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Fabio Vacchi
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Fabio Vacchi (pronounced "Vahkie") (born 1949 in Bologna), is an Italian composer.
- 1 Biography
- 2 Poetics[1]
- 3 Style
- 4 Prizes and acknowledgements
- 5 Discography
- 6 See also
- 7 Notes
- 8 External links
Training and debut[edit]
Fabio Vacchi studied at the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini of Bologna with Giacomo Manzoni and Tito Gotti. In 1974 he participated in the courses of the Tanglewood Festival in the United States, where he was awarded the Koussevitzky Prize in Composition.[citation needed] In 1976 he won first prize at the Gaudeamus Composition Competition in the Netherlands, with the work Les soupirs de Geneviève for 11 string soloists, and in the same year he wrote Sinfonia in quattro tempi for the Venice Biennale Festival, which thereafter dedicated to him two concerts exclusively of his works in the 1978 and 1979 seasons.
From the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino to the Vienna Philharmonic[edit]
He debuted at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival in 1982 with Girotondo, an opera in two acts with a libretto adapted from Arthur Schnitzler. Following this opera come, in the 1990s, Il Viaggio, La station thermale, produced afterwards at the La Scala Opera House, and Les oiseaux de passage, and in 2003 Il letto della Storia, with a libretto by Franco Marcoaldi and stage direction by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti. For this opera he received the Abbiati Prize from the National Association of Italian Critics for the best new work of the year. The partnership with Marcoaldi has continued, bringing about such works as Terra comune (which, at the request of Luciano Berio, inaugurated Rome's Auditorium Parco della Musica in 2002, and Tre Veglie (1998) commissioned by the Salzburg Festival. Vacchi's music was again heard at the Salzburg Festival in the Summer of 2006, this time during the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, with a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Riccardo Muti, of the piece La giusta armonia, a melologue with narrator and orchestra based on a text by the proto-socialist intellectual Franz Heinrich Ziegenhagen, who was a friend of Mozart.
Works of societal commitment[edit]
In addition to the piece, Muti, which he conducted as Music Director of the Filarmonica della Scala, he also conducted Diario dello Sdegno (Teatro alla Scala, 2003), written by Vacchi in the emotional aftermath of September 11, 2001 and the international conflicts that followed. After its première in Milan, this piece was performed in Brussels during Italy's turn of holding the presidency of the European Union. Ethical themes are dear to Vacchi and they are evident in other compositions of his, such as Irini, Esselam, Shalom (2004) for voice, violin and orchestra, which deals with the theme of peace, reflecting upon sagely texts of the monotheistic religions. Another similar piece was Dai calanchi di Sabbiuno for chamber ensemble, which was composed for the Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Italian Resistance (Teatro alla Scala, 1995) and has been performed more than 100 times throughout the world, also in the version for full orchestra requested by Claudio Abbado.
Chamber works and film music[edit]
On a commission from Abbado, Vacchi then composed Briefe Büchners, a cycle of lieder which was performed by the Berliner Philharmonie in 1998. These lieder are fruits of the period in which he concentrated on the production of chamber music. Other such works include, among others, the Third String Quartet (2002) written for the Tokyo String Quartet, which was conferred the Annual Lully Award in 2003 for the best new work of the year performed in the United States, and the Fourth Quartet (2004), commissioned by RAI Radio for the 80th anniversary of Italian radio. Part of Luoghi immaginari, which was composed between 1987 and 1992 and consists of various pieces for various instrumental formations, was included, along with other works of Vacchi, in the soundtrack of The Profession of Arms by Ermanno Olmi. For this film, which marked the beginning of his collaboration with the art form of film, Vacchi was awarded the David di Donatello for Best Score of the year. 2005 saw him awarded again, this time by the RDC Awards, for his music in Patrice Chéreau's film Gabrielle. Also by Vacchi is the soundtrack of Centochiodi (2007), Olmi's latest work.
Other news[edit]
Worthy of mention is the recent Voci di notte (2006), commissioned and performed by the Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, on occasion of the 70th birthday of their conductor Zubin Mehta. Mehta is one of many conductors, such as Berio, Chung, Fischer, Harding, Marriner, Pappano and, as already mentioned Muti and Abbado, who have conducted Vacchi's music various times.
Since his early compositions, Fabio Vacchi has taken on the challenge of reaching beyond the closed and inside circle of connoisseurs, maintaining the objective of writing music for those who do not habitually listen to contemporary music (adapting to music the ideas of Hans Magnus Enzensberger). His creative process, rather than radically rejecting traditional codes, seeks to privilege a focus on the material, understood as an attention given to sound and to the human body that is that sound's very destination. Vacchi, thus, believes that it is indispensable not to overlook the psycho-acoustic parameters that allow music to reach the listener and stimulate his or her senses. Such techniques include the repetition of certain elements as the work unfolds and the insertion of continuous but recognizable sonorous material, so as to keep the listener attentive and alert.
In Vacchi's conception of music, the sonorous material that a composer chooses to utilize is less important than the way in which it is presented: the work's form must communicate a sense of itself and must establish a system in which there is expectation and surprise, surprise having always been an expressive, communicative, and dramatic device used by many composers, even if unconsciously so.
In the Vacchi's own words,
only music that is capable of setting in motion the listener's senses and emotional perception can aspire to beauty; as such music is an asset that concerns us all, because then it allows us to live. The inhabitants of a world that is disenchanted, as ours is, still need fables. Granted these fables are no longer tales of fairies and witches, they still, however, need to arouse wonder. Thus, we must both take beauty back and follow the new roads created by the Avant-Garde without allowing, however, that the new expressive freedom therein be self-gratifying, that is, being transgression for transgression's sake. It is important to aim instead towards a gradual transformation that is incessant and substantial.
This, believes Vacchi, is the road to take, a road he sees leading to an identity in which esthetics and ethics, and beauty and social commitment all come together, an identity in line with the important classical-Greek concept of kalòs, such that music becomes
a point of contact between the power of amazing us and the need for us to see ourselves in the Other, leaving behind the feverish egotism of a power that, like a cancerous growth, erects insuperable walls between people of different sexes, races, and social classes.
Fabio Vacchi's music shows an extremely personal and recognizable style resulting from a particular interaction of harmonic, structural, and timbral preferences.
Behind a "siren-like lyricism"[2] in his works, one finds a rigorous structure which stems from the selection, within the sphere of total chromaticism, of an elaborated harmonic plane, according to the criteria of circularity, transposition, and simultaneity, so as to generate a network of contrapuntal thematic lines.
This expressive material constitutes the breeding ground for the ideas that provoke the work's development. Herein an important role is played also by particular timbral combinations, resulting not only from the use of innovative techniques of sound production, but also from his experience in the field of electro-acoustic analysis and in the field of the physics of sound, experience acquired during his studies in electro-acoustics in Fribourg, where he was invited by Luigi Nono.
Prizes and acknowledgements[edit]
- Koussevitsky Prize in Composition (Tanglewood, 1974)
- The Gaudeamus International Composers Award for the entry Les soupirs de Geneviève (Netherlands, 1976)
- David di Donatello for Best Score of the year, for Ermanno Olmi's The Profession of Arms (Rome, 2002)
- Annual Lully Award for the best new work of the year performed in the United States, for the Third String Quartet, commissioned by the Tokyo String Quartet (2002)
- The Abbiati Prize from the Associazione Nazionale Critici Musicali for the best new work of the year for the opera Il letto della storia (2003)
- RDC Award for the best soundtrack, for Patrice Chéreau's Gabrielle (2005)
- Active Member of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
- Honorary Member of the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna
|Orchestra / Ensemble
|Luoghi immaginari
|Marco Lazzara
|Guido Guida, Mauro Bonifacio
|BMG Ricordi CRMCD 1043
|Suite in "2xMöller"
|nosag CD 054
|La station thermale
|Cécile Besnard, Christophe Lacassagne, Pomone Epoméo, Catherine Renerte
|Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon
|Claire Gibault
|BMG Ricordi 74321356142 (2 CDs)
|Wanderer Oktett – Dionysos
|Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Contempoartensemble, Agon Acustica Informatica Musica
|Emilio Pomarico, Mauro Ceccanti
|Stradivarius STR 33597
|Movimento di quartetto in "Quartetti per archi: Schubert, Vacchi, Ligeti"
|Quartetto Savinio
|Paragon, CD supplement for Amadeus magazine, June 2004 SMF 001-2
|Raina Kabaivanska, Pavel Vernikov
|Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano "G.Verdi"
|Claire Gibault
|Sony BMG 82876730902
|Quintetto in "Rotte sonore"
|Dedalo Ensemble
|Vittorio Parisi
|Stradivarius STR 33747
|Mignon (Über die Sehnsucht) in "La voce contemporanea in Italia vol.3"
|Tiziana Scandaletti, Riccardo Piacentini
|Stradivarius STR 33769
|Luoghi immaginari
|Marco Lazzara
|EnsembleMusica20, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana
|Guido Guida, Mauro Bonifacio
|Stradivarius STR 57005
See also[edit]
- ^ MARILENA LATERZA, Fabio Vacchi. Luoghi immaginari, altremusiche.it: 2007 Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ENZO RESTAGNO in GIORGIO PESTELLI, FRANCO PULCINI, Le ragioni del canto, Torino: 1996
External links[edit]
Biographical profiles and essays[edit]
- Fabio Vacchi principal Scores Editor
- Fabio Vacchi selected works
- An essay on Fabio Vacchi by Jean-Jacques Nattiez
- Fabio Vacchi on IMDb
Listenings and videos[edit]
- Dai calanchi di Sabbiuno recording - Claire Gibault conductor
- Sacer Sanctus excerpt
- Flow my Dowland excerpt
- Roberto Abbado talking about Dai calanchi di Sabbiuno for The Kennedy Center
- 20th-century classical composers
- 21st-century classical composers
- Italian classical composers
- Italian male classical composers
- Italian opera composers
- Male opera composers
- People from Bologna
- 1949 births
- Living people
- Members of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
- Gaudeamus Composition Competition prize-winners
- David di Donatello winners
- 20th-century Italian composers
- 20th-century Italian male musicians
- 21st-century male musicians


