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PRINCE2® Foundation and Practitioner Certification Training
Boost and grow your career with a PRINCE 2 Certification in Project Management. Our PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner is suitable for project managers aiming to enhance their knowledge and raise their income. Our course is Internationally recognized for their real-life practice-ready approach.
Throughout this course, you will learn how to assemble projects in accordance with the environment, you will learn how to establish a project planning process of a product, resources management control, and effective project risk management.
61 hours of self-paced learning
With 156 end of the lesson quizzes, 22 slides (downloadable), and 2 real-life projects
31 Self-paced PDUs Program or 35 PDUs mix learning.
2 simulation exam, 7 scenarios, 26 templates, 1 process model.
98.2% rate of success.
Gain 2 Axelos sample papers and a practice exam guidance.
Our Prince 2 Practitioner and foundation is a well known-recognized credential used internationally in the public and private sector. This course will raise your capability in executing a project in the business industry, including recognizing the validity of skill as a senior project manager.
Training Options
Learn world class knowledge at your own comfort place. With self pace and online live training, you will benefit great knowledge and network from other students all over the world.
Join us now
PRINCE2® Foundation and Practitioner Certification Training
idr 15.000.000
- 61 hours of applied learning
- 156 lesson-end quizzes, 22 downloadable slides, and 2 projects
- Program provides 31 PDUs (self-paced) or 35 PDUs (blended learning)
- 2 simulation tests, 7 scenarios, 26 process templates, 1 process model
- 98.2% success rate
- Receive 2 Axelos sample papers and an exam preparation guide
Request More Information
This PRINCE 2 Foundation and Practitioner program certificate are suitable for professionals desiring on becoming senior project managers. Our course is best for project managers, project associate or assistant project managers, leader of the team or managers of the team, project executives, project engineers as well as software developers.
Precondition is not needed to start PRINCE 2 Foundation and Practitioner Program. Nonetheless, you have to enroll for the PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam, and you have to complete and pass the PRINCE2 Foundation Exam.
Course Content
PRINCE2® Exam & Certification
PRINCE2 (an acronym for PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a de facto process-based method for effective project management. PRINCE2® is widely recognized and used in the private as well as public sector. The PRINCE2® method is in the public domain and offers non-proprietorial best practice guidance on project management.
Prince2® Certification is a highly recognized and reputed qualification. Not only does it give you a strong skill set to add to your resume but also considerably increases your ability to execute projects in a corporate environment. The skills you gain are industry-agnostic and have a global appeal.
To become a PRINCE2® certified professional, you must complete PRINCE2® training from an accredited training organization like Simplilearn and pass the PRINCE2® Foundation and Practitioner Exams. For detailed information on the application filing process, refer to the information on the PRINCE2 Certification Journey page.
No, there are no prerequisites; however, you must have cleared the PRINCE2® Foundation Exam. For detailed information on the application filing process, refer to the information on the PRINCE2 Certification Journey page.
You must complete at least 85% of the Prince2 course or attend one complete batch. You must also complete one simulation test with a minimum score of 60%.
Exam prices are dynamic and governed by the certification body. Normally price changes are announced during the end of the calendar year. You will be liable to pay the difference amount to Simplilearn if you had not booked the exam and the exam price is hiked in the meantime.
Please click the below link for information regarding the Prince2 Certification exam booking process.
Your Prince2 Certification exam voucher fee is included in the price of this Prince2 course. However, you must procure the exam voucher within six months from the date of course purchase. In case the exam fee goes up and you have not yet booked the exam, you will need to pay the difference in amount to Simplilearn.
Prince2 Certification exam vouchers are valid for one year from the date of issuance. If you do not book the exam within one year from purchase of voucher, you will need to buy the voucher again as per the actual price.
Yes, the exam fee is included in the Prince2 course fee. For your convenience, you can book your exams through Simplilearn.
To pass Prince2 Foundation exam, you need to score 33 marks out of a total of 60 marks. To pass Prince2 Practitioner exam, you need to score 38 out of a total of 68 marks (approximately 55%).
In case of both online and paper-based Prince2 certification exam, your certificate will be available on PeopleCert website within 10-14 working days.
In case of an online Prince2 Certification exam, you will receive a provisional result immediately after completing your exam. However, for both online and paper-based exam, the actual validated result and certificate will be available on PeopleCert website within 10-14 working days.
PRINCE2 certifications never expire. This is true for both Foundation and Practitioner. Only the status as a Registered Practitioner has an expiration date. The status as a Registered Practitioner expires 3 calendar years after certification.
No, Prince2 Certification exam voucher cost cannot be refunded once it is issued to a learner as we procure this from third party bodies. Simplilearn does not own voucher policies and cost.
Yes, we provide 1 practice test as part of our Prince2 course to help you prepare for the actual certification exam. You can try this free PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam Prep Practice Test to understand the type of tests that are part of the course curriculum.
What other say about the program from Simplilearn
Develop skills for real career growth
Sharp and complete curriculum to guide you to become a well-prepared digital marketers
Learn from experts active in their field, not out-of-touch trainers
Having the best practitioners in the field that could lead to better practices and well-fitted work schedule's case studies for your effectiveness
Learn by working on real-world problems
Giving Industry-based projects to make you adapt to real-world problems
Structured guidance ensuring learning never stops
Learning support that is always available for you through our student counselor and community
The classes are conducted by a highly qualified PRINCE2® certified trainer with more than 15 years of work and training experience.
- The PRINCE2® Practitioner Exam is an open-book exam. You will need to bring your PRINCE2 training manual along for reference during the exam.
- The PRINCE2® Foundation Exam is not an open-book exam.
Once you have completed the course material and you are ready to take the certification exam, you can send a request to firstname.lastname@example.com and we will issue you an exam voucher or code. An exam voucher (alpha-numeric) is issued for online examinations and exam code (numeric) is issued for paper-based examinations.
When sending the request to take the certification exam, you need to mention the date on which you need to take the exam. This is the date on which you need to take the exam to ensure validity of the code.
You will need to register on Peoplecert and enter your voucher or code in the appropriate section.
When you have completed the Prince2 training course, you will receive a course completion certificate along with a certificate stating the number of PDUs. Once you have passed the PRINCE2 certification exams, you will receive the prestigious PRINCE2® Foundation and Practitioner certifications from AXELOS.
No, the manual is not included. You can purchase the manual from Axelos.com. This is highly recommended because you will need to bring the manual with you to the testing center when you take your exam.
Yes. For detailed information on the application filing process, refer to the information on the PRINCE2 Certification Journey page. You can also post questions on community.simplilearn.com for this course or any other course-related topic.
- The PRINCE2 Foundation Exam has a total of 75 questions that must be answered in one hour.
- The PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam has 8 sections with 10 questions per section, to be answered within 2½ hours.
Online classroom training for PRINCE2 Certification is conducted via live streaming and conducted by a PRINCE2 certified trainer with more than 15 years of work and training experience.
All of the classes are conducted live online. They are interactive sessions that enable you to ask questions and participate in discussions during class time. We do, however, provide recordings of each session you attend for your future reference.
- Windows: Windows XP SP3 or higher
- Mac: OSX 10.6 or higher
- Internet speed: Preferably 512 Kbps or higher
- Headset, speakers, and microphone: You'll need headphones or speakers to hear instruction clearly, as well as a microphone to talk to others. You can use a headset with a built-in microphone or separate speakers and microphone.
No. You Can't
In Prince2 training you'll get access to our e-learning content, practice simulation tests, and our tips and tricks videos that help you tackle the toughest of the exam questions. You will also get an online participant handbook that cross references the e-learning to reinforce your learning.
Absolutely. Our Prince2 certification training course is designed to guarantee you'll pass the exams on your first attempt. With a hands-on learning approach, the Prince2 training not only gives you the confidence to pass the exam, but also helps you retain knowledge beyond the exam.
Contact us using the form on the right of any page on the Simplilearn website, or select the Live Chat link. Our customer service representatives can provide you with more details regarding Prince2 training program.
The classes are conducted by a highly qualified PRINCE2 certified trainer with more than 15 years of work and training experience. Each of them has gone through a rigorous selection process which includes profile screening, technical evaluation, and a training demo before they are certified to train for us. We also ensure that only those trainers with a high alumni rating continue to train for us.
Our teaching assistants are a dedicated team of subject matter experts to help you get certified in your first attempt. They engage students proactively to ensure the course path is being followed and help you enrich your learning experience from class onboarding to project mentoring and job assistance. Teaching Assistance is available during business hours.
We offer 24/7 support through email, chat, and calls. We also have a dedicated team that provides on-demand assistance through our community forum. What's more, you will have lifetime access to the community forum, even after completion of your course with us.
Our Prince2 training course comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. Simplilearn believes in our highly effective blended learning methodology and its ability to provide learners with the knowledge and confidence to pass the PRINCE2 F&P exam in the first attempt. If you do not pass the PRINCE2 F&P exam on the first attempt, Simplilearn will refund the course price to you.
To ensure your success, we strongly recommend that you take the PRINCE2 F&P exam within a week of the course completion date—or a maximum of 45 days from the completion of the online training. This way, the Prince2 course materials will be fresh in your mind.
Attempt | Time Frame | Result | Money back |
First | Within 45 days of course completion | Did not pass in Foundation & Practitioner both. | Refund full course price |
First | Within 45 days of course completion | Did not pass either in Foundation or in Practitioner | Refund 50% course price |
Refund Process: If you do not pass the exam in the first attempt, Simplilearn will refund the full course price to you. To receive a refund, you must make a request through the Help and Support Forum. You must submit a copy of your scorecard along with the date you completed your online classroom training. Simplilearn will refund the course price within 30 days of receiving all required documentation. We will process the refund using the same method you used to pay for the course.
Terms and Conditions: This money-back guarantee applies only to Simplilearn's PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner blended learning. It is not applicable for Simplilearn's Self-Paced Learning PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner courses. The guarantee is valid only for participants who have paid the entire enrollment fee.
The guarantee becomes void if:
- Participants do not take the PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner examination within 45 days of unlocking the certificate
- Participants do not maintain 100% attendance in at least one batch of the 36 Hours of Live Online Classroom Training sessions
- Participants do not complete the e-learning content. The full online study (100% completion) is required to learn the course materials
- Participants fail to score at least 80% in both of the available online PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner simulation exam practice tests available at Simplilearn.com on the first attempt
- Participants fail to book their exam within 6 months from the date of enrollment
- Participants do not follow the instructions of the trainer and do not complete the exercises given in the online classroom training
- Participants do not submit the required documents to Simplilearn
- Participants failed to request a refund within 15 days of receiving their results
After Completion of the Prince2 certification, you can take in MSP Foundation and Practitioner program or Prince2 Agile Foundation and Practitioner certification, and best of all you can take Project Management Certification (PGP in Project Management) program.
We have several others program that can help you grow in personal & professional life. Check our other program.
Talk to us if you need to discuss which program that suit you the best.
Digital Marketing Specialist
Transform yourself into a complete digital marketer with expertise in top domain digital marketing industry.
Master Program
12 Courses
Our Advanced Search Engine Optimization course will transform you into a full-stack SEO professional driving sustained growth in your website's most critical marketing channel.
2,482 Learners


