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The Bard's Tale 3: The Thief of Fate – FAQ/Walkthrough
FAQ/Walkthrough by ASchultz
Version: 1.0.1 | Updated: 10/05/07
Bard's Tale 3(Commodore 64) FAQ/Walkthrough version 1.0.1 by Andrew Schultz firstname.lastname@example.com Please do not reproduce for profit without my consent. You won't be getting much profit anyway, but that's not the point. This took time and effort, and I just wanted to save a memory of an old game and the odd solutions any way I could. Please send me an email referring to me and this guide by name if you'd like to post it on your site. This guide is accompanied by maps you can find on GameFAQs.com. You can put it, the maps and the window for this game on your desktop so you can see all at once. This should make things easier for you. The maps have been proofread/resubmitted for accuracy so I'm pretty confident they have all the details you'll need. ================================ OUTLINE 1. INTRODUCTION 1-1. THE GAME AND THE FAQ 1-2. COMMODORE EMULATION 1-3. CODE WHEELS AND OTHER EXTERNAL INFO 2. CONTROLS 3. CHARACTER CREATION 4. GENERAL STRATEGIES 4-1. INDIVIDUAL FIGHTS 4-2. TIMING 5. WALKTHROUGH 5-0. SKARA BRAE 5-0-1. STARTING OUT 5-0-2. TARJAN'S 5-0-3. CHAOS 5-1. ARBORIA 5-1-1. CRYSTAL PALACE 5-1-2. VALARIAN'S TOWER 5-1-3. FESTERING PIT 5-1-4. SACRED GROVE 5-2. GELIDIA 5-2-1. GREY TOWER 5-2-2. WHITE TOWER 5-2-3. BLACK TOWER 5-2-4. ICE DUNGEON 5-3. LUCENCIA 5-3-1. DRAGON MOUNTAIN 5-3-2. CYANIS AND ALLIRIA 5-4. KINESTIA 5-4-1. FEROFIST'S 5-4-2. URMECH'S 5-5. TENEBROSIA 5-5-1. TAR PITS, COPSE, CANYON 5-5-2. SCEADU'S 5-6. TARMITIA 5-6-1. SHORT SOLUTION 5-6-2. LONG SOLUTION 5-7. MALEFIA 5-7-1. THE MAZE 5-7-2. THE FIGHTS 6. CHEATING 7. VERSIONS 8. CREDITS ================================ 1. INTRODUCTION 1-1. THE GAME AND THE FAQ If you're reading this FAQ you probably know what Bard's Tale III(BT3) was about. That fellow Tarjan from BT1 is back and he's screwing with alternate universes you'll have to visit now. Win one universe, get kicked to another. Smash Tarjan at the end. There's a bit more drama in this story as opposed to atmosphere from BT2. Plus there are more items and better graphics. This FAQ is about how to win from scratch--you can win with cheated characters or, as I did when I played on the Apple, those transferred from BT2. It is not so bad to win with new characters. You just have to be smart with spells. This only describes walkthroughs in depth, not monsters or items. Use Andy Yu's excellent in-depth item guide for that. Also, where a map suffices, I cut down the detail in writing, and I used a lot of shorthand. And I include a lot of leveling up which people who transferred characters over can probably ignore. BT3 was a lot of fun but I thought, wow, it'd be a pain to have to level up all the way through this. Still, I tried it, and with minimal shortcuts(such as knowing the solution to a puzzle in advance--not that the puzzles are too tricky) it seems it would not take too long. Fortunately there's a big bump for each quest solved. 1-2. COMMODORE EMULATION Though it doesn't have the INWO cheat, I like Commodore emulation for several reasons. 1. Apple emulation didn't work for me(it crashed on Kinestia) 2. You can warp through the slow bits or just set default speed at 500% 3. Save states are easy to futz with and helped me make my maps--and ignore the code wheel too. 4. You can save an emulator state in the middle of a fight, but you can't save a game there in the PC version. Yes, it's not cricket and destroys the point a bit, but some things can be dreadfully random especially late on. I call it "being extra creative with magic." Besides, this guide is about building a party from scratch, not 100% honestly. 5. VICE's interface is very nice. 6. It makes me feel all technically proficient, even though I usually play games to put off technical stuff I should be doing or learning. To download Bt3 go to ftp.arnold.org. VICE is at www.viceteam.org. Just remember to set "True Drive Emulation" and off you go. I don't know how playing the uncracked version of BT3 without the codewheel on DosBox works but I assume it's similar. 1-3. CODE WHEELS AND OTHER EXTERNAL INFO I made a code wheel that may or may not work and it is at: www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762/projects/bt3code.htm But there is an ascii version I used more often: www.apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Docs/BardsTale3code.txt And someone wrote an executable I've never tried, but I might as well pump the site: http://bardstale.brotherhood.de/talefiles/3/hacks/index.html PS these sites are also fun: http://www.bardstaleonline.com/ http://www.geocities.com/thebardstale/ http://www.cheek.org/bard 2. CONTROLS Arrows can move you around but J-K-L(turn left, go forward, right) is more efficient. Press a player number and then space for his items. For combat if you goof you need to type stuff back in starting from the beginning. You also can't advance if you fight by mistake. The things you need to get used to are pooling gold to your first player. There is little need for it outside of buying spells, bard songs and maybe resurretion. You also want to be able to check the item list and for that the up and left arrow keys move up, down and right down. APAR works much the same way. For saving a game it is tedious to swap disks but swapping save states accomplishes the same thing. 3. CHARACTER CREATION For starters I think the following characters are a given: Human Paladin(great fighter, convert to Geomancer later) Human Monk(AC bunker) Half Orc Rogue(needed to win and for critical hit) Human Bard(needed for song 3) Gnome Conjurer Gnome Magician Races aren't terribly important but you want to maximize dexterity/constitution for the fighters and IQ/Dexterity(17/14) for the mages, becaue on defeating the first big bad guy your mages' stats are pumped up to 20--but not down. But what to do with the final slot? You really do need all the magic you can get for some critical fights, and NPCs are relatively useless. The candidates seem to be paladin(to convert to geomancer later,) conjurer and magician. I prefer magician over conjurer, because the former lets you fire off better group spells. It makes no difference in the long term, but early on it is nice to be able to blast as many spells as you can. It would be nice to have two geomancers, too, but they start with relatively few spell points and the class-specific spells they use are relatively cheap for them anyway. Usually the spells you need in the big fights are the ones all mages can use e.g. NUKE and DIVA. It would take a lot of building up a geomancer to cast even one of these spells, while an archmage with a Conjurstaff would be able to cast 4 DIVAs at the very least by the game's end. I also recommend converting only one archmage to a chronomancer--you only need one of those guys to cast spells for world transport. Having two guys who can cast FAFO helps greatly in the final battle. So, GNOME MAGICIAN for the final spot. 4. GENERAL STRATEGIES 4-1. INDIVIDUAL FIGHTS Basic principles to remember for combat: * Lots of easy enemies = good. You get a lot of experience and usually just need a big spell. * 1 enemy = good. You seem to have the same chance of getting items versus one or many. * Look for combat squares on the accompanying maps at GameFAQs. You can turn around on them to get a fight. They recharge if you shift levels. * You can stay on a square and not worry about getting into a fight. * Harmonic gems, which recharge spell points, are plentiful. Use your favorite spells to rake your enemies. * Bard's Songs are easily rechargeable and expendable. If you play one during combat, you get double the effect. * go up and down a level to recharge monster squares. * waiting around and recharging spell points does not attract monsters. Turning in place does. * playing bard song 3 or 7(lower armor class) during combat is cumulative, unless you cast DIVA in the meantime. I think this is a bug, but it's a nice one to exploit to avoid getting hit. * If you have even one tough or draining enemy, run. Then throw everything you have at him. You should be able to flee the second time. * Remember to see what spells you can cast before using a harmonic gem--get the most out of its use. Also, feel free to spray spells after completing a world and backtracking to the worn spot. The elder recharges you anyway. You can't play the summon/illusion trick for Bard's Tale 3 as you did in Bard's Tale 2. Summoned creatures are worth about 100 EXP each, illusory or not. Not much. You do however get experience for other enemies summoned in to join a group. Some items that aren't useful til the final fight(s) are best put in the storage room eg shrill flute(casts FAFO--save a couple if you can) and wand of force(casts FOTA without sacrificing spell points). 4-2. TIMING The main problem is knowing when to level up and when to move on. You'll find some pretty nice items in the course of levelling up, and Andy Yu's document can describe what you find, where. At the beginning of the game, some creative organization can save a lot of level building time. Then getting your levels up with safe fights is the next bit. You'll always have enough harmonic gems if you remember to keep item slots open, and that is really the main concern. Because near the end of the game you just cast DIVA and attack or cast NUKE later. The last few fights are critical--you need to have accumulated several harmonic gems per spellcaster, and a Conjurstaff can mean more than double your spells. For instance, with it NUKE costs 75 points and without it, 150. Unlike BT2 you can cast NUKE when you have 80 points left with a conjurstaff, so if you have 400 spell points to start, you can now cas NUKE five times and not two. Better than double! In general you will need to watch out for these milestones too as a good time to say you'll go ahead with the final fights. They are the ones you should be concerned with--while leveling up to 100 helps, the right spells to start and continue can help level 50s outperform level 100s. Many times for a critical fight it is more important to have the right spells than the right items. For instance, if you are fighting spellcasters, it would be nice to have tungsten plate but not critical. Having enough points for ZZGO would be more relevant. 5. WALKTHROUGH This walkthrough will assume you have the maps I provided open in another browser or MS Paint. There should be room for windows on the screen to view this FAQ in wordpad, VICE and the images. See section 6, first bit, for how to move between worlds without a code wheel. 5-0. SKARA BRAE The leveling up bit can be skipped if you imported winning characters from Bard's Tale II. Basically, you need to defeat a fellow named Brilhasti Ap Tarj. Once you do, 1) fighter characters get to level 35 2) mages go to level 13 archmage, get level 7 in all spell classes up to archmage, and get 375 HP/350 SP So if you are able to win with a relatively weak party you can escape some of the more painful leveling up. It turns out the wizard spells you would get are pretty weak, so you can finagle a win once you have promoted your conjurer and magicians to sorcerer and gotten them level seven spells in both classes. This should win, at least after a few tries. You should never get lost on th efirst level since it is all auto-mapped, and the second is a bit trickier, but you should be able to find the information you need. 5-0-1. STARTING OUT For the first few levels you don't need to do much. I just went 2S of the Review Board and kicked in doors going back and forth. This got me to L2 before my bard song ran out, and then after that, I was able to get roughly a level per bard song until I didn't need the song's protection. Also, don't visit the review board until your party's spells are drained or very close. You get a free recharge the first time! Outside and in Skara Brae, no monsters are particularly tricky, except Pumas and other cats can do nasty damage. Gnomes etc. at 30' are rather easy as they don't hit you, and when you get WAST they go down quickly too. You only fight one set of monsters at a time, too. Be sure to cast heal if anyone's HP go below 15. Note with two magicians you'll find it harder to run out of this defense. One thing you can do to recharge is just stand and wait--if you are on the Commodore emulator X64 then Alt-W to warp and you get spell points back quickly. This beats using harmonic gems, which become more valuable as the game goes on, since they recharge your spell points. You can find them every 5-10 fights(a wild guess) no matter where you are, which means you can and should use your best magic spells pretty recklessly. At levels 1-2 you don't have much choice, but at level 5(spell level 3) you get WAST, which is handy at the starter dungeons. Still, to be perfectly safe I'd hold off visiting the starter dungeons until you get 20000 experience for everyone. That places you at level 7, or spell level 4. You should cast MYSH when you can, and your bard song will take 2 from your armor class. You should also be picking up random cool items too, such as helms and gauntlets and a halberd for your paladin. Extra leather gloves can go to your mages. Drop your monk's short sword and be sure to balance your armor class across the board, so that the gold rolls in. Gold in general should not be a problem as long as you don't get anyone killed or you use harmonic gems/the sun to recharge spell points to heal your guys. If you do, then you need to resurrect your fighters first. While your ultimate goal is to get your conjurer and mage to level 7, they make terrible fighters and they'll get killed soon enough. If you don't have spell points or gold, wait for day to arrive before visiting the temple and you can get free SP's. If you must choose between your conjurer and mages, go with the conjurer. The mages are stronger in combat but they do not have TRZP, which is handy in dungeons. You'll go crazy fighting outside all the time. But in general if your guys have <1/3 of their hit points, use an emergency gem if you must. I also encourage you to fill the storehouse with Harmonic Gems when you can. You don't really need any other items. You want to be at level 7 before visiting the dungeons because if someone is poisoned or turned insane, you want to be able to cast FLRE on him. FLRE is fractionally less efficient spell point wise than WOHL but it'll drive you nuts casting WOHL all the time. 5-0-2. TARJAN'S As the man at the review board said, TARJAN is the mad god mentioned for the first dungeon. This is the first dungeon and while, technically you can skip it, it's a good idea to be able to walk through it just to get the answer. If you want a fight, see where the (!)s are on my map and just spin around. Get used to using DRBR on two groups of monsters. You can probably get a few fights for 1000+ experience. Cover the SW then, as you gain more confidence, the SE, the NE and the NW. Note the hit point tunnel you can sit in if you get stuck. Go down and up the stairs to recharge the monster squares. You should be able to win most fights although I recommend running from Zephyrmages when starting out--the wolves they summon are nasty. Blood Acolytes are annoying too since they push the party back making it nearly impossible to win. The main things to notice are anti-magic squares and when your bard songs and MYSH spells run out. You can get beaten up in a hurry. Make sure all your spellcasters have a magic gem or, at least, a bunch of spell points. You can always retreat and beat up some easy enemies to stock up on Harmonic Gems. E* 3N 4E 3N 2W N W N* W N W* gets you down to level 2. Of course you can stop and spin on the fight squares along the way. Level 2 has the same monsters as level 1, but it's easier to get lost in, and you have a lot more traps, including spinners. Many are blocked by doors all around so you can't see which way you go. If you are lucky enough to find a nospin ring, which doesn't seem to be the case from Andy Yu's FAQ this early, then no problem. But if you don't, then you can't see which direction you're facing, and things get to be a mess. So avoid spinners unless you are able to ascertain which direction they point you in. Level 2 2N W 2S W leads to the word, then 2E back. You just lose all your spells. You can also gravitate east: N 2E 2N 2E S E N E S 3E S E N 4E(dark) 2S 2E N E N 2E S E S (message) 2E. If you are having trouble reading the map, try to follow through and see how this gets you where you want to be. You can hook around N W S but that can lose a lot more HP to start. I leave it as an exercise. If you can make it through the gauntlet fighting all fights that come your way, you're fully ready to explore Chaos. Well, you probably are even at level 7. 5-0-3. CHAOS Levels 1 and 2 have the same monsters and you must remember--AVOID GOREDROOLERS! They breathe at you. Still, you can probably bag fights at 1000exp+ a pop, leaving you pretty comfortable for getting a level per extended trip. As you gain levels, you can cast more efficient spells such as MALE, FLAN, GRRE and YMCA. The indefinite protection pays dividends and helps you use fewer harmonic gems. Through this all you'll probably find cool mithril items and such. You'll also notice HP traps are not a big deal since FLAN/REST can undo the damage and harmonic gems regenerate spell points. You only need 230000 experience, which should not be so bad--just a few trips--to get your guys to the next spellcasting class. From then, keep working levels 1/2 of Chaos. Once you get Mangar's Mind Blade(90000 experience,) you can fight trickier monsters on level 3 with security, but you shouldn't have to push level 4. Keep winning fights til your mages have 400000 experience each. Don't change classes if you want to fight Brilhasti now, as being level 13 helps repel a few more spells than being level 1. Now you have a choice here--if you can take a bit more drudgery of fighting, get your three mages so they have level 7 spells in conjurer/sorcerer/magician. That is just another 230000 experience. I would run from all level 4 fights. This is tricky to navigate, but you can just keep the walls on the left hand side if you didn't see the clue of how to get through the spinner room. NENEESSEEEENNWNNWWN. Then N E*(or W*) N and back to the center. Run from fights. 