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by Jeffrey Allen & Mark Rosch
If you still think that Spam is a pork product that comes in a can, or that phishing requires not just a hook, but also a rod and reel, or that pharming involves working the land and growing crops, then this glossary can help you understand the evening news, the morning paper, conversations around the water cooler, and cocktail party talk without having to go to one of those technical colleges that advertises on TV in the middle of the night.
Every industry has its own terms of art—words and phrases that define tools or situations unique to that industry. Outsiders often find themselves lost in this insider's lingo. Lawyers have not inflicted terms like negligence per se and criminal conversation upon everyday conversation, but not every profession is as thoughtful with the use of its jargon. As computers and related technology became ubiquitous, all of us find ourselves involved in it. Techno-buzzwords have found their way into our daily lives, language, and conversation. Everyone from newspaper and magazine reporters to your next-door neighbor have started using techno-terms such as virus, worm, phishing, and pharming. The fact that much of Geek-Speak draws on words from standard English (or at least words that sound like standard English), makes it even more confusing. With that background, tongue partially in cheek, we give you this glossary of Geek-Speak to assist you in understanding the articles contained in this issue, your daily newspaper (whether you read it as hard copy or on your computer screen) and, of course, cocktail party conversations.
Applet. This is not a small fruit that grows on trees; neither is it a small fruit candy sold with Cotlets. It is, in fact, a short program, written in Java (no, we don't mean that they read coffee grounds—see Java, below), often included in a web page. The web browser loads the program along with the web page and causes the user's computer to do something, such as creating a scrolling text box, a slide show of various images, or a calendar/clock.
Bandwidth. Bandwidth does not relate to the space used by a marching band in formation; neither does it have anything to do with a musical score. In the computer world, bandwidth refers to the measurement of the amount of data that a computer network can transmit over a specified amount of time. We measure bandwidth in terms of bits per second.
Cat 5/Cat 6. These terms have no relationship to four-legged pets of the feline variety; neither do they relate to the number of lives used up by these animals. For those of you with an agricultural bent, they do not refer to tractor models or other farm implements. In Geek-Speak, Cat stands for category. Cat 5 refers to an unshielded, twisted-pair cable designed for high signal integrity and used for network wiring. Cat 5 has a rated Ethernet capability of 100 Mbit/s (megabits per second). Cat 6 contains four twisted copper wire pairs; it works in combination with Cat 5 cable but has more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise, making it suitable for higher speed transmissions. (See also Twisted Pairs, below).
Cookies. When Geeks talk about cookies, they generally do not mean oatmeal-raisin, sandwich, or chocolate chip treats. Internet cookies do not go into the cookie jar. In Geek-Speak, cookies hold small pieces of information that a website places on the visiting user's local hard drive. Ostensibly, cookies function as a means to expedite your return visits to favorite sites or personalize the information received from a site. For example, Amazon.com uses a cookie to identify returning visitors by name and to recommend products for purchase based on their prior buying history with Amazon.
Most cookies include, at a minimum, the address of the site that placed them on your computer. Once the cookie resides in your computer, other websites can access it, identifying sites you've visited and perhaps even reading your passwords for those sites. Checking the "remember me when I return to this site" box can also cause a site to create a cookie that includes your username and password. Someone sitting at your computer who knows where to look can also access the cookies on your computer.
Essentially, cookies make use of user-specific information transmitted by the web server onto the user's computer so that the information might be available for later access by itself or other servers. In most cases, not only does the storage of personal information into a cookie go unnoticed, so does access to it. Web servers automatically gain access to relevant cookies whenever the user establishes a connection to them, usually in the form of web requests.
Newer versions of browsers such as Communicator and Explorer can be configured to warn you before cookies are added to your computer, giving you the option to allow cookies to be placed on your computer or not. Once you enable this option, you may be surprised how many sites employ cookies, and how some sites employ multiple cookies.
Drilling Down. It's not just for Texas oilmen any more. Drilling down is the process of moving from the top level topics of a web directory, down into more detailed sub-topics, and then, if necessary, down into more specific sub-sub-topics (e.g., Government > Law > Legal Research > Libraries) to locate the information you need.
Flash Drive. No matter how it sounds, this isn't the kind of thing that you could get arrested for doing on a dare after a night of partying. A flash drive is a nifty little portable device that stores your computer files on a small chip. These handheld devices are smaller than a pen or your thumb, making them much more portable than bulkier alternatives such as floppy discs or CDs. Their physical size has also led to a number of other nicknames for the devices, including pen drive, thumb drive, and keychain drive. With prices starting under $20, you can find them readily available in sizes ranging from 16 MB (the equivalent of 2% of a CD-ROM disc or about 11 floppy discs) up to 2 GB (2.6 CD-ROMs or over 1,300 floppy discs). With larger capacities being announced on a regular basis, this is absolutely an exception to the claim that "size doesn't matter"; clearly bigger is better. Flash drives have effectively replaced floppy disk drives and Zip disks as portable storage devices. Once you get used to carrying one of these around, however, you will feel naked without it. Many of the flash drive devices come with neck straps so that you can even wear them as a pendant.
Firewall. Firewalls have nothing to do building code requirements or construction sites. Firewalls in Geek-Speak mean the creation of an impediment that blocks invasion of your computer system by outside forces. It functions as a protection against electronic terrorism, if you will. Computers can have hardware or software firewalls (or both). Generally, a hardware firewall offers more protection, but it also requires a more stationary installation, such as your home or office desktop. Laptops used in travel or from a variety of locations should have software firewall protection.
Hubs, Switches, and Routers. While all three of these devices are parts of a computer network and perform some of the same functions, they are very different. Hubs connect multiple computers, accepting data from one device connected to it and distributing it to all of the other devices connected to it. Because a switch accepts data from one device connected to it and distributes it only to the device for which it is intended (e.g., a specific computer on the network), switches work more efficiently than hubs. Routers connect two computer networks (usually a local network like the one in your office to a wide area network like the Internet) and send data and instructions to the proper locations on those networks. A router accepts data from one source connected to it and distributes it only to the intended devices connected to it. Routers can also provide protection (firewall) from unauthorized outside connections (hacking) by limiting in-bound connections to your network.
Java. This is not your morning cup of coffee! In Geek-Speak, Java refers to a high-level, object-oriented programming language regularly used in connection with the development of websites.
Phishing. While this high-tech term sounds especially down-home, don't think of it as a relaxing recreational activity (unless your hobby is identity theft and fraud). Phishing is the all-too-familiar practice of sending fraudulent e-mail disguised as messages from trusted institutions such as banks or online merchants. Recipients who take this bait are tricked into revealing important information about their online accounts. The message lures the recipients to a look-alike website that prompts them for their username, password, Social Security Number, etc., mimicking the trusted site's actual log-in or other security measure. Phishermen (the senders of these fraudulent e-mails) then use the revealed information for fraudulent purchases, funds transfers, or larger-scale identity theft. If you've ever received an e-mail from a bank where you don't have an account, insisting that some problem has occurred with your account, then someone has tried to catch your information through phishing.
Pharming. This has nothing to with plowing fields, harvesting crops, or raising chickens. Think of pharming as phishing on steroids. While a phisherman can reel in a few unsuspecting victims, a pharmer can harvest bushels of information with a little more tech savvy and a little less effort. Pharmers can hijack part of the system that routes traffic on the Internet, redirecting traffic from a legitimate websites to the crook's own look-alike site to harvest the identifying information from unsuspecting customers—Social Security Numbers, passwords, etc. (For more on the technicalities of how this is done, see the article "Phishing, Pharming, and Other Scams" in the December 2005 issue of GPSolo magazine, volume 22, number 8.)
