text:
I have been a WikiTree user since January 2011, and I love it. I don't know why, but I feel personally responsible when someone doesn't appreciate the concept behind WikiTree.
There was a blog post about a week ago voicing some concerns a user was having with WikiTree. I don't feel like this person gave the site a fighting chance. I know they couldn't have reviewed the help topics or FAQs before they started using it. Here's why:
WikiTree Invitations:
The poster's initial concern centered around the fact that they had to be invited to join WikiTree. The invitation process is designed to keep folks from joining, dumping their GEDCOMs, not collaborating or maintaining their data, and ultimately leaving it for everyone else to clean up. The servers were getting bogged down, so they went with an invitation-only system to ensure that everyone was agreeing to the Honor Code, which promotes accuracy, courtesy, privacy, sources, and most of all - quality over quantity.
This process irritated the poster, which I think probably influenced every subsequent interaction with WikiTree.
There are currently 48,000 users on the WikiTree site. As it stands, nearly 1,700 have signed the Honor Code, but more get added every day. If you are already a user and you haven't read and signed the Wiki Genealogist Honor Code, I strongly encourage you to log in now and sign it. It just makes sense. (And that *other* paid site doesn't have one of these).
Privacy Settings:
Another of their concerns was that the security settings were "too complicated." This is one of my favorite features! Each profile has its own privacy settings. There are six basic privacy settings:
Unlisted (completely hidden except to Trusted List)
Private (the setting for living people)*
Private with public biography
Private with public biography and family tree
Public - anyone can view, but only Trusted List can edit.
Open (anyone over 200 years old) - this means that anyone can view, but only those users who have signed the Honor Code can edit.
*There are 3 levels of private settings for living people, which are more clearly delineated here.
I am completely in control of the privacy settings for each person in my tree. Rather than trusting some computer to determine whether I have living people in my tree, I am able to hide some, or all, of the information on living people. (Except anyone who is under age 13, and the default setting is Unlisted).
GEDCOM Uploads:
Another of their concerns was that the size limit on the GEDCOM upload was a problem. WikiTree limits its uploads to about 2,000 profiles. From the GEDCOM FAQ:
If you have more than 5,000, it could be impossible for you to keep up with all the Trusted List requests, private messages, and merge proposals from other users. And if you can't keep up, that hurts the whole community. Therefore we are no longer importing GEDCOMs this large.I only have 614 people on my WikiTree, and it's hard for me to keep up with everything!
Too Time-Intensive:
I agree that setting up the profiles does take more time than it does on other paid and free sites. However, on WikiTree, I can decide what I want my profiles to look like. If I want there to be a biography with source citations, I can have that. If I want to put the death information first and the birth information last, I can do that. If I want to make a special page for my great-grandfather's favorite dog (or car), I can do that! Do you have that much freedom with the other sites? Nope. That's why my only public tree is on WikiTree.
Please, disgruntled WikiTreer, please go back and give it another shot. I think you will be delighted with the flexibility and increased accuracy the site offers - not to mention the collaboration angle - instead of the cookie-cutter profiles that you find everywhere else.
Next time, I'll (try to) explain how I create my profiles using the tools available on WikiTree.
**Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with WikiTree, other than being a user, and I have not received any benefit or payment for my opinions here.


text:
IT hiring on the rise, CIOs say
- 14 December, 2012 15:59
Nearly twice as many CIOs are planning to expand their IT departments in the coming quarter than were three months ago, according to Robert Half Technology.
2013 IT SALARIES: 15 titles getting the biggest pay raises
In the staffing firm's latest IT Hiring Index and Skills Report, 17% of CIOs said they plan to expand their IT departments in Q1 2013, up from 9% in the prior quarter. Looking ahead, 9% anticipate cutbacks in Q1. The remaining 75% of CIOs plan to maintain their current staffing levels. The net 9% increase in anticipated IT hiring is up six percentage points from last quarter's survey.
For those IT departments that are hiring, finding the right talent can be tough: 63% of the 1,400 CIOs polled said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled professionals today (up from 54% in the previous quarter). Database management is the skill set in greatest demand, cited by 48% of CIOs. Network administration and Web development/website design followed, cited by 47% and 33% of CIOs, respectively.
Most of the CIOs surveyed are bullish about business in the next three months: 87% expressed confidence in their companies' prospects for growth, compared to 91% who were confident about Q4 2012.
By industry, CIOs in the manufacturing sector anticipate the most hiring, with a net 26% planning to expand their IT departments.
"CIOs report higher demand for IT professionals in the first quarter, especially for those with skills in hot areas such as applications development and IT security," said John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology, in a statement. "In the new year, we often see increased hiring as firms' budgets for 2013 have been approved and they are able to hire additional personnel."
Ann Bednarz covers IT careers, outsourcing and Internet culture for Network World. Follow Ann on Twitter at @annbednarz and check out her blog, Occupational Hazards. Her email address is email@example.com.
Read more about infrastructure management in Network World's Infrastructure Management section.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Font Editor by thumbsoft
Font Editor is a mini font editor. Besides text-editing, it can also save the texts in the format of photo or send them out by emails. Meanwhile, the camera is turn-on when you're editing the words.
Font Editor is a fantastic software which can help you realize your bold dreams like sending emails to friends with characters in fancy styles, changing screen backgrounds and font colours and sizes as you wish, etc.
1, Over 100 types of letterform are available;
2, Enlarge and narrow fonts;
3, Free choice of font colours;
4, Free choice of text background;
5, Turn on the camera;
6, Save editing texts to photo gallery;
7, Send editing texts by email;
8, Edit fonts in full-screen.
By Font Editor, you can just realize so many wonderful functions!
Developer Website: http://thumbsoft.blogspot.com/


text:
Top Merritt Island Cannabis Law Lawyers - Florida
At the Graham Law Group, LLC, we provide dedicated criminal defense and personal injury representation to people in Orlando, Florida, and throughout the surrounding area. Acting as our clients' advocates, we tirelessly pursue their rights and best interests, striving to secure the best possible results to their legal issues. Our law office accepts credit cards for the convenience of our...
At the Graham Law Group, LLC, we provide dedicated criminal defense and personal injury representation to people in Orlando, Florida, and throughout the surrounding area. Acting as our clients' advocates, we tirelessly pursue their rights and best interests, striving to secure the best possible results to their legal issues. Our law office accepts credit cards for the convenience of our...
Business Law Group Tampa and St. Louis; Tampa and St. Louis Business Planning Lawyers Providing General Counsel Services For Businesses And Entrepreneurs. We focus primarily on business law and succssion-related estate and business planning. If you are faced with a legal business challenge, whether you are established or a startup, we at AEGIS Law, formerly Walk Law Firm, PA, are prepared to...
A lot of people lose money in the stock market and many times those losses are the result of fraud or other types of broker misconduct. Since 1980, Russell L. Forkey has been helping investors throughout the country with securities law matters. If you are involved in a securities dispute over securities purchased or sold in the United States or through a United States brokerage firm, we can assist...
Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator At L. Gregory Loomar, PA, we help our clients succeed and attain their goals through hard work with a focus on individual needs. We have the legal knowledge and business expertise that can only come from years of practical hands-on experience in business transactions and commercial litigation matters. If you are buying or selling a business, have a business...
Starting a Marijuana Business? You're in the Right Place.
Having the right marijuana business attorney from the start makes a difference. Lawyers on our approved list know the compliance and regulation issues your business will face and the nuanced rules surrounding state cannabis laws.
Your attorney can help you create a product, start a dispensary, adjust business plans in progress, or take your established business and team to the next level. Use FindLaw to find a local small business attorney experienced in marijuana laws and hire the right fit for your goals.
Need an attorney in Merritt Island, Florida?
FindLaw's Lawyer Directory is the largest online directory of attorneys. Browse more than one million listings, covering everything from criminal defense to personal injury to estate planning.
Detailed law firm profiles have information like the firm's area of law, office location, office hours, and payment options. Attorney profiles include the biography, education and training, and client recommendations of an attorney to help you decide who to hire.
Use the contact form on the profiles to connect with a Merritt Island, Florida attorney for legal advice.
How do I choose a lawyer?
Consider the following:
- Comfort Level
- - Are you comfortable telling the lawyer personal information? Does the lawyer seem interested in solving your problem?
- Credentials
- - How long has the lawyer been in practice? Has the lawyer worked on other cases similar to yours?
- Cost
- - How are the lawyer's fees structured - hourly or flat fee? Can the lawyer estimate the cost of your case?
- City
- - Is the lawyer's office conveniently located?
Not sure what questions to ask a lawyer?
Here are a few to get you started:
- How long have you been in practice?
- How many cases like mine have you handled?
- How often do you settle cases out of court?
- What are your fees and costs?
- What are the next steps?
Want to check lawyer discipline?
It is always a good idea to research your lawyer prior to hiring. Every state has a disciplinary organization that monitors attorneys, their licenses, and consumer complaints. By researching lawyer discipline you can:
- Ensure the attorney is currently licensed to practice in your state
- Gain an understanding of his or her historical disciplinary record, if any.
- Determine the seriousness of complaints/issues which could range from late bar fees to more serious issues requiring disciplinary action.


text:
Cumulative Feature Overview Tools allow you to easily see what features have been added to products in various releases.
Oracle University provides an extensive training curriculum to enable your implementation and use of Oracle Utilities products.
Oracle Utilities provides pre-built UPK content for the following products:
Note:This list will be updated as additional Oracle Utilities UPK pre-built content modules are released.
Click here to learn more about Oracle User Productivity Kit.
This section lists technical articles and white papers for Oracle Utilities products. Click the product name to display available documents; to close a list, click the product name again or click [x].
|Oracle Utilities Application Framework
|Oracle Utilities Mobile Workforce Management
|Oracle Real-Time Scheduler
The Oracle Utilities Application Framework white papers are available from the My Oracle Support Knowledge Base. The white papers are provided as attachments to Knowledge Base articles. To download a white paper, click the KB Article link and find the PDF listed in the Attachments section.


