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WASHINGTON—A Pakistani man has been indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for allegedly conspiring to advertise and sell StealthGenie, a spyware application (app) that could monitor calls, texts, videos and other communications on mobile phones without detection. This marks the first-ever criminal case concerning the advertisement and sale of a mobile device spyware app.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew McCabe of the FBI's Washington Field Office made the announcement.
"Selling spyware is not just reprehensible, it's a crime," said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. "Apps like StealthGenie are expressly designed for use by stalkers and domestic abusers who want to know every detail of a victim's personal life – all without the victim's knowledge. The Criminal Division is committed to cracking down on those who seek to profit from technology designed and used to commit brazen invasions of individual privacy."
"StealthGenie has little use beyond invading a victim's privacy" said U.S. Attorney Boente. "Advertising and selling spyware technology is a criminal offense, and such conduct will be aggressively pursued by this office and our law enforcement partners."
"This application allegedly equips potential stalkers and criminals with a means to invade an individual's confidential communications," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge McCabe. "They do this not by breaking into their homes or offices, but by physically installing spyware on unwitting victim's phones and illegally tracking an individual's every move. As technology continues to evolve, the FBI will investigate and bring to justice those who use illegal means to monitor and track individuals without their knowledge."
According to allegations in the indictment, Hammad Akbar, 31, of Lahore, Pakistan, is the chief executive officer of InvoCode Pvt Ltd, the company that advertises and sells StealthGenie online. Akbar and his co-conspirators allegedly created the spyware, which could intercept communications to and from mobile phones, including Apple's iPhone, Google's Android, and Blackberry Limited's Blackberry. StealthGenie was undetectable by most users and was advertised as being untraceable. Akbar was charged in the indictment with conspiracy, sale of a surreptitious interception device, advertisement of a known interception device and advertising a device as a surreptitious interception device. He was arrested in Los Angeles on Sept. 27, 2014, and is expected to appear before a magistrate judge in the Central District of California later today.
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(Adds quotes, background)
By Lisa Maria Garza
DALLAS, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A Texas jury sentenced former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent to 180 days in jail and 10 years probation on Friday for causing a fiery one-car crash that killed his teammate after a night of heavy drinking in 2012.
The same jury that earlier this week convicted Brent, 25, of intoxication manslaughter for the death of Jerry Brown Jr., could have sentenced him to as much as 20 years in jail.
Brent stood silently and looked at Dallas County Judge Robert Burns as he read the sentence.
Brent's mother and family burst into tears and hugged each other when the sentence was read.
But the judge had harsh words for the former defensive lineman, and for the Cowboys.
"Your actions bring shame to the city of Dallas," Burns told Brent. "Mr. Brent, you are not the first Dallas Cowboy to kill somebody with a vehicle, but I sure hope you are the last."
After a night of drinking at a private club in December 2012, Brent was driving his Mercedes at 110 mph (177 kph) when it slammed into a curb on a state highway, flipping the car, which caught on fire, and killing Brown, then 25.
Brent's blood alcohol level at the time was 0.189, more than double the legal limit in Texas, according to police documents.
Prosecutor Heath Harris told reporters after the sentencing: "I believe this jury found something salvageable in him, but this court's going to hold him accountable."
Defense attorney George Milner said Brent was still in shock at the sentence and has not said much.
"He certainly knows he played some role in Jerry's death and he's going to forever carry the responsibility of that," said Milner.
In testimony on Thursday, the victim's mother pleaded for leniency for Brent, saying her son would have agreed with her.
"He's still responsible, but you can't go on in life and hold a grudge. We all make mistakes and have to be forgiven. I'm sure that's what Jerry would have wanted," Stacey Jackson said.
Brent was put on leave by the Cowboys after the accident, and retired from the team in July.
Without his football salary, Brent had been working in a Dallas warehouse, packing boxes. Brent was paid $630,000 for the final year of his NFL contract before his retirement. (Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Scott Malone and Gunna Dickson)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sam Steward "Obscene Diary" Exhibition
Professor Sam Steward is best known to the tattoo community as Phil Sparrow, a meticulous tattooer whom many credit with raising the bar of body art. Steward wrote the seminal "Bad Boys & Tough Tattoos: A Social History of the Tattoo with Gangs, Sailors, and Street-Corner Punks," a sort of diary on his 18 years tattooing during the 50s and 60s.
Last year, a much lauded biography was released revealing the many different lives of Steward beyond tattoo artist -- the academic, the writer and the "exuberant erotic adventurer." "Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist & Sexual Renegade" by Justin Spring is lush with sexy stories culled from 80 boxes of letters, drawings, sexual paraphernalia, even pubic hair from Rudolph Valentino (with whom he had an affair). There's some talk of tattooing, but homosexual life dominates the narrative. I guess I wasn't clear about this in my first post on the book because I received a few emails from those who ordered it asking why I was pushing gay porn. It seems not many of you are exuberant erotic adventurers.
For those who are, a limited edition companion book was released by Spring entitled "An Obscene Diary: The Visual World of Sam Steward." This art and photography compilation, complete with explicit sexual imagery, inspired the "Obscene Diary" exhibit at the Museum of Sex in NYC. The Museum says of the show: "This exhibition features the most comprehensive group of artifacts from the Steward Archive that will ever be made available for public view and asks patrons to reflect on what it would look like if their own sexual histories were documented and what this would say about the times in which we live." [In the age of sexting and kissy-face profile pics on Facebook, I think our sexual histories are not so secret.]
Yesterday, the NY Times offered a multimedia feature on the exhibit, which is fantastic. It includes six photos accompanied by audio narration by Spring, giving context to the image. For example, in the photo above, Spring discusses Steward's tattooing and notes that he was the official tattooer for the Hells Angels from 1965-1970 in San Francisco. Each image is worth a click for these kind of gems.
Many thanks to Bill of TattoosDay for the NY Times link!


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The Legend Brands group of companies is the world's leading distributor of equipment and solutions for professional cleaning, water damage restoration, fire remediation, facility maintenance and environmental control. It is comprised of Dri-Eaz Products, ProRestore Products, Sapphire Scientific, Chemspec and VersaClean Systems.
Headquarters: Burlington, Washington Phone: (800) 932-3030 Website: www.legendbrands.com
This website uses cookies and other tracking technologies (also known as pixels or beacons) to aid your experience (such as viewing videos), as well as "performance cookies" to analyze your use of this website and to assist with marketing efforts. If you click the "Accept All Cookies" button or continue navigating the website, you agree to having those first and third-party cookies set on your device. If you do not wish to accept cookies from this website, you can choose to not allow cookies from this website by updating your browser preferences. For more information on how we use Cookies, please read our Privacy Policy.


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Organizations often develop Web portals for different countries in silos. Each country/region may have its own IT department, which develops websites that cater to that region's needs. While this provides a good customized solution catering to a specific country/region's requirements, the branding and user experience across these various sites for the same corporation becomes very inconsistent.
Based on his experience working with a variety of global enterprises, Venu Madhav Gooty, Senior Manager for ECM Solutions at Virtusa, shares 10 best practices that organizations often miss when developing a globalization strategy.
Reducing Application Maintenance Service Costs Short and long-term tactics to reduce service costs associated with application maintenance.
Top 10 Project Management Trends for 2011 Key themes project managers will see in 2011.
Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2010 Weird and wacky questions job seekers faced in 2010.
Related Topics : SharePoint, Web Video and Voice Conferencing, UK, MySpace, Intranets
With an historic shift toward e-commerce, it's more important than ever that retailers have the right pieces in place to successfully capture online traffic and drive conversions. ... More >>
Digital innovation is by far the biggest influencer, changing the way we do just about everything, from shopping to communication to running a business. ... More >>
In addition to posing a critical challenge to company branding, web scraping threatens sales, SEO rankings and can undermine the integrity of content that took resources to produce. ... More >>


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The government says it wants everyone's phone records so that it can thwart acts of terrorism. Said one administration spokeswoman: "This is terrorist surveillance, not domestic surveillance."
But does anyone really believe that ABCNews reporters are part of an al-Qaeda sleeper cell?
The phone records program may have already morphed into just a criminal investigative tool for the government. If that turns out to be accurate, it is deeply disturbing.


