text:
It's old alright, we have a bunch of similar devices where I work.
so, you are saying this isn't meant for gaming where there really is no "edge of the screen" when moving your avatar around.
Really? On the Outbound's, it had a spring action/switch at each end so when you get to one side or the other, if you keep pressing against the spring, the cursor keeps moving left or right. It stops when you stop pressing against the spring.
So instead of lifting the mouse that you are holding in your hand -- while still being able to hold the mouse buttons down -- you have to pick the baton up out of the trough it's in, move it to the right, and drop it back into the trough. Having released any of the four buttons you had been pressing to do so, unless you were to use your other hand, defeating the purpose of having a pointing device you can use with one hand while your other hand was pressing keys on the keyboard.
Not to mention that, as it's
It goes *ding* and moves to the right.
It goes *ding* and moves to the right.
I'm afraid that most Slashdotters are too young to get that.
Ah, no. That thing is an "ErgoSlider", or possibly an "ErgoSlider Plus".
As you can tell from the name, the "ErgoSlider Plus+" is something completely different and totally new.
Anyway, on a more serious note, I have read several reviews complaining about the ErgoSlider causing cramps and pains. There's no easy way to carry out the rotating motion, for one thing. For another, wrist rests are bad for your wrists. Wrist rests should only be used while resting because you are supposed to keep your wrist straight and neutral while carrying out fine hand movements. The ErgoSlider has you dropping your wrist habitually, and it leads to increased movement of the wrist during operation, leading to strain on the tendons and nerves, particularly within the carpal tunnel.
Oh, and if anyone wants to trust the reviewer's knowledge of ergonomics over mine, notice that in the photo he is using a laptop on a riser without an external keyboard. That's a massive, massive ergonomics no-no.
Totally agree with you.
Well, at least they didn't claim that this is a mouse killer.
As you can tell from the name, the "ErgoSlider Plus+" is something completely different and totally new.
Think I'll wait until the ErgoSlider Plus# is released.
And the Objective Ergo Slider Plus for Apple users?
For Apple users?
I believe that would be the Subjective Ego Stroker .
> Think I'll wait until the ErgoSlider Plus# is released.
Is that because you pound on it or because it cuts your wrists?
This device makes zero sense if it is not built into a keyboard. And then it becomes a keyboard which you have to repair instead of binning it and spending another five or six bucks on a new Keytronics, Mitsumi, or other minimally acceptable brand. (Or as I do, pull another USB hub media keyboard that you got at the flea market off the stack and rejoice in spending no more than five bucks on a keyboard with fancy features.)
Incorrect summary?
"First achieving widespread use with the release of the Apple Macintosh in 1984"
The Mac was neither the first mouse-based computer, nor did it "widespread" the concept. - Mac sold around 100,000 units its first five years (mainly because it cost approximately ten times more than other computers), which was much much less than other computers.
Example: WorldWideWeb may have been first browser but it was Mosaic that popularized the web & made it explode for ordinary people. Likewise I would give credit for widespread mouse usage to the C64, the most popular comp
Like this....
http://ergo.contourdesign.com/products/rollermouse/default.aspx [contourdesign.com]
(Not affiliated, but this article really is non-news to me)
yeah, but gizmag lamers are not old enough to have been to real banks, post offices, tax office or anywhere. and actually it's not a real article even at that, just a short blurb. AND THERE'S A FRIGGIN SUBSCRIBE TO US time delayed pop-over
not only that, but the product is named plus+. meaning it's already gotten a "plus" AND a plus sign!
Yeah I remember my friends dad using something similar for their Windows 3.11 computer. So that should have been mid 90s.
Yep. There was a very old man with one of these (or something nearly identical) where I work, who had it since before I started (4 years ago). And it must be much older than that because old people generally don't like learning new things, especially right before they retire.
I find that a trackball and one of these [kinesis-ergo.com] work just fine. As an added benefit, it keeps most bystanders off your computer.
Haha - don't you remember when the mechanical mouse was also "perfect" and the optical mouse was an unreliable gimmick that needed a mousepad with a funny pattern? Or before that, when you'd have to be a wimp to use a mouse at all? Any mouse gives me sore ring and little fingers, and a sore wrist. Give me a pen tablet any day!
What is this pen tablet you speak of? vi doesn't need this, what could be more intuitive than 'k' to move up, 'j' to move down, 'h' to move left and 'l' to move right. All children and new computer users understand this without tuition and it is guaranteed RSI free! Easiest way of working in a document!
vi doesn't need this, what could be more intuitive than 'k' to move up, 'j' to move down, 'h' to move left and 'l' to move right. All children and new computer users understand this without tuition and it is guaranteed RSI free! Easiest way of working in a document!
Ok, so vi isn't intuitive, but once you learn it you'll work far less hard to get real work done than you would doing the same tasks with gedit, kate, or notepad. If you spend more than half your waking life in a text editor, "intuitive" becomes
Nothing quite like holding up your arms towards the screen all day. Not to mention constantly having your sight obscured by all that flesh hanging in front of it and greasing up the screen.
I don't think Slashdot is interested in descriptions of your masturbation experiences...
I don't think Slashdot is interested in descriptions of your masturbation experiences...
Speak for yourself!
GP, please continue.
Both touch and gesture are extremely faulty from ergonomics/RSI viewpoint - they will not be and can not be 'the future', simply as the hands of homo sapiens simply won't tolerate handling touchscreens or gesturing 8 hours a day, 5 days a week - they'll get too tired much, much sooner; and if you *need* to use them still while tired, greet RSI and damage to your hands.
Mouse+keyboard causes problems for some people in excessive use and can often be fixed with proper positioning. Full-day use of touchscreens and gestures will cause problems for everyone.
Really, even a full day of having your hands touching but not resting on a touchscreen would be physically impossible. A full day of having your arms raised in whatever gesture would be physically impossible.
Touch/gesture interfaces are suitable for occasional use, but not for replacing your main workday interface. Sorry, but you'll have to find something else that involves a rested position of your main muscles.
I use touch+gestures eight hours a day, and it's much better than mouse+keyboard.
Sorry, but you'll have to find something else...
My favorite is Eye Tracking [wikipedia.org]. Unfortunately, the device [wikipedia.org] makes the wearer look like Hannibal Lechter.
Eye trackers are getting a lot better. I've always wondered about the feasibility of using a couple of IR cameras on the top corners of the monitor to track gaze direction. Seems like it would be workable, even if it is only practical in certain environments.
So you only track one eye...the good one.
Touch is too limited. I'm not reaching across my desk to tap on my monitor all day long, nor am I going to sacrifice my neck to stare down at a device that sits in my lap all day. Ergonomics demands that my hands and my eyes be in different places.
Touch is perfect for small handheld devices (smartphones, audio devices) and quick-use machines (ATMs). For long term use, I need to rest my hands on my desk and look straight ahead at my monitor. This means either a keyboard and mouse or some evolution of that co
I've actually found the tablet+pen combo to be more precise and efficient for everyday GUI work with xterms or other terminal emulators (not for games though). Of course, it takes a little while to get used to and you need a good tablet, if you buy the cheapest used Trust tablet you can find you'll probably end up frustrated by it.
That said, I'm still waiting for a direct mind-machine interface with the visual output hooked up directly to either the optic nerve or the optic centre in the brain. Hopefully by
Easy to use graphics tablets have been around since as early as 1969 [acm.org]. The only reason mice are the standard is that they are cheap.
And because they aren't as efficient. I have an older Wacom Intuos that I paid big bucks for, and I hate using it as a mouse for long periods - I have to move my hand over a foot to go from corner to corner on the screen! If it were any smaller, I'd have trouble with small details.
I *have* used a trackball for many things, including FPS gaming, and it was okay. I'm big to a Microsoft Arc these days, though, because it allows me to slightly curl my two smallest fingers under when my wrist begins to tire,
If you want to just use it to do user interface operations, you need to set the scale down like a mouse. Typical screen:mouse motion is like 5:1, where a tablet by default is supposed to be more like 1:1 for doing fine graphics.
I hate trying to draw with a mouse. You need to zoom in so much that you are only seeing a tiny section of your work.
Good idea on changing hand positions.
Even a brain interface can cause RSI. It just causes it in the brain instead of in the wrists.
MS and Linux have no problem with a mouse, a trackball and a tablet connected.
If by MS you mean windows, it sure does; if you change the gain ratio (and, IIRC, the acceleration) it applies to all rodentoidifical devices.
If you think about it, that's an absolutely retarded choice.
Because it ain't perfect.
I have a small cache of Logitech Trackballs (of a couple of different models) which I think are WAY better input devices. All the functions of a mouse, but the hand rests in a single location so I use less desk space and don't have to wobble all over the place to use it.
Once you go track(ball) you'll never go back.
I don't userstand why they aren't more popular.
Crackers be fearing of the track, is all.
No, really, track is where it's at, baby. Go and try and find a discontinued Microsoft Trackball Explorer anywhere. If you can get one for less than $200, buy it - they're only increasing in value. A Logitech wireless trackball is the next best thing, but nothing - nothing compares to one of those Microsoft trackballs. It's like stroking a purring kitten, while Alyson Hannigan nuzzles your neck and Felicia Day nibbles on your earlobe.
Clearly Superior Technologies has a trackball called the L-TracX. Laser optical tracking, runtime switchable resolution (in the hardware), stainless steel rollers.
And of course the ball is standard pool-ball sized, so you can do this:
http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2463.jpg [no-ip.info]
More than 10 years ago I had a coworker that suffered from RSS from mouse-use, and she got a piece of hardware that is more or less the spitting image of this device.
Slashvertisement, anyone?
Yeah, same here. 1996-1997 something. Exact same principle. It's nothing "new" about this thing, they've been around for at least 15 years.
Just a hunch, but might they have been around 17 years [wikipedia.org]?
Rollermouse has been the only product of this type that I have come across so far. This is the first time I've heard of an "ErgoSlider." Perhaps Rollermouse's patent expired and the clones are starting to roll in.
Someone else posted with a link to the actual device my then co-worker used, the MouseTrapper [mousetrapper.com]. According to that poster, it was first made in 1984, so 27 years in fact.
More than 10 years ago I had a coworker that suffered from RSS from mouse-use, and she got a piece of hardware that is more or less the spitting image of this device.
Slashvertisement, anyone?
Well, duh, XML-based formats are bad for you.
But not as good.
Is there a video on how this device is used? the manufacturer's site doesn't have any. We can't really say if it works without seeing it in action.
At the moment I saw the picture I knew this wouldn't work, that's it... NEXT!
As many have previously said, this is hardly anything new.
For the last 10 years we've been using products like the Mousetrapper at work.
http://www.mousetrapper.com/ [mousetrapper.com]
This seem like a copy-paste of the product RollerMouse [contourdesign.com] from Contour Design which have a lot of users at my company. We even have Autocad-people using this. Seem to me that it actually works, as they have less problems with shoulder-pains etc.
You know, I can see this as potentially useful for cad, but I can't get away from the fact the it seems to get in the way of the keyboard. So often you need to do vertical or horizontal only movements, so that might be an advantage.
Maybe one of these with a chording keyboard under the other hand, or a customized pad like an N52? (Real CAD operators use keyboards - it's much faster than the mouse; you could say the same for photo editing and painting as well, I suspect)
How does this thing do with cheetos int
been using one for years
http://ergo.contourdesign.com/products/product-detail.aspx?id=66 [contourdesign.com]
That's nowhere near enough. Where is the Wiimote, Trackball, joystick, Digitizer pad (e.g. Wacom pad), touch screen, gamepad, light pen, and neural interface?
Seriously though, for avoiding RSI, having a variety of pointer devices available is not a bad idea. Not to mention that each pointer device has some benefits versus the others for certain applications.
Not much different from Mousetrapper [mousetrapper.com] it seems.
Anyone ever seen a hand held 'thumb mouse'?
I've been looking for years for a gamer style joystick with an IBM 'eraser-point' type controller mounted on the end of a cylinder that has an up/down clicker function.
A device like this could be adjusted for rate of gain on the x/y axes performing click/drag operations with no wrist or arm movements allowing the arms to be at rest, not even on the desk.
It just looks weird and bit awkward to use. Maybe I'm just stuck in my own little rut but I think I'll stick with my big fat Kensington trackball.
These are not new. There are 2 or 3 people in my cube farm who have a device just like that, just uglier. There's a few variations, including one that is an integral part of the keyboard. At this office, anyone who requests it can get an ergonomic analysis of their cube and this is one of the options they recommend for certain people.
1 Angstrom: measure of computer anxiety = 1000 nail-bytes


