First Take
So that was awkward. Watch »
Kobe Bryant Told Serge Ibaka His Nutshot On Blake Griffin Was "Hogshit"
"You can't do that, brother." Watch »
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Hail to the Thief, Again?
Thom Yorke's thoughts about political power are in good company. Great theorists of power and justice agree: "you do it to yourself".
Everybody thinks Radiohead's 2003 album, Hail to the Thief, is a nod to the US Presidential election of 2000—an election that may have been stolen amidst confusion and debate about election-results reporting, voting booth design, hanging chads and recounts that were finally ended by a Bush-friendly supreme court decision.
But Thom Yorke and other band members denied this, with Yorke eventually telling Rolling Stone (in May, 2004) that he had a different presidency in mind—that of John Quincy Adams whose election in 1824 was similarly deadlocked, decided by the House of Representatives, and beset by rumors about back-room deals among powerful Washingtonians.
Author: Brandon W. Forbes George A. Reisch
Publisher: Open Court
Publication date: 2009-04
Length: 299 pages
Format: Paperback
Price: $19.95
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/misc_art/r/radioheadphilo-cover.jpgBut I wonder if Yorke was being entirely candid. For what better occasion is there for thinking about famous shenanigans and power-plays in US political history than contemporary shenanigans and power-plays, especially when they have historic and bloody consequences? For after September 11th and during the run-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq, Yorke and Co. were planning, writing, and recording the album in question.
In fact, Yorke thinks about political power a lot. But you'd be wrong to assume he takes a narrow, traditional view that associates political power with small groups or individuals—Kings, Presidents, Superheroes or media moguls, for example. As Brandon Forbes shows in the book Radiohead and Philosophy: Fitter Happier More Deductive, Yorke takes power to be something that resides, at least partly, in those over whom it's exercised.
If so, Yorke is in fine philosophical company, including Michel Foucault and Hannah Arendt. And so video director Jamie Thraves, whose stunning video for "Just" (from The Bends) is, as Forbes explains, a perfect illustration of Yorke's and Arendt's conception of social power: When you're being controlled, "you do it to yourself"—at least in part, "and that's what really hurts."
As I write, there's a lot of pain in Iran. Some are predicting that a stolen presidential election will energize the population to finally reject the regime that's held power since 1979 and seems bent on using violence to maintain it. But, as Yorke's "Planet Telex" should remind those progressive Iranians who may feel that their own democratic power has been crushed or taken away, the truth is the opposite: "You can crush it but it's always here/you can crush it but it's always near."
Kid A cover (partial)
Adapted from, "Where Power Ends and Violence Begins", by Brandon W. Forbes, in Radiohead and Philosophy: Fitter Happier More Deductive, Open Court, 2009, 173–81.
"All power tends to corrupt," goes the tired aphorism from Lord Acton, "and absolute power corrupts absolutely." One need only look to recent political history to see the resonance of this statement, as the list of despots and dictators that haunt the 20th century, as well as the 21st, is long indeed.
In our current political climate in the West, we associate such evils as torture, terror, and the existence of a dreaded secret police with totalitarian power—the ultimate form of absolute power, a power that crushes individual freedom, the fundamental principle of liberal democracy, through violence and terror. The many books and films about the problem of totalitarianism speak not just against the possible rise of absolute power in our governments, but also of our intense fear and anxiety about losing freedom and democracy to a violent power. The War on Terror's desperate co-opting of the Manichean rhetoric of the World War II/Cold-War era is one example of this fear's hold on contemporary America's national conscience. Its very name is another.
Radiohead seem especially attuned to this fear of the tie between violence and power. From OK Computer to Hail to the Thief, their records consistently portray a world rife with terror, despondency, and violence. Piggies squeal, bruises don't heal, and police arrest citizens for random crimes like offensive hairdos or annoying conversational habits. Knives come out, armies are taken out, and bodies float down muddy rivers. Little men are erased, young blood is effaced, and the feeling of being strangled, beaten, and skinned-alive is never far. Radiohead seem to live in a violent world.
This world not only sounds nightmarish, it looks it, too. Stanly Donwood's sleeve art, from Kid A and after, especially, depicts wide-eyed demonic creatures weeping, screaming, or perpetrating violent acts. The hidden booklet behind the CD tray on Kid A is especially disturbing. Creatures kick each other with razor-sharp feet, drip blood from their claws, and gather with machine guns and masks under the ironic headline "Glamorous."
The cover of Hail to the Thief, which uses a painting of Donwood's called "Pacific Coast", further exemplifies the terror and anxiety found in these disturbing creatures. Utilizing blocks and blocks of text, the painting translates social anxiety into a wall of media-crazed buzz words like "Oil", "Fear", and "Security", all the while aping a map of Los Angeles. One can easily recall the alienated fear of Pink from The Wall here, as each block adds yet another moment to the individual's feeling of separation and powerlessness.
Yet Radiohead also present an optimism—of sorts, at least—in the face of power. They depict moments of resistance in which they rear a defiant head. The moving "I Will" from Hail to the Thief features a resilient Yorke promising to "rise up" in the face of overwhelming odds, promising not to let anything happen "to my children." Amnesiac's "I Might Be Wrong", while channeling an anxiety that sees "no future left at all," still urges us to "think about the good times and never look back." And Kid A's "Optimistic" offers the consolation that trying the best you can is good enough, even if one feels utterly powerless, like "nervous messed up marionettes floating around on a prison ship."
So how are we to understand power and violence as political subjects? Does power always give birth to violence? Are power and violence even the same thing?


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Ask just about anyone under the age of 30, and they know what Street Fighter is all about. Whether they owned a Mega Drive or a SNES, had an older sibling packing a copy, or a vague friend who hosted some multiplayer sessions, everyone has enjoyed the thrills of kicking bottom with Ryu and Chun-Li.
After years of leaning towards the staunchly hardcore end of the beat 'em up market, Street Fighter IV aims to go right back to basics. Instead of intricate pixel perfect timing to unleash all those mega moves, now there's a much larger scope for just sheer enjoyment that even newcomers can fall in love with.
