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Chelsea's poor form continues after a disappointing 0-0 west London derby draw with Fulham at Stamford Bridge, extending the Blues' winless run to six games in the Premier League.
Rafael Benitez made two changes to the side that earned a point against reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday, replacing John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata with Oriol Romeu and Ryan Bertrand for Wednesday's clash with the Cottagers.
Fernando Torres maintained his place in attack, but it was another underwhelming performance from the Spanish striker, who looks a shadow of his former self.
Chelsea struggled to create any real chances in the first-half, despite actively looking to play the ball to Torres at the earliest opportunity.
Ramires fired the hosts' clearest opportunity high over the bar from the edge of the box, while Dimitar Berbatov did the same with Fulham's only real threat on goal, after a neat cross from John Arne Riise.
16 minutes in and the Chelsea supporters paid tribute once again to departed manager Roberto Di Matteo - singing the Italian's name for the entire minute of the number he previously wore during his playing days at the club.
On the half hour mark Torres received the ball from his compatriot Cesar Azpilicueta on the penalty spot, and after a neat turn he could only fire straight into the hands of Mark Schwarzer.
After the interval, both teams started brightly with Berbatov once again holding up play well before laying off for Giorgos Karagounis, who released a low-drilled shot straight at Petr Cech.
The hour mark prompted a change from both sides, with Mata replacing Bertrand, and Chris Baird coming on for Mahamadou Diarra, whose industrious display in the middle of the park was rewarded with a well-earned rest.
Soon after the substitutions, Chelsea created their clearest chance of the game, when Mata's corner found the head of Branislav Ivanovic, but his glancing header drifted wide of the far post.
Kerim Frei came on for Karagounis, and his nimble footwork on the left-wing afforded an opportunity to break. His forward run ended when Ramires intercepted the midfielder, who went down in the box after the Brazilian's soft challenge, though his half-hearted penalty appeals were waved away by referee Anthony Taylor.
Aaron Hughes cleared a Torres effort off the goal-line after he was found at the back post by Mata, but that was about as good as it got for the hosts in front of their 41,707 home crowd at Stamford Bridge.
Mladen Petric replaced Hugo Rodallega in the closing stages, while Marko Marin was given his first taste of Premier League football when he came on for Eden Hazard, but it had little effect on a dire game at Stamford Bridge.
Benitez maintains his unbeaten record in eight games against Martin Jol, but Chelsea's third consecutive draw with Fulham will provide little reason for optimism for Blues fans, even though they move up a place above West Brom to third in the table on goal difference.
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Interest in PS4 has continue to grow after Sony and Microsoft showed off their wares at E3 last week. Once again, we surveyed GameFly fans about their interest in the two next-gen consoles. We recorded responses before Microsoft's Xbox One reveal, after, and after the conclusion of E3.
While interest in PS4 increased following Xbox One's reveal, it appears that Microsoft lost significant ground during the trade show. Whereas about 38 percent of fans were more interested in Microsoft's new console at the beginning of the year, the figure currently stands at 18 percent. PlayStation 4 currently has 72.2 percent allegiance.
Obviously, with the poll surveying GameFly users, results may be skewed. (Note: Xbox One currently does not support rental games; GameFly is a game rental service.) However, other polls conducted by CVG, Amazon, and Gamespot show similar results.
Although PS4 has a $100 price advantage over Xbox One, it appears very few people were swayed by that difference. Instead, it appears Sony's more gamer-friendly policies have earned them sway. "I pick the one that lets me play used games," Wesley Metz said. "Love the Xbox, but hate DRM. Going with PlayStation this time, I guess. I'm not very happy about it," Mike Rew said.
However, although Microsoft may be performing poorly in the poll, Xbox still has ardent fans. "The TV functionality looks awesome and services on Xbox are far superior," Sean McMurran said. "PS fans can no longer say their Internet is free either." At E3, Sony stealthily made PlayStation Plus a requirement for online gaming on PS4. "Still going with the Xbox One! Loyal to Microsoft," Chris L said.
Some Microsoft fans are waiting for the publisher to rescind their policies before jumping into the next generation. "Neither. Xbox pissed me off and I don't like the PlayStation," Patrick Judge said. "Guess I'll play my 360 until Microsoft gets their head out of their butt and does a full retraction." Thankfully for Judge, there's quite a number of current-gen games coming later this year.
We'll update this survey again after Gamescom, where the two manufacturers will likely have more information to share.

subset: commoncrawl


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"David and Goliath" Story as Estonian Credit Unions Take on Big Foreign Banks
September 11, 2007
Madison, WI—On behalf of World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), Juri Valdov, CEO of Northwest Federal Credit Union and immediate past Chairman of Credit Union National Association (CUNA), traveled to Tallinn, Estonia, August 23–25, 2007, to assess credit union development there. As a movement still working to reestablish itself after the collapse of Soviet rule, Valdov found in it a true "David and Goliath" story.
Valdov speaks Estonian and commented on how "they treated me like one of their own," as he was warmly embraced by the credit union officials in Estonia, who guided him through visits to credit unions throughout the country.
Estonia had a thriving credit cooperative system between the two World Wars, but today the oldest "modern day" credit union dates back to just 1991, when the country regained its independence from the former Soviet Union.
Estonia's 11 credit unions are small, mostly rural community-based institutions. They account for less than 1% of the financial market and serve approximately 2,700 members in total. They range in size from a 52-member financial institution to one with 569 members.
When Estonia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, its first endeavor to provide renewed access to financial services in-country stimulated the start-up of 50 commercial banks. Forty-eight of the banks failed, losing the savings of those who had entrusted their hard- earned money in the banks. Although many large depositors were able to recover part of their savings, those with smaller accounts lost everything.
Today, there is no national bank—based on national capital—in Estonia. Andrus Ristkok, Executive Director of the Estonian Union of Credit Cooperatives, reported that two large Scandinavian banks currently hold more than 90% of their savings in the Estonian banking sector. The banks pay a return on savings that is less than the rate of inflation, yet the bank divisions in Estonia are twice as profitable as their European counterparts. Ristkok heads the Estonian Union of Credit Cooperatives, established in 1999, on a part-time basis and with no pay.
The banks and government officials in Estonia portray credit unions as relics of the past with no place in today's modern world. Yet, "Estonia is a 'wired' country where everyone has a cell phone and access to the Internet," Valdov reported. Valdov counseled Estonian credit union staff on the opportunities the hi-tech environment afforded them in determining the best mix of products and services for members so they can better compete in the changing environment.
"This is about consumer choice," WOCCU Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Brian Branch, explained, "The lack of competition in Estonia means that consumers lose the real value of their savings, receive weak service and pay a high cost for loans. The credit unions are providing people with alternatives."
Today's technology and mobile society offer small credit unions, the "Davids" of Estonia, an opportunity to compete with the multinational "Goliaths" through smart and creative use of technology. "The next step is up to the credit unions in Estonia. They are at a critical stage in their development and need outside help as they begin their journey toward future success," Valdov stated.
World Council of Credit Unions is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.
World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 89 countries. Worldwide, 68,882 credit unions in 109 countries serve 235 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.


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Cruiseco is offering travellers the opportunity to pay half-price for a companion's fare on a 40-night circumnavigation of Australia, departing Sydney on 25 January on board Ponant's L'Austral.
The offer is also available on the shorter 14-night Sydney-Fremantle and 26-night Fremantle-Sydney sectors.
Itinerary highlights include visits to Tasmania's Wineglass Bay, Victoria's Port Campbell, South Australia's Port Lincoln, Western Australia's Turquoise Bay, the Northern Territory's Yirrkala, and Queensland's Lizard Island.
Prices for the 40-night cruise are from $29,900 for the first passenger and $14,950 for the companion, based on twin-share or double occupancy in a deluxe stateroom.
Fares include all meals onboard, 24-hour room service, beverages such as house wines, beers and non-premium spirits, a specialist expedition crew and zodiac tours.
Phone (02) 9492 8520 or visit www.cruising.com.au
Have a spare $1,399 per head and looking for something to do on New Year's Eve?
I doubt that it comes any better than dinner, choice of performances, and ringside seats to the fireworks, when Opera Australia takes over the Sydney Opera House.
That price includes a three-course pre-performance dinner designed by Matt Moran, tickets to either The Merry Widow or a gala concert of popular arias, and entry to the exclusive Midnight Party, with its uninterrupted view of the fireworks.
Separate dinner and party packages are also available for $399 and $329 per head respectively.
Phone (02) 9318 8200 or visit www.opera.org.au
Save 25 per cent on a three-night winter package at The Retreat Port Stephens, two-and-a-half hours north of Sydney.
Pay $350 per couple, including accommodation in a bush-hideaway cabin, a $25 voucher for each person to spend on craft beer, wine and food at nearby Murray's Craft Brewery, and a $15 voucher per person to use for breakfast or lunch at Crest Birubi Beach, an eatery boasting spectacular vistas over the ocean and passing whales.
The package is valid for bookings made by July 31, and for stays on weekends or midweek up to September 29.
The Retreat Port Stephens is nestled in bushland next to Australia's largest sand dunes.
Phone 02 4982 1244 or visit www.theretreatportstephens.com.au
Brisbane's Emporium Hotel is marketing a $100 'Signature Sips' package as an add-on to its normal room rates.
The package features four cocktails of choice from the 10th Anniversary Cocktail Menu, seasonal tapas board, a reserved spot in the Cocktail Bar, late checkout and valet parking, and is available until December 31.
The cocktail menu features creations such as the Ginger Geisha, Rouge Lips, Queensland Mule and Passionfruit Chi Chi.
Visit www.emporiumhotels.com.au
Queensland's North Stradbroke Island — or 'North Straddie' as the locals refer to it — is one of the premier locations to view whales as they migrate up Australia's east coast during winter, and its Quandamooka Festival will showcase their arrival with a weekend of traditional ceremonies, music, dance and interpretive tours on July 28-29.
The Yura Yalingbila (Welcome the Whales) weekend starts with the official welcoming ceremony and festival on Saturday 29 July from 11am to 3pm at Headland Park on Point Lookout.
Unlike with most whale-watching experiences, visitors to North Straddie only need to stroll to the headlands at this time of year to see humpback whales breaching, dolphins riding the waves, and turtles and manta rays cruising through the waters.
The festival is free to enter and will include traditional dance, arts, weaving, workshops, kids activities, food stalls, sand art and live music by Neil Murray (co-composer of My Island Home) and local female duo Blacksalt.
This year, for the first time, Yura Yalingbila will include the Quandamooka Festival Gala Dinner Experience. Set on a cliff top location ideally situated to view the whales, the all-inclusive fine-dining evening will start with canapes and sparkling wine overlooking an ocean sunset, followed by a cultural dance performance and then an Australian bushfood-inspired three-course meal, accompanied by quality wines and music from a string quartet.