text: Retirement Bowl Ducks Defensive Coordinator Nick Aliotti Announces Retirement Following Alamo Bowl By Desmond O'Boyle • Dec 27, 2013 GoDucks.com You could call it "The Retirement Bowl." University of Oregon Defensive Coordinator Nick Aliotti joined University of Texas Head Coach Mack Brown (today) by announcing his retirement following Monday's Alamo Bowl. Most of the recent conversation surrounding the Alamo Bowl has been Texas Coach Mack Brown's forced resignation. Steve Tannen hosts the Sports talk show "Crunch Time" on 95.3 The Score in Eugene. He says both football programs will use their coaches' announcements as inspiration. And he says Aliotti's decision isn't surprising.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Well-rested Lester turns in gem to beat Giants
Red Sox offense provides plenty of backing despite rough travel day
By Ian Browne /8/20/2013 2:45 AM ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- Not all of the Red Sox players were the victims of travel fatigue Monday night. Jon Lester flew out a day ahead of his team and got a good night's rest in San Francisco.
And once Lester took the mound, he spent the night putting the Giants to sleep, firing a gem that lifted Boston to a 7-0 victory in the opener of a three-game series.
The lefty tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up six hits. He walked two and struck out three.
"I mean, my motivation is kind of the same every game," said Lester. "I want to try to finish every game that I can. Obviously these guys had a long day. [I was] fortunate enough to come in yesterday. I think for us to come in with that travel schedule, which guys aren't normally accustomed to, and do what we did tonight, it's big for us."
It was just the type of pitching performance that his team needed. After losing to the Yankees in a Sunday night game that ended after midnight ET, the Red Sox rose up Monday morning and flew out of Boston at 10:20 a.m.
Most of the team went straight to the ballpark after the six-hour flight touched down in San Francisco.
"Anytime you have these long travel days, you always look to the starting pitcher to keep the game under control," said manager John Farrell. "Not knowing how you're going to come out physically from an offensive standpoint, how many different times you can push to get an offense started, he gave us just that."
Though the Red Sox had to be tired after a long day, they didn't let it impact their performance.
The offense, led by three hits from Shane Victorino and Daniel Nava, plus multi-hit performances from Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, gave Lester enough to work with on a night he outpitched Tim Lincecum.
"We played great," said Dustin Pedroia, who had a triple. "Jon, he was unbelievable. It seems like we were barely on defense. He was getting us back in swinging the bat. Guys had great at-bats. It was a big win."
The victory was much needed for a Boston team that had lost seven out of 10.
With the Rays defeating Baltimore, the Red Sox held on to their one-game lead in the American League East.
The bats rallied against Lincecum in the second. Saltalamacchia led off with a single to right. Nava drew a walk. Drew's single loaded the bases with nobody out. Will Middlebrooks did his job, lofting a sacrifice fly to right for the first run of the game. Nava wound up scoring on a balk and Victorino capped the rally with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
"To get on the board, however it happens, is key. When we score first I think it has the ability for us to take a breath a little bit," Farrell said.
While Lester stifled the Giants, Drew extended Boston's lead to four runs by belting a two-out, RBI double to right-center in the fifth.
Jacoby Ellsbury scored the fifth run on reliever Guillermo Moscoso's wild pitch in the sixth, and Pedroia tripled ahead of Saltalamacchia's RBI double in the ninth. Saltalamacchia scored on Nava's third single of the night.
After a lull immediately following the All-Star break, Nava is starting to recapture his early-season form, when he was one of Boston's best hitters.
"Looks like he's got his legs back underneath him, and I mean that by we gave him a few days down to renew physically," said Farrell. "And when he gets fatigued, you see the swing get a little long, but that's not been the case over the last five to seven games he's been in there. A lot of hard contact."
Though there were nice contributions across the board, the story of the night, without question, was Lester.
"He moved the ball around both sides of the plate, mixed in four pitches and attacked the zone," said Giants catcher Buster Posey.
After getting former teammate Marco Scutaro to ground into a double play to end the eighth, Lester hollered, "I'm finishing this game" as he walked off the mound.
Farrell gave him the chance, but Lester gave up back-to-back one-out singles to Posey and Hunter Pence.
Brandon Workman finished the game, but Lester's performance was still more than good enough.
"Jon was exactly what we needed -- we needed a strong pitching performance on a night when we could use a guy to go deep in the game and he gave us just that," Farrell said. "An outstanding effort on his part. A lot of strikes, I thought his fastball was sharp, it was powerful and he mixed in some breaking balls and particularly his cutter was powerful tonight."
Lester, who had a prolonged rut in the middle of the season, is starting to pitch like an ace again at just the time his team needs him to.
Since the All-Star break, Lester is 3-1 with a 2.52 ERA and that includes a start in which Arizona shelled him for six runs.
"Arizona was just bad everything. Not a good game," said Lester. "But I feel like after the break, I've thrown the ball really well. I just keep trying to build off of each positive start and I'll try to build off today."


