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When you join Firebird Robotics, you don't sign up for a team, you sign up for an experience. You sign yourself into the incredible and fascinating world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics that is a FIRST competition. You sign in to the most dedicated and enthusiastic robotics team you'll ever see. We're just a bunch of kids. We're here to learn. We may just be a high school robotics team, but we're here to change the world.
Firebird Robotics is a well established FIRST team based out of Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the last six years, we've grown from a small group of friends to an established community that is well known throughout the school. We have a tradition of taking pride in our work and a reputation of success.
The mechanical team builds a complete robot from scratch every year. In the six weeks allotted during build season, the members transform drawings of potential designs into a tangible, programmable robot. Using CAD, 3D printers, power tools, wrenches, and a few nuts and bolts, they prototype and bring the ideas to life.
The programming team turns mechanical's chunk of aluminum into a functioning robot using Java. Beside the standard RoboRio, they use the Odroid-C1 coprocessor to store all the match information for post match analysis along with the vision processing solution written in python.
The media team is all about spreading the word "robotics" and catching people's attention with their content. From video editing and photography to writing HTML, the media team produces a wide variety of marketing and informational material across many different platforms. The team trains in graphic design to create an attractive and consistent brand identity.
Business and Management focuses on the monetary side of the club, providing the team much-needed funds and securing sponsorship opportunities. They are responsible for many of the behind-the-scenes functions of the team, keeping the club running smoothly according to set deadlines and goals, along with volunteering the team at different community outreach events.
Our 2015 robot Carcinus is a giant huggable crab; a crab that has to stack boxes as high as six feet tall. Daring to do it all, he has a hook on the front that can pick up either game piece. Lifting bins in the back is fairly simple for this robot, considering that he uses all high pressure pneumatics. Rolling around the floor on omni-wheels gives him the ability to move in any direction he wants.
2014's robot was Lady Guinevere. This robot hoisted a two-foot ball seven feet in the air by firing a 220 lb piston to put tension into six bungee cords. Guinevere had a six wheel tank drive for superior maneuverability that held her stable through rough play. She spirals balls off the floor into the catapult using two contra-rotating beater bars coated in high friction matting. We outfitted her with every sensor we had in our shop to allow her to understand her surroundings.
2013's robot, Sharon, was designed to fire frisbees and climb a metal pyramid. She fired frisbees into goals eight feet in the air from up to 40 feet away. Driving at high speeds, she hooked onto the pyramid's lowest rung for round ending points. Quick to act, all of her systems were controlled by electric motors for instant torque. The best thing about Sharon is literally everything. Killing machine, show stopper, and all around powerhouse are but a few ways you could describe the robot. Zoom, zoom like a Mazda does this robot travel across the field at 12.5 ft per second. Upending anything in her path, the robot cannot be stopped due to her low center of gravity.
2012's robot, Reboot, was a temperamental type, but an interesting one nonetheless. That year's challenge was shooting small foam basketballs which he could shoot to three separate heights. When the match came to a close, he had to balance on a seesaw in the middle of the field for extra points. Even though the drivetrain ran into many issues during the build, he ultimately had a swivel drive to more easily line up the sweet swishes.
The 2011 robot, Scorpio, was our team's most successful robot, equipped with vinyl tubes that stretched up to nine feet. Parallel to the main robot, he had a minibot that had to climb a ten-foot pole in less than ten seconds. Nearing the finals, Scorpio seeded 5th place in the Arizona Regional tournament.
Firebird Robotics's second robot, Herbie, was built to play soccer with various other robots. This bot had a roller in the front for moving the balls into and out of her possession. On top of all her electronics, she had a roll cage to protect from incoming balls and other pesky robots, which now has been taken off and rides around on our demonstration robot.
Our first robot, Marvin, was built to collect game pieces known as Moon Rocks for that year's challenge. Bringing the Moon Rocks to a scoring zone was the real challenge for this robot. Launching a piston at high velocities, he herded balls in front of himself for easy pickup.
The Robotics Program at Chaparral is an overall fantastic experience. As a student in the robotics club, you will be exposed to many aspects of engineering and design. Be a part of an ambitious group who share your passion for science and math.
As a mentor in the club, you guide and inspire the students involved to create an efficient robot that optimally attacks the challenge presented to the team. With your experience, you help our students grow both as engineers and people.
As a sponsor of the Firebird Robotics Team, you empower students to explore STEM and to pursue future careers in engineering.
No matter how you help, you're in for a riveting experience.
Community sponsors are local businesses and families who contribute as little as $100. We appreciate everything you can to help us succeed!


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Kerr, Curry dispute report of anger toward Thunder for disrespecting Durant
According to a report from ESPN released late Sunday night, the Golden State Warriors were "furious and bewildered" by the way that the Thunder handled Kevin Durant's initial return to Oklahoma City on Feb. 11.
According to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, that wasn't the case.
"I don't agree (with the report)," Kerr told reporters at shootaround in Oklahoma City on Monday, adding that he has yet to read the story. "(Thunder GM) Sam Presti's a friend of mine. I know (Thunder owner) Clay Bennett. It's a class organization all the way, so I don't really pay any attention to a story like that unless there's an actual name that's put on it."
The report, which cited league sources, claimed that the Warriors felt as though someone from the Thunder organization should have addressed the media prior to Durant's return to "help ease the tension" and that their failure to do so "contributed to the raw emotions" that led to an "unsettling, hostile atmosphere" during the game, which was Durant's first time playing in the city he called home for nearly a decade after leaving for The Bay in July.
"I assume (the story is) just sources?" Kerr asked. "I don't know who (the source) is. It's nobody with the Warriors. We have great respect for the Thunder — Sam's been a friend of mine forever. They're first class. So I don't know where that comes from."
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry also addressed the report, which he seemed to find some humor in.
"Certain stories that don't need to see the light of day, don't need to have any life breathed into them, somehow are the most popular," Curry said. "That's kind of how it goes. To me it's kind of comical what can be put under the spotlight during an 82-game year, when at the end of the day, we're all just trying to win games and enjoy what we do for a living."
The Warriors and Thunder face off for the fourth and final time of the season on Monday night, though Durant won't be on the floor as he continues to nurse a Grade 2 MCL sprain suffered on Feb. 28. He did, however, travel with the team, and was seen riding a stationary bike after shootaround.
The Warriors, who won the first three meetings with the Thunder by a combined 63 points, lost five of their first seven games after Durant went down, but have since won three straight and look to be back on track for the final stretch of the season.
Follow AJ Neuharth-Keusch on Twitter @tweetAJNK

subset: commoncrawl


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E-commerce websites basically refer to support or facilitate online business and trade. There are certain mandatory elements for an E-commerce website including handling of database specially for online shopping carts, online transactions, supply chain management systems, membership system etc. The database is connected to the main website and formats a complete structure of the website. Certainly, it demands very high level of artistry and competence over the website designing.
Approcx is proud to have proficient web designers who create an E-commerce website while understanding the theme and the nature what your business demands. We have already developed many of such websites and maintaining those. We also render services for addition of a database to your existing websites. There is an assurance from our side for a high standard and error free work to support your business in the longer run.
Do you have a plan to launch an eStore? For this purpose you want to hire the right ecommerce service provider company to achieve the sales target of your eStore? Approcx, a leading and noticeable IT solutions provider, with expert team of website developers and web designers providing ecommerce website design services to all small and large businesses in Pakistan. You should choose one of our affordable ecommerce development level from below to make your eStore website live.
Approcx believe to provide affordable ecommerce services
Get easy Management sytem with all ecommerce websites.
Our aim to deliver your website on given deadline.
We provide you fully user friendly ecommerce website.
Took benefits from our SEO friendly ecommerce services.
we developed a unique platform for your eStores