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Why MB Genuine Parts ?
How to identify genuine parts ?
Providing for the future of your Mercedes
With Mercedes-Benz genuine parts you benefit from more than one hundred years' experience in vehicle and parts construction. These parts are impressive due to their proverbial quality, tested safety and high reliability. Furthermore the extreme longevity and outstanding price/performance ratio of our genuine parts is particularly cost-effective.
Inimitable and unmistakable: precisely defined manufacturer's specifications plus comprehensive checks and extensive tests guarantee that each and every genuine Mercedes-Benz part meets our highest quality standards and is always absolutely state of the art. Mercedes-Benz genuine parts can be recognised by their unmistakable hologram packaging.
Included in your package price: transparency. Our sophisticated logistics guarantee that every necessary Mercedes-Benz original part is made available to you as quickly as possible at your dealer - if desired also including installation at a package price. That means the costs are clear from the very start.

subset: commoncrawl


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You Have To See These Sexy Pin-Up Illustrations Of Legendary Bond Girls
2015 saw the release of SPECTRE and the introduction of two impeccable Bond girls, Léa Seydoux and Monica Belucci, making the year as good a time as any to reflect on the seductive mystique of Bond girls past. A Bond girl is not just a pretty face. It's the combination of personality, style, attitude, and, OK, brain-melting hotness, that makes a woman alluring enough to catch the eye of the legendary secret service agent. We had UK-based artist Jordana Globerman illustrate modern pin-up images of some of the hottest Bond girls in 007 movie history in an attempt to capture some of their timeless allure.
Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder
Widely regarded as the original Bond Girl, Ursula Andress starred as the white-bikini-wearing mega-babe Honey Ryder in 1962's Dr. No. The iconic shot of Honey Ryder emerging from the ocean in a wet, white bikini was recreated by Halle Berry as Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson in Die Another Day and parodied by Mike Myers as Austin Powers in The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson
Shirley Eaton was rocking full-body gold paint long before those annoying street performers in NYC. Eaton is best remembered as Auric Goldfinger's doomed secretary, Jill Masterson, in Goldfinger. After angering her boss by sleeping with Bond, she meets her demise through… death by full-body painting? In a Daily Mail interview, Eaton explained that at the time the movie was filmed (1964) people believed that you breathed through your skin and thus covering your body entirely in paint would cause you to die. They even left a streak of skin unpainted on Eaton's stomach during filming to prevent the actress herself from dying! Ah, life without Google…
Jane Seymour as Solitaire
Jane Seymour achieved international fame after appearing as the virginal, Tarot-loving "Solitaire" in 1973's Live and Let Die. In the film, Bond makes quick work of that whole virgin thing by using a trick deck of Tarot cards to make her believe seduction is in her future. After fulfilling Bond's prophecy, Solitaire loses her soothsaying abilities (they never warned you about that in sex-ed class) and teams up with him to bring down the villain Kananga.
Grace Jones as May Day
In 1985, the iconic model/actress/musician Grace Jones appeared as the ass-kicking Bond girl May Day in A View to a Kill. Although Jones' May Day starts out as the henchman to Christopher Walken's Max Zorin, she eventually defaults to Team Bond and sacrifices her life to help him thwart Zorin's plan to blow up Silicon Valley. Although Jones is remembered as one of the coolest Bond girls to date, apparently she didn't rub everyone the right way. Rumor is Grace Jones and then-Bond Roger Moore were like oil and water on set.
Eva Green as Vesper Lynd
The smouldering Eva Green plays Vesper Lynd, the object of Bond's affection in the 2006 adaptation of Casino Royale. Lynd is also the treasury agent responsible for protecting the British government's $10M buy-in into villain Le Chiffre's high stakes Texas hold 'em tournament. Bond falls so hard for Lynd, he actually resigns from M16, until he learns that she has betrayed him by stealing the winnings from the tournament. There are no true happy endings for James Bond.
Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeline Swann
French actress Léa Seydoux went from Cannes Film Festival darling to internationally-renowned actress after starring in the critically acclaimed Blue is the Warmest Colour. No wonder she was quickly snatched up to star alongside Daniel Craig in the recently-released SPECTRE. As Dr. Madeline Swann, daughter of recurring Bond villain Mr. White, Seydoux is Bond's key to uncloaking the members of global criminal organization SPECTRE.
James Bond
hot women


