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Where do I even begin with this one? I mean, I was on the fence about even writing this post for months. On the one hand, I myself have become known for calling out asshattery that pollutes the search marketing industry in epic ways, and I've been doing it for a few years.
On the other hand, I've also been able to step back more and more each year in my own open attacks, in spite of my honest core belief in ethics and morals when it comes to business. Because let's face it, what one person considers legitimate, another considers evil. It's a fact of life. And the more time I spend in a personal relationship with God, the more I work to own the need to judge less and discern more.
Don't get me wrong here. I still don't like some things I see in this industry.
Yet overall, if you've been following my rants on Twitter (God bless your for the fortitude to do that), you'll have noted that I really don't come anywhere near as close to "OMG Over the top" in my rhetoric as I used to. Because I really am doing my best to evolve. #Honest
Except one company has stood out over and over again through the years in their business practices, services and "solutions" that an obvious and blatant pattern has emerged I can no longer deny. Nor can I sit on the sidelines any longer regarding this particular company and pretend I don't have a passionate personal view on it.
Understanding My Decision Will Have Consequences
Given the fact that some companies have in fact been seriously harmed by being "outed", I understand that though it's highly unlikely given the high profile position of the company I'm referring to here, they may, in fact, ultimately be banned from Google. And I understand that we're talking about people's lives here, their means to an income, with families to feed, and the entirety of how harmful such an action can be.
So if you want to skewer me for being a tattle-tale, a rat, a snitch or an "outer", so be it. In this situation I'm willing to risk ruining my reputation over it.
The Issue of Link Schemes
If you have any skin in the SEO game, as soon as you hear the phrase "link scheme", you're most likely to know exactly the "type" of SEO I'm talking about. the attempt to unnaturally manipulate the system with the end goal of getting more visibility at Google purely for profit. And in the challenge that Google faces to combat such techniques, they even openly ask for people to report such behavior.
They ask for our help simply because people and companies can be really sneaky in how they go about their work, and constantly find new ways to game the system.
Grey Matter
Yes, this is the biggest challenge – no matter how many times people spout white-hat vs. black hat, we live in a world with many shades of grey. So much so, that to refer to the issues as black and white is, in my opinion, very short-sighted and frankly, it does a disservice to the ability for us as an industry, to conduct open, fruitful discussions. And others agree.
And as I mentioned a moment ago, if any of us even remotely follows a spiritual path, we're given countless reasons through spiritual and religious teachings that it's not always wise for us to judge others, lest we ourselves, be judged.
What About Fairness In Business?
Here's where it gets even more challenging. How can a small business compete with a bigger company that has deeper budgetary pockets? How can a company that otherwise doesn't have the skill to compete for eyeballs find a way to compete when for all other reasons other than the means to do so, has the ability to offer truly high quality products or services?
That topic alone could take up (and already does, I am sure) countless blog articles. In reality though, our society, while promoting fairness for many valid reasons, is based on anthropologically based concepts like survival of the fittest. That applies equally as well to a capitalist based business framework.
Just because you have a great service or product does not mean you have the right to operate on the same playing field as a company with more resources.
When A Company Goes Too Far
Sometimes however, some companies go too far. They take advantage of the fundamental principles I've touched on here. Knowing they can push the envelope of "reasonable implementation" that each of those principles entails.
When that happens, through legal recourse, a company can be seen as causing themselves to have an unfair competitive advantage. That's a subtle semantic concept, since it's not a truly "fair" system to begin with. Yet at some point, overwhelming abuse of that system can in fact, be deemed as "too" unfair.
Full Circle – Enough Is Enough – Let's Out These Bad Boys
And that brings me to the reason I wrote this article. I've observed this particular company for far too long in how they claim to offer good services to their customers. In truth, much of what they do really is good. Yet they've simultaneously and consistently, over the years, found ways to unnaturally manipulate the playing field. To the point where they have long since crossed the line of unfair competitive advantage.
I'm not, in this article, going to go into long drawn out detail about how I discovered this particular scheme. After all, my particular forensic skill is one I cherish and which helps me continue to gain some very big client opportunities, nor do I wish to reveal my methods only to have someone come along and find new ways to hide their antics from me and in turn hampers my ability to do competitive analysis…
Nor will I provide you with a plethora of charts, flow-charts, diagrams, spreadsheets or source-code material to back up my position. Because there's far too much to sift through, to decide what among all of the reams of data, is necessary to make my case.
And too, I'm pretty confident that just by seeing the single piece of evidence below, if you've as I said before, had any skin in this search game, you'll know instantly, immediately, and without any hesitation of doubt whatever that my assumptions, belief and view is dead-on accurate.
So here, without further delay, is link to proof that worse than any other company, this one takes the cake for their link schemes… Click the link, evaluate the evidence, then come back and read my final thoughts… Go ahead. I'll wait….
Final Thoughts
I wrote this article in part to mock the insanity that's gone on recently in the debate over what's right, what's wrong, who should be blamed, who is innocent, whether people who out others are doing good or doing evil. And yet, when you really stop long enough to think about it, to really consider how it is that this particular company does what they do, you'll understand that in business, we all serve multiple masters, and sometimes when serving multiple masters, we run into problems ourselves. Intentionally or not. Consciously or not.
In writing this article, I do not intend to imply that I do or do not condone any particular behavior outside of what I already am known to be accepting of and what I am known to deplore. I only wrote it to make a point about how complex the issue ultimately is. And have a little fun doing it.


text: Artist: N.W.A. Album: Straight Outta Compton Song: Dopeman (Remix) Typed by: OHHLA Webmaster DJ Flash Yo Dre!! [Ice Cube] It was once said by a man who couldn't quit "Dopeman," please can I have another hit The dopeman said, "Cluck, I don't give a shit if your girl kneel down, and suck my dick" It all happened and the guy tried to choke her Nigga didn't care, she ain't nothin but a smoker That's the way goes, that's the name of the game Young brother gettin over by slangin 'caine Gold around his neck in 14 K heaven Bitches clockin on his dick twenty-four/seven Plus he's makin money, keep the bassheads waitin Rollin six-fo' wit the fresh ass Daytons Livin in Compton, Cailfornia C-A His uzi up yo' ass if he don't get paid Nigga beggin for credit, he's knockin out teeth Clockin much dollars on the 1st and 15th Big wad of money nuttin less than a twenty Yo you want a five-oh the dopeman's got plenty To be a dopeman boy you must qualify Don't get high off your own supply From a ki' to a G it's all about money Ten piece for a champ, bass pipe comes free If people out there are not hip to the fact If you see somebody gettin money for crack he's the Chorus: N.W.A. Dopeman, dopeman! (Ay man, give me a hit) Dopeman, dopeman! (Yo man, fuck that shit!) Dopeman, dopeman! (We just can't quit!) Dopeman, dopeman! (Well suck this bitch!) [Dr. Dre] Wait a minute, wait a minute Who the fuck are you talkin to? Do you know who the fuck I am? Man I can't believe this shit This bitch is tryin to gank me Yo I oughta slap you upside yo' head with nine inches of limp dick [Ice Cube] You need a nigga with money so you get a dopeman Juice that fool for as much as you can She like his car, and he get wit her Got a black eye cause the dopeman hit her Let that slide and you pay it no mind Find that he's slappin you all the time But that's okay, cause he's so rich Ain't you ain't nuttin but a dopeman's bitch Do what he say and you keep your mouth shut Poppin that trash might get you fucked up Well sit and cry, if the dopeman strike you He don't give a fuck he got two just like you There's another girl in the dopeman's life Not quite a bitch but far from a wife She's called strawberry and everybody know strawberry strawberry is the neighborhood hoe Do anything for a hit or two Give the bitch a rock she fucked the whole damn crew It might be your wife and it might make you sick Come home and see her mouth on the dopeman's dick Strawberry, just look and you'll see her But don't fuck around she'll give you gonnorhea If people out there are not hip to the fact the strawberry is a girl sellin pussy for crack to the Chorus: N.W.A. Dopeman, dopeman! (Ay man, give me a hit) Dopeman, dopeman! (Yo man, fuck that shit!) Dopeman, dopeman! (In yo' face) Dopeman, dopeman! "Yo Dre!! Kick in the bass!!" [Ice Cube] If you smoke 'caine, you a stupid motherfucker Known around the hood as the schoolyard clucker Doin that crack with all the money you got On your hands and knees, searchin for a piece of rock Jonesin for a hit, and you're lookin for mo' Done stole the Alpine out of Eazy's six-fo' You need your ass whupped cause it's out of this earth To get a ten-piece need a dollar fifty work Knucklehead nigga, yeah you turned into a crook but swear up and down boy that you ain't hooked You beat your friend up, and you whupped his ass long cause he hit the pipe til the rock was all gone You robbin and stealin, buggin and illin while the dopeman's dealin, what is healin yo' pain Cocaine, this shit's insane Yo E she's a berry, let's run a train (Man, I wouldn't touch that bitch) me neither Hoe go home and wash out your beaver And niggaz out there messin up people's health Yo, what the fuck you gotta say for yourself? [Eazy-E] Well I'm the dopeman, yeah boy, wear a courderoy Money up to here but unemployed You keep smokin that rock and my pockets gettin bigger (Yo, got that five-oh double up nigga!) Yeah high rollin, big money I'm foldin Bitch on my tip for the dick I'm holdin Sprung strawberry jockin me so early Hoe you wanna hit you gotta get your knees dirty Now that's my life, that's how it's cut "Hey dopeman!" Bitch, shut the fuck up! Gotta make a run, it's a big money deal Gankers got the fake but you can get the real from the Chorus: N.W.A. Dopeman, dopeman! (Yeah that's me) Dopeman, dopeman! (Yo can I get a G?) Dopeman, dopeman! (Clock as much as he can) Fuck this shit who am I? THE DOPEMAN! [Eazy-E (as Mexican guy)] Yo Mr. Dopeman, you think you're slick You sold crack to my sister, and now she's sick But if she happens to die, because of your drug I'm puttin in your coolo, a thirty-eight slug

