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A general interest publication and a runner-up to Life, Look magazine was trying to stay on top of the computer revolution when, in the fall of 1965, it spotted a good story coming out of Boston. Two rival companies at Harvard, both student-run, were making money hand over fist by using computers to help students find dates. Look's editors dispatched Gene Shalit, then a 29-year-old culture reporter, to investigate.
The concept of computer dating had taken root at Harvard earlier that year, when a junior math major named Jeff Tarr decided he was fed up with coming home alone from mixers with Radcliffe, the women's college across the way. Despite Tarr's towering stature in the math department, he was, at 5 feet 7 inches, less than a heartthrob. Tarr's eureka moment, like that of so many innovators before and after him, reflected the desperation of a guy who couldn't get a date. That he could also make a fortune by expanding the mating pool from Wheaton to Wellesley, from Pembroke to Mount Holyoke, was an afterthought.
Tarr raised $1,250 and recruited classmate Vaughan Morrill. Tarr wrote a questionnaire that asked students to answer 75 questions about themselves and another 75 about their "ideal date." But Tarr was just a math guy; computer science did not yet exist as a major. So he paid a friend $100 to program an IBM 1401 that would match questionnaires with similar responses.
Tarr and Morrill distributed the questionnaire to Boston-area colleges. Students filled it out and returned it with a $3 subscription fee. Tarr paid "punch-card ladies" to transfer each answer onto Hollerith punch cards that were then run through the 1401. Within days the student would receive a computer printout with the names, phone numbers, addresses, and graduating years of six people. Tarr and Morrill gave their parent company a scientific-sounding name: Compatibility Research Inc. They called the dating service Operation Match.
In March, just weeks before the official launch of Operation Match, Boston Globe reporter Timothy Leland received a tip and rushed over to Tarr's corporate headquarters — dorm room G-35, Winthrop House — where he was greeted by a sign on the door: "YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR PLEASURE. YOUR PLEASURE IS OUR BUSINESS."
Half naked and shaving when Leland barged in, Tarr improvised. Operation Match, he jested, had done a study on which kinds of women preferred which kinds of after-shaves.
"And?" Leland asked.
Tarr explained that Old Spice attracts the all-American ladies, while Royall Lyme gets the preppy types. Fascinated, Leland jotted this down for his article — the first in-depth piece ever produced on the computer-dating industry — which would run under the front-page headline "2 Harvard Men Replacing Cupid With Computer." Jeff Tarr, Leland wrote, was "masterminding the cleverest business enterprise since J.D. Rockefeller invested in oil." His computer, Leland later observed, would "analyze all the personality profiles in a matter of seconds, and match the couples up in less time than it takes to say 'Je t'adore.' "
For virtually all of human history the search for a mate has been predicated on scarcity: One met only so many people in his or her lifetime. They optimized their options within a circumscribed pool, chose someone, settled down, and, in the best of cases, found something they called happiness. Even when "women's lib" came along and the legal and cultural restraints surrounding divorce began to ease in the 1960s and 1970s, making it easier to leave failed relationships, many chose to stick with the devil they knew because of scarcity of compatible mates, believing it was better to be in a so-so relationship than no relationship at all.
But wait. Suppose some Harvard math whiz came along with an idea to harness technology in a way that was so big, so fresh, that it could change the game entirely? Not by solving some riddle of scarcity, but by smashing the whole concept of scarcity to pieces, eradicating its relevancy. Why settle for the smug and entitled "Cliffies," asked the height-challenged Jeff Tarr, when I can meet every girl at every school?
"A computer," Tarr told Leland, "can find the right date for a person in a split second, when it might take him or her three years to do it alone." Leland wanted to know if Tarr planned to run his own questionnaire through the computer. "Darn right I do," said Tarr. "Two or three times at least. That's the beauty of being a company president."
Tarr's idea of computer-aided dating, to use modern parlance, went viral. By the fall of '65, six months after the launch, some 90,000 Operation Match questionnaires had been received, amounting to $270,000 in gross profits, or nearly $2 million in today's dollars. Not bad for a scholarship student from small-town Maine.
Tarr had tapped into a vein of loneliness and frustration at single-sex schools in the Northeast and beyond. "This is the greatest excuse for calling up a strange girl that I've ever heard," wrote a computer dater from Williams in a letter to the company.
"No dogs please!" wrote another from Dartmouth.
"The girl you sent me didn't have much upstairs," wrote a third, from Northwestern, "but what a staircase!"
A female computer dater from Connecticut College suspected "that boys don't level" on their questionnaires. "I was honest with mine," she reported, "but I wonder if some guys fill out theirs to see if they can get a first-nighter."
It was clear that Operation Match was going to need a bigger staff. Tarr pulled in another classmate, a chemistry major named David Crump. Then, walking through Cambridge one day, Tarr struck up a conversation with a dropout from Cornell named Douglas Ginsburg. A pot-smoking free spirit looking for a cause, Ginsburg was not yet on his way to becoming a Harvard Law School professor and Supreme Court nominee. "A computer-dating service?" laughed Ginsburg. He signed on right away.
Profits aside, everyone wanted to know the same thing: Did it work? Did the computer really make good matches? "I approve of it as a way to meet people," said a subscriber from Yale, "although I have no faith in the questionnaire's ability to match compatible people. The machine has no way of telling whether or not the girl has pizzazz!" By pizzazz, the student referred to that mysterious aspect of romantic connection, chemistry. How could such an elusive quality be quantified?
Tarr made no claims it could. "We're not trying to take the love out of love," he told Shalit, "we're just trying to make it more efficient. We supply everything but the spark." Operation Match might get 10,000 questionnaires returned from any given geographical area. Tarr and his partners would then do a series of "sorts" — sorting the questionnaires, for instance, according to age, then height, then religion, and so on. After five or six sorts, the pools would become too small to further differentiate. The vast majority of the 150 questions never came into play. Computer dating was about more dates, not better dates.
Harvard being Harvard — a place where students have historically evaded traditional career paths by creating their own jobs — it didn't take long before Operation Match met its first competitor. In the summer of 1965, David Dewan, an MIT grad, was preparing to enter Harvard Business School. Having followed the success of Operation Match as it was chronicled in the pages of the Harvard Crimson, Dewan thought he could steal some market share.
Over the summer he drafted his own dating questionnaire and taught himself how to write code for the Honeywell 200, a car-sized contraption that, at around 3 in the morning, could be rented for $30 an hour from a small Boston mutual-fund company called Fidelity.
Dewan came to the business with a seriousness that Harvard people associate with their geek rivals at MIT. A rich kid who wore Brooks Brothers and drove a Jaguar, he borrowed $10,000 from his grandfather to start his business. He called the service Eros and its parent company Contact Inc.
Dewan entered the fledgling market with guns blazing, telling the Crimson that Operation Match's questionnaire was "less sophisticated, appealing to the big, Mid-west universities." In truth, very little distinguished Contact from Operation Match. Operation Match sold its questionnaires for $3 while Contact charged $4. The questions reflected the politics and preoccupations of the era. Both offered three options for race: Caucasian, Oriental, or Negro. Contact's questionnaire was more strait-laced, seeking daters' opinions on whether civil rights laws should be strengthened and, prophetically, whether the computer is invading too many aspects of personal life.
With no full-time employees, Dewan operated Contact out of his grandparents' home near Cambridge. In one distribution of questionnaires, he drew 11,000 responses at $4 each, or $44,000 in gross profits, more than $250,000 in today's dollars.
Tarr may have been a jokester, but he wasn't going to stand by while Dewan cornered the industry that he had pioneered. In retaliation for Dewan's trash-talking to the Crimson, Operation Match alerted authorities that Dewan intended to paper Harvard Yard with questionnaires for Contact. Things got ugly, fast. On September 29, 1965, campus police collared Dewan for the dubious crime of "distributing questionnaires without a permit." The next day the Crimson splashed the news across its front page: "University Police Eject Man From Winthrop House."
Dewan's enthusiasm was unchecked. "The way I envision things, in 50 years computers may well have reduced our work week to zero hours," he told the Sarasota Journal. "We'll date through computers, mate through computers, select our home with the help of computers, and plan our recreation with computers. It will be a fantastic time and my company and I hope to be a large part of it." He was right on all counts save the one.
Thirty years later, online dating would encounter a strong stigma; to "date online" suggested an inability to meet people in real life. But in the '60s, when Tarr and Dewan brought the first incarnations of computer dating to college kids, stigma didn't surround the medium. Sure, people debated whether Operation Match and Contact worked, whether the chance of meeting someone you liked "via the punch cards" was any better than trolling at a mixer. Yet on campus there was little embarrassment or shame.
For one thing, a celebrated singles culture was emerging outside Harvard's walls. In urban areas across the country, the energetic young were spending disposable income in "singles bars." City papers announced upcoming singles events. The New York Review of Books, known for its highbrow readers, began its famous personals column in 1965. Developers constructed youth-oriented apartment complexes. Guidebooks helped the unattached navigate the scene. Rebelling against their parents' suburban sprawl and soulless conformity, youth of the 1960s saw staying single as an exciting adventure for those up to the challenge.
But even while Dewan turned out to be a visionary, his first taste of utopia was bittersweet. "Back then I was going out with a girl from Wellesley," he recalled four decades later. "I gave her a free questionnaire, because she helped me distribute in the dorms there. When we ran it through the computer, she and I matched. That was exciting! But I forgot that she also received five other matches, including a guy from Amherst, whom she later dumped me for."
Dan Slater's Love in the Time of Algorithms will be released on January 24. Send comments to email@example.com.
Adapted fromLove in the Time of Algorithms, copyright © 2013, Dan Slater,
reprinted by arrangement with Current, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.


