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Once you've spotted a flat or house you love and can afford, it's easy to get carried away in excitement when you're viewing it.
It's only after you've moved in that you may realise things aren't quite what they seem and start to wish you'd asked more questions.
Although you'll have your own list of priorities to ask about, there are a few things you're likely to forget to ask.
1. Who's responsible for that?
Photo credit: Panda Whale
If you're in a flat, there could be common areas, such as kitchens, gardens, courtyards or hallways. If you're in a house, you might also have a garden to enjoy.
However, it's worth asking whose responsibility these areas are to maintain and whether the upkeep will cost you any extra money.
2. Who lives next door?
Photo credit: Give Up Internet
Although your landlord or letting agent might not know, it's still a good idea to ask if they have any idea of who the neighbours are – are they noisy, quiet, a family, young or elderly? Do they have pets? Have past tenants had any run-ins with them?
If you're not satisfied with the answer, a quick glance at the outside of the neighbouring properties could give you a good indication of the sort of person that lives there.
3. What's it like at night?
Photo credit: The Directors Chair
Find out if the area is well lit at night and whether you'd feel safe walking around alone. Are there any popular bars or pubs nearby and can you hear the resulting noise from the property?
If the area is well lit, this is great for safety, but it can be a nightmare if your blinds aren't good quality. There's nothing like a brightly lit bedroom to ruin a night's sleep – ask whether you'll receive black-out blinds or, if not, whether you can put some up yourself.
4. What's included?
Photo credit: Quick Meme
Whether your potential new place is furnished or unfurnished, what you see on a viewing may not be what you get. Make sure you ask what's included, so you know what you'll need to bring with you.
This doesn't just include furniture; make sure to ask about washing machines, fridges, curtains and blinds. If you already own something that's included with the property, ask if you can replace theirs with your own.
5. Can I decorate?
Photo credit: Chapter of Dreams
Many tenancy agreements state that you can't paint the walls, erect shelves, put up pictures or change any of the decor. If this bothers you, it's always worth asking if there's a possibility it won't be included in your contract.
If the landlord won't agree to you decorating, ask them if they can put some picture hooks up for you or check out our blog post to get some ideas around what you can do to make it feel more like home.
6. What's the TV & internet like?
Photo credit: I Hate Meme
Whether you want to bring your existing TV & internet service with you, or you're planning on switching, it's a good idea to check what's allowed or available in the new place.
For example, a new landlord may not allow you to put up a Sky dish, Virgin Media cables may not be in place or you may have to change the phone line if you want to sign up to BT (which the landlord may not be too happy about unless you ask first).
7. How much is it going to cost?
Photo credit: We know Memes
You'll likely already know what the rent will cost, but there could be other fees too. You'll need to know how much deposit you'll be paying, how much rent up front, any letting agents fees and whether any bills are included with the rent.
You'll then be able to decide how much you can afford and whether the property is worth the cost. Don't forget to check out Council Tax bands and energy ratings too!
8. How's the heating & water?
Photo credit: Daily Mail
Check what kind of boiler there is and ask to see whether hot water comes out of the taps and the radiators work. If there isn't adequate heating, it's also a good idea to ask if any space heaters are provided (but be aware these can cost more in electricity). Also look out for double glazing, which will keep the place much warmer than older style windows.
Finally, check the water pressure in the shower – you'll be glad you did!
9. What happens in an emergency?
Photo credit: Getty Images
Make sure there's a 24 hour phone number you'll be able to call in an emergency. Hopefully you're not going to need to use it but, if a pipe bursts in the middle of the night, it's nice to know it'll be sorted out as soon as possible.
10. What are my transport options?
Photo credit: The Meta Picture
If you drive, make sure to ask about parking. You may be given an allocated space or you might need to get a permit from the council, which could cost money.
If there's more than one of you moving in, ask how many parking spaces you'll get – you don't want to be fighting over one space.
If you don't drive, enquire into local public transport. How far away is it? Is it regular? The novelty of walking four miles to work will soon wear off and you'll wish you'd asked before moving in.
11. Can you fix this?
Photo credit: Tension Not
Make sure you look carefully for any damage or broken items and raise them before you commit to moving. Your landlord will more than likely be willing to fix them before you move in and it'll save you any hassle later on if the problems escalate.
If they can't or won't fix it before you move, make sure to take a picture of the damage on moving day and ensure it's logged in your inventory.
12. Where can I put my stuff?
Photo credit: Pinterest
Think realistically about how much you own and look carefully at the storage solutions in the property. If there isn't enough, ask whether more can be provided or whether you can put up shelves or rails.
If all else fails, our handy guide to decluttering might help you to get rid of some of your excess belongings before you move.


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Why lou & pepper?
Some people call it attention to detail, others might say "obsessive compulsive," we just call it planning a party!
Creativity is our middle name! So is Color! So is Pattern! Every party is an original party with our Stylish + Quirky aesthetic!
We are also shopaholics and proud of it! We'll search for the best products to fit your theme and party needs….that why we call it Parties Curated!

subset: commoncrawl


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Soyez le premier à aimer ceci
Publié le
Every case management application is different, just like every organization that routes a case through a particular process has different requirements. Routing a mortgage application in a financial services company is very different from routing an insurance claim or routing product proposals in a highly regulated environment.
With the Nuxeo Platform, you can build the case management application that adapts to your business context in a fraction of the time it would take to develop a solution on your own. You can get a working prototype running in days or weeks, by using Nuxeo Studio to define your business content models, permission sets, and workflows.


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Gale Pages Iowa
Online magazines, newspapers, and other reference tools.
The library subscribes to Gale, a web-based information resource which includes full text magazines, newspapers and reference tools. You can search it from any computer with Internet access - at home, work, school or at the library.
Access to Gale is made possible through a partnership between the State Library of Iowa and Iowa's Area Education Agencies. Primary funding is provided by the State Library using federal Library Services and Technology Act dollars.
Click the link below to login to Gale Pages Iowa.


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Factory emblem set for the 2018+ Stinger includes the following part.
Add the GT logo steering wheel emblem for US$20 more.
Price may change at any time.
Price includes shipping and handling charges to anywhere in North America, Asia and Europe. For other regions, please email us for a shipping quote.


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THE ROYS – "GYPSY RUNAWAY TRAIN"By William Simpson • Oct 1st, 2013 • Category: CD Reviews
Review by Stratman
The Roys have been one of my favorite duos ever since I reviewed my first CD by them. They started out with and continue to have rich harmonies, wonderfully crafted and well- written songs, and unmatched musicianship. They also have become one of the fastest rising acts in the music business. They have won numerous awards along the way and have performed the National Anthem at sporting events, opened for many famous country acts and even in front of President George W. Bush on his final day in office. See why I like them?
Well, on to their new album, "Gypsy Runaway Train". The title tells you that the life of a musician is constantly on the road, much like gypsies. This is a happy CD, but also touches on life's ups and downs. The album is a mixture of new original cuts and some old tried and true standards that their fans have told them that they should record.
The CD opens with "You Can Count on My Love", a strong, up-tempo bluegrass kicker that helps set the tone of the album. It features Elaine on lead vocals, which she shines on. Great fiddle and banjo. The harmonies rock! "Blue Moon of Kentucky" is as good as it gets. I'm sure that Bill Monroe is smilin' on this cut. "Another Minute" is a wonderful song. That deals with the loss of a loved one. Lee Roy's vocals are great as are the harmonies. I like the Dobro and mandolin also.
"Born With A hammer In My Hand" is a bouncy re-make of the hit by Blue Highway. Love the banjo and it's a toe tapper. Sounds a little like Ricky Skaggs. The track is good and solid. The next tune is "I wonder Where You Are Tonight." This is another traditional favorite. The mandolin and banjo work really well with the vocals.
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs made the next tune famous. "He Took Your Place" is a great gospel tune and Elaine does justice to it. Good job. Evokes memories of the Dillard's or the Darlins as you may know them from the Andy Griffith Show. I miss Earl. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to him when I worked at Gibson USA. The world lost a good man when he passed.
"Workin' On It" is a song about trying to break bad habits. They still come back occasionally, but the writers keep "workin' on" trying to break them. Lee Roy does a fine job and the music is tight. Good tune. "Enough For Me" features Elaine and she lets you know that they are very happy and satisfied with their blessings. Too bad more people in the world aren't like that.
"Ramblin' Fever" has always been one of my favorite Merle Haggard songs. My current band plays it when we are doing live shows. It always gets the crowd going. The Roy's do a fine job on it. The music is perfect. "What Gives You The Right" shows off the vocal harmonies as well as the group's musicianship. The tune has been a fan favorite and I can see why.
"Those Memories of You" is another bluegrass favorite. Great banjo pickin' and vocals. Sounds a little like Dolly Parton. The fiddle works well in the break. "Half of Me" was written by Elaine after her divorce. She admits she may not be able to play it live due to her emotions, but she does a slam up job on the studio version. Love the dobro performed by Randy Kohrs.
That brings me to the last track "Gypsy Runaway Train" which Lee co- wrote with Morry Trent. It is what a touring musician's life is all about making stop after stop in town after town. The music sounds kind of like a train thanks to the drumbeat. All the music works well together. Great way to end the CD.
This is a must have CD for all bluegrass fans. Great songs, vocals, musicians, production, and recording. It is just a wonderful album. So, get of your couch and go git you one. NOW!!
Rating: A+
William Simpson is
Email this author | All posts by William Simpson


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White/Turquoise Carved Sphere
This carved sphere is made from glazed earthen-ware. It is 4-1/4" in diameter and contains some beads that rattle around, for a surprise. The color is matt white and turquoise. These carved spheres are nice to hold and to look at. They create conversation for first time viewers you may not find or see them elsewhere. I carve each as an original design and finish with six coats of glaze material. I have several collectors and think you will enjoy owing one of these "Spheres of Influence".


