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Cider and Sage Dinner Rolls
- Yield: 8 pieces
- 1/2cup apple cider
- 1/4cup butter
- 1teaspoon yeast
- 2tablespoons honey
- 1 egg plus 1 yolk
- 2 1/4cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)
- 1 1/2teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 egg white, for egg wash
- In a small saucepan, heat the apple cider and butter until the butter has melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Combine the flour and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix yeast, honey, and cooled cider-butter mixture. Add the flour and salt, sage, and egg and yolk. Save the egg white for the egg wash.
- Use the dough hook to knead the dough on low until it all comes together, then increase the speed and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, satiny, and slightly sticky. Let it sit for 20 minutes to autolyse (to allow more gluten to form), then knead for another 10 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours, until almost doubled in size. Then punch it down and let it rise for a few more hours, then stick it in the fridge to rest overnight.
- Take the dough out to let it warm to room temperature, then portion it out into 8 even pieces. Gather the edges of one piece of dough together, making it look like a pseudo dumpling. On a non-floured surface, placing the dough smooth side up, try to get the gathered dough side to stick to your work surface. Cup your floured hand over the dough (almost as if you're typing on a keyboard), and move it around in a circular motion without putting pressure down on the dough, until the ball of dough is shaped into a smooth round roll.
- Place the shaped rolls in a floured pan, and let them rise for an hour. Brush with the leftover egg white, let them rise for another hour, brush them with more egg white, and then let them rise again while you preheat your oven to 375F. Bake them for 25-35 minutes, until browned and beautiful. If you have a thermometer, the bread should be at least 190F. Let them cool for a few minutes, and then serve them warm with a generous pat of butter.
This recipe from Honest Cooking was republished with permission. It originally appeared as Apple Cider and Sage Dinner Rolls at Yin and Yolk.


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It's been a crazy few months for me. With moving to a new apartment, starting a new business (Preggie Baby Boutique - check it out!), and my best friend moving to another state - across the country, it's been hectic. I haven't had much time for cooking. I've mostly eaten out or picked up ready-made food at our local grocery store. Tonight was a different story, however. I was itching to … [Read more...]
posted on June 18, 2014 by

