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Simple Time-Telling: Time Balls
Yesterday we talked about Weather Balls; today let's follow the Wikipedia "See Also" link and dig into the exciting world of Time Balls!
The best known time ball these days is the one that drops in New York City's Times Square to indicate the passage of another year. We're all familiar with how that ball works: when it hits the bottom, the clock has hit midnight, marking the division between old and new year. But past time balls dropped far more often: designed to help boats at sea calculate their longitude (which required accurate timekeeping), the balls typically dropped every day at 1pm (though in some places around the world, the time differed).
In a reversal of the modern New York City ball, early time balls started counting the time (say, 1pm) when they started dropping, not when they finished. To get sailors ready, the ball would only be raised a few minutes before the day's drop.
The earliest such ball was installed in 1829 in southern England, and others followed along the coastal UK shortly thereafter -- including the one shown at left, at the Greenwich Observatory. The balls initially got their time right by astronomical observations of the sun; the reason for the traditional 1pm drop was that astronomers were busy measuring the sun's position at noon and needed some time before dropping the ball. Later balls used telegraph signals to get Greenwich Mean Time, thus obviating the need for local sun observation. Time balls finally fell out of common use in the 1920s when radio began broadcasting time signals, though many time balls still remain in the UK and Australia.
For more awesome Time Ball info, check out the Deal Timeball Tower Museum located in Deal, Kent.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Spyware fears prompt changing net habits
Up to a point, Lord Copper
The threat of spyware and other unwanted software programs is changing the way people use the internet, according to a survey of US net users from the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
Nine out of ten internet users quizzed said they'd "adjusted their online behavior" out of fear of falling victim to malware attacks. Pew notes that user fears are often grounded in personal experience. A quarter (25 per cent) of net users have spotted new programs or desktop icons on their PCs that they hadn't installed. One in five internet users (18 per cent) have had their homepage inexplicably changed. Both are common signs of malware infection.
Two in three (68 per cent) of those polled have experienced PC problems over the last year consistent with either spyware or viral infection, although 60 per cent of those who had problems weren't sure of the cause of their difficulties.
The survey found:
- 81 per cent of net users say they have stopped opening unsolicited email attachments
- Half those quizzed (48 per cent) say they have stopped visiting potentially dodgy web sites out of spyware concerns
- A quarter (25 per cent) of those questioned said they have stopped downloading music or video files from peer-to-peer networks in order to avoid getting unwanted software programs on their computers.
- A minority of surfers (18 per cent) say they have changed the web browser software they use in order to avoid malware attack
"Familiarity breeds contempt when it comes to spyware. The more internet users know about these programs, the more they want to sound the alarm and take steps to protect themselves," said Pew's associate director Susannah Fox, the author of its spyware report. "These survey results show that as internet users gain experience with spyware and adware, they are more likely to say they are changing their behavior. But what is more alarming is the larger universe of people who have struggled with mysterious computer problems, but have no idea why."
According to Pew's study net users are changing their surfing habits but it's perhaps premature to think that they're following security advice from vendors. Only one in three Windows XP in the US have applied Microsoft's heavily promoted Service Pack 2 update, which promises improved defences against hacking and computer virus attack. "We know that the percentage of people using Windows XP SP 2 is lower than we would like it to be. One in three machines that run Windows XP is running SP 2. Customers are still reluctant to upgrade," Mario Juarez, a security product manager at Microsoft, told Silicon. ®
Related stories
Three quarters of corporate PCs shun SP2
Microsoft unveils details of software security process
Security meltdown: who's to blame?
Malware authors up the ante
Spyware blizzard shows no sign of let up

subset: commoncrawl


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Since late 2006 we here at Mercyhurst have been using wikis to manage intelligence projects and produce intelligence products. To date, we have done well over 100 wiki-based projects for real world customers in the national security, law enforcement, business and NGO sectors.
Note I am not talking about using wikis to produce wikipedia/intellipedia-like descriptive articles. I am using wikis in groups as small as 4-5 and as large as 50 to produce an intelligence estimate similar in scope and format to a National Intelligence Estimate. You can see an early example of our work here and some later examples here and here.
Not only have we worked for many different clients, we have used a variety of different wiki platforms such as MediaWiki (the platform that supports both Wikipedia and Intellipedia), Wikispaces and Google Sites.
As a result, we have learned a few things about both wikis and collaboration.
One of my goals during my sabbatical (I am on sabbatical now) is to finalize a "How-to" book on managing intelligence projects with wikis I co-authored a few years (!) ago with one of the best teams of students I have ever had the pleasure of working with.
Given my track record of getting stuff done (sigh...), I decided to post some of the more interesting findings in advance of getting the book completed.
Finally, just to make my own position clear: I am overwhelmingly in favor of using wiki software to manage and produce intelligence products. However, as the title to this post indicates, there is going to be both good and bad here. Both our experience and our more formal studies indicate pretty clearly that the "good" is significant. That said, it would be wrong to claim that using wikis to produce intelligence is a perfect solution and that there is no corresponding "bad" that needs to be identified, managed and minimized.
Without further ado, then, here is a slightly abridged list of the good, the bad and the reality (I will let you figure out which is which...) of using wikis to manage and produce intelligence products:
1. Wikis don't make me faster, they make us faster...
One of the most frustrating things for many novice users is that a wiki can actually be slower for the individual, in many cases, than doing comparable work more traditionally. Even when comfortable with the wiki software and the new workflow it often requires, many wiki users believe -- and quite rightly -- that they could go faster if they were just allowed to do it "my way".
The significant increases in productivity do not come in most wiki work by making the individual faster. Instead, the key to a wiki's success lies in eliminating many of the transaction costs of doing collaborative work.
Wikis make an intelligence team faster by streamlining communication, storing data in one easily accessible location, and allowing a team to work together in a near real-time environment. The seconds required to open, edit, save and send a file, are all removed from this process, adding up over the course of the project and saving the team valuable time and ending confusion. Team members can operate on multiple tasks simultaneously and once a task is done -- once a paragraph is written or a file uploaded -- it can be easily referenced and copied by others; it never has to be done again.
2. You can't break a wiki...
... or, at least, most wiki software makes it really hard to do so. Unlike an installed computer program, where you can corrupt a file or create the need to enact a complicated series of actions to fix a mistake, a wiki has built-in safeguards to protect against loss of information.
For example, a blank page can serve as a "sandbox" where those new to the technology can practice uploading pictures or try their hand at formatting text.
Poor edits or erased information are also easily undone or recreated by the "revert" function common to most wiki platforms. Wikis typically save a history of changes made to it, so when a first time user attempts to correct a spelling error and finds that they erased an entire paragraph, all is not lost. Reverts allow users to restore the wiki to its last saved version.
Most importantly, however, wikis encourage "play". This means that users, once they overcome the technological learning curve, are empowered to try new things. This type of empowerment is what leads to new and innovative uses of the technology that can enhance the intelligence process.
3. Wikis reflect the reality of the intelligence process
As I have been discussing in my "Let's Kill The Intelligence Cycle" posts, the modern intelligence process requires analysts to perform many tasks in parallel rather than completing individual tasks in sequence. Wikis accommodate this more accurate depiction of the intelligence process.
One action performed in a wiki simultaneously accomplishes several other goals. The decision to create and the act of creating a page, for example, is also a decision and act of modeling, collecting, analysis and shaping the final product. Wikis complement the real intelligence process almost perfectly.
4. Wikis remove the "box"
The new realities of intelligence require that analysts think "outside the box" with regards to threats and opportunities. This means breaking out of mental traps such as "mindset" and "groupthink", and to challenge one's biases.
Wikis help in that they provide a number of ways for many different contributors to participate. From the full time team member to the casual reviewer, there are many simple ways for new information, differing opinions and alternative analysis to work their way into the wiki format.
Wiki discussion pages, for example, encourage analysts to question both method and process. The instant updates to information can inspire an analyst to reconsider a thought or follow a new lead without confrontations or lengthy meetings.
Many wikis feature wikimail or wikichat features so that contributors can have both private discussions and real-time interaction. Most wiki platforms also have notification services that allow users to watch key pages or even the entire wiki for substantive changes. Likewise, many modern wki platforms have a number of "membership" options allowing some people to contribute but not administer the wiki, some people to administer and contribute to the project and others to merely access the final product.
All these options (and others) serve to enlarge and deepen the intellectual space in which the intelligence unit can work, without giving up control of the core aspects of the process or product.
5. Wikis make managers more efficient
Wikis give managers an unprecedented window into the intelligence process. They can track progress, deal with problems, and assess results from the receipt of the requirement to the delivery of the final product. This allows managers to provide more timely feedback or even redirect the project as needed.
A manager can be involved as little or as much as required without having to call a physical meeting, pick up a phone or write an email. Discussion pages, chat functions, and access to direct editing of the wiki allow managers to help analysts refine and shape the product as it progresses and maintain contact with the analytic team without taking up time better spent elsewhere.
At the end of the project, the wiki serves as an incredibly complete audit trail for evaluating the results of the analysis and for implementing changes with regard to future projects.
6. Wikis answer the intelligence requirement better
An intelligence product on a wiki that is well-structured, well-designed, optimizes hyper-linking and takes maximum advantage of relevant multimedia achieves a level of transparency and depth that traditional intelligence products simply can not provide.
A decisionmaker can immediately click a link to discern where information came from, check the history of a page, or read over discussion pages to see how a train of thought evolved throughout the project.
A wiki provides more readily available information than the standard printed final product. Moreover, the wiki can even be formatted to produce a printed product to accommodate the preferences of the decisionmaker.
7. Wikis have a learning curve
With wikis, there is not only a technological learning curve but a social dynamic learning curve as well. The collaborative environment that wikis create can be an unsettling experience for some people.
Analysts used to a certain working environment or working alone at a desk with the occasional meeting must now learn to work with other analysts in an online environment in which every sentence that is posted is immediately available for all to see and comment upon. A shift in thinking and work habits is required to absorb, what is for some, a radical change in how they perform their duties.
As far as the technological curve, since most wikis work similarly to a word processing application, many may adapt to the technology with relative ease. Still, it is one more application for intelligence professionals to learn.
Likewise, the internet or intranet nature of wikis makes it virtually certain that they are not as sophisticated as standalone word processing or presentation software packages. The frustration that accompanies the sense that "I can't do what I want to with this damn thing" is real and often underlies the dissatisfaction intelligence professionals sometimes have when using wikis.
The solution for both issues is immersion and most successful wiki-based intelligence projects insist that users put everything on the wiki from the very start of the project. Wikis need a critical mass of information on them in order for their utility to become obvious to a team new to working with a wiki.
Casual or hybrid approaches to using the wiki may work but often do so in spite of the team's use of a wiki rather than because of it. The wiki learning curve is steepest at the beginning of the project and the sooner and more aggressively the team begins to climb it, the better. Managers that insist their teams climb this curve are likely to be unpopular at first but the benefits of the hard line approach will typically become evident to all well before the mid-point of the project.
8. Not all wikis are created equal
All wikis allow a user to easily create and edit a page. However, some software packages are easier on the user than others and this adds to the difficulties inherent in the learning curve.
More importantly, a truly great final product on a wiki doesn't just happen. Words are not magically fed into an online machine that automatically creates a relevant and substantial report.
A good and creative analytical team can craft a visually appealing, cohesive and insightful final intelligence product using a wiki -- but it takes work. Even good software can't fix poor analysis, sloppy editing and unappealing formatting.
9. More interaction ≠ peaceful collaboration
Enhanced interaction amongst analysts does not always mean that emotions and good manners will be kept in check. Written communication is easily misconstrued and, unfortunately, some people will find it easier to write scathing criticisms than speak it aloud.
Some wikis have developed their own sense of culture and social norms. Wikipedia, for example, maintains a strict code of civility which contributors and editors are expected to follow. Just because some wikis have such rules and social norms does not mean that your wiki will have such rules or social norms, though.
Nor might they emerge from the routine interactions of the participants in the wiki. Establishing rules of the online workspace and good management can overcome poor social dynamics that threaten the success of the wiki.
10. Wikis permit micro-managing
The transparency and usability of wikis allow managers to follow a project from start to finish. This can make managing one or more teams infinitely more efficient, but some managers take it as an opportunity to micro-manage.
Managers who comment on every post and every analytical statement, or continuously edit work are considered disruptive editors. This kind of behavior hinders analysts' progress and discourages them from using the wiki.
It can be difficult to know how much managerial involvement is too much, but an invasive manager or a "do-it-all" can prevent analytic wikis from evolving past a place to store information or the personal insights of the manager.
11. Wikis lack a substantive look and feel
Instead of dropping a thick report on a decisionmaker's desk (accompanied, of course by an "Executive Summary", a final product based on a wiki is merely a link to what looks like a single web page. The decisionmaker is deprived of the tactile feeling of depth of thought that a printed report can inspire.
In the book, we discuss more fully some of the details regarding the preparation of a wiki for delivery as a final product to a decisionmaker. No matter how it is structured, however, it is very difficult to convey the depth of a wiki-based product. While this effect may become less acute with the passing of the generations, for many readers it will continue to look like a single page.
12. There are times when you shouldn't use a wikiThere's lots more, of course, and I hope to be able to get to it in the next few months.
- Reconsider using a wiki when the technology will not be available to all members of the analytical team. Two or more people who do not have consistent access to the wiki on a small team during the course of the project can hinder work flow and positive group dynamics.
- Reconsider using a wiki if anyone on the team is in a position such that they can refuse to adopt the technology. While wikis are easy to learn and employ, some people may not be sold on their benefits and people operating outside of the group workspace will make it much harder to create a successful wiki-based intelligence product.
- In the case of simply needing to create a database or other highly specialized product, consider that the project may be better served with specialized software.
(Many thanks, again Kathleen, Kevin, Stephanie, Joe Ellen, Ethan, Emily and Emily! I promise -- I am working on it!)