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Is almost here.
And, to count down the days to the new year (and new decade), I've decided to recap some of our favorite recipes from the last year!
Why? Because, I've been blogging for a year!
Starting December 26th, I'll be highlighting our family favorites.
7 days of our favorite beverages, desserts, main dishes, breads... you'll find it here.
Enjoy the countdown to 2010!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
3 comments:
I posted about chicken and dumplings today. If you haven't seen it yet you might want to go check it out. ;)ReplyDelete
Looking forward to your recap. You have so many choices on your sidebar that it will be nice to know what your favorites are.
Merry Christmas!
Hello there! I discovered your blog via Kim Newman's blog and just love it. I've made your apple muffins, oreo bombs, chocolate crinkles, red pepper quiche, carmalitas, and maybe more! Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your tasty recipes and Merry Christmas. I look forward to many more!ReplyDelete
I'm looking forward to it. You always have the yummiest looking dishes. I see a cookbook in your future?!ReplyDelete
Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you; especially how you're finding JOY in your kitchen.
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Shimon Peres Launches Facebook PageMar 9, 2012 at 07:24:32 AM
Israeli President Shimon Peres has launched a Facebook page - and got Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to be his first "friend." Zuckerberg told Peres: "I would love to visit Israel and be your guest."
Peres also met with the COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, and for 40 minutes answered questions of surfers from around the world and also from Facebook employees. Watch here.
Peres' page features a video of Peres in mashup mode, dancing with robots and surfing an iPad, calling on citizens of the world to unite for world peace. Peres says he hopes the message will reach "citizens of Iran, Syria and the Arab world."
Shimon Peres may be 88 years old, but he continues to reinvent himself in the modern world. He is well-known to have encouraged Shai Agassi to start the Better Place electric car company.
What do you think of the Shimon Peres mashup video? Is it presidential and cool?


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Husky Boy's Clothes He'll Love
Bring home clothes he'll love when you shop our selection of husky boy's clothes. He'll be over the moon once he sees the amazing back to school clothes you've bought that speak to his style and personality. Are his uniform clothes looking a bit dingy? Ease the demand on your son's uniform clothes and get multiple pairs of pants and shirts in colors and styles you need. A touch of east coast preppiness to his wardrobe is good to have. The preppy look is clean and works will as casual wear and formal wear. Argyle or cable-knight sweaters over a crisp button down and paired with nice slacks is a go to look for any event. Each item can be mixed and matched with other items in his closet. FYI mom, graphic tees are in. They are a huge deal in boy's fashion, so give him several graphic tees that he'll want to show off to his friends. Whether it's a holiday themed shirt, an expression of his love for gamming, or something super quirky, you have a lot awesome graphic tees to select. Pull out cool pullovers, hoodies, rain coats, and jackets for him to brave cold weather in style. Shop husky boy's clothes today in the kids department.
Cool Boy's Husky Pants
He won't be able to stop grinning once he puts on a pair of our boy's husky pants. Roomy enough for all-day comfort yet stylish enough to run with the cool kids, our selection of boy's husky jeans and shorts will give him enough outfit options to last quite a while. Grab some cargo shorts for him—he'll love the way it's got enough pockets to store all of his essentials. Plus, they'll easily look good with anything from t-shirts to button-ups. When it's getting too chilly for shorts, there's always the option of denim—who doesn't love a nice pair of well-worn jeans? Is there a special occasion requiring formal wear coming up on the horizon? Don't worry, we're here to help! Our boy's husky pants will go a long way towards making him look sharp as well as feeling comfortable for the entire day. Vist the kids department, and give your son cool, comfortable, and stylish pants he'll love.


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Expedia Verified Reviews
Don't miss out on a lower price on this hotel
Get an overview of this hotelUpscale hotel on the beach, with 2 outdoor swimming pools
Popular property highlights
Located in Central Pattaya, this beachfront hotel is in the city center and within a 10-minute walk of Tiffany's Show and Art in Paradise. World Gems Collection and CentralMarina are also within 15 minutes.
Hotel Features
Catch some rays at the beach or spend the day relaxing at Dusit Thani Pattaya's full-service spa. Then enjoy a meal at one of the hotel's 3 restaurants.
Room Amenities
All 457 rooms feature thoughtful touches like bathrobes and slippers, along with conveniences such as sitting areas and refrigerators. Free WiFi and balconies are standard, as are LCD TVs with satellite channels.
Languages Spoken
- English
Dusit Thani Pattaya
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Dusit Thani Pattaya features a full-service spa, 2 outdoor swimming pools, outdoor tennis courts, and a sauna. Dining is available at one of the hotel's 3 restaurants and guests can grab coffee at the coffee shop/café. Guests can unwind with a drink at one of the hotel's bars, which include 2 poolside bars and a bar/lounge. Public areas are equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access.
This 4.5-star property offers access to a business center, limo/town car service, and meeting rooms. Event facilities measuring 323 square feet (30 square meters) include a conference center. This luxury hotel also offers a children's pool, a fitness center, and spa services. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
Dusit Thani Pattaya has designated areas for smoking.
- Bar/lounge
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Number of outdoor pools - 2
- Elevator/lift
- Fitness facilities
- Number of poolside bars - 2
- Full-service spa
- 24-hour front desk
- Conference space
- Business center
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Meeting rooms 14
- Coffee shop or café
- Free self parking
- Pool sun loungers
- Free WiFi
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Sauna
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Limo or Town Car service available
- Children's club (free)
- Supervised childcare/activities (surcharge)
- Children's pool
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Conference space size (meters) - 30
- Spa services on site
- Luggage storage
- Hair salon
- ATM/banking
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Number of restaurants - 3
- Concierge services
- Conference space size (feet) - 323
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Conference center
- Designated smoking areas
- Shopping on site
- Outdoor tennis courts - 3
- Airport transportation
- Laundry facilities
- Total number of rooms - 457
- Number of floors - 8
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Wedding services
- Garden
- Multilingual staff
- Free newspapers in lobby
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Languages Spoken
- English
- Thai
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Private bathroom
- DVD player
- Free WiFi
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Pay movies
- Balcony
- Separate sitting area
- Air conditioning
- Refrigerator
- Minibar
- Coffee/tea maker
- Free bottled water
- Daily housekeeping
- Turndown service
- Shower/tub combination
- Slippers
- Bathrobes
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- In-room safe
- Desk
- Satellite TV service
- Room service (24 hours)
- Rollaway/extra beds (surcharge)
Where to Eat
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6 AM and 10:30 AM.
The Bay - This restaurant specializes in international cuisine.
The Peak Restaurant - This restaurant specializes in Chinese cuisine and serves lunch and dinner.
Cascade Restaurant - This restaurant specializes in international cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Lobby Lounge - Onsite bar. Happy hour is offered.
24-hour room service is available.
Nearby Things to Do
2 outdoor swimming pools are on site along with a children's pool. Other recreational amenities include outdoor tennis courts, a sauna, and a fitness center.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Playground on site
Spa Services
Devarana Spa has 7 treatment rooms. Services include massages, facials, body wraps, and manicures and pedicures. The spa is equipped with a sauna and a steam room. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy, Ayurvedic, and hydrotherapy.
- Sauna in spa
- Number of treatment rooms 7
- Steam room in spa
- Reflexology
- Manicures and pedicures
- Body wraps
- Facial treatments
- Aromatherapy treatments
- Hydrotherapy treatments
- Massages
- Ayurvedic treatments
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
Minimum check-in age is 21
Special check-in instructions:
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! One child 5 years old or younger stays free when using existing bedding.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available for THB 941.6 per night.
- Cribs (infant beds) are not available.
- Pets not allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
- New Year's Eve (31 December) Gala Dinner per child: THB 4826 (from 5 to 12 years old)
Optional extras
- Fee for buffet breakfast: THB 765 for adults and THB 383 for children (approximately)
- Airport shuttle fee: THB 3000 per vehicle (one way)
- Rollaway bed fee: THB 941.6 per night
Hotel Name
- Dusit Pattaya
- Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya
- Dusit Thani Pattaya
- Pattaya Dusit
- Pattaya Dusit Thani
- Pattaya Thani
- Thani Pattaya
- Dusit Hotel Pattaya
- Dusit Resort Pattaya
- Dusit Thani Pattaya Hotel Pattaya
- Pattaya Dusit Resort
- Dusit Thani Pattaya Hotel
We should mention
This property offers transfers from the airport. Guests must contact the property with arrival details 24 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. Reservations are required for massage services and spa treatments. Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. One child 5 years old or younger stays free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.
Awards & Affiliations
Lady Campaign
Book a stay in "Lady Campaign" rate category July 1-14, 2016 and August 15-29, 2016, for travel August 1-September 30, 2016, and receive 25% off a la carte treatments at Devarana Spa and Come 4 Pay 3 for "All you can eat Dim sum" at The Peak Restaurant (11:30 AM-2:30 PM from Monday to Thursday).
Must book a "Lady Campaign" rate category to receive benefits. Full details at check-in. Valid for female guests only (ID required at check-in). Benefit has no cash value and is non-transferable. Offer is valid per room, per booking. Offer may not include tax or gratuity. Offer subject to availability. Offer is not valid with groups/conventions and may not be combined with other promotional offers. Other restrictions and blackout dates may apply.


