text: Hi! This is the nineth Community Updates, January 12th issue. For the new year we interviewed Sean on everything that matters for the community: sales in 2008 were around the low five digits, om-locations is what remains of an ambitious mesh network project, and the most surprising development to him was the explosion of distributions. Back on the mailing lists, activity was rater slow during the first week of the year, but got more intense than ever after the holidays. Illume's keyboard received lots of localisations. Opkg.org reached a critical mass of packages. SHR and FSO are counting down toward their next milestone, while coding continues for kernel, drivers, Android and the like. It looks like the switch to 2.6.28 is going to happen soonish, before the switch to the Paroli phone stack. The newsletter is also available with links at http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Community_Updates/January_12th%2C_2009 Contents * 1 Distributions * 2 New applications * 3 Ports and updates * 4 Community * 5 Hardware and drivers * 6 Tips and tricks 1. Distributions * SHR: According to Julien's latest on the SHR project blog, the baby is expected really soon now. * Marek announced the new organisation of package and images repositories. * Android: The latest compatible kernel has wifi and bluetooth working now. Suspend and reboot are still broken. * FSO MS5 should branch out for really soon now (the roadmap says release January 31st, but they want a longer stabilization period this time). It will be the first milestone that will have support not only for GTA01 and 02, but also for the Motorola EZX A780. meeting minutes. * Hackable:1 buildbot is up and running. Images are generated every morning around 4:00. Happy testing ! * User:Bytestore has updated assemblage 2008.12 from Russian community, work with gprs, headphone jack plug, ru keyboard and many other things were updated (download rootfs, see screenshots) 2. New applications * LED clock When an Openmoko is sitting unused at night, turn it into an alarm clock with large 7-segment digits on a black background in landscape mode. * GPRSsettings is a GUI script designed to change apn, login, dialnumber. * Samuel's script for a toggle wifi icon. * ylock 0.1 Python screen lock and low battery monits. * AppManager 1.0.1 Zenity package manager. * Mirko announced that pre-alpha Paroli was now packaged in testing. Development moved to their own domain: paroli-project hosts trac, git, blog and documentation. * Kurt's Gwaterpas allows to use the Freerunner as a leveling tool. * There are now 75 packages at opkg.org. Novelties include osmupdater (updates OSM maps directory), sortdesk (sorts the desk), MokoCard (flashcards learning aid), sms-sentry (query the unit's location by SMS, handy if it was just stolen), pyring (a key ring), EFpLayer (mplayer GUI), playstankontakarta (an icon displaying remaining credit with POLISH PLAY pre-paid phone provider), various illume keyboards and more. It was mentioned unofficially that Openmoko's community repository is going to be dismantled. 3. Ports and updates * Lots of Navit activity. Distributions are kindly suggested to package the sample map separately from the main binary to conserve space. * The opkg package manager development moved from OM svn to Google code. The recommended stable version is r172, there is a significant data structures+algorithm refactorization going on. * Version 2.4 of orrery is now available. It has a new schematic Solar System View page, showing the position of the planets and our moon in their orbits, a new moon calendar, and a less ugly icon. * The ZOMG! package manager is now available on opkg.org, and now allows to add/remove/edit repositories (i.e. feeds). * Angus updated BtGPS.py to work with FSO. With this script, the FreeRunner works as a bluetooth GPS. * Marco shared his success in compiling the latest E17 svn on 2008.12. There was trouble on SHR with the Elementary widget set, tough. 4. Community * Sean's new year interview * Rakshat Hooja's company IDA Systems will be at Mumbai's TechFest. There are gifts waiting for the first 10 FreeRunner owners to show up at their booth! * The Future of location services thread started as an attempt to clarify the GPS drivers tangle, and then turned to using GSM celltowers and wifi access points location information. Dima signalled that there are several free databases of GSM tower locations, and that his gta02 Perl script to query OpenCellID for the approximate tower location, and then initialize the AGPS with this data works great. There is a database of Wifi access points at wigle.net. * Two new mailing lists were announced. One to discuss testing of all Openmoko Products. The other to discuss projects.openmoko.org administration. While we are at it, here are the number of subscriptions as of 07/01/2009 