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UNHCR deplores killing of staff member in eastern Congo
UNHCR deplores killing of staff member in eastern Congo
GENEVA, May 21 (UNHCR) - UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on Monday deplored the killing of a UNHCR staff member in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rocky Makabuza died on Saturday in the North Kivu provincial capital after sustaining gunshot wounds to his stomach in an attack at his home by unknown assailants on Friday night.
Rocky, who was aged 38, was a field safety assistant for UNHCR at its office in Rutshuru, north of Goma. He was taken to hospital after the shooting, but died of his wounds. Neither the identity of his assailants nor the motives for the attack have been established.
"I deplore the shooting of a colleague and offer my sincere condolences to his family. We do not know who is responsible for Rocky's death or why they attacked him. I hope that the authorities will do their best to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice," said Guterres.
Rocky had been working for UNHCR since 2009. He is survived by his wife and three children.
His death comes at a volatile time in North Kivu, where fighting in recent weeks between government forces and renegade troops has forced large numbers of people to flee their homes, with thousands seeking shelter in neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda.


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"I am fed up hearing developers complain of Technical Debt as if it has nothing to do with them. Who writes this stuff?"
"Devs say 'look technical debt' like 'look its snowing'. As if it has nothing to do with them"
It was that second one that got a hail of re-tweets.
So I thought I should add a few words of explanation here.
First it is important to say that the these tweets were not aimed at, or about, anyone in particular. I've visited a bunch of companies and delivered a lot of training in the last few months and the topic of technical debt comes up a lot. If I had anyone in mind about these comments in particular it was a developer I worked with four or five years ago but his sentiments are common.
Second, I'm not sounding off about developers. I love developers, I used to be one. I've had the same feelings myself at times, speak to people who managed me way back when and I probably moaned about the same things. (Over 10 years ago I wrote High Church C++ where I agonised about the right way to write code.)
What I am taking aim at is an attitude which says: "There is this thing called Technical Debt, we have it, it makes our lives hard, we want it to go away, but we have nothing to do with creating the problem and we need a special solution."
It sometimes seems to me that having labeled the phenomenon developers are too keen to use the label. Steve Freeman and Chris Matts have tried to recast the debate in terms of real options "Bad code isn't Technical Debt, it's an unhedged Call Option". Intellectually I agree with them but I find that the explanation required to explain an "Unhedged Call Option" is greater than the explanation to explain the original problem so I'm not sure what the metaphor adds to the debate.
The other problem with switching to an "unhedged call option" metaphor is that it perpetuates the Quick and Dirty Myth - the idea that doing a bodge-job now will pay back in shorter delivery time. In reality the reverse is just the case, I gave some statistics on this in my blogs last year about Capers Jones book Applied Software Measurement.
Common reasons given for the existence of technical debt are:
- It was the developers who where here before us
- We don't have the time to fix it
- The managers made us do it, or The business demands this
- Its the Architects
Anyway, none of these reasons really stand up to analysis, except perhaps the last one.
Regardless of what the developers who were here before did the current developers should be addressing the issues. It is the current developers who need to live in this code, if they don't like it they should do something about it.
Sure there may not be time to stop the world and fix everything but you don't need to. You just need to fix a little bit every time. As Uncle Bob Martin says in Clean Code, follow the Boy Scouts Rule "Leave the code slightly better than you found it." Then let the Power Law work its magic.
Secondly, there is more time if you do it right. Building quality, bug free, systems is faster than the alternative. Forget the Quick and Dirty Myth, its Slow and Dirty or Quick and Right.
(Sometimes I meet developers who want to "stop the world" and re-write the system. I've also on occasion met managers who have bought into this argument and stopped the world. This is a seriously bad idea, its why Netscape no longer exists: developers were allowed to re-write Navigator, as they were doing so Microsoft attacked.
I keep meaning to blog about "version 2" now I must, just watch this space.
Twice I've come across Managers who told the team they could re-write. In the first case the managers were lying. The developers, well one specifically, held a gun to their head and said "I'm resigning on 14 February if you don't let me rewrite". In that situation you should let them resign, these managers were scared of the developer. As far as I can tell things didn't work out, the developer left the company not long after and the company was sold.
In the second case the Managers were either stupid or desperate. In either case within days of starting the "Technical Improvement Programme" (TIP) they found it wasn't that easy and things started to revert to usual.)
Getting back on topic...
Unless Project Managers and Business Analysts sneak into the building at night and change code when developers aren't looking then managers do not write code. Nor does the nebulous unit called "the business". It is developers hands on the keyboard, "I was only following orders" is not an acceptable defence.
There is a professionalism issue here. Software Engineers need to take their work seriously and create code they are proud of. This is not to say they should start gold plating things but being an professional engineer means you don't do shoddy work.
Architects may be the only defence I might accept: however this defence is only applicable when the organisation and architects are committing an even bigger sin, namely Architects who Don't code, or Architects who don't understand the system - usually these two go hand in hand.
If the architect(s) code then they are part of the development team, they see the same problem, they have the same complaints. Now it is just possible that the architect does code and they aren't very good. Or rather, the Architects understanding is different to that of the developers, which might point to issues of recruitment, the architects style or bad team dynamics.
The reason I might accept this reason is that it points to an even bigger problem for the organisation and it does imply engineers are pull in opposite directions.
Interestingly Ron Jeffries replied on Twitter, and said "Ward [Cunningham] originally defined tech debt as reflecting later learning, not available at the time of construction."
I think its time we returned to this definition. Its not about other developer, the business, architects or others creating technical debt for poor developers. Its about developers improving their own understanding. Its about the need for refactoring. And it most definitely is the developers own responsibility and professionalism.