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It's been a little while since we have had a new movie from Gods Of Men, but here we've got The Black Room, and it features one of Men.com's biggest cocks. This mighty meat is attached to the rather sexy Rafael Alencar who you might remember from 'My neighbour's son', 'The Limo Driver' and 'The Bodyguard.' He tends to make one-off movies from the company rather than appearing in series, and so far he has made 23 appearances. That works out at just over 22 feet of cock on show, because Rafael sports at 11.5 inch monster, but that is only one of the reasons he is so popular. The others have to do with his looks, his body and his ability to pump out a magical hardcore scene every time.
Stream Video:
He is in the Black Room with a new guy, Saxon West. That's a great name, Saxon has red hair and, well, Saxon looks, and he sports at eight and a half inch cut cock that stands out proud from his red, though here shaved, pubes. Like a lot of guys these days he has some tats, as does Rafael, and he is fit and chunky.
The scene starts off straight away, there is no build up to this new Gods Of Men fantasy. We are in a dark room and Saxon walks up to Rafael and they start kissing. I have to say, I have been in some back rooms in my time and this is one of the lighter dark/black/back rooms I've encountered, which is just as well as we get to see everything. Saxon is down on Rafael's huge dick before you can say 'swallow that length' and he is more than able to satisfy the full length of it. The guys strip down and we pan out a little to reveal candles, the source of the light and the fact that this dark room resembles some kind of shrine; a shrine to the gods of men of course.
The guys start on the anal, with Rafael riming the cute ass of Saxon before teasing it with his cock. Saxon is clearly used to big and wide, though even so the force of that great cock opening up his hole makes him, and us, gasp as, at around 12 minutes in, the fuck session starts in earnest. There are some great moments where Rafael pulls out completely and then dives back into that ass again, and where Saxon's smooth white butt is getting drilled from underneath. He is stroking his own impressive cock while he's being fucked and eventually unloads his jizz onto Rafael's body.
It's all done with natural sound and that lends an atmosphere that's intimate and sexy, though things do get slightly louder when Rafael empties his over-full nuts all over Saxon's face. This red guy is going to be bottom to keep an eye on.
admin June 26th, 2014
Posted In: Gods Of Men, Rafael Alencar, Saxon West
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Calvary's Road Christian Books & Gifts
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Quite by accident, Sarah King has fallen in love. But this love is forbidden, and could cost her everything she holds dear.Tucked into the majesty of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains is a garden Sarah King has been nurturing for years. She never feels more alive than when she is alone with her thoughts and her Creator among the delicate rows of plants. But then duty calls her away from her beloved garden and into a world she knows little about.Grant Williams, a handsome young veterinarian, has left the city to open a rural practice among the Amish. Within minutes of meeting shy but feisty Sarah King, he is captivated by her.As their feelings grow for one another, Sarah insists they can never be together. Marrying Grant would mean being uprooted from her home, her family, and her community. Throughout the cold Pennsylvania winter, with her garden tucked away until spring, Sarah begins crafting a quilt that illustrates her pain. Can anything lasting blossom from a love that's forbidden?
More Product Information
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson
- Release Date: February 5, 2019
- Language: English
- Binding: Mass Market Paperbound
- Height: 1.10 inches
- Width: 4.10 inches
- Length: 6.70 inches
- Weight: 0.17 pounds


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Transfer Students
Where can you go from here?
You deserve credit for pursuing your education and reaching your goals. At Central Penn, our transfer process is fast, seamless and simple for graduates of community colleges and other two-year institutions. Students completing their associate or specialized associate degree from the institutions below are eligible to participate. Wherever you begin your education, finishing it with a degree from Central Penn is a valuable advantage.
Students from identified high schools and other accredited two-year and four-year institutions can apply up to 75 of their credits to a Central Penn bachelor's degree and up to 50 percent of credits for an associate degree. PTA and OTA transfer students can apply a maximum of 33 credits. Students from high schools with articulation agreements can transfer up to 12 credits. Zero level courses do not count toward graduation and will not transfer.
Students are provided with an evaluation of what is needed to complete their degree requirements. Central Penn College does not accept credits from institutions that do not hold accreditation.


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Have you ever peeked into one of those bazillion .el files in your Emacs installation's lisp folder and wondered what it meant? Or have you ever looked at a GIMP script .scm file and scratched your head over all the parentheses? Lisp is one of the oldest programming languages still in common use, and Scheme is a streamlined dialect of Lisp. Many universities use Scheme as the language to introduce students to the Computer Science curriculum, and some of their teaching methods are based on the assumption that Scheme is the one language they can count on their students knowing. Even so, many active programmers and system administrators are unfamiliar with Scheme. This article will get you on your way to adding this tool to your developer or sysadmin toolkit.
One of the first questions people have about Lisp-family languages such as Scheme is "What's up with all the parentheses?" Scheme programs are just sequences of lists, and lists are delimited by parentheses. After all, LISP itself is an acronym for LISt Processor. Whereas other programs use a variety of punctuation for syntax, Scheme's syntax is trivial -- everything is expressed as lists -- and this simplicity manifests itself in lists of lists of lists, all showing up as nested parentheses. In C you might see something like
z = x;
where you see syntax elements (), {}, and ;. A similar behavior in Scheme would be written as
The entire expression is a list with three components: the operator
if and two more lists. The first of these two is a list with operator
= and two variables; the second is the operator
set! and two variables. There's no need to learn when to use braces or when the semicolon is required.
List manipulation
Where do lists come from and how are they taken apart for interpretation? There are three mystically named procedures,
car, and
cons is an abbreviation for "construct" and constructs a pair from two elements. If the second of the two elements is a list, the resulting pair is a list. (There is also a non-list pair, but that is a topic for a longer article.)
car returns the first element of a list, and
cdr (pronounced could-er) returns the rest of the list, which might be empty, denoted
(). The two operators
car and
cdr get their names from a couple of registers used on the very early computer that Lisp was first written for.
Normally, Scheme tries to evaluate any symbols it encounters in a list. For example, if presented with the list
(a b c), Scheme will try to evaluate a, b, and c. To prevent this evaluation and tell Scheme to just use the list literally, a single quote mark precedes the symbol or a list, as
'(a b c). The
quote operator can also be used, as
(quote (a b c)).
ll is the list
(a b c), evaluating
(cons 'd ll) produces the list
(d a b c). Each of the elements could itself be a list. Now let's go the opposite direction and extract elements of the list.
(car ll) returns the value
a and
(cdr ll) returns the list
(b c). How would you get the value b? A good guess would be
(car (cdr ll)). But this is such a common task that Scheme provides a suite of abbreviations. The one-step way to get b is
(cadr ll).
We have been flirting with the question of how Scheme processes lists. A complete discussion takes quite a bit of space, but a beginner-level explanation is that Scheme looks at the first item in the list and evaluates it first, then decides what to do with the rest of the list. In a simple case like
(+ 13 aa), Scheme sees that
+ is the addition operator, and then proceeds to evaluate 13 and
aa. 13 just evaluates to the number 13, and if
aa evaluates to a number, the two are added. If
aa does not evaluate to a number, Scheme reports an error and aborts.
Some operators, called forms, do not always result in all of the following elements being evaluated. For instance, if the first item in the list is
or, following elements are evaluated in sequence only until one evaluates to
#t (Scheme's representation of true). For example, in
the display does not happen if x is a number.
Defining procedures
We need to take a deeper look at one special operator,
define, Scheme's operator for defining new procedures. The easiest way to grasp this operator is with the aid of a simple example. Let's define a procedure to compute the cube of a number. We'd like to end up with a procedure that will return the cube of, say, 32 when we say
(cube 32). Most Scheme programmers will define this procedure as:
(* x x x))
Simply start with the operator
define, write a pattern for how the procedure will be called, replacing a symbol for the parameter, and then an expression or a sequence of expressions for what the procedure does. The procedure's return value is just the value of the last expression evaluated. This example is trivial, but it contains the required elements.
Many procedures require local variables to be effective. Scheme offers two operators for initializing local variables,
let and
let*. The structure of both is similar:
where any number of variables can be set to any number of values, and any number of expressions can be evaluated. The values may themselves be expressions. The difference between
let and
let* is that in
let expressions, all the value expressions must not contain any of the variables defined in the
let, whereas in the
let*, the values may be expressions that use variables defined above.
The method described above is syntactic sugar for a method that is both more flexible and, arguably, more expressive of what's happening under the covers. You can write this:
(lambda (x) (* x x x)))
The procedure
lambda is an operator that produces an unnamed procedure. Procedural programming, which is well supported by Scheme and Lisp, makes heavy use of such procedures. The object returned by
lambdais the procedure, and the
define simply assigns a name to an otherwise anonymous procedure. If this seems a bit bizarre to you, don't get sidetracked by it; you can write a lot of effective Scheme code without ever typing l-a-m-b-d-a.
If you're an experienced Scheme programmer, you're probably sputtering something to the effect that there's a lot more to defining procedures than this. That's true, but the number of options and variations is beyond the scope of this introduction. For all the gory details, turn to the references in the sidebar.
Key differences between Scheme and Lisp
Comparing GIMP script-fu files and Emacs elisp files quickly raises a lot of questions about differences between the two. The first difference to get used to is the difference between
define in Scheme and
defun in Lisp. In the latter, the pattern is
It's an easy enough difference to remember: Scheme uses a pattern that looks like how a Scheme procedure is called, and Lisp uses a pattern that looks like a lambda definition.
The other key thing to remember is that it is customary to define tests in Scheme with a question mark at the end, such as
list?, whereas in Lisp it is common to put a "p (for "predicate") at the end, such as
Beyond these two differences, it's mostly a matter of learning procedure names by that old tried-and-true method: start writing some code while you have a browser opened onto a good reference.
A simple practical example
Ready to see Scheme tackle some real work? I spend my workdays writing C++ code, and I got tired of always having to type in the same boilerplate information into the .cpp and .h files I create for every C++ class I create, so I called on Scheme to do that task for me. Now, by entering the shell command
NewClass MyClass, I get two files, myclass.h and myclass.cpp, both set up with just the right minimum of C++ content so I can go right to work on coding. You should be able to follow along now.
#! /usr/bin/guile -s
;; Note the unusual shebang lines above.
;; NewClass
;; Usage: NewClass ClassName
;; Produces classname.h, classname.cpp (all lowercase)
;; for C++ class ClassName (case preserved)
; Create header file containing class declaration
(define (make-cpp-decl className)
(let* ((fileName (format #f "~a.h" (string-downcase className)))
(outf (open-file fileName "w"))
(headerTag (format #f "~a_H" (string-upcase className))))
(display (format #f "#ifndef ~a\n" headerTag) outf)
(display (format #f "#define ~a\n\n" headerTag) outf)
(display (format #f "class ~a\n" className) outf)
(display "{\n" outf)
(display "public:\n\n" outf)
(display "protected:\n\n" outf)
(display "private:\n\n" outf)
(display "};\n\n" outf)
(display (format #f "#endif // ~a\n" headerTag) outf)))
; Create source file containing class definition
(define (make-cpp-def className)
(let* ((prefix (string-downcase className))
(srcName (format #f "~a.cpp" prefix))
(hdrName (format #f "~a.h" prefix))
(outf (open-file srcName "w")))
(display (format #f "#include \"~a\"\n" hdrName) outf)))
; Utility procedure for invoking both action procedures
(define (make-cpp-class className)
(make-cpp-decl className)
(make-cpp-def className)))
; Get second item on command line and invoke the utility procedure on it.
(make-cpp-class (cadr (command-line)))
This should be enough to get you started. If you're a GIMP or Emacs user, play around with a few scripts. If you're not, spend a little time with
guile and experiment. Pick a common task that you'd like to automate and see if you can implement it in Scheme. Before long, you'll want to hunker down with one of the resources given above to expand your knowledge. Have fun!