One of the biggest changes that immediately hits is the introduction of heavily stylised visuals. Though the game still takes place on a solidly 2D plane, characters have been rendered in fully 3D offering up a heck of a lot more detail than classic titles in this series. The slightly hand-drawn look to each character, combined with the frequent ink blots and splashes during each brawl helps create a stunningly beautiful visual experience.
Similarly, the sheer size of the on screen fighters helps make this one a fighter that truly looks like it's packing a real meaty punch. Think back a few years and the lightest of punches and kicks looked about as threatening as a house fly. Now, every single punch and kick looks like it truly hits the spot, causing your opponents eyes to bulge, and body to move and contort.
- HP's new Omen gaming PCs explored: We tear down these gaming beasts to see what's under the hood (promo)
Long-terms fans will no doubt be delighted to hear that a number of lost favourites have returned after years of absence, including the classics of Cammy, Guile, and the electrified Blanka. Though quite a number of fighters introduced over the last decade fail to make an appearance, all the old favourites are back and looking better than ever.
Ryu and Ken, the pair that everyone first tries, are here and wielding the same powerful moves as always. Chun-Li and her incredibly huge thighs are ready to kick away. And everyone's favourite bad guy, M. Bison, is still as uber cool as you remember him to be. In total there are almost 20 well designed characters to choose from, including a few unlockables, and 4 brand spankingly new fighters.
The real biggest changes are how you play. Gone is the absolute pin point timing and the absolutely overwhelmingly number of finger bending moves and parries from the last batch of Street Fighter titles. Instead, things are stripped back to basics to allow those of you who haven't touched the series since the mid-90s to jump straight back into the action.
Of course, there's still a truck load of special moves to master. All those fireballs, uppercuts, and sonic booms you remember remain fully intact. The brand new Focus Attacks, which allow you to absorb one attack before unleashing a powerful counter move by holding the medium punch and kick buttons is a real handy addition. A swift stab will unleash a simple counter, where a lengthier hold will initiate an unblockable move that will leave your opponent dazed and confused.
For truly talented fighting fans the Super Combos and EX Special Moves return, allowing you to flaunt powered-up versions of the special moves you can wield at other points of battle. In addition to those, the Ultra Combos, which initiate a change of camera angle and a cutscene-esque few seconds are newly introduced, giving talented button bashers yet another move to master.
Don't let all this talk of combos and special moves put you off. Street Fighter IV is a slower paced affair, much more in tune with Street Fighter II than any other fighting title. Yes, unless you can get to grips with some of the characters nuances and energy-gauge draining moves you'll probably get a thorough beating online. But unless you're desperate to prove yourself as the best brawler in the world - the online situation incredibly seems to lack any form of lag at the moment, though it is lacking in innovative modes - you've no need to worry about hours of practice just yet.
The biggest problem with Street Fighter IV is just how costly picking up a copy can be. It's safe to say that today's modern controllers simply aren't built for the kind of intricate d-pad waggling and button mashing to initiate some of the biggest and best moves. Hence picking up one of those expensive joysticks is almost essential if you take your games seriously.
Don't let this little fact dissuade you from picking up Street Fighter IV if you're reluctant to splash out - unless you're planning on spending every second of every day taking on the best in the world online, you can easily get by with a standard controller.
It's been a long time coming, but we finally have a classic beat 'em up title that can take multiplayer duties away from Street Fighter II.
Stunning stylised visuals, bone crunching brutal brawling action; Street Fighter IV has the lot. Highly recommended for anything with even a casual interest in gaming.


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This article is part of a transcript of a presentation delivered at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria. The original session took place on July 21, 2010. Jump to the table of contents to see other articles in the series.
"How can we increase acceptance, unbiased information, and support for people who want to have children, or who don't want to have children? And how can we decrease all this misinformation, stigmatization, criminalization and coercion?" Clinical psychologist Ulrike Sonnenberg-Schwan has asked herself that question for all of her 19 years as an advocate for the reproductive rights of HIV-positive people. Here, Sonnenberg-Schwan recounts Germany's journey toward providing comprehensive options for HIV-positive people looking to become parents -- and what needs to happen to expand access to these services to a broader sector of that country's population.
From family planning to parenthood: That doesn't only mean pregnancy planning, but also the right to have no children, to safe abortion, conception, contraception, reproductive counseling, antenatal testing -- which is a real huge problem in many countries -- childbirth, and also, parenthood which is free from stigma and discrimination.
In many, many countries, all over the world, the reproductive health rights of people living with HIV/AIDS are really a neglected topic. I constantly ask myself, as I have done for the last 19 years: How can we increase acceptance, unbiased information, and support for people who want to have children, or who don't want to have children? And how can we decrease all this misinformation, stigmatization, criminalization and coercion?
I think, really, many of these issues are universal. And although I come from a high-income country, with one of the best health care service systems in the world, we still are facing a lot of problems -- not least of which is discrimination by the health care system, itself.
Some short information about HIV and pregnancy in Germany: In 2009, we had about 67,500 people living with HIV and AIDS in Germany -- some of you will say, "Well, that's not really a very huge number," and you're right. About 12,000 of them are women, and 75 percent of them are of childbearing age -- which doesn't mean that they all want to have children, but most of them think about having children. We have got 250 to 300 births per year, and the transmission rate is very low in Germany because of the excellent health care for women who know that they are HIV positive. It's below 1 percent.
But we also have, still, about 25 new HIV diagnoses in children every year. And most of them got infected during birth, because the mother had no access to an HIV test during pregnancy. The policies have now changed to improve the situation.
This is now a question in Germany, though it's no question in many other countries, all over the world: We have an increasing number of vaginal deliveries now. Since 1995, nearly all of the women had a Cesarean section, which reduced the transmission rate before there were any antiretrovirals. But women really had no choice for years. And now they have the choice -- not in all clinics, but in some clinics.
This is a brief history of HIV and parenthood in Germany, and it's also a very personal history for me -- it's also a history of hope, and it's a history of my own coming to be an activist and advocate: In the beginning, in 1989, and in Germany until 1991, there were only three doctors --and then, from 1991, me -- who supported and recognized this wish for parenthood [among HIV-positive people]. And you may remember that the first inseminations with processed sperm were done in Italy with Augusto Semprini, an Italian doctor, as early as 1989.