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Big spending QPR are staring relegation in the face after Wigan's Shaun Maloney scored a last-gasp free-kick to deny the Rs what would have been a very valuable three points.
Harry Redknapp's side look certain to be playing Championship football next season as they are now seven points adrift with six games to go. QPR played 70 minutes with 10 men as Bobby Zamora was sent-off in the early stages for a needlessly high challenge on Jordi Gomez.
For all the money QPR have spent, they have only won four games in this year's Premier League, which ultimately is the reason they are certain for the drop. Loic Remy provided the Loftus Road crowd with a real moment of quality to give QPR an unlikely lead with just five minutes of normal time remaining.
On the counter attack, Remy received the ball running into Wigan's box when he hit the ball with his first touch straight into the top corner.
Remy has shown some signs of real quality in his short time in England and he will be one of many who will most likely leave Loftus Road in the close season in order to play top flight football. There is no question that the W12 outfit have a good enough squad to stay in the Premier League, but too many of these big name players have gone missing in vital games.
The likes of Remy, fellow January signing Cristopher Samba, and the highly talented Adel Taarabt are sure to be looking for new clubs once the transfer window re-opens.
Redknapp was left frustrated after the game as he, like many others, can sense that QPR's two-year stint in the Premier League is coming to a premature end.
He told reporters: "That was the cruellest last kick of the ball I have ever been involved in in football.
"I need people to lift me, I don't know about the players. I need lifting, that is how I feel."
Unfortunately for QPR, their season has never got going - it looks likely that they will have to start from scratch in the Championship and the future is very much uncertain at Loftus Road.
DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeFootball Writing Academy and does not represent the views of GiveMeFootball.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article. GiveMeFootball.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.
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Marketplace for Tuesday, August 21, 2012
All eyes are still transfixed on the Apple-Samsung patent trial, and now the case is in the hands of a jury. Meanwhile, the Fair Labor Association says Apple's supplier in China, Foxconn, is improving its factory conditions. Some of the world's biggest hotel chains and online travel sites are now being accused of price fixing. David Brancaccio continues our new series, Payday, with a look at how one man set out to learn just how wide the CEO to employee pay gap really is. And Tess Vigeland goes on an LAPD ride-along through the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles.


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HOUSTON -- Two Houston teenagers have been charged with capital murder for fatally shooting a man over his new Air Jordan sneakers.
The Houston Chronicle reports that 18-year-old Neal Bland and 19-year-old Kegan Arrington are charged in the Dec. 21 shooting of Joshua Wood.
According to law enforcement records, Bland was arrested Friday, and Arrington was already in custody on an unrelated charge.
Wood was shot while in a car when approached by armed robbers who wanted the newly released Air Jordan XI "Bred" sneakers he had purchased. The shoes retail for $185.
The car's driver ran and was uninjured. Wood later drove off after he was shot and crashed between two houses. He died at a hospital.
It was not immediately known whether Bland or Arrington had lawyers.


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Is that the same Army whose recruiters attempted to commit two clear ethical violations just in the process of getting him in the door? You're right, sounds like a good influence.
I've had three pretty close friends enlist in the services -- two in the Navy, one in the Marines. The levels of alcohol and drug use they described were frighteningly high. That's anecdotal, okay -- but these were straight arrows going in, and they weren't anywhere near clean while they were in uniform. One at least was more Boy Scout than was maybe good for him before he joined. Two of them have returned to those selves after leaving, but the third is a hard drinking, hard smoking, heavily-tattooed and generally scary fellah now. Wants to talk about how cynical he is about "how things work," mostly.
(This story is basically "The services are desperate to recruit, and they got this 'in' in Bush's education bill to do it with." Why are they desperate to recruit? Because W., having talked so much about the armed forces not being ready for confict during the 2000 campaign, has spent his term in office making those predictions come true on his own watch. Everything the guy claimed about Clinton decimating the military's ability to fight, he's done himself in spades.)
PS: also the one that don't go to college or the military. I think this has more to do with being on one's own for the first time, and learning one's limitations. A cross section of all people age 18-22 is going to show a hefty portion of them partying more than one reasonably should.
If the terrorists extract another drop of blood for 20 years they have already won if you put stock in the most idiotic statement since 9/11 "They Hate Us For Our Freedom" - GWB Fall 2001. If this is REALLY what our administration believes why turn away from that chartet to adopt domestic policies to erode personal liberty, detain people (even US citizens) indefinitely without charge or trial, prop up undemocratic governments in Egypt and Lebanon for fear of "unfriendly" Islamist leaders that would likely win a free election?
Nah. The Chiken-Little's shouting "the draft is coming" are (naturally) unfamiliar with how the military is currently structured. The entire training system is geared towards willing, self-motivated recruits who are there of their own volition. Anyone can, at any time in the first 6 months of their enlistment, say "this isn't working for me" and get out with a simple Entry Level Separation. An ELS doesn't show up as a "black mark" on your record anywhere.
But moving to a draft system, suddenly everyone is there at gunpoint. Most draftees will be recalcitrant, unmotivated dregs suitable for nothing more complicated than cannon fodder infantry. This may have been OK during the Bad Old Days, but even being an infantryman these days requires a fair bit of technical competency. Furthermore, the real shortage in the military is in recruiting people for complex technical jobs rather than straight-up combat arms. So essentially they'd end up with a whole raft of uncooperative bedding-delousing specialists just to get a handfull of tactical intelligence analysts. The military doesn't want the draft. They want more volunteers.
Just when I think our society can't get any more Orwellian [wikipedia.org], we see this:
What do you do? Recruit, recruit, recruit like there's no tomorrow. Use every tool you can get your hands on. Raise the "financial incentives" of joining up--even if you were to double a grunt's pay, they'd still be waaaay cheaper than hiring another mercenary. Make lists. Get aggressive. Be persistent. Get every person you can lay your hands on.
One of the following things will most likely happen in the next few years:
The Pentagon would much rather have a healthy, full-strength, all-volunteer military force than an expensive, byzantine network of "independent contractors" doing more and more grunt work outside the scope of both military and civil law. To this end, they're gonna do everything in their power to meet their recruitment needs--and frankly, creating a database of students is pretty freakin' innocuous compared to some of the other recruiting shenanigans that have been going down lately...
> Of course the Pentagon is going to do this kind of thing. They are in desperate need of recruits.
I hear that the "Cannonfodder Wanted" ads didn't produce the desired results, nor the "It's sweet and proper to die for one's Cheny" ads either.
I agree with you--I think #1 and #4 are our most likely outcomes. Hell, we've been working on the hardened, remote, permanent bases since the get-go.
This war is about many things--freedom, spreading democracy, oil, security, terrorism
are belong to us.
You say "Military recruiters recognize the more limited future
Also - there are ways for high school parents and students to "opt out" of the recruiting campaign. If you're a high school student or parent of such a student, you might find these links helpful:
First off, I'm not a recruiter though I am in the Air Force and have been so for 10 years. Recruiters don't "prey" on poor kids, but yes they do find many potential recruites in that population. When compared to their options getting sent to Iraq to fight has a much higher life expectancy than staying home and getting involved to crime and drugs.
Actually recruiters rather go after the middle class kids since most of your lower class have to many educational problems and past criminal behaivor. Most are turned away as unexceptable as they can't pass minimum standards. Turns out the Army doesn't want to deal with them either and could easily fill their quotas plus some if they where willing to snatch up every poor 17-20 year old that applied.
The military has always been a stepping stone to move out of dead end social/economic situation. In my case it was either go on unemployment/welfare or go back and live with the parents, neither were viable options in my mind, so instead I joined the Air Force. Out of the deal I've gotten two college degrees and enough certifications/licenses in aviation (pilot and mechanic) as well as SCUBA to choke a very hungry donkey. By the time I'm done, 10 more years to go, I'll have a retirement check, a Masters degree, and my transport pilot rating. Not to bad of a deal at all.
Opportunities are what you make of them. The military is a very good opportunity for the poor if they can even get it in the first place. The rich will always avoid the military unless it has something they want. It wouldn't be too hard though to get them to join. Just bring back the death tax and make it 75% for those that don't serve (on the kids not the parents) and make public service (military, police, fire, etc ala Heinland) a requirement to hold public office. The rich kids would be flooding the recruiters then.
For anyone who wonders why this would be necessary, let me give an example.
CapitalOne got it into their heads that they should send me a credit card application every week. After spending an hour trying to track down a telephone number that would let me speak with a CSR without having an account number, I asked them to stop mailing me. The CSR rep replied that the system takes 12 to 16 weeks to fully honor a request to not receive offers! Which is pretty funny, because I asked the rep "so if I sign up for the credit card today, you can take my name off the list, but if I just want you to stop sending me junk that someone can use to steal my identity, it takes 4 months?!?!" He didn't have a good answer.
Anyways, as soon as I move to a new address three months later, I started receiving two offers from CapitalOne every week! They obvious match solely on name and address.
I just don't feel like going through the same bollux again to get my address off the list. Sheesh.
While logically true, too many take advantage of the logic. Many of the fields can be deleted, for example, everything but SSN (a unique identifier) and a 'not interested' flag. Since they are provided SSN to enter data in the database, they will have enough to know that the record in question shouldn't go in, even with duplicates.
Of course, now all my kids got Social Security numbers at birth. If you don't get them one, you can't use them as a deduction...!
It's called (or was called ca 1993 - 1997) a "P-card" (Prospect card)
A P-card is what that poor bastard uses when he calls you or your slacker kid every freakin' night of the week, trying to get the two "sits" (appointments) his staion commander told him he had to get before he could go home for the night.
P-card databases are built from a variety of automated and non-automated sources. The armed forces have bought mailing lists targeting the male 18-24 year group for years. Recruiters also use high school year books, phone books, mailing lists provided by schools, and the ASVAB test you took to get out of PE for the day, and other students to build their P-card database.
The Penatagon building another database is redundant as any recruiter will tell you. Most of the leads it will generate will likely be useless, but recuriters will be forced to refine them, adding more work to an already never-ending day on the bag.
I imagine many army recruiters are wishing they were in Iraq right now instead of cold-calling people with little to no interest in volunteering to serve in the military.
At least in Iraq they get to shoot back at the bastards.
Homer Simpson? I love you man!
Evolution is a million line computer program falling into place by accident.


