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How to take your body measurements:
Height: For best results, stand barefoot next to a doorframe, and then measure from the top of the head to the bottom of your feet. Even better, get a friend or family member to do it for you.
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Waist: Measure around your natural waistline (the slimmest part of the waist), keeping the tape comfortably loose.
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Lay out a similar garment you own flat on the floor or on a table. Using a soft measuring tape, take the following measurements:
Length: Measure the centre back of the garment, from the bottom of the neckline until the end of the hem at the bottom of the garment.
Sleeve: Measure the length of the sleeve from the point of its attachment at the top of the shoulder, to the end of the cuff hem.
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Desert Air podcast
Posted by Jim Lippard at 7/10/2011 05:05:00 PM
Labels: atheism, pseudoscience, radio, rationality, religion, science, skepticism
I know it's unrelated, but I just wanted to compliment you as a great source of atheist resources. It's not easy finding any- the internet is dominated by apologists and theologians. It's easy to accidently run into sites. like, say, this one:
Or this one:
It's like as if for every sceptic there's ten online theologians with a PHD that were educated at Oxford. What's the deal with that? Also, while on this topic, do you know of any good, scholarly works on theology from a non-christian perspective? I have difficulty understanding what it actually is, what arguments they put foward, and how non-christians respond. Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Andyman: Thanks! I can't really comment on theology in particular, as my interests in the area (which faded some time ago) were primarily in philosophy of religion and history rather than theology. Your question might be better directed to somebody like Robert M. Price, who is one of the three hosts of the Center for Inquiry's Point of Inquiry podcast, and who regularly interviews people with rather odd but interesting theological views (like Bo Bennett, who advocates "Christian non-theism," Thomas J. J. Altizer, a "death of God" theologian). He's talked about, but I don't think he's interviewed Don Cupitt, who advocates theological non-realism--he was interviewed by the Philosophy Bites podcast. Those views all seem a bit kooky to me, but no more so than Christian theology.
Jim, have you listened to these?
The first one has some absolutely bonkers interpretation of Christian scripture. Just listen to the section called 'Sunday School'.
It is easy to see that no one on that show knows what they are talking about in regards to Christian eschatology (or textual criticism, for that matter). I'm not saying they should all be "Bible experts" - I understand atheists feel they don't have the time to do serious exegesis - but this section alone demonstrates a surprising level of incompetence.
One guy says so heaven is 'packed with Hebrew virgins' and the other says 'Isn't sex a sin' ... and on and on ... Jesus practices (or commands) cannibalism ... only 144,000 people make it into heaven ... seriously?
They should have read just *one* commentary before they recorded this episode.
PS - Andyman409 ... I would recommend Wayne Grudem's 'Systematic Theology'. It should be helpful to you because in each section he gives all the competimng views before explaining his own - very helpful! (and no, he didn't go to Oxford; he went to Cambridge=)
Thank you for the plug, Jim. We now have 4 episodes up and we're getting better with every episode. Listeners can give feedback to help us improve at firstname.lastname@example.com. We have a combination of Science, Skepticism, and religion put together with Brandon's expert skills and audio equipment. Give us a listen (and feedback).
Don Lacey
Thanks Vocab Malone and Jim Lippard

subset: commoncrawl


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VIDEO: Cat stuck in fireplace rescued after owner pleads for help on Facebook
AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) —
Last Friday, a woman in the Wells Branch area sent out a desperate plea for help on Facebook:
Please help cat stuck somewhere in fireplace and we cannot see it but can hear it. We're freaking out! Any advice?
Lindsey Klayman made the request on the Wells Branch Melting Pot Facebook group. She said they called 911, 311, the fire department, and even a chimney sweep, but that no one could help.
After dozens of comments were made on Lindsay's Facebook post offering advice on how to rescue the cat, neighbor Kathy Muelker enlisted her husband Jack — a "Jack of all trades" — to help.
Jack removed one brick from the fireplace and used a flexible inspection camera to find the trapped kitty cat, named Betty, who was able to squeeze out of the hole safely.


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Replacement Windows & Doors
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National Pet Memorial Day
Second Sunday In September
Join us as we celebrate National Pet Memorial Day honoring our pets both past and present. Held each year on the Second Sunday in September, this prestigious event was established more than 40 years ago by our Members in recognition of the important role that our beloved pets play in our lives. Visit our Membership Listing to find a Member near you to join in celebrating this special day each year.


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Warn 9.0Rc winch - Mighty MiniPosted in How To: Electrical on October 1, 2006
One benefit of competition motorsports is how it pushes the technology which eventually trickles down to everyday four-wheelers, and the Warn 9.0Rc winch is a perfect example.
In the rockcrawling comp scene, folks are constantly hunting for smaller and lighter components, which is great for single-use tube buggies, but doesn't always apply to your average trail vehicle. Unless, of course, you drive something like a flatfender Jeep or Suzuki. We decided that this compact 54-pound winch would be the perfect addition to our Samurai project truck, seeing as the 1.3L four-cylinder engine isn't exactly a powerhouse. Since it's small enough to get into places it shouldn't be, but still runs open differentials, extrication help is often needed.
The Warn 9.0Rc carries all the benefits of a larger 9,000-pound capacity winch, but has been repackaged for weight and fitment efficiencies. We installed it on a Trail Tough front bumper in under two hours, and were stuck in a rut about an hour later (the little Suzuki motor makes just getting to the trail head a slow drive). This is the first winch that Warn has ever offered with 3/8-inch synthetic rope, which offers a ton of benefits versus steel cable, especially in weight. In addition this winch comes with the new remote controller that Warn will be implementing into many new winches.
If you are building a competition buggy or more likely just assembling a lightweight trail rig, this Warn winch offers a big punch in a small package.
6PhotosView Slideshow


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High Pressure Ceramic Piston Plunger Slurry Pump for Filter Press Machine1.Plunger is made of ceramics.
2.Higher feeding pressure.
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4.Feeding pressure can be set.
5.Hydraulic driven.
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Multistage High Pressure Centrifugal Water Pump for Membrane Plate Squeezing (Cake Squeezing)1.Multistage design.
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3.Stainless steel material.
4.Used for clean water.
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Pneumatic Diaphragm Membrane Dose Metering Pump for Polymer Dosing System1.Mechanical driven.
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Stable Working Centrifuge Slurry Pump for Plate Filter Press1.Big capacity.
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Corrosion Resistant Pneumatic Double Diaphragm Membrane Pump for Various Sludge1.Corrosion resistance.
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S,S.304 Material Single Screw Wastewater Pump for Plate Frame Filter Press1.Stable flow.
2.Stable pressure.
3.Compact space.
4.Widely used for the wastewater treatment.
5.Also suitable for viscous materials.
6.Easy to install.


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- Commentary
By Cody Willard
Cross-posted from TradingWithCody.com, a service not affiliated with MarketWatch.
So how about that big investment in Barnes & Noble by Microsoft which valued the B&N Nook tablet/e-reader business at $1.7 billion? For the record, when Microsoft invested in Facebook at a $15 billion, I told my viewers on my TV show that it was a brilliant investment. This is not a brilliant investment by Microsoft. It's just a lose/lose.
The Nook, which is currently having some modicum of success and showing nice growth but is far from profitable, is based on the Android operating system. Google's Android operating system. I predict that over the course of the next two years that we'll see Microsoft /quotes/zigman/20493 /quotes/nls/msft MSFT convince the Nook guys to try a hybrid Android/Windows operating system or that they'll convince the Nook guys to ditch Android entirely for Microsoft's Windows 8 for tablets.
The upshot is that you can expect Barnes & Noble /quotes/zigman/132169 /quotes/nls/bks BKS and the Nook to face the same future that Nokia /quotes/zigman/162154 /quotes/nls/nok NOK has suffered since they bet on Microsoft — slow death. Ooh, maybe someday Microsoft will just take over and combine these two businesses and call it … wait for it … Nookia! It's stock symbol could just be "NO".
If you're an investor in Barnes & Noble, I'd take today's gift and run. The Nook is now doomed, not saved, by Microsoft's investment.
And I've now put BKS on my "Short this sucker when it cracks next time" list. Because I think we'll see BKS top out somewhere here in the mid $20s and that it's likely a single-digit stock by the end of next year.
The Nook was never going to be an iPad killer. It might have had a chance for some continued success and even some profitability for the mid-term. But Barnes & Noble isn't building an eco-system for their Nook and it's going to take a smartphone/tablet eco-system combination to win in the next generation of operating system wars. Have you used the Windows smartphone app store? Do you know what it's called? Are you sure that it's got any apps besides Twitter and Facebook? That's my point. Amazon's /quotes/zigman/63011 /quotes/nls/amzn AMZN got their own eco-system around it's retail and content offerings too. Microsoft has a great desktop eco-system for giant enterprises. Not something that's going to help the Nook, if you know what I mean.
I've been saying for three years now that the big winners in this new tech front are Apple
and Google
Fox Happy Hour Cody's Big 3: Bear, Illuminati, iPhone
The only thing that changed in that analysis with today's news of Microsoft's investment in Barnes & Noble's Nook business is that the Nook is … well, nothing except a new trading idea in shorting BKS when it settles down from this news.
Cody Willard writes Revolution Investing for MarketWatch and posts the trades from his personal account at TradingWithCody.com. At time of publication, Cody was net long Apple and Google.