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User Guide
Table of Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Getting Started
- 3 Running a project
- 4 Servers
- 4.1 Where to run the server
- 4.2 Fault tolerance of projects
- 4.3 How jobs are matched to the best resource
- 4.4 Copernicus Network
- 4.5 Connecting Servers
- 4.6 User management
- 4.7 Server configuration
- 5 Workers
- 5.1 Worker and Server communication
- 5.2 How workers find available executables
- 5.3 Automatic partitioning
- 5.4 Limiting the number of cores
- 5.5 Running jobs from a specific project
- 5.6 Avoiding idle workers
- 5.7 Specifying work directory
- 5.8 Platform types
- 5.9 Executing workers in a cluster environment
- 6 Best practices when using 1000+ cores
- 7 Glossary
Copernicus is a peer to peer distributed computing platform designed for high level parallelization of statistical problems.
Many computational problems are growing bigger and require more compute resources. Bigger problems and more resources put other requirements such as
- effective distribution of computational work
- fault tolerance of computation
- reproducability and traceability of results
- Automatic postprocessing of data
- Automatic result consolidation
Copernicus is a platform aimed at making distributed computing easy to use. Out of the box it provides.
- Easy and effective consolidation of heterogeneous compute
- Automatic resource matching of jobs against compute resources
- Automatic fault tolerance of distributed work
- A workflow execution engine to easily define a problem and trace
its results live
- Flexible plugin facilites allowing programs to be integrated to the
workflow execution engine
This section will cover how copernicus works and what its possibilites are.The subsequent sections will in detail cover how to use the platform.
What is Copernicus?
A platform for gathering resources and using them effectively.
The architecture of Copernicus
Copernicus consists of four components; the Server, the Worker,the Client and the Workflow execution engine. The server is the backbone of the platform and manages projects, generates jobs (computational work units) and matches these to the best computational resource. Workers are programs residing on your computational resources. They are responsible for executing jobs and returning the results back to the server. Workers can reside on any type of machine, desktops, laptops, cloud instances or a cluster environment. The client is the tool where you setup your project and monitor it. Actually, nothing is running on the client ever. It only sends commands to the server. This way you can run the client on your laptop, startup a project, close your laptop, open it up some time later and see that your project has progressed. All communication between these three components is encrypted. And as you will see later all communication has to be authorized.
Copernicus is designed in a way so that any individual can set it up, consolidate any type of resource available and put them to use. There is no central server that you will communicate to. You have full control of everything.
The workflow execution engine is what allows you to define your problem in a very easy way. Think of it as a flowchart where you define what you want to do and connect different important blocks. The workflow resides in the server and is a key component in every copernicus project. By just providing a workflow with input the server will automatically generate jobs and handle the execution of those. This way you will never have to focus on what to run where. Instead you can just focus on defining your problem.
The workflow gives also gives you the possibility to trace your work progress and look at intermediate results. You will also be a able to alter inputs in the middle of the run of a project in case things have gone wrong or if you want to test another approach.
Workflow components can actually be any type program. And with the plugin utilites in copernicus you can define these programs as workflow items, also known as functions.
Getting Started
Before we start installing there are some basic prerequisites that has to be met. Apart from these listed below the server and the worker have some additional prerequisites which we will cover in the setup sections for the server and the worker.
Copernicus requires python 2.7 to be installed. The installation must also include openssl. On *nix systems python is usually preinstalled with openssl running the command
python --version will show you what version is installed.
Network Ports
The default network ports that Copernicus communicates via is 14807 for HTTP and 13807 for HTTPS. Please ensure that these ports are open in the
network. These must be open for both inward and outward communication on any machine that is running the client, worker or server. If these ports cannot be used it is possible to specify other ports when setting up the server.
Git is a tool to download software from a source code repository. To see if it is installed try to run the command git from a terminal. If an installation is needed please download it from
Downloading Copernicus
Copernicus can be downloaded from our public git repository. To download the source , use the following command
git clone ssh://git.copernicus-computing.org:29418/copernicus
This will start downloading the source, and putting everything in place. The git repository copernicus is the install directory.
Set the
CPC_HOME environment variable to the location where copernicus is installed.
- On UNIX/Linux systems this is usually done with
export CPC_HOME=path/to/cpc
- Now add
CPC_HOMEto your
PATHvariable. On UNIX/Linux systems this is usually done with
export PATH=$PATH:$CPC_HOME
- You should now be able to run the following three commands
cpcc -h
cpc-server -h
cpc-worker -h
Server Setup
Additional Prerequisites
The server has some additional prerequisites. First
GROMACS must be installed and accessible for the server. The easiest way is if GROMACS is accessible from the path. For other ways to specify this please refer to the section Servers.
Optionally, if a Markov state modelling project is to be run you will need to make sure that
numpy and
py-tables are installed. You will also need to fetch the
MSMbuilder source from https://simtk.org/home/msmbuilder.
Before the server can run, it needs to be set up with an SSL keypair and a project base directory. This is achieved with the command
cpc-server setup [project-dir]
project-dir is the directory where the server will store project data for all the projects that is run from it. Make sure to specify the project-dir in a writable location. Note that
project-dir is only specified during setup however the creation happens when we first create a project. During the setup, the server will ask for a password to the root user (super user). You will also notice that a directory named
.copernicus is created in your home directory. This is where Copernicus will store its settings.
To ensure that the server is properly installed, call the command
cpc-server start
The server is will now run as a background process. For the client command line tool and the worker to be able to communicate with the server a connection bundle must be created: this is a file with a description of how to connect to a server together with a key pair. The bundle is created with the command
cpc-server bundle
which generates the bundle, with the name client.cnx. This file can then be used on any machine to communicate with the server.
The load on the server can be quite heavy and it can be more efficient to not run those parts as ordinary Python code. If you have Cython installed you can run a bash script that is located in the Copernicus installation folder:
This will generate C code from Python files that will then be compiled to shared libraries. The other Python files will automatically use these shared libraries instead of the corresponding Python code, which improves the server efficiency. Remember that if you modify any Python file in Copernicus it is best to rerun the script to regenerate the shared libraries if any of the relevant files have changed. There is no further optimization used when generating the C code from the Python code.
Client Setup
To use the client, a server to connect to must first be specified. To specify a server, use the
add-server command:
If you are running the server on a different port the portnummer is supplied after the hostname, as in
Once a server has been added a client is require to login to the server before being able to use any client commands. If no users have been added the root user with the password supplied during server setup can be used. This is done via:
The client will then ask for a password.
Using a bundle
A server bundle, usually called client.cnx can also be used to connect to a server. This bypasses the add-server and login procecure and grants super user access to the server that is prespecified in the bundle. To use a bundle to connect, use the -c argument to cpcc:
It should output something like this:
Server hostname:127.0.0.1 Version:1.1.0-dev
and if there is an attempt to connect with the wrong connection bundle (i.e. with the wrong key pair), the client will show:
SSL routines:SSL3_GET_SERVER_CERTIFICATE:certificate verify failed
Worker Setup
The worker has 2 prerequisites
- A client.cnx file, If you are running the worker on a different machine than the worker you probably do not have a .copernicus folder in you home directory. However you can create one manually and drop in the client.cnx file there. If you wish you can also specify the file manually as we will later below.
GROMACSmust be installed and accessible for the worker. The easiest way is if GROMACS is accessible from the path. For other ways to specify this please refer to the section Workers.
Workers do not need any specific project directory. Provided that the prerequisites are met the server do not need any other installation procedure. To verify that the worker can connect to a server start it with
It should output something like this:
Available executables for platform smp:
gromacs/mdrun 4.5.3INFO, cpc.worker: Got 0 commands.INFO, cpc.worker: Have free resources. Waiting 30 seconds
you will notice the parameter
smp in the above command. This means that we start the worker with the platform type smp. We will cover this in greater detail in the section
Platform types
in case everything is set up correctly. Two things might go wrong here: if there is no client.cnx connection bundle, there will be an error message:
Please specify one with with the -c flag or supply the file with the
client.cnx in your configuration folder
and if there is an attempt to connect with the wrong connection bundle (i.e. with the wrong key pair), the client will show:
SSL routines:SSL3_GET_SERVER_CERTIFICATE:certificate verify failed
Running a project
Servers are what manages your copernicus project. They are responsible for generating jobs and the monitoring of these. When you work with a project you use the
cpcc command line tool to send messages to the server. The server will process this commands and setup your project and generate jobs for it.
Where to run the server
Since the server is responsible for running all of your project it is advisable to deploy it on a machine that is up and running all the time. For example running the server on your laptop would not be a good idea for many reasons:
- You move your laptop around : When moving your laptop between location your machine gets assigned different ip addresses. Workers connected to this server would not be able to communicate with the server once the address changes.
- Laptops are not on all the time: You close the lid on you laptop, it runs out of batteries ….
Fault tolerance of projects
The server is very fault tolerant and handles your projects with great care. It regularly saves the state of each project. In case a server would shutdown or crash due to software or hardware failure you can simply restart the server and it will recover to the previous state.
Jobs that are already sent out workers are also fault tolerant. The server can handle cases where the worker goes down or if the server itself goes down. This is done by the server heartbeat monitor. Whenever a server has sent a job to a worker it expects a small heartbeat message from the worker once in a while (default is every 2 minutes however
this can be configured). If the server doesn't receive a heartbeat message it will mark that job as failed and put it back on the queue.
The same procedure is actually used when a server goes down. Whenever it starts again it will go through its list of jobs sent out(referred to as heartbeat items). And see which ones has gone past the heartbeat interval time. These jobs that have timed out will then be put back on the queue.
Although the server is fault tolerant make sure to backup your project data to a second disk regularly. The server will not be able to recover a project from disk failures.
How jobs are matched to the best resource
Copernicus Network
Copernicus servers can be connected together to form a network. This is useful in various cases:
TODO images for the various cases
- You want to share worker resources: If your workers are not being utilized at 100% you can share your workers by connecting to other copernicus servers. Whenever your server is out of jobs it will ask its neighbouring servers for jobs. More on this in the section worker delegation.
- You are running too many projects for one server to handle: If you have too many projects for one server to handle you can offload it by running a second server on another machine. You can then connect the second server to the first and still share resources with worker delegation.
- Your workers are running on an internal network while the server is
not: In cluster environments the compute nodes can only communicate with the head nodes so you would need a server running on the head node. However as soon as you start running projects the server will consume a bit of resources on the head node which is not advisable. A better setup is to run one server on the head node and connect it to a project server outside the cluster environment. The server on the head node will only be managing connections to the workers and pass these on to the project server.
Worker delegation
The concept of worker delegation allows servers to share work resources between each other. Whenever servers are connected worker delegation is enabled automatically. The server that the workers are connected to will always have the first priority and if there is work in its queue it will utilize its workers. However if there is no work in the queue it will ask its connected servers for work. This is done in a proioritized order. The order of priority can be seen with the command cpcc list-nodes. Servers can be reprioritized with cpcc node-pri.
Connecting Servers
To connect two copernicus servers you need to send a connection request which in turn has to be approved by the other side.
Sending a connection request
A connection request can be sent to a server with the
cpcc connect-node HOSTNAME command:
>cpcc connect-server server2.mydomain.com Connection request sent to server2.mydomain.com 14807
By default a request is sent using standard copernicus unsecure port 14807. If the destination server has changed the unsecure port number you will need to specify it.
cpcc connect-server server2.mydomain.com 15555
After sending a connection request you can list it with
cpcc list-nodes
>cpcc connected-servers Sent connection requests Hostname Port Server Id server2.mydomain.com 14807 b96add9c-aff5-11e2-953a-00259018db3a
Approving a connection request
Received connection requests needs approval before a secure communication can be established between 2 servers.
To approve a connection request you use the
cpcc trust SERVER_ID command.
Only servers that have sent connection request to your server can be trusted. To see which servers that have requested to connect you can use
cpcc connected-servers
>cpcc connected-servers Received connection requests Hostname Port Server Id server1.mydomain.com 14807 dc75c998-acf1-11e2-bfe2-00259018db3a
The list above specifies that we have one incoming connection request. The text string under the column "Server Id" is what we need to specify in the
cpcc trust command.
>cpcc trust dc75c998-acf1-11e2-bfe2-00259018db3a Following nodes are now trusted: Hostname Port Server Id server1.mydomain.com 14807 dc75c998-acf1-11e2-bfe2-00259018db3a
after calling cpcc trust your server will communicate with the requesting server and establish a secure connection.
To list the connected connected nodes simply use
cpcc connected-servers
>cpcc connected-servers Connected nodes: Priority Hostname Port Server Id 0 server1.mydomain.com 14807 dc75c998-acf1-11e2-bfe2-00259018db3a
If you change the hostname or the ports of one server it will upon restart communicate to its connected servers and notify them on these changes.
Connecting to a server that is behind a firewall.
If one of the servers is behind a firewall, it is not possible to send a connection request directly.
The workaround for this is to first create an ssh tunnel to the server behind the firewall.
The procedure will then be.
1. Create an ssh tunnel to the firewalled server
ssh -f server_behind_firewall -L 13807:server_behind_firewall:13807 -L 14807:server_behind_firewall:14807 -N
the syntax 13807:server_behind_firewall:13807 means "anything from localhost port 13807 should be sent to server_behind_firewall port 13807"
The port numbers 13807 and 14807 are the standard copernicus server ports. in case you have changed these setting please make sure that those port numbers are provided in the tunnelling command.
2. Send a connection request using the tunnel port.
cpcc connect-server localhost 14807
3. Approve the connection request.
cpcc trust SERVER_ID
where SERVER_ID is the id of the server that sent the connection request. you can look it up with the command
cpcc connected-servers.
When a connection is established you no longer need the ssh tunnel.
User management
Copernicus has support for multiple users with access roles. Regular users have either full access or no access to a project. Super users (like root) have access to all projects and may add other users using:
A user may grant another user access to its current project by issuing
Server configuration
Workers are responsible for most of the computational work in copernicus. They act as simple programs connecting to a server and asking for work. Workers can have very different capabilites with regard to cpu capabilites, and what programs they can execute.
When you start a worker it will establish a secure connection to your server and announce the programs and their versions it can execute. The server will then match the capabilities of the worker to the available jobs in the queue. By default a worker will try to use all available cores on a machine however this can be configured.
Worker and Server communication
You can connect as many workers as you want to a Server. And the only thing you need to do this is a connection bundle. Workers and Server communication is one sided. It is always initiated by the Worker and the Server is only able to send responses back.
How workers find available executables
Automatic partitioning
Workers always try to fully utilize the maximum number of cores available to them.Thus they able to partition themselves to run multiple jobs at
once. For example if you have a worker with 24 available cores it can run one 24 core job or one 12 core job and 12 single core jobs. As long as the worker has free cores it will announce itself as available to the Server. However, workers do not monitor the overall CPU usage of the computer they are running on, but assume that the CPU is not used for other tasks.
Limiting the number of cores
By default a worker tries to use all of the cores available on a machine. However you can limit this with the flag
cpc-worker smp -n 12
You can also define how the partitioning of each individual job should be limited with the flag
-s. For example to limit your worker to use only 12 cores and only 2 cores per job you can do:
cpc-worker smp -n 12 -s 2
Running jobs from a specific project
A worker can be dedicated to run jobs from a specific project this is done with the flag
cpc-worker -p my-project smp
Avoiding idle workers
If you want to avoid having idle workers you can instruct them to shutdown after an amount of idle time. This is done with the flag
cpc-worker -q 10 smp
Specifying work directory
When a job is running Workers store their work information in work directory. This work directory is by default created in the same location as where the worker is started. If you want to specify another work directory you can do it with the flag
cpc-worker -wd my-worker-dir smp
Platform types
Workers can be started with different platform types.
The standard platform type is smp. This one should be used to run a worker on a single node.
The platform type mpi should be used when one has binaries using OpenMPI. Any binary that you usually start with mpirun from the command line should use this platform type.
Executing workers in a cluster environment
Starting workers in a cluster environment is very straightforward. You will only need to call the worker from your job submission script. You only need to start one worker for all the resources that you allocate.
This is the general structure to use for starting a copernicus worker
## 1.ADD specific parameters for your queuing system ## ## 2. starting a copernicus worker ## cpc-worker mpi -n NUMBER_OF_CORES
Here is a specific version for the slurm queing system
#!/bin/bash #SBATCH -N 12 #SBATCH --exclusive #SBATCH --time=05:00:00 #SBATCH --job-name=cpc #Assuming each node has 16 cores, 12*16=192 cpc-worker mpi -n 192
Best practices when using 1000+ cores
Copernicus is a very powerful tool and can start using thousands of cores at an instant. When starting large scale resources it is advisable to gradually ramp up the resource usage and monitor the project to see if any critical errors occur in the project or your cluster environment. If everything looks fine start allocating more and more resources.
|connection bundle
|function instance
<!—END MAIN DIV manual content–!>