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Yes, I'm reading "Dead Certain," by Robert Draper, which just came out today. And those are the first 2 lines of the Prologue. Why does Draper start that way?
We get the basic proposition that Bush is playing for the good opinion of history or that that's his excuse anyway for the low opinion in the current polls. We get the surprise in the second clause that it's Bush himself speaking, and Althouse laughs to see her President referring to himself in the third person. We get the expression of perplexity: it's impossible to figure things out as they unfold in the present. And we get the image of a dead Bush -- so pleasing to Bush haters, yet so acceptable because it's Bush himself conjuring up the image of the dead Bush. And "dead" is one of the two words in the title of the book.
Althouse, are you going to simulblog your reading of this book sentence by sentence, with that unhealthy level of stream of consciousness?
You never know! Look out. This blog could go years reading a book that way. But perhaps that is the direction a blog like this will take. Keep reading.
Are you telling us to keep reading the blog or telling yourself to keep reading the book?
Mmm. Well. There's some perplexity in figuring that out. Let's go on to the second sentence.
"George W. Bush slipped a piece of cheese into his mouth."
There's something so loathsome and slovenly about slipping a piece of cheese into one's mouth.
Did Draper really remember the exact point in the 5 days of transcripts when Bush slipped cheese into his mouth? And how long did Draper search for the mot juste and come up with "slip"? What went through his mind? Surely, it wasn't anything about the way Bush actually put the cheese in his mouth. I bet he popped it in. Why would he slip it in? Because he was just too lazy to open his lipless orifice any more than a thin slot? Or is Draper shaping our malleable brains for what he's about to slip in like a piece of cheese?
Slip -- it reminds us of all the slips Bush has made. Slip it in -- that's sexual innuendo. Bush is screwing us!
And why cheese? It's that bland, fatty fare so widely consumed in the parts of the country where they don't notice when Bush is screwing them.
It's a slang term:
In modern English slang, something "cheesy" is kitsch, cheap, inauthentic, or of poor quality.Like the Bush presidency.
One can also be "cheesed off"— unhappy or annoyed.As we are with the Bush presidency.
Such negative connotations might derive from a ripe cheese's sometimes-unpleasant odor.Bush stinks!
Almost certainly the odor explains the use of "cutting the cheese" as a euphemism for flatulence, and the term "cheesy feet" to mean feet which smell.Bush cut the cheese! [ADDED: On page 9, we're informed of Bush's "farting on the plane," as an aspect of his "realness," which made the politicos love him in 1999.]
A more upbeat slang use is seen in "the big cheese", an expression referring to the most important person in a group, the "big shot" or "head honcho."That would be Bush.
This use of the word probably derived not from the word cheese, but from the Persian or Hindi word chiz, meaning a thing.Iran!
"Cheese it" is a 50's slang that means "get away fast."Impeach him!
A more whimsical bit of American and Canadian slang refers to school buses as "cheese wagons," a reference to school bus yellow.Bush is dumb.
Subjects of photographs are often encouraged to "say cheese!", as the word "cheese" contains the phoneme /i/, a long vowel which requires the lips to be stretched in the appearance of a smile.We can only smile fake smiles now because of Bush. We are so glum these days that without artificially stretching our mouths, we can only slip in tiny bits of sustenance.
People from Wisconsin and the Netherlands, both centers of cheese production, have been called cheeseheads. This nickname has been embraced by Wisconsin sports fans — especially fans of the Green Bay Packers or Wisconsin Badgers — who are now seen in the stands sporting plastic or foam hats in the shape of giant cheese wedges.Go Badgers! Where's my hat?
Althouse, are you capable of reading a book anymore?
You can't possibly figure that out until I'm dead.
ADDED: As the Prologue continues, Bush does proceed to pop cheese into his mouth. Page x:
He had flung himself into his chair like a dirty sweatshirt and continued to pop pieces of cheese into his mouth. Stress was hammered into his face.Aw, come on now. Why does the sweatshirt have to be dirty? And why flung? We're given a sense of his carelessness -- just from the way he lounges or sprawls in his chair. (How was Draper sitting? Did Draper drape himself across the chair?)
And note the violent imagine of hammering into his face. But Bush is not hammered. He hasn't had a drink in 20 years -- page xiii -- though he still remembers "the feeling of a hangover," and he realizes he wouldn't be President if he'd kept drinking: "You get sloppy, can't make decisions, it clouds your reason, absolutely." Good point!
Anyway, back to the food. While slipping/popping cheese -- eschewing the menu -- Bush orders a hot dog.
Bush ate rapidly, with a sort of voracious disinterest. He was a man who required comfort and routine.You can tell a lot about a man by the way he eats his hot dog. The food even falls out of his mouth as he talks about Iran. He speaks "through an ample wad of bread and sausage." An ample wad of bread and sausage? That sounds dirty. And not like a sweatshirt flung on a chair.


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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ City leaders are saying little about the results of the latest inspection of the Topeka Zoo by the U.S. Department of Agriculture amid ongoing concern for animal welfare.
The Topeka Capital Journal reports (http://bit.ly/N4BB8b ) that city officials are reviewing the inspection report before issuing a public comment about the findings. City spokesman David Bevens says the administration is taking a different approach to the USDA reports, breaking from previous practice of issuing statements.
The zoo has been struggling to repair its public image since the USDA filed a complaint against the zoo on Dec. 12 after issuing 51 citations for violating regulations during 11 inspections from April 2007 through June 2011. The USDA is responsible for enforcing the Animal Welfare Act and licensing animal exhibitors.