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Should players be able to choose their occupation?
Players should be able to choose what occupation they are, and also replay the game as different occupations. That way they can play with a purpose and with certain goals in mind, without being forced to play as an occupation they do not want to learn or simulate with.
Yes, players should be able to choose their occupation in the game because I am playing a game and I want to be able to do whatever I want in it. After you able to choose your occupation and become bored with it, then you should be given the opportunity to choose a different occupation or have an occupation assigned to you randomly. Often players get bored if they do not get their way when starting out a new game, but once they get into the game, they allow themselves to be changed or manipulated in order to further the game's experience.
I think that players should have the freedom to choose their occupation because I believe it would be more enjoyable if one's virtual character's job is reflective of the player's interests. That freedom brings about a layer of realism into the sphere of the game because subjective investment as well as subjective emotional experiences can be honed into an occupation that is of personal interest to the player. I find it kind of difficult to have a game in which a player is forced to engage in a game that does not allow for his or her own personality to be represented, even in the simple act of picking a virtual occupation. Furthermore, the four fundamental decrees of the freedom of citizenship and the elimination of inheritance, marriage, and private land rights should give the player a liberty to pursue a career based on their own subjective interest because there is no accumulation of monetary gain or private land rights. Which makes me believe that if a player is to engage in a game, the duration of the character's life/the gamer's experience within the game should be spent working in an occupation that is representative of his/her interests.
The reason I chose "no", was because I feel that by randomly assigning an occupation to the player, it will make it more interesting and more fun. The player will have to figure out along the way how to be successful in their occupation, it will lead the player to be more adaptable to the game play, be more clever and creative with the occupation given. If the player has the option of choosing any occupation, then they will already have an idea of what to do, already have a set of goals, etc., which is not bad since it would resemble planning for one's future in real life, but it already (for me) loses the point to the game where with the element of surprise added to the game would make it more enjoyable. For example, in the game 'The Sims', the player has the option of choosing the occupation for their Sim. When I used to play that game, I would always choose the job with the highest pay check, since that way I would be able to buy more stuff and enjoy the game more. However, if instead I was randomly given an occupation, then it would have kept me on my toes as to what would I have to do to be successful in this career, and therefore make it more interesting and entertaining since each different occupation hold different goals and achievements. Moreover, it would it make it more different each time the player plays, therefore not have the player always do the same thing over and over.
I think players should have the freedom to choose because that is what makes the game different or better than real life because people will be able to do what they want rather than work with what they have. This frees everyone from whatever limitations they have whether they be personal, social or environmental pressures that would not allow them to do a certain profession or job. Also people come to the game world as a form of role playing and use it to experience different things they might not see or have the chance to see in person so allowing them the freedom to choose would open these doors for them as well.
I agree with cheng.177.ku's comment of limitations and pressures on the player. Personal, social, or environmental pressures do have an affect on a player's gameplay and limitations changes the way people play, not often for the better. The freedom to choose is a much needed aspect of any game and allows gamers to have fun with it.
Players enjoy games that allow us to traverse different identities and scenarios. Cheng takes on a persuasive stance on this subject that gamers should be given the freedom to choose what occupation they could take on within the game. Games should allow for freedom of intention and action, and this is a quality that makes them so endearing to players. If we were bound to occupations that are set throughout the game, it could take away from the exciting and fun level of the game. Being able to choose a different profession or identity in games also cultivates the player's imagination which makes his or experience that much more pleasurable. Players are able to express themselves more by playing as another ego within the game.
I think the players should be able to choose their jobs. According to the decrees, citizenship is also by choice, By providing such freedom, jobs should therefore a freedom chose by players. Also, there should be no worries that players would only choose those high pay job, because there would be no Inheritance and land right, players would definitely want to try different jobs as no matter how much they earn, there may be little difference with those earn less than them. Only by choosing what jobs you personally want, the players would do it better and with more passion. Hence increase the productivity of the whole world.
I definitely agree that players should own the right to choose their own occupation based on the decrees set forth by the developers. It is the choice of the individual to become a citizen, so they should also be afforded the luxury or choice of their general occupation. The right to freely choose an occupation would provide the user with the possibility of doing what drives them or interests them within a game. People will not be as entertained or have as much fun if they were forced into a position compared to an individual that freely chose what they desire. People use video games to submerse themselves in a new world of their choosing and by forcing them into a single occupation hinders their creativity within the virtual world.
This is a hard question to answer, even though I eventually voted "Yes," my true answer might be closer to a "No."
Jobs should be available, much like other things, via a system of supply and demand. The demand for Ditch Diggers is low, but the supply is nil if everyone can choose their job without restrictions.
As someone else has already pointed out, picking International Music Idol can't be an option, but lounge singer might get you there eventually.
Perhaps the best answer lies somewhere between Yes and No, day job and side gig? This way you are able to choose a job that is needed, but also one that appeals to you (and possibly succeed at eventually).
When removing the monetary constraints on jobs, there must be some other system of control, else we run the risk of all game players and no game developers... all burger eaters and no burger flippers...
I voted for freedom of choice because if the game is forcing you down a certain path it will make the player not want to play. Also this should be a way for a person to do something that they don't normally do. Give them a new choice, one that they may not have a choice of otherwise.
Given that this game is about granting the freedom of choice to people, I feel that it is essential for a person to be able to choose their occupation. Let me start of by saying, I do not mean that someone should be able to choose to be an international pop-star. They would have to start off at the lowest level of the occupation, and work their way up. However, the choice of which "ladder" they will be climbing on should be theirs. This would be a good contrast to the modern world, since in it, one often cannot choose to do this. For example, someone without a lot of money might want to be a surgeon, but never follows through the process because they simply cannot afford the price of the education. In contrast, By being able to choose your starting point, you would be able to go after the occupation you actually want, without any hesitation, and thus enjoy your work more. This makes you more productive, and thus everyone benefits.
However, having to pick an occupation shouldn't force you to stay in it your entire life. I feel that there would need to be some "switching" process, that would allow you to change occupations if you hate the one you're in. This should either set you back to the bottom of the ladder, or somewhere in the middle (depending on how comparable the occupations are).
Tatiana Chibisova
COCU177 - WI12; Ayhan Aytes
I think this poster nailed it on the head with their depiction. A player should be able to decide what he or she wants to be, just like the real world. But, for this to happen one must choose a ladder and jump through many hoops to to become what they want to become. This way it causes the player to actually put in effort to achieve their goal rather then just achieving it because they wanted that to become their outcome. Also, like the real world I do believe a player should be able to switch their occupation. What if one player really didn't decide they wanted to be a pop-princess and decided they wanted to be something else. However, if they switch I believe they should start all over again and climb the ladder and jump through the hoops and not be granted free access. For instance, if I worked in at Vons and all of sudden made it up to grocery store checker I should not get the benefit of that title if I switch to the food industry because it is completely different experience. If a player truly wants to choose that occupation and enjoys doing it he or she will make an effort and strive to be the best.
I believe players should be able to choice their occupations because that should be at least one of their rights to playing the game. Especially when they die, they lose all their inheritance after death, I'd say at least let the players do something that they might enjoy in their duration of the game. Also, I think it will at least give the players some hope to know that they are somewhat in control of what they can be, and not just be given something that they might not want.
Paul Cho
I voted against giving players the ability to choose their own occupations because I feel that it would detract from the simulation aspect of the game. I should think it generally acknowledged that any simulation of a large or even global population must include a good sampling of a wide variety of viewpoints and socioeconomic strata which must be adhered to in the decision-making and running of the simulation. Since agoraXchange is only a tiny subset of all Internet users, who are themselves a subset of humanity, the occupational choices made by players will invariably be skewed. One need only to take a quick look at the "Who's Here" section of the website to see that its regional (and likely socioeconomic) representation is undeniably disproportionate. While, by definition, no simulation can truly be perfect without unrealistically including the entirety of the human population, an artificial assignment of occupations to emulate the makeup of the human populace is, in my opinion, the best way to provide a proxy for society.
I voted for being able to choose your occupation in the game because the decrees basically allow for a world that advocates choice- citizenship, kinship etc. You should have to the ability to choose 3 occupations and list them in order of preference because the world should simulate reality as close as possible and the world is a cold hard place. One of the three occupations should be guaranteed.
--keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you're up to.
I think your idea is good that there should be a few preference to players. And actually there could be something like 'trial period', people can try the job first, if they are doing good, then they can be officially recruited, if not, they can try other jobs, the reason for that is sometimes some job need specific qualification, e.g. A degree holder. But that often denies some talented people from that jobs. By using the trial period, people can show their ability that that can do it well. If they don't do well, then players should find an alternative job to show his talent or ability.
It is really imperative that players be able to choose their own occupation. It ties in with the general theme of this game, which is that there should exist a world that is much more fair than the current world we have now. The decrees imply fairness as concept that ties in to an individuals own accomplishments and choices. The second decree highlights this concept of fairness by establishing that no one can inherit anything, meaning that no person can gain an unfair advantage in life and or accumulate vast amounts of wealth. How this ties in with occupations is that a persons own life should be indicative of their own choices. An example is the first decree that removes the basis of citizenship to allow for anyone to be anywhere they want to be, and remove all obstacles that the present world has with immigration laws. Choosing your own occupation allows for someone to choose their own life and gives everyone a fair chance at achieving the kind of life they want. However a way that it can because of the lack of inheritance it should allow for more fairness on the basis that no one can gain an advantage through connections and wealth.
I think that players should be able to choose their occupation, but that choice should not guarantee that the player will actually be able to get that job. Since the goal of this project is to offer an alternative to our reality and to point out the faults in our own system, then I think it should be realistic. The game should take measures to make sure that there cannot be an overabundance of players with the same occupation and that it should take effort on the part of the player to land their job. Randomly assigning jobs does not seem particularly fair, or anything close to Thomas Moore's Utopia, as it makes people unfairly born into certain fates, just like the current system which we are trying to move away from does. People should all have an equal opportunity in pursuing the occupation of their choice. However, this should not guarantee some happy ending. We cannot all be vets and astronauts. Much like in the real world, players should have to work for their occupation. Since there will be no inheritances, there will be no trust fund babies or generous donations to law schools from rich parents - everyone will start off from the same point, and no one will have an unequal advantage over anyone else in landing their dream job. I also think that occupations should be more balanced in their salaries. If in this world there is no inheritances or private property for citizens, then occupations should be adjusted such that all end up being equal. For example, if it takes 6 more years of school to be a doctor than it does to be a policeman, then the doctor should be compensated in salary only enough to be come out equal with the policeman, who has had four extra years in the workforce. Under this system, hopefully people will choose occupations solely based on personal preferences, since all jobs will be equal.
If one of the Decrees is "citizenship by choice" then why wouldn't "Occupation by choice" be desirable within this system? The fact that this is even a question is a bit puzzling. If "The Manifesto" essentially states that maintaining highest freedom of choice possible results in a better world, why would we take away people's ability to choose arguably the most important (definitely most time-consuming) aspect of life?
I believe that a player should be able to choose its occupation, which I believe falls in line with the game's decree. This is especially apparent in decree 1, which states that a player develops citizenship by choice, not by birthright or any other method. This choice of identification regarding the essential issue of citizenship parallels the choice a player must make for a job. After all, choosing one's occupation is a hugely proactive, individualist statement that goes in line with the game's overall intentions.
However, restrictions must be placed on the way players can choose their said occupations. After all, not all jobs pay alike, nor are they all equally prestigious. If players are able to select an occupation with no restrictions, a huge number of players would be grouped up in the top tier, most highly paid and coveted jobs, thereby hurting the game's economy and overall political dimension. For this reason, I believe that players should be able to "level up," per say, by developing avatarial capital to get the higher paying, higher ranked jobs. Another solution would be to force players to take tests to achieve higher job rankings.