text:
A lesson for Windows Engineers. Aim for 256MB, not 2GB. The era of Netbooks is upon us, and it looks like Microsoft will miss the bus.
My Compaq laptop with XP only has 112 MB of memory.
Aim for that.
Video Ram. You probably have 128 MB installed, however 16 MB is being allocated to do video work.
Don't know if anyone said it, but it seems to me that it's because the onboard video is using 16 of those 128 MBs..
My Compaq laptop with XP only has 112 MB of memory.
Here's $5 and a map to the Salvation Army. Upgrade that slab.
I doubt it will run gnome or kde in that configuration.
MS doesn't miss the bus. The problem is the MS bus is a short bus.
Nah. People with those challenges tend to actually be far nicer than Microsoft!
I rode a short bus, you insensitive clod!
Linux caught the bus. But MS made Linux sit in the back of said bus.
Don't you mean front?
All the "cool" people take the back seats.
That would mean you're saying Windows Runs. It doesn't.
But it does dump.
OK, I understand the bus analogy, but I would understand your argument more (and better), if you used a car analogy, like we're used to here on Slashdot.
The first generation of netbooks ran linux. Just about everything after that ran windows. Sounds like linux will miss the bus.
No. Microsoft got on the bus and then forced the bus company to turn the bus into a jumbo jet so that Microsoft's fat ass could fit in the seats.
I can barely run xubuntu on a machine with 256megs or ram let alone full ubuntu.
>The era of Netbooks is upon us, and it looks like Microsoft will miss the bus.
Considering netbooks are shipping with 7 and ram costs less than shipping, I'll take the 2gig model, thanks. More ram for my apps.
Have you tried swapping xfce for lxde?
I makes one hell of a difference on my old transmeta based tablet.
Considering netbooks are shipping with 7 and ram costs less than shipping
Real Netbooks are devices like the SmartQ5 and the SmartQ7 which I have got evaluation pieces from China for about $170 a piece. These devices contain the ARM-11 series processor with 256MB of RAM and 1GB of storage.
Windows7 requires regular disk drives and that makes it a mini-Notebook; not a Netbook.
Basically Microsoft took the Netbook, added a disk and forced it onto the market through big-name h/w vendors. This will not work with the ARM-range of Netbooks on which Windows will not run; but Maemo, Ubuntu, Fedora etc run decently enough.
"I can barely run xubuntu on a machine with 256megs or ram let alone full ubuntu."
Xfce's almost as much of a resource hog as GNOME or KDE these days. On a 256MB system I'd recommend LXDE for something vaguely familiar which really doesn't eat tons of RAM. Of course, then you need low-resource apps as well. Dillo's a good basic browser, Midori if you need more than Dillo can provide. I'm partial to nedit for a very low-resource text editor. And so on...
That's because the Xubuntu team (on Jaunty at least) decided to destroy all that is good and wonderful about Xfce to the point that Ubuntu actually uses less recourses than Xubuntu. [linux-mag.com] I'd wait for Lubuntu to come out or do as another poster suggested and install LXDE from another Ubuntu flavor.
no it wasnt..
Slashdot confirms it!
Those party poopers in #ubuntu-release-party are in denial.
I mean seriously, how hard is it to go look at http://www.ubuntu.com/ [ubuntu.com] to check?
Take a look at the mirrors - it's up, but the site doesn't yet reflect it.
http://mirror.its.uidaho.edu/pub/ubuntu-releases/9.10/ [uidaho.edu]
The RC was just released a few days ago. But the final 9.10 is still not on their website.
Ext4 in Ubuntu 9.10 is specially problematic, as there are reports of corruption when writing large files:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/910#Switching%20to%20ext4%20requires%20manually%20updating%20grub [ubuntu.com]
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/453579 [launchpad.net]
Karmic Karmic Karmic Karmic Karmic Koala
Download and install
Download and innnnnstaaaalllllll....
Bugs like this always make me worry about Ubuntu's hard release dates. The Ubuntu One bug sounds like a pretty big problem. Would it have killed them to fix this problem and delay the release? I know slippery release dates cause other problems (DNF [wikipedia.org]), but do you really want a major release to have serious problems like this?
Hey it is ubuntu. It is not supposed to work!
Seriously! When microsoft treated user like beta-tester we hated them. And now we praise ubuntu which does even worse...
I am very happy with my debian stable. I know there are no such critical bugs in it.
I've done installs of Ubuntu on a virtual machines a couple of times but my initial experiences led me to stay away because I really like the development tools in Ubuntu and development really isn't Ubuntu's core strength - the end user desktop is or was. Installing dev tools felt like a right pain the behind and the fact that they didn't seem to allow let alone encourage custom kernel compilation put me right off. Fair enough I thought. I'm a geek I can stick with something else.
However pushing a release o
Can you install the desktop version (not the netbook edition) using a USB stick? They only provide ISOs on the official website, not IMGs.
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ [sourceforge.net]
I don't understand why the Ubuntu team has never simplified the setup process for Samba. It is simple enough to share a folder with unlimited access, but as soon as you want to create users and passwords, it becomes rather complex. I've had to set it up a couple of times, and I never seem to get it to work quite right.
Many Ubuntu users are also going to be running a Windows machine on their local network. If the goal is to give them a positive experience with Linux, then setting up the connections on the local network should be brain-dead easy. Imagine sending a novice user to this page [ubuntu.com]! They would soon be throwing away their Ubuntu disk and installing Windows.
Making an easy GUI for this configuration process shouldn't be that difficult. I hope that it will be addressed sometime soon.
I have to assume that there are some "secret" plans involving Ubuntu One that make a lot of sense (if you know them) and can actually explain why Ubuntu One exists in the first place. I've read through all the public documentation and, for the life of me, I can't figure out what is even remotely unique or noteworthy about the service.
Right now, it's attempting to be a Dropbox clone. However, it's not yet there and is clearly still in beta -- even though they have the same pricing structure as the (very mature) Dropbox. Their goal for the file synchronization service is to be as full-featured as Dropbox? But not more? Seriously, if your goal is to be as good as Dropbox, then why not just use Dropbox?
It's not even that "Ubuntu One is OSS and Dropbox is proprietary". Both services have OSS parts and proprietary parts.
Maybe, then, they are trying to be more of an online backup service, ala Mozy? Well... no. I can't find any evidence that they encrypt your data so it would be a bust as online backup.
So I don't get it. Why would anybody use (much less pay for) it when there are much more robust services already out there AND there's no indication that it'll actually be better than those services in any way. There must be some secret plans that I just don't know about.
Anybody feel like letting me know what I missed?
Kubuntu fans can check the release notes here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KarmicKoala/RC/Kubuntu [ubuntu.com]
Browsing through them, I got the feeling of tired, haggard Kubuntu maintainers congratulating themselves for surviving, but not excelling in, the production of this version which still has many issues. If you read between the lines, you see that there are still quite a number of issues. "The NetworkManager applet has received some loving from its creators, and offers a more robust networking experience than it did in Kubuntu 9.04."
I went to the Feedback page https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KarmicKoala/RC/Kubuntu/Feedback [ubuntu.com] to see how KDE would do in this version. This is where you get the honest criticism that tells you what problems you might encounter. Generally people are offering encouragement but the fact is that this version of Kubuntu is still not cutting it. Comments usually start with "Great release! However
I myself have been staying with 8.04 since that is the last version that officially supported KDE 3. (I hear that you can now get KDE 3 versions of 8.10 or 9.04, but I don't think those are official.) If I'm going to retrain myself on KDE 4, I might as well wait an extra half year and get the 10.04 Long-Term Support edition --if ever Kubuntu gets around to doing one. (8.04 was LTS for GNOME Ubuntu only, not for Kubuntu.)
I think the Kubuntu developers need to be strongly encouraged to fix existing bugs instead of putting in new features.
As an aside, regarding the "Known Issues" list for standard GNOME Ubuntu:
Release notes http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/910 [ubuntu.com]
Does anyone else think that there are more and more bugs now, and that Ubuntu simply is not the "install and use defaults" user-friendly distro that it used to be?
Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud images, the Ubuntu One "personal cloud"
Oh-oh, we're getting dangerously close to a full set of buzzwords...
What did they smoke to make those cloudy names? Did the descision taking meeting look like the car full of smoke in that old Luniz video? ^^
This is unacceptable! I will fork this, and call it "Ubuntu Social iEnterprise Vertical e-Cloud Framework", Codename: "Twitching Twitter".
'Cause I got a fever. And the only prescription is "MOAR CLOUDBUZZ"!
My experience with 9.10 so far has been extremely positive.
I did an upgrade at first, and then a complete reinstall. The upgrade process went very quickly, and I only had one problem - that my network card became "unmanaged" again. This is some remnant from my 8.10 install back in the day. Besides that, there were no problems and my desktop was exactly as I left it.
The install process from scratch also went well. The partition manager is pretty friendly, and the (I think) new time zone selector is actually easy to use. I also don't need to do a whole bunch of stuff to determine my keyboard layout -- it defaulted to US english and that was that.
The desktop system itself is much improved. The changes to Nautilus are welcome. The side bar is more user friendly, and the folders and such look a lot better.
The notification system has some improvements so it's not quite as useless -- multiple consecutive notifications from the same application drop into the same notification window, and there's a sort of glass effect when you "mouse under" the window, making that absurd behavior a bit more palatable.
My graphics card (GTX 280) was supported after downloading some binary drivers (although I had to restart to enable full desktop effects).
My sound card (X-Fi Fatality edition) is finally supported in kernel, although I had to use amixer in order to get my mic working. The new sound mixer, though, is FAR more user friendly.
I've had no problems so far with EXT4, and my load times in Heroes of Newerth have decreased since the upgrade.
The font rendering. It's much better across the board. Firefox sees the biggest improvement, likely due to the upgrade to 3.5. Font rendering used to be far worse than Windows and is now on par with Mac (I prefer the bolder, smoother look of Mac fonts, personally).
The HDD diagnosis tool is also handy. As soon as the upgrade completed and the tool ran, it warned me of some SMART errors on one of my drives. It's pretty easy to dig into the drives and run diagnostics and such.
Empathy is still bad, and I switched back to pidgin after a few minutes of use. For example, I had to find an hidden check box just to "enable" the account and get it to connect. The UI is also not so hot.
Overall I haven't regretted the upgrade at all, which is more than I can say to 9.04.
It's fabulous! We haven't seen anything like it in the last half an hour! -- Macy's


