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Many questions have been asked and speculations made about TB Joshua's marital life. The answers are provided in this unique interview, conducted by Weekly Spectator…
Many myths surround Prophet Temitope Joshua, the youthful General Overseer of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations. When cynics are not raising questions about his source of supernatural powers, they are perpetually wondering what manner of man is he. Yet, the more people seek to unravel or spin stories about this enigma, the more confused they get.
But apart from the astounding miracles that unfurl in the church every day, critics also never cease wondering if the man actually has any marital life.
Yet, they sure know he is not a monk, even though like a monk, he is holed up in his religious commune, devoting his time and substance to prayer, solitude and contemplation. But today, we unveil that vital aspect of TB Joshua that you never knew or know very little about…
A bevy of ladies, very beautiful ladies, strut elegantly into the penthouse presidential suite at The Synagogue Church of All Nation s where The Spectator team is patiently waiting, and watching videos of some of the explosive miracles the church has witnessed in recent times. At this hour, the team is watching the video of the special thanksgiving service held for the brand new Ghanaian President, Professor John Atta Mills, on his recent ascendancy to power.
When the door closes behind the ladies, the first thing you notice about Evelyn, the delectable wife of Prophet TB Joshua, the General Overseer of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, is her infectious radiance and unmistakable enthusiasm. Both attributes, even more, make her the most powerful, yet most adorable woman in the spiritual empire that her husband has built. An empire which presidents, kings and queens, princes and princesses, and assorted dignitaries from across the globe, routinely throng for their diverse spiritual needs.
Yet, not many among the teeming parishioners, even in the outside world, know that this absolutely delightful woman is the moving force behind the world acclaimed, yet much vilified prophet – Temitope Joshua. "Apart from God," quips one worshipper, her voice barely audible, "this woman is the next most powerful force behind Prophet TB Joshua. She is a workaholic. She is a wonderful counsellor. She compliments her husband."
Yet this self-effacing beauty carries none of these testimonials like a banner in the manner of some. Indeed, as the sultry lady struts into the suite, this cool afternoon, clad in a simple but colourful gown, she carries no emblem that usually typifies a powerful hand behind the throne. Rather, from the shining beads of sweat on her temple, you would need no soothsayer to tell you that the woman has been working herself to the bones. Even as she sinks into a settee opposite the team, an aide still wants her to attend to a detail. "But I can't keep these editors waiting," she retorts with her velvety voice. "I think that can wait."
With that, she signals us to begin to fire our question. In one hour, the session is over. The product of that encounter is the stuff this superlative exclusive is made. Please, enjoy the interview, the first she has ever granted any Nigerian newspaper. And we are not blowing our trumpet.
Your husband made a promise about nine months ago that The Spectator would be the first Nigerian newspaper you would talk to. After waiting for so long, we thought it was never going to happen. But it is happening now. So, let's start by asking you, how does it feel to be Mrs Evelyn TB Joshua?
I count myself very lucky among women. My husband is a man every woman will want to have as a husband.
That presupposes a serious contest over him (general laughter…). Seriously speaking, do you fight any battle to keep him?
Not at all. I know that every woman will desire to have him as a husband, but there are not struggles on my part to keep him.
Prophet Joshua is very handsome and a great instrument in the hands of God, sought after, all over the world, by presidents and kings. You mean there are no special battles you fight to gain his attention and also keep him from prying female eyes?
Not at all. But I know that when a man is hardworking and God-fearing, every woman will like to have him. But believe me, I fight no special battles to keep him. He knows who he believes and God whom he believe and serves so well is capable of keeping him, and has, indeed, been keeping him.
So, how do you cope with his tight schedule? This is somebody who spends every minute of his life in the church ministering to people's needs and all that; and we do know that women need their husbands as much as their husbands need them.
We are into the same cause. So, I don't have any difficulties handling that aspect at all because we are pursuing the same goal. God has so made it that we complement each other perfectly well in very many ways.
Are you a pastor, too?
No, but I am helping.
So, you never trained as a pastor?
We are many here; we are under training.
Under him?
Yes, and it is a life-long training. It is a continuous, never-ending training like the school of life. Of course, as long as we are living, we will continue to strive in God's will.
So, how exactly did you meet Prophet TB Joshua? We want to know the year, the circumstances and all that…
(laughs heartily…) It was around 1989
That was 20 years ago?
Twenty years now, yes. I visited a sister somewhere at Ikotun-Egbe, and, then they were talking about a particular man, a prophet to be precise. It was a kind of meeting to be precise. And it's like everybody in that gathering, or at least half of the people in the room, had actually visited him. So, they were saying a lot of good things about him. I was thrilled. At the end of the whole thing, I called a sister outside and asked whether she could take me to the prophet. I didn't ask to go there out of curiosity. I actually needed a guide at that point in time.
Were you at any crossroads at that point in time?
Not really. I wasn't at any crossroads, but I desperately needed a guide.
Or were there some challenges you were facing and for which you needed to see this man of God?
Not quite so. But I had seen pastors. I worshipped in a church and I had read about prophets in the Bible, though I had never come across any. But at that particular time, I needed a guide, sort of.
Spiritual guide?
Yes, a spiritual guide. A counsellor.
Could you tell us the church were you were worshipping before you suddenly and desperately needed this spiritual guide?
I was in Assemblies of God Church.
How long were you there?
As long as I can remember.
Were you born there?
No, I was not. Can we go back to my story, please? So, the sister and I scheduled a date. We got to his place and he was not around.
Not to The Synagogue, I believe?
No, to his house.
Okay, where was his house then?
Down in Ikotun-Egbe, at Agodo.
It was a mansion was it?
(Laughs loudly…) Yes, by the grace of God, it was.
If we may take you back, what things were people talking about that made you get interested in him?
Many things. This one said he prayed for him and things became okay from there. Another said her life was at a bend but straightened up when she met him. You know, things like that. So, we went there. Unfortunately, we did not meet him at home. But looking back now, I thank God that we didn't meet him that day.
Because that would have been the end of this story.
Why would it have been the end of the story?
It would have been because what he told me the very first day that I set my eyes on him, if the sister were there, I would have believed that maybe she had gone behind me to tell him all about me. And that would have ruined it.
So, did the man of God tell you the story of his life?
Yes, of course.
Without any pre-knowledge of who you were?
Yes. Okay, I'm coming (laughs…). Some months after, I visited him. That was in 1990. I could remember that day was a public holiday. I remember also how I nearly lost my way because I had never been to the place before, except that day I went with the sister.
That is to say, this time you went alone?
Yes, I did. I went alone. But before I was able to locate the place, it was a bit difficult for me. When I got into the waiting room, I met two men waiting to see him. Before this time, the idea that I had about a prophet was that of an old man with a white, long beard and things like that. So, on that day, I was reading a novel that I came with when I suddenly saw someone come into the room, pick one or two things and went back. But the shadow of whatever I saw was not that of an old man.
Did you greet him?
No, I didn't even look at his face. But when he left one, one of the two men was telling the other one, 'that's him. That's him.' I looked up but he had gone. They went into the consulting room before me. Finally, it was my turn, and I went in there. We sat opposite each other. And, he was gazing at me for about a minute and some seconds. I gazed at him, too. Transfixed as I was, I noticed that there was a piece of paper before him. Still looking at me, he wrote the word, 'Ejide', on it. (Transliterated, Eji de – twin has come). Lest I forget, I'm a twin.
And before then, you had not told him anything about yourself?
No, we were just looking at each other until he, at a time, wrote my name on the piece of paper. So, we started talking. He told me a lot of things about myself, both things that I knew, and those that I never knew. I was shocked. He told me about my family, about my past, my present and my future. Altogether, we spent about 45 minutes. At the end of the whole thing, he spoke to me in Yoruba and said: Joo ma binu o. Ma ro pe bi mo se nba gbogbo eniyan ti o ba wa s'odo mi soro ni eleyi o. Mi o ni ale, mi o dee fee ni ale. Sugbon, se oo fe mi? (Transliterated, this means: Please, don't be annoyed. Don't think this is how I talk to everyone that comes to me. I don't have a concubine, and I don't want to have a concubine. But can you marry me?)
Just like that?
Just like that. It was strange, but that gives us an insight into what the Scripture says that the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. I think that was it. That was how I met him. Some months later, I asked him why he thought it was right seeing a lady for the first time and going on to propose to her. He said he had seen me four days before that very day.
I don't know
In his dream?
I don't know.
Or was it a revelation?
Honestly, I don't know.
Okay, let's go back to the time you entered his consulting room. You said you sat opposite him and looking at each other intensely, I believe. At that particular moment, what was going on in your mind?
A lot of things. In the first place, I was expecting to see an elderly man.
But instead you saw a dashing, handsome, young man?
(Laughs). Oh yes! That was it.
He too must have been captivated by a ravishing beauty like you…
(Laughs again…) I wouldn't know. But like I told you, he wrote my name on the piece of paper before him. That was the first thing that really shocked me. And the fact that he proposed to me the first time that we met without waiting to know some things about me.
Wait a minute. Don't you think that one of your friends could have had contact with him and told him about you?
Unfortunately, I don't have friends. As I told you, it was a sister that I visited who took me there in the first place. So, there is no way anybody could have gone to tell him about me. And, when I was going there the second time, she wasn't there. I went alone.
Why did you choose to leave where you were worshipping?
I've told you how I got to know about him. I told you too, that I didn't go there out of curiosity. I needed a guide, whom, I believe, I could get from the prophet. That's why I went.
In what area of your life did you need a guide before you went to him? Was it on marriage, business etc.? What area?
You know, life is full of challenges. As a young lady, I knew God was there. I have a Creator and I know He can guide me into the right path. So, I wouldn't say business or marriage drove me to him. I just needed someone to guide me into the right path in life.
What were you doing in the secular world before this time?