It is a game, we must always remember this. If people start with an occupation that they do not like they will just create a new character until they get one that they like. This being said occupations should not be randomly selected. But if we allow people to pick their job exactly, then there would be an over-saturation of people within the best jobs. Lets instead let people pick what they want to do, and see if they can achieve it. So for example, at character creation the player would pick the scientist path, they then would go through the steps in game to be a scientist. Depending on the choices and actions that they make in game, they branch out to different careers. So they might start out wanting to be a scientist, but end up being a garbage man! This allows players to feel like they have some choice in the matter, while still providing variation. This is much like the real world! For I would really like to be an astronaut, but I might not make the right choices in the end to become one.
I believe that users should be able to choose their occupation within reason. If this game aims to imitate real everyday problems, then choosing an occupation should be one of them. If one aims to choose a certain job, then by all means they should be able to try and acquire that position. But acquiring a desired occupation in today's economy can be very difficult. I think that this is just another problem that should be realistically depicted in the game.
Yes, because the game aims to simulate a real-life experience as much as possible, then users should be allowed to choose what type of profession they are. However, as in the real world, there should be some sort of limit/cap to the numbers of the more "popular" occupations, so that there is a wide variety of different occupations within the game. Maybe to encourage people to take up occupations that are less popular, it might be possible to offer incentives in taking up those jobs (just throwing some ideas out there).
I think that with this question, the game should imitate the real world as much as possible. Players should be allowed to choose their own occupation, just as they technically do in real life. However, I believe each job should require certain missions and/or tasks to acquire their desired occupation. That being said, the higher-end jobs (doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc) should require more difficult, tedious and extensive tasks and lower-end jobs should be easier to acquire. As is in real life, if one truly has a desire to have a certain occupation, they will be willing to put in the work to acquire that occupation, just as individuals do in real life. From my experience with games of this sort, gamers enjoy playing the game when it adheres to that person's interests. Randomly assigning occupations has a high risk of gamers growing bored of the game because they do not enjoy their occupation. Allowing for the individuals to make their own decisions, will result in those individuals to enjoy playing the game a lot more.
I definitely see your point that there should be some missions required to ensure the player do their job well, not doing whatever he likes. For example, being a police or army cannot abuse their weapons. There should be guidelines and consultation to the players to provide assistant.
I agree with the idea that each job should require certain missions to acquire their desired occupation. That being said, according to the games Manifesto, the right to own private property is forbidden. The state owns all land and redistributes it through leasing. What if my job required being a landowner. This is where thing like drilling for oil, exploiting natural resources, ect come into play. Are all profits reaped from something that is state owned by redistributed also? I believe that the game would be more surprising and offer more of a challenge by randomly assigning occupations.
I think if people were randomly assigned occupations, it is likely that individuals would end up with an occupation they didn't find desirable. As a result, they could perform poorly in that occupation, at the detriment of others in the "society". Also, since the idea of occupations as a game mechanic implies there could potentially be certain "skill sets" available to players in the game, it is likely that some skills sets would be more viable for certain occupations, and thus people could not simply be randomly assigned an occupation. It seems to me that the manifesto does not directly account for things such as drilling for oil, however, by the manifesto it seems the political and social implications behind this acquisition of energy is meant to be eradicated. By this idea, the appropriation of funds would probably be handled by the state and redistributed.
Bandy.177.Lu, if you randomly assign occupations, people will likely end up in one they don't like, and therefore will not have much motivation to excel in it. You are right about social inequality arising from differing advantages of some occupations over others, but keep in mind that this is inevitable because of "supply and demand." As jhanassab said, some jobs are more difficult than others. Therefore some jobs will have higher returns than others. Of course, this is a breeding ground for some of the socials issues lamented in the manifesto, but its unavoidable. The four Decrees do not address this problem.
Should players be able to choose their occupation?
I chose that players should be able to choose their occupation. Even though most people would want to become rich and have a great job, not everyone can become doctors or lawyers. Also, I feel that randomly chosen occupation for people wouldn't work because you don't get to choose what you want to do with your live, instead it is chosen for you. That type of system would deprive players to hate their occupation if they been given a bad one. I believe everyone should be given an opportunity to choose what they want to do with their life. I do believe however, players will all start in the beginning as equals and everyone is given the same amount of resources to achieve the occupation they want to pursue. As regards to acquire job titles, this will be determine by the set of skills that the player learned and how well the player preform those skills.
Eric Arbulante
Undergrad Student
University of California, San Diego
COCU177: Critical Computer Game Studies(Sum II.2011)
I suggest that players have freedom to choose own occupation in the game which will provide more entertaining experience during the play. As game players, you do not want to play a game with an occupation that you do not like. Similarily, you will not find a job that you do not like in a real world. A game that forces you to choose only single occupation is not accessible because game should give you the chance to explore different kinds of adventures. Also, by choosing own occupation, one can learn the responsibility by facing different consequence and struggle. We may not easily to find a job that we like the most, but virtual world, it provide us a chance to learn the characteristics of each occupations. Overall, allowing players to choose occupations freely can help players to understand more about the perks in the real society.
I agree that we should have some degree of freedom to choose our own occupation, but I feel that in the real world, at times our occupation does not necessarily reflect our personal interests; it could be that we don't have much choice, or we do our profession due to other factors (family pressure, salary/compensation), so I feel that it might be good for the game to incorporate something along those lines.
In agoraXchange's mission to implement a multiplayer online game that signifies a resemblance to our present/current world, I believe players should have the freedom to choose their own occupation. The freedom to choose their occupation allows the player to embed an ideological discourse of what to expect to maintain their role/occupation in the game. Furthermore, I truly believe that players need to be aware of specific rules/regulations to maintain their occupation in order to elevate in levels with certain missions, etc. In similarity to the real world, it's important to make sure individuals are up to par with their tasks within the occupation for a consistent role. The allowance of choosing your own occupation gives the players the interest and heart to play; simply, because they have the free-choice of their own occupation. On the other hand, this free-choice of occupation helps players since the decrees states no land rights, marriage, and inheritance. All in all, it is up to the player to create consistency within their occupation in order to elevate in the game.
I think we should be able to choose our occupations in this world just like how we can choose our occupation in the real world. However, there should be a series of tasks and performances while we work toward achieving such occupation. We cannot just choose to become a CEO of a corporation. However, we can certainly work for it, and if we fail there will be other options or fields that are available to us. I don't think the occupation should be randomly assigned. On the other hand, occupation should not be handed to us freely as well.
I definitely agree that occupation should be chosen freely and that players should be required to work for it. However, we also need to address the idea of maximum capacity per occupation and level of difficulty to achieve all occupations. As with many games, the first players to play the game may attempt to obtain many different occupations. After the game has been played for a while, newer players may figure out that certain occupations are more beneficial in the game, which may lead to an severely unbalanced economy. To prevent this, the world must enforce a positive relationship between level of difficulty to obtain an occupation and occupations themselves.
Since this game is a new front for a society, I believe that there should be choice of occupation to the player. This game seems to include free choice and equal footing for each player of the game's world. This means freedom of occupation. While there is a social hierarchy in the real world, it seems each person will be given equal opportunities and a place for a person to flourish on their own merit from a similar starting point.
A problem might be that some occupations might become overstimulated, while others neglected. For example what is considered a good career (whether for money or fame) might be overwhelmed with applicants. 'Regular' jobs would be near empty. A way to amend this is to start everyone off on equal footing from the beginning of education. This is where people can find their niches while going through school. they can find their interests and see what the market leaves available for them in the future. The ones who are talented and work hard will receive the 'better' positions and each category may be filled by the fact that there will be more jobs available in less taken occupations.
From the get go however, I do believe players should be given some kind of choice or direction of where they want to go in their virtual life.
i think player's should be able to chose their own occupation but not be able to chose their amount of pay. The reason for is because not everyone is good at the same thing as others. Allowing someone that is stronger and bigger to do work that requires heavy lifting is probably more efficient than putting a 13 year old boy to do the same line of work. There may also be people that are better communicators because they have more patience then others but just because these people are MORE qualified for these positions doesn't mean that they get a bigger pay check. Everyone is born without a choice on how they will turn out. Our brains are already computed by the time we're born hence the reason we can't control how tall we get or how big our noses get. The only mere thing that can be transformed NATURALLY is our weight. But even that can be gentics. It is for these reasons why I think player's should be able to chose what occupation they would want because not every shoe is for every person.
I think players should be able to choose their occupation, but they should have to work for it. They should have to accomplish tasks necessary for the occupation they want. I don't think a random occupation should be assigned because if a player really disliked that occupation they might be less inclined to play at their best.
completely agree. just like in our reality, we have the option to achieve our goals. so it should be replicated in the game. allow for freedom, but have it be under circumstances of being earned.
I agree with you very much. I think allowing players to choose their occupation through a series of tasks necessary is very important. We play a game for the interest of it and if we get stuck with something we don't like then we most likely will loose our interest. In other games, if we face similar situation we most likely will restart the game and start over again, therefore accomplishing tasks to get the occupation we want can help us understand more about the occupation and skills required and also increase our interest to the game.
Yes, players should be given the responsibility to choose their own occupation. Just by looking at the decrees, there is a strong support for humans to take the initiative and exercise their ability to make decisions. Players should be able to choose their own occupation, but understand the caliber of work that is required to achieve it. This includes the journey toward the career, and its worst and best sides. By giving players the option to sculpt every aspect of their lives themselves, they are given the responsibility to determine whether or not their decisions will be their blessings or their burdens. They are being held accountable for themselves, and therefore will have no other power but their own to blame for wherever they end up by the end of the game.
Asia Camagong
Undergraduate Student
University of California, San Diego
COCU177: Critical Computer Game Studies
Yes, I believe that players should be able to choose their occupation, but later on in the game. The players should be able to select what career field they want to pursue and work towards the occupation they desire. In order for the player to choose their occupation they must complete various activity levels in order to choose their final occupation. Upon completion of the levels the player will then have the option to select their occupation.
I agree with most of your comment, but I do believe your occupational plan could be tweaked a bit. For instance, in the Sims, a player chooses an occupational path, where they can advance from being (for example in the military field), from a recruit to a five star general. The player has to literally interact through every advancement on the occupational ladder through a series of (admittedly not difficult) tests and questions.
This differs from your idea in that the player would still have an occupation the entire step of the way, but they would merely be advancing through their chosen occupational field, up until they achieve the highest level, whether it is a five star general or the attorney general. Because not all occupations are equal, this would allow for a ranked field of work, with staggered amounts of pay, respect and skill level.
I believe that players should be able to choose their occupations yet at a certain low level, like level one. Every job description will be categorized and they can choose accordingly. Then they can work up the ladder into more professional stature once they excel in the game. If they decide to change occupations, the level will go back to one, unless some experience will overlap. This way, everyone will start out even yet still with a choice of what they desire but at a level to work up towards like any job. This is the same idea of BryanZmi but all starting at a low level with an even slate.
I agree that everyone should start at a low level and work up, but I still think there should be some unaccounted randomness within the game. For example, I might want to be a professional athlete, but during training I injure myself preventing myself from competing competitively again. Since I can't be a professional athlete now, I then go to school to study sports medicine. Funding for my schooling cuts out, I drop out of school, my character discovers their ability to be a leader. My character then works as a professional coach for an athletic team. The point is that if we don't add some randomness then there will be an over-saturation of people in one job, even if getting to the job is tedious and hard. People play online games for longer than you expect, if something is hard and tedious they will do it if it puts them in the best position in game. There needs to be some randomness within the game so that 20% of the population is working through the steps to be an astronaut, that is just not realistic.
I agree that players should start at a low level, This way, there can be equal social mobility and players can progress on 'effort and talent.'
I believe that players should be able to choose their own occupation based on the four decrees that are presented on the website for the game. In choosing their own occupation I believe that this will provided a wide range of occupations that will be filled. People whether in the game or within society as a whole have very different interest and skill sets that I believe will contribute to the workforce within the game in different ways. One thing , however, to keep in mind to ad a twist to the game could be that a list of what the "game world" needs as far as occupations could be presented somewhere on the website in order to see if any of the users would take up an occupation for the betterment of the game. Also , I think that the job positions should have a set of requirements in order to promote some form of stability in the game. Instead of being able to simply state you are a doctor perhaps you have to establish yourself on a specific level of the game or have a certain skill set.