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Morrissey has scrapped his comeback performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after learning he would be appearing alongside the cast of reality series Duck Dynasty.
The singer-songwriter was scheduled to appear on comedian Kimmel's late night program on Tuesday – his first gig since a bleeding ulcer forced him to cancel a string of concerts last month – but he has told fans he cannot bear to hang out with "animal serial killers."
The Brit will only reconsider if the bird-hunting family is kicked off the show.
A statement from his management on Monday reads: "Morrissey is thankful for being invited to perform on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' tomorrow, February 26. However, he cannot morally be on a television program where the cast members of 'Duck Dynasty' will also be guests. Morrissey would be honored to play the show, if 'Duck Dynasty' were removed."
The fervent vegetarian adds, "As far as my reputation is concerned, I can't take the risk of being on a show alongside people who, in effect, amount to animal serial killers. If Jimmy cannot dump 'Duck Dynasty' then we must step away."
Morrissey has been ruffling feathers elsewhere in Los Angeles, where Kimmel's show is filmed – the singer has also demanded Staples Center bosses pull all meat items from their concessions stalls for his gig there on March 1.


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A great beginners orchid, the Phaleonopsis with the proper light and care can bloom several times a year. This one arrives in a natural birch bark cube. Color of the orchid varies. Approx. 12" W x 26" H. Hefko's Exclusive. Available in our local Marshfield, WI delivery area only.
Please note: Please visit our FAQ page for complete delivery policies. Deliveries are unavailable on Sundays. Prices quoted are guaranteed for the Marshfield, Wisconsin, area only. Prices may vary for deliveries in other areas. Some of the arrangements pictured contain flowers and/or containers that may be seasonal or otherwise unavailable. All of the products on this web site represent the types of arrangements offered by most florists and may vary depending upon availability in geographical areas and time of year. In the event a particular flower choice or container is unavailable, every effort will be made to duplicate the LOOK of the arrangement with flowers of equal value. 5.5% Sales Tax will be added to all orders. On weekdays, orders placed before noon in the recipient's delivery time zone can be delivered the same day with the exception of certain holidays. For Saturday deliveries, same-day deliveries are possible but are not guaranteed. Orders received after the same-day cutoff time will be requested for same day but guaranteed on the next business day. These products and prices are for US and Canadian delivery only. For international orders please call us.


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I have to say more than one
Me, Myself And Irene, Disney's A Christmas Carol, Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events and High Strung. I watch them when I can and I like, but less than others. I think they're a bit boring, specially High Strung. The only good thing on this movie is Jim and he hardly appears on it.