2n 3W N* W N and cast protective spells and use harmonic gems. The fight with Brilhasti is a big one and a lot can be left to chance if you don't watch it. Brilhasti summons Greater Demons, which are annoying, and his guards are tough customers. But you can take him out early on as follows: 1. ex-conjurer casts PREC 2. ex-mages cast DEST You may not hit any guards, but you will at worst break even. The guards advance and Brilhasti is useless. For fighters have the thief hide and attack from the shadows and attack to try for a critical hit. If you are on your third spell class, one REST and two DEST should wrap the enemies up pretty well. Otherwise your conjurer is a bit useless(RIME seems cool but is blunted,) until there are just two guards left. Then you don't need to cast REST and can just cast FLRE for whatever breathe damage the guards do. The other two guys can cast DEST. It may be a close thing, and a few guys die, but don't worry. You just need your thief alive to win this thing. After DESTing the guards, have your thief advance to 20' away from Brilhasti. Have him hide in the shadows. Attack and hope for a critical hit. Brilhasti doesn't do much melee damage. Generally the first DEST or two is the trickiest to get, but then things get easier later. With 2 spell classes you may need a few times, but with 3 you can win the fight, which resurrects everyone. You are teleported back to by the review board where you can load up on fighter experience and make a chronomancer. You'll have a nuisance getting to the next level as you start with zero experience as an archmage, but you won't need to do much besides pay for your future chronomancer to get to level 3(first) and non-chronomancers to get to level 7 archmage spells(if you don't have the cash, get it in Arboria.) I say leave two archmages. This will help you get out of a mess early with heal spells, and later you won't need two chronomancers. 5-1. ARBORIA The main non-game task here is to get a conjurstaff for all spellcasters including your future geomancer. You also may want to get a nospin ring if you can find it--makes the rest of the game easier, but I will assume you don't get one. Mage staffs are good stand-ins for conjurstaff(recharge as fast as sunlight and can combine with that bonus--1 point per round too) but long-term you will want a conjurstaff before Malefia for the final fight. If you get mage staffs, save them too, as they can help you regenerate. This is nice in later places where your magic drained for several squares in a row. You can also come back here after completing Tarmitia and you can NUKE everyone if you still need one more Conjurstaff. Just have the guys who've already got one cast the spell. And now a word about Chronomancers. They will get to level 13 just by bonuses for completing the worlds(5*600000) so you will get all the spells eventually, and you'll be ahead of the curve for the transport spells. Still, you'll want to get the second spell level at 140K before heading to the dungeons, so your chronomancer is not useless. He can cast WIFI a bunch and that is good enough for a while. Chronomancers get levels at the following marks: 70k 140k 240k 340k 540k 740k 1mil 1.4mil 1.8mil 2.2mil 2.6mil 3mil You can get to level 13 in Arboria, though it takes a bit of time. Valarian's Tower has a lot of combats packed in with lots of monsters, or you can just kick doors in Cierra Brannia. I kicked around Cierra Brannia for a while, south of a temple, hitting K a bunch. Don't reheal your characters if they get old, or at least not until you enter a dungeon. That's not worth it. Just use a REST or, if you really need help, HEAL. Monster summary: Ixtl guys poison you and you probably won't have the armor to avoid their strikes even with a bard song playing. Shade dogs are rather easy. Vampire snakes in the grove should be avoided--or, worst case, you should pus your guys to level 36 before entering the grove. When in doubt, MAMA. I found you could just run around hot squares in the Festering Pit to pile up good fights and items. ** EXPERIENCE CHEAT ** You can also fight Tslotha continuously if you attack him without the Nightspear, but this is tricky. He can breathe for a lot of damage so you need to have REST and HEAL ready. Each time he bounces back, you can fight him again. But he gives some pretty good items. Sadly you can't turn around and lose the nightspear later to get this fight again, so beat him up while you can. You can run pretty easily, though, so save after every cool new item. He gives good experience at 7143 per fight and that is 28 fights per warrior level. The only problem here is that unless you cheat up your archmages with byte editing, they won't get the full advantage of him. This is where fights in the sacred grove are useful. Because of the bug on the Commodore that gives your archmages 0 experience, you can and should arrange your party as follows: archmage archmage paladin monk Give your paladin all your best stuff, Ali's Carpet, shield ring, etc. He'll have the lowest armor class. Have your bard play a song and let the vampire snakes hit your archmages, who should un-equip everything. Pick off any other monster groups and, if you're forced into a fight before this, MAMA away. Then go to the temple and heal them. Pow, +3400000 experience. Your guys are back to normal again. Obviously they'll lose the experience they should've gotten for Arboria. But if you get the sacred grove done early and then just win fights after, you'll do pretty well. 5-1-1. CRYSTAL PALACE This is a pretty easy in-and-out trip. Be sure you have a canteen. Be sure to have gotten GILL from the fisherman's hut 1N of the pool the palace is in. W5-1 4N 5W(note the first stuck trap you can't avoid. Well, you can, but you hit the darkness otherwise) 3S W N. Use the canteen a few times. Exit as you came. Fights feature some neat monsters but nothing too tricky. Now get the acorn before heading to Valarian's. S 3E 6S acorn N 3W. 5-1-2. VALARIAN'S TOWER While small this place is confusing without a nospin ring. S E N E and there is a spinner here. Go forward when you see a trap. If your hit points drain, go forward, trigger the trap and turn around and go back, then look for another trap as you spin. E S E 3N W S. Level 2: E N 2W 2S and there's no good way to tell which direction is better, so see if you are still in darkness after going two forward. If not, cast light and 2W N E N W. Level 3: 1E use acorn, use water, 1E. There are fights in the east where you can flip levels, win and return. There's also a magic recharge in the NE. But the spinners guarding them may be a nuisance. Level 4: N E S E 2S(heal, explosions ahead) 3W N W 2N E N 2E. Get the nightspear and go down. It's a good weapon for your thief. 5-1-3. FESTERING PIT Tslotha goes out to a critical hit or to your monk pretty easily. So he is not a problem. It's getting to him that can be a nuisance. 4N 5E 5N E N 3E N 2E 2S(spinner here--keep the door on the left) E 2N E 2N W N 2E D. Level 2: cast APAR and go 9W. Fight Tslotha and take his head and heart. 5-1-4. SACRED GROVE You will want to avoid vampire snakes here as mentioned above but everything else is fair game. Return Tslotha's Head to the King in Cierra Brannia. E 3S 2W to the grove. The grove has some tough fights and in fact Valarian's Bow is the only special item you return to the Elder that is not really useful later on. But it's not a big area. E 2S W and get the wall on the left before moving ahead. 3S 2E N 2E 2S. Use the heart and then the water of life. You can drop the water of life now. In fact, you can get rid of the nightspear. If you linger too long on this square a flash of light injures you, so E S 2W S 4E S 2E, then retreat back up. You can head back to the elder now or keep pumping your chronomancer up. The minimum I'd say is halfway above level 7, when you can cast WHAT(probably not useful for long as your thief is probably near 100% item ID) and OLAY in Gelidia and beyond--remember you will get a bonus of 600000 when you return with the Bow and the Arrows of Life. To avoid going back and forth later, get your chronomancer to level 13, which can be a pain, but your chronomancer can then cast the big spell to ensure a victory. Later, FOTA will be useful for level-drain monsters, and SHSH will be great for increased safety, but you don't need them for Gelidia. After which you they will be more useful. And you can always come back with your shiny new spells. 5-2. GELIDIA Gelidia may have some good items, but I prefer just to plow through it. There are three fights here that are nice challenges, and pumping your levels up seems to do little good. Monster spells can bite you, and you would need to double your HP to be assured of a win. However, it may be useful to get your thief's critical hit to 99% if you have trouble with the white mage fight. Be sure your guys have either at least 1/2 of max spell points, or have them use a harmonic gem to spare before each mage fight. If you have to retreat and get more gems to continue, do so. E N* leads to the keep. Alendar's is also 2S 4W of the entry, but you don't really need to bone up on his diary. By the way, if you're stuck outside at night, you can find Alendar's or just stay in place til morning(warp on the emulator) to avoid losing hit points. But that shouldn't really matter. 5-2-1. GREY TOWER N* 2W from the entrance. Cast INWO then WIHE FOFO INVI in that order. If you mess up, just sit around to recharge. 4W 4N 2E S W 2S E N U. Level 2: 4S 2W N W U. Level 3: 4W 4S. Level 4: APAR 2E, heal up, use gems and go 2S for the big fight. Grey mage fight: I've tried MEME(to bring enemies in,) MAMA and other spells. Nothing worked. You have to win with fighting skills. If you want to take a calculated not-really-a-risk, advance to start. If your party survives, great! Hiding in shadows takes one move less per enemy. Have both your mages cast HEAL. You'll be doing this a lot as you have your thief jump into the shadows, then do so again til the mages are in range, then kill a mage. Nobody else can do much. When there are just four wizards left, you can afford to advance, heal, advance, heal. A last resort here is to have your thief advance in the shadows and let everyone else die as he cuts down the mages, then kill him. Going back down isn't the reverse of going up. APAR 2N 2W, D. Level 3: E 2N E N 2E N D. Level 2: W 2N W D. Level 1: 2S 2W 4N 4E 4S D. 5-2-2. WHITE TOWER Go to the NE corner. Cast LEVI ANMA PHDO in that order. 4E N W N E N W and at this spinner, you have to just guess when you see a door. If you turn right after and sense stairs, go up. IF not, return. You have an express elevator up the next few stairs. Look carefully to say if they ask if you want to go up/down and say yes/no based on that. There's nothing really on levels 2-3 anyway. On level 4 S 3W S 2E 2S E for the big fight. The whites are poor-sisters of the greys. Your thief needs to hide in the shadows once, then kill them. Now go back down. 5-2-3. BLACK TOWER Go to the SE corner. Cast GRRE SHSP FEAR SUEL SPBI in that order. Level 1: N W 2N avoids darkness and spinners. Level 2: W 4N 2E N U. You hit anti-magic but avoid the dark. Level 3: 2N 4E 4S 4W N 3E 2N U. You can feel your way around the dark for the first bit. Level 4: W 3S, heal, E for the big fight. Black mage fight: These guys are nasty. Cast HEAL with both archmages and, when a character is turned to stone, STON. FAFI is big for this although if you have a bunch of holy handgrenades or if you can advance, that will do the trick too. Make sure your chronomancer has a harmonic gem. 5-2-4. ICE DUNGEON From the start, 2E 2N 2E N* and you can use the three lenses you ripped off from the mages you trashed. That leads to level 1. W S E 3S and cast the light. Without the nospin ring, go forward with the wall on your right. S 2E S 4E N* D. 4S 2E 3N (light if no spin, keep wall on right) E E. Now apparently the answer should be HAWKSLAYER but no matter what you say you can face south and go through the wall. W S E S and get the treasure. Retreat. 5-3. LUCENCIA Lucencia doesn't have great fighting for experience, but it may be the most satisfying puzzle world in the game. You can pick four roses off the bat: 4N, W* S, N E 4N 2W S W, E N 2E 4N W. Give them all to your monk. Then go to Celaria Bree. E 4S E* and go along the north row and south to the bard hall and listen to all the songs. Note which rose stands for what. Get a canteen from the tavern to the west if you need it. Then go to the 2nd-bottom row and north to the wizards' guild. Get DIVA for everyone who can. Off to Dragon Mountain. 4W 3N 3W N. 5-3-1. DRAGON MOUNTAIN Here just keep your bard song and GRRE on. You'll trip light and anti magic squares. Run from fights just because they aren't really worth it. Level 1: N*(teleport flash) N(dark) 2E 2N 2E(by anti magic) 2S W 2S 2W S(magic recharge) 4E 3S W S 2W 2S W 4N W 2N(anti magic again) W U. Level 2: 4E 2S E N E 2S W S W S 2W(anti magic) N W N W 2S E S E S E N E(dark) S 2E(silence) N E (magic recharge) S E 2N E S and with a wall near-left go right. You may want to cast BASP here to know to go forward when there is silence. E 2S W*-1(through dark) 2S and heal up for the dragon 4E. DIVA should do for him. Get the crystal key and use the canteen to get his blood. Retreat and S 3E 3S 3E 3N W. Use the canteen with the blood for the rainbow rose. 5-3-2. CYANIS AND ALLIRIA Now you have the roses needed for Alliria's Tomb. First you need to visit Cyanis for one more item. Level 1: E 4S 3W 3S. N, use crystal key. N* E* (teleport) W* N* E*(now just GRRE) S* W* wait to recharge N* E* S* W*(lots of anti magic ahead) N U. Level 2: S W 2N W 3S and csat BASP and REST now as you recharge. S W N* 2E N E S U. Level 3: N 3W S E S W S E 3S E* N* wait to recharge if you want(there is no fight ahead) 2W S E S*(heal HP if you want) 2W N. Cyanis is here. Cast REST, but if he attacks right away, flee and use FAFO if he gets close, then REST. I think you still get his triangle if you kill him, and I don't know if the old man says anything differently. He gives you a triangle. Go back to L1 where N on the outside leads to a teleport. Go 2S after to leave. Alliria's Tomb is 5N 3W. Run through it. Level 1: 2E 3N(silence, don't sweat it) 2E 2N W N* E 2S E S E 2N. Use the triangle. N D. Level 2: 4E. Give white rose. E 2N W N W N W(magic regeneration here--cast BASP if you want) N W N W S. Give blue rose. S E S E S E S 2W N W N(teleport) 6W. Give red rose. 4W. S S-E-etc. E and give the yellow rose. 2E N* 7W 2S E- S-E-S-etc, E* N* 3W 2S E S E N and give the rainbow rose. N W and get Alliria's stuff and retreat. DIVA monsters outside or at Cyanis's for fun til your spell points run down, then return to Skara Brae. 5-4. KINESTIA You'll want to take a quick trip through Kinestia, but on the way out you can just DIVA opponents to get experience for your new Chronomancer. You can even seek them out. There isn't much puzzle work in Kinestia, really. Though I did get confused by the abstractly worded puzzle--I'm not sure why now. 5-4-1. FEROFIST'S 2E 2N ("Iceberg," but I prefer to ignore Hawkslayer--he turns hostile here a lot for some reason) E* S* to the barracks. 3S 4W 2N 5W 2S W 2S E* S* 2E 2S W S E* N* for a key. Retreat to the palace. 6N(last move, into open space) E* N5-1 E* to the private quarters. E*(go east when there is a trap ahead) N(door to your right) 2E or the other key. Now you can go 2W 3N W* N 2E to meet Ferofist and get the clue. W S 2E 4S and W when you see "awfully quiet ahead." W*. 2W N 4W N 2E N* to the Workshop. 2N 2W S 2W N to avoid spinners. Use right key, 18, use left key, 15. 5-4-2. URMECH'S In Urmech's, S E5-1 N E N* 7W. Be careful here as you get stuck a lot. On the second pit, don't bash enter or you may run into the other pit. 2W 2S E 3S E 3S 2W S and spin til you enter the door. 2S D. Cast GILL. S W N 2W S E S 2W 2N 3W 4S 3E S W* S 2E 2S W N W S D. N5-1 6W 4S. Tell Urmech yes, or you will be unable to make a geomancer. S*. Paladin to geomancer. N E for the relics. Retreat back to SW of the palace. You may want to run into fights on the way back. The center cross in Urmech's works well as does the workshop, where you can go down and up the portal to recharge fights. There is potential for a lot of fights with multiple enemies, and that means DIVA should work well. You can come back here with NUKE after completing Tenebrosia, too. 5-5. TENEBROSIA Tenebrosia's puzzles are not difficult, but you have quite a few nasty dungeon fights you can't run from. The town has some good fights where you can drop a DIVA and then trash opponents after that, and Harmonic Gems seem more plentiful than ever. You can even get tungsten armor and shields and work up to the next level. The only drawback is that there are a lot of vampire style monsters that can drain levels. So you do want to save and advance when you can, and you'll want to play a bard song/cast DIVA when you can't run. So basically you want to save in Black Scar when you do something right. The first thing to do is to buy the new bard song, then the NUKE/Gotterdammerung spell. It's a pain to navigate to the center of Black Scar but well worth the trip. Now you can cut multiple long-range enemies down with more than one spell, and in Malefia, some of them will have 5000 or more hit points. One other point about Tenebrosia is that you will need your Geomancer to cast WAWA twice. So it is best to protect him from losing speell points, or at the very least you need to know how and where to regenerate him. He probably doesn't have many spell points, and there are places where he will get stuck in tar and get his magic drained. You can waste a harmonic gem, or you can avoid the traps. Also, you may want to give him a conjurstaff and/or mage staff as a last resort. Then you can sit around and recharge him, equipping either one as need be. Here is a list of monsters that look like they may drain you: Lestat drains Vlad ok York ? Barlow ? 