I disagree only with ability to initially choose jobs. They should not be randomly assigned either. As noted people have different skill sets and interests. I would not want a completely uninterested and under-qualified person as a doctor, it simply doesn't make sense. All jobs should have certain requirements, and all of these requirements should be able to be met by any person who has the drive to meet them.
I like the idea of having a list of what the game world needs for occupations. It would be interesting to see if anyone would decide to choose an unfulfilled position for the betterment of the game society. When choosing an occupation maybe there could be a section for the player to maybe say why they chose that occupation.
With a game that seems to be based on free choice and starting on an equal foundation, I think that players should be allowed to choose their own occupations. Taking it a step further, I think this needs to start with how the education system is designed. Students should be exposed to an extensive curriculum early on and be guided through whatever career path interests them starting at an early age. Now that people will not be born in different classes, income levels, or citizenships, this will give them greater opportunities to explore different fields during their education and create well-rounded citizens.
I do still believe that job positions need to be regulated to ensure all important jobs are adequately covered. In this new world though, the definition of an 'important' job may be different (ex. More emphasis on creative fields). Like today's world, there should still have to be certain amount of schooling and training that people have to go through in order to become occupations such as doctors, lawyers, military officers, etc. This will still be the distinguishing marker between who will become what profession.
i pretty much agree with your whole post. the notion of freedom of choice in the game definitely needs to be applied to choosing an occupation; however, a functioning world is not possible without certain jobs, such as doctors or lawyers, so there does need to be some kind of regulation o incentive that ensures that people take up these posts. i like that everyone is starting out on the same page, without class differentiation: this allows everyone the same freedom of opportunity.
I believe people should choose their occupation because it is the way the world is now and it seems that there are plenty of people in a variety of occupations without a deficit in any particular category. The idea that people shouldn't choose because then everyone will be a doctor or an athlete and thus unbalanced doesn't hold today so why would it hold in this game? People choose to be in a certain occupation via their interests and everyone has different interests and skills so there will be those who want to do art, those who want to be in the technology/computer industry, those who like kids and teaching, those who like caring for others will be nurses, and etc. There won't be an unbalance because the occupations that people would normally pick due to money or status and thus cause an unbalance won't choose those occupations based on that anymore because in the game there will be equality in pay and there won't be people with more prestige than others allegedly so that eliminates that fear of unbalance. People will choose their occupation as a result based on their interests instead of money or status which solves the unbalance and creates a society where people love what they do and want to go to work and therefore there will be greater output and production in society as people create more and work more.
Yes. Based on the four decrees of this world, it is apparent that the value of independence and autonomy are of extremely high priority. Thus, it should follow in this vein of logic that players should also have the right and responsibility of choosing their occupation. To follow, however, this occupation ought not impose particular levels of authority upon other players in the community (consider the individual nature of marriage contacts.
I think that players should be able to choose their occupation. Everyone has different levels of ambition, and will work in an area that best suits their needs. This will allow for a more realistic outcome of the game. In addition, people leave certain professions to enter new one, and people also get fired for not soing their job correctly. For this reason I think it is also important to allow for a change in occupation. All jobs, however, need to be represented. If there are too many lawyers and not enough gardeners, for instance, perhaps the law profession should be closed, until a spot opens up from another playing leaving it.
I like your ideas around the occupations in the game they are quite similar to my own. I also believe that individuals should be able to choose their own occupations , however, it does seem that in the choosing their should be some form of structure that allows for other professions to be chosen in order to sustain some form of balance within different fields that are needed to keep the economy going. The idea of having professions closed I think could be a very interesting portion of the game. Not only because it allows people to develop separate skill sets but it also forces them to think of what other areas they can contribute their work to which could lead to interesting developments within the game.
The function of society should be to provide the individuals with necessary goods and infrastructure to realize their personal development. To sustain a society at the present standard of living for developed nations requires about 20% of present workload. This do not amount to a main occupation at all and should be regarded as a citizens duty. Nevertheless, within the limits of communitys needs and individual competence there will be ample room for personal preferences.
Players should be able to choose their occupation. Each job should have certain requirements though such as education, skills and that sort of thing. I think by having certain requirements attached to the job it would still be realistic.Peope in the real world choose their jobs to a certain degree so i think that it shoild b the same in the game. I like the idea of a questionare that the person above said. But i don't think that the job should be dictated to anyone though.
I agree with the point that a job should not be dictated to anyone. This opinion seems to be the minority whereas many people seem to think that we should not be able to choose our profession. If the game wants to remain realistic than people should still have choice. The FAQ explains that wizards and other such fantasy characters are not going to be used so there is still some sense of reality to the game.
I also agree with the requirements just as there are requirements in the real world. It seems that some of the decrees seem to promote equality and fairness such as abolishing inheritance. The notion of no one having a choice to choose their profession I guess could be seen as going in that direction but I don't think it is fair to force someone to do something they don't want to.
I think that for the purpose of the game people should be assigned jobs. If everyone was to choose whatever they wanted then the game would turn into a very unrealistic game and the point of it would be lost. I agree with one of the comments above saying that there should be job mobility. Through points or something people should be allowed to switch jobs like in real life, the more experience you have the better job you may get. Maybe since the jobs would be assigned then through points there would be pay improvement or something similar. I also like Bryan Zmi's idea of having the players choose out of categories and through that a profession would be assigned. In addition to that maybe a questionnaire could be done before a job is assigned so that it is a fitting profession to the player.
Players should not automatically be allowed to choose their occupation simply because it is likely for certain occupations to be overwhelmed with players (sports perhaps being incredibly disproportionate), but they should also allow for mobility. All professions should be evenly distributed among the present and future players, from being a buttler, to a politician, to a professional basketball player. I also agree with the notion of social mobility because it will add an interesting dynamic to the game. People who would be willing to work their way into becoming whatever they would want to become would influence the game dramatically. Social mobility would allow us to see what professions are sought after the most considering activity and income, and how far players would go to obtain it..........
Although I see the concern for proportionality, it seems counter intuitive to dictate occupation within this society. If players are citizens by choice, the basic value that supports this ideal ought to also support the notion of autonomy in all areas of identity--occupation included. By imposing a restriction on occupation, one might ask from where this authority of restriction is being derived? Could it be assumed that it is from the "state"? If so, this restriction would be in direct conflict with the first decree: "State borders cannot restrict the movement of goods or people." Just food for thought..
I voted that players should be able to select their occupation, but I believe that the game would be best served if this choice was limited in another sense. Players should be able to choose their career field but not their exact occupation, and have the opportunity to work their way into more prominent or specialized occupation as they proceed in the game.
For example, lets say someone wants to be a lawyer (since everyone else seems to think that being a lawyer is the best job around). The player would be able to choose "The Legal Profession," as their career choice, but not be able to choose lawyer directly. Then in this "Legal Profession" category, there will be several different positions (Judge, DA, defense lawyer, clerk, paralegal, intern, law school student, etc.) They will be assigned to one of these positions within the legal field at random and have opportunities throughout the game to advance or move into different positions. Within this career category, each will have a specific set of advantages and disadvantages, so in order to move to a different position, the player must be willing to give up a specific advantage in order to pursue another.
These types of categories can be devised for each field, so players will be able to pursue their desired position, but the top or otherwise most attractive positions won't be overly saturated (especially if some of the lower positions are given really cool advantages and the higher positions come with some serious disadvantages or complications).
I agree with fslaczko in that there should be some social mobility. Nobody works one job his or her whole life. Maybe people should have their first few jobs randomly assigned from a selection of beginning jobs (as 'lawyer' is probably not many people's first job). From there people can choose to pursue a specific career. If they decide they do not like the decision they have made, they should be able to try another. They should have to work from an entry-level position, but will be able to climb the ladder quicker than in their original career. On the other side, how would hiring work? If people are able to choose their occupation, can bosses decide who is the most qualified? The players who have played longer would have worked up to a certain level, but who would have judged their performance? Perhaps the first round could be randomly assigned, and then those players would gain the respsonsiblity of judging others.
I think if everyone were to get paid the same amount for their occupation (trash collector and lawyers both get $15 an hour...haha yeah right) then we should be allowed to choose. However, I am guessing that most people will want to have plenty of money and thus choose occupations that will pay handsomely. However I like the idea of entering your choice of occupation in a lottery and then hoping you get what you want, because let's face it not everyone who wants to be a lawyer can be a lawyer. I also feel there should be an aspect of social mobility. For instance, if I do get selected to be a trash man, there should be ways for me to climb the latter and maybe become the CEO of the Trash company or the ability to quit my job, get an education and train for a new job. That could be a fun aspect all in to itself...trying to climb the latter of job inequality.
In my opinion, this issue relates to the question whether or not the game should be realistic. If you don't want the game to look like the real world, why then is it a problem to have people choose their own occupations? If the consequence is that there are 50 lawyers and just 2 trashmen will that be a problem? In a fake world you can just imagine 50 lawyers are needed and only 2 trashmen. On the other hand, if the game is supposed to be like the real world, I still would have people to pick their own occupation. We don't have lawyers too much in our world. And if that is the case than this will change over time so that after a while every significant occupation is represented in balance again. Don't forget that it is not every one's dream is to be a lawyer. Some people are less ambitious and would not be happy in a job like a lawyer.
I think the game could incorporate choice and random assignment into the whole occupation question. Maybe only assign jobs in high demand by probability; say if 50 people join the game in a month and half want to be lawyers, within that half the lawyer position is randomly assigned to one player (this cycle would repeat itself every week/month/year/etc). While admittedly most may not be interested in jobs like an electrician or a construction worker, assuming the game even has fine details like that, it shouldn't be too difficult to engineer the system to accomodate for those who do want positions that aren't in high demand.
players should not be able to choose their occupation because without a system in pace that forces them to work for their occupation a great majority of the player will choose occupations such as lawyer, doctor, professional athlete, etc. having the occupation randomly assigned will keep a more realistic balance in our gaming society and ensure that there are not an abundance of characters with the same occupation. in addition to maintaining this balance the randomly assigned occupations will allow people to experience different struggles and perks in society which they otherwise are incapable of or will never face in their real lives. this will open the eyes of many as they see how difficult the society can make life for the unsuccessful and could be reflected on their own lives.
I also agree with this statement. Its obvious that society would like the power of free will and for people to be able to choose what they want to do. But in terms of realistic play and overall impact it will have on society, having the jobs chosen for them will give a bigger impact on the players. Players also will not get bored, as many people tend to play it safe and play a job they are good at or comfortable with. Being uncomfortable and getting use to that uncomfortableness will cause that uniqueness in the game to allow it to thrive.
I understand your viewpoint and the idea of maintaining balance within the occupational sphere. I admire the point you made about how assigning players occupations will have them experience different struggles that they would have never considered. Yet, I believe that this can also be accomplished by bestowing the players the freedom to choose their occupations. Like reality, we can choose what we want to do. But unlike reality, this game has the potential to structure itself in a way where our subconscious doesn't make the career decision with any restrictions in mind. Because of the decrees establishing no inheritance, no marriage and no land rights, there is freedom to make occupation decisions based on genuine interest and not just monetary security. Allowing players to choose encourages the idea of having the heart to work, and doing it because it's what they like to do. If the concern lies in how players will experience difficulties in society, then they are bound to learn it through any profession that they choose. Whether becoming a doctor, lawyer, artist or even a circus performer, these players should be given the opportunity to decide for themselves WHAT they'll become so that they can ultimately be held responsible for all consequences that come with it. While the game should allow players to choose their occupations, it should have them all begin from the same starting point. The methods that players take to move toward their particular desired careers will be the true game.
Asia Camagong
Undergraduate Student
University of California, San Diego
COCU177: Critical Computer Game Studies


