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Believer. Mother. Explorer. Artist. Dreamer. Wanna-be foodie. Lover of coffee and all things floral.
My grandmother gave me my first camera when I was a teenager. It didn't take me long to realize photography wasn't just a hobby, but a true passion of mine. Once I became a mother, my passion grew stronger than ever. I wanted to capture every smile, every tear, not just today, but forever. Every picture tells a story, a special time and place that brings back those irreplaceable memories. I'm a story teller, one priceless moment at a time.


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|Economy of Namibia
|Namibian dollar (NAD)
|Fiscal year
|1 April - 31 March
|Trade organisations
|$14.23 billion (2005 est.)
|GDP growth
|3.5% (2005 est.)
|GDP per capita
|$7,000 (2005 est.)
|GDP by sector
|agriculture: 9.5%, mining: 12.4%, manufacturing: 15.4% (2007)
|Inflation (CPI)
|9.7% (May 2008)[1]
below poverty line
|34.9% of the population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per day
|Labour force
|820,000 (2005 est.)
by occupation
|agriculture: 47%, industry: 20%, services: 33% (1999 est.)
|35% (1998)
|Main industries
|meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)
|$2.04 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
|Export goods
|diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins
|Main export partners
|South Africa 33.4%, US 4% (2004)
|$2.35 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
|Import goods
|foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals
|Main import partners
|South Africa 85.2%, US (2004)
|Public finances
|Public debt
|$712.9 million (2005 est.)
|$1.945 billion (2005)
|$2.039 billion (2005)
|Economic aid
|recipient: ODA, $160 million (2000)
|Main data source: CIA
World Fact Book
All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars
The economy of Namibia is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Taxes and royalties from mining account for 25% of its revenue.[2] Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides the great inequality of income distribution; nearly one-third of Namibians had annual incomes of less than $1400 in constant 1994 dollars, according to a 1993 study. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged to the South African rand. Privatisation of several enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign investment, although with the trade union movement opposed, so far most politicians have been reluctant to advance the issue.
The Namibian economy has a modern market sector, which produces most of the country's wealth, and a traditional subsistence sector. Although the majority of the population engages in subsistence agriculture and herding, Namibia has more than 200,000 skilled workers, as well as a small, well-trained professional and managerial class.
The country's sophisticated formal economy is based on capital-intensive industry and farming. However, Namibia's economy is heavily dependent on the earnings generated from primary commodity exports in a few vital sectors, including minerals, especially diamonds, livestock, and fish. Furthermore, the Namibian economy remains integrated with the economy of South Africa, as the bulk of Namibia's imports originate there.
Since independence, the Namibian Government has pursued free-market economic principles designed to promote commercial development and job creation to bring disadvantaged Namibians into the economic mainstream. To facilitate this goal, the government has actively courted donor assistance and foreign investment. The liberal Foreign Investment Act of 1990 provides guarantees against nationalisation, freedom to remit capital and profits, currency convertibility, and a process for settling disputes equitably. Namibia also is addressing the sensitive issue of agrarian land reform in a pragmatic manner.
In September 1993, Namibia introduced its own currency, the Namibia Dollar (N$), which is linked to the South African Rand at a fixed exchange rate of 1:1. There has been widespread acceptance of the Namibia Dollar throughout the country and, while Namibia remains a part of the Common Monetary Area, it now enjoys slightly more flexibility in monetary policy although interest rates have so far always moved very closely in line with the South African rates.
Given its small domestic market but favourable location and a superb transport and communications base, Namibia is a leading advocate of regional economic integration. In addition to its membership in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Namibia presently belongs to the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) with South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Within SACU, no tariffs exist on goods produced in and moving among the member countries.
Ninety percent of Namibia's imports originate in South Africa, and many Namibian exports are destined for the South African market or transit that country. Namibia's exports consist mainly of diamonds and other minerals, fish products, beef and meat products, karakul sheep pelts, and light manufactures. In recent years, Namibia has accounted for about 5% of total SACU exports, and a slightly higher percentage of imports.
Namibia is seeking to diversify its trading relationships away from its heavy dependence on South African goods and services. Europe has become a leading market for Namibian fish and meat, while mining concerns in Namibia have purchased heavy equipment and machinery from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. The Government of Namibia is making efforts to take advantage of the American-led African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which will provide preferential access to American markets for a long list of products. In the short term, Namibia is likely to see growth in the apparel manufacturing industry as a result of AGOA.
In 1993, Namibia became a signatory of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) signatory, and the Minister of Trade and Industry represented Namibia at the Marrakech signing of the Uruguay Round Agreement in April 1994 . Namibia also is a member of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and has acceded to the European Union's Lomé Convention.
Mining contributed 12.4% to GDP in 2007, of which diamond mining activities represented 5%.[3] Diamond production totalled 1.5 million carats (300 kg) in 2000, generating nearly $500 million in export earnings. Other important mineral resources are uranium, copper, lead, and zinc. The country also is a source of gold, silver, tin, vanadium, semiprecious gemstones, tantalite, phosphate, sulfur, and salt.
During the pre-independence period, large areas of Namibia, including off-shore, were leased for oil prospecting. Some natural gas was discovered in 1974 in the Kudu Field off the mouth of the Orange River, but the extent of this find is only now being determined.
The clean, cold South Atlantic waters off the coast of Namibia are home to some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, with the potential for sustainable yields of 1.5 million metric tonnes per year. Commercial fishing and fish processing is the fastest-growing sector of the Namibian economy in terms of employment, export earnings, and contribution to GDP.
The main species found in abundance off Namibia are pilchards (sardines), anchovy, hake, and horse mackerel. There also are smaller but significant quantities of sole, squid, deep-sea crab, rock lobster, and tuna.
At the time of independence, fish stocks had fallen to dangerously low levels, due to the lack of protection and conservation of the fisheries and the over-exploitation of these resources. This trend appears to have been halted and reversed since independence, as the Namibian Government is now pursuing a conservative resource management policy along with an aggressive fisheries enforcement campaign. The government seeks to develop fish-farming as an alternative.
In 2000, Namibia's manufacturing sector contributed about 20% of GDP. Namibian manufacturing is inhibited by a small domestic market, dependence on imported goods, limited supply of local capital, widely dispersed population, small skilled labour force and high relative wage rates, and subsidised competition from South Africa.
Walvis Bay is a well-developed, deepwater port, and Namibia's fishing infrastructure is most heavily concentrated there. The Namibian Government expects Walvis Bay to become an important commercial gateway to the Southern African region.
Namibia also boasts world-class civil aviation facilities and an extensive, well-maintained land transportation network. Construction is underway on two new arteries-- the Trans-Caprivi Highway and Trans-Kalahari Highway--which will open up the region's access to Walvis Bay.
The Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone operates in the key port of Walvis Bay.
While most Namibians are economically active in one form or another, the bulk of this activity is in the informal sector, primarily subsistence agriculture. In the formal economy, official estimates of unemployment range from 30% to 40% the work force. A large number of Namibians seeking jobs in the formal sector are held back due to a lack of necessary skills or training. The government is aggressively pursuing education reform to overcome this problem.
Namibia's largest trade union federation, the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) represents workers organised into seven affiliated trade unions. NUNW maintains a close affiliation with the ruling SWAPO party.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.

subset: commoncrawl


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Home Inspections in Jacksonville Florida and the surrounding area
Why Hire Me For Your Home Inspection?Â
Peace of mind can be priceless when purchasing a new home. Often a buyer can be uninformed of the potential problems their new home may have and may not know all the right questions to ask. Inspection Connection can help you ask all the pertinent questions…..Is the plumbing in good working order? Is the electrical service up to par?…..to name but a few.
Whether you're buying or selling a home or your builders warranty is due to expire, Inspection Connection provides a quality, impartial, professional home inspection and report that addresses all of the important issues. All inspections will be done according to ASHI standards of practice and code of ethics in order to provide the highest level of quality and satisfaction.
 Inspection Connection is not a builder/contractor nor are we affiliated with any real estate agent, appraisal company, contractor, or repair service. We have only one client and that is you!
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Sit on Water- Beirut, a photo by Sous Al Z (Sara Al Zawqari) on Flickr. Advertisements
Author Archives: sousalz
This gallery contains 1 photo.
The sitcom "Sex & The City" is a structured narrative that uses versatile ways to present everyday obstacles facing modern women. In a successful but daring attempt to "bridge the gap between television series and movies." Creator, executive producer, and … Continue reading
Screening of The Jambeya, Yemen from the Waist of a Man in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia
This gallery contains 2 photos.
In a private event The Jambeya, Yemen from the Waist of a Man was screened in Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia. The event was hosted by Cafea Arab, a hub for Artists, photographers, and Twitteratis. The more than expected turn … Continue reading
…………………هذه الحكاية
كل يبي ما لايملكه لا وقفت زان يعيني الجلوس هذا احنا بني آدم ما نتعلم الا من الدنيا كفوف كان يا مكان بين زحمة الناس قاعد اعد الرؤوس وصلت المية و لسا ادور اسمكك بين الرفوف اظن بلقاك الجنة … Continue reading
Sex & the City SItcom Analysis #1
"Oh no they did not just talk about Sex" Oh yes, a TV show called Sex & The City broke free from cultural and social restrains, tapping into an uncomfortable territory; speaking freely about sex, orgasms, and sexual identity. From … Continue reading
The Jambeya, Yemen from The Waist of a Man- Short Documentary Trailer
Each country has it's own traditions and culture that might seem unusual to other nations. The Jambeya is a symbol that might be considered as a dangerous object or a weapon to the world but in Yemen it's simply a … Continue reading
AL Jazeera P#3 Arabs Perception Back Then
What the Arab world watched before Al Jazeera Remembering a time before Al Jazeera was born is some how difficult. The nation has become so accustomed to its existence that people weather they praise or criticize it find it hard … Continue reading