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Unpolished But Compelling: A Literary Magazine for the Rest of Us
I suppose there are a hundred and fifty million literate adults in the U.S. Of those, maybe fifteen million would appreciate Evening Street Review. I'm one of them. I wish the others could hear about it. I suspect people without MFAs will like it better than those with MFAs. It seems uneven with little infelicities of structure or style that a little revising wouldn't have hurt, but the originality and freshness of most of the pieces made up for that.
If you lean left, you will like Evening Street more. Unabashedly political, it comes out swinging with a quotation on its cover:
"…we live in this dying empire
like prisoners of war who've escaped to the mountains"
If you don't agree with that, you won't like the back cover either, which makes their position even clearer: "Capitalism is in its nature an authoritarian system. This is obvious to everyone in their own experience: the office, the factory, the farm, the corporation is ruled by the owner." That's an excerpt from a researched essay, not a rant, but engagé like Voltaire, Mark Twain, and Zolá were; not everybody liked them either.
One might not expect a publication, beginning with a brief revisionist history of the U.S., to have good stories, poetry, and nonfiction, but it does. If they skipped the cover and the opening essay, many might still enjoy the literature. Not extremely polished, but compelling and new, Evening Street selections are a world away from the "microscope on a Thursday afternoon" writing that seems overrepresented.
"That Storm Blew the First Mate's Pants Off" (not such a great title) by Pierrino Mascarino is a modern-day seafaring chronicle that resembles nothing I've read outside of Jack London. The tale of a starry-eyed romantic setting sail on Tampa Bay with a crew of shanghai-ed alcoholics, it offers wonderful dialogue and rings with a word Robin Hemley would stab me for using: authenticity.
Likewise, Paul Hostovsky's bittersweet prose poem, "Multi-Purpose Room," which many people could appreciate. And Robert Lunday's "Perseids" with its unique rhyme scheme, a natural and pleasant read. Some of these stories began like clichés and ended up somewhere that matters. Witness Sheila Thorne's "Waking," for example, which seems like it will be another tale of a white liberal taking on a forsaken child and ends in an unexpected and poignant place. And who can forget this image: "a man who summoned her into his office by clicking his gold wedding band against his water glass"? (Julie Garrison's "The Liberated Woman").
"The Silent Dialogue," a brief Invisible Man kind of piece, is nonfiction about leaving prison by Randall Horton; it carries a heft. Possibly more of these writers are elders than is the case with most magazines? Maybe that's what sets this one apart. The contributor bios display a pile of impressive awards and publications.
I wouldn't have chosen every item in this volume, but that's usually the case. And I had a tiny quibble: the cover design. A picture of a smiling blonde lady in front of a cabin? Huh? And the green color? Unappealing, in my view. But I don't really care. I like the magazine. I'm glad I read it and hope all who need this niche find it. I hope that copies make their way to prison libraries, Laundromats, old folks' homes in Berkeley, and even the bookshelves of a professor or two.

subset: commoncrawl


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What's the New "Target Pregnancy Story"?
By Marni Edelhart, Director, Content & Experience, Momentum
Five years ago, Charles Duhigg published an article in the NY Times Magazine about How Companies Learn Your Secrets which featured Target's success analyzing shopping behavior in order to learn things such as whether or not a particular "guest" is pregnant. Duhigg shared a now-famous anecdote about an irate father who complained that his local Target had been marketing items such as cribs and diapers to his teenage daughter, who to his eventual apologetic chagrin was, as it turns out, pregnant.
Recently, on a program development call for the upcoming Marketing Analytics Conference the "Target Pregnancy Story" came up as it has in so many conversations I've had about this topic. This story is often held up as an example of both the power of and risk posed by data-driven marketing practices. Target however, began developing the process that led to this anecdote in 2002, we have had fifteen years to refine both the analytics behind our marketing campaigns and the campaigns themselves.
So, where is the new Target pregnancy story? Why are senior marketers still referencing this dated example? It is time to find some new touchstones and to that end, here are a few suggestions:
- UBER sued for revealing a customer's affair. Man signs into UBER on his wife's phone, logs out, but she continues to receive notifications of his trips thus revealing his extra-marital activities. He is now suing UBER for $48 Million.
- Amazon Go Store. Amazon has launched a convenience store right here in Seattle where today's smart phone carting customer can have the in-store experience without all that pesky human interaction. Yes, this model promises less friction, but does a smart shelf that tracks when you pick up that cupcake, put it back, walk away and then pick it up again really sound less intrusive?
- Dove's #SpeakBeautiful Campaign. Some days you eat too much ice cream, or you find yourself tagged in an unflattering photo, or your hair has its own ideas about style and you may want to share these moments over social media. Twitter and Dove partnered to ensure that anyone sharing negative feelings about their looks received an auto-slap of positivity whether they wanted it or not.
With the proliferation of location-based marketing, AI driven bots and live-in interactive interfaces we can look forward to ever-increasing instances of all too knowing brand interactions. Target may have started this conversation by being the EPT of circulars, but data driven marketing will only improve as we continue to call out potential oversteps in this art.


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So who watched the live telecast of the 2017 Australian Federal Budget in early May?
It seems like most of Australia didn't so it's going to be pretty hard to know the one federal budget item affecting you come 1st July 2017. That said, I get it. It is entirely understandable given the everyday person would rather tune into Masterchef than watch a politician humorlessly deliver a bunch of numbers without proper context.
While I must confess that sometimes I find myself more interested the secrets behind Masterchef, like knowing exactly how Christy Tania floated her desert, rather than watch Federal Treasure Scott Morrison smile awkwardly into the camera, the 2017 Australian Federal Budget did have one important item that I think all Australians should know about.
Before we get onto that, just what exactly is the Budget all about?
The Australian Federal Budget, as the name suggest, is the official estimation of the country's expected revenues and expenses for the upcoming year as proposed by the ruling governing party. The release of the yearly Budget is usually scheduled in May, and it is a day when Corporates – big and small – sit up and take notice because policies introduced usually makes or breaks business plans for the upcoming 12 months.
In some cases, it can even lead companies to bankruptcy.
You might have seen on the news and know that Australia's Budget is currently running at a deficit to the tune of $37.1 billion, meaning the country spends more than it is earning right now.
It doesn't take a genius to know that a Budget in continuous deficit spells trouble for the economic future of all Australians as more debt piles up, and that only a strong positive Budget will allow for increases in government spending, which in turn creates jobs and increases wealth for all.
The one detail that financially affects the majority of Australians
The ruling Coalition party led by the Turnbull government is highly aware of the potentially crippling effects of a continuous Budget deficit, and are actively introducing measures to turn the country's finances around.
In their first efforts at returning the 2017 Budget to a surplus, the Treasurer has sprung a massive surprise this year by introducing a $6.2 billion Levy for Australia's 5 largest banks in ANZ, Commonwealth, Westpac, NAB and Macquarie.
Very simply, this Levy is a 6 basis points "tax" on the Bank's liabilities (or funding) and is set to be rolled out over the next 4 years. Early calculations estimate that this Levy could potentially reduce each bank's individual profits by $350m annually, and that has implications on all Australians.
So how and why does this one Federal Budget item affecting you cause financial stress?
You might not think it but trust me when I say that EVERY Australian is connected to the Banks in some way, shape or form. If you are a homeowner, it is likely that one of the banks hold a mortgage over your home. If you are employed and have contributed to superannuation, it is very likely that your superannuation fund are shareholders in the Banks given they make up a large chunk of the ASX by market capitalization.
As a mortgagee….
The Levy affect homeowners because an attack on the Bank's profits might mean increased banking costs for you and me. Like it or not, shareholders of the banks are number #1 on the list of "stakeholders to make happy", and shareholders only care about earnings per share, or EPS, which are driven by Banks' profits.
If you ever looked at the annual reports of Banks, you'd normally see that remuneration structures for high-ranking bank executives are tied to share price performance which are ultimately driven by shareholders. So indirectly, executives are incentivized to work for shareholders in protecting bank profits to ensure EPS are maximized where possible.
In maximizing EPS, one of the ways Banks could protect their profits is by introducing out-of-cycle mortgage rate rises independent of the Reserve bank of Australia. By getting a better Return on Equity (ROE), which by the way is the key metric used by investors to assess a Bank's profits, shareholders are kept happy at the expense of mortgagees who have to bear the increased cost of loans.
That simply translates into higher interest costs for homeowners across the country.
As a shareholder….
In simple accounting terms, the $6.2 billion Levy will be an expense that reduces the retained profits of the Banks. That would mean lower profits enjoyed by the Banks, lower EPS for investors and the threat of reduced dividend distributions, an income source that is relied on by many Australian investors.
With less retained profits, the Banks would consequently be starved of capital to invest in future business improvements, robbing the organization of growth initiatives that would have translated to future growth in EPS. As the old saying goes, to grow businesses one has to invest in it.
Another unwanted effect of reduced EPS going forward is the possibility of capital losses in decreasing share prices driven by investors who sell shares because they get spooked by the prospect of future lower returns. Indeed, the fear of the $6.2b Levy being legislated has decimated the share prices of the Banks with large falls observed after Budget night.
Why are the banks being targeted?
To tell the truth, we might never know the real reason why the Banks get targeted.
Banker's greed gouging helpless customers seem to be the defensive stance touted by the politicians every time a new regulatory impost is introduced. It has long been the belief that certain MPs hold a strong resentment for the billion dollar profits generated by our country's highly successful banks, and this latest Levy is testament to that.
The very fact that the Banks are highly profitable organizations in the public eye make them very easy targets to exploit as they are assumed to be able to "take the financial hit". There are also market rumours to suggest that this Levy is the Government's way to charge for their guarantee on large deposits and wholesale funding of Australian ADIs.
Fortunately for the Banks, the Levy has yet to be officially passed through Parliament as it stands and they are still lobbying hard to have this Levy removed from consideration so who knows exactly what will transpire come 1st July 2017 when this new Levy is meant to come into effect.
Being financially vigilant
While the outcome is still anyone's guess, it pays to be aware of how the Budget will affect you financially. In very general terms, one of the keys factors to building long term wealth is anticipating what financial markets will do in the short to medium term, and setting up your investments to take advantage of that movement.
Now that you know the financial implications of a possible Bank Levy, the ball is in your court as to how you alter your mortgage commitments and/or investments to adapt to the upcoming changes, and place yourself at an advantage again.
Good luck!