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RBC.com | Français | | Contact Us
About RBC > Media Newsroom > News Releases > RBC Donates $20,000 to The Canadian Red Cross for The Community of Goderich
TORONTO, August 23, 2011 RBC Foundation today announced a $20,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross Ontario Disaster Relief Fund to support emergency relief efforts for the community of Goderich recently affected by the tornado.
"We are deeply saddened by the devastation in Goderich and our thoughts are with the residents, their friends and family, and our employees," said Tom Parisi, regional vice-president, Huron Perth Oxford, RBC Royal Bank. "As part of the Goderich community, we are committed to helping residents recover and rebuild from this tragedy and hope this donation will help with the immediate emergency relief efforts."
The RBC Royal Bank branch in Goderich is currently closed. Clients may access their accounts using online and telephone banking, ABMs or the closest RBC branch in Clinton, Kincardine, Ripley, Forest and Exeter. The closest Cash Counter is located in the Rexall Pharma Plus at 67 Kingston Street in Goderich. Clients who have to use a competitor's ATM machine will be reimbursed for the Interac fee by calling 1-800-ROYAL-11 or visiting any RBC Royal Bank Branch.
- 30 -
For more information, please contact:
Jackie Braden
RBC Communications
Melissa Gambino
RBC Royal Bank


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Relay Team Falls A Little Shy of Making Nationals
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- The last day of the 2014 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round did not go as planned for the Aggies.
The 400 meter relay missed the next round by finishing in 13th place. The top 12 relay teams advance to NCAA Nationals. Seniors Desmond Lawrence and Darryl Williams, junior Marquis Noble and freshman Caleb Gabriel ran a season-best 39.78, 8/10ths of a second off of Charlotte's qualifying time.
"Despite setting a personal best today, I expected our relay to run much better," said Duane Ross, director of track and field program. "I preach to our team that 'Victory favors the prepared,' and today we had a mental lapse in our preparation. I wasn't expecting that at all. We've done a great job all year of preparing for our competitions in terms of our warm-up and mental preparation, that has to remain the case during championship competition."
Lawerence, who qualified for nationals in the 100 on Friday, did not qualify in the 200 on Saturday, finishing 17th at 21.20
"Desmond had a very long weekend and I'm proud to see him finish the 200 as strong as he did," said Ross. "In January I had to convince him that he could run a great 200, now here he is competing with the best in that event. His future is bright in whatever he decides to undertake."
"Our team is very young and I know they've obtained some valuable experience that will help them in the years to come," said Ross. "I'm still very proud of our team, no team is perfect and mistakes will be made, but we're going to continue to strive for that perfection and become the dominate program we set out to be."
Lawrence will compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., in the 100 meters June 11-14.