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Fall Colors for the Color Blind?
- Written by Dr. Kerri W. Scarbrough, O.D., Eagle Eye Vision Care PS
Color blindness affects 7 percent of males but very few females. It is a genetic glitch which passes from the father, to the unaffected (carrier) daughter, then potentially on to her sons. The severity of color blindness can vary from mild, causing trouble matching socks to total black-and-white vision. Acquired color blindness can be the result of eye or brain disease such as retinitis pigmentosa, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis and should be investigated quickly. Some medications can cause changes in color perception, for example Plaquenil for rheumatoid arthritis and Viagra for erectile dysfunction.
The eye of a person born color blind is healthy but not all portions work well. The cells responsible for color perception are called cones and are located only in our central vision. These cones come in three types—red, green, and blue. When a certain cone does not function fully it is called an "anomaly" and when it fails to function at all is called an "anopia."
The most common form of color blindness is deuteranomaly or "green weak." Color intensity perception is normal but green in low light appears black. For those with the second most common form of color blindness, protanomaly, red looks pale green. The more extreme versions of color blindness, anopias, cause red, orange, and yellow to look the same, and violet, blue, and purple to appear identical.
For the color blind there are many daily frustrations: weather maps, graphs, traffic and warning lights, wiring, cooking and fashion. Color blind men have a difficult time seeing subtle difference between a woman with blue or green eyes and red or blond hair. Even eating for color blind people is different —instead of being a feast for the eye they often see salads and vegetables as an unappealing brown hodgepodge.
However, many males are unaware of having challenges with color vision until they fail a color vision test. The vision test most used is the Ishihara test created in 1917. The test has pages with dots of specific red and green shades which to a normal eye and a color vision eye look different. For instance, a normal eye might see a "72" but a color deficient eye might see "54" or no number at all. Internet versions of this test are available but are not as sensitive.
Early testing helps parents and their sons to understand difficulties with detection and naming of certain colors. Some careers such as sailing, flying, surveying, trucking, and electrical can require accurate color perception for safety. Boys should be evaluated early so reasonable career counseling can take place. There is no current cure for color blindness. Wearing a red contact lens can make greens and reds easier to distinguish but is usually cosmetically unacceptable and does not create true color perception. Gene therapy has worked to eliminate color blindness in some monkeys.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bill's wife Kim is the family genealogist, though Bill shares an enthusiastic passion of learning about our family. The three of us drove out, on a gloriously sunny winter day, to explore the Maineville Cemetery and see if I could glean any clues from the experience.
This is our family plot:
As you can see, the large stone says, "Burch" and there are four headstones for Burch family members. On the opposite side of that stone, is "Wersel" and there are eight family members buried there, including Henry:
Without having my database available, I wasn't able to make sense of the connection between the two families at first. However, when I got back to Bill & Kim's and started looking at the pictures, this is the one that peaked my curiosity:
As I looked at it, I had one of those wonderful "AHA!!" moments. Charles Wesley Richards was the younger brother of Virginia (Richards) Burch and Laura (Richards) Wersel!
Virginia Richards had married Wallace Burch, a businessman who had grown up in Maineville. Their son, Richards (note it's spelled with the family 's'), died when he was only 19:
I suspect that the Wallace Burch purchased the lot at the time of his death, thus creating the space for his wife's family.
Bill was so excited when I told him my theory. As I left on Sunday, the last thing he said to me was, "...and thanks for solving the mystery of Maineville!!"


text:
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Note: Bromine, chlorine and iodine are sold together in one kit (LM3643SC). Shipping weight is 1 lb for each reagent.
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Another Interbike theme was food. After flying in from San Francisco, having munched on some raw food bars from my back pack, I planned to invest my lunch calories in food samples, which are plentiful.
Powerbar was there with it's high protein bars and a new flask containing fruit mash. I stay clear of protein bars containing isolated soy protein, since I don't digest it well, but I tried the mush. It reminded me of my days eating Gerber's baby food. Actually, I don't remember those days, but it reminded me of baby food anyway. Indeed I've heard of ultra-endurance riders preferring baby food on their rides, so the new Powerbar product has precedent. But I'd rather just eat fruit. They also had gel blocks.
Clif was there in force, with Clif Bars, Luna Bars, their granola bars, and their relatively new Lara Bar rip-off. The Lara Bar varient was good, a lot like Lara Bars. Clif Bars and Luna Bars, like Power Bars, are made with soy protein isolate (probably because it's so cheap) so I tend to avoid them, although the concentration in the traditional carbohydrate-focused bars is a lot less than in the protein-rich versions.
Better than the Clif bars were the real food bars from Raw Revolution. These bars are organic, which is a plus, but that didn't explain why I found their taste superior to Lara and the Clif version of same. I asked the guy at the booth and he said it was the higher fat content which was responsible. I like bars with fat on long rides: it's more satiating, more sustaining. For high-intensity rides like races I stick more to gels and carbohydrate-rich bar.
Hammer had their bars, the only vendor I saw to supply full-bar samples. You'd expect Hammer, with its scientific focus, would have some sort of proto-bar, but their bars are whole food based and are quite good.
PR Bar was there. I was a bit surprised they were still around: they go way back, the first of the Zone bars with 40:30:30 carbohydrate:protein:fat calorie ratio. The deal with the Zone diet is this ratio was designed for sedentary people on a weight loss program; it was never designed for on-the-bike. But that aside, the macronutrient ratio isn't the only thing, it's also how you get those calories, and even Barry Sears, who invented the Zone diet, argues whole foods are the best source. These bars taste more like candy than real food. In any case they use soy protein isolate so I passed them up other than a very small taste.
Bonk Breakers take the V with their protein-rich flavors
The best of all, however, were the Bonk Breaker bars. They had two new protein-rich flavors, with easier-to-digest rice protein instead of the cheaper soy protein used by the big names. These were really good, the fats and proteins proving a very tasty gcombination. I'll definitely buy some of these.
Another contribution to the protein selection were protein-rich Jelly Bellys. I don't like jelly beans much, but these were good. They reminded me a lot of Clif's protein shots. The beans are much smaller, however, which ironically probably means a tendency to eat more of them (mass-wise).
Honey Stingers showed they've transcended honey with their various flavors of wafers and gel cubes. Gel cubes pretty much all taste the same to me, functional, so there's not much to say about these. The wafers are tasty but the packaging is hard to open controllably on the bike. I noted this to a guy at the booth and he said they were aware of this and were updating the package.
Gatorade also had gel blocks, which were good. I'm not sure how they compare with the myrid of other gel blocks available, but one thing I liked was they didn't have caffeine. Caffeine has its place in endurance sports: it's a great late-ride boost in competion. But it must be used in moderation to be effective. The virtual ubiquity of caffeine in gels and blocks suggests it's being used in anything but moderation.
In the drink mix market Scratch Labs managed to get their product distributed liberally around the floor. It's good, with a light taste, mixed to only a 3% carbohydrate concentration. Osmo, a product originating close to my home, is very similar. Each is mostly cane sugar and some flavor. I talked to Lisa Hunt, who was in the Osmo booth with Stacey Sims (who is responsible for the philosophy behind their product) and she said liquid is for hydration, food is for calories. Hammer Nutrition has long promoted this sort of separation, perhaps using a thick drink for calories but a low-carbohydrate solution for hydration, getting electrolytes from their tablets. The thing about this is the drink mix may taste good, but I can get the same effect by dumping an appropriate amount of sugar into my bottles. But I'm tempted to get a pack of Osmo to try it out.
Also on the hydration front were samples of coconut water. The growth in the availability of coconut water has been huge lately. I wonder at where all of this coconut water originates: how may acres of land in Thailand are dedicated to supplying the western world with this stuff? I certainly love coconut water, but from an environmental perspective I generally object to hauling fully-constituted drinks back and forth across the ocean. For on the bike, I'll stick with sugar water, although coconut water remains a guilty post-ride indulgence.
So despite technically skipping lunch, I was well fed during my day at Interbike. Afterwards, I joined some good friends at at a really good Pan-Asian restaurant where the food was perhaps on the rich side but neverthless delicous. It was a surprisingly enjoyable trip to Las Vegas, and I suspect I'll be back.