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Check Inman every day for the daily version of this market roundup.
National Mortgage Rates
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Friday, September 4, 2015
September Denver Metro Real Estate Market Trends Report
Available homes for sale in Denver were reported at 7,587 at the end of August, a 1.6 percent increase in inventory month-over-month.
6,416 new listings came on the market in August, while 5,383 homes were placed under contract and 5,088 homes closed.
Sold listings decreased 15 percent and total sales volume dropped 15 percent to $1.86 billion from July.
Northwest Multiple Listing Service…


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How To Make A Joke Funnyon October 1st, 2012
Some people can tell jokes and some people can't. Some people think they can tell jokes but can't, those are the ones you have to slap. All pretty girls can tell jokes even if they can't. This one of life's mystery's.


text: For Shanghai's Chicest Residents, Backpacks Are Having a Moment\nHands-free bags are in. There's something appealing about a utilitarian staple like a tiny cross-body or a leather backpack — it's a functional statement. And on the streets of Shanghai during fashion week, the city's chicest residents are doing these pieces best, pairing their hands-free accessories with bulky autumn layers, track pants, chunky footwear, and the omnipresent Gucci slides. See the best of Shanghai Fashion Week Spring 2017 street style, here.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n


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Sarsen and Bluestone at the New Visitor Centre near Stonehenge - Bluestone on right of photo and identical shot with a thermal camera showing temperature. Click to enlarge.
The zeroth law of thermodynamics states that they will be in equilibrium in a stable environment, but they have different thermal conductivity and capacity which means they will reach equilibrium with the air temperature at different rates and will feel a different temperature to the touch; just as wood and steel at the same temperature do.
Thursday, 21 January 2016
Are the Stonehenge Bluestones warmer than the Sarsen Stones?
3 comments:
That's 'cool', as they say these days. Can you take a sequence of pictures on a sunny day, starting with morning frost on the stones and continuing till sunset? Once an hour would do.ReplyDeleteReplies
Sorry not in a position to do that nowDelete
The Sarsen is darker than the Blue. It would be warmer.ReplyDelete
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Fully Licensed & Bonded
Claiming to be 'The Happiest Place on Earth', Disneyland is an
integral part of an American childhood and was the world's first
mega theme park designed for the family by Walt Disney in 1955. It
is one of America's most famous attractions and despite competition
from other similar parks in Florida, Paris and Tokyo, nothing can
compare to the original. It is an enchanted kingdom of fantasy and
imagination filled with magical entertainment and attractions. The
park is divided into eight 'lands' and each one features different
rides, dining experiences and entertainment as well as daily
live-action shows and parades. Adventureland, Fantasyland, Critter
Country, Frontierland, Mickey's Toontown, Tomorrowland, New Orleans
Square and Main Street USA offer such attractions as a boat trip
through the underground caverns of 'Pirates of the Caribbean', an
experience of the Wild West on the Thunder Mountain Railroad, a
visit to Sleeping Beauty's Castle and flying with Dumbo the
elephant, a giddy journey with Indiana Jones, or the experience of
a pitch-black rollercoaster ride inside Space Mountain, and a wet
ride on Splash Mountain. There is also a new shopping, dining and
entertainment district called Downtown Disney. The latest appendage
to Disneyland is the adjacent California Adventure, a separate park
minus the cartoon characters that offers further rides and
rollercoasters, but an additional ticket is required. The parks are
busiest during summer from mid-June to mid-September and during
school holidays and there are usually long queues at the popular
rides. The new Fastpass system allows visitors to reserve a place
in line at the park's busiest attractions. No day at Disneyland is
complete without watching the nightly fireworks show with an
appearance by Tinkerbell.
The US Dollar (USD) is the unit of currency and is divided into
100 cents. Only major banks exchange foreign currency. ATMs are
widespread and credit cards and travellers cheques are widely
accepted. Travellers cheques should be taken in US Dollars to avoid
hassles. Banking hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.
Looking for something a bit different? Check out our selction of cultural & adventure holidays or if you're looking to go it alone then see our selection of solo holidays.


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Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I park?
There is ample free parking right out the front of our building with level access into the practice.
Do you sell exercise products?
Do your physiotherapists perform acupuncture?
I have a game/training coming up; can I just come in to get strapped?
What if I need to cancel my appointment?
What if I need to see a Specialist or have further scans done?