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ESP Steering Groups
1 Introduction
The Kemp LoadMaster Edge Security Pack (ESP) has the ability of steering client traffic to individual Real Servers in a Virtual Service based on the Active Directory (AD) group membership of users initiating client traffic. An example scenario would be a Virtual Service which has four Real Servers. Two Real Servers could be configured to have a primary association with Active Directory Group 1 and two Real Servers could be configured to have a primary association with AD Group 2. When a user attempts to access the Virtual Service, their group membership will be verified and the information used to steer their request to the appropriate Real Servers. If the Real Servers selected based on group membership are not available, the default behavior is to fall back to the assigned scheduling method for the Virtual Service.
1.1 Document Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide information and instructions on how to configure the LoadMaster to steer client traffic based on group membership. For more information on the ESP feature and options in general, refer to the ESP, Feature Description.
1.2 Intended Audience
This document is intended for network and application administrators that are interested in finding out more about using ESP for steering client traffic based on AD group membership in the Kemp LoadMaster.
1.3 Prerequisites
Before configuring ESP steering groups in LoadMaster, it is assumed that the following prerequisites have been met:
The relevant configuration has been made in the Active Directory, (i.e. setting up user groups and adding the relevant users to the relevant groups.)
A determination has been made as to which groups will be used to steer traffic to which Real Servers.
The relevant Virtual Service(s) and Real Server(s) have been created and configured as needed. For information on how to configure Virtual Services, and the various features available in the Kemp LoadMaster, refer to the Kemp Documentation page: http://kemptechnologies.com/documentation/.
An appropriate Client Authentication Mode is being used (steering groups are not available for Basic Authentication or SAML authentication).
Kerberos Constrained Delegation (KCD) is not in use (steering groups do not work with KCD).
2 How ESP Steering Groups Work
A description of how the ESP steering groups work is provided below:
1. The names of the desired Active Directory groups to perform steering on are entered into the Steering Groups text box in the Virtual Service modify screen in the LoadMaster.
2. When steering groups are specified in a Virtual Service and a user logs in, the username is tested to check if it exists in any of the steering groups, starting from the left.
3. If there is a match, the index of the matching group is returned in a cookie to the client. The index of the steering group is determined based on the position of the steering group in the Steering Groups text box, (i.e. the first group in the list has an index of 1, the second has an index of 2 and so on.) If the user is in multiple groups, the index of the first group in which the user is found is returned.
4. Content rules should be created to match each of the steering groups and assigned to the relevant Real Servers. On subsequent logins, the index number is used steer the traffic to the relevant Real Server.
For step-by-step instructions on how to configure this, refer to the Configure ESP Steering Groups in the LoadMaster section.
3 Configure ESP Steering Groups in the LoadMaster
Follow the steps in the sections below to configure ESP steering groups in the LoadMaster.
3.1 Set the ESP Steering Groups in the Virtual Service(s)
To configure ESP steering groups, follow the steps below in the Kemp LoadMaster Web User Interface (WUI). ESP SSO Domain settings must already be configured on the LoadMaster for this to function properly. See the ESP, Feature Description for details on configuring SSO Domains
1. In the main menu, go to Virtual Services > View/Modify Services.
2. Click Modify on the relevant Virtual Service.
3. Expand the ESP Options section and check the Enable ESP check box.
4. Select the appropriate Client Authentication Mode (steering groups are not available when using Basic Authentication or SAML authentication).
5. Enter the Active Directory group names which contain members that are allowed to access the service in the Permitted Groups field and click the Set Permitted Groups button.
6. Enter the Active Directory group names that will be used for steering traffic in the Steering Groups field and click the Set Steering Groups button.
Use a semi-colon to separate multiple group names.
The steering group index number will correspond to the location of the group in this list. In the example above - Group1 has an index of 1 and Group2 has an index of 2.
Do not enter the same group name in both the Permitted Groups and Steering Groups fields. This causes a conflict. When you specify a steering group, it is assumed to behave like a permitted group, so you do not need to enter the same group in both the Permitted Groups and Steering Groups fields.
7. Enable or disable the Include Nested Groups option.
This field relates to the Permitted Groups setting. Enable this option to include nested groups in the authentication attempt. If this option is disabled, only users in the top-level group will be granted access. If this option is enabled, users in both the top-level and first sub-level group will be granted access.
8. Configure any other settings as needed.
3.1.1 Notes about Permitted Groups and Steering Groups
Some notes around the permitted groups and steering groups are below:
- The Permitted Groups and Steering Groups entered should correspond to groups configured in the Active Directory.
- The permitted groups are the groups that are allowed to access this Virtual Service. When set, if a user logs in to an application published by this Virtual Service, the user must be a member of at least one of the groups specified.
- The Permitted Group SID(s) (security identifiers) field is the equivalent of the Permitted Groups field. If specifying permitted groups, you can complete either the Permitted Groups field or the Permitted Groups SID(s) field. In the Permitted Group SID(s) field:
- You can specify the Group SIDs that are allowed to access this Virtual Service. After you type the groups, click Set Permitted Group SIDs.
- You can a list of group SIDs of up to 64 bytes and 2048 characters in length.
Each group is separated by a semi-colon. Spaces are used to separate bytes in certain group SIDs. Here is an example:
S-1-5-21-703902271-2531649136-2593404273-1606. SIDs can be found by using the get-adgroup-Identity GroupName command.
- The Steering Groups steer client traffic to subsets of Real Servers in a Virtual Service based on group membership.
- Multiple groups are supported per Virtual Service up to a maximum of 2048 characters in length.
- Performance may be impacted if a large number of groups are entered on a single Virtual Service.
- The steering group(s) entered must also be specified as permitted groups.
- If steering groups are specified for a Virtual Service, the group membership is tested for each group in the list - starting from the left. If there is a match - the first matching group is the one that will be used to steer the traffic.
- Groups entered are validated using an LDAP query to Active Directory
- The group(s) specified must be valid groups in the Active Directory domain that is specified in the SSO domain associated with the Virtual Service. The SSO domain name in the LoadMaster must be set to the Active Directory name as opposed to the DNS name of the service. For example, if the SSO domain in the LoadMaster is set to webmail.example but this is not the actual Active Directory domain FQDN, it will not function. Instead, the SSO domain would need to be set to .example.com.
- Multiple groups should be separated by a semi-colon (;). A space will not separate the groups since some group names may contain a space, such as Domain Users.
- The following characters are not allowed in permitted group names:
/ : + * - The authentication protocol of the SSO domain must be LDAP when using these groups.
- The groups should be specified by name, not by full distinguished name (for example, "testgroup" as opposed to "CN=testgroup,CN=Users,DC=kemptech,DC=com")
- If the Virtual Service configuration is updated while a user has an open session, the request may not be steered as expected. You could flush the cache as a workaround, but this would clear the cache for all Virtual Service users meaning they are forcibly disconnected.
- Do not enter the same group name in both the Permitted Groups and Steering Groups fields. This causes a conflict. When you specify a steering group, it is assumed to behave like a permitted group, so you do not need to enter the same group in both the Permitted Groups and Steering Groups fields.
3.2 Create the Content Rules
When a user logs in, the index number of the first matching steering group is used to create a cookie. The index number of the steering groups correspond to the order of the groups in the Steering Groups field in the Virtual Service, (that is, the first group has an index of 1, the second has an index of 2 and so on.)
The cookie is called X-Kemp-STEERING. Content rules should be created and added to the relevant Real Server(s) in order to match the relevant steering group and steer the traffic appropriately. To create a content rule for this purpose, follow the steps below:
1. In the main menu of the LoadMaster WUI, go to Rules & Checking > Content Rules.
2. Click Create New.
3. Enter a recognizable Rule Name.
4. Ensure the Rule Type is set to Content Matching.
5. Ensure the Match Type is set to Regular Expression.
6. Enter Cookie as the Header Field.
7. Enter X-Kemp-STEERING=<IndexOfSteeringGroup>, for example X-Kemp-STEERING=1 to match the first group in the Steering Groups list.
8. Click Create Rule.
9. Repeat these steps for any other steering groups, as needed.
3.3 Assign the Content Rule(s) to the Real Server(s)
After creating the content rules, the rules need to be assigned to the relevant Real Server(s) in order to steer the traffic to those Real Servers based on the steering group. To assign a content rule to a Real Server, follow the steps below:
1. In the main menu of the LoadMaster WUI, go to Virtual Services > View/Modify Services.
2. Click Modify.
3. Expand the Advanced Properties section.
4. Click Enable in the Content Switching section.
5. Expand the Real Servers section.
6. Click the None button in the Rules column for the relevant Real Server.
7. Select the relevant rule from the Rule drop-down list.
8. Click Add.
9. Repeat these steps to assign the other rules to the relevant Real Servers, as needed.
If a content rule which matches on a steering group with the index 1 has been assigned to a Real Server, users in the first steering group listed in the Steering Groups field will be directed to that Real Server - if it is available. If the Real Server is not available, the traffic distribution will default to the Scheduling Method selected for the Virtual Service.
4 References
Unless otherwise specified, the following documents can be found at http://kemptechnologies.com/documentation.
ESP, Feature Description
Last Updated Date
This document was last updated on 21 February 2022.