Podcast. Despite sounding like an orthopedic device for a vegetable, a podcast boils down to radio delivered via the Internet. Instead of listening to a live broadcast, however, you download audio files from the Internet to your computer to play back when it is convenient. Like other kinds of content available on the Internet, podcasts are relatively easy to create and cover a wide array of topics. Most podcasts are saved in the MP3 format, allowing maximum portability and flexibility in playing back those files.
In the legal arena, some lawyers have created podcasts for marketing and to educate clients and potential clients on a variety of topics. As listeners, legal professionals can use podcasts to get up-to-speed or keep up-to-date on numerous legal and non-legal topics, or even earn CLE credit. Even though podcasts have been around for more than a year, very few lawyers are currently taking advantage of them either as "broadcasters" or listeners.
Two ways to find podcasts are (1) to use an online directory of podcasts, such as www.ipodder.org or www.theblogsoflaw.com (with the latter, click on the podcast category), or (2) by simply using a search engine. For example, to find a podcast about using Google when conducting due diligence, we searched Google for the terms "podcast" and "due diligence," which resulted in just over 4,500 results. One of the results was a podcast at the blog www.internetcases.com, maintained by Chicago IP attorney Evan Brown, who posts a new podcast every other week on various recent opinions about Internet law, in addition to his regular text postings on the subject.
As with any information on the Internet, it is important to carefully review the source of a podcast before relying on the information you hear from one.
Pop-Ups. Sorry to disappoint the "foodies" again, but pop-ups do not refer to toaster pastries or frozen treats. In the wonderful world of the Internet, pop-ups mean those annoying windows that pop open while you are working online or browsing the Internet and then try to induce you to buy a product that you probably have little interest in acquiring.
Spam. In the computer world, spam has nothing to do with lunch or any other meal. Spam refers to unsolicited commercial e-mail messages that are trying to sell you something you probably don't want or need. Think of it as electronic junk mail.
Spyware. Computer spyware has nothing to do with trench coats and Minox cameras. When geeks talk about spyware, they mean malicious software designed to surreptitiously take partial control of a computer's operation. Although the term taken literally suggests software that secretly monitors the user (as some spyware certainly does), the term has assumed a broader meaning in common usage and includes software that subverts the computer's operation for a third party's benefit.
Unlike viruses and worms, spyware generally does not self-replicate. Commonly used spyware tactics advance the goal of commercial gain by delivery of unsolicited pop-up advertisements; theft of personal information (including financial information such as credit card numbers); monitoring of web-browsing activity for marketing purposes; or routing of HTTP requests to advertising sites. In some cases, spyware may be used to verify compliance with software End User License Agreement (sometimes called an EULA).
Trojan. Contrary to popular belief, a Trojan does not refer to citizens of the ancient city of Troy, students at USC, or a popular brand of prophylactics. Its closest analog, however, the Trojan Horse, does relate back to the Trojan War. That reference gives away its secret in Internet traffic. We use the term Trojan to refer to a specialized form of computer virus that enters via stealth or through another program and deposits and/or executes an often-destructive bit of computer code inside the infected computer. In computer parlance, one might suggest that the existence of Trojans could give rise to a new warning: "Beware of geeks bearing gifts."
Twisted Pairs. In the computer world, twisted pairs do not mean your in-laws, the kinky couple down the road, or the team of lawyers opposing you in court. Instead, it refers to the cabling systems used to wire telecommunications devices and computer networks. The established standards are numbered one through six, with bandwidth capabilities increasing as you move to the higher categories. Individual categories are usually referred to as Cat, followed by the standard number. For example, Cat 1 uses just one twisted pair of copper wires and moves data at the slowest of the standards; Cat 1 is used to connect regular analog phones, like the ones most of us have at home, and electric doorbells. The cabling used for your computer network (or to connect your computer to your DSL modem) most likely uses four twisted pairs of copper wire. (For more, see Cat 5/Cat 6, above).
Virus. A computer virus will not give you a cold, the flu, or any other communicable illnesses. It does, however have a similar effect on a computer that a live virus can have on a person.
We use the term virus to refer to a self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable codes or documents. A computer virus acts like a biological virus, spreading by inserting itself into living cells. We call the insertion of the virus into a program an infection, and the infected file the host.
The uninitiated will frequently use the term virus generically to refer to computer worms and other sorts of malware (malicious programs). This confusion can have serious consequences, as it may lead to a focus on preventing one type of malware over another, potentially leaving computers vulnerable to future damage.
Like the viruses that make us ill, computer viruses can have widely varying effects on your computer. Some may prove fairly benign, others simply annoying, some can destroy information on the computer. Some viruses act immediately, while others have a delayed impact (think of it as an incubation period), sometimes called a bomb. Virus time bombs activate on a particular date or time; logic bombs wait for the user of a computer to do something that sets off the bomb. The self-reproduction process of a computer virus often runs unchecked, ultimately overwhelming computer resources, causing infected computers to grind more and more slowly and making it more difficult for them to do the work you want done.
WhoIs. Very much like it sounds, a WhoIs search allows you to learn who is the registered owner of a website. There are hundreds of companies through which individuals can register a web address, and each of them maintains a separate WhoIs database of all those registrations. A number of websites offer the ability to search the databases of many of these registrars at once. Two of the more popular are Better WhoIs (www.betterwhois.com) and WhoIs Source (www.whois.sc).
Wi-Fi and Wi-Max. While hi-fi stands for high fidelity, Wi-Fi stands for wireless fidelity. It refers to a set of wireless network connection rules that allow computers to wirelessly connect to a network and communicate with each other, or for individual computers to access the Internet. They were developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and are officially known by their workgroup number, 802.11, within that organization. The four distinct, commonly used standards are 802.11, which moves data at 2 Mbps (megabits per second); 802.11a (which moves data at 54 Mbps); 802.11b (which moves data at 11 Mbps ); and 802.11g (which moves data at 54 Mbps). A computer generally has to be within 30 to 100 feet of a Wi-Fi transmitter/receiver to connect to the wireless network.
As the name implies, Wi-Max is Wi-Fi to the "max." It offers cellular-phone-like, roaming, wireless network connections at 70 Mbps—nearly one-and-a-half times the bandwidth of the most common Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Max has a connection range of up to 31 miles. You may have seen recent news articles talking about citywide wireless coverage; if so, they're talking about the implementation of Wi-Max in that city.
Wiki. This should not be confused with the "Wiki-Wiki shuttle" that will take you from terminal to terminal at the Honolulu Airport when you fly in for the Annual Meeting in August.
A wiki is an online document that any user can edit. Like a regular website, pages can link to one another or to other outside websites. Wikis are often used for compiling lists on a particular topic or creating dictionaries or encyclopedias. The Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page), a collaborative encyclopedia, may be the best known wiki.
Worm. A computer worm has no relationship to those wriggly little creatures that fisherman use for bait. Worms function in computers as self-replicating programs analogous to computer viruses. Whereas a computer virus attaches itself to another executable program, worms work as self-contained invaders and do not require attachment to another program for replication. Worm developers often design them to take advantage of the computer's ability to transmit files.
Congratulations. Now you not only know the difference between WhoIs and Wi-Fi, but you also know the what-is and what-for.
Mark Rosch, vice president of Internet for Lawyers (www.netforlawyers.com), has spoken and written for numerous firms, bar associations, magazines, and websites about legal technology for law firms and also on how to use the Internet for research and marketing. He is co-author of The Lawyer's Guide to Fact Finding on the Internet, available at www.internetfactfinder.com, and The Cybersleuth's Guide to the Internet available at http://www.netforlawyers.com/prod01.htm. He can be reached at email@example.com.
Jeffrey Allen is the principal in the Graves & Allen law firm in Oakland, California. A frequent speaker on technology topics, he is the special issue editor of GPSolo's Technology & Practice Guide and editor-in-chief of the Technology eReport. He also teaches business law in the graduate and undergraduate divisions of the Business School of the University of Phoenix. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Read the latest strategies, tips and new resources available for integrating the Internet into your law practice in our newsletter.