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Texas banker puts up $1M for tricky math solution
A Texas banker is upping the ante to $1 million for whoever solves a tricky problem that's been dogging mathematicians since the 1980s.
The Providence, R.I.-based American Mathematical Society on Tuesday said $1 million will be awarded for the publication of a solution to the Beal Conjecture number theory problem.
Dallas banker D. Andrew Beal first offered the Beal Prize in 1997 for $5,000. Over the years, the amount has grown.
American Mathematical Society spokesman Michael Breen says a solution is more difficult than the one for a related problem, Fermat's Last Theorem, which didn't have a published solution for hundreds of years.
Beal is a self-taught mathematician and says he wants to inspire young people to pursue math and science.
More information: Beal Prize: bit.ly/14eTRCC
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


text:
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Show All Answers
Monday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Last Admission at 5 p.m.)Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Last Admission at 8 p.m.)Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Last Admission at 5 p.m.)Thursday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Last Admission at 5 p.m.)Friday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Last Admission at 5 p.m.)Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Last Admission at 5 p.m.)Sunday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Last Admission at 5 p.m.)
The Oklahoma Aquarium is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Children ages 0-2 are admitted free of charge.
We highly recommend that you bring your own stroller or wheelchair for comfort and also suggest lighter weight, more compact strollers. A limited number of wagons, strollers and wheelchairs are available for guest rental in the gift shop. We do have motorized chairs available for rent through the gift shop.
We accept cash, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and Diner's Club for admission, membership, gift shop and the Coral Reef Café. We accept cash and card at our Turtle Feed Stand, Stingray Feed Stand, Virtual Reality Ride, and Mechanical Bull Shark Ride.
Photography and videotaping are permitted for personal use unless otherwise posted. We ask that guests refrain from flash photography when near exhibits.
Outside food and beverages are prohibited. Exceptions are made for school groups and medical necessities.
We do. If you believe you have lost an item during your visit, please email us. We will generally hold items for two weeks and if not claimed, donate or discard lost items.
The Oklahoma Aquarium exhibits are all indoors, but a light jacket or sweater is recommended, as some areas can be chilly.
Please, no skateboards, hoverboards, scooters, shoes with wheels, or other items with wheels (other than wheelchairs, strollers, and wagons).
Our exhibits are all indoors and all on one level. However, there are various activities and outdoor areas at the aquarium. Our playground is located on our back lawn and accommodates children younger and older alike.


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Here is finally the last part of this serie. I will now create the last layer of Mihai Corlan's application replacement.
Just to remind you, in the 1st part, I built a prototype of Acceleo template to generate the Doctrine2 php entities from a UML model. In the 2nd part, I built an Acceleo template to generate the skeletons of the php services that use these entities. In the 3rd part, I used the 1st entity UML diagram to generate the actionscript Value Objects from another Acceleo template. This lead to a fully usable as3 code layer, no additionnal code was required in this layer… but the as3 Value Objects layer is actually usable only by the last layer that we are about to generate with a 4th template, the actionscript service wrappers.


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Subversion (SVN) is a centralized storage for sharing information. The Subversion repository is like a time machine. It keeps all the records of every changes ever committed and allows you to explore this history by examining previous versions of files and directories as well as the metadata that accompanies them. With a single Subversion command, you can check out the repository exactly as it was at any date or revision number in the past.
At the core of the Subversion is a repository, which is the central store of that system's data. Any number of Users connect to the repository, and then read or write to these files according to their permissions. The first Subversion tool we will use is svnadmin
. This tool is for administration tasks, like creating repositories, making backup dumps, and the like.
Creating the Repository
To create a repository, open the command line, change the current directory to where you want to create it, and run svnadmin
[shell]$ cd /usr/local
$ svnadmin create repo[/shell]
repo = repository name.You can call it whatever you like.
Now the SVN URL is like "svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo". Subversion uses this repository to store information about your projects, like file revisions.
Importing Projects
The svn import command is a quick way to copy an unversioned tree of files into a repository, creating intermediate directories as necessary. svn import doesn't require a working copy, and your files are immediately committed to the repository. You typically use this when you have an existing tree of files that you want to begin tracking in your Subversion repository. Each project have a recognizable project root in the repository, a directory under which all of the versioned information for that project—and only that project—lives.To create a project under our repository use the following command:
[shell]$ svn mkdir myproject1 svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo[/shell]
Most projects have a recognizable "main line", or trunk, of development; some branches, which are divergent copies of development lines; and some tags, which are named, stable snapshots of a particular line of development.
Creating trunk,branches and tags
we suggest that each project root contain a trunk
subdirectory for the main development line, a branches
subdirectory in which specific branches (or collections of branches) will be created, and a tags
subdirectory in which specific tags (or collections of tags) will be created.
[shell]$ svn mkdir svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject1/trunk -m "trunk created"
$ svn mkdir svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject1/branches -m "branches created"
$ svn mkdir svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject1/tags -m "tags created"[/shell]
Here "-m" option is using to add the label. Commonly the label is related to the changes or bug fixes which we made in that commit. It is very important to recognize that particular change which we made in each commit. In the above commands we are creating directories, so we gave the label as "trunk created".
Then we can list the myproject as showing below:
[shell]$ svn list svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject1[/shell]
We can import our project code to the repository like:
[shell]$ svn import mycode svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject1/trunk -m "Initial Import"[/shell]
[shell]Adding mycode/file1
Adding mycode/file2
Adding mycode/file3
Adding mycode/file4
Committed revision 1.[/shell]
Checking out the code
Most of the time, you will start using a Subversion repository by performing a checkout of your project. Checking out a directory from a repository creates a working copy of that directory on your local machine. We can check out the repository by using the following command:
[shell]$ svn checkout svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/trunk[/shell]
[shell]A trunk/file1
A trunk/file2
A trunk/file3
A trunk/file4
Checked out revision 1.[/shell]
Subversion chose to create a working copy in a directory named for the final component of the checkout URL. This occurs only as a convenience to the user when the checkout URL is the only bit of information provided to the svn checkout command. Subversion's command-line client gives you additional flexibility, though, allowing you to optionally specify the local directory name that Subversion should use for the working copy it creates.
[shell]$ svn checkout svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/trunk code[/shell]
[shell]A code/file1
A code/file2
A code/file3
A code/file4
Checked out revision 1.[/shell]
If there are more developers working in our project, it is better to use the branches. This allows you to save your not-yet-completed work frequently without interfering with others' changes and while still selectively sharing information with your collaborators.
To Create branches
Creating a branch is very simple. You make a copy of your project tree in the repository using the svn copy command. Since your project's source code is rooted in the /repo/myproject/trunk
directory, it's that directory that you'll copy. You can give the branch name as you wish. Here we are using names of the users.
[shell]$ svn copy svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/trunk svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/branches/sam -m "branch 1.0.0″[/shell]
[shell] Committed revision 2[/shell]
This command causes a near-instantaneous commit in the repository, creating a new directory in revision 2. The new directory is a copy of /repo/myproject/trunk.
So each user can copy the /repo/myproject/trunk as
their own branch and checkout it like
[shell]$ svn checkout svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/branches/sam mycode-sam[/shell]
[shell]A mycode-sam/file1
A mycode-sam/file2
A mycode-sam/file3
A mycode-sam/file4
Checked out revision 2.[/shell]
There's nothing special about this working copy; it simply mirrors a different directory in the repository. When you commit changes, however, the other users won't see them when they updates, because they are using their own working copy. Whenever someone needs to make a long-running change that is likely to disrupt the trunk, a standard procedure is to create a private branch and commit changes there until all the work is complete. Subversion gives you the ability to selectively "copy" changes between branches. And when you're completely finished with your branch, your entire set of branch changes can be copied to the staging branch and checkout this to the staging server for testing. If the code is ready to move to the production server then merge into the production branch and then to production server. If we are doing this first time there is no staging and production branches, so we need to copy the trunk as staging and production branches. After that we have to move the changes in the user branches.
In Subversion terminology, the general act of replicating changes from one branch to another is called merging, and it is performed using the command svn merge.
cd "directory you merge into"
[shell]$ svn switch svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/staging
$ svn up
$ svn merge -rAA:BB svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/branches/sam
$ svn ci -m 'Merged branch sam into staging'[/shell]
AA = the revision number of the staging branch
BB = the revision number of the user branch (sam)
Now the staging branch is updated with the user branch, and we can test this code by checking out to the staging server. For this we need to login to the staging server and checkout the code in the correct location.
[shell]$ svn co svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/staging /path/to/code[/shell]
Now the code in the staging branch is checked out to the staging server. We have to test this and if all are fine then merge the staging branch to the production branch and then checkout it to the production server as we done with the staging. Also update the trunk with the latest code in the production by merging it with the production branch, because we need to create branches from trunk for the next release. once we have merged the trunk we can retire from the user branch.
Now the trunk is same as the branch "production" repository. Then we have to tag this for the future reference. The tag is used to save the releases which are going to the production. So we can easily track the revisions which we updated to the production.
[shell]$ svn copy svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/trunk svn://localhost:/usr/local/repo/myproject/tags/first-release[/shell]
You can give the tag name as you wish. Here we gave the tag name as first-release. This is the flow of branching, you have to repeat these process on the future releases too. Because of using the tag we can easily track the releases. So if any issue occurs it is easy to revert the production.
Some useful commands in svn are given below
svn add – To add files and directories to the repository
svn mkdir – Create a directory in the repository
svn copy – Copy from one location to other
svn move – To rename
svn delete – Delete from the repository
svn ci – Commit the changes in the working copy
svn diff – Shows line-level details of a particular change
svn log – Shows you broad information: log messages with date and author information attached to revisions and which paths changed in each revision
svn cat – Retrieves a file as it existed in a particular revision number and displays it on your screen
svn list – Displays the files in a directory for any given revision
svn log – Examine merge-sensitive history
Subversion has commands to help you maintain parallel branches of your files and directories. It allows you to create branches by copying your data, and remembers that the copies are related to one another. The main advantage of branching is that the users can work independently with their own repository and so it will not affect the other users and also easy to maintain.