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Microsoft Corp. recently announced the global availability of Windows 8.1, a feature-rich update to its popular Windows 8 operating system, enabling customers to create experiences that keep pace with their lives — at work, at home or on the go. Beginning Oct. 17, consumers with a Windows 8 device in more than 230 markets and 37 languages can download the free update via the online Windows Store. Windows 8.1 will also be available on new devices and as boxed software starting Oct. 18 at retail locations around the world.
Windows 8.1 evolves the Windows vision for highly personalized computing while showcasing Microsoft's continued commitment to rapid and responsive development. It marks a wave of new, innovative devices coming for consumers and businesses — from the convenience and mobility of tablets and 2-in-1s to the productive experience expected from laptops, all-in-ones and specialized industry devices. Many of these new devices are touch-enabled and will deliver advancements in processing power, battery life and design, across a range of price points.
Windows 8.1 offers a host of increased customization refinements and functional improvements, including the following.
Related Topics : Acer, Laptops, Peripheral Hardware, Sony, Windows
Are remote data-management concerns stalling your business initiatives? Here are five ways VDI can simplify IT management. ... More >>
Microsoft will release a Windows 10 Anniversary Update later this year. Check out some of the new innovative features that will be included. ... More >>
Get a taste of what experts are thinking about in the realm of enterprise virtual reality and enterprise augmented reality. ... More >>


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Okay, Harris supposedly addresses Dennett fans.
He didn't defend his use of dualistic language, by the way.
Issue number 1:
Dan seems to think that free will is like color: People might have some erroneous beliefs about it, but the experience of freedom and its attendant moral responsibilities can be understood in a similarly straightforward way through science. I think that free will is an illusion and that analogies to phenomena like color do not run through. A better analogy, also taken from the domain of vision, would liken free will to the sense that most of us have of visual continuity.
This discussion should not be dominated by analogies: Analogies are there to help thinking, but as arguments in and of themselves, it is weak thinking and bad philosophy.
While color vision survives close inspection, our conventional sense of visual continuity does not. The impression we have of seeing everything all at once, clearly, and without interruption is based on our not paying close attention to what it is like to see. I argue that the illusory nature of free will can also be noticed in this way. As with the illusion of visual continuity, the evidence of our confusion is neither far away nor deep within; rather, it is right on the surface of experience, almost too near to us to be seen.
Of course, we could take Dan's approach and adjust the notion of "continuity" so that it better reflected the properties of human vision, giving us a new concept of seamless visual perception that is "worth wanting."
What is important to see here is the sleight-of-hand move of first giving his own analogy, and then mapping it on the supposed view of Dennett. Just as you can see in the first quote, the analogy Dennett has apparently given (I haven't read this from Dennett, but I haven't read Elbow Room yet, so maybe he has expressed this analogy, though it is still weak to have this discussion dominated by mere analogies) is about colour. Then, like a thief in the night, silently, hoping that nobody notices, he adjusts Dennett's analogy to suite his own purposes. This is intellectually dishonest.
Now there's a lot I agree with overall in what he wrote in response, and I can sympathize with the moral argument, but this is still wrong.
It seems to me that if something is clear in this case "Free Will" then it can not be argued. The thoughts on this post are certainly the products of good minds, yet there is nothing conclusive in these discussions that proves or disproves "free will" Can it not be said that a mind trying to decide between courses of action is a confused mind. When you are clear then you act, and face it one could never explore all the options the result would be paralysis . I think something needs to be understood prior do any discussions about human behavior, without understanding consciousness and what arises out of it all our talks are somewhat meaningless.
We do not understand consciousness - how it arises ,therefor or should I say hence these arguments.


text:
Greg Hausheer
|Maitland, Fla.
|High School:
|Winter Park
|Residential College:
2011-12: Took the year off from Yale to found his startup, Booksaver.
2010-11: Rowed in the bow of the 1V at Eastern Sprints, finishing third... Won the IRA national championship as the 3-seat of the 1V.
2009-10: Rowed in the bow of the 1V, finishing third at Eastern Sprints and fourth at IRA's.
2008-09: Rowed in 7-seat of the 1F, finishing third at Eastern Sprints.
Before Yale: Three-time Florida state champion at Winter Park... Won the Stotesbury Cup Regatta and SRRA Nationals in 2007... Silver medal at the Head of the Charles in 2007.
Personal: History major... Member of Silliman College... Eagle Scout... Older sister, Justine, rowed for Princeton's lightweight team.