according to Werner: hardware 670, kernel 692, support 1016, devel 1262, community 2323, announce 11258. * The Department CSIE of National Chung Cheng University launched dozens of projects this week. 5. Hardware and drivers * Werner announced he made an debug board that fits inside the case. Schematics contributed as a community member, not as an Openmoko employee. * Filter AUX key bouncing patches. * There is a thread about the touchscreen driver on the devel list, how it should be split between kernelspace and userspace, and how to contribute it upstream to the Linux kernel. I find the mix of high-level technical arguments with social and emotional considerations fascinating. * It is a pleasure to say that the Community localized the Illume keyboard to at least nine different languages. This does not only involves layout and icon, but also building up a dictionary (the keyboard emits key symbols when in "terminal" mode, but uses predictive dictionary lookups when in "strings" mode.) The frontier: asian languages input. * The Freeunner is also a target platform for many innovative new input methods. * Carl proposed a simple in-car mount: stick a piece of velcro on the dashboard, strap the FreeRunner onto it through the hole, flipping the display with xrandr -o 2. Add a standard USB car charger, you are all set. * GSM firmware updater and hardware buzzfix program: not released yet, still working on it. * Video driver code was ported from kdrive to xorg architecture, Graeme is now in debugging mode. Andreas, Chris and Tom are also working on it. * Miguel's video showcases that the Arduino, a popular open-source electronic prototyping platform, complements well the FreeRunner when it comes to reading sensors and controlling actuators. * Qi supports the zImage kernel format. 6. Tips and tricks * Booting 2008.12 from a microsd fails with "Only GTA01 hardware supported by ASoc driver" ? Option "ro" on the kernel commandline is fatal for startup of 2008.12. Check your U-Boot env if you're using that for "ro", or try adding rw to /boot/append-GTA02 if you are on SD Card and Qi. * tangogps 0.9.2 and 0.9.3 have an issue converting between coordinate formats in the western or southern hemispheres. If you use the DD.dd format it should display the correct value. * Current FSO should support both the 2.6.24 and 2.6.28 kernels. The patch to use old FSO with new kernel is here. * Howto get the wrench and QWERTY buttons in 2008.12 with the ASU theme. * Chris Samuel offers a noise reduction+echo suppression patch and binary for QtE 4.4.2. Yours, Minh


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If you like your gubernatorial campaigns negative and nasty, then Virginia's race for governor is for you, and will likely remain so until Election Day in November.
How could it not be with such good raw material for attack ads?
The Republican standard-bearer is controversial Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who has acknowledged receiving vacations and other gifts valued at $18,000 from the same businessman who plied GOP Gov. Robert McDonnell and his family with money and gifts valued at more than $145,000.
Meanwhile, the Democratic nominee is Terry McAuliffe, whose background as a friend of the Clintons, a wheeling-dealing entrepreneur, a top political fundraiser and former Democratic National Committee chairman makes him an opposition researcher's dream.
So Cuccinelli is being pummeled by a steady stream of criticism from the McAuliffe campaign and others for not repaying the businessman's gifts, like the governor has. McAuliffe ads attacked Cuccinelli for, among other things, allegedly helping the energy industry at the expense of ordinary Virginians.
Democrats were always going to target Cuccinelli for his ideology, which is considerably to the right of many Virginians in a state that has gone from red to purple. But for Democrats, the gifts opened up another potentially potent line of attack, especially since Cuccinelli has so far indicated he has no intention to repay them.
Cuccinelli's campaign, for its part, is flogging reports that an electric car company McAuliffe helped create is being investigated by federal officials for allegedly misusing a visa program.
The Republican's campaign was helped at the start of the week from the Republican Governors Association, whose chairman, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, introduced a new TV ad that essentially called McAuliffe a liar, and highlighted ties between GreenTech Automotive and a Chinese company linked to that nation's intelligence apparatus.
And that was on top of the 30-minute, anti-McAuliffe documentary by Citizens United, the same group whose lawsuit resulted in the Supreme Court lifting limits on campaign spending called independent expenditures that corporations and unions can make.