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Sift Heads 4 – Download2 Nov 2008 | Flash, Shooting | 12 comments
Those who played Sift Heads, Sift Heads 2, Sift Heads 3, Sift Heads 0 might want to check out the latest addition in the Sift Heads series, Sift Heads 4: Vinnie's Paradise. Gamers wanting more missions would be happy to know that there are 20 missions all together in Sift Heads 4. However, players who enjoyed watching the cinematics might be disappointed.
Download Sift Heads 4 (File Size ~ 4.61 MB)
Download the ZIP archive: sift-heads-4.zip
Sift Heads 4 – Title Menu
Vinnie goes on a world tour and starts an international killing spree in Sift Heads 4.
Sift Heads 4 – Career Stats
New feature, not really useful but nice to see how you performed in this game.
Sift Heads 4 – Weapons
The AK47 is actually almost good enough for the entire game, you will rarely encounter the need to switch to another weapon.
Sift Heads 4 – Instructions
Yes, you can switch weapons, but that is not really needed.
Sift Heads 4 – Action!
One of the missions requires you to kill a lawyer in a beach, so where is the lawyer?
Deimos's Daily Reads
Fellow blogger Michael Aulia has a compilation of best wallpapers, check them out!
Deimos's Thoughts
The latest installment in the Sift Heads series, gone are the pre and post action packed mission cinematics that were quite entertaining to watch. Decent graphics, game play is however almost too straight forward resulting in a non-challenging gaming experience.
Deimos Asks
Do you dislike, despise or even downright hate lawyers to the bone?
More from my site
More from my site
12 Comments
2nd November 2008
4:15 am
said the following:
Well, where is the lawyer? In Tactical Assassin games, someone important would usually be surrounded by guards, but, the guard would look like they would fit in. (Well, duh, the stick people look alike.). But, he's on vacation. It's not like they would follow him all the way when he gets a time to relax. But, I can say, shooting games are alot of fun.
2nd November 2008
5:40 pm
said the following:
Ok, time to download this is play!!!…… AK47 actually in real life can sometimes jammed on you at the most critical time one……..!!! heheheheh
2nd November 2008
6:19 pm
said the following:
i have no feeling towards lawyers in particular,
but the way they defend those who was wrong
for the sake of money,
did get me a little.
2nd November 2008
7:41 pm
said the following:
I have played this game. It's actually nice!
3rd November 2008
1:17 am
said the following:
BAM! BAM! BAM! *Dead* x_X
3rd November 2008
11:01 pm
Nicole Price
said the following:
You cannot survive in this world with such negative feelings about anyone leave alone lawyers. They have a role to play in society and often, we land up in need of them, without having had anything to do with the problem. If you need their help, how will it help if you have such negative feelings about them?
4th November 2008
8:39 am
said the following:
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT *Dead* X_x
29th December 2008
11:24 pm
Farfetch'd FGAB
said the following:
😕 when i download it, and play it, there's no text, just pictures. the options are blank, no words! how to fix it? please write back.
1st May 2009
2:23 am
said the following:
😕 😐 😈 ➡ 😯 🙂 😎 👿 😀 💡 😳 😛 🙄 😉 😥 😆 😡 🙁 ❗ ❓
11th May 2009
10:00 pm
The Elusive Gamer...
said the following:
Yo the Lawyer I think, its been a while since I played that game is the dude with the laptop.
4th June 2010
7:07 am
said the following:
hello wat do you click on to download


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We proudly present our first game: Jungle Ride!
Read more ...
The Inloop acquires MaxMedia, one of the most powerful multimedia authoring software.
Welcome to the Inloop Software... We're on the block!
We make applications and games using the latest technology to bring solutions and fun for you.
Connect With Us


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Okay girls, let's be honest...We all think & drool (not literally) over wedding dresses at some point in our life. Recently I've been on Pinterest & happened to fall upon some absolute stunners (as in wedding dresses). whether they're made of lace (MY FAVE), silk (also a favourite material of mine, as I used to love feeling silk as a child, something about it just felt really nice. I still love the fabric now! Don't think of this in a weird way people, I just love the feel of the material haha).
Getting to my point, I had a look through Coco Melody's site that not only sells absolutely beautiful wedding dresses, but bridesmaid, prom, graduation & they even sell men's wear as in suits! So basically, because I've been on Pinterest a lot lately, pinning things from wedding dresses, to healthy eating recipes to places I want to travel to etc. If you like the sound of these types of boards & more, then come & follow me on Pinterest, I've certainly become addicted to it lately!
I was having a browse at Coco Melody's new range of the Lily White Collection & thought I'd put together a top 5 wish list for those of you (like me) who like to have a nose at wedding dresses, whether your getting married or not.
How princess like is this particular dress! The lace (obviously) is what drawn me in the most, as it's like a weakness material to me. It just looks so elegant & classy on pieces. As well as adding in a satin ribbon around the waist, giving a slight pop of colour to break up all the white lace. You would definitely feel like a princess on your special day in this!
Lace & Mermaid designed?! ERM YES PLEASE! Look how beautiful the design of the back is though! It makes your back looks like it's embroidered with a white floral tattoo. I also love how it fits beautifully around the waist & hips, then floats out with a slight train. This would be so perfect!
You don't have to wear a long wedding dress on your special day. This gorgeous little white lace number would be a perfect summer wedding dress for those of you who love to get your legs out! I love how the lace is sewn over the tutu part of the dress too! Something awesome about this site, is that they do from size 4 to size 30! So it's perfect for anybody! You can also have whatever material you like when purchasing this dress as they are made to order!
A removable train sounds good to me! Especially when you've finished walking down the isle & all the other things that happen at a wedding, you hit the dance floor and the length of the dress is perfect for swaying about in & still looking elegant & classy when you remove the train! It's perfect for a summer wedding! Especially with the embroidery stitched onto the train & around the dress, it gives such a nice vibe!
My final pick of my Top 5 dresses has to be this gorgeous lace number, with the beautiful lace straps designed to trail down your back, joining round my the bottom of your back and floating down to the floor giving you a beautiful silhouette when your walking and even when turning around, you will feel like a really lady in this beautiful ensemble!
Coco Melody also do a range of Designer Wedding Dresses as well as Wedding Dresses with sleeves. I've mentioned these because these type of dresses stood out to me the most & I literally had heart eyes when scrolling through the site!
What dress would you like to wear if you ever got married? What dress is your fave?
Thank you for reading!
Snapchat (isobelceline) | Depop
*This post was sponsored by Coco Melody. Please read my disclaimer for more information.*


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Log In
08/18/10 - The CMS team goes to Chef's for lunch.. and prompty slips into a food coma
Previous Batch
Next Batch
We've escaped the warroom, er, I mean, collaborative environment
John and Dipak
This time, Shawn's behind the wheel
Matt holds on tight
Keep your eyes on the road, Shawn
Run those guys down!
The infamous Chef's!
Allan and I have a camera showdown! I think he wins this battle...
Dipak checks out the menu
Allan, John, Jeff, and Steve decide what to have for lunch
Everything looks good!
Dipak and Shawn
Oil for bread dipping!
Jeff places his order
Topaz dips some bread
Topaz's meal is ridiculous!
This is Topaz and Steve's food after they were completely full. It's like they didn't eat anything!
Look how much Steve has left!
Steve is content
Canz has a bogus NASA logo ripoff shirt!
Project 365!
Canz's crazy mainframe memory platter thing
Jupiter from Topaz's solar system model!
Saturn and Jupiter!
Saturn and Jupiter again.. with Jupiter in focus!
The cube maze at Synacor
Jupiter again
Crazy giant stuffed animals!
Moziak's got some cool Android figures
Look at all of them!
Who are these guys!?
Salbito helped Canz and Topaz work on a live issue
The paper airplane collection in the hallway
Neat airplane
Cool clouds over the gym
I made a real meal! Spinach salad and grilled chicken!
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Driving in SeasideThu Feb 9, 2006 10:02:09 am by Dustin
Filed under General
Last night, three of my friends and I too a nice trip to Seaside, OR. It was a pleasant drive full of Radiohead and American Hi-Fi. Later followed with playing on the fantasmic Oregon beach and surf. So what time did we decide to leave for this sandy get away. Ten in fact. But that's 10 pm. A 1.5 drive each way plus about the same amount of time there. And yes I am still taking 18 credits of CS classes and don't really care that I got home at 2:30. I kinda want to do it again tonight.
Sun Oct 1, 2006 10:36:25 am
I'm game, but then again, I'm not taking 18 credits at the moment. Besides, which leaves you more refreshed to face the next day: getting back from the beach at 2:30 or staring at code until 2:30?
Sun Oct 1, 2006 10:36:25 am
Oh definently staring at code till 2:30 am


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HeadsUp Drive - A Simple Driving App
HeadsUp Drive is a simple driving app for everyday driving & commuting. I have been wanting a simple app that I can just launch as I leave work and not have to do too much to use it. I haven't found anything that was entirely to my liking, so I built it.
If you are looking for a simple, minimally distracting app to use on your daily commute or on roads where you don't need a route calculated for you - I think you will like it. Want to try it out? You can download it from the app store for iPhone & iPad.
On first launch, most people notice that it's not very complicated. That is entirely on purpose. I've tried Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, and a few others, and my principal complaint with them all is that they take too much fiddling to use them day in & day out, when I know where I'm going. Often with those apps, daily use requires adjusting the view to see the zoomed-out view needed to make traffic decisions (the same ones every day). If you're ever tried Waze, like me you may have been fatigued by frequent prompts for input, when all I want to do is just drive home efficiently.
HeadsUp Drive is a simple driving companion, designed to let you see the road ahead. I think it's the the best, simplest app for everyday commuting. It shows you Google Maps traffic data and a chase-plane view so you can see what's coming, and plan ahead to avoid traffic jams.
There is very little interaction, and that's on purpose, because we should all keep our eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. The view adjusts automatically to show the traffic and roads in your direction of travel.
+ and - to zoom in and out, and a "?" button to remind you why the app is so simple. It's designed to be simple!
I use it daily on my commute to & from work. Below is a picture of it in action. I hope you find it useful too.
Feedback and comments are welcome at: email@example.com


