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Data Visualization and D3.js Newsletter
Data Visualization and D3.js Newsletter - Issue 132
Data Visualization and D3.js Newsletter Issue 132
Hi Friends -
Welcome to issue 132 of the
Weekly Newsletter.
Onwards to this week's links...
JSGraphs - JavaScript Graph Comparison
I created this website because there are so many javascript graphing libraries out there. While working on a recent project I was overwheled by the sheer number of options. You can easily compare javascript graphing libraries by choosing the options you want on the left hand side...
d-Threeact: How The Sift Science Console Team Made D3 And React The Best Of Friends
A little less than a year ago, the Sift Science Console Team decided to migrate its Backbone and Marionette Views to ReactJS...Ultimately, we decided that our d3 code should be isolated from our React code and only be available to React via a simple React Component interface. This way, we could take advantage of React's one-way data flow into the component but still let the powerful d3 take care of all things svg-related (layout, data-binding, transitions, etc). So our ideal <Chart /> component would look like...
Data Visualization Reading and Videos
Making An Interactive Choropleth Map With Jqvmap And Geostats
Jqvmap is an excellent JavaScript library for making sleek D3-style interactive vector maps quickly and easily. However, its suggested technique for visualizing data (see the library's documentation) leaves something to be desired...This post suggests another way, using Geostats, another excellent JS library...
When Maps Shouldn't Be Maps
Often, when you get data that is organized by geography...the impulse is since the data CAN be mapped, the best way to present the data MUST be a map...But sometimes the reflexive impulse to map the data can make you forget that showing the data in another form might answer other — and sometimes more important — questions. So, when should you use a form other than than a map?...
On Visualizing Data Well
As I read On Writing Well, by William Zinsser, it struck me that his advice for communicating well with words applies directly to the craft of communicating visually with data. His seven principles in Part I – The Transaction, Simplicity, Clutter, Style, The Audience, Words, and Usage – could be written about visualizing data as well. Let's call it On Visualizing Data Well...
Who Imported Coffee, Not Roasted In 2013?
The Atlas of Economic complexity is a powerful interactive tool that enables users to visualize a country's total trade, track how these dynamics change over time and explore growth opportunities for more than a hundred countries worldwide...
Interactive Maps Of Crime Data In Greater London
In this post I will briefly discuss ways to create interactive plots of the results of the point pattern analysis using the Google Maps API and Leaflet from R...
D3.js Reading and Videos
This EXPERIMENTAL module implements the core concept of D3: manipulating the DOM by selecting elements and joining to data...API changes from D3 version 3.x...
You May Not Need D3
If you're working on visualization on the web, the go-to choice is to use d3js (or a higher-level library)...The point of this article is to go through the main functions of d3js and see how they can be replicated without using a library...
Music Visualization With D3.js
While brainstorming ideas on how to elaborate on my first post, I had a flashback to music visualizers in WinAmp where shapes would beautifully expand and contract with the frequency of the music. I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to learn the Web Audio API as well as display what D3 can do. You can view the finished visualizer here...
Changing D3js albersUsa State Size
I received a creative of a data visualisation for a companies growth in the USA with Alaska and Hawaii moved below the US core states...The albersUsa projection is perfect for this, however the creative required Alaska and Hawaii to be significantly larger in size than the standard albersUsa projection...
Collision Detection With SVG's Bounding Box
This week I have been intrigued with the idea of collision detection inside a svg. Normally this is a term that you'll hear in the context of computer game development but it can have its uses within visualisation too. Say for instance you need to determine if a point sits within a certain region on a map or if you need to know if two symbols are overlapping in order to reposition them...
Hope that you had a great past week and that next week is even better!
Wishing you the best,
Sebastian Gutierrez
Want to better understand this topic?
Check out these super-useful D3.js Screencast Videos (1 in 3 are free...)
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First and foremost, I'd like to say that Vinny Del Negro sticking with Caron Butler rather than going to more Nick Young (or Bobby Simmons, or some other lineup that had been more effective so far in the playoffs) paid off in Game 4. The Clippers won, sure, on the backs of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, but also on the wave from a strong first quarter from Caron Butler. 11 points in 10 minutes of playing time in the first from Caron (and efficiently, too) gave the Clippers their only effective quarter of the game. The Clippers would either tie or lose every other (non-OT) period of the the game outside of that key first quarter. I didn't think you had it in you any longer, Mr. Butler. Nicely done offensive work, and nicely played defense on Rudy Gay as well.
And I was certainly not prepared to be saying this. The Clippers' starting lineup had not come out scoring more points than its opponent all series until this past first quarter. To be clear, the starting lineup was not perfect. In its usual lengthy third quarter stretch it would give back the positive ground it made in the first quarter. But we've seen progress! Neutral is better than negative!
Moving along to some other adjustments we saw on both sides in Game 4, I think Mike Conley's minutes are pretty telling. Lionel Hollins was not willing to go down in a similar style as he had before, and he rode his starting point guard to the tune of 46 minutes, and even if we subtract his ~5 minutes in the overtime period, that's about 6 more minutes than Conley had been playing so far in the series. And remember, this guy is only getting one day of rest. We might see a very limited Conley (who the team has leaned on in two games for a large amount of offense this series), and if Rudy Gay is also weary after his nearly 48 minutes in Game 4, the Clippers could have a big advantage in terms of the Griz's inability to go to their two biggest offensive creators/mismatch exploiters (Conley's exploitation generally coming in the Clippers' inability to get over ball screens, rather than in isolation, to be clear).
At the same time, it isn't a definite disadvantage for the Griz if they can't ride Conley again in Game 5, as their OJ Mayo-Pondexter-Gay-Randolph-Gasol lineup was extremely effective in the second quarter of Game 3. I was intrigued to see Lionel Hollins not try that lineup out again, instead riding Conley's hot hand (though Mayo has admittedly been quite bad throughout the series, outside of that single second quarter).
On the Clippers side, I think the biggest move from Del Negro was to bring back Blake Griffin much earlier than normal in the fourth quarter when Chris Paul wasn't in, and then to let Mo Williams ride it out rather than bringing Paul back in at the usual time. That was a great decision, as Hollins had Dante Cunningham in at PF and Haddadi (with Gasol playing poorly and in foul trouble) at C, and Mo Williams hasn't exactly handled the Grizzlies' ball pressure well. I wasn't a supporter (and despite the solid results, I am still not a supporter) of riding a hot hand like Del Negro did with Mo Williams over Chris Paul. Williams ended up hitting a couple of key shots, but he also forced some jumpers and had an ugly turnover along with one or two other bad decisions that helped the Grizzlies stay in the game, in my eyes. It was an excellent (and obvious) move, however, to roll with Eric Bledsoe at SG with Mo running point for that fourth quarter stretch, however. Also, to be fair, we saw Paul suffer his own struggles when he did make his return in the fourth, so if you want to judge things only by the results (which I do not recommend), Del Negro made the right move sticking with Williams. Also, we can never know what the 'right' decision really is. Who knows, maybe if Trey Thompkins had gotten 20 minutes tonight he would have gone off for 15 and 10. Such is the unknowability of existence.
Another interesting move, in my eyes, was leaving in Kenyon Martin with Blake in the 4th and replacing Reggie Evans with Blake. Kenyon (and Blake as well) were not very good on the boards, and Reggie could have been useful down the stretch, though Kenyon had some key blocks and generally strong defense as well. I imagine that was a tough call from Del Negro's point of view. A more confusing move to me was replacing Eric Bledsoe (who was +10 with that Williams-Bledsoe-Young-Blake-Kenyon Martin lineup in the 4th) with Chris Paul, rather than replacing Mo Williams. Then again, there may have been a look towards possible intentional fouls if Bledsoe was allowed to remain in.
At some point in the middle of the game, I got into a bit of an argument on Twitter with HoopIdea/HoopSpeak/HoopEverything's Beckley Mason about Lionel Hollins being outcoached by Vinny Del Negro. I don't agree that Hollins has been outcoached at all, especially looking at some of the decision-making with lineups (as best as I can. Again, we can never know what the best decision is. We can only use different levels of hindsight) on each side, but when you see how long Hollins stuck with Haddadi and Cunningham as the bigs after Del Negro brought in Blake Griffin in the fourth, you can see where the argument that Hollins made some bad decisions can be made. As well, leaning on Rudy Gay for bigger minutes despite him having his worst game of the series (credit to Butler, Young, and Foye for continuing to do a good job contesting Rudy, but this time holding off on the fouls as well), rather than really forcing the ball into Gasol or using some more varied offense to get Gay going, was certainly iffy. But then again, Hollins recognized that Pondexter and Mayo were ineffective at the SG position late, and went to Tony Allen in the fourth quarter for the first time in ages. It can be really intriguing to watch some of the decisions coaches have to make when a series has seen so many close games.
I mean, the Clippers have obviously made some key late runs to have this 3-1 series lead…but the Grizzlies had their own key run in the fourth to force overtime in Game 4. And they've had key first, second, and third quarter runs to put the Clippers in positions where they had to answer. From a coaching perspective, it has to be hard to know how big of a move to make in regards to lineup or gameplan shifts when every game has been a coinflip away from having a totally different result.