At the beginning of the '90s, we founded a project in Munich to support and counsel couples. And it was really a time when we all, including myself, mainly focused on the wish of HIV-positive men to become fathers, and not on the wish of HIV-positive women to become mothers. Some women became mothers. Many women got abortions. Many women got sterilized during those abortions at that time, during the whole '90s. And nobody thought about the right of women to have children, and about their needs. They really had to constantly fight against stigma and prejudice, and things like, "You are irresponsible. You will be a bad mother. And you will leave your child alone, and your child will be an orphan," and all these things.
I presented the first results of our project as early as 1992 in Amsterdam, at the International AIDS Conference, and there was huge interest from all over the world. But nothing happened. Nothing happened, but couples coming from many countries of the world to Munich, and to Italy, to get their counseling there. There were even couples from Brazil, and from the United States. And from the beginning of the '90s, the situation began to change, and other European countries started to develop their own programs.
Then in 1995, we introduced the Cesarean section in Germany, because it was noticed that it was able to reduce the transmission rate. The transmission rate was around 5 percent, and from that moment on, we started to educate women on how to get pregnant. My first teachers were lesbian women who were not HIV positive, but who knew how to use sperm to get pregnant without having intercourse. And this was really very important.
In 2000 we had the first cases of assisted reproduction in Germany for HIV-positive women who had fertility problems. All the other women didn't need this kind of support, but there were many women who had fertility problems.
In 2000, we published the first [family planning and reproduction] guidelines. Worldwide, these were the first guidelines. And afterwards, nothing happened in other countries. Really, it took years until other countries developed guidelines.
In the 2007 revision, we included women. And now, this year, we've embraced the Swiss statement supporting natural intercourse when the viral load is below detectability. And still, seroconcordant couples have no access -- only in individual cases -- to reproductive support.
At the beginning, I wasn't an activist. I had been working as a volunteer in the AIDS system. But there was really a need to fight against all the stigma and prejudice, and I noticed I can't do this without the help of other women, of all those stakeholders, who play a role in this field; and without networking. To talk about models, to introduce services, to implement services: You can't do that alone. I thought that in the beginning, and in the end, I was an advocate and a networker.
Reproductive options in Germany now range from unprotected intercourse. We also have a project for pre-exposure prophylaxis for couples. We can offer assisted reproductive services in some centers. And still, the access for women is more limited than for men. Men have a better access, and HIV seroconcordant couples have the lowest access, to these services. This really has to be improved.
I have talked about many of the barriers. Cost is also a barrier in many, many countries. Assisted reproduction is very, very expensive. There's only one country I know where it is really free of charge. This is France. And Austria reimburses 70 percent. But in all the other countries, I think, couples have to pay for themselves. For most of the couples, this is just not affordable. Couples have to get more support.
Looking ahead: We need policies against discrimination and stigmatization. We need better education of health care professionals in HIV and reproductive issues. We need better and equal access for people to counseling and care; and remember, it's not only heterosexual couples who are seeking counseling, but also singles, gay couples and lesbian couples.
We need joint efforts of all stakeholders in the field. In implementing those services, we need GIPA [greater involvement of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS] and MIWA [meaningful involvement of women and girls living with HIV/AIDS].
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.


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ARLINGTON, Texas — David Ortiz got the Boston Red Sox off to a good start with a two-run homer in the first against Texas ace Yu Darvish.
Then David Ross went deep an inning later.
Except that's all the Red Sox would get against Darvish, who matched a career high with 14 strikeouts in seven innings before Adrian Beltre's two-out RBI single in the ninth gave the Rangers a 4-3 win Sunday for a three-game series sweep.
"They're all tough," Red Sox starter Jon Lester said. "The guys did a good job of getting the lead, and I have to do a better job of minimizing the damage after I get the lead."
Lester, with a 4-0 record, also got a no decision after seven strikeouts in six innings. Like Darvish, the left-hander was hurt by two home runs.
" I felt good. I felt like I had good stuff," Lester said. "I just made two mistakes."
Mitch Moreland's fourth homer, an opposite-field shot that landed only a couple of rows into the left-field seats -- and just inside the pole -- got Texas within 3-1 in the third. Nelson Cruz hit his seventh homer, a two-run shot to center after Beltre's single, to tie the game in the sixth.
Beltre reached down and out over the plate to line a hit to right-center off Clayton Mortensen (0-2). That sent home Elvis Andrus, who had reached on a two-out bloop single and moved up on a wild pitch before the Red Sox opted to intentionally walk Lance Berkman and bring Beltre to the plate.
"We showed a lot of heart right there," Andrus said. "That shows for us how good we are right now."
Boston (20-11) has its first three-game losing streak this season, and now shares the best record in the majors with the Rangers and St. Louis.
"I don't think this team has gotten ahead of itself in any way," Boston manager John Farrell said. "Despite the early success that we've had, we knew this would be a tough series."
While Darvish had 14 strikeouts for the second time this season, the right-hander from Japan allowed multiple homers in a game for only the second time in his 36 starts for the Rangers.
"After I gave up those runs, I told myself I was only a couple of runs behind. I was trying to stay focused and not dwell on what had happened," Darvish said through his translator.
Rangers closer Joe Nathan (1-0), the third reliever, worked around a walk and a hit in the ninth.
The game was 3-3 when Darvish threw the last of 78 strikes among a career-high 127 pitches, denying him a chance at his sixth victory to equal the most in the majors. He did raise his majors-best strikeout total to 72, and was still throwing in the mid-90s before punctuating his exit with consecutive strikeouts with a runner on base, and pumped his fist walking off the mound.
Darvish was already at 105 pitches after striking out Dustin Pedroia, Ortiz and Mike Napoli in order in the sixth inning. But there was still nobody warming up in the Texas bullpen at that point.
"He'll get pushed, today was one of those days," manager Ron Washington said. "He gave us 120-something pitches, because we needed it out of him, and he was able to give it to us. ... You had two of the best pitchers in the game out there. I don't know what Darvish would have done to me if I would have taken him out of the game."
Darvish's other 14-strikeout game came in his first start this season, when he retired the first 26 Houston batters and was within one out of a perfect game before giving up a single April 2. The last time an American League pitcher had multiple 14-strikeout games in a season was 2000, when Pedro Martinez had three and Mike Mussina two.