Should I say as it was then, so it is now? After my secondary school education, at that time, you could get a job in a factory or whatever, hoping to be staffed one day. So after my secondary school education, life was like: today, you are in business; tomorrow, you are in a printing press, and so on. I think the last place I worked before I met him was in Nigerian Distilleries in Ota.
I was going to ask what you trained in because you are so fluent in expression and other things…
What qualities eventually cemented the relationship between you and Prophet TB Joshua?
As I told you, he is a very honest and humble man. Yes, he is a God fearing man too. I saw a kind-hearted man, a zealous man, a man of one purpose, a man with a sole aim: to please God at all times, with every other thing being secondary. I think those qualities were what cemented our relationship.
Okay, how were you convinced that he was the man that you were going to spend the rest of your life with?
When I woke up that very morning, I never knew. But something in me said: 'Go to the prophet.' And when he proposed to me, it was strange, but then, my heart agreed with it instantly.
Did you say 'Yes' there and then?
I don't think I have said yes up till now! (General laughter)
You can say that again. So, from there, one thing led to another and then your marriage or wedding. When did it take place? How many months or years of courtship did you have?
I am not sure that we courted for long. The wedding took place the same year – 1990.
Where did you get married?
In my place (laughs)
Was it a church wedding or traditional wedding?
Let's have you talk a little about yourself, when you were born and where, about your family and where you come from.
I was born about 40 years ago into a family of seven.
You don't look it at all…
What's your position in the family?
Fifth, my twin brother and I.
Twin brother? Where is he?
He is late.
What a pity.
There's no problem. I was born to the late Mr and Mrs Nicholas Akabude in the quiet town of Okala Okpuno in Oshimili North local government of Delta State. I started my primary education at St. Emecheta Primary School, Ezi Town, also in Delta State. Years later, I came to Lagos, that was in 1977, and completed my primary education here at Orile Primary School, Oshidi, and my secondary education also in Oshodi. That's all about my education. But a few years later, my husband sent me to Ghana and I was able to take some management courses there.
So, in what practical ways has your ministry complemented your husband's? I know you are a minister in The Synagogue. What's your own ministry? Tell us about your ministry.
It's the ministry of reconciliation.
In marriage?
In all aspects – parents-children relationships, marriage and things like that. I think they go hand-in-hand with one another. You can't actually separate them.
How does this ministry complement your husband's ministry, bearing in mind that he is into a prophetic and healing ministry?
When we talk about reconciliation, you need a lot of time to listen to people, to hear them; they want to bare their minds and a prophet hasn't got that time, especially after talking for hours. But I do that.
What are the peculiar challenges that face you as Mrs TB Joshua?
Yes, are there challenges that you face?
Life is all about challenges. All those problems and trials, I see them as challenges.
Maybe you are getting used to not seeing him regularly as you would have loved to…
No, no, no. What's he doing? Whatever it is, he has my support.
Seeing a lot of people and having to minister to them…
That's good.
You mean it doesn't affect the home in anyway?
Not at all.
Okay, how come you have kept to yourself for so long, because if this is not your first interview with the press, you've granted very negligible few? Or is it that you dislike the press?
Not really. You said very few, not that I have not granted any.
You mean you have not come across any?
I've not. I hope this will go very far so that someone else does not come to ask me, you've not granted any interview… (general laughter) Actually, like the Bible says, there is a time for everything, and God's time is the best. Maybe, the time is just ripe for what we are doing now.
That is to say, there is a time to keep to yourself and…
And of course, a time to talk. (general laughter)
So, how do you combine your roles as a minister of God, as a mother, as a wife? And, as a mother too, to the teeming crowd that comes to The SCOAN…
Where God guides, He provides. And those whom God has called for any service, He makes them fit for it. So, there is not much problem about that at all.
People believe that there are a lot of myths surrounding your husband. I've been his friend since 1989. I've heard people say a lot about him. I've seen people publish a lot of things about him, and they are still publishing. When you read or hear things that are not palatable being said about your husband, which ultimately must affect the family – how do you react? Do you feel any bitterness?
Point of correction – it is not affecting my family, and can never affect my family in any way because I know my husband, I know who he believes, and I know who I believe. I don't have any doubt in my mind and I know that the good work the Lord has started in him, He will accomplish and complete, in Jesus' Name.
So, you don't feel any bitterness when people write negative things about your husband?
Not at all. I don't because I know him very well, and I know the God he serves.
How does his ministry complement yours?
I've said before that they are one. You can't actually separate them. People come around. They want to see the prophet. They want to spend time with him. But he hasn't got such time. You know, many of them want to bare their minds. You need to listen to them carefully. You need to be with them. So, I took up that. You've got it? They actually came for him but along the line, you find out that they want to spend more time with him. That's where I come in.
How do you help your husband to overcome the gargantuan temptations that come his way every day, because this is a man exposed to thousands of people every day, especially women? How do you help him?
You see, you don't have any alternatives in life. I can as well tell you that we don't have alternatives in life. Anything that is contrary to what we stand for or what God sent us for, is what we are going to fight against. I can say that God has been merciful enough, guiding and protecting us in that angle.
The reason I asked that question is because I've seen many men of God fall because of women, money, fame and other extraneous things…
You should know what you believe. Did you get that? As I said, you cannot afford to fail. There is no other way. So, you must guard against that. And that's what we've been doing.
Could you tell us, in practical terms, how you've been guarding against that?
The Bible says our heart is the communication point. If the fear of God is registered in your heart at any time, if you are doing evil, you must know. And so, you must guard that heart at all times. Anything that is contrary to the will of God, you shouldn't take part in it.
Kenneth Hagin wrote in his book about how he fights the temptation of women. He said his office and his wife's office are next to each other, and he said he deliberately made it so. And that at every given time, the two doors are open so that the wife sees the person he is counselling and he also sees the person the wife is counselling, just to make sure he fights and defeats the tendencies of the flesh.
Well, it is God that guides. It is God that protects. How long do you keep on watching over a man? I mean, as I've just told you, I can say that I know him (Prophet TB Joshua) very well, and I can tell what he is capable of doing. So, that's no problem at all. All right?
I was expecting you to tell us what measures you've put in place to ensure that your husband doesn't fall into the temptation of immorality while counselling woman…
I don't take any other measure than to pray for him.
So, what counsel would you give to ministers' wives as to how they can help the ministry of their husbands, as to how they can protect and preserve their homes while serving God and humanity?
The counsel is, be the woman that God has made you to be. Don't measure yourself by yourself and don't live by other people's standards. Rest in the place God has for you. Be a good mother to your children and a good wife to your husband, and a woman of faith to humanity. Whatever situation you face in life, God is saying something through it and about it.
If your husband were to be in the secular world, he would be a superstar – because here is somebody who sits here, and presidents, top government officials and important people come from across the globe to see him. Do you have that feeling in you of having been married to a superstar?
All we do here is just absolute grace of God. Everything that happens here is by the grace of God, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, we don't feel anything special because important people are coming. Rather, we appreciate the grace of God upon our lives, upon the church, and we give Him all the glory. So, there is no superstar feeling. If there is any superstar, that superstar is Jesus through whom we can do all things. So, I don't feel any different from who God says I am. My husband doesn't feel any different from who God says he is.
If this man were not Prophet TB Joshua, would you have married him?
As I told you, apart from being a prophet, I actually saw what I needed in a man. So, it is not a question of being a prophet. It is about his character, his inner being.
What kind of man did you pray to marry before you met him?
Every woman desires to have a good husband, although appearance is deceptive. But God looks at the heart. I wanted a God-fearing man, an honest man and a kind-hearted man. And those are the qualities that I saw in him.
Over the years, you've been to many places. What memories do you have of the places you've been to, whether in Nigeria or outside?
Good memories. I've been to many places, you are right. After this, I still have something good to talk about them, about the people and what they receive from the Lord. We don't just to because we want to go. We actually visit places because God wants us to be there. And, when we leave there, there are good things to talk about.
What's your greatest fear in life?
I don't fear anything because I know God is there, and He can handle every situation.
What about embarrassing moments? Every human being does encounter embarrassing moments, things that will just happen and they embarrass you…
Embarrassing moments? Have I ever had any?
So, it has all been smooth?
There have been many challenges. I have said that.
What are these challenges? You've not told us.
Good and hard times (laughs)
You mean the wife of Prophet TB Joshua can have hard times too?
Because we are human
A man sought after by presidents, kinds and ministers, by everybody?
Sure, we are human.
Thank you very much.
I thank you, too.
SOURCE: Weekly Spectator, Nigeria – Vol. 1 No. 54


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New Car/Review
Hyundai Elantra GLS Wagon (1999) |
by Annabelle Frankl
Ford Full Line factory footage (4:26) 28.8, 56k, or 200kIf you're a name-brand kind of consumer, then the chances are that you're not going to rush out and buy a Hyundai. It just not the kind of name that trips off the tongue, inspiring envy and commanding attention. However, this South Korean company, which first launched in the USA in 1986, has been building a small following in the cheap-but-reliable marketplace, offering no-frills vehicles which include many, normally paid-for, options as standard, and handle pretty well, considering the price you're paying.
The Elantra Wagon is pleasant looking enough, my GLS coming in a fetching 'racing' Green paintjob, with beige interior. The interior was fairly minimalist, as one might expect, but adequate. A lack of cupholders, a measly-sized storage compartment between the seats, and the lack of a vanity mirror on the driver's side were somewhat surprising, given that this car is evidently targeted at the female/family driver, but that aside, everything was nicely appointed in an uninspired sort of way.
The 2.0 litre, 16 valve DOHC, 4-cylinder engine, which develops 140 hp at 6,000 rpm and 133 ft/lbs of torque at 4,800 rpm, actually offered fairly sluggish acceleration, which was not aided by the fact that the automatic transmission (standard on the GLS, optional on the base car) seemed intent on changing gears whenever it felt like it, rather than when the revs demanded it. Consequently, accelerating onto the freeway was a somewhat hit and miss affair, a ready-to-punch-the-gas left foot, ever ready for those unexpected, sudden changes.