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Shop for Life Relay event; Fairfield bridge club; N.C. State recognition of Wooten and Wilner
Shop for Life
Sue Ellen Maddux, director of Marketing and Special Events with the Woodmen Community Center, has receives two tickets to the Shop for Life event from Jane Wynne, Field Controls Relay for Life team captain, and Jenny Daughety, team member and Shop for Life chairwoman.
The vendor shopping fundraiser, sponsored by the Field Controls team, will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Woodmen Community Center.Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door or by calling 252-208-7333 or 252-208-7321.
Shop for Life benefits Lenoir County Relay for Life.
Bridge club names winners
The Fairfield Duplicate Bridge Club played a charity game April 30 for the American Cancer Society.
The winners were: Joe Goldwasser and Lamar Finch, first; Roz Ahrens and Jack Weeden, second; Pinkey Harper and Geneva Hood, third; and Jeannie Exum/Frances Jilcott and Nancy Barwick/Dayle Pond, fourth-place tie.
A regular game will be played at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday at Fairfield Center. The club welcomes and encourages all bridge players.
For more club information, call 252-523-6791.
KHS grad in N.C. State honor society
Spechel Wooten of Kinston has been inducted into Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society of Leadership and Success at N C. State University in Raleigh. The society has more than 200 college chapters and builds leaders who make a better world. Local chapters offer in-person leadership development and peer-to-peer networking for students around the world.
Wooten was selected at the beginning of spring semester, with the induction ceremony held April 22. Throughout the semester, she has served as the Community Service chairwoman.
A junior criminology and anthropology Bachelor of Arts major, with a forensic science minor, Wooten is a 2010 graduate of Kinston High School. She is the daughter of Malcolm and Sheila Wooten of Grifton, and the granddaughter of Peggy Davis of Kinston.
Kinston woman recognized at N.C. State
Brooke Morgan Wilner of Kinston, a freshman at N.C. State University, was named to the dean�s list for the fall semester and has accepted membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
The organization symbolizes academic achievement and gives students access to career and networking resources, scholarships, travel and service projects on campus and in the community. Membership for first- and second-year college students is by invitation only, based on grade-point average and class standing.
The 2012 graduate of the Epiphany School of Global Studies in New Bern also attended Arendell Parrott Academy. She is the daughter of Sherry Wilner and the granddaughter of Freely and Mary Smith, all of Kinston.


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A Stitch In Wintertime art print by Loisann Young. Our prints are produced on acid-free papers using archival inks to guarantee that they last a lifetime without fading or loss of color. All art prints include a 1" white border around the image to allow for future framing and matting, if desired.
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I was inspired to make these little nuggets of vegan goodness by a recipe for mochi chicken that was posted in the forums by member SojoMojo. He says that mochi chicken is a common dish in Hawaii; he grew up eating them and now loves to use them in his bentos. (As I learn more about Hawaiian cuisine, I realize that it departs from Japanese cuisine in many interesting ways, even if many of its roots are in Japan.) The mochi flour, cornstarch and egg batter produces a coating that is hard and crispy on the outside, and soft and mochi-like on the inside. Chicken lovers should try his recipe for sure!
For this vegan variation, I've used kouya dofu, or free-dried tofu. See an indepth description of kouya dofu. You can find it in the dried goods section of a Japanese grocery store, and it should be pretty inexpensive. It keeps indefinitely in the pantry, making it a great item to stock. If you can't get hold of kouya dofu, see the notes below about how to use regular tofu you've frozen yourself. I've also eliminated the egg from the coating, but the flavor-filled liquid in the pre-cooked tofu still produces a nice soft mochi-like interior.
As with all the vegan-protein recipes I post here, this tastes delicious to omnivores like myself too. As a matter of fact, when I packed a bento recently for the self-professed "bovo-vegetarian" in the house recently with these nuggets together with something meaty, he said he preferred these a lot more!
The whole process takes some time, but you can cook the tofu in advance and just coat and fry them up when you need them.
About 50 to 60 calories per nugget, depending on how well they are drained after frying.
For Step 1:
Soak the kouya dofu squares in water for a few minutes to soften. Lightly press them to expel the water. Cut the squares into quarters.
Combine the other ingredients in a pan and bring up to a simmer. Put the kouya dofu in (add some water or dashi if you need it to cover the squares), and simmer for about 10 minutes with a lid on. Turn the heat off and let cool. You can refrigerate this for 2-3 days. The simmered kouya dofu is delicious as-is, so you could use half of them just so (press out a bit of the liquid to prevent a flood in your bento box) and the rest for the nuggets.
For Step 2:
Combine the mochi flour and cornstarch. Take the kouya dofu squares out of the liquid, and press lightly to get rid of excess moisture. Coat them in the combined flour.
Heat up a frying pan with about 1/2 inch / 1 cm of frying oil. (You can add a few drops of sesame oil if you like to add a nutty flavor.) Fry the nuggets on both sides until golden brown and crispy. Drain off the oil well.
For bentos, let them cool down before putting into the box. They are also delicious piping hot.
If you are using regular tofu, you will need to freeze it as per the instructions on this page. Once the tofu has become spongy, press out the moisture as well as you can, then proceed as above and cook them in the liquid, etc. Regular frozen tofu doesn't have the same meaty texture as kouya dofu, but it's still pretty good.
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I bet this will be good with seitan as well.
What a coincident! Yesterday, I was looking for a chicken tofu recipe for some good health protein. I remember my mother making a chicken tofu dish that can be served cold. I tried calling her to ask for the recipe, but she isn't good about giving exact measurements. I don't think she's ever used measuring spoons or cups when she cooks so it makes it daunting to follow her cooking instructions!
Anyway, this looks GOOD. I'm looking forward to giving it a try this weekend since I need to add a bit more variety to my bento.
Mmm..just made these for dinner (with fresh, frozen tofu) with some well steamed aubergines and rice. Not in a bento I'm afraid, but delicious nonetheless. These are really nice and crispy!
They really look tasty. I have made something like this before and put sauce on the top of them.
I think with a recipe like this sesame oil really adds to the flavor.
This is a great recipe. They're a little bland by themselves, but dipping them in soy sauce and wasabi really completed this dish. The texture is really nice and of course they would be a perfect dish for your bento box.
I had a couple problems making this. I went to my local grocery store and the staff had no idea what mochiko was... and I live in Japan! The staff (I think about 3 members were called) decided it was a mysterious kanji package with no hint of mochi or ko. But there was a picture showing that it could be used for dango or manjuu and it did say mochi in hiragana somewhere on the package so I guess that was it. As I was frying it, the cubes soaked up all the oil and I had to keep reloading the pan with oil to keep frying it lest it burnt. I think there's something like 3 turns of oil in those puppies. The result is it tastes of fried something, the texture is definitely meaty. I think these make great snacks, although the process was a bit much for me to do at one time. This is the first time I've enjoyed tofu. Thanks Maki!
Ah, I figured the problem was something along those lines!
Maki: I dunno if you'll get this, but I just wanted to say how much I love these. I've been making them for my lunches for a little while now. I added a little pepper to the rice flour coating and I serve them up in my bento with a little container of sweet chili sauce. DELISH
Also, thank you SO MUCH for introducing me to kouya dofu. I adore this stuff.
I'm going to try using it the dry/grated method to make some gluten-free vegetarian sausages for my breakfasts and bentos next!
@justbento - strictly site updates
@makiwi - Maki tweets at random


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I'm thinking it could be something I had almost used in a photonovel. I've been thinking about it but feel I need to modify it a lot to not be so LOTR.
It's showing for me Brent... if you aren't getting it, it's a Cave Troll from LOTR.
KAY-BEE STANDARD RESPONSE: "All we have is 1990's 'Robocop' toys."WHICH MEANS: "Holy ******* ****, please shoot m
Your welcome,so when is the next chapters(s)?
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This class will empower you to use essential oils to optimise your health and well-being for you and your family. The oils can be used as effective plant-based medicine and also for daily emotional support whether it be for stress, anxiety, motivation and much more. The class will cover the following topics:
What is in an essential oil?
Why natural oils can be the most powerful form of medicine
How essential oils can powerfully affect your emotions through your limbic system in your brain
The effective use of oils against a virus
Why doTERRA are different to most essential oils in their philosophy and their healing capabilities
How to use the oils and integrate them into your current lifestyle and / or business
An overview of the most frequently used oils and their proven scientific studies to support their use
Class includes an eBook containing 50 ways to use essentail oils sent to you after attendance.