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Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Your Fancy Sneakers Were Made By Unpaid Hondurans
4 comments:
- Rust Belt Threads said...
So I had this giant rant about how much I hate Nike/sweatshops in general, and then my internet quit.
Anyway, when I was in high school I made this anti Nike website (on angelfire of all places) listing all the reasons why people should boycott Nike...needless to say Nike is still in business and I have no idea what happened to that website.
I try to buy sweatshop free clothes when I can, but it can be trying. 98% of my wardrobe is second-hand, so I think to myself "at least I'm trying" (I say this and I'm wearing Converse which is owned by Nike now, ugh).
I would love to hear your thoughts on "fast fashion" and the rise of forever21/and ect who are notorious for using sweatshop labor and ripping of artists/designers. (I could go on and on about how much I loathe f21....and I have so many friends who shop there.* They don't even realize there is bible scripture on the gd bags!)
*I'm not trying to knock people that shop there, (they do have some descent items for cheap) but it would be hypocritical if I didn't state that I shop once in a while at similar stores, too.
(I can never win!)
- May 7, 2010 at 8:38 AM
- HUzzah! Vintage said...
oh, Amanda, how I wish we could klastsch about this over coffee IRL!
wasn't it a sad sad day when Nike bought Converse!?! A cheaper textile manufactured by cheaper overseas labor, and yet we somehow began to pay in the neighborhood of $7 more for our trusty Chucks. I actually haven't purchased a pair since the Nike takeover, but only because the ones I bought in 2002--ie, the well-made US version--are still perfectly acceptable. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the other non-vintage pieces of my wardrobe, which were all manufactured in China (even, unnervingly, the one Marc Jacobs frock I own).
I'm a bit less enraged by the fast fashion stores, if only because I find all claims to intellectual property always and already slightly absurd (Madonna, Metallica, I'm lookin at you). If their knockoffs were made by satisfactorily compensated workers in regulated factories, I would be even more willing to forgive their copyright transgressions.
The bible verse surprised me simply because f21 sells so much trampy lolita gear. Perhaps god looks more kindly upon women who read proverb 5:17-23 while tightening the strings on their faux leopard corsets? (I ask because I'll certainly never know.)
- May 9, 2010 at 1:19 PM
- Karen/Small Earth Vintage said...
Yup. This all reminds me. I had to buy a new set of sheets lately and rather than hit up Target, I decided to check Etsy thinking hey, perhaps someone out there actually hand-makes sheets! (I'm not sure what I was thinking, whether they wove their own linen or what.) Anyway, I did find a ton of linens--all from the same two obvious resellers. That was fun.
I always thought the f21 bible verse/prostitot-wear was interesting, too.
My personal bete noire is UO/Anthro (a big favorite in blogland!). Partly due to the Santorum money connection. Partly because they started out as a hippie store and it makes me a little crazy to see the markup on vintage "look" t-shirts.
Yay, Amanda for your website and for trying! And yay, Gina--thanks for continuing to make thoughtful posts like this.
- May 10, 2010 at 6:22 AM
- HUzzah! Vintage said...
don't they ALWAYS start out as crunchy hippie stores! banana republic, too. guess the counterculture is always a profitable place to start since the barrier to entry is usually so low ;)
- May 10, 2010 at 2:21 PM


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Rose McGowan Hits Up the Hollywood Style Awards!
Rose McGowan looks fashion forward at the 2011 Hollywood Style Awards held at Smashbox Studios on Sunday (November 13) in Los Angeles.
The 38-year-old actress wore a Dolce&Gabbana dress and Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, which she paired with Tom Ford earrings and a Kotur clutch.
The previous evening, Rose hit up the MOCA Gala held at the Museum of Contemporary Art! "At an event at MOCA. Downtown LA. Performance art," she tweeted.
Rose wore a blue Herve L. Leroux gown and Gucci shoes, which she accessorized with Vhernier jewelry and a Judith Leiber bag.
10+ pictures inside of Rose McGowan looking fashionable at the Hollywood Style Awards and the MOCA Gala…


text: Ellendale, N.D. - Virginia Boekelheide, 87, Ellendale, N.D., died March 15, 2007, at Prince of Peace Care Center in Ellendale. Adelma Virginia Roberts was born Jan. 25, 1920, in Aberdeen, S.D., to Robert Owen and Helen (Hall) Roberts. The family lived on the Lincoln Ranch and in Ordway, S.D., before moving to Cresbard, S.D., where she graduated valedictorian of her high school class. She graduated from Aberdeen Business College and worked in Aberdeen as a stenographer and bookkeeper. She worked in an Army Airforce Depot in Spokane, Wash., before moving to Miami, Fla., where she married Loren John (Bud) Boekelheide on March 25, 1944. During the war they lived in Miami, Fla., Hutchinson, Kan., Oakland and San Diego, Calif. Following the war, they moved to Aberdeen. In 1947, they moved to Ellendale, N.D., where Bud and his father were owner-operators of the Ellendale Grain and Seed. In the mid-1960s she became manager of the University of North Dakota-Ellendale Branch bookstore, a position she held until the school closed. Virginia was a member of the Presbyterian United Methodist Church where she was active in her church circle, sang in the adult choir and organized and directed the first Junior Choir. She served on the Ellendale Park Board and was a past president of P.E.O. Chapter I. She enjoyed playing bridge, golfing, dancing, and reading. Her greatest joy was family, and her family will miss her constant caring ways, not to mention her delicious pies. She is survived by two sons: John (Karen) Boekelheide, Simpsonville, S.C., and Gary (Vicki) Boekelheide, Warroad, Minn.; one daughter: Jane (Tom) Ahlin, Fargo, N.D.; two sisters: Beverly Price, Madison, S.D., and Charlean (Ralph) Kittelson, Holiday Island, Ariz.; 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and three brothers. Memorial service: 3 p.m. Tuesday, Presbyterian United Methodist Church with Pastor Joseph Manja officiating. Visitation: One hour prior to service. Burial: Ellendale City Cemetery. Arrangements by Hoven Funeral Chapel, Ellendale.


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There's an article in the New Yorker about 'vertical farming' - this is the use of redundant urban spaces to create farms:
No. 212 Rome Street, in Newark, New Jersey, used to be the address of Grammer, Dempsey & Hudson, a steel-supply company. It was like a lumberyard for steel, which it bought in bulk from distant mills and distributed in smaller amounts, mostly to customers within a hundred-mile radius of Newark. It sold off its assets in 2008 and later shut down. In 2015, a new indoor-agriculture company called AeroFarms leased the property. It had the rusting corrugated-steel exterior torn down and a new building erected on the old frame. Then it filled nearly seventy thousand square feet of floor space with what is called a vertical farm. The building's ceiling allowed for grow tables to be stacked twelve layers tall, to a height of thirty-six feet, in rows eighty feet long. The vertical farm grows kale, bok choi, watercress, arugula, red-leaf lettuce, mizuna, and other baby salad greens.Pretty interesting stuff especially when you look at the technology involved where the production system uses a tiny proportion of the water typically used to grow those baby salad greens. Indeed this sort of technology holds out considerable opportunity for the further intensification of high added value salad vegetable production - anyone driving through the Fens will see the polytunnels and greenhouses that might form the basis for this technology, especially in a world where water is more expensive, to really make a difference.
The problem is that urban spaces really aren't the best places - even with multistorey production - to do such a business. Here's a clue:
The AeroFarms clamshell package (clear plastic, No. 1 recyclable) appears to be the same size as its competition's but it holds slightly less—4.5 ounces instead of five. It is priced at the highest end, at $3.99. The company plans to have its greens on the shelves soon at Whole Foods stores and Kings, also in the local area. Greens that come from California ride in trucks for days.So we've a product that is significantly more expensive that the more traditionally produced product. Even were a tighter ship to be run it is unlikely that AeroFarms will be able to compete with the mass production in California leaving it with a niche market of people who want to buy 'local' production.
This vertical farming requires the acquisition of expensive urban real estate and a significant capital investment just to grow stuff for a niche part of a niche market for salad vegetables. The idea that this sort of production will somehow release current agricultural land for rewilding is pretty much nonsense. The plant in New Jersey featured in the article will have cost some $39 million (including nearly $9 million in government grants) to create a little more than an acre of vertical farmland - right now agricultural land in New Jersey sells for about $10,000 an acre.
The technology here is genuinely exciting but, even in run down urban areas, there is no way that vertical farming on expensive real estate is the solution. And this is before we recognise that businesses like AeroFarms focus on agricultural products with pretty much the highest margins - salad leaves for yuppies - rather than on the sort of production that dominates arable farming in the USA: corn, wheat, potatoes, barley and so forth. Lovely technology but lousy business.


text: As Chief Financial Officer for Ambrose Property Group, Tony is responsible for the overall financial and operating matters of the company. This includes managing growth and profitability; financial reporting and budgeting; tax compliance; cash and risk management; implementation and compliance with policies and procedures; and strategic planning initiatives. Tony is a CPA with 16 years' experience in public accounting along with some 15 years' experience in private industry, including 12 years in commercial real estate. Prior to joining Ambrose Property Group, Tony served as VP Operations for Duke Realty Corporation (NYSE: DRE). He also served in CFO roles for Bremner Healthcare and VitaChlor Corporation. Tony received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Ball State University. He is a member of the American Institute of CPA's and Indiana CPA Society. Tony is also a member of the St. George Orthodox Christian Church in Fishers, In. Tony resides in Cicero, Indiana with his wife, Tula, who enjoy spending time with their three children and three grandchildren.