The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering was actually pretty good, although a little more precision would have been nice. The brakes were extremely responsive, with 4-channel ABS coming as a standard feature on the GLS, and supplied solid stopping power with no loss of control. The Elantra also handled fairly well, gripping the road well in the corners, offering a pretty firm ride. The suspension system uses MacPherson struts with coil springs in front and a multi-link design with offset coil springs on the rear. This translates to each wheel reacting independently to road conditions, and tires retaining flat contact with the road. Which is always good, I think, especially if it's a family kind of car, with Johhny and Susie ready to remind you of their breakfasts at the earliest opportunity.
The Elantra was nice and roomy, with ample room for 5-up and fairly good cargo space, given that it's not an overly big wagon. With the rear seat up, capacity is 32.3 cubic feet, and this increases to 63 cubic feet with the 60/40 rear seat folded down, which apparently brings it out top of the class among compact station wagon. It also comes out at the top of its class in leg, hip and shoulder room, as well as EPA passenger volume.
The Elantra may not be economical with its roominess but certainly is when it comes to fuel consumption. Averaging 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, it represents a limited-budget family with a pocket-friendly means of transport.
So maybe driving is believing. Well, that's their catch phrase, not mine. I don't know that I would go that far, but the Elantra Wagon did pretty well overall. It's roomy, for its size. Comfortable, in a minimal way, and if you can't get going as you might wish, you can at least stop in an efficient manner. I'm not sure that there are not better deals to be had for the nearly $14, 500 that you'll need to slap down for the GLS, but given that Hyundai will give you limited bumper-to-bumper coverage for 5 years or 60,000 miles and that you will receive 24 hour roadside assistance coverage, at no extra charge, for 5 full years, with no mileage limit, it certainly doesn't seem like a bad deal. But then, is the prospect of using that assistance really a good incentive to buy in the first place? Hardly ideal, but then in a competitive marketplace of number-cruncher-designed-cars, manufacturers seem intent on trying anything to get you into their brand. This one was called a Hyundai, by the way.
FACTS & FIGURES Hyundai Elantra GLS Wagon Base Price $13,999 Model Tested $14,444 2.0 litre 16 valve, 4-cylinder DOHC engine HP - 140 @ 6,000 rpm Torque - 133 @ 4,800 rpm Front suspension - fully independent MacPherson struts, w/ offset coil springs & stabilizer bar Rear suspension - fully independent multi-link rear axle w/ coil springs & stabilizer bar Transmission - 5 speed manual w/ overdrive or 4-speed automatic w/ overdrive Steering - Speed sensitive power-assisted, rack-and-pinion Brakes - Full-featured 4-channel ABS Dual Front airbags Power windows, door locks & mirrors

subset: commoncrawl


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Show All Answers
St. Joseph County Zoning Classification map or Regional GIS Map
Contact Planning and Zoning Staff or call 574-235-7800
Zoning ordinances list the permitted uses for each zoning district. In addition to the primary uses listed, each zoning district also has a list of uses permitted with a special use permit. All of our Zoning ordinances are available online.
Contact our Staff or call 574-235-7800 for more information
Rezonings, development standard variances, special exceptions/special uses all require a public hearing in front of a decision-making body, such as the Area Plan Commission and the Area Board of Zoning Appeals. Property owners adjoining or near the subject property receive notice of that public hearing so that they can have their voice(s) heard in favor of or opposition to the issue at hand. The meeting agenda with application and staff report are available ten calendar days before the public hearing.
If you have any questions, you are encouraged to contact us prior to the hearing by emailing or calling us at 574-235-7800
If you have comments in favor or opposition to this matter you are encouraged to make them in writing via mail (227 W. Jefferson Blvd, County City Bldg., 11th Fl., South Bend, IN 46601) or email (email@example.com), and to attend the public hearing itself.
The Area Plan Commission has a policy of placing "Zoning Hearing" signs at properties scheduled for a rezoning public hearing ten calendar days before hand. The meeting agenda with application and staff report are also available ten calendar days before the public hearing.
If you have any questions on that matter you are encouraged to contact us prior to the hearing (firstname.lastname@example.com or 574-235-7800).
Do I need a building permit to install a fence?
Building permits are required for fence installation in unincorporated St. Joseph County. All fences must meet the location and height development standards in the zoning ordinance.
Where can fences be located and what is the setback?
Fences can be placed right at the property line. In other words, there is no setback for fences. Please note that the front property line is usually never at pavement, but rather at the edge of the County owned right-of-way which extends beyond the street surface (see "How can I determine where my property lines are located?" below).
What is the maximum height for a fence?
The maximum height of a fence depends on the type of fence and its location on the lot. There are additional regulations for corner lots.
For fences where greater than 70% of the fence is open, such as a chain-link fence, the maximum permitted height is 8'- however, if the fence is placed along the front property line or along the side property line within the front building setback (typically 35' from the front property line for residential lots), the fence shall not exceed 4' in height.
For fences where less than or equal to 70% of the fence is open, such as solid privacy fences, the maximum permitted height is 6'-however, if the fence is placed along the front property line or along the side property line within the front setback (typically 35' from the front property line for residential lots), the fence shall not exceed 3' in height.
Corner Lots. On a corner lot containing greater than 9,000 square feet, both property lines along the street are considered front property lines when it comes to determining maximum fence height. For corner lots less than or equal to 9,000 square feet, one front property line, as determined by the Zoning Administrator, may be considered a side property line and therefore allow for a taller fence. For all corners lots, fences along the two property lines abutting the streets cannot exceed 3' when they come within 10' of the right-of-way of the perpendicular street. This area is known as the clear sight triangle, and nothing taller than 3' may be erect there to protect driver visibility at intersections.
Does it matter which way a fence panel faces (i.e. can the posts/"ugly side" face outward)?
There are no development standards in St. Joseph County regulating which way a fence panel faces.
How can I determine where my property lines are located?
The only way to determine the precise location of a property line is to hire a land surveyor.
Aerials provided by Planning & Zoning staff or online GIS sources can only provide the approximate location of property lines, and may be several feet off.
Can I place a fence in an easement? How do I know if there is an easement on my property?
Easements, such as those reserved for drainage or utilities, are to remain free of structures, including fences. To determine if there is an easement on your lot, first contact the Division of Planning and Zoning. If the parcel was part of a subdivision recorded after 1964, Planning staff will be able to provide you with a subdivision plat which includes all easements in existence at the time of recording. If the parcel was not part of a subdivision, or was part of an earlier subdivision, staff will advise you to contact the County Recorder's Office to determine whether any easements are present.


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The year is 1975. Gerald Ford is in the White House, South Vietnam falls, Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in the "Thrilla in Manila" world championship boxing match, the late-night comedy show NBC's Saturday Night (later called Saturday Night Live) debuts, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest sweeps the Oscars, and Captain & Tennille's "Love Will Keep Us Together" and Glenn Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" top the music charts.
And in Albuquerque, N.M., Harvard dropout Bill Gates and his high school friend Paul Allen set up a tiny business to write software for a new microcomputer called the Altair 8800. Their first product is the Altair BASIC language. At some point during that year, the company is called Micro-soft, and then MicroSoft, before it is ultimately named Microsoft.
From those modest beginnings, that company went on to help give birth to an entire industry, change the way we live and work, and become one of the largest software companies on the planet, creating countless millionaires -- and several billionaires -- along the way.
As Microsoft celebrates its 35th anniversary, I've decided to take an idiosyncratic and opinionated look at the best, worst and most notable moments, technologies, products, decisions and people in the company's history. A lot has happened in that time, so if you think I've left anything out or disagree with my choices, share your thoughts in the article comments.
Now, step into the Wayback Machine and read on.
Savviest business deal
In November 1980, Microsoft signed an agreement with IBM to provide an operating system for the still-secret IBM Personal Computer, to be released in 1981. The operating system would ultimately be called PC-DOS, a rebranding of Microsoft's MS-DOS.
Microsoft didn't actually write MS-DOS; instead it paid to have Seattle Computer rewrite its own QDOS (Quick-and-Dirty Operating System) for the purpose, without telling Seattle Computer to whom the operating system would be sold. (Microsoft signed the contract with Seattle Computer one day after signing the contract with IBM.)
QDOS was largely based on the CP/M operating system, owned by Digital Research. Ironically, IBM had originally turned to Digital Research for an operating system for the IBM PC, but the two companies' negotiations broke down. Too bad for Digital Research; Microsoft went on to use its relationship with IBM as a springboard to develop its worldwide dominance in business operating systems.
Smartest acquisition
In July 1987, Microsoft bought Forethought Inc. for $14 million in cash. Forethought had developed a presentation program for the Macintosh, initially called Presenter, which it renamed PowerPoint for trademark reasons. PowerPoint later became one of the core programs of Microsoft Office, which for many years has been the dominant office productivity suite.
Prickliest partnership
In August 1985, Microsoft and IBM signed a deal to partner in the development of an advanced operating system called OS/2. The operating system never achieved the widespread popularity of DOS -- or, later on, Windows -- and became a bone of contention between Microsoft and IBM.
Microsoft devoted most of its development resources to Windows and Windows NT, rather than OS/2, and ultimately abandoned OS/2 to IBM, which eventually abandoned it as well.
Most surprising investment
In August 1997, longtime Microsoft rival Apple Computer was teetering on the brink of disaster and in desperate need of cash. Microsoft rode to the rescue, buying $150 million in nonvoting Apple stock. As part of the deal, Microsoft agreed to continue to develop Microsoft Office for the Mac, and Apple agreed to bundle Internet Explorer with the Mac OS operating system as the default browser.