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Igor Wiedler has a new post to his blog showing how to work with binary data in your PHP applications a few different built-in functions including unpack and bindec.
Binary operations in PHP are a bit strange. Since PHP was originally a templating layer for C code, it still has many of those C-isms. Lots of the function names map directly to C-level APIs, even if they work a bit differently sometimes. For example, PHP's strlen maps directly to STRLEN(3), and there are countless examples of this. However, as soon as it comes to dealing with binary data, things suddenly become very different.
He starts off looking at "the C way" to unpack a string (getting the ASCII values of each character) and shows how *not* to do it in PHP with ord. Instead he uses "unpack", bitwise operators and bindec to work with the actual binary data of the string.


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The idea for this latest story I did for Gannett/USA Today came from the many complaints I've received over the years about workplace incivility. I've heard gripes about the guy who eats Cheetos all day and leaves a trail of orange fingerprints everywhere. There's the woman who fights with her children all day on her cellphone and the guy who thinks nothing of texting during a business lunch.
Could you be thought of as rude at work? If you are, how can it hurt your career? Read on....
Let's say you're sitting at work, laboring over an important report.
It's been hours since you had lunch, but you don't have time to run out for a snack. Fortunately, you've got a bag of pork rinds in your desk drawer and begin munching away while focusing on your work.
About 20 minutes later, you're confronted by a red-faced colleague who is staring at your pork rinds.
"Would you like one?" you question politely.
The colleague makes no comment, just growls in her throat and stomps away.
While you may wonder why the colleague acted in such a way, it's clear to those sitting around you. Gobbling away on the chips is not only distracting with your bag-rustling and your crunching but is seen as a breach of office etiquette.
Then don't be surprised if colleagues don't invite you to participate in an important client dinner or fire emails around the office detailing your boorish ways.
All because of those pork rinds.
While many people believe that the key to career success is doing good work, the truth is that "it's more important to be popular and well liked." says Vicky Oliver, author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions.
So if you do things to annoy people like eating a bag of snacks when others are trying to work nearby, that can be a detriment to your career. Further, if you're not using proper office etiquette, chances increase that you're likely to pull a bone-headed move outside the office that also can hurt your career.
"Poor manners hurt your career because the little things matter. Very often, reputations are built on the basis of a first impression that takes someone approximately 3 seconds to formulate," says Alexandra Levit, a career expert. "So, sitting at dinner with a new client and ordering the most expensive entree on the menu (when they're paying) is not a good move."
The best way to avoid mannerless gaffes at work is by paying attention. If it's OK to ride a skateboard to meetings, then by all means feel free to do it, Oliver says.
But if you get annoyed looks when you show up in lime-green leggings and a Dodgers baseball jersey, then you may need to rethink your strategy.
"No matter how your colleagues or boss dress, I always think it's a good idea to dress nicely," Oliver says. "You never know when you'll go out to lunch with someone important. Looking like a slob never serves you well."
If you want to clean up your act so you can improve your image at work, here are some other suggestions:
• Stop casual rudeness. Interrupting when someone is speaking and texting during a meeting are all signs that you're not giving someone your full time and attention, and that's off-putting, Oliver says.
"I think it's sort of addictive and a thrill to always be online. But even if others are doing it I don't think it makes a good impression," she says.
• Communicate carefully. "In this climate, the most frequent complaint I hear is that people are too short with one another and that tone is misconstrued in virtual situations," Levit says.
"Most of the time, people don't mean to be rude but simply aren't careful about their communication," she says.
• Don't be loud. Many workers sit next to one another, so take care to respect someone's space.
That means you may say "knock, knock" when entering someone's cubicle space or avoid talking loudly on your phone or listening to your voice message via speakerphone, Oliver says.
• Look for mentors. "If you're unsure about a specific behavior, ask a trusted mentor who's not at your organization for his or her advice," Levit says.
She also suggests taking a basic etiquette course and reading workplace blog posts and articles so "you will become familiar with how to avoid a lot of the major no- nos."


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A wolverine in Dakota County, Minnesota. Photo by guppiecat / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
It's as good a time as ever to think about endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service currently faces a backlog of several hundred - from moths to gophers, chickens, and fish – that are awaiting potential listing under the Endangered Species Act. Recently, the agency announced its plan to tackle this creature collective - just another piece of news on the endangered species front, where stories have abounded over the last few weeks. From the wolverine to the whooping crane, all kinds of furry and feathered creatures scampered across our radar. Here are some highlights:
Temporary Limbo
Creatures that are being considered for listing.
- Wolverine
The wolverine may have a reputation as a "flesh-ripping hellion" (a misconception OnEarth recently picked apart), but evidence that it has few defenses against climate change has spurred federal wildlife managers to propose listing the mammal as 'threatened' under the Endangered Species Act. An estimated 250 to 300 live in the United States. The Fish and Wildlife Service points out that North American wolverine populations were decimated by a history of hunting, poisoning, and trapping in the 1800s. While their numbers rose after some protections were put in place, climate change adds an additional threat. Mothers den in deep snow instead of tunneling underground, and are therefore dependent on thick, dense snowfall that coats the landscape until mid-May each year when the young are weaned. But climate modeling shows that wolverines will become increasingly restricted by shrinking patches of snow, as temperatures warm. The FWS will accept public comments until May 2013, and plans to make a decision by February next year.
- Coral
A cluster of boulder star coral. Photo by National Marine Sanctuaries / CC BY 2.0
Coral—the miniscule creatures that build their tiny castles in calcium-carbonate scaffolding on the seafloor—are next to take the limelight, as the NOAA holds public hearings on whether or not to protect a number of species in the Pacific and the Caribbean. The Boulder Star, Pillar Coral, Rough Cactus, and Elliptical Star are just a few of the 66 species that will be held up for listing as either threatened or endangered. The Center for Biological Diversity calls it the most sweeping move made in favor of reef life. Following a year of devastating news on coral reefs—from the Caribbean's coral die-off, to the worrying state of the Great Barrier Reef—it does seem a good time to question the status of these ocean blooms. Until November 2013, when NOAA will make a decision based on public comments gathered from regions where the species exist, the status of these 66 coral species is up in the air.
- The Prairie Grouse
Photo by jerryoldnettel / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
This bird – also called a lesser prairie 'chicken' – is at the center of a dispute that revolves around its current status. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature calls the bird vulnerable, and now, efforts are in place to get the Fish and Wildlife Service to list it as an endangered or threatened species. This week the agency will hold a final set of public hearings to help decide whether or not the bird should be listed, E&E News reports, but in the meantime, oil, gas, and wind companies are trying to dissuade the Service from doing so. If the grouse becomes protected under a 'threatened' banner, it will force companies to stop or change their operations in the reduced grassland areas where the grouse exists. The energy producers say their individual efforts to conserve the prairie grouse will be enough; conservationists say that those plans will be difficult to enforce, and could leave the bird exposed.
The Disputed Birds
Some of the most interesting stories involve a bit of a tussle. Recently, birds have been at the center of the dramas playing out in the world of threatened and endangered species—probably less surprising when one considers bird advocates' fervent passion for their feathered friends.
- Wood Stork
Photo by bob in swamp / CC BY-SA 2.0
Should the wood stork—a bird said to be recovering well from its brush with extinction in the 1970s—be upgraded from an endangered species to a threatened one? That's the peg in a debate around this leggy charmer. Wood storks were declared endangered in 1984, after years of wetland drainage and development around these areas threatened their key habitat. Since then, the number of mating pairs has risen from 5,000 mating pairs to 12,000 spread across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. But conservation groups—among them the Audubon Society—reckons that it's too early to shift their status. The population at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in the Western Everglades, Florida, has traditionally housed the largest nesting colony of wood storks, but in recent years, the birds have failed to nest there, Audubon says. These and other signs suggest that the bird should stay within its 'endangered' designation, conservationists say—even though the FWS promises that an upgrade wouldn't remove any protections for the bird.
- Golden eagles, whooping cranes, and piping plovers
A golden eagle. Photo by K Schneider / CC BY-NC 2.0
The golden eagle only has endangered status in some states, though it's protected nationwide. The FWS is now focusing attention on the bird's plight after a drawn-out disagreement over the impact of wind farms. Recently, they submitted to the White House a proposed policy that provides detailed guidelines for wind farm developers to avoid siting and building their farms in ways that could damage golden eagle habitat or cause more collisions. It also details how developers can acquire 'take' permits—allowances that let wind farms legally 'kill' eagles by accidental collision or invasion, if certain conservation measures are in place. The policy comes at the end of a long process that has left developers wary. Most see the guidelines as an unnecessary obstacle in the way of their farms, with few benefits for the golden eagle to make up for it, E&E News reports.
A whooper in action. Photo by USFWS Headquarters / CC BY 2.0
The whooping crane and piping plover are at the center of a similar debate, except the issues are flipped around. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) reports that the Fish and Wildlife service is for the first time going to consider awarding take permits to wind farms for the endangered cranes and the threatened plovers, a move which it sees as dangerous since the birds could then be 'legitimately' killed. That's a worrying prospect, they say, since there are only 400 whoopers left in the wild.
Bird conservation groups like Audubon and ABC don't entirely oppose wind farms—the groups support those that use a science-based approach to ensure that the developments aren't sited in critical habitat.
The Success Stories
And here's a smattering of good news from the endangered species front:
Next to nothing was known about the critically endangered hawksbill turtle's capacity for reproduction, but now, researchers have found that the turtles are monogamous. The females keep a store of male sperm and use it to fertilize their eggs when the time is right, the team found. The discovery sheds light on how the species propagates itself—always useful knowledge for a population in distress. This comes in conjunction with the news that the numbers of hawksbill turtles are on the rise.
A hawksbill turtle. Photo by waywuwei / CC BY-ND 2.0
The island night lizard, found exclusively on the Channel Islands that lie just off southern California, has been doing well enough that the Fish and Wildlife Service want to take it off the endangered species list.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. The Act is heralded as the great protector of America's wildlife, with its case-by-case analysis, its provisions for citizen action and critical habitat protection—something the wolverine might soon benefit from, for instance.
Finally, check out Klondike, the charming pup born from a frozen embryo—a first for the Western Hemisphere. He doesn't know it but he's given hope to endangered canids, by trialing the frozen embryo technique that could help boost threatened populations one day.