For self-evident reasons, negative campaigns like Virginia's tend to make many voters decide to do anything but vote come Election Day. Turnout in the Virginia governor's race was likely to be challenged anyway by the November election occurring during an off-year.
Since Republican candidates tend to have a relatively easier time getting their voters to the polls than Democrats during off-year elections, all the negativity in Virginia could wind up harming McAuliffe more than Cuccinelli. If the race will be as close as recent polls suggest, turnout will be critical.
Unfortunately for any Virginian already fatigued by the increasingly negative contest for governor, it's only August.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Retrospective: Marvel Super Heroes
The genius behind Marvel Super Heroes is its universal results table, an extremely elegant way both to present and to adjudicate any action a character might attempt in the game. Although a character's seven attributes (Fighting, Agility, Strength, Endurance, Reason, Intuition, and Psyche) did have a numerical value associated with them, that value played minimal role in the game mechanically. Instead, it was an attribute's adjective -- Good, Incredible, Amazing, etc. -- that was more important, since each one was associated with a column on the results table. The greater a character's attributes, the more likely a chance of success in any action governed by it.
Difficult actions could be handled in two ways. They could either suffer a column shift, which meant using a "lower" column on the table, or they could require a specific level of success within a column, since each column divided its success range into color-coded bands of decreasing size. Normally, only a white success was needed, but difficult actions might need a green, yellow, or even red result to be successful. These two additional aspects of the results table made it very easy to model even complex actions with ease and, more importantly, on the fly, which is essential to any good superhero RPG.
Marvel Super Heroes included karma points. These points, earned by completing adventures and behaving in an appropriately heroic fashion, pulled double duty as both experience points and as a means to improve the success of rolls on the results table. Again, though simple mechanically, karma points gave players a lot of options, enabling them to emulate comic book action without placing a straitjacket on them. In my experience, players tended to try and accumulate lots of karma by behaving heroically and then hoard them for use at important moments in an adventure rather than spending them to improve their characters. I suspect that's exactly how designer Jeff Grubb intended it work.
The game's most serious flaw is the lack of anything other than a rudimentary -- and random -- character creation system. Marvel Super Heroes assumes, not without good reason, that players of the game don't want to make their own heroes but would rather play Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, and the like. Consequently, the need for official, pregenerated stats for every hero, villain, and incidental character of the Marvel Universe was high, creating both a regular column in the pages of Dragon ("The Marvel-Phile") and many adventures and sourcebooks that provided such information. It's here where my fondness for the game takes a nosedive and why I wonder about the hobby's fascination with licensed properties.
Still, Marvel Super Heroes was the superhero RPG I played the most, as I was too math-impaired to handle Champions for any length of time. My friends and I nevertheless bucked the trend and created our own characters, such as the geneticist who could turn into The Troll and a blind crossbowman known as Quarrel. They rubbed shoulders with the Avengers and battled Dr. Doom, of course, but they were heroes of our own imaginations and, as such, much more satisfying for us to play, as we were free to develop them through play as we wished rather than hewing to a script laid down by decades worth of comic books written by someone else. That's what roleplaying has always been about for me; it still is.
56 comments:
Let's face it: superheroes are supposed to be role-models (at least that was the initial intent); they're a natural fit for role-play. From that point of view there is nothing odd about this particular license.
Most wargammers play out their favourite historical battles rather than use points systems and invented terrain.Marvel Super Heroes was also phenomenal for gladitorial match-ups. In '85, I designed a scale Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation (which factored largely in Thing comics at the time, among others, incl. Capt. America) arena tile, complete with admantium cage modifiers and other such accoutrement.
The Marvel rules were elegant for any variety of wrestling competition, and we ended up playing the UCWF arena "mini-game" far more frequently than we did any of the published adventures. We never had to debate whether Hulk could beat Thor in fight - we could puzzle it out in real time!Other than Sci-Fi (which I mostly played via Star Trek and Traveller), the Superhero Comic Book genre is perhaps my most favorite. I've played pretty much ever supers game and for my money, MSH was just not 'the one'.
Oddly, its not for the reason you mentioned, as character creation for the advanced game was made super-wacky-crazy-awesome with the inclusion of MA3 - The Marvel Ultimate Powers Book
I didn't really like the system itself and trying to remember if Amazing was better or worse the Incredible always confused the heck out of us.