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You asked for patches again.. we bring you more patches.
These are circular screen printed patch with an overlocked edge and heat seal backer (for ironing on to your bag/jacket/babygrow). Or you can sew them on like the old days. Doing both is often sensible for extra security.
Featuring the elemental design printed in off white on to a black patch.
Heat Seal Backer Application Instructions:
- Turn your iron to a heat setting of around 170ºC
- Place your patch in the desired position on to the garment and cover with a clean cloth (DO NOT IRON DIRECTLY ON TO THE PATCH)
- Press the iron straight down for 10 seconds.
- Turn the garment inside out and repeat step 3 on the reverse.
- The Heatseal film achieves its full adhesive force after 48 hours and will adhere to most fabrics. Fabrics containing cotton will have the best results


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In order to promote the national pastime and market his business, from November 1888 to March 1889 baseball pioneer Albert Spalding summoned a team of players from the Chicago White Stockings and an "All-America" squad from various cities to compete domestically and abroad. The teams commenced a seven state tour covering the western United States before embarking on a month-long six city trip throughout Australia. Prior to starting the contests, a few players gathered at Stevens Studios in Chicago to have their pictures taken. Presumably, these cabinet photos were to be sold as souvenirs over the slate of games.
Recently, Huggins & Scott was contacted by an Oregon-based consignor who uncovered a portrait of a player surnamed Ryan among their family belongings. According to the consignor, a family member had purchased the cabinet at a far-flung flea market during the 1970s. An update to the known checklist is now necessitated as the offered 1888-89 Stevens Studio Australian Tour Jimmy Ryan Cabinet (possibly signed) is now confirmed! The dapper White Stockings center fielder is portrayed in suit-and-tie on this sturdy 4-1/4 x 6-1/2" sepia cabinet. The crease-free vignette presents in (VG to EX) condition with incidental soiling throughout and limited water staining spots located toward the lower portion of the canvas. Tucked beneath the gilt "Spalding's Austrailian (sic) Base Ball Tour" text, a previous owner affixed a newspaper slice reading "Ryan, Center Field." near the lower middle border. The reverse remains attractive with varying degrees of foxing and soiling surrounding the ornate advertisement.
The most intriguing aspect of this uncatalogued prize is the placement of a signature on the bottom left of the photo mount. In shorthand the black script reads, "Yours resp'y James Ryan." James (Pony) Ryan passed away in 1923 and no exemplars are currently known. Upon careful review by James Spence Authentications, no conclusive determination could be made regarding the author. However, upon reviewing Ryan's 1888-89 Australian Tour journal, similarities have been noted regarding the slant and style of certain letters in comparison to the signature. In short, the endorsement has the appearance and look of a legitimate autograph. With career statistics that rival several Hall of Famers, should Ryan be eventually inducted at Cooperstown and the signature be conclusively confirmed as "authentic," then this already extraordinary piece will reach unprecedented heights.
Please send questions or comments about this site to
Copyright © 2002-2009, Huggins and Scott Auctions LLC. All Rights Reserved.


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Zimbabwe: Pandora's box opened
I have followed, with great interest, the timeline travelled by the unique developments in Zimbabwe over the leadership of (Ex) President Robert Mugabe. The developments have ended with the popular acclamation of a new leader, however the preceding events have been utterly intriguing and worrying. Chief among them is theRead More


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It has been an interesting and informative couple of weeks at Cakes & Cardies. It turns out that there is a scheme run by the government to help new businesses! I discovered this when I went to sign on. I was a bit apprehensive about signing on as I wasn't looking for a job now that I had decided to start my own business. But it turns out that they have a scheme for people like me, called the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA). I went along to a session about it last week to learn all about it and as of yesterday I am enrolled.
It offers mentoring to help with setting up a business, they help you to write a good business plan, work out the business cash flow and once the business starts trading there is an allowance to help out in those first few months. I now have a questionnaire to fill out about the business that will go some way to writing my business plan. This will be helpful as I haven't really put anything on paper as yet and it will be good to think about it in a methodical way. Having someone on the other end of an email/phone to help is also great, they have run their own business so they know all the problems and pitfalls as well as the advantages. It also gives me more of a structure, the business plan has to be ready within 8 weeks, so it means I have to get my skates on. It really gives me a goal to aim for.
As well as this program I also attended a free seminar funded by the City of London called Pathway to Self Employment run by basls. This was a three hour session that went through all the things you need to think about when opening your own business (business name, market research, legal issues etc), they also offer a mentoring scheme but as I am already on the NEA scheme this did not apply. But one of the great things that came out of this was the information about the City Business Library (this is part of the Guildhall Library). The library is a great resource for all things business, it has books and journals but also lots of software that can help with market research, company profiles, HR etc. I became a member immediately after the seminar, this was lot to do with the fact that it was lashing with rain as I left! I was going to do it anyway but the rain just nudged me along! So one of my mornings next week will be spent in the library getting as much information as I can.
I have to say that I have been impressed by the amount of help there is out there for new businesses, both from the government and charitable organisations (the seminar at the Guildhall is run by the GLE). I'm not always the first person to ask for help in this way but I am glad that I have, I don't have to do this on my own. There are people out there who want to help.
Last Friday I did the second day of the Food Safety course and sat my exam. As you will remember the exam is 30 multiple choice questions and you have to get 20 correct to pass. We started the exam at 13.35 and I finished at 13.47 and I tried to slow myself down! The tutor then checked it and, unofficially, I have passed. It has to go off the CIEH to be marked and I will hear officially in about three weeks. Now all I have to do is put it into practice in my kitchen. My big project or rather my other big project is to get the kitchen up to scratch so that it will pass an environmental health inspection. This means a lot of cleaning, re-organising, sorting out storage and much more. Keep tuned for all the fun and frolics that will bring![read more]


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Bob Jones, a mellow-voiced New York radio personality who was the last regular host of the historic WNEW-AM show "Milkman's Matinee," playing the music of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington as it slowly became harder to find on the dial, died on Dec. 29 in Manhattan. He was 70.
The cause was pneumonia, his daughter, Marie Hoffmann Jones, said.
"Milkman's Matinee" was one of the earliest all-night radio shows, first heard during the big-band era. Mr. Jones hosted it from 1975 until 1979, when it went off the air, and again in the 1980s. He hosted another long-running show, "Make Believe Ballroom," in the evenings during the '80s.
WNEW, one of the last radio bastions of what is sometimes called the Great American Songbook, was sold to Bloomberg and switched to a business information format in 1992. That same year, WQXR-AM (which like its FM sister station was owned by The New York Times) adopted WNEW's format and changed its call letters to WQEW.
Mr. Jones worked for some years as a midday host at WQXR-FM, playing classical music. He eventually became WQEW's morning man, a job he held until WQEW was sold to Disney in 1998 and he retired.
Mr. Jones was known for sprinkling his broadcast with details about the singers and composers whose music he played.
"You would feel like you were with an old friend, which is a great thing to have going for you when you're trying to reach hundreds of thousands of people at a time, and you're really talking to one person at a time," Warren Bodow, a former president and general manager of WQXR and WQEW, said of Mr. Jones's approach.
Robert Vincent Jones was born on April 5, 1942, in New Haven. His wife, Rae Ann Hoffmann, said he began his radio career early, interning at WAVZ in New Haven when he was around 11.
Mr. Jones attended Quinnipiac College (now Quinnipiac University) in Hamden, Conn., and served in the Army.
His first two marriages ended in divorce. In addition to his daughter and Ms. Hoffmann, he is survived by two stepchildren, George and Katharine Weiner.


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Larry Doyle understands what you want. He hears you. The former writer/producer of The Simpsons and frequent contributor to the New Yorker has been satiating the mainstream's humor appetite for years now, and in the process, his first novel I Love You, Beth Cooper won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Now he's back, this time with a new novel about two things that everyone loves: B-movie iconography and Cold War politics. It's about time, right?! Doyle's new genre-bending story takes readers to an alternative world where earth has been colonized by assorted aliens and mutants. This is a hilarious, mind-bending tale based in a universe where JFK and Marilyn Monroe run for president against Ronald Regan and Phyllis Schafly. Larry Doyle has created a world different than ours, all the while showcasing the same angst that all of us normal, John Hughes-loving humans display. If you're not interested after reading all of that, maybe you're just not meant for this world.
Read the Full Story at KPCC Blogs