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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sweet Sixteen!
Today is officialy my SWEET SIXTEEN! I was never more excited for a birthday! It was very fun. Tommorow I head out for my scrapbook weekend with my mom and my friend. Can't wait! See ya' when I get back (:
Sunday, December 7, 2008
New Holiday Look
Like my new background? I decided it needed a holiday look (: I don't have any scrapbooking things done today. I was gone all day. I went to my Grandparents house for a party and then I will be going to a friends house shortly. I won't be posting until I get back from my birthday weekend away. I will have a lot to share when I get back....
Saturday, December 6, 2008
2 Christmas Cards
Friday, December 5, 2008
Canvas & A Card...
Birthday Card for my friend (:
Canvas...(check comments for Cari who gave me this super cute idea) Make some for your home for the holiday season!
Canvas...(check comments for Cari who gave me this super cute idea) Make some for your home for the holiday season!
I posted again! Two days in a row! Hopefully this leads to more posting and scrapbooking for all of you. (: This week is going to be pretty busy. First of all on Thursday (December 11th) it is my BIRTHDAY! That's right, I said it! My SWEET SIXTEEN! (: I could not be anymore excited for this Birthday. It is the year that every kid dreams about having. (Although I know it won't be that amazing) For my mom and my birthday, she is treating us to a SCRAPBOOK WEEKEND. I am very very very excited! We will be there Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. Therefore, I will be not be posting at all this weekend. BUT, that means I will have A TON to share once I get back. I will most likely post tommorow and Sunday. Thanks for letting me write this very long post! Will post soon! (: Leave comments please...
Thursday, December 4, 2008
It's been a long time...
It's been such a long time since I posted. Sorry for waiting so long. I have been scrapping more and will post some new stuff soon. (: The dog cut-out was done on the Cricut from the Doodlecharms cartridge. Hope you all like it! I will post soon again. Did you see how my font is Christmas colored? (: I'm definetely getting in the spirit!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Coffee Break
Monday, November 3, 2008
To A Fabulous...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
new cards and a new banner!
Monday, October 13, 2008
time for a new post...
wow... I havn't posted for awhile. Here is a picture of my pond and my dog. The leaves are changing and I will have to go take some shots of that now...
Saturday, October 4, 2008
HAPPY WCMD!!! I'm so excited it's World Card Making Day! Make a card! I will be making mine today... and then hopefully I will get to post them tonight! (:
Monday, September 29, 2008
As promised...
Here is the link for the blog for my background as promised. http://shelsscraps.blogspot.com/ Sorry I havn't gotten pictures up in a little while. I will try tommorow!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
I know I have said that I am keeping the plain white background... but now I fell in love with these backgrounds at shelscraps. I promise I will get the link for you later. Hope you like it! (:
Monday, September 22, 2008
BBTB Contest...
I have been wanting a cuttlebug FOREVER. And now was my chance to win one. I tried really hard on this card and I hope that Regina from BBTB and Provo Craft like it. And I hope you do too. (:
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
So Gorgeous...
I decided to try just the cardboard looking cardstock. I'm not sure if I like that look for me. I did A LOT of destressing with my Heidi Swapp destresser. Feel free to comment!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Some Zinnia's for you;;
The flower above was just watered. I think it looks pretty cool that way. I have many more flower pictures to share... you might get sick of them. haha.
The focus on the second picture is not as good as the first. They were in different areas of the garden and the second has too much shadow... I guess we can't make every picture perfect.
The focus on the second picture is not as good as the first. They were in different areas of the garden and the second has too much shadow... I guess we can't make every picture perfect.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
one white flower
Thursday, September 4, 2008
September 11th...
Me and my family went downtown Naperville, IL a couple weeks ago and saw this. It is a remembrance of September 11th. The first picture has steel from the Twin Towers in New York. The heads behind it represent the people who died. Because it is coming up I would like to share this with you. Write a comment or say a prayer for all of the people in 9/11. (Click to make bigger) (:
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I was sooooo excited when I took these pictures. I think they turned out nicely. But these are done with no editing so, I might need to... I love comments!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
some cards...
I know I have been behind on posting... but now I just got a ton of new pictures on my computer and I will have a lot to share. Please comment.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Scrapbook Expo, New Blog Look...
Today I went to the scrapbook expo in St. Charles, IL. It was soooo much fun. I will be getting some picutres up here on the "loot" I got while I was there. (: There were many many vendors there such as, Cricut, S.E.I, Clear Scraps, Scrapbook Girl, Lazer Design, Rusty Pickle, and MANY others. I was so amazed at all the cool things they had there. There was a crazy amount of chipboard albums there. They were in almost every booth!!!Overall is was my first scrapbook expo and it was an AMAZING day.
I have tried soooo many things for edited this blog and I think it's just better to leave it white and let my pictures do the talking. Let me know what you think of it.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Purple Tulips
I think this is the most beautiful picture of flowers I have taken. Let me know what you think of it!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
More Feet....
Feet, feet, feet. This time my sister and I had our feet on the beach in Sheboygan. Soon I will be getting more pictures up here...
Ps. Anyone notice that our toe nail polish matches my blog?? (:
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Here is a picture of the beach in Sheboygan, WI. We went there for vacation and stayed at a place called Blue Harbor Resort. We've been there 5 times now and its so much fun! I will have to post more pictures soon.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Another picture of my baby...
The newest member of my family...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Just A Note
This was my last BBTB challenge for being a guest designer for the month of July. ): I loved being on the team.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Number Sign
I struggled with this challenge for ahwile. Even though there a billion things to do with a number sign! But, I ended up making a banner type thing for my sister for her soccer number.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
New Designer Challenge
I really want to have a longer position on BBTB. So, Regina had everyone interested make a project that reflects some of our true crafting ability. I made this card. It took a reallllllllly long time, but hopefully it will be worth it. (The actual card was given to my parents for buying us a new puppy (: I will put up pictures of him soon).
Monday, July 14, 2008
Cowgirl Hat Challenge
This week on BBTB we had to use the cowgirl hat off of the paper doll cartridge. I think it turned out really cute. (:
First BBTB Challenge
This is my first BBTB (Bit By The Bug) challenge. I'm soooo excited to be a guest designer on the site! (:
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Happy 4th!
An early 4th of July craft but, I had so much fun making it. Made with:
- Skittles
- Bazzill Cardstock
- Prima Flowers
- MM Tiny Alphas
- Extra Rick-Rack
- And, Star Eyelets
Thanks for looking!!!!!!!!!! (:
Posted by Britt 8 comments that have made my day...
Simply You
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sometimes even weeds can be pretty. But... I do give Cari credit for taking a picture of this lovely weed first before I did. And, her picture is probaly better than mine, but I couldn't resist taking it!!
Our Feet
Saturday, June 7, 2008
I took these pictures today and I just had to scrap them right away! I'm really happy on how this layout turned out! Please comment!
In The Moment
It is not fun waiting around for the next soccer game at a tournament. We went to Sports Authority and messed around. My sister thought it was fun to ride a tricycle around. I just had to take a picture!!
I made these invitations for my friends, inviting them to a bible study at my house that my mom is going to run. I think they turned out nicely.
Friday, June 6, 2008
My little sister is the chef in the family. She made this "ladybug" project. It was made from apples, raisins and, peanut butter. She was very proud of her creation. Don't know why I put the flower and the pot up at the top... I was running out of ideas for that page.
All Smiles
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Baby its COLD outside!
So what do you do when it is soooooo cold outside you want to stay and snuggle down in the house?
You create a warm and cozy space...maybe drink some cocoa or coffee and read a book.
You create a warm and cozy space...maybe drink some cocoa or coffee and read a book.
This month's challenge is to help you do just that! Create a small lap blanket to help keep you (or someone else) warm. When I say small, I mean it....don't overwhelm yourself with a large project. The idea is to make it THIS month so you can use it this winter. Considering winter lasts a mere 2 months here in Louisiana, I'm starting on mine TODAY!
For hooky folks, crochet or knit a lap afghan.
Sew a super simple baby quilt for someone who is expecting Here is a quick tutorial.
For non sewers, try a quick fleece blanket where you cut and tie two pieces of fleece together.
Backed flannel blankets with no batting can be cozy, just finish with pre-made blanket edging.
Work a simple blanket stitch around a piece of pre printed fleece
WHATEVER it is you choose, post it here by the end of the month and I'll put your name in a hat for this little giveaway. Among the goodies, there is another hand made angel, and some tags I punched from beautiful calenders I've been saving the last few years.
here is a close up of the tags....most are glittered and all are beautiful. If I did paper crafts, I would keep them for myself!!!
Happy crafting and HAPPY NEW YEAR!