And now for a cheesy closer and a Queen embed, because that's how we do things around here: We'll see if the coin comes up heads or tails for the Clippers tonight, as they try to close out this ridiculously contested series in Memphis.


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By Ariel Visconti
Burlington-based start-up SMARTeacher wants to prove that video games can be more effective than traditional methods alone for teaching math to children.
The company's product, Prodigy, teaches over 600 math skills to children in grades 1-8 through an interactive online game they can play with their friends. The game provides a personalized learning experience to each child by giving an initial diagnostic test and tracking their progress to adjust the difficulty level.
To help educators, Prodigy aligns with Ontario's curriculum and provides real-time reporting to teachers so they can improve the classroom learning experience. Best of all, it keeps kids engaged so they want to play the game both at school and at home.
"Many of the students played Prodigy for hours each week outside of school on their own time," says Grade 6 teacher Stephanie McDermott, whose students used the game last year. "Basically, the kids were motivated and just 'doing' more math because of Prodigy! I believe it is this simple fact that likely allowed for a noticeable growth or improvement in their overall grasp of their grade level curriculum."
Launched in 2013, Prodigy currently has over 80 per cent of grade 1-8 students in Ontario registered and is getting impressive results in improving standardized test scores among active students, according to a recent study conducted by SMARTeacher's co-founder, Rohan Mahimker.
The study examined grade 3 EQAO standardized math test results from the 75 elementary schools in Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB), which were among the first to adopt Prodigy. Board Director Rusty Hick saw great potential in the innovative learning tool and began rolling out the game to schools early in the 2013-14 academic year.
The company's study cites data from the 2014 EQAO results showing that schools where at least one grade 3 classroom was active on Prodigy improved by 3.0 per cent over the previous year, versus a 0.1 per cent improvement for inactive schools. Schools where over 85 per cent of grade 3 students were active saw an 11.6 per cent improvement on scores, which was 11.5 per cent higher than inactive schools.
Grade 3 EQAO scores have declined overall in Ontario in recent years, with only 67 percent of students in 2013 and 2014 meeting standards compared to 71 percent in 2010. But the company's assessment of the positive impact of Prodigy in active Kawartha Pine Ridge schools shows promise for incorporating a game-based approach to teaching math.
OCE invested $140,000 in SMARTeacher through the Market Readiness program, which helped the team launch the HTML5 version of their game in August 2014. The new version has been a significant driver of growth for the company and allows users to play Prodigy on virtually any modern web browser across several devices (iPads, Android tablets, Macs, PCs and Chromebooks).
"We were excited about supporting a company with this kind of creative thinking and such a strong vision for its product," says Dr. Tom Corr, president and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence. "The future for SMARTeacher looks very bright."
Over 2 million students are currently registered to play Prodigy, with an average of 15,000 new students signing up per weekday. Now a market leader in Ontario, SMARTeacher has its sights set on dominating the American market. The company is currently in the midst of expanding into the U.S., where Prodigy's user base is more than doubling each month.


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LONDON — Political bias often leads to absurd categorization. Even so, few among the arbitrary constructs adopted by the West as a result of 19th-century colonial attitudes can beat the meaningless concept of "Islamic art."
Its corrosive effect on academic thinking is matched by its counterproductive effect in the art market. By lumping together works of art that are not remotely related aesthetically or conceptually, it leads to a visual confusion that is unhelpful, to put it mildly.
Adding up the art of cultures far more diverse than those of Western Europe can disorient buyers. The Arab world, Iranian lands, Anatolian Turkey, the Islamicized areas of the Indian subcontinent, the Muslim communities of China — which are themselves highly diversified, from the Turkic-speaking Uighurs of Xinjiang to the northeastern Muslims of Han stock or those of the Xian region — have much less in common than, say, Britain, France, Germany and Spain. Anyone attempting to display together the paintings, sculpture and sundry objects of these European nations under the banner "Christian Art" or simply "Christianity" would risk being shown the door on the museum scene as in the auction arena. Not so where the "Islamic world" is concerned.
Consider the phenomenal jumble in the autumn sales. These began at Sotheby's on the evening of Oct. 4 with a session focusing on a private collection.
Even the collection showed no aesthetic unity. A leaf from an eighth-century manuscript of the Koran reputed to be from the Hijaz and another in gold lettering on blue ground from a ninth-century manuscript likely to be from the east-Iranian province of Khorasan had nothing in common with the north-Iranian bowl painted with a bold stylized bird in the 10th-11th century. The bird bowl was in turn very different from the interesting Egyptian fragments of pottery painted with characters in golden enamels (traditionally cataloged as "lustre" enamels) that followed moments later.
The huge overestimation that affected all lots, compounded by visual inconsistency, proved lethal. The north-Iranian bowl sold, only just, for £18,750, or about $30,000, but the Egyptian fragments did not. The session ended up with only 13 lots out of the 41 offered managing to find takers.
The artificial character of the "Islamic" label came out even more spectacularly in the Sotheby's Oct. 5 sale.
Putting together in the same session a Koran leaf from an eighth-century manuscript, a painted page torn away from a volume copied and illuminated in Moghul India around 1600-5, a large early 19th-century Iranian portrait of a lady of the court playing a string instrument, an ivory casket of so-called Siculo-Arabic make and a Chinese blue and white ewer ascribed to the Yongle period (1403-24) is not a recipe for aesthetic or intellectual coherence. The Koran leaf alone could be called "Islamic" in theological terms. Probably from Iran, it went for £37,250.
But, the painted page from Moghul India hardly justified the qualifier. It was torn away from a unique manuscript executed at Allahabad, which preserves the Persian translation of a lost Sanskrit original. Commissioned at a Moghul court, it recounts the story of a Gupta emperor of the fourth to fifth century glorified into a Jain hero.
The text on the page reads like an excerpt from a Persian literary work mixing prose and poetry. It is reminiscent of the Iranian poet Saadi's 13th-century collection of parables titled "Golestan," or The Rosegarden, with the obvious intention of appealing to Moghul rulers, for whom Persian was the language of literature and court usage. This makes the rewrite of a Sanskrit original a quintessential literary product of the Indo-Persian culture that thrived on the subcontinent from the 12th century until 1836, when the British banned the use of Persian in official matters.
The highly original style of the painting blends the influences of Western European 16th-century prints brought to the Moghul court by Portuguese missionaries and of the century-old Indian artistic tradition. Add the Persian script called Nastaaliq from the hand of a highly skilled master and that again makes it a typical creation of the hybrid Persianate culture of Moghul India. "Islamic" does not begin to describe it. The page matched the lower end of the estimate at £25,000.
The use of the "Islamic" label was even more absurd when referring to a painting representing Hindu women performing the Sivaite ritual of the anointing of the lingam. Artistically speaking, it is an archetypal Indian work. Were bidders nonplussed at its bizarre characterization? They sat on their hands. However, one of them did go for another Moghul painting in which a Hindu ascetic and a Muslim are seen together. It sold against the reserve for £12,500.
While the 12th-century Siculo-Arabic casket left bidders indifferent, Sotheby's managed to find a taker for the Chinese blue-and-white ewer. It miraculously sold on a single bid for £181,250, despite its poor quality. Gilt copper mounts crowning the mouth and the tip of the spout suggest that it passed through Ottoman Turkey — although these, too, are not the best of their kind.
The auction house stretched the "Islamic" concept far enough to include Western European works of art. The lot illustrated on the catalog cover was described as a "Romanesque gilt bronze aquamanile, Germany, early 12th century." While the date could be considerably later, there is no question that the bird-shaped object is Western in style. Sotheby's statement that it is "in the form of a Senmurv" did not make it any more "Islamic." The Senmurv is an Iranian mythical beast from pre-Islamic times and the bird does not even look like one: the Senmurv has the head of a wolf, not of a bird. The curious winged creature remained unwanted.
The same lack of visual or conceptual consistency prevailed at Christie's on Oct. 6. If the session had any greater merit, this was in underlining how different some objects can be even when produced in neighboring Islamic cultures around the same time. A 14th-century Syrian bowl painted with a lotus chalice done in a bold, rough manner was far removed artistically from the contemporary Iranian bowl, much more elaborate, to which Christie's gave the traditional market label of "Sultanabad." Respectively estimated £2,000 to £3,000 and £5,000 to £7,000 these, too, failed to sell. The estimates should have been slashed by half.
As in Sotheby's sessions, the "Islamic world" concept at Christie's encompassed Western works of art that were perhaps not selected with the utmost consideration for "Islamic" sensibilities. Somehow, a crusader sword did not appeal to bidders. Perhaps they did not put sufficient faith into the crudely engraved Arabic inscription suggesting that it had been picked up in the battlefield by Muslims beating back the European invaders. An Italian faience dish from Deruta, possibly painted in the 1530s with a spoofy rendition of a Turkish rider oddly holding a banner with Christian crosses, was similarly rejected.