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No. SSDs present themselves to the OS as contiguous block devices. Filesystems intended for bare NAND flash like jffs(2), yaffs, and this new F2Fs would be totally useless for SSDs. They're intended for bare NAND, which SSDs are not.
SSDs are NAND, but they are not bare NAND. They have control circuitry which manages the problems with NAND (e.g. bad blocks), and presents the drive as a contiguous block of good storage.
These filesystems are all for bare NAND, not SSDs, which include NAND, but are not bare NAND.
SSDs are NAND, but they are not bare NAND. They have control circuitry which manages the problems with NAND (e.g. bad blocks), and presents the drive as a contiguous block of good storage.
These filesystems are all for bare NAND, not SSDs, which include NAND, but are not bare NAND.
How can this be "Informative", it's plain wrong. f2fs works on top of block devices.
Bare NAND is presented as a block device. NAND SSDs are also presented as block devices. That does not imply that they are equal. SSDs have a controller that does remapping on the fly, in many cases on the fly compression, bad block handlling and much more. Bare NAND does not have that layer. That is why the ACs comment should be moderated informative, and you should be moderated "plain wrong".
No. SSDs present themselves to the OS as contiguous block devices. Filesystems intended for bare NAND flash like jffs(2), yaffs, and this new F2Fs would be totally useless for SSDs. They're intended for bare NAND, which SSDs are not.
You're wrong
f2fs work on top of block devices. f2fs sends TRIM (ATA command) down to the device. Bare NAND flash doesn't grok ATA commands.
If this is the case, then I don't see the point. Filesystems already in use support TRIM.
If this is the case, then I don't see the point. Filesystems already in use support TRIM.
Just because you send TRIM down it doesn't mean that the device can erase the block. The erase block size in NAND is usually 256KB or larger. Using 256KB as IO block is just crazy, drivers use something like 16KB or 32KB. The filesystem has to be aware of the erase block size so it can send down TRIM command for an aligned and contiguous 256KB block, then the device can go on and erase it.
You appear to be correct, judging by the information in the patch (e.g. see the LWN link posted by someone else, later in these comments). (commenting mostly because I accidently modded you as 'troll' when I'd meant to click 'informative' and this is the only way to undo that).
Did you get the money to buy your SSD drive by going to the ATM machine and entering your PIN number?
So it's a drive you put solid state disks into?
Not just a pedantic joke.. I actually like that thought. Twenty-first century diskdrives
Thinking that would be a USB port...
Disks are usually round.
Did you get the money to buy your SSD drive by going to the ATM machine and entering your PIN number?
Nope, I couldn't... ATM, the ATM isn't on the ATM. No ETA on the ATM getting back on the ATM, ATM.
Now who's complaining?
Why would you need to look up his IP protocol? There are only two of them (4 and 6), and Slashdot doesn't support 6 (I think).
You might want to look up his IP number- but that's not very funny.
While the primary benefit will initially be for Android devices, this will be great news for solid state drives as well. Great job Samsung!
Before you go congratulating them on a great job, remember this is the second time they did this. The original attempt was called Robust File System. It was an abortion based on FAT16/32 with a duplicated file allocation table and some sort of journalling hacked on top.
It was claimed to be optimised for NAND devices and all that other good stuff, but the community quickly came to rename it Really Fucking Slow.
This file system was so slow that on the original Galaxy S the kernel would think software locked up while writing to the disk and prompt the user to force close the device. Search for "lagfix" if you're interested in what a disaster this was. There were users world wide trying to find fixes for the slow system performance, and the fix was often in the form of a kernel which supported ext4 or yaffs and a utility which converted the entire
I don't have high hopes in Samsung's competence here.
First thing I thought as well. We'll see how it goes - this one doesn't sound as stupid as the previous one, but anybody who knows Samsung knows that they are very weak in the software performance department
(I wrote some of those utilities, btw)
(I wrote some of those utilities, btw)
Then let me just say thankyou for your hard work. It's quite amazing when communities and hackers can create a better product than the companies who actually have access to the full specifications and sources.
Before you go congratulating them on a great job, remember this is the second time they did this. The original attempt was called Robust File System. It was an abortion based on FAT16/32 with a duplicated file allocation table and some sort of journalling hacked on top.
Damn you, thegarbz! Damn you to heck! I had nearly managed to forget about RFS today before you reminded me. Now I'm going to have to attempt to wipe my memory with methylated spirits and Friends reruns. Again.
...I have it on du
This is only for raw NAND chips without management functions. SSDs are all managed.
Yea right this is from the company that used the shittiest file system on the planet and continues to do so. I'm sure this one won't be a stuttering piece of shit like their other implementations.
Well yeah, McDonalds isn't going to going to manufacture couches when it has no benefit to them.
Sure, and they might not have released it to the public if it weren't for the GPL. On the other hand, they've developed something that looks like it may be very useful, and have released it without batting an eye. They're one of only seven Platinum members of the Linux Foundation. I think it's clear they understand how the ecosystem works, and they're happy to participate. Hard to fault them for that.
And actually, as I understand it, they use Linux for a lot more than just Android devices. They also have embedded Linux in other systems, like TVs.
Some freezers too. They are actually involved with the development of the ELF end the enlightenment windows manager.
I think Samsung likes Linux a lot
I think Samsung likes Linux a lot
Considering that a Platinum membership in the Linux Foundation requires plopping down at least half a million bucks, I suspect you're probably right.
Heck, Google only has a Gold membership, and we know they like Linux. Samsung is in elite territory with corporations like IBM and Intel.
Well considering the vast size of Samsung, they probably do far more work with Linux than Google does as well.
People forget we're talking about a company that not only builds products in pretty much every home electronics category but also ships, CCTV, aircraft (for a while), artillery and automated turrets. None of this counting the bits and pieces they research and build that go into each of those products.
Heck, Google only has a Gold membership, and we know they like Linux.
Surely they like to take and modify, but playing along and contributing is another matter [ostatic.com].
They donate at least $100,000 to the Linux Foundation a year, if nothing else. Pocket money to Google, maybe. But No small chunk of change to the Linux Foundation. Creating and releasing an extremely popular and novel Linux-based OS has got to count for something, too.
Samsung donates at least $500,000 a year, so they do still win in "we love Linux" top trumps.
Creating and releasing an extremely popular and novel Linux-based OS has got to count for something, too.
Forking the Linux kernel to practically derail driver development for mobile devices counts for something as well.
Here Samsung and Intel also serve as counterweights by running their own Tizen effort, which even sees some automotive use with Genivi.
But the story of "Linux on mobile", between Google and Nokia, is a sad and confused one.
"Heck, Google only has a Gold membership, and we know they like Linux. Samsung is in elite territory with corporations like IBM and Intel."
The only reasons Google likes linux is because it's free, they have access to the source and it's a good base to start modifications from.
Linux is just a tool for Google to achieve their business goals, if a better tool comes along, they would use it instead. I guarantee it.
And actually, as I understand it, they use Linux for a lot more than just Android devices. They also have embedded Linux in other systems, like TVs.
Really? Well that explains why my Samsung TV has such a horrible interface*.
* Kidding.
I know you're kidding, but I should point out that Linux is not a requirement for building bad interfaces (though one might claim that it helps). TV engineers in general seem to have some impressive skills at building bad interfaces. My last three TVs all had terrible interfaces, and none of them were Linux-based.
Are you sure they weren't Linux based? A lot of the TVs from Sony and are also Linux based.
Just curious as to what your last 3 TVs were...
Except, funnily enough, that's my biggest complaint about Samsung electronics in general (their TV remotes are horribly designed, and their digital cameras I've used had really stupid interfaces too).
They always look great spec wise for the money, but the actual product feels just not right (their premium Android phones being an exception I hear, though I've avoided them after my other experiences with their stuff).
The menu was sane, it was the remote that offended me.
I also have a blue ray player, when I turn it on, it presses play automatically. If a disk is at the start, I have to watch all the unskipable ads before I can hit stop, then menu, to browse to Netflix.
Also, the 2 internet functions are behind an internet explorer icon, neither is a browser (Pandora ands Netflix ).
The tiny buttons with illegible even smaller print in-between them, with 4 inexplicable colored buttons on the remote are the biggest hi wtf t
My Samsung TV menu keeps freezing randomly if I switch the interface language to Russian.
Say what you will about Linux, but gettext isn't that incompetently programmed. This must be the work of the legions of Samsung's coders.
Man, I even said 'kidding'.
You nailed it. I wish I had mod points today to mod you up.
I've been buying mostly Samsung electronics for a while now. I find them to be superior for the money. Now I have another reason to buy them.
Because it's legally required to trickle down perhaps?
Sadly I have no mod points for your insightful post.
Because it's legally required to trickle down perhaps?
Well, no, because it works in open source even outside of the copyleft world, and its only required in the copyleft world.
Copyleft probably was critical in establishing the benefits of big interests participating in the open source world rather than locking everything up, to be sure, but once it was established there's been quite a lot of stuff that has come down to the public in open source form even when no legal mandate existed.
Actually, it's not for bare nand like you find in android devices... it's for SSDs like their recently released 840 series.
Glad to see proof that Samsung does innovate and not steal everything from AAPL like all Apple Fanboys think.
What are you talking about? This is clearly a copy of Apple's original filesystem concept THAT THEY INVENTED when they created HFS! Why doesn't Samdung ACTUALLY innovate and find a new way to store data on a collection of sectors instead of just copying Apple all the time.
The worst part is that Samdung didn't also copy the MARVELOUS AND CLEARLY CORRECT INVENTION of hiding the filesystem (which Apple invented) from the users. They're so far behind Apple that they can only BLATANTLY STEAL the easy parts!
I think your satire is a little too believable. It actually comes off as more reasonable than many of the pro-Apple arguments in the "Why Steve Jobs is a Saint" threads.
Apple created the LFS, Litigation File System. The unique innovation looks ahead for a user copying a file from one directory to another, blocks the request, and transfers the operation to a county in Texas to be tied up in I/O for years.
Commercial hardware companies contributing to open-source and the kernel, I mean.
It's nice to see that Linux and the open-source philosophy more and more just is generally accepted.
Let's hope it.s because they have seen the advantages of humans working together, helping each other out... and not just for nefarious dog-eat-dog (aka capitalist aka "free market" aka law of the jungle*) purposes.
* Don't worry. I know they're not supposed to be the same. The point I want to make, is that nowadays it gets all used to describe the same thing.
No, I don't. I remember when it was rare, but not when it was unthinkable. Even if you mean copyleft as opposed to merely open-source (there was and is a lot more reluctance about copyleft), commercial hardware companies were contributing to the GNU project even before the Linux kernel sprang into existence. GCC has always had the backing of hardware companies. The GCC Ada backend was fully funded by commercial companies several years before Linus went public with his experimental kernel.
Heck, some companies even recognized that the GPL protected their own code, even before Linux appeared. The GPL'd versions of Ghostscript existed because Aladdin recognized that the GPL prevented others from taking unfair advantage of their code, while still allowing the community to contribute.
This is a good thing, but corporations contributing to Free Software projects has been business as usual for over a decade now. Generally, they do so because they correctly perceive that cooperation is more beneficial to their respective bottom lines than keeping everything secret. Even Oracle, a corporation with a clear history of hostility to Free and Open Source software has supported development of the Btrfs Linux file system for many years. Cooperation between competing corporations is nothing new. Obs
I'm sure apple weren't. Why would they?
However, the MS lawyers will be working all weekend to find ways of recovering potentially lost licence fees...
So what if they were? They can still invent it later if they want to.
Hands up all those who saw the liower case s at the end of F2Fs and thought that it meant it was a plural of F2F which is presumably a fighter plane made by Grumman
If we did not have patents and Windows as the dominate desktop we would not have to deal with FAT in 2012. Either your camera uses that or the vendor is stuck with paying microsoft more or trying to get users to install a driver for a proper filesystem. All those options are pretty bad.
My first reaction was "Is this to replace FAT?" Then I read about "log files" and I wonder if this is essentially a file system for more efficient logging. The article and the mailing list message seem to be somewhat empty in that regard. "Hey, there's a new file system..." That's about the size of it. So what's it about?
It would be interesting if there were an improvement to FAT and it somehow ended up as an alternative in consumer devices... but then again, how to get it onto Windows machines? "driv
You can find a lot of details in the txt file: https://lwn.net/Articles/518719/ [lwn.net]
This cannot replace FAT, since the whole point of FAT is to be interoperable with all those Windows machines out there. For as long as Windows only understands FAT and NTFS on removable devices, any consumer device will use those (and specifically FAT, for certain other reasons) in any of its memory that is directly exposed to be mounted as a block device.
On the other hand, for internal device memory, Android has already moved to a high-level protocol (MTP) to expose that to PCs, so they don't care what file system backs it internally. I haven't checked, but I'd expect that any 4.x device has its internal memory fully in ext4 or other Linux native FS already.
The move to MTP is something I've been speculating has to do with moving away from the FAT patent licensing issues that Microsoft is using to bilk Android manufacturers. I find it super annoying to use, since it isn't treated like a block level device Python won't interact with it, I can't read it in anything like Baobab [wikipedia.org], so I tend to lose track of what's occupying what space.
The move to MTP is something I've been speculating has to do with moving away from the FAT patent licensing issues that Microsoft is using to bilk Android manufacturers
There may be that angle to it, but I think the main reason is because it removes the requirement for the phone to unmount the device to allow the PC to mount it - this can wreck havoc on any app that has files on the unmounted partitions open, requiring them to be aware of this scenario (and for many apps that pretty much means that they have to shut down - e.g. mapping apps that store their map cache there), and it also means that manufacturers have to carve out two partitions - one for the OS and other no
Thanks for pointing me to mtpfs, which solves Linux at home! But not Windows at work or Windows on laptop. I didn't even think of taking that approach to it,maybe there's a Windows equivalent...
I tried using PyMTP, but I can't get it to work on Windows, so that's my real gripe.
Windows has some built-in support for MTP (at least since Vista), though it's not on FS level - instead, it's hooked up into Shell/Explorer, much like Libraries in 7. So if you're content with Explorer, or some file manager that's using Shell interfaces, then it should just work.
For automation, when you actually want to see it as FS, yeah, it's a mess. Ideally a driver-source-compatible port of FUSE would solve this, and people have made several attempts at FUSE-Win32, but apparently writing Win32 FS drivers is not for the faint of heart, so I don't know of anything stable.
I'm actually one of those people you mention in the second paragraph. The real problem isn't Win32, it's that the filesystem stack is below Win32. Win32 is a subsystem layer that sits on top of NT, preserving compatibility with Win9x apps and presenting a similar user experience. Direct NT programming is a different beast in many ways, even when you stay in user-mode. Kernel-mode NT is just another level of fun on top of that. It's certainly possible, of course, but the overlap of people who are interested
Was that an open source project / can it still be downloaded somewhere?
Ironically, it was Microsoft who developed MTP and pushed it through the standards committee.
And now they extended it for Windows Phone, so regular MTP support is not enough to work with WP devices. This is perhaps the stupidest move in the whole Windows Phone story.
My first reaction was "Is this to replace FAT?"
Mine was "they're trying to prevent exFAT from getting a foothold". With flash memory in various mobile storage media (tablets, smartphones, flash drives, memory cards) getting as prevalent as it is, interoperability with different OS's becomes very important. To my knowledge, FAT is currently the only file system that works out of the box on all the major systems (Windows, MacOS, Android, Linux, probably Windows Phone). And it's outlived its usefulness. I'm guessing Microsoft has been pushing its own propr
It looks to me like most the problems they are solving have already been solved. There are already several open source log-structured file systems. This list excludes experimental and similar software from educational institutions:
- Yaffs - http://www.yaffs.net/ [yaffs.net] - designed from the ground up for NAND
- JFFS2 - http://sourceware.org/jffs2/jffs2-html/jffs2-html.html [sourceware.org] - ditto.
- NANDFS - http://wiki.freebsd.org/NAND [freebsd.org] - BSD style licence
Plus there's Ext4 - which is used in Android now - not designed for NAND, but seems to work ok.
This work by Samsung fixes the problems with their previous file system. It's good, but it's not unique. Good PR though.
Where it is a duty to worship the sun it is pretty sure to be a crime to examine the laws of heat. -- Christopher Morley