Both parts of the agreement have since fallen by the wayside: IE for the Mac is gone, and although Microsoft continues to update Office for the Mac (usually some time after the Windows version is updated), it isn't required to do so.
Most prophetic memo
In February 1976, Gates issued a public letter berating people who were freely distributing tapes of the version of BASIC he and Paul Allen wrote for the Altair, without paying Microsoft for them. Here are excerpts from Gates' "An Open Letter to Hobbyists," sent to the Homebrew Computer Club:
The amount of royalties we have received from sales to hobbyists makes the time spent of Altair BASIC worth less than $2 an hour.
As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most of you steal your software.... Who cares if the people who work on it get paid?
Who can afford to do professional work for nothing? What hobbyist can put 3 man years into programming, finding all bugs, documenting his product and distribute for free?
Although the term open source hadn't been coined at the time, this letter set the stage for Gates' career-long battle with open-source and free software advocates.
Most beloved OS
Two operating systems stand out in Microsoft's long history as having more than their share of fans: MS-DOS 5 and Windows XP. Released in 1991, MS-DOS 5 was stable, fixed the worst problems of its notoriously buggy predecessor, MS-DOS 4, and for the first time broke the 640K memory barrier for DOS, allowing memory beyond that to be used for programs, drivers and so-called Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) programs.
With 2001's Windows XP, Microsoft finally merged its consumer and business lines of Windows, essentially building a consumer-oriented operating system on top of the stable Windows NT kernel. It also finally stopped using DOS as the base operating system, making Windows XP far more stable and reliable than previous versions of Windows.
Some people believe XP was too much of a success, because Microsoft has had a hard time getting people to give it up for newer Windows versions. In 2008, more than 200,000 users signed InfoWorld's "Save XP" petition asking Microsoft to continue support for the aging operating system.
Which is the most beloved? I'll give the nod to Windows XP. MS-DOS 5, as good as it was, ultimately led to a dead end -- it was the best operating system in a line that eventually died out. Windows XP, in contrast, lives on not only on many people's computers, but in the heart of Windows 7, which still retains its predecessor's merged business and consumer lines.
Most reviled OS
Here you've got to choose among an unholy trifecta of MS-DOS 4, Windows Me and Windows Vista. Released in 1988, MS-DOS 4 was notoriously buggy, and many applications refused to run on it. Users commonly reverted to MS-DOS 3.3 or jumped ship to Digital Research's DR-DOS 3.41 to avoid MS-DOS 4, Microsoft's first serious misstep in operating systems. Windows Me, released in 2000, was buggy as well, and plagued by installation problems and a plethora of hardware and software incompatibilities.
But I give the "most reviled" crown to 2006's Windows Vista, which proved to be far more of a fiasco than Windows Me or MS-DOS 4. The five-year gap between the release of XP and Vista was the longest gap between versions of Windows ever, so people had high expectations for Vista. Unfortunately, it was bedeviled by hardware incompatibilities at launch, it wouldn't run on older hardware, and many people disliked its resource-hungry user interface.
Making matters worse, many PCs that were tagged as "Vista Capable" couldn't run the full version of the operating system -- a situation that led to a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft.


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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The former University of Iowa athletic department official at the center of a sexual harassment investigation had been fired from a previous job at a liberal arts college in South Carolina in 1999, according to records released Wednesday.
Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C., dismissed Peter V. Gray after he had worked less than a year as its director of advisement and retention. His supervisor cited "unsatisfactory working results" and vowed she wouldn't rehire him as a result.
"Employment not in the best interest of the institution," is listed as the reason for the termination in the document, released in response to an open records request by The Associated Press. It does not elaborate.
Gray's employment background is significant as Iowa officials investigate the details of sexual harassment claims against him and how they were handled. The firing raises questions about how deeply Iowa dug into his background before putting him in charge of monitoring the academic progression of its student-athletes.
Gray, 59, resigned from Iowa last week after an internal investigation accused him of sexually harassing students and athletes in his job as associate director of athletics student services, which he had held since 2002. The behavior allegedly included overly friendly hugs, massages and other touching that colleagues and students said was unprofessional and made them feel uncomfortable.
The report, obtained by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, also found that Gray gave football tickets to someone outside the university in exchange for nude photographs and had several pictures on his work computer that were "suggestive in nature," including a picture of the men's swimming team he used as a screen saver and two showing individuals engaged in sex acts with toys or stuffed animals.
Gray had worked previously at Iowa from 1993-95, and the report quoted employees as saying his inappropriate behavior dated back to that time.
Critics, including Regent Bob Downer of Iowa City, have questioned why Iowa rehired Gray in 2002 if it was aware of previous concerns. But a top university official defended the hiring decision this week, saying that Gray was an outstanding candidate chosen for the job after beating out several others in a national search.
"I know for a fact that was done absolutely correctly and openly," said N. William Hines, chair of the Presidential Committee on Athletics, which provides oversight of the athletics department.
University of Iowa spokesman Tom Moore declined comment Wednesday on the Coastal Carolina records. President Sally Mason is reviewing the Gray case, and the Iowa Board of Regents also is gathering information.
Patricia Sizemore, then Coastal Carolina's vice president of enrollment management, recommended hiring Gray at its academic center in summer 1998. But by January, records show, Sizemore had a conversation to inform Gray that his employment would be ending May 15, before his one-year probationary period ended.
"We wish you success in all your future endeavors," she wrote.
Gray had worked at the University of Mississippi athletics department from 1995-98. A school lawyer said Wednesday that it had not turned up any complaints about Gray's behavior or the details of his departure, but that it continues to look.
Gray also worked at Indiana University's athletics department from 1999-2002 before returning to Iowa, and representatives there had no immediate comment.
Gray has not responded to messages seeking comment, and nobody answered the door Wednesday at an Iowa City address listed for him.
Hines said that he believed Gray was essential in helping countless athletes keep up with their school work and graduate on time during the last decade. He described him as "the happiest guy in the room, upbeat and kind of uplifting" and quick to dole out inspiration and encouragement. But these days, Hines said, Gray is devastated by the sudden downfall of his career and locked himself away in his home.
"This kind of came as a shock," he said. "From our point of view, this was one of our outstanding counselors who was doing a great job."


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Fake tree outside VivoCity - anyone noticed the leaf giving me the finger? |
How are you? I slept the whole day away. I'm sick as a dog. My tummy feels weird. When that happens, it means I will have a bad headache. Hours of headache. My face hurts. My eyes hurt. My stomach screams for porridge for dinner. I never want to eat porridge for dinner. Except when I feel sick. Yes, you're thinking what I'm thinking. I'm gonna lose some weight from this illness for sure! Woo hoo!
My son is sick too. He has a fever. He rarely gets sick. It's his first day of his year-end school holiday too. Don't worry. The fever does not affect his ability to play electronic games. Hope it's not a bug. Don't want my girl and hubs to get sick too. We need them to get food.
So I spent the weekend at VivoCity selling my bags. I did not have a good start. After getting my counter, I started to set up my display. Then I was told to move one counter away for my own sake as the counter next to me sells pottery art and painting is involved. See, the paint could fly in the air and splatter on my bags. It was only one counter away so it was no big deal so I moved. But it took a long time to get the key to the new counter. None of the keys fitted. Then I tried the key from my old counter and boom! It worked. Still I felt the Universe was trying to tell me something!
I thought the new counter was a pretty good location anyway. I snagged 2 sales while I was setting up. I was actually thinking to myself it's gonna be a great day.
Then I was told to move. Again. You know, it's never nice to be asked to move. To be asked to move twice in one morning is bordering on UGLY. This time, my counter was literally carried by the staff to another location, next to the cashier. (Oh yes, there is a cashier system) Once again, I felt the Universe was trying to tell me something. Alas! I'm half deaf so I could not hear.
I'm not the kind of person who acts like an ass in public. I'm usually cooperative and nice. Maybe that's why I'm the one who has to move?
This is my table display on Saturday at my NEW PERMANENT LOCATION. After my move, I had ZERO sales for a few hours. I was quite moody for a while. I mean, you understand, right? I stopped trying to figure out what the Universe was trying to tell me.
I was also moody as on Friday I had found out my portable hard drive where I kept my 2 weeks' worth of work in my ePattern and photos had died and I did not have any other copies. On Friday night I had gone to 2 computer shops to get it repaired and was refused. These are professional PC repairmen and they have no guts to open up my hard disk? What kind of world do we live in?
Around 4pm, me hubs called me with the good news. He had broken into the hard drive and retrieved my data. The clever, clever man. I am so in love with him right now!
While on the phone listening to the good news, I started getting sales. And it got better and better from then on. The traffic was fabulous. My total sales on Saturday was pretty decent. I finally heard what the Universe was trying so hard to tell me.
Jane, we're moving you from a bad place to a good place!At least that's what I heard.
This was my table display on Sunday. On Sunday, the crowd was different - more families. There were more browsers than buyers. My sales dropped. I managed to make a few sales so it was still alright.
Did I tell you? My neighbouring vendors are very nice folks. The one next to me sold organic baby clothes. Two very lovely ladies. I enjoyed talking to them. There was also a home decor vendor whose wares I kept checking out. Next to her is Corinna, a German lady living in Singapore. She makes really adorable dolls and owns Cute and Cosy.
Here is Corinna modelling my iPhone zip pouch. Psst... so glad she didn't hang it on her
My counter faced this shop selling winter clothes. So I'm like staring at it all day. It's a good thing I brought my sweater and scarves because it got really cold. Otherwise I would have gone into the shop and bought myself a winter outfit. But it wasn't like cold all the time. Sometimes, it got really hot so I have to remove my sweater and walk around.
There is a restaurant called Carnivore to my right and all day I keep thinking I want to eat meat. A couple of times I went to the entrance to sniff the food. Sometimes I act like a dog.