Ironically, one of the great success stories was a brocaded silk cataloged as "Central Asia" that displays motifs pointing to early 14th-century Iran. Extraordinary well preserved, it is unique of its kind and it stood out in the midst of the disparate accumulation. The admirable textile with no visible connection to Islam soared to £301,250.
Not much concern for the preservation of cultural monuments came across at the sales.
Sotheby's cataloger observed that the painted page with a Persian translation of a Sanskrit original came from the only known manuscript of that work and coolly concluded that "thirteen leaves from the original manuscript (including the present page) were sold in these rooms July 11, 1972." With the dispersal of its pages, any hope of ever publishing an edition of this important text for the heritage of Moghul India has vanished.
Dozens of major manuscripts from India, Iran and Turkey, ripped apart to sell their images piecemeal, have similarly perished. Some end up in museums, where they are proudly displayed as "miniatures," a 19th-century misnomer that conveniently erases the memory of destroyed manuscripts. Orientalism has barely changed its colors in the interval.


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Do You Dress the Way You Run?Posted by Mike Antonucci Filed Under: Running is Funny
Does your running apparel correctly reflect your running status?
Ah yes, as if we didn't have enough to worry about when it comes to suiting up and accessorizing for a race – pronating, wicking, chafing, bouncing – the list goes on and on. But there's also the issue of what your togs say about what kind of runner you are.
Take a look around before your next local 5k and you'll see what I mean. There are people who are "on status" for every level of running. Elite runners like Ryan Hall adopt a certain look that identifies them as runners at the top of their game. Middle-of-the-packers have their name-brand, but relatively innocuous, running gear. Weekend walkers dress comfortably in stuff they also use for other physical activities.
But others stretch the boundaries. Dathan Ritzenhein's Nike sleeves were a subtle addition, but even elite runners have to be careful to avoid a look that screams "Italian triathlete" or "no, really, this will shave 10 seconds off my PR."
You can go under status as well. For one of my first races, I wore 10-year-old cross trainers, tube socks, old basketball shorts, and a cotton tee shirt I bought at the Alamo. And haven't we all seen this guy at a race? Nothing says "I last got off the couch in 1976" than this look.
It's no different for women. The ladies love running apparel, but they are equally conscious of how it reflects their running status. Forgive me for generalizing, but the lure of "up-status" gear can be motivating. Women who want to be seen as serious runners will abandon the bargain bins at their local big box sporting goods store for the name-brands, bright colors and flattering fits. This ponytail hat says "runner." This one says "my great aunt needs a new hobby."
You know you've arrived as an elite female athlete when you can rock the Paula Radcliffe look. If I had abs like those I would augment the outfit with a big neon arrow on my chest pointing down to them.
Clothes don't make the runner, but they can make you feel more like a runner. Otherwise we'd all be out there in gray sweats.
About Mike Antonucci
I ran 6-minute miles when I was in the military, then tapered for 20 years. Two-time marathoner (3:43 PR), my next goal is to stay healthy enough to run another. There are literally thousands of people handing out running advice and serious tips. I prefer to focus on the humorous or odd facets of our shared obsession. Let's face it, running is funny.
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Blaine Moore (Run to Win) on
April 11th at 6:06 am
Don't forget that athletes like Ritz or Ryan Hall are also paid for wearing certain outfits / shoes / accessories…
Runatthemouth on
April 11th at 8:20 am
Sometimes I wear running gear that I feel like I'm nowhere near fast enough to justify wearing. It's nice to go out running and look like a real runner (at least while I'm standing still). I find it motivating. Conversely, I sometimes run in a ratty old t-shirt that's way too large. It's funny how much energy one can put into managing one's "running image."
Runatthemouth's last blog post..My plan – going nowhere fast
Candis on
April 11th at 9:04 am
I think there are some duds that should sport a wearers tag "reserved for 90lb. 2% bodyfat runners" maybe they'd pay me not to weat them 🙂
I waaaaay over analyze what to wear- too hot, too scratchy, too white.
Candis's last blog post..Your Millionaire Bachelorette Party
crossn81 on
April 11th at 4:01 pm
A few weeks ago I was sporting a new jersey for the new club I joined. The singlet is red, but I was still wearing my purple racing shorts from college. I didn't have a problem with it, but my wife was like we need to buy you some red shorts to race in. Why spend the money?? Can't I clash?
crossn81's last blog post..Foto Friday
Dawn - Pink Chick on
April 11th at 5:13 pm
Never judge a runner by what they wear. I remember a girl from the first running clinic I ever took. She dressed the part. The perfect matching running gear from head to toe. I showed up on race day in old running shoes, cotton shirt and all the wrong things. I still kicked her butt by over 15 minutes in the 10k race we had trained for. I wasn't fast but she was dead slow even in her fancy running gear…lol
We also have a guy in our local running club that wears the "clashiest" outfits, so much so that my granddaughter calls him "Mr Fancy Pancy". Trust me his running fashion is fast and flashy but his running style is simply fast.
Dawn – Pink Chick's last blog post..Farewell to our best friend, LeBut 🙁
bryan on
April 11th at 11:50 pm
Absolutely love the Italian triathlete photo. I laughed out loud when I saw it. I have five shirts I run in and four pairs of shorts and I pretty much grab whichever is on top. At one point they probably looked nice, but now they're pretty ratty. I'm cool with it, though.
Anyway, I've been writing a post that touches on this a little. I'll have to link your post in it because this was too good.
bryan's last blog post..Ryan Hall says he's ready to go
Louann on
April 13th at 5:59 pm
The Italian triathlete is HOT. Where can I get one? 😉
I actually feel better when I run in the latest running gear. I'm not fast, but I feel more motivated when I look the part.
AndrewE on
April 14th at 10:29 am
It's true. Clothes make the runner. And lets not forget the toys! Garmin etc.
AndrewE's last blog post..Weigh in: A loss is a loss
Jeanne on
April 14th at 2:06 pm
i want that helmet, just for the fright factor.
no matter what i wear, it's never right. too hot, too cold, too itchy, too small, makes my butt look too big…
I have the same problem dressing in real life!
5ksandcabernets on
April 15th at 6:32 am
I dress like a slug so when I run, so maybe I look like an overachiever when I run.
5ksandcabernets's last blog post..Boston Marathon: Interview with a real live BQer
Duff on
April 15th at 12:42 pm
I race for the shirts and I wear the shirts when I run. That way when someone sees me when I am running they can tell that I ran a race. I rotate the shirts so that if that same persons sees me running again they now know that I have ran more than one race.
Actually I wear for function. I do a lot of running in before the sun comes up so I wear brightly colored stuff. I got a couple of hunters vests that really pop and I can be seen in pictures from about a half a mile away. A plus is that they are fleece, so in the harsh winter the vest keeps my tummy warm.
Another thing is the bike jersey for long runs and marathons. The three back pockets are perfect for ID, MP3 players, and gels.
Where can i get that grandma knit cap thing? I would go perfect with my cap collection.
Duff's last blog post..Space's Victory:Jog into Spring Race Report
April 16th at 4:56 pm
One comment for Duff on the t-shirts. Please PLEASE tell me you don't wear them at the same race that you got them. Nothing screams "AMATEUR" more than wearing the t-shirt for that event. Now, wearing last year's t-shirt exudes "yeah, been there, done that, got the t-shirt", but wearing this year's shirt is nowhere near cool. Sorry.


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The move is not an investigation but an early fact-finding exercise.
The US Federal Trade Commission is seeking information from the advertising subsidiaries of numerous broadband providers about their privacy policies, procedures and practices. Operators including AT&T-owned AppNexus, Verizon Online and Verizon-owned Oath have received orders from the regulatory body seeking privacy-related information.
Earlier in March, the FTC had asked seven broadband providers to provide information about consumer data, but the latest order is aimed at their advertising arms. The FTC said that it wants details about the companies' data collection and storage methods as well as internal policies regarding access to data and data-sharing, among others.
The FTC currently has authority over the privacy practices of common carriers like Verizon and AT&T. This piece says that though it is an early fact-finding exercise, it can still pose a risk for broadband providers' bet on data-driven advertising.
[2 minute read]


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Have you met your new addiction yet? Our sampler pack is the perfect place to explore our signature artisanal flavors. From blends of premium liquors, fresh spices, and gourmet chocolates, this set has it all.
This 4 pack of 4 ounce bags comes with our most popular caramelized popcorn: Vanilla Bean Cocoa Nib, Kentucky Bourbon Black Pepper, Mayan Chile Chocolate, and Bananas Foster Dark Rum.
Perfect to share, or to keep all to yourself, this sampler keeps everyone coming back for more.


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Join The Trail Foundation and the City of Austin as they celebrate the grand opening of the Boardwalk on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake on Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 10 a.m.
Themed "Run, Walk or Bike on Water," the celebration will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony, a festive march across the Boardwalk, family entertainment and more! Don't miss out on this momentous event for the city and The Trail Foundation, which helps keep Austinites fit and healthy by protecting and enhancing one of the city's main recreational areas.