text: New York, August 12, 2005—An independent radio and print journalist was arrested today in connection with a talk show focusing on the July helicopter crash that killed southern Sudanese leader John Garang. Andrew Mwenda, a journalist with Monitor Publications, was still in custody late this evening, according to sources at the news organization. The arrest comes a day after Ugandan authorities shut down the Monitor group's KFM radio station, citing the Wednesday night talk show hosted by Mwenda. The program featured a discussion of the helicopter crash and the threats by President Yoweri Museveni to shut any news outlet that "plays around with regional security." The helicopter, which belonged to the Ugandan government, crashed on July 30 as it was transporting Garang back to Sudan from a meeting with Museveni. Mwenda answered a police summons at around 7 p.m. local time and was asked a variety of questions about his work, including Wednesday's talk show, according to a source at KFM. Monitor lawyers say he could be charged with sedition, according to sources at the news organization. Monitor Publications Managing Director Conrad Nkutu described the detention as "an excessive reaction from the government." He also said that the group will "use all legal means to defend our situation." "We call on President Museveni to ensure that Andrew Mwenda is released immediately and unconditionally and that KFM is allowed to reopen," said Ann Cooper, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. "Arbitrary censorship and harassment of journalists is not something one expects to see in a democracy." In a speech on Wednesday, Museveni accused local media and Mwenda of threatening regional security by reporting on Garang's Sudanese People's Liberation Movement, the Ugandan army, and other regional issues. Mwenda is also political editor at The Monitor, an independent daily owned by Monitor Publications, and his print reports have drawn the president's ire. Two weeks ago, according to a CPJ source, he wrote articles on the strained relationship between Uganda and Rwanda. Read CPJ's news alert on the station closing.


text:
Articles posted in Inside Scoop, The Art-Isms, Out of the Studio tagged with artwork, curator, photography, rise art prize, top 10, wish list
Hector's Recommendations | Jamian Juliano-Villani 'Let's Kill Nicole'
Since graduating with a BFA from Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Jersey, in 2013, Jamian Juliano-Villani's star has very much been in the ascendent. Whilst
Hector's Recommendations | Ben Spires Hook and Crook
Ben Spiers has been described by artist, friend, former student and 'Hook and Crook' curator Oli Epp as "one of London's best kept secrets" and "London's most secretive painter", and I for one would, therefore, like to thank both Epp and veteran collector and dealer Kostyál for drawing Spiers out into the spotlight.
Top Art Exhibitions to see in London in July
Hector Campbell, our Curator at Large, has his eye on the latest and greatest contemporary exhibitions, and he's always on the lookout for promising up-and-coming artists. If you're in search of your next art fix, here are four current London exhibitions that Hector recommends.
Unmissable London Exhibitions
Hector Campbell is our Curator At Large. This means he's out and about visiting the best galleries and the latest exhibitions. Hector always has his eye on the latest and greatest art world news and he's here to give you exclusive access.
Must-See London Exhibitions This May
Hector Campbell, our new Curator at Large, has his eye on the latest and greatest contemporary exhibitions, and he's always on the lookout for promising up-and-coming artists. If you're in search of your next art fix, here are current London exhibitions that Hector recommends.
Start Spring with These 4 London Exhibitions
Our Curator at Large, Hector Campbell, has been scouring every corner of London to find the best up-and-coming artistic talent. Hector's recommendations take us to Annka Kultys Gallery in Hackney, Freelands Foundation in Primrose Hill, Assembly Point in Peckham and The Dot Project in Holland Park.
5 Next Level Urban Photographers
Photographers have been capturing the magic of the city since commercial cameras became available in the mid-1800s, and they continue to find the mystery of the urban jungle to be intriguing. We've rounded up a group of photographers who view the urban landscape through a unique lens.
It's a RAP
What a month February has been. We're wrapping up the Rise Art Prize and looking towards the next activities of 2018.
3 Artists on the Rise Art Watchlist
We asked 3 exciting installation artists to showcase their work at our Rise Art Prize exhibition at House of Vans. Meet neon artist Lauren Baker, installation artist Ant Hamlyn and street artist Marc Craig.
6 Winning Artists Take on Modern Photography
Lori Zimmer explores the practices of 6 exceptional photographers on the Rise Art Prize global shortlist.


text:
We connect commercial businesses & mobile networks.
Mira Networks is a leading mobile technology company that provides best-in-class connectivity, billing tools, subscription-base management and content management services to our global client base.
By enabling commercial businesses and mobile networks to interact with each other, Mira's role in the greater mobile industry is that of a mobile aggregator.
What is aggregation?
We're a go-between, linking corporates & content providers with mobile networks.


text:
Home > Birthday Banners > Women's Birthday
Personalised birthday banner with a large photograph on right, big age, and balloons on left. This banner can be customised with any colour background and the words can be changed to a different colour.
We print and dispatch all orders as soon as possible. Dispatch is usually the next working day, but can be later if we have a large number of orders that same day. If you ask for a design proof, we'll wait for you to approve this before printing and dispatching your order.
All banners and posters are packed in secure postal tubes. 'Royal Mail 24' (first class post equivalent) does not require a signature. If you are unavailable to receive your order, it will be left somewhere safe or returned to your local sorting office. 'Royal Mail Special Delivery' and 'Courier Delivery' will both require a signature.
Delivery options to mainland United Kingdom addresses include:
* Courier delivery is for mainland UK addresses only and excludes Northern Scotland. For Highlands, Islands, Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, please use Royal Mail Special Delivery.
International delivery (except for the Republic of Ireland) is no longer offered.
Our banners are available in a range of sizes, indoor and outdoor.
Please note: Some of our banners have a small medium size of 4ft (1200 x 425mm) approx.
For best results, ensure that any photos you wish to use are as large as possible. Most digital cameras produce good quality enlargements, however, the quality of mobile phone photos is not as good. Images downloaded from websites such as Facebook are very small and do not print very well. If you're scanning photos, please scan as large as you can. Aim for A4 sized prints as a minimum size and save as a jpg.
If you're taking a photograph of a photograph, beware of reflections. You may see yourself reflected in the image, or a large white dot - which would be the flash. Try taking the photo in a well lit environment without the flash. Keep your photo flat or it will be distorted. If it's in a frame, take it out to avoid reflections from the glass.
Please check all images are OK before you send them to us.
Alternatively, photographs can be posted to us for scanning at no extra cost, and will be returned. Please send any images to: Bannerama, Unit 40 Claydon Business Park, Ipswich, IP6 0NL.
For indoor banners we recommend using 'Gripping Stuff' poster tape, blu-tac, pins, or you can choose to have eyelets on our larger banners for tying with string. Indoor banners are a lightweight polypropylene and are not heavy. Please note: Eyelets are not recommended for 3ft banners.
For outdoor banners we recommend using eyelets, through which you can put string or cable ties to attach to a fence or a wall, for example. If requested, there will be FOUR eyelets - one at each corner. Eyelets are 24mm across, with a hole diameter of 11mm, and are a brass colour.
Another great banner thank you. I was impressed with being able to see the preview proof before confirming the order.
Read all 5 customer reviews...
The banner template will not change, our designers make all the changes for you so you get the best banner possible. If you would like to see a jpg proof of your banner before it is printed please ask in the Any other information box.
Catalogue Number: WBB76
(Details shown apply to the default selection)
So pleased with price, quality, posting.. everything!! So quick and easy!
Amazing service from BanneramaI did ask for a proof and the quick turnaround was good with positive input from Bannerama Would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants an impressive banner at reasonable costs and quick turnaround. Thankyou
Many thanks for your very speedy fulfilment of my order. Less than 24 hours between order and receipt of goods. I am very impressed. That was amazing. The banner is just fantastic tooThank you so much. I will definitely recommend you to anyone I know who wishes to purchase similar items.
Will definitely be ordering from here again. Got to see preview of banner before confirming order, and the quality is fab.
I was looking for something unique and special. Loved the fact that you had an option to proof version before it was final version. Great customer service and great quality product. Good price as I had not got a lot to spend so thank you. I love love love it and I think my husband and guests will too--thank you can t wait to unveil it!
More Information
Quality Personalised Celebration and Party Banners with Photos.
Indoor or Outdoor 3ft, 5ft, 7ft or 10ft.


text:
I am about to design a video conversion service, that is scalable on the conversion side.
The architecture is as follows:
- Webpage for video upload
- When done, a message gets sent out to one of several resizing servers
- The server locates the video, saves it on disk, and converts it to several formats and resolutions
- The resizing server uploads the output to a content server, and messages back that the conversion is done.
Messaging is something I have covered, but right now I am transferring via FTP, and wonder if there is a better way? is there something faster, or more reliable? All the servers will be sitting in the same gigabit switch or neighboring switch, so fast transfer is expected.
The question goes on the server <-> server side of things. The servers are co-located in same LAN, so the security of the interconnection there is not expected to be the main issue.