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Waymouth Lighthorseman Reconstruction Rowing
Waymouth Lighthorseman reconstruction rowing
This reconstruction of George Waymouth's Lighthorseman pulling boat was built by the Atlantic Challenge Apprenticeshop to help researchers better understand where Waymouth had gone on his 1605 excursion from Allen Island. Some say he went up the St. George River and others say he made it to the mouth of the Penobscot River. Here her crew is trialing her, prior to rowing and sailing from Allen Island up to the Penobscot River mouth and back in 24 hours.
Database ID:
Georges row
Geographic Location:
St. George River, Maine


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Building bold in such an illustrious cityscape as Paris, without causing detriment to the surrounding vision, is no doubt a daunting task, but one that French architecture firm ECDM have relentlessly beheld. Envisioning the design of two separate structures secured firmly along the banks of the river Seine, they seek to further follow a mantra of producing work which reflects the evolution and mutation of society at large. Whilst this criterion can remain open to debate, what's starkly apparent from their commercial project 'Ensemble de bureaux Zac Seguin - Boulogne-Billancourt' is an attempt at effective assimilation - either to the notorious scenery surrounding it, or the yet untouched natural habitats interspersing their towering testaments to 'du Grand Paris.'
The first, known simply as 'periscopes' is an unequivocally determined attempt to construct according to external landscape; or as ECDM states: "If there is a special relationship to the river, to the matrix, the privileged views are deployed over 360°. Rise of a few tens of meters and a unique relationship is established between the building and Greater Paris." Built to a looming height to ensure a 360° panoramic spectacle, jutting extensions provide the clientele the opportunity to bask in views extending beneath them, generating large vistas between the docks and park. This intrinsic blend of horizontal with vertical has the additional intention of seeking to acquire two types of commercial building.
A compact base, designed to anchor the project in an affiliation with the surrounding urban area, acts as an effective means of gradually acclimatising entering visitors as they adjust to the enclosed conditions. The bottom two floors, having been combined to create a vast open space - a wide plateau of approximately 5,000 sq m - is a prime example of this attempted transition. Extending from the base flourishes cultivated outdoor spaces to further ease their clash of scenery. Advancing an essence of greenery are the various extended balconies and terraces intended for conversion into hanging gardens.
'Origami', meanwhile, is predominantly a visual blend of the outside seamlessly integrated into the confines of the building. Consisting of extensive glasswork, the evoked impression is of a supersized greenhouse; as the extremities extend further upwards, the impression of becoming absorbed into the everywhere increases, as the construction becomes lighter, more transparent, with a sense of porosity emerging. Closest to the 89m pinnacle of this trend-defying design can be discovered a large roof garden, vertically deployed to maximise exposure to those looking in. It is a project that intends to make a clear and visual impact on both its immediate and extended locale; to question standard aesthetic expectations: "Without denying the obvious qualities and ability to meet expectations specific to the program, our project reinterprets them in complex architectural oxymorons. It's about being compact and light, dense, slender, streamlined and composite."
Tom Aston