This lovely outdoor scenery was just a few metres from where I was. A couple of times I went out for fresh air only to end up inhaling 2nd hand smoke. It's gotten to the point where open spaces in Singapore are always invaded by smokers. Across the water is Sentosa an expensive island experience for tourists.
Anyone wondered how my stamped linen did? I was curious too as it's the first time I'm selling these.
This was a hit. Groped and poked and commented on. I'm just surprised no one bought it.
The girl with balloons and tulips were bought by 2 young girls.
I have another craft market coming up on 11.11.11. I can't think of anything significant to offer on that day. I have around 10 days to make more items for sale but I think I may be out of action for a few days. I can feel a fever creeping up on me. So see you in a while. Good nite.


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The Wrap Skirt is your perfect swimsuit accessory. Add some flair to your beach look with these easy-to-tie skirts!
Product Features:
- Fabric: Bubble Lattice
- Free Size
- Side Strings
Caring Tips:
- Gentle hand wash
All Guppy products are made for and inspired by life in the tropics!


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Although there have been improvements in overall quality and outcomes in care transitions since introducing pharmacists to the process, transition of care notably lacks interventions that enable collaboration with, or incorporation of, community pharmacists.
The most modifiable component of complications caused by antibiotic resistance, which leads to increased healthcare costs and poor health outcomes, is antibiotic use. It is estimated that up to 50% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions are inappropriate,2 and are most often indicated for acute respiratory infections.
Emily Blackwood, PharmD, Maisha K. Freeman, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FASCP, John A. Galdo, PharmD, BCPS, CGP
The star ratings program from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is one of the systems used to measure quality in the outpatient setting. This program is a quality-rating system for Medicare Part D health plans, and includes quality metrics that range from foreign-language interpreter availability to patient medication adherence. Pharmacy claims data metrics are considered triple-weighted, because of their emphasis on these metrics in assessing health plan quality care. Often, third-party companies calculate the value of the metrics for a community pharmacy, despite the quality metrics designed by the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) for health plan assessment.
In March 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved filgrastim-sndz (Zarxio), a biosimilar to filgrastim (Neupogen), representing the first biosimilar in the United States.
The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), a standards development organization (SDO), has served the pharmacy services industry for approximately 40 years. The organization—which has ushered in a real-time environment for this segment of the healthcare industry—has made a practice of putting its vision into action to transform a paper-based environment into an automated one, laying a foundation for the continued expansion of pharmacist-administered clinical services.
Accountable care is transforming healthcare in the United States. Accountable care organizations (ACOs) move away from a volume-driven system—where providers are paid a fee for service—to a value-driven system, where providers are incented to keep people well, and achieve high-quality, low-cost outcomes. Although conversion to a value-driven system will take some time, the early majority of ACOs are already refining models and allocating roles for various care providers in the new system.
The Case: An elderly man with a history of arthritis, benign prostatic hypertrophy with urinary obstruction, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and a long history of tobacco use presented to a local emergency department for chest pain. An electrocardiogram revealed a new anterior myocardial infarction, and a cardiac catheterization confirmed single-vessel disease isolated to the left anterior descending artery. The resulting percutaneous coronary intervention resulted in the placement of 2 drug-eluting stents. After stent placement, the patient was placed on triple anticoagulation therapy consisting of warfarin, clopidogrel (Plavix), and aspirin.
This month, we asked the experts on our editorial board to provide their thoughts about the qualities of a pharmacy staff in a high-performing pharmacy.
Prior authorization was created by the insurance industry to provide the most appropriate and cost-effective healthcare services and medications for patients.
In a recent interview with Inside Patient Care, Eric Graf, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ritzman Pharmacy, discussed what the pharmacy of the future looks like, as well as trends in community pharmacy.


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How Big Data Has Changed Dating
What it means to be single and looking for love in the time of algorithms
Online dating has gone mainstream. Over one third of the 90 million single adults in America have an online dating profile in any given month. And, as Match.com touts in its commercials, one in five relationships now start on the Internet.
But how does this new reality affect the way we love and what we come to expect from relationships?
In his new book, Love in the Time of Algorithms, Dan Slater argues that online dating, as it becomes ever more popular, may lead to better relationships. Online daters set the bar high in terms of what they want in a partner, says the journalist. At the same time, however, this has a downside. Slater speculates that dating sites give the impression that there are many more fish in the sea, leading to less commitment in the singles scene.
I think people consider online dating to be a relatively new phenomenon. But your parents met through a computer dating service in the mid-1960s. Can you describe these early days?
It was limited to college campuses, especially in the first few years. You would be in your dorm room and all of a sudden someone would come by and slip a questionnaire underneath the door. You would be asked 100 things about yourself and about what you are looking for in the ideal mate; the questionnaire had these little bubbles next to the questions.
You would return the [completed] questionnaire to the person or the company with a subscription fee of something like $3 or $4. They would take all of your answers and transfer them onto a punch card, which was then run through enormous computers that would fill up an entire room. For each of the subscribers, the machine would spit out a sheet with the person's six ideal matches. You would just get the name of the person, the college they went to, graduation year and, I believe, their phone number. That would get mailed to you. Then, it was up to you to somehow make contact, either by sending a letter or calling them up. [Slater's father went to Harvard, his mother to Mount Holyoke.]
What happened after this first service came out?
The two young men [Jeff Tarr and David Dewan] who started these first two companies at Harvard left school, sold their companies and went into other fields. There were other incarnations of online dating as early as the early 80s. But, the modern online dating era, as most people now know it, really started around 1995, when Match.com launched.
What have been the most significant changes since the mid-1990s in the way the sites look and how they function?
The major change from a macro level would really be the efficiency of the sites. One of the early struggles was just that the populations on these sites were so small. The best-case scenario would have been if you lived in San Francisco in the mid-90s, where Match.com originally launched. A 30-year-old woman might have been lucky to log on and find 20 people in her area that at least loosely fit her criteria. Today, if you logged on to a site and only found 20 people, it would feel ridiculously light. You would probably go find another site.
The fact that the online populations have grown so much has allowed the sites to become efficient, not only from a population perspective but also from a data perspective. When you can observe really large populations of people and see how they behave in an online meeting context, it allows you to optimize your site.
Here is just one example. If a guy signs up, and he says, "I am interested in marriage" or "I am interested in something long-term," but then the people he is messaging are people who have not said that in their own profiles, the system can see that and adjust accordingly. The site is not going to show him women that are interested in marriage or long-term relationships. That wouldn't have existed even five or seven years ago.
The first technological incarnation of this is this idea of behavioral matching. Let's say you are a 30-year-old woman and you sign up for Match. They ask, "Do you like men with facial hair?" You say, "yes" or "no." The other way to see if you like men with facial hair would be not to ask you explicitly but to just see how you behave on the site. Are you clicking on lots of profiles of guys with beards? Maybe you are. Maybe that would surprise you to know that, because you have always thought of yourself as someone who can't stand facial hair. I think that is the sort of thing that technology may be able to promise now and even more in the future.
So, dating sites can work even when what we think or say we want in a partner is not always what ends up being the best or most compatible for us?
One of the things that online dating executives are always happy to tell you is that people are actually horrible assessors of who they are and what they want. I think to some extent that is true, but we will certainly be seeing the industry play that up as much as possible, "You need my technology in order to figure out what you actually want!"
Beyond the technology, what has happened socially in the last decade and a half to make people want and need the choice and control that online dating offers more than ever?
The marriage age keeps getting later and later. The further the marriage age moves up, the more it means that people are dating into their later years. The more that people are dating into their later years, the harder it is for those people to meet. That is just a reality of life. As you get older, for the majority of people, you're social circles can shrink a bit. Online dating becomes very useful. The online dating industry has seen this in the form of the 50 and over crowd becoming one of the most popular demographics.
Is there still a stigma, do you think?
There is a lingering stigma. But, I think that the more online dating gains a reputation for being effective, the more the stigma will erode. I spoke to online daters across the age spectrum, male and female, all around the country. I would ask them about how they felt about the stigma. The thing I heard a lot was, "It seems like people are still anxious to talk about it. But, you'll be in a group of people and once the first person brings up the subject, then there is this outpouring of talk about it. Everyone wants to speak about it, but they don't necessarily want to be the first person to bring it up."
What are online dating executives doing to try to get rid of a stigma?
Some are trying to take the online dating industry in a new direction by putting a new brand on it. Instead of calling it online dating, new sites are being branded as "social discovery sites." It is basically social media with a new twist; they are injecting it with the essence of online dating, which is meeting people you don't already know online.
Let's start with the positives. How has online dating made relationships better?
It is making human relationships easier to find. Loneliness is a horrible affliction. I think we have all endured it at some point in our lives, and we know what that is like. I think a technology that comes along and says, "Hey, we have an answer to that problem" is a great thing.
Dan Winchester, founder of a free dating site in the United Kingdom, says, "The future will see better relationships but more divorce." This seems hard to grasp.
The idea of better relationships but more divorce is exactly what I saw happening among some people that I spoke with. On the one hand, the bar would be raised for what we think of as a good relationship. But, necessarily, as a result of that, you are also going to see more relationships break up. People are not going to be as willing to stick around in relationships that they are not happy with.
You talk a lot about choice. With so much choice built into online dating networks, will people always have this "grass is greener on the other side" attitude?
If you are in a good relationship, where both of the people in it are happy, you are not going to be hanging out on online dating sites waiting for something better to come along. I think the "grass is greener on the other side" idea will affect a certain kind of a relationship, a relationship that is sub-optimal. You may see people return to the dating pool online again and again, who are in relationships that are on the fence in terms of quality.
The more society turns to online dating, the less likely people will commit to relationships—or so you say. What evidence do you have to support this argument?
I am not a scientist. I approached this like a lawyer would approach it, which was what I used to be before I became a journalist. You marshal all the evidence. I will say that after having interviewed over 100 online daters for the book, the phenomenon of the guy moving on and on because he could, came up a lot—not for everyone, but with a lot of both men and women.