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"The advantage of using an accelerator is that if something goes wrong, we can switch it off,"
Rajendran Raja, Fermilab, on the benefits of a theorized accelerator-driven subcritical system to turn nuclear waste into fuel, The New York Times, October 19, 2009.
"It is a tool that will allow us to see what was previously unseen,"
Persis Drell, SLAC, on the Linac Coherent Light Source, The New York Times, October 17, 2009.
"Without the stimulus money, we would have sat on the sidelines,"
Wim Pieter Leemans, Berkeley National Lab, on the infusion of funds for the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator, The New York Times, October 17, 2009.
"Nationally, this is the first effort to have physical scientists work together in close proximity with oncologists. This has never been done before,"
Jan Liphardt, UC Berkeley, describing how University of California at Berkeley is part of a new national effort to combat cancer by scientists from a variety of backgrounds, CBS5.com, October 28, 2009.
"The FBI action is stupid and foolish and misguided and utterly wrong,"
Hugh DeWitt, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, after the FBI raided the home of former colleague P. Leonardo Mascheroni on the suspicion he was spying for Venezuela, The Associated Press, October 27, 2009.
"We are interested in getting these ideas working in a real engineering system…We are looking for applications we can put into real devices, not just a paper,"
Chuan-Hua Chen, Duke University, after creating a material with a surface that mimics the water repellence of a lotus leaf, Minnesota Post, October 26, 2009.
"He knows that in the past great things have come out of MIT, and I think what he is doing is called upon people who know the challenges, who know the possibilities,"
Cyril Opeil, Boston College, on the President's speech at MIT calling for more research into clean energy, The Boston Globe, October 23, 2009.
"I take it as a confirmation that Einstein is still right,"
Peter Michelson, Stanford, on a recent experiment that showed both high and low energy photons arriving at almost precisely the same moment after travelling 7.3 billion light years, The New York Times, October 23, 2009.
"The petascale supercomputer gives us the capacity to look for similarities across whole populations of acute patients."
Tanmoy Bhattacharya, on using the world's fastest supercomputer to create a comprehensive model of HIV's evolutionary history, UPI, October 29, 2009.
"This panorama image shows stars 1,000 times fainter than the human eye can see, as well as hundreds of galaxies, star clusters and nebulae,"
Axel Mellinger, Central Michigan University, who created a detailed map of the Milky Way using over 3,000 photos he took around the world, MSNBC.com, October 30, 2009.
"In the future we can take video of the launch environment, and the software can automatically … conclude what were the sources and the makeup of the debris."
Philip Metzger, NASA, on a proposed camera that can track potential threats to a rocket during launch, U.S. News and World Report, November 3, 2009.
"The galactic center is the Hell's Kitchen of astrophysical forces,"
Eliott Bloom, Stanford, The New York Times, October 30, 2009.
"[T]he evolution of life is a fact, whereas the theory explaining the evolution of life is Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Unfortunately, Darwin's theory of natural selection is often called the theory of evolution, leading to unnecessary confusion with the fact of the evolution of life."
Lawrence Woolf, General Atomics, describing how evolution can be described as both a fact and theory simultaneously, The New York Times ,"Paper Cuts Blog," October 23, 2009.
APS encourages the redistribution of the materials included in this newspaper provided that attribution to the source is noted and the materials are not truncated or changed.
Editor: Alan Chodos


text:
5 years past since our friend Dirk's gone
Dirk, I went to FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '12 in July 27-29 and got a chance to see your favorite band Shibusashirazu Orchestra. But I missed seeing the BAND!!! by several reasons.
That's really regrettable... I don't miss the next chance and shoot them for you!!
See you someday...
sorry for my poor english!


text:
Randy Newman
The remarks below are from the introduction by SCL President Ashley Irwin at the 2013 SCL Holiday Dinner:
A consummate composer, lyricist, arranger, conductor and musician, Randy epitomizes what the SCL is all about. His has the ability to write songs that can be simultaneously poignant and acerbic: Short People I Love LA, You Can Leave Your Hat On, You Got a Friend in Me, Mama Told Me Not to Come, Louisiana 1927, Sail Away, When She Loved Me, Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear …while his film scores convey soulfulness and sincerity: Ragtime, The Natural, Toy Story, Awakenings, Avalon, Seabiscuit, Pleasantville, A Bug's Life, Cars …and I've barely scratched the surface. He's also ventured into theatre with projects like "FAUST" and "HARPS & ANGELS". And many of you would be unaware that he wrote that beautiful arrangement of "Is That All There Is?" for Peggy Lee. He's a six-?time Grammy winner, a three–time Emmy winner and managed to accrue 16 Oscar nominations before finally winning for Best Original Song in 2002 for "If I Didn't Have You" from "MONSTERS INC." He's since added another 4 nominations and another gong for Best Song in 2011 with "We Belong Together" from "TOY STORY 3". He's won 12 ASCAP Awards and in 1996 the Henry Mancini Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2011 and earlier this year into the Rock and Roll Hall Fame.
Unfortunately Randy can't be with us tonight as he is recuperating from a little surgery he had last week. But to accept the award on his behalf, please welcome to the podium his son, Amos Newman.
This content is reserved for members of the SCL. Log in or join us today!


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Ubisoft Is Pitching Hollywood On Ghost Recon Movie
Ubisoft has been on a push to turn many of its properties into big budget films. Splinter Cell, Assassins' Creed, and Watch Dogs are all in various degrees of development, but Ubisoft isn't stopping there; next up on the list is Ghost Recon.
According to the LA Times, Jean-Julien Baronnet, chief executive of Ubisoft's Motion Pictures unit, is currently putting together a pitch for a movie based on the Ghost Recon franchise. Ubisoft's Ghost Recon games haven't always had the most involved stories, so it will be interesting to see how the company evolves this property into a film, and which Hollywood production company might pick it up. But for a glimpse of what a future film might look like check out this 25-minute prequel film put together for the release of Ghost Recon Future Soldier.
Which of Ubisoft's franchises would you most like to see turned into a film?
[Source: Polygon]


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Although Bawa never did manage to build a hotel in the heart of Colombo, his last hotel was located at the southern edge of the metropolitan area at Wadduwa and was conceived as a vast urban palazzo. The developer was Ajit Wijesekera, a garment manufacturer who was new to the hotel business but hell bent on getting Geoffrey Bawa' as his architect. The site had little to commend it: a few hectares of coconut plantation stuck between a featureless stretch of beach and the coastal railway line in the dreary ribbon of suburban sprawl stretching down the coast from Moratuwa to Kalutara.
Bawa trawled through his memory of unbuilt schemes and resurrected ideas that had first surfaced in his plan of the Fiji Suva Hotel. He also went back to a room mock-up made for the Orion Hotel in which the bed faced the window in front of a partially glazed bathroom. The design was developed and the result is a cool and palatial version of the simple rest-house prototype first used in the Serendib Hotel back in 1967. A lofty porch indicates a main entrance in an enclosing wall that screens the hotel from the railway. Doors swing open to reveal a long axial arcade running across a large garden court, past the hotel lobby and out through the coconut grove towards the sea and the horizon. The sequence of spaces is formal and controlled; the materials highly polished, light in tone and muted in colour; the architecture restrained but monumental - the perfect setting for ceremonies and celebrations.
Source: Robson, David. 2002. Geoffrey Bawa: The Complete Works. London: Thames & Hudson, p. 216-220.


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Online Slots: The Benefits
Do you know the first thing about playing online slots? Some people know all about this way of gambling, but never get involved. Instead, they travel to the casino, day after day, in hopes of having fun and hitting it big. While there is nothing wrong with this, you need to be aware of the fact that online slots are full of benefits as well. Why not give these games a try before you shut them out of your life entirely?
The main benefit of internet slots is that you are going to play at anytime you wish. This holds true no matter if you have time in the morning before work, mega888 apk or just on your lunch break. The convenience involved with internet machines is something that should get you excited about this method of playing. Of course, you never have to leave home, either. All you need is an online connection and you will be playing soon enough.
But can I win any real money? Of course you can. You can win quite a bit of cash by playing online slots if you know what you are doing. Some casinos are known to pay out better than others. For this reason, be careful with how you spend your time.
It does not take long to learn how to play online slots. Once you get started you will be well on your way in no time at all.
There are many benefits of internet gambling. If you are able to do so in your country, get started today for a better idea of what you have been missing out on.