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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Expedition Three crew member Mikhail Tyurin is ready to take the wheel of the M-113 armored personnel carrier that is part of emergency egress training at the pad. The training is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. The STS-105 crew members taking part are Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Daniel Barry and Patrick Forrester; and the other Expedition Three crew members: Commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonaut Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov . Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The current Expedition Two crew members on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch of Discovery is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001. (Photo Release Date: 07/18/2001 )
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If a recognizable person appears in this photograph, use for commercial purposes may infringe a right of privacy or publicity. It may not be used to state or imply the endorsement by NASA of a commercial product. These photographs are available for preview and download in electronic digital form ONLY. They may not be ordered from NASA in photograph form. (See NASA Copyright Notice)


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OCZ's RevoDrive 3; the other kind of hybrid
Subject: Storage | March 12, 2012 - 07:00 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Sandforce SF2281, revodrive hybrid, RevoDrive 3, PCIe SSD, ocz, hybrid ssd
If you are looking for the speed of an SSD but can't afford one big enough to hold your OS and programs there are two main ways to work around this. The first is only available to Intel SandyBridge owners and that is Intel's SRT which allows you to use a mSATA SSD as a cache drive to speed up commonly used programs. The second is to pick up a hybrid SATA drive like the Seagate Momentus XT line, which does essentially the same thing but is compatible with most systems and is self contained. Techgage would like to remind you that there is a third choice, albeit perhaps more expensive than the other two; the OCZ RevoDrive 3 Hybrid PCIe SSD. This drive sports 1TB of HDD space and 128GB of flash memory split between two SandForce 2281 controllers and at a cost of $330 gives you a lot more space than a $330 SSD.
"SSDs are expensive and often don't offer enough capacity to meet user needs. The recent SSD caching craze attempts to alleviate both these issues, but OCZ has done one better. Combining a RevoDrive 3 with a 1TB HDD the RevoDrive Hybrid offers a self-contained SSD caching solution that is guaranteed to work."
Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:
- OCZ Demonstrates Vertex 4 SSD At CeBIT 2012 - It gets Tested and Tested Again @ SSD Review
- Romex FancyCache Review - SSD Performance At 13GB/s and 765,000 IOPS In 60 Seconds Flat! @ SSD Review
- SSD Caching – "SSD, but my friends call me cache" @ TechwareLabs
- Patriot Memory Pyro 120GB 2.5" SATA III SSD Drive Review @ Madshrimps
- 128GB SSD Roundup @ Rbmods
- Verbatim 2.5" Sata-III SSD 120GB @ Rbmods
- OCZ Vertex 3 240GB SATA III 2.5" SSD Review @ Madshrimps
- RunCore Pro V Max 240GB SSD Review @ circuitREMIX
- Corsair Force Series GT 180GB SSD Review @ circuitREMIX
- Synology DiskStation DS411 and New DSM 4.0 Operating System @ X-bit Labs
- OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual Mini RAID Data Storage/Backup @ SSD Review
- QNAP TurboNAS TS-419P II 4-Bay NAS Review @ eTeknix
- ICY DOCK EZ DOCK USB 3.0 HDD adaptor @ Bjorn3D
- Lacie 5big Office+ Nas Review @ TechwareLabs
- ToughTech mini-Q Encrypted Portable Drive @ TechwareLabs
- How to Buy an External Hard Drive @ TechReviewSource
- Zalman ZM-HE350u3 3.5" @ Bjorn3D
OCZ's RevoDrive Hybrid tries for the best of both worlds
Subject: Storage | January 12, 2012 - 01:24 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ocz, revodrive hybrid, PCIe SSD
Although Al polished off his review of the OCZ RevoDrive Hybrid just before Christmas it is worth revisiting this unique hybrid of PCIe SSD and HDD. Consisting of a PCIe SSD with 100GB of usable storage and a 1TB 5400RPM HDD which uses the SSD as a cache. The Dataplex software which is needed for the RevoDrive to function properly has a small flaw; in order to function you need to be using the Hybrid drive as your boot drive. That complaint is the exact opposite of Al's problem with the first generation of PCIe SSD which could not be used as a boot drive. Read how the drive performed on RealWorldLabs test bench here.
"Aimed mostly towards professionals and enthusiasts the latest RevoDrive Hybrid 1TB PCI Express Storage Solution by OCZ combines the breathtaking read/write speeds of the RevoDrive3 PCI-E SandForce based SSD with the large capacity of a 1TB 2.5inch hard disk drive, all in one very convenient package."
Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:
- OCZ Agility 3 - 120Gb SSD @ Funky Kit
- Corsair Performance Pro 256GB SSD Review @ Neoseeker
- Kingston HyperX 240 GB @ techPowerUp
- Seagate 500GB Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Hard Drive @ PCSTATS
- Patriot Pyro SE 120GB & 240GB SSD Review @ Neoseeker
- Nero 11 Platinum Software Review @ Hi Tech Legion
- Hard Disk Drive Myths Debunked! Rev. 4.9 @ TechARP
- Synology DiskStation DS212+ NAS Server Review @ Real World Labs
- Thecus N5200XXX @ Computing on Demand
- Seagate 2TB Barracuda XT 6Gb/s SATA III @ PCSTATS
Podcast #181 - Hybrid Storage Roundup, the ASUS US36SD-XA1 notebook, News of the week and more!
Subject: Editorial | December 8, 2011 - 05:44 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: revodrive hybrid, podcast, nvidia, notebook, Intel, hybrid, asus, amd
PC Perspective Podcast #181 - 12/08/2011
Join us this week as we talk about our Hybrid Storage Roundup, the ASUS US36SD-XA1 notebook, News of the week and more!
You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still
The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!
- iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
- RSS - Subscribe through your regular
- MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file
Hosts: Josh Walrath, Jeremy Hellstrom, and Allyn Malvantano
This Podcast is brought to you by
Program Schedule:
- 0:00:40 Introduction
- 1-888-38-PCPER or firstname.lastname@example.com
- http://pcper.com/podcast
- http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
- 0:02:05 Hybrid Storage Roundup: Seagate Momentus XT vs. OCZ RevoDrive Hybrid vs. Intel Z68
- 0:15:20 ASUS U36SD-XA1 Notebook Review: The Battery That Never Dies
- 0:21:00 Video Perspective: AMD A8-3850 vs Intel Core i3-2105 Gaming Comparison
- 0:24:20 This Podcast is brought to you by
MSI Computer, and their all new Sandy Bridge Motherboards!
- 0:25:12 ASRock Z68 Extreme 7 Gen 3 LGA 1155 Motherboard Review
- 0:27:15 Asus GeForce Direct CU II Series Reviews
- 0:28:16 Intel, Micron double single-chip flash capacity
- 0:33:46 Mobile madness minus benchmarks; new mobile GPUs from AMD & NVIDIA
- 0:40:39 Ivy Bridge should be here by the spring
- 0:46:05 Chrome passes Firefox and is now the 2nd most used browser
- 0:49:50 It's a bit early for 11.12, but how about Catalyst 11.11c?
- 0:51:15 Memorieeessssss lots of memoriesssss
- 0:55:06 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
- Josh: Treat yourself for Christmas with a new vid card and game
- Allyn: Ready Player One - (Audiobook)
- 1-888-38-PCPER or firstname.lastname@example.com
- http://pcper.com/podcast
- http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
- Closing
Back in 2006, storage tech talk was intermittently buzzy with a few different innovations. One was wrapped around the pending release of Windows Vista, particularly two bullets on its feature list: ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive. In parallel with all of the Ready_____ talk, many tech pundits asked why it would be necessary to have the flash talk to Windows through special drivers. Why couldn't the flash memory just act like a larger RAM cache already present on?
A prototype ReadyBoost-enabled HDD by Samsung.
The answer, which nobody was aware of at that time, was that management of flash memory was a tricky thing to do successfully. It would not be until several years later that SSD's would (mostly) beat the issues of Long Term Performance and other issues that crop up when attempting to store randomly written data onto a device that can only be erased in relatively large blocks.
ReadyDrive required a special 'Hybrid' disk drive to be connected to and recognized by Windows Vista, containing both spinning platters and flash memory. Vista would then place frequently used small files on the flash. Since flash memory has negligible access times when compared to seek times of a HDD, the drive overall would boot significantly faster. Other tasks using those cached system files also saw a benefit. While ReadyDrive looked great on paper, there were very few devices ever released that could take advantage of it. Seagate was the earliest to release such a drive, and their Momentus 5400 PSD laptop drive did not see the light of day until Vista was nearly a full year old.
Continue reading our roundup of the best hybrid storage solutions on the market today!!
The OCZ RevoDrive Hybrid, a PCIe SSD with a HDD piggybacking a ride
Subject: Storage | November 10, 2011 - 01:18 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: revodrive hybrid, PCIe SSD, ocz
If you have $500 and a free PCI-E x4 2.0 slot then OCZ has a rather unique product you could try out. This new RevoDrive Hybrid is a 100GB PCIe SSD card with a low power 2.5" Toshiba 1TB HDD spinning at 5400RPM. You could think of it as similar to an Agility 3 120GB, though in this case it is acting as a very large cache for a HDD using OCZ's proprietary Virtualized Controller Architecture 2.0. Performance-wise this odd looking beast surprised Hardware Canucks, beating the hybrid drive from Seagate as well as the Intel SRT that they tested against, but they caution prospective buyers about some sacrifices that had to be made by OCZ. These drives are not quite plug and play, they require software to be installed in order to function properly and it turns out that the software is quite CPU intensive. Read through the article and see if the sacrifices are worth the gains for your system.