After going his first 37 2-3 innings this season without giving up a long ball, Darvish gave up homers in three consecutive innings. He allowed a homer in his final frame against the Chicago White Sox his previous start Tuesday night.
Ortiz extended the longest hitting streak in the majors to 25 games, including all 13 of his games this season for Boston, when he pulled a pitch deep into the right-field stands for a two-run shot in the first. An inning later, Ross homered on hanging breaking ball over the middle of the plate.
"Not many people are as good as I am," Ross said, with a chuckle. "I just close my eyes and swing hard. That's my approach."Notes: Ortiz is hitting .440 since his late debut this season because of an injured right Achilles that also limited him to 90 games last year, and has an extra-base hit in 11 of his last 12 games. ... Four of Ross' nine hits this year are homers. ... Leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury was the only Red Sox player without a strikeout against Darvish. ... Pedroia snapped an 0-for-14 slide in the first with an two-out infield single on a dribbler down the third base line that Darvish fielded before Ortiz homered. ... Ortiz's 25-game hitting streak is the longest for the Red Sox since Pedroia's 25-gamer from June 29-July 28, 2011.


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One of the cult hits of the Internet has been a service called Skype, based in Luxembourg, that allows its registered users to make free computer-to-computer phone calls to each other anywhere in the world. Millions of people world-wide use it, and the company was recently snapped up by eBay, the e-commerce giant.
Still, for all its success, Skype has been a niche product, little used by mainstream, non-techie consumers. Much less popular in the U.S. than in Europe, it has mainly appealed here to budget-conscious folks like students and recent immigrants, who often want to make lots of international phone calls.
There are two big reasons for Skype's niche status. First, many computers aren't equipped with microphones. Most modern laptops come with built-in mikes, but the vast majority of PCs are still desktops, which typically lack mikes. Second, even when computers have mikes, they make clumsy telephones when compared with real phones, which are specifically designed for voice communication.
In addition, free Skype calls can be made only to other Skype users. If you want to call nonmembers who use real phones, you have to sign up for a prepaid service called SkypeOut, although, at two cents a minute, the calls are cheap.
Now, however, Skype is putting those hurdles behind it. Today, the company plans to release a major new version of its phone-calling software, Skype 2.0, with added features — including video calling — and a cleaner interface. It is taking steps to make computer microphones cheap and easy to obtain. More importantly, it is moving its service off the computer to a new breed of Internet-based telephone handsets.
I've been testing Skype 2.0, along with the new, cheap, Skype-branded microphones and a new Skype-compatible phone that frees users from sitting in front of a computer while talking. Despite some flaws, this new combination of hardware and software generally worked well, and I believe it stands a chance of propelling Skype into the mainstream.
There's nothing new about using a computer as a phone. And free computer-to-computer phone calls, among fellow users of a service, are also common now. America Online, Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple Computer, Google and others have offered this service for a while. Most also already offer free video calls — something Skype is just now adding — for users with Web cameras.
But Skype is the company most identified with free Internet phone calls, and it is trying hard to keep that status. The new Skype 2.0, available at Skype.com, is ready now for Windows and will soon be released for the Macintosh and other platforms.
In my tests of Skype 2.0, I used two different Windows computers to place voice calls to Skype users in California, New York and Berlin, Germany. I also made a couple of SkypeOut calls to phones in the Washington, D.C., area.
The new Skype software was easy to use. It searches for people you know to see if they are registered members, and it lets you add them to your contact list with one click.
All my test calls were very clear, though in most cases there was a slight problem in the first few seconds, when callers couldn't hear me. In a couple of cases, the sound dropped out briefly during a call. And Skype disconnected my call to Berlin in the middle, forcing me to redial. Still, as a tradeoff for free calls, the glitches were tolerable.
I used a variety of microphones, built-in and added-on, cheap and expensive. In general, the built-in and costlier add-on mikes worked best. Skype's new cheap mike, which comes with an earbud as part of a $4.99 Skype "starter pack" available at RadioShack stores, was a little muffled unless I held it close to my mouth.
I also made a few video calls, using a Logitech Web camera. These worked fine, though they displayed the graininess that marks most Web video calling. An audio conference call also worked well, though you can't use video if you're calling more than one person. Skype also offers a conventional text-based chat system and a feature for transferring files. I tested both, and they worked fine.
But I was most impressed with the new Skype phone I tested, the $100 Linksys CIT200. It looks and works like a regular cordless phone. But it links wirelessly to a little base station that connects to your computer. And it has a big Skype button that connects you to the Skype service via the PC. The phone displays your Skype contacts, and you call them with the press of a button. You can also make calls to non-Skype phones, via SkypeOut.
I tested the phone by calling both Skype users and non-Skype users, and it worked great everywhere in and around my home — upstairs, downstairs, even outside in the yard.
There are other phones that can now use Skype, ranging from a $16 handset that connects to the PC with a cable to a $100 cellphone-style wireless headset and a $140 cordless phone that can use both Skype and your regular phone service to place calls. All of them liberate Skype users from the PC.
Skype has escaped from its niche and is heading for the mainstream. You might want to give it a try.
Write to Walter S. Mossberg at email@example.com.


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|OpenBSD Installation and Upgrading Installing and upgrading OpenBSD.
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
ATI Catalyst.... Does it work?
I am an Archlinux user and would like to try out OpenBSD as a Desktop. I was looking around to see if the ATI Catalist could be installed on OpenBSD but found nothing.
I have a ATI Mobility FireGL v5700 (aka HD3650) in my HP Elitebook 8530w
Do the Open Source drivers work?
ATI Catalyst does not support OpenBSD and likely never will. I would reckon that card would be supported by the radeonhd driver in so far as anything will (you can read the man pages for the driver as included with various OpenBSD releases on their website)
and some others might say you asked a fool question :P
My Journal
Thou shalt check the array bounds of all strings (indeed, all arrays), for surely where thou typest ``foo'' someone someday shall type ``supercalifragilisticexpialidocious''.
Ya, some mite say I asked a fool question but that would asume I didn't know the answer was no. I just wanted to make sure.