I cite a fairly widely known report, at least among psychologists, that theorized about the elements of commitment. One of the elements of commitment is the potential availability of a person's alternatives. If the perception of alternatives is high, people are less likely to commit. All I would say is, look at what online dating does; it vastly expands the alternatives, or maybe just the perception of them.
I also talked to a bunch of divorce lawyers. These divorce lawyers are saying that technology is a factor in a very large percentage of the relationship breakups they are seeing these days. It may not just be online dating, but it is the whole world of connection that happens online. It is also email; it is also Facebook. The easier it becomes to stray and to go in search of something new, the higher the percentage of people who do that.
What is the next big thing in online dating?
As some of the more sophisticated sites learn how to use their data to enrich things like matching, will the technology advance what we know about the science of compatibility? For the time being, psychological science says that it is impossible to predict the likelihood of compatibility between people who have never met. Obviously, there are a lot of dating sites out there saying the opposite. They are saying we actually can predict the likelihood of two people hitting it off on a first day, even when they have never met before. Some sites will even go as far as to say we can predict the likelihood of a good marriage between two strangers. Psychological scientists and academics are sitting on the sideline saying, "Okay, show me that." And sites, of course, aren't really offering anything up. So, the question is, will they gather so much data about what people want that they can actually move science forward to the point where the likelihood of a successful match being struck goes from 5 percent to 15 percent, or something like that. I think that is the next thing to watch.


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As incredible as it may sound, after going 11 straight times, this year's San Diego Comic Con was unique, in good and bad ways. Every year we learn new things, meet new people and realize why we're once more there, among so many people who love comics.
The top spot on the most amazing things about this year was joining with Becky and Vasilis, that's for sure. We've known each other for some 3 or 4 years, but we always had very little time to spend together and talk and have fun. This year, we've made "5", the COOLEST COMIC of the year, hands down the most wanted item of the convention, and we were practically STUCK in our table together, just having fun and freezing under the air-conditioning from Hell. Our table, by the way, was only possible because of Ivan Brandon who had asked for 2 tables at the Image booth and passed one along to us. He has been doing amazing work in comics and has been putting great people together on his projects, like the amazing second volume of 24seven. The table was another great thing he's done for the sake of good comics.
As it was expected, everyone was amazed with GRAMPÁ's cover of "5", as well as all the other art he had in there. The awe for his work was only matched by his absence on the show, as he was truly missed and tons of people now want to see more of him.
Our table was, as we so accurately described, FUCKING FODA! Like a well balanced meal, it had all sort of colors, a variety of genres and all the powerful range of stuff we all are able to do. Next to our amazing and best-selling "5", we had Becky's MINIS, an amazing collection of her early mini-comics, and East Coast Rising, her Eisner nominated series from Tokyo Pop; and we had Vasilis' brand new graphic novel Last Call, as well as his mini-comic Hats and Pirates of Coney Island, published by Image; also their collaborate work on Nebuli, the first time I saw Vasilis' work and the starting point of the urge for us to make something together; And Fábio and I had the brand new CASANOVA #8, as well as the hardcover edition, alongside copies of the "who-are-these-amazing-brazilians" ROCK'N'ROLL we have made with Bruno and Kako. We got some FCBD comic from the Dark Horse booth, as well as the free poster and our one copy of our Eisner nominated De:TALES to show people and point them to the DH booth to buy it.
Speaking of Eisner Awards, this year was a great sample of independent authors and amazing different works and I think the most significant nominees and winners were from outside the mainstream comics, or super-heroes. As much as we were disappointed to lose, we could not have lost to a better book. The first time I've seen Jason's work I thought "we're so gonna lose to him". One of the things I regret about this year is that I didn't have any time to check out all these comics and creators on the floor, at the convention, because we were always selling at the booth or at some important meeting. I'd love to get American Born Chinese and Fun Home, as well as Jason's award winner The Left Bank Gang. One thing I'm definitely going to chase is Eric Powel's Satan's Sodomy Baby. I'm getting everything from Brian at Khepri.com.
Shout out to our awarded friends Jill Thompson (painter), James Jean (cover), Dave Stewart (colors) and Paul Pope (writer/artist - series). And Sam, congrats again and thanks for the Old Boy edition.
As it would be expected of someone who have been publishing constantly in the US for the last 5 years, our work's following of fans have increased considerably and we were happy to witness statements of gratitude, admiration and respect from lots of people who would stop by our table, as well as other fellow authors during all four days of the convention. It all started on our beloved USA Hostel, where we've been staying for the last 6 years. Our roommates, 2 funny auzies, not only have seen ROCK'N'ROLL, but also would not believe when they connected the dots between us and CASANOVA and Umbrella Academy that we would share that room with them. They were the nicest and funniest roommates we'd had in years. And it was full of amazingly hot women all the time, awesome and talented Ky-tee in particular. As much as nobody would believe or understand why we stayed in the hostel, and that this have been probably the last time we stay there, you won't meet so many different and interesting people from all over the world in the hotels.
Moving to a whole other level of stardom and recognition, this year had obvious aspects of our work that called a lot more attention, like my collaboration on The Umbrella Academy, written by Gerard Way. The same way I'm having a blast working on this book and I'm really proud of the results so far, Gerard could not be happier with our creation and the first thing he said to me was "thank you for this wonderful job". On the couple of hours we spent together on saturday, we did an one-hour signing for 80 lucky ticket winners, surrounded by an unbelievable sea of teenagers with cameras flashing, shouts and laughs, and It was really amazing to me when someone would come with a copy of CASANOVA, De:TALES, URSULA and "5" among the Umbrella Academy or My Chemical Romance items. As Gerard himself have put on an interview for MySpace, the main idea of making this comic is acknowledging the fact that he has millions of fans and use that to see if he can bring more people to know comics, not only our, but all comic that he loves. He just want to see comics do better and reach more people, and so do I.
various moments of the time with Gerard, the madness of the signing and at the bottom, the Umbrella team: Nate Piekos (letters), Dave Stewart (colors), me (art) and Gerard.
Another moment on the Olympus of fame was when Joss Whedon came to our table to finally meet Fábio, who's been working with him on his brand-new Sugar Shock comic for Dark Horse Presents. Everyone around was so excited and thrilled and whispering "oh my god, it's Joss Whedon", while Joss was excited and thrilled and whispering "oh my god, it's Fábio Moon". Promotional genius that he is, he asked Fábio to draw the main character of the book on a T-shirt that he would wear on his panel and signings and Fábio stood up for the task and made an amazing job, right there on the fly. Joss would parade with his new T-shirt for the next 3 days (on top of clean clothes, ok) and he even wore it on the exclusive EW party on saturday night. Walking around with Nisha Gopalan, the lovely girl who was kind enough to include and interview us for the TOP 100 EW list, we asked to be introduced to J. J. Abrams, who said he loved Joss' T-shirt, to which Fábio answered "well, write a comic for me to work on and I'll make you a T-shirt".
Fábio and Joss Whedon...
... and the famous Dandelion T-shirt.
This year we had a lot of time to talk to Diana Schutz, our godmother, our light and guide trough the helm of comics. We owe her so much that it cannot be described with words. Only making amazing comics we can honor our debt with her.
Fábio and Diana.
We had our share of meetings and projects are indeed moving forward, as the doors have been open wide to us and we have to make sure they won't close. As usual, we hanged out a lot with other creators on lunches, dinners and late at night at the Hyatt bar. We've met M.K. Perker, an amazing and hilarious artist from Turkey, we were introduced to John Cassaday and talked a lot to Jim Lee, who was really impressed with Becky's work. The dead-dog party that wraps the convention was one of the best I've ever been to, where all the creators present were really happy with the show and the direction comics are going. With lots of drunk smiles and sincere joy and respect from one another, we ended our trip with hugs and toast and, as I was making fun of Paul Pope and Jim Pascoe that "if I wasn't wearing this hat, I would be on your "messy-hair" team", he said to me in a natural voice and with an honest smile on his face:
"You are on our team. We're all on the same team".
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Posted by Bá at 7:00 PM 5 comments
Labels: 5, awards, casanova, collaborations, comics, De:TALES, Eisner, ew, friends, Gerard Way, Joss Whedon, Paul Pope, sdcc, Sugarshock, umbrella academy
Friday, July 27, 2007
SDCC: 5 and Sugarshock!
Here we are, in San Diego. Days are long, nights are nice, and comics are our business and business is good! Tonight, the Eisners!
Click here to see my new project, a mini series called SugarShock, written by Joss Whedon!
It's nice to have a table again, and to be in such nice company. If you're going do the convention this weekend, stop by at the Image booth and find our table. We're cool, we're there, and you want to meet us and read our books.
Yes, you do.
Posted by Fábio Moon at 12:04 PM 4 comments
Labels: 5, collaborations, comics, sdcc, Sugarshock
Monday, July 23, 2007
SAN DIEGO WEEK- the info.
Here we are! We're leaving yet again for San Diego, hoping to do some good and tell some jokes, and even maybe sell some books. Most of the time, we'll be at the Image booth (booth # 2729), so come to say hi. We have some scheduled signings, and they are as follow:
12:30/2pm - Umbrella Academy signing, with Gabriel Bá and Gerard Way
at the Dark Horse Comics booth (booth # 2615)
3mpm/4pm - Joint Planetary Brigade/Zombie Tales signing with Fábio Moon and a bunch of other artists that worked on either (or both) of these books.
at the Boom Studios booth (booth # 2543)
12pm/1pm - De:TALES signing with Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá
at the Dark Horse Comics booth (booth # 2615)
Besides the signings, and the secret meetings, and the announcements to make secrets known, we'll be at our table inside the image booth. There, we'll have a lot of cool comics for you, including:
- 5, the new indy sensation, the comic book from the Girl, the Greek and the guris, done across the globe by Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá, Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos and Rafael Grampá.