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When it comes to shopping, not all experiences are created equally. Rushing through the mall, perusing the internet, and a leisurely afternoon downtown can all be enjoyable (or extremely unenjoyable) shopping experiences. At Kendra Phillip, we believe shopping should be fun and easy! We want you to relax and enjoy your Trunk Show. No more hard work or difficult decisions.
Here are 5 Reasons Why a Kendra Phillip Trunk Show is The Best Way to Shop
1. A Personalized One-on-One Shopping Experience
You will be assigned a Kendra Phillip Stylist to help take the stress out of shopping. You will work together to choose the perfect pieces to complement your wardrobe or update your style. She knows the trends, you know your style. Together, you are a perfect match!
2. It's Fun!
Hosting and attending Kendra Phillip Trunk Shows is fun! Let your Kendra Phillip Stylist do all the hard work while you socialize and shop the latest trends. Trunk shows are a fantastic way for you to catch up with old friends or connect with new gals. A girl's night out with Kendra Phillip is a great way to unwind and shop any day of the week.
3. You Get Your Jewelry Right Away
Unlike most trunk shows, Kendra Phillip brings the product directly to you! No more waiting forever for your delivery. No more outrageous shipping charges or mysteriously lost mail. At Kendra Phillip Trunk Shows, you and your guests get to take your jewelry home on the spot.
4. You Will Receive Exclusive Perks and Discounts
Every Kendra Phillip Stylist comes to your Trunk Show with exclusive discounts for trunk show attendees. Additionally, she will provide her online discount code to you and your guests. Use it at your leisure, buy a gift for a friend, or pick up that piece you just can't stop thinking about!
5. There's Something for Everyone at Kendra Phillip!
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Review: Re-Volt (Dreamcast)/
Re-volt was released in the Holiday season 1999, shortly after the Sega Dreamcast's launch. Since I finally have my Dreamcast hooked up to the big screen, it's time to start taking a look at my exhaustive Dreamcast library.
So how does Re-Volt stand up 11 years later? Re-Volt is a remote control car racing game. Despite it's cute appearance, this is a pretty hardcore game. The game is huge, and the difficulty is immense. The game starts with 4 tracks available, the "easy tracks." There are 4 main modes in which to romp around these courses.
- Single Race - Finish first on all easy tracks to unlock more cars
- Championship - Finish in the top 3 on each easy track, and finish in first place in the championship to unlock new cars, and the medium tracks
- Time Trial - Beat the lap record on each easy track to unlock more cars. This also unlocks a reverse version of the track. Setting fast times on the reverse track unlocks the mirrored version. Setting fast times on the mirrored version unlocks the mirrored and reversed version. Whew.
- Practice - Find the hidden star on each track to unlock more cars
In addition to the 4 easy tracks, there are 4 medium tracks, 3 hard tracks, and 3 extreme tracks. This game is very hard, and requires you unlock the top cars in each car class (beginner, amateur, advanced, semi-pro, and pro) to be successful. The hidden stars are often hiding in the air, requiring a quick car and precise driving to hit a ramp just right to grab it. The time trial mode is also brutal, requiring an extremely clean and tidy lap to succeed.
If that wasn't enough game play, there is also a stunt arena with 20 hidden stars. The arena features a dozen ramps that you have to launch off, a giant half-pipe, and even a loop-dee-loop. Collecting all twenty stars unlocks "clockwork" mode. In this mode, you pilot a tiny wind up car, against 24 other wind up cars.
The cars themselves handle rather realistically, with awesome acceleration and extremely twitchy steering. There is definitely a learning curve here, as Re-Volt handles unlike anything I've ever played before. It's a real turn off at first, but once you give it some time, you'll start to appreciate the the maneuverability of these tiny machines.
Remote control car racing wouldn't be as fun without some awesome tracks. Re-volt delivers. Ranging from a museum, outside neighbor-hoods, a giant ship, a grocery store, a botanical garden, skyscraper roof tops, a ghost town and a child's play room. They are highly imaginative. They don't feel like tracks either, they feel like living breathing environments. This can lead to some confusion at first, but practice makes perfect.
If the game wasn't deep enough, there is a track editor mode. You build giant levels out of tile like pieces. You can control the height, bank, and angle, and have a dozens of pieces to choose from. You can get lost for hours playing around with this in itself, and is a wonderful addition to the game.
The final game mode is a multi-player mode, with 4-player split screen (remember those days?). You can choose to do single racers against friends (including tracks you build in the track editor), or a battle mode. The battle mode is like a game of reverse tag. There are 4 arena style levels, and the object is to find a hidden star. Grab the star, and you are 'it.' If other players tag you, they are "it." The first to be "it" for 2 minutes wins the round.
It wouldn't be a cartoon racer without weapons, and Re-Volt does a great job here as well. There are homing bottle rockets, oil spills, battery boosts, and even a giant magnetic ball you can release to trip up racers behind you.
Re-volt shows off some of the Sega Dreamcast's graphical prowess as well, featuring some sharp textures and detailed models. The environments are also loaded with detail, whether it be tumbleweeds in the ghost town or bouncing basketballs in the neighbor hood levels. The frame rate does suffer occasionally, but usually hovers around the 30 fps mark. There is a cheat code (enter "flyboy" as your name) which unlocks a 60 fps mode, at the expense of draw distance.
Re-Volt also features an upbeat soundtrack. It's a sort of euro-trance/dance mix that really sets the mood for the cars. My girlfriend instantly commented on how catchy the music is. The cars themselves sound true to form, with a high-pitch whine for the electric cars, and a high-pitch growl for the gasoline cars.
Re-Volt is truly a wonderful game. It's one of those games that sucks hours and hours away without you even noticing. It's brutal, but rewarding. Finishing the final championship and seeing the credits roll (without using cheat codes) is truly an accomplishment. While some may be put-off by it's twitchy handling and unrelenting artificial intelligence, hard-core gamers are in for a very deep racing experience.
This was available for the Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation as well, but stay far far away from those versions. The Dreamcast is a fairly accurate port of the PC game. The N64 and PSX ports are incredibly watered down and often panned by critics. The Sega Dreamcast version is where it's at.
Overall, Re-Volt is a terrific racer for the Sega Dreamcast. It's got detailed visuals, an energetic soundtrack, tons of game modes, and deep game-play. It proves that once and a while, when Acclaim put it's mind to it, they could churn out a high-quality title that could hang with the best of them. Viva la Dreamcast.
Graphics 8/10 - Great cartoony art style, detailed environments and models
Sound 9/10 - Awesome soundtrack, great effects
Game play 9/10 - tons of game modes, awesome track editor, fun physics
Overall 9/10 - Highly underrated gem


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Was anything so old-fashioned as Labour's response to its drubbing at last week's polls? For the past four days the prime minister and his colleagues have sat stunned in a time warp. He appeared besuited on a Sunday television sofa, looking like a wet afternoon and talking about "getting our message across" and telling "the truth about the Tories". His friends spoke of relaunches and policy revamps, of "reconnecting with core voters" and deriding people they called "toffs". This is not so much a repeat of John Major in the mid-90s as of Harold Macmillan in the early-60s, who just wished that the 20th century would go away. The Brownites clearly wish the same of the 21st.
Just when Brown was moaning about the horrors of being "a private person in a public arena" his youthful nemesis, Boris Johnson, was camping it up in a policeman's hat at a Sikh festival in Trafalgar Square. It was Labour's nightmare, an Etonian politician behaving like a human being rather than a political nerd, and being cheered for it.
When Brown wakes up in the morning, so he told BBC radio, he first thinks of people's hardship and mortgage rates. Most people think of a cup of tea. While Brown never apologises, Johnson says, "Oh gosh, crikey, I've done it again. I'm sorry, let's rerun that." The truth is that people seem not to mind a politician's accent if he can just contrive to sound reasonably normal, and nothing does normal better than humour. The only Labour politician who could handle it was Ken Livingstone and he is gone, "out-sincered" by Johnson.
The strategists of Brown's counter-revolution still miss the point about the new politics. They echo their leader about communicating policy messages as if all they needed was a touch of the Alastair Campbells. They demand that Brown rid the Labour party of unpopular measures and take that old carthorse, "the policy agenda", out of its shed, put young James Purnell in the saddle and feed it with Treasury hay. Small wonder the electorate's eyelids fall shut.
For a minority of low-income voters, I can see that the end of the 10% tax rate was a burning issue. It also demoralised party workers charged with getting out the vote, a factor always underrated by Westminster politicians. But the time to kill it was when Brown announced it in 2007, to the sycophantic applause of those who voted it through and to whom he could do no wrong. A man then greeted as the authentic reaffirmation of old Labour after Tony Blair's charismatic cul-de-sac is now dismissed as dumb, directionless and depressing. With friends like these, who needs enemies?
The truth is that Labour MPs and their constituency parties are paying the price for the evisceration of their vital organs by the Blairites (including Brown) in the mid-90s. A virtue of the old party constitution was that warnings of dissent were flashed to headquarters overnight. New Labour has no equipment to handle rebellion, turning each mishap into a humiliating public climb-down by the leadership.
The glory of democratic politics is its constant self-redefinition. The legacy of Blair and his court to the British constitution was the electoral supremacy of persons over programmes, of likability and familiarity, vision and abstract nouns, over the machinery of the governmental engine room.
The political theorist David Runciman refers to this in his new book, Political Hypocrisy, as "the necessary mask of power". Blair was a superb salesman of the compromises (and hypocrisies) of leadership and there is no point, says Runciman, in "denouncing it, or taking sides, or seeking some sort of personal insulation from it". Today's democrats must rather decide "what sort of hypocrites we want our politicians to be". The given answer is those aware of their own hypocrisy and able to share its pretences with the electorate.
From the moment David Cameron took over the Conservative party in 2005, he was advised to steer clear of policy, to stick instead to such vacuities as compassionate conservatism and "social responsibility". Every pollster asserted that, with democracy no longer about some great clash of class or economic interest, voters wanted their leaders to be reassuring, celebrated, pleasant on television and somehow therefore trustworthy in a crisis. This was a truth, not some transient Blairite quirk. Watch any American election.
Voters may claim crime and law and order, immigration, health and education as "important issues" when asked. But there is no evidence that these are electoral determinants. Besides, parties steal such policies from each other with abandon. Livingstone and Johnson in London were swapping policies like Christmas presents.
More ominous for Labour is the poor personal rating of Brown as a leader, that and a widespread disbelief in what the government says and in its ability to make Britain a better place or improve its public services - so says Ipsos Mori's end-of-year review. Above all, people want government to be competent - or at least to appear to be. They do not want ever more policies, but rather a plausible navigator of their comfort zones. Nor is there any point in damning them for it.
Brown's friends are demanding that he now declare petrol cheaper, housing more expensive (through subsidised purchase) and rubbish disposal more wasteful. This desperate scurrying beneath the bribery counter is the ultimate retreat from the radical honesty that was once Brown's strongest suit. He would be better advised to cheer up, stick to his guns and attempt some charisma implant, like Major's summoning of Michael Heseltine from the backbenches in 1990. He needs to borrow some of what his ever-chirpy critic, Jon Cruddas MP, yesterday called Cameron's "emotional literacy".
There is a tide in the affairs of politicians and, when it passes, "all the voyage of their life / Is bound in shallows and in miseries". Last week the Brown and Livingstone campaigns looked old and tired, and the electorate noticed. It wants novelty and is without prejudice. Despite the jeers of the commentariat, people seem happy to give the toffs a turn at the wheel. Besides, they don't mind an occasional joke, and even quite like it.