AMD/ATI's lack of suport for the Open Source coumity has made me deeply regret buying this laptop and swell a grate hatred for AMD/ATI within me. I will never agin buy a product from AMD untill they change there ways and will continue to badmoth them to anyone that will listen.
Now intel, I Love Intel As far as I know they are as much a supporter of Open Source as AMD is an opposer. I hate to be part of bringing about a monopoly in any market. Such a thing has historically only broght about harm to development, freedom, and price. Unfortunately, AMD has forced me into a corner on this. I can now only hope that Intel stays on it's course towards quality product and suport for Open Source software.
I am however going to try out OpenBSD on my home server do to it's history of security. So, you may hear form me agin with questions for that box. Or I mite go with dragonflyBSD.... The Linux Kernel with grsecurity and PaX is farly secure as well but it is nice to use an OS that was designed for security from the ground up.
Last edited by echoblack; 15th June 2009 at 09:11 AM.
AMD/ATI isn't an opposed to open source, quite the contrary.. they've been releasing technical documentation and datasheets for some time now.
nVidia is the only major GPU manufacture that's uncooperative with open source projects.
Documentation & Resources:
Relevant articles:
Many many more articles detailing the whole event as well.
The radeonhd(4) man page indicates that the HD3650 is supported, granted it will take time for the open source drivers to mature.. don't quit at the first sign of failure.
OpenBSD doesn't support binary blob drivers.
Note; there are 2 drivers for Radeon series graphics cards.. the other one is just called radeon(4).
Ya your right about them giving out info about there ATI products to Open Source / Novel's 2 devs. It all sounds good. Thats why I got this laptop with ATI.
But, at the end of the day both of the Open Source drivers are worthless. AMD is spoon feeding the info to the the developers at such a slow rate that the Catalyst will always be better... Well the open drivers are better then the Catalyst at what they can do 2D... So, when they finaly get enough 3D suport to be usefull I bet in the end they will be better then the Catalyst even if they don't yet have the info for the new tech the card is capable of. However, at this point it seems to me the promises to the Open Source comunity is an empty one. Which leaves you with the Catalyst that is always outdated.
I am simply only going to buy Intel grafics cards. They are not good at all but they are supported and I don't game vary much at all.
Last edited by echoblack; 15th June 2009 at 09:51 AM.
Are you serious? why all the FUD?
They've already released full 2D/3D documentation for r300/r700 of their GPU's, that's hardly a snails pace.
AMD/ATI is phasing out support for r300/r500 chipsets in their latest Catalyst drivers, they're recommending the open source ones now.
If you take 5 minutes to think of the possibilities, a vendor releasing binary blob drivers can pull support for your specific chipset at any time they want.. given the closed nature of the driver, you cannot pick up where the left off.. back porting possible security vulnerabilities would be impracticable if not impossible.
You're left using old code, running in kernel space.. and you have no idea what it's fiddling with.
The open source drivers are hardly worthless, it takes time to develop a driver, it's not an easy task.. you can hate the vendor all you want.. but at least they're doing something beneficial in this economically difficult time.
Your views related to binary blob drivers clash with OpenBSD philosophies, you would know this if you actually did a little research.
ATI Catalyst is closed source, echoblack. "Catalyst" may broadly refer to both video management software as well as device drivers.
The OpenBSD Project, by policy, does not accept any closed source code or any closed documentation in the OS. For any purpose. Ever. And as for binary objects, or "blobs", please see the commentary and lyrics to the song for OpenBSD 3.9
Closed source or binary objects are possible only in two places, because these are not part of the OS: peripheral device firmware, and the ports/packages system.
It is possible to have 3rd party ports/packages which are kernel modules -- emulators/kqemu is one example. So it may be possible to have a closed-source driver for OpenBSD. Possible. I can't see ATI bothering for so small a market.
But ... no bugs are ever accepted by the Project when the kernel contains a 3rd party module. You'll be told that you are running a "Frankensystem," and when it breaks, you get to keep the pieces.
Ok, I did some more looking. It seems the open drivers for the ATI cards do have working 3D. It is just that the open drivers do not support "my" card. They only fully support old cards. So, I take it back the open drivers are not worthless. They are just worthless for my card. I tried them first before the closed Catalyst (They changed the name of the driver it is not fglrx anymore. The "driver" is in fact called "Catalyst" and the software is called Catalyst Control Center or CCC for short)
So, as Richard Stallman said. It is OK... to use closed source software if there is no open source software alternative.
So, I was worng. I thought that the open drivers were being held back to do the "<1"FPS I was getting in SuperTuxRacer compared to the 300FPS I get with the closed Catalyst driver. There is no Open Source driver avalable for my card so I will continue to use the Catalyst.
....and ya I was getting a little nuts and rude.... sorry
Last edited by echoblack; 16th June 2009 at 05:32 AM.
She sells C shells by the seashore.
I don't know if all r100 through r500 cards are supported, but I do believe that r100 through r400 cards are.
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The recession has hit everyone hard, but more men than woman are finding themselves without a steady income, and new studies show these men are reevaluating what being a breadwinner means.
At research presented at the American Sociological Association's 106th Annual Meeting, sociologists from Northern Illinois University interviewed laid off men about how they coped with their newfound joblessness.
Rather than sink into the mire of depression, most embraced their role at home, especially if their wives were still earning. Even when they had previously viewed cooking and cleaning as "women's work," the realities of their situations forced them take up the housework, and become financial dependents.
What's interesting is that the men didn't express bitterness at losing the role of breadwinner. They expressed gratitude that their partners were still employed, even though many of them struggled to reconcile society's views of being "manly" with staying home, cooking and cleaning, and looking after the kids.
The phenomenon of the stay-at-home dad is hardly a new one, but it still faces significant social stigma, both from some men who see it as lazy or unmanly, and some women who are reluctant to trust men in a traditionally female sphere.
Hopefully one positive outcome of this recession is that more people will realize there's nothing inherently gendered about making most of the money for a family, nor staying at home and keeping the house in order. Anybody can be a homemaker - or a breadwinner.


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Steel – Backbone of the Modern World (Jun, 1938)
This was a really interesting read. I honestly had no idea how a steel was made. I wonder if it's still done the same way.