text:
Used By Veterinarians Around The World
eVetPractice.com is a cloud-based veterinary management software in FL designed to revolutionize how you handle your business. Our product will help bring you to the next level of client communication and management. Our goal is to help you become more efficient, allowing you to focus more time and energy toward what you do, providing the best in Veterinary Medicine.
Eddie Heinz, was tasked by his sister-in-law to find an affordable practice management solution that offered the necessary features to run the new mobile practice she was beginning. After quite a bit of research into the available practice management systems on the market, Eddie kept coming back to the same conclusion. There has to be a better solution. Why should systems either require such a large cash outlay, limit mobility, or be a stripped down product that's lacks critical features? So he committed to create a veterinary management software in FL for her that would meet the needs of her growing practice. Since then, we have taken enhancement suggestions from our clients and leads to continue to grow and become a truly veterinarian designed system.
Florida Veterinary Software
Florida, the United State's southeasternmost state, has it all – beaches, amusement parks, and an abundance of land. Florida has many places for pet owners to explore with their furry friends. The state is crawling with dog parks, dog beaches and hiking trails. Since Florida is a popular vacation attraction, many hotels, stores and restaurants are pet friendly. Pet owners in Florida love to celebrate their pets, with events like Cat yoga, Bark at the Park, and DogFest Walk N' Roll. If you are a veterinarian, or pet owner, in Florida eVet can help your veterinarian's office run smoothly. We believe it putting animals first, and want you to focus your attention on caring for animals in need. Let us take the burden of practice management off your hands. Check out our services to learn more about our product.
Veterinary Software Designed by Vets for Vets
Everything You Could Ever Need or Want in One Place.
Cloud Based / No Servers Needed
Leave behind server costs, maintenance, upgrades, and headaches!
Mobile / Use Any Device
Accessible on any internet enabled device and modern browser.
Excellent Customer Care
Supported by a highly knowledgeable and extremely committed team of Raving Fans Specialists, eVetPractice is leading the shift toward a higher quality in the veterinary practice management software space.
Electronic Medical Records
Eliminate the costly storage and time consuming hours associated with paper records management.
Pet Owner Accessible Portal
Included in the monthly subscription, clients can have 24/7 access to features of your choosing.
Practice Dashboard
Manage your appointment scheduling and patient flow clearly and easily
We are proud to say that we work with some of the best in the business and they are making us what we are today. Each helping to keep us on our toes in the ever changing world of Veterinary Medicine Technology. We strive to honor that contribution by providing a veterinary management software in FL that they enjoy using and industry leading customer service. Our clients now span more than 47 states within the United States, as well as Canada and Australia. We look forward to offering eVetPractice.com to many more practices and adding to our family of raving fan clients!
No More Paper Record Keeping
The Veterinary Management Software in FL
Generate Reports
Practices have the ability to easily generate a variety of accounting and treatment reports. Each report generation can be exported to PDF or Excel with a single click.
Inventory Management
Manage stock on everything you own from medications to FL kennels. Keep track of what you have on hand, and what you don't. Never get caught without something you need aFLin!
In House Labs
Using partnered integration with IDEXX, Heska, Abaxis, and scil, lab results are automatically placed into the patient's record. Additionally, we provide the practice the option to create custom lab result forms.
Perfect for Any Practice, Any Size.
Mobile, Stationary and Multi-location Vets Can Now Keep Tabs on Their Records and Clients.
"Going with eVetPractice has been a great decision for our practice. This is an innovative, reasonably priced software that we would definitely recommend to others.
We have never before dealt with such an amazing customer service staff. They not only guided us through the transition, but are now always ready to answer our questions."
Lisa Crabill
Owner - Haslet Veterinary Clinic - Haslet, TX
"eVetPractice is working quite well for us. We currently have two brick & mortar practices but chose eVetPractice more so because of our other "practices". We hold mobile vaccination clinics around the state and the web based software is saving us from the constant syncing of equipment that we had to do with our previous software. We have found eVP to be much more attentive to our needs as a unique veterinary practice. Because we have crews working around the state simultaneously, it creates situations for us that perhaps are not experienced by other clinics."
Russell Bush, D.V.M. - Mark A. Vara, D.V.M.
Vanguard Veterinary Associates - San Antonio, Texas
"In retrospect, switching to a new Veterinary Management Software and going paperless, and changing some procedures and straightening out all of our messy data in only 6 weeks was a bit insane.
The smart thing we did was to have eVetPractice on site for training and go live. Although eVetPractice could not be more different than IDEXX Cornerstone, it is also very logical.
Our staff was amazing at picking up the new system and eVet's support was even better. "
Jeff Gorr
Owner - Wausau Animal Hospital - Wausau, WI
"Some strengths of eVetPractice include the amazing flexibility of setup for your individual practice, super-responsive customer/technical support, access to records online anywhere, and intuitive medical records. Every time we have asked for a specific functionality, the answer has been affirmative, and a solution has been created for our needs very quickly…"
Dan Smith, DVM
Owner - Alburtis Animal Hospital - Alburtis, PA