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Subway Movie Poster Offers Ringtone Via Bluetooth
While riding the subway to work in Toronto, Jonathan Hung noticed a poster promoting the Lord of the Rings musical (who knew?) at the Prince of Wales theater. What caught Hung's attention was the poster's encouragement to fire up the bluetooth or infra-red on his phone, point it at the poster and get a free ring Lord of the Rings-themed ring tone. While Hung says the musical isn't supposed to be very goo but the ad is a lot better than all the "take one to learn how to speak any language" ads that seem to be everywhere.

subset: commoncrawl


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a pragmatic primer for business radicals
"In general, people are not drawn to perfection in others. People are drawn to shared interests, shared problems, and an individual's life energy. Humans connect with humans.
Hiding one's humanity and trying to project an image of perfection makes a person vague, slippery, lifeless, and uninteresting."
Robert Glover
"Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone.
Saul D. Alinsky
So. The question today is: Is there anything marketing people can learn from a revolutionary?
I thought about this after fishing around for some new ways to talk about leading a business <I get bored with using the same words and thoughts over and over again> and I came across the Saul Alinsky quote ( the second one I used upfront).
It resonated with me because I cannot tell you how many times I have sat in some company "forward thinking strategy" meeting discussing how we would expand the business … stretching not only beyond the existing functional strength of the business but also stepping beyond the existing expertise of the employees <note: I can actually tell you 'too many times'>. Expanding thoughts are usually cloaked in the infamous "oh, if we can do this, we can certainly do this" statement … or the even more dangerous "we have always figured it out" mantra.
To be clear … progress is always tricky. And leading progress almost even trickier. But, if you want it to be less trickier, 'feeling secure' is almost always a great step toward increasing the odds of success.
You can secure this 'secure feeling' in a number of ways – some reality based and some emotionally charged ways. And that is where Saul Alinsky comes back into the leadership discussion. He wrote a book called Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals in 1971. He wrote it as a guide to community organization <uniting "Have-Nots", in order for them to gain social, political, legal, and economic power>. What I loved about the Rules, beyond the rules themselves, was that Alinsky believed, when organized and directed well, the community can determine & achieve its purpose & goal. That thought, to me, is exactly the attitude a leader attempts to create <supporting a vision offered by the leader> within an organization.
What I loved about the Rules is the rules themselves are actually signposts for how to have a company compete in the marketplace.
That said.
Let me share the rules and some brief thoughts with the rules. The Rules:
- "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. "Have-Nots" must build power from flesh and blood.
Far too often … despite the fact 99% of businesses unequivocally state "our difference is our people" … a business forgets to actually build their power off of flesh & blood.
Money comes and goes.
Machines and infrastructure does what it does.
But people, flesh & blood, is the true power. It pays, as a leader, to never forget that. Empowering people is the most powerful engine you can ever build.
- "Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone.
Every business I have been involved with has had an expertise. Uhm. The difficulty is that far too many leaders & managers wish the organization had a different expertise or they aspire to some other expertise.
I, personally, love the thought of isolating a company expertise, consolidating the inside expertise and using it like a battering ram in terms of progress. People love doing things well and being appreciated for the expertise they have <and not diminished by suggesting they should have another expertise>. Too many businesses make excuses for what they don't have, or do, and not love what they do have & do.
- "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy." Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty.
When I saw this one I almost chuckled. It is so good, so solidly strategically right … and I would guess 95% of businesses never think this way. Oh. They may be happy identifying a "this is what we are better at than they are" and competing with that in their hip pocket … but I struggle to think of any business I have ever been involved with who has sat down and said "let's go outside their expertise <and consciously accepting they have an expertise."
Crushing a competitor is always fun but ignoring an opportunity to outflank them is stupid.
- "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules.
Ok. Here is why I loved this one. I loved it because bullshit & hollow rhetoric and promises/claims are strewn throughout the business world. I can guarantee, with 95% certainty, I could pick up any business's vision & strategy & 'rules of the road' binder and find a significant amount of hollow bullshit. What would happen if I consciously attacked one of my competitor's hollow shit? Make them live up to their own book of rules?
I am chuckling. You would crush them.
You would crush them in two ways:
- External perceptions: everyone knows almost all businesses make hollow promises but get aggravated when it becomes too obvious that the promise really is hollow.
- Internal perceptions: almost every employee simply accepts that some of the company rhetoric is bullshit but they accept it because it doesn't really affect them. But if the hollow rhetoric becomes obvious AND a pain in the ass … discontent grows. Bitching at the water cooler increases.
This is an awesome competitive leadership thought.
- "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions.
I admit. Ridiculing your competition is fraught with peril. However … having some swagger and vocalizing your swagger is … well … infuriating to some competition. It puts pressure on them. Ridiculing, specifically, what a competitor believes is their most potent weapon will … well … infuriate them.
Pick your path wisely but there is absolutely nothing wrong with swagger, infuriating your competition and putting some pressure on them.
- "A good tactic is one your people enjoy." They'll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They're doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones.
Far too often some strategic guru envisions some tactic that will be smashingly successful and then attempt to imbue some excitement within the people who will actually do it. Imbuing excitement is like trying to convince me I will love Brussels Sprouts the next time I eat them <I hate Brussels Sprouts>. Excitement comes from within someone not thru "imbuing" or external encouragement. I think the best strategic thinkers find tactics that people enjoy AND can be smashingly successful. Unfortunately this is harder than you would think. But nothing really good is easy.
- "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news.
Amen. A lesson we forget every day <and should not>.
- "Keep the pressure on. Never let up." Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new.
Tactical adaptation is possibly one of the most underrated strategic decisions a business can make. While we talk a good game on this in today's 'digital world' the truth is that most of us chase numbers more than we think about outflanking and expertise advantages. That is kind of the bane of the 'big data' world.
Numbers are good in judging things but, in the end, people & behavior are not numbers and no matter how good a tactic may appear in a number it can always be replaced.
- "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist.
I am not an empty threat guy, however, 'power is what the competition thinks you have.' My point here is not to make shit up and offer empty threats but rather the more you can make a competitor think, and worry, about the wrongs things the better off you are. Stoke their imagination. Make them have high falutin' meetings pondering "what if" scenarios.
I wouldn't do this to replace any of the other rules … but in combination? Whew. This is good stuff.
- "The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition." It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign.
Sometimes in today's business world we treat tactics like spaghetti we throw against the wall and hope something sticks. I am not suggesting a business should invest gobs of energy developing operations to maintain constant pressure in INDIVIDUAL tactics but I am suggesting that strategic tactics tend to coalesce and operations can be developed to support them. Agility is the big buzzword these days but it shouldn't come at the expense of having a ground game which constantly grinds against the competition.
I imagine the real point here is hollow tactics may generate some numbers for you but they don't really make any dent into the competition <which, inevitably, is the key to leading an industry>.
- "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog.
I love this thought because, let's be honest, we have become a mamby pamby business world. What I mean by that is at the first glimpse of any significant negativity we tend to retreat or retrench. Pushing through a negative is not standard operating procedure in a business today. Shit. Using a perceived vulnerability as a strength is almost non existent.
Let me be clear on this one.
If you do Rule #5 well, you will infuriate your competition. An infuriated competitor reacts <usually with some desire to inflict some negative pain> — they will violently react. If you stay the course, maintain your expertise, well … you can push through and own a positive.
More businesses need to remember this.
- "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative." Never let the enemy score points because you're caught without a solution to the problem.
I call this "consolidating a win."
I cannot tell you how many times <but far too many> I have seen a business "lose after winning." It is maddening, depressing & demoralizing … and completely avoidable. Far too many businesses chase the success assuming they will be able to take a breath and take advantage of the success in a relatively timely fashion.
This is where ideas die.
In the take-a-breath moment.
This happens for a bunch of well-intended reasons … the most likely one is everyone invests their energy on the attack and a successful attack rather than diverting any energy & time to "what do we do when we are successful" other than maybe a framework of 'what will happen.' Unfortunately … frameworks do not consolidate.
The solution to this is so obvious I scratch my head as to why more businesses do not do it. Businesses always have two basic levels … the outside structure and the inside structure. The outside is the face of the organization and most typically is the one that pushes through and creates the 'wins.' The inside operations gets shit done … I have always had an 'inside operations team' well briefed and ready to go and insert them into the breach as soon as the win has occurred and have the 'fresh team' consolidate.
I could write an entire 'consolidation strategy' piece but suffice it to say your business gains value in a number of dimensions by doing it this way.
The larger point with this Rule is 'don't lose a win by not having a plan for when you win.'
- "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.
Well. Let me share the thought that first hit me on this … "a brand is a promise delivered in the store everyday" <this was The Limited's phrase>. The point is that a business doesn't exist if it doesn't deliver upon what it promises.
That said … this is an important rule. As in a REALLY important rule that I bet 99% of companies do not even think about let alone adhere to. Most businesses target another competitor's users & customers and go about trying to steal them <persuade them to switch>.
What about instead we attacked the company, the support network … the "promise" as it were … and make the people who actually deliver the promise start doubting, or start feeling less than secure, or just "less good about their brand & promise"? If we did this, we create a gap, isolate as it were, between what the customer thought they wanted and what they perceive they are getting or would get.
I love this rule. I admit I had never thought about it this way before … but from here on out it is part of my leadership toolkit.
Those are some good rules for business.
But you know what?
It all comes back to the first Rule and my first quote.
Flesh & blood is the real power in any business and people are drawn to shared interests, shared problems, and an individual's life energy. Humans connect with humans.
Honestly … I don't think most leaders ignore the fact the people in their organizations are important, but I think we don't elevate them to 'flesh & blood is the power' status.
And that is where the Rules come in.
Inherent to each rule, and the success therein, resides with the flesh & blood.
That is the most pragmatic of the pragmatic reminders for radicals leading a business.