"Searches for affordable high capacity SSDs usually come up blank so several manufacturers have begun releasing hybrid solutions which combine the performance of an SSD with the storage space of the hard drive. OCZ's RevoDrive Hybrid is the latest to take on this challenge by combining a 100GB SSD with a 2.5" 1TB HDD. This isn't exactly a match made in heaven but the benefits are tangible."
Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:
- SanDisk Ultra 120GB SF-1200 @ Tweaktown
- Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB Solid State Drive Review @ eTeknix
- Crucial 256GB m4 2.5" SSD with Data Transfer Kit Review @ Madshrimps
- OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G Review: A Fast MacBook Air SSD Upgrade @ AnandTech
- AData S510 SATA 3 120GB SSD Review @ The SSD Review
- Patriot Wildfire 120GB Solid State Drive Review @ eTeknix
- Silicon Power Velox V20 120GB SATA II SSD Review @ The SSD Review
- Super Talent Upstream PCIe 200GB SSD Exclusive First Look @ The SSD Review
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- Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (Tempo Running Short Light Grey Polarized Blue Women's Blue Photo NIKE Wolf Dry aEqwZfEg)
- Item model number: 1342
- Average Customer Review: 54 customer reviews
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,412 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
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Black Red NIKE White Downshifter Running Grey 6 GS Dark Shoes Challenge Kids' PS
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- Track Pista bar with a classic drop for a comfortable forward position
- Shaped to provide numerous hand positions for speed and comfort
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Pista handlebars have a classic drop, ideal for a comfortable forward riding position. Install these on almost any bicycle, whether you're riding your Pista fixie, road bike, cyclocross, daily commuter, or track bike. 6061 aluminum makes these bars very strong, very rigid, and very lightweight.
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August 2, 2018
Color: Black Verified Purchase
It's hard to find traditional / retro pista bars like this. They were exactly what I wanted for my Super Pista build, they were inexpensive and I think they look great. As others have noted, if you really put your weight on the drops they have a minute amount of flex. I don't consider this an issue. Would but these again - and I probably will, as I'm building out another Bianchi for a friend right now!
February 17, 2015
Color: Black Verified Purchase
These was the perfect fit for my bike and the price was right and I didn't have to wait forever for them to be delivered
July 2, 2016
Color: Chrome Verified Purchase
I give it 5 start the handle bars fit my 6ki fixie is worth the money and I just love it
November 9, 2015
Color: Black Verified Purchase
Didn't really go with the build; so she hit the parts shelf for a future project, the thinner tubing just didn't have the serious machine look, so I will probably use it on my next bike build, a no-nonsense commute single speed, stripper...
June 3, 2014
Color: Chrome Verified Purchase
These bars look perfect on my track bike and at first I was quite happy with them, But I've found that when I'm in the drops, I can feel them flex. Mind you i'm only 140lbs, so me putting the hammer down isn't going to generate as much force as someone who may weigh more.
If you aren't doing hard track & fixed gear riding the flex may not be as much of an issue for you though.
I'm going to keep them as spares ( i really do like the deep drops ) but I am in the market for a stronger set.
If you aren't doing hard track & fixed gear riding the flex may not be as much of an issue for you though.
I'm going to keep them as spares ( i really do like the deep drops ) but I am in the market for a stronger set.
Kid Swim Socks Men's Footwear Women's Peach Yoga Dry Water Quick Barefoot Shoe Line Summer JOINFREE Shoes Aqua xqwOY1OI Awesome.. until i wrecked and scratched them up ...May 23, 2016
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Awesome ..until i wrecked and scratched them up on the right side.hey that what bar tape`s are for!
January 17, 2017
Color: White Verified Purchase
Love the quality and color. Very happy
August 15, 2015
Color: Chrome Verified Purchase
Really strange shape. Extremely low posture position makes these bars uncomfortable. Also does not accept regular caps at the ends. Would only recommend for serious track bikes.
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Work as intended, just an awkward shape.
its extremely awkward. i have to use the handlebars like flat ones, mostly because its too low & unsafe.
it doesnt even look that good to keep. Read more
it doesnt even look that good to keep. Read more
These kinda sucked. They dropped really low and were stupid and awkward. It's really hard to tell from the picture how they will fit but they really didn't fit at all. Read more
Very lightweight. Love the look of the pista style bars.
I had to return these bars, I found them WAY too wide to be pista bars.
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Whalies toast local music
New London - About an hour before the start of the fourth Whalie Awards, Adam Wujtewicz, a musician and co-founder of the Wailing City music blog, looked out on the shivering crowds stepping on the red carpet entrance to the Hygienic Art Park.
To put it mildly, the weather Saturday night was chilly, or more to the point, cold.
"Well, this is New England and this is New London, so maybe we have to suffer a little bit," Wujtewicz said. "But we'll work with it."
Seasoned with New London's blue collar spirit, the Whalies - the annual celebration of the music scene that celebrates itself and has become the city's party of the year - carried on.
The cold and intermittent rain caused about a 45-minute delay to the start of the show, as volunteers erected tents over the red carpet and sound equipment.
But the delay served to build anticipation, and most of the mix of nominees and fans arrived late anyway.
Tim Donnel, who plays in the Weird Beards, kept warm by wearing a pink furry hat with ears protruding out of it and a garbage bag, presumably to guard against rain.
"(The Whalies) are fun," Donnel said. "And the right kind of fun."
Nicki Bonanno, of New London, was at her first Whalies, and before the show, she was curious about it.
"There's been a lot of 'like' and 'dislike' with the Whalies," she said. "I wanted to see for myself."
This year, the number of categories increased from 34 last year to 38.
As in previous years, critics from outside New London County decided half of the awards, while others were voted on by local music fans on WailingCity.com.
According to Wailing City's Meghan Killimade, a record number of people voted in this year's contest.
Local singer-songwriter Daphne Lee Martin took home the top critics prize, winning Album of the Year for her January release "Moxie."
Martin, normally known for her jazzy take on alt-country, jumped genres to also win the critics choice for best pop performance for "Belly."
Other multiple critics choice winners included the new Mystic quintet Slander, who won Song of the Year for their post-punk romp "Magnets," as well as Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
In perhaps the award show's most poignant moment, Gone for Good won Best Rock Performance for "Marvelous Liar," the last song the trio worked on with late drummer Josh Lecce, who died in an automobile accident in 2009.
Last year's big critics winners, the piano and live painting duo Pocket Vinyl, this year emerged as fan favorites, as they earned two people's choice awards for Best Indie Pop and Best Video for "I Hear Colors."
The ceremony included live performances by Empty Vessels, Nancy Parent, Street People and others.
Best Alternative: The Suicide Dolls
Best Alternative Folk: Folk Y'all
Best Blues/Country Rock: John Fries Band
Best DJ: Chumzilla
Best Folk/Bluegrass: Raise The Rent
Best Garage: Brazen Hussy
Best Hard Rock/Metal: Bedroom Rehab Corporation
Best Hip Hop/R&B: Camacho
Best Indie Pop: Pocket Vinyl
Best Indie Rock: Straight To VHS
Best Themed Music Series: Live Lunch Break/The Day
Best Punk: Wrist Like This
Best Reggae/Ska: The Hempsteadys
Best Rock: Anderson Family Picnic
Best Roots Rock: Weird Beards
Best Solo Singer/Songwriter: Steve Elci
Best Urban Alternative: NME The Illest
Best Video: Pocket Vinyl " I Hear Colors"
Album Of The Year: Daphne Lee Martin "Moxie"
Rock/Pop Album Of The Year: Straight To VHS "Rewinder"
Americana Album Of The Year: Good Sponge Volume 2
Hip Hop Album/Mixtape Of The Year: Alumni "First Day Back"
Record Of The Year: Street People "Dreams"
Song Of The Year: Slander "Magnets"
Breakthrough Artist Of The Year: Slander
Best Alternative Garage/Performance: Burnouts From Outer Space "Queen Of The Angels"
Best Pop Performance: Daphne Lee Martin "Belly"
Best Indie Rock Performance: Straight To VHS "It's Not The Money"
Best Rock Performance: Gone For Good "Marvelous Liar"
Best Punk/Ska Performance: Dead City Riot "Before The Dawn"
Best Folk/Bluegrass: Dirt Road Radio "Cold Hearted Man"
Best Alternative Folk Performance: GraveRobbers "Buried In Burgundy"
Best Blues/Country Rock Performance: The Rivergods "When Times Were Good"
Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance: Bedroom Rehab Corporation "Gone By The Boards"
Best Urban Alternative Performance: The 17th "No Name"
Best Hip Hop/R&B Performance: Camacho featuring Erik Lamb "Hip Hop Don't Stop"
Best Solo Performance: Josi Davis "Ivy Grows"
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Is the long tradition of cursive handwriting on the way out?
With cap on H-2B visas for foreign workers, businesses struggle to find summer employees