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2017-18 Dolphin Men's Basketball News
National Association of Basketball Coaches Announces 2017-18 Team Academic Excellence AwardsJuly 13, 2018The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced on Wednesday the sixth annual Team Academic Excellence Awards, created by the NABC Committee on Academics. These awards recognize outstanding academic achievement by a team with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2017-18 season.
Jacksonville Inks Five to 2018 Recruiting ClassApril 30, 2018Following a successful 2017-18 campaign that saw the Jacksonville University men's basketball program win its first postseason contest in eight years, Head Coach Tony Jasick finalized the 2018 recruiting class.
Dolphin Teams Celebrate Successes at 2018 JAXSPYSApril 20, 2018Students and coaches from Jacksonville University's 18 varsity sports, as well as athletic staff, walked the red carpet at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Monday evening at the 4th Annual JAXSPYS Awards.
ASUN Conference Expands Broadcast Coverage to ESPN+ PlatformApril 18, 2018The ASUN Conference and ESPN announced 55 events to be streamed via the Worldwide Leader in Sports new platform, ESPN+.
Helgeland Selected To ASUN All-Tournament TeamMarch 03, 2018Following the conclusion of the 2018 ASUN Championship Tournament, the Jacksonville University men's basketball team had a player honored as a member of the All-Tournament Team for the first time since 2009.
JU Falls In Semis at LipscombMarch 01, 2018Jacksonville University men's basketball fell behind early and could not complete a rally, losing 77-62 to Lipscomb in Allen Arena.
ASUN Semifinal In Nashville On-Tap For 'PhinsMarch 01, 2018Following its first victory in the ASUN Championship Tournament since 2010 and first postseason win since the following year, the Jacksonville University men's basketball team heads to Nashville, Tenn. for the semifinal round.
Hogan's Record-Setting Night Sends JU to SemisFebruary 26, 2018For the first time since 2010, Jacksonville University men's basketball advanced to the ASUN Championship Semifinals, winning 87-68 over Kennesaw State Monday night at Swisher Gym.
Record Number of Dolphins Earn ASUN Postseason HonorsFebruary 25, 2018A record four players from the Jacksonville University men's basketball team have been honored by the league, the ASUN Conference announced Sunday.
Dolphins Prepare For ASUN Quarterfinal Battle MondayFebruary 24, 2018Having won its final two contests of the 2017-18 regular season and locked up a home game in the ASUN Championship, the Jacksonville University men's basketball team looks to make a statement in postseason play.
The Tony Jasick Show: ASUN Championship TimeFebruary 24, 2018Head Coach Tony Jasick discusses the regular season ending win over North Florida and the upcoming home tournament game on his weekly radio show on 1010XL/92.5 FM.
Tickets On Sale For ASUN Quarterfinal GameFebruary 23, 2018Jacksonville University has announced that tickets for the upcoming ASUN Men's Basketball Conference Tournament Quarterfinal game on Monday, Feb. 26 are now on sale.
Dolphin Pair Honored In Final ASUN Weekly AwardsFebruary 23, 2018After putting on a dominant display of work, which included a triple-double for the first time in 23 seasons, the Jacksonville University men's basketball team saw a pair of players earn weekly awards Friday.
Harris's Triple-Double Leads to River City Rumble SweepFebruary 22, 2018Jacksonville beat North Florida 86-81 on Thursday at Swisher Gym on the strength of five double-figure scorers to clinch the three-seed in the ASUN Championship. The Dolphins will host six-seed Kennesaw State Monday night.
Home Postseason Game On Line in #RiverCityRumble ThursdayFebruary 21, 2018Jacksonville University men's basketball looks to end the 2017-18 regular season on a high note and lock up a top-4 seed in the ASUN Tournament Thursday evening vs. North Florida.
Hinton Highlighted on ESPN's SportsCenterFebruary 19, 2018Freshman forward Jalyn Hinton was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter for his aerial display Saturday night vs. USC Upstate.
Dolphins Dunk Home Win Over USC UpstateFebruary 17, 2018Jacksonville University men's basketball pounded the paint to the tune of 42 points and rolled to a win at home in Swisher Gym over USC Upstate, 82-70, on Saturday night.
The Tony Jasick Show: Wrapping Up the Regular SeasonFebruary 17, 2018Head Coach Tony Jasick speaks about the end of the regular season on his weekly radio show on 1010XL.
Dolphins Drop Nailbiter to NJITFebruary 15, 2018Jacksonville University men's basketball saw its comeback fall just short vs. NJIT on Thursday.
Dolphins Return To Home Action Hungry For SuccessFebruary 14, 2018Looking to rebound off a tough weekend road trip, the Jacksonville University men's basketball team returns home this weekend to begin a three-game home stand to close out the regular season.
Dolphins Drop Final Road GameFebruary 10, 2018Jacksonville University men's basketball fell behind early, and could not keep up with Kennesaw State Saturday, losing 78-54 at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Tony Jasick Show: Overcoming InjuriesFebruary 09, 2018Head Coach Tony Jasick discusses his team heading into a road game at Kennesaw State with four games to play in the regular season on his weekly radio show on 1010XL.
Short Handed Dolphins Succumb to BisonsFebruary 08, 2018Jacksonville University men's basketball could not overcome a missing starter or a hot shooting Lipscomb team Thursday night at Allen Arena, falling 82-59.
Final Conference Road Action For Dolphins This WeekendFebruary 07, 2018Continuing to hold down sole possession of second place in the ASUN Conference, the Jacksonville University men's basketball team takes to the road for the final time in the 2017-18 regular season this weekend.
JU Falters Against FGCUFebruary 03, 2018After allowing a big second half, Jacksonville University men's basketball fell to Florida Gulf Coast 80-55 on Saturday at Swisher Gym.
The Tony Jasick Show: Second Half of ASUN PlayFebruary 03, 2018Head Coach Tony Jasick previews JU's home game with FGCU Saturday night and much more on his weekly radio show and 1010XL/92.5 FM.
Resiliency, Unity Fuel Basketball's Conference SuccessFebruary 02, 2018Jacksonville University men's basketball finds itself in a prime position late in the conference season after weathering injuries and adversity early in the season.
Dolphins Look To Benefit From Home Court Against FGCUJanuary 31, 2018After splitting an in-state weekend conference road trip, the Jacksonville University men's basketball team returns home Saturday evening.
Notae's Stand-Out Play Earns Pepsi Student-Athlete Of MonthJanuary 31, 2018Following multiple team-leading performances and ASUN Awards, Jacksonville men's basketball's JD Notae has been named the Pepsi Student-Athlete of the Month for January.
Last Second Free Throws Lead JU Over StetsonJanuary 29, 2018Jacksonville University men's basketball prevailed late over Stetson, 68-67, in DeLand, Fla.