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I think I've got a Freebie Breathing Animation created by Forum Member Paumanok West, who hasn't Posted for a long time.
I'll check it out & Edit my Post here.
ADDED - Here you go. If you want the File, send me a Forum e-mail & I'll Reply with the File Attachment. Remember to Credit Paumanok West in your Video.
New Pinhead Website & Project to be announced in September 2015
Ok - No tutorial that I'm aware of.
You could experiment with Edit Motion Layer, using my Video Clip as an example. I've never tried it, but it would be fiddly with pinning & un-pinning body parts & Moving/Rotating those, to get the right effect & maybe a lot of Keyframing for each Motion edit.
Anyone-else? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REALLUSION FORUM ANNUAL PINHEAD COMMUNITY PROJECTS. New Pinhead Website & Project to be announced in September 2015 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suppose we did have a breathing option, similar to the "eye blink" settings. Okay, that would be easy to use; hard to create probably, but easy to use. We could have normal, panting, gasping, and similar options.
But what about when they speak? I bet you'd notice if the breathing is out of sync with the speaking. You might not consciously realize what's wrong, but I'll bet something would "feel wrong" if the character was inhaling while speaking. iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual monitors.Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD


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Following the traditions of New York City's greatest private clubs and spaces, the Commissioners Club has the highest level of finishes and amenities. Dark rich wood, deep jewel tones, and plush velvet and leather furniture make the Commissioners Club the ultimate destination for luxury and exclusivity. The 10,700 square foot Commissioners Club is the perfect setting for intimate gatherings.
Capacities: Banquet: 200, Reception: 350
Standard amenities include:
The Commissioners Club is ideal for upscale social functions, small corporate meetings and entertaining clients.


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In addition to the standard grading permit application requirements (click here for details), your application must include a full erosion control plan that addresses more specifically how the project will be phased to control erosion, sediment and drainage during the winter season.
If a soils engineer has completed a soils report for your project, you must provide a written recommendation from the engineer regarding the suitability of the project for winter grading operations. In addition to regular grading permit fees, a separate winter grading fee is required to cover the costs of additional reviews and inspections necessary for winter grading projects.
Please note: Once a Winter Grading application has been submitted, reviewed and either approved or denied, fees associated with the application will not be refunded.


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Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games are partnering to create LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. The game is now available in North America for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, the Wii, Windows PC, Nintendo DS/Nintendo 3DS handheld systems, and PlayStation Vita handheld system. The video game is a sequel to LEGO Batman: the Videogame.
In LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, gamers team up with Batman, Robin, and other classic superheroes such as Superman, Wonderwoman, and the Flash. Players embrace the roles of the Caped Crusader, Boy Wonder, and others to go against Lex Luthor and The Joker.
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes was designed for ages 10 and up.
This post was originally written by Gigi Rubin and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.