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Clearing house would help cut gasoline use
I believe it is time to start thinking about what we can do to offset the high price of gasoline. If we carpool with one or more other persons we can save a lot.
What if this newspaper had a column that advertised a list of people who would car pool and who could list their place of work and hours so others with nearby places and hours could make contact and get together.
I challenge this paper and all commuters to come up with a solution to this waste of money and resources. If we work together we can help solve this problem and help each other.
The big oil companies are making a ton of money while all of us are paying. It's time we got together and helped ourselves.
R. J. Smith
Reverse mortgages another program headed for disaster
Advertisements for reverse mortgages have flooded the air waves. Has anyone answered how these mortgages could affect the economy and taxpayers?
We have already learned how the government-sponsored sub-prime mortgages devastated personal lives and our economy. Add to the mix that of reverse montages ,which will additionally screw the tax payers. When the program initially began, property values were higher than today and more funds were available for the same residences than would be today. The cost to procure a reverse mortgage was equal to that of a first mortgage. Stipulation was that the property owner must remain in the residence. Once the property owner vacated the residence, the loan became due, including the accrued interest. Loans were backed by the federal government. In the case of a property owner's death, the property is to be sold and the loan paid back in full.
Skipping to today, questions remain unanswered. Taxpayers can be assured that mortgage paper has been sold to other financial institutions. Today in the event of a property owner's death, there may not be enough equity in the residence to interest the heirs to sell the residence, thus causing another case for foreclosure. Unless there is a procedure for the government to police federally backed reverse montages, residences could sit and run down for a long time. Impacting neighborhoods.
How is the federal government accountable for taxpayers' money? This is only one wrong attempt to stimulate an ailing economy. The politicians need to be accountable for the money we send to Washington.
Mary Ann Sylvia
Apple Valley
It's time to force China's hand on Tibet
This is a ripe time to express our dismay for China's hold on Tibet. The people of Tibet have a right to seek independence. Tibet is not China. Many Tibetans have been killed, injured, or are in jail because of the Chinese Communists. It's time that we let freedom ring. The world's free countries should urge action against China, especially the United States.�
China's dominance of Tibet's citizens is just a sign of the future. Once China has a dominant stronghold on the world's economy, it is just a matter of time when the communists will choke freedom across the world.
We need to support Tibet independence through diplomatic effort, economic boycott, or even military action. Let's flood Communist China's embassies and consulates with letters of disapproval. We need to free Tibet by kicking China out by any means. Keeping silent only means we support China's rule in Tibet.
ChicPaul Becerra
Letters 4-23-08
Clearing house would help cut gasoline use


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On Christmas Eve of 1984, Ruthann Strong, after catching a fever, was forced to give birth to her son, Eric, 10 1/2 weeks prematurely. Twenty-two years later, Ruthann's husband, Chuck, still can't talk about his son's struggles entering the world without getting chocked up.
On Christmas Eve of 1984, Ruthann Strong, after catching a fever, was forced to give birth to her son, Eric, 10 1/2 weeks prematurely. Twenty-two years later, Ruthann's husband, Chuck, still can't talk about his son's struggles entering the world without getting chocked up.
"I have a very difficult time going through the family album," he said. "I never look at it. I just can't do it."
Eric, born 2 pounds 14 ounces, had all the typical problems that come with being too small to leave the womb — including an undeveloped lung. When he was just 2 weeks old, doctors had to crack open his chest to operate on the PDA valve in his heart to help him breath on his own and prevent excessive amounts of blood from entering the lungs.
"We were completely scared to death," said Chuck, a 51-year-old Wakefield native. "He had so many problems because his organs were still immature."
The insurance company paid a quarter of a million dollars so that Eric could get the proper care he needed. That care wouldn't have been available without advanced research supported in part by the March of Dimes, an organization determined to diminish premature birth, the leading cause of infant mortality.
Chuck has credited March of Dimes with saving his son's life.
"The money that goes into research, it's for infants in trouble. Things like detection equipment … have to be cutting edge to save lives," Chuck said. "The money also gives them a better quality of life after. When the kids come home, they need nurses to help catch them up. It was not until Eric was 7 or 8 years old that he caught up. He had pneumonia five times in a year because his lungs were immature. They are very susceptible."
So, for the last 10 years, Chuck has worked tirelessly to give back as a walk coordinator for the organization's biggest fundraiser — WalkAmerica. Since 1970, the walk has raised more than $1.7 billion.
Fifteen years ago, when Chuck first began working at FedEx, where he is now an operations manager, he met a co-worker named Gail Clark. Clark has labored alongside FedEx for 20 years to promote and raise money for the March of Dimes, one of the main charitable groups that the company supports. After hearing Chuck's story, she suggested he "jump on board" and help out with WalkAmerica.
"I have to give credit to Gail Clark. She was involved way before I was … She got me on board. Since then we have been Batman and Robin," Chuck said. "It's because of FedEx that it all came together. Whatever Gail and I want to do, FedEx is always behind us 100 percent. Their involvement is the fuel behind our fire…It's near and dear to my heart, but I can't do what I do without them. It's noble that a company as big as FedEx takes this on."
Over the last 20 years, FedEx Boston has helped raise more than $100,000. At the national level, the company has donated millions of dollars to March of Dimes, whether through WalkAmerica or other fundraising initiatives, such as carwashes and cookouts, according to Clark.
With his son, Eric, by his side, Chuck has helped raise these funds, which this year alone reached $20,000.
"Eric has been going with me for six years. He understands how helpless the babies are and how helpless the parents feel," Chuck said. "He just wants to give back. He's a good kid."
Eric, who is a 22-year-old junior majoring in sociology and psychology at Fitchburg State, clearly inherited his strong heart and compassion from his father, who Clark describes as "a warm, caring, funny individual who puts his heart and soul into whatever he does." She adds, "He is a great dad…committed to making the world a better place for those less fortunate."