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Michele M Rasmussen needed a new banner ad design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 63 designs submitted by 14 freelance designers.
Looking to change/update current banner.
Looking to change/update current banner at http://www.learntoballroomdanceonline.com to Love to Dance Online.
Site is currently quite feminine although most of our members are men. Wanting to appeal to a wider audience.We offer online dance instruction and advice and information. The sale of shoes and more dance related products to come.
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- Item 1...stick figures, anything cartoony. nothing garish.


text: Taro is available throughout the year in both specialty stores and general food markets. When selecting, choose those that are firm and do not have shriveled skins or show signs of mold. Store in a cool dry place for up to three or four days. Do not store in the refrigerator. When purchased in a food store, the root may be coated with edible wax, which helps to preserve this tuber for several weeks or longer periods of time, depending on the method of storage.


text:
Liberty News
Projects push forward as cooperation grows with local governments
|Liberty purchased the former Sears building in the River Ridge Mall last year. It is being considered as the site for a proposed regional civic center.
As enrollment figures have climbed at Liberty University in the past decade — to more than 12,600 residential students today — strengthening relationships with local governments and businesses has become even more essential to meet the needs of an area that has quickly turned into a thriving college town.
"All our colleges are growing," said Lynchburg City Council member Joan Foster, former mayor. "It's good to have all these college students. That's a lot of young people in our community."
Because of this influx, Lynchburg's median age is 35 years old, she said.
"When you have an explosion in the number of students, you have to be prepared for that, you have to have a plan," Foster said. "It is an exciting time. When you're growing and prospering that is what I want for my community always."
Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. has taken an active role in meeting with Foster and other government officials and business leaders. Most recently, he addressed them at the annual dinner of the Region 2000 Local Government Council, where he spoke about the improved relations, including progress on a proposed regional civic center.
A previous feasibility study showed Liberty's involvement in a publicly managed civic center that would serve Lynchburg and surrounding counties would be essential to the project's economic viability.
The matter gained more attention when Liberty announced last year it had purchased the former Sears building at River Ridge Mall and proposed that the site be used as a civic center, and possibly a conference center and hotel.
Liberty would be a primary tenant of the civic center, which would provide the university with expanded seating capacity for its indoor athletics events and other university-sponsored functions.
"We hope this time it can be your facility and we can just be a tenant," Falwell told the group. "We look forward to growing together."
(View more news on the civic center proposal on WSET.com.)
Falwell also talked about plans for future development, such as restoring two islands it owns in the James River and on-campus construction of new academic and residential buildings, as ways the university is working to be a good neighbor and stay connected to the community.
With Liberty as an ally, Lynchburg area communities are reaping benefits, like improvements to major arterial highways, an enhanced inventory of recreational facilities, and budding cultural activities that come alongside the continuing development of a major four-year university.
"I think the relationship between Liberty and local governments in the region is an evolving one that is growing in parallel," said Bryan David, executive director of the Region 2000 Economic Development Council. "In the past several years, Liberty, in addition to achieving its mission as a university, has simultaneously become an engine of our region's economy. Because of that standing, Liberty has materially impacted all of our region's local governments in a positive way. Higher education, in general, has a very positive influence on the region. Liberty is a very easy organization to work with."
Campbell County Administrator David Laurrell is equally optimistic about the relationships between Liberty and the communities that surround it.
"Our working relationship with Liberty has always been great," he said. "Liberty has a lot of really exciting things going on. The university is a great working partner with the community. I think Liberty's presence has a positive economic impact on the area."


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When Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes (left) recently launched a worldwide prayer campaign to seek spiritual reparation for priestly sexual abuse, it rang a bell.
A quick search of our files showed that Cardinal John P. Foley made a similar proposal back in 2002, when the accusations and revelations of abuse were building to a full-fledged scandal.
Here's what we reported in a couple of stories at the time:
Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said the real tragedy of clerical sex abuse is not the embarrassment caused to the church, but the grave offense against God and children. Speaking in Philadelphia … he said he suggested to Pope John Paul that the church declare a period of prayer and reparation for the "tragic moral flaws" revealed in the lives of some priests. (Full story here.)
"In this time of great tragedy for the church, I have suggested to the highest authority that the three days before Holy Thursday, which is the day on which we recall the institution of the priesthood, be dedicated to reparation and to prayer for the sanctification of priests," he said. (Full story here.)
Archbishop Foley's idea didn't go anywhere at the time. Or at least it didn't seem to — the path of Vatican initiatives is often circuitous and lengthy.
Today, nearly six years later, much has changed. The Vatican has had ample time to reflect on the damage caused by sex abuse. There is a new pope, of course, and more to the point there is a new head of the Congregation for Clergy in Cardinal Hummes.
His predecessor, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, will be remembered by many journalists for refusing to answer questions about sex abuse during a Vatican press conference in March 2002 — a week after Archbishop Foley made his proposal of churchwide prayer.
PHOTO: Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes speaks at a news conference at the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo in 2006 after Pope Benedict XVI named him head of the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy. (CNS/Reuters)


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(Reuters) - Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks with a broken jaw after being hit by a pitch from Mets starter Jon Niese in New York on Wednesday.
With two outs in the sixth inning, former All-Star Heyward was struck by a 90 mph fastball and immediately fell to the ground amid groans from the crowd.
Head trainer Jeff Porter and Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez ran out to attend to Heyward, who was then seen by Mets doctors before being taken to a Manhattan hospital to have X-rays and further tests.
Two fractures were revealed in his jaw and Howard has been told he could miss the rest of the regular season as he will need between four and six weeks to recover.
"It was tough," Niese told reporters after the Braves beat the Mets 4-1 at Citi Field. "I wanted to elevate a fastball right there, and then it didn't really slip out of my hands, but it kind of just ran in on him.
"Obviously no intent, but I just felt bad. It's every pitcher and every hitter's worst nightmare. I just hope he's OK."
Heyward, an All-Star in 2010, entered Wednesday's game hitting .254 with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs in 94 games for Atlanta this season.
"He never lost consciousness," Gonzalez said. "He was talking the whole time when he got hit with the ball.
"Before they took him to the hospital, he popped his head into the dugout and said 'bye' to some of the guys. I got a chance to talk to him briefly after that."
Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Simon Evans and Nick Mulvenney