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Guy is a Mosquito pilot in World War II. He is surprised when his dead co-pilot apparently starts speaking to him as they are flying over Northern France. And before you can say ",Bomber Harris",, Guy finds himself caught up in time and travel, a search for Richard the Lionheart and a damsel.
Weiterlesen weniger lesen


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L.L. Men - Two Texts for Defining the Communist Programme
L.L. Men (sometimes LLM or L.L.M.) was a Hong Kong-based left communist who in the 1980s corresponded and debated with at least the International Communist Current, Communist Workers Organization, and the Communist Bulletin group.
The book-length "Two Texts For Defining the Communist Programme" is comprised of two texts: "The Nature of the 'Socialist' Countries: A Politico-Economic Analysis" and "Russia: Revolution and Counter-Revolution (1917-1921)."
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION CONGRESS | Athens, Greece, 12-14 April 2019 | LAW SCHOOL OF ATHENS
Radek on the "Defeat" of Brest-Litovsk
With this translation we begin the second volume of our series of translations from the review Kommunist, using the French version published by the Collectif d'édition smolny (www.collectif-smolny.org). As many will know the review Kommunist was the brainchild of the "proletarian communists", or "left communists" as Lenin dubbed them, inside the Bolshevik Party in the spring of 1918. The original issue around which they were formed was opposition to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918) but as readers of our earlier translations will know they also highlighted their disquiet with certain developments inside Russia.
Soziale Befreiung - Writings on the Russian Revolution (1917-1921)
Two Articles from Kommunist (April 1918)
With the publication of these two articles we are completing our translation of the first issue of Kommunist, the journal of the "proletarian communists" or left communist faction of the Bolshevik Party in the Spring of 1918. We have already published articles by Radek, Bukharin and Ossinsky in our last three issues and all can be found on our website. Here we turn our attention to a final review by Bukharin, and an economic analysis of the state of the Russian Revolution in April 1918 by one of the least well-known of the Kommunist contributors.
The Bolsheviks come to power - Alexander Rabinowitch
Review – Anarchist Encounters: Russia In Revolution
Down with the Death Penalty - Julius Martov
Notes on Early Soviet Attitudes to Homosexuality
Theses on Bolshevism - Rudolf Sprenger
Rudolf Sprenger's 1934 critique of the Bolsheviks and their role in the 1917 Russian Revolution, arguing they were ultimately a movement of bourgeois revolution in a predominantly peasant country and therefore not only unserviceable as a revolutionary practice for the international working class, but also one of its heaviest and most dangerous impediments.
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Diverging, Converging, and Building
MackeyRMS came with this ask: although they have many customers utilizing their service, many are frustrated with their web experience. Plus, they want to make back-end updates and improvements. Could we come up with a working solution and implement within a relatively quick timeline?
- Services:
- Design, prototyping, front-end development
- Team:
- Three designers
What is MackeyRMS?
Created by hedge fund analysts, Mackey Research Management Software aggregates and organizes information across applications and devices…We provide company-wide research, file sharing and collaboration on a single web-based platform. Automated and accessible storylines including notes, emails, contacts, models, documents, events, & conversations. Robust CRM database for sell-side, management, investor and expert network contacts. Threads sortable by ticker, topic, timeline, contact, keywords and more.from MackeyRMS | What We Do
MackeyRMS is a platform targeted towards investment and trading companies. They provide a robust, searchable, and easily accessible repository where employees of those companies can submit and retrieve research, notes, conversations, and a whole host of content and data that they'd need to stay up to date. However, what makes it unique is that it's entirely possible for users to interact with MackeyRMS without ever actually visiting the platform. MackeyRMS can take in content in a multitude of ways: type notes in directly via the web platform or the native mobile apps, import from other services (like calendars), or forward anything to a Mackey-specific email address. The platform can also pull in data based on what it knows based on your notes, like Bloomberg stock indexes or any accessible contact information about relevant persons, such as LinkedIn profiles.
"So how should we do this?"
It can seem very daunting when it comes to redesign existing products… At once, a bunch of questions comes to mind. Should we redesign the interface piecemeal? Are there parts of the UI that's not working, or is the whole flow and structure confusing? Should we redesign with a fresh start all at once instead? If we're redesigning anyway, can we use this opportunity to clean up technical debt? If we're cleaning up the front-end codebase, can we make improvements to our back-end? When the redesign in question is for a multi-layered product which has a strong stream of highly active customers using it on a daily basis, these questions and answers become even more pressing and significant. And this was just the case for our work with Mackey.
Off the bat, we had to tackle the question of how this project should best be set up. To start, we did a design review of the existing product and ran a mini design sprint first; this helped us identify the biggest problem areas and define the scope of the redesign. After which came the question, how and where would we implement our interface changes, and how would that tie into the back-end updates? Should everyone work off the existing codebase? With three designers on this project, it was important to utilize everyone's time effectively so that people could work relatively asynchronously while keeping towards the same goal. To make that happen, our strategy was to make a new repository, separate from the existing product, which would start as our in-browser prototype but be refined to be the new production-ready front-end for the client to hook up at their discretion after the handoff.
The process of redesign
One of the first things we did at the start of the project was getting to know some of our users and how they use (or don't use) the web platform.
Since this is a service geared towards traders and investors, many of our users worked in a fast-pace environment and were used to—nay, preferred!—information presented in a high density (these are people who live on Bloomberg Terminals after all). One of the most common thing we heard was that people want to be able to do everything quick. The concept behind MackeyRMS is fairly straightforward, too. Let's take a look at how someone would use the web app, or…
The critical path
- An analyst needs to write a report and is looking up past notes and research their company has done on Apple.
- She goes to MackeyRMS and searches for Apple.
- She looks through the results, reading through ones she finds to be relevant.
- As she reviews past notes, she composes a new one to share her report within the company.
With that simple path in mind, we felt that their previous interface really obfuscated that. And not just the interface, but the entire flow through the app could be reduced, made more agile, and better adapted for our analysts' (and other customers') use. The old design seemingly had multiple pages, all with their own set of controls and layouts. However, even though each page looked different, all of them were essentially doing the same thing: filtering and sorting the collection of research by tags. Furthermore, the placement of bits and pieces of features were mixed in with others, adding a potential layer of confusion. For example, a list of drafted notes is located in the sidebar, along with a list of tags for filtering search results. However, to create a new draft, our analyst would need to navigate away via the top level navbar.
To brighten up the interface and make everything a bit more enjoyable to read and use, we gave the app a light makeover. We "flattened" the app as much as possible too, reducing it to three main screen variations: the main view, the in-depth "reading view" where you can read notes in full and scroll through other search results at the same time, and a notes composer for people to contribute into the company knowledge bank via their browser.
When speaking with our users, many pointed out some specific frustrations they had with the platform: the existing notes composer, the searching/filtering/sorting experience, and the exporting of notes. It worked out perfectly that we had three designers on this project, enabling each one of us to tackle these challenges simultaneously. Since we had devised the overall architecture of the redesigned app together already, each designer knew how our individual feature would slot in with the big picture. And although each designer took lead on their own feature, working in tandem meant that we were always critiquing and improving each other's work. In my case, I wanted to take on the notes composer.
Notes composer:
Although everyone has to interact with the web app if they're searching for content, that's not the case if you want to add notes. Almost half of our interviewees said they don't use the web interface to compose notes because it's too difficult or not trustworthy enough for them to do so. To quote, some have "learned to deal with it or work around it" while others "… never enters in information through Mackey, and hopes to never do so." Well! If that's not a sign that a redesign is needed…
People were equally vocal about what they needed out of a good notes composer, which was fantastic! Thinking back to those busy Bloomberg Terminals, it wasn't a surprise that the ability to browse and read notes while composing a new one was essential—as was text formatting. Interviewees went into detail about how they would format notes in Microsoft Word first before pasting it into Mackey to get it just right, or email articles directly into the system. Someone even mentioned using Excel to create a chart which he then pasted into Powerpoint to create an image so that he could paste it into Mackey as part of a note.
In the old editor, you would be bombarded with an overwhelming amount of dropdown and input fields off the bat. That's because of all the different variations of note templates you could start with and—depending on each company—how many types of tags you could work with. This resulted in a very cluttered interface, even though it turns out most of our users rarely uses any of the templates or additional options. Those templates are important when they're needed, but those times aren't the majority. So now they're tucked away.
Moving towards implementation
At the start of the project when all the designers were focused on redesigning the flow and structure, we whiteboarded together a lot. We did some classic design sprint exercises such as Crazy 8's and Storyboarding. To make sure we're always testing our thinking, we threw together quick clickable prototypes on Adobe XD (which was also when the beta had just come out and we wanted to try it, so two birds with one stone!) to share with the Mackey team and users. Once we worked out a collaborative rough "shell", we were able to spin off into redesigning our own features, again starting with rough XD prototypes, and once satisfied with the direction, we moved into the browser. We jumped in, using Middleman, and kept our markup, classes, and organization structure as component-based as possible. It worked out, too, since each of the features we were working on independently also made sense as their own component. To make sure our codebase stays consistent, understandable, and manageable for others, we stuck with our styleguides.
Bringing it together
Our engagement with Mackey was around a month or two's time. In that time, we were able to redesign, test, and implement a large potion of our solution without needing direct support from developers. Meanwhile, the developers were able to spike out their own back-end changes independent of our progress. When our time together ended, the client was happy with our hand-off, but it was also much too soon to hook everything up together and launch. Good news though! We've since checked back in with Mackey a few times and learned that everything was on track, and that they have been able to utilize the front-end we built. For me, Mackey was a great example of when a large project gets broken down into more manageable and separate tracks before coming together perfectly when ready. As a consultant, it's fantastic to know that I was able to come in for a short amount of time and successfully made an impact on a product—and that our concerns about writing good maintainable code for future developers paid off. That's always a win.