After years playing everything from Villains and Vigilantes to Superworld to DC Heroes, Champions won the day until the creation of Mutants and Masterminds. For my money M&M is the superhero gaming's Greatest American Hero.I actually learned to play RPGs on the Marvel game. My first experience creating a character was both exhilarating and disappointing, mainly because the GM was my friend's older brother who insisted we make our own characters from the random chart. My first character was an "energy body," I think, who--on the GM's insistence--couldn't project or shoot energy. He just WAS energy. (Gee, thanks...)
In any case I loved the universal table and eventually got a copy of the game myself--finally making up the heroes I wanted to play. :)
FYI, the character generator is online in the form of a random-roll generator. Ah, memories!FASERIP!!!! Marvel is my all time favorite rpg that I have ever played. Our last campaign lasted 5 years:-)
I have to admit though that the groups I played with nor I ever thought that the game was restricting me to just playing the actual Marvel characters. I think they had so many of those Marvel Files and the like because players wanted to fight along side their favorite heroes or subdue their favorite villains. Also, who didn't want to see how certain Marvel favorites stacked up against others in the universe?
If you are looking for a new superhero rpg, do yourself a favor and take a look at BASH! Ultimate Edition. In my opinion, it takes the best elements of Marvel (a colored task resolution chart)and the point buy, non effect base of Champions and blends it together very nicely. I suck at conveying just how good it is and I apologize for that.Our group started with the Marvel Heroes, but that didn't have the right feel. So, we quickly turned to generating characters. We actually really enjoyed it, and developed our own team of heroes. The guys we're really creative with this. The Marvel heroes were NPCed, like guest stars. For a brief period of time (couple months). We played it more than AD&D. Over 30 years of playing, Marvel Super Heroes RPG is the only RPG that claim that among my group.
ReplyDelete@ Barking Alien
Yeah. The name system worked okay as long as you were distinguishing between the poor/typical/good, but tended to get fuzzy when you got into excellent/remarkable/incredible territory, if you didn't have the chart right in front of you...
Still a fun system. I agree with James' big beef, the smothering blanket of established canon vs. brewing your own universe. That's not to say I didn't have fun playing the X-Men in the Secret Wars module.I was pretty fond of this mechanic for awhile even though I didn't play much Marvel Heroes - Victory Games' James Bond RPG used a similar resolution system but it was scaled way down. In fact, the big problem with that game was you quickly hit the ceiling - everyone went for maximum speed to be fastest on the draw and you wound with pretty much identical characters. TSR's Conan game also used a similar system but was so vague where magic was concerned (not many spells described) that I quickly gave up on it - many old-schoolers and REH fans, myself included, would probably consider that vagueness a plus nowadays!
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 3, 2010 at 11:37 AM
ReplyDelete In the late eighties, my gaming friends and I had a pretty decent capaign going for Advanced Marvel Superheroes. We never used characters from the Marvel universe for PCs, but made our own characters. I think the advanced version had a better character generation system, I'll have to go back and re read the system.
I had a character from West Germany (It was still the cold war after all) called Captain Blitz. He had electricity derived powers. I remember doing an attack against Mandroids that proved pretty successful. Creating a forcefield of electricity over my character and then just ramming them!
Fun game!Also played a lot of MSH, probably at least as much as anything else at that time. Good observations that a lot of the design is counter to my philosophy these days, but it was relatively simple and seemed to fit the source material pretty well.
The Advanced game managed to void a lot of those simple advantages, and was not a good idea. Another observation: MSH was very well suited for one-off skirmish games with the licensed characters, but not so great in campaigns (divergence from ongoing comics became trouble). Even interactions between unique PCs and any book-NPCs would do that.
Typo in posting: "Normally, only a white success was needed..."; actually, white was always a failure, green was the first general success category.- AnonymousFebruary 3, 2010 at 12:43 PM
MSH is still my favorite among superhero rpgs. Just call me Captain Grognard! Yes, MSH wanted you to play with their heroes, but so did DCHeroes.