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Mustafa Fadhil Hammadi
Mustafa Fadhil Hammadi, Ph.D. is a lecturer at the University of Mosul's College of Administration and Economics in the Department of Economics. His research focuses on public finance from which he has published ten research papers in the field of public finance, with focus on government spending and project evaluation.
Contact: Department of Economics, College of Management and Economics, University of Mosul, Al Majmoaa Street, Mosul 41002, Iraq.


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Picture this: You are paddling down a gently flowing river, a cool breeze, and birds chirping in the background. You look at the river banks on either side of you, and there's snow. You're traveling down a river in Alaska.
For most of us, this is a dream come true, especially in the heat that we have been having. But for some, this was reality.
Former Assistant of Outdoor Adventure for Texas A&M University-Commerce, Todd Grier, led the way for nine other travelers who, after a long travel from Dallas to Minneapolis, and then across Canada to Alaska were exhausted.
After being in the air for 7 hours, traveler Nick Albritton said that she felt horrible, and that she was ready for the hotel bed.
Luckily for Nick, that's exactly what they got. After a long travel day the day before, a planned "sleep in" day took place, with nothing but a little shopping, organizing and eating going on.
But the resting didn't last long. The next morning they got up, and headed to Blackstone Bay, where they paddled down the bay toBeloit Glacier. While there, they stopped and waited to see if ice would fall from the nearly 100 foot wall of ice that stood in front of them.
After a few days of Paddling near Beloit Glaciers, the group paddles to Decision Point, stopping on the way, to see the endangered species, and our national bird, the Bald Eagle. They saw multiple bald eagles on the trip, some of which were in their campsite. Todd says, " …it was almost as if [the eagles] were interested in what we were eating."
But paddling Blackstone Bay wasn't the only adventure that the group was able to experience. The last half of the trip was all about hiking. After paddling to Whittier, and beating a rain storm by minutes, they got rid of their kayaks, and transitioned their gear in order to get ready for the hikes that lay ahead.
Todd talked to the group before their hike began about leave no trace, meaning: make sure that the next group to come through won't even know you were there, by picking up trash, taking personal belongings, and leaving the site exactly how you found it. This talk marked the beginning of a 9 and a half mile journey through Resurrection Trail to where they would be staying at their Juneau LakeCabin.
They got to the cabin around 9:30 that night. After a well prepared meal, they got shut eye for the night, which was a well needed rest considering the treacherous trail they would have to endure the next day.
The trail was a thousand foot incline with 3-4 feet of snow that was rarely traveled, so for the last half mile of the hike, the snow was loosely packed, and occasionally broke through, slowing the group down significantly.
Thankfully they did make to the cabin where they got ready for the next day's hike. It was the last hike of the trip that lasted all day long. And ended by meeting their local contact, Nathan, who, without him the trip would have been impossible.
To find out more about Outdoor adventure and the trips that they take, you can call the Adventure center at 903-886-5849 or visit their website.


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Too risky to phone ET? Too late -- NASA's tried it
(AP) -- Stephen Hawking says it is too risky to try to talk to space aliens. Oops. Too late. NASA and others have already beamed several messages into deep space, trying to phone E.T.
The U.S. space agency, which two years ago broadcast the Beatles song "Across the Universe" into the cosmos, on Wednesday discussed its latest search strategy for life beyond Earth.
"The search for life is really central to what we should be doing next in the exploration of the solar system," said Cornell University planetary scientist Steve Squyres, chairman of a special National Academy of Sciences panel advising NASA on future missions.
The academy panel is looking at 28 possible missions - from Mars to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. And NASA is focused mostly on looking for simple life like bacteria in our solar system rather than fretting about potential alien overlords coming here.
Just days ago, Hawking said on his new TV show that a visit by extraterrestrials to Earth would be like Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas, "which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."
The famous British physicist speculated that while most extraterrestrial life will be similar to microbes, advanced life forms would likely be "nomads, looking to conquer and colonize."
The comment reinvigorated a three-year debate roiling behind the scenes in the small community of astronomers who look for extraterrestrial life, said Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, which looks for aliens. Should astronomers ban purposeful messages into the universe for fear of attracting dangerous aliens?
Shostak maintains it doesn't really matter, saying that approach is unnecessarily fearful.
While some people think broadcasting into the universe is "like shouting in a jungle, not necessarily a good idea," Shostak asked, "Are we to forever hide under a rock? That to me seems like no way to live."
There's a big difference of opinion in astronomy about the issue, said Mary Voytek, a senior astrobiology scientist at NASA headquarters.
"We're prepared to make discoveries of any type of life, of any form," Voytek said in a NASA teleconference. But much of the search for intelligent life is privately funded, by groups like SETI, she said.
About 20 years ago, NASA held a conference on this issue. Back then, most of the experts were worried about attracting the wrong type of aliens, said Christopher Kraft, the former NASA Johnson Space Center director who created Mission Control.
But Kraft, a NASA legend who received a lifetime achievement award Wednesday from the Smithsonian Institution, said he would welcome aliens. "I might just learn something," he said.
The SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., takes a passive approach, listening for any signals from aliens.
But for more than a quarter of a century, various groups have been purposely sending out signals to other worlds. The most famous was a three-minute broadcast from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in 1974, Shostak said.
The Canadians made a series of broadcasts using a Ukrainian antenna in the 1990s. The now-defunct Team Encounter of Houston and a prominent Russian astronomer make public and distinct "cosmic calls" out to the universe, including one just from teenagers.
NASA beamed "Across the Universe" to the star Polaris in 2008 to promote the space agency's 50th anniversary, the 45th anniversary of the Deep Space Network and the 40th anniversary of the Beatles song. And the same year, as part of the publicity for the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," the movie was broadcast to the stars, Shostak said.
Four NASA deep space probes - Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 - carry plaques and recordings that say hello from Earth and give directions on how to get here. Those probes launched in the 1970s are at the edges of the solar system.
And that's on top of the broadcasts Earth inadvertently sends into the cosmos as part of daily life: radio and TV signals, airport and other radar communications.
"That horse left the barn a long time ago," Squyres said, speaking from an astrobiology conference in Houston. "Whether you do it intentionally or not, the signals are out there."
MIT planetary scientist Sara Seager doesn't think much of the broadcasts to space because so far they are pointed at random, not toward potential Earth-like planets.
"We wouldn't even know where to send our message, it's so vast out there," Seager said. That will change in a few years when new telescopes will be able to find terrestrial planets that could support life.
Even then, Seager said any aliens coming to Earth likely would be so advanced they wouldn't need to hear our message to find us. It wouldn't be like Columbus stumbling upon on the New World, she said.
"If they have the capability to come here, they're probably to us as we are to ants on Manhattan," said former NASA sciences chief Alan Stern.
The closest any aliens could be is a few tens of light years away. With one light year equaling about 5.9 trillion miles, that means it would take them generations to get here traveling at the speed of light, Shostak said. And even that would be unlikely, he added.
Frank Drake, who did the first modern experiment looking for extraterrestrial intelligence, estimated there are about 10,000 intelligent civilizations in the universe, while the late Carl Sagan figured it was closer to a million, Shostak said.
Given how big the universe is, our nearest intelligent neighbor is more likely about 5,900 trillion miles away, he said.
"God has nicely buffered us," he said.
More information: SETI: http://www.seti.org
Astrobiology 2010 Science Conference: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2010/
©2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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"Philosophy Contemp'rary"
Or, "The Catalogue of Shits"
for Roland Theodore Smith III—
by Gavin McGown, CC'13
I'm the luckiest lad on the planet, you know,
Since I'm leaving the bar with a new boy in tow.
He's a philosophy major! I managed to peek—
And some parts are the length of the First Critique.
And I think—as this twink starts to take me about—
Aristotle and I have to fight this fight out
For he says there's one ultimate goal that you find
But tonight there are two ends that I have in mind.
[But, you see, there's a problem: I aspire t'write poetry
And not to divine a concept's circuitry.
But surely by now has not philosophy
Given up its polemics 'gainst poets? We'll see.]
When we get to my place and walk in the Adoorno
We talk: a pure mix of New Yorker and porno.
"But sovereignty—deconstruction—Obama"—
Yeah, just like that, baby. Talk dirty to Mama.
But really quite fast something starts to go wrong
And the Muse begins singing quite different a song
It was fine in the bar—and when we were walking—
But I want to fuck, and this boy won't stop talking.
A gross fear of mine—on the damnedest occasion,
Have I seduced one of a postmodern persuasion?
Does he think that 'desire's a function of Law?'
But, surely, e'en then, sex just isn't bourgeois.
But he keeps muttering to me about Sartre and Lacan
While I'm trying to head for the enjambment
Yes, his speech is so fine, but his lips are so chewy—
And it's just on my John I'd like him to get Dewey.
And then—worst of all—he manages to thwart
My analytics of a posterior sort:
"It's not about you—your ass drives me mental;
It's just that my interests tend more cunt-inental.
"If I did it for you, then I'd do it for all!"
I bit on the pillow and choked on my gall.
You'd have thought that the gin would have managed to kill
Inhibitions—but, nude, he's a Kantian still!
"Bullshit!" I swear. While I hope I'm not nosy,
The delay's just philosophers' bias 'gainst poesy.
And like Platonists when, contra poets, they battle,
The twink won't give in, so now I start to prattle:
"I can see that of bawdy relations you're skeptical
Preferring to chat in ways pure dialectical.
And I do eschew the Symbolic; poetical
Works are my job. Now, let's get exegetical.
"I promise you now I'm no bullish Aiacides
Nor Athens' demise, that slut Alcibiades.
Plato says, twixt our fields, there must be a dyad; he's
Wrong; if you like, we can make a hendiadys!
"And if you're inventive and feel like chiasmus
As did, I am told, both Baudelaire and Erasmus
Let me use my skills, find some friends who will lay
Beside us, A-B-B-C-D-C-B-B-A!
"Metonymically speaking, I beg you allow me
To of you ask your hand (no, wait, shit, that's synecdoche)—
Your bed then—or, come now, you big Morgenbesser,
If the bed's too passé, there's always the dresser!
"But do you deliberate still on the praxis?
Oh, babe, let me show you a fine ataraxis
And lay us both down in our joy's parataxis
With one on his knees and then one on his backses!
"I'll be servant, your queen, and your beast—metaphorically—
If you'll only start binding me up—categorically!
Let's change places: I'll be Logico-Philosophicus
While you get philological down my esophagus—
"Or where'er. This proof of compatibilism
Is that, betwixt us, true, there need be no schism
While I scream aloud hordes of neologisms
And call out the flood of your sweet syllogisms
"Right to their conclusion—oh, what blissful poiesis
When you've made me your goal of considered prohairesis
And acted to me on the good of my guise
(Babe, ain't nothing look bad when it's between those thighs).
"And when we've gone at it, and you've got your rooster on
Turn around, and then we'll be proteron hysteron!
But for my submission I insist that you bend
Just a bit, and, like Solon, I'll 'look to the end.'
"So help me end the war: you, my erastês,
Eromenos, me, for the rest of our days,
Unite Philo and Poesy who've been locked in a fray
For so many millenia—so, what do you say?"
The circumlocuter stared at me dumbfounded
As if he were a mortar I'd just pestle-pounded;
Then went back to the door and turned the (John) Locke
And turned back to me, and got out his—
And how'd it turn out?
Well, I wake up in the morning feeling like Socratidion
Here actually should have listened to his … epipsychidion;
Next time I'll find a good philosopher to waste my pity on;
Bright side: unlike Symposium, least I was no small kiddy-on.