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GRITTY midfield enforcer Jon Worthington is ready to risk a ban as he bids to help drive Town towards automatic promotion from Division III.
The tough-tackling 20-year-old will be hit with a two-match suspension if he receives another yellow card in any of the next three games - against Swansea at home on Saturday, away to Leyton Orient seven days later and at home to Southend on April 10.
It would be a third ban of the season for the Dewsbury-based Academy product, who missed matches after incurring five bookings and also following his controversial FA Cup red card at Accrington Stanley.
Worthington is now on nine yellow cards, but insists it will be business as usual in the engine room as fourth-placed Town approach their crucial nine-match run-in.
"I know there is the danger of a ban hanging over me, but bookings are a bit of an occupational hazard in the position I play in, even though I don't consider myself a dirty player" he said.
"I can't afford to think about getting booked. I just go out there, go about my business and make my challenges as normal."
Fellow midfielder Lee Fowler is the only other Town player on nine yellow cards, but he has been ruled out for the rest of the season through injury.


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|Are you up for a challenge, machine?
|1 swipe and you see a difference
Ma did 3-12X12 rugs in less than 6 hrs. That included the breaks she took inbetween. We took the machine back early. We have a few stains that did not come out but they have been there for years. This machine will not perform miracles on a 15 year old carpet. It did make it look and smell much much better.
There is a $15 deposit that has to be paid when renting the machine. You get your money back when you return the machine.
- Power button is located on the handle,don't have to use your foot or bend over to turn it on/off
- Its lightweight enough that doesn't feel like you are pulling a wagon of heavy dog food.
- Moves forward and back instead of just backwards
- It moved easily from room to room.
- Do not have to refill it often as other commercial machines
- Not overly loud for a rental carpet machine
- Designed for pet households
- Cleaners are designed for homes with pets
- Easy to clean before returning to store.