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When the Harvard men's basketball team defeated New Mexico in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, it was hailed as a Cinderella story.
But even the basketball squad's underdog journey pales in comparison to that of junior Denis Nguyen of the men's tennis team. The Anaheim, Calif., native just completed an improbable run by reaching the national semifinals of the NCAA Men's Singles Championship.
"I had no idea I was ever going to make it that far," Nguyen said. "I was so happy to finish so deep in the tournament. I thought winning a round would be nice. Winning two was huge because it secured All-American [status], and after that it was just a blur."
But while Nguyen may not have anticipated his run, Harvard coach Dave Fish '72 has seen Nguyen's substantial promise and was unsurprised by his success.
"We saw this kind of potential from the beginning with Denis," Fish said. "Over the last year…he's played at this level in parts of matches. There have been two things [holding him back]: his mind hadn't yet caught up with what his body was able to do, and his understanding of the level of conditioning necessary to play his game to the fullest extent."
While the rest of his Harvard classmates are enjoying the start of their summer vacation, Nguyen, who is ranked 39th nationally and earned an at-large bid into the bracket, traveled to Athens, Ga., to compete in the tournament, which was held May 21-26.
Nguyen went 11-4 in dual play for the season at the No. 1 slot for a Crimson squad that placed second in the Ivy League and advanced to the Round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament in early May. He also earned All-Ivy League singles honors for the third straight year, including a unanimous first-team selection for the second consecutive season.
The junior backed up those accolades at the national tournament, coming out strong in his first round matchup against No. 40 Lloyd Glasspool of Texas.
Nguyen took an early three-game lead and eventually broke Glasspool's serve on set point to take the first set, 6-4. In the second frame, Nguyen again jumped out ahead, and closed out the Longhorn junior, 6-3.
From there, Nguyen took on 44th-ranked Fred Saba of Duke in the second round. Harvard's top singles player again started quickly, breaking the Blue Devil senior's serve and jumping out to a 4-0 lead. Nguyen eventually took the set, 6-4, and won the second set by the same score to close out the match.
With the win over Saba, Nguyen advanced to the Round of 16 and officially clinched All-America status, becoming the Crimson's first singles All-American since Jonathan Chu '05. Chu also eventually advanced to the semifinals of the 2005 tournament.
"Being an All-American is one of the most prestigious awards a college athlete can really get," Nguyen said. "It was always something that was there—a distant goal, a benchmark. I thought I could make it if I trained really hard, but didn't think of it as something tangible I could attain."
Nguyen entered his Round of 16 matchup against South Carolina's Andrew Adams a day after playing both his match against Saba and his doubles contest with co-captain Casey MacMaster in the doubles bracket, where Nguyen and MacMaster fell in a third set tiebreak.
But fatigue was clearly not an issue for Nguyen, as he again started fast, breaking Adams and taking a 6-4 victory in the first set. Nguyen was even better in the second, playing a near-perfect frame to win, 6-4, 6-1.
The triumph set up a quarterfinal battle with Florida senior Florent Diep, who led the Gators with 31 singles wins on the year. But Nguyen made quick work of Diep, finishing off a 6-2, 6-2 victory with an ace to advance to the final four.
Read more in SportsCoach of the Year, Runner-Up: Chris Wojcik


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The Dog River Enduro race brought about 40 riders to the popular forested trail at the base of Mount Hood. The annual spring race, on the Dog River trail between Forest Road 44 at the top and Highway 35 at the bottom, required a bit of snow shoveling to clear the track in time for the event to proceed.
As an enduro, the event was a three-stage race. Riders started at the top of the trail for a timed bomb down the first section. Riders then had an untimed climb (about a mile) to the top of second time section, which was another multi-mile speed run to the bottom of the trail. Times were then combined and the lowest in each category is the winner.
"This race brings out everyone from factory pros to the regular moms who just enjoy speeding down stunning singletrack," said racer and volunteer Mike Estes. "The first stage was very short — about two minutes — with absolutely no braking. The second downhill was much longer.
"At the starting gate, you hear 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … go. You crank the pedals and reach speeds of easily 35 mph heading into a narrow long twisty descent. The race is full of tight switchbacks at aggressive speeds, squeezing around trees and avoiding tire punctures. After what seems like a lactic acid party in your legs. you round the last turn and see the finish; but not before a high-speed splash thru Dog River right before the finish line."
Estes gave a shout-out to DaKine, Arrow Racing Tires, all the course volunteers, drivers and trail builders for helping make the event possible.
Results from the event are posted at www.obra.org
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Curiosities in Connecticut
On 5 May 1775, the Massachusetts delegates to the Second Continental Congress were in Norwalk, Connecticut, on their way back to Philadelphia after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Enthusiastic crowds were greeting those men in every big town they passed through. They were concerned about converting that fervor into concrete support and supplies for the militia troops besieging Boston; gunpowder, for example, was already rare on the continent.
So what did the delegates do on that Friday? They visited a private museum! Robert Treat Paine wrote in his diary for 5 May about stopping in Norwalk "to see Mr. Edward Arnold & saw his Museum a very large Collection of Birds, Insects, Fossills Beasts Fishes &c."
This visit eventually turned out to be more than just sightseeing. Two years later, on 10 May 1777, John Adams sent his wife Abigail a letter that said:
Upon a Hint, from one of our Commissioners [i.e., diplomats] abroad, We are looking about for American Curiosities, to send across the Atlantic as presents to the Ladies.Just what an influential European noblewoman might want: a rattlesnake! (The snake would probably have been dead, but still.) With American wildlife still considered exotic, this was an early version of what we now call cultural diplomacy or even "panda diplomacy."
Mr. [David] Rittenhouse's Planetarium, Mr. Arnolds Collection of Rareties in the Virtuoso Way, which I once saw at Norwalk in Connecticutt, Narragansett Pacing Mares, Mooses, Wood ducks, Flying Squirrells, Redwinged Black birds, Cramberries, and Rattlesnakes have all been thought of.
Adams still recalled that Norwalk museum when he wrote to Abigail from Paris in May 1780:
When shall We have in America, such Collections? The Collection of American Curiosities that I saw at Norwalk in Connecticutt made by Mr. Arnold, which he afterwards to my great mortification sold to Gov. Tryon, convinces me, that our Country affords as ample materials, for Collections of this nature as any part of the World.Arnold had moved behind British army lines to live in Huntington, New York, and sold his collection to Gen. William Tryon (1729-1788), governor of New York, who had actually led a military raid on Norwalk in 1779. Arnold died sometime before 15 Sept 1780, when the probate court approved an administrator for his estate.


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In a one-page court filing Tuesday, Holmes' lawyers wrote they intend to "tender a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity."
Holmes would need the judge's permission to change his plea from the standard not guilty plea currently entered on his behalf. Judge Carlos Samour Jr. wrote in an order Tuesday that he will allow Holmes' attorneys to argue at a hearing Monday morning that they have "good cause" for the plea change.
"After the Court determines whether 'good cause' exists, it will decide how to proceed," Samour wrote in his order.
If Samour allows Holmes to enter an insanity plea, state law requires Samour to immediately order an independent psychiatric evaluation for Holmes. The current February trial date would likely be moved, legal experts said, and the case -- already pending for nearly a year -- would stretch out significantly longer.
"We know it's going to be a lengthy process," said Tom Sullivan, whose son, Alex, was killed in the theater attack. "We're resigned to whatever it takes. This is the guy who did it. There's no getting off. He'll never see freedom again."