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Engineers building spacecraft are used to a bit of pressure, but the team assembling and testing Orion at locations across the United States and abroad are preparing for the kind of pressure they like.
In the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where Orion's crew module is being assembled, a team from NASA and Lockheed Martin is getting ready for Orion's proof pressure testing, an evaluation that will help verify the structural integrity of Orion's underlying structure known as the pressure vessel. The work is an important milestone on Orion's journey toward its mission beyond the moon atop the Space Launch System rocket in 2018. Last week, the team moved it to a new testing structure in advance of the evaluation.
At NASA Glenn's Plum Brook Station in Ohio, engineers started testing a structural representation of the service module with sound pressure and vibration to make sure the component, which powers, propels, cools and provides consumables like air and water in space for Orion, can withstand the noise and shaking of launch. Meanwhile, at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, engineers are already in the thick of a series of tests that began earlier this month where a representative Orion crew capsule with crash test dummies inside is dropped in Langley's Hydro Impact Basin to understand what the spacecraft and astronauts may experience when landing in the Pacific Ocean after deep-space missions. Langley engineers have already completed three tests in the series and will next add spacesuits and helmets to the test dummies inside to gather more data.
While the stateside team continues to put the crew module through its technical paces, the European team manufacturing Orion's service module has also been making progress. This week the first flight module of the Orion service module, provided by ESA (European Space Agency), was delivered by Thales Alenia Space to the Airbus Defence and Space, which is building it, to its location in Bremen, Germany. There, elements of the service module will be integrated before it's shipped to Florida for integration with the rest of the Orion spacecraft early next year.


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TechRadar Verdict
- +
Native Android
- +
Nippy processor
- +
Keyboard dock
- +
Affordable price
- -
Average display
- -
Terrible sound
- -
Poor build quality
- -
Ugly design
Why you can trust TechRadar
French tech manufacturer Archos have been banging out tablets since before you were in long trousers, Sonny Jim - although back in the early noughties, the likes of its AV series were simply considered big screen portable media players.
So the company has plenty of experience to draw on and, with its latest tablet range - the Gen 10 XS series - it has done just that, mixing a few different form factors to bring us three new hybrid Android devices.
The flagship device, the Archos 101 XS, sits alongside the Archos 97 XS and the Archos 80 XS, which are both listed as coming soon.
The 10.1-inch, keyboard-boasting Archos 101 XS is due to launch in the middle of September with an RRP of £299.99/$360.
It's a price tag that makes it a bit cheaper than its direct hybrid rival, the Asus Transformer Pad 300, much cheaper than the hybrid king - the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity - and also easier on your bank balance than mid-range Android rivals such as the Acer Iconia Tab A510 and the Toshiba AT300.
Unlike those tablets, however, this is not a quad-core Tegra 3-touting machine. Instead, it's powered by a multi-core Texas Instruments OMAP4470 processor. This multi-core setup equates to a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU clocked at 1.5GHz, along with two much slower Cortex-M3 cores.
Throw in a PowerVR SGX544 GPU and you've an engine room more on a par with the mid-range Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 than the Android heavy-hitters.
Running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Archos is promising a Jelly Bean-flavoured update soon. So for Android fans looking for a cheaper ticket to the party, along with some physical QWERTY fun on the way, Archos hopes it is offering up a viable option. Has it succeeded.
Physical keyboard-packing tablets are becoming increasingly more popular and, with Windows 8 on the very near horizon, we expect to see many more Android devices packing a QWERTY punch.
The Archos 101 XS, like the Asus Eee Pad Slider, Asus Eee Pad Transformer and others that have gone before it, is a tablet that attempts to solve the puzzle of how to make a tablet more user friendly.
Like those Asus efforts, Archos has proposed that the answer lies in the use of a physical keyboard that attaches itself to the slate.
You can, of course, team up any Android (or iOS) device with a keyboard using Bluetooth connectivity, but Archos has chosen the docking keyboard option for the 101 XS. Its physical keyboard comes combined as part of what it calls the "coverboard", and is basically a lid that sits flush with the tablet's screen, using magnets, creating a netbook-like effect.
A very skinny netbook that is, since the tablet part of the Archos 101 XS is just 8mm thick, with the coverboard only adding a further 5mm. When you consider that its direct rival, the Asus Transformer Pad 300, measures a combined 20.1mm, its 13mm waistline is all the more appealing.
At almost 400g (0.88lbs) lighter than the budget Asus machine as well, it's definitely a much more portable friendly setup. On its own, the Archos 101 XS tablet weighs 630g (1.39lbs), and the coverboard only adds a further 270g (0.60lbs) to the mix.
But unlike Asus's hybrid tabs, which offer clever keyboard docks that expand connectivity and enhance battery life, the coverboard is pretty poor in comparison. Its only port is a micro USB one, which is used for charging the tablet when docked. When not connected to the mains, the Archos 101 XS's keyboard drains power from the tablet's battery.
And the build quality, not just of the dock, but of the whole device, is nowhere near on par with its competitors. Starting with the dock, its thinness works against it, feeling very weak, with plenty of flex and incredibly plasticy.
The keyboard keys have an incredibly shallow travel, so typing for long periods of time isn't too comfortable. And the kick-stand, which pops up to hold the tablet in place for typing sessions, is incredibly feeble.
In its most upright position it will hold the tablet in place - just - but try to adjust the angle (although we're not entirely sure you're supposed to) and you'll run into trouble, with it giving way under the weight of the slate.
The method used to hold the coverboard and the tablet together, using magnets, is also pretty basic. Sure, the twist motion that Asus suggests to separate the two pulls them apart easily enough but, on more than one occasion, we pulled the Archos 101 XS out of our bags only to find the tablet wasn't sitting flush with its partner.
The tab itself also suffers from appearing 'cheap'. The white plastic edges don't exactly blend into the mock (plastic, of course) brushed metal finish, and the lip between the silver trim and the 10.1-inch display is pretty sharp. It's a build that is also massively susceptible to scuffs and scratches - ours was a bit of a mess after only a short while of regular use and transportation.
The volume rocker and the power button, positioned on the bottom-right corner, are incredibly thin and fiddly to use, and the speaker grill up front is pretty incongruous.
On the left-hand side is your port activity. You'll find a mini HDMI port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a micro USB port and a microSD slot awkwardly positioned here. The bottom edge contains the dock connector and a couple of magnets.
The display is a TFT (MVA) one with a respectable 1280 x 800 resolution. Although, while the pixel count is on a par with its similarly priced rivals, the quality falls a little short. Even on full brightness the display is pretty lifeless, and the glossy finish makes it incredibly susceptible to fingerprints and smudges.
There's no auto-brightness function, which is a little odd for an Android tablet, but you'll most likely want the lights on full anyway.
Onboard storage is 16GB, and you can expand this by up to 128GB using the microSD option. Copying and pasting from microSD card to internal storage, and vice versa, is a piece of pie, thanks to the nice File Manager app that Archos has pre-installed. Data connectivity is Wi-Fi only; there is no 3G version of the Archos 101 XS.