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Shawnee State University
Shawnee State University—the regional state university for Southern Ohio—prepares students for the changing needs of business industry education and society through its diversified degree programs. Recognizing the importance of knowledge values and cultural enrichment Shawnee State University is committed to providing higher education that fosters competence in oral and written communication scientific and quantitative reasoning and critical analysis/logical thinking. To enrich the lives of the community the University provides opportunities for continuing personal and professional development intellectual discovery applied research and appreciation for the creative and performing arts.
School Information940 Second St
Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
Calendar: Semester
Locale: Town: Distant
Open Admissions: Yes
Sector: Public, 4-year or above
Carnegie Basic: Baccalaureate Colleges--Arts & Sciences
Religious Affiliation: Not applicable
Accrediting Agency: North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission
Locale: Town: Distant
Open Admissions: Yes
Sector: Public, 4-year or above
Carnegie Basic: Baccalaureate Colleges--Arts & Sciences
Religious Affiliation: Not applicable
Accrediting Agency: North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission
Students & Faculty
Total Students
Male Students
Female Students
Total Intl Students
Intl Male Students
Intl Female Students
* All data is provided by the school or compiled from IPEDS as of December 2018
Total Tuition $24,872.00
Other Requirements:
Degrees & Programs
|Art Teacher Education
|Art/Art Studies, General
|Athletic Training/Trainer
|Biology/Biological Sciences, General
|Business Administration and Management, General
|CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician
|Chemistry, General
|Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician
|Computer Engineering Technology/Technician
|Curriculum and Instruction
|Dental Hygiene/Hygienist
|Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs
|Electromechanical Technology/Electromechanical Engineering Technology
|Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)
|Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields, Other
|English Language and Literature, General
|English/Language Arts Teacher Education
|Environmental Engineering Technology/Environmental Technology
|Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary
|General Studies
|History Teacher Education
|History, General
|Humanities/Humanistic Studies
|International Relations and Affairs
|Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
|Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching
|Legal Administrative Assistant/Secretary
|Management Information Systems, General
|Mathematics Teacher Education
|Mathematics, General
|Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist
|Occupational Therapist Assistant
|Occupational Therapy/Therapist
|Physical Therapy Technician/Assistant
|Plastics and Polymer Engineering Technology/Technician
|Psychology, General
|Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
|Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist
|Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
|Sign Language Interpretation and Translation
|Social Sciences, General
|Social Studies Teacher Education
|Special Education and Teaching, General
|Sport and Fitness Administration/Management


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Unicolonial ants pose challenge to "selfish gene" theory.
Unicolonial ants, such as these Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), are genetically unrelated but will cooperate to defeat a much larger adversary.
Source: Alex Wild / Live Science
It has been a mainstay of evolutionary theory since the 1970s. Natural selection acts purely on the level of the individual and any cooperation observed between organisms merely hides a selfish genetic motive. There have been two pioneering theories to explain cooperation in the natural world given this framework: the first was William Hamilton's (1964) theory of kin selection and the second was Robert Trivers' (1971) theory of reciprocal altruism.
However, both of these scenarios break down where it comes to unicolonial ants. In a new paper in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution (subscription required) Heikki Helantera, of the University of Sussex, and colleagues at Rice University have investigated how previous theories to explain cooperation don't apply for these unique supercolonies.
Unicolonial ants carry polydomy [multiple nests in a supercolony that all individuals rotate through] and polygyny [multiple queens in one nest] to extremes. Colonies are huge, each being a network of hundreds or thousands of nests, each with multiple queens. There is no worker aggression, and there is free movement among nests on a vast scale. The energy that might have been put into fighting and territoriality flows into the common good, more ants.Such a concept, a form of genuine anarchism in the animal world, was thought to be impossible given existing theory. These ants live in colonies where relatives exist but, with so much migration throughout a network stretching thousands of kilometers, each ant worker is mostly surrounded by total strangers that share none of their genes. Only one other species has ever been known to organize themselves in such a fashion (and if you're reading these words right now you know who you are).
To understand how unicolonial ants have come to be the way they are, we must first understand what they're not. Kin selection has proposed that cooperation will emerge in groups that are made up of close relatives. Hamilton's rule, beautiful in its simplicity, proposed that cooperation occurs when the cost to the actor (C) is less than then the benefit to the recipient (B) multiplied by the genetic relatedness between the two (r). This equation is written out simply as rB > C.
Lion siblings often cooperate as teams and benefit through kin selection.
Source: Scotch Macaskill / Wildlife Pictures.com
To put this into context: an alpha male lion and his brother share half of their genes, so have a genetic relatedness of 0.5. Suppose this brother recognizes that the alpha male is getting old and could easily be taken down. If so, the brother could potentially have eight additional cubs (just to pull out an arbitrary number). But, instead, that brother decides to help the alpha male to maintain his position in the pride and, as a result, the alpha ends up having the eight additional cubs himself while the brother only has five. The brother has lost out on 3 potential cubs. But, even so, because he assisted his brother he has still maximized his overall reproductive success from a genetic point of view: (0.5) x 8 = 4 > 3. He could have attempted to usurp his brother and, perhaps, had the eight cubs himself but he wouldn't have been in any better of a position as far as his genes were concerned.
Reciprocal altruism follows this same basic idea, but proposes a mechanism that could work for individuals that are unrelated. In this scenario, cooperation occurs when the cost to the actor (C) is less than the benefit to the recipient (B) multiplied by the likelihood that the cooperation will be returned (w) or wB > C. This has been demonstrated among vampire bats who regurgitate blood into a stranger's mouth if they weren't able to feed that night. Previous experience has shown the actor that they're likely to get repaid if they ever go hungry one night themselves. This theory requires that individuals be part of a single group, with low levels of immigration and emigration, so that group members will be likely to encounter each other on a regular basis.
Previously, it was argued that all ants followed an extreme form of kin selection. Because of their unique process of reproduction females develop from fertilized eggs and have paired chromosomes (that is, one from each parent). However, males develop from unfertilized eggs and only have a single chromosome from their mother. As a result, female workers share up to 75 percent of their genes with sisters but only 50 percent with their mother (or their own offspring, if they were to reproduce). Worker ants therefore have greater genetic success by not reproducing but, instead, helping to raise and protect their legion of closely related sisters.
Ant reproduction gives rise to genetic sisterhood.
Source: Unattributed
This explanation has been somewhat clouded given more recent evidence that queens engage in polyandry (mating with multiple males). A queen will frequently mate with up to five different males and store their combined sperm, around 100 million of them, in a special compartment called the spermatheca. By releasing a single sperm at a time the queen can control the number of eggs she lays. However, because there are multiple fathers, the genetic relationship between the female worker ants is reduced. Female workers may therefore only be related by 25 percent with the females they're helping to raise. Why would female workers continue to be non-reproductive and help rear distant relatives when they could have twice the reproductive success by having their own offspring? While there are strategies female workers employ to maximize their own reproductive success (like preferrentially rearing eggs that they are more closely related to or, in some rare cases, reproducing themselves) it still remains puzzling why ants have been so successful given this seeming contradiction.
If you add to this the realities of multiple queens in a single nest (polygyny) and supercolonies that are composed of thousands of such nests (polydomy), the problem becomes insurmountable. If worker ants share zero percent of their genes with those they're cooperating with, as is the case in these unicolonies, then why cooperate? What do they have to gain?
This is the problem that Helantera and colleagues are seeking to understand in their latest paper. While the authors emphasize a range of possible explanations, I want to focus on just one that has been generating a great deal of interest in the last few years: group selection.
The extreme cooperation of unicolonial ants has been suggested to be an example of selection occurring on levels higher than the individual, such as the superorganism, group or even population.Group selection is the idea that, under certain circumstances, genes will be selected for because they benefit the overall success of the group rather then simply the individual. While it is usually assumed that these populations will have a high level of relatedness (making the promotion of the group an extended form of kin selection) the authors suggest a scenario in which group selection could apply even among unrelated group members.
Giant ants terrorize humanity in Them!.
Source: Warner Bros.
This is a possibility I like to call Ronald Reagan's Alien Invasion Hypothesis. In a speech before the United Nations on Sept. 21, 1987 Reagan stated that:
In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world.So under this possibility a common threat to all colony members would outweigh the low level of genetic similarity because, unless everyone pulls together, the entire group is in jeopardy. If one colony was competing with a rival colony then selection for individual selfishness could drive the population to extinction while selection for cooperation would allow the colony to thrive.
Under this view, extant unicolonial populations are the ones that have not yet succumbed to selfishness. Relatedness and mutual policing select against selfishness in non-unicolonial populations, but stop applying when relatedness decreases to zero. . . [However], constraints arising from the natural history of the species or pleiotropic effects of selfish genes, might prevent selfish genotypes from arising even under zero relatedness.This cooperation could then continue long after the initial threat was gone under the force of phylogenetic inertia. Perhaps, in the future, selection would cause the unicolony to break into smaller, more genetically similar colonies once the impetus for group selection no longer exists? Or perhaps the benefits of cooperating with strangers simply outweighs the costs of competition and natural selection has produced a genuinely altruistic society?
Unicolonial cooperation has inspired activist art such as this print from the Beehive Collective.
Source: Beehive Collective
At the current time there are 31 known unicolonial ant populations around the globe. This is a small minority given the more than 12,000 described species. However, given that research on unicolonial ants is so new, there is still a great deal of research that needs to take place concerning this unique experiment of the natural world. At the very least, unicolonies provide us with a source of inspiration and the ability to marvel at the amazing beauty and diversity of the natural world. With the knowledge that stable supercolonies composed of strangers continue to thrive in nature, perhaps there's something we could learn from those creatures that first invented this approach.
Hamilton, W.D. (1964). The genetical evolution of social behaviour I and II. — Journal of Theoretical Biology 7: 1-16 and 17-52
Trivers, R.L. (1971). The evolution of reciprocal altruism. Quarterly Review of Biology. 46: 35-57.
Helantera, H., Strassman, J.E., Carrillo, J., Queller, D.C. (2009). Unicolonial ants: where do they come from, what are they and where are they going? Trends in Ecology and Evolution. doi:10.1016/j.tree.s009.01.013