text:
Monday, July 29, 2013
(Not So) quick thoughts on the weeping and gnashing of teeth surrounding the rebuild.
In 2011, with the Astros finishing 56-106, the Astros had the 26th ranked farm system. They were bad at every. single. level. Because of Drayton, and Tal, and Tim Purpura. That's what trying to patch the major league roster will do to an organization over time, unless you can support a $200M+ payroll, which the Astros can't. Now, they're on pace for about the same record, but by many accounts have a top 5 system. Some have even said the best in baseball. That's progress, no matter how you try to spin it. Let's look at what having the top farm system has meant for other teams in the past, looking at their major league record that year and what it meant for the club going forward:
2003: Cleveland Indians, 68-94, 93 wins 2005, Playoffs 2007
2004: Milwaukee Brewers, 67-94, Playoffs 2008
2005: Los Angeles Angels, 95-67, Playoffs 2007, 2008, 2009
2006: Arizona Diamondback, 76-86, Playoffs 2007
2007: Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 66-96, Playoffs 2008, 2010, 2011
2008: Tampa Bay Rays, see above. See how perennially ranked farm systems can sustain success?
2009: Texas Rangers, 87-75, Playoffs 2010, 2011, 2012
2010: Tampa Bay Rays, do I really need to make this point much more?
2011: Kansas City Royals, 71-91, currently at .500 for 2013 (ok, they're not helping my point here)
2012: Texas Rangers, yep...again.
So many well-respected people who make a living off of knowing these things continue to praise the talent Luhnow the Astros are now collecting in the minors. He has the track record, whether you want to believe it or not. From Grantland: "According to Baseball America, more players on Opening Day rosters this year were signed by Luhnow than by any other scouting director."
The word from those who see the inside of the clubhouse is that Porter is doing a good job keeping these kids invested in the team, despite the constant flow of losses. Outside of Harrell, the attitudes of these players is largely positive and they're building a team atmosphere.
I know it's hard to look a little deeper than the current stats and standings, but have patience. The milk was spilled several years ago. It's time to quit crying about it and accept that it's time to clean it up.
18 comments:
I don't like to post negatively here since I really appreciate what y'all do, BUT this argument (and most of its related predecessors) are basically strawmen.
I read your arguments as follows (of course, I obviously may be wrong): If someone disagrees with the complete teardown process, they obviously don't understand how teams are built. They must feel teams are built through free agency. In fact, they probably want Crane to be like the Dodgers and have a 200 million payroll.
Personally, that is insulting. A team can rebuild without a complete teardown. That might involve spending money on interim free agents, or it might simply mean not unloading every decent player drawing a breath. Heaven forbid that they either kept some players, or added a few and had a bottom-tier payroll of 50 million. While this might have not raised them to playoff caliber team (the often stated threshold needed to apparently even try to win - another insulting argument, btw), it would have least given their young players a better environment to develop. I won't even get into the business-side benefits of increased fan good will and demand to watch them (the primary failing behind CSN's failings).
- July 29, 2013 at 5:19 PM
- Blinutne said...
Everyone gets to form their own opinion of things, and that's fair, but I don't feel like the above commenter at all.
I'm all on board. Yeah, the big league club is terrible, but I have a reason to believe the future will be bright. Where I live, there are very few Astros fans, and people who do follow baseball usually root for the popular teams. When I tell them I'm an Astros fan, they always ask "why?" or talk about how much it must suck. But they just don't get it. I feel so positive about the direction of the club that the W/L record doesn't even matter to me right now. I hope more Astros fans can stick it out and feel good that, for once, our franchise is at least TRYING to do it right.
- July 29, 2013 at 5:25 PM
- The Batguy said...
Anon...I don't find your comment negative at all. It's thought out and unemotional. I love disagreeing with rational fans, because it usually leads to better understanding of both side's points. We may never agree, but I love a fan who's invested in their team enough to think beyond the soundbites.
That said, I would find it more insulting if the team signed some stop-gap free agents who might get us over 70 wins in an effort to appease the fans. Maybe that means I put my style of fandom on a higher pedestal than the average guy, but that's how I see it. Every trade that's been made has improved the chances of viability of the club for the long-term, yes at the expense of the short term.
The only real examples I can think of for rebuilding on the fly are Pittsburgh and Kansas City, and those were excruciatingly long efforts that have yet to truly pay off.
- July 29, 2013 at 5:37 PM
I Agree, Teams That Stopgap Rebuild To Win 70 Games Or Stick Around .500 Is Insulting To Fans. It Isn't Worth It Just To Stay Respectable In MLB. Playoffs Or Bust.
- July 29, 2013 at 8:36 PM
I'm conflicted about stop-gap free agents. I think 2-3 smart moves in the pen can go along way to moving down the road. It can be very deflating for a pitcher to keep losing W's after good outings. Another plus side is being able to move them at the dead line.
But the other side of my brain says spending money of free agents (10m+) is a waste of money.
- July 29, 2013 at 8:46 PM
Without addressing the meat of this post, I only respond to give defense to Ed Wade, who I think is deserving of WAAAAY more credit than he gets here. Everyone is mancrushing hard on George Springer, for good reasons, but let's not forget which GM drafted him. Ed Wade. Foltynewicz? Another Ed Wade draftee. Delino DeShields, Jake Buchanan, Jack Armstrong, Nick Tropeano, Vincent Velasquez...? All drafted by Ed Wade. And oh yeah, the last I heard most Philly fans are still pretty pissed about losing Cosart, Domingo Santana, AND Jon Singleton for Hunter Pence. And do I need to even mention Castro and Lyles?
Can we please stop bashing Ed Wade for the failures of Drayton McLane?
- July 29, 2013 at 9:22 PM
Yes, "bust" has done wonders for the franchise. No attendance and no TV deal now or the immediate future, both of which lead to lower revenues now and in the future. People also discount the losing attitude that may not be so easily dispatched. There have been teams with well ranked MiLB who had trouble overcoming that losing mentality.
Personally, I doubt Luhnow even planned on this level of tear down. Originally, he mentioned a payroll of about 50 million, as he probably realized the potential downside of turning the team into complete crap. However something changed, and he now has less than 20 million to work with. More than likely, the change is simply the over-payment for the franchise, based on TV revenues which never materialized.
- July 29, 2013 at 10:02 PM
- Alex Cohn said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- July 30, 2013 at 1:03 AM
- Alex Cohn said...
The ultimate goal is the World Series. Luhnow and his team have a well thought-out blueprint, and I believe it will succeed.
It's only been a couple years, but let's remember that this front office was essentially given the WORST long-term product and/or plan in ANY sport.
Luhnow has more than deserved his grace period. Nearly every transaction he's made has been a good one. He reminds me of Daryl Morey.
Now, if we come across 2017, 2018, and we arent improving drastically..then I'd have more concern.
The truth is, we're lucky to have switched front office personnel. Luhnow was simply a great hire. He gives us the best chance, out of any team, to acquiring the best possible prospects--and lots of them.
Hence, like the author said--we're no longer kidding ourselves about prospects like J.R Towles and Max Sapp. We're not making bone-headed signings like WOODY WILLIAMS.
Have patience. Rome wasn't built in a day. Our GM is working to bring us the dynasty that he helped form in St. Louis
- July 30, 2013 at 1:08 AM
Like who is an impact player available in recent free agency?? None of the recent long term contracts have worked out recently, such as pujols, Hamilton, fielder and so forth. Perhaps Beltran is the best recent free agent contract and he carries significant injury risk. My point is this... Impact players are only possible thru high draft picks because of the changes to free agency and the end of the steroid era. Young is best. This is now the only way to rebuild. Free agency can be used to finish a ball club, but not build. Disagree with the first comment!!
- July 30, 2013 at 5:02 AM
- The Batguy said...
I've gone back and looked at Ed Wade's transaction history with Houston, and he does deserve more credit than I've given him. He made some missteps, sure, but he had some good moves, too, particularly in the last couple years with the team. Looking back, most of the damage was done when Purpura was the GM. I'll edit the post accordingly. My apologies to Ed Wade.
- July 30, 2013 at 7:09 AM
Tim Pupura might be the worst GM of all time. Terrible (I.e non-existent) prospect development, HORRIBLE signing, and one-sided trades (of which we were on the wrong end) pretty much covers all the bases.
- July 30, 2013 at 7:44 AM
I wrote the first comment, and this discussion, as it has been all year, is fruitless. Part is an inability to properly communicate my argument and part is that people seem incapable of seeing any shades of gray. If I criticize the scope of the rebuild, even though I understand that some form of rebuild was necessary, then by god, I must be advocating signing Pujols or Hamilton. OK.
Many rebuilds avoid big names and they certainly avoid the Dodgers model, but they might add a small piece here or there, or retain some of what they have developed. They also actually consider winning to be a goal, and understand that it is not something one turns off and on (the typical world series or bust reply).
Additionally, as to the point that Luhnow inherited a historically bad team. That is debatable. In recent years, the Mets, Marlins and Cubs were all in similar straights. Two of those teams have done a better job of retaining their fanbase through the trying times, and are therefore better positioned financially for the future. All while rebuilding in similar fashion, without big name free agent aquisitions.
- July 30, 2013 at 8:32 AM
- (Not Hank) Aaron said...
Sorry, Anon - that is not debatable. The Mets have David Wright, a young incredibly talented player to build around - some talent in the upper minors and some actual assets to trade. The Marlins have Giancarlo Stanton - and again, their spending binge provided actual assets to trade. Cubs are the closest - but even they had more talent in the majors and high minors than the Astros when Luhnow took over.
Luhnow, on the other hand, inherited the worst major league team in baseball, with all the real assets already gone - sorry - Altuve is not in the same class as Wright and Stanton. He's been left dealing mid rotation starters and scrap heap signings, and doing very well at it. He also inherited a farm system with zero talent in the upper minors, and still very thin in the lower minors, despite some very real progress in the last few years of Wade. When he took over there were too many holes for him to try to fill through free agency. He needed to find a stop gap for nearly every single position - and it simply was not worth it yet - not when the minors were in such a state of disrepair.
Think of this analogy. A house has a horrendous foundation, and as a result collapses in on itself. A new owner takes over - does he start to build again - or does he bulldoze everything and fix the foundation first - really fix it, not patch it? If he starts to build without taking care of the foundation first - he risks having the whole thing cave in again.
That's the position Luhnow found himself in. Owner of a building with a foundation rotted to the core. He is rebuilding the right way.
- July 30, 2013 at 8:58 AM
- Unknown said...
Anon who is against a 100% tear down,
I respectfully critique your argument in two manners. First, I believe that you mischaracterize the author's commentary to create a strawman (similar to your assertion against the post). You state that the author posits: "If someone disagrees with the complete teardown process, they obviously don't understand how teams are built." I believe that this is an incorrect reading of the article. The author has is presenting evidence that the Luhnow-chosen method of rebuilding (i.e., build the best possible farm system) has proven successful in the past. He doesn't state that this is the ONLY manner of properly rebuilding; he just gives evidence that the chosen method has previously been successful.
Secondly, I believe that you do not factually support your assertion that the Astros would be better off with stopgap players. The given support of this proposition is that: "[your proposed course of action] would have least given their young players a better environment to develop." (Note: you also passingly refer to other support for your proposition, but you do not set it out.) In contrast to your belief, I believe that the value of stopgap players and a better environment is significantly outweighed by the fact that such actions preclude management from taking flyers on high upside players who have been cast aside by other organizations or giving playing time to young players to determine if they are any good. For instance, we would not have seen Krauss, Grossman, Villar, Cisnero, Barnes, Lo, Zeid etc. this season if their roster spots were filled by stopgap players. If one or two of these players (who probably wouldn't have gotten much playing time with stopgap players) establishes themself as a legit major-leaguer through this opportunity, then my point is proven (or at least I like to think it is!!).
Anyways, please feel free to disagree and thanks for being one of the few who still cares about our lowly Astros. Better times await!
- July 30, 2013 at 9:13 AM
First off, Luhnow inherited a minor league system with Springer, Singleton, Cosart, Deshields, Folty , Villar, Velasquez. Probably many more I am forgetting. He also inherited the most money for the draft in the new system. He also inherited Lyles, Keuchel, and Altuve who would have been in the minors in most systems. He also had Wandy, Happ, Myers, Johnson to either keep, resign or trade. Many assets. He was hardly in some historically bad situation. That is revisionist history, usually employed to justify decisions the club made, AFTER Luhnow arrived.
In sum, it was not a house which had collapsed upon itself, but a rundown house in a rundown neighborhood which included the Mets, Cubs and Marlins.
I am not slamming Luhnow, mainly because I don't think he has any choices, given the financial problems of the ownership. My general beef is with the idea that Luhnow had choices, ranging from minor teardown to complete annihilation, and he chose complete annihilation because that is clearly the optimum strategy. I obviously don't think it is, neither from a baseball standpoint, or from an ovarall health of the franchise standpoint (a factor which advocates of this argument conveniently ignore).
- July 30, 2013 at 9:27 AM
Agreed that I didn't factually support my assertion, as it is just an assertion afterall. However, I don't think it is out there, as Luhnow targeted a "veteran presence" to teach the youngsters. I am just taking it a step further by saying a veteran presence to both mentor and shoulder some of the load. But, you are correct, that is merely an assertion.
By the way, I am a big supporter of building the minor leagues, but at this point, the questions becomes "how much?' Do we really need another Domingo Santana at the expense of a dependable bullpen arm with a club option for next year?
Marginal depth at the minors has a diminishing return, especially since most of what that depth will likely become is at a level which can easily be obtained in the open market.
- July 30, 2013 at 9:38 AM
- (Not Hank) Aaron said...
Anon - Revisionist history is stating that "Springer, Singleton, Cosart, Deshields, Folty , Villar, Velasquez" were usable assets for Luhnow at the time he took over. Springer had just been drafted, and was playing rookie ball. Folty and Deshields were billed as disappointments. Villar and Cosart were struggling in AA. Velasquez had just missed an entire season with TJ. They were all seen as several years away.
And what Johnson, Wandy, Happ and Myers all had in common is that they were not very good. Sure, they were the best players on the 106 loss Astros team, but they were not something to build around. They were certainly not Starlin Castro, Ginacarlo Stanton, David Wright
- July 30, 2013 at 10:09 AM