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I've told folks about how I found this coin but here is a much much much more detailed post... It was the year 2011 on June 29th. I was watching a show called The Matrix by Kim Clement, when I first heard about "The Denarii". All of Kim Clement's prophecies were transcribed on his website in the prophecy vault at https://www.kimclement.com/prophecy/. I'll paste related prophecies below so you can understand how I made my discovery that The Denarii was Denarius (D). This was my first clue. I knew there was something called "The Denarii" that was likened to gold. It was something that I could invest in and was going to be stale for a while before having a sudden change. As for that ending there, it's about some of his other prophecies, like his oak tree medical prophecy. For historical tracking purposes, they changed the website text from Denarii to Dinar. I don't have a screenshot of it but I watched the video live broadcast and then watched the recording of it on his website many more times the following months and the actual words that came out of his mouth were "Denarii". During that time, Sunil and other Kim Clement team members were doing a Prophetic Codebreakers segment and I think they might have applied their own thoughts and opinions to interpret that Kim was talking about the Iraqi currency but even Kim said himself that's not what he saw. If this video is still up by the time you read this, you can see it for yourself here - I know why they changed it to Dinar from his original speech of Denarii and that is because those around Kim wanted to believe that he was talking about the Iraqi Dinar and folks even wrote him letters about it. Btw, the plural form of Dinar is Dinars, not Denarii. So, this prophecy had nothing to do with Iraqi Dinar currency. The next clue, which I didn't understand when I watched it....or else I'd be rich right now...was Kim Clement prophesying that Bitcoin would reach 20,000. Take note, he makes no mention of the Dow but everyone again made assumptions about his prophecy and assumed that he was talking about the Dow. Ask yourself this question...why would the Dow reaching 20k be worthy of prophecy? The Dow reaching 20k is almost a given. That's how the fiat controlled world works. The Dow just keeps going up and up over the years because the USD has a monopoly on the global economic system. Nobody smart would have questioned whether the Dow would reach 20k. Kim does go one after that and mention "BBB". First off, he didn't say it like 3 B's. He was stuttering with the word and he said that God hid the word from him and wouldn't let him see the rest so he only could see the first letter of the word. That is how he described it after he gave that prophecy. You can watch the videos from his show to hear the full description. God wouldn't show him the word Bitcoin because it would have changed the future drastically if he had said that back then. He couldn't say the whole word Bitcoin so he just said you had to "search it out for yourself and find out, BBB". So, there you have it - Kim Clement prophesied that Bitcoin would hit 20,000. This next clue connects The Denarii to bitcoin/crypto. Once again, he never prophesied about the DINAR. He prophesied about The DINARII. And once again, he also never prophesied about the Dow. He said "BBB" and 20,000. Kim Clement could see that there was a connection between his prophecy of the 20,000 and his prophecy of The Denarii. That was what he was trying to convey in his email update but others influenced him into believing his prophecies were about other things. This is why prophets don't watch the news and we can't always rely on others interpreting prophecies for them. I will go into further evidence below as to why it is not the Dow and why it is not the Dinar. Here, he specifically calls it out that it is not Wall Street. He says "remember the name gold". Here, he gives you plenty of clues that the Iraqi Dinar has nothing to do with his prophecy. So now that I've determined that Kim Clement's prophecy about "The Denarii" is in fact a crypto because it will have a breakthrough and is related to Bitcoin reaching 20,000, I searched for crypto currency coins that were named like The Denarii. As it is described on the main website - https://denarius.io/#about - we see the following.... We see that the plural form of Denarius is Denarii. Also, Denarius fractionals are called Denarii. For the USD, you can have fractional pieces of a dollar, which are called cents ($0.01 is called 1 cent). For Bitcoin, you can have fractional pieces of a Bitcoin (BTC), which are called Satoshi's (0.00000001 BTC is called 1 Satoshi). For Denarius (D), you can have fractional pieces, which are called Denarii (0.00000001 D is called 1 Denarii). You can also see this in the code... https://github.com/carsenk/denarius/blob/555adee539c4fe99e86dd41f37cc275c45ef7b82/src/init.cpp#L489 https://github.com/carsenk/denarius/blob/555adee539c4fe99e86dd41f37cc275c45ef7b82/src/miner.cpp#L193 // Fee-per-kilobyte amount considered the same as "free" // Be careful setting this: if you set it to zero then // a transaction spammer can cheaply fill blocks using // 1-denarii-fee transactions. It should be set above the real // cost to you of processing a transaction. https://github.com/carsenk/denarius/blob/555adee539c4fe99e86dd41f37cc275c45ef7b82/src/version.cpp#L8 // Name of client reported in the 'version' message. Report the same name // for both bitcoind and bitcoin-qt, to make it harder for attackers to // target servers or GUI users specifically. const std::string CLIENT_NAME("Denarii"); Also, I'm sure how related this is but on the Discord server, a social community chat - https://discord.gg/BwfAmkE - Denarius is often referred to as "The D". This is all the evidence I have on how I came to the conclusion that D was what Kim Clement was prophesying about. A lot of folks, including myself, are wondering how to react to this prophecy about "The Denarii". When Kim receives a prophecy, it's something majorly important. Kim wouldn't prophesy about something so trivial so this has to be big. I mean, if every other coin can jump 1000x in value, why would he specifically call out this one unless it was majority huge and different from the rest. Maybe it's even meant for Denarius to be the coin that overtakes Bitcoin as the leader in the crypto currency sphere.
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I've been searching the microsoft security bulletins, and I haven't found the bulletin that relates to the problem with browser hijacks. I thought that hijacks exploited unpatched IE, so I figured that "hijack" would be included in the bulletin.
I can't seem to find it, can anyone give me a description of how a browser hijack works? Does it exploit IE, activex, or does it use legitimate code for a malicious purpose?