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You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Cycling New Zealand / Cycling NZ 2014 / Day 15 : Of Festivals & Melancholy | Jump to Day 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 /14 / 16
AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Cycling New Zealand 2014 Day 15 : Of Festivals & Melancholy
|At Dunedin's Intercity Bus Terminal waiting for the bus to Christchurch.
Small Group Bike Ride: Around Christchurch City.
Today is a day of mixed feelings, it was a day of festivals as we saw the New Zealanders start their celebration for Christmas. It was also a day of sadness, as when we cycled around Christchurch, we saw how the city was still coping to recover from the earthquake of 2011. Today will also be our last day in New Zealand, a tinge of melancholy has started to creep in.
This is page 15 of a 16-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
6:45am - After checking out from the Chalet Backpackers (actually it was just a key-drop into a box as it was early and the staff had yet to come in), Yong Sin dropped the girls their bikes at the Dunedin Bus Terminal at Hasley Street, he came back to pick me up. We drove over to Pegasus Rental to drop off the rented car and cycled over to the bus terminal; together with the girls we waited for the bus. We were rather quiet and not that chatty with each other; I guess it was probably because of the thought that today will be our last day in New Zealand and we were deep in our thoughts of our past two weeks here.
Nevertheless, we looked forward to the six hours bus ride that will take us along the eastern coast of South Island. We hoped to catch some sleep/rest and some scenery along the way, and just not far out from Dunedin we went pass Blueskin Bay (see above photo), a scenic spot with waves breaking along the coast with green hills in the back ground.
At a quick coffee stop at Oamaru, I noticed a number of tractors, construction back-hoes, etc. all of which seemed to be delivering Christmas decorations to some homes.
But I was wrong...
... they were not delivering but were in fact all decked up with Christmas decorations heading for the sea-side road where all sorts of vehicles, buses, vans and even concrete mixer trucks were queued up in a long line. This is the Oamaru Christmas Parade, too bad we were just passing through, it would be great to be part of the parade, to mingle round and share the joyful spirit.
Another coffee break at Timaru and sat with one of the early settlers of this town, Captain Henry Cain.
2:05pm - We arrived at Christchurch at were dropped of at Victoria Square. After unloading our bikes and luggage from the bus; we looked at them, after sixteen days in NZ we had quite a fair bit of more luggage than what we came with from Malaysia (some shopping etc.). We could cycle carrying them the ten kilometres to Leon's B&B Hostel but it wouldn't be easy.
Fortunately, our local friends Andrew & Dorothy were there to meet us and they had the foresight to come in two 4-wheeled drives and our problems were solved. They were god-sent kind souls, God-sent angels; and to think that I have met them only once!
|Having coffee with Andrew & Dorothy.
We had met six months back in Phnom Penh when I had carried my folded Brompton up to the first floor of the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club) for that beautiful view of the Mekong River. Being avid bikers themselves they saw my bike and struck up a conversation, we have been friends since then. They drove us over to one of the Westfield Riccarton Mall where we had coffee, chatted and caught up on the last six months.
Andrew & Dorothy dropped us of at Leon's; we said our goodbyes and thanks to them and invited them to come over to Malaysia anytime they are free so that we could also show them the same hospitably they had given us.
After unloading our stuff into Leon's garage - it's time to cycle! We will be heading down to Christchurch city centre as we did not had the time to do that on our first day here. But the first thing we did first was to ride back over to the Riccarton Mall to do some shopping for New Zealand food stuff (mostly chocolate stuff) to take back for friends back home.
"Huh? Shop now and carry all the stuff around Christchurch? Why not do it after viewing Christchurch?" No, we are not shopping fanatics, the thing is in NZ places close early and so does this shopping complex which closes at 6:00pm. Best we do our shopping first lest we disappoint our friend back home.
As we approached the city centre, we began to see the effects of the damage done by the earthquake - dark lines of repaired cracks on the roads...
In the city centre itself, sorry sights met us, half fallen buildings...
.. a church partly destroyed by the earthquake.
In sections of the city, we saw flattened lots where buildings used to stand. The rubble has been cleared, for us who had not visited an area affected by an earthquake before it was a touching sight. We can only imagine how it was really like just after the earthquake struck, and said some silent prayers for those affected and hope it does not happen again.
Surely and steadily the city is recovering, most of the debris has been cleared. Construction equipment can be seen attending to repairs, and containers filled with load are used to buttress an affected building. More importantly, the people have recovered, their spirit united in rebuilding themselves and their city.
One of the recovery signs is this Cardboard Cathedral has been built to carry on services while the damaged on is being rebuilt.
It's called a cardboard cathedral as the roof rafters are made from semi-cylindrical rafters.
|Posing in front of Captain Cook's statue.
From there it was a short distance to Victoria Square, yup we are back to where the bus dropped us.
Over at the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park, residents were coming in hordes, many of them carrying food, tables and even barbecues sets. Happily they are here to attend a public Christmas gathering.
7:30pm - It's time to end our tour of the city, we have a plane to catch later on but first some dinner bites. This was at the Saigon Star Restaurant at the Windmill Centre off Riccarton Road. I went for the spicy Pho noodles, spicy but it was not spicy enough for me Malaysian palate and I added on lots of chilli oil from the sauce bottle.
We also shared a plate of Vietnamese spring rolls, this was very good and comes close to those from Vietnam. This is to be expected as the restaurant is operated by a Vietnamese lady. We liked it so much that we ordered another plate!
Back at Leon's B&B Homestay, we collected our bike bags from his garage. Also the honey we had ordered from the Hunny Bee shop in Garston a few days earlier had arrived (...see blog). Together with our luggage, it was quite a load that we had to lugged on our bikes to the airport. Fortunately, the airport was just about three kilometres away, so it was just a short lug.
We were quite tempted to take a shower at Leon's but as we would not be staying the night here and as Leon was not around too, we thought the better of it.
9:30pm - We arrive at at Christchurch Airport. Our flight out will only be at 7:00am the following day, not wanting to having get up early in the morning we had opted to come here and pass the night. This will also save us some money in accommodations.
We folded our bikes, packed them in and got ready for some sleeping on chairs. Was it going to be an uncomfortable night? Perhaps not, we will see...
(For more photos see FaceBook photo set - Click here)
This is page 15 of a 16-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
Related Blogs :
|New Zealand Cycling Routes
These were the routes we rode in New Zealand, including the South Island's Central Otago Rail Trail.
|Brompton Accessories #14 : Mini-O Bag Packing Light & Tight
|Be captivated by the water-puppets and awed by the beauty of Ha Long Bay
You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Cycling New Zealand / Cycling NZ 2014 / Day 15 : Of Festivals & Melancholy | Jump to Day 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 /14 / 16
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The winner of this contest is Sarah Whitwell. Thank you everyone for participating.
All four guest posts this week were from members at the Define School. They are so kind to give away a spot in one of their October classes. The winner gets to pick and attend any one class, no matter the cost (and even if the class is SOLD OUT – they saved a spot just for the winner).
To enter:
- Simply leave a comment on the MCP blog post letting us know which photography class you want to take if you win.
Increase your chances of winning a photography class?
- Join the MCP Photographer Community Group on Facebook. You can learn from and interact with other photographers across the globe.
- Share one of the posts from this week – Oct.1-4th on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter. Then come back and leave a comment letting us know. Get up to 4 entries for sharing all 4 posts.
For information on each of the Define School classes you can simply visit the school's home page or click on any links below that interest you. They will have signups for January classes soon, so if a class is full, keep watching.
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And, please hop on over to the Facebook page or Twitter feed and say hi. They would love to stay in touch!