They both had the benefit of a large reference base of character types and abilities. If you wanted a character like Iron Man, there he was...pick an armour type. If you wanted a Green Lantern, but didn't like green...BOOM! there was a template for you.
Heck, doing DC Heroes to MSH conversions was incredibly simple (I forget the exact factoring & my notes aren't available) and too often did similar powered/type Marvel & DC superheroes' abilities fall within the same range. It is great!
I used several variations of heroworlds in different time periods, and never did I have a problem with it losing its comic book appeal. What's wrong with a 40 to 80 year history of comics to fall back on? My latest campaign excursion is to leave the current comics' history as just that: history! The players will be encouraged to make their own way with their own stylized heroes. Any major hero NPC's will be much, much older than they appear in the comics nowadays.
Think Dark Knight Returns & Kingdome Come with a dash of Earth X & Watchmen. These are the dark days the new younger heroes will following. It's their time to step into the dawning light.
Viva the Renaissance Age of Superheroes!
Grendelwulf Ah, yes, Marvel Super-Heroes, the gold-standard of superhero RPGs...
Marvel was a long-time favorite of mine and the basis for the longest-running campaign I ever created (although it later transitioned into Champions and other superhero RPGs. What can I say? It was college and I was feeling experimental...).
Great overview of the game. I must disagree about Marvel's random character creation as a flaw, however. There was a time when I thought so, too, but I've since had my eyes opened to the kind of inspirational wackiness randomly-rolled superheroes can provide.
Just like Traveller's random sector and planet creation, some of the odd corner-cases of Marvel's random hero creation led to some very creative explanations to tie everything together, ideas players might not have come up with if they stuck to tried-and-true comic book archetypes. Take the super-strong guy with the fiery aura becoming Volcano, prince of the sub-terran Magma Men!I never played MSH back-in-the-day, but it is the favorite of one of my friends in my current group. So, I've played it fairly regularly in recent years.
We always make our own heroes. We like the random generation. Though, sometimes the GM (or is it "Narrator"?) will do free-form chargen. Describe what you want, and he'll choose the ranks and powers.
We also don't feel constrained to Marvel canon. (Heck, it's not like even Marvel manages to keep a single, consistent canon. And uncanonical "what ifs" have always been a popular comic thing.)All of the players I played MSH with insisted on making their own heroes. The random generation system was just too fun NOT to use!
The problem was, and it was a major problem, that each and every player was at a different power level just based on the luck of the dice. And I'll tell you, it's no fun being Captain Average when you're team mates are equal to Thor and Hulk. Doesn't leave a lot of bad guys for me to mop up.We played a bit of Marvel Super Heroes, but it was never our Super Hero RPG of choice. I suspect that the only reason we played it was because the GM was a fan of Alpha Flight back in the day (as was I). Personally, I much preferred DC Heroes as it felt more flavoursome than did MSH.
Of course, being English, our Super Hero RPG of choice was Golden Heroes. It was a decent enough system, it was written to our sensibility, and the too few scenarios were good -- Queen Victoria and the Holy Grail is not just a good title.
The game is still available as Squadron UK via lulu.com.- AnonymousFebruary 3, 2010 at 2:45 PM
Although never really a fan of comics & superheroes myself, I always enjoyed the occasional break we took from D&D to roll up heroes for MSH. Once again, years of fun CAN come in small boxes (hint, hint powers that be...).
ReplyDelete MSH has been my go-to supers game for 20 years!
recently I branched out to BASH! to make it different and try something else, though to be sure I miss the easiness and eye-balling power that game had.
Need a villain, through him some powers, make them up, give it a rank and move on. No need to do math and balance everything out.
A GM's (or in their case Judge's) dream!
I have played that game from out-of-the-box, to vastly house ruled to back to by-the-book.
4C was not what I had hoped for, which is why I have promised this year to release, or at least get working on "Mighty Super Heroes!" my free retro-clone of MSH Advanced :)
Sigh, thanks James, you took me back today, as did everyone's comments."We also don't feel constrained to Marvel canon. (Heck, it's not like even Marvel manages to keep a single, consistent canon. And uncanonical "what ifs" have always been a popular comic thing.)"