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Our firm maintains a criminal defense practice that is dedicated to protecting the rights of the accused. You are entitled to your legal defense, not just for your own good, but to ensure that everyone else enjoys the rights entitled to them by law as well. This battle to protect the individual from the powers of the state starts with you and we are proud to help.
Drawing on this depth of experience, our Dublin rape defense attorney works diligently to challenge the evidence against you, challenging how that evidence was gathered and who gathered it. The law provides very specific laws and technical rules when it comes to evidence such as rape kits. These rules are designed to ensure that citizens' rights are protected from wrongful accusations by the state. We make it our job to challenge such evidence.Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney Serving Stockton Region
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Infinite Labs Juggernaut
Infinite Labs Juggernaut
Juggernaut is The Ultimate Pre-Workout Experience!
Juggernaut is an explosive pre-workout supplement engineered for any athlete, especially the bodybuilder, striving to build muscle. With a state of the art plasma expander found only in Juggernaut, this supplement stimulates muscle fiber growth, provides for explosive power, and reduces fatigue, all while providing you with intense mental focus. This unstoppable formula provides the highest yielding glycerol load for the most insane muscle pumps, explosive energy, and greater endurance.Juggernaut is equipped with the one-of-akind Glyco-Core Plasma Expander. This plasma expander prevents dehydration, increases endurance, prevents fatigue, and is the perfect compliment to the Hypertrophic Myovascular Expansion Complex, or H.M.E.C.
Glyco-Core supplies the highest yielding glycerol load available on the market today. You can be con dent that you are fueling your body with a superior supplement designed to deliver the nutrients necessary for in nite strength and endurance. Maximize the effectiveness of your supplementation and your training with Juggernaut… the inexorable force in pre-workout nutrition!
Juggernaut is scientifically engineered to…
• Increase Lean Mass
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Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 1 scoop (20 g)
Servings Per Container: 40
Amount Per Serving
Protein - 3g
Vitamin C - 500 mg
Vitamin E - 200 IU
Vitamin B12 - 75 mcg
Folic Acid - 200 mcg
Magnesium (Gluconate, Phosphate) - 10 mg
Chromium (Polynicotinate) - 50 mcg
Sodium (Chloride) - 49 mg
Potassium (Potassium Citrate) - 58 mg
Caffeine - 200 mg
Juggernaut Proprietary Blend - 17,970 mg
Intense Nitric Oxide (NO) Initiating Complex - 1,300 mg
Arginine blend (arginine HCL, arginine pyroglutamate, di-arginine
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Creatine Transport Upregulating Complex - 720 mg
Meta-Fuse Glucose Polymer (maltodextrin, waxy maize),
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Vitamin C, vitamin E, acai extract, pomegranate extract
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Beta alanine, caffeine, alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine, bacopa
monnieri, vinpocetine
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Potassium citrate, magnesium phosphate, magnesium gluconate
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FD&C Yellow 6 Contains milk and soy. Creatine MagnaPower
On workout days
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South Pasadena Real Estate - Find Your Perfect Home For Sale!
South Pasadena - Town vs. County Stats
Avg Price in South Pasadena: $320,700 / County Avg $514,100
Avg Taxes in South Pasadena: $2,400 / County Avg $5,200
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South Pasadena Real Estate Market Health
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Don't believe the lie that you can only get these scrumdiddlyumptious treats at an overpriced candy store. They might not even have the dark chocolate ones, which you and I both know are really the best. Even if you do buy these from the local candy shoppe, you're probably consuming more bad things for you than good. With this simple and delectable recipe, get the natural goodness of gummy bears combined with the decadent richness of fine dark chocolate without any of the guilt or expenditure.
Gummy Bears:
- 1 gummy bear silicone mold
- 1 baking sheet
- Wax paper
- 1 saucepan
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
- Fruit Flavoring: Orange bears – 1 cup of orange juice; Strawberry bears – 2/3 cup pureed strawberries and 1/3 cup water; Blueberry bears – 2/3 cup pureed blueberries and 1/3 cup water
Chocolate Mixture:
- 1 saucepan or bowl
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 tablespoon shortening
- Combine lemon juice, honey, and fruit flavoring in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove and stir.
- Whisk gelatin into the mixture and stir, heating until all ingredients are combined and gelatin is melted.
- Pour mixture into gummy bear silicone mold and put in freezer for 30 minutes.
- Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper on it.
- Stir shortening and chocolate chips together and melt over a stove or in a microwave until smooth.
- Wait for the chocolate mixture to cool slightly, then dip 1 cup's worth of solidified gummy bears into it one by one.
- Set chocolate covered gummy bears onto the wax paper on the baking sheet.
- Place baking sheet in fridge for 30 minutes.
- Take out and enjoy.
Never pay too much for overly-sugary chocolate covered gummy bears again with this recipe. You can even use these gummy bears as gifts or treats, such as with wedding party presents or stocking stuffers. Change up the fruit flavoring and experiment with different juices and purees. If you really wanted to, you could make vegetable puree gummy bears, but no one expects you to get that…innovative. Grab your gummy bear mold and get going!


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Today Marketing Week reported that Vodafone UK is currently boasting a higher customer service query response rate through Twitter than any other brand in the world that uses the site.
The report was carried out by socialbakers and looks at factors such as response rate, response time and answered questions versus ignored questions. Boasting a 77.7% response rate, Vodafone are comfortably ahead of the 45% worldwide average, and a quick look at their Twitter account proves they are exceptionally active, providing advice to customers who have queries and problems.
I recently wrote a post that emphasised the need for managing your brand reputation on social media channels, and this follows on in that in order to maintain your brand image, you need to be looking after your customers via all channels, not just those that you deem to be the most traditional or convenient.
Many see Twitter as a tool for marketing and for this purpose I admit it's great, but fail to look after your customer base also, and you're heading towards some serious complaints. As I've mentioned in the past, Twitter is a public domain, and the chances of your customers keeping quiet when you ignore them is getting slimmer by the day.
Following on are four tips for improving your customer service on Twitter, as demonstrated by the current No.1 for Twitter Social Devotion, Vodafone.
Acknowledge and Apologise
Don't ignore your customers, particularly when they're having a problem. Apologise and acknowledge their problem, even if you can't fix it immediately.
Respond to non-complaints
Everyone likes to be acknowledged so try to reply to those who say good things also.
Show an Interest
Show a genuine interest in a customers' complaint, even when they're simply embarking upon some public abuse, as shown below.
Provide an Immediate Response
The longer someone waits for a response, the higher the chance of escalation and further complaints. Try to respond as quickly as possible. Vodafone are replying within a couple of hours, which, bearing in mind the number of customers they are dealing with, is exceptionally good.