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Over a five-year period, our research team partnered with the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) on a project that aimed to develop and evaluate data-driven methods for reducing workplace violence. The study was designed as a randomized controlled intervention. The intervention, a work site walk-through, was conducted on 21 intervention units, where researchers presented 3 years of unit-level workplace violence data for unit supervisors. Based on their unit's data, supervisors and staff developed an Action Plan for violence prevention. No walk-through intervention was conducted on the 20 control units.
Six months post-intervention, the risk of violent events was significantly lower on intervention units compared with controls. At 24 months, the risk of injury due to violence was significantly lower on intervention units, compared with controls.
This is the first large-scale, randomized controlled study to demonstrate positive effects over time of an intervention aimed at reducing patient-to-worker violence. The methods developed in this project for workplace violence surveillance, risk assessment and prevention can be integrated into the everyday working life of health care organizations and have the potential to improve hospital worker health and safety nationwide.


text:
A unique casino games simulating slot machine on iPhone & iPad. Players are wagering their bets in virtual credits called Bidcoin. No internet needed – after the casino is downloaded and installed, players don't need to have internet in order to play, slot games work also in offline mode.
Players from all around the world, including United States are welcome.
Countries where the players spin the slots
Amount of free credits at the begging
Price for the application - Casino is for free
Buy Bidcoins - now only for $0.99
Buy Bidcoins - now only for $1.99
Buy Bidcoins - now only for $9.99


text:
People began making cheese around 6,000 years ago as a way to preserve milk. While this began as just a way to save milk, with all of the delicious variations that have developed since then, it has become a way of life. As Loveland's favorite pizza restaurant, you may not be surprised to learn that we LOVE cheese. In our book, happiness is a cheesy pizza pie shared among family and friends. Therefore, we wanted to take a moment to give cheese a shout out and list just a few reasons why cheese is the best.
It's good for you
You may have heard that cheese is bad for you, but that is not true. Cheese is a rich source of such vitamins and minerals as calcium, vitamin b12, selenium, and zinc. Cheese is also a good source of protein, which helps you build muscle and stay fuller for longer. Cheese can help your bone and heart health as well. Simply put, eating cheese in moderation is completely healthy!
It makes you happy
Believe it or not, there is a scientific reason you are so happy when you eat cheese. Casein is a protein in cheese that activates your brain's reward center, making you feel happy. It's the same portion of your brain that lights up when you cuddle or do something fun, which explains why you can't help but love cheese.
It goes great on pizza!
Cheese and pizza are a match made in heaven. While you can eat pizza without cheese and still have a delicious meal, as many lactose intolerant people do, but there is just something about the cheese that brings pizza to the next level.
Ready for a cheesy slice of pizza? Order Loveland pizza delivery from Blackjack Pizza today!


text:
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Fort Mose Historic State Park recently received confirmation that three of the park's events have been accepted into the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The events accepted include Flight to Freedom, held annually in February, the Battle of Bloody Mose Anniversary Commemoration held annually in June and the park's monthly Last Saturday Living History program.
"We are very excited about having our events recognized by the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom," said Fort Mose Historic State Park's manager Paul Crawford. "Florida is rich in American history and it is essential that the story of Fort Mose be told to the nation."
The National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program tells the story of resistance against the institution of slavery in the United States through escape and flight. The program outlines the significance of the Underground Railroad in the demolition of slavery and the national civil rights movement.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, Fort Mose Historic State Park tells the story of the city established in 1738 by the Spanish Governor of Florida Manuel Montiano. Although nothing remains of the original fort, visitors may view the site from a boardwalk and learn about the site's history in the park's visitor center and museum.
The first two-time Gold Medal winner honoring the nation's best state park service, Florida's state park system is one of the largest in the country with 160 parks, which are open 365 days a year. Florida's state parks, which span more than 700,000 acres and include 100 miles of sandy white beach, provide an affordable outing for people of all ages. Caladesi Island State Park was honored with the coveted Best Beach in the Nation award in 2008.
Go to www.floridastateparks.org.


text:
exception that proves the rule
The exception that proves the rule: this may very well be the most misused and misconstrued aphorism in existence. It is seemingly false on its face; an exception disproves rather than proves a rule. Where does the phrase come from and why do we say it?
The origins are in Latin legal maxim, exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis (the exception confirms the rule in cases not excepted). In other words, the fact that an exception exists means that a general rule also exists, e.g., if you see a sign that says "No Parking on Sundays," you have legal protection in assuming that parking is permitted the other six days. English use of the Latin proverb dates to at least 1640 when Gilbert Watts penned the following in his Bacon's Advancement and Proficience of Learning:
Read the rest of the article...
As exception strengthens the force of a Law in Cases not excepted, so enumeration weakens it in Cases not enumerated.
Copyright 1997-2019, by David Wilton


text:
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Interactive Multimedia Technology: Bump Top 3D Desktop on a Touch Screen: Toss Your Photos to your Facebook Icon!
Multi-Touch Technologies Book Release
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Multi Touch Firefox
We're working on exposing the multitouch data from the system to regular web pages through DOM Events, and all of these demos are built on top of that.
DIY IR Touch Pad
When 2 shadows are detected (one by each laser), it calculates the XY coordinate of each shadow. Using simple algebra, I will be able to calculate the equation for each line that is created (between laser and shadow), and then find where the 2 lines intersect (where my finger is).
TRKBRD XY Coordinate Success! on Vimeo (via Vimeo)
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Graphic Tablet integrated Laptop
Bringing portability to the work of professional designers, designer Victor Bivol has developed a laptop concept that integrating a tablet lets the professionals use a heavy graphic tablet on the go, even without disrupting their work.
Victor Bivol's Laptop, Portable Brilliance For Professional Designers - The Design blog
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Spatial Multi Touch
"Minority Report" interface using Flash and FLAR toolkit
ActionScript programmer Peter Kaptein has done some brilliantly creative work to mimic the infamous gestural interface in the film Minority Report using only Flash, a webcam, a printer, and your fingers.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
RIM All-in-One Touch Screen Patent
Electronic Device and Touch Screen Display
A touch screen display includes a display device, a resistive touch-sensitive overlay disposed on the display device and including a pair of touch-sensor layers separated by a gap, a resistive touch screen controller connected to each of the pair of touch-sensor layers for determining a position of a touch event on the touch-sensitive overlay and a capacitive controller connected to an outer one of the pair of touch-sensor layers for receiving input for determining changes resulting from capacitive coupling with the outer one of the pair of touch-sensor layers.
HTC Patent Application for Capacitive Touch Screen Stylus
An electronic device including a device body and a stylus is provided. The device body has a capacitive touch panel. The stylus has a handle and a head. The head is magnetic. The capacitive touch panel is controlled by the stylus through magnetism of the head.
Multi-Touch Remote Control on a Tabletop
CRISTAL (Control of Remotely Interfaced Systems using Touch-based Actions in Living spaces) is a extreme simple user interface for controlling multimedia devices and home automation systems.
Searching Fonts on a Table
Fontplore is an interactive application designed for searching and exploring font databases.
Fontplore Showreel from Mphasize on Vimeo.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Touch Screen Panel Key Component Industry Trends - ITO Film
Key points are expected to include ITO film development for an exclusive electric capacity use, which has not yet been standardized, ITO film development for targeted few makers, and ITO development with outstanding properties regarding few selected applications in order to differentiate product developments from the other makers.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Surface Editor
The Surface Editor is a flexible mapping editor, which transforms multi-touch devices into musical instruments.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Acoustic touch sensing
And this video shows a demo of touch gesture recognition.
Commercially, Elo TouchSystems has introduced a touch screen using Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR), whose sensing technology is similar with that of Tai-Chi.
See also: Tai-Chi – Future Interactive Interface
Monday, August 10, 2009
Fabric Touch Pad
Hannah Perner-Wilson made this soft stroke sensor from some conductive thread and fabric. When the sensor is stroked, the fibers touch each other in a different way than when still, transmitting the signal to a computer or microcontroller.
Surface that hears your touch
CMU student Chris Harrison has showed off an acoustic touch gesture recognition technique called scratch input. The idea is very intuitive. When you write something on a surface, it produces a unique acoustic wave (left figure). Therefore, with a microphone and carefully designed pattern recognition software, scratch input detects and recognizes simple touch gestures drawn on any solid surfaces and soft fabrics.
Stane is a similar research work done by researchers at Glasgow university.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
LG S-Class Smart Phone User Interface
LG recently introduced their new smartphone user interface, called S-Class: one of the nicest smartphone experiences around.
You can experience the emulator, play the 3D game or download the 3D widget at http://sclassui.lgmobile.com
SmartMeasure Kitchen Measuring Cup by Ryan Eder & Chris Daniels of Priority Designs » Yanko Design
Capacitive sensing can make the digital cups
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Technology Review: Blogs: TR Editors' blog: Five Futuristic Interfaces on Display at SIGGRAPH
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
In Progress… Interactive MultiTouch Sphere. on Vimeo (via Vimeo)
Monday, August 3, 2009
Andy Wilson Q&A @ Interactive Displays 2009 on Vimeo (via Vimeo)
Andy Wilson's Talk @ Interactive Displays 2009 on Vimeo (via Vimeo)
Touchpad Pro
Touchpad Pro lets you wirelessly control your PC or Mac through your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Touchpad Pro
Touchpad Pro lets you wirelessly control your PC or Mac through your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
ITO is an essential material to construct touch screens. There are many candidate alternatives - Graphene, ZNT, and CNT. Now, Nickle also wants to challenge ITO.
(via Nickel electrodes challenge ITO in OLED test - nanotechweb.org
Force pressure touch technology: FSR sensor, electronics, firmware and software
Design Service Low Cost Pressure Mapping