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QS Meetup Groups
Friends of QS
We recently started a program to invite QS Toolmakers to contribute directly to funding our events. We call this program Friends of QS. If you would like to participate we invite you email us to learn more.
Jamie Williams found himself with almost two years of self-tracking data including physical activity, blood pressure, and weight. Because of his interest in data visualization and coding he decided to learn how to access it the data and work on visualizing and understanding some of the trends and patterns. In this talk, presented at the QS St. Louis meetup group, he takes a deep dive into his activity and step data as well as his blood pressure data to learn about himself and what affects his behavior and associated data.
What Did Jamie Do?
Out of pure interest in seeing what the data would reveal, Jamie utilized a combination of devices to track his physical activity, blood pressure, heart rate, weight, numbers of drinks, and automobile travel. He then went on to explore ways in which he could pull down, integrate, visualize, and ultimately make sense of what he collected.
How Did He Do It?
In order to obtain his data on a minute-level resolution, Jamie had to email FitBit for a specialized use of their API. He then employed Mathematica to develop a number of (beautiful) visualizations of his activity – along with other key moments in his life (moving to St. Louis, changing job location, preparing for a Half Marathon, etc.). Jamie was able to compare his data not only to his peers through FitBit, but also to others of his demographic in the U.S. using the publicily available NHANES data set.
What Did He Learn?
Through Jamie's Quantified Self collection and analysis efforts, he learned a lot not only about the patterns and changes in his activity, but why they were the case. He also presented great feedback about one's mindset when comparing to peers vs. the general population.
Withing Blood Pressure Cuff
Thank you to QS St. Louis organizer, William Dahl, and Jamie for the original posting of this talk!
Last year Alex Collins was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Prior to his diagnosis Alex was frequently engaged in different types of exercise and physical activity. After his diagnosis his doctor mentioned that he might have a hard time exercising and controlling his blood sugar to prevent hypoglycemia. In this talk, presented at the London QS meetup group, Alex described his process for tracking and understanding the data that affects his day-to-day life so that he could "live my life normally without a high risk of complications." This process of collecting and analyzing data has even pushed him to continue to explore his athletic boundaries, resulting in a running a ultramarathon and setting the world record for the fastest marathon while running in an animal costume.
Slides are available here.
We are not the only ones curious about whether our activity level looks different when seen with different trackers. Bastian Greshake, co-founder of OpenSNP.org, has been comparing his FuelBand and his Fitbit for months. Here's what he found.
Inspired by Ernesto's post I wanted to take a look at how my data for the Fitbit and the FuelBand compare to each other. I started wearing the FuelBand in October of last year. Since then it has only left my wrist to recharge the battery. I was already carrying a Fitbit Ultra, which I've had since May 2012. I wear the FuelBand on my dominant arm. The Fitbit is usually clipped to the pocket of my jeans and I have it on my non-dominant arm while sleeping. From my day-to-day experience I have a sense that FuelBand steps are usually a good way below the Fitbit steps. But I also thought that the difference was getting smaller, probably due to firmware updates on the FuelBand.
Using the Fitbit-API (and it's integration into openSNP) it's quite easy to get a file that contains all step counts measured with the Ultra. If you have an openSNP account you can download the complete file, also including sleep data and body measurements here. Unfortunately the Nike+ API isn't ready yet, so one needs to manually scrape the data. As this is boring work that can't easily be automated I only got FuelBand step data back to 2013/11/16. Still, that should be enough to get a first insight on how both devices compare.
I've been curious about tracking physical activity since I was an undergraduate. I remember traveling to a local middle school with a researcher interested in how physical activity was taught in low-income Native American communities. Back then, the best we could do was have the children wear simple electromechanical pedometers to count their steps during their physical education classes. Fast forward about ten years and I'm still working with pedometers and physical activity sensors – but much better ones. Quantified Self toolmakers are experimenting with many upgrades to the old digital pedometers, including new ideas about syncing, more fashionable design, and – of particular interest to self-trackers – integration of optical heart rate monitors. (No chest strap.)
Below are some of the notable Quantified Self tools recently announced at CES. Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments and I'll add it! I've also written a bit about what I think are some notable trends below.
Fitbit Flex
The Flex appears to be Fitbit's answer to the growing trend of wrist worn wearable activity monitors. Interestingly they've chosen to focus on the wireless syncing capabilities and eschew a traditional display; there is just a small glanceable LEDs to highlight goal progress.
Measures: Steps, Distance, Calorie Burn, Activity Minutes, Sleep Time, Sleep Quality
Sync: Bluetooth 4.0
Withings Smart Activity Tracker
In 2013 Withings is stepping in to the activity tracking space with their Smart Activity Tracker. While it appears to be just another accelerometer-based device Withings has also packed a heart rate pulse sensor into the small form factor.
Measures: Steps, Distance, Calorie Burn, Sleep Quality, Heart Rate
Sync: Bluetooth and Bluetooth 4.0
Omron Activity Monitor
Omron has long been a staple in the low-cost pedometer market. With the launch of their Activity Monitor they've shown up with a wireless activity tracker of their own. Omron is semi-wireless; syncing requires that you plug a USB accessory into your computer, then place the pedometer nearby.
Measures: Workout Time, Steps, Distance, Calories burned, Pace
Sync: NFC Plate (USB)
Omron Heart Rate Monitor
Integration of pulse tracking into activity monitors is a current trend, and we're very curious about what we'll learn from having continuous heart rate data. Omron's new heart rate monitor uses optical sensing on a strapless watch, with eight hours of storage capacity. The press announcement promises pace, calories, and distance, which means the watch probably has accelerometer-based actigraphy on board as well.
Measures: Heart Rate, Pace, Distance, Calories Burned
Sync: Micro USB
Fitbug Orb
The Orb is new small and sleek device that builds on their already released Fitbug Air wireless pedometer. The new pebble-like Orb is a screenless activity tracker that uses Bluetooth syncing to a mobile app in three different modes: Push for updates on demand, Beacon for timed updates on a regular interval, and Stream for real time updating. The Orb's small form factor works with a variety of different wear options, including wrist straps and lanyards.
Measures: Steps, Distance, Calories Burned, Sleep
Sync: Bluetooth 4.0
BodyMedia Core 2
The BodyMedia armband is known for its accurate activity tracking, which comes from integrating the data off multiple sensors. A new device, the Core 2, has the same measurements that are currently available (core temperature, heat flux, galvanic skin response, and tri-axial accelerometry) in a smaller package. A version with an integrated heart rate monitor will be also be available.
Measures: Temperature, Heat Flux, Galvanic Skin Response, Activity, Heart Rate (optional)
Sync: Bluetooth 4.0
Bonus Non-Activity Device
HapiLabs HapiFork
This last device kept popping up on my various feeds yesterday. The HapiFork is designed to help you understand how you eat by tracking how many bites you take and how long it takes you to eat your meal. It will also alert you when you're eating too fast. Will the first person to use this please give a Quantified Self show&tell talk as soon as possible?
Measures: Fork "servings", Eating Time
Sync: Bluetooth or USB
In my current work I'm really interested in how real time information about physical activity behavior can be used to help people change their normal patterns. In our little corner of the research world we understand that self-tracking devices are wonderful tools to help people change their behavior. But, what we don't know yet is how the data gathered by these tools can really help people in the moment. The newest crop of tools and devices may start to help us answer that question.
By now if you've seen one physical activity tracker then you've seen them all. At their core they use the same technology that's been used for almost a decade – actigraphy. That is, most devices are based on an accelerometer, a tiny little sensor that measures
gravitational force acceleration. These sensor pass data through an algorithm that used machine learning and pattern recognition techniques to determine a variety of data points. Steps, distance, activity intensity, calorie expenditure – you're probably familiar with all these. So what's new in this space? How are companies starting to differentiate themselves? While looking through some of the new offerings being showcased at this week's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It appears that there are two major themes that I think are coming forth: Wearability and Syncing
Wearability. The pedometers we made kids wear 10 years ago? Utilitarian hunks of plastic and electronics. Nothing you would want to show off to your friend or coworker. Looking at the latest from Fitbit, BodyMedia, and others it's clear that companies are introducing real fashion where there used to be just electronics. Will they succeed in making activity trackers a fashion trend? A status symbol?
Syncing Capabilities. When Fitbit introduced their tracker a few years ago one of the biggest complaints was that it didn't sync to our phones. Now, nearly every new device offers Bluetooth syncing with paired mobile apps. The rise of Bluetooth 4.0 has made it easier for nearly everybody to wirelessly sync. I'm curious about the future of low power data sharing beyond the phone. Soon we may see myriad devices talking to each other directly. What happens when your fitbit starts talking to your fridge?
Some people may be wondering how I find all the amazing people conducting neat self-tracking experiments and creating jaw-dropping personal data visualizations. Well, for the most part I just listen. I'm constantly paying attention to what's being said on twitter about #QuantifiedSelf. When that doesn't work I just use the power of Google to find people who are blogging about self-tracking, self-experimentation, or personal data. It's great to look through the search results and see how many people are sharing their personal stories and insights. While doing some searching this morning I stumbled across a project that immediately brought a smile to my face. Hopefully you're excited by this as much as I am.
Chris Volinsky is a statistician at AT&T Research and he's no stranger to handling large data problems. Back in 2008 he was part of the team that won the $1 Million Netflix prize. He also has quite the impressive list of research papers that illustrate the many different uses of cellphone location data. But what is really interesting about Chris is his newest project: My Year of Data
Back in November of 2011 Chris started off a blog entry that with this:
My name is Chris. I am 40 years old. I am 5'9 1/2″ and weigh 174 pounds. I walked 9,048 steps and have consumed 1,406 calories today (so far).
Realizing that he'ld been gaining weight and wasn't at his optimal health he decided to take a data-centric approach to improving his health. He is a statistician after all. So far, he's found some interesting things. Take for instance his weight and dietary tracking.
As he explains in this post, Chris typically has a hard time tracking his diet consistently. This can be pretty frustrating when you hear about how important it is to eat this or not eat that to help with weight reduction. Rather than get frustrated Chris turned to the data to see what he could learn. When he stopped looking at the data he was entering and started looking at the missing data an interesting trend lept out. He found that fluctuations in his weight appeared to be correlated with whether or not he was logging food. Take for instance the plot below. It appears that there is a pretty clear association with periods of weight loss and periods of actively logging his food (pink zones). The opposite also appears to be true – no food logging = weight gain.
So this is where a typical NFATW post would stop. We have an interesting finding and a neat data visualization. But, Chris is doing something much more interesting than just talking about his weight data. He is on a long-term self-tracking and self-discovery journey and he is trying to enlist other interested parties to help him. Chris is going the extra step and posting all of his self-tracking data online for anyone to analyze, visualize, or just get inspired.
You can access all of his amazing data via a public dropbox folder that he's set up. He even has a nice README file explaining the datasets and formats. So far he's sharing the following:
All the data is open and available for you to play with. This should be a really interesting project to keep "track" of in the future (pun definitely intended). To help inspire some action on your part I took some time today and looked at Chris's most recent available data to see what I could find out. I downloaded his Fitbit data and decided to look for any interesting patterns. Turns out that when taking a look at his daily patterns of activity there seems to be something going on on Thursdays that reduces his step count and activity time . Also, Saturday is by far the best day with an average of 9,862.56 steps and a 5.3 hours spent being active (data available here).
Make sure to reach out to Chris over at his blog and take a took at his data to see what interesting thing you can figure out!
Every few weeks be on the lookout for new posts profiling interesting individuals and their data. If you have an interesting story or link to share leave a comment or contact the author here.
Chloe Fan has been self-tracking since she was 14 years old and saw the first Harry Potter movie in theaters. She is currently a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon's Human Computer Interaction Institute. After finding her passion for data visualization and information design for self-tracking tools, she has decided to take a year off grad school to pursue her dreams at full speed in the Bay Area. She is available for consulting or full time positions!
There is a huge increase in the number of personal informatics tools over the last few years that help us track various aspects of our daily lives. The majority of consumer tools use visualizations, often in the form of charts (i.e., column graphs, line graphs, scatterplots), to help users understand the numerical data that they are collecting, and find meaning in their behavioral patterns. Research tools have also used nature metaphors, like a garden or a fish tank, that thrives on physically active users. While promising in motivating behavior change, they can also be punishing when users are inactive (sad fish or wilting flowers).
I am specifically interested in exploring abstract art as visualization for physical activity. It's able to present information in an aesthetic and neutral way that is non-judgmental. Reflecting on abstract artwork by Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, and Jackson Pollock, I created Spark, a system that uses abstract art in a dynamic ambient display for physical activity.
Spark is a web application hosted on Google App Engine. The backend is coded in Python, and the frontend coded in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It can be viewed on a computer, or more ideally, displayed on a surface in the home (e.g., a tablet computer mounted on the wall, or projected directly onto a wall). The data visualizations are created with Raphaël, a JavaScript vector graphics library, and HTML5 Canvas. Spark uses OAuth and the Fitbit API to continuously pull step count data from the Fitbit tracker and display them using one of 4 current abstract visualizations.
Each visualization is an animation that unfolds as the day progresses. Circles are created based on step counts. The size of the circle represents number of steps, and the color of the circle represents intensity (casual walking, brisk walking, or running).
Every five minutes, a circle appears in the middle of Spiral that represents the steps taken during that five-minute period. It pushes previous circles outward in a spiral, so steps taken earlier that day appear at the edge. If no steps are taken in that five-minute period, no circles appear.
In Flora, rings of color are added around a circle for every five-minute period with step counts. The result is a series of concentric circles showing periods of activity throughout the day, with the final size indicating the total step count for the day.
In Bucket, colorful circles fall from the top and fill up the screen to represent steps taken every five-minutes. We found that the use of concentric circles made the visualization more aesthetically pleasing; however, the concentric circles do not yet represent anything meaningful.
Inspired by Jackson Pollock, Pollock is the most random of these abstract visualizations. A white line draws randomly across the screen, and when there is activity, the canvas is splattered with color.
I conducted a study with Spark deployed on tablets in 5 homes over 3 weeks, just to see how people interacted with this kind of display. Everyone reacted positively to it, but the most interesting finding was that the 3 younger adults (20+ females) preferred Spiral and Rings because they were looking for specific time and intensity data regarding their gym sessions. The 3 older adults (58-71 years old) preferred Bucket and Pollock because they were interested in daily cumulative totals from walking a lot.
Some of the things people said motivated them to do more activity short-term were the colors, variety of visualizations, and the visual challenge of filling up the screen with colors. I also got lots of good feedback on displaying the data differently, like as a screensaver or hung on a wall like a piece of artwork.
There are many planned features for Spark, including:
Spark is still in early stages, but if you'd like to check it out with your own Fitbit data, you can sign up at www.sparkvis.com/fitbit/auth. It will connect to your Google account (username data only) to identify you on the Spark site, and you will also need to log in to your Fitbit account to get your Fitbit data (it's a hassle, but the easiest way I can get it to run right now). Would love to hear your thoughts on improving Spark!
This is a guest post by Patrick Burns, who is a PhD candidate in the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia. He is researching the use of technology to promote physical activity. His interests include ubiquitous and wearable computing and ambient displays.
According to the World Health Organization more than one in ten adults worldwide in 2008 was obese. This figure has more than doubled since 1980. We know that obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and some forms of cancer. Unsurprisingly a combination of inadequate exercise and increased consumption of fatty, sugary foods is to blame. When it comes to a lack of physical activity, some people point the finger at technology. Cars let us drive to places we used to walk. Machines do jobs we used to do by hand. Video games, DVDs, television and the Internet provide a wealth of sedentary entertainment options. But could technology actually help us to do more physical activity, and ideally help prevent obesity?
One approach is to help people to better track their activity. The hope being that if we make a person more aware of their physical activity (or lack of it) that they will be motivated to do more. There are a number of existing devices designed to do just that. Examples are FitBit, Jawbone UP and Nike FuelBand. Each integrates a motion sensor (accelerometer) into a wearable device to track how much the wearer moves around during the day. There are also stand-alone smartphone apps which use the phone's in-built accelerometer to track physical activity. In the case of the UP and some smartphone apps, the user can supplement their activity data with information on the type of food they're eating. The UP and FitBit also monitor users' sleep habits.
The data collected are processed and delivered to the user in the form numbers and graphs. A count of steps taken each day. Time active vs. sedentary. Steps climbed. Calories burned. There is an assumption that, when it comes to activity tracking, more is better. That we should collect more data from more sensors. That we should perform more analyses on that data and present it to the user in multiple forms. We should make our interfaces more engaging, to encourage users to continue to monitor their activity data. In the words of Jawbone's VP of product development, "you have to create a Facebook-like engagement that keeps people coming back".
The truth or otherwise of these assumptions is very much dependent on individual users, and the way in which they employ a particular technology in their lives. Users who are very motivated to do exercise, sometimes playfully called "fitness freaks" or "gym junkies", employ activity monitoring technology in a supporting role. They already do a lot of physical activity and enjoy being able to record, quantify and analyse that activity. But what about less motivated users – people who don't do enough physical activity and know that they should do more? For those users technology plays a motivating role, one in which the technology is (and should be) more peripheral to their day-to-day lives.
If we give these users an interface that is too complex, or that requires a continuing and significant time commitment, we run the risk that they will lose interest, "burn out" and return to old habits. Many of us have had the experience of starting a diet, joining a gym or buying exercise equipment only to give up soon after. These experiences underline the need to make small changes, slowly, that can be sustained in the long term. We need to design technology to support this type of change.
I argue that for these less motivated users, simpler interfaces could be just as effective as more complex, more engaging interfaces. Do we really need to know exactly how many steps we've taken or how many calories we've burned? Or is it good enough just to know that we've "done well" today or that we need to "do more". Do we really need graphs and figures, or could we convey information in a simpler way. Say, through coloured lights.
I'm currently researching the use of simple interfaces to deliver physical activity information to users, with a specific focus on wearable technology. I recently designed and evaluated such a device – ActivMON. ActivMON is a wrist-watch like device containing a motion sensor and coloured light. The motion sensor detects the user's physical activity and the light changes colour (on a spectrum from red to orange to green) to show the user's daily activity level as compared to an activity goal. ActivMON then shares this data through the Internet with other devices. If you're doing physical activity then the lights on your friends' devices will pulse to let them know. If they're doing physical activity, your device will pulse. Supporting social influence is important, and I wanted to see if this could be done using a wearable ambient display.
This work is still in its early stages, but I feel it raises some interesting questions. Should we deliver information differently (and more or less information) depending on a user's level of motivation to change? How engaging should interfaces be? How little information can we deliver, and yet still realise a motivational effect? This is not to argue against the quantified self. Rather to pose the question of how best to present data to users once we've collected it.