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Have Scientists Found A Way To Make Hot Dogs Healthier?
By Sarah Fecht
(Click here for the original article)
Not all fats are created equal. Scientists have known since the 1950s that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated ones can haveprofound health benefits. Diets that are high in solid fats, such as butter and animal fat, lead to elevated risks of cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol. But it has been difficult to phase out saturated fats—not only are they are delicious, they are also important components of a food's structure. Without saturated fat, ice creams are just sugary liquids and a hot dog has the consistency of a pet's chew toy.
Scientists learned that lesson the hard way in 2009, when they tried replacing frankfurters' saturated fats with oils, which are healthier than solid fats. "If you try it with just oil, the frankfurters have a very tough, leathery property," says Alejandro Marangoni, who studies food and soft materials science at the University of Guelph in Canada.
In a paper published March 1 inFood and Function, Marangoni and his colleagues found a way to make oils solid but still healthy. By mixing regular canola oil with molecules of ethyl cellulose, the researchers trapped the oil within a solid scaffolding. When used in hot dogs, this gel replaced saturated fats without sacrificing texture. "It behaves as if it were solid beef fat," Marangoni says.
Of course, we've heard similar promises before. Althoughartificial sweetenerswere marketed as a way to eat sweets without gaining weight, subsequent studies found that these indigestible sugars may make it more difficult for a consumer to control his or her body weight. Similarly, the fat substitute olestra replaced shortening in some fast foods, potato chips and other products; because olestra is indigestible, consumers could eat the greasy food without any caloric comeuppance. Unfortunately, several side effects—including vitamin malabsorption and "anal leakage"—made olestra fall far short of the hype.
The makers of the ethyl cellulose gel say they do not anticipate such problems. Canola oil is widely used in food products, and ethyl cellulose is chemically similar to the cellulose fibers we eat in fruits, vegetables and wheat bran. Similar to regular cellulose, ethyl cellulose is an indigestible chain of repeating glucose molecules; the only difference is that the hydroxyl groups of ethyl cellulose are modified into ethyl ether groups. Although ethyl cellulose is not found naturally in plants, "it would be similar to eating a small bit of paper," explains Eckhard Flᅢᄊter, a food scientist from the Technical University of Berlin. Ethyl cellulose is "generally recognized as safe" according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is commonly used in pharmaceutical capsules and as a food additive in milk products and baked goods.
The researchers are not claiming to be able to turn hot dogs into a diet food. The modified frankfurters have a similar greasy feel and contain the same total grams of fat, but those fats are healthier unsaturated ones rather than the artery-clogging variety.
Although other scientists have attempted to gel oils to structurally replace saturated fats, "the beauty here is that they created a food application where the perceived properties for consumers are not significantly changed," Flᅢᄊter says.ᅡ Previous attempts could not replicate desired textures.
Marangoni's team discovered the gelling properties of ethyl cellulose by trial and error, and no one had expected ethyl cellulose to work so well. When fats solidify in nature, their molecules crystallize, forming spongelike structures that contain oils within the pores. In contrast, ethyl cellulose gels form spaghettilike, fibrous structures around the oil globules.
To determine whether ethyl cellulose gels could produce similar textures in frankfurters, the researchers made their own from scratch. In large food processors, they mixed chopped meat and spices. To some batches, they added the usual beef fat, which is leftover from slaughtering processes. In other batches, they mixed in an equivalent amount of the ethyl cellulose and canola oil gel. Then they ground the ingredients together and extruded the batter into hot dog casings, and cooked them.
The team subjectively compared the frankfurters' textures using a jawlike machine that compresses food between two plates. As the device squishes a sample, its resistance indicates how chewy it is—a property based on hardness, cohesiveness and springiness. When saturated fats were replaced with canola oil alone, the frankfurters were 30 percent harder and twice as chewy as regular franks. In contrast, when the canola oil was gelled with ethyl cellulose, it could replace saturated fats in the frankfurter without significantly impacting hardness and chewiness. Marangoni said he has reproduced these results in sausage.
Because beef fat makes up roughly one third of a sausage, Marangoni doesn't think his team will be able to remove all of the beef fat, yet still maintain a desirable taste. But he does think that he could halve the saturated fat content. And because one Oscar Mayer beef frank contains seven grams of saturated fat (or 36 percent of an adult's daily recommended intake), this reduction is significant. The tinkering comes with a slight increase in cost, but for people with high cholesterol, it might be a small price to pay in order to eat sausage once in awhile, Marangoni says.
Flᅢᄊter says that ethyl cellulose gels may not be able to replace saturated fats in softer foods such as ice cream, but he adds: "I think they have cracked the nut for frankfurters. Ethyl cellulose is a very good tool to have in our toolbox."
The U.K. branch of candy bar–maker Mars recently bought the patent for ethyl cellulose gel. Several other British companies are exploring the gel's use in meat products, Marangoni says, which could come on the market within a year.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.


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Amp buying guide: acoustic amps
Acoustic amps
Whether you're playing acoustic in a band or going down the singer-songwriter route, taking control of your tone should be your top priority.
Acoustic guitar amps don't have quite the same profile as, say, the Les Paul-powering Marshalls of this world, but they do a job that's just as important. Finding an acoustic sound that cuts through a band mix, or suits your particular playing style, is a crucial part of developing a live sound.
To help you make the tough choices, we've picked five of our favourite acoustic amps on the market , ranging from under £250 to over £1000. There's something here for every acoustic player no matter the sound or the budget...
Vox AGA30
With more limited headroom than many acoustic amps, this might help the recording acoustic player wanting a dirtier voice as an antidote to the often over-pristine sounds of the modern steel string.
TYPE: Solid-state acoustic combo
OUTPUT: 30 watts
SPEAKERS: 1x6.5"
WEIGHT: 6.5kg/14.3lbs
Carlsbro Sherwood II 30R
The Sherwood exhibits an older-sounding, more narrow frequency response that might help to create rootsier acoustic tones. Overall, it's a credible amp for small gigs and practice sessions.
TYPE: Solid-state acoustic combo
OUTPUT: 2x 15 watts
SPEAKERS: 2x6"
WEIGHT: 15kg/33lbs
Fishman Loudbox Artist
This is an attractive package aimed squarely at the small venue musician. But hooked up to a PA, the sky's the limit. It's highly intuitive in use and the dual effects offer more than enough for most acoustic players.
TYPE: Solid-state acoustic combo
OUTPUT: 120 watts
SPEAKERS: 1x8"/1x1" tweeter
WEIGHT: 11.6kg/25.5lbs
Trace Acoustic TA200
Here is a quality-sounding amp with more than enough performance features and effects with excellent feedback rejection and the power and spread to fill a small venue before you need to hook it up to a PA.
TYPE: Solid-state acoustic combo
OUTPUT: 200 watts
SPEAKERS: 4x5"
WEIGHT: 9kg/19.84lbs
AER Compact XL
A supercharged Compact 60, the XL adds bulk, weight, and a substantial cost, but it just keeps giving you clean power after the 60 reaches its limit. The XL ensures you'll be heard: clearly.
TYPE: Solid-state acoustic combo
OUTPUT: 200 watts
SPEAKERS: 1x8"/ 1x1" tweeter
WEIGHT: 10.6kg/23.3lbs


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Xbox One Cases Put The Disc On The Wrong Side
We really can't explain this one. Since the dawn of the CD era, jewel cases have always been the same. The insert goes on the left. The disc goes on the right. Not anymore.
For some reason, at least one Xbox One case has switched things around. When you open the case, the disc is on the left.
Reader Ken McKown sent us this picture as proof, and we've seen others just like for different titles, like Call of Duty: Ghosts. What do you think? Is this an insignificant change that you can roll with, or does this throw your entire world view into upheaval?
Our Take
Inserts are far less important than they used to be. The printed video game manual is all but extinct. Perhaps moving the disc to the other side is a way to subtly communicate the importance of the media. Or maybe it's just change for the sake of change.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Thank you for taking time to view the St. Joseph Police Department website. We continue to face a variety of challenges in a rapidly changing environment. As we continue to police in a stressed economy we become more aware of the impact of economic, sociological, and psychological drivers, and their relationship to resources, crime, and quality of life issues in our community. We strive to maintain the highest possible standards of performance and continue to uphold this department's tradition of excellence. We operate in an open organizational style while maintaining investigative integrity.
This website is intended to be an accurate reflection of our commitment to the values of public service and integrity, while demonstrating our commitment to being on the cutting edge of law enforcement technology and training. We hope you come away with a sense of pride we feel in the work we do, and with a sense of how privileged we feel to be able to do it.
As you read about our four divisions; Administration, Patrol, Detectives and Support Services, you'll see the various missions each carries out. Our Strategic Plan has been crafted to improve our workforce, manage the use of technology, improve communication, and enhance customer service to improve quality of life and reduce crime. This document is updated with regularity, and will help guide the Department and enable us to meet the challenges of the future
Together with you, we make a difference. We are your police department, and we are your friends and neighbors too. If you have questions please visit the contacts page. We'll be happy to answer them.