The Boardwalk will connect the current end of The Trail by the Austin American-Statesman Building to Lakeshore Park, closing a 1.1-mile gap in The Trail on the southeastern side of Lady Bird Lake. This project will provide safe, continuous ADA compliant pedestrian and bicycle access along a beautiful section of the public's lake and parkland.
For more information, visit The Trail Foundation or the City of Austin website. You can also contact Carolyn Perez with the City of Austin at [email protected] or 512-974-7139 with questions.
Lakeshore Metro Park
1928 S. Lakeshore Boulevard
Austin, TX 78741


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The economic and social potential of South Australia's primary industries and regions is enriched and strengthened by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) partnerships with a range of organisations including:
- industry peak bodies including Food South Australia, the SA Wine Industry Association and Primary Producers SA, and incorporated associations
- Regional Development Australia, and incorporated associations
- the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of SA
- Australian Government agencies
- other state government agencies
- local government bodies
- regional wine and tourism bodies
- natural resources management boards
- research partners
- educational and research institutions.
Formal partnership agreements
New formal partnership agreements between PIRSA and Food South Australia, the SA Wine Industry Association and Primary Producers SA will help improve industry development models for the agribusiness, food and wine sectors.
The agreements are not legally binding, but rather statements of positive intent to work together for the benefit of our primary industries.
Each agreement clarifies the roles and responsibilities between PIRSA and the specific industry peak body and contains the following guiding principles:
- understanding the complexities and issues associated with the other partner's activities and listening to their representations
- communication is two-way, timely and efficient
- recognition of the role of each industry peak body.
The partnership agreements set out clear responsibilities for PIRSA and the industry peak bodies.
PIRSA's responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- seeking to create an environment that encourages investment, growth and profitability
- facilitating industry development
- supporting biosecurity, market access, food security and environmental sustainability
- supporting industry in their provision of programs and services
- supporting continued engagement of industry and wider community in planning and policy.


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Welcome to the February issue of the Boston Networks newsletter.
Over the past few months we have been busy completing the first phase on the Southern General Hospital project and the NHS Meridian Court project.
We also launched our new corporate identity, scheduled our next network video surveillance seminar for March and appeared as Public Contracts Scotland's featured supplier of the month, which you can read below.
Did you know?
2012 will generate a continued demand for the design and deployment of IP Network Video Surveillance solutions.
We are currently working with the NHS to develop and deliver IP Security strategies. What's more, we are hosting a seminar to discuss migration planning as well as the direct business benefits and compelling ROI associated with a network video surveillance solution. You can find out more and register here.
Featured Case Study
Boston Networks is one of the UK's leading companies in the design, delivery and maintenance of high performance wireless network infrastructures.
The company successfully won a contract though Public Contracts Scotland (PCS), to provide a Wireless local area network (LAN) for Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service. Read the full article here.
Compelling ROI with Wireless connectivity
Typically, wireless CCTV connections cost less than half that of traditional leased lines, whilst adding significant flexibility and mobility. Find out more.
Tweet's of the month
Interested in learning the latest innovations in Network Video Surveillance? Register for our free seminar.
Boston Networks commission cabling infrastructure and IP CCTV for the University of Aberdeen £57m library building- Read more.
Nice whitepaper from @AxisIPVideo on how to upgrade analogue surveillance systems – Read more
Boston Networks awarded official supplier status with the UK'S only Further Education buying consortium – Read more
Like what you see? Sign up to our newsletter here.


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Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!
All this week, Blizzard released information regarding class changes coming to World of Warcraft with the release of the Legion expansion. Now, these were only previews of what is to come, but there were plenty of details laid out for how the classes will improve, or change, when the big expansion update hits. In this mini-series of posts, I will do an overview of each class preview and occasionally provide my thoughts on what has been changed or added.
Note: Do keep in mind that the information that follows is only a glimpse at the capabilities of the classes in Legion. All information is subject to change.
In Legion, the World of Warcraft developers seek to strengthen the identities of the game's 11 classes. To do this, they are putting a lot of focus on the "core fantasy" of each class and their respective specializations. This will mean that some specs will only be streamlined, some specs will be modified to emphasize their unique themes, and other specs will be redesigned to gain an identity that previously didn't exist or was missing. The intention is to ensure that each spec has an identity, as well as fills a unique aspect of a classes core themes. For today's post, I shall cover the Hunter, Priest, Mage and Paladin.
We will start with the Hunter class, World of Warcraft's resident archer and master of beasts, and once the primary class of my buddy, Groupy. For a long time, the WoW developers have struggled to make each of the Hunter specializations feel unique. All through Warlords of Draenor (and likely all of MoP), selecting a specialization had little effect on how a player utilized their Hunter. This was due to the real meat of a character's unique options were found within the Talents, and not the specialization itself. In Legion, the developers have worked to grant each specialization a unique identity that will drastically alter how player's use their character.
Beast Mastery
Overall, the Beast Mastery specialization has not changed too drastically, but it has received a few changes and additions to emphasize the bond the Hunter has with the wild.
- Dire Beast
The most compelling addition to this specialization is the Dire Beast ability. It allows the Hunter to call a wild beast once every 10 seconds to attack an enemy for 8 seconds. This will act as the Beast Master Hunter's primary method for recovering Focus, because each successful attack by the Dire Beast will generate Focus. Additionally, the creature that is called forth will be native to the zone where the ability was used.
- Wild Call
This passive supplements the Dire Beast ability by giving Hunters an opportunity to use it more frequently. Through Wild Call, all critical strikes have a 30% chance to reset the cooldown of Dire Beast. This creates the potential for Hunters to have multiple Dire Beasts active at one time. Due to the innate 8 second duration of the ability, the potential number could still be fairly low. However, if players were able to acquire a talent or glyph to either increase the base duration of Dire Beasts or cause the duration of active Dire Beasts to reset, then Beast Mastery Hunters could possibly call forth an army of little beasties.
- Mastery: Master of Beasts
I'm pretty sure this bonus remains unchanged from Warlords of Draenor. While it fits the Beast Mastery spec, it's really boring. The damage done by Hunter pets is increased by 45% (based on relevant gear).
- Talent: Way of the Cobra
This passive allows Hunters to take advantage of the potential army of beasts they can summon. The damage done by Cobra Shot is increased by 5% for each active pet or guardian. This could be a nice little bonus when Beast Master's figure out how to best maximize their Dire Beast ability.
Survival is the one specialization to receive the most significant changes to its design. While it has been a rather awkward ranged spec for multiple expansions, it has been revamped to deal damage from melee range. It is unlikely that Hunters lose complete access to the baseline ranged abilities, but they certainly do not gain access to more through this specialization.
Through this change, the WoW developers have used multiple resurrection scrolls on the long dead or forgotten melee abilities that once existed in the Hunter spellbook. Though, the functionality that they once had has been changed to fit the baseline rotation of the new Survival Hunter. Let us review.
- Harpoon
The baseline gap-closer for the Survival Hunter. A harpoon is hurled at an enemy, then the Hunter pulls herself to it and roots it in place for 3 seconds. There isn't anything too spectacular about this idea. Gap closers are common amongst melee classes in MMORPGs. However, I heard that a WoW developer said this was meant to function like Death Grip. That clearly is no longer the case, if it ever was.
- Raptor Strike
This ability is back from the dead and fills the role of a core Focus-consuming melee attack.
- Mongoose Bite
The redesigned Mongoose Bite will act as a Survival Hunter's main damaging ability. This ability is an instant melee attack on a 10 second recharge that possessing 3 charges by default. While it does strong physical damage innately, consecutive uses of Mongoose Bite within 3.5 seconds will increase the damage done by 50% and reset the duration of the damage buff, stacking up to 6 times. There will be numerous ways for Hunters to replenish Mongoose Bite charges.
- Flanking Strike
An interesting attack that causes the Hunter and its pet to attack simultaneously. The damage and threat of the pet is increased by 50% if the targeted enemy is attacking the Hunter. Otherwise, the damage of the Hunter will be 50% stronger. In the preview, this ability had a nearly identical description as Beast Mastery's Kill Command, but it was later changed for clarity.
- Wing Clip
The once lost melee snare makes its return as part of the new Survival Hunter's arsenal.
- Mastery: Hunting Companion
The effect of this mastery has changed drastically to match the new design of the Survival Hunter. The pet's attacks have a 20% chance (based on relevant gear with Mastery) to grant the Hunter an additional charge of Mongoose Bite.
- Talent: Snake Hunter
This talent gives the Survival Hunter access to an instant ability on a 1 minute cooldown. Snake Hunter grants the Hunter 3 charges of Mongoose Bite. Something tells me that the WoW developers really want Survival Hunters to spam the bajeesuz out of Mongoose Bite.
One last note about the Survival Hunter: there will be no method for quickly recovering Focus in this specializations core kit of abilities. The idea is that players will simply pool it up as they are using Mongoose Bite, which costs no Focus.
To a certain extent, Marksman Hunters remain virtually the same. In Legion, there is much more focus on this specialization being the pure ranged physical DPS spec. One of the changes that was done to cement this ideal was by granting Marksman Hunters the Lone Wolf passive by default. That's right! Marksman Hunters will be running solo. However, does that necessarily mean they won't have an option to get the pet back if someone wants it? You'll have to find out elsewhere. I don't have that information here.