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LG appliances can be bought from many common retailers, including Best Buy, The Home Depot and Lowe's. LG's website includes a full current product catalogue that can be browsed for features, and each product page links to a search for local physical retailers. Online dealers are also listed.
Best Buy features a main landing page for LG appliances that hosts multiple categories of LG products, including washers, dryers, refrigerators and microwaves. The site has videos available for customers to get a real-time look at the appliances. A comparison feature is available to let them compare similar products to examine individual features of multiple items at the same time.
The Home Depot offers free home delivery, basic installation and haul away services for LG appliances to make purchasing large kitchen products less stressful. The company also offers site-to-store shipping for in-store pickup of many items. Appliances can be filtered by price, department and shipping options to allow users to more quickly find a suitable item.
The Lowe's website has a carefully-organized list of LG appliance categories, each with a description. Videos of LG products are available, and many products have customer reviews and ratings. The main list of products has multiple important details, so users do not have to load a new page for basic information.


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Looking up for art deco
15 comments:
- Tanya said...
definitely pays off!
- 30 November, 2012 09:11
- Sylvia K said...
Beautiful blue, blue skies and a terrific capture!! I love your composition as always, Halcyon!! Enjoy your weekend!!
- 30 November, 2012 10:55
- Birdman said...
A different view of some decco.
- 30 November, 2012 11:46
- Lowell said...
My dear Halcyon, You knew when you moved there it would get cold in Toronto and that you would not be able to play golf on certain days. So, I'm hoping that you have sufficient bundling at home to keep yourself warm.
I've also noticed lately that you have a propensity for taking photographs that require me to reposition my head so as to get a glance at the sky. That wouldn't so bad except that I've suddenly come down with a neckache.
I know, I know, I can be a pain in the neck sometimes, but this is different. Can you suggest a remedy or a melody for this malady?
- 30 November, 2012 13:00
- SRQ said...
Oh my...that's dizzying!
- 30 November, 2012 13:17
- EG CameraGirl said...
You took this shot from such an interesting angle. I'm pretty sure I would have missed the details on that building.
- 30 November, 2012 14:05
- Jo said...
fabulous photo, and you are correct looking up is always a good thing..
Hot here in Sydney heading for 40+ degrees today.
Have a great weekend too :)
- 30 November, 2012 14:31
- RedPat said...
I hate those light poles out in front of the Design Exchange - they look so ugly and block a nice shot of the place. You have solved the problem quite nicely with this one!
- 30 November, 2012 14:45
- Jack said...
That is a most interesting perspective, Halcyon. You made quite a photo out of the shot.
- 30 November, 2012 21:34
- beagleAnnie said...
Wow, stunning capture!
- 30 November, 2012 21:44
- Randy said...
That a nice one!
- 30 November, 2012 23:03
Another great angle. I feel almost as if I could fall upward looking at it.
- 01 December, 2012 01:01
- tapirgal said...
Another fantastic shot. I love your Deco series.
- 01 December, 2012 13:57
- JM said...
Fantastic shot! Amazing contrast of buildings.
- 02 December, 2012 11:48
- Gunn said...
Tall buildings and a nice find.
- 03 December, 2012 16:56
Post a Comment
I hate the new word verification. Since I have trouble reading those "words", I am assuming others do too.