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Ryan eager to show what he can do in OttawaNHL.com @NHLdotcom
Bobby Ryan is delighted to be a member of the Ottawa Senators, though he doesn't feel any pressure to fill the skates of recently departed captain Daniel Alfredsson.
The Senators acquired Ryan, the second player chosen in the 2005 NHL Draft, from the Anaheim Ducks on July 5. The deal was announced not long after Alfredsson, Ottawa's longtime captain and the face of the franchise, left the Senators to sign with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent.
No matter how well Ryan may perform on the ice, he knows that replacing Alfredsson's impact on the Senators and the community figures to be impossible.
"I don't think there's anyone who's going to take that place, especially with what he's done in the community," Ryan told the media on Wednesday in his first visit to Ottawa since the trade. "If anyone's going to do that, it's going to be Spezz [Jason Spezza].
For now, though, the New Jersey native is delighted to be back in the East and is ready to get started with his new team.
"Honestly it was a lot of elation," Ryan told The Team 1200 Wednesday when asked about his reaction to the deal. "It was kind of one of those weird things where we knew it was coming and I think we'd been prepared for it for a while, but you just don't quite understand it until you get that phone call.
"It took a couple of days for it to sink in, but it has been nothing but eagerness to get here and get things started from there."
The Senators paid a healthy price to get Ryan, whose streak of four consecutive 30-goal seasons ended when he scored 11 times and finished with 30 points in 2012-13. They gave up promising youngsters Jakob Silfverberg and Stefan Noesen as well as their first-round pick in next year's NHL Draft.
Ryan, 26, has a $5.1 million cap hit on a contract that expires after the 2014-15 season, according to CapGeek, but he told the station he'd be willing to consider an extension when the time comes.
"You look at a team that gave up what they gave up, and they gave up some good young players and then they gave up a first-round draft pick, and you just want to reward them for what they gave up," he said. "For me, this is a new start on that and you just want to be a part of that group and want to be part of that core.
"Obviously we can't even talk about it and I think most people think that we need to do it right away, but I want people to know that we can't even talk about it for another year. It's a calendar year away for me."
Ryan, who came up as a right wing, spent much of his time in Anaheim on the left side and some at center -- not surprising on a team that featured Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne as its first two right wings. He could wind up playing on the right side with Spezza, but told the Team 1200 that he's prepared for anything after his time in Anaheim.
"I was always a right winger and that never really changed," he said. "But with Anaheim I've played center, I've played left wing … I've played a little bit of everything and I think that I'm starting to get more and more comfortable on the right wing towards the end of where I was in Anaheim. But if you play the right wing there, you have to play behind Perry and Teemu and that was tough to do so they moved me to left and I got comfortable there.
"Whatever Ottawa has in store for me, I'm ready to do. I think I can play all three positions pretty comfortably now."
After spending his NHL career up to now in Anaheim, a non-traditional hockey market, Ryan admitted it would take a little time to get used to playing in a hockey-mad market like Ottawa.
"It's a completely different culture from what it's been like the past six years," he said. "[Being in Ottawa] is a completely different way of viewing hockey. I can't wait to be a part of it.
"To wear the red on that game day has to be something special. I can't wait to embrace that."


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Polka Dotted Floral
This beautiful leather bracelet is handmade in Kerrville, Texas. The snaps allow for a smaller circumference measuring about 7.25″ and about 8″ in circumference with the larger closures. Because every item is carefully made by hand, there are no identical pieces. All pieces are made with 100% quality leather.
1 in stock