- Arcane Shot
This ability will be used as the Marksman Hunter's primary source of Focus recovery. It's an instant, 40 yard range attack that deals moderate Arcane damage.
- Seek Vulnerabilities
This passive causes enemies struck with Arcane Shot or Multi-Shot to be afflicted with another ability once lost to the Nether, Hunter's Mark.
- Marked Shot
This is a new ability available to the Marksman Hunter that fires multiple shots at three nearby enemies that are afflicted with the Hunter's Mark. It's a channeled ability that deals strong physical damage, but can be used while moving. Additionally, each shot from this ability snares enemies for 15% and increases damage received from Aimed Shot by 25% for 10 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
- Mastery: Sniper Training
The Marksman Hunter mastery increases the critical strike damage and range of all shots by 12.5% (based on relevant gear with Mastery). For those of you wondering; no, you don't have to be sitting still to benefit from these effects any longer.
- Talent: Lock and Load
A few effects from the former ranged Survival spec have been moved to the purely ranged Marksman Hunter spec. Through this talent, Aimed Shot gains an explosive charge which causes additional strong Fire damage to the designated target and any enemy close by. Also, ranged auto attacks have a small chance to trigger "Lock and Load", which causes the next 2 Aimed Shots to be instant and require no Focus. A little bit of old Survival nostalgia to be had there.
The next class that was previewed was the Priest class. This class has always had a really strong identity, and each spec has fulfilled a different aspect of the "core fantasy" very well over the years. While the overall themes of each specialization remain unchanged, for the most part, the gameplay has been modified to better suit the needs of the next expansion, and to streamline play overall.
For the Holy specialization, the biggest change that has been made is the removal of the Chakra mechanic. The preview states that it was often too "cumbersome, requiring additional setup to optimally use most spells" and that it was too restrictive. It didn't allow Holy Priests to smoothly transition between single-target and group healing. The developers hope to alleviate these issues through the introduction of the Holy Word system.
- Holy Word: Serenity
This new Holy Word spell is an instant cast, single-target healing ability on a 1 minute cooldown that restores a massive amount of health.
- Holy Word: Sanctify
This new Holy Word spell is another instant cast healing ability on a 1 minute cooldown, except that it is a ground-targeted area of effect spell that provides healing to 6 friendly players within 10 yards.
- Serendipity
The most important facet of the modified Holy Priest toolkit is this passive. When a Priest casts one of their relevant healing (or damage) abilities, the cooldown of a relevant Holy Word spell will be reduced by 6 seconds. It is a fairly simple system. The single target spells, Flash Heal and Heal, are tied to Holy Word: Serenity. The group healing spells, Prayer of Healing and Prayer of Mending, are tied to Holy Word: Sanctify. Lastly, the Holy Priest's damage spells, Smite and Holy Fire, affect the cooldown of Holy Word: Chastise.
- Mastery: Echo of Light
The Holy mastery is mostly unchanged, causing direct healing spells to restore an additional 25% (based on relevant gear with Mastery) over 6 seconds.
- Talent: Apotheosis
This talent grants Holy Priests access to an instant cast personal buff on a 3 minute cooldown. The effects of Serendipity are increased by 200% (i.e., tripled) for 30 seconds. This would likely come in handy in situations where clutch healing is needed.
The Shadow specialization has received some changes to streamline the baseline rotation, as well as create new gameplay options. The first big change is the removal of Shadow Orbs in place of a resource called Insanity. This resource is tied to a few new mechanics that enhance the theme that Shadow Priests warp the minds of their foes.
- Voidform
This passive is the core component of the new Insanity resource. Upon reaching 100 Insanity, Shadowform will become Voidform, transforming the Priest's Mind spells into Void spells, and increasing all Shadow damage by 30%. That may sound like a lot — but there's more. Every second the Priest will gain 2% Haste. Voidform will constantly drain Insanity, draining faster as time goes on. Once the Priest's Insanity has been fully depleted, Voidform will end. The Haste buff will persist for 20 seconds after Voidform ends.
- Mastery: Madness
The Shadow Priest mastery is only mildly changed from its Warlords of Draenor incarnation. The damage and and Insanity generation of Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, Vampiric Touch, and Shadow Word: Death are increased by 20% (based on relevant gear with Mastery). The later portions of the Legion expansion should see some interesting plays made by Shadow Priests, such as a nearly endless Voidform. Maybe?
- Talent: Oblivion
This talent gives Shadow Priests access to an instant cast ability on a 2 minute cooldown. Oblivion instantly generates 100 Insanity. Nearly endless Voidform, anyone?
Of the Priest's three specializations, it is in Discipline that players will find the most significant change. No longer can Discipline be called a pure healing class, nor will it dominate the healing game through the abundance of damage absorption shields. Instead, Discipline Priests must learn to balance their natural affinity to support their allies and their newfound capacity to bring harm to their foes so that they serve the same purpose.
- Atonement
At the core of the Discipline Priest's new gameplay is the Atonement buff that can be applied by their Plea, Power Word: Shield, and Shadow Mend abilities. While affected by Atonement, any damage dealt by the Discipline Priest will heal each Atoned allied for 50% of the damage done. Atonement lasts 15 seconds.
- Mind Blast
While not a new ability, under the Discipline specialization Mind Blast has no cooldown. Instead, it functions similarly to Smite and has the same cast time, but it costs significantly more Mana and deals more damage. So, this would likely be how Discipline Priests will decide how much healing they need to dish out with Atonement. Smite for efficient healing, and Mind Blast for massive bursty healing.
- Penance
The other damage tool that Discipline has comes in the form of Penance. It is now a purely offensive channeled spell that deals damage over 2 seconds and has a 9 second cooldown.
- Revelation
This passive gives the Discipline Priest some options for switching their rotation up on occasion. Smite and Mind Blast have a 30% chance to reset the cooldown of Penance.
- Mastery: Absolution
The Discipline mastery has been altered from its Warlords of Draenor incarnation to match the new playstyle of the spec. The healing transferred through the Atonement buff is increased by 28% (based on relevant gear with Mastery).
- Talent: Grace
This is an interesting talent option to provide Discipline Priests with an interesting method for supporting their allies in a more traditional manner. Grace increases the effectiveness of non-Atonement healing and absorption by 30% on allies affected by Atonement.
The Mage class overall seems to be in a pretty good place. Each spec has well defined themes, and they each offer unique playstyles that suit those themes. There aren't any drastic changes listed in the previews. However, each spec has had their baseline rotations and toolkits streamlined for better and easier play.
As stated before, not too much has changed with the Arcane Mage. They still utilize Arcane Charges to empower their various damage spells, but this mechanic has been turned into an additional resource that will sit beneath the Mana bar. This was done so that Arcane Mages could keep better track of this mechanic. Their baseline skills haven't changed too much, but their rotation may have been tweaked a bit.
- Arcane Blast
The standard Arcane damage spell and Arcane Charge generator. Arcane Blast deals moderate Arcane damage that is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge, but its mana cost is also increased by 100% per Arcane Charge. This will be the spell Arcane Mages will be spamming a lot to build up to using Arcane Barrage.
- Arcane Missiles
This spell will come into play in between Arcane Blast casts. It volleys 5 waves of arcane missiles into the face of an enemy over 2 seconds. Its damage is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge. Arcane Missiles is NOT active at all times, though. There is a chance to activate it by using other damaging spells.
- Arcane Barrage
This spell is the Arcane Mage's primary Arcane Charge consuming ability. It deals arcane damage to an enemy that is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge. Arcane Barrage will also deal damage to 1 additional enemy per Arcane Charge for 50% of the damage done to the primary target. SO MUCH DAMAGE!
- Mastery: Savant
The new Arcane mastery no longer requires the Mage to dance around with their Mana pool. Instead, Savant increases the Arcane Mages mana regeneration and maximum mana pool by 20% (based on relevant gear with Mastery). It also increases the damage bonus granted per Arcane Charge by an additional 10% (based on relevant gear with Mastery).
- Talent: Quickening
This talent allows Arcane Blast and Arcane Missiles to grant the Mage a stacking 2% Haste buff for 6 seconds. However, the effect is cancelled once Arcane Barrage is cast. This doesn't sound very good to me. To have the two spells that actually benefit from Haste build up the effect only to lose it from using the one spell that doesn't benefit from Haste just seems counterintuitive to me.
While Arcane has received some fairly decent tweaks, Fire remains firmly intact. The changes that have been made to Fire is to streamline the baseline rotation and give Mages more options to use the spells they want.
- Hot Streak
This passive allows Fire Mages to occasionally unleash some quick Pyroblasts and Flamestrikes. Landing 2 consecutive critical strikes from direct damage abilities causes the next Pyroblast or Flamestrike to be instant cast, and deal double the Ignite damage.