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PLANETARY PINBALL - Order Information Guide
Please read thru this information on ordering, if you have any questions, please contact PLANETARY PINBALL via our HELPDESK. Our focus is on supreme customer service and great value, so if there are any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Table of Contents
Ordering is easy with our on-line store - you add items to an on-line shopping cart by entering each section and selecting the item and quantity that you would like to purchase. Additionally, you can search for items in the entire store by clicking on the "Search" button on the top of every store page. Finally, you can see the entire contents by category of parts or game by going to the RH column on each page and selecting the appropriate category ('Parts Category Index', 'WILLIAMS/BALLY 1990-2000', etc). When you are done adding items to the shopping cart, click 'Checkout' (upper RH of page) to enter billing, shipping, and payment information. You will receive an e-mail confirmation of your order.
If you are unable to create an order online, or there are problems (sometimes with older versions of web browsers, etc), it is best to a) either try another browser on your computer or device -or- b) clear all cookies in your browser -or- c) try a different computer or device. Almost every time the issue is with the customer's setup and we are not able to troubleshoot your computer.
Two major features are available on the store to ease ordering:
Quick Add: If you know the PPS part numbers – with Quick add you can quickly enter a list of part #'s and quantities to put into your cart on one page. To get there go to the ONLINE STORE pull-down on TOP of the page (left) and click on QUICK ADD. There are two ways to do this:
1) Quick Add Cart (LH Side) – simply enter a list of part #'s and quantities and enter the QUICK ADD button and will be entered into the cart for normal checkout.
2) Search & Add To Cart (RH Side) – here you can search for items and then add the items that you want from that search in the based quickly and easily. Great for a group of items that you want to add that use the same search string.
Many times customers want to build up an order thru several sessions. You can do that within our store by Saving your cart and then Restoring it to add to it or to checkout your order.
NOTE: you must be logged in for this feature to work.
When you have items in your cart – you can hover over the red ACCOUNT/LOGIN button (upper RH) and click on the pull-down SAVE / RESTORE CART
This will give you access to saving a file on your computer which includes the cart items – you can click on SAVE CART which will save the cart to a local file.
At that time you have additional operations:
- DELETE SAVED CART – remove the locally saved cart
- OVERWRITE SAVED CART – erase what was there and save what is currently in your basket
- CLEAR CART – clear all items from your cart
- RESTORE SAVED CART – restore what you had previously saved and either add more or checkout
A usual operation would be to a) Add items to your cart, b) SAVE CART, c) Come back later in a new session and RESTORE SAVED CART, d) then add more items and e) either SAVE or Checkout your Cart.
PLANETARY PINBALL accepts a number of payment options for the on-line orders. We accept Credit Card, Paypal, and Debit Cards.
Shipping charges are calculated automatically at checkout. Options for shipping include USPS (Priority Mail is recommended for US), UPS, and Fedex is also an option. IMPORTANT: You are responsible for insurance for your items. Insurance is an option for all items purchased. If you select standard USPS (no insurance), and the package is lost or damaged, you will be responsible for the loss.
ADDITIONAL CHARGES MAY APPLY: Automatically generated shipping charges will be checked and will be adjusted (and confirmed with you before the order is shipped). Adjustments may be for any of the following: oversized or heavy orders, unavailability of a shipping option at that time. PLANETARY PINBALL will contain you if additional charges apply and get your confirmation. There will be times that the store cannot calculate correctly the size of the box(s), this is especially true when ordering Trim with other items which are not long and thin.
CHECK the shipping charges: shipping charges are calculated automatically based on the destination location, the shipping carrier, and total weight of the package. It is our intention to charge you the closest to the actual shipping cost as possible (which is not always what the shipper charges us - for example if we 'self-insure' the package, etc). But, if you don't feel that the shipping charge is correct or appropriate, send create a helpdesk ticket, and we will check and either explain or correct.
LOCAL PICKUP: For Local customer orders in Northern Nevada (Sparks, NV), there is a shipping option for Local Pick-up / Local Delivery – use this option to pickup the order from our warehouse location. You will be notified with some details and asked a time slot that you will pick up your order. You will be given final instructions and then proceed to pickup the item. Note, we do not run a retail outlet, so pickup will be limited to picking up your order only.
SHIPPING: Shipping will usually occur within 1-2 days of the order, possibly longer if a complex order or customer input is required. Customer will be notified of items not in stock and have the option to request those items be backordered.
INSURANCE: Insure your packages! Without insurance if your package is lost or misdelivered it will be your responsibility.
TAXES: PLANETARY PINBALL will charge US Sales Tax when we are required to do so, generally in the state of Nevada. Other states may be required based on Wayfair criterion. In any event, if you are not charged sales tax in your state on your order, then it is your responsibility to do so if required.
EXEMPTION CERTIFICATES FOR RESELLERS: Whether you are a PPS reseller or not, if you are reselling our items, then we request that you send us a completed sales tax exemption certificate (SST, MTC) so that if we are required to change sales tax in your state we will have you as exempt. NOTE if we believe that you are reselling items and you do not have a current sales tax exemption certificate we reserve the right to cancel orders unless and until such a certificate has been received by PPS.
EXPORT TAXES: PPS will generally not charge Import Tariffs – that is the responsibility of the customer. VAT, GST, and other type taxes are not usually processed in International orders. Additionally, any special Import Duties are the responsibility of the customer and are not included in the total for the order.
Please do not ask us to alter the sales amount for Customs paperwork, we run a legitimate business and will not falsify customs documents. The value of the shipment will be the dollar amount of the order (not including shipping). We will also use the Harmonized tariff code of 9504.30.00.60 for your parts order.
If you forget or otherwise lose your password, then under the ACCOUNT/LOGIN click on 'Forgot password?' – then you can enter the email account associated with the account. You should receive an email shortly with a link to reset your password. When you click on that link you will see a new temporary password and you can then login. You can then go to account information and change your password to something that you will remember.
NOTE: if you do not remember your email address -or- your email address is no longer valid – we cannot fix that problem as we cannot authenticate you. The best option is to create a new account name and write down or otherwise remember the email address and password.
Refunds or Exchanges will be limited to items purchased from PLANETARY PINBALL ten (10) days from date of receipt of the order. No returns or exchanges will be made after 10 days from receipt of the order - please check your order as it is received. We must receive a HELPDESK ticket from you within within that timeframe.
Depending on the issue, the following is the general policy:
- Damaged in Shipment
- Electronic Item does not work:
- Customer may be directed to OEM for Warranty service.
- Exchange only with Approval (OEM)
- Quality Issue
- Customer include pictures/description in ticket
- PPS will evaluate issue if quality issue then PPS will issue a return shipping ticket, and customer will return original item. PPS will then ship out the replacement item no charge.
- Missing item / Incorrect Item
- Please check carefully as many items find their way into packing materials, etc.
- If PPS agrees on the issue, depending on the situation will issue a return shipping label, as well as ship out the correct item. Customer will not be required to pay for shipping.
Shipping costs are NOT refundable, refunds are issued for the original purchase price of items only minus a 15% re-stocking charge. PLANETARY PINBALL will refund against your original payment (credit card, paypal, etc) and may take several days to process and be reflected, after receipt of the original item.
Some items are not returnable: Electronic Components, Displays, Used Items.
Any items returned must be in the same condition as when they were shipped, in the ORIGINAL packaging. Customer is responsible for the costs for any items sent back unless agreed upon beforehand by PLANETARY PINBALL.
For items damaged in shipping, if the item was not insured, this is unfortunately your loss, there is nothing that we can do - we ship frequently, and package items based on how we think is appropriate and have a very high rate of getting packages thru without damage.
If your package has items damaged and you are insured - immediately contact PLANETARY PINBALL as well as the shipper (USPS, Stamps.Com, UPS, FedEx), and file a claim. Be sure to keep all of the original packaging intact and packing materials. Depending on the value of the claim there may be a requirement to have the shipper pick up the package, and inspect - a normal part of the process. Note: PLANETARY PINBALL cannot refund immediately, as the refund recipient needs to be determined. If it is PLANETARY PINBALL, we can then proceed with a refund or a replacement item. If it is you the customer, then you are free to re-order as you wish.
If you order an item and you need to cancel, you must file a HELPDESK ticket immediately indicating the need and the reason to cancel the order. Note that orders often ship the same day as ordering, so sometimes it is not possible to let us know before the order has shipped.
- If the order HAS NOT shipped: we will notify you that we are cancelling the order and that a refund will be pending. Note that a refund to your account may take several days to execute and clear.
- If the order HAS shipped: we will notify you that the order shipped and provide options. Generally we will try to intercept with the carrier and have the package returned – if that is not able to be done, then customer is responsible for returning the order at customer's expense. In either case the Customer will be responsible for the outbound shipping costs that cannot be recovered.
Planetary Pinball, although rarely done, may at it's discretion cancel orders or refuse service to customers. Some examples of reasons include: false information, non-verifiable address, suspected fraudulent transaction, customer harassment, customer will not pay required additional shipping charges, customer purchasing items for resale without
*** NOTE: PPS does not discriminate against people based on Race, Color, Ethnicity, National Origin, Religion, Gender, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Disability - or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.
Lost packages rarely happen, as often the package is returned, or mis-delivered to a different address. If you suspect your package is delayed beyond what is reasonable, note that most carriers even with tracking may require up to XX days before they consider a package lost.
If your package shows DELIVERED, but you do not have the package, then a)
- Check very carefully around the location, or possibly with other people who may have accepted the package on your behalf.
- If you do not find it then IMMEDIATELY contact your local carrier and ideally talk the person who would have that route and tell them that a package shows delivered, but you do not have it. Have them search for the package. Note that we cannot contact your local post office as we do not have the authority to have them search on a customer's behalf – it must be the customer. Have them verify the tracking and explain the situation.
- If the package is still not found you will need to file a claim with either a) the local carrier, or b) with your homeowners policy as a stolen package. PPS cannot be responsible for errors caused by mis-delivery by a delivery service or a stolen package.
If your package has not been delivered in a long period of time, or the tracking shows an issue then:
- File a helpdesk ticket and let us know the issue. We will look at the tracking and will initiate a request with the carrier to let us know the status of the shipment.
- If the carrier indicates that the package is lost, PPS will file a claim. At that point we will then resend the package.
If an item is not in stock then you have the option to be notified when (and if) the item is back in stock. On the item page you simply add your email to where it says "Add to Waitlist" and you will be notified when the part is back in stock.
Occasionally, Items that you have ordered will not be available for immediate shipment. When this occurs, the customer will be notified of what item(s) is not available and our best estimate of when (and if) the item will be back in stock. We will then provide one or more options to resolve the out of stock item. PLANETARY PINBALL can backorder items, and will ship when they arrive or we can cancel the item from your order and refund.
PPS does have a Dealer program which is designed for those businesses who regularly order parts for their customers needs, and generally do stock and maintain large quantities of parts. Dealers have discounted pricing when they log in to the store.
The following types of business will be considered:
- Pinball Restoration
- Entertainment Centers / Arcades
- Pinball Repair / Servicing
- Pinball Shops – online and physical
In order to be considered as a DEALER, we would need the following information to email@example.com
- Business Name, Contact Information (address, contact email, contact name)
- Description of your business, who your customers are, and types of items you would be purchasing
- Send this information to: email@example.com
Upon review and acceptance into the dealer program, we will send you a message indicating that you have been accepted into the program.
- For US Dealers – you will need to provide a CURRENT SIGNED Resale Certificate, as well as your TAX Certificate for your STATE
- For International Dealers – nothing additional is required
Planetary Pinball recognizes it's most important part of the business – YOU The Customer!
We have implemented a customer points program which rewards those who shop with us – the more product you buy the more your points are worth, and best of all you can 'pay' for items using your points balance!
What's even better is that we will be running additional specials to make your points even more valuable from time to time. This on top of our already low prices on Pinball Parts, Addons, and Merchandise. It's like having a 'cash back' credit card for pinball parts!
PPS at any time can offer points promotions which include point multipliers on specific products and categories as well as other promotions. Also PPS may offer to different those with different levels of points different promotions. To get started you can monitor the level that you are currently at:
Total Points Level
$500 1
$1000 2
$2500 3
$5000 4
$10000 5
You can get started right now – once logged into the PPS store you will see your current points balance as well as you can pay with points for all or a partial amount with the points that you have. The more points in your balance the more they are worth.
IMPORTANT NOTES: Terms & Conditions – Planetary Pinball Points – P3
- By using or accepting any P3 benefits you are agreeing to these Terms & Conditions
- Points are only accumulated for customers who have logged in and make purchases - we are not responsible for lost points due to not being logged in, having multiple accounts, technical glitches, etc.
- Points are non-transferable and may not be combined with another user's points.
- Game Sales and/or Game Deposits are NOT eligible to accrue points - also you cannot use points to redeem against Game Sales and/or Game Deposits .
- PPS reserves the rights to restrict points accrual and points usage for specific items at any time
- Points expire 1 year from when they are added to your balance – usually via a qualified item purchase.
- Points are not redeemable for cash – they are only redeemed for in-stock items within the Planetary Pinball Retail Store
- The awarding of points and the redemption of rewards are void where prohibited by law.
- Not all items accumulate points and PPS has the right to change where and how points are accumulated at any time for any reason.
- Resellers and Dealers are specifically excluded from the program. If you purchase items for resale, we reserve the right not to award points, to deduct improperly awarded points,.We have the sole discretion over whether to deem any purchase a "purchase for resale".
- PPS has the right to terminate the P3 program at any time for any reason or no reason and with or without notice.
- The PPS Points program is created and controlled by Planetary Pinball Retail in the State of Nevada in Washoe County. As such, the laws of the State of Nevada will govern these disclaimers, terms & conditions, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of laws. You hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts located in Washoe County, NV in all disputes arising out of or relating to these terms and conditions or the program.
PPS is dedicated to addressing customer issues as quickly as we can. Sometimes this is more difficult for various reasons (pictures are required, shipping claim, supplier needs to be involved, etc). We have an exceptional reputation for handling customer issues. Within 10 (ten) days of receiving your order is the key window for letting us know of an issue thru the HELPDESK ticket.
DO NOT FILE A DISPUTE first! What this does is tie our hands in many ways that prevent us from giving you the best options and explanations. Without this, this is not a fair situation if we cannot address an issue before a payment provider gets involved, and may limit what we can do to address the issue. Certainly if a customer is not satisfied with our attempt to resolve then they can always file a dispute with their payment provider.
FAQ#1: [#faq1]
Q: Where are you located?
A: We are located in Northern Nevada in the Reno/Sparks Area near the California Border with Nevada, PST
FAQ#2: [#faq2]
Q: Do you have a local retail counter?
A: No, we are an online store, with a local pickup option only for local (Northern Nevada) customers.