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- Phone: 0522195159
- Location: Dubai Silicon Oasis
- City: Dubai
- Country: United Arab Emirates
- Furnished?: No
- Expires: This ad has expired
- Listed: December 5, 2016 9:56 am
About Property:
Wasalat Real Estate offers you Retail Shop in Alliwan building in silicon oasis ,1 Bathroom and 2 bathrooms and small balcony with nice view .
This property it's near to carrefour and Starbucks and has beautiful View of community, it's located in the new building.
Established in 2004, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai providing both a living and working integrated community. Silicon Oasis is a Free Zone Authority and provides free trade zone incentives and benefits to companies operating within the tech park.
Dubai Silicon Oasis spans 7.2 km². The Authority has made a large capital investment in its infrastructure to cater to the need of high tech industries in the free zone, this ranges from advanced telecommunications, a fiber optic network, tier 3 data center with 120 high capacity racks, and a high-tech utility infrastructure with 8 power stations with a capacity of 1600 MW.
DSO has a fully completed network of roads allowing quick in and out access to Dubai's major highways.
Parking: 1
Furnished : No
Rental Period : Y
No. Cheques : 4
Agent Details :
Shaima Alseedawi
Related Categories
Apartments for Rent , AgentsBed Space , Commercial for Rent , Rental Wanted , Rooms for Rent , Rooms Wanted , Short Term (Month) , Short Term (Per Day) , Villa/House for Rent ,
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Sponsored Links
- Phone: 0522195159
- Country: United Arab Emirates
- City: Dubai
- Location: Dubai Silicon Oasis
- Expires: This ad has expired
- Listed: December 5, 2016 9:56 am


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Two injured, 6 cited in Superior rollover
Two people were hospitalized after a single-vehicle accident in Superior early Saturday morning.
Superior Fire Department Battalion Chief Vern Johnson said the rollover accident occurred at 1:17 a.m. in the 3500 block of Billings Drive. Superior police Sgt. Chris Kirchoff said six people were in the vehicle. According to a Superior Police report, five of them were 18 years old and the other was 19. Two people were injured seriously enough to be taken to an area hospital, but none of the injuries was life-threatening, Johnson said. According to a Superior Police report, one passenger had surgery to clean glass out of his knee and another passenger suffered a fractured pelvis.
Two other people sustained minor injuries, Johnson said.
The six were returning from a Halloween party at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, according to the report. The driver said the passengers were egging him on to go faster so he sped up. He came into a corner going way too fast, lost control of the car and went off the road. The five passengers were mailed citations for underage drinking and riding in a vehicle without wearing a seat belt. The driver was cited for reckless driving and underage person transporting intoxicants in a motor vehicle.


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9700 people dead as a result of heat waves and counting, this is the official estimate of people who have died between 2004 -2013 according to National Crime Record of Bureau in India. In 2015, 1100 people have died in India as a result of heat strokes caused by heat waves reaching temperatures of 50 … Continue reading DEAD MEN WALKING.
A report on FOREST RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND LOGGING ACTIVITIES IN KENYA FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Carbon pricing could avert the impacts of climate change
It's said that the 21st century war that man is fighting is climate change, this enemy has brought about the rise of climatic refugees all over the world and if this war is not worn sooner than later mankind shall be facing extinction. The ban on deforestation, charcoal burning and other measures taken by the … Continue reading Carbon pricing could avert the impacts of climate change
The Carbon Clock is Ticking Away….
As our beautiful blue planet continues to spin deep in space, we humans down here on the ground are grappling with whether or not climate change is within our control. Meanwhile, the carbon clock is rapidly ticking away. Mercator's clock demonstrates the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) we can emit into our atmosphere before our … Continue reading The Carbon Clock is Ticking Away….
Climate change endangers humanity's security, peace, and prosperity. Currently, global leadership focuses on science and the economy. It is true that climate change is an environmental phenomenon that requires scientific research. However, climate change advocates must also consider its side regarding economic development and human rights concerns. Women can also take immediate steps that can … Continue reading HOW WOMEN CAN CREATE AN IMPACT IN CLIMATE CHANGE…
Earth's Vital Organs
Ecosystems are Earth's vital organs, performing and exchanging all life-giving functions. Ecosystems do this because of the interrelationships of their biodiversity. No land-based ecosystem is as biodiverse, vital, multi-faceted, or globally influential as tropical forests. Like our hearts, lungs, sweat glands, skin, and reproductive systems tropical forests co-determine the future of human life. People often … Continue reading Earth's Vital Organs
So… "Fly or Die" is just a myth?
On Wednesday 31st, leading climate scientist Kevin Anderson was welcomed as the incoming Zennström Visiting Professor at Uppsala University. A packed auditorium listened to his lecture on "A Parisian tale of Triumph and Tragedy" click here for video and there's no doubt his one-year tenure as Visiting Professor in Climate Change Leadership will leave a … Continue reading So… "Fly or Die" is just a myth?


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The Glass Ball Foundation The Glass Ball Foundation
Here's a sample of our volunteer opportunities:VIEW AS
Mission Statement
The Glass Ball Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is threefold: 1. Provide solutions-centric financial support for people with painful, debilitating chronic illnesses who need diagnoses, treatments, and paths to wellness 2. Promote healthy living and proactive illness prevention 3. Raise awareness concerning illnesses, syndromes, and conditions that remain without effective treatment
Important Note: For volunteering inquiries seperate from the listed positions, please contact us via the "Volunteering Possibilities" listing in the "Volunteer Opportunities" tab. We believe everyone, from a variety of backgrounds, brings something valuable to the community and seek to match the mission's need with your passion and skills. Thank you for considering The Glass Ball Foundation!
The Glass Ball Foundation serves those with life-disrupting, physically painful long-term conditions who cannot afford the expense needed to get healthy, regardless of diagnosis, treatment style, or demographic. This list of ailments includes but is not limited to autoimmune disease, systemic infections, toxicity, and other painful chronic conditions.
There are far too many subjected to live a lower quality of life caused by longstanding debilitating pain conditions simply because they do not have financial access to the therapies and treatments that will improve their lives. In this situation, healthcare becomes a monetary burden. This often leads to sub-par management of the chronic pain condition (and even multiple conditions) with little hope of true quality of life with reduced to no pain.
It is our vision that those living with long-term life-disrupting physical pain conditions not suffer due to inability to gain control over their health, and that the impact of their chronic conditions will lessen to no more than a 'bump in the road'.
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Request administrator status and update its information!


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Back at FreshBooks headquarters, we've been making plans for 2010. We're excited about the year ahead, and we've come to realize we have an enormous amount of work to do. Much of the work is design work, so we've decided to build an internal design team to help us achieve our goals.
We believe in design. Design helps us Execute on Extraordinary Experiences Everyday and we want every touch point people have with FreshBooks to leave them inspired by what we do, and certain to refer us to their friends. Just last year we won awards alongside small companies, massive companies (like Google, Microsoft and Intuit), as well as companies the world over, and we believe design is a big part of the reason why.
We need our design team to further the FreshBooks application, evolve our brand and lead us through the creation of new products and properties. Some people might see invoicing as boring – but not us! We're on a mission – a mission to help businesses get paid, and if you or someone you know can help us, please pass this link along. Here are the roles we're hiring, and the bounty that we'll award anyone who refers the successful candidate our way:
Creative Director (Bounty: $5000)
Senior Web Designer (Bounty: $1500)
Interaction Architect (Bounty: $1500)
Web Interface Developer (Bounty: $1500)
Please past this post along and help us build our design team.
about the author
FreshBooks, the world's #1 cloud accounting software for self-employed professionals. Built in 2003 after he accidentally saved over an invoice, Mike spent 3.5 years growing FreshBooks from his parents' basement. Since then, over 10 million people have used FreshBooks to save time billing, and collect billions of dollars. A lover of the outdoors, Mike has been bitten so many times it's rumored he's the first human to have developed immunity to mosquitoes.Mike is the co-founder and CEO of