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eBay Inc., a global commerce platform and payments leader (NASDAQ:EBAY),
today reported that revenue for the fourth quarter ended December
31, 2012 increased 18% to $4.0 billion, compared to the same period of
2011. The company reported fourth quarter net income on a GAAP basis of
$751 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, and net income on a non-GAAP
basis of $927 million, or $0.70 per diluted share. The increase in
non-GAAP earnings per diluted share was driven by double digit user
growth across the portfolio, strong gains in mobile adoption, and
accelerating growth in the company's Marketplaces business, reflecting a
19% increase in U.S. gross merchandise volume (GMV), excluding vehicles.
For the full year, revenue increased 21% to $14.1 billion, compared to
2011. The company reported net income on a GAAP basis of $2.6 billion,
or $1.99 per diluted share, and net income on a non-GAAP basis of $3.1
billion, or $2.36 per diluted share. eBay Inc. enabled more than $175
billion of commerce volume (ECV) in 2012, representing growth of 18%.
ECV is the total commerce and payment volume across all three business
units consisting of Marketplaces GMV, PayPal merchant services net total
payment volume and GSI global ecommerce (GeC) merchandise sales.
"We had a great finish to an excellent year, with fourth quarter results
exceeding our expectations," said John Donahoe, eBay Inc. President and
CEO. "eBay Marketplaces in particular had a terrific fourth quarter,
with growth in the U.S. accelerating three points, outpacing ecommerce."
"Mobile continues to rewrite the commerce playbook, and we continue to
be a mobile commerce and payments leader," Donahoe said. "eBay mobile
finished the year with $13 billion in volume - more than double the
prior year - and PayPal mobile handled almost $14 billion in payment
volume, more than triple the prior year. In 2013, we expect each to
exceed $20 billion."
"Web-enabled multichannel commerce is evolving quickly, and consumer
shopping behavior is changing rapidly. Our focus is on being a global
commerce leader in this new environment, connecting buyers and sellers
everywhere, and being a preferred multichannel partner of choice for
retailers and brands of all sizes."
The company's PayPal business continued to expand its leadership
position in global payments. PayPal's active account growth accelerated
to 15% and ended the year with approximately 123 million registered
accounts. PayPal added nearly 2 million accounts a month in the fourth
quarter, representing the company's fastest active account growth rate
in years. Net total payment volume (TPV) increased 24%, producing
revenue growth of 24%. Key drivers included continued merchant and
consumer adoption coupled with geographic expansion. PayPal's mobile
payment volume reached nearly $14 billion in 2012, up more than 250%
over the prior year, as more consumers used their smartphones and
tablets to pay online. In addition, PayPal continued to invest in future
growth initiatives and made significant progress towards the rollout of
its offline payment solutions. Twenty-three major retailers adopted
PayPal's offline payment solutions in 18,000 locations in 2012.
The company's Marketplaces business delivered a record $2 billion
revenue in the fourth quarter, propelled by strong performance in the
U.S. Revenue for the full year was driven by continued investments in
the customer experience and efforts to bring the world's inventory to
global buyers. Active user growth accelerated two points to 12%, driven
by mobile, site enhancements designed to streamline the shopping
experience on eBay and emerging markets. Fixed price GMV, excluding
vehicles, increased 21% and contributed to a 16% increase in GMV,
excluding vehicles. U.S. GMV growth, excluding vehicles, accelerated
three points to 19%. Mobile commerce volume in 2012 grew more than 120%
to $13 billion driven primarily by increased adoption of eBay's mobile
apps and increased engagement from product innovation. eBay's suite of
mobile apps attracted more than 4 million new customers in 2012.
GSI revenue for the quarter increased 10% to $398 million driven
primarily by a 17% increase in GeC merchandise sales. Same store sales
grew 19% outpacing ecommerce. For the full year, GSI shipped a record
146 million units for its clients. GSI contributed revenue of $1.1
billion in 2012, as GSI continued to grow its relationships, investing
and driving value to its clients through eBay Inc. technology solutions,
including mobile app development, buy online and pick up in-store and
mobile express checkout.
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2012 Financial Highlights
(presented in millions, except per share data and percentages)
Merchant Services
* GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2011 reflects the gain on
the sale of the company's remaining investment in Skype.** Full
year 2011 results reflect net revenue attributable to the GSI segment
for the period from June 17, 2011 (the date that the acquisition was
completed) through December 31, 2011.
Other Selected Financial Results
Business Outlook
Quarterly Conference Call
eBay Inc. will host a conference call to discuss fourth quarter and full
year 2012 results at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time today. A live webcast of the
conference call, together with a slide presentation that includes
supplemental financial information and reconciliations of certain
non-GAAP measures to their nearest comparable GAAP measures, can be
accessed through the company's Investor Relations website at http://investor.ebayinc.com.
In addition, an archive of the webcast will be accessible for 90 days
through the same link.
About eBay Inc.
Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) is a global
commerce platform and payments leader connecting millions of buyers and
sellers. We do so through eBay, the world's largest online marketplace,
which allows users to buy and sell in nearly every country on earth;
through PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to securely,
easily and quickly send and receive digital payments; and through GSI,
which facilitates ecommerce, multichannel retailing and digital
marketing for global enterprises. X.commerce harnesses the developer
community of Magento, an ecommerce platform, by providing technology
solutions and eBay Inc. capabilities to merchants of all sizes,
supporting eBay Inc.'s mission of enabling commerce. We also reach
millions through specialized marketplaces such as StubHub, the world's
largest ticket marketplace, and eBay classifieds sites, which together
have a presence in more than 1,000 cities around the world. For more
information about the company and its global portfolio of online brands,
visit www.ebayinc.com.
All growth rates represent year over year comparisons, except as
otherwise noted. All amounts in tables are presented in U.S. dollars,
rounded to the nearest millions, except as otherwise noted. As a result,
certain amounts may not sum or recalculate using the rounded dollar
amounts provided.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release includes the following financial measures defined as
"non-GAAP financial measures" by the Securities and Exchange Commission,
or SEC: non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share,
non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP effective tax rate and free cash
flow. These measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures
used by other companies. The presentation of this financial information,
which is not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or
principles, is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a
substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. For a
reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest
comparable GAAP measures, see "Business Outlook," "Non-GAAP Measures of
Financial Performance," "Reconciliation of GAAP Operating Margin to
Non-GAAP Operating Margin," "Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to
Non-GAAP Net Income and Reconciliation of GAAP Effective Tax Rate to
Non-GAAP Effective Tax Rate" and "Reconciliation of Operating Cash Flow
to Free Cash Flow" included in this press release.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to,
among other things, the future performance of eBay and its consolidated
subsidiaries that are based on the company's current expectations,
forecasts and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. These
statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding
expected financial results for the first quarter and full year 2013, and
the future growth in the Payments, Marketplaces and GSI businesses,
mobile payments and mobile commerce. The company's actual results could
differ materially from those predicted or implied and reported results
should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Factors
that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not
limited to: changes in political, business and economic conditions,
including any European or general economic downturn or crisis and any
conditions that affect ecommerce growth; fluctuations in foreign
currency exchange rates; the company's ability to profitably integrate,
manage and grow businesses that have been acquired recently or may be
acquired in the future; the company's need to successfully react to the
increasing importance of mobile payments and mobile commerce and the
increasing social aspect of commerce; the company's ability to deal with
the increasingly competitive ecommerce environment, including
competition for its sellers from other trading sites and other means of
selling, and competition for its buyers from other merchants, online and
offline; the company's need to manage an increasingly large enterprise
with a broad range of businesses of varying degrees of maturity and in
many different geographies; the effect of management changes and
business initiatives; the company's need and ability to manage other
regulatory, tax and litigation risks as its services are offered in more
jurisdictions and applicable laws become more restrictive; any changes
the company may make to its product offerings; the competitive,
regulatory, credit card association-related and other risks specific to
PayPal and Bill Me Later, especially as PayPal continues to expand
geographically and introduce new products and as new laws and
regulations related to financial services companies come into effect;
the company's ability to timely upgrade and develop its systems,
infrastructure and customer service capabilities, including GSI's v.11
initiative, at reasonable cost; and the company's ability to maintain
site stability and performance on all of its sites while adding new
products and features in a timely fashion. The forward-looking
statements in this release do not include the potential impact of any
acquisitions or divestitures that may be announced and/or completed
after the date hereof.
More information about factors that could affect the company's operating
results is included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations" in the company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and
subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be
obtained by visiting the company's Investor Relations website at http://investor.ebayinc.com
or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in
this release, which are based on information available to the company on
the date hereof. eBay assumes no obligation to update such statements.
eBay Inc.
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet
eBay Inc.Business Outlook(In Millions,
Except Per Share Amounts)
The guidance figures provided below and elsewhere in this press
release are forward-looking statements, reflect a number of estimates,
assumptions and other uncertainties, and are approximate in nature
because eBay's future performance is difficult to predict. Such guidance
is based on information available on the date of this press release, and
eBay assumes no obligation to update it.
eBay's future performance involves risks and uncertainties, and the
company's actual results could differ materially from the information
below and elsewhere in this press release. Some of the factors that
could affect the company's operating results are set forth under the
caption "Forward-Looking Statements" above in this press release. More
information about factors that could affect eBay's operating results is
included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in its
most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports
on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by visiting the company's
investor relations website at http://investor.ebayinc.com
or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
eBay Inc.Non-GAAP Measures of Financial Performance
To supplement the company's condensed consolidated financial statements
presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles,
or GAAP, eBay uses non-GAAP measures of certain components of financial
performance. These non-GAAP measures include non-GAAP net income,
non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP
effective tax rate, and free cash flow.
These non-GAAP measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative
to, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP and may be different from
non-GAAP measures used by other companies. In addition, these non-GAAP
measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or
principles. Non-GAAP measures have limitations in that they do not
reflect all of the amounts associated with eBay's results of operations
as determined in accordance with GAAP. These measures should only be
used to evaluate eBay's results of operations in conjunction with the
corresponding GAAP measures.
Reconciliation to the nearest GAAP measure of all non-GAAP measures
included in this press release can be found in the tables included in
this press release.
These non-GAAP measures are provided to enhance investors' overall
understanding of the company's current financial performance and the
company's prospects for the future. Specifically, the company believes
the non-GAAP measures provide useful information to both management and
investors by excluding certain expenses, gains and losses or net
purchases of property and equipment, as the case may be, that may not be
indicative of its core operating results and business outlook. In
addition, because eBay has historically reported certain non-GAAP
results to investors, the company believes that the inclusion of
non-GAAP measures provides consistency in the company's financial
For its internal budgeting process, and as discussed further below,
eBay's management uses financial measures that do not include
stock-based compensation expense, employer payroll taxes on stock-based
compensation, amortization or impairment of acquired intangible assets,
impairment of goodwill, significant gains or losses from the
disposal/acquisition of a business, restructuring-related charges and
the income taxes associated with the foregoing. In addition to the
corresponding GAAP measures, eBay's management also uses the foregoing
non-GAAP measures in reviewing the financial results of eBay.
eBay excludes the following items from non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP
earnings per diluted share, non-GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP
effective tax rate:
Stock-based compensation expense and related employer payroll taxes.
This expense consists of expenses for stock options, restricted stock
and employee stock purchases. eBay excludes stock-based compensation
expense from its non-GAAP measures primarily because they are non-cash
expenses that management does not believe are reflective of ongoing
operating results. eBay also previously excluded its proportionate share
of Skype's stock-based compensation expense. The related employer
payroll taxes is dependent on eBay's stock price and the timing and size
of exercises by employees of their stock options and the vesting of
their restricted stock, over which management has limited to no control,
and as such management does not believe it correlates to eBay's
operation of the business.
Amortization or impairment of acquired intangible assets, impairment
of goodwill and significant gains or losses and transaction expenses
from the acquisition or disposal of a business. eBay incurs
amortization or impairment of acquired intangible assets and goodwill in
connection with acquisitions and may incur significant gains or losses
from the acquisition or disposal of a business and therefore excludes
these amounts from its non-GAAP measures. eBay also previously excluded
its proportionate share of Skype's amortization of acquired intangibles
expense. eBay also settled a legal exposure in conjunction with the
acquisition of a business and excludes this settlement payment. In
addition, eBay's results are also impacted by hedge transactions related
to unique movements of cash from significant business acquisitions or
dispositions. eBay excludes the impact of the accretion of a note
receivable associated with the disposal of certain businesses. eBay
excludes these items because management does not believe they correlate
to the ongoing operating results of eBay's business.
Restructuring. These charges consist of expenses for employee
severance and other exit and disposal costs. eBay excludes significant
restructuring charges primarily because management does not believe they
are reflective of ongoing operating results.
Tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments. This amount is used to
present stock-based compensation and the other amounts described above
on an after-tax basis consistent with the presentation of non-GAAP net
In addition to the non-GAAP measures discussed above, eBay also uses
free cash flow. Free cash flow represents operating cash flows less net
purchases of property and equipment. eBay considers free cash flow to be
a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and
investors about the amount of cash generated by the business after the
purchases of property, buildings, and equipment, which can then be used
to, among other things, invest in eBay's business, make strategic
acquisitions, and repurchase stock. A limitation of the utility of free
cash flow as a measure of financial performance is that it does not
represent the total increase or decrease in the company's cash balance
for the period.
Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Non-GAAP Net Income and
GAAP Effective Tax Rate to Non-GAAP Effective Tax Rate
Reconciliation of Operating Cash Flow to Free Cash Flow
[ Back To Skype News 's Homepage ]