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Destination wedding venues in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo-Mexico
Don Francisco Properties in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Troncones is well known for providing services such as condos and villas for rent, boutique hotels and vacation rental homes with ocean view and short walking distance to the beach.
Most of our properties: hotels and vacation rental accommodations are located on La Ropa beach. Also Don Francisco Properties promote the most beautiful and recommended wedding locations in the area of Ixtapa, La Ropa beach, Puerto Mio, Playa Larga and Troncones.
Ixtapa weddings lead by Francisco Ibarra Rivera as wedding planner and coordinator for the area of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Troncones as well as my team offer to look for the perfect wedding site for the ceremony, reception dinner and party and to take care of all the wedding services and details to make your dreams come true.
Looking for the perfect wedding site? Location, location, location… that´s what it´s all about. Whether you are hosting an intimate dinner for 2 persons, 15, 25, 40, 60 or a grand affair for over 75 persons. The site sets the tone for your event or party in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa or Troncones.
Know what you are looking for? Would you like an outdoor wedding on the beach during the sunrise or sunset? A formal affair on a terrace overlooking the bay during the sunset? A secluded and private home, villa or small boutique hotel with terrace and ocean view or beachfront?
The beautiful sound of the sea…Francisco Ibarra Rivera is a wedding planner and coordinator that will assist you to make your dreams come true and help you to find the perfect destination wedding location tailoring your needs.
Destination wedding venues and Boutique Hotels in Zihuatanejo
Hotel Casa Don Francisco: The most beautiful and romantic small luxury boutique hotel with 8 unique suites, 4 of them with private plunge pool ideal for honeymooners. Francisco Ibarra Rivera is member of the family who own the hotel and he will take care of all your wedding needs or any other special event at the hotel. Our terrace can hold up to 90 persons, please ask for pictures. More from Hotel Casa Don Francisco.
Hotel Las Palmas: "Hotel Las Palmas in Zihuatanejo, Mexico is the perfect place to create unforgettable memories. We are a boutique hotel, located on a secluded beach surrounded by a lush tropical jungle and fresh water estuaries. This setting allows us to specialize in intimate customized weddings and honeymoons with an emphasis on privacy. What better way to start your life together than in a tropical paradise with an endless ocean that suggest eternity." http://www.hotellaspalmas.net
Hotel Puerta Paraiso: The most recommended beachfront boutique hotel with 7 suites, very private, secluded and luxury. The hotel Puerta Paraiso is located at Playa Larga near to Zihuatanejo and The Internacional airport, as soon as you experience the Hotel and their grounds you will fall in love if you are planning a wedding or honeymoon. More from Hotel Puerta Paraiso. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYYxKsmyVc8
Villa Hijos del Sol: If you are planning to have a ceremony on the beach and private reception party in Zihuatanejo, the Villa Hijos del Sol offers you all the facilities to have a very beautiful event: More from Villa Hijos del Sol. More from Villa Hijos del Sol. http://www.villahijosdelsol.com/
Casa Kaukan: Most romantic honeymoon and weddings location on Playa Larga next to Hotel Puerta Paraiso, Casa Kaukan offers eleven suites and great garden and beach front setting for weddings on the beach. The owner Ricardo Rodriguez from Restaurant Kaukan caterer the food for weddings and events at Casa Kaukan or any other location. More from Casa Kaukan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzBZZxtPVq4
Casa del Arbol: The ocean vistas and the privacy make of this villa a favorite wedding site for groups no more than 80 persons. The quality of their services is perfect. They have experience taking care of very demanding people or groups.
Hotel Villa Carolina: One of the most beautiful hotels on Playa La Ropa. Large spacious rooms with kitchens, convenient location (across the street from The Tides Hotel) very reasonably priced. We provide room service, complimentary coffee and pastry and free wireless internet access. Just a three minutes walk to the beach! More from Villa Carolina. http://www.villacarolina.com.mx/
Hotel La Villa: Is a beautiful quaint hotel next to Villa Carolina and Quinta Troppo Hotels with breathtaking views to La Ropa beach and Zihuatanejo Bay, ideal for wedding groups. More from La Villa. http://www.lavillazihuatanejo.com/
Hotel Quinta Troppo: Very nice and secluded small boutique hotel with 8 suites ideal to accommodate wedding groups and also host small weddings no more than 40 persons at their private terrace overlooking the bay of Zihuatanejo. More from Hotel Quinta Troppo. http://www.laquintatroppo.com/
Hotel Casa Buenaventura: Another beautiful B&B boutique hotel across the street from The Tides, Villa Carolina and La Villa Hotel, perfect for people looking for nice accommodations with ocean view around 100US per night if is a wedding group. More from Casa Buenaventura. http://www.casabuenaventura.com/
Hotel Casa Celeste: Best hotel and the only boutique hotel in town, living in luxury for the most reasonable prices in the area, the rates go from 60 to 90US per night, The Hotel Casa Celeste is located on a pedestrian street right in the heart on the touristic area one block from the main beach and two blocks from the city pier, Casa Celeste is sister with The Hotel Casa Don Francisco and La Perla Restaurant on La Ropa beach, ideal for wedding groups looking for something nice at best rates in downtown Zihua. More from Casa Celeste. http://www.hotelcasaceleste.net/
Villas Palmira: Best oceanfront villas in Zihuatanejo short walking distance to La Ropa beach (only 5 minutes) and 15 minutes to Las Gatas beach. Also nearby Hotel Casa Don Francisco, Villa Perla del Mar and La Perla Restaurant. More from Villas Palmira. More from Villas Palmira. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Bsm1mYNYm0
Villa Perla del Mar: Amazing ocean and beach vistas villa with 3 luxury bedrooms and very spacious and large terrace located at Punta Marina Condos complex short walking distance to La Ropa beach and nearby Hotel Casa Don Francisco and across the street from Villas Mexico ideal for families or groups no more than six persons. Discount for wedding groups. More from Villa Perla del Mar. http://www.vrbo.com/240129
Casa del Murmullo: Great oceanfront location nestled on a Cliffside, four world-class suites. This luxury location accommodations only four couples, and because of its discreet and personalized attention by friendly staff. Honeymooners find Casa del Murmullo the ideal place to wind down after the demand of a wedding. Their terrace is one of the most beautiful venues for wedding ceremonies up to 60 persons.
Hotel Casa Que Canta: Is prefect, elegant and the most romantic wedding venue ideal to celebrate wedding ceremonies and parties up to 60 persons. More from Hotel Casa Que Canta. http://www.lacasaquecanta.com/
Casa del Ensueño: El Ensueño Residence at La Casa Que Canta offers a romantic ambiance and its own private access to La Ropa beach unveiling unequaled panoramic views. The Mexican warmth of our hostess will make you live through the magic of the place creating an experience to remember. More from Casa del Ensueño. http://www.villaexperiencemexico.com/ixtapa/esp/renta-de-villas/casa-ensueno.html
Restaurant La Cala: One of the most extraordinary wedding venues in Mexico. This unique and intriguing restaurant can only be described by the sounds of the crashing waves and the flickering torches off the water which accent the incredible atmosphere. That along with the cuisine and impeccable service truly makes this restaurant a beautiful and memorable experience. La Cala is a bled of with emphasis on local seafood.
Casa Sol: Spectacular and full ocean vistas private home with large terraces ideal for wedding reception dinner and party up to 100 persons located wall to wall to Hotel Amuleto on La Ropa beach south end hills.
Hotel Amuleto: If you are looking for privacy and seclusion with best ocean and bay view vistas, The Hotel Amuleto is the ideal place for honeymooners and wedding groups up to 50 persons. More from Hotel Amuleto. http://www.amuleto.net/
Condo Alatriz: The perfect wedding venue to elope your wedding ceremony only for 2 persons, The Condo Alatriz is located at Casa Que Ve al Mar and the setting is just out of this world, truly beautiful and romantic.
Ixtapa destination wedding venues and hotels
Club Med: The Club Med in Ixtapa located in front of Ixtapa Island is the perfect backdrop for the start of your new life due to stunning natural beauty and an exquisitely relaxed way of life. Wedding location for no more than 120 people. Visit our photo gallery. http://www.ixtapa-weddings.com/galeria.php?id=114
Hotel Krystal: The Hotel offers upgraded services for the bride and groom if you accommodate your wedding group at the Hotel. Visit our photo gallery. http://www.ixtapa-weddings.com/galeria.php?id=97
Hotel Dorado: Very nice and accommodating hotel for wedding groups. The bride and groom get complimentary services if you rent minimum 10 rooms.
Hotel Emporio: Live your wedding and honeymoon at this beautiful hotel sharing with your family and friends the beach, ocean and the nice hotel grounds including a beautiful garden for the wedding reception and dinner.
Hotel Presidente: Start your life together at this beautiful Mexican style hotel where everything is included, very confortable rooms and excellent International gourmet restaurants. You can accommodate your wedding group and do your wedding ceremony, dinner and party at La Perla on La Ropa beach.
Hotel Barceló: All inclusive location good for accommodations and do your wedding ceremony and reception at different location.
Troncones destination wedding venues
Don Francisco Properties vacation rentals for Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Troncones, and Ixtapa-weddings leaded by Francisco Ibarra Rivera offer their services for looking the best sites in Troncones, we offer to give you update information and pictures of all the options.
Casa de la Sirena: Is the premier destination wedding in Troncones. Beachfront, the swaying palm trees and the roar of the ocean complement your affections as you begin you new life together. Perfect for groups, but designed with the utmost in privacy, you will return year after year to celebrate a most memorable anniversary. The luxury compound is perfect for not more than 60 persons.
The Inn at Manzanillo Bay: This is another extraordinary wedding location in Troncones, special for groups who love to surf, fish and snorkel. Their beachfront, the surf point, their restaurant, luxury rustic bungalows and personalize service make The Inn Manzanillo Bay a dream come true wedding location ideal for groups no more than 50 people.
Casa de Oro: This is a true gold wedding location. Rustic and elegant villa with spacious terrace around the pool, excellent location for wedding pictures by the lagoon, ocean, beach, sunset. Ideal for groups no more than 30 persons.
Casa Delfin Sonriente: A truly beautiful wedding location on the Mexican Riviera-Troncones. Their beachfront is very spectacular for sunsets. Groups up to 30 persons.
Mi Casa es su Casa: Another beautiful beachfront wedding location made especially for wedding events, parties. Their restaurant beachfront restaurant will provide you all the service and facilities for your wedding ceremony and reception. Ideal for groups no more than 100 persons.
Hacienda Eden: They have everything you need for a beautiful wedding or a memorable honeymoon. The Eden is located in the center of Manzanillo Bay nearby The Inn at Manzanillo Bay.
Present Moments: You won´t forget the beauty of this site ideal for wedding on the beach by the ocean.
Casa Escondida: Ideal private home for weddings up to 30 people, they have a very nice tropical garden, palapas, ocean beachfront and privacy.
Hire a wedding planner and coordinator in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa or Troncones
It sounds counterintuitive, but a smart wedding planner can save you money in the long run by helping you decide what´s important. A professional can point your toward vendors within your budget and can negotiate prices for you.
If your budget simply won´t allow for a full-time helper, consider a part-time arrangement or we can help you to give you information and contacts on wedding vendors without additional cost.
Francisco Ibarra Rivera and his team will provide you with simple and modern ideas as well as a golden list of the most talented wedding vendors. Contact www.ixtapa-weddings.com
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Caterers
Once you have decided on the location, then catering services is the next step, very important for the success of the event.
For your big day, you need to work out your budget first and then priorities your wedding wishes.
Contact us:
Contact us:


text: Here's a Trident Technical College Internet Radio segment about Synethesia. Synesthesia is a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. TTC Professor of English and Anthropology Sean Day lets us "hear" what he "sees" while listening to music. It's very interesting. Have a listen.