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Published inAge of Awareness·PinnedMember-onlyIs our civilization going to collapse?And if yes, how do I deal with this? — Do I think our civilization is going to collapse? I get asked a version of this question a lot. Mostly people want to tell me what they think, so it's more of an opening to unload their views than a question. That's okay — I appreciate different views. But I'll…Society14 min readSociety14 min read
PinnedMember-onlyHow To Stay Motivated When Everything Feels BonkersThree things I consistently do to keep going — and love the journey — During a talk I gave to some university students the other day, a member of the audience asked me, "How do you stay motivated?" We had been exploring the role of business in big global issues. I had just illustrated the gaping chasm between most company's actions compared to what…Motivation8 min readMotivation8 min read
PinnedMember-onlyWhy I Wish I'd Followed My Instincts As a Climate DenierComing clean on what I really think about "corporate climate action" — We were driving — my boss, J and I — on a wide swath of highway towards a client site just outside Atlanta, Georgia. It was 2012, early days for us. I had been freelancing for the firm where he was a senior leader. I then got hired on as…Esg8 min readEsg8 min read
Published inAge of Awareness·PinnedMember-only"Regenerative" vs Actually RegeneratingHow a reality-based approach highlights the difference — Business is masterful at messaging. Public affairs crews create simple, repeatable, easily understood soundbites. This is often a good thing. Life is complicated — we need help with complexity! But it is a problem when it means elements of complexity are cherry-picked — motivated by profit — to influence behaviours…Climate Change9 min readClimate Change9 min read
PinnedMember-onlyThe Meaning of Life is Not 42It's 4.7 — Modern humans: literate on stuff, semi-literate on life Back when we modern humans* were cosmically young and immature, toddling into the early stages of perceiving a world beyond industrial captivity, we mostly thought in integers. Whole, simple, easy-to-remember numbers gained ground as attractive "answers". And so the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything being pronounced as 42…Sdgs6 min readSdgs6 min read
Published inAge of Awareness·Feb 5, 2024Member-onlyHow to see the invisibleThe most important thing you will ever learn about innovation — What if I told you I had access to an incredible innovation, something so powerful in its ability to create change that the tech bros would be in awe if they saw it. I'm talking about system-level transformation territory for all the major challenges we face right now. That's already…Sustainability10 min readSustainability10 min read
Published inAge of Awareness·Jan 21, 2024Member-onlyHow to be naked in the town squareAnd other ways of rewiring the global industrial complex — We're told to create like nobody's watching. But if we're creating a new economy where all life thrives, I say: Create like everyone's watching. Imagine a crowd gathering, one with questions and doubtful expressions. Pursue clarity like the sheriff could demand a detailed explanation any minute. Prepare to explain every…Economics10 min readEconomics10 min read
Jan 3, 2024Member-onlyTrees made leafless by this wintery windWhat they're telling us and what we do about it — There was a big snowfall in Montreal last month. This is to be expected at this time of year. But the tree damage surprised me. Montreal's trees come down due to weather all the time — especially the more gangly branches that haven't had the pressure of growing straight the…Trees4 min readTrees4 min read
Dec 31, 2023Member-onlyMedium: What it gives and what it takesTwo years of writing, earning, reading, and learning on an ad-free, (sort of) global platform — This is a look back on my income and professional development with Medium over the last two years. I share what's worked as a writer and reader, and what I hope changes, in service of getting my business model ducks in a row* ahead of 2024. I write about different…Writing12 min readWriting12 min read
Published inRunner's Life·Dec 27, 2023Member-onlyIt Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst Of TimesWhy one of my slowest race times was one of my best times ever — Running has a way of shaping time. Running up steep hills slows time down. Running in sight of a finish line speeds it up. I ran my tenth marathon in September 2023. My race buddy had to bail on zero notice. I missed my start gun by 25 minutes even…Running6 min readRunning6 min read


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Price: $11.99 | ||
All natural herbal-infused dental wipes are great for dogs that won't let you brush with a toothbrush. They promote excellent oral hygiene while refreshing your dog's breath.
These textured wipes contain baking soda which provides gentle abrasion to help remove unwanted build up. They also combine the gentleness of aloe with the antioxidant power of pomegranate.
Aloe works like a toothpaste to eliminate disease causing bacteria in the mouth and the latest research on pomegranate shows that it is beneficial in reducing dental plaque accumulation and gum disease. The Wipes Also contain grape seed extract, rosemary, lavender and parsley, which help to promote good oral hygiene.
These wipes are intended for external use only but if your dog does swallow one don't panic, the fiber is digestible*. However, if your dog is under 10 pounds we recommend that you take him to the vet just to be safe.
Tips on keeping your dog's teeth clean
1. Brush at least 3 times per week to get maximum benefit
2. Don't use human toothpaste unless you have taught your dog to spit! Look on the back of your toothpaste. You will most likely find a statement that it should not be ingested. This is because it contains soap. Soap creates foam, which gives people the perception that the product is cleaning but is not indicative of the cleaning power of a product (it is for marketing purposes: perception is reality). Toothpaste designed specifically for pets does not contain soap; it won't foam up; and it can be swallowed safely.
3. Replace the toothbrush when the bristles become frayed or every 3 months, as the brush will start to harbor microorganisms. Customer Reviews | Testimonials


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Choose your country, colors, and name to start your very own FC Dynasty club. You will be assigned new players fitting for a new club just starting out.
Challenge other users to exhibition matches and test your players, or throw your club into the open challenge pool and let fate decide the club you face off against. Each club can play one exhibition match each day.
Assign formations, starters and subs from your available roster. Then set any scheduled match to any of your very own tactics sets.
When you are ready, sign up to join a league. You will be assigned to the next available league filled with other clubs from the same country. More than just league play, leagues open other features such as scouting and signing new players to your club, dealing with injured players, and more.
Leagues also open up international play. Compete with clubs in other national leagues to sign international players.
As more seasons pass, your national league will grow into divisions complete with a relegation system. As leagues grow, clubs receive more money and will compete to sign higher skilled players.
Popular on WhatIfSports site: Baseball Simulation | College Basketball Game | College Football Game | Online Baseball Game | Hockey Simulation | NFL Picks | College Football Picks | Sports Games
© 1999-2024 WhatIfSports.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WhatIfSports and "FC Dynasty" are trademarks of WhatIfSports.com, Inc. a Fox Interactive Media Company. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.


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New Jack Ryan Film Likely Titled 'Jack Ryan: Shadow One'
Briefly: Test screening reports sent in by a few readers say that Paramount is rolling out a trailer for the new Jack Ryan film to test audiences, and that it bears the title Jack Ryan: Shadow One.
The film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also plays the villain, is set for release this Christmas. Chris Pine stars and Kevin Costner also appears in a story that goes back to the roots of the Jack Ryan character, who first hit movie screens in The Hunt for Red October. Three actors have played the character in four previous films, but according to one report,
Pine takes the character to its beginning, where the injured Marine is recruited by CIA vet Kevin Costner to work as a high-level analyst. The two are pitted against a Russian oligarch (played by Branagh) who is pulling the strings of the financial market and delving into international terrorism with potential global catastrophic results.
Watch for the trailer soon.


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Me too! and Happy Song got me off the couch in Dantes. That was a killa night!
Hellz ya i was there. Freaked out when i heard that ladytron destroy remix that night. Was so awesome.
Go ahead bro, If you want to make a set I compiled into a mix, pick one and let me know! p.s. Did you see S&D in St. Louis last spring?
Aussie Pest
Are you Kidding me??
Getting Somewhere


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Rides > Look 695 SR 2013
posted 9 years ago
Look 695 SR with Fulcrum Racing Zero and 105 Setup
Bike Weight
0 Kgs
Bike Price (SGD)
Setup Date
10th May 2014
Bike present with owner
posted 3 days ago
This is my first Brompton M6R British Racing Green 6 Speed w/ Rack setup. Manufactured in May, 2002
liv advanced disc 2
posted 1 week ago
A little mash up of parts and components.
Rockshox modifications- DSD Runt + HC97
Kitsuma modifications - ... Read more
Birdy clone running on 349 wheelset
posted 2 weeks ago
Brompton C Line (Black Lacquer)
Triban RC 520 with upgraded ENVE carbon stem, 50mm wheels, 700x35c tires and Star trek handlebars
posted 2 weeks ago
It's a Mountain Bike that travels on the road...
Build up with custom parts and some Ridea bits.
Pinarello Grevil+
Merida Scultura 6000 Di2 105
I like my bike. I enjoy every time when i m walking in the forest
its an F7 2024 model
posted 1 month ago
My Trek MTB Marlin7L29 is my go to bike when I need to get in a real good workout fit for spring, summer, and ... Read more
posted 1 month ago
Cannondale Topstone Carbon 4 with Kingpin suspension system.
It's a 9 speed Gravel bike. Shimano Sora Shifter, FD and RD 9 speed 11-34T Prowheel 34-46T crankset
Spanker - Gravel Bike - R3 Burton. Buster!!!
posted 1 month ago
Lite and quick
Big ass bike
posted 1 month ago
A comfy fast bike
First ever MTB bike
Easy to use, and easy to commute
posted 1 month ago
RB pertama
updated 1 month ago
Very Attractive Machice