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Phone: (662) 728-6232 (24 hours)
1901-B East Chambers Booneville, Mississippi 38829
Marijuana and Cash seized during arrest
On 03/25/2011 Thursday night/early Friday morning, Prentiss County Deputy David Berrios made a traffic stop on West of Booneville that resulted in the discovery of 133 bags of marijuana with a total weight of almost 1 pound. The Deputy arrested Jay Edgar Helton of 1319 Hwy. 9, North Guntown, age 20. He was charged with Possession of Controlled Substance (Marijuana) with the intent to sell or distribute. His bond was set at $10,000. He was released on bond later the same day. It was determined through our investigation that Helton was a student at Northeast Mississippi Community College and had been supplying other students. This was a major arrest, anytime we can arrest someone that was selling this quantity of drugs and also selling to students. I hope this sends a clear message to others that might try the same thing. I am very pleased with this arrest and the Investigating Officers did an outstanding job. In addition to the bags of marijuana, Investigators also seized cash and other evidence of his drug dealings.
Sheriff Tolar


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Mispillion Art League
Love flowers? Then don't miss the Mispillion Art League's (MAL) new exhibit, Flowers Don't Tell…They Show! Summer conjures warm weather, outdoor activities, vacations, kids home all the time (yikes!). And flowers are really showing us their "stuff"–colors, blooms of all sizes, pollinators everywhere. And those lovely vegetables! There will also be a special exhibit by Spotlight Artist, Pat Fecko. The exhibit runs from August 2 through September 24, with the opening reception on Friday, August 5 from 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Farmers Market Park


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What happens when you can't break into the LA scene? Well, you know what they say; Can't beat 'em? Fuck 'em… Glorious Noise interviewed Matt Southwell of the band Bang Sugar Bang, who started their own club when they found booking by traditional means to be a hassle. Instead of try and try again, Southwell and Co. took matters into their own hands and ended up with a fanbase that's small but dedicated—something most bands would kill for.
GLONO: What is Kiss or Kill?
MS: Kiss or Kill is the name given to a Tuesday nightclub in LA that has since grown into a full-blown DIY movement; a community of musicians side-stepping the typical lone gunner band approach in hopes of founding something greater. Basically, exploiting the fact that 10 or 20 bands are much stronger than one. Exponents are groovy, man!
GLONO: How did it start?
MS: It began as a reaction to not originally fitting in anywhere in the current Hollywood scene. When our band first started gigging, it didn't seem like gigs were as productive and as fun as they should have been. So, I approached longtime LA music veteran, John Arrakaki of Silver Needle about doing something more akin to what I experienced in Madison WI.
Back then, bands used to piggyback on each other to build their fanbases, steal each other's beer, etc. He wasn't sure it would work in the "land of me, me, me" but still thought it sounded like a good idea. Over the next few months, our bands gigged together constantly and then John and my bassist Cooper took over this idea and expanded it into adding more bands as packages to clubs. After some stumbling in the beginning, Cooper and John found Kiss or Kill a home at the famed "Garage." It built up from a monthly event into a weekly club.
GLONO: Are those two still in charge of Kiss or Kill?
MS: It's really tremendous that it's grown into a full-blown community now. Many of Cooper's duties have been assumed by other bands in the scene. Ilsa from Ze Auto Parts works on the web site and emails, Matt from the OAOTs handles press and radio, Andre from Silver Needle does the flyers and works on the site. Danny Poulis runs the street team, and Robin Holden of King Cheetah runs sound. The Dollyrots were incredible as far as planning and executing the tour. Members of Midway and Bobot Adreniline have offered help. All these duties where once on Cooper's shoulders. Now it really is a movement.
GLONO: You've been in bands around the country, what's different about LA?
MS: LA is a really tough market in comparison to most of the Midwest. It most likely has to do with the sheer volume of entertainment available. I once read that on any given night, something like 300 to 400 bands are playing different gigs in the greater LA area. Not to mention the comedy shows, plays, nude interpretive dance karaoke, etc, ad nauseum. This can make it extremely difficult to gain any name recognition for a band. So the best way around this is to A: keep your damn band TOGETHER; B: promote like crazy ; and C: team up with some like-minded bands and start a club/movement. This way you become press worthy.
GLONO: When the Kiss or Kill scene was developing, what were the common threads that brought the bands together?
MS: I think what really helped it take off and continue to stay strong chiefly, was the fact that the bands were all big fans of one another. We all displayed something unique and resistant to what was common, marginal, and being beaten to death on the radio and TV. And frankly, we deserved an audience. All the bands were sort of looking to become part of something bigger. Y'know, something we could own. What's really my favorite element of Kiss or Kill is the bands' willingness to strongly support each other. I remember one particular evening, while standing in the foyer of the Garage (the club's original home), I observed Tony from Billion Stars sitting with member's of the Randies, while being taunted by a drunken Eddie (of the OAOT's), as Cooper sat drinking with the Dollyrots and the girls from Ze Auto Parts. I just sort of thought. "Yeah. This is how it's supposed to be. Rock and Roll is fun with your friends." It was the first time it really felt like a scene.
Another major element is the songs. All the KOK bands possess the common characteristic of great songwriting. I think the Kiss or Kill compilation CD (review) illustrates that quite vividly. Hooky, unique, important songs. Ugh. That sounded so Rolling Stone. Forgive me, I gotta go barf on myself.
GLONO: You recently brought Kiss or Kill on the road, how were you received in different parts of the country? The Chicago show went well, but I know you had some stinker shows too. What seemed to be the difference?
MS: Honestly, the tour was a scream. I'd say 90% of the gigs were great. The shows that really sort of tanked had more to do with whether the clubs were about music or just sort of had music to have it. I mean, some of the alternative venues were awesome. The skatepark in Omaha was one of my favorite shows ever. The kids there were one of the greatest, most enthusiastic audiences I've seen. Yet, at one of the NY shows we encountered the complete opposite. This Lit Lounge in New York just sort of got the bands done really early so the DJ could start. And then of course the club filled right up. They had a 5-dollar cover during the bands and then the show became free when the DJ started. Live music just really didn't seem a priority there.
GLONO: Two bands crammed in one van for two weeks can get "uncomfortable." Any funny stories?
MS: One of the funnier moments occurred in Omaha, NE. As I mentioned, we played this great skatepark. An Omaha local band called Flurry set up the show. (Excellent band, by the way.) Flurry's bassist Matt, very nicely offered his home as a place to crash. So, after this really cool show, we all headed back to his place with his band. We arrive at his home, armed with boatloads of beer and Taco Bell, only to find his pregnant girlfriend at the door. She sweetly greeted us all and then announced to Matt that she was in labor and had to go to the hospital… NOW! She was in labor! Everybody's jaw just dropped. It was like 20 people instantly became expectant fathers! "Boil some water… find clean towels… get the keys!" Matt shot off to the hospital and the rest of us drank beer and awaited the arrival of his new baby girl, Isabella. Two hours later the police came to the door with news that a gas station down the street was just robbed by a man with red hair. Josh, the Dollyrots drummer, sporting a fine red Mohawk dove beneath a sleeping bag! The other members of Flurry finally got rid of the police and Josh was able to pass out knowing he wasn't going to experience the Omaha dungeons. But other than that, nobody got arrested, nobody got VD, and we proved that four men could simultaneously fart and still get the two girls to return to the van the next day.
GLONO: Five of the eleven bands on the Kiss or Kill Comp have female members. Is this some sort of girl power statement? Or are we finally growing up and realizing that chicks can rock just as hard as the guys?
MS: Wow. I didn't realize the numbers looked like that. I would definitely say the latter. We just try to find really good bands. Los Angeles is actually a pretty good place to be a female rocker, I think. I mean, unfortunately, girl bands are given kind of a novelty tag here at first, but if they are truly good, they also seem to advance much faster than their male counterparts. I can't speak for this trend nationally, but at least locally that's what I've observed. Kiss or Kill dedicates one Tuesday a month as "Girls Rock Riot" which is comprised of all female or female-fronted bands and it has proven to be our best night of the month. I can say, at least in respect to L.A., that whole stigma of 'resistance' to the girl rocker has really faded. I mean, hey! Most guys dig chicks. Guys dig chicks who rock even more. At least I do. They always bring so much more style along with the substance.
GLONO: You moved to LA for acting. How did you end up getting back into music? How did Bang Sugar bang start?
MS: Well, yeah. I came out here to go to grad school for acting and spent a couple of years kicking around neurotically trying to weasel onto the lots. Actually, it wasn't that bad, I got to wait on Marlon Brando and met John Doe of X while filming an episode of Roswell. Cooper and I actually met as actors. She wanted to learn to play the bass and start a band. So, I taught her some stuff and off she went. I've never seen anyone work so hard. Next we started writing and I really dug what was coming out. I still thought of myself as an actor though. One night she peeled off the bass line to Bowie's "John, I'm only Dancing" and I figured it was probably time to get a band going. I still only planned on playing with her as a hobby, however. But after [Bang Sugar Bang's drummer] Pawley came bouncing up the doorway and we had our first rehearsal, everything changed. It was so damn fun. Like back in jr. high, when I played in punk bands at friends' basement keggers. That kind of fun. That coupled with Cooper's almost obsessive drive and the great songs that were emerging, well, my priorities changed overnight.
GLONO: How did Pawley come into the picture?
MS: I'd known Pawley from college at Western Michigan University and he was a really good fit. Pawley and Cooper were both kinda green, but the chemistry was really positive, open and unrestrictive. I think that had a lot to do with how much fun it was. I got to relive my own early days, via their enthusiasm. Kind of strange really; I came out here to teach intro to acting at grad school and ended up teaching old school punk to a couple of actors. I always joke that Cooper dragged me back into music kickin' and screamin', but that's really untrue. Rock and roll was always my greatest love. I made a lot of excuses for leaving music and all of them were total horseshit! I don't think anyone should ever turn their back on their passion, regardless of anyone else's opinion. It's your fucking life. Live it your way and be happy. There are a lot of miserable people out there, just looking for company. Leave them to the misery and get on with your sound.
GLONO: Where does the name Bang Sugar Bang come from?
MS: We were originally called, "Leather David and the Angry Housewives" for reasons that are far too stupid to expound upon. It didn't take long for anyone to realize we needed a name that wasn't… y'know… stupid. Besides, I think there's a band called, "The Angry Housewives." One night Cooper was sitting at her computer, quite intoxicated, and was just spitting out her favorite band names. Stuff like Cop shoot Cop, Love spit Love… stuff like that and I guess Bang Sugar Bang just popped into her head. I tend to favor things that leave themselves open to individual interpretation. Besides, it was way better than my suggestion of "Retardo, the Magician."
GLONO: The BSB fanbase seems pretty tight-knit and that's something you seem to really foster (with the monthly Best Bang, crowd participation moments in the live show, etc). It's almost a throwback to the Fugazi mentality or a rejection of the cult of personality we have in big rock today. Besides being a riot at shows, how else does this approach help you as a band?
MS: Well, we call them "the Punters," after the Brit slang term for the pogoing masses of '78. And they all have nicknames like Gorby Bang, Bang-a-Long, Puntacious Pilate, Paul-o-matic, Sandblaster, Bang, Bang Crayons… it just makes it more like a really twisted clubhouse. But what all that has really done is to let people know that they are the scene. It's them and the music. It's that they totally belong somewhere; in a city that often tries to make you feel excluded. So it's helped us by gaining many wild, loyal, and real honest-to-goodness friends. We always wanted the club's vibe to be like; if your best pal in high school threw a huge bash with all your friends' bands and everybody was there, and the cops never came, and that girl named Pam, who was one grade ahead, dragged you into the bathroom and made out with you for an hour. Basically, the first really cool party you ever went to EVERY Tuesday night. So I guess what I'm saying is, we wouldn't have an act without the punters. We're their band and they're our gang. I honestly love every one of those bastards and bastardesses. That whole detached, cooler-than-thou thing is the most boring, stale and overused schtick in music. And it does absolutely nothing for anybody.
GLONO: How is BSB perceived in LA? Gaining any ground?
MS: Oh man… Depends on who you talk to. Some probably say that we work really hard; play our asses off live; and that we really care about this scene and all the bands and people involved. Others would probably say we're mouthy as hell; think we're too good to play the Viper Room; and sound way too much like X. Who knows? I really don't pay too much attention to our perception beyond occasionally reading something about us that pisses me off. Then I put it down and get back to the mission, y'know? Sometimes, a few beers will cause that ire to resurface. But hey, I started out a punk, and will probably always approach life that way. Sometimes it's fun to be drunk and surly.
All that aside, I think we will keep gaining ground, whether it's in L.A. or via strategically touring elsewhere. Local radio has been very cool to the whole Kiss or Kill movement. The comp release as well as many of the bands own CDs are being featured every week on Indie 103's Check, One, Two program and KXLU's Noise Pollution, which was our hope all along.
You see, I want all these bands to hit it as bad as they do… really! Cooper and I won't have it any other way. My motto is: I'm not leaving this town without a big fat check.
GLONO: I know you've had some issues with certain members of the press in LA. Is that intentional at all? Maybe a way to stay out of the LA scene and develop your own scene?
MS: Oh, I don't know. I'm not at war with anybody. I just think it's silly that certain writers never seem to leave the same club. They'd rather revel in their scenester status. Happy to be a supposed tastemaker than really, honestly exploring what is out there, or truly write critically about local music. It's just my hammerhead, knee-jerk reaction to absolute, bought-and-sold pretense in some of the local press. I don't know. Shit. They just make me want to fight. I just really hate the whole hipster mentality. It's difficult to bitch too loud, because the perception is of sour grapes about your band being ignored. But I care so much about all these bands and the songs they write, that I'm compelled to shoot my extremely big mouth off sometimes. If I'm guilty of passion about this music. Passion to a fault. I say, full speed ahead. Put the money down and let it ride. It's probably not a good quality for a starship captain, but for a punker trying to change music's views, I'll take it. It's the ex-hockey player in me, Derek. I like a few beers and a good fight.
Matt Southwell sings and plays guitar in the Los Angeles band Bang Sugar Bang and is the founder of War Room Records.