text: Hi everyone - new here and new to flashing, so I'm prepared for the pitchforks and torches So I just rooted and flashed my Droid 3 to Steel Droid 5.6 ICS, and everything is working as expected (what is supposed to work works, and what doesn't...doesn't!). However; my big problem is the battery life. When flashing my phone was plugged in. It went from 100% to 33% after the flash, then after that 2 things stuck out to me as odd: When plugged into the computer, phone will slowly discharge (not getting enough juice) Fully charged, I will only get about 60 minutes of battery This morning I charged it to 100%, downloaded a battery calibration app and am running the phone all the way to discharge now. I should also note that during the flashing process I had to clear cache, restore to factory settings...and I have also cleared out the battery information. So...anyone run into this? Something just seems out of sync here. Thanks in advance for the help! Excited to be a part of the community


text: / Dictionary Meaning of unific Find definitions for: u•nif•ic Pronunciation: (y-nif'ik), [key] — adj. unifying; uniting: the unific influence of a common language. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. unifiable unification Related ContentDaily Word Quiz: opprobriumAnalogy of the Day: Today's AnalogySpelling Bee: Today's Spelling BeeKids' Word Quiz: preparatoryCrossword: Crossword Puzzle GuideFrequently Misspelled WordsFrequently Mispronounced WordsEasily Confused WordsWriting & Language


text:
I watched a documentary on Netflix that Michael Pollen wrote and starred in called "Cooked." The same Michael Pollen who wrote THE OMINVORE'S DILEMMA. It was very well done. There were four episodes broken into the four classic elements: fire, water, air, and earth. Fire was about roasting and cooking. Water was about soups, stews, or anything in a pot. Air was about bread and yeast. Earth was about microbes, bacteria, and fermentation. The overarching theme was the contest between convenience and authenticity in food. The more food is processed, the more profitable to the processor it becomes. The series dealt with the epidemic of obesity, diabetes and its relationship to fast and processed food, and how it is so much cheaper for calories in the middle aisles of grocery stores. Poor people can't afford fresh food.
Missy met with some folks at the local food bank in town and was talking to me about how few people know how to cook and prepare food today. The people at the food bank told her that many kids don't understand the relationship of the plants and animals and what they look like before the are processed. This is exactly what was in the documentary. As people move further and further from fresh to processed, they lose the sense of what they are really eating. I guess "soylent green" may not be that far away after all.
Today we opened the food pantry at church. It is profoundly humbling to be there helping. I have worked food lines before, and "the hungry" were mostly homeless, addicted, and mentally ill street people who wanted something to eat. The church food pantry is a totally different clientele — older white women who are stretching their social security check by coming to the pantry to save a week's worth of food expense. We give them bags that have, among other things, peanut butter, grits, beans, rice, a can of chicken breast, soup, jello, spaghetti and a can of sauce, a loaf of bread, and a bag of fresh veggies (usually onions, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, bananas, and peppers). Today Missy cut some rosemary from the gardens at church, and we handed it out. It was shocking to see how many people didn't know fresh rosemary and were surprised by its fragrant smell. Only two declined to get rosemary or sage to take home to season their food. I wonder how many of them can make a good soup or stew, bake a loaf of bread, or roast a chicken. Jesus tells us to feed the hungry, but the Spanish folklore tells us, if you give a man a fish he is sated for a day, but if you teach him to fish he can feed himself the rest of his life.
I have wondered out loud whether cooking classes would be a good outreach program at our church. I wonder if anybody would even care. It is so much easier to pull up to the drive through window than to prepare a meal. But they are missing the smells and the tastes that can only come from home-cooked meals, prepared from scratch. There is a PBS series called "The Mind of a Chef" that follow various chefs around as they cook and explain how they develop a cuisine. What jumps out is the utter dependency on the ingredients. If you use high quality ingredients, you get a substantially better dish, no matter how you prepare it. As the agricultural industry strives for efficiency, the taste and the flavor suffers. In one of the episodes, it mentions Benton's smoked hams in Madisonville, TN. So I drove up there and bought some bacon, ham, and sausage. WOW!! The sausage has so much flavor, it isn't even funny. I am sure the quality of the pigs is superior to the mass-produced pork in the grocery store. But in the same breath the atmosphere in the market area of Benton's is so much more humble than the "organic" meat market here in Chattanooga. I can't breath in there because it is so smug. What I am saying is that there are plenty of folks out there producing high quality ingredients that are humble working people — farmers, herders, and breeders who are just doing what they have always done. Now, how do we find a way to marry that to the unwashed masses that are the prey of the processed food industry? How do we, as a church family, transfer the old-timey skill sets of our grandparents to the apartment dwellers around us? In my mind, this is true ministry to our neighbors — to equip people so they are able to cook for themselves and give them a space to grow their food.


text:
According to the Petrol and Diesel Dealers association, functioning of pumps was normal and people approaching with old notes were denied fuel.
Gajkumar Mangave, president of the Kolhapur Petrol and Diesel dealers association said, "We expected some tension at petrol pumps because old notes were not being accepted. We plan to take police protection at major petrol pumps. Since Saturday morning, however, all pumps were functioning normally."
Mangave said that the note ban had affected businesses. "There was a 25% drop in sale of petrol and diesel on Saturday, as we refused to accept old notes of Rs 500."
He added that there were cases, where some people approached pumps with old notes, but after they were told that it cannot be accepted, they went out in searched of new notes. "Some people did approach us with Rs 2,000 notes and demanded change. We had to turn them away, saying that we are already facing liquidity crunch and cannot give change. People however manage to fill petrol with Rs 100 notes," he said.