- Combustion
The primary damage cooldown of the Fire Mage is Combustion. Every 2 minutes, the Mage can increase its critical strike chance by 100% for 10 seconds. Also, the Mage receives Mastery equivalent to its critical strike stat. This would allow Fire Mages to just melt faces when combined with Hot Streak. No wonder Frank (from Hotel Transylvania) is afraid of fire.
- Mastery: Ignite
The mastery for Fire Mages causes enemies struck by Fireball, Inferno Blast, Scorch, Pyroblast, and Flamestrike to burn for an additional 30% (based on relevant gear with Mastery) over 9 seconds. Additional applications of Ignite will be added to whatever is remaining of the previous applications. Lastly, the ignite effect may spread to a nearby enemy every 2 seconds. Fire Mages are going to BURN THE WORLD!
- Talent: Cinderstorm
This talent gives the Mage access to a fire spell that deals damage in an area. Once every 8 seconds, the Mage will be able to send out 6 cinders that travel in an arc dealing damage to enemies that cross their path.
Just like the Fire Mage, not a great deal has changed with the Frost Mage. You'll be able to Netflix and Chill just like you've been doing throughout Warlords of Draenor. However, there is a small change that Frost Mages will notice. Frostfire Bolt has been removed from the game. Fear not, though, for you have been compensated for your loss. Frozen Orb is now part of Frost's baseline toolkit.
- Frozen Orb
The new addition to the Frost Mage's baseline toolkit is an instant cast spell on a 1 minute cooldown. The Mage launches an orb of frost that travels forward for 10 seconds. It will deal frost damage to nearby enemies every second, and slow them for 2 seconds.
- Brain Freeze
This passive supplements the Frozen Orb ability a bit by granting Frostbolt a chance to reset its cooldown. I wonder how often a Frost Mage can encounter this proc in a short span of time.
- Mastery: Icicles
The Frost mastery is a fairly complex bonus that takes some explaining. First, the easy part, the damage done by the Frost Mage's Water Elemental is increased by 45% (based on relevant gear with Mastery). Next, the hard part, dealing damage with Frostbolt generates an Icicle that stores 45% (based on relevant gear with Mastery) of the damage done with the Mage for 30 seconds. The Mage can store up to 5 Icicles at one time, and excess Icicles that are generated will automatically be fired. Using Ice Lance will cause stored Icicles to start firing at the target.
- Talent: Glacial Spikes
This talent grants the Mage access to an ability with a 3 second cast time that requires 5 Icicles to cast. The unfortunate target of this ability suffers massive Frost damage from a large glacial spike, plus the damage from the stored Icicles, and is frozen in place for 4 seconds. Additionally, Ice Lance will no longer cause the stored Icicles to start firing.
The last class we will cover today will be the holy warrior, the defender of the innocent, the vengeful crusader — the Paladin. This was my main class back when I played. I have seen this class change so much since the Vanilla days. I never did get too invested in tanking or healing, my main roles when I played City of Heroes, but I played the crap out of Retribution. Let's see what has changed.
The WoW developers came up with an interesting plan to modify the playstyle of the Holy Paladin. They have added a couple new tools, and brought back Auras into their repertoire through Talents. The developers want this specialization to make use of proximity to the allies they heal. This will require the Holy Paladin to move into near-melee range to maximize their healing. Holy Paladin's also no longer utilize Holy Power. Let's review some of the tools.
- Holy Light, Flash of Light, Holy Shock, and Beacon of Light
These four abilities that make up the core of a Holy Paladin's toolkit are unchanged from what players are used to from Warlords of Draenor.
- Light of the Martyr
This instant cast spell provides healing to a single target, but causes the Paladin to sacrifice a portion of its own health. I'm not entirely sure what benefit this ability serves Paladins or their team, but it exists.
- Light of Dawn
This ability that once required Holy Power has been returned to its former glory as a mid-range heal in a cone. It has a 1.5 second cast time, and is on a 12 second cooldown. Given the new gameplay strategy of this spec, having a directional healing spell doesn't work anywhere near as well as a PBAoE (point-blank area of effect). I believe that is what Light of Dawn is in Warlord of Draenor now. Right?
- Mastery: Lightbringer
The Holy Paladin's new mastery is the only core component that is designed around the spec's new gameplay strategy. Proximity to the target of your healing spells increases their effectiveness up to an additional 30% (based on relevant gear with Mastery). Good luck taking a few seconds to jog to your near-death Tank from 40 yards away when you could simply take 1.5 seconds to cast Flash of Light…
- Talent: Beacon of the Lightbringer
This new talent works in conjunction with the Holy Paladin's new mastery. The maximum healing bonus provided by Lightbringer is increased by 24%. Also, healing a target near the Beacon of Light may also apply the benefit from the Lightbringer bonus, depending on who the target is closest to. This talent choice will alleviate the problems that I foresee with the new mastery. Though, unless the other choices are just as useful, this one talent will be 100% mandatory.
The Protection Paladin has been modified slightly to allow for greater control over its abilities. The first step taken to achieve this was the removal of Holy Power, just like with the Holy Paladin. The abilities that once consumed Holy Power have been granted cooldowns for better interaction with the Protection specializations other abilities. Another change that has taken place is the removal of Crusader Strike so that Hammer of the Righteous can take center stage. Let's review some of the changes.
- Shield of the Righteous
This instant melee-range shield attack will be the Paladin's primary form of damage mitigation. It deals a large amount of damage and reduces incoming damage by 25% for 4.5 seconds. The most important change that has been made to this ability is that it now possesses 3 charges that recharge every 12 seconds. This may seem like an ability you might want to spam, but that would certainly be a waste of an all too important defense buff.
- Light of the Protector
The next important tool in a Protection Paladin's toolkit is this instant personal heal on a 15 second cooldown. This ability restores health to the Paladin equivalent to 50% of any missing health. The best tanks will learn when to properly use this ability. Use it too early and it will heal for close to nothing, but use it when close to death and it will give the healers enough time to top off the Paladin.
- Redoubt
This passive allows auto-attack critical strikes to generate another charge of Shield of the Righteous.
- Hammer of the Righteous
This instant melee-range weapon strike will act as the Paladin's primary "spammable". It has been changes to possess 2 charges that recharge every 3 seconds. It will deal physical damage to the Paladin's designated target. The holy damage area of effect attack that is common to Hammer of the Righteous has been limited to an odd requirement. The Hammer will deal holy damage to all enemies within 8-yards while the Paladin stands in their Consecration. So, all Protection Paladin's, regardless if they are fighting one target or multiple, will likely want to keep Consecration active at all times to benefit from the bonus Holy damage.
- Mastery: Divine Bulwark
To bolster the defensive might of the Protection Paladin, this mastery increases the damage reduction gained from Shield of the Righteous by 10% (based on relevant gear with Mastery). Additionally, the Paladin's chance to block, and attack power… for reasons, are increased by 20% (based on relevant gear with Mastery).
- Talent: Blessed Hammer
This ability addition has been a long time coming for World of Warcraft. I'm absolutely surprised it wasn't added AGES ago. Replacing Hammer of the Righteous, the Paladin will call forth a divine hammer that spirals outward, dealing Holy damage to any enemy that it comes into contact with. Just like Hammer of the Righteous, this ability is instant, and possesses 2 charges that recharge every 3 seconds. This will likely be a more reliable, and fun, active AoE threat generator than Hammer of the Righteous. That's mostly due to not requiring Consecration to deal AoE damage.
We finish our "review" of the Paladin, and bring this post to a close, with my preferred specialization, Retribution. This spec retains the use of Holy Power, because it is apparently too hard to make a resource that isn't Mana or a cooldown work for specializations that don't fill the DPS role. Then again, aren't Warriors still using Rage, and Death Knights using Runes AND Runic Power? The biggest change that has been made to the specialization was to reduce the number of long-range abilities and emphasize the Holy (melee) Warrior theme. The Retribution spec is also not subject to 87 different procs at one time (for now).
- Blade of Justice
The Paladin's newest ability that strikes a foe within 12-yards, dealing Holy damage and generating 2 Holy Power. Crusader Strike still exists as the primary Holy Power generator, but Blade of Justice was added to shorten the Paladin's reach of its much bigger attacks.
- Judgement
While I did not mention it, the Protection Paladin does have access to Judgment, but the variant available to Retribution is more interesting. This ability is still an instant, 30-yard range attack that deals Holy damage, but it is on a 12 second cooldown. Twice as long as the variant available to Protection. Retribution also gains the benefit of a debuff applied to the damaged target that increases the damage of abilities that generate and consume Holy Power by 30% for 6 seconds. While this is one of the Paladin's primary damage abilities, players may need to be more precise when deciding to maximize their damage.
- Conviction
This passive grants Crusader Strike and Blade of Justice a 20% chance to generate an additional Holy Power. Stack
those combo pointsthat Holy Power!
- Mastery: Hand of Light
As much as I like the idea of dealing more damage, sometimes the WoW developers can come up with really boring ways of providing that to their players. Retribution's mastery causes Crusader Strike, Blade of Justice, Divine Storm, and Templar's Verdict to deal 45% (based on relevant gear with Mastery) additional Holy damage. At least the Retribution mastery is better than the garbage that Frost and Unholy Death Knight's are stuck with for yet another expansion.