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Flyers win series
And a 24-year-old shall lead them.
Claude Giroux. Yes.
On the first shift of what turned out to be the clinching game of the Flyers-Penguins series, this is what the Flyers' best player did. He leveled Penguins captain Sidney Crosby in the first 5 seconds of the game. He scored a goal at 32 seconds. And as a kind-of-nervous Wells Fargo Center erupted in celebration, turned his own celebration into an exhortation.
"Let's go," he yelled, to the players near him and the thousands surrounding him in a big, orange embrace. "Let's go."
And so, they did.
Capping off one of the most productive playoff series by a Flyers player with that goal and another assist -- giving him six goals and eight assists for the series -- Giroux led the Flyers to a 5-1 win over the Penguins. After taking the first three games of the series, and then sweating through the next two, it was Giroux who made the final afternoon his. And while we still do not know yet what team the Flyers will be playing in the second round, this remains an emphatic statement by a young, rebuilt team -- and by its unquestioned leader.
It would be unfair to label this as Giroux's emergence in the post-season. The truth is, that happened 2 years ago when Giroux scored 10 goals and had 11 assists in 23 games as the Flyers marched to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final before losing to Chicago. But this has been somehow different, better.
The start of that game will not soon be forgotten, not can it be understated. On some level, the Flyers themselves had to be as nervous as the crowd seemed to be. This is a young team, after all, and to see a 3-0 lead in the series shrink to 3-2 had to be at least a little bit unnerving. A bad start would have just fed into whatever bad thoughts were already in place.
But Giroux made sure that did not happen.
With that, on to wherever.


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No Wal-Mart for Cherokee
Wal-Mart will not build a new Supercenter in Cherokee. After months of speculation that the deal between the tribe and the mega-retailer had fallen through, a company spokesperson confirmed the news this week.
"We decided not to move ahead with the project," said Bill Wertz, Wal-Mart spokesperson. "It is a combination of things. We have to consider a number of factors."
The tribe hoped Wal-Mart would be the center of a new mega development bringing an array of services to Cherokee, saving residents a drive into Sylva or Waynesville to purchase household wares that they can't get on the reservation. But the planned Wal-Mart also drew criticism for its potential to hurt local businesses.
To lure Wal-Mart, the tribe intended to build a 150,000-square-foot store at a cost of $25 million on Hospital Road near downtown Cherokee and lease it to Wal-Mart. The store was projected to create 200 jobs and nearly double the tribe's sales tax collections, theoretically paying for the tribe's upfront cost of the building over time. Last May, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council approved the deal, which was four years in the works, by a vote of 9 to 3.
Last month, Cherokee's director of economic development, Mickey Duvall, said a consulting firm working on behalf of the tribe was still trying to persuade Wal-Mart's upper management to move forward with the deal.
"Our consultants informed us in early 2010 that Wal-Mart's domestic focus had changed primarily to urban markets due to the recent recession, however they would continue to pressure Wal-Mart's upper management to get the Cherokee deal approved and construction scheduled as soon as possible since lease negotiations with the Tribe had been ongoing prior to the downturn in the U.S. economy," Duvall said in an update published in the Cherokee One Feather newspaper.
Related Items
The Tribal Council split on the issue of offering hefty incentives to Wal-Mart to bring the store to Cherokee, and some local retailers said the store would kill their businesses if it came. With the announcement that the project is scuttled, Wertz stopped short of saying Wal-Mart would rule the site out in the future.
"Every year we have a certain amount of investment capital, and we have to determine the sites best suited for its use," Wertz said. "This site didn't meet the threshold this year, but that's not to say it couldn't do so in the future."
Wertz said Wal-Mart has focused more energy on remodeling existing stores since the recession hit.
"Two or three years ago, we made the decision to build fewer new stores and devote some of the money to remodeling existing stores," Wertz said.
Principal Chief Michell Hicks, whose administration has been characterized by an aggressive agenda of economic development, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Last month, Hicks had been hopeful that the deal would still go through.
"The Eastern Band of Cherokee remains committed to opening a Wal-Mart in our community however we cannot discuss the content of those negotiations at this time," Hicks said.