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As astute and long-term readers would no doubt be aware, I presented on RESTful Approaches to Financial Systems Integration at qCon London 2009 in the Financial Technology track. Then qCon London 2010 came, and I attended, and I was a little bit frustrated that in the city of the world most known for innovation in Financial Technology, there was no Financial Technology track.
Well, the masses have spoken. qCon London 2011 will have a Financial Technology track.
Even more humbling for me, I've been recommended as the host of the track, and I've accepted. I will be the Finance War Stories track host for qCon 2011.
I plan on making sure that this track follows on from the 2009 track, which was one of the highest rated and most oversubscribed tracks in the whole conference. Moreover, I plan on making sure that the track presentations are approachable and interesting for developers from finance as well as from people trying to learn from the financial technology industry.
I've long been of the opinion that the rest of the world, particularly web-scale industries, have a lot to teach the relatively insular community of financial technologists. I am also of the opinion that many problems people outside finance face are being reinvented by people who aren't familiar with the technologies, techniques, and architectures that have been second nature to financial industry professionals for years. I hope that we can continue breaking down the boundaries between financial technology professionals and the industry at large.
If you're interested in giving a talk, please feel free to contact me: kirk at opengamma dot com
or a comment on this blog post is the best way to to the head of the list. In addition, if there's someone you really want to see presenting in this track, or something you want to see a talk about, please don't hesitate to contact me as well.


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The oldest man left standing by the third round of the 2011 U.S. Open men's singles event turned out to be the latest scalp of Donald Young. The American had the crowd behind him as he defeated the 24th seed Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 6-4, 6-3, and Young'll face Andy Murray in the fourth round (joining compatriots Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, and John Isner in the sweet 16). See the rest of the men's draw here.
But before we bid Chela farewell, a look at his spotted crew from Topper Argentina, a refreshing use of circles in what has been a sea of solids and straight lines at this year's event.
(photos by DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)


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4 November 2010 | ||
16:00 | to | 18:00 |
Giampaolo Girardi, the President of Proposta Vini Italia, will introduce us to the world of ungrafted Italian wines before phylloxera. There will be a conversation and an opportunity to taste some wines made with the fruit of vines that are not grafted on American rootstocks. In the second half of the 19th century, phylloxera devastated European vineyards. They had no defences against the parasites brought over on vines from the New World, which were healthy carriers! It almost seemed as if the Americas wanted revenge for the diseases taken across the ocean by the Conquistadors. Until that time, European vines needed no special treatment because they were not affected by anything except the rare "esca" disease. Some vineyards have survived in areas to which phylloxera has not spread due to climatic and/or geological reasons; few others are able to withstand the attacks on their original roots. All of the ungrafted varieties have highly characteristic qualities that are much more distinct than those on American rootstocks.
Coordinators: Lorenzo Grassivaro & Sergio Fragiacomo
With the support of the Italian Wine Sommeliers' Association – Venice