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On the image: Talbadar and Conradical
Today's interview is about Forge, a third person MMO with aim based combat. My interview partners are Talbadar who works as a balance tester for Forge as well as Timothy Alvis, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technical officer or better said the wearer of many heads at Forge. Below you will find the newly released game play video of Forge as well as many questions about this game. Additionally I took the chance and asked Talbadar a lot of questions about World of Warcraft, too.
About Forge:
The game has five unique classes. Combat includes sprinting, jumping and wall-jumping mechanics. Each class has nine unique abilities with most of them on a 10-15 second cooldown. The resource system includes energy and there is a global cooldown. The game modes are 5v5 team death match, as well as 8v8 and 16v16 capture the flag. Along with Talbadar many familiar names are found in the balance team: Reckful, Snutz, Sodah, Venruki and Pookz.
Hildegard: Today I welcome and Rodney "Talbadar" Pare, one of the best WoW players and balance tester, for our interview about the game Forge. As Talbadar probably knows my first question is always the same: What did you eat today?
Timothy Alvis: Corazona's banana oatmeal bar for breakfast, 2 slices of cold pizza for lunch.
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: I just woke up recently and I ate some Apple Jack's cereal!
Timothy Alvis: <- Jealous
Hildegard: We have 4:21pm in your time zone Talbadar. How on earth do you earn money?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: Working on the computer works wonders for people with poor sleeping schedules.
Hildegard: Snutz, Reckful, Sodah, Venruki, Pookz, and you Talbadar work as balance testers. So for Forge how did you start out?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: Okay, so when we first got involved we took a look at each class and all their abilities. At the time the game wasn't playable so it was all theory. Timothy Alvis, the lead designer, already had a great initial design for all classes and I'd say about 80% of the things in the game were from his initial planning. One of the first things we tackled as a team was energy design. We didn't like the idea of having high passive regeneration and wanted it to be more active. Those of us chosen to help work on the project have not just played WoW. We've played MMOs and various FPS games throughout our lives. Asheron's Call, TERA, Rift, Warhammer, Quake, and Counterstrike -- you name it one of us has likely played it. With everyone's ideas on the table from previous games we came up with our active energy design system. Now, we have a small passive regeneration and you use primary attacks (each class has one and uses it often) to generate energy. There are sprints, wall jumps, high-damage abilities, and various cooldowns that use energy; you will find yourself low on energy if you aren't able to land those basic attacks often.
Timothy Alvis: We don't really have a concept of brackets right now. Some maps are built for slightly larger groups, some smaller, but our ability designs work well for 5v5 and up. If we ever supported smaller match sizes than that officially, we would likely create abilities specifically for that size.
Hildegard: From the video it appears as if wall jumping sprinting will be a large part of the game, how do you feel about the movement so far?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: I love the movement in the game. As an FPS the game feels excellent while moving and you never feel cheated out of a hit. Sprinting and wall jumping add interesting aspects to the game. Do you want to use energy to increase your mobility or for stronger attacks? Along with honning your aiming skills you'll constantly be making choices with your mobility and resources.
Hildegard: The icons that float to the middle of the screen look like ability icons, I noticed the arrow in the foot (forgot the skill name). What exactly are they showing?
Talbadar: The design of the UI gives players the option to use what's directly in front of them to understand what's going on instead of having to look down at the bottom for specifics. There is built in blood mapping to let you know you are low on health, an energy meter right below your character, and the floating icons you see in the middle of the screen are to track your cooldowns.
Hildegard: Talbadar, you are one of the prime examples of players that manage to earn a living as a player without resorting to shady stuff like boosting. In the last weeks you started to publish daily videos on your YouTube page, played in several tournaments with high success and managed to get a job as a balance tester for Forge. Would it be correct to say that you are a professional player that makes his living by playing?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: Although I wouldn't say what I do right now earns a living, I've been lucky to be able to have so many opportunities in front of me as a professional gamer. I've played games my entire life, starting with Super Mario World and Mega Man X as a kid. In my teen years I played games like Diablo II, Starcraft: Brood War, and Runescape (oh the memories). I'd never considered professional gaming as a possible career until a couple years ago.
Hildegard: Becoming a pro is very risky and there are many examples of players that skipped college or university to do so and failed horribly. What made your decision back then?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: Honestly, I've been playing WoW since I was 14, starting 6 years ago. I've been addicted since the moment I saw the Leeroy Jenkins video that a friend showed me in our computer class. Fast forwarding, I wanted to become competitive in the game when it came to Season 6. I just kept playing and wanting to become better and better and I found myself at BlizzCon in 2010. The following year, with similar drive and practice, I was able to team up with Azael and Cdew and play on Team EG. I felt, then, I should keep pursuing any child's dream: doing what you love for a living.
Hildegard: While many players always state that WoW takes zero skill, I guess that a lot of work is involved to get on your level. What, besides playing lots of games, did you do to become so good?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: In Season 4, I watched Noxn 1 and Noxn 2. Noxn was, by far, the best shadow priest of her time and I started by mimicking her game play in BC. Watching through it I just kept noticing these amazing subtle things she was doing. She would line up her DoTs to all tick together and then burst with Mind Blast and SW:Death with all those at once. She would use chain crowd control with her teammate. I analyzed her duels with Glickz to get better at dueling. Using all that information I learned from analyzing her videos, I dueled players throughout WotLK as Shadow and Discipline and tried to get better and better at 1v1 fights. I've learned the most from simplifying the game and getting better at specific fights. I was able to tie Snutz for first place in the World of Ming Dueling Tournament using this analytical style of learning.
Hildegard: Do you document what you learn or just keep it in your head?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: I keep everything in my head and I find myself spending extra time outside of the game thinking about what is possible.
Hildegard: You were one of the bloggers on World of Ming on the gameriot website during a time that many call the prime of WoW's PvP. How was working with Ming?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: Ming is an awesome guy. Working with him and Trance was literally life changing. Ming did something extraordinary by starting up his own blogging site and slowly adding exciting new bloggers to the roster. A lot of players miss the drama that occurred daily on his site.
Hildegard: Did you feel pity for some of the writers that had a hard time with the trolls, like Zilea or every female writer that Ming tried to push?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: It's funny to answer this way, but no I do not. Those guys attracted the most views and were the main attraction every week. They generated the most comments and people loved the drama.
Hildegard: If I am not mistaken your very first tournament game was against Orangemarmalade's RMP with the newly founded triple healer comp. How did it feel to play against the player that was considered the absolute best at that time?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: It's funny because we had a list of teams going in that we just didn't want to face in that tournament. Realz, Kollektiv, and Glickz's RLS and Orangemarmalade's RMP were the two. They were both in our group and the tournament veterans were playing us for the first game of the whole tournament streamed live for everyone to witness. We were so excited to go up 2-0 against a seemingly immortal team, but ended up losing 2-3 to them.
Hildegard: You start a tournament, go up 2:0, lose 2:3, and the tournament goes on. I guess the rage level was pretty high. What happens, how do you continue?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: After playing so many RMPs beforehand and practicing for the tournament, we knew what went wrong immediately after the series. Even though Drmayonaise would get angry from losing there was no teammate blaming going on. We played the other games in the tournament and they all went as expected. We ended up beating CoL.Black's beastcleave and Filovirus's RLS 3-0 and lost to Realz's RLS 0-3. The first losses didn't affect our attitude towards the rest of the tournament.
Hildegard: Impressive. Xandyn said that losing makes you better. Would you agree?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: I'd say that and go as far as saying losing is much better for improving than winning. What exactly have you learned while winning? You learned that your strategy went as planned and that you played as well as you'd have liked to beat the opposing team. What about losing? Your strategy didn't work; you need to learn better strategies. I didn't play as well as I could have; I need to learn to play my best at all times. If you win every game there's no reason to want to get better. In a game like WoW it's a bit harder to see that with all the complexities in the game like gear, comp imbalance, rating, and seasons, but I certainly believe losing is the key to improving.
Hildegard: Mists of Pandaria will be released soon. Many players have high hopes for PvP. What are the main issues at the moment?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: There are two issues with the expansion at the moment. The first is the obvious: healing is way too high in comparison to the damage players deal. This is something that will be extremely hard to fix with the correlation between consistent damage/burst damage/consistent healing/burst healing/survivability along with having PvE balance halting most progress on that. The second problem is something that can't be fixed. As more expansions come out there are more things added to the game that hurt PvP. More survivability cooldowns, more burst, more CC, more ways to get mana back, more ways to increase your speed, more ways to remove snares, faster ways to heal your partners, and so on hurt the game more as they are added. The fun in the game doesn't come from having a bunch of stuff, but when you feel like you have enough to do what you want to do. That feeling already came for a bunch of different specs in previous expansions. Obviously this is only talking about what's best for PvP balance and I know that they need to keep adding new abilities to keep it fun for the masses.
Hildegard: Do you think high amounts of PvP power on weapons could fix the healing issue, especially if combined with a reasonable healing reduction in arenas?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: While it would help the issue, I don't think either are things that will be changed. From previous blue posts they would rather make big changes on abilities in PvP to fix it rather than change things to be "PvP only". They introduced a small healing reduction a long time ago, and I doubt they will do it again with the reluctance they show. My thoughts have been to first fix overpowered burst from certain classes and reduce the resilience change to only 10% more reduction instead of 20%. People should die slow, but with the amount of healing from non-healing specs, even if healing is reduced significantly those DPS specs with that extra healing will be nearly unkillable. Healing needs to be reduced slightly and I'm hoping they don't hesitate to do so if it feels necessary after changing resilience. I'm happy they are at least fiddling with the numbers.
Hildegard: How do you like the MoP shadow priest design?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: To me, the Cataclysm shadow priest design was the most well designed PvP spec in the game to date. Everything you do is active. You are actively working to keep your mana up. You are actively trying to have high uptime on Shadow Orbs, Evangelism stacks, and Empowered Orbs. You can help out your teammates and prevent them from dying, but rarely without being able to be stopped. Successfully casting spells was the key the getting things done. The MoP design is new and interesting to me. Using Shadow Orbs as a combo point system I feel like I have a lot of control and choices over what I'm doing, but I don't get the same feeling I have in Cataclysm because of the lack of active mana management and buff management.
Hildegard: Games like Guild Wars 2 and Forge changed many of the issues WoW faces, like gear tread mills, ability clutter and PvE vs. PvP balancing. Do you think that the WoW PvP scene will move on to other games?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: There's always been something special about WoW PvP for everyone. No game really dares to try to do what they've tried to do. They gave players 10+ classes to choose from and gave each class 30+ abilities. They then gave players the ability to slay dragons with their friends and guilds with huge content updates two times a year, and at the same time hosted team death match combat which, for the most part, one could say has been fairly balanced (considering all the factors in the game that could made PvP much less entertaining than it is). I don't see a large scale WoW PvP scene movement to anything besides Titan.
Hildegard: You have numerous sponsors, which you will surely thank in the shout-outs. Do you have some advice for players that would like to get sponsored?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: There are two criteria I have for players looking to get sponsored. First, you need to be unique. You need to have something that no one else has. This is the only way to be noticed. Being skilled and proving yourself is one thing, but being unique is another.
Second is not what you'd expect to hear, but it is certainly important: you need to know the right people. For my first sponsor, Arenapwnage, a friend of mine help me find and convinced them that we were a team worthy of sponsorship. For my second sponsor I was lucky to join a team with two players who were already sponsored by one of the top gaming teams in the world, Team EG.
Hildegard: Team EG is one of the only sponsors around WoW these days and has remained loyal for a long time without tournaments. Do they have hope for WoW to rise again as E-Sport?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: They have as high of hopes as the professional players do. They know the game is pretty dead right now and the four of us truly appreciate them keeping us on the team with so few tournaments happening. Azael is one of the longest standing members of Team EG and I think he may be the only reason there is still an Evil Geniuses WoW team.
Hildegard: Coming back to Forge. How will great players be able to distinguish themselves?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: From thorough play testing, we've learned there's a lot players can improve on. Not only do we have the traditional FPS element with aiming and skill shots involved, but with the MMO side of things we have energy and cooldown management. There's sprinting and wall jumping mechanics built into the game that cost energy, so both melee and ranged can use those to their advantage. Also, our current map designs have plenty of line of sight so you'll rarely find yourself dead in the water.
Hildegard: I read a lot through your forums and over former interviews and I like your decision to put game play and fun before features. You have a very positive belief in the players, that they will put fun over bragging rights and don't long for tread-mills to keep them busy, and not put possibilities to earn money and e-fame as their main priority. What makes you think that the player base has grown up and is willing to leave these old concepts behind them?
Timothy Alvis: I'm not sure that the player base ever really felt any differently than how we do. It's only the games that have lost sight of it from time to time. People enjoy playing all types of games still, both on the PC, console, or even in the backyard, that earn them nothing more than the fun they have while doing it. It's really the most important aspect of whether or not you'll keep doing it and be glad that you did.
That doesn't mean though that the ability to earn something, either virtual items, money or e-fame, aren't there. It still can be, it's just not the main focus or priority of the game's design. The potential is there, some of the guys we have playing are scary good, better than I am by far, but we're most happy with the fact that it's just a lot of fun to play even if you're not at that level.
Hildegard: PvP only games have had a hard time to keep the more casual players around. Blood Line Champions is a good example of that. What are you doing different?
Timothy Alvis: We're not focusing on the same player base or game play that they did. They went after the hardcore arena crowd. That's great, and as you can see by where we're posting and who we have involved we're fans of arenas in WoW, but as you said, it's just not a fun experience for a wide range of players if your game is built such that only players at a high level are able to grasp the game and perform at a level that lets them be powerful.
Our attention has been on, rather than the binary sort of "you fail or succeed," making sure there are varied levels of success and failure built into everything. Every play session, you can get just a little better than you were the last time, whether you're new to either genre (FPS or MMO) or a vet.
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: One thing WoW players enjoy is team deathmatch style combat, like arena. We have plans for a similar game mode - likely in 5v5 format on release. Also, players can compete in 8-16 player Capture the Flag game play. We're aware rated battlegrounds in WoW rarely involve small-scale battles - we're designing our Capture the Flag to play out differently. We have plans for other modes that I can't talk about yet, but we could see a 1v1 mode as well.
Hildegard: That sounds amazing, even if these game modes are not balanced.
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: It's difficult to balance around a potentially team based game and then look to balance it for 1v1 without adding new variables. The 1v1 mode will likely have changes made to balance it.
Hildegard: Timothy, when I looked over the classes I noticed that they all look very fierce. Do you plan to include avatars that cater to players that would roll a Gnome or Night Elf in World of Warcraft or an Asura in GW2?
Timothy Alvis: All of our classes will have something fierce about them, but when you see some of the future releases, a few will have a bit more humor involved. I can't release the name of one in particular right now, but he would definitely appeal to people that enjoy playing gnome engineers.
Hildegard: Sounds like that will be my choice. Staying a bit on the more casual side of things, player interaction and socializing are a huge part of building a community. Is there a place for that in Forge?
Timothy Alvis: At this time, there won't be one built into the game. Post launch we have plans to build that type of environment, but it's not something we could achieve at the quality level we desired by our launch date. Our forums and other functionality will help out in the interim.
Hildegard: One thing that struck me while reading through your forums was that it takes between 15 and 20 seconds to take down a player that does not use defensive abilities or receive healing. The first thing that came to my mind is that this could cause stalemates.
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: This is the same concern we had when we were in Pre-Alpha. We spent all our time playing with numbers and trying to imagine what it would be like. Everything looked great on paper, and as soon as we had a playable game all of our concerns vanished. Taking a player down solo in 15-20 seconds feels great. We've tested 1v1 duels, 3v3 team fights, and 16v16 battles. I never got the feeling of someone being immortal, nor was anyone dying without being able to respond. What if that was 10 seconds to kill someone? Then it would take 4 players 2.5 seconds to kill you. Now we have a problem.
Hildegard: How are healing abilities handled, do you use mana?
Timothy Alvis: We do have mana, but some abilities give you mana while others spend it. If you manage it well, you'll feel you have quite a deep supply. If you manage it poorly, you'll find yourself running away (without sprint) rather quickly.
Hildegard: Do all classes use mana?
Timothy Alvis: Some use mana, others energy. All classes have to manage their resources with the same method.
Hildegard: So could a player of your caliber energy starve a group of more average players, let's say four, and win by outplaying them?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: Well I'm certainly not good enough to handle that yet, but with proper use of the game mechanics that's definitely possible. In our 3v3 and 5v5 testing we saw some crazy upsets when it was down to 2v3 and 3v5.
Hildegard: Do we see you playing in the first game play video?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: Yes, actually. But our names are simply Pathfinder and Assassin so you won't be able to tell which one is me. :P
Hildegard: I did not know you were that shy, haha. A spectator client and ranked ladders are features that PvP-focused players ask a lot for. You surely cannot give us dates, but could you state if you are planning to include these?
Timothy Alvis: Yes to both, but as you said, we can't discuss dates.
Hildegard: Is Indie design as romantic as I would imagine? A bunch of guys trying to do everything right, that the big companies screwed up, focus on the ideals and not on marketing surveys. Long nights, sleeping in the office and having this dream of creating something that has not been done before?
Timothy Alvis: Haha! That's half the story certainly. It's not all romance though. One thing the big studios have that we don't is resources, and lots of them. We have to make a lot of tough calls as an Indie that a larger studio just doesn't have to make. It's great though, overall. It really helps us stay focused on what it is we're trying to build, and to not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Accessible and fun first, competitively balanced a near second, and the rest we believe will fall into place.
Hildegard: When looking at developers like Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street. Do you envy or feel pity for him?
Timothy Alvis: A little pity, but not a lot. I'm sure he loves what he's doing… they have a hell of a set of brands to work with.
Hildegard: Talbadar, once the beta starts, will regular testers like me be able to play with or against you?
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: Yes, a couple of us will be streaming our game play and while we won't spend eight hours a day fighting the beta testers, there will definitely be lots of time to fight us.
Hildegard: If I would love to get a chance to enter the beta and keep updated about the game. What is the next step to do?
Timothy Alvis: The next step would be to register on www.playforgewar.com, and throw us a like on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/playforgewar
We stay in constant contact with the community through both of these, you won't miss anything if you do both.
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: You wouldn't believe how often Tim is on the forums posting information and reading feedback. It's outstanding.
Hildegard: That is true; I was very surprised that he replied first to nearly every thread in some sections. Are you a forum junkie Timothy?
Timothy Alvis: Not really, but being Indie, we don't have people dedicated to watching the forums. I figured the easiest way to get information to them was to just go in and do it. I love talking to people and seeing them get excited about the same thing that has kept me excited every day for a long time now, so I enjoy it.
Hildegard: As always my interviews end with a best of five list. As you are the first game designer I had the honor to interview, what are the five computer games you enjoyed most?
Timothy Alvis: Half-Life, Q3 Rocket Arena, Counter-Strike, TF2, and World of Warcraft are probably going to win on hours spent. Very honorable mentions to the entire Unreal franchise and Guild Wars.
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: My list will be quite different from most, but here we go: Quake Live, WoW, Dragon Nest, StarCraft 2, and Osu! (Osu! is basically DDR for the mouse).
Hildegard: Any shout-outs?
Timothy Alvis: None here, I always forget someone when I do!
Rodney "Talbadar" Pare: First: Shout out to the other WoW players working on the project alongside us: Sodah, Reckful, Venruki, Snutz, and Pookz.
Second: Shout out to Team EG, Azael, and Cdew as well as our co-sponsors: Steelseries, Intel, Monster, Gunnar, Kingston Hyper and others.
Timothy Alvis: Oh, well, now I'm all embarrassed. ;)
Let's see.... *stretches fingers* Shout outs to SuperGenius and Digital Confectioners for being absolutely amazing partners to work with. Also to FunnelBox for helping us out when we needed it most. Same for everyone that's joined our design group and had faith in what we were wanting to do long before I had much to show them. Also a quick nod to OriginPC and Astro Gaming, glad to have them working with us as we head towards launch.
Hildegard: Thank you for the interview Timothy and Rodney.
Forge Facebook Page
Forge Website
Forge Kickstarter Campaign
Talbadar's YouTube channel
Talbadar's Twitter
Original unshortened interview