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SO this is edit number 5 of Scrawling Over The Classics Planescape part 5 Limbo, and I'm leaving it alone now:
Limbo. So here's the stuff I have to work with:
So it has no gravity or subjective gravity so you decide which way is down for you and the githerzai live here and the slaadi, with some swishy new types by me.
And lumps of raw elemental materials. Which you can learn to shape into stuff.
I am... yeah.
So yes a void with bland lumps in it.
Okay, sure pure randomness leads to nothing and blah entropy is the arrow of time pointing only to eventually heat death of the universe, but lets ignore the laws of thermodynamics and instead lets all look at the infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters. Who I do not out-source to, despite lingering rumors of the contrary.
Basically amongst the lumps of rock and churn there is found nearly anything if you look long enough. Things appear without history or function to drift , and slow dissolve into nothing again. These are referred to as Glecks. Very rarely a gleck will happen of bizarre complexity . There is a table at the bottom of this post for these Artifacts of No Purpose Nor History.
There is no gravity in limbo until you get near a largish mass (say.. the size of one room cottage) then gravity is directed toward the middle of the mass. It is a gradual thing so its not like you drift too near a lump of rock and then suddenly start fall toward it. But eyes sideways berk! Glecks often have their own physical laws! So this sudden plunge could happen!
Some, like the above, will be invested with the slaad. Either a couple of mobs of bickering red and blues (maybe with egg laden humanoids in the middle of it) or a couple of more powerful slaad like grey slaad quantophrenic or melliflous. In these occasions they have been known to play games where each slaad seals up a number of creatures into the twisted hive and watch or listen to the creatures explore and fight . Other times a more recognizable arena is made, with an audience of slaadi and githezerai and planetravelers. The conditions of the arena are prone to sudden change by the grey or death slaadi who has claimed it.
Sometimes various structures and buildings or half a city is stolen by the slaadi and used as playground/battlezone/gladiator arena/ zoo. It's not so much a co-ordinate effort, as more a mob of slaadi all randomly have the idea at the same time and pour through a portal to drag whatever architecture and flora fits the bizarre whim.
The haphazard clumps are steadily warped and dissolved by limbo causing the ill nature of it to be even more.
These stolen landscapes/battlegrounds/arenas/playgrounds are known as a Glean and sometimes they proceed to attract more floating pieces of what ever from the churning matter seas of limbo, and grow and grow. Slaad are then more likely to dump more found structures on top of this mix. The difference between a Gleck and a Glean is that a Gleck has been generated by the chaos stuff of Limbo and a Glean is material from elsewhere brought to Limbo. It is not unlikely for Glecks and Gleans to be combined to some fashion.
The largest is know as detropolis and it is more of architectural junk yard than a city. Yet it has a thriving trade city , somewhat hampered by it having no portals directly opening to it, meaning visitors have to make a dangerous journey across limbo to find it. The safest bet, is to use it's trash gravity and dump a large mass of rubbish and hide in this trash raft, the currents of limbo will guide in towards detropolis. Nothing is certain though in Limbo, and while most slaad will not bother investigated a trash raft some might.
Surprisingly detropolis is safe (ish) from slaad attacks, rumored to be because of a particular large and powerful quantophrenic slaad in it's core. Leading strength to this rumor is the fact that Whisperforms
(which are created by quantophrenic slaad, if you don't have a cool idea of what a whisper form is , here's one; A quantophrenic slaad may invest a number of hitpoints to bring into existence a translulence version of a person that is being talked often about within 6 miles of the quadtophrenic slaad. The personage has their face distorted to look some what like the quantophrenic slaad (ala Aphex Twin videos). It will have a percentage of its ability and hitpoints equal to the hitpoints invested (but as a percentage, so 20 hit points invested is a whisperform at 20% the strength of the original). If the hitpoints invested are equal to personages hitpoints at full health then the whisperform has 100% of the abilities of the personage )
of unusual power defend the city and inflict a mockery of city codes on it's inhabitants. Most of chromatic slaadi (blue,green,red) barely visit here, but Desiccated , Slangral, melliflous, spumscent bleached,and quantophrenic do
damn it blogger why are messing up the font colour.
DISCARDS: native mainly to detropolis but found else where in Limbo, but very rarely outside of there.
THey just showed up one by one and kind of just.. are. The don't really have a collective name, although in a pinch the Discards will do. The are a fairly benign bunch just kind of pottering around the place. Here is a trailer for the movie I'm totally ripping them from:The Lost Thing Trailer
There is a table to generate them at the bottom of this post.
Detropolis: yes it has cute things that are not going to drill inside your bones. Look the last post was horrible things okay? Felt like some cute happy guys. Look at that guy up there, he's just living in a cloud of wahey! |
Also githzerai?
The monastery like fortresses of this guys dote the churning void here, adorned with strange devices of research and protection. Sometimes have one tower, sometimes 2 forming a card like symmetry . Some even develop until they are like spikey ball of cranky wizard monks.
Severance Blades are the Githzerai silver sword, although they would be angered with that comparison. Severance blades give a natural free-action effect to the user and the wielder may choose instead of inflict damage on a hit, instead sever an advantage of the opponent , removing a external enhancement such as a protection magic, effects of a magic item (including armour bonuses) or even terrain advantages. This severing lasts a day. This is particular dangerous if the individual is say in elemental plane of fire and the githzerai removes the fire protection effect allowing them to survive...
Severance Blade |
Also the githzerai zoom around in ships. These are called Void Razors. The ships can cut through weak spots in the planar boundarys allowing travel from remote corners of planes to another planar outskirts. Sometimes they abandon one to the slaadi, letting the slaadi go all viking on the great ring, but not before entwining strange magics to monitor the ships progress. A mob of slaad running amok will put a new ship design through every possible situation and stress. The magics also allow the ship to disintegrated remotely by the githzerai. The Voidrazors look like this
A merry Discard of Detropolis, Limbo and unknown gentlemen. |
here is some tables to generate the Discards of Detropolis, the environment of said place, artifacts of no purpose and history, and Gleans.
Okay so the Discards of limbo range in intelligence from a smart animal to a person in smartness.
They are pretty much just local colour and to make some npc interaction a tad more interesting by having a clock face tube cat on wheels trying to sell you a rowboat. These tables might be more excessive than is needed. But hey, random tables. If you need stats for them just reskin an animal of similar size.
How big it is?
1 the size of a large beetle or mouse
2 the size of a cat
3 the size of medium dog (colour of dog not important)
4 as big as praying mantis that is big as person who is average in size
5 the size of horse
6 the size of a elephant
roll 1d4+1 , and then roll that many time of this table. Or , more quickly, roll a d20 and look across the table a roll a d4 times. Combine the results in some haphazard fashion. For example you are using the quick method. You roll a 11, and then roll 3. So that's hourglass (going down the table) and going across is anvil , kite and rabbit. So its some combination of those. Lets make it have a anvil for its body, hopping (loudly) with rabbit legs. There is a somehow a suggestion of a face at the front of the anvil. From its rear hovers a kite string but leading to a floating hourglass instead.
1 lemur 21 accordion 41 eel 61 sting or manta ray 81fragrant herb bush
2 chain 22 wagon wheel 42 cauldron 62 mushroom 82 newt
3 barrel 23 panther 43 cart 63 piano/harpsichord 83 walnut
4 bird cage 24 giraffe 44 windmill 64 scrolls 84 turtle/ tortoise
5 monkey 25 gazelle 45 kangaroo 65 magnifying glass 85 mortar and pestle
6 pig 26 horse 46 sloth 66 telescope 86 hat
7 tuba 27 donkey 47 rug 67 spider 87 clock
8 crossbow 28 shark 48 rose bush 68 catfish 88 dried seaweed
9 catapult 29 broomstick 49 orchid 69 flounder 89 candle
10 cutlery drawer 30 butter-churn 50 egg 70 beetle 90 pelican
11 hour glass 31 Anvil 51 kite 71 rabbit 91 hand drill
12 door 32 printing press 52 umbrella 72 bluebird 92 butterfly net
13 snake 33 organ 53 plough 73 condor 93 toasting fork
14 centipede 34 mattock 54 moose 74 vulture 94 pterodactyl
15 candelabra 35 pineapple 55 shield 75 owl 95 possum
16 bear 36 tree 56 bucket 76 lizard (gecko/skink) 96 bellows
17 dolphin 37 picture frame 57 teapot 77 iguana 97 mirror
18 squid 38 key(s) 58 drum 78 hedgehog 98 crocodile
19 cuttlefish 39 cat 59 flute 79 goose 99 kiln
20 book(s) 40 dog 60 grasshopper 80 cow 100 cupboards
and roll on this table if you want some addition pizazz . YOu could even roll twice if you are one who kicks caution out the backdoor while inviting the devil in the front!
1 little jingling bells
2 Smoke stacks with weird coloured smoke puffing out
3 glowing orbs like head lights or a deep fishes lure
4 little tiny versions of it's self run about its body making repairs and adjusments
5 has tentacles for locomotion purpose
6 wheels (or wheel) that it toddles around on it
7 Ribbons and flags, baby , ribbons and flags
8 wearing clothes , possibly well , possibly like a tree in floodwater.
9 Has some cheap gaudy scepter , miter , or incense burner of authority
10 bounces around on springs
11 attached to a balloon, either decorative or large enough to support it's weight
12 has various slogans and mottos written on it in a variety of formal scripts
1 its communicate with elaborate colour changing
2 it talks like a regular person
3 with body percussion!
4 with only 1d6 phrases!
5 scratches or writes on the ground or a chalk board
6 silent, except for surprisingly expressive body language
Note: All Discards can communicate silently with each other, with about a sight range
(supposing that you have not already decided that is a shop keeper, bartender or clue giver)
1 Hovering around like a humming bird , trilling musically
2 Sessile , watchful and ponderous
3 Follows people and mimics them
4 Shy, it runs and hides
5 stacking things artfully
6 offers people little wrapped gifts
7 drawing or painting on everything
8 being cheeky and playful , knocking stuff over
9 Collects things. Has little collections of things on artful display around the place
10 Is being protective of a person or place
11 Is being a teacher /mother for 1d12 miniature versions of it
12 Eating its environment
13 dancing with steady , but drunken, rhythmic lurches
14 Repairing its environment
15 Has a collection of objects that it has stolen. Its currently repairing and polishing them and will return them later
16 delivering messages at high speed, or asking if anyone would like a message delivered anywhere in limbo. Message will be at plot based speeds
17 Slowly dragged an improbable load
18 pushing a fancy tea trolley around , with dainty cakes. Will offer dainty cakes to p.cs
19 observing and taking notes
20 climbing it's surroundings and nearby tall objects and placing flags atop.
ah ..
So Gleans are parts of bulidings and stuff limbo has swallowed or the slaad have dragged back on some DIRE WHIM.
And detropolis is huge ball of them clumped together and constantly added to.
Here's a table to determine what its like. If you are generating a glean, also roll on the additional What is this Glean Being Used For.
- Mass of fused boxes, crates and rooms
- Pillars from a 1000 lands , stacked and balanced
- Upside down trees suspended from other upside trees by chains
- Log cabin(s) and longhouse(s) with statues replacing some of the logs
- Maze of severed church steeples
- Floor, wall and possibly ceiling is made from wrought iron gates, portcullis, and taut sails and flags
- giant sandstone bricks (Egypt like) and stained glass windows
- Boats standing upright
- Chinese style temple with headless stonelions. Severed animal and humanoid heads placed instead on stone lions.
- Clay (still wet) walls with threatening drawings carve into them
- Staircases, huge cauldrons and tapestrys
- Wheels, ropes, cheap plaster walls, elaborate painted backdrops and other props from a theatre
- Interwoven sticks and hair
- Huge pearly shells and giant bees wax cells
- Walls of empty shelves and iceberg hunks
- Chimneys, mehirs, monoliths, irregular stone walls. Garden paths and herb garderns
- Big Aztec stone faces, stacked like bricks, with child skulls inplace of the mortar
- Curved half melted stones walls with irregular streaks of glistening metal and metal boiler plates riveted in places
- Vaulted archs, big wooden doors and mighty anchors
- books nailed together and grass meadows
- Its a clearing or a open town square type thing. Choose one of the features to be the floor and the others politely bordering it
- Its like a mess, you are pretty much crawling through tiny gaps in between what its made of
- It is stacked like an apartment block having sex with an apartement block with most of the walls missing