Steel – Backbone of the Modern World
by Robert W. Gordon
A WORLD without steel—try to imagine it! Without steel, the whole physical structure of the modern world would collapse. Lacking this one all-important substance, the civilization we know would cease to exist. There was, of course, civilization long before the discovery of steel, but it was vastly different from ours; so different that it requires an effort of the will to picture a world without steel.
Without steel—
There would be no buildings higher than walk-up distance; no airplanes, no automobiles, no modern railways or fast steamships.
Without steel—
Foodstuffs would be largely limited to what could be grown locally, and the threat of famine would be ever present. The horse and the sail would still be the principal means of transportation.
Without steel—
There would be no modern factories, industry, cutting tools, or power machines. Countless features of the twentieth century world would be non-existant. The United States would be back in the era of the horse and buggy.
The changes wrought by steel have been so vast and staggering that it is difficult to realize that the Steel Age is comparatively young. As recently as 1880, it was still gaining momentum. It wasn't in full swing until 1900, and its peak is not yet in sight.
Iron and steel were known before the Steel Age began. The first iron on record was placed in an Egyptian pyramid more than 5,000 years ago. The Romans used a lot of it, but with their methods of production a ton of raw iron would cost $1,000. Today the average price of finished steel is only $55 a ton. A medieval furnace could produce 100 to 150 tons of iron a year. A modern blast furnace produces 600 tons a day.
A hundred years ago a blast furnace consisted of a stack and a blower. Charcoal was the only fuel, and the bog ore was hand selected. The chief customers for the 25 or 30 tons produced a week were the nearby blacksmiths, who hammered out ferrous products by hand.
In those days the principal metals were cast and wrought iron. Cast iron was hard but brittle. Wrought iron resisted shock but was soft. Steel was needed, for steel is strong, wear-resisting, and tough. There was blister steel and crucible steel, but the methods of making them were slow and costly, and totally incapable of producing the metal in quantity.
Blister steel was produced by placing charcoal and wrought iron into clay boxes or jars, and heating for days, until the iron had absorbed enough carbon to become steel. Crucible steel was melted in a pot, along with carbon. The method gave us the famous Sheffield steels, excellent but rare and costly. Ninety years ago Henry Bessemer of England and William Kelly of Kentucky, working independently, conceived the idea of refining iron by blowing air through it. Bessemer patented the process in 1855, but Kelly erected the first commercial converter two years later. The two interests merged in 1866, and became generally known as the Bessemer process.
A Bessemer converter is a huge, pear-shaped vessel made of steel plates and lined with heat-resisting brick. It is open at the top and mounted on hollow trunnions so it may be tilted. The base is perforated, so that air blown through the trunnions passes through these holes to bubble through the metal.
In operation the converter is tilted on its side and filled with from 10 to 25 tons of molten pig iron. The rush of air, turned on as the converter is returned to a vertical position, prevents the metal from running through the holes.
As the blast is turned on a brilliant shower of sparks bursts from the mouth of the converter, to be followed at once by short, ruddy flames, and a cloud of reddish fumes as the silicon and manganese combine with the oxygen and burn.
The ruddy flames gradually change to a yellowish white tongue of fire as the carbon in the iron burns; and for about ten minutes the sky is lighted up for miles, while the converter emits a deep roar from the boiling mass of metal.
Suddenly the flame drops, and the converter is tilted again before the iron can burn. Ferro-manganese is added to the molten mass to absorb the gases and kill the boiling action. This ferro-alloy furnishes the metal with the desired proportions of carbon, sulphur, manganese, phosphorous and silicon, turning it into steel.
When the alloy has had time to do its work, the converter is tilted still further, and the molten mass is poured into a giant ladle from which it is teemed into ingot molds.
It was this Bessemer process of refining steel cheaply and in large amounts that introduced the Steel Age. In 1890 nearly 90 percent of all steel was produced by this process. Today open hearth furnaces produce 91 percent, with Bessemer a poor second at seven percent.
Bessemer steel, however, has certain definite advantages. Its high sulphur content makes it ideal for machining, for it cuts clean. It can be drawn into stiffer wire, and to finer sizes. It also makes the best welded pipe. Its low standing today is due to the demands for "tailor-made" metal, the manufacture of which can be controlled better in open hearth and electric furnaces.
The coming of the Bessemer process coincided with the fever of railroad building, and greatly accelerated it. Railroads paid $80 a ton for inferior iron rails in 1867, and could secure only 460,000 tons. They paid but $32 a ton for 1,500,000 tons of steel rails in 1884, the peak of railroad building.
With the growing demand for steel, it became necessary to produce raw iron in enormous quantities. Blast furnaces increased in size, until now one can turn out 600 tons of iron a day.
A blast furnace is an enormous steel shell, lined with heat-resisting brick, and often 100 feet high. Alternate layers of iron ore, coke and limestone are fed in at the top, while a blast of superheated air is blown in from the bottom. The coke burns in the hot oxygen, and the whole mass settles, the iron forming a molten pool in the bottom. The limestone also melts, absorbing the coke residue and earthy matter in the ore, and forming a molten slag that floats on the iron. The slag and iron are tapped several times a day, while the charge of raw materials is constantly renewed at the top of the furnace. A furnace will operate continuously, until shut down for repairs, or because there is no longer a demand for its product.
The tapped metal is cast into molds called pigs, unless it is to be used on the spot in the manufacture of steel, in which case it is taken in a ladle to a huge vat called a mixer, where it is kept in a molten state until needed.
The open hearth furnace was originally designed in 1864 to produce steel without infringing on the Bessemer patents. It was 20 years later before this type of furnace was operating on a commercial basis.
An open hearth furnace is a huge oven in which the hearth or floor is exposed to the sweep of the flames which melt the metal. The fuel, which may be gas, oil, tar or powdered coal, is blown in at one side of the furnace, along with heated air, through a checkerwork chamber of brick. The smoke and combustion gases pass off at the other side through a similar checker chamber. Every fifteen minutes or so the flow is reversed, so that the incoming fuel and air pass through a heated chamber. This reversal of flow conserves heat, and makes possible temperatures that could not otherwise be obtained without an enormous consumption of fuel.