5-5-1. TAR PITS, COPSE, CANYON The tar pits are a nasty little one-way maze where there are squares that stick you, drain your magic, cancel your spells, and fire a trap. Bring a spare canteen from a Black Scar tavern if need be, and don't feel chicken if you save in the middle of this run. When you are three squares away from these bad squares, you'll see messages. Forward twice and turn to the edge. The pattern through is W S E 2S W 2S E N 2W 3S 2W 3N W S E N W Use the canteen at the tar pits. You only need one dose of tar. Save often if you want. You can also cut through with W S and when you see the warning, E til you see the wall. This drains your magic, but you don't really need it. Since you already took your medicine, you might as well leave the same way, too. The copse is pretty easy. It's a mapping puzzle where you can't access one square behind the trees. W 4S when outside, then W 4N E and you should face north to use the canteen. A tree will catch fire. You can walk to the tree to get the shadow door. The canyon is another mapping puzzle. There's an expanse of walls that blocks about thirty or so squares. You can cast WAWA around the edges, either restarting instead of saving or giving your Geomancer a mage staff, or you can just listen to this FAQ. You need to go to an indentation in the map. If you have a nospin ring, 3S 2W S* E(this is a magic recharge square) 3S(keep wall on right) E S E* N E and cast WAWA to the right. It will be a secret door as you leave, and to get the Shadow Lock you need only go 3E 2S 2E and retreat. There are other shorter ways to get to the square e.g. E N* W 2N E 3N(you may get stuck in an anti magic spot on the way) E* N E or 2S E* S*-1(1 anti-magic square) E*. But the original above is the most reliable. You can leave the short way as you can just regenerate spell points outside or in Sceadu's. 5-5-2. SCEADU'S A weird twisty dungeon but you should make short work of it with a ma. N W 6N(silence, but oh well) W and wait here to recharge your Geomancer, then 2W S(more recharge) S 2W D. N* 7E and you may wish to save your game if you lost count here of how far east you went. Or cast SCSI. Face north and cast WAWA. If it fizzles, move to the side and try again. 2N 3W N E. Sceadu is not hard--just cast DIVA for the attack bonuses and then have your thief sneak up while your other guys defend. He should take out Sceadu at 90' and then you can take Sceadu's items and retreat. The map I wrote shows a 1-way trip to level 2 but actually the game lets you go east if you return from level 2. So leaving from that is okay. E 4S 5E S U. 5-6. TARMITIA Tarmitia has a lot of tough fights but plenty of treasure. It's worth piling up before moving on. You can move between dungeons easily, recharging fight squares, and if you know the puzzle answers already you can just plow through. Tarmitia consists of nine dungeons: the final one, Tarmitia, and eight others of wars from various time periods on Earth. Each dungeon has a disembodied voice telling you who they are and another one asking. The chain of voices leads back to Berlin, where you get another question after that. Answering correctly leads to Tarmitia proper and a fight with Werra for his shield. 5-6-1. SHORT SOLUTION From SW Berlin, 3E 3N 4E(magic replenishment here--keep the wall open at the far end on your left) N(another spinner, wall only on left) and answer TYR and WERRA. In Tarmitia proper, you can take a shortcut through an anti-magic square to get to Werra more quickly. But the other way is 2E S 3E S W S 5W 2S E 2S E S W S E 2S W (fight) N for the shield. Werra is pretty easy to beat with a thief advancing. You may wish to cast PREC to stop him summoning enemies, too. But then the Black Slayers come. For this, cast DIVA and LUCK and NUKE. You'll be leaving soon, so throw the kitchen sink. The quick way out is S E 2N W N W 2N W 2N E N E* N E N E* N 2E. That zaps magic protection but you can just re-cast BASP and SHSH if you need to. Even though the old man at the guild tells you time is short, you can still return to Malefia for general punch-ups. Experiment with your favorite war zones. It's hard to get REALLY lost as you will quickly find your way back to the first dungeon or one that links to it. It's a very creative area in terms of enemies, but the puzzle is a bit pedestrian. Don't worry--Malefia will make up for it. 5-6-2. LONG SOLUTION The loop of teleports of voices below is as follows: Kun Wang > Wasteland > Hiroshima > Troy > Nottingham > Stalingrad > Rome Names to say are Yen-Lo-Wang/sdiabm/susa-no-o / ares / St. George / Svarizic / Mars ??where do you find each name? Who whispers what? 5-7. MALEFIA While you don't want to level up forever, being level 56 at the very least is probably the safest bet for winning. That gets the maximum AC bonus from the bard song, and it should allow you to withstand just enough damage from the 30-big-monster hordes near the end. Here you will want four conjurstaffs and a mage staff, or at the very least, three conjurstaffs and a mage staff. You can give the mage staff to whoever needs extra spell point regeneration--probably your paladin/geomancer after hitting magic drains. You can go back to Arboria and zap enemies--or you can even go to Gelidia if you are feeling brave. Some traps here can kill even level 50 characters, so be prepared to HEAL. I would also bring a canteen, too, as your bard gets an item called the Strifespear right away when you go 2N. It has critical hit capability. Your rogue can hide in the shadows for that, your monk can do 4000 damage with DIVA, nd your geomancer can cast spells, so the bard can replace the bardsword/song axe by default. If you don't have enough harmonic gems, the Chaos dungeon level 3 is a good safe place to pick up more if you don't want the excitement of Tarmitia, which is also gem-rich. Malefia has some very good items, but for the big fights, the right spells are more important to kill a group of 30 monsters than an item that allows critical hit or drops armor class some more. So get the relics from the storage area(E as you enter Skara Brae) and then drop all other extraneous items you can to fill up on Harmonic Gems. Also, if you picked up a Shrill Flute along the way, that should be the bard's instrument. Now is the time to use FAFO capability. As in Tarmitia, use DIVA and NUKE to get out of a tight spot, but you probably don't want/need to level up here, especially since the last fights seem to require a harmonic gem each. Fortunately my maps show that automatic combats are nonexistent on levels 2-3, so you won't have much to run from there. But many monsters have critical hit or even party-freeze ability, so be careful. 5-7-1. THE MAZE Hawkslayer has the Strifespear after you enter here. A good path through without significant backtracking is below. When you see the statue of X, get a character who can use X's item to use it. Thieves need to use Sceadu's cloak, and mages should use Lanatir's sphere, but the Geomancer can use everything else. Using all six X's items opens a door to the center of level 3 and, eventually, Tarjan's. Do equip your party with the magic items, as they survive being used on the statues. Save after finding each statue as it is possible to get lost even with a guide. N* (note: 5N and wait here recharges lost magic points) W*(portal) W 2S 2W (2N W S 2W Sceadu, 2E N W N 2E N 2E S E(portal) 2N W N 3W N 2E D N 3W 2S 2E S E Ferofist, retreat) U N 3W N 3W (U SE-ish D 3N W N 2W Valarian) S 2W N U SE-ish SW-ish 2N E N 2W S W N W D 2D E Lanatir N 5E N* W* U W 2U W U 3E D W* 5S 2E N 2E S W Alliria E N W D 2W 3S E 3S W 4S 3E S 2E S 5E S D S E N Werra S W N* for fight (be fully recharged, use DIVA, then FAFO and NUKE, let theif hide, repeat with other fights) WAWA N of Tarjan to win. 5-7-2. THE FIGHTS There are four fights, in three waves, after you use Werra's shield to open the door to the north. For the final square, you must win two fights in a row--no fleeing--so it is important to win the first in a knockout. For any of these fights, make sure your FAFO/SAST works in the first round or it will upset your player order, which makes things tougher in the future. You want to keep melee enemies from attacking you. The worst case scenario is if you have two archmages casting HEAL and they both cast it too soon and the enemies whomp you after the second. Give your Geomancer maximum SP(he should already be close) for this next part. You shouldn't need to use more than a gem on him for the first bit, if that. The first fight is right behind the door. Cast two DIVAs and a NUKE(chronomancer,) and have your Geomancer cast SAST on the Black Paladins. Have your bard sing song #7 in combat to reduce damage. Then nuke away. If you want you can have the chronomancer cast FOTA to save the Geomancer's spell points. You shouldn't need to use your rogue to sneak up on anyone, but you may want the practice for later. NUKE away. The next fight is at the center of level 3 behind the door. It's worth using harmonic gems for, and it is tougher because the melee enemies are nasty. Again, song 7 from your bard and SAST from your Geomancer. DIVA HEAL NUKE. Now you need only cast HEAL HEAL(or NUKE if everyone in your party is 60%+ healthy) NUKE unless the Tarjan Warriors get close. If they do(even to 40',) FAFO and SAST them and have someone else HEAL if necessary. But they should not for too often. Concentrate melee attacks on the Vortexes, putting your thief in the shadows and out. You can't handle all the Tarjan Warriors at once, so put them off. If you want, use the cumulative bardsong cheat but remember to keep track of your HP. Make sure your SP aren't too low, either. You don't want everyone running out at once. The dragons should be next. Use your thief to hide and take them out, then do the same for Redbeard. Go east through the portal and loop around. N* E* S* and now just wait a bunch. You'll recharge. It's worth waiting to save a harmonic gem. Especially if you Alt-W with an emulator--you can do the garbage or something and come back and, pow. On the real thing maybe you can read a Henry James novel or something. Loop inwards towards the spiral and cast REST. Have your geomancer cast WAWA to the south and then give him the mage staff if you want. Save the game, then go south. Look! It's Tarjan! Wait, he's just giving his pals target practice. You have to be ready here to restart--it's possible to get frozen. But the plan is to attack the high priestesses with your monk and thief(hide in the shadows,) have the bard play song 7, have the paladin and chronomancer blow the enemies back, then cast DIVA and HEAL with your archmages to start(or replace HEAL with NUKE if you want to gamble.) Then have the thief hide to kill Lorini. Don't advance your party, and be sure before your thief kills Lorini to win the fight that you use harmonic gems for everyone. That way you're fully charged for Tarjan. You shouldn't need too many nukes to win, but waste 'em if you got 'em. For the next fight, your big priority is to kick the Rock Demons back. The other guys are less of a problem, but they stone your players and HEAL/DIVA won't kill them. The Vampire Lords are a nuisance too, so FOTA/SAST them as well. Let your thief hide right away to sneak up on Tarjan. Bard song 7 is also good. The spells should be: SAST(on Rock Demons--this seems more likely to be sucessful) FAFOs(on Vampire Lords--can be cumulative, which is great) FOTA(on Rock Demons--cumulative effect is not so great but you want these guys pushed back at all costs) Round 2, attackers can't do much. If the enemies are far enough back, then you can cast DIVA and PREC from your archmages. DIVA from the Chronomancer for good measure as you want that bonus ASAP. You need to get in PREC before trying other stuff, because Tarjan summons 10 black slayers at the start of each round. You want to turn that spigot off, as they will fill the void opened by the dead rock demons/vampire lords. FAFO from a bard with a shrill flute is a nice bonus, too. Round 3, if you have enough spell points from your Geomancer, try for a NUKE from him. If not, have him SAST and make sure everyone's far enough back and you can probably get two NUKEs out of your mages. The third can cast HEAL unless it's unnecessary. DIVA isn't as much of a bonus the second time around and just wastes spell points, since bonuses aren't cumulative. From then on juggle SAST, NUKE and HEAL as needed until only Tarjan is left. Your thief may already be able to attack 90' away. Do so. NUKE mercilessly, stopping only to use Harmonic Gems. 6. CHEATING Save your state after casting a dimension teleport and then go to 0xaa6a to find the number to type. Sometimes a few extraneous leading zeroes are there, e.g. 000437 could be 437, 0437, 00437 or 000437. Start without the leading zeroes then tack them on one at a time. To change a character, type his name in ASCII then add 0x80 to the bytes to search for them in a hex editor. Character data slots are 0x80 bytes long. So if your thief was Purdue Pete, you would search for, not 50 75 72 64 (case sensitivity is important) but d0 f5 f2 e4. Multi byte values are low byte first. Name = 0x00-0x0f, 0xff terminated STR INT DEX CON LUC = 0x10-0x14 EXP = 0x15-0x18 GOLD = 0x19-0x1c LVL/ACTUAL = 0x1d-1e and 0x1f-20 HP-ACT = 0x21-0x22 HP-MAX = 0x23-0x24 SP and SP MAX 25-26, 27-28 You can use Andy Yu's FAQ to map the hex values of your current items to values in memory--there are only 80 possible values and you can probably pick a few numbers from your current items and see where they fall and guess from there. This'll help you get a conjurstaff or whatever. End of FAQ Proper ================================ 7. VERSIONS 1.0.0: sent to GameFAQs 9/14/2007, complete 1.0.1: sent to GameFAQs 10/5/2007, fixed minor stuff as I sent in new maps 8. CREDITS ftp.apple.asimov.net for having the Apple disk image of this old fun game. ftp.arnold.org for having the C64 image. The AppleWin and VICE emulation teams. Andy Yu for the item list found at GameFAQs. Lots of stuff I'd always wondered about. Great work. Saved me effort and I hope that helps save you effort. odino for the chats that led to this FAQ and patience as I put off Sokoban for this. Thanks to the usual GameFAQs gang, current and emeritus. They know who they are, and you should, too, because they get/got some SERIOUS writing done. Good people too--bloomer, falsehead, Sashanan, Masters, Retro, Snow Dragon/Brui5ed Ego, ZoopSoul, War Doc, Brian Sulpher, AdamL, odino, JDog, honestgamer and others I forgot. OK, even Hydrophant in his current not-yet- banned message board incarnation. I am not part of his gang, but I want him to be part of mine. Thanks to the folks who helped me with the code wheel when I loaned it and got lost, Rajan and Jordan.
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Recognizing the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
For many families, the idea of their loved one living out their last days in a nursing home can be difficult to live with. However, many take consolation in the knowledge that their relative is receiving the care and respect that they deserve. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous nursing homes don't give their residents the attention and care that they need, either through simple neglect or direct abuse.
If you or someone you know has a loved one who is currently in a nursing home and may have been the victim of abuse, you should take action against those responsible for this type of unforgivable behavior. Contact the Dallas nursing home abuse lawyers of Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter today at (214) 457-1668 to speak with an experienced legal professional about the details of your case and learn more about whether you may be eligible to pursue compensation for the losses your family and your loved one have suffered.
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While it can sometimes be difficult to recognize that your relative has suffered abuse in an assisted living facility, there are a few warning signs you can keep an eye on that may indicate that neglect or abuse has occurred. These include:
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- Dehydration
- Abrupt weight loss
These are just some of the many different signs that may indicate that your relative has suffered abuse or neglect at the hands of nursing home staff.
Contact Us
No one should have to find out that their loved one has been abused by the very people who were entrusted with their care. If you believe that your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect in a nursing home facility, contact Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter today at (214) 457-1668 to speak with a Dallas nursing home abuse lawyer about your situation and learn more about your legal rights and options in this tragic situation.