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Subscribe To Sean Breaks Down The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Comic-Con Footage Updates
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Against all possible odds, I talked my way into Hall H this afternoon and caught the tail end of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 panel. How I got in is between myself and the Comic-Con Gods (I'm forever in their debt). What I saw, however, is between you and I. So I recorded the above video blog to break down exactly what was shown during Sony's Spider-Man panel.
Want the highlights?
- The action is much bigger. The clip started with a massive police car chase with Spidey leapfrogging from car roof to car roof in pursuit of Paul Giamatti's Russian gangster character. At one point, Spider-Man grabs the truck's steering wheel and says, "Let me help you with that!"
- There's plenty of humor in the footage. Spider-Man, according to Webb, is very confident in his Spidey suit, and that shows. He's cracking wise all throughout the clip, and it's awesome.
- Electro is the main villain. We get a lot of footage of Jamie Foxx with his comb-over and his lack of confidence. At one point, during the car chase, Spidey rescues Max Dillon, who will become Electro – and he pays attention to him. That's key. He tells Max, "You are somebody. You are my eyes and ears out here." And he makes Max a fan. Temporarily.
- There a montage of action footage. We see a LOT of Spider-Man fight sequences. There are a few things that stood out in the montage. Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) standing in front of a bridge, with the outline of the structure perfectly framed-- clearly asking us to think of the "Death of Gwen Stacy" comics arc. A quick shot of green vials … maybe Goblin serum? And a quick shot of Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper), in bed – sick – and speaking with Harry (Dane DeHaan).
- The clip ends with Electro in Times Square, hovering over the crowd while pulling power from the billboards and shooting lightning bolts toward the ground. At one point, he blasts a cop car into the air. It careens toward a crowd, but Spider-Man leaps on the car in mid-air and catches it before it it's the ground. "Need a hand?" he asks a nearby police officer.
The footage, to coin a phrase, was amazing. The panel was light and unstructured, but the footage reel sizzled (pun probably intended). Electro is going to be a formidable villain, very cinematic and bursting with energy. Spidey's sarcastic humor is front and center, and the seeds for a larger story are being laid. We'll have PLENTY more Spider-Man information coming in the next few days, so keep it here!


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Listen to 'Glee' Turn Sara Bareilles's 'Brave' Into a Duet
"Glee" is back–and it's taking on Sara Bareilles's hit song "Brave."
In an episode airing on Fox tonight titled "Frenemies," Santana (Naya Rivera) and Rachel (Lea Michele) turn "Brave" into a duet.
Tonight's show focuses on the tensions that flare after Santana tries out to be Rachel's understudy in "Funny Girl." In another notable musical moment, Rivera sings "Don't Rain On My Parade" from the musical. Covering a song that's been done memorably by Michele and Barbra Streisand certainly is "Brave."
Listen to the songs and leave your thoughts in the comments.


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Stewart Alters Summer Training, Lifestyleby Michael Smith / Carolina Hurricanes
|Michael Smith
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Armed with a clear directive, the 27-year-old forward set out to modify his offseason training routine.
His agent recommended the BioSteel program, led by veteran strength and conditioning coach Matt Nichol out of Toronto, where Stewart spends his summers.
"Not saying what I was doing before was wrong or bad, but I needed a new approach," he said. "If you do the same thing, the stigma is still there that you might come in the same way."
Listed at 6'3", 230 pounds, Stewart said it was important to invest in his body before anything else in order to improve his physical fitness.
"The first day, [Nichol] wrote down what my goals were," Stewart said. "He said if I showed up every day and put the work in, I'd see results."
Despite the promise, Stewart said he was initially skeptical about the workout plans that included little cardio work: just three-minute intervals on the bike followed by workouts. He thought that in order to lose the weight he wanted, heavy cardio was necessary.
"[Nichol] said, 'Just do what I want, and afterward when we're done, you can go run yourself into the ground if you want. But I've been doing this for a long time, so just trust me,'" Stewart said.
So trust Nichol he did. A nutritionist coached Stewart on what he should eat and when he should eat it. Meals were delivered to the gym. He cut out alcohol consumption for eight weeks.
Part of the BioSteel program, Stewart had access to masseuses, acupunctures, chiropractors, supplements and more – a sort of one-stop-shop for strength and conditioning. He would spend four to five hours at the gym each morning, and pound by pound, the results trickled in.
"It's a process," Stewart said. "It's 100 percent commitment, but the results show."
The LaSalle, Que., native shed 10 pounds over the summer and trimmed his body fat from 17 percent to 11 percent.
"It was definitely hard, but it was just smart," he said. "As hard as we were working, we got 10 days off in the middle of the summer – which I've never done – and it really helped repair the body coming back."
Wrapping up Stewart's BioSteel summer was a week-long camp that featured a number of NHL players, including his brother, Chris.
"When you get 34 NHLers under one roof, it's definitely going to be intense," he said. "We had some competitions, sprints and the tournament at the end where we played four-on-four. It was definitely intense but fun at the same time. It's helped us all get ready for camp."
And the process doesn't end there.
"I'm still trying to cut down on the carbs after a certain time and all that. It was more of a lifestyle change," Stewart said. "I learned a lot about my body and what I can and can't eat, and it's definitely something that's helping for sure."
Stewart signed a two-year contract with Carolina in the summer of 2011 after coming off a breakout season with Atlanta in which he compiled a career-best 39 points (14g, 25a).
"I had a fairly good season, but I think that was just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "I think I can do better and play better."
But last season was, in his own words, up and down for Stewart. He was waived in February. His average ice time per game dipped from nearly 15 minutes in 2010-11 to just 8:07, as he was relegated to fourth-line wing. He saw sporadic time on the power play, recording two assists on the man-advantage. His point total was shaved in half, as he recorded nine goals and 11 assists (20 points).
The desire to have a bounce-back season fueled Stewart's offseason training objectives.
"You could say I played eight minutes a night and still put up 20 points, that could be considered success," he said. "But that's not my game. I want to be a guy that can play in all situations, in a physical role and fight here and there."
Now he's prepared to prove himself on the ice.
"Kirk (Muller) was adamant that it's not about the points. It's about playing hard every shift, being an impact player and doing what it takes to help the team," he said. "I did my part, so I just want to get the opportunity now. Whether that's in a couple of weeks or a month, I'm going to stay on top of the ball and be ready for the opportunity."