text:
Playing with n-grams
Links in this post require access to Algorithmia.com private beta – you can obtain access by just following this link.
Inspired by @sampullara's tweet we started thinking about how we could create an N-gram trainer and text generator directly in Algorithmia. It also happened to be almost Valentine's day, so we wondered if we could apply the same principles to automatically generating love letters.
Although it is clear that we probably wouldn't be fooling our valentines with the fake letters it was still a fun exercise.
The task would be split up in three parts:
- generate the corpus of text
- train a model
- query the model for automatically generated text.
N-gram models are probabilistic models that assign probabilities on the "next" word in a sequence, given the n-1 previous words. The power of n-gram models are limited in natural language processing due to the fact that they cannot model deep dependencies, that is, the nth word only depends on the n-1 previous words; but they perform well on simple statistical demonstrations.
Love as a Service?
A quick internet search on love letters provided us with enough of a corpus to extract some trigrams. Algorithmia already had a convenient way to extract text from given URL's, and this is our data source for our love letter generator. Now we are ready to feed in our love corpus into the trigram generator.
The extraction of trigrams is done with an algorithm that generates trigram frequencies. This algorithm takes in an array of Strings (the love letters in our corpus), a beginning and an end token, and a Data collection URL to write the final trigram frequencies. The beginning and end tokens are necessary for us to be able to generate sentences. There are word sequences that are fit to start a sentence and those that are fit to end a sentence. To be able to discern these, we use beginning and end tokens that are unique and they do not show up in the text, so instead of hard-coding them, we take them as inputs.
N-grams explained visually:
After the small preprocessing step, we can go through the text and generate the frequencies in which they appear. This step can be referred to as the "sliding window" step where we go through each three-word (or word-token) combinations and keep recording the frequencies. The implementation details can be seen in the GenerateTrigramFrequencies algorithm. We record the output as the three words followed by the total frequency in a file.
Now we can pass the trigram model that we obtained to the RandomTextFromTrigram algorithm. If we think of the trigram groups as possible paths to be taken down a graph, randomly choosing one of the possible nodes limits our choices already. By going from the start of the graph to the end and choosing randomly from our possible "next words", we generate random text based on the original corpus.
And last as @sampullara tweet originally suggested we applied the same process to collect tweets by a user. We added an option to specify gram-length for the tweet generator. This was done due to the fact that, if there are not enough alternatives with different frequencies, the probabilistic nature of the generation of text is not very visible at the end result. Since tweets are generally short and fairly unique, trigrams do not result in very interesting combinations.
Note:we limit the number of tweets to be retrieved from a user so Twitter API doesn't rate limit us.
Want to try this yourself? All algorithms used for this blog post are online, available and open-source on Algorithmia. You can get private beta access by following this link.
- Zeynep and Diego
Machine Learning Showdown: Apache Mahout vs Weka
We here at Algorithmia are firm believers that no one tool can do it all – that's why we are working hard to put the world's algorithmic knowledge within everyone's reach. Needless to say, that's a work that will be in progress for awhile, but we're well on the way to getting many of the most popular algorithms out there. Machine learning is one of our highest priorities, so we recently made available two of the most popular machine learning packages: Weka and Mahout.
Both these packages are notable for different reasons. Weka is a venerable, well-developed project that's been around since the 80's. It includes a huge suite of well-optimized machine learning and data analysis algorithms as well as various supporting routines that handle formatting, data transformation, and related tasks. Weka's only real weakness is that its main package is not well optimized for memory intensive tasks on large datasets.
Mahout is almost completely the opposite, being something of a cocky newcomer. It's a recent project designed specifically for Big Data. Its set of algorithms seems tiny compared to Weka, its documentation is spotty and getting it to work can be a real headache (unless of course you're using it through Algorithmia). However, as our results below show, if you have much data to crunch, it may be the only game in town. Mahout is designed to scale using MapReduce and while integration of MapReduce into its algorithms is neither complete nor easy to use, even in the single machine case, Mahout shows evidence of being more capable of handling large volumes of data.
So, which is better?
As you probably figured out already, it depends.
There are any number of ways to answer this question, but we opted to compare them by picking a popular algorithm present in both, and comparing performance on a well known and non-trivial machine learning task. Specifically, we applied random forests to the MNIST handwritten digit recognition dataset.
The Task
The MNIST dataset is consists of handwritten digits. Note that we did work with a reduced subset of the dataset that has about 42000 images for training and 28000 for testing.
The Algorithm
Random forests are an ensemble classification method that enjoys great popularity due to their conceptual simplicity, good performance (both speed and accuracy for many applications) and resistance to overfitting. You can read more about them here or, of course, on Wikipedia. Despite differences in the implementations, all parameters apart from the number of trees were kept constant for the purpose of a fair comparison.
A quick demo to showcase
The Results
For accuracy, Weka is the clear winner, achieving its best accuracy at 99.39% using 250 trees, compared with Mahout's best: 95.89% using 100 trees. It's also worth noting that the number of trees had little effect on Mahout's classification accuracy, which stayed at between 95 and 96 percent for all forest sizes tried. Runtimes for both were comparable.
This shouldn't be terribly surprising, as Weka has been around for longer and we would expect to be at least somewhat better optimized, especially in the relatively small datasets for which it was specifically designed.
However, bear in mind that this MNIST is easily small enough to fit one one machine. Weka's superior accuracy won't count for anything once your data outgrows this and tools like Mahout will be your only option.
The Moral of the Story
So, it's just like we told you. When taking into account the whole scope of enterprise data problems, there is no clear winner or one-size-fits-all solution. If you have a little data and want to get the most out of it, use Weka. If you have a bunch of data, Mahout is your best (or perhaps only) choice, even if performance isn't quite what you would like.
One of the key advantages of Algorithmia is that you can easily try both head to head against your data set with no setup.
– Austin & Zeynep
Create your own machine learning powered RSS reader in under 30 minutes
As developers one of our biggest "problems" is our voracious appetite for news. From Twitter to HackerNews to the latest funding on TechCrunch, it seems, at times, we cannot avoid the gravitational pull of our favorite news feeds. I know, at least for myself, this is engrained in my routine: wake up, check Twitter, check TechCrunch, check The Verge, etc. I spend at least the first 30 minutes of every day reading feeds based on title and repeat this a couple more times through the day.
Get the code sample for this project here.
I recently discovered SkimFeed, which I love and call my "dashboard into nerd-dom," basically it is a single view of the major tech sites' titles. However, I wanted more information on each article before I decided to click on one, so I thought: Why not use text analysis algorithms as a more efficient way of consuming my feeds?
Building my very own text analysis API
There are a number of things that can be done as part of a text analysis API but I decided to concentrate on four elements I believed I could build the fastest:
- Strip documents of unnecessary elements
- Advanced topic extraction
- Automatically summarize stories
- Sentiment analysis
As all of these algorithms are already available in the Algorithmia API, I could piece them together without having to worry about servers, scaling, or even implementing the actual algorithms:
- ScrapeRSS – Retrieves all the necessary elements from an RSS feed
- Html2Text – Strips HTML elements and keeps the important text
- AutoTag – Looks for keywords that represent the topic of any text submitted to it. (Latent Dirichlet Allocation)
- SentimentAnalysis – Analyzes sentences for positive, neutral or negative connotation. Uses the Stanford NLP library.
- Summarizer – Breaks content into sentences, and extract key sentences that represent the contents topic. Uses classifier4j to ingest a URL and summarize its main contents
Now, it was just a question of making them work together (and it took ~200 lines of code).
Check it out here:
The process:
The first thing I needed to do was retrieve all the necessary elements from the RSS feeds (ScrapeRSS). Once I had located the main content I could strip all the unnecessary HTML (HTML2Text). Now I had a nice clean body of text to start doing analysis on.
Creating topic tags is an easy way of understanding an article at a very quick glance, so I fed our clean body of text through AutoTag. Now I had the RSS title and some topics, next step was to summarize each link into 3 sentences max to complement the tags. Finally, and mostly for fun, I wanted to see if it's true that most news is negative, so I added SentimentAnalysis.
You can check out some of the code here (or just view-source on our demo page in the browser).
That's one way to use the Algorithmia library to build your own text analysis API to analyze almost any data stream in < 30 minutes. .
Cheers, Diego
An algorithmic approach to GitHub exploration
If you recall from our last blog post we showed you how we used some of the algorithms in Algorithmia to generate topic tags for any URL. Internally, we used the topic generation algorithm to generate tags based on the algorithm's description and, later, use these tags as part of our recommender algorithm.
With today's post we want to show you how easy it is to integrate these type of recommender algorithms (an algorithm already available in Algorithmia) into your own workflow by showing it in action with one of our favorite developer tools, GitHub.
As GitHub has grown to almost 50 million repositories since 2011 (per our calculations), discovering new repositories has become less and less straight forward when navigating outside the most popular or featured repositories. With this in mind, we thought of a way to make it easier to tackle some of this complexity using some of the algorithms available in Algorithmia.
So here you go, give us any GitHub repository (as long as it has a README) and we will recommend other repositories based on the information we extract from the README:
How we built this
- The first step was to figure out the URL for every repository in GitHub. This might seem like a daunting task but the folks over at Github have been nice enough to make their entire data set available on Google Big Query. You can head over there and generate a list of every public repository since 2011.
- The second step, was to check every public repository's readme file and run it through Algorithmia's topic analysis algorithm.
- Once the topic analysis algorithm returns a set of tags, we save these tags to start generating the data model we will later use for our recommender algorithm as a mapping from URL -> [tags].
- Repeat this a couple million times (not the easiest task, but we had a virtually unlimited sized cluster to parallelize this task thanks to the Algorithmia platform), and voila a tagged data model of the entire GitHub world.
- Finally, it's time to start working with our recommender algorithm. To start, we need to point it to the data model we built and then send the algorithm the new set of tags that we generated from the URL you provided us with. With two inputs, the recommender algorithm returns a number of relevant repositories based on the tags automatically generated.
If you are interested in using any of these algorithms on your own site or application, we can help – these are all available in the Algorithmia API, just send us an email.
— Your friends at Algorithmia
Algorithmic Tagging of HackerNews (or any other site)
Part of making algorithms more discoverable is creating meta-data tags to classify them. Often sites will allow users to pick their own tags but what if the content had already been generated? This is the problem we faced when trying to tag all the algorithms in our API. Each algorithm had a description page and we believed that using some simple machine learning algorithms already in our API we could generate tags for each one.
By generating tag data, it becomes easy to classify documents, make recommendations, optimize SEO, etc. Below we show how we approached this task, using HackerNews as an example data source.
So how did we do this? Our secret sauce is that Algorithmia is designed to make it extremely easy to combine algorithms, to create a pipeline for processing and generating tags for almost any site.
The basics:
- Given a site, pull the data and iterate over every link
- Extract the text from each linked page
- Run the text though topic analysis algorithm (such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation)
- Return tagged data
- Render tags next to links
All this really is, is a pipeline of algorithms (plus some clever front-end js :P). In most cases, this would require some serious code stitching and algorithm development, but most of the components already existed in the Algorithmia API, and the solution was extremely clean, check it out:
This also works for arbitrary webpages. Enter a URL below to automatically generate tags for it:
Once we had these its becomes easy to classify algorithms, make recommendations and relate one algorithm to another. We'll leave that for the next post…
Get topic tags for your site dynamically – contact us !


text:
As well as designing and creating your swimming pool, we place great importance in its careful and continued maintenance.
The cleaning and balancing of your pool water can be a chore, but a necessary one. Some people have time for it, others do not.
With every pool it is important that chemical levels are checked and replenished. This ensures the clarity, quality and appearance of your pool.
Servicing and maintaining your pool with the same care and precision with which it was first created is essential to ensure both longevity and durability.
We will create a service schedule to suit your lifestyle and swimming pool usage to ensure those precious sunny weekends are not burdened with a murky pool!!
Year-round enjoyment in the comfort of your own home.
Bespoke builds to suit your garden size and shape.
Spa and Jacuzzis for you to relax in after a hard day's work.
To enhance, set the tone or simply add drama to transform your poolscape.