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Here's a really interesting article about how those in the GOP are quietly changing their positions on some issues that are largely unpopular within their party. Those that are changing are doing so because Pope Francis has begun a long battle to shift the spotlight to issues like poverty and immigration.
This is good news, maybe in the near future, we can start talking about how to actually make sure the children get enough to eat, rather than what gender their parents are having sex with.
When Jeb Bush stepped up this month to declare illegal immigration "an act of love," he provoked precisely the conservative pile-on you'd expect. The right's favorite crabby uncle, Charles Krauthammer, dourly pronounced the comments "bizarre." Rep. Raul Labrador accused Jebbie of pandering. Noted intellectual Donald Trump declared Bush's thinking "ridiculous" and "dangerous." And God help anyone who ventured onto sites like RedState.com. Most perfectly, fake-winger Stephen Colbert eulogized, "He will be missed."
In the midst of all the huffing and grumping, it was easy to miss the smaller, quieter sounds of satisfaction emanating from some of Bush's fellow Catholics, particularly those on the social-justice-minded end of the spectrum. For these faithful, the governor's assertion—with its decidedly biblical ring—was yet another sign of the change in conversation being driven, even within the fetid swamps of U.S. politics, by the wildly popular Pope Francis.
A little over a year into Francis's tenure, debate continues to rage throughout the church over the question of just how radical this pope really is, and the degree to which he might shift the Catholic spotlight from issues of sexual morality onto those such as poverty, immigration, torture, and even the environment. Not that issues of poverty and human dignity haven't always concerned church leaders: "They just never got much attention if they didn't involve a conflict over some sexual issue," says John Carr, who served 25 years as the director of justice, peace, and human development for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). But in the Francis era, says Carr, "the same work takes on added meaning and, you hope, takes on added visibility and passion."
Read the whole article here:


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Hughendon Lodge
- Location:
- Nottingham, Blyth Street, Nottingham, NG3 5NG
About us
Hughendon Lodge provides accommodation and support for people with mental health difficulties. The project aims to help residents move on to live in a more independent setting with continued outreach provision. Round the clock support is provided to help those who are experiencing enduring mental health problems; the service also manages a number of move-on flats which offer a lower level of support to clients. Hughendon Lodge works in partnership with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Nottingham City Adult Social Care Mental Health teams.
What we are doing
Mental health problems are both a cause and effect of homelessness. Hughendon Lodge is helping to prevent homelessness and long-term social exclusion by providing high quality supported accommodation to people who would otherwise be homeless. We are also helping those who have been homeless along a journey to independent living.
Contact and referral
Referrals can be made to specialist agencies and must go through the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust's Care Pathway. Hughendon Lodge can be contacted directly on 0115 850 4037 or at email@example.com
Our job is all about moving vulnerable people away from homelessness and towards independent living."
Sue Waterston, Manager


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Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress. Read and listen to testimony of veterans and find out how to contribute your own story. Also links to other military history sites.
The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project offers more than 500 individual collections (including 300 oral histories), all searchable online.
Soldiers. Feature articles on the U.S. Army. All Hands, magazine of the U.S. Navy.Airman, magazine of the U.S. Air Force.
Marines, website for the Marine Corps.Publications of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Creating your own newsletter? Find photos, videos and more on Defense Imagery Management Operations Center (DIMOC).
Military personnel locator portal maintained by USA.gov.
The Ivan Allen Jr. Reference Department on the second floor of Central Library has these and many other military magazines that are not available online, some back to the 1950s.
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At one time thought to be part of the legendary lost continent of Atlantis, the islands were discovered in the 15th century by Portuguese navigators en route to the New World and became the link between Europe and the Americas. In fact, they belong to Portugal and are part of Europe. The volcanic formation of the islands has endowed them with a spectacular natural beauty. Vast craters nurturing glistening blue lakes, sheer black cliffs falling into the ocean, lush rolling valleys, rugged mountains and hot mineral springs and geysers combine to form a truly diverse scenery found nowhere else in the world. The climate is temperate, which ensures an abundance of flowers strewn across hedgerows and fields throughout the summer season, and the deep greens of the lush grasslands contrast markedly with dark volcanic stone walls and neat whitewashed houses. Because of their remote location, the traditional lifestyle of the Azores, outside the main towns, has remained virtually unchanged. The population stands at just under 250,000, architecture is typically Portuguese and the towns contain many elegant buildings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There is hardly any industry apart from agriculture and fishing and pollution is unknown. The pace of life is slow and tourism is in its infancy.
Health: No vaccinations are required for entry in to the Azores. However, it is recommended that all travellers obtain the standard triple typhoid/ tetanus/polio inoculation prior to any departure abroad. Food: Portuguese cuisine: delicious soups are popular as a starter; main course is either fish (including excellent seafood dishes) or meat (mainly local beef, spicy sausage or pork) accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. Salads are not very exciting and vegetarian dishes rare (although the Aldeia da Fonte in Pico does offer more choice than others). The desserts are mainly fruit (exquisite pineapple), flavourful cheeses, mousse and sweet cakes. Average cost of a 3-course meal with wine is 20 Euros per person. Climate: The weather in the Azores is mild and quite changeable. The average temperature ranges from 14 to 22 degrees centigrade. Sea temperatures range from 15 to 23 degrees centigrade. It is not uncommon to experience four seasons in one day! If it is overcast in the morning, by early afternoon the sun will be shining. By late afternoon it may rain and be windy late evening. Be prepared for mixed weather on walks. Disruption to flight schedules and ferry crossings may occur, especially in winter, due to adverse weather conditions. Should flights/ferries be delayed or cancelled our local agent would be on hand to assist with alternative arrangements and overnight stays (if required).
When to go: The Azores are delightful any time of year due to the favourable climate. May to early Oct are the best months for activities relating to the ocean such as whale watching, swimming with dolphins & sitting on the beach. Please note that the Azores is not a traditional beach destination. The beaches are mostly volcanic black sand beaches, except on Santa Maria where the sand is white. Swimming in the ocean is possible all year (no less than 15 degrees in winter and up to 23 degrees in summer) and natural rock swimming pools can be found on all the islands. April is a quiet, peaceful period on all islands and the month for Azaleas, especially in Furnas on Sao Miguel. The area around Furnas lake is wonderful at this time of year.