text:
Game Info
Harvard at Yale
Game Info
Harvard at Brown
The Storyline
The Harvard men's basketball team will attempt to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament this weekend when it travels to Yale and Brown for its final two games in the "14-Game Tournament." The Crimson will first take on Yale Friday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. live on NBC Sports Network before facing Brown Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Harvard currently holds a two game lead over Yale in the Ivy League standings with just two games to play. The Crimson has already clinched at least a share of its fourth straight Ancient Eight title, but can win it outright and secure the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the Eli on Friday or a victory against the Bears on Saturday.
• Harvard enters play with a two game lead over Yale in the Ivy League standings with two games to play. The Crimson has already clinched at least a share of its fourth straight Ancient Eight title, but can win it outright and secure the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the Eli on Friday or a victory against the Bears on Saturday.
• By securing at least a share of the conference championship, Harvard became the first team to win four consecutive Ivy League titles since Penn did so from 1993-96.
• Senior Laurent Rivard made the most of his final game at Lavietes Pavilion, shooting 6-of-8 from three-point range to finish with a game-high 21 points. Harvard's all-time leader in three-pointers and games played, Rivard matched his career-high with the six makes from long-range and moved into a tie with Douglas Davis (Princeton '12) for third place in Ivy League history with 276 career three-pointers. Rivard needs five more makes to match Brian Earl's (Princeton '99) total of 281 for second place.
• Harvard's 24 victories rank as the second most in program history (26 in 2011-12) while its 11 Ivy League wins are one off the program record (12 in 2010-11 & 2011-12).
Last Time Out
The Harvard men's basketball team clinched at least a share of its fourth consecutive Ivy League championship Saturday night as it erupted for an 80-47 win over Columbia at Lavietes Pavilion.
Harvard's senior class stepped up big in its final game at Lavietes Pavilion, accounting for 39 of the team's 80 points. Laurent Rivard led the way shooting 6-of-8 from beyond-the-arc to finish with 21 points. Kyle Casey added 10 points and four rebounds, with Brandyn Curry (5 points) and Dee Giger (3 points) also getting in on the act.
Steve Moundou-Missi contributed 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go with a 10-point, 7-rebound, 7-assist effort from Wesley Saunders.
Ivy League Digital Network
For the first time ever, all of Harvard's home games and road Ivy League contests which are not being televised will be streamed in HD quality featuring a live scoreboard, new graphics package and play-by-play commentary through the Ivy League Digital Network. Subscribers to the network can watch games both live and On-Demand on their computers, tablets or smart phones, and will have access to live and On-Demand content for all Harvard events throughout the duration of their subscription.
Follow Harvard Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected with all the breaking news from around Cambridge and to get inside access to your favorite Crimson programs.
Rank and File
Harvard was listed as receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 each of the first 14 weeks of the season. The Crimson also received votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll in eight of the first 14 weeks. The Crimson last appeared in either poll the week of Feb. 6, 2012 when the AP had the squad ranked No. 25 and the coaches had it at No. 21.
AP Top 25
USA Today
RPI Watch
Harvard has consistently been among the nation's best in the RPI rankings, regardless of which service you follow.
Rank (as of March 3)
Joining Elite Company
By securing at least a share of the Ivy League championship, Harvard has become the first team to win four consecutive Ancient Eight titles since Penn did so from 1993-96.
At 24-4, Harvard has also become the first Ivy League program to reach 20 wins in five straight seasons since Penn did so a record six times from 1970-75. The Crimson's 114 wins during this time, meanwhile, is tied for the third highest win total in Ancient Eight history over a five-year span.
Making a Stand
Harvard's defense is shaping up to be one of the best ever under head coach Tommy Amaker. Opponents are scoring just 59.4 ppg, which ranks 10th in the NCAA and is second best in the Amaker era, while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from beyond-the-arc, both the lowest totals under Amaker.
• The Crimson has held each of its last three opponents to just 47 points, marking the first time since 2011-12 that Harvard has allowed less than 50 points in three straight games. The 2011-12 team accomplished the feat twice, and became the first Crimson squad since 1946-47 to do so in four straight games.
• Harvard is 13-0 this season when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points, and is 12-0 when opponents shoot under 40.0 percent.
• Harvard held TCU (25.0%, 14-56), Brown (27.3%, 15-55) and MIT (27.9%, 12-43) to under 30.0 percent shooting, the three lowest opponent shooting percentages under head coach Tommy Amaker.
• The Crimson allowed just 37 points to MIT, marking the third time under head coach Tommy Amaker that an opponent has scored fewer than 40 points (most recent at Yale, 65-35, 1/27/12).
Margin of Victory
Under head coach Tommy Amaker, the Crimson has won 35 games by 20 or more points, 10 games by 30 or more points and two games by 40 or more.
• This year's team has set the standard for margin of victory, outscoring opponents by 13.5 ppg while winning nine games by 20 points, five games by 30 and one game by 40.
• Harvard's average scoring margin against the Ivy League this season is +16.6 ppg. The team has won six Ivy League contests by at least 20 points and three games by at least 30.
• Harvard picked up lopsided victories versus MIT (79-37, Nov. 12) and Howard (76-44, Nov. 15), marking the first time under head coach Tommy Amaker that the Crimson has won back-to-back games by 30-plus points.
• Harvard's 42-point margin of victory against MIT on Nov. 12 was the second largest under head coach Tommy Amaker, behind only a 94-51 triumph against Daniel Webster on Dec. 28, 2008.
Cousy Award Watch List
Siyani Chambers has been named as one of 23 watch list finalists for the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in men's college basketball. The list of 23 watch list finalists will be narrowed down to a final five by early March. The Cousy Award winner will be presented the honor on Championship Monday in Dallas at the Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 Announcement and Press Conference.
Players of the Week
Wesley Saunders (Dec. 3, Dec. 9, Jan. 6) and Siyani Chambers (Dec. 23, Dec. 30, Feb. 24) have combined to earn six Ivy League Player of the Week awards this season.
Saunders' eight career player of the week honors are the second most in league history, trailing only Princeton's Ian Hummer and Brown's Earl Hunt who own the all-time mark with nine. Saunders' latest accolade also tied him with Kyle Snowden '97 for the most by a member of the Crimson.
Chambers' three honors give him nine career weekly awards after having been named the conference's rookie of the week six times last year.
Moving on Up
Head coach Tommy Amaker continues to move up the ranks of the Ivy League's winningest coaches. Amaker's 136 wins at Harvard are the 12th most since the conference began competition in 1956, while his 65 Ivy League victories rank 14th.
Amaker has led Harvard to four straight Ivy League championships, tying him with former Princeton head coach Butch van Breda Kolff and fomer Penn head coach Chuck Daly for the fourth most Ivy titles won.
Stuffing the Stat Sheet
Wesley Saunders, a unanimous All-Ivy League first team selection a year ago, entered the weekend ranked in the Ancient Eight's top 10 in seven categories; scoring (8th, 14.0 ppg), assists (3rd, 3.9 apg), steals (1st, 1.8 spg), blocks (9th, 0.8 bpg), field goal percentage (10th, 46.9 pct.), assist-to-turnover ratio (5th, 1.6), minutes (5th, 33.3 min.).
Born to Assist
Siyani Chambers, who entered the weekend ranked second in the Ivy League in assists (4.6), has dished out at least five assists 12 times this season and has dropped eight dimes or more five times. The sophomore boasts 32 career games with five or more assists and has 10 games of eight or more assists, including four double-digit performances.
Top Shot
Laurent Rivard is Harvard's all-time leader in three-pointers with 276 and is tied with with Douglas Davis (Princeton '12) for third place in Ivy League history. He needs just five more makes to match Brian Earl's (Princeton '99) total of 281 for second place.
Rivard found his shooting touch at home against Princeton and Penn, making 11-of-17 attempts from deep to average 20.0 ppg for the weekend. Rivard matched his career-high with six makes against the Quakers, while his 11 combined three-pointers represented the highest total over two games of his career.
Protecting the Paint
Kyle Casey grabbed nine rebounds against Brown to join Brian Cusworth '07, Matt Stehle '06 and Keith Wright '12 as one of four players in Crimson history to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 100 blocks. Casey currently ranks 15th in program history with 1,212 points, 11th with 631 rebounds and third with 121 blocks.
Join the Club
Seniors Kyle Casey and Laurent Rivard each eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau against Green Bay, bringing Harvard's total number of 1,000 point scorers to 30. Rivard currently ranks 13th in program history with 1,228 points while Casey is 15th with 1,212.
Home is Where the Wins Are
Harvard recently enjoyed a 20-game home win streak at Lavietes Pavilion which spanned from Dec. 1, 2012 to Feb. 7, 2014. At the time, the streak stood as the sixth-longest in the NCAA.
The program record for consecutive home wins stands at 28 games set between Feb. 19, 2010 and Feb. 24, 2012.
Getting Off on the Right Foot
Harvard began Ivy League play with five straight wins, marking the third year in a row the Crimson has begun the conference slate 5-0 or better. The 2011-12 squad owns the program record for best start to the conference schedule at 7-0.
Pouring It On
Harvard scored at least 80 points in three straight games against Dartmouth, Princeton and Penn, marking the first time the team had done so since February of 2010. The Crimson has scored 80-plus points in at least four straight games nine times in program history, including in 1971-72 when it accomplished the feat six games in a row.
The Crimson averaged 80.7 ppg during this stretch while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor, 59.6 percent from three, and outscoring its opponents by 22.0 ppg.
All-Around Effort
Wesley Saunders' full arsenal of skills was on display against Princeton as the junior led the Crimson in points (24), rebounds (9), assists (7) and steals (3). Saunders shot 9-of-13 from the floor for his fifth 20-point performance of the year while notching his fifth game with five or more assists.
Saunders became the first individual to lead Harvard in points, rebounds, assists and steals since Jeremy Lin '10 did so on Dec. 30, 2009 against George Washington. Saunders has led Harvard in points, rebounds and assists three times in his career.
They're On Fire
Harvard shot 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from beyond-the-arc at Dartmouth to set a school record for highest three-point percentage with a minimum of 10 attempts. The Crimson's 65.9 percent performance from the field, meanwhile, was the highest field goal percentage for Harvard under head coach Tommy Amaker.
Harvard won nine straight games overall between Nov. 28 and Jan. 4, the third longest win streak in program history. The Crimson enjoyed a program record 13-game win streak in 1945-46 en route to a 19-3 record and the team's first trip to the NCAA Tournament, and won 10 in-a-row in 1904-05 to finish with an 11-5 mark.
Balanced Attack
Six members of the Crimson scored in double-digits against Fordham; Siyani Chambers (19 pts.), Kyle Casey (17 pts.), Agunwa Okolie (17 pts.), Wesley Saunders (14 pts.), Steve Moundou-Missi (11 pts.) and Laurent Rivard (10 pts.).
Shootout Champs
Harvard defeated Denver, Green Bay and TCU en route to winning the 2013 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout. Wesley Saunders was named the tournament's most outstanding player after averaging 14.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 4.7 apg, and was joined on the all-tournament team by Siyani Chambers (10.3 ppg, 4.7 apg) and Steve Moundou-Missi (12.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg).
This marked the first tournament title for the Crimson since taking the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis in 2011, and was the first Great Alaska Shootout title for Tommy Amaker after having also coached in the tournament with Seton Hall (head coach, 1997) and Duke (assistant coach, 1995).
Block Party
Evan Cummins recorded six blocks against TCU, setting a new Great Alaska Shootout championship game record. The previous mark of five had been held by Sheldon Williams (Duke, 2003) and Keith Owens (UCLA, 1990).
Grand Theft
Harvard recorded double-digit steals in four straight games from Nov. 12 - Nov. 24, matching the longest stretch of double-digit steal performances under head coach Tommy Amaker, and has come away with at least 10 steals in five contests this season.
D-ing Up
Harvard's home-opening 79-37 win versus MIT was highlighted by the Crimson's play at the defensive end, which resulted in several noteable statistics;
• Harvard's 42-point margin of victory was the second largest under head coach Tommy Amaker, behind only a 94-51 triumph against Daniel Webster on Dec. 28, 2008.
• The Crimson allowed just 37 points to MIT, marking the third time under head coach Tommy Amaker that an opponent has scored fewer than 40 points (most recent at Yale, 65-35, 1/27/12).
• The Engineers shot just 27.9 percent from the field, which at the time stood as the lowest opponent field goal percentage in the Amaker era.
• Harvard forced 29 MIT turnovers, the most for the Crimson under head coach Tommy Amaker.
• Harvard's 19 steals versus the Engineers were one shy of the program record of 20, which has been accomplished four times (most recent vs. Hartford, 1/30/01).
2013-14 Dunk Tally
Kyle Casey
Steve Moundou-Missi
Wesley Saunders
Jonah Travis
Agunwa Okolie
Kenyatta Smith
Evan Cummins
Dee Giger
Michael Hall
Brandyn Curry
Milestone Marker
The Crimson is approaching or has already reached several milestones this season;
• Laurent Rivard became the program's all-time leader in three-pointers (276) and currently ranks third in Ivy League history.
• Kyle Casey (1,212) and Laurent Rivard (1,228) became the 29th and 30th members of Harvard's 1,000-point club. Wesley Saunders is on pace to become the next member of the Crimson to reach the milestone with 950 career points.
• Kyle Casey became just the fourth member of the Crimson to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 100 blocks.
• Laurent Rivard (119 app.), Kyle Casey (114 app.) and Brandyn Curry (109 app.) have each appeared in 100 career games.
• Head coach Tommy Amaker moved into third place for wins by a Harvard head coach (135) and registered his 300th career victory.
• The Crimson won its 250th game at Lavietes.
Lou Henson Preseason All-America
Wesley Saunders was named to the 2013 Lou Henson Preseason All-America Team as one of the top 25 student-athletes from mid-major conferences. Following the season, the Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top Mid-Major student-athlete in Division I college basketball. The award is named in honor of Lou Henson who retired after a spectacular coaching career that lasted 41 years.
This season, Harvard has teamed up with the 3PointFoundation to participate in the Coach4aDay program, helping to raise funds and awareness in the fight against illiteracy. The3PointFoundation teaches and mentors urban boys to prepare them for success in academics and life by concentrating on reading, writing, mathematics and character development for underserved youth who have demonstrated commitment, discipline and enthusiasm by playing in organized basketball programs.
For more information on the Coach4aDay program or to learn how you can get involved, click here.
National Pride
Three Crimson had the honor of representing their country over the summer as a member of their respective national teams; Steve Moundou-Missi (Cameroon Senior National Team), Agunwa Okolie (Canadian Men's Junior National Team) and Laurent Rivard (Canadian Developmental National Team).
In The Spotlight
Twelve of Harvard's 30 games have been picked up for national or regional television broadcasts this season. The Crimson appeared on TV a program record 17 times last season, including a record four televised games at Lavietes Pavilion.
Sold Out
Harvard played in front of a capacity crowd against both Cornell and Columbia, bringing the team's total number of sell outs this year to seven. Harvard has now sold out 23 games over the last three years, including a record 10 during the 2011-12 campaign.
Home Court Advantage
The Harvard men's and women's basketball teams have combined for a 108-13 record at home in Lavietes Pavilion since 2009-10 while going 58-9 against the Ivy League. The Crimson men are 60-5 (.923) overall, 31-4 (.886) against the Ancient Eight, with the women going 48-9 (.842) overall, 27-6 (.818) in conference. The men's team's run of dominance includes a program record 28-game home win streak that lasted more than two calendar years between Feb. 19, 2010 and Feb. 24, 2012.
On The Sidelines
With 136 victories under his belt, Tommy Amaker ranks third all-time in Harvard coaching annals.
Frank Sullivan, 1991-07
Amaker's .659 win percentage, meanwhile, ranks first among Harvard coaches who have spent at least two seasons at the helm of the team.
Tommy Amaker, 2007-present