- Talent: Lothar's Might
If you have played Heroes of the Storm at all, then you are likely to recognize the functionality of this ability. Lothar's Might is a 30-yard range, ground-targeted ability that causes the Paladin to throw a holy blade into the ground. If the ability is reactivated, the Paladin will teleport to the location of the sword and deal Holy damage to nearby enemies. Does it sound familiar? If it isn't, this is an ability used by Tyrael, a well-known character in Diablo lore, in Blizzard's own MOBA, Heroes of the Storm. As cool as this ability is, one must ask the question: is this the only form of mobility that Retribution Paladin's are offered?
What do you think of the direction these classes are taking? Are you looking forward to Legion? Do you remain unpersuaded to play WoW? Join the discussion below.
You can find "Legion Class Previews Reviewed (Part 2)" right here. It covers the Warlock, Death Knight, Shaman, and Warrior.
You can find "Legion Class Previews Reviewed (Part 3)" right here. It covers the Monk, Druid, and Rogue.
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If you have any questions for me, or have some ideas for topics you'd like me to cover, you can leave a comment below or head over to my Contact page.
Thanks for reading to the end. I hope you'll be back for the next one.
War Fist out.


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Do you play EVE Online?
Anonymous posted a topic in General DiscussionsI'm just curious. I don't play EVE, and 90% of conversations here seem to be "we will / are / should do what EVE does". I'm not actually sure if I want to play an EVE "clone". I think we should focus on being the disruptive tech and making DU truly unique. But - it might just be that since I've never played it, that I'm missing the point that it's the best thing since sliced bread? Anyway - not so much as discussion as just a question. Anon.
EVE Online Veteran Excited To Try Dual Out
GilgameshLancer posted a topic in Novark's RegistryHello World Goodbye World
patmcdoug posted a topic in Novark's RegistryGreetings and well met! Just signed up for the pre-alpha, and am very intrigued to check out DU and get in on it around the ground floor! I'm an avid gamer who spends far too much time of late playing EVE Online (after a hiatus from that game). I am of an era that played MUDDs, the predecessors to MMORPs. Being a gaming addict, I also have the "distinction" of buying my first upgraded computer to be able to play the original Everquest! Some other memorable MMORPs that I've enjoyed include Dark Age of Camelot and Lord of the Rings Online. I'm also a player of board games and tabletop miniature games, and have been in the same Friday night gaming gang for around two decades! In EVE I'm a proud member of the kind and gentle Signal Cartel, which is pacifistic and aids capsuleers (players) stranded in wormspace-- a place where you're doomed to remain unless you have the ability to find an exit out! See you all around at some point!
So, I'm MinisterPhobia. To my knowledge, I'm the only one out there. I've been using this name for what feels like decades now (gods I feel old). I've been an active gamer almost all of my life, and have been an MMO player since the UIltima Online beta way back in late '96. Maybe '97, it's going back a ways. If any of you played on the Sonoma server (post-launch), I spent a good 4 years or so milling around on there. Since then, I've played a wide variety of online and offline games, both MMO and otherwise. I spent a full decade with EVE Online, and 5 years or so on Dark Age of Camelot. For the last 2-3 years, it's Survival games like Ark and Empyrion that have held my attention the longest. Right now, I'm hooked on Rimworld and wishing there was a way to multiplayer it (everyone on the same map, but not on the same tile). I've backed some rather big names over the last few years, well, games that became big or have lots of controversy around them. Mechwarrior Online, Star Citizen (triple concierge, for those who know what that means), Kingdom Come Deliverance, and now, Dual Universe. DU isn't as big as I'd like to see it be, but, I'm sure it'll pick up as it gets closer to launch. Professionally, I've done a great deal of work in Data Centers setting up, maintaining, and wanting to go postal on, servers, in racks. These days, I've got lots of time and not much to fill it with other than gaming. I'm not really looking for an organization or anything, just friends for now. That's all for now! (I type too much!)
I originally submitted this post to /r/DualUniverse (which you should totally check out if you frequent reddit) but considering this forum gets more attention I figured it would be best to post it here as well. So if you're a fan of MMOs or Sci-Fi games in general you probably noticed a post on /r/gaming about a possible $1,000,000 battle that was gonna go down in EVE Online. It blew up and even made national news in Canada. https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/7sa25p/after_15_years_eve_online_is_having_its_first/ Now for those who followed the event (or if you were like me you were there personally), while it was intriguing to watch and talk about it was clear that overall it was a pretty big bust. Granted, the reddit post in question somewhat predicted this, what couldn't be predicted was all of the server issues that would plague this battle. Being that EVE is a big influencer of DU and another sandbox Sci-Fi game, I want to address some of the mechanical and server-side issues that came up and what they mean for DU. There's more reasons then just the server as to why not a whole lot happened but I really won't go into detail about them since they aren't important. This battle broke the previous record of pilots in one single system with a peak of somewhere around 6,100. That's HUGE, it may not seem like many but when you consider most modern MMO's aren't single-shard and that many games in general can't support more than 64 dudes in one instance, it's really quite impressive. Over 6,000 people in one place and as a result the server node, which was heavily reinforced by CCP, shit the the bed. So generally when a server node is under a lot of stress the game will automatically start to slow down so the server can keep up with all the calculations. This is referred to as Time Dilation, or TiDi for short. Tidi can slow down the action down to less than 10% real time which means actions can easily take 10 times longer. Once the server gets past 10% tidi it begins prioritizing certain commands over others and that's when shit starts breaking, client crashes are frequent and modules break resorting you to spamming them hoping they turn on or off accordingly. The reason the fight ended prematurely is because carriers couldn't replace lost fighters due to server lag. Needless to say, even on lowest graphics settings (which is necessary in these fights), your framerate will be awful. Still, the fact 6,000 people were in one place and the sever had to calculate all of the actions of those players and their drones/fighters and the node didn't crash is somewhat impressive. Before Tidi the server would simply crash under too much load. So I wanna raise a similar question regarding Dual Universe. Now I know the technology EVE was built on is outdated, and even tho server hardware has been upgraded over the years, the game still runs on a single core rather than multi-threading. Switching over to multi-threading would mean having to rebuild the game from the ground up. Dual Universe has the privilege of being developed today where the tech is better rather than 2003. Hell, Novaquark have even released videos displaying stress tests of how well the game handles a lot of people in one place. While impressive, it doesn't necessarily put all my doubts to rest. Calculating 1,000 people walking around in a small area isn't quite the same as 6,000 people shooting at each other among other things. It could be argued that due to EVE's focus on PvP that those sort of fights are more prone to happen in EVE than in a less PvP focused game like DU. However being that it's a sandbox title, by nature anything can happen. Players generally like to work together to forge massive empires and alliances full of thousands of people. And naturally, wars will break out because let's face it video game wars are fun. It's not unreasonable to think that a fight like this could happen in DU if the pieces fall into place. What I'm wondering is if the game can handle it, obviously we don't really know as of yet, but I think it's worth being discussed.
Introduction: Oh where to start... My name is Falcor Rowlinson, yes like the luck dragon I've kept the handle and organization name from back in EVE at its pinnacle TDN was still a small corp of around 30 - 40 people typically dealing in logistics for local pirate groups and contract work. As of now 7 or so years later we're still a small community that primarily plays Arma 3 as a semi - sci fi private military. Operation Conquistador, 7/21/2035 Plans for DU: While only myself and one other from the community are taking part in the alpha others will be following in whenever the game is ready, Our goal is to form a PMC with an integrated weapons company as well as establish a 'neutral ground' location (eg. Night Club, Bar, or Casino) that exists outside of any groups sphere of influence to be a safe haven for the less than ideal citizens of the local space to handle their business whatever it may be while still having the sense of safety provided by a local security force. Contact Us: Teamspeak: ts01-nyc.nitrado.net:10050 Email: email@example.com
Hi all, I've been a long time lurker here and decided to finally register to ask a question that's been bothering me. I understand that there's a lot, if not most of this game that isn't quite set in stone. There's a lot of questions I want to ask but I know most of then can't really be answered yet. What I do want to ask is about the so called "persistent universe". Now in the F.A.Q. it's a little vague about how it describes the way the universe functions. It is implied that it is infinite but it never directly says it either so I'm left unsure about how that will all work. I'm pretty interested in the political concepts that are being looked at. It seems to be possibly derivitve of EVE Politics which is to me a good thing, politics in EVE are probably the most interesting part about that game. However it should be know that often times what drives political conflicts and wars in EVE and even in our own history is landgrabs, there's always some peice of land or territory that somebody else wants to get their hands on. My question is that if there is no limit to how much territory there can be, what value does it even really have? I've read plenty already and I see it being said that it will take a long time to even claim territory and try to spread out amongst the stars which is all well and good but let's be real here nobody outside the dev team really has anyway to measure that. In EVE territory is limited, and with low supply comes high demand and spectacular conflicts ensue as a result. If it's easy to just explore some more and get more land why would anybody fight over it? Obviously the idea of a never ending MMO universe sounds cool but is it really the best thing to do? Or will politics not really matter as much in this game. If this question has already been answered then I apologize, I searched but didn't find anything anywhere. Tl;Dr basically what the title says
I remember a while back reading about the Bloodbath of B-R5RB, which was the biggest battle ever fought in EVE Online, occuring in early 2014 and consisting of thousands and thousands of ships from two opposing alliances fighting over a single system. Upon looking up these factions recently, I was intrigued to find that some of them apparently no longer exist. I then watched some related EVE videos, surfing comments, and found a really neat story of a guy who randomly met a pretty big faction leader and got invited to join that faction; someone else commented asking about the faction, but the guy responded that the faction had long since disbanded. This stuff really got me interested in the mechanics of long-term organizations in Dual Universe. Why do factions rise and fall in EVE; what causes large forces to disband, and might those same causes affect organizations in DU? What is the main cause? Is it players getting bored, or traitors, or crap leadership, or people just wanting something new, that results in once fearsome coalitions falling apart into nothing? The current numbers in DU orgs have been pretty steady; the largest orgs have stayed the largest, biggest names always on top. Nothing really changes, but that's because we don't have the game. Can we expect to see the Terran Union even in existence six months after launch? Or could it still be the largest ten years later; and regardless of whatever happens to it, what lead to it's lifespan being as long as it was? TL;DR: What causes huge factions in EVE to fall, and how are those forces relatable to Dual Universe? What forces could cause DU empires to crumble away?