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Oops? have realised that january appears to have come and gone and I still haven't updated my blog. Great start to the year lol!
Well this month I have worked on haed twilight shimmer and my new start haed mini sea of roses as well as a bit on my Mirabilia and then this week I've started on another Christmas ornament to replace one I had sent and which unfortunately disappeared into the ether. No pics of that till its gone.
Had to have a little stash enhancement of course from Paine Free Crafts. A new company selling some fab designs. I had to give in and by this.


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TRIM Media House
TRIM Media House is a full-service digital marketing agency with a heavy focus in visual content creation, website design, photography, and videography. If you are trying to navigate the digital arena when it comes to your brand, we would love to talk to you!
Have a question, or want to get in touch?
Content Creation
From content for your website to full-on marketing campaigns! We are here to help make your ideas a reality.
We can help boost the image quality throughout your branding while making your product stand out from the rest.
We believe in the power of video and its ability to reach the masses! Need help telling your brand's story through creative video production?
Web Design & Management
We handle your complete needs when it comes to your website and we don't just stop at design. Complete website design, management, hosting, and support solutions.
Have a brand but don't really know where to start when it comes to the digital space? Is your content marketing plan effective? We can help get you on the right track.
Cody Stevenson
Cody is a United States Marine Corps veteran turned serial entrepreneur. He has founded and built multiple successful online media platforms and managed large-scale operations for many Fortune 500 companies. Cody has over a decade of experience in digital marketing and content creation.


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My birthday is coming up in about a month and I've been contemplating what I want to put on my wish list. So far, I've come up with a few items.
First up? I'm a huge fan of The Sound of Music and used to watch the VHS version all the time as a kid. However, I need my own copy now and the 45th Anniversary set came out a couple of years ago. I think it's high time I added it to my collection.
In the same spirit of helping out my photography business, I'm really considering Adobe Lightroom 3. I already have Adobe Photoshop Elements, but I feel like Lightroom would be a valuable resource for me and I've heard the noise reduction is well worth the price.


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I had a very spacious disabled person's compartment to myself (I didn't even know that CFR had disabled compartments). I could've laid down and napped across the three seats, read an ebook, or done about three hundred push ups (I wish!). But I couldn't tear myself from the window, the wind, and the sun.
If I had to explain it right then, why I love Romania, all I had to do was point out that window. The rolling hills, all painted in different hues of green and gold. The dark, earthy canvas of arable land yet to yield its fruit. Flocks of sheep and their shepherds - both of the human and canine variety. Bright yellow fields of canola. And of course, orchards in full bloom. The entire trip was a portrait, or maybe an ode, to Spring in all its splendor. I couldn't get enough.
When I lived in Toronto, all nostalgic thoughts of Romania culminated with an image very similar to the one outside that open window. Images that were non-existent in the raw wilderness of Ontario. Seeing it now, come to life from my mind's eye, it was almost as if it belonged to me. A bit strange to say, but in retrospect, I was looking at a part of me.
The whole thing gave me the perfect perspective into who I am now, and what my bipolar nationality really means. Canada is forever in my heart. Growing up in Toronto molded me into a pretty decent citizen of the world. But Romania is my soul.


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Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (APUC) says it will not proceed with the previously announced investment in First Wind Holdings LLC's wind portfolio in the northeastern U.S., citing a longer-than-anticipated regulatory process.
The initial joint announcement with Emera Inc. in April 2011 had contemplated APUC acquiring a minority interest of about 12.5% in the portfolio, representing an approximate $83 million investment.
First Wind's 370 MW portfolio of wind projects in the northeastern U.S. would have become part of an operating company, of which First Wind was going to own 51%.
Under a separate joint venture (Northeast Wind), Emera would have initially owned 75% of Northeast Wind, with APUC owning the balance.


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- Methodology
- Open Access
Establishing a gold standard for manual cough counting: video versus digital audio recordings
- Jaclyn A Smith1Email author,
- John E Earis2 and
- Ashley A Woodcock1
© Smith et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2006
- Received: 17 April 2006
- Accepted: 03 August 2006
- Published: 03 August 2006
Manual cough counting is time-consuming and laborious; however it is the standard to which automated cough monitoring devices must be compared. We have compared manual cough counting from video recordings with manual cough counting from digital audio recordings.
We studied 8 patients with chronic cough, overnight in laboratory conditions (diagnoses were 5 asthma, 1 rhinitis, 1 gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and 1 idiopathic cough). Coughs were recorded simultaneously using a video camera with infrared lighting and digital sound recording.
The numbers of coughs in each 8 hour recording were counted manually, by a trained observer, in real time from the video recordings and using audio-editing software from the digital sound recordings.
The median cough frequency was 17.8 (IQR 5.9–28.7) cough sounds per hour in the video recordings and 17.7 (6.0–29.4) coughs per hour in the digital sound recordings. There was excellent agreement between the video and digital audio cough rates; mean difference of -0.3 coughs per hour (SD ± 0.6), 95% limits of agreement -1.5 to +0.9 coughs per hour. Video recordings had poorer sound quality even in controlled conditions and can only be analysed in real time (8 hours per recording). Digital sound recordings required 2–4 hours of analysis per recording.
Manual counting of cough sounds from digital audio recordings has excellent agreement with simultaneous video recordings in laboratory conditions. We suggest that ambulatory digital audio recording is therefore ideal for validating future cough monitoring devices, as this as this can be performed in the patients own environment.
- Chronic Cough
- Sound Quality
- Manual Counting
- Digital Audio Recording
- Cough Sound
For more than 40 years there has been an interest in making objective measurements of cough frequency. The original published systems consisted of reel-to-reel tape recorders with patients confined to a single room containing a microphone [1–3]. Coughs were manually counted by listening to the sound recordings. The major problems with these systems were the laborious nature of the manual cough counting and the restriction of the patients; hence these static systems never became established.
In the 1990s ambulatory devices using analogue sound recordings combined with EMG were devised; coughs were identified manually from the visualisation of the waveforms [4, 5]. Validation of these devices was limited to simultaneous non-ambulatory sound recordings over short periods of time, as the devices waveforms could not be listened to, to check their identity.
In order to make cough monitoring applicable to clinical practice, it is necessary to develop accurate automatic detection and counting of coughs. Automated devices would make large studies feasible and may allow endpoints other than cough counts to be measured e.g. amplitude, temporal pattern and cough sound quality.
Although an acceptable automated cough monitoring system is not yet available this area continues to progress [6–11]. With the availability of digital recording devices and the advances in digital storage media, battery powered mp3 player/recorders can be used to make high quality ambulatory sound recordings. These enable cough to be recorded in a patient's home environment. Data can be transferred to personal computer and the recordings used to develop algorithms to identify cough sounds. The question still remains as to the best method to validate any new system.
Previous studies have used video recordings with real-time manual counting of cough as the gold standard [12, 13]. The advantage of using video for cough detection is the visualisation of the subjects' movements as well as hearing the characteristic sound can be used to verify cough events. The two main disadvantages are the lengthy process of reviewing the recorded material and the limited field of vision of the camera, restricting the subjects' activities.
The aim of this study was to establish whether video in addition to audio recording was necessary to accurately manually count coughs and hence provide a gold standard for validation of novel cough monitoring systems. We performed simultaneous overnight video and digital audio recordings, in patients complaining of chronic cough and compared the manual cough counts from each media.
Eight patients with chronic cough were recruited from the out-patients department of the North West Lung Centre. Simultaneous overnight cough recordings using digital audio and video were made in laboratory conditions. Approval was obtained from the local research ethics committee and all subjects gave written consent.
Quantification of cough
Cough recordings
Video recordings
Video recordings were made using an infrared light source (Dennard 883, Dedicated Micros Ltd, UK) and a monochrome security camera (Swann Communications, Australia). The recordings length was limited to 8 hours by the maximum length of the video tape, (4 hour video tape recorded on using long play mode). A continuous display of the time was placed above the patient's bed. The video recordings were played back in real time (i.e. over 8 hours) and explosive cough sounds counted as described above. The position in time of each cough sound was also noted so that any discrepancies between the cough counts from each device could be easily identified.
Digital sound recordings
The digital audio recordings were made at a sampling rate of 16 kHz, at 16 bit resolution (preset) and in wav format; this is an uncompressed sound format in common use (unlike mp3). A single 8 hour overnight recording produces a set of files that total 1.8 GB of data and can be archived on compact discs.
Explosive coughs sounds were manually counted using CoolEdit2000™ (Syntrillium, Software Corporation, Arizona). All sounds present on the digital recordings were listened to. The observer did not just listen to waveforms with the appearance of a typical cough; cough waveforms vary enormously and this would have underestimated the true number of coughs in each recording. The total number and position in time of each cough sound was noted. Using this method manual counting took 2–4 hours per overnight recording, depending on the number of coughs and other extraneous noises.
Results of Cough Coughing. Total number of coughs counted for each subject from video recording and digital sound recording and subjective cough score.
Patient ID
Video Cough Sounds
Digital Audio Cough Sounds
The cough counts for each recording technique were compared in 30 minute blocks and where a discrepancy between the counts occurred both the recordings were reviewed. The differences between the two counts appeared to be due to the differences in the sound quality of the recordings. The sound quality from the video tape was inferior leading to under counting of cough sounds especially in long peels, and occasional difficulty in distinguishing between a cough and throat clear. Overall the differences were negligible.
It is generally assumed that manual counting of coughs from video recordings provides the gold standard to which any automated counting system should be compared. We compared manual counting of explosive cough sounds from video with manual counting from digital audio recordings. We found excellent agreement between the two methods, with slightly more cough sounds detected from the digital audio recording. Furthermore manual cough counting from the digital sound recordings was less time consuming when compared to video.
Previous studies have used a variety of methods for objectively measuring coughing; counting coughs from video recordings [14, 15] (i.e. sound and audio), sound recordings alone16 and from a combination of sound and EMG [4, 5, 17, 18]. The quantification of cough varies in these studies with some counting explosive cough sounds16 others cough epochs [19–23] and others cough 'bouts' [24]. These are all defined in different ways by different authors as currently there is negligible standardisation or validation. This makes comparison of data between studies difficult. However, these studies do find that trained observers are able to achieve good agreement when manually counting coughs from these recordings. This is the first study to compare manual cough counting from two different sources and find excellent agreement between the cough counts.
The main limitation of this study is that the cough recordings were all performed overnight. Without a special facility to video patients during the day or confining the subjects to one room daytime video monitoring would be very difficult. We would speculate that the agreement between the video and digital audio recordings may be worse during the day as the poorer video sound quality would be more troublesome with additional speech and background noises. Additionally the cough recordings were all counted by the same individual. Although it could be argued that the agreement between the recordings may have been affected by the observer remembering the recordings when counting from the recordings from the second source, in practice, given the large amounts of data involved this seems extremely unlikely. Furthermore, the agreement in this study was slightly worse than the inter-observer agreement we had previously found (0.1 coughs per hour) [25].
Manual cough counting is extremely time-consuming and laborious, particularly from video recordings which must be reviewed in real time. It is therefore not applicable to clinical practice. Digital audio recording devices have several advantages over video. Firstly, long ambulatory recordings can be made allowing cough monitoring with unrestricted patient movement, and in their home or work environment. The performance of a cough monitor may be completely different in a subjects own environment with more background noise and movement. Secondly, counting of cough sounds is much quicker and less laborious from a digital sound recorder using audio editing software than from video. Finally, the sound quality is superior and more cough sounds can be correctly identified.
Manual counting of explosive cough sounds from digital audio recordings has excellent agreement with simultaneous video recordings in laboratory conditions. As digital sound recorders have significant advantages over video recorders, ambulatory digital audio recording should now provides the gold standard for ambulatory validation of automated cough monitoring devices
Dr Yen Ha Yiew and Dr Barry Cheetham for assistance in the developing the equipment set up.
Funded by the North West Lung Centre Endowment Fund
Authors' Affiliations
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- Hsu JY, Stone RA, Logan-Sinclair RB, et al: Coughing frequency in patients with persistent cough: assessment using a 24 hour ambulatory recorder. Eur Respir J. 1994, 7: 1246-1253. 10.1183/09031936.94.07071246.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Hamutcu R, Francis J, Karakoc F, et al: Objective monitoring of cough in children with cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002, 34: 331-335. 10.1002/ppul.10174.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Munyard P, Busst C, Logan-Sinclair R, et al: A new device for ambulatory cough recording. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1994, 18: 178-186.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