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well the title says it all. Please don't tell me i am not completely screwed!
Never had it happen but maybe you could try a little bit of tire glue on the tip of the correct size hex tool and let it dry while in the set screw..? Or could also try some threadlock.
your local hobby shop should have the tools to get it out. then after that i would consider purchasing the Dynamite hex drivers to prevent that
Had it happen to me and the lhs said the only way to get it out was to drill the set screw out . I did it and I can tell you it not a fun job . Good luck . I also heard to supper glue a hex in it .
1 Rusty VXL
I think it is easier and faster to take a Dremel tool with a grinding stone and grind away the pinion until the screw falls out. Either way you always end up needing to buy a new pinion and the pinion is easier to grind away in most cases than the set screw is to drill out.
Get a good set of hex drivers and you wont have this issue anymore.
BlindMan Racing
Rusty - MERV - Pede 4x4-Alias
SPC Lipo Power
take a dremel with cut off wheel cut a slice in it , then unscrew with screwdriver that how we do it at the shop and the pinion might still be useable
U can get that out without ANY of that!
Once I discoverd the RIGHT size to the pinions, I NEVER had this happen again. And with the 1.5mm id have it happen, sometimes on a brand new pinion.....
For the 1.5mm 3.3mm shaft pinions.
And then use 5/64th for 5mm pinions. Thats how I remove all stripped screws now. Use thier tiny bigger standard equivalents.
Thing that KSB taugh me here, was pinons arent really in metric size. And thats why they strip so much. They are actually standard size. Get a sec of some 11 dollar standard size hex drivers, and this will never happen again... This is what I got. For this exact reason. Problem Gone....
And nice thing. . ALL the pinions I have,that were stripped, I can now move with the 1/16inch screw driver.Even already stripped ones. PROBLEM SOLVED!
Build, Bash, Clean, Repair, Repeat..
i just used the 1.5 with loctite on the tip. i stuck it in the screw waited 10 or 15 mins for the loctite to get sticky. then it came out
U.S. Army
Some pinions use 1/16" but some do use 1.5mm. Many people incorreclty use a 1.5mm tool in a 1/16" set screw and that will cause a problem but some set screws require a 1.5mm for instance Traxxas pinions use a 1.5mm set screw not a 1/16"
BlindMan Racing
Rusty - MERV - Pede 4x4-Alias
SPC Lipo Power
^^^ you can fit a 1/16 in them but some will be tight and some will not fit
works good for torqueing tight
summit /mustang /stampede-2s spc lipo
As Dad posted, using the correct tool for the part is the best course of action. Always.
If your chosen pinion brand has easily stripped grub screws, perhaps choose another brand.
Alt-248 on the number pad = °
Is the motor out of the car? You can secure the pinion in something like a vise. And use a punch and hammer to knock the motor shaft through the pinion. Never tried it, just a thought to try before grinding
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
or a pinion puller
pulls the pinion off the shaft
i think vxlrocket was showing his pinion puller off awhile ago
summit /mustang /stampede-2s spc lipo


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Hey guys this is a game i played recently. Any advice especially on long term strategy would be greatly appreciated.
Help me improve
Even though they had the bishop, I think it would have still been a text book draw since the bishop was the wrong color to force the king out of the corner. There are several possibilities, but I think these are all valid.
Also, didn't you do the parham? Why not stick to the italian like you originally wanted? Isn't that:
Firstly, in response to your "I've been losing a lot recently and I think it may be because I've not been aggressive enough". There's a time for aggression, and it's not when you have 1 piece out. Your queen is just misplaced.
Your two pieces for a rook and pawn is a bad trade, 2 pieces are better in the middlegame because of the threats they can generate. As you saw, your rooks just got chased around anyway.
As Cavalier says, head to the corner at the end for a draw.
thanks everyone for taking the time to review my game and for adding your insight. What I'll take away is:
# don't bother bringing the queen out as early
# 2 minor pieces X R is bad
# i can force a draw in the corner with the right type of bishop
Yeah, with rook pawns, if their bishop doesn't control the corner, and you can get your king there, you can draw. Doesn't matter if your opponent has 2 or 3 rook pawns even.
Scottrf, You mean doubled pawns, right? With something like the a-pawn and d-pawn, the lone king can't stop them both. I'm not 100% on the rook's pawn and adjacent knight's pawn.
I wouldn't follow those as strict rules, but as useful guidelines. I've seen examples where all of those lead to wins in GM games. WIth the scotch, if NxN, then QxN is supposed to be fine. In the middle game book I have, Nunn gives examples of the rook winning and one where the knight+bishop wins. One of the GM's had a series of articles on chess.com about this. GM Gserper, I think.
Well, follow the rook's pawn thing as a strict rule. A better way to look at that is the wrong bishop, though. I think that's how it's always labelled. If it were me, I'd offer a draw as either side. The person with the lone king will either know it's a draw or feel lucky. At our level, I've seen people refuse draws when they're the one with the pawn, so it has to be forced.
@Craigstevenson : Actually, your #1 is more often wrong than true. (and #2 depends much on the position). Corrected version :
"Don't bother bringing the queen out early if and only if it brings you a clear advantage you can't achieve by other means, when the queen is safe where it stands [Obviously, this is not the case on h5]."
The reason is that as you can't exchange the queen against a knight or a bishop because of its value, it will have to go back if it is attacked by a minor piece. Then, your opponent can win tempi developing while you are just moving the queen around to avoid attacks.
My two cents on the game :
9.c3 : I wasn't sure here if I should have used the a pawn or the c pawn. In the end I decided it would be better to use the c pawn with the idea of pushing the d pawn at some stage
a3 would have been meaningless. The point in c3 is to push d4 later. Chasing the bishop is useless (it can go out) and only weakens your pawns. For the same reason, 10.b4 ? is not a great move. Instead, 10.Bg5 ! hits their misplaced pieces (Black's defense to your ridiculous starting attack should have been 3...Qe7 followed by ...Nf6 winning a tempo).
I quite disagree with Scottrf on the trade B+N against R+p. It would indeed be a bad trade generally speaking, but here you are trading a bishop you have already lost to the ...b5 fork, so it's reducing you problems.
This being said, it tactially doesn't work if Black had seen (instead of 15...Qxf7 ?) 15...bxa5 ! and your knight on f7 is trapped.
18.Nd3 : I was down a piece and didn't want to simplify. Yeah, that's great thinking ! Also I figure I'm more likely to get a piece from black with a fork from the N. But that's pretty much crap. Stop playing to trap your opponents, and your rating will go up very fast.
This move is also inconsistant with 22.Nc5 ? (better Bb2, developing as you can) that uses a tempo to trade the knight while losing a pawn after 22...Nxc5 23.bxc5 Bxc5.
After 25.bxc5, you should feel that (1) your bishop on d4 is blocked by your own wall of pawns and (2) the d file, especially the d5 square, is desperately weak. Which explains that 29...Nxd4 ? was really poor positional planning, even if Black still stands better (better ...Bxa2 !).
You sideline on move 31 only gives you a draw (which is already better that what you could hope, I agree) after (31...Bxe6 32.Rde4) 32...Kf7. On other moves that 33.Rf1+ Black will play ...Bd7 getting out of the pin, and then you have to keep checking / pinning with the Rf1.
It is so sad to see so any endgame mistakes :
37...Kg8 ?? : because if the king was more active in the center (...Kf6, even better is ...Ke6), it would be known.
38...Bxc5 ?? because it is well-known that a bishopis worth less than a pawn (c5 could have been stopped even without sacrificing a bishop).
Moving your pawns on white squares were useful, but not urgent. You should bring your king and move your pawns only if Black loses time attacking them.
In your 50...Rxb4 sideline, it ends with a draw. But Black can win with 55...g5 ! (instead of ...Kxh3) 56.Kg6 Kxh3 57.Kxh6 Kxg4 and Black defends the pawn, that will be promoted easily.
The end with bad bishop + rook pawn is not so drawn than that. This looks like the classic endgame Kortchnoi vs Karpov 1978 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrong_rook_pawn#Korchnoi_versus_Karpov). The presence of an enemy pawn on the good file (which is, the neighbour of the pawn's file) and another pawn on the rook file give the bishop side hopes to win. The idea is a position like this :
So you disagree even though it loses the game?
It doesn't work here (well it does because his opponent played it badly), and generally it's a bad idea, which is why castling defends against fried liver type attacks.
What I said was right.
It's better to trade 2 minor pieces for a rook than to loose a piece. Don't you agree with that Scottrf?
Yep, but with the correct continuation he's losing 3 pieces for it as far as I can see. Maybe you can sac all your pieces for the kingside pawns but I don't believe a mate is happening there.
15...bxa4 and the knight is trapped. I think both players overlooked that anyway when white decided to play Bxf7+. I agree with you about the evaluation, but I think it was rather a calculation error than the wrong "rule of thumb".
Ok Scott, but by reading your previous posts I thought you hadn't seen my line (which is the reason why it doesn't work). Things are clearer now.
And BTW, I would still recommend to play the line played in the game. It gives Black a chance to misstep and then you end up with a not-so-lost endgame, whereas if you play "safe" you've lost a piece in all lines which means you are doomed. Being even more doomed with two pieces vs. exchange doesn't change much. Of course, if Black plays adequately then (against an opponent >1600) you could resign. But it still is good politics to set a last trap because there is nothing left to lose and it does not cost much.
Yeah you're right. Just the continuation doesn't stop the double attack, just puts you in another one where you've traded two pieces for a rook, I probably didn't need to get so worked up, apologies. Looking at it, it seems I didn't actually spot that first time, but did when I was writing my response, and falsely presumed I did before.
But the point was supposed to be a general one which Yusupov explains, the two pieces for a rook and pawn is better to think of as bad than good, unless you see a reason for the position being an exception.
You're welcome, we're happy to help when people comment on their games instead of saying "analyse this for me", as too many do...