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I even have a princess picture to share. Drawn by my nieces in E's birthday card. Grace and Ella came over for E's birthday lunch with my sister Susie, as did my parents, my brother Paul and a few neighbours. It was a pleasant lunch of Vegetarian Sausage Rolls, hummus dip, vegie sticks, chips, cheese and bikkies, GF tim tams, sponge cake (thanks mum), chocolate biscuits (thanks Paula). My mum even brought up some GF pastry. I used rice flakes instead of oats and corn crumbs instead of breadcrumbs to make the sausage rolls. Most sausage rolls were made with a regular puff pastry but I made some with the GF pastry.
I kept the food simple because I needed to concentrate on the birthday cake. Sylvia slept overnight with mum and dad so that I could decorate without distractions. It was 2 hours work even without "mum mum mum". She was very frowny to arrive home and find it filled with people. There were one or two tantrums including one where she tried to hurl the implements from the kitchen drawers. Most unforgivable was trying to scrape her hands along the guitar cake. It took too much work to let Sylvia tear it up. She relaxed after a while and enjoyed herself.
One of the greatest challenges in decorating the cake was getting my head around the shape. I usually draw a picture of the cake to get the shape right. This cake had to be big to get in the details. At first I looked at using three cake tins as above but finally decided two cake tins was easier. I also had to source all the decorations. Did you know you can buy hat elastic in a supermarket? I do now.
While I made the cake, I ran into the other room to look at E's guitars for accuracy. But most of the ideas came from the trusty Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book. It seemed appropriate however that as I decorated the cake, I was listening to Alan Brough on the radio talking about people's experience of record shops to celebrate Record Store Day. E also advised me on guitars. He suggested I have 20 frets and that the neck of the guitar lacked the nut. So I can report that the cake was nut-free!
There was a lot of birthday cake. I made the white chocolate mud cake that I made for Sylvia's birthday cake. It's a great recipe for novelty cakes. We had lots of musk sticks leftover but to my surprise E has enjoyed having them for snacks. I was pleased with the cake and also pleased with entertaining in our recently revamped kitchen. A lovely time was had by all.
How to Make a Guitar Cake:
You will need
- double amount of white chocolate mud cake
- 1 batch of vienna cream (recipe below) plus cocoa
- 5 or 6 musk sticks
- black hat elastic (I think my packet was about 5m but I needed a lot less)
- liquorice - both thin and thick
- 6 lollypops of the same colour
- a big big board to place it on
2. Make the cake. I baked a double batch of white chocolate mud cake which slices easily for shaping the cake. Try and distribute the mixture evenly among the tins. This is best done the day before you make the cake because it makes it even easier to slice.
3. Cover the tray. This cake was so big it was hard to find a tray big enough. I had to use my large baking tray and a flat chopping board. I covered both of these with foil and placed them on a large wire cooling rack. This meant that if I had to move the cake I could do so easily without pulling apart the two trays.
4. Cut the cake shape with a sharp knife, using your drawing as your guide. I had to slice some off the bottom of my loaf tin so it was even with the height of the large swiss roll cake. Then I cut it vertically about two thirds across. I cut the remaining third in half horizontally and placed them together at the top of the neck of the guitar. Use a pastry brush to brush away any crumbs. Leftover cake can be placed in freezer and used to make cake pops or stay tuned for other ideas.
5. Prepare the trimmings - this is fiddly work. It is easier to check they fit on an un-iced cake. Cut two pieces of musk stick into long thin flat disks. One will be the saddle and the other quite frankly is just an AWW invention now that I look at a guitar, doesn't exist near the bottom of the neck. Cut thin pieces of liquorice to use as the frets - which should actually go down the sound hole. Cut a thick piece of liquorice to be the bridge and cut a thin piece of liquorice to line the sound hole. Cut three musk sticks into three (about 1 inch each) and tie a hat string around each, making sure that the strings are plenty long enough (much easier to trim them than to make them longer). Actually I cut most pieces a bit big and trimmed them to be the right size when I put them on.
6. Make the vienna cream (aka buttercream frosting or icing). Beat (with electric beaters) butter until white and fluffy. Add 3/4 cup of icing sugar and 1 tbsp milk, repeat with 3/4 cup icing sugar and 1 tbsp milk. Mix 1 tbsp cocoa into the vienna cream.
7. Ice the cake. Use a sharp knife to mark the sound hole (I traced around a round ramekin) and the neck of the guitar that goes through the body and to the edge of the hole. Spread buttercream over the top of the body of the guitar but do not go over the edge of the hole and neck. Halve the icing. Stir 4 tbsp of cocoa into one half of the icing. Use the darker icing to ice the neck and hole, being careful to keep to the borders made by the lighter icing on the body. It didn't seem like a huge amount but I had plenty of cream to ice around the sides when I finished the top.
8.Decorate the cake. Trim each piece with scissors as you put them in place. Place the thin disks of musk stick to be the saddle and the odd bit above the sound hole. Place thin long piece of liquorice around the sound hole leaving a small margin of light coloured buttercream frosting. Place frets at regular intervals along the neck.
Now is what was the hardest part for me. Put each musk "peg" at the top of the neck, the inside strings highest. Pull the elastic as taut as possible, cut to fit and once all six are done, place a little extra icing and the thick piece of liquorice over ends of elastic at the bridge. My strings weren't very taut and if I pulled them too hard the pegs would come out. (I did wonder about using florist wire instead but I think it would be hard to tie around musk sticks). Then stick lollypops in at top of neck to be the tuning keys. That's it. You probably need to sit down and rest now!
On the Stereo:
Honeysuckle Aeons: Current 93


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Once again, we at BlissWood are thrilled to host licensed horse whisperer Janice Terra on May 31, 2009. "Wise Women and Medicine Ponies" will be from 10am until 4pm. This is a great opportunity for horseback riding Houston. The Lady Horse Whisperer will begin with a lecture and will follow with a ground session. After a tasty lunch at Carol's at Cat Spring, participants will do mounted work, and at the end of the day there will be time for discussion and questions.
Horse whispering is important in a broader context than riding. Janice Terra has said, "When I work with people I say that the horses help people return themselves to themselves." She goes on to explain that in order for a child who weighs 50 pounds to control a horse weighing 1200 pounds, "neither force nor 'doormat-itis' will work…. The horse forces one to walk that thin line of controlling without being controlling. A person will learn to operate from his or her own place of power."(Quotes from Janice Terra's website, www.TheLadyHorseWhisperer.com.)
It's a fascinating way to approach riding and horse whispering. This is just a taste of what will be explored at our tranquil 650-acre ranch getaway near Houston. Plan to spend May 31 connecting with a horse and reconnecting with yourself.
Prior riding experience not necessary. Bring your own horse (Coggins necessary).
Horses are available for $29. After this weekend, you will be ready to return to BlissWood for a trail ride Houston.


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The PAC 900 is a size up from the PAC 800 and offers enhanced cargo room and stability for bigger water. This is not too big to be maneuvered by fin kicking, but not too small for overnight trips. Featuring heavy duty PVC, urethane bladders and a simple lightweight aluminum frame the PAC series boats are the best choice for anglers who want a boat to last for years to come.
- The PAC 900 is for you if:
- You want a high-end 9' pontoon boat
- You love to fish rivers that have some rapids
- You like to fish lakes and reservoirs
- You like the feel of a pontoon boat with some rocker Boat
- Inflated Size: 54" x 9' Tube Diameter: 16" Fabric: 1100 PVC Material Weight: 24/27 oz/sq.yd.
- AireCell Material: Urethane Seam Construction: Welded Warranty: 10 Valve Type: (2)Leafield B7 Weight: 54 lbs.
- Load Capacity: 400 lbs.
- Frame: 4-pc aluminum Anchor System: Included Motor Mount: Included Oar Type: 7' 2-piece


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Researchers find genetic mechanism linked to congenital heart disease
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have identified a finely tuned mechanism by which fetal heart muscle develops into a healthy and fully formed beating heart—offering new insight into the genetic causes of congenital heart disease and opening the door to one day developing therapies to fight this chronic and potentially fatal disorder.
In a paper being published online today in Nature Genetics, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Senior Investigator Benoit Bruneau, PhD, describe the roles that two genes—Ezh2 and Six1—play in embryonic heart development, while also uncovering how the genetic basis of embryonic heart formation can have profound health consequences later in life.
This research highlights the emerging importance of a biological process called "epigenetics," in which a genetic change that is inherited by a cell or organism early during development has long-term consequences. Epigenetics is of particular interest in heart development, as the incorrect activation of genes in fetal development can lead to congenital heart disease into adulthood.
"Approximately 1.3 million children and adults in the United States live with congenital heart disease—requiring daily medications, surgeries and for some, heart transplants," said Dr. Bruneau, who is also a professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, with which Gladstone is affiliated. "An understanding of the epigenetic regulation of heart development could someday bring us closer to improving the lives of these individuals."
At specific times during healthy heart development, Ezh2 acts as a "master regulator," shutting off genes that are no longer needed or that need to be kept off. In the past, the focus has been on which genes get switched on during normal heart development. But in this paper, Dr. Bruneau, along with Gladstone Postdoctoral Scholar Paul Delgado-Olguin, PhD, investigated which genes must remain off to ensure the development of a healthy heart.
In laboratory experiments, Drs. Bruneau and Delgado-Olguin removed Ezh2 from mice at various developmental stages, monitoring any ensuing genetic or physical changes and comparing them to mice whose Ezh2 remained intact. Surprisingly, mice without Ezh2 developed normally in the uterus. It wasn't until after birth that they began to show problems. Their hearts became enlarged and weakened and were unable to pump blood efficiently. An enlarged heart is a hallmark feature of cardiomyopathy, a form of congenital heart disease that afflicts thousands of children each year and for which the only manifestation may be sudden death.
Further analysis revealed that Six1 is normally on only for a brief period during heart development, after which Ezh2 shuts it off for good. But without Ezh2 to act as a regulator, Six1 remains on—leading to heart problems later in life.
"When Six1 remains active for too long in Ezh2-deficient mice, it boosts the activity of other genes that shouldn't be activated in heart-muscle cells—such as genes that make skeletal muscle," said Dr. Delgado-Olguin. "The enlargement and thickening of the mice's hearts over time eventually led to heart failure."
This breakthrough may help researchers improve their understanding of the genetic causes of congenital heart disease while also pointing the way to potential therapies. For example, a type of congenital heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy is caused by mutations in Eya4, a gene that is also regulated by Ezh2 in the heart.
"Six1 is just one of many Ezh2-regulated genes that are vital for heart development," said Dr. Bruneau. "Our next goal is to find out exactly how Ezh2 regulates these other genes, so that we can begin to develop a complete genomic blueprint of how a heart becomes a heart."