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Published Dec 21, 2017
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In the name of Graphic Design Education
Graphic design is a resilient and robust discipline, says Robert Harland as he reports from the second annual conference of the Graphic Design Educators' Network
Programme for Exploring Territories: Mapping the Terrain of Graphic Design Education, 8–9 September 2016, Cardiff School of Art and Design. Design: Textbook Studio. Photo: Alex Lloyd Jenkins
Graphic design pedagogy is alive and, dare I say, kicking. The second conference, Exploring Territories: Mapping the Terrain of Graphic Design Education, staged by the Graphic Design Educators' Network at Cardiff School of Art and Design on September 8-9, attracted a hundred or so delegates from the full spectrum of institutions who offer degree programmes in graphic design, or a closely related course that goes by another name. Such is the widespread appeal of graphic design education in 2016 that representatives from established Russell Group universities, pre/post-92 universities, independent art colleges, and some European institutions, sat together to explore the physical, intellectual and existential terrain of learning and teaching in graphic design.
Posters on display at Exploring Territories. Design: Textbook Studio. Photo: Alex Lloyd Jenkins
David Wrenne (Cardiff School of Art and Design) and Laura Walker (Arts University Bournemouth) review the programme for which sessions to attend. Photo: Alex Lloyd Jenkins
Delegates were treated to two days of shared research and scholarship into graphic design learning and teaching, something quite rare during the field's expansion since the early 1990s. Exponential growth in higher education, especially in the UK, has fostered a period of significant diversification in graphic design education, and the professional bodies that have catered for the field throughout this period have struggled to keep up with an agenda that now demands more serious approaches to pedagogy. In this respect, UK based organisations such as GLAD (Group for Learning in Art and Design) are now more influential to many educators who have adopted a more scholarly approach to their role as academics. However, D&AD (Design and Art Direction), CSD (Chartered Society of Designers), or ISTD (International Society of Typographic Designers) have continued to promote their distinct preferences and pathways into industry. Those organisations have not had to concern themselves with higher education change in relation to modularisation, massification, widening participation, postgraduate provision, internationalisation, assessment methodology, and more. But this has all been central to the work of GLAD since 1989, set up in direct response to the changing landscape in UK higher education.
Now, graphic design academics concerned with improving the student experience are more likely to be reading the journal Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education alongside flicking through the pages of the latest professional awards publication, anticipating the next issue of Creative Review, or digesting their Eye back catalogue.
After the first keynote, the parallel sessions get underway. Photo: Alex Lloyd Jenkins
Bianca Elzenbaumer and Fabio Franz of Brave New Alps engage participants in their workshop on labour politics, power structures and hidden economies of design. Photo: Alex Lloyd Jenkins
Some who deliver graphic design education in today's challenging higher education environment have additional aspirations for their role as educators. These were evident at Exploring Territories. This can be characterised by more emphasis on how to teach students rather than what to teach students, which is where professional bodies have been most influential in their approach, especially through the staging of student awards. They have mainly concerned themselves with employability within their own communities, and the 'standards' of entry, rather than the wider opportunities a graphic design education may lead to in areas such as history, theory, criticism, and the possibilities for academic research.
These cerebral preoccupations were on display in abundance at Exploring Territories, which featured a combination of keynote presentations, papers, discussions and workshops. The keynotes provided a platform for discussion about 'design education and prefigurative politics' (Bianca Elzenbaumer and Fabio Franz of Brave New Alps); 'educating for an uncertain future' (Mat Heinl of Moving Brands in conversation Derek Yates); and 'learning with industry' (Darryl Clifton, Tracey Waller & Europa's Robert Sollis). Through the different formats, a diversity of themes and issues were tabled covering: the graphic designer's working conditions in relation to low pay, long hours and the social context; assumptions about the value of failure; how industry and education co-exist and learn from each other through co-delivery of curricula; the limitations of internet research; critical approaches to learning compared to commercial compliance; the disparity between the assessment of awards and assessment of academic work; playfulness; sustainability; employability; multidisciplinarity; and the teaching of international students, to name a few. The span was also wide ranging from subject perspective, drawing from the preoccupations of communication design, interactive design, information design, public art, drawing, photography, typography, linguistics and more.
An animated Derek Yates (Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, on right) in conversation with Mat Heinl of Moving Brands, about open ended, prototype driven, collaborative enquiry. And failure! Photo: Alex Lloyd Jenkins
Mike O'Shaughnessy, Laura Parke (both Liverpool John Moores University) and Jonathan Baldwin (University of South Wales) exchange their ideas. Photo: Alex Lloyd Jenkins
Such diversity reinforces graphic design's position as an integrative practice that has spawned so many new directions and opportunities for practitioners over the past half century. Yet, this is so often unacknowledged. In charting the contemporary concerns of working across a wide spectrum, many contributors reverted back to their own education in graphic design, when there was much less choice of topics to study and print the medium of the day. There seemed to be something in that formative experience that equipped so many, so well, for the explosion in recent decades of media related technologies, to which many had adapted, and adopted. In this sense, the term 'graphic design' is once again assuming a new and important meaning, in the way words do (see Raymond Williams' work on how important words such as industry, democracy, class, art, and culture all assumed new meanings over time[1]). Graphic design has continually evolved since its first known but not widely acknowledged use in the publication Concrete Age.[2]
Through the significant changes of recent times, educators associated with graphic design have afforded themselves little opportunity for serious reflection on what it is that has made their discipline so resilient and robust. This should not be framed as identity crisis (as so many commentators have tried to position it) for those who value the formative experience of a graphic design education that has led to a life-long preoccupation. Nor should graphic design be described as fractured and fragmented, when so many educators labour under the guise of graphic design's core and related activities. As Anne Bush has suggested, it merely reflects 'the maturation of the graphic design discipline'.[3]
Robert Harland is Chair, Graphic Design Educators' Network. For information about Graphic Design Educators' Network, or to participate in its activities, use the following communication platforms: @GDEnetwork, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com
Conference identity and graphics by Textbook Studio
[1] Williams, Raymond. (1993 [1958]) Culture and Society, London: The Hogarth Press. pp. xiii–xx
[2] See Shaw, P. (2014). "Graphic Design": A brief terminological history, www.paulshawletterdesign.com/2014/06/graphic-design-a-brief-terminological-history/.
[3] Bush, Anne. (n.d.) Double Vision: Graphic Design criticism and the Question of Authority, in Laranjo, Francisco, Modes of Criticism 2: Critique of Method. Portugal: Gráfica Maiadouro. pp. 9–24