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BBC Review
The most versatile and glitteringly brilliant pop band of our new millennium.
Jaime Gill 2012
One of the many fascinating things about Goldfrapp throughout their 12-year career has been the impossibility of pinning them down. Emerging from trip-hop's ashes, debut Felt Mountain dealt in moody, manicured atmospherics, purpose-built for adverts and dinner parties. Then came their dramatic, wildly successful volte-face into Black Cherry's sleazy, scuzzy electro. Just as they seemed to have settled down as dancefloor dominators with Supernature they mutated again, into the semi-acoustic, mumbling melancholy of Seventh Tree. This singles retrospective finally offers a chance to assess their wayward career as a whole. It makes one thing absolutely clear: whatever else they were up to, Goldfrapp have always delivered astonishing pop singles.
From the moment the swaggering Ooh La La begins its slow-building throb from the speakers until the moment the hushed, stunned Black Cherry staggers to its tear-stained denouement, Singles offers a master-class in how to write pop songs as alluring and adventurous in their sonic texture as they are addictive melodically. Alison Goldfrapp's greatest achievement hasn't been her power and range, which she has often concealed, but her willingness to surrender her voice to the needs of the songs she and Will Gregory so lovingly assembled. She's the anti-Aguilera, enemy of X Factor showboaters everywhere.
On one of their biggest hits, the stately synth prowl of Number 1, Goldfrapp barely breaks a vocal sweat, restraining herself to a seductive, low-key purr throughout. It's only in the dying seconds of Utopia, a song that is somehow both sinister and almost unbearably beautiful, that she finally unleashes an operatic wail so electrifying it paralyses the listener. Elsewhere, on the ravishing fusion of Moroder disco, glam strut and snarling electronica that is Strict Machine, Goldfrapp is all gasps, gulps and sexual ecstasy, while on Rocket she goes for the pop jugular, slamming home the monster "wo-oh-oh" chorus with glorious nonchalance.
It's perhaps inevitable that a singles collection smoothes out the awkward edges and perversity that made Goldfrapp vastly more intriguing than their rivals, and which have profoundly influenced our best new pop stars, from Lady Gaga to Robyn. Only the buzz-saw synths that carry the lurching Train along and the shredding electronic howls that shatter Lovely Head's narcotic sleepiness remind us of how deliciously odd they could be. If the lovely but meandering new songs Yellow Halo and Melancholy Sky are anything to go by, it's an oddity that Goldfrapp may have left behind anyway.
Still, even minor criticisms of this collection seem not just churlish but flat-out ungrateful. Fourteen songs that veer between the perfect and the merely outstanding, The Singles is proof that Goldfrapp have been the most versatile and most consistently, glitteringly brilliant pop band of our new millennium.


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After two and a half years in business, countless hours of work and missed lunches, TheraVape is now available in over 70 shops Coast to Coast! Please welcome our newest partners from the Maritimes to the fold: The Vapour Trail, Elite Vapor, and Villa Vapor. Just waiting to hear good news from a few other shops too :)
We have everyone to thank, from our hometown of Winnipeg and our tireless team, for sticking with us the whole way since the beginning. We'd like to think we're known for being generous in giving back to the community at large, but in case you didn't know that about us, maybe a contest is in order.... maybe... the biggest contest we've ever held. We'll be busy preparing it over the next few weeks, but everyone that is subscribed to our mailing list will get an automatic ballot for entry (so hurry and sign up!)
We'll also have a booth at Canada's Vape Expo in Toronto this May alongside Fat Panda (check them out in Winnipeg, Brandon, Selkirk, Thunder Bay, Gimli, Regina), so look for us there.
What else is new.... oh, the new line we're releasing soon. Samples will be making their way to vendors this week. Once we've fulfilled the initial orders from our partner shops, it will be available on our website for purchase.
In the meantime, please enjoy this teaser shot that our mailing list subscribers got a sneak peak of a couple weeks ago. Four delicious new flavours for Spring!
-The TheraVape Team.


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The political season is heating up and Ustream.tv is right in the middle of it! We have seen broadcasts from members on both sides of the aisle over the last year and you will continue to see major political events take place live right here. Two more major streams are happening this week.
Fred Thompson will broadcast tomorrow at 10am EDT/7am PDT in partnership with Townhall.com. You can view the live video here:
Presidential Senator Barack Obama will continue his series of live broadcasts today at 11am MDT (1pm EDT/10 am PDT) in a rally titled: "The Call To Service."
As always you can view the live video and follow the campaign on the Senator's Official Ustream Channel Page:
If you missed Senator Obama's most recent speech live on Ustream, definitely check it out:
I'd like to hear your thoughts on who you are supporting this election. You are going to vote right? Post your candidate of choice and WHY in the comments section below…VOTE PEOPLE!


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H.Con.Res.140 - Financial Services Diversity Initiative110th Congress (2007-2008)
Concurrent ResolutionHide Overview
|Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-6] (Introduced 05/03/2007)
|House - Financial Services; Education and Labor | Senate - Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
|Committee Reports:
|H. Rept. 110-278
|Latest Action:
|Senate - 09/25/2007 Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (All Actions)
This bill has the status Agreed to in House
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
- Introduced
- Agreed to in House
Subject — Policy Area:
- Finance and Financial Sector
- View subjects
Summary: H.Con.Res.140 — 110th Congress (2007-2008)All Information (Except Text)
Shown Here:
Passed House amended (09/24/2007)
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House reported version is repeated here.)
Financial Services Diversity Initiative - Recognizes that minorities and women still face unique challenges entering into and obtaining upper level positions within the financial services industry.
Encourages financial institutions to partner with organizations focused on developing opportunities for minorities and women to place talented young minorities and women in industry internships, summer employment, and full-time positions.
Encourages financial institutions to partner, also, with inner-city high schools, girls' high schools, and high schools with majority minority populations to establish or enhance financial literacy programs and provide mentoring.
Encourages financial institutions, including federal and state financial institution regulatory agencies, to build and retain a diverse staff through specified initiatives.
Encourages financial institutions to appoint more minorities and women as board members.
Encourages financial institutions, finally, as well as public and private pension funds, to seek qualified minority- and women-owned firms as investment managers, underwriters, and other business relationships.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) active measures should be taken by employers and educational institutions to increase the demographic diversity of the financial services industry; and (2) diversity within the financial services industry is vitally important not only to promoting innovation and creativity in the industry but to developing a more inclusive workforce for a fair and just economy.


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Elements Entertainment Group LLC, a state of New Mexico Limited Liability Corporation, spotlights unconventional music, merchandise, and entertainment typically overshadowed by mainstream ideologies. It speaks to the shared experiences of Generation Y and The Urban Trendsetter or the Hipster Set. It provides fair compensation to its employees, a fair return to its owners, and a fair royalty to its artists.
Follow Elements
Follow Elements on Facebook and Twitter!


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The last few months have gone so fast, it all seems a bit of a blur. I've been quite busy putting the finishing touches to my quilts for our guild quilt show to be held in November. The hot temperatures (33°C/91°F) we experienced last weekend came at just the right time for me as it was very easy to dry my quilts after washing them to remove all the blue marking pen that I'd used to mark the quilting. All that remains is to do the usual de-furring before I put them in their bags ready to hand over next weekend.
two larger ones, a challenge and a miniature


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*The main content areas of this website are password protected as required by the department.
Note: If you have the password, please use it responsibly.
Core Competency A: demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of one of the information professions, and discuss the importance of intellectual freedom within that profession.
Core Competency B: describe and compare organizational settings in which information professionals practice.
Core Competency C: recognize the diversity (such as cultural and economic) in the clientele and employees of an information organization and be familiar with actions the organization should take to address this diversity.
Core Competency D: apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy.
Core Competency E: design, query, and evaluate information retrieval systems.
Core Competency F:use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items.
Core Competency G: demonstrate understanding of basic principles and standards involved in organizing information such as classification and controlled vocabulary systems, cataloging systems, metadata schemas or other systems for making information accessible to a particular clientele.
Core Competency H: demonstrate proficiency in identifying, using, and evaluating current and emerging information and communication technologies.
Core Competency I: use service concepts, principles, and techniques to connect individuals or groups with accurate, relevant, and appropriate information.
Core Competency J: describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors.
Core Competency K: design instructional programs based on learning principles and theories.
Core Competency L: demonstrate understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the ability to design a research project, and the ability to evaluate and synthesize research literature.
Core Competency M: demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for professional work including collaboration and presentations
Core Competency N: evaluate programs and services using measurable criteria.
Core Competency O (for students entering from Spring 2015): Identify ways in which information professionals can contribute to the cultural, economic, educational, and social well-being of our global communities.