The open hearth may be charged with cold or molten pig iron, cold scrap, or any combination of these. Limestone is added as a scavenger. Floating on the molten metal as slag, it absorbs all impurities. Chromium, nickel, vanadium, manganese, or any other alloying elements may be added to the charge at will to produce the type of steel desired.
The charging is done by enormous mechanical arms, which pick up accurately measured containers of cold materials, insert them through automatic doors, and invert them to dump their contents. Molten metal is charged by pouring from a huge ladle into a portable spout.
If a housewife was to make a cake as accurately as steel is made, she would have to measure the ingredients by ten-thousandths of ounces, and single grains of sugar. She makes only a pound or two of cake; a typical open hearth furnace makes a 200-ton batch of steel at one heat. Her oven reaches a maximum of 500 °F. Steel bubbles in an open hearth furnace at 3,000°.
There are now nearly a thousand varieties of alloyed steels, the ingredients of which are controlled within a thousandth of one per cent, yet prior to 1900 there was only carbon steel, with various percentages of carbon.
Henry Ford is credited with forcing the steel companies to produce alloys on a quantity basis.
He wanted to make a light, durable car, one within the reach of every man. Carbon steels were too heavy when strong enough, and lacked the desired fatigue resistance.
Ford shopped among the big companies in 1907, but they refused to produce large quantities of the kind of steel he wanted. Republic Steel, then a young concern, agreed to meet his demands. With the new vanadium steel, Ford produced a car weighing 1,250 pounds, changed the auto from a plaything for the rich to cheap transportation for the masses.
While the open hearth furnace produces most of the alloy steels—and nearly all steels are alloys today—stainless and heat-resisting steels, and other of the highest quality alloys, are made in electric furnaces, the first of which was built in this country in 1906.
The electric furnace is a circular steel shell mounted on rockers, and resembling a huge tea kettle. It is brick lined, with a clay-lined spout for tapping, and doors for charging. Two enormous carbon electrodes project through the roof, and the current, arc-ing through the slag to the metal, produces an accurately controlled heat which may reach as high as 3,800°F. The metal being hotter under the electrodes than near the walls, the mass is kept in constant motion, so is thoroughly mixed and uniformly heated.
The typical electric furnace has a ten-ton capacity, and turns out three or four heats a day.
The Bessemer process takes only 15 or 20 minutes, and a single converter can produce 2,800 tons a day. Open hearth furnaces produce up to 250 tons of steel at a heat, which requires 10 to 13 hours. Unless steel is made into a large casting, such as a heavy machinery part, it is cast into ingot molds. When the metal has had time to solidify the molds are stripped from the hot ingots, which weigh from one to five tons. The ingots are kept at rolling temperature in the soaking pit, where they are soaked in heat at a uniform temperature of 2,200 degrees.
Usually the next operation is to roll the ingot into a bloom. Huge finger-like tongs pick an ingot from the soaking pit and carry it to the blooming mill, where it is kneaded and rolled between power-driven steel rolls, much as pie dough is rolled out by a cook, and for much the same reason—to improve its texture and change its shape.
If the bloom is to be made into rails, it passes through another set of rolls nine times, during which its cross section is reduced and its length increased, while it gradually takes on the familiar "T" shape. It then passes through another set of rolls five times, becoming more rail-shaped with each passage. Still white hot, it finally passes through the finishing rolls, a rail 120 feet long, to be cut into 32 or 39-foot lengths.
Instead of rails, the bloom might become any one of the many structural shapes used in bridges and buildings. It might be rolled into billets for rods of various sizes, or into slabs, if its final form is to be sheets or strips.
Many of the rods are made into wire, by drawing them through a series of dies while cold, each hole being smaller than the rod passing through it. Cast iron and alloy steel rods are used as dies for coarse wire, diamonds for the finer wires. There are 160,000 uses for steel wire, including fencing, paper clips, hair pins, guitar strings, and hairsprings in watches. There are wire springs so small it takes 83,000 to make a pound, and a ton of them is worth $200,000. And there are heavy machinery springs that require a weight of 14,000 pounds to depress them one inch. Without springs we could have no watches, no internal combustion engines, no telephone bells or window shades.
The continuous strip mill, though developed within the past ten years, has revolutionized the production of flat-rolled steel. A white hot slab is fed into one end of the mill, passes through ten sets of rolls in a straight line, and emerges as a steel strip several hundred feet long, and any desired width up to 96 inches. Since each roll reduces the thickness and increases the length of the strip, each succeeding set of rolls must run faster, until the white hot steel is traveling 20 miles an hour when it emerges. Separate electric motors drive each set of rolls, and their timing must be precise to the thousandth of a second to take up the slack, and prevent the white hot strip from kinking and running wild.
If hot rolled sheets are being made, the strip is run onto a table and cut to the desired lengths. If the steel is to be cold rolled, it is coiled into enormous rolls.
The principal products of continuous mills are sheets for stamping and drawing auto body parts, and tinplate.
The cheapness and splendid appearance of the modern motor car is possible only because of recent developments in producing cold rolled steel sheets.
In 1910 an auto body had to be bent by hand around a wooden frame, then riveted, brazed or welded into place. And it took twenty coats of paint, priming, and varnish to cover up the rough surface of the steel.
Today body parts are stamped out cold in huge presses, the steel now being ductile enough to stand the stresses of such stamping. Cold rolling has given a surface that requires no priming or touching up, and can be covered with two coats of enamel. It is almost entirely a matter of the quality of steel that makes the cheapest car today a far better product than the most expensive car of 20 years ago.
So important has steel become in modern civilization that there are now 18,000 pounds in use for every person in the country—seven times as much as in 1900.
The house you live in may have a steel frame or was cut and put together with steel tools. You sleep in a bed with steel springs, and a steel alarm clock wakens you. You don clothes made on steel looms and eat breakfast cooked in steel utensils on a steel stove.
You ride to work in a steel auto, or on a steel trolley or subway train running on steel tracks. You work in a steel-supported building. You use steel tools, or your stenographer types your letters on a steel typewriter. You sign them with a fountain pen molded in steel.
The food on your dinner table has been cultivated with steel implements, milled with steel machinery, baked in steel ovens, preserved in steel cans or refrigerators. It was brought to you in steel cars over steel rails, in steel ships, or in steel trucks over steel-reinforced roads.