text:
March 2013 Electrical Buyer's Guide
AccuAir's "iLevel" iPhone App
AccuAir has released their "iLevel" app for wireless air suspension control through an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. For use with AccuAir's e-Level Air Suspension Systems, the app is available for free download through the Apple App Store and is designed to look and operate very similar to the popular e-Level TouchPad interface. Your mobile device establishes a password-protected WiFi connection through the new "iLevel WiFi Module" to provide instantaneous wireless control and feedback from more than 100 feet away. The "iLevel" app is designed to be used alongside one of the existing hard-wired interfaces like the TouchPad or Rocker Switch.
AccuAir has become well known for bringing innovative technology to the world of classic hot rods, muscle cars, and trucks. Their Turnkey Air Management Packages with advanced auto leveling bring reliability and functionality to the world of air suspension.
AccuAir Suspension
(877) 247-3696
Highway 22 Wiring Kit
American Autowire's Highway 22 Wiring Kit is their flagship product in the custom/street rod world. The components used in this front-loading panel far exceed the power handling capabilities of other systems on the market today. It is an extremely versatile modular system, providing the installer ease and flexibility in the mounting location of the fuse panel. The system includes a 40-amp electric fan/fuel pump relay, micro-relays for horns and turn signals, and their 175-amp MegaFuse protection. Ignition switch, dimmer switch, three-position headlight switch, terminals, connectors, and full color instructions are all included, making this the most complete kit available. The Highway 22 Kit retails at $459 (PN 500695).
American Autowire
(800) 482-9473
Original Crank Handle Switch
Made in the United States and CNC-machined from military-grade Delrin, a lightweight, wear-resistant thermoplastic, the switch can be installed on both reverse polarity and standard power window motors, delivering up to 20 amps of power to the motor.
Electric-Life power crank switches are offered in four models, with prices starting at $126 per switch; PN 45820 for GM vehicles with short splined shaft, '50 and later; PN 45821 GM long-splined shaft, '50 and later; PN 45822 Ford splined shaft, '50 and later; and PN 45823 any make of vehicle, pre-1950.
Electric-Life Power Window Systems
(800) 548-2168
Great for a retrofit or new installation.
Allows for selectable features to be turned on/off.
System can learn a replacement or additional Key Fob.
Emergency Bypass Mode: Car can be started using a PIN from the owner's card.
System locks out your ignition system from being started 20 seconds after your Key Fob leaves the vehicle's proximity.
Key Fob can be programmed to work optional features like a trunk or door popper release and many other options.
Key Fob can be programmed to operate other vehicles that have the system installed.
Flaming River Industries
(800) 648-8022
ProComp Ultra Small 15-Fuse, 24-Circuit 118-Terminal Wire Harness System
Keep It Clean's Pro series of ultra-small wire systems features an easy-to-install design and allow for expandability for future growth. Keep It Clean Wiring systems use only the highest quality wire and parts, resulting in the ultimate wiring kit.
To make installation a snap all Keep It Clean kits include detailed instructions, color-coded and labeled wire, and plug-and-play connectors. In addition to that you have access to certified toll-free tech support to assist you with your installation and future wiring needs. All Pro series harnesses include extra-long leads, making them the ideal choice for longer vehicles, such as trucks, wagons, and muscle cars!
Keep It Clean's Pro series offers an ultra-small fuse block that can be mounted in any position, including under the dash or seat! Ideal for hot rods, race cars, and custom installations, wire your ride right the first time, wire your ride with Keep It Clean!
Keep It Clean Wiring
Southern Rods Wiring Harnesses
Need a quality wiring harness kit for your new project? You can't go wrong choosing from Southern Rods' 8, 12, or 21 circuit kits.
Each kit comes with GM column and headlight plugs.
Color-coded and labeled, wires attached to a fuse block, great instructions and tech support, and best of all, made in the United States by Rebel Wire. They also offer a budget-friendly 20-circuit Hot Wire that is harness color-coated and labeled for easy installation.
Southern Rods
(800) 787-8763
Painless Gauge Controller for LS Installations
This new Control Area Network Gauge Controller is an easy way to interface aftermarket gauges to a late-model GM LS powerplant. The CAN-bus (Control Area Network) found in today's newer vehicles and has a large amount of information regarding the engine, transmission, and overall vehicle. On the late-model GM LS engines, in order to run a set of aftermarket gauges in a transplanted vehicle, it has been necessary to add additional temperature, oil pressure, and sometimes tachometer sensors/modules to interface with these engines. Why do this when the information is already being monitored by the LS engine's PCM (Powertrain Control Module) and available at the OBD-II port on the original PCM or directly from a Painless fuel injection installation harnesses? By using this gauge controller it eliminates the redundancy of adding additional sensors to your engine and allows for full programmability of whichever aftermarket company's gauges you are using (PN 60650).
Painless Performance Products
(888) 350-6588
Guide 682C Headlamp from United Pacific
The ever popular United Pacific Guide 682C-style headlamp has always been a great solution for front turn signals on hot rods. Now the early style pointed lens has LED technology cleverly hidden inside.Looks period correct when sitting at the car show, while the dual function LEDs provide increased turn signal and parking light output for better visibility for the trip home.These guide-style headlamps are available in traditional black housing with chrome rim,or all chrome or all stainless steel.Several headlamp bulbs are available from 6014 sealed beam to crystal halogen.Available now at your local United Pacific dealer.PN 32635, MSRP $150 each.
United Pacific Industries Inc.
(866) 327-5288


text:
Convictions Tossed, Missouri Inmate Gains Freedom
JEFFERSON CITY - A 56-year-old man imprisoned for nearly three decades for a 1982 rape and murder walked free after a judge ruled that St. Louis police hid or destroyed evidence that cast doubt on his guilt.
George Allen Jr. served 29 years of a 95-year sentence in the February 1982 death of 31-year-old Mary Bell. She was attacked and killed in her St. Louis apartment during a blinding snowstorm.
A Cole County judge overturned Allen's conviction Nov. 2. Circuit Judge Dan Green told Allen Wednesday he could return home while the state appeals that ruling.
The case took a turn two years ago after lawyers found previously undisclosed documents showing police did not tell prosecutors or defense attorneys the evidence that Bell's attacker had a blood type inconsistent with Allen's.


text:
I am considering open sourcing some software, but when I read the answers on this questions, it seems like the penalty of ignoring a GPL license is rather small, compared to the costs of the suing party to document that the other party has included GPL code in their proprietary code and the costs of suing.
Therefore, I would like to know if there is a way to make a license or some kind of contract before source code is accessed, which is stricter than GPL. What I want to achieve is that a company including GPL code in their proprietary code have to GPL their whole code, and not just rewrite the GPL code. Is this possible?


text:
The family of Junior Seau, a former star linebacker who shot and killed himself last year, sued the N.F.L., the helmet maker Riddell and others on Wednesday, accusing them of hiding information about the link between head hits and long-term cognitive issues.
The family said the league not only "propagated the false myth that collisions of all kinds, including brutal and ferocious collisions, many of which lead to short-term and long-term neurological damage to players, are an acceptable, desired and natural consequence of the game," but also that "the N.F.L. failed to disseminate to then-current and former N.F.L. players health information it possessed" about the risks associated with brain trauma.
Seau's family, which filed the case in state court in San Diego, is seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.
Seau was 43 when he shot himself in the chest at his home in California in May. He played 20 seasons in the N.F.L. with the San Diego Chargers, the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. This month the National Institutes of Health said tissue samples from Seau's brain showed that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head hits and brain trauma.
"We were saddened to learn that Junior, a loving father and teammate, suffered from C.T.E.," Seau's family said in a statement after its complaint was filed. "We know this lawsuit will not bring back Junior. But it will send a message that the N.F.L. needs to care for its former players, acknowledge its decades of deception on the issue of head injuries and player safety, and make the game safer for future generations."
Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the N.F.L., said the league's lawyers would "respond to the claims appropriately through the court."
The N.F.L. has often asked courts to move these cases to federal court in Philadelphia, where similar complaints have been consolidated. More than 4,000 retired N.F.L. players and their family members, including those of Ray Easterling and Dave Duerson, who also committed suicide, have similar cases pending there.
The N.F.L. has asked that the cases be dismissed, arguing that the league's collective bargaining agreement with its players covers these issues.


text:
Former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is coming to Virginia this weekend to endorse an old family confidante and political ally, Terry McAuliffe.
She will appear in Falls Church at the State Theater on Saturday in an event aimed at maximizing support among women for McAuliffe. Also on the stage with her will be McAuliffe's wife, Dorothy McAuliffe, and state Democratic Party chair Charnielle Herring.
Clinton is an early favorite for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination should she decide to run.
Independent polling shows a wide advantage for McAuliffe among female voters over Republican Ken Cuccinelli, who has supported abortion restrictions in Virginia's Senate and as attorney general the past four years.
Copyright AP - Associated Press


text:
Parenting: A Little Story
This is a story inspired by a news event.
I live in a nice, safe neighborhood al7amdulilah! It's nice to be able to walk around with no real fear of being attacked or abused, offered drugs, witnessing crimes, etc.
One beautiful fall evening I went to the convenience store for one missing ingredient on my way back home from getting my children from daycare. They wanted to stay in the car instead of coming in with me and I agreed. After all, I was parked close to the door, my oldest knew not to unlock for a stranger, but also knew how to unlock and leave to get help if needed. It was a nice cool evening, not really sunny. As far as I'm concerned, staying for 2-6 minutes was no more dangerous than any regular life activity like riding in the car to get there or playing in the park.
I went to buy what I needed and and then we went home.
Unlike the news story, I did not have an asshole send a film he took of my children to the police to have me arrested. Other than that, this is the same story.
The person in the news story lived with such guilt at what she'd done in leaving her kid in the car. She'd been programmed to never leave a child unattended, no matter how safe the situation - it was dangerous - her kid could've died. She felt horrible. Her story is full of "I know I shouldn't"... "I had a momentary lapse of judgement"... "I know it's not ok but"... as she tells it. She knows what she did shouldn't give her a criminal record but she can't get past the judgement from all sides that tell her she was still in the wrong. She apologizes and has trouble coming to terms with the horrible event for a long time.
Well, I (the same "I" from the inspired story I told you before the commentary) will not apologize for leaving the kids in the car in a situation I evaluated as perfectly safe. I will not apologize for not being sucked into every story of irrational fear I hear about. I will not apologize for following laws for what they are meant to be (the reason and idea behind the law) rather than what they literally say! So everyone who wants me to apologize and admit I did something terribly wrong that cool autumn day can just SUCK IT!