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Geneva Conventions vs. The Holy Bible
By Pastor Ezekiel Flint, putting the "Stud" back in Bible Study
Let me begin by stating that Christian God approves of and enjoys warfare (Exodus 15:3, Numbers 14:12), and throughout the Bible, He has given us some very specific rules how to conduct warfare. Sometimes, God even participates in the battles Himself (Exodus 14:27-28, Joshua 10:10-11). Although the warfare descriptions are found mainly in the Old Testament, we know that Jesus agrees with all of them (John 10:30). However, warfare is also mentioned briefly in the New Testament (Matthew 10:34, Revelation 19:11, Revelation 19:18-21).
Unfortunately, in the 20th century, these Godly rules of warfare have been overturned by the so called Geneva Conventions. In the following posts I will analyze the main theses of these four conventions and I will contrast them with God's rules. Since several articles are just introductory or restatement of previous theses, I will address only the articles that introduce new statements, in order to keep my rebuttal (relatively) short and clear.
The First Geneva Convention deals with the treatment of sick and wounded people on the battlefield. You can read the full text here:
Chapter I, Art 3:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
This is totally opposite to God's law expressed in the Bible. God clearly states that during a combat He wants all of the enemies dead, with no wounded people left behind:
Deuteronomy 20:13 And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
Joshua 8:22 And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
Even when God Himself participates in a battle, He leaves no one alive:
Exodus 14:27-28 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
In some exceptional cases, however, some small (young?) enemies should be enslaved:
2 Samuel 8:2 And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts.
This treatment, however, applies only to Moabites. In case of combat, if the God fearing army is not sure how to treat the enemy, killing everybody would be the safest choice – this what God usually wants (see Numbers 31:7-8, Deuteronomy 7:2, Joshua 10:28-30, Joshua 10:32-40, Joshua 11:7-8, Joshua 11:10-12, Joshua 11:14).
To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
God usually does not want any enemy left alive, so that takes care of the murder part of this statement. As far as the rest of this statement, I guess it depends how do you define "mutilation, cruel treatment and torture." Here is a description of God approved treatment of enemies:
Joshua 10:22-26
22 Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.
23 And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
24 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
26 And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
(b) taking of hostages;
If all males are killed, then there are no hostages. Periodically, kings are taken captive, but only to be killed later (see Joshua 10:22-26 above, compare also Joshua 8:23 and Joshua 8:29). And again, small/young Moabite individuals may be taken as slaves (2 Samuel 8:2).
(c ) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
That depends on the definition of "humiliating and degrading treatment." God approves treatment of prisoners as described above in Joshua 10:24-25.
Art. 4. Neutral Powers shall apply by analogy the provisions of the present Convention to the wounded and sick, and to members of the medical personnel and to chaplains of the armed forces of the Parties to the conflict, received or interned in their territory, as well as to dead persons found.
See verses above. All enemy men will be dead or enslaved. No need for protection of the medical personnel.
Women shall be treated with all consideration due to their sex.
According to the Bible, women have to be either enslaved or killed (depending on their nationality; more details on that later).
Genesis 34:27-29 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
Joshua 8:25 And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
Judges 21:10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
Art. 14 Subject to the provisions of Article 12, the wounded and sick of a belligerent who fall into enemy hands shall be prisoners of war, and the provisions of international law concerning prisoners of war shall apply to them.
I have already tackled the issue of prisoners when talking about taking hostages. Let's just look at one Biblical example:
1 Samuel 15:32-33 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
Art 17. Parties to the conflict shall ensure that burial or cremation of the dead, carried out individually as far as circumstances permit, is preceded by a careful examination, if possible by a medical examination, of the bodies, with a view to confirming death, establishing identity and enabling a report to be made…. They shall further ensure that the dead are honourably interred, if possible according to the rites of the religion to which they belonged, that their graves are respected, grouped if possible according to the nationality of the deceased, properly maintained and marked so that they may always be found…
This is wrong on so many levels. Since the enemies are despised by God when alive, why would they be respected after their death?
Joshua 8: 29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
Joshua 10:26-27 And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day.
1 Samuel 18:27–Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.
MitzaLizalor (20-05-2014 08:46 AM): killing a prisoner if he measures two lines, but keeping him as a slave if he's only one line. Do we have any information as to what that unit of measurement would be equal to in feet or inches?http://xe6.xanga.com/851f0bf577035217790984/m170515757.jpgThe ...
1liesalot (03-11-2015 12:50 AM): I give thanks and praise for your insights and your wisdom. If only more people of the Lord could possess your integrity and coueage. Please don't ever stop carrying out God's inerrant word. Holy, ...
Basilissa (03-11-2015 12:55 AM): I give thanks and praise for your insights and your wisdom. If only more people of the Lord could possess your integrity and coueage. Please don't ever stop carrying out God's inerrant word. Holy, holy, ...
1liesalot (03-11-2015 01:19 AM): You have saved me with your gutsy sermons and righteousness! May those who doubt you bake in an unclean pizza oven forever and ever, Amen. ...
hkyousufzai (11-04-2023 07:40 PM): Praise :jesus-fancy:! Are you ready to repent for your terrible sins and accept Jesus into your little dark heart, honey? Great article. Don't forget to check out midget porn site. ...
Dennis Lukes (12-04-2023 02:07 AM): Great article. Don't forget to check out midget porn site. No, we absolutely will not be doing that. Who are you and why have you come here spreading leftist degeneracy? ...
Show all 21 replies.


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From datasets to algorithms in R
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Many statistical algorithms are taught and implemented in terms of linear algebra. Statistical packages often borrow heavily from optimized linear algebra libraries such as LINPACK, LAPACK, or BLAS. When implementing these algorithms in systems such as Octave or MATLAB, it is up to you to translate the data from the use case terms (factors, categories, numerical variables) into matrices.
In R, much of the heavy lifting is done for you through the formula interface. Formulas resemble y ~ x1 + x2 + …, and are defined in relation to a data.frame. There are a few features that make this very powerful:
- You can specify transformations automatically. For example, you can do y ~ log(x1) + x2 + … just as easily.
- You can specify interactions and nesting.
- You can automatically create a numerical matrix for a formula using model.matrix(formula).
- Formulas can be updated through the update() function.
Recently, I wanted to create predictions via Bayesian model averaging method (bma library on CRAN), but did not see where the authors implemented it. However, it was very easy to create a function that does this:
predict.bic.glm <- function(bma.fit,new.data,inv.link=plogis) {
# predict.bic.glm
# Purpose: predict new values from a bma fit with values in a new dataframe
# Arguments:
# bma.fit – an object fit by bic.glm using the formula method
# new.data – a data frame, which must have variables with the same names as the independent
# variables as was specified in the formula of bma.fit
# (it does not need the dependent variable, and ignores it if present)
# inv.link – a vectorized function representing the inverse of the link function
# Returns:
# a vector of length nrow(new.data) with the conditional probabilities of the independent
# variable being 1 or TRUE
# TODO: make inv.link not be specified, but rather extracted from glm.family of bma.fit$call
form <- formula(bma.fit$call$f)[-2] # extract formula from the call of the fit.bma, drop dep var
des.matrix <- model.matrix(form,new.data)
pred <- des.matrix %*% matrix(bma.fit$postmean,nc=1)
pred <- inv.link(pred)
The first task of the function finds the formula that was used in the call of the bic.glm() call, and the [-2] subscripting removes the dependent variable. Then the model.matrix() function creates a matrix of predictors with the original function (minus dependent variable) and new data. The power here is that if I had interactions or transformations in the original call to bic.glm(), they are replicated automatically on the new data, without my having to parse it by hand. With a new design matrix and a vector of coefficients (in this case, the expectation of the coefficients over the posterior distributions of the models), it is easy to calculate the conditional probabilities.
In short, the formula interface makes it easy to translate from the use case terms (factors, variables, dependent variables, etc.) into linear algebra terms where algorithms are implemented. I've only scratched the surface here, but it is worth investing some time into formulas and their manipulation if you intend to implement any algorithms in R.
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It's almost a matter of dogma that, for agile teams, low tech project tracking tools and artifacts are superior to electronic ones. The usual reason you might hear for preferring a physical task board to an electronic issue system are are that a physical task board is more visible and encourages communication and collaboration. I appreciate this, and have seen it, but I've also seen teams do well with issue tracking systems. From time to time I see a discussion of this "physical versus electronic tracking" issue and I find myself frustrated by it, but not sure why.
It's almost a matter of dogma that, for agile teams, low tech project tracking tools and artifacts are superior to electronic ones. The usual reason you might hear for preferring a physical task board to an electronic issue system are are that a physical task board is more visible and encourages communication and collaboration. I appreciate this, and have seen it, but I've also seen teams do well with issue tracking systems. From time to time I see a discussion of this "physical versus electronic tracking" issue and I find myself frustrated by it, but not sure why.
Reading Scott Kirshner's article "Incubating ideas from the rank-and-file" in the March 4, 2012 Boston Globe led me to think more about this. The article is about the value of listening to people in your organization when seeking ways to work better. This in itself seems aligned with agile values. In particular, this quote caught my eye:
Many of the ideas presented were dazzling. And almost every one sprang from frustrating experiences. Why, in the 21st century, was the hospital still manually updating whiteboards with information about patients' health status and the teams taking care of them, Lynn Darrah wondered. So she developed a digital display that was just as easy to update, but the information was visible on any computer in the hospital.
While I take issue with the premise that using whiteboards is too low tech for the 21st century in all cases, I wondered how it was that a computer system for tracking patient status could work in a life critical situation, while it might not on a software project. The problem is that the "paper v electronic" discussion focuses on the wrong thing. The issue for agile teams is not about paper versus electronic, it's about collaboration, visibility, improvement, and results.
I do believe that, when you are trying to change a culture, introducing a radically new approach can be a way to encourage people to think about how they work. And it's certainly true that "we've always done it that way" isn't a reason to continue doing something. But you need to focus on goals and results, not the tools you use. Changing tools should be a result of the tool not helping you to meet your goals.
Yes, I do prefer a physical task board in many cases. And if your team does a sprint review and isn't meeting goals, and communication seems to be an issue, try a physical task board for a sprint or two and compare. But is the if the team has a good sense of where things are during a sprint, communicates frequently, and meets goals, insisting on a physical task board might actually be contrary to the agile value of putting individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
User Comments
I can understand the lure of the take-anywhere agility of electronic boards, but no online tool is flexible enough to match a physical board. Besides, unlike a hospital, most development teams are co-located and do not rove far from this location. Making one-off notes prominent, making progress visible to management or extra-project folks that don't have logins (or at least, time to think and login) is more efficient in my experience.
Thanks for the comment. For the most part I agree that physical boards are more adaptable, but what I really wanted to focus on is that the discussion : Physical v Electronic is often about the wrong thing. All of the issues you mention (logins, note taking) point to core requirements for a tracking system, and they also are solvable. And every team I worked with where we used an issue tracking system, everyone had access to it, and login was simple. And there are issues that physical boards don't address: Teams where you only have a small amount of space and execs don't want project info in view of visitors, people occasionally working off site, the team being co-located but management not always being on site, etc.
In many cases the paper board is the Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work. But we should not take that for granted in the search for a good solution.
Physical boards are information radiators while electronic tools can be information radiators, but often are information refrigerators - think of your refrigerator at work - a closed container full of moldy, oldie junk that no one looks at until it all must be thrown out.
Physical boards are easy to access and hard to block. If people don't take the time to bring up the electronic tool and scour it, they won't see what is happening. Worse yet, if the tool requires a special query language, it will make it even harder for non-techies to use it.
The electronic tools shine when you want to start tracking times, dates, deliverables and keeping metrics.
After years of on line tools I was quite suprised that my team loved the old fashioned index cards, but the BFIR really presents more information and provides a focus point for the scrum that on line tools never could achieve. For the issue tracking we just used a pad that hangs on the wall. What was old is new again I guess.
Why either one or the other, why not both? Many of my teams maintain a large physical board to stimulate conversation and promote transparency, and use TFS for the administration of the work items. Sounds like double handling but it really isn't such a big deal (you're working with small user stories and limiting your WIP, aren't you?). And besides, I hate the way an electronic screen in a standup turns into a goggle-box, with people staring at it instead of looking each other in the eye and interacting!