text:
Until 1994, the #1 reason college students sought out counseling was because of a relationship troubles. Ever since?
Anxiety and stress.
Who can blame these students? They've grown up in the culture of fear, raised by parents brainwashed into believing their kids could do nothing safely or successfully on their own. From Kumon to Kaplan to mom on speed dial, this generation has been swaddled, coddled, prodded. (Say THAT ten times fast!) Most of all, they've been supervised. What happens when that 5-point harness of constant oversight is sprung?
All the joy, and discombobulation, of instant adulthood.
For Students
Lenore Skenazy, author of the book and blog Free-Range Kids, knows where these kids are coming from. Her insights have landed her everywhere from Dr. Phil to The View to The Today Show. As Lenore explains to college students: "Your parents' job was to give you roots and wings. This is the wings part."
In her hilarious yet evidence-backed lecture, Lenore goes over the reasons students may be feeling a little lost, and how this can play out. Then she shares techniques — besides texting home! — that will help students succeed socially, emotionally and academically.
For Parents
Lenore gives a mirror lecture to parents on why it feels so scary to let go — and how to do it anyway, in a way that keeps parents and students close, but not pathetically over-involved. Professors will cheer: No more calls from mom about a student's B-minus!
These talks help both the generations enter the college years eagerly and successfully. All it requires is a little perspective (and jokes!) — Lenore's specialty. Attendees leave less worried, more optimistic, and ready for the next chapter.
For more information, please contact Judy Safern at Leading Thinkers: email@example.com.


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Willowgrove Kitchen, Laundry, Carport
his functional kitchen accommodates a couple with disparate heights, so there are three different counter heights for working and eating. All cabinetry in this remodel was site-built for an abundance of storage (see other photos). The chimney-style venthood required additional framing to accommodate its weight.
In this well-illuminated kitchen you will find task and ambient lighting sources from pendants, recessed cans, under-cabinet mounts and natural daylight. The island offers ample workspace in addition to a lower eat-in area, and on the cooktop side there are open shelves for easy access to pots and pans (not shown).
A close-up of the window wall highlights the warm, textured mosaic tile and liner, which are below the 4″ tile that runs up to the bottom of the under-lit cabinets. The prep sink allows the owners to work together in this inviting space – and that commercial faucet at the window could fill anything large!
In addition to the state-of-the-art refrigerator (not shown), the kitchen boasts of an extra large wine chiller and a small beverage cooler in stainless steel. Under-cabinet lighting throughout the space simplifies tasks and adds to the brightness of the kitchen.
In this spacious pantry of built-ins, the family pet has its own elevated dining area.
Adding a spacious laundry room with plenty of storage was an important component to achieving the owner's goals in this house remodel. This well-lit, utilitarian space has natural daylighting in addition to overhead fluorescents. The cabinetry style and hardware are continued from the kitchen into this space
The style and hardware of these site-built cabinets in the laundry room addition match those in the kitchen and home office spaces.
The recessed lighting of this home office space can double for task lighting as well as illuminating art on the walls, and the granite countertop lends a very warm, rich surface upon which to work. Notice how the cabinetry styling is echoed elsewhere in this remodel.
As exemplified by the illumination of the art at hall's end, this hallway's attractive track lighting makes for a brilliant way of creating an art gallery in the home.
The owner requested that the garage be removed in favor of this elevated, sloped, hurricane-strength steel carport and the integrated brick shed behind for storage.


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This Side-Slider kit enables you to set your 10.5 iPad Air or Pro into your dash and slide it to the left to dock it into the built-in Apple Lightning connector (not included). To release the iPad, slide the iPad to the right to undock it from the connector and simply lift the iPad from the kit. Reference the article here for kit assembly instructions and installation tips.
Our PATENTED kits are the number one choice among the custom car audio community.• FITS THE NEW 10.5 iPad Air
• Fits iPad Pro 10.5
• Made of urethane epoxy compound
• Kit assembly required
• Fabrication skills required to install kit
• iPad NOT INCLUDED
• One urethane epoxy plastic SIDE SLIDER mount
• 22 x N52 rated neodymium magnets
• One pre-cut suede backing
• All kits ship USPS
• First Class or Priority Mail available
• Please allow 1-2 weeks for product to arrive
• Kits are Injection Molded in the USA in small batches. Each kit prepared per order. Therefore, we cannot offer refunds on this product.
Watch this video for kit assembly instructions and installation tips.


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Interview with Cyn BalogJune 28, 2009 at 11:34 AM | Posted in Agents, Interviews, Writing Advice, YA | 8 Comments
Tags: 2009 Deb, Author Interview, Cyn Balog, Delacorte, Fairy Tale, YA
Now, with a title like Fairy Tale, I just have to ask – what's your favourite fairy tale, and why?
My favorite is Cinderella. That is because I had a very similar nickname growing up and everyone would call me that. I had the Disney movie growing up and I watched it a gazillion times. Though it kind of freaks me out that Cinderella, for some reason, has no toes. OBVIOUSLY she would be the only one who can fit in that glass slipper, if she has no toes. Ew.
Hmm, now that you bring it up, that is kind of disturbing. As you've mentioned on your blog, fairies are an age-old concept. But every author puts a unique spin on these magical creatures. What differentiates your fairies in particular?
I started FAIRY TALE as a spoof of the fairy genre… I really didn't take it very seriously, especially since the whole fairy thing was really just an aside to the main story, which was losing one's first, seemingly perfect love. I have to confess that sometimes I'll read a fairy book and my head will spin because it's too embroiled in the lore. My fairies are fairly simplistic, something that people who aren't into the lore can understand and relate to.
Early reviews of Fairy Tale mention great things about the characterization – and they do all sound so intriguing! If you could meet any character from your book, who would you choose, and what would you guys do for a day?
I think I would like to meet Pip, because he's sweet and gentle and would basically do whatever I wanted to, like even hold my purse for me while I shopped.
Aww, that would be sweet! Speaking of the realm of the fictional – do you have any fictional or literary crushes? (Who?)
Almanzo Wilder from Little House on the Prairie.
Oh, good one! If you could bring any fictional character (book, movie, tv, any form of media really) to life, who would it be, and why?
I'd bring Bella to life, but not Edward, because it would be really hilarious to watch her try to survive without him.
Haha, slightly sadistic, but that would be an interesting social experiment nonetheless. Are there any juicy tidbits you're allowed to share about your upcoming YA paranormal Sleepless?
Um, sure. It features a really hot, sexy sandman named Eron. Sandmen are like, the new fairies. I am soooo sure of it. At least, in my dreams.
That does sound intriguing! You bet – sandmen are definitely going to be in very soon. ;) What do you do when the muse has gone on vacation (i.e. the inspiration is lacking)?
You have to write through it! That's the only way to get over it. I once had writer's block for 10 years, and I know that writing breeds more writing, and when you stop, it's impossible to start up again. Now that most of my work is on deadline, I have to push myself through it. I work really well on deadlines; they make it impossible to have writer's block. It's either, have writer's block and starve, or get over it and eat ;)
Words of wisdom – share a quote of personal significance?
Hmmm… something sticking in my head…. "Hit the road Jack, and dontcha come back no more, no more, no more, no more." Okay, no, that isn't really inspiring, but I went out to eat a few nights ago and that song was playing in the restroom and I now can't get it out of my head.
Now, about the unexpected. What are the best and worst unforseen things that have come along with this whole process (e.g. the planning, outlining, writing, querying, submitting, publishing, etc.)?
The best thing, especially writing for young adults, is that you will have a bunch of teens coming up to you or emailing saying they love your book… and that just plain rocks. They are the best audience a writer can wish for. I don't think adults are as willing to lavish praise on a person, so it's just so nice since this world is getting increasingly cold and unfeeling. Like, I can come home from being cut off in traffic and stepped on in line while checking out at the supermarket, read my mail, and go, Ahhh!
Anything you'd like to add?
Um, hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more?
Thanks for the great interview, Cyn! More information about both Cyn and her recent release Fairy Tale can be found at Cyn's home on the web.
About Fairy Tale
Morgan Sparks and Cam Browne are a match made in heaven. They've been best friends since birth, they tell each other everything, and oh yeah- they're totally hot for each other. But a week before their joint Sweet Sixteen bash, everything changes. Cam's awkward cousin Pip comes to stay, and Morgan is stunned when her formerly perfect boyfriend seems to be drifting away. When Morgan demands answers, she's shocked to discover the source of Cam's distance isn't another girl- it's another world. Pip claims that Cam is a fairy. No, seriously. A fairy. And now his people want Cam to return to their world and take his rightful place as Fairy King.
Determined to keep Cam with her, Morgan plots to fool the fairies. But as Cam continues to change, she has to decide once and for all if he really is her destiny, and if their "perfect" love can weather an uncertain future.
*Cross-posted from Lucid Conspiracy
8 Comments »
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Great interview, but now I have that song stuck in my head too… I'm going to have to see if I can find Fairy Tale soon. :)
Comment by rkhorserider— June 28, 2009 #
And this is why deltay is the interview queen. :)
Thank you both for the great interview!
Comment by kristinbriana— June 28, 2009 #
OMG. Have I got to live UP TO THIS? I'm doing a mini-interview on the 11th of July.
Comment by It's-Magic!— June 30, 2009 #
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Recycled Pets has bi-monthly adoption events, we can be found on the first and third Saturdays at Pet Food Express at "The Fountains" in Roseville from 12p-2p. You can find details about our events on our Facebook page.
Come and meet our adoptable animals, say hi to our hard working volunteers, make a donation and maybe get a treat in return. Check out the calendar below for all the details on our upcoming events.