The magazine or book you read was printed on a steel press. The paper itself is made from wood, cut with steel tools, processed in steel machines.
There is scarcely a phase of your life today that is not touched, improved or made possible by steel. It is perhaps the most significant factor in twentieth century civilization. Steel is the backbone of the modern world.


text:
Musical holidays in the Basque Country
Kursaal Centre in San Sebastián
Each summer sees the Vitoria Jazz Festival and the San Sebastián Music Fortnight - two vital cultural events in Spain. These are amongst Europe's most important international music festivals for their high-quality programme and the prestige of the artists taking part.
Exclusive performances, world-renowned artists and unique settings. This summer, set aside a few days to visit the north of Spain and enjoy good music in the Basque Country.The Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival and the San Sebastián Music Fortnight have different styles, but the objective is the same: to offer the audience unforgettable sensations. Something you will not want to miss.
Great figures and improvisation
The city of Vitoria-Gasteiz will, once again, witness live performances by major stars of jazz music and up and coming young artists in the genre. Nevertheless, at the Vitoria Jazz Festival music is not limited to the concerts. You can also experience it on the street, with the good-time jazz of New Orleans bands that parade through the city, or by night, at improvised jam sessions at clubs. Every night, in the early hours, these clubs offer you the chance to hear musicians who do not usually play together, making the most of the occasion to do so for sheer pleasure. Important figures like George Benson and Marcus Miller have taken part in these sessions, so it is no surprise that international critics say that the world's best after hours jazz in July can be found in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
From opera to symphony concerts
Despite its name, the San Sebastián Music Fortnight lasts a whole month. This event is held in the city of Donostia-San Sebastián and it is one of Europe's most long-running. It includes opera, classical ballet, medieval music and symphony concerts, amongst others.
At this edition you can also enjoy the repertoire of major international orchestras. Another of the festival's attractions are the varied venues where concerts are held. The main festival venue is the modern Kursaal Auditorium, but there are also concerts held at old churches and historic monuments. Buildings like the Santa María Basilica and Miramar Palace are venues that usually help to create a magical atmosphere with their stunning architecture.
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Jack Reacher
I hesitate to begin the review of Tom Cruise's new film "Jack Reacher" with a warning. The problem is that I really liked this film, but there is an aspect about it that should be acknowledged. You see, I really didn't have much interest in Cruise's latest based on the popular books by Lee Child. It seemed as though it would just be another vehicle for the actor to show us what a cool tough-guy he is and I simply expected a lot of fancy hand-to-hand combat and not much else.
Thankfully I was wrong. "Jack Reacher" is written and filmed with cool panache. Cruise himself isn't in that annoying mode where he's all humorless swagger. Here he is kind of funny (in an unruffled swaggery kind of way) and he creates an intriguing character. The problem for audiences will simply and unfortunately be a timing thing.
We, as a nation, are still reeling and sensitive to the issues of unnecessary violence and the issues surrounding guns because of the horrific events of last week. When a movie opens with a sniper killing five innocent random people walking through a park - one of whom is a 6 year old girl - well, it hits a little too close to home. There is also a scene where a lawyer goes to talk to a grieving father of one of the victims; and as the investigation into the reasons for the shooting gets more complicated, the incident is shown from a few different angles. Thankfully, the killing of the young girl and her caretaker is not directly shown, but the implication is still there.
So whether you want to put yourself through that is up to you. Personally, I would have delayed the release of the movie until the Spring. Because the rub here is that it's a really well-made film. It reminded me of Michael Mann's "Collateral Damage" and even a little bit of the Ryan Gosling film "Drive."
Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher, an ex-military who lives his life completely off the grid. The reasons for this aren't exactly spelled out, but we do know that he is a man who always does the right thing, has a preternatural ability to figure out complex problems, and knows how to take down a gang of five with just his bare hands. So when the murder of the five people is reported on the news, he takes notice.
And when the suspect in custody writes "Get Jack Reacher" on a piece of paper, things get curious. Before District Attorney Rodin (Richard Jenkins) and Detective Emerson (David Oyelowo) can even start to look for this phantom named Reacher, Reacher actually shows up asking what he can do.
Eventually, Jack teams up with the lawyer assigned to the suspect: a woman named Helen (played by Rosamunde Pike), who also happens to be the District Attorney's estranged daughter. The pair try to figure out what exactly happened the day of the shooting and why some of the details don't make sense, including why the suspect actually put a quarter in the parking meter before taking his shot. The plot gets thicker with number of characters that come in and out of the film, such as a young vixen named Sandy (subtly funny Alexia Fast) and a group of thugs that try to take Jack out in the bathroom of a house, but fail miserably (and hilariously). There's even a guest appearance by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog who is effectively creepy as a mysterious man called The Zec.
All of this makes for a surprisingly engaging mystery/thriller skillfully directed by screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie who also adapted the screenplay from Child's book "One Shot." Only his second film (his first was the little-seen indie "The Way of the Gun" in 2000), McQuarrie proves he has as much skill behind the camera as he does on the written page. (He won an Oscar for his script for "The Usual Suspects," and also wrote Cruise's "Valkyrie," as well as the upcoming Hugh Jackman thriller "The Wolverine.") He makes interesting choices such as forgoing music in a key car chase, which is also masterfully executed, and allows cinematographer Caleb Deschanel to film the action with a cool and slick look.
Opening scene aside, "Jack Reacher" is worth a look. It has wit. It's engaging. It's funny. And it's probably Tom Cruise's most appealing character in a while. (While "Mission Impossible 4" was terrific, he was fairly humorless making his character a bit of a drag.) Here he is engaging and smart and doesn't overdo the usual Cruise theatrics. The film makes a case for Jack Reacher getting a franchise of his own. At the very least, this first film allows McQuarrie to show off an engaging style.
Jack Reacher
InfoRuntime :: 130 mins
Release Date :: Dec 21, 2012
Language :: English
Country :: United States


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» Balance is a word that everybody understands, but not everyone succeeds at applying the concept in life or business. This is not the case with Alexis Nasard, the new CEO of Bata, who has made it his mission to steer the renowned footwear company along a steady and sustainable course.
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