text:
Famous Writers' Small Writing Sheds and Off-the-Grid Huts
When I hear the phrase "writing hut" or "backyard shed" my imagination practically squeals with delight. A small, intimate space furnished with the essentials. Low impact, high inspiration. This is probably why I love going to North Dakota and why I want to pull a Pollan and build my own little house. But until I get a backyard and some serious carpentry skills, ogling these famous writing sheds will have to do:
Roald Dahl
"The whole of the inside was organised as a place for writing: so the old wing-back chair had part of the back burrowed out to make it more comfortable; he had a sleeping bag that he put his legs in when it was cold and a footstool to rest them on; he had a very characteristic Roald arrangement for a writing table with a bar across the arms of the chair and a cardboard tube that altered the angle of the board on which he wrote. As he didn't want to move from his chair everything was within reach. He wrote on yellow legal paper with his favourite kind of pencils; he started off with a handful of them ready sharpened..." - from The Guardian
Mark Twain
"It is the loveliest study you ever saw...octagonal with a peaked roof, each face filled with a spacious window...perched in complete isolation on the top of an elevation that commands leagues of valley and city and retreating ranges of distant blue hills. It is a cozy nest and just room in it for a sofa, table, and three or four chairs, and when the storms sweep down the remote valley and the lighting flashes behind the hills beyond and the rain beats upon the roof over my head—imagine the luxury of it." - Mark Twain, in a letter to William Dean Howells, 1874
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) worked for the last 20 years of his life in a remarkably sophisticated writer's hut on his property in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Besides having electricity, a telephone, and a buzzer system, the hut's most notable feature was that it was built on a turntable, which enabled Shaw to push it to follow the sun. This eliminated the need for an artificial light source and created indoor passive solar heating.
Dylan Thomas
"Dylan Thomas's writing shed began its life back in the 1920s. A Dr Cowan, who spent his holidays at the boathouse, bought the shed to house his Wolsey car. He paid £75 to erect the £5 shed on cast iron pillars on the cliffside at a time when the average house price was just £200... In his, as Thomas told Princess Caetani in 1952, 'wordsplashed hut', the walls were pinned with photos, reproductions and magazine cuttings of Lord Byron, Walt Whitman, Louis MacNeice, W. H. Auden, William Blake, a painting by Modigliani, picaresque nudes, serial specials from Picture Post and similar magazines, rhyming lists and word lists of alliterations." - from The Dylan Thomas Boathouse at Laugharne
Henry David Thoreau
Tired of the distractions of modern living, Henry David Thoreau went to the woods to live a deliberate and simple life. He borrowed some land near a pond called Walden from friend Ralph Waldo Emerson and built himself a simple 10′x15′ shack for $28.12 and furnished it with a bed, a table, a desk, and three chairs.
Virginia Woolf
"She was always being distracted - by Leonard sorting the apples over her head in the loft, or the church bells at the bottom of the garden, or the noise of the children in the school next door, or the dog sitting next to her and scratching itself and leaving paw marks on her manuscript pages. In winter it was often so bitterly cold and damp that she couldn't hold her pen and had to retreat indoors." - from The Guardian
Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan's book A Place Of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams is the story of how he built a tiny writing hut for himself in the woods behind his Connecticut house. As he writes on the first page, "Is there anybody who hasn't at one time or another wished for such a place, hasn't turned those soft words over until they'd assumed a habitable shape? What they propose, to anyone who admits them into the space of a daydream, is a place of solitude a few steps off the beaten track of everyday life."
(Images: 1+2. Eamonn McCabe/The Guardian; 3. Workalicious; 4. An Honest Architecture; 5. Shedworking; 6. View from the Library Window; 7. TreeHugger; 8. Shedworking and O Mundo de Claudia; 9+10. Michael Pollan)


text:
Thursday, November 20, 2008
It's not you, it's... actually no, it is you.
Warhammer peaked for me back in Tier 3.
At the moment, Tier 4 definitely feels like a grind. On the surface, it's the PQs, PvE quests and Scenarios that I am finding tiresome. But if I look a bit beneath the surface, I think what is REALLY bothering me is that now that I am catching glimpses of the "end-game" I am finding it lame and unfufilling.
MMOs and the "end-game"
MMO bloggers and forum posters both talk a lot about the "end-game" of an MMO. We write about how long it takes to get to end-game and the quality of the "end-game" but we never really talk about why the "end-game" is important to us. An outside observer might even ask why MMOs even need to have an end-game?
The secret MMO players don't want to admit to is that we like to get "hooked" by a game. Whether you are playing a video game, watching a movie or reading a book -- we all love to become so enthralled with our entertainment that it gives us a sense of "being there" in the moment.
In fact, I would argue that, almost by definition, all entertainment is a form of escapism which allows us to immerse ourselves in diversions away from unpleasant realities.
Of course, the problem with reading a good book or watching a good movie is that eventually it ends. But MMOs are different.
Instead of an MMO ending, it just transitions us to something else. A new game that is only playable by people who have finished the original game. A game that allows us to continue what was started (albeit at a much slower pace).
It's like finishing a great book and instead of being sad the book is over, discovering that author wrote another trilogy about the same characters.
The true success of an MMO isn't measured by innovative gameplay but by the number of subscribers and longevity of their subscription. We write and talk about how we want to see all this nifty innovation but what we really want is something that is just fun to play over and over and over again.
My take on WAR "end-game"
In almost every way, the game you play at Tier 1 is the same game that you play at Tier 4. Oh sure, there is MORE of it, but the fundamentals of the gameplay are exactly the same. You can PvP in either open world RvR (oRvR) objectives or through Scenarios.
I'll ignore concerns about population balance and such in oRvR for the moment. I've been fortunate enough to land on a server where oRvR was not a ghost town. In fact, it's quite the opposite in Tier 4 in the evenings. There are certainly issues here, but let's presume for a moment that it's not the game breaker.
Scenarios are fun (and rewarding) but they lack much in the way of purpose beyond leveling Career and Renown Ranks. They might contribute to Zone control, but the result of a single Scenario win is not noticeable. Heck, the result of a dozen wins doesn't even seem noticable.
oRvR is noticeable. Taking keeps, and battle objectives is clearly shown on the zone map and is obvious. So OK -- the zone is controlled. And...? There is still no real purpose to any of it and certainly little in the way of personal rewards or sense of achievements.
In theory, if one side is really dominant over the other side, then they can attack a City and all this cool stuff happens. But uh.. the problem with that logic is that it means one side needs to get trounced. So either you a) have no opposition and can assault a City with little opposition, or b) you have good opposition and end up in some stalemate unable to get to the City "end-game".
So in reality, the only options left to you in Tier 4 are the same exact ones that are open to you at Tier 3. You can do Scenarios or you can attack/defend Keeps and Battlefield Objectives. Don't get me wrong, these are fun enough but they lack purpose.
I don't know what the solution is, but all I can say is that Mythic really needs to do something in order to make this "end-game" feel more meaningful. Or maybe it just would have felt more meaningful if Tier2 and Tier3 didn't have keeps too.
Crashes to Desktop
I crash at least once every hour of gameplay. With load-times and such, it can take me 5 to 6 minutes to load the game back up. If it happens during a PQ, I lose all my contribution points. if it happens during a Scenario, I am no longer in it when I log back in.
I would call these crashes "livable" but highly frustrating. Ironically, I had less of them in beta and a couple of weeks after launch.
Up until now, I have adopted a "well, it just launched" attitude to the crashes. But with the next major game update on it's way, I just don't think they are as focused on improving that part of the game.
Temporarily canceling Warhammer
My next billing cycle was 11/17 and I made the decision to play Wrath instead of WAR for a bit until they address some of these issues.
This is not a goodbye forever thing, just a goodbye for now thing. It's not a bad breakup, just a maybe we should start seeing other people breakup.
WAR is a good game, an innovative game, and a fun game. It's just not a game I feel like playing over and over and over at the moment.
I'll likely be posting some comparison thoughts between Wrath and WAR over the next few days. I have some good/bad thoughts about both games. And since I swore up and down I wouldn't play Wrath, perhaps I should mention start by talking about that first.
3 comments:
Oddly enough todays patch addressed some CTD and mass RvR lag. The 1.06 patch has the other combat engine improvements. Did you get a chance to check them out on the test server?
I think T4 is going to come down to guilds and alliances working together to progress the campaign. I don't think random people running around the T4 zones is going to get much done.
- November 20, 2008 at 4:32 PM
- sid67 said...
That's good news. Part of the reason I am quitting now is so that they can work out issues before my tolerance has been completely burned out.
I still believe that T4 content needs to be more meaningful. On my server, the T4 issues isn't for lack of organization. There is plenty of action going on if you are in the loop (which I am/was).
A City capture might be meaningful, but as I wrote in the post, your basically looking at a stalemate if your opponent is worthwhile adversary. And if he's not worthwhile, then how exactly do you measure any meaningful victory?
Winning in such a fashion because your opponent is grossly inferior (by numbers or organization) isn't much of a victory and certainly not a meaningful one.
Maybe the solution is to make it a bit more time consuming to capture a keep, but once captured -- it stays locked for 20 hours.
That would certainly put a lot more pressure and meaning on capturing/defending a keep.
- November 20, 2008 at 8:16 PM
- martha said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- December 15, 2009 at 11:01 PM


text: New York Fashion Week has begun, and one of the first shows today was BCBG Max Azria. For Fall 2013, he showed deep colors: Black, oxblood, burgundy, cobalt, gray — in intricate geometric patterns, rich knits and flowing dresses. You'll also see perforated leather and lots of fur. Silhouettes were boxy, long, and oversized; garments were layered. It was all kind of droopy and serious, except for the one really pretty sheer white Downton Abbey-ish gown. Take a look.


text:
Vol. LXIV, No. 33
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Pizzo-Graham. Elizabeth Rebecca Pizzo, daughter of Vincent and Carol Pizzo of East Arlington, Vt., to Trevor Collier Graham, son of B.F. Graham of Princeton and stepson of Theodore Meth. The garden wedding took place beneath Mount Equinox at Hildene in Manchester, Vt. The September 26 ceremony was followed by a reception and dinner.
The bride graduated with a BA in Womens Studies from the University of Rhode Island. She is currently the Assistant Director of Special Programming and Events at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
The groom graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University, and earned an MBA at Yale University. He is the Director of Investment for the New York Columbia-Presbyterian Hospitals Group.
The couple spent their honeymoon in New Zealand and they currently reside in New York City.
Town Topics® may be purchased on Wednesday mornings at the following locations: Princeton McCaffreys, Coxs, Kiosk (Palmer Square), Krauszers (State Road), Olives, Speedy Mart (State Road), Wawa (University Place); Hopewell Village Express; Rocky Hill Wawa (Route 518); Pennington Pennington Market.
Copyright© Town Topics®, Inc. 2011.
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I suppose that I have to get this in before the election, along with all the Vote posts on other blogs.
Don't vote. I'm not going to. Anyone who says that the "enthusiasm gap" affects the apolitical unemployed, and not the activist base, is wrong by at least one person. Nor will my family be donating our usual couple of hundred dollars per election cycle (unless my wife really wanted to, of course, and as of this writing she doesn't).
The people who say that in order to be serious about liberal or progressive politics, you have to suck it up and support the party at this point, are exactly wrong. If Obama and the rest of the Democrats don't feel any fear that they're losing people on the left, they will give away even more after this election. The bogeyman of the awful scary Tea Party people -- supposedly worse than all the other right wing nut jobs who have been legislators throughout my lifetime -- coming to power doesn't work. If Obama doesn't want to veto them, if the Democrats in Congress won't filibuster them, why should it be up to us?
This state of affairs is mostly Obama's fault. I don't really know where to start. Finance? "Millions for bankers, not one cent for people." The economy? "A stimulus that's adequate might cost us political capital!" Health care? "Let's lie and tell people we're supporting a public option, they're suckers." Torture and executive power? That will have to wait for a later, more serious post, if I have the energy for one.
But perhaps a mini-tour of an issue area that I know something about, environmental politics around climate change, will be illustrative. What has Obama actually done in this area? It can be summed up in one hyphenated word: hippy-punching. His main action on the climate bill was to blame environmental groups for not getting it passed because they couldn't get a single Republican Senator to vote for it. In other words, GOP party loyalty was the environmental groups' fault; Democratic disunity was evidently not Obama's weakness. Obama's idea was to unilaterally open up a lot of the coast to offshore drilling, accompanying that with a lecture, directed at environmentalists, that they had to grow up and accept reality. It was intended to be part of a bargain to get support for energy policy around climate change; Obama neglected to get any commitments from people before doing so, and of course this support did not materialize. Shortly after that, the BP well started to leak. Obama refused to use this event to pressure industry. Instead, as a crowning insult to his supporters, he finally removed his own moratorium on new drilling because an oil state Senator said she'd remove her hold on a mid-level OMB appointee if he did. He cancelled the moratorium; she did not remove the hold, saying that the cancellation was insufficient.
Obama's entire style consists of failure to lead. In a recent interview with bloggers, he said that after the election he'd continue to try to find solutions along with the GOP, and told people that he's an executive, not a boss who can do things unilaterally. Of course, an actual leader struggles against opposition and tries to alter constraints, he or she doesn't just accept them and keep on going calmly within a narrower and narrower compass. Of course people know that Obama isn't a dictator. Is he a political leader? Political leaders show loyalty to the people who work for them, they don't adopt a grandiose pose that as leader of the whole country they now need to work with everyone and their inconvenient supporters need to get lost. Ask Shirley Sherrod what Obama's loyalty is like.
In answer to this Obama points to his accomplishments. Accomplishments? He's carefully destroyed every issue he touched, wasted every chance. It took decades to agitate about the failures of health care. Obama stepped in at the one historical moment when change was possible -- not because of him, but because of GOP failure -- and made that change the minimum that it could possibly be to keep the system going. The same with the banks: he preserved the system for the elite and screwed over everyone who'd been waiting for this chance for real change. He can claim the largest progressive accomplishments in decades because he came in when the dam that had existed since Nixon finally broke. And his first action was to build it back up again.
The next objection, if anyone were reading this which I doubt, would be that not voting does nothing because the Democratic Party will never hear about it anyways, or if they do, the number of people lost will be so small that it won't matter. Yes, I'd say that's true. I don't think there will be any practical effect if I don't vote or if 1.000 people don't or 10,000 people don't. For the same reason there will be no practical effect if we do. But I'll be telling people how Obama lost me. Other people should too. It's the serious thing to do.
In fact, that's all that we have, as activists. Our individual votes are meaningless. But we tell people things and they tell other people. Let the Democratic Party know that you're displeased. Don't volunteer, don't contribute, and tell them why.
And don't fall for the scare stories about how this is putting the extremist right in power. Obama has been very lucky in his enemies. But I can tell scare stories too. Unless the Democratic Party starts to understand that they're losing people, we're going to lose Social Security. The GOP has no power to do that, but the Democratic Party does. That's the way it is with everything. The GOP failed for decades to get more offshore drilling. But Obama did it in an instant. Don't be fooled.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Don't vote
2 comments:
Perhaps dividing the ballot a bit might be an alternative? There are many local races and particularly initiatives and propositions here that do make a substantive difference in how i live. The national scope really means nothing to me, but local politics has making a big difference because so much of it is truly progressive. Thanks for the national advice though.ReplyDelete
Well, spyder, you can go out and stealth vote if you want. Just tell the national Democrats that you didn't. :)ReplyDelete
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If you believed what you read in newspapers and hear on television, you would think that the Bush administration has been one long period of economic decline. In particular, every time the Census Bureau releases a report, a spate of negative news stories follows. This happened today, when the Census Bureau delivered "Income, Poverty and Health Insurance in the United States: 2004," available here. The New York Times headlined the story: "U.S. Poverty Rate Was Up Last Year". The lead was pessimistic:
Even as the economy grew, incomes stagnated last year and the poverty rate rose, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. It was the first time on record that household incomes failed to increase for five straight years.
There was little or no optimism to leaven the Times' commentary:
In addition, the poverty rate rose last year for working-age people, those ages 18 to 64. The portion of people age 65 and older in poverty fell, while child poverty was essentially flat.
Did the Census Bureau's report really merit such an unalloyed thumbs-down? The first question should be, how reliable are the data in the report? The Census Bureau gathers data for the Current Population Survey, the report at issue here, by asking thousands of people across the country to fill out forms stating how much income they received from various sources. Some important sources of income, like fringe benefits paid for by employers and in-kind welfare benefits, are excluded. Beyond that, the accuracy of the data is entirely dependent on the reliability of the people who fill out the forms. And studies have shown that many people, especially those classified as poor, spend considerably larger amounts of money than they say they received as income. In some surveys, the discrepancies have been more than 30%. So measuring changes in income by the one-tenth of one percent would seem to be an example of fictitious precision–the math is correct, but the raw data are dubious.
I think it's fair to assume that the Bureau's data are approximate at best. Within that context, what do they actually show? The Times headlined the fact that, according to the Bureau's numbers, the poverty rate increased in 2004. Let's give that some context. This chart is from the Bureau's report; click to enlarge:
Somehow, things don't look so grim. By historic standards, the current poverty rate is low. In fact, as this Census Bureau chart shows, since 1980 there have been only five years in which the poverty rate has been lower than 2004. The most accurate way to report these data would be to say that the low rate of poverty that has prevailed in the last few years continued in 2004.
The Times also wrung its hands over the Bureau's median income data. Again, let's have some perspective. This chart is also from the Bureau's report:
Again, it's hard to see any basis for pessimism. An appropriate headline for this chart would be: "Incomes continue at high level." In fact, in real terms, median household income is higher today than it has ever been, but for a couple of years in the late 1990s when we experienced a "boom" that we now know was fueled largely by a stock bubble and widespread corporate fraud. The truth is that our economy, aided by sound administration policies, has weathered the storms of the last several years extraordinarily well. But you would never understand this if you relied on the New York Times for information.
And then there's this–the Times' summary of recent economic history as it relates to poverty:
Poverty levels have changed only modestly in the last three decades, rising in the 1980's [Ed: Reagan!] and falling in the 1990's [Ed.: Clinton!], after having dropped sharply in the 1960's.
As the above chart shows, this is an absurd characterization of recent history. The poverty rate rose sharply between 1978 and 1982. This was the famous "stagflation" that those of us who are over 40 remember so well. The poverty rate then fell dramatically, in the wake of the Reagan tax cuts, until 1990. As a result of the brief recession in 1990, the rate rose again until 1993, when it started to decline again. In both the 1980s and the 1990s, the pattern was an increase in the poverty rate during and after a recession, followed by a reduction in the poverty rate as the economy resumed growing. What we are seeing now is very consistent with what we saw around 1980 and 1990, only, as the graph shows, milder.
The New York Times is trying to appeal to a more sophisticated audience, as evidenced by the fact that it is advertising on this site. But it will have to do a better job of objectively reporting the news if it wants to be respected by knowledgeable news consumers.


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Rades has unsubbed.
I'll miss his voice, but he insists that his decision will not impact From Draenor With Love.
Kurn, over at Kurn's Corner, has a very in-depth post talking about how social media impact the wider world. It's close in length to a Cynwise post, but very much worth the read. There's even a Ratters appearance in the comment section.
I don't often read Twitter, but it seems that more than a few bloggers I know have invaded Wildstar. I'm not sure how well that will go, but I wish them luck.
Also, given the whole explosion from WoW-space (see the first musing), I'm not sure how well Wildstar will hold up, either.
|1927 screen icon or Wildstar character?
You decide.
This week is exam week at the kids' schools, so I don't really have a lot to talk about from that perspective. I will mention that two of them rolled up Smugglers and one a Trooper, and they're all loving the class stories so far. (Apparently Corso is "soooo cute". Who knew?)
I hope your Monday has been going better than mine has so far. I really need to go get some coffee now....
EtA: Apparently my issues with punctuation include the period. Corrected.


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Share, discuss, and plan ideas for IYC 2011
Want to post your own idea or comment?
To post an idea or add a comment, you need to be part of the IYC network. Please log in or sign up now.
Join the IYC Network
This forum is all about sharing your ideas and plans for celebrating IYC 2011. Ideas are just ideas! They might lead to nothing more or they might bloom into something exciting – up to you! You can just post simple suggestions, you can start a discussion and seek comments, or you can post a request for collaboration with other members of the IYC network. You can also just browse and search the forum to see what others are thinking about and add your comments.
Ready to turn your ideas into action? If so, switch to the Activities section and submit your plan for consideration.
Spanish Year Collaboration Javier Garcia-Martinez | added on Nov 30, 2009 In 2007, Spain celebrated its Year of Science honoring Mendeleev in many different ways and choosing the Periodic Table, Mendeleev 's iconic legacy. This was an excellent opportunity to raise public awareness and promote science and technology.
|drawing competition, periodic table, mendeleev, comics, stamp
|general public, school children
Draw It Suggestion Choon Do | added on Nov 30, 2009 During the 2006 Year of Chemistry celebration organized in Korea, middle and high school students were invited to participate in a poster contest. The contest encouraged the students to think about the roles and effects of chemicals and chemists.
|quiz, game, demonstrations, drawing competition
|primary schools, secondary schools, students
Chemistry on Wheels Suggestion Wolfram Koch | added on Nov 30, 2009 A rolling chemistry laboratory toured Germany in 2003. It was one of many events organized during that year, and carried out by many committed men and women in chemistry. Let's plan to do as well in 2011!
|hands-on activities, demonstrations, theater, drawing competition
|primary schools, general public, secondary schools, students
Visualizing and Understanding the Science of Climate Change Discussion Peter Mahaffy | added on Nov 30, 2009 A recent IUPAC project is developing a set of interactive, web-based materials to help students visualize and understand the underlying science of climate change.
|climate change, models, environment
|students, teachers, professional chemists
Open Door Days Suggestion Colin Humphris | added on Nov 30, 2009 "Open Door" events organized by the chemical industry provided a unique opportunity for the public to discover a fascinating industry and to learn in an entertaining way how much chemistry plays a crucial role in our everyday lives.
|industrial safety
|general public


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Private Universe Project in Science
Workshop Seven: "Taking A Risk"
Section 1 - About Workshop Seven:
What is the theme of this workshop?
The theme of Workshop Seven is "the excitement of student reasoning."
Whom do we see in the video?
Terez Waldoch, a fourth grade teacher, decides to try a new approach to teaching and bases her instruction on student ideas. Her colleagues, administrators, students and their parents, however, have different expectations for the classroom. With her reputation on the line, Terez must decide if her new methods are more effective than her former traditional approach.
What happens in the video?
A class of fourth-grade students poses questions they want answered about the decomposition of matter. Guided by their teacher, the students propose and execute experiments, presenting and debating their results.
What problem does this workshop address?
Should we just teach the "facts"? Teachers agree that the "new" approaches are compelling, yet few practice them. There are reasons for this avoidance: a lack of time, the need for classroom control, pressure from parents to teach the "basics," demands by administrators for more "coverage," and preparation for standardized tests. Can teachers afford to take the risks of resisting these pressures to teach in a new way?
What teaching strategy does this workshop offer?
How can a teacher create a safe environment in the classroom and allow students to take risks? Supporting this goal requires educated parents and administrators.
Workshop Seven: "Taking A Risk" is for any teacher interested in experiencing the excitement of student reasoning. To foster reasoning by students and allow teachers to experiment with different learning methods, it is important to make the classroom a safe place for both students and teachers to innovate. There are obstacles to change, however, and we will examine these in this workshop.
Discuss the differences between constructivist educational practices and the traditional approach to learning and teaching. Discuss ways in which teachers can change to a more constructivist mode of teaching. How did you supplement your own science training? What are some of the risks you are concerned about when inviting students to direct their own investigations?
When presented on video, new teaching strategies based on children's ideas might seem like more of the same old thing: cooperative learning, hands-on experience, student-centered classroom, etc. The differences in approach between constructivist learning and traditional approaches are often subtle, yet extremely important.
How can you solve the following problem: Some of the new constructivist learning concepts we depict in our videos can easily be mistaken for more traditional and familiar techniques. For instance, the approach taken by Terez Waldoch, the teacher in Workshop Seven, focuses on her students' prior ideas. The actual activities in which her students engage, however, could be confused with "hands-on" activities that have a more traditional scope. As teachers, discuss the subtle differences between the older familiar strategies and the newer constructivist learning concepts presented in our video.
What would you, as teachers, do next in this lesson?
The following is an activity that teachers might try in their classrooms.
Devise an approach similar to that depicted in the video for teaching a subject of your choice. First, determine (by a method of your choice) what the students already know or believe about the subject. Second, determine what questions the students would like to answer about the subject. Finally, have students work in small groups to devise, execute, and interpret experiments or activities to answer their questions.
You will get the greatest benefit from Workshop Eight if you think about, write down, and be prepared to discuss the following questions prior to the workshop.
In the previous seven videos we have explored a variety of educational strategies, including interviewing, journal keeping, concept mapping, metaphor building, discussions, posters, and bridging analogies. For discussion: What are the most effective uses of each approach? What are some other approaches you have used or witnessed that are also effective?
Affective teaching approaches attempt to involve the students' emotions in the instructional process. Such involvement can result from the teacher causing the students to care about the subject being taught, either by presenting the content via characters and drama, or by involving the students in a situation that has an effect on their lives and on which they can have an effect, such as current events. Debating the social impact of a science idea is an example of an affective approach to science teaching.
1. Choosing a Topic to Debate
Have the students research current issues in environmental science by reading newspapers and news magazines, watching or listening to news workshops on television or radio, and asking relatives and friends for their opinions about recent environmental news topics. Dramatic local or global news events with an environmental component make good debating topics. These might include a recent oil spill, plans to build or close a local toxic waste dump or incinerator, governmental initiatives to limit water use, efforts to save endangered species of animals or plants, or local plans to convert unused or preserved land to commercial use.
Working alone or in groups, the children can propose one or more topics for debate. Make a list in class of all of the proposed debate topics; then have the students vote or in some other way decide which topic or topics to choose. During the topic selection process, children can make a case for why particular topics are important or interesting. In this way, the teacher will begin to determine the students' prior knowledge and beliefs about the subject.
The final debate questions should be specific and involve clear issues. A topic such as "Is it good to save water?" is not specific enough. "Should our town approve the bond issue to build a new waste-water treatment plant?" is specific and has clear issues of environmental management, quality of life, and economics. With the issue of an oil spill, the question should concern who, if anyone, should be blamed and fined. Clear-cutting of forests can become an issue of jobs versus endangered species.
2. Preparing for the Debate
Once one or more topics are chosen, children can be assigned to teams. Each team will prepare a case either for or against a particular topic. Explain to the students that they need not start out with an opinion that agrees with the side for which they are arguing. The point of a debate is to amass evidence and construct a convincing argument for or against a proposition or proposal.
Students can prepare for the debate by gathering evidence in a number of ways. Each member of a team should be assigned specific aspects of the issue(s) to be researched. The member could investigate the scientific background of the issue, question parents and friends about their understanding of the issue, conduct a survey of public opinion about the issue (on weekends at a mall or other safe public place), clip news articles about the issue, or interview people involved in the issue from government, citizens' groups, or industry.
3. Conducting the Debate
Students from each team can present evidence and arguments for or against the debate question. The winner of each debate can be chosen by class vote. Make sure each student has a chance to contribute to the debate.
4. After the Debate
When the debate is over, ask students about what they learned during the process. Did preparing an argument change their ideas in any way? What sorts of evidence did they find most convincing? Why? By listening to students' ideas and comparing them to their ideas before the activity, the teacher can begin to assess their understanding of the science content of the topic and how those ideas have changed. Issues raised during the debate process can be referred to during later science lessons.
Companies, publications, and organizations named in this guide represent a cross-section of such entities. We do not endorse any companies, publications, or organizations, nor should any endorsement be inferred from a listing in this guide. Descriptions of such entities are for reference purposes only. We have provided this information to help the reader locate materials and information.
A. Related Resources on Decomposition
Leach, John, R. Driver. et al. Progression in Understanding Ecological Concepts by Pupils Aged 5-16, CLIS (Children Learning In Science) Publications.
Business Secretary CSSME (Center for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education) University of Leeds Leeds, UK LS2 9JT 011-441-532-334-675
Campbell, Stu. 1990. Let It Rot! The Gardener's Guide to Composting, Pownal, VT: Storey Communications, Inc.
Publicity Department 1-800-827-8673
Soil: We can't grow without it. 1985. Educators' Packet.
National Wildlife Federation 1412 16th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20036 202-797-6800
B. Further Reading
Bailey, Donna. 1991. Recycling Garbage. New York: F. Watts.
Condon, Judith. 1990. Recycling Paper. New York: F. Watts.
Bosak, Susan. 1991. Science Is... Ontario, Canada: Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Brody, Michael. Understanding Pollution among 4th, 8th, and 11th graders. Journal of Environmental Education 22(2): 24-33 (Winter 1990-91).
Campbell, Stu. 1990. Let It Rot! The Gardner's Guide to Composting. Pownal, Vermont: Storey Communications, Inc.
Carin, Arthur. 1975. Teaching Science Through Discovery (7th Edition).
Columbus, OH: C.E. Merrill Publishing Company.
Devito, Alfred and G. Krockover. 1980. Creative Sciencing: A Practical Approach. Creative Ventures, Inc.
Duckworth, E., J. Easley, D. Hawkins and A. Henriques. 1990. Science Education: A Minds-On Approach for the Elementary Years. Hillsale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Fisher, Kathleen M. and Selene Schumpert. 1995. Process & Inquiry in Life Sciences Laboratory Manual, Parts 1-4. San Diego, CA: SemNet Research Group.
Foster, Joanna. 1991. Carton, Can, and Orange Peels: Where does your garbage go? New York: Clarion Books.
Kallen, Stuart. 1990. Recycle It! Once is not enough. Minnesota: Abdo and Daughters.
Lavies, Bianca. 1993. Compost Critters. New York: Dutton Children's Books.
Leach, John T., R.D. Konicek and B.L. Shapiro. The ideas used by British and North American School children to interpret the phenomenon of decay: a cross-cultural study. Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Francisco. April 1992.
Milne, Lorus J. and M. Milne. 1987. A Shovel Full of Earth. New York: Henry Holt & Co.
Osborne and Freyberg, eds. 1985. Learning in Science: The implications of children's science. Auckland, NZ: Heinemann.
Schwartz, George I. and S. Bernice. 1974. Food Chains and Ecosystems: Ecology for Young Experimenters. New York: Doubleday.
Silver, Donald M. 1993. One Small Square Backyard. New York: W.H. Freeman & Co.
C. Bibliography on Decomposition
Adeniyi, E.O. 1985. Misconceptions of selected ecological concepts held by some Nigerian students. Journal of Biological Education 19: 311-316.
Campbell, D., R. Konicek, B. Koscher, B. LaCorte, W.S. Laffond and T. Waldoch. 1993. Children's alternative conceptions about decomposition and the cycling of matter. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the New England Educational Research Organization. Portsmouth, NH. April 1993.
Griffiths, A.K., and B.A.C. Grant. 1985. High school students' understanding of food webs: Identification of a learning hierarchy and related misconceptions. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 22: 421-436.
Leach, J.T., R.D. Konicek and B.L. Shapiro. 1992. The ideas used by British and North American school children to interpret the phenomenon of decay: A cross-cultural study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Francisco, CA. April 1992.
Sequeira, M. and M. Freitas. 1986. Death and decomposition of living organisms: Children's alternative frameworks. Paper presented at the eleventh conference of the Association for Teacher Education in Europe. Toulouse, France. September 1986.
Sequeira, M. and M. Freitas. 1987. Children's alternative conceptions about mould and copper oxide. In Proceedings of the Second International Seminar: Misconceptions and Educational Strategies in Science and Mathematics, J.D. Novak, ed. Ithaca, NY: Department of Education, Cornell University.
Smith, E.L. and C.W. Anderson. 1986. Alternative student conceptions of matter cycling in ecosytems. Paper presented at the annual conference of the North American Research in Science Teaching conference. San Franciso, CA. April 1986.
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Event : 12th 100 Million Mani Mantra Retreat 2012
Date : December 21 - 25 2012
Time : 8:30am - 9:30pm
Venue : Toa Payoh Sports Hall
Address : 297A Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
Map :
http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_tra ... ite_40286/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Vajramaster : His Eminence Thritsab Rinpoche
Organizer : Mani Retreat Association
Website : http://maniretreat.sg/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ticket price : To be released in September 2012
(Sale of tickets will be available to the public from October 2012)
'It is also mentioned in the tantras that by reciting this mantra you achieve the four qualities of being born in the Amitabha Buddha's pure land and other pure lands; at the time of death, seeing Buddha and Bodhisattvas appearing in the sky; the devas making you offerings; and never being reborn in the hell, hungry ghost or animals realms.
In this precious human rebirth that we are experiencing now and meeting with the Buddha Dharma, especially the Avalokiteshvara's practice and reciting Om Mani Padme Hung, it is easy for one to purify negative karma and accumulate extensive merit and one is able to ultimately achieved Enlightenment. We are unbelievably fortunate.
This retreat also blesses the country where it is held and brings much peace, happiness and prosperity. It will also help to remove obstacle and help in the progress of the world.
I encourage you to join this Mani Retreat and with a good motivation, we recite the mantra and develop loving kindness, compassion and bodhicita. Bodhicitta is very important in our Dharma practice.May we all continue the aspiration of Drubwang Rinpoche and benefit oneself and others by reciting the six syllabus mantra.
May all mother sentient beings, boundless as the sky,
have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May they be liberated from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May they never be separated from the happiness, which is free from sorrow.
May they rest in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.'
His Eminence Thritsab Rinpoche
100 Million Mani Mantra Retreat 2012 Dec 21-25
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