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W.R. Berkley sees 3Q after-tax losses 24c/shr from storms (5:25 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- W.R. Berkley Corp. BER, +4.94% said after the closing bell on Friday that it expects losses in the third quarter of $32 million after-tax, or 24 cents a share, due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The company's pre-tax estimates include losses of $35 million from Katrina and $15 million from Rita, and are net of applicable reinsurance and reinstatement premiums, the Greenwich, Conn.-based insurance holding company said.
Dominion Homes: Q3 earns to be lower than analyst estimates (5:06 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Dominion Homes Inc. DHOM after Friday's closing bell said its third-quarter earnings will come in below analyst expectations due lower-than-anticipated home sales and deliveries. One analyst polled by Thomson First Call currently expects earnings of 38 cents a share. The Dublin, Ohio-based company said it sold 433 homes during the third quarter compared with 598 homes a year ago, a drop of 28%. The sales value of the homes sold during the third quarter decreased 25%, to $81.8 million from $109.4 million last year. Dominion delivered 549 homes in the quarter, down 33% from 820 homes delivered a year ago.
IPC Holdings sees Q3 $650M-$750M impact from Katrina, Rita (5:03 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- IPC Holdings Ltd. IPCR said after Friday's closing bell that it expects Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to have an impact of $650 million to $750 million on its third-quarter results.
WD-40 revises FY05 EPS forecast to $1.55-$1.65 (4:10 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- WD-40 Co. WDFC, -0.05% after Friday's closing bell revised its 2005 earnings forecast to $1.55 to $1.65 a share. It had previously forecast earnings of $1.50 to $1.55 a share. The company also rescheduled its fourth-quarter earnings release for Nov. 7. The San Diego-based lubricant maker said it needs more time to complete the audit of internal controls over financial reporting.
Fannie Mae estimates losses due to hurricanes at $250M-$550M (2:03 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Fannie Mae FNM, +3.78% estimates its after-tax loss as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita at $250 million to $550 million, according to a filing Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The estimate is for losses as of Sept. 30, the company said. Fannie Mae also said it believes that it has exceeded the 30% capital surplus requirement over its minimum capital requirement as of Sept. 30, in compliance with its regulator, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. The company said it is working with OFHEO to finalize its capital estimation by Oct. 30. In addition, Fannie Mae said it is continuing to review its accounting policies and practices, including regular discussion with OFHEO and its new auditor, Deloitte & Touche.
Oxford Indus. rallies on better-than-expected results (10:49 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Oxford Industries shares OXM, +0.69% rose more than 9% after the apparel maker reported late Thursday fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue that exceeded expectations. Earnings for the quarter ending August rose to $13.9 million, or 79 cents a share, from $6.2 million, or 36 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Revenue increased to $336.5 million from last year's $264.8 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call had been expecting earnings of 61 cents a share and revenue of $329.6 million, on average. For its second-quarter, the company expects to earn 55 to 60 cents a share on revenue of $320 million to $330 million. The stock was trading up $4.18, or 9.3%, at $49.10, and reached a 2-month high of $49.94 in earlier in the session.
Carnival sees exchange rates, Rita reducing 4Q earnings (10:09 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Carnival Corp.'s CCL, +0.40% earnings in the fourth quarter could be reduced by 1 cent a share because of strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to both the euro and the sterling, and the effects of Hurricane Rita. In a regulatory filing Friday, the cruise ship opearator said it hasn't changed its outlook for the fourth quarter or for the full year, as it hasn't yet updated its internal operating forecast. It currently still sees fourth-quarter earnings in the range of 39 cents to 41 cents a share. Carnival also said that if actual fuel prices for the period average $324 per ton, then its results would be reduced by 1 cent a share.
Apria Healthcare hits 2-yr. low after lowering outlook (10:04 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Apria Healthcare AHG, +10.53% slumped 16% and hit a 2-year low in intraday trading after the home healthcare company lowered its revenue outlook, citing a sales slowdown in its durable medical equipment, respiratory medications and infusion therapy businesses. The company said it now expects 2005 revenue growth to be 2% to 3%, below prior growth forecasts of 5% to 6%. Earnings for the year, excluding non-recurring items, are now expected to be $1.68 to $1.72 a share, below the average analyst estimate compiled by Thomson First Call of $1.90 a share. The stock was last down $5.06 at $26.50, and hit a low of $25.75 earlier in the session, which is the lowest price seen since November 2003.
Aptimus tumbles on lowered outlook, CFO resignation (9:55 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Aptimus Inc. APTM tumbled more than 40% after the warned late Thursday that third-quarter results would fall short or expectations due to the termination of certain publisher relationships. The company also said its chief financial officer, John Wade, was resigning to pursue other interests. The stock was last down $5.90, or 43%, at a 13-month low of $7.95. The online marketing company said it now expects to breakeven during the quarter ending September, below the average analyst estimate compiled by Thomson First Call of 12 cents a share. Revenue is now expected to be $3.8 million vs. the $5.2 million expected by analysts.
National Fuel Gas ups earnings outlook (8:15 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- National Fuel Gas NFG, +0.04% raised its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings forecast to 56 to 64 cents a share from 50 to 56 cents a share due primarily to higher commodity prices. The company also raised its fiscal 2006 earnings estimate to $2.30 to $2.50 a share from $1.95 to $2.10 a share. The company cut its estimated fiscal 2006 production from its Seneca Resources unit to 46 to 51 billions of cubic feet equivalent from 50 to 55 Bcfe. The oil and gas company's stock closed Thursday down 66 cents at $32.16.
Steve Madden earns, rev. to top expectations (8:08 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Steven Madden SHOO, +0.86% indicated that third-quarter earnings would exceed expectations due to stronger-than-anticipated sales in both its wholesale and retail divisions and an increase in gross margins. The shoe seller expects earnings of 36 to 39 cents a share, above the average analyst estimate compiled by Thomson First Call of 27 cents. The company also sees revenue of $99 million to $100 million vs. analyst projections of $93.6 million. The stock closed Thursday down 18 cents at $22.80.
Cleco sees costs from Rita $50M (7:55 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Cleco Corp., CNL, +0.00% the Pineville, La., utility, estimated the costs of repairing damage from Hurricane Rita at $50 million. The storm knocked out power to about half of Cleco's customers. Regulators have cleared Cleco to amortize the cost of recovery from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina over 10 years to minimize the impact on the company, Cleco said. The company has restored power to all but a "small number of customers in the more remote areas" of its service territory, Cleco said. Cleco shares fell 38 cents, or 1.7%, to $22.72 on Thursday.
Staples sets new $1.5 billion stock buyback program (7:50 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Staples Inc. SPLS announced a $1.5 billion stock repurchase program. The new program will be effective once the prior $1 billion buyback program is completed, which is expected to be in November 2005. The office supply retailer also reiterated its fiscal third-quarter earnings forecast. For 2006, the company expects earnings growth of 15% to 20% and revenue growth in the low double-digit percentage range. The company added that it would begin expensing stock options in the first quarter of 2006, and will then restate 2005 results to reflect the impact of the expensing. The stock closed Thursday down 7 cents at $21.35.
Hooper Holmes lowers 2005 financial outlook (7:13 AM ET) WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Hooper Holmes Inc. HH, +1.62% revised lower its 2005 financial outlook and said it now expects to earn 7 cents to 9 cents a share on revenue of $320 million to $330 million. In late July, the provider of health information services used in risk assessment pegged its 2005 profit growth at 15% to 20% over the 16 cents a share earned in 2004 and estimated revenue at $340 million to $350 million. Analysts, on average, are looking for the company to earn 19 cents on revenue of $339 million, according to estimates compiled by Thomson First Call. Hooper Holmes explained the downward revision by citing continued pressure on its Portamedic revenues as well as below-forecast revenue in the company's claims evaluation division. These factors account for 6 cents of the earnings shortfall, while severance expenses tied to the recent departure of the company's chief executive and chief financial officer translated into another 3 cents a share. Shares of Hooper Holmes lost 11 cents, or 3.1%, to end Thursday's trading at $3.45.
GenCorp's quarterly loss narrows; sales up 16% (6:12 AM ET) WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- GenCorp Inc. GY reported a net loss of $29 million, or 53 cents a share, for the third quarter ended Aug. 31, narrower than the loss of $47 million, or $1.05 a share, registered in the year-earlier period. The company's quarterly loss from continuing operations narrowed to 8 cents a share from 33 cents a year ago. GenCorp has classified its GDX Automotive, the sale of which was completed on Aug. 31, and Fine Chemicals segments as discontinued operations. Sales from continuing operations reached $134 million, up from $116 million in the year-ago third quarter. Aerospace and defense backlog reached $936 million as of Aug. 31, up from $879 million as of Nov. 30, 2004. Shares of GenCorp lost 20 cents, or 1.1%, to end Thursday's trading at $18.07.
Cable & Wireless warns of revenue shift in first half (2:25 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K. and Caribbean telecom Cable & Wireless CWP, +0.41% (UK:CW)said first-half revenue, down approximately 6% to 765 million pounds, was in line with expectations, but said there's been a shift from retail to carrier services and there's been weaker margins in the retail business. It noted some loss of momentum in sales planning since its deal to acquire Energis, and also said the deal will take longer than anticipated to get approval from the Office of Fair Trading.