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Billy Marshall
Billy is the CEO at ServiceTrade and author of The Digital Wrap and Money for Nothing. He encourages and inspires other folks to do really interesting things that he is not qualified to do himself. His job is to take all of the blame when things go wrong and give all the credit to others when they go right.
Billy has dedicated his career to software that solves business problems -- whether that business is a Fortune 100 enterprise or a small family-owned contracting company. Billy was the Director of Product Management in Red Hat's early days, before joining the executive team as VP of Sales. Billy's also held VP of Business Development roles and has been President and CEO at other software companies.
Outside of ServiceTrade, Billy is always busy, whether that's as pit master at the smoker, as captain on his fishing boat stealing stories and bounty from the sea, and as dad, enjoying outdoor activities with his three beautiful daughters.
Tim Spink
Tim comes to ServiceTrade with a 25-year history of successful executive sales management. Tim and Billy first met at Red Hat, where Tim was Global Senior Director of Inside Sales.
After Red Hat, Tim continued to expand international sales teams at small and large software providers. Tim brings experience with building global sales teams and channels, implementing repeatable and scalable sales processes, and directing operations. At ServiceTrade, Tim works closely with customers to help them realize all the ways that ServiceTrade can make their business more successful. Tim also works with our partner companies to bring their innovations to our customers.
When he is not working, Tim keeps busy with his family and cruising his boat, the Timtanic, on Jordan Lake.
Anna McMahon
Anna leads the ServiceTrade Inside Sales organization in their efforts to enable businesses to grow by attracting new prospects and extending customer relationships beyond the service appointment.
Anna has dedicated her career to building businesses, helping customers, and focusing on personal development for both herself and her team. She brings her expertise of scaling sales organizations from the ground up most notably at Citrix ShareFile where she helped grow the sales organization from 5 to 200 people.
Outside of ServiceTrade, Anna enjoys watching football, cooking and spending time with her husband, two young daughters and two dogs.
Lauren Rice
Lauren is part of the sales team, where she can use her natural people skills to help customers with their service management needs. She loves to develop strong interpersonal relationships and discover ways in which ServiceTrade can streamline day-to-day operations for its clients.
In her spare time, Lauren teaches voice lessons, barre classes, and buti yoga. She also enjoys playing piano, creating delicious cocktails, and spending time with her beloved dog Charlie and cat Slinky.
Chris Kidwell
Chris comes to ServiceTrade with a history working with HVAC and mechanical contractors as a manufacturer's representative for plumbing, mechanical, and HVAC products. Chris serves the Northeast territory and lives locally in Maryland.
When not working, Chris can be found spending time with his wife and two young boys; or on the Chesapeake Bay chasing stripers.
Maribeth Steffen
Maribeth is a territory manager with more than 10 years of customer relations and marketing experience. She has an entrepreneurial background and a passion for building one-on-one relationships.
Outside of work Maribeth enjoys yoga, hiking, gardening, live music, and mountain trips.
Jack Gauss
Jack is beginning his career at ServiceTrade after earning his Master's Degree at Wake Forest University. Jack grew up in Roanoke, Virginia and has roots in North Carolina, as well. He takes advantage of stream fishing when he can, watches all the UNC sports he can get his hands on, and plays guitar in his downtime.
Paul F. Vandergrift IV
Paul is a territory manager on our sales team. He joined ServiceTrade knowing that software is vitally important for independent business owners who want to grow and thrive against the competition. In his free time, Paul enjoys sports, reading, and watching the timeless classic Seinfeld. During lunch, Paul and a few of his colleagues can be found following their favorite Korean BBQ food truck around the area.
Michael Sasser
When you talk to Michael, you learn that what he says is true: He loves talking to people. As a Chapel Hill, NC fireman for ten years, he helped people every day. At ServiceTrade, he's driven to do the same — in very different ways. Michael has also worked as an electrician and has owned a small business so he understands a lot of what our prospective customers have on their plates. Outside of work, he loves being outdoors on the water and in the mountains.
Daniel Geary
Danny and his wife are recent transplants to the Triangle from western Massachusetts, where Danny worked as an electrician for a number of years. Now in sales at ServiceTrade, he's helping other service business owners solve some of the problems he knows first-hand that they face. In their free time, the couple spends time walking their dogs Sadie and Cooper through a nearby state park and finding the best music venues and restaurants in Raleigh.
Will Moore
Will is beginning his sales career at ServiceTrade. Will grew up in the furniture capital of the world, High Point, NC, in a furniture family. Will spent his own summers working in the trade - both in the factory and in sales. All of this work has well prepared him to be a great resource for commercial service contractors who are looking for ways to update their business. Will graduated from Ole Miss and is a big fan of sports, especially the heated Tobacco Road rivalries.
Dorothy Westall
Dorothy was born and raised in North Carolina. She began her sales career with ServiceTrade where she brought a strong background in customer service. With over 10 years of restaurant experience, she understands the importance of a happy customer and painless process. In her free time you can find her singing to her pets, hunting for crystals, or getting creative in the kitchen.
Katherine Holden
Katherine enjoys the many hats she gets to wear as a Sales Development Representative at ServiceTrade. She serves as a part-time detective, therapist, consultant, and trusted advisor to help commercial service contractors see the value ServiceTrade can add to their companies.
Outside of work, Katherine loves to travel (ask about her backpacking adventures), and enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her two very smart Border Collies. She is also a proud UNC grad - Go Heels!
Customer Success
James Jordan
James is the leader of the ServiceTrade team that answers support emails and calls, identifies and reports software bugs, and assists new customers with training, setup and usage questions.
For more than ten years, James has been using his diverse technology skill set to help small businesses with the miscellaneous IT issues every business finds itself facing at some point or another. James's expertise is valuable to service companies that may not have their own IT resources.
James enjoys playing video games, golf, and tennis in his spare time.
Aaron Shoemaker
Aaron oversees onboarding new customers who join ServiceTrade. He ensures that the right resources are assigned to efficiently get users up and running. Outside of ServiceTrade, Aaron spends his time working on projects around the house, spending time with his wife in and around Raleigh and keeping up with the craft beer scene.
David Teeter
David brings more than a decade of customer service experience and technology support to the ServiceTrade team. He has experience owning and operating small businesses and understands the need for efficiency and productivity. Through that journey, a deep drive for results and strong customer focus has led David to ServiceTrade. Outside of work you can find David spending quality time with his family, playing shows with his Raleigh-based band, and enjoying the booming beer culture of the Triangle.
Wesley Cox
Wes is the guy who talks to the engineers so you don't have to. His main focus is providing technical support and training for customers. When he's not working directly with customers, he's partnering with the product team to offer insight into the user's experience. Outside of ServiceTrade, Wes enjoys web design, woodworking, and cooking good ole' fashioned North Carolina barbecue.
Lindsey Nguyen
A Chicago-based account manager, Lindsey has a background in sales and education. Guidance and curiosity come naturally to her which allows her to be attentive to a service contractor's needs.
Lindsey loves to run, read, and travel with her husband and her rescue pup, Quinn. You might also look for her riding around Chicago on her big teal bike!
G. Singh
Gaganjeet started going by "G" in middle school to make things simple. And making things simple is what he does on the support team for ServiceTrade customers. G is a world traveler, with favorite spots in Scotland for its people and history, and India for its refreshing beauty. He's also a fan of any place that's serving delicious, local food.
David Varnedoe
David has more than ten years' experience leading training teams, creating learning materials and facilitating professional training. He joined ServiceTrade to lead the ServiceTrade Certification program. When not working, he enjoys cooking, exploring new places to eat, playing video games, listening to podcasts, and hanging out with his miniature dachshund, Kermit the Dog.
Jamale Smith
Jamale helps ServiceTrade users shoot down issues and learn new ways of using the app. From an Air Force family, Jamale spent his youth in Europe, Maryland, and Hawaii and considers Maryland home. He enjoys "competing" in the company's fantasy football league and as with a lot of UNC grads, is a basketball fan.
Patrick O'Neill
Spend some time with Patrick and you'll learn that being part of a team is his thing. As a competitive swimmer in school and a musician in a band, he works hard to make his contributions matter. And he has brought that team mentality and a diverse background in customer service to ServiceTrade's services team. Patrick has his eye on keeping the help center up-to-date and adding new articles and videos as our app evolves. Outside of ServiceTrade, he's probably working in a local music studio, playing with the band, or walking his dog Gus around Carrboro.
Dax Beaton