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The List Volume 2012
As the years go by, they seem to pass faster and faster. I really can't believe how quickly this year went by. A good way to revisit and remember 2011 was by going back through all of WhyDid's posts and choosing my favorites. I figured it would be pretty easy cause I couldn't have possibly written more than 12 posts that were awesome… but it proved much more difficult than anticipated.
Throughout the year, we uncovered trends, divulged our dating secrets, re-vamped our closets and poked fun at silly celebrities. We covered everything from ombre hair to top knots to matzo ball soup to Lana Del Rey. It was a busy year, yet somehow, some way, I was able to pick out twelve of my favorite posts from this year to ring in 2012.
- Do you have a case of the ex?
- Don't you dare grasp for straws.
- Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
- Remember when you were 18?
- Love will come when you least expect it.
- How come you don't do what you love?
- Friends come, friends go. Are you my BFFN?
- Sex and the City isn't real life.
- Never forget it's the thought that counts.
- Unless, of course, that thought only lasts for the next 72 days.
- And of course, I partied in party pants.
What were your favorite posts from 2011?


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Authorities in the Republic of Congo must immediately release two teachers arrested in connection with a peaceful strike and held for a week without charge, Amnesty International said today.
Hilaire Eyima, head of the French department at the school Lycée de la Révolution, was arrested by plainclothes police officers at his home on 18 April. He is still being held at the headquarters of the General Directorate for the Surveillance of the Territory (DGST).
Claude Nzingoula, a teacher at the medical school in the capital Brazzaville, was arrested on Friday 19 April at his school and was also taken to the DGST headquarters, where he has been detained since.
"Hilaire Eyima and Claude Nzingoula are only detained for standing up for their rights. The continuing detention of these two prisoners of conscience is a blatant disregard to freedom of expression and assembly by the Congolese authorities," said Paule Rigaud, Amnesty International's deputy Africa Program director.
The two teachers have reportedly been denied access to a lawyer of their choice.
Amnesty International has adopted them as prisoners of conscience.
The teachers' strike begun on 25 February, after negotiations stalled between the Congolese authorities and trade unions over teacher's status in the public sector.
Upon his arrest, Hilaire Eyima was told he was being taken in for his use of SMS (text messages) to spread information about the strike.
These are the latest in a string of arrests and harassment of members of a coalition of teachers' unions in Republic of Congo called CPRE (Concertation pour la revalorisation de la profession d'enseignant/ Coalition for improving the teaching profession).
Daniel Ngami, co-chairman of the coalition, was arrested by National Security office agents on 1 April. Luc Mba Mongo, also a CPRE member, was arrested the following day. They were both held without charge and released five days later.
Before being released, Ngami was forced to read a statement on national media calling on teachers to return to work.
Other CPRE members have been harassed and intimidated and some have gone into hiding after their houses were searched without a warrant.
"Instead of punishing them for standing up for their rights, the Congolese authorities should ensure teachers are able to protest without fear of reprisals and engage in a constructive dialogue with them," said Paule Rigaud.


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UXDX Community: Real UX Synthesis and Career Insights
09 Jan 2418:00 - 19:00UTC
An online series bridging the gap between Product, UX, Design and Dev to build better products, faster together.
- Case studies sharing challenges and benefits
- Get inspired
- Product | UX | Design | Dev | Team Enablement
- Latest practices
- It takes a team to build an awesome product
- Break down silos
- Grow your network of amazing product experts
- Meet your peers
There is a better way of building products
Assuming value up front when we know the least
Continuous questioning of assumptions and validation of value
Separate specialities with functional goals
Cross functional team with delivery as the goal
Standardised team building predefined outputs
Empowered teams using context to solve problems
UXDX is my favourite newsletter. Incredible content across the key areas in our industry.
Stay up to date on the latest in Product Development
Connect with other attendees
- Take part in the scheduled sessions
- Have some fun and meet some of the amazing Product, UX, Design and Dev experts that have come together for UXDX from around the world.
- Get to know a Peer
- Have a chat with a fellow UXDX attendee - 2 minutes and a product development related question to skip the small talk and create a real connection.
- Keep the conversations going
- Connect with the people you met, read about the latest trends in product development and build your profile in the community
Frequently asked questions
- How does an online event work?
We release a number of videos each evening for you to watch in your own time. The next day we have a single-track with keynotes and panels featuring the speakers from the day before where you get to ask any questions that arose.
- Are all of the talks recorded
Yes. All talks and panels are recorded.
- How long will I have access to the videos for?