- Mostly opened with irregular partitions
- Everything is just floating in the air like a platform game
- The structure of it is like a winding alley way or ravine
- The matter of it is piled like a hillock
- It has been formed into a cavern like space with small alcoves branching of it
OH HOW BIG IS IT? (gleeks, detropolis sections and gleans)
- THe size of a 3 bedroom hut
- 2 of these huts!
- The size of a town square
- The size of a festhall/medium buliding
- about half a city block
- The size of cricket pitch
SO WHAT IS HERE THEN? d20 roll it baby
If this is a section of Detropolis roll here:
1-5 nothing at the moment
6- a copse of trees planted by Desiccated slaadi. Roll once on the Discard table to determine what the trees are growing
7 a fight between 2 creatures (1-2 is just starting, 3-4 it's in the crux of it, 5-6 one lies defeated). Roll on any encounter table you want to determine creature
8 Roll on the Artifacts of No purpose nor History. Note, if the players leave this area, without taking ridiculous methods to make sure they can find it again, the chances of every being able to find it again is slim. As in roll again and if you get an 8 again its there
9 A bustling market selling 1 food, 2 clothing and general goods, 3 weapons and armour, 4 arcane objects and trinkets, 5 jewellery 6 roll twice
10 Various shops and professional services tucked away in little alcoves. 1 a shop , roll on above, 2 blacksmith 3 cobbler 4 leather worker 5 sage 6 healer or cleric 7 masseuse 8 Fortune teller 9 brothel catering to bizarre fetishs 10 pet shop 11 library 12 roll twice, combining results
11Fountain. Out of which flows 1 nearly rusted to dust coins 2 oil 3 blood 4 water 5 salt 6 ink
12 A mural is covering half this space made with paint , clay and mirrors. 50/50 chance it reveals the location and key of a portal somewhere in sigil if studied
13 A garden 1 medicinal 2 fruit 3 herb 4 poisonous 5 psychoactive 6 roll twice
14 Giant tools and weapons, swinging ponderously by vines/cloth/rope/chain/spider web
15 1000s and 1000s of lit candles
16 Completely out of place animals looking gormless
17-18-19 1d6 discards/ slaad/ or humanoid (githerzai , human, tiefling etc) inhabitants and roll again
20 roll twice combine results
draw the shape of this section on a bit of paper. Roll a d6, trying to get it inside this outline of the section. If it lands on the outline that's where a secret/hidden exit is. If it rolls over the outline there is no exit. If it is a 1, trace a line from the top left corner of the die (using the upright numbered face as the orientation ) on 45 degree angle. Where that line hits the the outline of the section, put an exit there. If you roll a 2,3,4 do the same and then for the additional corners , counting clockwise from the top left.
If it's a 5 there is trapdoor in the floor on that spot where the die landed. ANd reroll the die. If it's a 6 there is a trapdoor on the roof, and then reroll the die.
If it's a Glean/Gleck
roll a d20 here to see just what is being done with the place
1-2 A fighting pit /ring /arena 1 in use 2 empty 3 looking for new contestants 4 crowd just starting to form
3-6 Roll on detropolis table
7 Slaadi!
8.A lair for a monster (roll on any encounter table )
9A stockpile of dangerous leaking magical equipment or a ongoing experiment, unattended at present (may contain telsa coils, caged monsters, eggs, bubbling vats , forges or kilns)
10 1d10 trees planted by dessicated slaadi. 1 in 3 chance they are around still. If you can't think of something cool for the trees to be doing, roll on the discard form table and that's what they are growing.
11 A library , the books have inside 1 words, as books do 2 words completely at random 3 pressed leaves 4 pressed faces 5 pressed insects 6 music
12A meditation room for githzerai 1 in 3 chance inhabited now
13 A wrecked Voidrazor
14 A stockpile of pickles and cheeses and/or weapons
15 Githzerai. Doing something githzerai. Presumably some else has done a "what is that humanoid group doing" table, because I do not want to. Oh wait I think I did here scroll down a bunch.
16 Some other humanoid group like halflings or something. Roll on some other table someone else wrote
17 Seemingly empty, 50% of something there but hidden! roll again it that case. If you get this result again,ignore the 50 % thing just roll again again but make it super super hidden.
18 A theatre, 1 is perfoming, 2 is rehearsing 3 is empty but still used 4 is long abandoned 5 undergoing repairs 6 about to began / just finishing. Thespians a mix of Xaostects, githzerai, bleached slaad and others. Audience potentially anything
19 treasure stash badly hidden/well hidden, and it's rubbish!/kinda cool/ real good but someone will come looking for it and its got a tracking device
20 prisoners infected with blue /red slaad eggs. 1 slaad not here 2 slaad guarding 3 slaad with arrive in a couple of minutes 4 some other creature tied up and guarding (roll on any encounter table, reroll if it seems too stupid like a lich, but keep if it's only kinda stupid like a giant crayfish or octopus)
OKAY SO WHATS A THiS GLECK MADE OF THEN?
- A insane warren of cardboard cells (like the picture)
- A clump of stone with ever burning trees growing out of it
- An iceberg with iron poles frozen in it
- A paper thin plate of obsidian
- A spiders web of coral
- A hollow crystal skull
- An Tropical island made entirely of glass
- Smooth iron ball 50% chance of being hollow
- Columnar Basalt
- A ball of water
- A churning yet solid storm cloud
- A castle made entirely of flesh
- A dirt mass with giant fungus also made from dirt
- A giant ball of string
- Big rock mass
- Big dirt mass
- A frozen wave of blood
- A honeycomb made from tin
- A delicate fluted tower made from solid purple light, 1 in 3 chance of it existing in a radial symmetrical form
- A goliath Diatom!
- A big flat clay dish with miniature sand dunes
- An massive organ fully functioning (1 heart 2 lung 3 stomach 4 intestines 5 liver 6 brain )
- A tent like structure like a massive leather box kite
- A tooth
- some kind of giant candy!
- some kind of congealed half dried organ mass like old meat and very old coffee
- Snow ball
- Roll on Discard form table, if result is an animal, it is not alive but not rotting. (..or it can be if you want, but you know that right?) 1 in 3 chance to roll again and either merge the results or have them on top each other
- Roll on Glean table and 2 in 3 chance to roll again and either merge the results or have them on top of of each other
- roll twice and merge the results.
1-12 no not really
13 okay it's gravity kicks in as soon as you get within 20 metres of it, thus sending you falling toward it at high speed
14 it looks flat but actually is a sphere, and if you go off one side you wind up on the other
15 weird lagging effect. every round or what have you roll a d6 1-2 affected as if by a slow 3-4 as if by a haste 5-6 nah you good
16 All surface on the Gleck are frictionless. As a grease spell but also means you do not stop sliding
17 the air tension is weird. It's like being underwater, but in air.
18 Lighting reversed. shadows glow and light sources darken
19 sound is twice as loud
20 silence, no sound can be made
1-12 no not really
13 okay it's gravity kicks in as soon as you get within 20 metres of it, thus sending you falling toward it at high speed
14 it looks flat but actually is a sphere, and if you go off one side you wind up on the other
15 weird lagging effect. every round or what have you roll a d6 1-2 affected as if by a slow 3-4 as if by a haste 5-6 nah you good
16 All surface on the Gleck are frictionless. As a grease spell but also means you do not stop sliding
17 the air tension is weird. It's like being underwater, but in air.
18 Lighting reversed. shadows glow and light sources darken
19 sound is twice as loud
20 silence, no sound can be made
really? Fine
1-5 Chromatic
4-7 Perverse , Lesser
8-9 Perverse , Coherent
9 -10Perverse, Wanton
11 grey or death slaadi
12 roll twice
1-2 green
3 red
4 blue
Perverse, lesser
(weaker, or more animalistic)
1 slangral
2 bleeding
3 Dessicated
4 Verminous
Perverse, Coherent
(medium to strong power, will start encounter with conversation, will have to be motivated to commence violence)
1 Quantophrenic
2 Spumescent
3 mellifluous
4 Bleached
Perverse, Wanton
(strong to very strong in power, immediately dangerous, do not approach, does not play well with others)
1 Radiant
2 Prismatic
3-4 Fizzing
Artifacts of No Purpose Nor History
this is a table for huge weird things that can be stumbled upon in limbo. Each artifact is unique. That does not mean it can't keep showing up in unlikely places. Indeed it's incredibly unlikely that they will be in the same place as they were last time.
1 A huge brass bull (the size of a 4 story building) with 7 long necked swan heads emerging in place of its head. It is hollow and the insides of it can be accessed via its anus. If one travels up to any of the swan heads (which is difficult climb) there is a large pearl the size of a baby's head. Looking it to this pearl's murky depths reveals a vision of who hates you the most.
If all the pearls are removed from inside the bull (and not just the swan head), it animates and relentlessly and unerring chases the pearls (going for the closest one first) and when it reach of them will swallow them up with a swan head. It will then continue until it has retrieved all of them. It cannot planeshift but will hone in on a portal large enough for it that will take it a step closer to the pearl. It will not attack or undertake action other than moving towards the pearls. Anything in its way will be crushed however if it cannot evade its great hooves.
2 A insanely complex siege engine. Anyone educated in engineering matters who attempts to decipher it's workings must make will save (d.c20) or spent all the time engrossed its endless gears and devices. They will not sleep or seek out food (and so will starve unless food is brought to them). After each week they may attempt the save again. If they are entranced for 4 weeks in a row, they discover that the underlying logic that has been teasingly out of reach, is in actual fact a cosmic farce , and will forever crush any hope of a greater order to the multiverse. They lose any lawful alignment (and can choose another off either axis to replace it) and 6 points of wisdom. However if they succeed in the 2nd will save (the one they attempt after the first week) the will gain exp equal to 200 times their level. But still be convinced that there is something more to discover in the workings of the artifact.
3 A featureless glossily black cube of 20 by 20 by 20 feet. It is immune to everything, including spheres of annihilation. Can be moved around though, but weighs as much as an iron cube of twice its size would (assuming gravity is present).
4 An endless waterworks. See picture on left.
5A great stone foot with 4 toes and inscription on its plinth. The inscription is in a language that the viewer knows (if any) , and will be describing a childhood moment of theirs of utter bitterness.
6 A rat wheel , big enough for a man to run in. Actually contains a man, naked and endlessly running and screaming. He will not respond to stimulus, and is just a weak ass 0 level human if you shot him with something. If you remove him from the wheel, he will stop screaming, and give a look expressing emotions unknown to any other. Then he will age in seconds to dust. IF this dust is mixed with water and drank , the drinker will awake from their next sleep 1d4 times 10 years younger, and haunted by dreams of eerie grandeur and loss that they will never quite shake.
7 A large black iron crab, adorned higgledy piggledy with fine wooden chairs with lush red velvet cushions. Emerging from its head is a formidable cannon, the length of 2 horses. If the cannon is primed and fired as would you any other cannon, the ball (or indeed anything else in the barrel) shoots out and arrives somewhere else in the multiverse, unhurt. The destination is seemly random, but may be influenced by additives to the black powder used to fire it.
8 A great ornate empty frame. big enough to ride a stage coach through. Anyone passing through it feels lighter and freer but with a sadness as if something was lost a long time ago and suddenly not quite recalled.
9 A whale skeleton formed from compressed sherbet
10 A huge book, the size of emperors bed. Opening it and laboriously turning its pages reveals blank page after blank page. Every now and now again things seem to flicker off the page just as it is turned. Shutting someone in the book will press them flat and reduce them to a inky silhouette . The may then explore a hidden 2 d world of inky silhouette in the pages out of sight, the inhabitants of which are welcoming but do their best to remain unseen. One thus transformed maybe freed from the book by cutting out their outline. They will then be able to move around the wider world as a Shadow (but without the strength drain). ANy items they have will however be only able to effect them and other shadows. They do not count as undead. The book will heal from the cutting like butter melting in the sun. It should be difficult but not entirely impossible for them to recover their original form, depending on your whims.
11A grinding wheel the size of a largish hill. On its side is a complex series of gears leading down to a small pedal drive , allowing someone of human size to pedal the wheel into motion. With this wheel one could grind down a towers worth of steel into a blade that could sever an astral cord or the fabric of the planes, depending on the quality of the steel.
12 A hourglass tall as a giraffe. If the glass is broken the sands will rush out in terrible roaring wind, to quick disappear from sight. Randomly choose a person of great personal significance in the breakers life. The sands will sweep to that person , and whip past, taking with them the curse of age. They will no longer age , naturally or by any other means.