text:
B's Business Viewpoint: Collaboration is the key to our future
Special to the Tribune
By now you're aware of the Sierra Club's frivolous lawsuit on the Regional Plan Update. We cannot afford to let litigation stand in the way of our future. The thousands of citizens who participated in the collaborative process deserve and, in fact, demand that we implement plans for a sustainable environment, community and economy. Gone are the days where this elitist Nimby approach to environmentalism is going to be tolerated. Each of us who lives in the basin loves it for the same reasons, and none I've met wish to degrade lake quality or the surrounding beauty. But all I've met desire to earn a decent standard of living while protecting their surroundings.
I, for one, am interested in learning more about the interests of the select few who filed this lawsuit. Why are they opposed to collaborating? Why are they opposed to the adaptive management process that requires continual improvements? Could it be that they live in glass houses?
In the spirit of working on behalf of local businesses (small, medium and large) the Board for Tahoe Chamber remains committed to working collaboratively with all partners towards economic revitalization with respect for the environment. We have made significant headway as a community and we must stay focused and optimistic about our future. We must continue to gather and share our opinions respectfully in order to achieve compromises as was done through the RPU process. Compromises allow us to move forward as opposed to litigation that selfishly intends to halt progress.
As the recession gradually recedes there will be other tourism destinations earning a greater share of the market. Those communities will have better public safety, parks, bike paths, schools, senior centers and infrastructure. If someone is going to get that why not us? Let's work together to claim our slice of the pie rather than infighting while other communities lay claim to our share as they have done over the past two decades.
There have been significant improvements recently such as the completion of Lakeview Commons and the installation of Wayfinding signs, sidewalks and lighting along Highway 50. More is to come if we join forces and stand up to the elitist few who wish to derail our community in order to preserve their stake. If you are interested in engaging in our future, I urge you to attend a free forum at Embassy Suites on Tuesday, March 5, from 5-8 p.m. The forum will help us get a better picture of the bigger picture so that we can collaborate towards economic revitalization.
At the forum, you will hear short presentations by representatives from each jurisdiction highlighting their "Area Plans" that will guide redevelopment within their respective borders. Attendees will also hear from education, health care, business and transportation representatives. evening will follow a TED-style format, rather than a PowerPoint presentation so you can expect photographs, diagrams and dialogue on what the South Shore future could look like.
– Betty "B" Gorman, J.D., B.S., A.C.E., is the president and CEO of TahoeChamber.


text:
It has been about a year since I stopped taking Arimidex, an aromatase inhibitor. The side effects I experienced are long gone. Gone are the horrendous aches and pains I had in my joints and bones. When I finally made the decision to stop, it had gotten to the point where it hurt to walk and even get up in the morning. For me the decision wasn't difficult. As I have told you before, I insisted my oncologist put me back on Tamoxifen, which is still a viable drug in reducing cancer risk. For some of you the decision to stop an armoatase inhibitor isn't so easy; the cancer may be more advanced or the fear of the return of cancer is overwhelming. There is still no counter evidence to suggest other than the effectiveness of aromatase inhibitors like Arimidex (anastrozole) and Femara (letrozole) in reducing the risk of breast cancer and even more so than Tamoxifen.
If you Google aromatase, you will find out it is an enzyme that catalyzes the estrogen estradiol for use in the body. If you look into this further, you will find that estradiol is key for other functions outside of sexual reproduction such as bone, brain and liver health. Without long-term, meaning over 15- 20 years, documented usage on these drugs, no one can tell what the far reaching consequences of taking them in your 40s or 50s could be. I see no reason to blame oncologists or drug companies for making these drugs available to ease the anxiety over breast cancer risk. They certainly don't intend harm. Yet, there is something of concern especially when you listen to the overwhelming complaints about these drugs interfering with the quality of life of those who take them.
This is where vigilance comes in. Knowing what you want for your treatment, getting all the facts, and making efforts to stay on top of research concerning drugs you are taking is important. This may mean a more in depth discussion with your oncologist and other doctors, which for many people is not easy. Some doctors don't make it easy either, but I urge you to press on, get the information you need. When I first talked to my physician's assistant about stopping Arimidex, he pooh-poohed my concerns, but I prevailed. Talking with other women who take the drugs and those that have completed treatment is also valuable. You may be able to locate them through calling your local American Cancer Society. You can also read comments from many women who respond to the blogs on this site. Whatever you do, don't suffer quietly. If you are on Arimidex, Femara or other drugs, there are things your doctor can suggest to help ease the side effects.
Thinking of you,


text: For anyone who's ever watched a "Fast and the Furious" movie and thought, "You know, this would be better if it were a cartoon about snails," DreamWorks Animation presents: "Turbo." Wait, wait. That's a little unfair. Yes, this triumph of speed over slime trails borrows some elements from that Vin Diesel action franchise. It's got a drag race. Nitrous oxide pumps through its plot. Even Michelle Rodriguez, Diesel's recently resurrected girlfriend from the "Fast" flicks, provides one of the voices. But really, "Turbo" feels more like a hybrid of Pixar's "Cars" and every family-friendly tale, from "The Tortoise and the Hare" to "Monsters University," that champions the outsize dreams of underdog underachievers. None of which, by the way, detracts from its charms. "Turbo" is a derivative but nevertheless good-hearted movie that's peppered with enough clever touches to engage adults as well as moviegoers of the smaller, squirmier variety. And during a season when moms, dads and nannies often struggle to keep kids occupied, there's something to be said for having an entertaining alternative to seeing "Despicable Me 2" for the fourth time. The star of this show is Theo (voice of Ryan Reynolds), a snail with his shell in the dirt but his itty-bitty, gelatinous head in the clouds. Theo is obsessed with auto racing and determined -- against all odds, logic and the persistent naysaying of his older brother, Chet (Paul Giamatti) -- to compete in a legitimate speedway event. His wish steers closer to reality after he's snatched from his garden home by a crow and dropped on a sports car in mid-street-race, where he gets injected with enough nitro to make him worthy of a segment on "Top Gear." Theo arrives at a strip mall in Van Nuys, Calif., where he competes in an underground snail-racing ring and convinces an equally idealistic taco shop employee (Michael Pena) that he possesses the jaw-dropping velocity needed to compete in the Indianapolis 500. It's easy to guess where the ride goes from here. Still, the impressive heard-but-not-seen actors in this cast -- among them Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader as Guy Gagne, the narcissistic French driver who initially embraces the opportunity to compete against a tricked-out piece of escargot -- infuse the narrative with enough comic energy to partially forgive its predictable trajectory. There's something especially endearing in the way Giamatti brings whiffs of the apoplectically judgmental characters he's played in movies like "Sideways" to his stocky little oozer. "Turbo" also deserves credit for its inventive depiction of its snail-dominated world. Before their foray into racing, Theo and Chet work at The Plant, which is literally the plant: a web of backyard vines where their fellow slowpokes put in eight hours daily, foraging away on ripe tomatoes. And when Pena's Tito adopts Theo, he sets him up in style: on a cushy napkin-holder bed with a taco sauce packet for a pillow and a tortilla for a blanket. Moments like these brim with more imagination, frankly, than we've seen in some of the recent Pixar pictures. And that should be enough to make most moviegoers perfectly content to spend 96 minutes with the plucky little souped-up slug that thinks he can. Chaney is a freelance writer. Two and a half stars. 96 minutes, rated PG for some mild action and thematic elements. Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars okay, one star poor, no stars waste of time.


text:
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim on Sunday hailed his team's hard-fought series win over the West Indies as the country's "biggest" ever given the absence of talismanic all-rounder Shakil Al Hasan.
Bangladesh held their nerves to clinch the deciding fifth and final one-day in Dhaka on Saturday by two wickets for a 3-2 series win, their second over the West Indies in three years."We were missing a big performer in this series," said Rahim of Shakib's absence, Bangladesh's best performer in recent seasons who had been laid low by a shin injury.
"So it became a huge challenge for us. I would say that this is the biggest win for us," Rahim added.Rahim said the manner in which they had played during their 2-0 Test series defeat had suggested the team was improving.
Bangladesh won the first match by seven wickets and the second by their biggest margin of 160 runs -- both in Khulna. The West Indies staged a comeback by winning the next two matches in Dhaka to level the series at 2-2.
Bangladesh won the first match by seven wickets and the second by their biggest margin of 160 runs -- both in Khulna. The West Indies staged a comeback by winning the next two matches in Dhaka to level the series at 2-2.
"We deserved to win this one-day series, judging by our performance since the Tests and our cricket skills. We would have at least drawn that first Test had we not made some mistakes."We didn't bat and field well in the third and fourth one-days, though we bowled very well. In the final match our only plan was to get it right in all three departments and that we did," said Rahim.
Bangladesh restricted the West Indies to 217 in 48 overs in the final match and then overcame early hiccups to chase down the target with six overs to spare.
Rahim (44) added an invaluable 91 for the fourth wicket with Mohammad Mahmudullah (48) to set the home team on the victory path.
Rahim said young players took the responsibility well throughout the series.
"In the final game, we told everyone that we have to make sure we give 100 percent effort and all the young players took responsibility and handled the pressure well," said Rahim.
West Indian captain Darren Sammy accepted the West Indies were below par.
"We didn't play our best cricket in this series but we still were in with a chance to win the series. I would never blame anyone. We have to pull together as a team. It is not every day that the same people will perform," said Sammy.
For the tourists, dashing opener Chris Gayle was a major disappointment, managing just 72 runs in five matches while Kieron Pollard was at his best in only the last game, scoring 85.
Despite the series loss, Sammy said his team had a good year.
"This has been a good year for us. We won four Tests in a row and the T20 World Cup," said Sammy of his team's win in Sri Lanka in October.
"We would have loved to win this series but we didn't. When we look back at this year, I wouldn't say it is a step backward. We played as well," said Sammy. (AFP)


text:
NEW ORLEANS – Following a week without competition, the UMBC men's track and field team comes in at No. 11 in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Poll, the organization announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Two weeks ago at the America East Championships, senior Dennison Long (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt/FIU) led the team to its second consecutive second-place finish as the Retriever staff, led by head coach David Bobb, was named the conference Coaching Staff of the Year.
Long was named the Most Outstanding Male Track Performer for the second year in a row after sweeping the 100m and 200m dash events with conference record times. The senior sprinter ranks tied for 30th in the NCAA East Region for the 100m dash with his time of 10.36, while he sits tied for 37th in the 200m event (20.86)
UMBC claimed five other individual gold medals, in addition to a top relay prize, captured by the 4x800 relay which broke the school record with a time of 7:34.11.
Senior Andrew Smith (Chadds Ford, Pa./Garnet Valley), who competed at the NCAA Indoor Championship and anchored the gold medal winning 4x800 team, captured the 800m race at the America East race and ranks 46th in the region with his school record time of 1:49.64.
Senior Trae Proctor (Brandywine, Md./Thomas Stone) is the highest-ranked Retriever in the East region, sitting tied for 11th in the 110m hurdles. Proctor broke his own school record earlier in the year with his top 2014 time of 13.88 and then went on to defend his gold in the event at the conference meet at Vermont.
In the throws, senior Yao Adantor (Laurel, Md./Reservoir/Morgan St./Maryland) and junior Thor Serafenas (Olney, Md./Good Counsel/Clemson) rank in the top-50 regionally in the shot put and hammer throw, respectively.
Top Retriever athletes will travel this weekend to Princeton, N.J. for the 2014 IC4A Championships which will run from Friday, May 16-18.