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Hart Holidays is the specialist holiday tour operator for your next wonderful self-drive holiday to the Outer Hebrides and other islands. Reliable, knowledgeable, attention to detail - we try harder to exceed your expectations. Ferries included.
Take advantage of over 20 years experience of arranging imaginative car touring 'island hopping' holidays throughout the west coast Hebrides and northern isles and turn your dreams in to reality.
Wonderful short breaks and longer touring self drive island hopping holidays with a choice of carefully selected hotels and guest houses/B&Bs of a good 3-4-5 star standard where you can be assured of good standards and a friendly welcome. Your ferries are included.
Book the easy way with your 'one stop Scottish islands tour operator' with individual, friendly advice and a tailor made holiday to suit you.
How many Scottish islands would you like to visit? Which islands and how to plan it all?
Of course one way is to get your map out and follow all these little dotted lines across the sea. A better approach can be to speak to someone who's been there before.
Which is why we're the Scottish islands holiday specialists and we've developed some super island hopping holiday packages.
You can choose a great island hopping holiday to;
- the magical Outer Hebrides such as Lewis, Harris, North & South Uist, Benbecula, and Barra (truly a rewarding experience so different from the rest of Scotland), you can include a trip to St Kilda (with advance planning);
- the Inner Hebrides including Skye (magical), Mull (great for wildlife), Islay (great for whisky), and the small isles of Coll, Tiree and Colonsay (great for birdlife and surfing if you're feeling energetic!);
- the Clyde islands of Arran (great for walking) and Bute (marvel at magnificent Mount Stuart House);
- and don't forget the wonderful northern 'Viking' islands of Shetland, Fair Isle and Orkney (great for archaeology, nature, history and so much more).
Our holidays are tailor made to suit your own preferences and requirements.
We also have a lovely selection of hotels, guest houses/B&Bs and self catering cottages, loch side lodges & Highland houses across the whole of Scotland, including castle style hotels, country house hotels, smaller family run guest houses/B&Bs and city centre hotels & apartments, and can book car rental if needed (manual & automatics available). All through one easy reservation centre.
Please let us know what you have in mind and one of our friendly team look forward to sharing our years of experience helping you plan your visit and arranging an enjoyable holiday for you.


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There is a video icon at the top of the left most column in the arabic site image as well as symbols for pictures, video and also popup content.
As you explore the site, the use of symbols and icons also increases, I imagine the lack of the world graphic from the former image is probably a result of the prior localisation choice.
At the time of writing, there is certainly an increased use in symbols on the site.
Thank you for highlighting this area of development, it is certainly an important one for sites with an multinational audience.


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The doors for the Saturday program at Hall H don't open until 9:30 a.m., but fans began lining up Friday evening for a program that features famous faces and footage from upcoming films. And, for the fans who camped out the longest, it was about a certain boy wizard.
"I'm here for the 'Harry Potter' panel, and it's going to be my birthday in an hour," said Nicole Donner, who could have used the 24 candles to try to stay warm in the damp San Diego night.
I had gone by the Eisner Awards on Friday night at the Bayfront Hyatt Hotel (where it was great to catch up with Gerard Way, Mark Evanier, Mike Richardson and Grant Morrison), and on the moonlight hike back toward the center Gaslamp Quarter, my wife, Tracy, and I stopped to chat with Donner and dozens of other fans spending the night in the dew to secure a seat in the 6,500-seat venue.
Near the front of the line we met Donnie Downs, a 24-year-old in from Phoenix who had brought an inflatable pool raft to provide a bit of cushion. He was in line to see "Potter" stars.
I told Downs that I'm the moderator for that panel and five others on Saturday. Of course, his first question was whether the Big Three stars of Hogwarts are coming. I told him that I was a bit in the dark about the final lineup of the panel, but reminded him that Warner Bros says no stars are coming and that it might be best not to get his hopes up. Of course, I'm saying this to guy who is sleeping on the ground with his head next to a stack of Domino's Pizza boxes.
"They're coming; it's not official, but unofficially they are," he said. Then he shrugged as if to say that even without the celebrity moment he would be happy with the tribal night.
"I have a $300 room on the 24th floor of the Hilton, I can see this spot from my room," Downs said. "Funny, huh?"
We said goodnight to everyone, and I promised Donner I'd wish her a happy birthday from the stage. She looked so excited, so thankful, that I actually got a bit misty. It had been a long and great night but, really, that's the moment I'll remember. You never know where you'll find the magic at Comic-Con.
— Geoff Boucher
Photo: Outside Hall H at 3 a.m. Credit: Nicole Donner
Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Eva Mendes take on the fanboys
PHOTO GALLERY: Scenes from Comic-Con 2010
Stallone, locked and loaded in "old school way"
Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren see "RED"
"Scott Pilgrim" in San Diego…with jet packs
Jeff Bridges, old and new, plugs in "Tron: Legacy"
Bruce Campbell and "Burn Notice" will go back in time
"Battle: Los Angeles" and how to swear like a Marine


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While promoting the DVD and Blu-ray release of The Amazing Spider-Man, director Marc Webb openly answered several questions about the sequel to this year's film on his Twitter page. You can read some of the responses below.
He talked about the casting of actress Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson, a role that we've learned won't be the central focus.
@target @mewfan1 @shailenewoodley YES!She's the jam – love her, look forward to working with her in ASM2. #targetchat #amazingspiderman


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LISLE - The Chicago Red Stars have unveiled a special third jersey for the 2013 season that will be worn during the Fourth of July matchup against the Western New York Flash.
It will be the first time the Chicago Red Stars have appeared in an all-red jersey top. The limited-edition tops the players wear during the game will be part of a silent-auction to take place in-game.
The Nike jerseys will feature the same look as the Red Stars other 2013 jerseys, with the traditional 4-stars of the City of Chicago flag and Red Stars logo, along with the patch of team partner Illinois Women's Soccer League.
The silent auction will take place during the match and fans can place bids in person for a chance to take one of these limited-edition tops home. Bids start at $75 and any fans not able to attend are able to place an absentee bid by emailing their highest bid, along with the player's jersey desired to email@example.com by 12 p.m. Wednesday, July 3. All Red Stars players' jerseys will be available for bid, including the team's goalkeepers.
Replica red jerseys will also be available for sale at the Red Stars merchandise booth during the game, as well as online at the official National Women's Soccer League store at nwslshop.com.
The Red Stars host the Flash at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 4, at the Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex.


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24 days left to support Your International Journalism Festival 2014 crowdfunding initiative. You can donate 10 euro or more. More than 500 people did it.
The festival is the largest media event in Europe. It is an open invitation to listen to, learn from and network with the best of world journalism. Informality and accessibility are its key features. The festival is free entry for all attendees for all sessions.
It's your time.