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Philips ADS talks about their CD-i history (part 2)
>> Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Be sure to check out part one first here. Philips ADS remained, until recently one of the unsung heros of CD-i games development including Pac-Panic, Arcade Classics and Atlantis - The Last Resort. Now Atlantis and Arcade Classics is sure to be an interesting story all by themselves! For now i'd like to focus on the first game developed by ADS in Pac-Panic. This particular game simply oozed quality from Johnny Wood in the Flesh! the retail package complete with closed slipcase which was very unusual for a European release including seperate manual and the standard CD-i jewel case. In comparison with rival systems where the game went by the name Pac-Attack the CD-i version was glorious with spectacular use of colour, animation and sound this quality lacking from any of its counterparts. What made this version so special to ADS in what turned out to be an award winning title for the studio?
Johnny: Well for all of us I think Pac-Panic represented a major chance and a perfectly timed one for us all to prove our skills. Pac-Panic might never have made it to CDi. The machine used a 68020 chipset, which was a 68000 series (like on the amiga) but with all the stuff you really needed to make Amiga quality games in assembly took out. As Pete Dabbs would testify, basically all the tricks you could do to save processing time like shifting data to act as a quick multiply rather than adding up stacks - saving loads of clock cycles and stuff wasn't an option. I wont talk about that now cause it makes me sound geeky, and there might be chicks reading this. But you really had to push the machine to get anything like that.
Our job at the ADS was to help the worlds developers cross over to the machine. We had a few tricks that we sort of developed ourselves. Mostly down to Andy Morton and Tom Drummond, a couple of genius old school programmers. When people looked at Pac-Attack on the other versions, the amount of animated sprites at any one time was considered undoable on CDi. Bear in mind all our contempories had dedicated graphics hardware. CDi never did, but we took a look at it and Andy developed a multiplexer that allowed you to fill the whole screen with animated sprites. This was bloody amazing on CDi and once that was out of the way we knew we could not only match the other versions but we could make it better.
Where the other machines like the Genesis had 2 layers of 8 bit colour, CDi had DYUV mode which was similar to HAM mode on the amiga, so the backdrops could be 24 bit colour. On top of this, we weren't limited to 8 colours or anything for our foreground sprites, we could use 256 colours. Namco sent us the original assets from the genesis. But ours were better. I was a big Pac-Man fan. Its what got me into video games and just to have my name on the re-emergence of the new generation was pretty damn cool. So I put my heart and soul into it. Andy and Tom deserved a bit of glory too, Where as its a much harder job, its never as much glory being in a research role as it is making your own game! So we set out to kick ass and show the guys at the top how we did things 'down town' so to speak.
Must of worked, cause we got the pretty box and won the award 'n stuff. We still to this day aren't sure if this is down to our 'post production' antics.... Which involved us travelling around London every weekend and going into all the Games shops and switching all the copies of Pac-Panic with whatever was listed at number one on the display racks.
Devin: Arcade Classics soon followed suit with another quality classic conversion. What challenges did this represent and can you share your memories developing this outstanding compilation.
Johnny: Yeah man! We just took the same approach but this time we had 3 games to do. The same sort of issues emerged. The number of animated sprites that Jason had to pump around for Galaxian, which him being the 'new' guy and fresh from his degree, Andy thought he'd never cut it. Of course he turned out to be the most amazing genius we could have ever wished for and the other coders were impressed. We could have done with him back in the early days. Games may have come out differently.
We had Rak in full swing now on art, so with me freed up more we had another chance to make the games better than the contempories. We didn't want to get labelled a conversion house, so making them better than the rival machines versions. When to be honest for this sort of game; Multi-sprited Arcade games, CDi was possibly the worst equipped on the market. Thats not to say it was bad, I mean look at Dragons Lair, 7th Guest, Burn Cycle. Try coughing up those puppies for a genesis... No chance! This time we worked from the arcade machines. Namco sent us all the original stuff, apart from Ms Pacman where they sent us a whole mother board from the first generation machine! The original chipset! So we took the graphics pixel for pixel.... And er... then I added more colours.
I played pacman a lot and also miss pacman. There's a real skill to playing it, Jason and I started messing about with the mazes and found just by putting up stumps so the player could stop would bring in a whole new strategy. Long tunnels added a turbo panic to the play so in my spare time I made some extra mazes. Namco thought they were cool too, so they stayed in. I was sorta proud of that. Man I sure hope chicks are reading this bit. It makes me look dead cool dunnit. I designed mazes for Ms pacman girls!
It was during the development of Arcade Classics that Paul Reid got drunk and puked on Flavias carpet. Paul did an amazing job of entertaining us like this. I think he somehow held the crew together. We were poles apart really, but somehow there was a real team spirit. That shows through in the game. Even to the credits. Of course when it came to do the credits I'd been a bit miffed after Pac-Panic had had loads of people coming in the credits when really it was 5 guys in an office so I made up a few of my own names; Yvette Miepies... Thats how you say "You've ate my pies" in brummy, added the office cleaner who I fancied (Beth) and put in my local pub. Because the ADS where always shrouded with mystery we got away with it.


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ENER Stock Example, Support and Resistance
The recent price action of Energy Conversion Devices (ENER) offers a great example of simple support and resistance. Support and Resistance is a basic form of technical analysis that can be used in a variety of different circumstances to provide investors an easy way to predict stock movement.
We can refer to the six month daily stock chart below of Energy Conversion Devices (ENER) as our example:
1. Points one give us a first glimpse into the resistance ENER saw around $35 a share. As we can see once the original high was made it took two more pushes to break through, which lead to a large stock price gap and new highs for the stock.
2. Points two offer another more recent example of ENER at technical resistance. This time it was at $73 a share and the third push was the one to claim higher highs.
3. Points three show us the support ENER has received while forming its latest base. This would also be called a support trendline. A common trend is for resistance to turn into support, which we can see with the first "3" on the left. The $60 resistance once broken then became support.
4. Point four highlighted in purple shows us the next area the stock will most likely find resistance. Climbing above $83 a share would not represent higher highs but also new 52-week and all-time price highs.
Further Education
- Example 5, Symmetrical Triangle Example, Visa (V)
- Example 4, Symmetrical Triangle Example, Google (GOOG)
- Example 3, Descending Channel Example, First Solar (FSLR)
- Example 2, Covance (CVD) Stock Example, Support and Resistance
- Example 1, Energy Conversion Devices (ENER) <– Currently Viewing
Make $42 Million Trading Stocks! Learn technical analysis with Dan Zanger, World Record Holder who turned $15,000 into $42 million. Click here to learn how.


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UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and Finance for Tomorrow, an initiative of Paris EUROPLACE, are joining forces to stage three days of action on sustainable finance in the city where decisive action on climate change was finally taken in 2015.
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The beloved mentor and his favorite student spent their final hours together holding hands on a hospital bed.
Jerry Buss was entering the final stage of his life after a long battle with cancer, and he wanted to spend some of it with Magic Johnson.
Buss summoned Johnson to his room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center last fall and, together, for five hours, they clutched each other and told stories and cried.
At one point, Buss summoned two nurses to the room. Johnson was worried something was wrong until Buss ordered the three to pose for a picture.
"He said, 'These two lovely ladies have taken care of me, I don't want to forget them,'" Johnson recalled. "I was like, 'Wow, Doc, you've still got it!'"
Johnson's voice thickened when telling that story just hours after Jerry Buss died.
"I'm crying right now," Johnson said. "Without Dr. Jerry Buss, there is no Magic."
There may never be a more influential or enduring owner-player duo in sports history. Buss and Magic arrived at the Lakers at about the same time in 1979, and over the next 34 years forged a bond that set records, made millions and memories that will decorate Los Angeles forever.
Together, they created Showtime and won five NBA championships with Johnson on the court. Together, they weathered the storm of Magic's landmark HIV announcement that led to his retirement. Together, they won five more championships with Johnson as a minority investor and team executive.
Buss gave Johnson the encouragement to become a Hall of Fame player and businessman. Johnson gave Buss the inspiration to become a Hall of Fame owner and visionary.
"Dr. Buss gave me the platform to be Magic," Johnson said. "He gave me the knowledge to be Magic."
Buss partied with Johnson when the team was winning, mourned with Johnson when the star was shunned, and showed enduring gratitude by giving Johnson perhaps the greatest going-away gift in sports history.
When Johnson attempted to come back in the fall of 1992, one year after his initial HIV retirement, Buss gave him a one-year deal worth about $14 million. He said he wanted to reimburse his former star for all the years he wasn't the NBA's highest-paid player.
Johnson played in only a handful of exhibition games that fall before pressure from fearful players led him to suddenly quit again. The contract became void upon the retirement. Yet Buss insisted on paying Johnson the entire amount anyway.
"He had such a big heart," Johnson said. "I have lost my second father. I have lost one of my best friends."
During that final visit, Johnson said he and Buss relived their path together, beginning when Buss purchased the Lakers the same year the team made Johnson the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
"We went to Palm Springs for the first training camp and we didn't know what to expect; we had something special, but we just didn't know how it could work out," Johnson said. "People thought we couldn't run and win a championship, but Dr. Buss believed in it, he believed in me."
After Johnson led the Lakers to a title in Buss' first season — two rookies stealing the show — the success began to flow, swirling the team and its town together in a roaring current that still exists today.
Many folks credit Johnson with devising the sort of basketball excitement that changed the game forever. Johnson said it was all Buss.
"The league was boring until Dr. Buss bought the Lakers and created the atmosphere that changed basketball forever," Johnson said. "Before Dr. Buss, you just showed up and watched a game and went home. But he created a scene where you didn't want to miss anything, the cheerleaders and the music and the show. He was a genius, way ahead of his time; the league owes him a lot."
During the good times, Johnson said he and his boss would hang out everywhere from dance clubs to football games, an unusual pairing of this giant slick-dressing athlete and an aging bushy-haired hipster.
"We would go to his house on Saturday morning, have breakfast and play pool, and then get on his bus to go stand on the sidelines of USC football games," Johnson recalled. "Then at night we would go to clubs and, man, he could really dance."
Then, as Johnson grew older, Buss gave him something even more important than basketball. He gave him the skills for life after basketball.
"He said, 'Earvin, let me teach you the business,'" Johnson recalled. "He brought me in, showed me the books, taught me how it all works, introduced me to people I would never have met, made me understand what it means to be in L.A."
After Johnson's retirement, Buss made the rare move of allowing someone to buy into his shares of the team, selling Magic about 4% for $10 million.
"When I played, he told me to save my money and he would make me a partner," Johnson said. "Everything Dr. Buss said he would do, he did."
The night when Johnson's Guggenheim group won the bidding for the Dodgers last year, one of his first calls was from Buss.
"He said, 'I don't mind losing you as a partner, because you just made a Magic move,'" Johnson recalled. "I started crying."
In recent years, Johnson returned Buss' inspiration by encouraging him to stop worrying so much about the team and start celebrating his success. Remember in 2007 when Buss was controversially vacationing in Italy while Kobe Bryant was melting down back home? It was Johnson who urged him to make that trip.
"I told him he needed to finally enjoy himself, and he finally did," said Johnson. "Before he went into the hospital, he said, 'Don't feel sorry for me, I've had a good run. . . . Who would have thought this guy from a little town in Wyoming could win an NBA championship?'"
Johnson is fearful of what happens to the Lakers next. There is talk of acrimony between the two Buss children who currently share the control of the team, business boss Jeanie Buss and basketball boss Jim Buss.
If the Buss family goes against its stated desire to keep the team, there is a possibility that the Guggenheim group could eventually buy the Lakers and install Johnson as team president. But Johnson said he sincerely hopes the team stays in the Buss family, and he has already cast his vote for the next chief executive.
"I hope Jeanie Buss takes over the team," Johnson said. "She was Dr. Buss' right-hand person. The two people always running with Dr. Buss were Jeanie and myself. She knows this team better than anyone. She should have all the power, she should take over the empire."
Johnson said he knows the love and respect upon which his mentor built this empire, and he hopes the children can agree that it is worth saving.
"I know what the man wanted, and I'm hoping the kids can make that happen," he said.
For now, Johnson is focused not on the uncertain future, but on his winding past, and the teacher who accompanied him on every crazy step.
"We created this incredible magic that lasted for all these years. . . . My heart is broken," Johnson said softly, haltingly, the magic momentarily gone.