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Were you one of the lucky ones this year that made it into the New York City marathon? USA FIT Albany will be offering a training program this year for the New York City marathon. If you live in the Capital Region, NY and would like to train with us, sign up! Coach Jennie will be running NYC this year! Read more about our program on this website and check out our FAQs.
March 26, 2014


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The coating of products can be a complex manufacturing application, resulting in excessive waste and increased operating costs. Overspray, poor containment, and over- and under-applied material can all contribute to issues such as an unsafe work environment, contaminated equipment, and unacceptable end products. In addition, if the coating involves the application of viscous slurries and liquids, production problems can be compounded with the overall process being difficult to maintain consistency and repeatability.
Coating applications are varied and wide-ranging. Some examples include:
- Food processing involving the spraying of chocolate, oils, or flavoring slurries onto static of conveyorized targets
- Application of anti-microbial solutions onto packaging
- Enhancement of woven or non-woven textile products adding lotions or fragrance
- Lubrication of medical supplies, mechanical parts or systems
- Application of coating material to tablets in a rolling drum
The applications of coating processes are wide ranging and often include materials of various rheologies. For conveyorized coating applications, the most used facility in the Spray Analysis and Research Services laboratory is the mock-up conveyor system, which has the ability to change the line speed, spray height, number of nozzles, and overlap distance; spray angle and liquid distribution are critical in these applications. Transfer efficiency can be evaluated based on the nozzle flow rate and the weight of the deposited material onto a target. For tablet coating applications, volume flow rate combined with liquid distribution and droplet size across the spray plume are critical parameters.


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An interesting article in the China Post outlines a walk along the Xiao Tzukeng trail near Ruifang and Jiufen. As a huge fan of Taipei county's "Old Trails", this one is definitely now on my list of places to visit. I'm not a fan of climbing steps as opposed to hiking - preferably on a dirt trail, close to nature, with some monkeys at the end - but it still sounds like a lovely trip.
Gold Mining Country: Xiao Tzukeng Old Trail
Two things immediately stood out as I followed Xiao Tzukeng Old Trail near the Taipei County town of
Ruifang one beautiful early morning recently. The first was the beauty of the mountain scenery rising high above my head, which is rugged and precipitous, yet covered in a dense canopy of trees and undergrowth.
It's hardly surprising that this is an outstandingly beautiful slice of countryside: the upper Keelung River valley is possibly my favorite part of Taipei County. More unexpected is the high quality of the wide, expertly cut steps that carry the trail up to the heights, quite unlike the usual uneven, narrow and slippery slabs of rock that negotiate the steepest stretches of most historic trails I've followed.
It's not until exploring further up the mountainside, as we start to decipher the information boards placed alongside the trail at intervals, that we learn why the trail here was built with so such care, and it's a surprising discovery. Xiao Tzukeng Old Trail connects the lowlands of the Keelung River valley just north of the village of Houtung (侯硐) with the tiny, long abandoned settlement of Xiao Tzukeng, a tiny place perched high in the mountains (unreachable by any road), built to house the families of miners hoping to make their fortune at the gold mines above Jiufen, which is just a short climb over the ridge behind.
Recently upgraded and signposted, Xiao Tzukeng Old Trail (小粗坑古道) is a gentle walk, yet one that's peppered with fascinating relics from an exciting period of Taiwan's history -- the Jiufen gold rush. A few minutes after leaving the road, the first of many stone buildings, now nothing but a picturesque ruin enveloped in the jungle, stands beside the track.
In another minute or two, the track becomes a trail, crosses the rocky stream twice in quick succession, and reaches the bottom of a grand staircase of wide, well-hewn steps that lead all the way up the mountainside to the abandoned village and beyond.
The width and careful construction of these steps really is quite surprising to anyone who has walked more than a couple of Taiwan's hundreds of "old trails," so it's obvious that the villagers here were far wealthier than the farmers, villagers and fishermen who laid many of the other trails across the mountains throughout Taiwan.
About half-an-hour from the trailhead, the path climbs onto a large, stone platform rising high above the stream that flows at its foot. A quick look at our trusty hiking book revealed that a waterwheel was apparently once fixed here, and that gold-bearing rock brought from the mines was crushed and washed at this place. Or at least maybe it could be after wet weather -- the streambed was bone dry on our visit.
A long, wide staircase now climbs for about twenty minutes from the bank of the stream to the edge of the abandoned village of Xiao Tzukeng, a wonderfully atmospheric place, with a handful of half-ruined stone buildings lining the path, half hidden by the thick foliage of the encroaching jungle.
A trail on the left leads past the ruins of the village's old elementary school (which had a single classroom and just one teacher, so that only first and second grade kids could be taught here), and on up more steps past a picturesque small Earth God shrine to a wooden platform atop the nearest summit, providing a good view of Ruifang and the Keelung River Valley.
It's hard to imagine a bustling community of over 200 people once lived here, but another helpful info-board informed us that Xiao Tzukeng was once quite a lively place. A stage once stood in the playground of the school, and the village even had its own ensemble of Chinese Beiguan musicians!
Continuing onwards and upwards, after diverting around the grounds of the only house in town that's still inhabited (apparently by a couple of monks), a short but narrow, overgrown and difficult trail leaves the steps on the right and contours the precipitous hillside, reaching (after about five minutes' scramble) the foot of the small but very pretty Yingssu ("silver silk") Waterfall (銀絲瀑布), a hidden little place that's worth the trouble of getting there even when it's dry (as is often the case!).
The steps (a bit dilapidated in places now) climb steeply for another hot twenty minutes to reach a large and dignified stone shrine, protected by an unsightly concrete roof. This is the Temple to the Mountain Gods, a place at which miners en route to the mines at Jiufen would request permission before extracting rock from the mountainside, in the hope that the assent of the gods would ensure their safety while underground. The shrine is big enough to enter. Inside, in a niche at the back, sits a small stone figure, a replacement for the original statue (covered in gold leaf) that once sat here.
Jiufen (and, of course, its crowds) is now just a short climb, over the ridge.


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Hello all! I have been busy creating this mini-album following a tutorial from How to make the Home Sweet Home Recipe Album
Just click on the link and will direct your to the tutorial, or scroll down on my blog and you will find the video
I am using Home Sweet Home collection from Country Craft Creations
for this project. The above photos show the outside and inside of the cover that's completed. I have the page flip pages cut out and adhered together, but waiting on my order of the small, slim magnetic discs to place in the corners of each flip page. Than I will be decorating the pages; and than work on the front inside of cover.
Here is a collage of the outside of the book...
Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today, and have a blessed Mother's Day.
Challenges I am entering:
- Amusing Challenges Anything Goes
- Eclectic Ellapu Anything Goes
- Glitter n Sparkle Challenges Anything Goes
- Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes


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Sony Mobile Communications
Christmas is fast approaching which can mean only one thing – you're running out of time for Christmas shopping!
The thing is we don't believe Christmas shopping should be a stressful task, especially when you've got our handy Christmas gift guide infographic to lend a helping hand – so kick back, relax and let us help you decide the perfect presents you should be getting your loved ones (or yourself!) this festive season.
For more inspiration on Sony Christmas gifts see here.


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On March 1 , 2016 Jide Finally released the beta version of Remix Os . The beta version comes with many new features which include ( 32-bit support , Dual Boot support , UEFI support ) and over 50 bug fixes .
Remix Os is a Android Based Operating system , But it did not comes with Google Play services .. Well Actually It comes with Google Play Services , but they are Disabled and Hidden .
We don't know why Jide have disabled Google Play services on latest Remix Os Beta . But thanks to a redditor ( SubredditReddit ) for finding a way to Enable all the Google play services .
How to enable hidden Google Apps in Remix Os Beta
Requirements -
Step 1. Boot to Remix Os Beta
Step 2. Now On The Remix Os Home screen , Enter Root terminal by Just Pressing ( Alt + F1 ) Keys .
Step 3. Now In The terminal Type and run this -
pm disable com.jide.apppolicy
Step 4. Now to Display all the Disabled apps , Run this command -
pm list packages -d
Step 5. Now you will get a list of all the Apps disabled , to enable them type -
pm enable <package name>
Example - To enable play store type
pm enable com.android.vending
And enable all the Google apps by using the 5th Step .
Step 6. Now Press [ Alt + F7 ] to Enter Remix Os Home screen .
via - reddit


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GAZ Beadle has gone all out for his girlfriend Emma McVey this Valentine's Day.
The former lothario shared a video to Instagram showing the lavish display he'd put on for the most romantic day of the year.
He told the camera: "Emma, this is for you. Hope you enjoy it, happy Valentine's Day.
"When you get back you'll understand what I've been doing all morning."
He ended the soppy message with a kiss.
Gary then took the camera on a through the keyhole style trip, and showed that he had placed electric candles on the stairs down to the room and covered the floor with petals.
A light up LOVE sign took up one wall, and a low table was covered with totilla chips, popcorn and chocolate treats.
Gaz had filled the room with gas balloons and lined up a film for Emma to watch from the comfort of a crushed velvet corner sofa.
In a message next to the Instagram video, Gary wrote: "I went all out this year @emma_jane1392 deserves it she has been amazing with Chester since the day he was born and I am soooo proud of you... movie time in our home made valentines cave."
He went on to admit that he had help creating the cave and said: "Massive thank you to @ledigo_pr helping me do all this and making it possible AMAZING."
Emma and Gary welcomed a son Chester Raymond Beadle McVey on 15 January.
And Gary has spoken of his horror at changing baby Beadle's first nappy.
Referring to meconium, a baby's first poo, he took to Twitter to share the experience with his fans.
He said: "Just changed my first nappie... 2 words black tar... if you know you know."
But his followers had no sympathy, with many joking that it would only get worse.
One said: "Wait until it's all up there back and all over there sleep suit."
Another wrote: "Baby nappies were the best - they didn't smell. Wait till you start on food n the real c**ps begin."
A third was more graphic and told him: "OmG this made me laugh :) sorry to tell you they don't get much better and you won't fancy chicken korma for the next 6 months :) welcome to Parenthood."
Got a story? email email@example.com or call us direct on 02077824220.
We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.