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Vero's Powerful Solutions To Keep Midi-Pyrénées Boom Going
Three game-changing Vero Software CAD/CAM brands will be on show at the Siane 2015 trade fair in Toulouse, France, between October 20 and 22.The Midi-Pyrénées region is currently experiencing an economic boom, especially in the aeronautic and aerospace sectors which employ 75,000 people at 550 companies. As well as those two industries, the Siane show also attracts representatives from other fields, including automotive, medical and electronics.
Samantha Mayet, Vero's Marketing Co-ordinator in France, says this makes the exhibition a perfect showcase for the latest releases of EDGECAM, VISI and WORKNC.
"Quality is of paramount importance for aeronautic, automotive and medical components to meet special technological challenges specific to these industries. For example, the use of lightweight composite materials or extremely hard alloys, machining of very complex forms, milling and turning very large parts, removal of large amounts of material on structural parts, and machining parts featuring very thin walls."
EDGECAM, VISI and WORKNC's powerful functions offer solutions to all these requirements, and will be on show at Vero's booth: V46, in Hall 6.
The latest version of EDGECAM, the leading CAM solution for milling in the serial production field and in multi-axis turning, offers a wide range of CAD and CAM improvements concerning milling, turning and wire EDM such as multi-spindle turning, a new 5-axis manifold machining module and time savings on drilling cycles. New features include the integration of M & H probes, threading simulation, a new machine configuration allowing turning operations on a milling centre, and the addition of CAD links for Creo Parametric files, along with turning management of the central axis counter spindle offset.
WORKNC, the CAD/CAM solution for 2- through to 5-axis machining, is renowned for reliability and safe toolpaths thanks to all-inclusive collision verifications which take into account the cutting tool, the tool holder and full machine simulation including kinematics. WORKNC V24 is aimed at improving CAM operator productivity along with machining quality.
The new 'Rest Material Display' function, a genuine analysis tool, is a valuable aid for programmers looking to reduce preparation times. It allows rapid evaluation of the different thicknesses of material that remains to be machined on the model, indicated by a user defined colour code. On large models and extremely complex geometries, it is now simple to determine the small areas and pockets that still need to be machined.
Other innovative functions include symmetry commands, reading hole features from native NX files, faster collision detection calculations covering the machining environment, the tool holder, the stock model and the milling machine itself, along with new STL file processing functions.
VISI is a leading solution for mould and tooling design thanks to its powerful hybrid modeler capable of handling solid, surface and wireframe entities. VISI has always been at the forefront of managing large volumes of CAD data.
Visitors to booth V46 in Hall 6 at the Siane trade fair will be able to see improvements made to key functions allowing components to be modified quicker and more efficiently.
The cooling system now automatically notifies and manages all CAD transformation commands in VISI Mould; and time is saved in VISI Progress by being able to see modifications to the original part, automatically on the strip without having to rebuild it.
In VISI Machining, a new 3-axis 64 bit engine ensures that users can exploit the full power of their PC, while 2.5-axis benefits from an improved mill function after the clearance pass, along with improved linking on pocket operations when using In to Out step-over, and reduced calculation times for facemill, pocket, mill and remachining operations.
And an enhanced migration tool, executed at the end of the VISI 2016 R1 installation process, provides an automatic settings/configurations update from previous releases.
Hexagon Romer Absolute Arm
Visitors to the Vero booth will also be able to meet EDGECAM, VISI and WORKNC's recently appointed Sales Engineer, Pierre AUGUSTIN, who is covering the south west area of France (Languedoc Rousillon, Midi-Pyrénées, Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitoux Charentes).
In addition a Hexagon Metrology 'Romer Absolute Arm Compact' measuring arm will be shown on the booth.
Also, a pilot's helmet machined with the WORKNC V24 is being exhibited on the Hexagon Metrology stand; Hall 6 Stand V34. This part is being used to demonstrate Hexagon 'Romer Absolute Arm' measuring arms and laser scanners, along with other devices in the product range.
"It will show visitors how quality control measuring devices developed by Hexagon Metrology, and the Vero Software CAM solutions are technologically complementary," says Samantha Mayet. "The association of sensing (measuring), thinking (data analysis) and acting (CAM), means that users can avoid errors before they actually happen leading to unequalled levels of quality and productivity."
Vero, EDGECAM, VISI, WORKNC: Hall 6, Booth V46
Hexagon Metrology: Hall 6, Booth V34.


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Jonathan Fink, Gretchen Goldman, Vaughan Turekian (session moderator), Sean J. O'Brien | AAAS/Carla Schaffer
The United States has seen a recent boom in shale gas exploration, made possible by the advent of new technologies such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. That increase in U.S. natural gas production has had far-reaching effects stretching from small American towns to nations on the other side of the globe, said experts at a recent AAAS event in Washington, DC.
"There is no question that the scale of the gas revolution is unprecedented," said Charles Ebinger, senior fellow and director of the energy security initiative at the Brookings Institution.
Ebinger spoke at "Eco-Engineering: How Shale Gas is Shaping Energy Security and Environmental Issues across the World," the fifth annual forum sponsored by Hitachi, Ltd. and co-organized by AAAS and the Brookings Institution. Previous forums have tackled such complex issues as climate change and transportation.
The series of lectures and discussions began with an overview from Ebinger of the global energy situation. Just a few years ago, he noted, experts were predicting that the United States would soon run out of natural gas and within a decade would be importing 40 percent of the nation's natural gas supplies. "Nothing could be further from reality," he said. That past trend has now reversed, and the country is set to become a major natural gas exporter.
The United States, however, is not yet shipping liquid natural gas (LNG). For now, those resources are staying on the North American continent, which has helped to keep energy prices relatively low in the United States and driven a revival in American manufacturing, Ebinger noted.
But shale gas is set to take off in other regions of the world, such as Australia, the Middle East and potentially Russia. The United States has given tentative approval for the development of four LNG export facilities, but Ebinger noted that by 2020 the global competition for natural gas will intensify as major LNG and intercontinental gas supplies enter the market. Nineteen other export facilities have been proposed in the United States, but the coming competition makes it unlikely that all 19 will eventually be built, Ebinger said.
Charles Ebinger | AAAS/Carla Schaffer
One nation that is interested in becoming a customer for American natural gas is Japan. The country imports all of its gas and oil, noted Nobuo Tanaka, global associate for energy security and sustainability at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. Because the country is so reliant on imports, electricity in Japan is triple the price in China, making it difficult to compete in manufacturing and other efforts. "The U.S. will start very soon, hopefully, exporting gas," Tanaka said. Japan would be an eager customer.
The coming switchover from the United States being a fossil fuel net importer to exporter could have implications around the world, especially if the U.S. government decides to abandon its traditional role in keeping open oil and gas trade routes such as the Strait of Hormuz leading out of the Persian Gulf, Tanaka said. It is unknown at this point who might take over that role.
The exploitation of shale gas also brings many other concerns, particularly on the environmental and climate levels, noted Michael Levi, director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change at the Council on Foreign Relations. "A lot of these deposits are pretty close to urban areas and that makes for a challenging set of environmental problems," Levi said. "On top of that, if you're in a part of Europe that has a lot of zero-carbon energy, then natural gas poses a different sort of climate discussion." Natural gas can help decrease greenhouse gas emissions in regions that are now reliant on coal, but for areas that already use more low-carbon sources for power, shale gas could lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
In the United States, the advent of shale gas and other unconventional fuels has led to fossil fuel extraction taking place in many locations that have never had to deal with it before, as well as in places far more populous than previous hotspots for oil and gas, noted Gretchen Goldman, an analyst for the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. That has led to more dialogue and more pushback at the local level, she said.
That local perspective came from Sean J. O'Brien, the state representative for Ohio's 63rd district, an area just north of Youngstown. "You've got to start with the environment," O'Brien said. "How do we minimize risk, and how do we maximize the benefit?" The rules and regulations now vary from state to state and sometimes, as in Pennsylvania, town to town.
The federal government has largely stayed out of regulating these new developments in shale gas, Goldman said. That has left the industry with a patchwork of regulations. The hands-off approach may work well for states such as Texas where the regulation of fossil fuel exploration has a long history, Goldman said, but other states without this history may benefit from more federal guidance on managing the risks associated with oil and gas development.
Nobuo Tanaka and Michael Levi (right) | AAAS/Carla Schaffer
Oil and gas is a new concern for O'Brien's Ohio district, and the industry has brought a lot of money to the area. BP, for example, spent $330 million on lease rights alone. But it's not just these revenues that are having an impact, O'Brien said. The region has now become one of the fastest growing areas of the country as the gas revolution has also brought a return of many manufacturing jobs. But the region has also learned from its past cycles of boom and bust, O'Brien said, and is now being more careful and diversifying its economic interests.
The shale gas boom hasn't been completely rosy, however. Locally, O'Brien noted, people have been dealing with problems caused by fracking. These have included issues such as more trucks being on the roads as well as the burning off of methane produced in the extraction of natural gas, which can emit chemicals that exacerbate respiratory problems such as asthma. In addition, the implications for the climate are often ignored in discussions of the natural gas rise, in part because this can be such a significant economic opportunity, noted Jonathan Fink, vice president for research and strategic partnerships at Portland State University in Oregon. "The short-term economic positives are drowning out the long-term climate negatives," he said. "How do we better integrate those two perspectives?"
The move to natural gas can be seen as an intermediate step on the path from coal, diesel and gas to climate-friendly energy sources such as wind and solar, O'Brien noted. "Using a less destructive fossil fuel is giving us more time without having to rely on pollution-causing agents like diesel and gas," he said. "I think there's an opportunity there."