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Saturday, September 24, 2011
This Week Team Scotland Found Me
You might remember that in a previous post about Scotland and the Diaspora, I mentioned that if you wanted to play for "Team Scotland" you would have to find them, "Team Scotland" would not find you. Apparently, I was mistaken, because a little tiny part of Team Scotland (aka the Scottish Government) did find me earlier this week.
I was contacted by a member of the International Development and Diaspora Team who had seen my blog and asked me to join their website, Scotland Exchange, which had "been set up with the express purpose of connecting communities across the globe that have Scottish links or interests and inspiring conversations between them." In truth, I need to join another social media site like I need a hole in my head, but she asked nicely, so I did.
While as I write this there were under 400 members on the site, membership does seem to be increasing steadily. I have not explored it in depth yet, but at first glance it appears to be cross between Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. It's for connecting people, promoting your business or what have you, but you can also chat about all things Scottish, and everything is open to everybody.
Once you sign up, you can create a "my page," add a photo of yourself (the default is the lion rampant), join groups, add posts to Scotland the Blog, and add photos of Scotland. I joined four groups: Culture, Ancestry, History, and Introduce Yourself. They seem to operate just like groups on LinkedIn. It seems that you can also send comments from Scotland Exchange to Twitter. I've not tried it, but it could be a useful feature.
I think Scotland Exchange has potential, particularly if you want to reach a target audience or find Twitter and Facebook a bit too big and scary. For anyone with a Scottish themed business or blog, it would be one more place to promote yourself. I might be able to pick up a few more subscribers, maybe someone else could sell one more Tartan thingamajig. If you are searching for Scottish forebears, then the Ancestry group is for you, although at present it only has 22 members.
So visit Scotland Exchange and see if it is for you. Look to see if any one you know is already on the site: just click on view all members, then go through each page or search for a name. Billie Kay, the presenter of the Scottish Intellect, is a member. I'm there, obviously, and currently my photo is of my great-grandfather, David Hood, born in Ayrshire in 1868.
1 comment:
- Paul Stroble said...
So interesting! We were in Glasgow and Edinburgh this past July. Beth's and my mothers have Scottish surnames and I'll check out some of the sites you recommend.
- September 25, 2011 at 11:52 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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UPDATED: In a Leon County courtroom, the Republican Party of Florida made a last minute attempt to remove a tea Party candidate from the ballot in a Central Florida state legislative race. But time was an issue because the ballot gets certified at 5 p.m. Thursday and the circuit judge appeared skeptical about granting an injunction.
Rep. J.C. Planas, a termed-out Miami lawmaker, was hired by the party to argue the case on behalf of a voter in House District 34, Christopher Denion. (Rep. Chris Dorworth, a future House speaker, currently holds the seat.) Planas argued that John DeVries is a bogus tea party candidate and asked Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford to disqualify him for technical issues surrounding his paperwork and a loan from Florida Tea Party leader Fred O'Neal.
"What we have here is the RPOF verses the Tea Party of Florida," O'Neal said in his opening statement. "They are trying to take us off the ballot."
At the end of the day, the judge rejected the RPOF's efforts to get an injunction but Planas said he will push it to trial. He also said he will ask prosecutor Willie Meggs to file a criminal case against DeVries.
Planas said DeVries admitted on the stand writing a worthless check -- which if convicted would disqualify him. "We are going to expose the (Florida) Tea Party for what they are," he said.
The group, led by Orlando political consultant Doug Guetzloe, is under fire as a front group for Democrats. (And remember the name "Florida Tea Party" is also a matter of legal dispute.)
Even if Planas won the argument for an injunction -- and the judge was incredibly skeptical -- it was still likely DeVries name will appear on the ballot, given that the case is ongoing and a decision might not come at the end of the hearing. Not to mention, the Florida Tea Party, as a recognized political organization, can then nominate a replacement.
Planas said the case is a trial balloon, and if successful, will lead to more GOP efforts to remove Florida Tea Party candidates.


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Whether you are a die-hard Harvard basketball fan or just a casual Crimson follower, chances are high that you remember Oliver McNally's last performance in a Crimson uniform. It was, after all, on TV.
The senior guard and co-captain played a strong game in his team's second-round NCAA tournament matchup against Vanderbilt. He dished out a game-high seven assists and was even more impressive on the defensive end, sacrificing his body and drawing two momentum-shifting charges. Even though Harvard lost, 79-70, it was an outstanding end to a great career.
Despite the disappointing loss, McNally has moved on to bigger and better things. In recent weeks, the future Harvard grad has dominated a different arena – Twitter.
We at The Back Page have taken notice of McNally's recent hot streak. Here are our favorites from this past week.
1) Although his playing days are over, McNally is still keeping up with the latest basketball news. He gave this prediction regarding the nation's no. 1 ranked basketball recruit, Nerlens Noel, before the high school phenom signed with the University of Kentucky.
"Nerlens Noel is gonna shock the world? I agree, he's going to be a terror in the Ivy next year when he suits up in Hanover for the Big Green"
Luckily for Crimson fans, Noel will not be playing for Dartmouth next season. We feel sorry for the disappointed Big Green fans that hastily ordered custom jerseys and shaved their heads to match Noel's.
2) Oliver McNally may not be going to med school, but the Harvard co-captain knows a thing or two about the field. On April 11, he gave the following advice to Giants Catcher Buster Posey:
Shingles, @BusterPosey ? You kidding me dude? That's an illness you get playing Oregon Trail #dysentery
It's unclear if Posey followed Dr. McNally's orders, but Posey's covered wagon probably made it to a hospital. At least, we're pretty sure since we didn't see a headline like this in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Those are the Tweets of the Week. While the rest of the Ivy League is happy to see McNally graduate, Crimson fans will miss his fiery play on the court. At least we can continue enjoying his profound observations on the net.


text: Was eager to remove Etags from header, so I quickly requested my server admin to update LiteSpeed to version 4.2.2. Shortly after that I noticed that I couldn't upload images from Wordpress. After reporting this problem to my server admin, he checked and found that litespeed is running some php processes as user "nobody" while some under the proper user. Downgraded back to the previous version and the problem went away.


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Abereen ladies capture 2A state golf title
The fabulous five some of Aberdeen have accomplished their goal, as Hazel Pratt, Breanna Duffin, Whitney Wahlen, April Beck and Sophia Duffin combined to shoot a two day total team score of 852 at the 2A state tournament in Couer D'Alene on Monday and Tuesday.
That score was a full 14 strokes better than second place McCall-Donnelly as the Lady Tigers brought home the coveted blue trophy for their 2A state championship.
In addition to the team title, April Beck was also a individual state medalist as she carded a 189 for a fourth place finish atop the leader board.
Hazel Pratt shot 215. Breanna Duffin fired a 222. Sophia Duffin carded a 229 and Whitney Wahlen rounded out the team score with a two day total of 236.
The boys were also in action at the tournament and when the dust had settled for a fifth place team finish with a score of 740.
Jaxon Archibald led the charge with a two day tally of 163, good enough for a fourth place finish atop the leader board.
Kylan Feld and Austin Anderson each shot 194 while Houston Wahlen fired a 195. Will Toevs rounded out the Tiger squad with a 213.


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The union representing Boeing's technical workers says it will make no recommendation when it asks members to vote this month on the company's latest contract offer, which is identical to the offer that technical workers narrowly rejected Feb. 19.
SPEEA has said it's disappointing the offer does not provide defined pensions for new employees. They would, instead, have a 401(k) retirement plan.
However, the union says accepting the company's last offer would lock in "considerable improvements" achieved since the company's initial offer.
The 7,400 technical workers have already given their union strike authorization.
The 15,500 engineers represented by the same union approved a four-year Boeing contract in ballots tallied Feb. 19.
The engineers and technical employees work on plans for new planes and solve problems that arise on the factory floor.