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"W Taipei" Of "WOOBAR"In the later opened the champagne、
As well asXinyi areaThe "Taipei 101"To a building near the。
Introduction to Japanese owners of、4Headed by:、
Members only like limited referral system that can be visiting "Membership Bar"To have been doing。
Place name also and non-published。
Is photography allowed in the shop so、Let me introduce you only!
Dimly lit stairs enclosed by brick walls of the building rises.、
Generally not published、Sneaks bar called retreat。
In the faint light is lit inside、Where an authentic bar atmosphere、
While listening to the rankings、Enjoy time for yourself once in a while for a counter seat。
We、3People to sofa。
"White Lady"
White Lady husband be ordered in approximate probability。
Have the name of the "White Lady"、
A little strong, sharp taste、And、Gin street name sublime short cocktail。
I、Sidecar bar to order。
Since ancient times this cocktailCocktail bartender's ability to knowIt is said to、
And the cocktails I would ask go to any shop。
Instead of going to test your bartending skills that、The sidecar that suits want to know that the real intention is。
Very easy to drink.、Is cool, dry attack.、Nothing here can enjoy cocktails。
You can ask the height of the bartender of quality ♪
"Rise punch"
Just want to freshen up the drink and ordered、
Here the popular "Rise punch"Please put a cocktail that!
Gin base a pineapple、RAM juice、Honey、Lavender、Sheikh with shiso。
In the aroma shiso glass to sake poured like sake with cocktail、
Savor SIP and、Like the Japanese、Familiar perilla leaf aroma is spreading.、Refreshes the palate。
Is also easily attack strength、Enjoy a very fresh flavour and taste、
Women received is the delicious cocktail of looks good ♪
"Dry Martini"
The last husband、"Dry martini"。
Martini Gin base known as known as "King of cocktails.。
Proportion of gin and Vermouth will be decisive in the taste。
Martini here is、
Extra Dry MartiniI feel the power to the amount of heat passing through the throat with taste close to!
2When I finish the second cup cocktail、
The Japanese owner、"Do not decrease soon stomach?"And、
It is now and will be able to come Tsuredashi to supper of the deadline!
We head to Taipei Night5 next meeting ♪


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Fall 2014
Jerry Brunoe
Jerry Brunoe was a cushuum little Wasco boy on the Warm Springs Reservation. Now he is a Toe Good Man. His poetry has appeared or will appear in Red Earth Review, As/Us, Basalt, Red Ink, Sing: Poetry from the Indigenous Americas, Yellow Medicine Review, Naugatuck River Review, Contrary, and others. He pretends to know what he is doing at Toe Good Poetry.
Laura Da'
Laura Da' is a poet and public school teacher. A lifetime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Da' studied creative writing at the University of Washington and The Institute of American Indian Arts. Da' is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. She has published poems in Prairie Schooner, Hanging Loose, The Iowa Review, and elsewhere. Her first chapbook, The Tecumseh Motel, is featured in Effigies II from Salt Press. The University of Arizona Press will publish her first full-length manuscript, Tributaries, in 2015. Da' lives near Seattle with her husband and son.
D. Gilson
D. Gilson is the author of Crush (Punctum Books, 2014), with Will Stockton; Brit Lit (Sibling Rivalry, 2013); and Catch & Release (2012), winner of the Robin Becker Prize from Seven Kitchens Press. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Poetry, The Indiana Review, and The Rumpus.
Chip Livingston
Chip Livingston is the author of two poetry collections – CROW-BLUE, CROW-BLACK (New York Quarterly Books, 2012) and MUSEUM OF FALSE STARTS (Gival Press, 2010) – as well as a recent book of short stories, NAMING CEREMONY (Lethe Press, 2014). His poems have appeared in Ploughshares, The Cincinnati Review, New American Writing, and many other journals, as well as on the Poetry Foundation website. He is a faculty member in creative nonfiction in the low-rez MFA program at Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM.
Casandra Lopez
Casandra Lopez is a Chicana, Cahuilla, Luiseño and Tongva writer raised in Southern California. She has an MFA from the University of New Mexico and has been selected for residencies with the Santa Fe Art Institute as well as the School of Advanced Research where she was the Indigenous writer in residence for 2013. Winner of the 2013 Native Writers Chapbook Award from the Sequoyah National Research Center, her work can be found in various literary journals. She is a CantoMundo Fellow and a founding editor of As/Us: A Space For Women Of The World.
Kelly McQuain
Kelly McQuain is the author of Velvet Rodeo, the winner of Bloom Magazine's annual poetry chapbook. His writing has appeared recently in The Pinch, Redivider, Weave, Chelsea Station, Assaracus, Kestrel, Mead and Chelsea Station, among other journals. His work has been collected in such anthologies as Men on Men, Best American Erotica, Skin & Ink, The Queer South, and Drawn to Marvel: Poems from the Comic Books. McQuain's occasional columns on city life appear in The Philadelphia Inquirer. He teaches at Community College of Philadelphia.
Tiffany Midge
Tiffany Midge is the recipient of the Kenyon Review Earthworks Prize for Indigenous Poetry for The Woman Who Married a Bear (forthcoming) and the Diane Decorah Memorial Poetry Award for Outlaws, Renegades and Saints; Diary of a Mixed-up Halfbreed (Greenfield Review Press). Her work has appeared in North American Review, The Raven Chronicles, Florida Review, South Dakota Review, Shenandoah, Poetry Northwest and the online journals No Tell Motel and Drunken Boat. An enrolled Standing Rock Sioux, she holds an MFA from University of Idaho and lives in Moscow, Idaho (Nez Perce country).
Stephen S. Mills
Stephen S. Mills is the author of the Lambda Award-winning book He Do the Gay Man in Different Voices (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2012) and A History of the Unmarried (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2014). He earned his MFA from Florida State University. His work has appeared in The Antioch Review, PANK, The New York Quarterly, The Los Angeles Review, Knockout, Assaracus, The Rumpus, and others. He is also the winner of the 2008 Gival Press Oscar Wilde Poetry Award. He lives in New York City.
Deborah A. Miranda
Deborah A. Miranda is an enrolled member of the Ohlone-Costanoan Esselen Nation of the Greater Monterey Bay Area, and author of the mixed-genre Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir, two poetry collections (Indian Cartography and The Zen of La Llorona) and co-editor of Sovereign Erotics: An Anthology of Two Spirit Literature. Currently Deborah is Professor of English at Washington and Lee University where she teaches creative writing and literature. Most recently, Deborah has been working on a collection of essays and a collection of poems in the voices of each California mission.
Kim Shuck
Kim Shuck is a poet, bead artist, mom, player of video games and is easily distracted by odd facts. She is mostly of Tsalagi and Goral ancestry. Her first manuscript was about a mouse and was drawn in crayon without words before she started attending school, but her most recent books contain words. Clouds Running In is a full-length poetry manuscript and Sidewalk Ndn is a chapbook both published in 2014.
Valerie Wetlaufer
Valerie Wetlaufer is a poet, doula, and editor. She is the author of Mysterious Acts by My People (Sibling Rivalry Press 2014), and editor of Adrienne: a poetry journal of Queer Women. She lives in Iowa.
Joe Wilkins
Joe Wilkins is the author of a memoir, The Mountain and the Fathers: Growing up on the Big Dry, winner of the 2014 GLCA New Writers Award and a finalist for the 2013 Orion Book Award, and two collections of poems, Notes from the Journey Westward and Killing the Murnion Dogs. His work has appeared in The Georgia Review, The Southern Review, Harvard Review, Ecotone, The Sun, Orion, and Slate, among other magazines and literary journals. A Pushcart Prize winner and National Magazine Award finalist, he lives with his wife, son, and daughter in western Oregon, where he teaches writing at Linfield College.