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Several prominent media sources in Egypt are now reporting that Egyptian lawyers have filed criminal terrorism charges in the International Criminal Court against President Obama in addition to the criminal terrorism charges previously filed in Egyptian courts against the president's half-brother Malik Obama.
Malik Obama is quickly becoming a person of interest in Egypt for his alleged management of funds for a terrorist organization based in neighboring Sudan. A group of Egyptian lawyers, meanwhile have charged President Obama with crimes against humanity for his support of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
The charges come as the criminal trial against former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi is scheduled to begin in Egypt in January 2014. Morsi facing charges that he supported the Muslim Brotherhood in acts of violence directed against the Egyptian people.
President Obama is likely to be a subject in Morsi's criminal trial because of evidence the Obama administration used the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to provide direct financial support to key Muslim Brotherhood political operatives, with the full knowledge and complicity of the Morsi government, as WND was first to report in August.
Criminal complaints filed at ICC
The Egyptian newspaper El Watan has reported a group of Egyptian lawyers has submitted a complaint to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, charging Obama with backing the group that incited widespread violence in Egypt both before and after what is known in Egypt as the "June 30 Revolution." The Egyptian army coup d'état removed Morsi from the presidency July 3.
As first reported by CBN News, the complaint names several top-ranking Muslim Brotherhood leaders, beginning with the head of the organization, Muhammad Badie, as well as Mohamed al-Beltagy, Essam al-Erian and Safwat Hegazi.
The complaint charges that Obama coordinated, incited and assisted the armed elements of the Muslim Brotherhood in the commission of crimes against humanity in the period from March 7 through Aug. 18 in Egypt.
The complaint specifies the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt persecuted the country's Christian minority, including the torching, destruction and plundering of some 85 Christian churches. The regime also scapegoated the Christian Copts in Egypt for their support of the June 30 Revolution and the removal of Morsi from the presidency, the complaint asserts.
The complaint alleges Muslim Brotherhood incitement against the Copts resulted in the murder of a 10-year-old girl who was shot and killed as she walked back from Bible class, the murder of a young Coptic priest who was shot in front of his church in the Egyptian Sinai with his body found mutilated and beheaded, and the murder of two girls, aged 8 and 12, who were riddled with bullets as they attended a Christian church wedding.
The complaint further alleges that since the Muslim Brotherhood denounced the Copts, entire towns and villages have been emptied of Christians. More than 100 Christian families, for example, have been driven from the North Sinai city of El Arish.
Muslim Brotherhood supporters are accused of extorting Copts by making them pay tribute money to Islamic overlords, while those unwilling to pay were attacked, with their wives and children being beaten or kidnapped.
In a YouTube video, CBN News contributor Raymond Ibrahim reported from Egypt details of alleged atrocities committed by Muslim Brotherhood members against Christians in Egypt.
Criminal complaints against Malik Obama
Former PLO member and native Arabic-speaker Walid Shoebat reported on his website that Youm7 television in Egypt has now confirmed Ahmed Nabil Ganzory – in his capacity as a lawyer and agent for Sadik Rauf Ebeid, a physician residing in the United States and an officer in the Egyptian Air Force – filed a criminal complaint against Malik Obama with Egyptian Attorney General Hisham Barakat.
WND reported in September that the complaint called for Malik Obama to be placed on Egypt's terror watch list because of his involvement as an owner and investment adviser for the Sudan-based Islamic Dawa Organization, or IDO, and the organization's umbrella group, the Muslim Brotherhood.
The following is a direct translation from Youm7:
Dr. Ahmed Nabil Ganzory, in his capacity as lawyer and agent for Dr. Sadik Rauf Ebeid, and resident in the United States of America, filed a complaint with Egypt's Attorney General Hisham Barakat, against Malik Obama, accusing him of supporting terrorism in Egypt and for his involvement in managing the Islamic Da'wa Organization (IDO). The complaint also asks to include Chancellor Tahani Al-Gebali to substantiate claims against Obama. …In August, WND reported Tahani Al-Gebali, chancellor of the Constitutional Court of Egypt, substantiated the claims made against Malik Obama. On a television news programs in Egypt, al-Gebali asked the court to bring Malik Obama to Egypt for questioning as "one of the architects" of investments made by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Complaint No. 1761 for the year 2013 reported to the Attorney General asked the Egyptian High Court to consider the suspicious activity of a group called the Islamic Da'wa Organization (IDO), which is owned and managed by Malik Obama. This group is now being investigated by international bodies and the attached evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt that a close link exists between Malik Obama and some of the most notorious characters already wanted for their involvement in terrorism, as is consistent with the pictures and reports attached. …
The complaint also asks the court to bring in Malik Obama – a resident of the United States – to be questioned in regards to the terrorist groups in Egypt, whether by inciting or participating with or in any form of support punishable by law. It seeks permission to declare Obama a defendant in his right outside Egypt diplomatically, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the case of non-appearance and compliance for the investigation, the complainant requests monitoring [Mr. Obama] by including his name on all Egyptian airports and ports, and take the necessary legal steps. [emphasis placed by Walid Shoebat]
Ganzory, the attorney who filed the criminal complaint against Malik Obama, was identified in a recent interview on El-Balad TV in Egypt as an Egyptian constitutional law expert.
In the interview, Ganzory claimed he has "what it takes to convict Obama's brother in financing terrorism."
"Malik Obama will be brought to face justice in Egypt if and when these charges are proven," he said.
In an email to WND, Dr. Sadek Raouf Ebeid, the U.S. resident who brought the criminal complaint in Egypt against Malik Obama, explained an attempt to serve the complaint to Malik in Kenya failed because he was not in the country at the time.
Ebeid further explained his attorney, Ganzory, is currently preparing to serve the complaint to Malik in the U.S.
Arguing that President Obama is complicit in advancing the activities of his half-brother, Ebeid said evidence WND has published suggests Malik Obama received unprecedented assistance from the White House through retroactive approval of tax-exempt status for the Barack H. Obama Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization created by Malik Obama in the U.S.


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Here is my card for the latest Simply B Facebook fan challenge using Liliana. The challenge was to use this cute digi image and incorporate the following colors: black, white, and orange.
I colored Liliana with Copic markers and then used orange and yellow Stickles on her wings. I fussycut her and placed her on the daisies that had been fussycut also.
I used lots of Glossy Accents on this butterfly. I also added Glossy Accents to the centers of the daisies.
I fussy cut this butterfly and added Stickles to it.


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I don't know much about today's battery industry, and this comment isn't specifically addressed to the pricing policies of batteries, but related enough, I think. My grandmother used to work in a battery factory in Wisconsin (back when stuff was still made in the US...). They made blank batteries like the ones that fill the 6V, which were then wrapped in a variety of labels: RayOVac, Duracell, etc. WHich is to say, there was no difference in the batteries sold by different brands -- they were exactly the same, even though some brands were cheap and others expensive.
Since then, some new technologies have been introduced, like batteries specifically for electronics, that I assume are proprietary, so maybe this doesn't go on as much anymore (though I doubt it: like everything else, I'm sure batteries are made in a handful of Chinese factories that contact out to all the major companies).


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Elfen LiedSynopsisSee original review. ReviewWhat kind of show do you get when you pluck characters who vaguely seem to be cookie-cutouts of harem anime regulars from their respective shows and have them deal with subject matter that pertains to the conflict of human desensitization in regards to non-human life as a means to convey profound existential questions of the underlying difference (or more precisely, indifference) between human and non-human life? You get Elfen Lied: a neat little package of gore, nudity, and fervent emotion (but more on the gore and nudity). To start off, there are mainly two ways for me to look at Elfen Lied: the first way being to look at it as a fairly intense, but approachable and kinky, quasi-harem drama; the other way being to look at it as some kind of evocative tragedy in the vein of high art. If I look at the show in the context of the latter, it just doesn't work. I can point out so many problems with director Kanbe Mamoru's relatively unsophisticated execution that it isn't even funny. First of all, the manner in which some of the intellectually-loaded ideas are conveyed comes off as clunky and overly blatant. A perfect example is Kanbe's use of the grandfather clock (which was probably meant to symbolize time as perceived by the main characters) that is commonly seen in the household during the series. The initial execution might've been subtle here and there, but at points, I felt that Kanbe was beginning to overstate it to the extent where entire scenes would just pause for the sake of reaffirming its already obvious presence. The same can be said with one of the main character's resurfacing problems and how that character chooses to cope with it. There were several other symbols in the series, like Kanae's seashell and such, all of which executed as palpably as the last; it didn't exactly take too much effort to figure a lot of this stuff out. As far as the effectiveness of using violence as a potent visual metaphor to convey visceral monstrosity goes, Kanbe falls a little flat in that regard mainly because of his tendency to be overly blatant. There was a specific scene somewhere in the series that depicted an animal being brutally murdered. The main point of the sequence was to demonstrate that, regardless of age, humans have laid deep within them an innate affinity for cruelty. Here's the problem: it felt totally tacked-on. What's worse is that it actually played a very significant task in moving the story and characterization forward and even played a somewhat integral role in the psychology of the character involved later on. It was just forced; there's no way for me to look around it. Then there's Kanbe's execution of his drama. It relies too heavily on a sentimentalism that reaches back into the past (a past of which is arguably one of the most contrived ever). Although this doesn't necessarily become a problem even though one is not initially aware of where everything is coming from; it's intentionally kept mysterious. But while Kanbe does takes some effective steps to divert boredom, overall, I'd go as far to say that Kanbe's drama comes off as pretty uninspired because of all the devices he needs in order to hold the viewer's attention and communicate his interpretation of the original source (the manga). Between the overused Gregorian chants and the all-too-familiar harem ambience, the clumsily dressed-up thought-provoking ideas and the fair amount of tits-and-ass in my face, the lack of well-placed subtlety and recyclable character designs (which were shoddily animated by ARMS, I might add), there really isn't much room for sophistication in here. Just because you can present a show as being artsy doesn't necessarily mean that it is (the main theme is still awesome though). I regularly don't like to scrutinize shows in this manner, but I'm tempted to do so, in detail, if I find myself intimidated; the show seems to have this air of arrogance about it that just rubs me the wrong way and makes me want to criticize it after having read deeper into everything. So, why do I designate Elfen Lied a neat little show even with all of this said? It's because I don't look at it as an evocative tragedy or some unique ground-breaking execution of visual expression. Some may go as far as to claim that the experience of Elfen Lied has had them reassess society or something, but why the hell would I ruin the experience and partake in such an unnecessarily extravagant mindset when I can clearly see all of its shortcomings on a directorial level and then some? It's just not any fun or productive for me to do things this way. Oh yeah, and disregarding the fact that a lot of the ideas are forcibly deep for that matter really helps the experience, tons. As per regular with my newer reviews, we have the English track. Elfen Lied's ADR production was directed by Jin Ho Chung, whose other directorial works consist of ADV shows such as Princess Tutu and the last 8 or so episodes of David Harrison's Super Gals!. As far as acting quality goes, on one hand, you have Kira Vincent-Davis (Lucy/Nyu), Jay Hickman (Kurama), Jason Douglas (Bandoh). and Luci Christian who all put out some seriously great dramatic / bad ass voice-work here. On the other hand, you have everyone else. It really feels like Jin Ho Chung spent most of his time with only half of the cast since the level of acting doesn't seem to be the same between actors. It could get awkward at some points listening to a character playing off of another character who was off in his or her delivery. In fact, it would actually feel like an actor was carrying the weight of the other actor who was slacking behind; these problems don't exactly help make the dialogue flow better. I really wished that Jin Ho Chung worked harder on making the acting more uniform since it puts a blemish on the actors that were otherwise delivering excellently. Also, on occasion, the editing of the dialogue feels like it was botched since the level of projection doesn't feel consistent during some scenes; it's like they took two separate takes and then spliced the wrong ones together which lead to an unwarranted disruption in the flow of single lines, garnering somewhat unnatural results. Negative comments aside, I still found the English track enjoyable on the basis of those four excellent key performances from Luci, Jay, Jason, and Kira. George Manley was a lot of fun too; it's ironic though how that Kira's take on her character in Elfen Lied is one of my favorite roles of hers (the other being Osaka in Azumanga Daioh with that hardcore Texas accent), so it's a little disappointing that things weren't the best they could've been in order to accommodate this. The sheer contrast between her readings for Nyu and Lucy is very impressive and almost unlike anything I've ever heard before in an English dub. Going back, I'd be dishonest to say that I wasn't overly impressed with the series (and its ideas) at one point; in fact, I was pretty mesmerized by everything initially. So much so, that it took about five re-viewings of the entire series to finally get my head back down to the Earth to realize what was what. But still, I did enjoy myself and can't deny that. The characters, while presented as to being quite complex, were pretty accessible since the motivation wasn't all that hard to understand and that the development was easy to follow. And the story was pretty touching as well (albeit border-line maudlin). The violence was fairly afflicting on the first go, but I grew desensitized by the second watch. On the brighter side, some of the atmosphere and emotion was still fairly engrossing even after subsequent viewings, regardless. When it comes down to it, Elfen Lied is really a genuinely good watch even with all of its problems mainly because ... it's interesting! In closing, while Elfen Lied hasn't really opened any new doors to revelations about humanity that make me want to rethink how our complicated civilization works, I will say this: "Elfen Lied has successfully made me rethink moé." Deduct two stars if you don't like graphic or disturbing content or if you find anything to do with a harem-esque setting to be awkward or distasteful. — Dominic Laeno Recommended Audience: Adults only. Not for the rampant nudity, but for the excessive violence and the rather graphic showcases of the darker sides of human natures. Version(s) Viewed: R1 DVD Review Status: Full (13/13) Elfen Lied © 2004 Rin Okamoto / Shueisha / VAP / GENCO |
© 1996-2015 THEM Anime Reviews. All rights reserved. |