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Pau Gasol Says Phil Jackson as Los Angeles Lakers Coach 'Couldn't Work'
Los Angeles – Lakers center Pau Gasol found out about the hiring of Mike D'Antoni like most Americans did — on Twitter.
And just like fans across the country, the decision left Gasol with a mix of surprise, trepidation and anticipation.
Everyone, including Phil Jackson himself, thought the Lakers were getting back together with their old coach.
However when the Lakers' front office switched course in the middle of the night and went with D'Antoni, the NBA team had drama that more closely resembled a Hollywood movie.
The Lakers reacted with ample excitement and a little bewilderment Monday to the surprising decision to hire D'Antoni as coach Mike Brown's replacement over Jackson, the 11-time champion who discussed the job at his home Saturday and apparently wanted to return. D'Antoni didn't even interview for the job in person, speaking to the Lakers over the phone.
"I think everybody had expectations about it, and they were all pretty high," Gasol said of Jackson's potential return. "We all understood what Phil brings to the table ... and what he means to the city and the franchise. It just couldn't work out for whatever reason."
Jackson issued a statement to a handful of media outlets Monday implying he was essentially offered the job after meeting with Lakers owner Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak. Jackson thought he would be able to come back to the Lakers on Monday with his decision, but instead was awakened by a midnight phone call from Kupchak.
"The decision is of course theirs to make," Jackson said in his statement. "I am gratified by the groundswell of support from the Laker fans who endorsed my return, and it is the principal reason why I considered the possibility."
He deserved to be dealt with honestly ... They can hire whoever they wish ...That's just not fair dealing and Phil deserved fair dealing
Jackson's agent Todd Musburger felt the decision was a bit of a blindside.
"He deserved to be dealt with honestly," Musburger told ESPN, "He didn't deserve the job, that's their decision. They can hire whoever they wish."
"But don't say to someone you've got until Monday and then roust him from slumber at midnight to say, 'By the way we hired somebody else.' That's just not fair dealing and Phil deserved fair dealing," Musburger added.
"He's a good faith person and he was dealt with poorly. It is indicative of the shabby way that organization is being run."
"It has been crazy, but all this stuff will just make this team stronger," said the team's other center Dwight Howard, who has been in a Lakers uniform for about six weeks. "Everything that we've been through so far, it's going to make us stronger, and we have to look at this as a positive situation."
The Lakers largely echoed the thoughts of Howard, who was looking forward to playing for Jackson: "Management had to do what they felt is best for the team, and we as players have got to find a way to win."
The Lakers' third coach in four days won't take over the team until later in the week. D'Antoni still hadn't been cleared to travel Monday after undergoing knee replacement surgery earlier in the month, although the Lakers are optimistic the former Knicks and Suns coach will arrive in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
So interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff was still in charge Monday when the Lakers gathered for an informal workout ahead of Tuesday's game against San Antonio. Just two weeks into the regular season, the Lakers (3-4) are about to start over with a new offense and another coaching staff — and a renewed certainty they're expected to compete for a title this season.
"It's been a zoo," said forward Antawn Jamison, a 15-year NBA veteran who played for D'Antoni on a U.S. national team. "But as I was telling somebody, it's just a typical day here in L.A. It's interesting. ... It should be a lot easier to adjust to than the system we were trying to get adjusted to early on in the season. We've got Steve (Nash) that can help us out."
Two Lakers who supported both Brown and his two potential replacements weren't available in El Segundo to weigh in on the hire. Nash missed the workout while getting treatment on his injured leg, while Kobe Bryant left before it ended to share a helicopter ride back home to Orange County with point guard Steve Blake, who needed an exam on his abdominal injury.
And the tall, professorial coach with all the rings wasn't at the Lakers' training complex at all.
Just 24 hours after Jackson seemed headed back to his oversized chair on the Staples Center bench, D'Antoni had the job.
It's too soon to tell how the Buss family's latest counterintuitive move will sit with Lakers fans, who chanted "We want Phil!" during the club's weekend games, both victories after a 1-4 start.
The Lakers publicly offered no reason for passing over the coach with the most championships in NBA history. Although nobody could claim the Buss family is afraid of spending money, Brown is still owed well over $10 million for the remaining three seasons on his four-year, $18 million contract, while D'Antoni will make $4 million a season for the next three years — and their salaries together might be less than what Jackson would command.
The Lakers largely know what they would get with Jackson, but D'Antoni intrigues this older, top-heavy team with an urgency to contend for a title before Howard's free agency next summer and Bryant's possible retirement in a few years.
Howard and Gasol both believe D'Antoni's up-tempo style can work well for the Lakers. Howard would seem to be a natural to partner with Nash in the pick-and-roll attacks loved by D'Antoni and Nash, although Gasol doesn't immediately fit into the definition of a big man who can play on the perimeter and shoot 3-pointers.
"It's a great system, (but) I don't think he ever had a defender such as myself or a defender such as Dwight Howard on those teams," Metta World Peace said. "I don't think he ever coached those type of players, so his defense should be self-explanatory, and his offense is amazing, so it should be fun for Laker fans."
Jackson's flirtation with the job is the strongest indication yet that he's interested in coaching again, which makes him a prime candidate for another franchise. Yet D'Antoni also received praise around the league — even from New York, where he resigned last March after failing to win a playoff game in four years with the Knicks.
"Despite all the hoopla ... that was going on about me and Mike, we actually have a pretty good relationship, especially behind closed doors," Carmelo Anthony said. "We actually talked a lot, talked basketball. Hopefully he brings some positive energy over there. Anytime guys are losing like that, there's always negativity, a lot of negative energy. So sometimes change is better."
Added Dwyane Wade, who has played for D'Antoni on the U.S. national team: "He has a tough job ahead of him, but I'm sure he's excited about the opportunity that he gets to be with America's team."
Based on reporting by The Associated Press.
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