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As a club, we do not currently offer structured cycling training, however, in the near future we hope to hold a weekly spin session at "McCaulays Health Clubs – Dinnaton" for club members.
If you are interested in cycling with club members on the road, there are plenty of informal groups of athletes who go for rides throughout the week. Join our Facebook Group to find out more.
. http://www.thelaneshealthandbeauty.com/buy-valium-uk/ https://viagrarxhere.com/


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Amtrak suspends services between Kansas City and St. Louis
OMAHA - Amtrak service between Kansas City and St. Louis has been temporarily suspended due to increase freight train traffic on Amtrak's Union Pacific route.
Historic flooding the midwest lead to an increased amount of freight trains traveling across the route. With increased amounts of freight trains, Amtrak has to suspend its passenger trains.
Amtrak says charter buses will cover the Union Pacific route from Kansas City to St. Louis and stop at all stations as close to the train schedules as possible, however delays are expected.
Anyone planning travel should allow extra time to get to the station and get to their destination.
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COLUMBIA – Columbia Public Schools released its investigation summary into the Battle High School vs. Jackson R-2 varsity football game.... More >>
COLUMBIA - Four state lawmakers have pre-filed legislation to raise Missouri's fuel tax in 2021. The tax is currently... More >>


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Here I share my book reviews, thoughts, discussions, hauls and more. Have a look around to find out more.
About me
Hi! I'm Kara, a book lover based in London. I love reading and talking about books. I am an aspiring author and one day hope to share my books with the world.
At the moment I am mostly reading dystopian, fantasy, sci-fi or crime novels. I am starting to enjoy some more contemporary novels and would love to discover more great reads from any genre that I may not be inclined to find on my own. I am also hoping to read a lot more historical fiction as I am a complete history nerd too. Please do comment on my posts with any book recommendations you think I will enjoy, or find my on my social media platforms.
Happy reading x


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I initially started volunteering at Bildeston when my daughter started school, listening to readers, changing books and helping the teachers.
My role currently involves supporting Year 4 Maths, working in Goldcrest class, teaching phonics to the reception children and in Kingfisher class. I also work on a 1:1 basis with pupils with individual educational needs.


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I can't tell you why, but this year I have not seen any evidence of the moles that normally live in my back yard / garden. I also haven't yet seen a flush of June Bugs. They normally show themselves in early May around here, so some refer to them as May Beetles. Also, in all my digging, I haven't seen a single Japanese Beetle.
If they all stay away, I'll be OK with that.


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Following the conclusion of the inaugural DPC, we have parted ways with four of our Dota 2 personnel. We thank Jacky 'EternalEnvy' Mao, Saahil 'Universe' Arora and Johan 'PieLieDie' Åstrom for their time at Fnatic.
Also departing the Fnatic Dota team will be head coach, Curtis 'Aui_2000' Ling.
Since creating the roster after The International 2017, we saw the team slowly grow to a team competitive with a new global style throughout the 2017-2018 season.
We began the season slowly before qualifying for the first two Majors, ESL One Hamburg 2017 and DreamLeague Season 8. It was The Summit 8 & 9 and DreamLeague Season 9 that represented our best performances, however, with a grand final in each of those tournaments.
Despite seven top 4 finishes throughout the season, we fell one game short of automatically qualifying for The International 2018, through DPC seedings, as we lost to Optic Gaming in the semifinal of ESL One Birmingham 2018.
Our result at The International 2018, the crux of the DPC season, sadly did not end to the full capabilities of our potential. Despite a promising start in the group stage, we eventually lost out to the Chinese roster of Team Serenity in the first round of the play-offs.
Now, we look to anew and say our goodbyes to three players and a coach who have some of the most experience in the game.
The team and remaining members have learnt a lot of fresh and unique play styles & strategies in this iteration of Fnatic Dota, especially under the captaincy of EternalEnvy and we will treasure everything that he has taught us moving forward.
"Playing in SEA and with Fnatic has been a great and important experience. It was my first time outside of Toronto, my first time living in a team house - all in the region of the most passionate Dota.
Our end result is disappointing and not what we aimed to accomplished. But I hope what I brought to Fnatic, and SEA as a whole, in my time here will prove useful in the team's future.
As we now part ways, I can only hope we meet once again on the battlefield. Thank you and good bye." - Jacky 'EternalEnvy' Mao
He arrived with a support who is a role model in his particular position; PieLieDie exemplifies a particular support style as he opened our eyes on how the sacrificial support role can be played.
"After playing for Fnatic in SEA for a year, it's time to say goodbye. This whole year has been very up and down. But, overall, has been a positive experience for me as a player and a person.
Going back to playing for an established professional organisation and having that support was great, and living in a team house for a year was incredibly interesting as well as challenging at the same time.
After our team finished reshuffling, I truly believed we could have become one of the best, if not the best, teams in the world. Unfortunately, that's not how things transpired. Even though we didn't reach what I believed to be our potential, I still believe in all my teammates and I know they will do well this upcoming year.
I'd like to thank everyone who has supported me and Fnatic throughout this journey." - Johan 'PieLieDie' Åstrom
Arriving to the team later in the season was Universe, who is perhaps the most experienced offlaner in Dota 2 history. It was an honour to see the 28-year old represent the Black and Orange at his eighth The International.
"Playing with Fnatic, I had my fair share of ups and downs; I believe the team had lots of potential to which we unfortunately didn't fulfil in the end. Despite all of that, I personally enjoyed my time with the team and feel like I learned a lot, not only about Dota but about life itself.
I would like to thank my teammates and Fnatic for the opportunity they gave me this past season." - Saahil 'Universe' Arora
Going into the 2018-2019 Dota Pro Circuit, we are buoyed by the re-signing of Abed 'Abed' Yusop and Djardel 'DJ' Mampusti.
Abed, the prodigious SEA core player, signed for us in November of last year. Already he has shown that, still being at the start of his career, his potential in the game could be endless.
DJ has now represented the Black and Orange for well over two years and he has, in that time, proven to be one of the best position 4s in the world. He signs a multi-year contract that will keep him at Fnatic for much longer yet.
More news concerning our roster ahead of the DPC will be coming soon.


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Before you stands a low willow tree with a wide trunk, its bent branches sway solemnly in the breeze.
Sleeping Willow CR 10
NE Huge plant
Init +1; Senses low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +11
AC 23, touch 7, flat-footed 24 (-1 Dex, + 16 natural, -2 size)
hp 104 (11d8+44 plus 11)
Fort +11, Ref +2, Will +4
Defensive Abilities plant traits
Weaknesses vulnerability to fire
Speed 10 ft.
Melee 4 slams +15 (2d6+8 19-12/x2 plus grab plus Constitution drain)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks sleep spores
Str 26, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 11
Base Atk +8; CMB +18; CMD 27
Feats Cleave, Improved Critical (slam), Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), Toughness, Weapon Focus (slam),
Skills Perception +11, Stealth +0 (+10 in forests); Racial Modifiers +10 Stealth in forests
Constitution Drain (Su)
Any creature grabbed by a sleeping willow must make a successful DC 19 Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round the hold is maintained as the sleeping willow drains the victim's body fluids. The sleeping willow heals 5 points of damage whenever it drains Constitution, gaining temporary hit points (if bonus hit points exceed the sleeping willows total). At Constitution 0, the creature dies and its body is absorbed by the sleeping willow's roots. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Sleep Spores (Ex)
As a standard action, a sleeping willow can eject a cloud of yellowish pollen from its body in a 30-foot spread. Affected creatures must make a successful DC 19 Will save or fall asleep for 10 minutes. There is no HD limit for this sleep effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary or grove (2-5)
Treasure standard
Sleeping willows are slow-moving, carnivorous plant creatures with evil dispositions. Most sleeping willows make their home among groves or areas of normal willow trees where they can use their natural appearance to their advantage. Though capable of movement, the sleeping willow only moves at night, so as not to be detected or seen. Once a hunting area becomes depopulated or scarce, the sleeping willow moves on to better hunting grounds where it takes root and repeats the above cycle of waiting, hunting, and moving on to a new location. Sleeping willows do not collect treasure but the treasure from their past victims is often scattered about the base of the tree. Sleeping willows do not mind this, for they know that greedy treasure-seekers will be lured in by this and it makes catching a meal that much easier.
A sleeping willow appears as a normal willow tree (and is often mistaken for such) standing 15 or more feet tall. Some species have been rumored to reach heights in excess of 30 feet. Its trunk is 2 feet or more in diameter and dark brown in color. From the trunk sprout branches that end in long drooping and graceful twigs. The sleeping willow is crowned with leaves of green or brownish-green.
A sleeping willow prefers to attack from ambush when potential prey wanders too close to it. Once prey is in range, the sleeping willow releases its spores and then attacks with its branches, grabbing its prey in its vise-like grip. Grappled creatures are drained of their body fluids and absorbed by the tree.
A grove of sleeping willows act in concert against multiple opponents, aiding one another when necessary until the opponents are slain or flee.
Sleeping Willow from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author Scott Greene.