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IRC, freenode, #hurd, 2009-08-25
<cfhammar> also I fixed (what I think is) a bug in
hurd_file_name_lookup_retry when opening FDs with FS_RETRY_MAGICAL
<cfhammar> it didn't actually reopen the FD, rather it just (effectively)
duped it
<scolobb> cfhammar: That's great! I think I had some problems because of
not being able to truly reopen a port to a file.
<antrik> cfhammar: what is the difference, and why do you consider it a
<cfhammar> antrik: for one thing you can't change open modes, and it
doesn't reset the file cursor
<cfhammar> (which I actually needed, though I could have done it manually)
<cfhammar> antrik: and also it isn't consistant with linux
<cfhammar> you can trigger the bug from the shell: cat /dev/fd/3 3>>
<antrik> cfhammar: I can't say that I understand the test case... but I can
at least confirm that it behaves differently on Hurd and on Linux :-)
$ cat /dev/fd/3 3>> /tmp/foo
$ ls -l /tmp/foo
-rw-rw-r-- 1 thomas thomas 0 Feb 17 12:01 /tmp/foo
$ cat /dev/fd/3 3>> /tmp/foo
cat: /dev/fd/3: Bad file descriptor


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The first and most commonly studied problem is the rise in unit nonresponse, meaning fewer people are willing to take a survey when asked. Two other growing problems are item nonresponse-- when someone agrees to take the survey but refuses to answer particular questions-- and inaccurate responses. Of course, the three problems can be related. For example, attempts to reduce unit nonresponse by persuading reluctant households to take a survey could raise item nonresponse and inaccurate responses if these reluctant participants rush through a survey they didn't really want to take in the first place.
Unit nonresponse, item nonresponse, and inaccurate responses would not be too troublesome if they were random enough that survey statistics were unbiased, but that is unlikely to be the case. Nonresponse and misreporting may be systematically correlated with relevant characteristics such as income or receipt of government funds. Meyer, Mok, and Sullivan look at survey data about government transfer programs for which corresponding administrative data is also available, so they can compare survey results to presumably more accurate administrative data. In this case, the survey data understates incomes at the bottom of the distribution, understates the rate of program receipt and the poverty reducing effects of government programs, and overstates measures of poverty and of inequality. For other surveys that cannot be linked to administrative data, it is difficult to say which direction biases will go.
Why has survey quality declined? The authors discuss many of the traditional explanations:
"Among the traditional reasons proposed include increasing urbanization, a decline in public spirit, increasing time pressure, rising crime (this pattern reversed long ago), increasing concerns about privacy and confidentiality, and declining cooperation due to 'over-surveyed' households (Groves and Couper 1998; Presser and McCullogh 2011; Brick and Williams 2013). The continuing increase in survey nonresponse as urbanization has slowed and crime has fallen make these less likely explanations for present trends. Tests of the remaining hypotheses are weak, based largely on national time-series analyses with a handful of observations. Several of the hypotheses require measuring societal conditions that can be difficult to capture: the degree of public spirit, concern about confidentiality, and time pressure...We are unaware of strong evidence to support or refute a steady decline in public spirit or a rise in confidentiality concerns as a cause for declines in survey quality."They find it most likely that the sharp rise in the number of government surveys administered in the US since 1984 has resulted in declining cooperation by "over-surveyed" households. "We suspect that talking with an interviewer, which once was a rare chance to tell someone about your life, now is crowded out by an annoying press of telemarketers and commercial surveyors."
Personally, I have not received any requests to participate in government surveys and rarely receive commercial survey requests. Is this just because I moved around so much as a student? Am I about to be flooded with requests? I think I would actually find it fun to take some surveys after working with the data so much. Please leave a comment about your experience with taking (or declining to take) surveys.
The authors also note that since there is a trend toward greater leisure time, it is unlikely that increased time pressure is resulting in declining survey quality. However, while people have more leisure time, they may also have more things to do with their leisure time (I'm looking at you, Internet) that they prefer to taking surveys. Intuitively I would guess that as people have grown more accustomed to doing everything online, they are less comfortable talking to an interviewer in person or on the phone. Since I almost never have occasion to go to the post office, I can imagine forgetting to mail in a paper survey. Switching surveys to online format could result in a new set of biases, but may eventually be the way to go.
I would also guess that the Internet has changed people's relationship with information, even information about themselves. When you can look up anything easily, that can change what you decide to remember and what facts you feel comfortable reporting off the top of your head to an interviewer.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Show All Answers
When the Street Department receives a pothole request, the maintenance crew chief investigates to determine the nature and extent of the problem. If the problem needs immediate attention or can be improved with the placement of asphalt, the Street Department will make a temporary asphalt repair. As the department proceeds with its annual infrastructure repair program, temporary repairs will be evaluated to determine priority for permanent concrete repairs.
Yes. Standing water is typically caused when the pavement settles and the water can't drain. Once a request of this type is received, staff will investigate and collect elevation data to determine the extent of the problem. If the surrounding pavement is in good condition, it is possible to have the department contractor inject polyurethane material under the pavement to lift it back to its original elevation. Another option is to grind the pavement to eliminate a high spot in the street. If the pavement is in poor condition, the Street Department will use asphalt pavement to level the street.
No. Garland Power & Light is responsible for installing and maintaining street lights. To request repair for an existing street light, call 972-205-3483. To request a new street light, call 972-205-3506.
No. The Transportation Department is responsible for installing and maintaining traffic signals. To request repair of an existing traffic signal, call 972-205-3250 during regular business hours and 972-205-3210 after 3:30 p.m.
Yes. The Street Department sweeps arterial and collector streets on a regular basis. Residential streets are swept by request only. Residential street sweeping is typically scheduled when the department has received enough requests in the area to constitute a full day's worth of sweeping.
The Street Department replaces several deteriorating streets each year. To determine which streets to replace, information from the Pavement Management System - a program that rates the condition of each street and alley - is evaluated. The Street Department staff then proceeds with a field inspection for each replacement consideration to determine the streets and alleys that warrant replacement in the upcoming fiscal year. This evaluation process occurs in the month of April each year.
No. Per City Ordinance (Article X, Section 31.134-138), "It shall be the duty of any abutting property owner to keep the sidewalk, parkway, curb and driveway abutting such property in a good and safe condition, free from any defects and hazards." To assist property owners in maintaining these facilities, the Street Department manages a 50/50 cost share program for sidewalk, curb and gutter repair. To inquire about this program, call 972-205-3555.
Contact the Street Department at 972-205-3555 or email the Street Department. Please be as specific as possible about the location and size of the pavement defect. If you believe that the pothole is an imminent hazard and needs immediate attention, please let us know.


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Fr. Nicholas Lombardo OP Publishes Article in Philippiniana Sacra and Katorikku Kenkyo
Fr. Lombardo published "Thomas Aquinas on the Emotions" in Philippiniana Sacra 48 (2013) and a Japanese translation in Katorikku Kenkyo [Catholic Studies] 82 (2013). The article derives from a lecture he gave last year in Manila at the University of Santo Tomas and in Tokyo at Sophia University.