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I know you guys are gonna get upset with this post, but its time for a little reality dose, to start off your New Year.
Most of you focus on "on-field" issues. Obviously Sanchez totally sucked this season & has lost all ability to play and throw. We all watch the games.
Now here is the BIGGER issue. With an $8 million GUARANTEED contract for next season, he aint goin no-where.And because of the cap hit, it certainly aint happening before June.
Just get used to those 3 sentences (above). Re-read them one more time to make sure they sink in.
Woody understands MONEY. He aint gonna take this hit.
Sanchez is merely gonna become our #2 QB for next season. Get used to it.
We will draft or sign a FA as our #1 QB. But Sanchez aint leaving.
Sparano is leaving
Pettine is leaving.
Cavanaugh is leaving.
Westhoff is leaving.
Landry is leaving.
B.Scott is leaving
E.Smith is leaving
Devito is leaving
SANCHEZ is staying one more year....Sorry.
I guarantee you Sanchez tries to get forced down the Jets fans throat one more time next season.
He gives us the best chance to win
Don't think we can tag Landry.
Totally agree with the OP but I've been reading Bart may return at a reduced price. He's an invaluable leader so if it's really only for depth I'm all for it.
This whole thread is making me naseus
Imo the whole slow as molasses squad on defense needs to be shown to the exit
Scott Pace Thomas Pouha for sure
Possibly Bell Harris and Devito too
We need at least some defensive players who can catch a Vereen a Ridley or a Spiller from behind or stay somewhere in the vicinity of a receiver or TE in coverage
I want to be clear with everyone becaus this is happening way too often here.
Keeping Sanchez or cutting Sanchez is a football decision. Woody is going to pay the same amount on players next year if Sanchez is on the team or not. As we all know there is a very strict salary cap in place.
This team needs to learn from it's screw ups. The contracts that Tanny has been doing put this team in this position. The only one that new Sanchez sucked was his agent. Tanny has done these fully guaranteed deals, and they have come back to bite us. Players come here to get paid and not play well. Regardless of the hit, they need to make an example of this guy and stop with these crazy a$$ contracts. Bye the way, as long as Sanchez is here, Rex will want to start him. Rex needs to go too. Half a head coach is a bad head coach.


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Many participate in Help the Heroes Buzzi Bash
Many showed their support for local volunteer fire departments this past weekend at the first Help the Heroes Buzzi Bash, hosted by Buzzi Unicem, USA that took place at Newman Park. This event benefitted the five volunteer fire departments in Nolan County including Maryneal, Nolan, Blackwell, Roscoe and Lake Sweetwater with all of the proceeds divided equally among the departments. There were many activities for members of the community to participate in, including a cook-off. Pictured are members of the Blackland Boys cooking team that consisted of members of the Roscoe Fire Department. The team was sponsored by the Sweetwater Reporter and The Lumberyard in Roscoe. Shown are (from left to right) Virg Pruitt, Chad Dornbusch, Keagan Pruitt, Terry Armstrong and Gary Armstrong. The Blackland Boys placed first place in the steak division. Buzzi Unicem intends to make this a yearly fundraiser taking place every Labor Day weekend.


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AV programs tend to be easily bypassed. Instead, use what the parent suggested, but add AdBlock, IP blackholing, sandboxie, BetterPrivacy, and other items. These utilities will do a better job for keeping the Web browser from being a vector of infection than any AV software out there. If you need AV for Windows, grab MSE and call it done. If really paranoid, run your browsing in a VM that rolls back all changes.
If you need some decently secure web browsing, boot a Knoppix CD. By default it doesn't even mount your hard drives. And all changes to the ram side of the unionfs filesystem expire with a reboot.
My Level 80 Rogue shall stop them! Stop! Ninja Time!
Ok, here is the list of the worst offenders:
Towerofdefense.com - hmm, this is one of the favourites of my kids...
So how do I set up my kid's netbooks (Firefox on WinXP) to not go there, for all accounts?
0.0.0.0 Gamesfactoryinteractive.com
0.0.0.0 Games-digest.com
0.0.0.0 Mariogamesplay.com
0.0.0.0 Anywhere-games.com
0.0.0.0 Galacticflashgames.com
0.0.0.0 Towerofdefense.com
0.0.0.0 Gamesfactoryinteractive.com
0.0.0.0 Games-digest.com
0.0.0.0 Mariogamesplay.com
0.0.0.0 Anywhere-games.com
0.0.0.0 Galacticflashgames.com
0.0.0.0 Towerofdefense.com
Direct those urls to 127.0.0.1 in the hosts file.
New process: Start -> "notepad c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts" (without quotes) -> ctrl-shift-enter -> Allow escalation, then continue as above
If you have kids with PCs I would suggest Comodo Time Machine [comodo.com]. Sure you can do as another poster suggest and use the HOSTS file to block just these sites, but then you are in an arms race with the malware guys you are bound to lose. With time Machine you can send the OS "back in time" to before they did something stupid, and in my experience it only uses around 20Mb of RAM, trivial with today's machines.
As for the other posters complaining about high AV CPU usage? I've found Comodo Internet Security [comodo.com] uses o
Because there are plenty of bugs out there that have figured how to infect system restore? if you want security advice, ask a PC repair guy. We have had to deal with every kind of nasty there is out there. And more than a few times I have seen every. single. restore. point. infected by a nasty. Not only does Time Machine lock itself down so that can't happen, but at install it creates a baseline point so ANY time you can go back to that point. Also system restore is set by default to only use 10% of the dri
So how do I set up my kid's netbooks (Firefox on WinXP) to not go there, for all accounts?
I am amazed that you actually got some sensible answers rather than the expected "Windoze is 4 luzrs, use GNU Hurd instead".
Those must be the most infested, never before known gaming websites in internet history. I think they must of paid somebody to put those sites in the article.
On average, online gaming now consumes a staggering 407 million hours of U.S. citizens' time per year.
A whole hour and 18 minutes per person per year? That's nearly 0.0015% of the time! I don't see how the US ever gets anything done at that rate.
Indeed; this was my first thought also. Hardly staggering at all, is it? I'd mod you up + Informative had I mod points to do so.
The innumeracy of the summary, OTOH, is staggering... Come on, people, at least do a quick back-of-the-envelope sanity check, OK?
innumeracy of the summary, OTOH, is staggering... Come on, people, at least do a quick back-of-the-envelope sanity check, OK?
Envelope? I've heard of that, I think, but where might I find one?
(Oh, wait; I found one. It was down in the basement, right there on a shelf next to the typewriter.
Envelope? I've heard of that, I think, but where might I find one?
Glass houses, kid. I remember when I read this [ufopinball.com] and laughed. Learn from my mistake. It will happen to you too!
Oh, and get the hell off my lawn.
That number has to be off by a lot. There are what? 8 million WoW players? If WoW was the only game in the US, each WoW player would only be playing 51 hours a year? I've known people who logged that much time every week in that game and even my friend with 2 kids gets at least 8 hours of WoW a week.
I know people who log twice that every week, and amazingly enough, almost 3 times that on some weeks (release days).
Not necessarily: If you assume that half of the population aren't (online) gamers, then the number of hours per gamer doubles.
I'd be willing to guess that only one person in 5 is tech-savy enough to be a gamer (remember that 'the population' includes octogenarians and infants), and that only half of them actually are, meaning that each gamer in this senario is clocking up an average of 510 hours per year, or 9 and a bit per week.
He's talking about WoW subscribers, those are definitely online gamers or they wouldn't pay 15$ a month for a specific online game.
Worst offenders, as of October 6, 2010:
Now, by gambling, do they mean e-trade and td-datek-ameritrade or whatever its called now?
Or checking out zillow zestimates and buying real estate, because real estate only goes up?
I believe second life got rid of all its casinos. Is second life still online?
Then theres the gamble of risking your reputation on online dating sites...
So whats up with the 'if all us internet time were condensed into one hour' not having any time for pr0n? Or is that assumed diplomatically to be the 20m 36s piece of the pie chart?
What the heck is a portal and what have people been doing there for 2m 36s out of every internet hour? Is that the "make AOL your homepage" that only newbies do?
I'd agree with you if I hadn't been using their service for around 5 years for free, and had all my friends and relatives who needed a good home AV also use it for free.
They do have a paid version, but the free version is just fine. All they ask for is a little information you input yourself so its not like you even need to tell the truth except for a valid email address.
As someone up above posted, that's still only 1 hour, 18 minutes per month. That doesn't seem like much... but then I start to consider that probably a small fraction actually plays online games... I bet the mode (to the nearest hour) is probably closer to 20 hours a month than 1.
As someone up above posted, that's still only 1 hour, 18 minutes per month. That doesn't seem like much... but then I start to consider that probably a small fraction actually plays online games...
I think it also depends on whether the respondents who play Farmville, Mafia Wars, etc. classified their time spent on those games as Online Games or Social Network. I definitely have a hard time imagining 1hr 18min/month average with all the Facebook games thrown in.
Looking at the list of "evil sites":
I ran them all through SiteTruth [sitetruth.com], which, unsurprisingly, can't find a legit business behind any of them and thus down-rates them as junk sites.
Typically not mentioned in summary.
Agreed. NOBODY uses WINDOWS anymore. Especially not those with poor security habits.
This is a Games article. It doesn't need to.
Criminals try to steal money? Hardly any news. Please come back when Cyber-criminals DON'T try to abuse a specific group of sites.
"Dog bites man" is not news. "Man bites dog" is.
A committee takes root and grows, it flowers, wilts and dies, scattering the seed from which other committees will bloom. -- Parkinson