- Rock'n'Roll, the hit of 2004/2005, with whatever available copies we have left, because that was such a cool comic that even after it was printed, Image wanted to print it again.
-Casanova 8, the return! Casanova Quinn is back, and so is everyone else, and now I'm the artists of Matt Fraction's and Bá's creation, while Bá continues to amaze us with his covers.
-Casanova volume 2 - Luxuria
Discover the wild world of Casanova Quinn on this beautiful hard cover.
We'll have much more there from our posse, Becky and Vasilis, so I'm sure you'll find something you want if you stop at our booth. But, if you're still not satisfied with our offerings, we're also bringing some original pages for your viewing and buying pleasure.
We can't just bring everything we've done, so we selected some pages. We like them very much, so we hope you like them too.
PAGES TO SELL! (click on the images to see bigger)
- FCBD Umbrella pages (by Gabriel Bá)
Bá will have some other pages available , so if you stop by, ask to see "the folder".
Posted by Fábio Moon at 12:50 PM 1 comments
SAN DIEGO WEEK- the info part deux
MORE PAGES FOR SALE! (click on the images for a bigger version)
- Casanova pages (by Gabriel Bá)
- Casanova pages (by Fábio Moon)
I'll have all pages from my first Casanova issue there, but since it haven't come out yet, here are just some teaser pages:
- Zombie pages (by Fábio Moon)
If you didn't even know I had drawn a Zombie story (for Boom studios, like I mentioned on the signing schedule), check out the pages:
Friday, July 20, 2007
Cortina review.
I just read a really wonderful review of my Cortina story. I'm really excited the forth volume of Flight is finally out, and, the same way people are discovering my story in it, I can't wait for them to discover the other stories on the book.
Short stories left me always wanting more. I guess that's one of the purposes, and it works both to the reader as it does to the author. When I did Magic Age, the story for the second volume of the 24Seven anthology, I finished it and wanted to to more robot stories.
Once I finished Cortina, I wanted to go out dancing, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life writing about it.
And writing about her.
Posted by Fábio Moon at 5:39 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Casanova at the CBLDF auction in San Diego!
The CBLDF holds its biggest auction of the year at Comic-Con, and this year brings some amazing one-of-a-kind items to raise money for free speech!
We've donated a cover from Casanova, so if you like Casanova, and you want to support the CBLDF, here's your chance.
Click HERE for a complete list of the items being aucitoned, including an original Jeff Smith page, a Jim Lee batman, a Paul Pope Batman page, a heart breaking page from Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise, and much more!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Gerard Way interviewed.
Gerard Way gives an interview about The Umbrella Academy at Newsarama, going from the original idea to Bá's influence on the book. And he confirms he's going to San Diego, so we'll all be there to sign some books and posters. We'll bring the originals from the FCBD Umbrella story to sell at the convention, so if you like original art (from Bá), here's your chance.
variant Gerard Way cover for The Umbrella Academy 1
Posted by Fábio Moon at 7:22 PM 2 comments
Labels: collaborations, interviews, sdcc, umbrella academy
Friday, July 13, 2007
Lame play of words, but awesome cover. I can't wait to jump into this issue.
We have a lot to do before San Diego, so our posts will be short until then.
Posted by Fábio Moon at 4:52 PM 1 comments
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Brazilian awards yesterday.
So, yesterday we received four awards at the brazilian equivalent of the Eisners, the HQ Mix. It was a very nice ceremony, with live band performing while the recipients went onstage. It was a nice break from the intensive working routine we're having in order to finish all comics we're currently doing.
Also, yesterday was a good thermometer of the success our new comic 5 will make among the readers and, let me tell you, the book is even better when you hold it in your hands. It's flat out beautiful.
I have 16 pages to do before I get on the airplane. Bá has 9. It's going to be a very busy week and a half, so let's get back to work. On the meantime, track down FLIGHT 4, which has a short story from me, and has a lot of great stories from other remarkable artists.
Posted by Fábio Moon at 4:11 PM 2 comments
Friday, July 06, 2007
New 24Seven Preview!!
24Seven is in the spotlight at MySpace and, as an exclusive preview of this year's anthology, they have a complete story up there. Which one did editor in chief Ivan Brandon choose?
Go there and check it out.
Talking about MySpace, we're there too. Click here and find us. I don't do much, it's mostly Bá's playground as we try to divide this whole internet thing (I got the Engine and the Forums).
But hey, the robot story. Check it out.
It's one of my favorites.


text:
She is an alumna of IIM Bangalore and worked in a high profile job in a big corporate house. But her passion towards cinematography made her resign to her job and apply for cinematography course in Pune Film Institute. It is just a child's play to get into Pune film institute for somebody who entered IIM beating so much of competition. After graduation, she worked for Amir Khan's productions like Tare Zameen Par and Jaane Tu… in cinematography department. She is making her debut as feature film cinematographer with Hari Yellti's debut film 'Ankith Pallavi & Friends' (APF). After watching the graded first copy of that film, Hari Yelleti confessed to me that her work is as good as that of PC Sreeram's work in 'Chini Kum'. Telugu film industry needs educated and professionally qualified technicians. And Malini Dasari is going to contribute her might to Telugu film industry with APF. Here are the excerpts of an exclusive interview with the cinematographer of next generation - Malini Dasari …
Tell us about your background? I am born and brought up in Hyderabad. My father Shankar is a still photographer who handled a lot of commercial and industrial photography. I did my graduation in St. Anns, Mehadipatnam. Then I got admission in IIM Bangalore and completed my MBA with marketing specialization. Later on, I worked in Xerox India (Modi Xerox now) for one and half year. I quit the job as I felt that it was monotonous. I came back to Hyderabad and worked as a consultant to CRY (Child Relief and You). It gave me immense job satisfaction. That is when I saw an advertisement inviting applications for various courses offered by Pune Film Institute. I was fascinated by photography as I grew up watching my father doing still photography. I observed that my father used to clean the camera and the equipment everyday like it's a prized possession. I also used to clean his camera equipment and I used to take many photographs as hobby. I applied for the course of cinematography and got admitted in Pune film institute. I passed out in 2004. It was a 3-year diploma.
After graduation I joined Bollywood films and did the work of focus puller and gaffer as a freelancer. I assisted Jodha Akbar cinematographer Kiran Deohans for a few corporate films. I also assisted KU Mohan (cinematographer of Don) for a film called Freaky Chakra. I assisted many cinematographers for ads/videos/films. Then I worked independently on many documents and corporate films. During my film institute days I assisted Shyam K Naidu for a Hindi film as a part of practical course in my institute curriculum. I also worked for Bommalata (Bellyfull of dreams).
Recently I worked for Honeymoon Travels, Tare Zameen Par and Jaane Tu (montage shots for title cards). I also worked as second unit cameraman for Hollywood film Forest.
How did you get APF project? Tollywood cinematographers Jaya Krishna Gummadi (Idi Sangati) and Sudhakar Reddy (Pourudu) were my classmates in Pune film institute. When they told me that Hari Yelleti was looking for a cinematographer, I sent my show reel. I met him in Mumbai when he was scouting for heroine and auditioned Megha Burman. He liked my work and gave the gist of the film. I liked the concept. He does not belong to film industry and has different ideas. He could able to see the things differently. I also realized that the entire unit members are young and the film deals with friendship. I immediately accepted the project.
How did the shooting go for APF? It was a great fun. I had to break from what I had studied in film institute. I realized that reality is different from what we read in books. I also learnt a few things from film industry. We knew our budget limitations and entire crew was co-operative. It is like like-minded people coming together. There is lot energy in the team.
Which is difficult? Getting into IIM or getting into Pune film institute? I prepared a lot for CAT (IIM entrance test). I was little poor at maths. I used to attend many mock tests and interviews in Hyderabad as a part of preparation to CAT. But for Pune film institute I did not have any portfolio. Probably they looked at my academic background and considered my passion towards cinematographer before admitting me in Pune film institute.
How good is Pune film institute? Like any other college, it makes you grow as a person. It takes you into certain space. It is an opportunity to concentrate and totally focus on certain aspect. You can watch any film whenever you want in a theater. I watched almost a film a day during my three years of stay at Pune. There is a great library with excellent book collection. They give free stock of reel whenever you want. And you could make your own short films by collaborating with students from various departments. The local people of Pune are so hospitable that they would cooperate with us whenever we shoot in the city.
What did IIM taught you? I left my plush job because I did not want to work under somebody. But my time at IIM helped me a lot personally. It made me into a different and better person all together. I could able to speak this way to you just because I picked it up at IIM.
How is your IIM degree helping your career as cinematographer? I am able to do it fast track because of what I learnt at management school. Any other cinematography student would have many years to become a cinematographer. It took less time because I studied at IIM. I could spot opportunity easily and move up the ladder.
Cinematographer is like the eye of the director. How did you gel with Hari Yelleti for APF? It was tough job and communication is very important between the cinematographer and the director. Before taking the shot, we sit together and I ask him how he wants it. Then we brainstorm for the best solution. Then we scout for locations. And most of the times, we don't get permission to shoot in the locations we liked. Then we move on to the best possible alternative locations. After the locations are fixed, we call our art director and explain the colors and props for the scene. We also work with the references. I connect to whatever Hari Yelleti says and we had a very good rapport.
How did Hari Yelleti do? For a first timer, Hari Yelleti has done excellent job. He is lot better than the successful directors with considerable experience in Telugu film industry.
What principle did you follow while shooting for APF? I stuck to reality. I put efforts to make sure that the film appears real so that many people could identify with the film.
What are your favorite films? I don't want to name my favorite films. But I like comedies, slapstick films, thrillers, films playing with structures (different narratives), mindless films, films with rhythms and patterns and films of different genres. And I love songs and dance numbers.