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Harvest Chicken Salads: Prep a week's worth of delicious lunches in less than 30 minutes with just a few convenience items!
I gotta tell you, my daughter is the queen of meal prep and planning. Every Sunday evening, my career girl cooks and preps her lunches (and sometimes dinners) for the week. She eats healthy and saves a lot of money by taking her lunch to work most days. On the other hand, I always have good intentions but never seem to get it in gear when it comes to packing my lunch—until now! Thanks for the inspiration, Girl! Harvest Chicken Salad only takes a few minutes of prep work to pack a week's worth of delicious, healthy lunches.
The key to making this meal prep EASY is choosing a few convenience items from your grocery's deli.
- Kale. You can find kale in the produce aisle that's already washed, chopped, and ready to eat. I also find that prepping a bunch of fresh kale is really quick by pulsing in my food processor. I like it in a small chop, so this works well for me.
- Rotisserie chicken—all cooked and ready to go. At my neighborhood Kroger, I buy rotisserie chicken from the deli that's already been removed from the bone. It's perfect for making chicken salad or for pasta dishes, and for this salad!
- Petite sweet potatoes in ready to steam bags in the produce aisle. Steam in the package for just 5 minutes and then peel and chop.
- Roasted salad almonds (found sometimes in the produce aisle or the condiments aisle).
Prep and divide the ingredients among five containers (these Glad disposable/reusable containers work great!) and then sprinkle with blue cheese and almonds. Seal and store until ready to eat, then add a good balsamic dressing just before serving. Again, for ease and convenience use a bottled dressing, but this homemade version is super quick and delicious, too!
Meal Prep: Harvest Chicken Salad
- 1 bunch kale, shredded
- 1-2 apples, thinly sliced
- 5 petite sweet potatoes
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 5 tablespoons blue cheese
- 5 tablespoons roasted almonds
- balsamic vinaigrette (bottled or homemade balsamic vinaigrette)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salad Prep:
- Remove skin and chicken from the bone. Pull into large chunks. (Some grocery deli departments sell rotisserie chicken already removed from bone and ready to use on salads, etc.).
- Shred kale into bite size pieces (use a food processor and pulse for a few seconds at a time, being careful to avoid mincing the kale).
- Steam sweet potatoes according to package directions. Cool and peel. Cut into bite-size chunks.
- Peel and slice apples. Place in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and toss to combine.
Salad portioning:
- Layer into each container, 1-1/2 cups kale, 1/2 cup chicken, and 1/2 cup sweet potatoes. Evenly divide apple slices (discarding any lemon juice) between containers. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon blue cheese and 1 tablespoon roasted almonds. Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to eat. Serve with your favorite bottled or homemade balsamic vinaigrette.


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MOTO EXPO MELBOURNE welcomes exhibitors with products and services related to the Motorcycle, Scooter, ATV, UTV & PWC Industries.
MOTO EXPO caters for the largest of motorcycle manufacturers to the most unique small products.
Product Categories include:
-Motorcycles (Road/Off Road)
-ATV's, UTV's, Trikes
-Rider Apparel
-Helmet, Gloves, Boots
-Safety Equipment
-Insurance & Finance
-Tour & Travel services
-Casual Clothing
-Rider Training & Education
-Trailers, Transport, Playstations Etc
-Computer & Technology
-Bags & luggage
-Decals, Signage, Artwork
-Plus many more related products & services
Benefits of exhibiting
– 20,000 plus visitors
– Generate immediate sales
– Immediate consumer interaction
– Improve brand & product awareness
– Generate leads for post event sales
– Educate consumers
– Launch or demonstrate products
– Trade & networking opportunities
To receive additional exhibitor information please email [email protected]
Is your company, product or service looking for additional brand exposure? Moto Expo Melbourne has a sponsorship package to suit your needs and budget.
Sponsorships within the show may allow you to gain an edge on your competitor, reinforce your brand presence at the event or simply direct people towards your exhibition stand.
Please email [email protected] for all sponsorship opportunities.


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Here's something from Rambutan just for you…
We've created 'top tips' as a way to share knowledge and help people improve their skills in business. It's not right to lock knowledge away in a dark corner where no-one can get to it. In fact, that's pretty pointless. They cover a variety of topics including presentation skills, internal communication strategy and working as a team.
We hope you'll find them useful and share with your friends and colleagues too. The more the merrier we say!
Watch Lance's top tips on providing the best 3600 feedback you can; filmed while working with our client the Royal Automobile Club.


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Never miss a deal, always be up to date -
get the most important deals, events and
product news with our E-Mail Newsletter!
free with orders starting at 298 € (within Sweden)
Mike Dirnt and his band mates in Green Day almost single-handedly brought pop and punk to the masses in the '90s. The new Mike Dirnt Precision Bass is as unique and cool as Green Day's music and was designed to Mike's own unique specifications. Mike's bass was modeled after the Fender '51 P Bass®.


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Kristen Stewart Takes the Director's Chair for Sage + The Saints' 'Take Me to the South' Video - Watch Now!
Kristen Stewart makes her directorial debut with Sage + The Saints' music video for "Take Me to the South," which was just released!
The 24-year-old actress shot the video in both Nashville, Tennessee and Los Angeles as part of Buffalo David Bitton's "Blank Check Series." David Ethan Shapiro co-directed the video alongside Kristen.
"Working with Sage + The Saints for my directorial debut was a fantastic and rewarding experience," Kristen said of the experience. "I'm extremely proud of what I and my co-creators at Starlight Studios have accomplished, and grateful for the Buffalo Blank Check Series for facilitating our creativity and artistic vision."
Check out Kristen's directorial debut below!
Kristen Stewart Makes Directorial Debut
Posted to: Kristen Stewart


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Following two situations require that you know how to set up a CD / DVD laptop when your laptop 'off':
Damaged causing you press the button repeatedly remain open.
You forget I want to produce a CD / DVD while the laptop is closed and you want fast.
Consider the CD / DVD of your laptop, there is no small hole there?
Note the CD / DVD players have tiny, tiny hole?
Take a needle or anything that will fit rods to be inserted in the hole. Press to place a CD / DVD open. Next you can take the CD / DVD that is in the normal range then close. Easy is not it? You can try it during an emergency. =)


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Just reserve a seat for Hendrick team in Victory Lane each week
I didn't turn around much.
If you're not a huge Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports fan, it's not a fun time to be watching NASCAR most weekends. Little happens, and the fans are being bored to tears. There is hardly any passing, let alone exciting battles for position or the lead.
It goes beyond Johnson, as the Hendrick team has shown that it is head and shoulders above the competition, with the only other team even close right now being Richard Childress Racing. Even their great start isn't anywhere near what Hendrick is doing, and I hope no one bought that fake concern from Hendrick about how his axles were breaking.
Anyone who has watched the last two weeks knows one thing: The Hendrick teams are the best on the track (even Dale Earnhardt Jr. did decent Sunday), and one of them is most likely going to hoist a championship title come November.
Another track embarrassed
Faulty caution lights? Seriously? Millions of dollars are on the line each race and you didn't call an electrician beforehand?
Between the Daytona pothole and this, I don't even know what to say. It's simply embarrassing.
NASCAR's eagle eye on start and parkers
Dave Blaney actually got to enjoy a weekend of real racing, as the Prism Motorsports team raced the whole distance at Vegas. He finished 29th, a few laps down, but I hope that run encourages the team to try to do this more often.
Even if they don't want to do it, they might have to. NASCAR is watching the start-and-park teams more closely, it was reported this week. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston announced Sunday that the first team to pull off the track each week without any involvement in an accident will have its motor inspected. To avoid this, teams will likely run more laps, because nobody wants NASCAR poking around their motors.
It's promising to see NASCAR finally exert some of the might it has to ensure teams run as much of the race as possible. I love giving the little guy a hand, but at the same time this is a competition and we need to limit the start-and-park before it gets out of hand.
Speak your mind, Juan
In the worst example I've seen in a while of teammates working together, Jamie McMurray wrecked his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya and in the process took out both Earnhardt Ganassi cars. As always Montoya was great in his interview after the wreck.
"[McMurray] runs straight into my ass," Montoya said. "He nearly ran me into the fence in [Turn] 2 as well. I don't know. I'm sure [McMurray] is going to say, 'Oh, I didn't mean that. "Every time I'm around him, he wants to run the s--t out of me. I don't know if it's OK to say that but I just did [laughing]. On the restart I was inside of him, I think he got tight and never lifted. I didn't hit the [Turn 2] fence because -- it was a miracle."
I'd love to be a fly on the wall at the kumbaya reunion powwow at EGR this coming week. McMurray doesn't need his teammate mad at him, and will no doubt be apologizing on a level not seen since Jimmy Swaggart back in the 1980s.


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If you need to space points or objects equally along a straight line or simple arc, the Array command can provide a quick and easy way to do that. But what if your path isn't a line, arc, or circle?
The Measure command (available at the command line, under Draw-->Point-->Measure, or on the extended Draw panel of the Ribbon under the Point pull-down) places points or blocks at specified intervals on an object.
In the next image, I ran Measure on the spline with an interval of 3. PDMODE is set to 35, so you can see the points.
You can also use Measure to place blocks instead of points. You can choose to have the blocks be inserted with no rotation...
...or rotated so that their horizontal lines are tangent to the path at that point.


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RUSMP's Adem Ekmekci has received a very prestigious small research grant from the Spencer Foundation! The project entitled "The Nexus of Teacher Quality and Students' Social Cognitive Career Outcomes in STEM" will explore the connection between teacher quality and students' STEM persistence using a national dataset, High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS:09) of Institute of Educational Sciences.
Dr. Ekmekci (PI) and UHD's Danya Corkin (co-PI) will be working on this project together. The project will kick off on August 1, 2017 and is expected to be completed in July 2019.
See the Rice News article for more information.


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The DOR and I are both legging up for a Cowboy Dressage clinic. Now that means that I have to work, work, and work in the arena. I find the arena boring. So this last ride I decided to entertain myself. I snorted at Bob the Bull, made crazy eyes at tumble weeds, and jumped sideways when a truck used its jake brakes. The DOR decided if I wanted to see buggers to snort and jump at she would show me some. So she took me on an investigative ride around the ranch. I had a good time and made sure to put my nose on all kinds of things.
The DOR has plans to take me to a schooling show this year. I hope she is ready for a show because I could give her one at any moment.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!