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While Nagios® make some stupid things, in our case the Nagios Open Software License Version 1.3 for NPCA, I think it's really the time to say good bye to some Nagios® products such as Nagios core, NSCA, NDO.
I'm sure you don't know if you have to use nagios plugins or monitoring plugins. Personally I think it's a nightmare for packagers and this is negative for open source monitoring.
Nagios® has been a major player in open source monitoring and made good things but projects are struggling to evolve.
During the same time, other projects have emerged and offer more interesting things.
That is why I say that Nagios is not part of the future of supervision, so yes it's over for Nagios®.
I remember one of my conference and I was trying to pinpoint the supervision and various events that occurred around Nagios®. One person told me that it was sad, certainly but it is the reality.
While Nagios forks have emerged, other projects such as ELK (ElasticSearch Logstash Kibana), Sensu, Check my Website, Graphite, Packetbeat and so on are able to respond to certain monitoring needs.
With software like ELK stack, we are able to easily transform log lines into metrics it's a new way to monitor. A new day has come and we see other possibilities for monitoring.
I'm using ELK to monitor the load of my proxies, I'll write an article on this subject to show you how I did it.
Imagine a software than monitor your website from many sources or countries and allows you to show their status in your monitoring interface. It's now possible with Check my Website, a software than allow you to monitor and improve your website.
Did you try to monitor your MySQL or PostgreSQL databases with Nagios ? I think this experience was painful since I discovered packetbeat. Packetbeat is an Open Source application monitoring & packet tracing system and it allows you to easily monitor your MySQL or PostgreSQL databases but not only that. Personally I monitor my monitoring databases with Packetbeat, I know it's a young project but I think we could trust it.
After thoses examples we could say than open source monitoring evolves and people need to change their mind and accept than Nagios® is over.
I'll not surprised to see a monitoring platform with:
- Graphite or Collectd
- a monitoring engine such as Shinken, Centreon, Icinga, Naemon, Sensu and so on
- a dashboard such as Kibana, Dashing and so on
For me it's a new path for monitoring, a lot of amazing things could be done with a lot of software. As I said in my talk at LSM 2014 in Montpellier (France), for me the ideal monitoring platform is modular. So why not think in this way and build your monitoring platform like you build a house or anything else with your LEGO®.
I hope you'll enjoy this new era for open source monitoring and share your opinion about it.


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Silicone Octagonal Coaster Set Rainbow
These coasters have a classic design motif that goes nicely with quality setting and home decor. They are designed with a lower level in the center to retain water. Stackable; no caddy is needed to hold them together for storage.
Fine-textured matte finish. Dishwasher safe. Gift-boxed in set of 6.


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Yesterday, we – my class and I – wrapped up our standardized state testing for 2013. What a long, strange, trip it has been.
Starting last March with our Reading MCAS test, my students have been demonstrating their knowledge of third grade skills. That's right, last March, when we were 7 months into our academic year (minus the week of snow days), my students had to demonstrate their end of year proficiency in Reading. I may not have been the best math student on the planet, but I know that 7 months does not equal an entire school year.
Yesterday, students completed their Mathematics tests. They worked so hard it is easy to forget that they are not taking the SAT or PSAT; they are 8- and 9-year olds performing on tests that take unbelievable amounts of stamina even if you are older.
Kids are kids. While one child finishes a 45-minute test in 20 minutes, another will take twice or three times that time. One student completed the test twice – she literally went back to each question, reworked the answer and then wrote a sentence or two explanation for why her math was correct. Two and one-half hours later, she finished this 45-minute test. After months of telling kids to "check, check, and double-check" your answers, I certainly was not going to discourage her effort!
We had the usual events out of our control: no glasses…. sick…. Hopefully the impact of those variables won't be too great; however, my experience with MCAS – and now that it plays a part in my own teacher evaluation this becomes more important – is that it can have an impact and I do need to document just in case. Sad but true, MCAS is not just about student achievement.
So yesterday we put a period at the end of "MCAS 2013", and today we return to our regular classroom routines. I can't put a quantifier on it, but the classroom mood sure seems a lot lighter.


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We are aware of the Apple Watch app restarting mid workout and our developers are currently investigating. At this time, we are unsure of how quickly it will be fixed, but we do hope to have the problem taken care of soon.
At this time the best way to reduce the occurrence of this issue is to restart your Apple Watch prior to your workout. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you and thank you for your patience while we troubleshoot and attempt to eliminate the problem.


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BC: It's the little things that make life beautiful.
FC: It's the little things that make life beautiful
1: some friends are forever (molly, brittany, and I)
3: "Little girls have a magic all their own."
4: Friends are Flowers that Never Fade
7: dance the night away
8: me niece Taylor!
10: random times, with random friends!
11: when you're with those you love, nothing else matters.
17: Say Cheese!


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Kristof De Wulf
By Kristof De Wulf
The future has never been more fascinating. 10 years from now, we expect to be able to manipulate DNA the same way as a Word doc, to buy the power of a human brain for just $ 1,000 and to see a robot journalist win a Pulitzer. That's why I was extremely excited to join a group of 20 fellow entrepreneurs on a 5-day trip to Silicon Valley at the end of last year. We had the unique opportunity to discover the secret fabric of the Silicon Valley ecosystem and reflect on what it means for our very own future. Here are my key takeaways on the future of the market research industry putting on a Silicon Valley lens.
Robo researchers
Back in 1930, the economist Keynes already predicted that in 2030 we would only work 3 hours a day because machines would be doing our jobs for us. While robots and artificial intelligence are still in the early stages of development, automation will undoubtedly take over from humans. We are about to witness a world where having robots around us will be as familiar as having a coffee machine in our kitchen. Oxford University estimates about half the existing jobs will be gone in less than 20 years from now. With intelligent machines getting smarter not just by learning from humans but also from their machine peers, technology will destroy more jobs than create new ones, which is referred to as the 'great decoupling'. What's more, machines never get tired or sick, don't waste time on Facebook, don't choke under pressure and don't join a union. So expect robo researchers to come for your job soon. They will be able to analyze data in a more sophisticated and context-dependent way using artificial learning (think about the way Google's AI won a game of Go by defying millennia of basic human instinct), they will replace human moderators having passed the Turing test multiple times already (think about the near-human cognitive capabilities of Amelia, an AI system learning how to perform the work of call center employees and possibly taking out 250 million jobs in no time), they will auto-code and -interpret speech and text as well as visual information (think about Google's PlaNet computer that can tell where nearly any photo was taken). While most of us are still convinced the research future will be about blending robotized automation with humanized interpretation, I expect it to be heavily skewed towards smart machines rather than to be balanced.
During our visit at Andreessen Horowitz, Benedict Evans talked about the power of mobile, describing it as "the first universal tech product", which is a fundamental change compared to previous tech innovations. By 2020, 80% of adults are expected to have a smartphone. Mobile is the new scale, accelerating the creation of many more components, smaller and cheaper. Smartphone components are becoming the Lego bricks providing the basis for new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, wearables, drones, etc. As such, mobile is a new platform, not a device. Cars for example are being transformed into 'smartphones with wheels', with the future being electric, on-demand and autonomous. I expect a similar evolution for the market research industry, with the traditional and labor-intensive market research value chain most likely being replaced by platforms bundling mobile, peer-to-peer sharing, open data, and 'always-on' in a unique new mix. ZappiStore is already a good example of the direction we will be moving in.
Consumers have cultivated a power never seen before. Consumer emancipation is taking new heights with consumers capable of raising their voices through social media, of knowing more about themselves and the products they use through wearable and sensor technology and even of creating the products they want themselves with increasing access to maker tools and 'how to' information. It implies that research will need to revolve around consumers and their lives. I anticipate to see native research grow really big just the way native advertising is gradually oppressing traditional advertising. Our visit to IndieGogo is a good example; started up in 2008, IndieGogo is now one the global leaders in crowdfunding. By democratizing funding (400,000+ campaigns per year), Indiegogo helps fill a massive gap in providing access to capital, helping small entrepreneurs as well as larger corporations like GE, Sony or Hasbro to source, improve, sponsor and/or validate innovations. IndieGogo applies native research as, in just 30 days, companies can get critical feedback on features, price, messaging and so on, while at the same time building awareness for the new product. It taps into the logic of behavioral economics to test and optimize the performance and go-to-market strategy of new products. In addition to asking what people want, our industry needs to learn from companies such as IndieGogo to tap into real rather than claimed or intended behavior.
On demand
The on-demand society which we live in will hugely impact our professions. This was well demonstrated during our visit at Quid, a company focusing on solving the problem of dealing with the huge amount of data, 80% of which is unstructured. With most existing tools being unsuited to deal with complex questions and not providing any context, Quid reads and organizes information on a massive scale and helps you see connections. Augmented intelligence is what they believe in: a blend of computer intelligence with human intelligence. An algorithm reads texts from public economic (patents, private investments, newspapers, etc.), public consumer (social media) data or data dragged in from specific owned data sources, removes meaningless words, creates a mathematical fingerprint of a document and develops connections between different fingerprints. The result is an overview of different networks containing massive amounts of documents. Really cool is that, depending on the similarity of the content that is scraped, Quid gives a color code to content which is similar in nature, thus creating natural 'segments' in the network (e.g. interpretation of facts, objective facts, discussions related to impact on politics, etc.). Following the Quid example, the future of the market research industry will be much more visual, slicing and dicing information based on different tags, in line with how our human brains work. In the future, I expect to see a big shift in the way we consume data, moving from static, one-off and textual information to dynamic, continuous and visual information.
The future is unfolding quicker than we all think, with exponential technologies driving the massive change. But, as one of the speakers said during our Silicon Valley trip: "It is never too late to be early". Make sure crazy ideas have a place in your company and apply a 'just do it' philosophy: sometimes just trying is better than thinking too hard about how to do things. Good luck in embracing the Silicon Valley DNA!