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The departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Clinical Lab Science and Biological Sciences have developed a program in biochemistry which results in the awarding of a Ph.D. in Chemistry. This program draws upon the special and diverse talents of these faculties, and provides chemistry graduate students with both in-breadth class work and in-depth thesis research. Emphasis is on the application of modern techniques and concepts of physical and chemical science to the solution of problems of current interest in biology and medicine.
Students may choose one of four concentrations in the Biochemistry Option:
- Biochemistry/Biomaterials
- Biotechnology/Bioprocessing
- Cellular Biology/Molecular Biology
- Clinical Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry
Admission Requirements and Removal of Undergraduate Deficiencies Admission to the program requires demonstration of an acceptable B.S., B.A., or M.S. degree in chemistry, biology, biochemistry or other related science. Students will be expected to have completed two semesters each of general, organic and physical chemistry as well as introductory biology. Qualifying examinations will indicate deficiencies in any of these areas. Deficiencies must be removed by enrolling in the corresponding undergraduate course during the first year in the program.
Academic Standards for Retention in the Biochemistry Program
The graduate student is expected to maintain an average of 3.000 or better in all his/her graduate-level courses. All other department requirements must also be met.
Degree Requirements
There are 45 credits required for the Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry Option. A total of 27 of these must be in formal courses while the remaining 18 will be accrued in Doctoral Dissertation.
See the Graduate Catalog for detailed requirements of the program.
During each semester in residence all full-time students must register for a one-credit seminar course and attend one seminar each week, as required by the Chemistry Department. The student is required to present two one-hour presentations during his/her residence.
A. Initiation of Research - Preceptor Selection Procedure
The dissertation research of each graduate student may be initiated at any time but not later than the end of the second semester in the program. The student is advised to make serious efforts, prior to the summer following his/her first entrance to the program, to initiate faculty research interviews and attempt to identify the area of his/her research interest and particular research group which may be suitable for pursuing his/her research goals.
B. Advisory Committee
Mandatory rotations through prospective research preceptors' laboratories during the first year of residency will aid the student in choosing a research advisor. After the student has chosen his/her research preceptor (during the second semester of residency), an Advisory Committee will be appointed to monitor the progress of the student's research at least twice a year. The Advisory Committee will be a permanent part of the student's examination committees.
A. Comprehensive Examination
Please contact the biochemistry graduate coordinator concerning details about the comprehensive examination.
B. Oral Research Proposal
Prior to the end of the fourth semester of matriculation, the student will be required to present and defend, orally, a research proposal in an area of biochemistry related to but not identical to that of his/her thesis. A written copy of the proposed research must be distributed to the Examination Committee at least one week prior to the examination.
The Examination Committee will be composed of four faculty members chosen after consultation by the student with his/her preceptor. All members of the university community are welcome to attend these examinations. Failure to perform adequately in either the written proposal or the oral defense may result in the student being required to complete an M.S. degree. Continuation toward a Ph.D. degree will be judged on a case by case basis.
Admission to Candidacy for the Doctorate
To be admitted to candidacy for the doctorate, a student must:
- Complete all required courses with necessary grade point average.*
- Pass the Comprehensive Examination.
- Fulfill the language requirement (as outlined by the Chemistry Department).
- Successfully present and defend the Oral Research Proposal.
- Present 2 seminars.
- Secure approval of his/her research preceptor and the biochemistry committee.
*There is an absolute minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) requirement of 3.000 for all graduate work. At the end of the first semester, if a student is found to be below the minimum GPA, a written warning will be issued. If the cumulative GPA is not raised to 3.000 or higher by the end of the second semester in residence, the student will automatically be dropped from the Ph.D. program but allowed to continue toward a master's degree in Biochemistry with the approval of the graduate committee. While completing the M.S., a candidate must have a minimum GPA of 3.000 and maintain that GPA throughout the remainder of his or her career. Upon successful completion of the Master of Science degree, the student may reapply for admission to the doctoral program. Each case will be reviewed on an individual basis by the Graduate Committee. Students reentering the Ph.D. program will then satisfy all the requirements for the degree including passing the comprehensive examination, presentation of their research proposal, and completion of their research and dissertation defense. Seminar presentations and course work accomplished to complete the master's degree will, of course, be cumulative.
When these requirements have been fulfilled, the Biochemistry Program Curriculum Committee will recommend that the graduate coordinator of the Department of Chemistry notify the Dean of the Graduate School to place the student on the list of candidates for the Ph.D. degree. Admission to candidacy in no way guarantees the granting of the degree.
Successful performance of an original research project, completion of a written dissertation and subsequent successful public presentation and defense of the dissertation research will culminate in granting of the Ph.D. degree in Chemistry.


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What happens when you take water buoys and pair them with Twitter? That is the question that spurred the creation of the twitter account @TwoYellowBuoys, a twitter feed that shares live data collected by these two buoys on Lake Michigan.
Data from the buoys is crucial and continues to help boasters, anglers, or paddlers, make decisions about their personal safety, as the buoys provide them with a way of assessing the conditions for the day.
To see the full article and learn more, visit the IISG blog here.
Using Buoy Data to Teach about Lake Michigan Conditions and Current Issues, Got Nature?
New Buoy Offers Real-Time Lake Michigan Data in Indiana, Got Nature?
Meet the buoys of summer who help Purdue and Illinois study Lake Michigan: BTN LiveBIG, BTN
Carolyn Foley, Assistant Research Coordinator
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) & Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources