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Harbour Rd, Nassau | (formerly Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Paradise Island), 6249, New Providence Island
"Good Value for Price Paid"
Posted by: Debbie and Pat on May 6, 2013
see all reviews
Select from two restaurants, a lobby bar, and an outdoor pool bar that will satisfy the most demanding appetites. Indulge in a romantic dinner at The Harbourview Restaurant, featuring Bahamian steak and seafood.
Share your experiences with others. Don't forget to send your review to Debbie by using an easy form.
"They really don't care"
Posted by:
JoAnnLINew York on Jul 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Jul, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
766 people found this review helpful
Arrival: July 4th
I've been vacationing in the Caribbean for the past 20 yrs and never have I seen a more horrific resort. Do not even consider this place it's a real dump.
Rooms were dirty and smelly
Restaurants and Bars: If you want to call it a restaurant,It was a couple of tables with sternos,very poor quality of food,the bar had disgusting choices and I don't know the policy on alcohol, but there must have been a couple of hundred kids and they were allowed to drink.
Pool was not kept up with. Kids were vomitting in the pool and the staff really didn't care to address that issue of even cleaning the pool.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We check out the very next day.
Other Comments:
I spoke with other guest and they were surprised and disgusted with this resort.The staff attitude is quite apparent that they really don't care and it reflexes very clear on the service.
"There's really nothing to see at this resort"
Posted by:
Angela06 on Feb 1, 2006 >
1 contribution(s)
Visited on: Feb, 2006 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
395 people found this review helpful
A bit about us... We are a couple in our early 30's who live and work in a big city. Every February/March we travel south with the intent of relaxation, sun and of course, fun.
The Bahamas fit the bill as we booked last minute for a 4-day escape. We learned two things on this trip: 1) never book last minute during peak season; 2) never stay at the Paradise Island Harbour Resort (former Holiday Inn).
1)The hotel looked great from the outside and the lobby too. However, there was a running theme in this place and that was the unbelievable amount of RUST everywhere...in the rooms, in the hallway, by the pool, at the restaurants (there are 2), everywhere! It looked as though the place were falling apart. And it was, as our bathroom ceiling leaked and fell into our bathtub! Our room was on the 3rd floor and the entire floor smelled like a combination of garbage and cigarette smoke! Plus, the amentities in the room looked like they had black and green fungus/mold all over them. It was disgusting. We were moved to the 10th floor (non-smoking floor)that smelled like mold, but the room had less fungus/mold on the fixtures and at that point we felt like we had hit the jackpot.
2) The beach is non existent. It's literally a harbour filled with lots of big, loud boats - some cruise ships, plenty of yachts and regular boats. There is a small "beach" that has been created for children to play around with inflatable chairs. Again, disgusting considering this is harbour water, not beach conditions at all.
3) Overall, the service was terrible. Some vacationers don't care about this as the vacationing is more important than the people factor but we were amazed at how bad the service was! Everywhere we went in the hotel, the service was just lousy. You were either ignored or spoken to rudely. I mean, the Bahamas' official language is English and is quite westernized - why the brutal attitude.
1) The weather was amazing. Super hot with only a few clouds. Be sure to bring your SPF (30+), they do not warn you about the sun and a ton of people were sporting really bad burns!
2) The pool is cute but a bit small to accommodate the entire hotel, so head out early to grab chairs.
3) The food in the sit-down restaurant was great. We made reservations there almost every night. Again, the service was not great, but the food was.
4) The best part - we were within a 5min. walking distance to Atlantis! Every night we walked to Atlantis and enjoyed the window shopping along the strip + inside the Atlantis hotel. Also, there was a Starbucks where we indulged in an evening espresso or cappuccino. Atlantis is very Las Vegas. Big, beautiful and has a casino.
Simply put, Bahamas is an expensive vacation especially for a 4-day getaway, so if you're going to go then look into the Atlantis or ANOTHER resort to stay. There is nothing worse than looking forward to a vacation in the Bahamas and justifying the $$ spend only to stay at such a terrible hotel. If there were a beach it would have been fine, instead of just a crowded pool.
P.S. We would have posted pics, but there's really nothing to see at this resort (except the pics of the ceiling that fell into our bathtub). I hope this note helps you decide.
"Most horrific all inclusive resort i have stayed at in the bahamas"
Posted by: Sohail
on Aug 9, 2011 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Aug, 2011 | Leisure | Family and Kids
753 people found this review helpful
Arrival 7:30pm on August 2nd,2011
First of all:After arrival check-into our room and noticed that the hotel didn't give us the exact room we had asked for, which was an ocean front room. The room they had given us had an trailer truck instead of a ocean front view.
Second of all: The hotel had many unhelpful employees because every time we had an issue with something it took them about 1-2 hours to come up to the room and fix it for you. Also you have to call the front desk about 1,000 time until they send someone up to help you out. My family and I had many problems with this all inclusive resort, first of all their rooms are very unorganized with rust on their fridge, their internet cable is broken, their safe wasn't working properly, and every time we wanted to turn the television on it wouldn't turn on.
Secondly: They charge you $10.00 per day for the use of the internet.
Thirdly: The hotel was about 20 minutes walk to the beach without a taxi just walking there in extremely hot and humid weather.
Lastly, when ever you called the front desk and asked for something; it would take them forever to bring it up to your room.
Also their rooms, lobby, bar,and restaurant smelled awful.
I believe that this hotel is good for people who don't have enough money to spend on a expensive hotel like Atlantis, and RIU where you would get extremely good and valuable service for the same amount of money you would spend to stay at Paradise Island all inclusive resort.All I'm saying is the next time you would want to stay in Nassau Bahamas just consider staying at the other two hotels I talked about in the above paragraph.
Room Number:
Room Block:
Tuesday August 2nd to Saturday August 6th
"The rooms totally need upgraded"
Posted by:
USA06 on Jul 1, 2006 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Jul, 2006 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
755 people found this review helpful
The Island Harbour Resort is no place to stay from the end of May to the middle of July unless you like vacationing with eighteen year olds, who stay drunk and obnoxious about twenty-one hours of the day. The food at the resort is fine for the price you pay and the service was quite good. The rooms totally need upgraded and the beach at the hotel is nothing to speak of. For my wife and I we'll spend the extra money next time and stay at the RIU or Atlantis.
"Good Value for Price Paid"
Posted by: Debbie and Pat
on May 6, 2013 >
10 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2013 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
556 people found this review helpful
Booked this hotel at a sale price, felt we got good value for what we paid. Hotel is small. We had a balcony room which was quite nice and spacious. Needs updating, but was clean. Note only Harbourfront rooms have a balcony, the other rooms do not.
It's not on the ocean, it's overlooks the harbour, but there is a pool and a small man-made beach area. They do have a small area blocked off for swimming, but it is an industrial harbour, so didn't really go in there. There is a public beach a 10 minute walk away if you want to go in the ocean. It was very rough, though, and apparently there is a rip tide.
We found food and service to be good. Food was always hot, and there seemed to be quite a variety of things, and it changed from day to day. There was a buffet restaurant as well as an a la carte, and you could also order food at the bar. We ate most of our meals at the buffet, and ate at the a la carte twice. No complaints at all about the food.
Only about a 5 to 10 minute walk to Atlantis, and close to a plaza that had a small grocery store, liquor store, souvenirs, etc.
This hotel has recently been sold, and we were told it will be closing in April 2014 for 6 months while they expand and renovate and will re-open as a 5 star hotel.
Room Number:
"Great vacation"
Posted by:
kim on Feb 7, 2012 >
2 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jan, 2012 | Leisure | Family and Kids
731 people found this review helpful
First of all happy that I do not beleive all I read ! There where 8 of us and we all had a great time. The hotel is older and they had some elevator problems. Yet the rooms where clean everyday, ther is a bit of a smell because there is no windows to open so you have to run the air conditioner even on low just to circulate the air and keep it fresh. The food was awsome there was always something to eat. The preperation of food and use of spices is not what we where used to but then again that is part of the adventure in travel. To try DIFFERENT things not what you get at home. LOL ! The bar food was really good if philly cheese,chicken wings ,onion rings, fries,chicken burgers,conch fritters,plus much more is not your idea of good bar food then all the more for me cause it was great ! At times the waitress was a little slow but come on she is serving like 20 or more other people so get over the waite of 10 sometimes 15 min. The location was great we where able to walk all over the island and take taxi or farrie over to Nassau. The people where amazing so nice and they talked to you cause they wanted to not becuase it is there job. All of them are very fluent in english, not once did anyone pertend not to understand us. One great trip and would go again any time. Stayed 7days it was great. The inclosed beach area at the resort is not that great many people leaving garbage laying around that ended up in the water at the bottom so snorkeling was not that good. Yet cabbage beach was only 10 min walk and was great so who cares. Again had a great time will go again. Shout outs to Big Ale, Micheal,Shawn Connery LOL ! Angela,Janet, and all the rest of the staff you are all great keep up the good work.
Room Number:
The arrival was verry good. My sister booked us all in and had our papper work so we registered as a group and did not have a very long waite. The receptionist was very quick and we where all checked in in about 20 min we wher a group of 8.
Rooms are a little run down the building is old so expected. No windows that opened but got fresh air by using the air conditioning on low.
Restaurants and Bars:
Only one al a carte and it was realy good. We had a two course meal there and it was well made and very tasteful. The buffet food was great, the same kinds of food every night but made differently. Like fish every night one night it was Snapper, then it was Grouper, then another fish made in curry, and then made in a stew. So the same but different it was great. Got to remember it is Bhamas and they are trying to treat you to THERE fav foods. Always had spice in food even in mac and cheese dish. And yes we liked it. LOL
The beach was okay, The water murkey and lots of cups at the bottom also both beach and pools where cold. We still swam and got sunburns, Cabbage beach was 10 min walk and is a great beach had lots of fun there. Can not possibly control weather and unfortunatly it was windy and cold most of our trip. I would still go back.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
On the resort we played and watched different games. It was fun ! Did a couple of payed day trips and had fun on that did the speed boat snorkling all day trip. Was a little disapointed in the reef but was realy excited that there where sharks like 10 min and a sand bar away from us that was new for all of us. Injoyed the submersible. And took a few rides around Nassau the people realy like Anna Nicole Smith. Straw market and bars where fun. Lots to see lots to do.
"Exactly what we expected"
Posted by: Lia
on Feb 12, 2012 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Feb, 2012 | Leisure | Family and Kids
713 people found this review helpful
the people are very friendly. Great place for family to hang out and and get some r&r. Close to all outings. Sarah at the front desk was very nice. just be cautious of the taxi prices, we noticed prices were less from our resort compared to getting a taxi from the atlantis they charged more! silly fact but compared to other places south these toilets really flush.
"A Great Valued Holiday"
Posted by: Carole
on Nov 28, 2011 >
2 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Nov, 2011 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
731 people found this review helpful
My boyfriend and I booked the package online. After we had booked, we read terrible reviews about the hotel so we were a little skeptical.
When we got there, we found out that none of the reviews were remotely accurate. The hotel was lovely and clean. The staff were very friendly, really nice actually. We got checked into our room very quickly and the room itself was nicer than we had expected. We knew from the website that one of the restaurants was closed but the daily buffet was great. They changed the theme of the buffet daily and again, it was nicer than we had expected. Lots of choice and freshly made.
It is a 5 minute walk to Atlantis if you want to change it up a bit.
And for sure you have to check out the "fish fry" for some conch salad. A 10 minute cab drive. You can also get it under the bridge, just ask the taxi driver.
The weather was perfect, we had a great trip.
"Good price, good location and truly a 2 star"
Posted by: Lynda
on Mar 24, 2013 >
3 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Mar, 2013 | Business | Family and Kids
585 people found this review helpful
First off you should know that we travel alot,choosing between 5 to 2 star resorts depending on the occasion. This resort is truly a 2 star. Don't expect more. The food was great the location awesome and service depends on the tips you give. Once you realize the tip situation things are good. As for rooms, they need to be revamped but are kept clean and cozy. Management is nice and very helpful. The beach,not a beach. But a 5 minute walk to an awesome beach. Atlantis, awesome. Short walk to a ferry in to town. My kids loved their trip and so did I. If you need pampering they offer manicures,massages and it was very nice. If you need high class amenities this resort is not for you. If you are frugal and want rest,relaxation good times and great memories then try it out.
Run down.
Restaurants and Bars:
Great food good drinks.
Beach not much to look at.
Pool need repair but was nice and warm
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Sandy toes beach excursions was very nice
Scooba diving the boys have experienced better in Mexico.
Ferry to town nice,safe for kids
Atlantis was great
Beach 5 minute walk very good
Their is a little lagoon on the way to the beach we spent every day taking popcorn and bread to feed turtles and fish.
Other Comments:
I pick resorts based on location,occasion and price. This was a nice family vacation keeping in mind we spent most of our time on excursions. Having said that, high end amenities were not needed.
"Don't shy aware because of a bad review"
Posted by:
Sue on Feb 1, 2012 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jan, 2012 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
676 people found this review helpful
First we can say that this is a 3** star resort. Our expectations were not a four or a five star resort.
The price for the vacation was a good deal ( all Inclusive).
The food was good and the service was great....
The hotel is clean and yes some repairs needed but, by far it is not a dump.
The beds are comfy and rooms clean.
The entertainment was good and the pool, bar and beach are Awesome!
The best thing of all is the location, location , location within 8 minute walking distance to Atlantis within 5 minutes walking distance to the fairy boat to go shopping or to the fish fry in Nassau.
If you are looking for an affordable family or couple vacation that saves you money in your pocket this is the vacation for you.
Rooms are great, upgraded to oceanfront for $30 US dollars a night. Well worth it.
Restaurants and Bars:
The food and service were great.... always enough and it was not cold. All Inclusive is the way to go never an empty glass.
Pool is awesome. Small private protected beach with a boardwalk around it, so take a stroll and see fish on the other side. If you are looking for a larger beach cabbage beach is a 10 minute walk around the corner and you can also visit a beautiful garden park on the way.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
themed night shows daily, all day activities & games. Outside the resort take an 8 minute walk to Atlantis, shopping, and casino's and outdoor bars and patio's
Other Comments:
Go with the expectations of a very clean 3*** star hotel not a 4 or 5 star. The price for the accommodations/ Inclusive is the best on the Island without breaking your wallet, but still allows you all the same advantages and experiences to enjoy a fun and safe vacation.


text:
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
What could the Astros have looked like this offseason?
I was trying to wait out the final ZIPS projections before making this post, but given the response we've received from this post I thought I'd go ahead and throw this out there now. For any player that doesn't have a projection already available, I took their average WAR from the past three seasons. Not very scientific, but good enough for these exercises.
Right now the Astros are sitting on a roughly $21.5M payroll (not including amounts owed for players no longer on the team) and, according to ZIPS, that buys us a team WAR of about 18. A zero WAR team should be expected to win about 45.5 games. Let's go with 45. So the roster, as constructed today, should expect to go 63-99.
Next, let's see who signed one year deals that would offer a projected upgrade over the current roster. For these purposes let's assume that Houston would have had to offer ten percent more than what the player actually signed for in order to woo them away from their true destination.
Pitching makes the biggest difference here, so let's look at that first. The biggest signing would have been Dan Haren is the biggest splash here, good for 4.1 WAR. We'll give him $14.3M to steal him from Washington and replace Phil Humber's .8 WAR and $800k. Next we'll take Scott Baker's 3 WAR away from the Cubs for $6M and let Jordan Lyles ($500K and .6 WAR) spend the season in AAA. Our next signing will be Koji Uehara at $4.7M for 1.2 WAR, replacing Hector Ambriz at $500K and (-) .9 WAR. Rounding out the bullpen, let's sign Ryan Madson for $3.9 M with 1.4 WAR and take Josh Fields off the roster ($500K and (-).2 WAR).
Now that we've spent $28.9M (minus $2.3M on the guys we bumped out, for a net $26.6M increase) on upgrading the pitching staff by 10.3 WAR, let's turn to the position players.
Congrats fans, Houston has resigned Lance Berkman at 1B! Though it cost us $12.1M, the massive increase in ticket sales more than makes up for it, right? His 2.4 WAR means we move Wallace to the bench and don't have room on the roster anymore for Nate Freiman's $500K and (-) .3 WAR. Next let's sign a whole new outfield!! We'll take Juan Pierre in left at $1.8M and 1.3 WAR, Andres Torres in center at $2.2M and 2 WAR (removing his outlier 2010 season), and Nate Schierholtz in right at $2.5M and 1 WAR. This takes the Martinii off the roster (combined $1M and 1.1 WAR) and means we don't sign Ankiel at $500K with .7 WAR.
There we just spent another net $16.5M for an increase of 5.3 WAR.
Here's the new depth chart:
1B: Berkman
2B: Altuve
SS: Lowrie
3B: Dominguez
LF: Pierre
CF: Torres
RF: Schierholtz
DH: Pena
BE: Corporan
BE: Wallace
BE: Greene
BE: Maxwell
SP: Haren
SP: Baker
SP: Norris
SP: Bedard
SP: Harrell
RP: Ely
RP: Cedeno
RP: Rodriguez
RP: Veras
RP: Uehara
RP: Wright
CL: Madson
We added $43.1M to payroll, for a total of $64.6M and increased our projected WAR by 15.6 to 33.6. Now we're talking! The new team should go 79-83!!
Is it worth it?
12 comments:
Good grief, the Astros are hosed beyond repair!
- January 23, 2013 at 2:07 PM
- Juvenile Court Clerk - Bryan Trostel said...
All this talk about hoses...
Anyway, it is not beyond repair unless you are only concerned with the 2013 season. There are players at the AA and AAA level who ALREADY project higher than the current roster, but rushing them up this season to win a few more games isn't worth the long-term harm done to their development.
The Astros were "hosed" by years of farm system neglect and, until that's corrected, the team will never be able to consistently compete. Look for some of these kids to start appearing in Houston later this summer and I expect 2014 will see the team turn a corner. Probably not see the playoffs, but tangible improvement with a solid group of young players.
- January 23, 2013 at 2:26 PM
Yea, I'm glad we didn't do this. Let the younger players play, our OF production can't be any worse than it was last year, our pitching probably can't be worse than it was last year, and let Crane pay off some more debt while some of these young guys develop. It will be worth it.
- January 23, 2013 at 3:45 PM
I think the approach Lunhow did was right. Pay down debt... see if kids can play... take chance on picking up people who need a second chance. Spend more on international market... coming... spend on draft.... wait for the right free agents to sign that push a strong farm team. Its a smart plan. Oh and maybe trade norris... pena.... bedard... wallace for other pieces at deadline.
- January 24, 2013 at 8:38 AM
- hooksfan said...
The farm team is immensely better. The results from 2012 bear that out. Lunhow approach worked in St. Louis. Coming from the city that has Houston's Double-A team I can attest to an immense improvement over 2011. Their is high caliber minor league players within the system that just need to work on fundamentals. Hopefully they don't sent Telvin Nash to Corpus Christi. A player with a strikeout rate of 50% will get eaten alive.
- January 28, 2013 at 8:42 PM
- H J said...
Do you honestly think our Astros are going to be significantly better in 2014 based only on prospects? Major League Baseball isn't the minors. The argument that bringing in solid FA will stunt the progress of prospects goes against baseball history. How is giving a prospect a starting job in the show without any competition good for their development?
- January 28, 2013 at 10:13 PM
- Juvenile Court Clerk - Bryan Trostel said...
Nope, not significantly better. You're putting words in my mouth. I said I expect to see them turn a corner. And I haven't seen anyone here, including myself, make any arguments that free agents will stunt anyone's development.
Unless you're LA or NY, a payroll heavy on free agents is very difficult to sustain. How'd that work out for Miami this year, even with a new stadium to supposedly support a higher payroll? Every solid FA was at some point someone else's prospect that someone gave a starting job to. The Astros could triple payroll this season and would still only get to .500, maybe.
The concept of building a team of free agents is how we ended up with Matsui, Lee, Woody Williams, etc.
- January 29, 2013 at 7:06 AM
- H J said...
If you're going to run a blog you need to understand people aren't always going to agree with you. I never put words in your mouth I asked a question which is why there was ? <---- at the end of the sentence.
Speaking of putting words in peoples mouth, I never said payroll heavy free agents. Never said a team full of free agents.
Adding talent makes you win which is the goal of pro sports. Throwing a season to get the #1 pick over and over isn't a good strategy to build your brand which Mr Crane will soon find out.
- January 30, 2013 at 9:25 AM
- Juvenile Court Clerk - Bryan Trostel said...
I have no problem with disagreement. If you've followed some of the other discussions either here or on twitter you'll see that I usually go out of my way to find common ground. We're all fans of the same team. What I don't like is when people open a discussion in a combative manner. If that was not your intention, then I apologize for the tone of my response.
The reality, in my mind, this season is that no amount of free agent spending would turn the 2013 Astros into the winner that so many fans think it would.
While winning is the goal of any team, from a rebuilding perspective I see no benefit in spending tens of millions of dollars to simply reach mediocrity. In no way to I want the Astros to be the worst team in baseball; I hope we're able to see a young core of kids start coming together this season much like the Astros team in '91. Then, once that core is established, it would make a ton of sense to supplement that core with a few key free agents to push us over the top.
- January 30, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Maybe the Astros should just cancel the next couple seasons until all this youth is ready. The objective should always be to field the best team you can afford. If 30 million is all Crane can afford, good luck. But his own GM indicated at the end of last year that the payroll would be in the 50's. if the GM doesn't know the gameplan then we are in trouble.
The Astros are much farther than 2014 from turning a corner. 2014 may be a 70 win season. The jump from 70 to 95 wins will take a couple more years, some good trades of prospects for MLB ready talent and a few free agent signings. An entire team of prospects will never be successful of 162 games in the majors.
Never posted here, so I don't know how to register.
- February 3, 2013 at 11:43 AM
No one thinks Astros should spend megabucks, but they owe it to the fans to try to improve over last year, not just stand pat and hope and pray their deep, but not overwhelmimg farm system produces a slew of All Stars
- February 3, 2013 at 11:00 PM
- Juvenile Court Clerk - Bryan Trostel said...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting Houston to get where we want it to just on prospects alone. My point is that adding free agents this year is not likely to make much of a difference, and I'd rather the team not waste money to go from bad to slightly less bad.
What I could have seen them do this season was spend a little on a couple bench guys, especially an outfielder, who could hold their own as starters in a pinch if someone goes down due to injury or ineffectiveness, and maybe a more stable rotation candidate and middle reliever.
- February 4, 2013 at 10:55 AM

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text: Irish Transplants Find Dairy Success in South Dakota October 5, 2013 08:26 AM Tweet The Elliott family, from left: David, Becky, Rodney, Dorothy and James. TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Catherine Merlo Farm Journal's Milk Western and Online Editor Email Just seven years after they sold their small dairy in Ireland, the Elliotts are milking 1,950 cows at their South Dakota dairy and building a second one nearby. For Irish transplants Rodney and Dorothy Elliott, the journey to owning and managing a successful dairy in South Dakota proves the American Dream is alive and well. Just seven years after they sold their family's 140-cow dairy in Ireland, the Elliotts are milking 1,950 cows at the dairy they bought in late 2005 near Lake Norden, S.D., and they're building a second dairy nearby. They shared the story of their Drumgoon Dairy at a Virtual Farm Tour Oct. 4 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. In May 2006, the Elliotts began constructing their new Drumgoon Dairy, located along the I-29 corridor in eastern South Dakota. (They named the dairy after their farm in Ireland.) By December of that year, they were milking cows. In 2008, the Elliotts expanded from 1,600 to 1,900 milking cows. Today, their herd consists of crossbreds of Holsteins, Jerseys and Swedish Red, with their total livestock numbering 3,800. They have a rolling herd average of 24,700 lb. and a somatic cell count that averages 215,000. They milk 3x daily in a 24x24 parallel parlor. Milk cows are housed in a freestall 640' x 300' cross-ventilated barn with 1,900 stalls. Drumgoon Dairy also employs 25 full-time and three part-time people. Most of their employees are Hispanic. The Elliotts have focused their dairy's efforts on cow comfort and raising heifers. For calf management, calves are moved to automated milk feeders in the calf barn after two to three days. Calves are placed in one of four pens that are fed by two automated feeders. Milk replacer is offered through the system. When calves are weaned, they move to the weaning barn and progress through a series of pens. Their diet consists of a weaning pellet, along with grass hay. Drumgoon Dairy's second facility should be ready for milking by December 2013. Everything related to the herd -- from registering herd births to milk production to deaths -- is recorded in the dairy's computer. "If something can't be measured, we cannot fix it," Rodney told the audience. The dairy also employs Flow Meters to determine how much milk is produced that day and it uses rumination collars on cows. The Elliotts implemented SCR activity monitors from Semex about a year ago. Those efforts have helped increase the dairy's pregnancy rate to 24%-27% and cut its death loss to just below 4%. The Elliotts like the air flow of the ventilated barns, and find they have very few fly problems because of the constant air flow. Drumgoon Dairy owns 430 acres and grows corn and alfalfa. The Elliotts rent another 200 acres of pasture land. Most of their feed is purchased from local sources. "We have a flat pad for 30,000 tons of corn silage, hay and straw in round bails kept outside," Rodney said. "We also have a 12-bay commodity building for grains and inputs. We will not put feed on dirt." For manure management, Drumgoon Dairy uses a sand lane and two settlement ponds. Manure is stored in three earth-bank lagoons. Lagoons hold a nine-month storage of 18 million gallons. The dairy's manure is used to grow crops locally. Pumping costs are shared between the crop farmers and the dairy. "We recycle sand to reduce sand usage," said Rodney. "Annually, about 25 million gallons of liquid fertilizer is produced. The cost of pumping liquid fertilizer to crop farmers through the three-mile pipeline is shared. We contract about 7,500 acres for manure application." The Elliotts' new dairy is under construction and is expected to be completed by December. They have a new permit to increase to 5,000 animals with 2,300 milking cows. The new facility will have a double-30 subway milking parlor. Drumgoon Dairy gives dairy tours and hosts local and international interns. Quality Liquid Feeds sponsored the Elliott's Virtual Farm Tour. Back to news


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BISC209/S12: Lab12
Presentations this week
Room S264. Please make sure that you have emailed your groups' Powerpoint™ to yourself so we can access it in the classroom where we will have our presentations. Make sure to upload a copy to your drop box in Sakai, too.
Turn in your lab notebook to your instructor at the beginning of the lab period. She will notify you in an announcement in Sakai when your notebook is graded and ready for pick up. There is a grading rubric posted to Resources in Sakai.
Group Presentation
In LAB 12, teams of 3-4 students will prepare and present a 15-20 minute group oral presentation that is worth 15 points. Points awarded the group are based on an assessment of quality of the presentation, judged by the class and by your instructor. You will also evaluate the quality and level of participation of each of your teammates for an individual component of the grade. The penalty for under-participation can be up to 6 points deducted from the 15 point total. The individual grade is determined by the consensus of your teammates on each member's contribution. Grading rubrics will be provided. You will also be provided with links and handouts of helpful information about making an oral presentation. The Resources section of the wiki contains a tip sheet prepared by PLTC peer-tutors about how to give an effective oral presentation. We will not do these presentations in the lab but in a room TBA.
The Theme of our Presentations this year is Methods of Identification of Microorganisms
Culture Based Batteries of Physical and Metabolic Characteristics (Traditional Microbiology)
Analysis of cellular fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) by gas chromatography
Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
Genotype Based Methods:
16s rRNA or rpoB gene or Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) by Sanger or 454 Pyrosequencing
Repetitive sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR)
Culture Independent DNA Hybridization (Microarray)
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Time-Of-Flight (MaldiTof MS)
Congratulations on completing microbiology lab!


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Activision is hosting another Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Double XP event this weekend.
Double XP activates for all players at 6pm BST tonight and ends at 6pm BST on Monday, July 1. It's expected to be available on all platforms.
The event precedes Black Ops 2's third DLC pack, Vengeance, which is due to go on sale on Xbox LIVE next Tuesday, July 2.
Source: 'Level up with Double XP' Activision email


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Apartments and condos are the most popular vacation rental offerings in and around Manila. Well beyond the traditional hotel stay, your holiday rental provides the space, privacy and kitchen facilities for a comfortable, budget-easing trip (no need to eat every meal out on the town!) And you'll discover the Manila Light Rail System is the quick and easy way to explore the National Capital Region.
Sixteenth Century Fort Santiago is Manila's prominent historic attraction and is part of the walled city of Intramuros (one of sixteen cities that comprise Metro Manila). Intramuros is 'old' Manila with appealing museums, ruins and the dominant Manila Cathedral. Though a somber historic reminder, the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is a beautifully maintained site that vividly underscores the cost of freedom. A guided day trip to the Island of Corregidor serves the same purpose, as the site of two important World War II battles – the fall in 1942 to the Imperial Japanese Army and the recapture in 1945 by American and Filipino forces.
Several churches are worth visiting – combine shopping and a visit to Quiapo Church. The church is renowned for its Black Nazarene statue, said to deliver miracles if touched. Surrounded by street vendors, you'll have the opportunity to bargain for cameras, clothing, purses and more. The 17th Century San Agustin Church is the Philippines' oldest stone church and includes courtyard gardens and a museum. Commissioned by Imelda Marcos, the opulent Coconut Palace makes a stunning cultural attraction, complete with grand furnishings, butterfly garden and a striking view of Manila Bay.
For a relaxing outdoor day, make a visit to family-friendly Rizal Park, where playgrounds, carriage rides, fountains and restaurants provide plenty of entertainment. Another day, enjoy a glass of wine on your balcony, and then wander along Baywalk for a lovely view of Manila's celebrated sunsets. Head to Club Intramuros Golf Course for a challenging round in a gorgeous, historic location.
The Remedios Circle area around Malate delivers a bohemian mix of upscale and low-cost dining and entertainment. Try the Casa Armas for paella, guitar music and a genuine Spanish feel. Go to the Glorietta Greenbelt area for Makati City nightlife – bars, restaurants and a tempting range of local to international cuisine, many overlooking the center's gardens.
We verify all rental listings and provide complete information, photos and user reviews. You'll be able to choose with confidence the home rental that best meets your needs.


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Emergency Management
Learn about what the office of Emergency Management does.
To establish and maintain a strategic framework aligning policy, people and activities into a comprehensive integrated all-hazard program; to efficiently guide critical information and City resources; and to coordinate external resources in collaboration with governmental and private sector partners before, during and after major emergencies or disasters.
Assist the City's preparation for major disasters by coordinating disaster planning efforts and the training of City employees; assisting with the integration of emergency plans in a collaborative environment; ensuring information flow to the public and business community to assist in their emergency preparation and response; interface with County, State and federal jurisdictions; and secure and manage grants from federal and State agencies related to Homeland Security.
Continue to support the City's goals to keep Raleigh safe through enhanced efforts to strengthen preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. The City's all-hazards approach will continue to address natural, technological, and manmade disasters, to include acts of terrorism, cyber-attacks, severe weather and energy shortages.
We will continue to maintain and update emergency response plans, prepare City employees to be effective disaster service workers, maintain and improve the City's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and provide overall leadership to the City, residents and business community for disaster preparedness and response.
Finally, we will continue to create and maintain collaborative partnerships with other jurisdictions, academic institutions and the business community to foster cost effective systems and to improve and expand an alert notification and disaster information system that addresses the community's need for timely and accurate information before, during and after emergencies.


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Jimquisition: You Should Be Mad at Diablo III's Always Online DRM
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This is not the optimal solution, for exactly the reasons I outlined in my post - the fact of the matter is, the game is ultimately focused on multiplayer, not single player, and they don't want to put people in the situation where the character they've played with for a long time in single player, brought up in level, ect. becomes a liability if someone wants to play multiplayer. Let's say you find out a friend at school or at work has Diablo III in a month and you want to play together online. Sure, you can do that! IF you don't seperate out single and multiplayer characters.
You are not looking at the bigger picture. The above situation is a great discouragement to play multiplayer, and that is bad. Blizzard wants people playing multiplayer, and they want to make it as easy as possible for people to switch from single player to multiplayer, without compromising the integrity of multiplayer.
Being always online is really the only realistic way to ensure that this can occur.
You do not understand it; this is fine. But then you'll just have to trust those more knowledgeable when they say that this is, in fact, a good idea from the standpoint of both most players and the developers, and your loss is pretty negligible - the only real loss is if the servers go down or you have a very crappy internet connection. You know what?
That's too bad for you. Its a much better experience for the vast majority of players, and the change will make it much more likely that you will transition into playing Diablo III multiplayer (as, let's face it, you bought it already, and multiplayer is just a click away!) and thus play for longer and encourage others to play more, and likely encourage more people to buy into the game.
Its not some evil feature designed to make your experience crappier; it is designed to make your experience better. This is in contrast to most DRM, which is all downside, there -is- actual upside here for the end user experience. I don't even think of it as DRM, I think of it as a necessity to play the game.
Other games (like Assassin's Creed) where the single player and multiplayer experience are totally separate have no such excuses, but with Diablo III, it makes sense to do it this way.
as with everything you ever buy.....don't be the first :). People are forgetting the first Ipad's wifi didn't work until it was patched or something along those lines (another gizmo I didn't buy). Nevertheless the problem existed and was handled. Don't buy things when they first come out its the consumer handbook's first rule. Of course their having hardware issues. Their fucking idiots and you paid them $60 of your hard earned money for their crap and you actually expected it to work. We live in a world where you can buy something from walmart broken in the box when you get home and your surprised when the crap you buy is in fact crap? I will not subscribe to this psychology. Is anyone really surprised anymore when gaming companies fail to deliver?
on the topic of disdaining the always online aspect because its "their" problem. This is fundamentally the wrong outlook. It is all our problem because we live in a world that is not so technologically or philosophically advanced that we can root out all problems with our software from the comfort of our homes. Hence the concept of GM's. Without them hackers win and we all lose. This is in fact the most effective solution to the problem given the scale and shear willpower directed at subverting the honest process. If you can offer an actual solution that is cost effective and isn't always online why are you here and not pitching it to every game publisher on earth?
The problem is already fixed, and was, frankly, never a big deal. I am not Jabba the Hutt; I can move from in front of my computer (or, you know, play another fun game instead) if the servers are down, and I have never (not even once) had a problem with the servers since release. Period.
People who are whining about constant outages or making it out like it has been unplayable are, frankly, not living in the same reality I am and are probably torrenting or something while they're playing. I hear that there were connectivity problems on launch day, but by when I got it (two days post launch; I had preordered from Amazon but it took a while to arrive) I had 0 problems with it, and have had none.
Idiots, however, will scream loudly and make it out as if the entire universe is collapsing. It is Chicken Little all over again.
Does it suck you had problems, personally? Yes.
Does that mean the entire universe had problems? No.
And do people exaggerate, especially people like Jim? Of course they do.
Nerd rage is nerd rage, and it is easy to filter out reality from it if you know how to listen properly. The truth is that Diablo III does what it needs to do and works just fine. Whining about the problems on launch day isn't really going to fix anything now.
Agreed. My favorite game went down recently for 18 hours :O. "But why?" you may ask with foam at the corner of nerd frenzied mouth (not you obviously but hulk nerds.) To add a new server to cut down on lag. Then for the next 4 days they had bugs, then they gave us free stuff and everyone moved on with their lives. I don't get it either but apparently some people really don't want to leave their basements... or play other games.
In the case of Warcraft III and WOW, there wasn't a 10 year gap.
Seriously ? You think out of all the people on this planet, only I had the expection for the game to be playable while it's always online ? I also have a right to criticise what I think doesn't work in a game after handing out real money and not going through the process of pirating it over the net. That's in the list of everybody's rights after they have bought the game. Since the second option is preferably easier and a lot more affordable, people that invest in something like this deserve some courtesy. Which again, is something I am 100% sure that not only me asked for.
Is it, now ? The stores you mentioned are something that Blizz decided that it wants the lion's share from. Nobody asked for Blizzard to create an auction house, for the simple reason everybody here has pointed out. For a game that depends so much on equipment and random factor, the RMAH is going to eliminate that. It will break the game about 5 months in.
You rave about me buying buying the game when I haven't. I'd say that's assuming enough.
You sure did. Go over the rules.
Don't think anyone denied these things, so don't know who you're arguing at. In fact I'm fairly certain that most people have acknowledged this and are using it as a proof of why Always-On games are actually a bad thing: because servers do go down sometimes, and that means they can't play their Always-On games. They can still play their offline games with no trouble, though. This seems to suggest that one of the two methods is flawed. When an Always-On experience can provide zero downtime (no crashes and no lag) for a game it is intended to support, then fair enough, it's possible that such a hypothetical game would be a vast improvement over an offline game. But no such game yet exists, and until one does, do not expect this issue to stop being brought up.
I think it's fair to say that the jury is still out on this subject. People keep asserting that online play is "best for the consumer" but I must confess, as a neutral party, that I have yet to see a single non-MMO game that I've played online that required the Always-On model to work, or that properly utilized an Always-On model in order to improve the game experience.
The assertions in favor of Always-On play have generally been:
I'm still waiting on a game which can be pointed to as an example of how Always-On games are improving my gaming experience. I'd appreciate it if you could provide some examples of games where Always-On play has truly improved the experience.
When developers back in 2008 were quoted as promising that the game will have offline single player, I'd say this is most certainly a point that I would contend does, indeed, merit complaints from potential buyers.
I won't deny that this is a problem, however its implementation has produced another problem: greater risk of server-side hacking.
Hundreds of players have complained about their accounts being hacked using an exploit that allows hackers to skip merrily around the authenticators and other security of Blizzard by grabbing hold of their last online activity information, then using it to hack and bleed that character's inventory dry. This is why some users have reported that they had one particular character hacked, and it wasn't always their highest leveled one....rather, it was their.
It seems that Blizzard has chosen to trade blows with pirates at the general risk of our account security. That does not seem like a very reasonable trade to me. It means that if they can't duplicate items, they're just going to have to take them from other players instead.
Except that offline single player characters could not be brought onto Battle.net, so they really can't "sour" the experience. This problem is resolved by enabling an offline mode for single player and then for multiplayer online play, store all character information (including loot) on the server's end of things like they do now.
I'm not sure why players who wanted to play solo and never wanted to get on Battle.net are being forced to do so in order to avoid a problem that never affected them in the past.
Then I presume you agree that Blizzard's severe hacking problems of late are a far more troubling experience than the concerns of pirates "ruining everything"? Because I'm fairly certain that Blizzard's decision to pretend that the hacks weren't as a result of a flaw in their own security is far more likely to frustrate players out of the game than a few pirates or item dupers will.
This is somewhat arguable, as I often found TCP/IP and LAN play with my friends much easier than the hassles of Battle.net ever were. With various networking softwares like Hamachi, the effort required to set up games of Diablo 2 and play together is quite trivial. I myself was playing D2 with some friends last night, and it took me all of a few minutes to set up the software for the first time (installing, etc). Now if I want to have a game with them, I can do it in seconds. This seems more convenient than Battle.net to me, and far more secure.
Not to mention that an offline game never has to worry about server crashes. If D3 should ever go down, I don't need Battle.net to play D2 with my buddies. This is what people are experiencing and why they are so frustrated with D3's forced effort to push their Battle.net framework: because if they'd just allowed us to play on a LAN or TCP/IP connection like the old game, we could handle the networking on our own, and have a connection that's plenty stable with no interruptions due to Battle.net issues.
But to each their own, I suppose.
Except that, as asserted above, these positives are minimized or negligible due to outside factors that already enabled such functionality or due to poor security on Blizzard's part.
It's very nice that you haven't experienced any issues with your game. But I assume you would not be so callous as to assume that all of the people who have reported these issues are lying. Or, perhaps you meant that they are the sole cause of their problems, despite the fact that the problems they've experienced are so widespread, and that even Blizzard has admitted fault in the situation. It's rather hard to argue the case of "well, I haven't seen any lag, so the problem must not exist!" with a straight face, I should think, especially when so many have experienced it that it's hard to deny. It's akin to denying the existence of elephants because you have never seen one with your own eyes, even though thousands of people have. So I'm glad that you're not trying to appeal to that angle.
I don't believe that Always-On games are the devil, but I've yet to be convinced as a consumer that they offer significant benefits. At present the detriments appear to outweigh the benefits by a pretty large margin.
The presumed positives:
The negatives:
When a game is produced that properly integrates Always-On design with a good gameplay experience, then I'll be happy to buy it. Until then, I remain an unsold skeptic on the subject, and I would hope that you would respect individuals for choosing not to purchase games which they may, one day, no longer be able to play at the whim of a company's wallet.
Thing is, its just not that big of a deal. It had some problems on launch day. So what? It happens sometimes. In fact, it happens oftentimes. It sucks, but its the way things are. If you wait two days, then things will usually be fixed by then. That's why I don't rush for launch day on most products like this.
Ah I see the tears rolling down your cheeks already.
How is it going to break the game? Answer is: It won't. This already happens in numerous other games without ill effect. You don't need to engage with the RMAH at all to enjoy the game, and the fact that other people do engage in it shouldn't bother you as it isn't a competitive game. Buying your way to victory is only an issue if the game is competitive in nature, but Diablo III is a grind game, not a competitive game, so its fine.
But here's the problem: if the game is up pretty much all the time, then its fine. I've played games which had weekly downtimes (for upgrades) and no one raged. If weekly downtimes are fine, then far less often than weekly downtimes are certainly not unreasonable, especially for the advantages they offer.
I hate it when people use the word "hacked" in this context. The correct term is "compromised". Virtually all compromised accounts in games (99%+) are NOT the result of hacking, but rather the result of social engineering or people making stupid mistakes like saving their passwords on public machines. Hacking (actually compromising the game itself, or the servers thereof) is actually incredibly rare, but social engineering occurs constantly. I was getting social engineering emails about Diablo III before it even came out.
Diablo III. Most MMOs.
This is completely, totally, and utterly irrelevant. Things changed between 2008 and 2012. Whining about something that was said four years ago, during development, is the height of mouth-frothing nerd rage.
The problem is that there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that this occurred, and the fact that you believed this indicates a great level of gullibility. We've got Blizzard denying it, and mouth breathers who claim that of course they are retards who respond to social engineering emails!
Yeah, sorry, without evidence, I am going to have to say that, chances are, this didn't actually happen, and there is no evidence that it did. Just because retards claim that it did happen to them doesn't make it true, and indeed, the actually detailed instances I've read about appear to be social engineering, NOT any sort of clever session hijacking.
Remember, believing retards on the internet is always dangerous, especially when they have good reason to lie - namely, not wanting to look like idiots who don't know how to keep their account information secure. People will lie about this all the time, both to save face and to avoid the company possibly not caring about them because they didn't do their part in keeping their account secure.
I'm sorry, "severe hacking problems"? There are no severe hacking problems. There are a few hundred compromised accounts, and people yelling loudly about them, jiggling about as they flail and rage at Blizzard. A few hundred accounts is not a severe hacking problem, and it doesn't even show that hacking is occurring, as I stated above.
There is zero (zero!) evidence to suggest that ANY compromised account was the result of actual hacking of the blizzard servers, and a great deal of evidence to suggest that the compromised accounts were the result of social engineering - I've seen the phishing schemes for months now, no one has actually demonstrated a method of session hijacking, and Blizzard has claimed that many of the people claiming to have compromised accounts were socially engineered.
Remember, you are trusting people who have every reason to lie about their accounts being compromised not through their own stupidity but by blaming the big bad company, because otherwise, they will just look like idiots and no one will care about them. The attempts at harnessing nerd rage are obvious.
You are part of the problem with the internet believing these people without evidence of their suggestions. So quit posting without knowing what is going on.
No one I personally know has had any sort of issue with the game or their accounts being hijacked, and no one they know has either. These are people who know about social engineering and who are not vulnerable to it, and not one of them has had an issue. That's not proof that it isn't some sort of server side hack, but, as per Occam's razor, the simplest solution is usually the correct one.
Is it more likely that people would be socially engineered, and then either lie about it or not even realize that they'd been socially engineered and then whine about "hacks", or is it more likely that Blizzard, a company that has been running battlenet since 1995, which has run Diablo I, Diablo II, WoW, Warcraft II, Warcraft III, Starcraft, and Starcraft II successfully without such hijacking incidents occuring, would suddenly have major sesion hijacking problems with their latest game, despite the fact that this could have occured with any of their other games historically and hasn't?
Now, it is possible that Blizzard screwed up, but you have to admit, idiots whining is a much likelier scenario.
I agree with Jim.
Consumers should not be fine with being treated like suckers. If I bought a car that is required to be online and it stopped when I went trough a tunnel I would be pretty damn pissed.
Forcing online status on a game mode that is single player is just bullshit and piracy is going to find a loophole anyway.
I didn't rush either. Not cause of the expected lag but cause of what happened with the accounts a few days after. I just waited for some videos to hit the web and then went down to my store to catch a glimpse and try. It was sluggish but since then, I have been away from the subject. Studies and stuff. So, how is it coming ?
If I may ask, how? How is an online only experience better for my gameplay? Explain how an always online connection improves my experience? How are Battle.net 2.0's features so good that players would not even want to play offline?
Did you not read my earlier post?
The long, the short, and the middle answer is that every single character is playable online. If you have separate online and offline modes, this is not the case. By combining the two, such that all characters are online characters, it lowers the barrier to multiplayer play, encouraging more people to try it out, and as that is the funnest way to play the game, it both raises player enjoyment and makes them more likely to play longer, which leads to a better community, meaning more players stick around and more players encourage their friends to buy in.
Good for the developer, good for the player.
It has to be this way because Diablo III is a gear-based game (it is a grindfest), so the ability to store your character locally and manipulate their stats/items would be cheating. In a game where this is irrelevant, then there would be no such rationale for no offline mode.
What gives you the authority to say that the "funnest" way to play the game is online and that it increases enjoyment. I, personally, have rarely found multiplayer games to be more fun than single player and the rare time that they are I managed to play either split screen, lan, or TCP/IP. I've proven your point wrong with just my example.
I have beaten both Diablo I and II and have never treated the game as a grindfest. I did the missions and never once killed monsters for the sole purpose of trying to get gear. Not everyone treats the games as you do and for the people that are like myself, always on DRM provides no benefits what so ever; it actually provides only detriments in the form of laggy play and connection problems.
If I wanted to complain to Blizzard about this how would I go about doing that? The "Contact Us" section on their homepage doesn't have a "Comments and Feedback" option. I'd love to play this with my brother but I'd like the option to play single player whenever I wanted without some old friend from WoW deciding to tag along for the ride.
Achievement Unlocked - Learned new phrase "chimps vaginal cyst"
People won't stop posting this video on the D3 forums. They get deleted in short order. But it cannot be posted enough. I hope blizzard posts a "Do not post links to anything related to Escapist, Destructiod or Jim Sterling" sticky post.
I call this video a win.
I reckon that today's latest piece of incompetent server administration will ensure blizzard/battlenet/activision takes the achievement for lamest re-launch of antique game in 2012.
After trying to get onto it for some time I went back to risen 2 - hit the pit and set off this morning to make some money. get back to find my diablo 3 p.o.s. was stuck in an update loop where it wouldn't let you log on unless you had updated but you had to log on to update! What derp thought up that piece if circuitous logic (rivals the "it's an online single player game cause it's an online single player game" logic touted here by the blizzasskissers)
Anyway now the game has finally patched the server won't allow anyone to play. I have several hours before I have to go and repair a particularly badly constructed active directory for a law firm who only let me work on their system AH so I thought I'd zone out on D3 for a while. no such luck now that the game is patched not only can I not get on the repeatedly broken amerikan servers, the european and asian servers no longer let me on them anymore as one of the 'features' of the 1.02 patch appears to be to tie players to one server region.
I could uninstall the whole mess then re-install update and play on a europe server but that seems like a bad choice since the last install took forever and knowing blizzard the game would only be running by the time I hafta go and fix this other incompetence.
One last thing - I for one have noticed that the vast majority of the blizzasskisslamers who are so eager to try and bully legitimate concerns about this mess posted on the 'official' d3 boards claim all sorts of senior positions in blizzass 'clans' (do they still call a groups of social incompetents who can only interact with other humans if it is via a remote game server, a clan? I dunno I have no interest in such interactions - for me the only advantage of MMO style gaming is that you will game and chat with peeps you don't know and therefore gain a better understanding of the human condition or whatever, but each to their own I spose)
I can see this multi-player aspect being a good idea in theory, but as you can see, on paper doesn't really work in practice. With all of the downsides to this online-only aren't outweighed by your one bonus.
As well, for those that don't play multiplayer, your "bonus" is non-existent. Considering how long D2's community stayed around with its multiple options of play seems to counteract your argument of games will last longer with online only, especially considering the game can be "shut off" at any time that Blizzard wishes, and then you'll have no game...
There's an all out fucking rebellion on Blizzard's Diablo 3 forums right now for numerous reasons. I've had it with Blizzard/Activision! The customers have spoken and Blizzard/Activision as a company who had no problem taking our money spanning numerous countries should act accordingly to meet the demands of the consumers especially when the consumers gripes are consistently the same. They've been blowing us off like we're lowly subjects and they're royalty or something. Its blatantly bad business and I don't know how much longer Blizzard's customers are going to take it.This was a awesome video and I 150% agree. This is a little war cry for Diablo fans who have been betrayed.
I have owned Diablo 3 for less than 36 hours and I have not been able to play for 5 hours yet. this is a problem, this is a problem that should get people fired. I don't care if that makes me sound like I'm a whiny spoiled brat. I have tried more times than I care to count to log in all across the time I've owned the game and I was able to log in TWICE, and one time I was kicked out because there were too many people on the server. If some people are doing their job this poorly, they deserve to be fired.
I don't like the idea that I am to be pressured into going multiplayer. Why go through the facade of having a single player mode is this game is so focused on multiplayer as you say? Why not just plain out say that D3 should be an MMO?
And having an offline mode shouldn't be a discouragement against multiplayer, since you would have multiplayer mode anyways, and if you were set on going online, you would have made your character online anyways.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but this has just happened to me. One of my characters, my highest leveled one, has been cleaned out of his equipment, and am now left with just 2,000 gold. Critic Kitten is right that this doesn't seem like a fair trade off for an online experience.
Blizzard are a bunch of Nazis to put it politely they make everyone else suffer for their own personal gain. Sadly their fans are their Geustapo who will give their money unwillingly to them and hope to get some reward which any die hard believer hopes for which they will not receive because Blizzard are dicks and so were the nazis. Jim is totally correct in saying that and putting Blizzard in their place. Blizzard have not changed since WOW and are in it for the money.
Oh whats that you want to play Diablo 3 offline we can't you because we have all of this money!
The only reason I play Diablo 2 and 3 is for multiplayer. I don't even have any single player characters in Diablo 2 even though it's probably my most played game ever, so it's pointless for me to be mad because I need to be online to play multiplayer anyway, I would have self imposed the online restriction because I enjoy multiplayer about eight times as much as singleplayer in Diablo. We should be annoyed the servers were not stable the first day, but I have no complaints about service after the first couple days, although I hear the Europeon servers are still in shit, be angry about that.
I'm sorry to hear that, but they offer higher security measures, it's not their fault you didn't take advantage of them. Not only that but you can set up a ticket with Blizzard and they will role back your account and retrieve your stuff.
Just cause I want to spew my opinion to, especially now way after lunch and this videos relevance. I would not have bought this game if it where not for the always-online part. And While I have had no problems with it. (Bless, us in Europe), Always-online NEEDS to be always-online... I totally get it, but **** all of you who want it to be an offline Single player game. :)
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The Microwave Oven, An Accidental Invention
March 12, 2012 at 4:31 pm 1 comment
The 1940's had many technological advances, but there is one invention that most households use today that was discovered quite by accident. Percy Spencer invented the microwave oven. He was employed at Raytheon in 1941 and working with magnetron. In 1945 he was standing by an operating magnetron and the chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He decided to test eggs and then popcorn, and this resulted in popcorn popping all over the room. By 1947, the microwave oven was being sold by Raytheon. In his lifetime, Percy received over 300 patents.
The early microwave ovens were huge in size and cost compared to the small ones we can purchase today. They were about 5 ½ feet tall and weighed over 700 pounds. The average cost were about $5000.00 each. The magnetron tube used had to be water-cooled, so plumbing installations were required. With development, an air-cooled magnetron was developed, so plumbing was no longer an issue.
The first to use these microwaves were the restaurants. Microwaves meant they could keep food fresher longer, and heat when the customer ordered. But, soon households were purchasing them. Raytheon sold their first microwave oven in 1947; Radarange was the name chosen as a result of a contest given to Raytheon's employees. These first microwaves sold to the public costs averaged about $2500.00. In 2012, we can now purchase a .9 cubic feet microwave as low as $50.00 at your local Walmart!
Percy LeBaron Spencer was born July 19, 1894 in Howland, Maine and died September 8, 1970 in Massachusetts. An aunt and uncle raised him; his father died when he was young and his mother abandoned him. What is amazing about his accomplishments was that he had very little in the way of an education. Percy was always interested in electricity. He was in the US Navy from 1912-1918 and this is where he gained a lot of his knowledge by attending radio school and his experiences while enlisted. For his work he was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award by the US Navy. He was married to Louise Larsen and had three sons.
On a personal note, I use my microwave daily. In the busy world we live in, it is very nice to be able to put a TV dinner in the microwave, and within minutes have a meal ready to eat. I also use it to heat water for my hot chocolate and to make popcorn. It has been a great time saver and I am very thankful for Percy Spencer and his accomplishments.
Percy Spencer and his family will be in the 1940 census along with many other great scientists and technologists. Please help index the 1940 census so we can quickly discover them and our families! Please visit the 1940 Census webpage to learn how to volunteer and participate in this great endeavor!
"As part of the 1940census.com ambassador program, this blog posts enters me into a drawing for weekly prizes."
Entry filed under: 1940 Census, family history. Tags: 1940 Census, FamilySearch, Indexing.
1 Comment Add your own
It really is just about the popcorn, isn't it? Interesting connection between your post and my post: Vannevar Bush started the company Raytheon!
Here's my posting, in case you have a free minute:
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The Town of Dolores recently release its sales tax revenue report for the year of 2012 and while the numbers are $12,389 less than last year's numbers, the numbers are not as low at town officials estimated, which is good news. In total, the year 2012 brought in $268,056 in sales tax revenue. In 2011 that number was $280,446 and in 2010 that number was $247,955 and in 2009 that number was $256,668.
December showed to be about $9,000 less in sales tax revenue over last year. October and November showed to be bigger than 2011 in terms of sales tax revenue, which was good news to the town considering it lost two businesses to fire in August.
All in all, town officials weren't disappointed in the numbers but are hoping, of course, for a bigger year in 2013.


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The $203 million Northern Federal Credit Union in Watertown, N.Y., and the $107 million Alden Credit Union in Chicopee, Mass., and are expanding their branch networks.
Northern Credit Union broke ground where it is building a seventh branch in the town of LeRay, about 11 miles north of Watertown in upstate New York.
The cooperative said the new branch is expected to enhance member convenience, giving members access to loan officers via video chat technology , a self-service center with ATMs and automatic coin counter and computer tablet-equipped waiting area. The new branch also will have four drive-through lanes with ATMs.
"LeRay is a growing community and we are excited to be a part of it," said Dan St. Hilaire, president/CEO of Northern CU. "We are doing our part to ensure strong communities while providing consumers with convenient locations to handle their financial activities, and options for high-quality financial services."
The construction of the branch is scheduled to be completed by year's end.
Alden CU recently announced it has opened three new branches from April to August.
In July, Alden CU opened its second branch in Chicopee.
The cooperative then expanded its market by opening a branch in South Hadley, about nine miles north of Chicopee, in August. Another branch in Amherst, approximately 17 miles north Chicopee, was opened in April.
"With these changes set in place we are now able to offer our members convenience in addition to our higher deposit rates and lower loan rates," said Adam D. Corcoran, president/CEO of Alden CU. "We have come a long way in a short period of time, and our team will not be stopping. We are constantly moving forward looking at opportunities to maximize the value we offer our members and potential members."


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A slick new trailer for DmC Devil May Cry which has been shown around theaters nationwide has popped up on YouTube, courtesy of CapcomUnity.
The CG trailer shows Dante strutting down the streets of what can only be assumed is New York City, not giving a damn that rain's falling down on him. Why? Dante's too cool for umbrellas, duh. He shoves people out of the way as he heads in the opposite direction of the crowds, even taking the time to slap a girl's demon-infested can of soda out of her hands.
The scene takes a turn for the weird when the buildings start crumbling and Dante starts free-running on cars in the street, headed towards a bank. There he fights demons made of coins, because metaphors are a thing, and slowly makes his way to the fatcat boss upstairs.
Want to find out what happens next? Just watch the trailer below and let us know what you think of Dante's unbridled badassery. And look out for DmC Devil May Cry when it's released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on January 15th, 2013, and for the PC on January 25th, 2013.
Get a look at the world through Dante's eyes in this CG trailer for DmC.
DmC: Devil May Cry Game CG Trailer


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Mahwah, NJ - Farmingdale State men's basketball improved to 1-0 tonight with a 90-29 victory over Berkeley College (0-1) in the opening game of the Ramapo College Tip-Off Tournament. Senior guard Terry Menefee (Mission, KS/Shawnee Mission North) led the Rams with 18 points, while junior guard Peter Lipka (Shelton, CT/Shelton) finished with 15 points (14 points in the first half) and grabbed eight rebounds.
Farmingdale opened the game with a three-pointer by Menefee and two by Lipka for a 9-0 lead. The Rams held a 44-22 advantage at the half and held Berkeley to just seven points in the second for the 61 point victory. Sophomore guard Damien Santana (Brooklyn, NY/Grady) was the third Farmingdale player in double figures with 10 points. Senior forward Sean McCabe (Bellmore, NY/WC Mepham) led the team in rebounding with nine boards and also added nine points. Junior forward Bobby Seible (Freeport, NY/Freeport) rounded out the starting five with eight points and six boards.
Farmingdale State will now face the winner of the Ramapo vs. Yeshiva game tomorrow (Sunday, Nov. 19th) at 3:00pm in the Championship game.


text: Rowan Chenille is 100% cotton, soft and yet textured to the touch. This yarn takes cables and textured stitches very well. Available in strong jewel like colours and in a 50 gram ball it is ideal for colour work, mixing with other Rowan core yarns, but equally makes very wearable and warm garments when knitted by iteslf.


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Have you heard of Marie Forleo?
She's the creator of the award-winning show MarieTV and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes.com, and The New York Times among others. Marie was recently interviewed by Tony Robbins as well as Oprah as one of the world's leading online marketing experts and thought leaders for the next generation.
She also happens to run a multimillion dollar online media business.
Through her own brand of wisecracking advice, Marie inspires hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs to take charge of their success and happiness by boosting their business skills, shedding excuses and injecting massive amounts of fun into each day.
Recently Marie opened up enrolment to B-School, her flagship online training program for entrepreneurs that helps them achieve success by building unique and profitable businesses - something we're also very passionate about here at Shopify.
That's why we're pleased to announce that we're giving away two spots to B-School to two lucky entrepreneurs.
Please note we are not affiliates of B-School and receive no compensation for promoting it - we simply want to give two entrepreneurs from the Shopify community a chance to grow their biz with Marie's help.
What is B-School?
B-School (B as in business) is an 8 week online video-based training program that shows you, step-by-step, how to build a unique and profitable brand, market more effectively, and turn your online presence into a money-making, world-changing machine.
"This is one of the top 5 things I've ever done for myself. The experience changed my life from the inside out. This is so much more than a business course, it's a new way of going through the world." - Lynndee Tonkin
The core curriculum is based on the 6 Pillar Map covered in the first video. You'll also get advanced trainings in social media, PR, tech, and much more.
How to Enter
Since B-School is all about helping entrepreneurs build thriving businesses, we want to know why you want to become an entrepreneur, or, why you became an entrepreneur, and what entrepreneurship means to you. Simply tell us in the comments below this post. You can also increase your odds of winning by tweeting this post using the widget below.
Two winners will be chosen at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, March 3rd.
B-School Giveaway
We are pleased to announce the winners of the Shopify + B-School giveaway... congratulations:
Reno Winston: for his moving response on what entrepreneurship means to him.
Hilde Fossenn: for her work with children and her plan to help other entrepreneurs achieve their goals.
We would like to thank everyone that participated in the giveaway and encourage everyone to continue to work towards building a business they love. If you have a business idea that your'e thinking about launching, make sure you check out Shopify's Build A Business competition.
About the Author: Mark Macdonald is the Content Manager at Shopify. Get more from Mark on Twitter.


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The same V-12 engine that powers the 456 GT and GTA also powers the 456M. Before the release of the 456M, the Ferrari 456 GT marked a shift in the thinking of the famed carmaker, giving more importance to aerodynamics than flamboyance, and the Ferrari 456M takes it to the next level.
The Ferrari 456M is a modified version of the Ferrari 456. The 'M' stands for Modificata, and the Ferrari 456M includes all 456 cars from the chassis number 109589. The 456M itself marks an improvement to the famous Ferrari 456, the 2+2 grand tourer that began production in 1992. This came three years after Ferrari stopped production on its last grand tourer.
The Ferrari 456M boasts some important upgrades from the Ferrari 456. These modifications result from the several updates in Ferrari's technology between 1992 and 1998. The most important changes include alterations in the aerodynamics, the cooling system, and the interior of the car. Towards the end of the Ferrari 456M's life, the company also began its Carrozeria Scaglietti program, which allows consumers to customize their Ferrari 456Ms to a great extent.
Most importantly, the Ferrari 456M increased the production life of the 456. It gave the iconic car a new lease on life that allowed it to stay in production for a total of 11 years. In other words, the Ferrari 456M mixes the timelessness of Pininfarina's original shape with the modern design and performance developed by Ferrari's engineers.
The 2003 Ferrari 456M represents the culmination of 11 years of perfection on a timeless design. Released in 1992, the Ferrari 456 has an aluminum coachwork chemically welded onto a steel tube chassis, using a specialized material called Feran. The rear and front valances, however, are made of composite mouldings.
The car runs on a 5474cc V-12 engine. The Ferrari 456M contains the same engine, but it offers better performance because of an improved cooling system and superior aerodynamics. Some of the changes are visible at first glance. For example, the 456 had a thinner grille with fog lights placed outside it. It also had scoops on the hood, which are absent from the Ferrari 456M. The undercarriage spoiler of the Ferrari 456M is improved from the old 456, which used a motorized spoiler that deployed when the car reached 65 mph.
The Ferrari 456M also features a Bosch Motronic 5.2 engine-management system that delivers 442 hp. Engineers modified the engine's firing pattern to smoothen its running, but the torque remains the same at 398 lb-ft at 4500 rpm. The Ferrari 456M delivers 436 bhp at 6250 rpm and has the option of a manual or automatic transmission. The manual six-speed transmission version of the car is named Ferrari 456M GT, while the automatic version is named the Ferrari 456M GTA. The car reaches a top speed of 186 mph.
The 2003 version of the Ferrari 456M also saw the introduction of the Carrozeria Scaglietti program. This program was launched in 2002 at the Geneva Motor Show, with Michael Schumacher's personal Ferrari 456M on display, featuring custom leather interior, a two-color paint scheme, a reworked instrument layout, and an improved handling pack.
The interiors of the Ferrari 456M were changed slightly as well. The seats are still leather-wrapped using Connolly Leather, but the seats themselves are completely new. New conveniences include some new gauges on the dash as well as a new Becker stereo system located in front of the gear stick. This stands apart from the shallow Sony head unit in the Ferrari 456 GT.
The wheelbase of the Ferrari 456M measures 2600 mm, with the front track measuring 1585 mm and the rear track measuring 1606 mm. Like the previous Ferrari 456 GT, the car comes standard with power steering.
The Ferrari 456M was introduced in 1998 as the result of years of advancement in car manufacturing by Ferrari. It was marked by a revised coachwork on the older Ferrari 456 GT, along with new bumpers and crisper edges along the front fender. The interiors were also updated with refreshed seats and a new stereo system.
After its launch in 1998, the subsequent versions of the Ferrari 456M remained the same. However, the 2002 model saw the introduction of Ferrari's Carrozzeria Scaglietti modification program. This gave prospective Ferrari 456M owners the option to customize their cars to a great extent. The Ferrari 456M production line came to a halt in the following year, marking the end of the Ferrari 456 GT's 11-year run.
2003 Ferrari 456M
Coupe, Sports
2002 Ferrari 456M
The 2002 Ferrari 456M is versatile and practical.