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Capital punishment
legal process whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. Historically, the execution of criminals and political opponents was used by nearly all societies—both to punish crime and to suppress political dissent.
- Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated, can be compared. For there to be an equivalency, the death penalty would have to punish a criminal who had warned his victim of the date on which he would inflict a horrible death on him and who, from that moment onward, had confined him at his mercy for months. Such a monster is not to be encountered in private life.
- A punishment that penalizes without forestalling is indeed called revenge.
- What will be left of the power of example if it is proved that capital punishment has another power, and a very real one, which degrades men to the point of shame, madness, and murder?
- Albert Camus, "Reflections on the Guillotine," Resistance, Rebellion and Death (1961).
- In the disposition of capital cases in the United States, the median elapsed time between sentence and execution is approximately seventeen months. [...] However, even an attorney of moderate talent can postpone doomsday year after year, for the system of appeals that pervades American jurisprudence amounts to a legalistic wheel of fortune [...].
- Truman Capote, In Cold Blood, part 4
- Capital punishment kills immediately, whereas lifetime imprisonment does so slowly. Which executioner is more humane? The one who kills you in a few minutes, or the one who wrests your life from you in the course of many years?
- Anton Chekhov, The banker in The Bet, Works, vol. 7, p. 229, "Nauka" <1254>
- The ability of so many people to live comfortably with the idea of capital punishment is perhaps a clue to how so many Europeans were able to live with the idea of the Holocaust: Once you accept the notion that the state has the right to kill someone and the right to define what is a capital crime, aren't you halfway there?
- Roger Ebert, "Mr. Death: The Rise And Fall Of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.", Chicago Sun-Times, 4 February 2000.
- I have reached the conviction that the abolition of the death penalty is desirable. Reasons: 1) Irreparability in the event of an error of justice, 2) Detrimental moral influence of the execution procedure on those who, whether directly or indirectly, have to do with the procedure.
- Albert Einstein p.83, Albert Einstein-The human side, Princeton University Press 1979.
- Capital punishment is our society's recognition of the sanctity of human life.
- Orrin Hatch, quoted from David Milsted, The Cassell Dictionary of Regrettable Quotations (1999)
- The pain was maddening. You should pray to God when you're dying, if you can pray when you're in agony. In my dream I didn't pray to God, I thought of Roger and how dearly I loved him. The pain of those wicked flames was not half so bad as the pain I felt when I knew he was dead. I felt suddenly glad to be dying. I didn't know when you were burnt to death you'd bleed. I thought the blood would all dry up in the terrible heat. But I was bleeding heavily. The blood was dripping and hissing in the flames. I wished I had enough blood to put the flames out. The worst part was my eyes. I hate the thought of gong blind. It's bad enough when I'm awake but in dreams you can't shake the thoughts away. They remain. In this dream I was going blind. I tried to close my eyelids but I couldn't. They must have been burnt off, and now those flames were going to pluck my eyes out with their evil fingers, I didn't want to go blind. The flames weren't so cruel after all. They began to feel cold. Icy cold. It occurred to me that I wasn't burning to death but freezing to death.
- Arthur Guirdham in The Cathars and Reincarnation, p. 89
- Many of us do not believe in capital punishment, because thus society takes from a man what society cannot give.
- Katharine Fullerton Gerould, Modes and Morals, ch. 7 (1920).
- If we could do away with death, we wouldn't object; to do away with capital punishment will be more difficult. Were that to happen, we would reinstate it from time to time.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Wilhelm Meister's Travels, from Makarie's Archive (1829).
- You guys in AZ are life savers.
- Scott Kernan of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, upon being resupplied with sodium thiopental from the Arizona Department of Corrections to carry out lethal injection, The Washington Post, 9 December 2010.
- Death penalty is the special and eternal sign of barbarism. Where death penalty is applied, barbarism dominates; where death penalty is rare, civilisation reigns.
- Three things belong to God and do not belong to men: the irrevocable, the irreparable and the indissoluble. Woe to men if they introduce it in their laws!
- Victor Hugo, National Constituant Assembly of the French Republic, 15 September 1848.
- Yea, such is the law of England, the tenderest law in the world of a man's life. I say again, that no such trial for life is to be found in the world, as in England. In any place but in England, a man's life may be taken away upon two or three witnesses; but in England two or three witnesses do not do it: For there are two juries besides, and you have four-and-twenty men returned; you have one-and-twenty men upon their oaths and consciences that have found you guilty: And yet when you have done that, it is not enough by the law of England, but you are also to have twelve rational understanding men of your neighbours to hear all over again, and to pass upon your life. This is not used in any law in the world but in England, which hath the most righteous and most merciful law in the world.
- Lord Keble, C.J., Lilburne's Case (1649), 4 How. St. Tr. 1311; reported in James William Norton-Kyshe, The Dictionary of Legal Quotations (1904), p. 240-241.
- The burning of the house of the offender is not a permissible punishment for arson. The rape of the offender is not a permissible punishment of a rapist. Why should murder be a permissible punishment for murder?
- Justice Ismail Mahomed, S v Makwanyane, 6 June 1995.
- It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death.
- Maimonides, Sefer Hamitzvot [Book of the Commandments], commentary on Negative Commandment 290, as translated by Charles B. Chavel (1967); also in Defending the Human Spirit : Jewish Law's Vision for a Moral Society (2006) by Warren Goldstein, p. 269
- ... for if [abrogation] comes it will be their doing, and they will have gained what I cannot but call a fatal victory, for they will have achieved it by bringing about... an effeminacy in the general mind of the country.
- John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism and the 1868 Speech on Capital Punishment, p.68. (Sher, ed. Hackett Publishing Co, 2001)
- The murder of one person is called unrighteous and incurs one death penalty. Following this argument, the murder of ten persons will be ten times as unrighteous and there should be ten death penalties; the murder of a hundred persons will be a hundred times as unrighteous and there should be a hundred death penalties. All the gentlemen of the world know that they should condemn these things, calling them unrighteous. But when it comes to the great unrighteousness of attacking states, they do not know that they should condemn it. On the contrary, they applaud it, calling it righteous.
- Mozi Book 5: Condemnation of Offensive War I
- A bedouin came and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Judge between us according to Allah's Laws." His opponent got up and said, "He is right. Judge between us according to Allah's Laws." The bedouin said, "My son was a laborer working for this man, and he committed illegal sexual intercourse with his wife. The people told me that my son should be stoned to death; so, in lieu of that, I paid a ransom of one hundred sheep and a slave girl to save my son. Then I asked the learned scholars who said, "Your son has to be lashed one-hundred lashes and has to be exiled for one year." The Prophet said, "No doubt I will judge between you according to Allah's Laws. The slave-girl and the sheep are to go back to you, and your son will get a hundred lashes and one year exile." He then addressed somebody, "O Unais! go to the wife of this (man) and stone her to death" So, Unais went and stoned her to death.
- Muhammad narrated Abu Huraira and Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani Sahih Bukhari 3:49:860
- Most people approve of capital punishment, but most people wouldn't do the hangman's job.
- George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier, 1937.
- Within your system, to kill is obviously a moral crime, but to kill another in punishment only compounds the original error. Someone very well known who established a church -- if you will, a civilization -- once said, "Turn the other cheek if you are attacked." The original meaning of that remark, however, should be understood. You should turn the other cheek because you realize that basically the attacker only attacks himself. Then you are free, and the reaction is a good one. If you turn the other cheek without this understanding, however, and feel resentful, or if you turn the other cheek out of a feeling of pseudomoral superiority, then the reaction is far from adequate.
- Jane Roberts in Seth Speaks (1972), p. 171
- The Bible identifies 15 crimes against the family worthy of the death penalty. Abortion is treason against the family and deserves the death penalty. Adultery is treason to the family; adulterers should be put to death. Homosexuality is treason to the family, and it too, is worthy of death.
- Rousas John Rushdoony, to Bill Moyers, on PBS Home Video:God and Politics: On Earth as it is in Heaven, 1988.
- As regards capital cases, the trouble is that emotional men and women always see only the individual whose fate is up at the moment, and neither his victim nor the many millions of unknown individuals who would in the long run be harmed by what they ask. Moreover, almost any criminal, however brutal, has usually some person, often a person whom he has greatly wronged, who will plead for him. If the mother is alive she will always come, and she cannot help feeling that the case in which she is so concerned is peculiar, that in this case a pardon should be granted. It was really heartrending to have to see the kinfolk and friends of murderers who were condemned to death, and among the very rare occasions when anything governmental or official caused me to lose sleep were times when I had to listen to some poor mother making a plea for a criminal so wicked, so utterly brutal and depraved, that it would have been a crime on my part to remit his punishment.
- Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, An Autobiography.
- The Bible identifies 15 crimes against the family worthy of the death penalty. Abortion is treason against the family and deserves the death penalty. Adultery is treason to the family; adulterers should be put to death. Homosexuality is treason to the family and it too, is worthy of death.
- R. J. Rushdoony, to Bill Moyers, on PBS Home Video: God and Politics: On Earth as it is in Heaven, 1988.
- Scroggs, L.C.J: My rule is this, in doubtful cases, when men are upon their lives, I had rather hear what is impertinent, than not let them make a full defence.
North, L.C.J: I had rather hear things at a venture, than forbid things at a venture.
- Whitehead's Case (1679), 7 How. St. Tr. 388; reported in James William Norton-Kyshe, The Dictionary of Legal Quotations (1904), p. 241.
- In the case of murder, the death penalty - issued by way of putting the culprit to sleep to then apply the lethal injection - is the time delayed procedure of self-defense as carried out by the representatives of the victim(s) who, at the time of the incident and due to the then existing circumstances, was/were unable to defend itself/themselves from the willful murderous attack.
- Manfred F. Schieder (1937 - ) From Chapter 6 of "Ayn Rand, I and the Universe" (http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Schieder/The_Logically_Resulting_Type_of_Society.shtml).
- We are concerned here only with the imposition of capital punishment for the crime of murder, and when a life has been taken deliberately by the offender, we cannot say that the punishment is invariably disproportionate to the crime. It is an extreme sanction suitable to the most extreme of crimes.
- Potter Stewart, Majority opinion in 7-2 ruling that the death penalty is a constitutionally acceptable form of punishment for premeditated murder (July 2, 1976)[specific citation needed]
- I personally have always voted for the death penalty because I believe that people who go out prepared to take the lives of other people forfeit their own right to live. I believe that that death penalty should be used only very rarely, but I believe that no-one should go out certain that no matter how cruel, how vicious, how hideous their murder, they themselves will not suffer the death penalty.
- No man e'er felt the halter draw,
With good opinion of the law.
- John Trumbull, McFingal, Canto iii (1782), line 489.
- The most marked indication of society's endorsement of the death penalty for murder is the legislative response to Furman.
- U.S. Supreme Court, Gregg v. Georgia, 2 July 1976 (affirming the resumption of capital punishment in the United States).
- After a four-year moratorium on executions in California, multiple proceedings in federal court, a state administrative law proceeding, and state court appeals, it is incredible to think that the deliberative process might be driven by the expiration date of the execution drug.
- U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Morales and Brown v. Cate, 27 September 2010 (delaying the resumption of capital punishment in California).
External linksEdit
- Famous Quotes about Death Penalty and Capital Punishment
- Anti-Death Penalty Quotes - compilation of abolitionist quotes