You could call Dax a genius when it comes to technical customer support, he earned a lot of experience at a big-name shop at the mall. At ServiceTrade, Dax helps customers troubleshoot questions and issues as they pop up. Dax's creativity comes through in the ways he and his band uniquely blend imagery with their music, using what he learned in the media center at UNC as a communications major. His sense of humor shows in the names of his dog and cat duo Frank and Beans. Dax used to think that dogs were better than cats, but these days he's not so sure.
Sean Durham
Sean's background is in construction and maintenance, including 10 years as a manager — so you can see how ServiceTrade is a natural fit. Even though he's been in North Carolina for 20 years, his wife will not let him claim to be a southerner. The couple spend their free time working down their list of home improvement projects. Sean is also an artist who works on local public art projects around the Triangle.
Lindsay Carter
Lindsay has liked making things easier for customers since she began at ServiceTrade. Both of her parents worked in offices that are like our customers' so she knows how difficult those jobs can be. Lindsay grew up in Central North Carolina and went to college in Greensboro studying theater, dance, and some long-forgotten French. She takes advantage of all the cool cultural activities that have become available in Durham and explores the town with her two doodle dogs Gertie and Henry.
Jon Bakker
Jon started off in small towns in the upper Midwest, spent some time in Chicago, and now calls Durham home. Jon worked for a non-profit that gave youth in Chicago a fun, safe place to hang out after school. After 7 years in this rewarding and challenging work, he then switched to technology first at Apple and now at ServiceTrade. Jon joins the large number of musicians on our team and also loves turning a small investment in woodworking materials into a cool piece of furniture.
Dylan Higgins
Dylan joins ServiceTrade with a full background of technical support experience. Whether you called him a geek or a genius, Dylan's spent more than 13 years helping users get what they need from their technology. A native North Carolinian, his US Marine Corps family was based in "down east" North Carolina. Dylan and his fiancé are planning a wedding later in 2019 in Maine where Dylan's family roots run deep. Fishing is his first choice when not working, as are hanging out with his cleverly named cat Cat, and miniature schnauzer, Urijah.
Gus landed in support because he is the best employee support agent on the team. Gus excels in maximizing his belly rubbing potential by laying in a spot that is simultaneously in his coworkers' walking path and in the sun. Gus is always eager to help anyone with their snacking and lunch. Outside of work, he is the leader of the Couch Potato Confederacy and serves as the King of Carrboro.
Brian Smithwick
Brian is responsible for ServiceTrade's technology innovations.
Brian was part of DunnWell's founding team and was responsible for all technology infrastructure and innovations from DunnWell's inception in 2003 to its purchase by a Fortune 500 public company in September 2012. Brian has been elbows-deep in the technology at the heart of ServiceTrade web and mobile applications since the first line of code was written -- long before there were such things as mobile applications.
Brian's upbringing on a chicken farm has given him a practicality that he applies to his work and plenty of fun stories to share along the way.
When he's not leading ServiceTrade's development team, Brian spends time with his wife and two beautiful young daughters or running and cycling with friends.
Ramin Shahriari
Ramin leads the software engineering team at ServiceTrade, delivering and maintaining high-quality software.
Ramin has over 20 years experience in software architecture and development, including 10 years in leadership and management roles. Ramin has been in multiple startups. Before ServiceTrade, he was at Netsertive where he took the engineering team from two engineers to a 50-person multi-location, multi-discipline engineering team.
Ramin enjoys traveling, he has visited more than 12 countries and would love to see more. Ramin also loves spending time with family and friends, cooking and gardening.
Vaughn Clayton
Vaughn spends his days designing, building, and maintaining the ServiceTrade application. When he's not building apps, you can find him working on house repairs, kid raising, and tinkering with programming projects. His claim to fame is building his own kitchen cabinets.
Eric Burns
Eric works with other members of ServiceTrade's team to develop and improve on features for our web application. His hobbies include playing the guitar, cooking spicy food, and reading books about history.
Marc Asato
Marc considers his role in quality assurance as the last line of defense. He spends his days trying to root out any bugs before they reach customers. Outside of work Marc writes short stories, drums in a local Taiko group, plays Dungeon and Dragons with other ServiceTraders, cheers on the Carolina Hurricanes and follows all sports from his home state of Hawaii. Marc recently adopted a sweet dog, Nahoa, who was displaced by Hurricane Florence.
Graham McCullough
Graham monitors the application's infrastructure and guides scaling up as the company grows. Before ServiceTrade, he spent five years working as a super computers systems administrator at Purdue University and at Cycle Computing where he fell in love with the start-up culture. He brings his perspectives with super-computer scale to the challenges of a growing infrastructure.
Outside of work, Graham builds guitar pedals, modular synthesizers, and quad copters.
Marketing and Product Management
Shawn Mims
Shawn is responsible for defining how ServiceTrade can solve the problems faced by commercial service contractors.
Shawn has been directing the path of ServiceTrade's technology since its origins at Dunnwell. Shawn has served as product manager for nearly 5 years and knows how our users can get the most of the application. Shawn now applies that knowledge and experience to lead marketing as well as product management.
You can also find Shawn cooking up a storm at home, or enjoying some outdoor activities with his wife and two dogs.
Shelley Bainter
Shelley works on our marketing communications programs and manages the Digital Wrap Conference.
Trained as a meteorologist, Shelley found herself building a marketing career at Red Hat in its early days. Later she refined those skills at Raleigh marketing agency Sinclair & Co. then at global big data company Teradata before joining ServiceTrade.
Shelley is a volunteer with Make-A-Wish of Eastern NC. Her best ideas come when she's outside running, gardening, and cheering on the Carolina Hurricanes. Go Canes!
Ginny Allen
Ginny manages ServiceTrade's digital marketing programs and partnerships with trade associations. She has more than 10 years of experience in marketing, business development, and client service in the legal industry. A North Carolina native, Ginny grew up in Greensboro and graduated from Appalachian State. After a short stint in the golf industry, she went back to school at UNC. When she's not at work, you can usually find her on the sidelines at one of her girls' soccer games.
Adam Strong
Adam has uses his training as a bioengineer to make technology better for the people who use it. Most recently at Red Hat and previously at Apple, he has been hands-on in improving the customer's experience and scaling up a solution. That's what he's doing for ServiceTrade in his role as PartsLedger product manager.
Adam roasts his own coffee so that he can keep up with his superhero wife and two young boys. From his first home in central NY to his new home in central NC, he loves exploring and learning about the natural world, connecting with people, and making things that matter.
Accounting and Operations
Miriam Migdal
Miriam will help if you ever have a question about your bill as she oversees all of ServiceTrade's accounting functions. She has more than 15 years of accounting experience, gravitatating to it often enough early in her career to pursue her master's degree in accounting. Even though her master's is from NC State, Miriam is a true blue native Tarheel who spends her free time keeping an eye on her three daughters, two dogs, and the UNC basketball score.
Dorcas Stapleton
After working with us as a valued and trusted contractor since ServiceTrade got its start, we are thrilled that Dorcas transitioned to full time in 2019. She has filled the role of accounting support for several companies in the Triangle and is an entrepreneur in her own right as well. At ServiceTrade, she wears hats in accounting and human resources. In her free time she loves entertaining friends around the table and at her beach condo that she and her husband are currently renovating after the damaging 2018 hurricane season.
Charlie is the shortest and the most adored member of the ServiceTrade team. Since joining in 2016, he's been in charge of all fetching, barking, and begging for treats. He frequently crashes meetings and takes naps during the day. In his free time, Charlie chases toys, takes his human for walks, and hangs out with his buddy Slinky.
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Main Buffet Restaurant located on the first floor, it offers breakfast, lunch and dinner services , besides national and international cocktails, beers, sodas, fine wines, coffee and juices, according to the nightly show and the theme night.
"A la Carte" Seafood Restaurant, located in the Villa, it offers breakfast from 10:00 a.m to 12:00m, snacks from 12:00 m to 2:30 p.m and seafood from 6:00 p.m to 9:30 p.m.
Taste the flavor of the Cuban kitchen, "El Guayabero", magical restaurant located by the grill, it offers breakfast from 08:00 a.m. to 12:00 m, lunch from 12:00 m to 2:30 p.m and dinner from 6:00 p.m to 9:30 p.m.
The best of the International kitchen in this elegant British style decorated restaurant located in the villa section offering dinner from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
Centuries ago Guardalavaca was scenery often visited by pirates, corsairs and buccaneers. This tavern style restaurant will leave a magical memory beyond the singular dinner made with beer.
Villa section. Pub Style Restaurant: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Dinner: 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm.