text:
"25 years, 25 memories, 25 charms" was the theme that united the nearly 50 members of Morgan County's Calico Quilters during their anniversary celebration held at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brush on Monday, December 10.
Nestled in a room decked out in charismatic décor to honor the group that was formed in 1987, the gathering enticed a number of members to write and share their favorite memories of the group, of the past and projects, as well as having each member in attendance share 25 'charms', or 5×5 squares of fabric in a fabric exchange.
When the tales of merriment, joy and occasional mishap surrounding the group, whose mission it is to simply inspire each other's love of sewing in an atmosphere of fun and fellowship, came full circle to Calico founder Nancy Lauck, the talented visionary remarked, "Having a little group grow so big has been wonderful to see."
"Quilting is much like art," began Lauck. "It's not so much that we need it, but it's more for our sanity," she finished with an abundance of complimentary laughter.
Lauck was also noted as the Project Coordinator for the Morgan County Barn Quilts, whose artwork can now be seen not only throughout Morgan County where over 200 quilts have been displayed, but soon, perhaps in neighboring areas where many have expressed interest in, and even begun, their own barn quilt ventures.
"It's just something that has spread all over," mentioned Lauck, "and that was the idea. I've even had people from as far away as New York, Illinois and Washington State come here to Morgan County and stay for days to see all the barn quilts. It's wonderful to have something that brings people from other places to come to our communities and enjoy."
From the ever-rising prices of fabric reminisced on from 1987 to now, to the new-found options for variety in fabrics to the ways in which technology has changed the art of quilting, the group's memory exchange proved a light and reflective mix.
Currently, the officers for the Calico Quilters include President Kate Cary, Secretary Dorothy Burkhardt, Treasurer Deanna Morris, Photographer Shar Weisser and Historian Alice Didamo.
With members driving as far as 60 miles from places such as Strasburg, Haxtun and Keensburg to join their comrades, the Calico Quilters invite anyone interested, no matter where they are from, to contact Shar Weisser at (970) 483-7711 for more information.
Quilters celebrate 25 years
"25 years, 25 memories, 25 charms" was the theme that united the nearly 50 members of Morgan County's Calico Quilters during their anniversary celebration held at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brush on Monday, December 10.