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FrilansFinans needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 201 designs submitted by 60 freelance designers.
Kaashing is a new brand for a finance company in Sweden.
The new Kaashing brand will be used for a simple, smart and easy financial transaction-tool.
Our main wish is to receive a logo that will talk to a younger audience but still has some heritage left from the old logo. You can see the current logo for the company attached but please be creative and make something NEW.
Our audience consist mostly of freelancers and small businesses in all possible markets. This audience consists mostly of men and woman that are between 20-35 years old.
- The design must contain the word "Kaashing"
- International and modern
- Give a feeling of high-level competence
- Simple
- Eye catching
- Our traditional color is blue
- Should not contain Stock Art.
- Few colors. 2 is best, 3 max. At least one blue.
- Should degrade to gray-scale or print without losing distinctiveness.
The files we will require are:
Vector format - .ai/.eps
Web format - .jpg and layered .psd/.png
EDIT: Please read further instructions in comments section.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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moe. old-school tracks
This link has been circulating around Facebook the past couple of hours and I couldn't help but click.
I'm glad I did, and so will all you moe.heads. Here, you'll find the archived taping of a 1998 moe. show at Captain Trip's Rainforest Preserve (it was a hot spot back in the day located in the Uptown district where a variety of bands performed. You'll also remember it as Club Amnesia. It's since closed.).
From what I understand, moe. performed the surprise gig under the name Monkeys on Ecstasy. Anyway, you'll find 24 old-school tracks complete with bar applause (you know the kind that is way too excited to be backed by any sober listeners) .


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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UCSB swim and dive teams posted a pair of dual meet victories over visiting UC San Diego on Friday afternoon at Campus Pool. The men came from behind to edge out the Tritons, 154-140 and the women posted a 173-127 win.
The Gaucho men were trailing by eight points entering the final individual event: the 400 individual medley. Randy Aakhus (4:03.89), Evan Simoni (4:06.95) and Andrew Barmann (4:11.46) swept the top-three finishes in the event to gain the Gaucho lead.
In the following event, the UCSB 'A'' relay team of Kevin Ferguson, Garrett Thompson, Chris Peterson and Andrew Latimer took first in 1:22.50 to seal up the Gaucho win.
On the women's side, the UCSB women got off to a strong start in the first swimming event - the 200 medley relay. The UCSB 'B'' team finished first with Sophia Yamauchi, Paige Bradley, Emma Hunt and Mariah Tharp touching the wall in 1:48.13. The 'A'' team quickly followed, finishing in 1:48.50.
Andrea Ward led the way for the Gauchos, winning three individual events. She began with a win in the 200 fr
Sophia Yamauchi also won multiple events, taking first in the 100 backstroke (56.91) and then the 100 butterfly (56.19). Monica Garcia won the 1000 free (10:38.98), Katie Records won the 100 breast (1:06.47) and Kendall Neely won the 50 free (24.63) to round out the Gaucho individual event winners.
UCSB wrapped up the women's events with a first-place finish by Emma Hunt, Mariah Tharp, Emily Stucky and Sophia Yamauchi in the 200 free relay (1:30.39).
Meanwhile, in diving, several UCSB divers competed at the Trojan Diving Invitational at USC. In the women's 1-meter competition, Caila Baltas finished 23rd with a score of 175.30. The male divers had some solid finishes. Ryan Gerard was 16th with a score of 207.90, Erich Brodbeck was 18th at 184.85 and Nicolas Grantham was 20th with a tally of 162.20.
Gaucho divers also took part in the platform competition. Baltas was 16th among the female divers with a score of 119.30. On the men's side, Gerard finished 12th at 166.50. Grantham was 13th at 155.90 and Brodbeck finished 14th at 146.90.


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Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Treat Carroll with care - Allardyce
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will stress England manager Roy Hodgson must be careful with Andy Carroll ahead of next week's World Cup qualifiers.
The striker, on loan at Upton Park from Liverpool, has only just returned to action after a month out with a hamstring problem, but was called up to the national squad for the ties against San Marino at Wembley on Friday night and then away to Poland on Tuesday week. Carroll played the full 90 minutes of Saturday's 3-1 home defeat by Arsenal.
Allardyce said: "Andy is really lacking in match practice. What I will speak to Roy about is his fatigue level. Andy will be stiffer than everybody else after this because he hasn't played a full 90 minutes in recent weeks, so he will take a bit more time to recover. But he should be fine for Friday and hopefully he will get a game at some stage to improve his match fitness."
Carroll was West Ham's main outlet against Arsenal, in a match which on another afternoon the hosts could well have taken something from having gone ahead through Mohamed Diame.
Indeed, the 23-year-old planted a header just wide in the second half which would have put West Ham back in front.
Allardyce believes his side must continue to play to Carroll's strengths.
"Andy can only get better as time goes on," he said. "As long as we can keep giving him the service, I think he is going to be a tremendous asset."


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Hong Kong seizes $1.5M in illegal ivory in third major bust since July
Elephant tusks are displayed after being confiscated by Hong Kong Customs in Hong Kong, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. (AP / Kin Cheung)
The Associated Press
Published Thursday, October 3, 2013 6:26AM EDT
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong customs agents have seized nearly a ton of illegal ivory worth about $1.5 million, officials said Thursday, in the city's third big bust of endangered species products in three months.
Customs officials said they found a total of 189 elephant tusks weighing 769 kilograms (1,695 pounds) at the southern Chinese city's busy port in anti-smuggling operations carried out in late September.
The ivory was wrapped in linen and nylon bags and hidden in large bags of soybeans in containers on three separate ships, said Vincent Wong, head of Ports and Maritime Command.
The shipments came from Cote d'Ivoire and transited through Malaysia. Officials said the likely final destination was mainland China.
No arrests have been made and authorities are looking for the smugglers, Wong said.
It's the latest in a string of illegal ivory shipments uncovered by Hong Kong authorities over the past few years.
Wildlife activists say China's growing presence in Africa has led to a huge surge in poaching of elephants for their tusks, most of which are believed to be smuggled into China and Thailand to make ivory ornaments.
Wong said the smugglers changed their methods after three other big shipments from Africa were confiscated in Hong Kong this year.
"The smugglers tried a different modus operandi," Wong said. "Instead of one shipment they packed the bulk into three shipments for different consignees. They used different vessels on different voyages to try to evade customs inspections."
In August, Hong Kong officials seized illegal ivory, rhino horns and leopard skins worth $5.3 million in a shipment that came from Nigeria. In late July, they found two tons of tusks worth $2.25 million in a container from Togo. In January, a shipment of ivory worth $1.4 million from Kenya was confiscated.


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Industry News
Forming a United Front
Pamela Busiek is president and CEO of Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors, an association that helps entrepreneurial companies in the beauty and cosmetics industries strengthen their business practices and navigate the often confusing waters of government regulation.
Busiek spoke with MODERN SALON about the roles of ICMAD and why it is collaborating so closely with other industry associations. For more information about ICMAD visit icmad.org.
PB: Our member companies are mostly entrepreneurial in nature—Jim Markham of Jim Markham Enterprises and George Schaeffer of OPI and Aloxxi are long-time members of ICMAD. The association was started to provide support, education and business building opportunities for small and emerging beauty companies. I was a board member of ICMAD when I had CBI Labs, a skin care product manufacturing firm in Texas. ICMAD provides independent manufacturers with networking opportunities, wonderful educational programs, financial business development programs, due diligence guidelines for finding financial investors, succession planning and, in general, helping companies to steer in the right direction. ICMAD is an invaluable resource for companies interested in the export business. We serve as a conduit for them to create value and find a specific niche. Our board of directors comes from a who's who of cosmetic industry executives and representatives from the research, legal and financial communities.
ICMAD regularly rewards innovation in all areas of cosmetic manufacturing and marketing. Innovation is such an important component of what our member companies do since they tend to be small to medium size and entrepreneurial in nature. Our annual City Awards recognize cosmetic innovation in a variety of product categories and our Young Designers Awards recognize innovation in cosmetic product packaging.
PB: We work with industry associations like the Cosmetic Toiletries and Fragrance Association, Personal Care Product Council, the Direct Selling Association and we are working very closely with Steve Sleeper and the Professional Beauty Association. Our motto is "together we are stronger." There are so many issues facing the industry today, it is very important for us all to be on the same page. Cosmetic ingredients are frequently in the news and everyone must understand FDA regulations and current and proposed legislation. We are all part of the Safe Cosmetic Alliance, an industry group advocating for the support of the Cosmetic Safety Amendments Act of 2012 that will provide a greater role for the FDA to assess the safety of cosmetic ingredients. The bill would call for regulatory oversight to keep up with new ingredients and technologies without keeping our small- and medium-sized businesses from competing in the global economy. This bill would encourage more transparency at the FDA where cosmetic and beauty industry ingredients are among the safest product categories the FDA regulates.
PB: ICMAD joined with PBA to host a seminar at ISSE Long Beach exploring business expansion into the international marketplace. We purchased a booth at the Face & Body exhibit at America's Beauty Show in Chicago and we held a reception at Cosmoprof Bologna in April. One of ICMAD's goals is to help our members in exporting their products outside the U.S. At Cosmoprof, we reversed the process and partnered with PBA to host "Roadmap to Success in the U.S.," a seminar to help international manufactuers succeed in this country.
We will be involved in Cosmoprof North America with an educational session, "It's all in the Details: A Legislative Update." Steve Sleeper of PBA and I will both be panelists. ICMAD is also supporting our member George Schaeffer at the Spirit of Life award presentation.
We are an other-centered organization with talented leadership that provides ethical support in helping our members develop the best business practices.