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Anti-globalization protesters have descended on almost every international conference or summit that has been held over the past year. Now, the racism conference under way in South Africa is attracting its own share of demonstrators. Most of the protesters are South Africans. But the issues are international.
Security officials say roughly 18,000 protesters marched Friday through downtown Durban to the conference venue. A large part of the group consisted of South African Muslims, who turned out to voice their anger at Israel and show support for the Palestinians. Abdurahman Brennan traveled for more than a day to get to Durban from Cape Town. "We are fighting for the liberation of Palestine, because our Muslims, our brothers and our sisters are oppressed in Israel," he said. "And we want to liberate Palestine today. We want to let the world know that we are fighting for the liberation of Palestine."
Unlike earlier conferences in Genoa and Seattle, most of the demonstrators had a message not for the United Nations officials and foreign dignitaries inside, but for South African President Thabo Mbeki.
The largest group came to protest South Africa's plans to privatize state-owned industries. This followed a two-day national strike over the same issue. But at times the marchers seemed to be protesting just for the sake of protesting. One woman admitted to VOA that she did not even know what she was demonstrating for.
Another marcher, Sello Marumo, was selling anti-capitalist pamphlets for about 50 cents each. He summed up the protesters' mixed bag of issues. "We will not allow the leaders of the whole world to meet without challenge," he said. "They must stop privatization, capitalism, blah blah blah."
Some of the protesters were there for a very specific reason. University student Sethelembi Nyati wants South Africa to treat all 11 official languages equally. "Because here in South Africa the most language they use is English," she siad. "So we do not want to be oppressed by this English."
Other groups were there to demand land for the landless. And some even carried signs calling for an end to racism - a goal shared by delegates at the conference inside.
Not all of the marchers were local. Some represented international organizations that are in Durban for the racism conference. New York City resident Ramona Ortega heads the Urban Justice Center's Human Rights Project. She says disadvantaged people around the world are dealing with very similar issues. "What we have seen throughout the conference is that there are actually a lot of global things that are similar," she said. "Whether we're in the United States and perhaps are affected a little bit differently... I mean, affordable housing, a living wage, all these things are the same kinds of things, just in a different context. What we're finding are some real similarities in terms of the problems that are affecting all of us, especially globalization."
A brief scuffle broke out between police and protesters as the some members of the crowd tried to get past a strict security cordon around the conference center. But otherwise, Friday's march was generally peaceful. The crowd dispersed quietly as a gentle rain started to fall.
Security officials say other protests are scheduled just about every day of the conference, on issues ranging from gay and lesbian rights to the civil war in Sri Lanka.


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When converting SAE to Metric or vise-versa, does 2.54 cm EXACTLY equal one inch when we are talking in thousandths? Thanks.
No announcement yet.
SAE vs Metric
new posts
download this handy program http://www.joshmadison.com/software/convert/John
Yes. That was established by international decree around 1961.
Prior to that, the English had a definition that was ever-so-slightly smaller (or maybe it was larger), the Canadians, had the 2.54cm=1" exactly definition, and the US had a definition that was ever-so-slighly larger (or maybe it was smaller). They all got together and agreed to use the Canadian definition, 2.5400000..... cm = 1", exactly.
Try to make a living, not a killing. -- Utah Phillips
Don't believe everything you know. -- Bumper sticker
Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects. -- Will Rogers
There are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory. - Josh Billings
Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Don't own anything you have to feed or paint. - Hood River Blackie
and another extremely useful converter, versaverter. Freebie from
Converts damn near anything
Which means that if you have an old inch ruler it is off slightly. It depends on where you are. Up to 1959 the UK inch measured 2.53998 cm while the US inch was 2.540005 cm. The inch is and was defined by the meter so really we all use metric.
Here is a fun site:
[This message has been edited by Evan (edited 10-07-2005).]Free software for calculating bolt circles and similar: Click Here
Senior Member
- May 2002
- 13776
Older rulers are just as accurate as present ones, at least as far as the standards they were based on. You are talking about millionths of a centimeter for gosh sakes. That's about one third smaller than millionths of an inch. Even grade 2 gauge blocks have a tolerance range of 0.000018 cm.
Don't get the newbees worried about their older rulers or even their older mikes.
But yes, since '61 the conversion has been exact. Even before then, I doubt that anyone here ever had a situation where it made any real difference.
Paul A.
Paul A.
SE Texas
Make it fit.
You can't win and there IS a penalty for trying!
SpoilsportFree software for calculating bolt circles and similar: Click Here
Originally posted by Paul Alciatore:
But yes, since '61 the conversion has been exact. Even before then, I doubt that anyone here ever had a situation where it made any real difference.
Paul A.
andy b.
The danger is not that computers will come to think like men - but that men will come to think like computers. - some guy on another forum not dedicated to machining
Senior Member
- Jun 2003
- 431
Back before the US, Canada, and Great Britain agreed to a common standard length for the Inch, the US Inch was officially defined as 1/36 US Yard, not directly linked to the length of the Meter. But since the US Yard at that time WAS officially linked to the Meter, being defined as 36 / 39.37 Meter, a bit of simple arithmetic showed the US Inch to be 1 / 39.37 Meter, which made the US Inch 25.4000508 millimeter long.
The post-1959 Inch is two parts-per-million shorter than the old US Inch, which is now obsolete in all fields except land surveying, where it remains as a rarely-encountered-or-used subdivision of the US Survey Foot. The US Survey Foot, defined as 12 / 39.37 Meter, was introduced in 1959 to prevent "muddying" high-order surveys with New Foot / Old Foot differences.
As long as the Pedantic Squad is saddled up and riding, I might note that ANY coherent measurement system is a "metric" system. "The" metric system is SI metric, or Systأ¨me International d'Unitأ¨s, a development of the older MKS (meter/kilogram/second) system. The even older CGS (centimeter/gram/second) system seems to be deader than disco.
The really important units (such as the Unified thread system) were settled between the civilized countries - the US, Canada, Britain, and Australia - in 1948, when France and Germany were too far out of things to make the usual pig's breakfast of it all. In that era, French, German, and Swiss "metric" systems were not particularly well standardized.
The only thing which puzzles me about the old inch is, why were those old wood school rulers - the ones with the metal edges, good for whacking things with - always made of beech? Perfectly good wood, but not obviously superior to birch or hickory or ash or maple or whatever. I still have some from 40+ years ago - damn things just won't die.


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...demonstrate that the message appears to be breaking through for Michael Munger and Chris Cole.
Public Policy Polling's latest numbers show both the Libertarian Gubernatorial and Senatorial candidates drawing 6%.
In the Governor's race, the difference between Bev Perdue and Pat McCrory is 1%.
In the Senatorial race the difference between Liddy Dole and Kay Hagan is 1%.
The devil, naturally, is in the details.
Munger is pulling down 10% of all male voters; Cole draws 8%.
Cole, an openly gay candidate, draws 8% of the GOP vote.
Both Munger and Cole are scoring 16% of the critical young voter 18-29 demographic.
On specific issues, Munger gets 21% of those who think taxes are the most important issue; Cole gets 23% [Dem Kay Hagan only gets 4%].
Munger gets 13% of those who think health care is the most important issue: Cole gets 22% [GOPer Liddy Dole gets 26%].
Munger gets 12% of those who think the War in Iraq is the most important issue; Cole gets 23%.
These are impact numbers, not spoiler numbers.
If Munger and Cole can continue to hammer away in the media, they'll get bigger.
Think what they could do with real money.
Oh, that's right, the LNC has other uses for its money than actually being competitive in State and local elections.
Damn that Angela Keaton!