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My heart is filled with love and joy when I see these caftans come to life! Here is a collage of beautiful moments captured in nature! If you feel called to share your Prism of Threads moments, use hashtag #prismofthreads on Instagram! Xx
Inspiring women L to R horizontal: Elizabeth Grignon @myartismytemple, Tehya Shea @tehyashea, Kari Jansen @poppyandsomeday, Marlo Lavonne Johnson @marlo.johnson, Julia Corbett @corbettjulia, Amy Woodruff @daughterofthesun_, Lia Dominique Andress @the_magical_philanthropist, Sweet Medicine @sweetmedicinenation, @peyotemoon.


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• The Power of ProteinsWhen the rough draft of the human genome was released in June 2000, scientists expected a count of roughly 100,000 genes. Yet when scientists refined it last spring, the count had dropped to little more than 30,000, only a third more genes than a simple worm like Caenorhabditis elegans. How can so few genes create human complexity? The answer lies in proteins, and the map of the genome does not reveal what proteins genes make to carry out their work, what the proteins do, or how the proteins interact. So researchers are turning their attention to the proteome, the array of human proteins and their various interactions. "In the case of the genome, you know when you're done," says Paul Bartel, vice president of proteomics at Myriad Genetics Inc. in Salt Lake City. "With the proteome, we don't even know how many protein interactions we need to find." And the number of proteins humans make could be as large as a million. — Rabiya S. Tuma
The team did not set out to create a glowing monkey. They simply used the jellyfish gene, which is easily detected, to test whether inserting foreign genes into eggs (so-called germline gene alteration) can produce viable monkeys. The team's ultimate goal is to create strains of laboratory monkeys carrying genes that confer the risk of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, and other illnesses. Mice are bred in a similar fashion for specific kinds of research and for drug development.
After failing in several attempts, the team succeeded using a technique developed for gene therapy. They slipped the jellyfish gene into a disabled virus, then injected the altered virus into a batch of monkey eggs. "The viruses are very good at getting inside cells and are an excellent delivery mechanism," says team member Anthony Chan.
The next step was in vitro fertilization of the eggs, which resulted in more than 100 embryos. Finally, 40 of the embryos were transferred to 20 rhesus monkeys—two per surrogate mother.
More than five months later, three healthy monkeys were born. Only one has been found to carry the jellyfish gene. "We have found the gene in the monkey, but so far there has been no sign of fluorescence," says Chan, indicating that the gene has not yet been used to create proteins. "The significant thing for us isn't whether or not the gene is expressed but whether it can be detected at all." (A set of miscarried twins did show such signs; one of them had a finger that glowed when placed under ultraviolet light.) As an homage to the gene-delivery technique, they named the monkey ANDi, or "inserted DNA" written backward.
Some critics argue that tampering with the genes of primates is wrong because it brings us one step closer to human "designer babies." But Chan defends the goals of the project. Medical researchers now rely on transgenic mice to develop drugs, he says, "but it is often very difficult to infer what will happen in humans based on what happens in mice, because there are so many differences between the two." Chan believes that using transgenic primates would narrow the gap and allow researchers to develop more effective treatments for human diseases. "We've shown that it can be done," he says. "Primates can tell you more about what affects humans than mice ever will."
In any case, model strains of monkeys à la transgenic mice could be developed only if the added human gene is passed along to offspring—and that will remain an open question for some time. Rhesus monkeys don't reach sexual maturity until they are four years old. — Curtis Rist
David Bartel and his colleagues at the Whitehead Institute set out to see if it could happen. They started with a bit of RNA that had shown promise in early tests. Then they joined this portion to each of 1015 randomly mutated RNA strands. They exposed all the strands to the building blocks for RNA and to an RNA sequence to be copied. Any RNA strands that showed promising results were randomly mutated and retested. After 10 cycles of selection and mutation, the researchers came up with RNA enzymes capable of copying various short RNA sequences—albeit far more slowly than a cell would require. "We need something more efficient, but the foundation is there," says Bartel. "Evolution had much more time and a much larger test tube." — Rabiya S. Tuma
Cytoplasmic transfer involves injecting a bit of cytoplasm—the jellylike substance that surrounds the nucleus of an egg—from a healthy donor egg into the egg of an infertile woman before the egg is fertilized. Female infertility is often linked to abnormalities in cytoplasmic components that help ensure proper sorting of chromosomes during cell division. Infusing the problem egg with a shot of healthy cytoplasm replaces the defective machinery. Most important of all seem to be the tiny powerhouses called mitochondria that fuel cellular development. Because mitochondria carry their own genetic sequence, however, the resulting baby could theoretically have DNA from both women and the man, which means that, technically, it would have three parents.
In May biologists at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, reported that three of 16 babies born through cytoplasmic transfer at their center indeed carried mitochondrial DNA from the donor cytoplasm. So far, the babies are developing normally. But their altered genetic makeup raises concerns about incompatibilities between the recipient's nuclear genome and the donor's mitochondrial genome. "If it's not a successful combination, it could cause developmental and physiological problems," says John Eppig, a reproductive and developmental biologist at Jackson Laboratory in Maine. "And these could become evident only much later in life." Moreover, since the mixture of mitochondrial genes is passed down the maternal line, the altered genetic blueprint of such female babies could affect future generations.
Even if the added mitochondrial DNA is not harmful, there may be other problems with the method. At St. Barnabas, genetic defects were discovered in two additional fetuses (one miscarried; the other was aborted). Both had Turner's syndrome, which occurs when one of a girl's two X chromosomes is missing. Girls with this syndrome are short, do not develop sexually, and suffer from heart and kidney problems. The condition occurs naturally in two of every 100 conceptions, and the vast majority of such fetuses miscarry. Among 18 conceptions aided by cytoplasmic transfer at St. Barnabas, two had Turner's—about six times the natural rate. Some experts suspect the fertility technique is to blame. One possibility is that the infusion of healthy donor cytoplasm might allow development to proceed when it otherwise would not.
Some researchers think demand from infertile patients is prodding new treatments into the clinic too soon. "These babies are an experiment," says Carol Brenner, director of molecular biology and genetic research at Reproductive Medicine Associates in Morristown, New Jersey, and a former team member at St. Barnabas. "Should we be doing this? We don't know." — Diane Martindale
Two days after his birth, Noah died of clostridial enteritis, a common bacterial infection almost always fatal to newborn livestock. Something as simple as an unsterilized milk bottle may have transmitted the bug, say researchers at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Massachusetts, which created Noah. Scientists at the company don't believe Noah's death was related to cloning, because an extensive autopsy showed that the animal's internal organs were normal and his immune system functioning.
By summer the team had resumed attempts to create another gaur clone. And in a surprise announcement in October, Pasqualino Loi at Italy's University of Teramo reported that his team had ushered in a clone of another endangered species a year earlier, in October 2000. The clone is a baby mouflon, a wild sheep native to Sardinia and other Mediterranean islands. Begotten from a cell of a female mouflon found dead at a Sardinian wildlife refuge, the mouflon lamb was gestated by a domestic sheep.
Nonetheless, cloning is still poorly understood. In most cases, dozens of clone embryos must be created before one yields a viable pregnancy. Of those clones born alive, many are abnormally large or grossly deformed. They often die shortly after birth. And survivors tend to be sickly. Even when clones appear healthy at birth, they often develop mysterious illnesses later. For example, the clone Dolly was a dainty lamb but has since become morbidly obese. Her creators have no idea why.
In testimony last spring before a congressional committee investigating human cloning, Rudolf Jaenisch, a cloning specialist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Whitehead Institute, said: "I believe there is no normal clone anywhere." In July, he and researchers from the University of Hawaii published evidence that apparently normal mouse clones can possess fundamental defects. Several studies had already pinned some of the visible abnormalities in clones on the absence of vital molecules that turn gene expression on and off during fetal development. Jaenisch's team showed that even healthy clones lack some of these crucial molecules. "It may not be just a technical problem; it may be biological," says William Rideout III, a postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute and coauthor of the study. "There may be little we can do to manipulate the process." As yet, there is no reliable way to screen clone embryos for the regulatory-molecule deficiency. And even if that screening were possible, there's no way to repair defective embryos. These questions about the cloning process itself, Rideout warns, "should put fear in the hearts of anyone planning to clone a human." — Christine Soares
Researchers who have developed cloning techniques in animals argued that cloning humans—even were it acceptable, in principle, to create children in this unorthodox manner—would be too risky in practice. As yet little is known of how the genome of the clone turns back the clock and reprograms itself for development. The few animal clones that survive to term often die shortly after birth, probably from abnormalities that have not yet been characterized. As cloning pioneers Rudolf Jaenisch and Ian Wilmut have argued, "if human cloning is attempted, those embryos that do not die early may live to become abnormal children and adults; both are troubling outcomes."
Germany, France, Japan, and Australia have already banned cloning humans. In August the House of Representatives voted 265-162 to outlaw cloning, both for reproduction and research. The Senate vote on the bill was stalled in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. President Bush's position on stem-cell research prohibits the use of federal funds to create embryonic clones, the cells of which may hold clues to the treatment of disease. — Sarah Richardson
The team's idea was to use the mousepox virus to induce an immune response that would target a mouse's eggs. They took a fairly benign strain of mousepox virus and added genes for proteins carried on the surface of mouse eggs. Any mouse cells infected with the virus would produce both viral proteins and egg proteins, thus arousing antibodies that would attack proteins on the mouse eggs. The vaccine worked well in one strain of mouse, but to increase its effectiveness, researchers inserted another gene into the virus. The added gene encodes for the protein interleukin-4, which boosts antibody production. The researchers were surprised to find that the added gene rendered the mice incapable of fighting off the mousepox. Within nine days, every mouse inoculated with the vaccine died. "Even when we tried to protect them with vaccination, we found we could not," says Seamark.
Nobody knows if adding the interleukin-4 gene would have the same effect in a different pathogen, but "the question instantly became what would happen if somebody tried this with smallpox or other human viruses," says Seamark. The group debated among themselves for 18 months about whether or not to keep the results to themselves. They also consulted with various government agencies before making their decision. In the end, they opted to publish their findings. "In the wrong hands, these could become biological-warfare weapons of terrible proportions, and we were able to demonstrate how easily they could be produced," Seamark says. The discovery took on greater significance in light of the September 11 attacks, with the ensuing fears of crop duster-borne pathogens and the swift, unexpected deaths from mail-distributed anthrax. Now even the most far-fetched schemes seem plausible. "To be forewarned is to be empowered," Seamark says. "If we understand that this is a grave risk, we can develop policies needed to prevent it." — Curtis Rist
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