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That's code for WOW, there are 56 environmentally certified homes for sale in West Seattle! Certifications range from Built Green, to LEED (a more recent entrant in the residential field, already well respected in commercial development), and Energy Star certifications. I talk most about Built Green since that is my designation, but I will post soon more details about how LEED and Energy Star certifications work and their benefits.
Active listing home styles range from townhomes to carriage houses to ultra-modern and totally cool single family detached homes. Prices start at $289,000, a lot are under $450k, and tops out at a to-dream-of $4.8M. My favorite is 28041477 (pictured here). I should go tour it and drool even more.
Click here to see green homes for sale in West Seattle.


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I am always committed to getting my friends and family gifts that I know they will love and use. The most important thing to me is getting something I know they will appreciate. I've been out browsing the shops in Saint John over the last few weeks, and here's my suggestions on where to shop for the women in your life!
Uptown Saint John
Depending on your budget and who you're buying for, no girl is going to turn down a beautiful pair of shoes. Support local, purchase quality, and consider a classic pair of pumps or flats from The Urban Shoe Myth (King Street) or Manchester Shoe Salon (Market Square). If you're not sure of her footwear tastes or what she has in her closet, a gift certificate to use towards a new pair of shoes or a quality wallet is never a poor choice. It's common to hear gift cards are impersonal, but I don't agree. A generic gift that she may or may not like is impersonal, but if you provide her with a little credit towards something she really likes, that will be greatly appreciated. And for a cute pair of comfortable Toms, I believe Je Suis Prest Boutique may still have some in stock!
If you know her size or clothing preferences, there are many uptown boutiques to consider shopping. If you know her favourite store, a gift card is an option in this department too. Je Suis Prest Boutique (Brunswick Square) and Envy (Market Square) cater to a crowd of early 20s to 40s, depending on her personal style. If you know she shops at Je Suis Prest Boutique, be sure to ask the Prest girls if she has a shopping list there- they actually keep a list of their customers favourites to make holiday shopping easier! Kiera and Joy make a point to get to know their customers' tastes and give honest feedback so asking their option is always a great lead. For a girl in her teens to mid-20s I'd recommend checking out Pseudio (Brunswick Square). For the mature woman, try Collectables and Colwell's- it may be a little more expensive, but you can't go wrong with good quality. I'd say Silver Daisy (King Street) falls somewhere in between, serving unique and stylish clothing for girls in their 20s and 30s.
Accessories are always a great affordable choice for a gift. Baubles (Brunswick Square) and Silver Daisy Designs (King Street) are my favourite go-to locations for pretty earrings, necklaces, or bracelets.
Make-up choices like a lip gloss or nail polish are always fun gift ideas as well. Visit the girls at Perfumes Plus (Brunswick Square) and get them to help you pick out a fragrance, Chanel product, or OPI nail polish for the giftee. Did you know that aside from Halifax, this is the only location you can purchase Chanel products? Though you may not be able to afford a Chanel suit or vintage purse, the cosmetics lines is much more accessible price-wise. Their nail polish is my absolute favourite for quality and wear.
Get her a new purse from Je Suis Prest Boutique (Brunswick Square), Silver Daisy Designs (King Street), or Walsh Luggage (Market Square). For a modern shoulder or crossbody bag visit JSP or for a fun party clutch, try Silver Daisy. For something classic and long-term, try popping into Walsh Luggage.
Home Decor
If you think she'd appreciate something for the home, I'd recommend Decor 8 (Brunswick Square), English Butler (Brunswick Square) and Handworks (King Street). Especially if you don't know the inside of her closet as well. chances are you've gotten a better look at her living room or kitchen. A beautiful piece of pottery (Handworks), a unique kitchen tool (Decor 8), fun cocktail glasses (Decor 8), or a Yankee candle (English Butler) are always great choices.
Hair and Spa
If you think she'd enjoy being pampered and doesn't spend enough time on herself, try purchasing a treatment or spa service from Element5 (Market Square) or Perfumes Plus (Brunswick Square). You could also browse Element5's selection of Aveda products for a great quality shampoo and conditioner. Speaking of hair care products, you could also try Hairacy's (Brunswick Square) selection of Redken products.
What I like about shopping uptown in general is that these locally owned shops give much better service. They are interested and invested in their customers' wants and needs, so asking their opinions might help point you in the right direction. Familiarizing yourself with the uptown is a great personal shopping experience and you're supporting local! Remember, when in doubt, choosing to purchase a gift certificate from a store you know she likes to shop at is never a fail.
Also, if you haven't seen it yet, check out the blog post I wrote last week for the Brunswick Square blog featuring the top 5 reasons for shopping at the Uptown shopping centre.


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That's been one of my mantras ever since I could remember. The message became even more powerful for me when I partnered with Lynette Barbieri (and we founded ETTWomen), who also believes that "Everything Happens for A Reason."
I discovered Mantrabands a few months ago and fell in love with the story and mission behind the brand.
Mantrabands are simple, elegant, inspirational bracelets with a touch of delicate polish and an uplifting message. They aid in promoting a lifestyle of optimism, positivity, mindfulness.
Mantrabands are fully adjustable and will fit most wrist sizes. They are designed to be delicate, lightweight, comfortable and durable.
Wearing your Mantraband every day can serve you as your daily reminder, affirmation, and inspiration. I have other mantras that I will also be wearing soon…what a fabulous way to be inspired!
What's your mantra?
PLEASE, let's share it with me in a comment below!
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Armchair Traveling at Tax Time
Travel Blog • Eva Holland • 03.13.13 | 7:39 AM ET
It's tax time again. For me, as a freelance writer, that means hours spent wading through all the work-related receipts I've collected in the past year. The process is a pain, but it comes with a silver lining: I get to revisit 12 months' worth of travel.
A handful of restaurant receipts takes me back to my unofficial Halibut Taco Tour of Southeast Alaska last winter; a stack of gas station slips sends me retracing my summer road-trip routes. Every year I promise myself that I'll start sorting and filing my receipts as I go, instead of filling a shoebox with them and leaving it until tax time. But even if I managed to up my organizational game, I'd still be tempted to delay and do it all in one shot anyhow—the trip down the memory-lane paper trail is just about worth it.
Anyone else do this sort of armchair traveling come tax time?
4 Comments for Armchair Traveling at Tax Time
Laminate Flooring 03.21.13 | 4:00 AM ET
I used to do that during my time when I wrote articles for magazines. Remembering and writing each and every memory down the lane is quite a treat to the brain and gives us a chance to relive those moments.
Jean 03.21.13 | 2:19 PM ET
It is amazing how some forgotten moments do come back to your mind in a flash, as you relive your trip, receipt by receipt, just like putting a puzzle together. Food for thought. Where to next?
wedding photography brisbane 03.22.13 | 3:45 AM ET
Old receipts and photos bring past memory alive for few moments. In every day life we almost don't remember our past travelling moments. Sometimes it is nice to feel old memories. Its such a peace of mind.
American Visa 04.02.13 | 8:36 PM ET
Aside from receipts I also collected memorabilia's such as dry leaves, stones or picture of the place. Seeing those things when I am not travelling reminds me of the days that I am on the road and enjoying my freedom


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About me
me (pronoun) \'mē\ : The objective case of I
Grammar apart, my name is Sagar Behere and I am interested in making machines self-aware and intelligent. To that end, I am an afficionado of technology, art and philosophy.
Professionally, I am a researcher and PhD candidate at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. Some of my past projects involved self-driving vehicles, robots and commercial automobiles. Read my curriculum vitæ for a concise summary.
I enjoy hanging around museums, libraries, gyms, dance events, musicians and chess players. I am also passionate about flying airplanes as a private pilot.