How did you shoot the songs of APF? All songs scored by Vinu Thomas are nice. The rhythm and tempo is different. These songs grow on you. I feel that hero Nikhil has lot of energy and it shows up on the screen. He lifts the tempo of songs with his presence. You should wait for the film's release to see how I shot the songs.
Who is your favorite cinematographer? I love the products, but not the creators. A cinematographer who did fabulous work for a great film might do a mediocre work for another film.
What are your future plans? To keep working for films as a cinematographer.
Any plans to direct in the future? I directed a short film as a student. But I am currently not confident about directing a feature film. May be in the future!
Don't you think cinematographers are not getting their due of recognition like director and music director? It used to be like that in the past. But now it is changing. Cinematographer is also becoming a selling point for a film.
How is the reaction of your parents? They worry a lot about me. But I am sure my parents (especially my father) will feel proud when they see my name on the big screen in the title cards of APF.
You quit a plush job to pursue your passion. Do you have any suggestions for such people who want to join films by quitting their lucrative jobs? I don't need to give any suggestions. If somebody feels that their plush job is becoming boring and they could not resist their temptation to submit to their passion, they would automatically follow their heart.
Other Interviews Rama Jogaiah Sastry (Lyricist) Venkat (Hero) Uday Kiran (Hero) Sharwanand (Hero) Ram (Hero) Aditi Sharma (Heroine) Nagur Babu (Mano) (Singer) Sekhar Suri (Director) Sindhu Menon (Heroine) Vinu Thomas (Music director) Nihal (Music director & Singer) Nitin (Hero) Smita (Pop singer) Sonal Chauhan (Actress) Raghu Kunche (Singer) Udaya Bhanu (Anchor) Meher Ramesh (Director) Rao Ramesh (Actor) Gopi Mohan (Writer) Ajay Sastri (Director) Vara Mullapudi (Director) Bhumika Chawla (Actress) Jagapati Babu (Actor) Vijay C Kumar (Cinematographer) Sekhar Kammula (Director) Ram Gopal Varma (Director) Srinivasa Reddy (Director) Mickey J Meyer (Music director) R Narayana Murthy (Producer) Cherry (Producer) Baba Sehgal (Singer) Buddhadev Dasgupta (Director) Tom Alter (Actor) Kundan Shah (Director) Priyadarshini Ram (Director) Selva Raghavan (Director) Vijaya Bhaskar (Director) Vishnu (Hero) R Ravinder (Art director) Venkatesh (Hero) Ratnavelu (Cinematographer) Chandra Sekhar Yeleti (Director) Madan (Director) Mohana Krishna Indraganti (Director) Raja (Actor) Dega Deva Kumar Reddy (Producer) Nidhi Prasad (Director) Hema Chandra (Singer) Vijay C Chakravarthy (Cinematographer) VN Aditya (Director) Nagarjuna (Actor)


text: The Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR) at NJIT is an international leader in ground- and space-based solar and terrestrial physics, with interest in understanding the effects of the Sun on the geospace environment. CSTR operates the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) and Owens Valley Solar Array (OVSA) in CA, the Jeffer Observatory at Jenny Jump State Forrest in NJ, and the Automated Geophysical Observatories (AGOs) distributed across the Antarctic iceshelf. The Center also manages a large number of instruments at South Pole Station, McMurdo Station, across South America, and across the United States. CSTR is also a PI organization in the NASA Van Allen Probes mission and houses the Space Weather Research Laboratory (SWRL), which does scientific research in the area of space weather with the mission to understand and forecast the magnetic activity of the Sun and its potential influence on Earth. Such instrumentation and data resources enable scientific studies spanning from the Sun's surface, into the Sun's extended atmosphere, and onwards into the Earth's atmosphere.


text:
This post is the last in a series of six that deals with Social Business and Social Enterprise. The goal of the series: to explore the pros and cons of Social Business and Social Enterprise, given the current odds, and fast-forwarding to business opportunities now and in the near future
Well, this is it.
1. A small recap
What do we see there? We see individuals growing apart, due to distance, and we see the traders form larger groups in order to close the widening gap, and bring back trust to the level it was at
That pinpoints the best usage for Social at this very moment: in aftersales (customer service, providing that via communities and help forums) and presales (marketing and sales, providing that via communities and product reviews)
Social Enterprise will merely reproduce the current working mechanisms of the Enterprise: networks. It will take the old-boys networks, clone and copy them, and turn every apprentice into a master on the spot
Today, I'll (and I'd) put a fair amount of money on Social Business. It won't cure diseases, yet nor will it inflict mortal wounds. Focus on pre- and aftersales, train your people, monitor closely, evaluate frequently, adjust and adapt quickly - it's just another business opportunity
The clueless layer is there to absorb the bottom-up information flow, while freely letting the top-down flow through. It functions like a veil; the puppeteers (Board of Directors) can see through it, but no one on the outside can see what they're doing. Social will bring transparency to the Enterprise, all across the board. And like any old-boys network the average Enterprise is, they thrive on secrecy and anonymity
One quote from each post
2. My conclusion
My conclusion is that Social Business certainly offers a few nice business opportunities that offer relatively low-investment ways to improve your current offerings, and maybe generate some spin-off from that. It will work best where people-driven employees face consumers, and even customers (e.g. customer service), and will fail where product-driven and product-facing employees work (e.g. assembly lines) - and of course there are shades of gray in between...
My conclusion on Social Enterprise is that an Enterprise only works because it is a soul-less anonymous pit.
Social will break down the walls and bring transparency to the Secret Chambers of the Enterprise, and that will be the end of it - the employees will revolt, the apt and able will either demand and get huge promotions or jump ship, and the usual suckers and losers will stay behind; to continue their usual complaining but now out in the open
3. Practical view
Harsh? Indeed. But an Enterprise is harsh, and unlike a cosy 5-to-a-few-hundred people company, it works because it is so. How about an army where not following orders is okay? Or arguing with the sarge, the captain, or the general even?
Well yes but we have email, and a fair amount of openness in the Enterprise you say? You may, but does that mean good arguments always win? Certainly not - there is plenty of stakeholder issues hidden from everyone
To be honest, I've seen Social work in a few Enterprises - it's not that bad. The 90-9-1 rule is followed, the usual hard core that was there from the start dominates the conversation, there are a few useless megaphoners, some saboteurs, a few opportunists and one or two Crown Princes of Social Media that indulge in self-promotion.
And there are genuinely good questions, good answers, good pointers, and everyone gets to learn a lot if they try and can keep up with the unstructured mess that Social Enterprise is
Although: the structured vs unstructured information issue will safely be met by people taking the unstructured data and translating that into data fed into Information Systems - relying on "standards" there such as OpenSocial, as Dion Hinchcliffe does, is naive: standardisation never makes it past the hard, cold and deep infrastructural layer: networks, protocols, CPU's, disk I/O, etc.
Above that level, standards are taken and changed into bi-lateral or at best multi-lateral agreements: cf. message exchange patterns such as X12, EDIFACT, XML, JSON, etc
4. How does the Social Future look?
Right now we're in a greenfield situation with Social, with a few tweets, updates, yams or whatnots a day. Pretty soon we'll get the effect that we see with email: information overload and filter failure. While you are supposed to read (and answer also, mostly) every email addressed to you, you're not supposed to do so with social updates but pretty soon your Social Channel will be the main one and rely on fast and proper answers.
When you listen to the old people that refer to knowledge management when they talk about Social, they have a point, but they've missed one as well.
Knowledge management failed, because knowledge is dictated from above: knowledge isn't something you can "create" among yourselves - the teacher tells you what knowledge is, or rather, he doesn't: everything he shares with you is supposed to be knowledge
The same will happen with Social Enterprise: information at best will be shared, labeled, structured, classified and archived in the best case scenario, but not knowledge - that takes old-fashioned hierarchy, a desk clerk, a stamp, and a diploma: proper procedures the wild Social people detest so much for so many good reasons...
The verdict? Yes to Social Business where it can improve your current offerings, no to Social Enterprise - as the latter is an oxymoron. Using social media in an enterprise certainly does not make it one inch Social - although some would like you to believe differently


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
Gigabyte reinvents RAMdisk
4GB of SATA storage fashioned from DDR SDRAM
Gigabyte has launched i-RAM, a hard disk storage alternative based on fast DDR SDRAM chips rather than slow-but-stable Flash memory.
There's a catch, of course: the company admitted the product was not suitable for systems that are turned off for long periods of line. Or for anyone who wants more than 4GB of storage capacity.
i-RAM is a PCI card containing four DIMM slots ready for up to 4GB of 200, 266, 333 or 400MHz DDR SDRAM. To the host PC, however, it registers as a 1.5Gbps Serial ATA hard drive. The storage connects to the host system via its own SATA cable - the PCI bus is used for power. The board contains a Xilinx Spartan Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chip that converts Serial ATA instructions into memory read and write requests, and vice versa.
The card also has a 1700mAh rechargeable battery on board to power the memory when the host system is turned off. Gigabyte said the card's own power source will last for 10-16 hours. After that, of course, the memory is wiped.
It's an old idea. Partitioning off a section of a computer's memory and treating it as a virtual hard drive is a technique that a variety of operating systems and standalone utilities have provided for years. However, the trick's usefulness has always been limited by the need to copy the data to a non-volatile medium before the computer is powered down, and by the fact that it's generally been better to devote the RAM to short-term memory rather than temporary storage.
Samsung, for one, is already looking at equipping hard drives with Flash memory to boost boot speeds. Indeed, Gigabyte claimed storing Windows XP on the i-RAM rather than the hard drive would allow the OS to start up in one-thirteenth the time it takes to boot off a 7200rpm SATA hard drive.
Having an i-RAM doesn't preclude system owners from incorporating a hard drive, so the card's capacity shouldn't be an issue. With the right motherboard, the i-RAM is RAID compatible. ®