text:
About Me
- Homestead Roots
- My tremendously supportive husband & I have 3 wonderful children, 1 dog, 12 laying hens, 2 dairy goats, 3 bee hives, and a 2000 sq foot vegetable garden on a small 1/4 acre lot in the city. In the center of it all is our small 1,000 sq foot house purchased in 2008 as a foreclosure that we fully renovated to host our growing family, home school adventures, and small home business (CozyLeaf.com). We have a desire to learn a path to self sufficiency finding ways to be good stewards of the resources God has given us. We want to learn to live with less as we laydown roots to our little homestead.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sarge...back porch lookout!
Posted by Homestead Roots at 12:38 PM
Labels: dog
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
BACKGROUND IMAGE: iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
- FeatureDisaster Recovery Extra: 10 hidden perils of DR planning
- FeatureDisaster Recovery Extra: New tools for building business-continuity plans
- FeatureDisaster Recovery Extra: Distance your data from disaster
- ArticleData classification is end users' job
- FeatureSurvey Says: Fibre Channel SANs have best utilization rates
- FeatureCisco's monster director pushes port envelope
- FeatureFunding watch
- FeatureFocus on remote-office backup
- FeatureCreating storage tiers for backup services
- FeatureQuality Awards: Top NAS products
- FeatureKeep end-user storage in check
- FeatureWindows NAS gets gussied up
- FeatureSingle-pane storage management
- FeatureVendor support falls short
- FeatureNew tape formats are bigger, faster & safer
- FeatureSnapshot: How do you get backups offsite?
- FeatureThin provisioning: Blessing or curse?
- FeatureDisaster Recovery Extra: Editorial
- FeatureILM isn't just tiered storage
- FeatureVendors need to create products specifically for SMBs
- FeatureStorage tears
- FeatureData storage security trends
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Quality Awards: Top NAS products
In the latest Diogenes Labs-Storage Quality Awards survey, users chose enterprise and midrange NAS winners from more than 20 product lines. A NAS mainstay and a relative newcomer to the category took the top honors.
In our Quality Awards survey, some familiar--and not so familiar--NAS names won in the enterprise and midrange categories.
After seeing the results of the Diogenes Labs–Storage magazine Quality Award for NAS, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) Corp. users can be forgiven if they indulge in an "I told you so" moment. HDS not only won the enterprise NAS category, but captured the top spot for its enterprise SAN array in a previous Quality Award survey. And it accomplished this twin feat by outpolling much more established competition in each survey.
Network Appliance (NetApp) Inc. is generally the first company that comes to mind when people think of NAS, and the company has parlayed that popularity into solid results in our survey. NetApp was the clear winner in the midrange NAS category and placed a close second to HDS in the enterprise category. With three NetApp boxes installed and another planned as a SAN array replacement, Brian Mitchell particularly likes NetApp's management capabilities. "I'm really pleased with it," says Mitchell, a systems administrator at Atlanta-based TRX Inc., a provider of transaction processing and data integration services to the travel industry. "Basically, it allows me to manage the data, not the devices."
Our results strongly suggest that, as rated by Storage readers, NetApp has the most compelling total NAS product line from top to bottom. This is especially true for standalone NAS because our survey included gateways and NAS blades. In fact, the HDS system in the survey was a NAS blade for Lightning and TagmaStore systems. Hitachi's high-availability features sold Bruce Georgeson, an IT consultant at CGI-AMS, a Phoenix-based consulting firm. "If you configure it right and follow their recommendations," he says, "it's one of the few NAS appliances that have true five-nines."
Large field of products
The voting process for this survey differed from our prior surveys because the responses were clustered around a few major vendors. Of the 21 product lines from 15 vendors included in our survey, only eight products from five vendors generated enough responses to be statistically relevant and considered for the award (see "Products included in the survey"). Nevertheless, these vendors represent the lion's share of the market and, as such, represent a valid sample of the population. Overall, 387 respondents provided 523 system evaluations. One surprise was the number of responses for "Other": 137 respondents indicated this choice for vendor/system despite what we considered an exhaustive list of NAS products. It's likely that the "Other" responses represent a Windows-based NAS system from smaller vendors, combined SAN/NAS products, older models from the listed vendors or non-NAS systems. In any case, the results of these responses didn't figure into the award calculation. The margin of error for the survey was +/- 6% with a 95% confidence factor.
Enterprise NAS
|Enterprise NAS: Would you buy this product again?
In selecting NAS systems for our survey, we attempted to be as inclusive as possible; the list of 21 products was the longest yet for any Quality Awards survey. The main criterion for inclusion was that the device support CIFS and NFS file systems simultaneously. We included NAS-only systems, as well as SAN-NAS gateways. To differentiate midrange systems from enterprise systems, we placed all Windows-based systems in the midrange category, as well as those scaling to less than 50TB. Systems that can scale to more than 50TB were categorized as enterprise NAS. However, we did consider vendors' product positioning, as this also affects how users regard and evaluate products.
As with our previous awards, we asked respondents to rate their product experiences in five categories: sales competence, product features, initial quality, product reliability and technical support. We also asked if the system was purchased directly from the vendor or from a value-added reseller. Because all of the finalists in both categories are the manufacturers of their respective systems, original equipment manufacturer issues weren't considered.
Within each of the five categories, respondents were asked to respond to a number of positive statements on a scale of 1.0 to 8.0 (see "About the survey"), where 1.0 indicated strong disagreement and 8.0 indicated strong agreement. A rating of 6.0 was the approximate median for both the enterprise and midrange groups in this survey. The preponderance of ratings fell between 5.5 and 6.5. Rating elements above 6.5 can be regarded as exceptional strengths, while those below 5.5 can be regarded as weaknesses.
Sales competence
Sales competence measures the vendor's sales effectiveness in meeting customer needs. The efforts of a sales team not only sets expectations, but can become the foundation of the customer-vendor relationship. When Hawaiian Airlines in Honolulu was shopping for a NAS system, Kevin Kekoa, manager of operations and systems engineering, felt NetApp wasn't very persistent in pursuit of his business, which left the door open for EMC Corp. "[EMC] offered a model that was two levels above what NetApp was offering for the same amount," says Kekoa. That kind of aggressive salesmanship paid off, and today the company is solidly an EMC shop.
Midrange NAS
Among enterprise systems, sales competence had the smallest differences among scores of any category, with HDS at the top (6.30) and Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co. at the low end (5.67). The scores in this category didn't reveal any real strength or weakness, as all vendors except Dell Inc. (5.32) in the midrange category fell within (or very close to) the normal 5.5 to 6.5 scoring range. NetApp's midrange score (6.52) was the highest among all vendors in the sales competence category, but the lowest top score of the five categories.
We asked respondents how well their sales rep understood their industry, how flexible and knowledgeable reps are, and how easy it is to negotiate with their rep. In almost all cases, the highest marks were given for "My sales rep is knowledgeable." With only one exception, the lowest sales competence marks for both categories were for "My sales rep keeps my interests foremost." While users feel their rep is competent, vendors would be well advised to adopt a more cooperative philosophy to get an edge in the sales cycle.
|Midrange NAS: Would you buy this product again?
Product features
Our survey didn't compare products on a feature-by-feature basis, but rather on how well the product met the respondent's needs. This evaluates expectations vs. reality and is therefore related to sales competence. We asked respondents for their assessment regarding the product's manageability, software functionality (e.g., mirroring, replication), scalability and interoperability. HDS had the highest product feature score among enterprise products (6.75), while NetApp led the midrange with a 6.77. We also asked respondents to rate the statement "Overall, this product meets my needs." In this regard, NetApp's enterprise products lead the field with a 6.85.
TRX's Mitchell has both NetApp FAS900 and FAS3000 series systems in his shop, and particularly likes how the common operating system makes it easy to administer the boxes regardless of their roles in his environment. "All that is the [NetApp] Data Ontap model," notes Mitchell. "I don't have to learn this tool over here for this array and that tool for the VTL [virtual tape library]--it's all together."
In the midrange, NetApp's product features were very highly rated by users. In fact, the NetApp product received scores higher than 7.0 for three statements in this category. They were "This product's snapshot features meet my needs" (7.11), "This product's mirroring features meet my needs" (7.03) and "This product's remote replication meets my needs" (7.03). No other product had as many 7.0-plus scores in the features category. HDS' highest score for any statement was for "This product's capacity scales to meet my needs." This score was significantly higher than NetApp's 6.45 for the same statement regarding its enterprise products. The only score significantly outside the norm on the low end was EMC Celerra NS Series' score of 4.73 for the statement "This product is interoperable with other vendor's products."
|Products included in the survey
The following products were included in the Diogenes Labs-Storage magazine Quality Award NAS survey.
Initial quality
We expected to see fairly high scores in this category. While our hypothesis held true for the leaders, this category had the widest range of scores. For example, NetApp's midrange FAS200 systems scored 7.03 (the only product score to exceed 7.0 in any category), while EMC's Celerra systems received a 4.97, the only score below 5.0 in any category. HDS led the enterprise products with a 6.82. "There may be a few configuration issues to hammer out at the start," says CGI-AMS' Georgeson about his firm's HDS NAS blade implementation, "but the interface is nice and it has all kinds of options like quotas and defining users and groups."
We asked respondents to rate the products with regard to installation defects, ease of configuration and ease of use, among others. NetApp's midrange products received a 7.0 or higher on every item except for the statement, "I am satisfied with the amount of professional services needed for this product." Perceived overall value is an important indicator of overall product satisfaction and NetApp showed its strength there, too. NetApp's midrange product received the highest rating (7.06) in the initial quality category for the statement "This product offers good value for the money." Among enterprise products, Hitachi had the highest score (6.74) vs. NetApp (6.40) for the "value" question. When it came to the statement, "This product is easy to use," NetApp took top honors in both the enterprise and midrange categories (6.89 and 7.00, respectively).
Product reliability
The product reliability section assesses how well a product performs on an ongoing basis and how easy it is to maintain. We asked respondents about their experiences with regard to service levels, patch management and upgrade guidance. HDS led all products with a 6.84, while NetApp's FAS200 placed first in the midrange group and second overall with a 6.68. Hawaiian Airlines' Kekoa says his firm's EMC Celerra has been very reliable. "It's been awesome," he says. "We haven't had one hiccup with the NAS."
In other Quality Award surveys, patch applications and upgrade guidance were the two most problematic areas. This trend continued for NAS systems. In fact, NetApp's enterprise systems had a rare sub-6.0 score (a 5.3) for "Patches can be applied non-disruptively." That was NetApp's lowest rating for any statement in either the enterprise or midrange categories. Hitachi, however, was an exception to the rule. HDS scored a 7.0 for "This product meets my service level requirements" and a 7.05 for "This product experiences very little downtime." It even scored a 6.95 for "Patches can be applied non-disruptively," one of the highest scores we've seen for this statement. For the same statement, EMC's Celerra scored a 4.43; this is below the median of 4.5, which means that the overall user impression of Celerra patch management was negative.
Technical support
Similar to our other Quality Award surveys, tech support didn't stand out as either a strong positive or a negative. All of the vendor finalists had acceptable or higher scores, with NetApp's FAS200 midrange system leading all products with a 6.62. Among enterprise products, HDS scored a 6.44, and had the most notable score of 7.00 for the statement "Vendor provides support as contractually specified." Even though Dell's PowerVault 7xxN, EMC's Celerra NS Series and the HP ProLiant DL series Storage Server had scores below 5.5 (5.34, 5.26 and 5.26, respectively), no one "bottomed out" on any item.
The fact that support scores didn't diverge significantly is good news for both users and vendors, as it indicates a generally high level of satisfaction and underscores the importance of solid support for ongoing operations. For example, Steve Mays, chief technology officer at X2 Technologies Inc., a consulting firm in San Rafael, CA, has three Dell PowerVault 745N systems in his shop and recommends them to his clients because he finds them so easy to implement. One of the reasons he sticks with Dell is its responsiveness to support issues. "We've called Dell and said a drive died and, literally, later on that day a courier showed up with the drive," says Mays.
"The local CEs [customer engineers] and SEs [system engineers] are great," says CGI-AMS' Georgeson about the help he gets for his HDS NAS implementation. But he also acknowledges that Hitachi sometimes seems a little shorthanded when it comes to NAS support. "They need some more people," he says.
20/20 hindsight
At the end of our survey, we asked respondents to tell us if, all things considered, they would purchase the same product again. This question shouldn't be confused with buying intentions because it's possible (and often the case) for users to buy based on the philosophy of sticking with "the devil you know." Rather, this question asks people how they would act if the slate were wiped clean and they knew what they know today.
HDS led all products with 90.5% of its users saying they'd buy another NAS product from the company. This is the highest "buy again" percentage for any product in all of our Quality Awards to date. NetApp wasn't far behind with an 87.8% response for its midrange FAS200product, and an 81.4% for its enterprise FAS900/FAS3000 products.
NAS goes head-to-head
We also examined head-to-head rankings when respondents owned systems from more than one vendor. Here, NetApp midrange products came out the highest, winning 20 of 34 head-to-head contests. EMC's Celerra NS series also did very well in this regard, scoring higher than other vendor's products in 17 out of 29 cases. NetApp's enterprise products ranked higher in 24 out of 47 cases. The biggest surprise was that HDS won only six of its 14 head-to-head matchups.
|ABOUT THE SURVEY: The Diogenes Labs–Storage magazine Quality Award for NAS is the fifth in our series of survey-based service and reliability awards. The Quality Awards are designed to identify and recognize products that have proven their quality and reliability in actual use. The results are derived from a survey of qualified Storage readers that assesses products in five main categories: sales competence, product features, initial quality, product reliability and technical support. Our methodology incorporates statistically valid polling that eliminates market share as a factor. Indeed, our objective is to identify the most reliable products on the market regardless of vendor name, reputation or size. Products were rated on a scale from 1.0 to 8.0, where 8.0 is the most favorable possible score.
Clearly, head-to-head comparisons didn't track to the finish order of this survey. The reason, we believe, is that the comparisons involve all of the survey's competitors, including those with too few responses to be considered for the award. For example, products from BlueArc Corp. and Isilon Systems Inc. were rated very highly, but because of an insufficient number of responses neither was a finalist. However, statistical relevance isn't important for the head-to-head comparisons because it's a comparison of two systems by a single respondent who uses both products, and therefore doesn't rely on statistical calculations.


text:
(9 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Salzburg, Munich, Baden-Baden & Colmar
This private luxury tour features activities and destinations that are sure to appeal to every family member. Enjoy cultural attractions and the beauty of the Austrian Alps in Salzburg, Bavarian traditions and local culinary specialties in Munich, leisure time at a luxurious spa in Baden-Baden and an excursion to nearby Alsace. Touring and activities will be customized to your family's interests and needs.
Begin in Salzburg, a charming Baroque town famous for Mozart and The Sound of Music. Tour highlights such as the Cathedral, Mozart's birthplace, and the Mirabell Palace and Gardens. Walk down Getreidegasse, Salzburg's most famous shopping street, and visit select boutiques specializing in local products such as loden coats, Christmas decorations and Mozartkugel chocolate pralines. Tour markets, art museums and other historic highlights. Also, take a private excursion through the Salzkammergut, a stunning region of mountains and lakes in the Austrian Alps, to tour the salt mines and visit film sites from The Sound of Music.
Continue to Munich, the dynamic capital of Bavaria. Explore the Old Town during a flexible walking tour with your private guide. See the famed Glockenspiel and watch its life-size mechanical figures dance and joust. Stroll interesting neighborhoods and squares, and browse the Viktualienmarkt outdoor food market. Visit the Frauenkirche—the symbol of the city—and the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum, if desired. Depending on your family's interests, other touring options include the Residenz (the former royal palace), visiting a beer hall such as the renowned Hofbrauhaus, touring the BMW factory and museum, or taking an excursion to Neuschwanstein castle.
End your tour in Baden-Baden, an elegant spa town in the Black Forest, for three nights at an elegant hotel with a renowned spa and extensive grounds. One day, enjoy a private excursion into nearby Alsace (in France) to visit the picture-perfect town of Colmar. During free time in Baden-Baden, enjoy the hotel's many facilities, including a kids club, swimming pool, renowned spa and excellent restaurants. Also explore the town's beautiful parks, quaint shops, excellent museums such as the Museum Frieder Burda, and beautiful walking paths.
|Itinerary Overview