Not a bad point, but if I were doing another campaign I'd set up that up as a premise in advance at the start. Having it happen accidentally unawares as the game was played out didn't work well for me in the past."4C was not what I had hoped for, which is why I have promised this year to release, or at least get working on "Mighty Super Heroes!" my free retro-clone of MSH Advanced :)"
One thing you might want to keep in mind is tht the phrase "Super Hero" is jointly trademarked by Marvel/DC, and they've taken action in the past on that point. (Such as the comic "Super Hero Happy Hour", forced to remove the "Super").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_heroes#Trademark_statusAnd yet we still have games like "Basic Action Super Heroes" and such.
I think so long as you aren't going after their markets (TV, Film, Comics, etc) they don't really care. And since I will be releasing my game for free, they can send cease and desist letters, since I am not making profit off of it.
But thanks for the head's up :)"Not a bad point, but if I were doing another campaign I'd set up that up as a premise in advance at the start."
Oh, yeah. We make it clear from the start. Though, I suppose at this point it can go unspoken with my group.
(And it ought to be the default assumption of all gamers. Never assume the monsters, magic-items, or setting canon are 100% in effect.)MSH is a great game!
As much as I loved MSH, I think it is unfortunate that TSR went crazy trying to mash Gamma World and whatever else into this style of game and essentially abandoned emulating classic D&D in their post MSH game releases.
Indiana Jones also suffered from the same design flaw, which is sad because IJ was actually a fun game, but it was mercilessly criticized for not having a character creation system.Thanks for all the comments and analysis. It is good to know the game that Steve Winter and I put together still stokes warm memories in the players.
The original "Yellow Box" of MSH was not supposed to have character generation because of the license - Marvel felt that you should be playing Marvel Super Heroes. When we started the Advanced "Blue Box" set, Marvel's number one comment was "Be sure you put in character generation".
MSH itself came out of homegrown campaign in college called Project: Marvel Comics. It was set in the Marvel Universe but the players created their own unique heroes - so we had Super Pin (the pro-bowler of steel), the Crimson Ram, and the Somewhat Surprising Alloy Man (also known as Somewhat SAM). They were a Junior Achievement branch of the Avengers from before they even set up the WCA.
Jeff GrubbI ran two Advanced MSH campaigns back in my college days. Players always created their own characters, but we never regretted having the stacks of stats for all the various Marvel characters - it just meant we had lots of NPC's to beat the crap out of...
After an almost two-decade hiatus, I've started using the MSH rules once again, this time to run an online game, set in the 1960's, separate from the Marvel universe (or any other published one, for that matter).- AnonymousFebruary 3, 2010 at 7:25 PM
Jeff, I always like the excellent combat/results table and adapted it to other games we played.
The one MSH game I remember was when the GM had us play ourselves as superheroes, in our own city. Our fight with the villains trashed most of the town, which made it even more memorable. Man that was fun. I am not sure I agree with your assumption that MSH was intended to be used with pregens. They were provided yes, but as much for team-ups and oppositions as for playing.
The character generation system allowed for both random generation and a method called "modelling" in which a player was allowed to work with the Judge to create a character that was thematic as opposed to random.
The creation of the Marvel Phile was not intended exclusively to provide more pre-gen characters but to provide a steady stream of supporting characters for your games. Anybody who's read Marvel comics knows that at some point all heroes team up with Spider-Man and that nearly every hero is in some way affiliated with the Avengers.
Heck, they put out several three-hole volumes detailing, alphabetical listings of practically every character in the Marvel universe.
I do gree with your review of the system, though. Simple, elegant, and very much one of the most organic and loyal superhero RPG systems out there. The GM's job was so easy in that game almost never ground to a halt, even when the players might otherwise have thrown him for a loop.
The system also allowed for and encouraged the development of a characters' powers throug hthe use of Karma (XP) during game play to create new "power stunts". Spend the points and perform the stunt enough times and it became a permanent part of your character's bag of tricks.
Great game!
-EliI just got it!
It's funny how you can look at something 20+ years later and see it in a completely different light.
Marvel-Phile as in "lover of Marvel" and also "The Marvel-File." LOL!
It didn't help of course that the last time I looked at an old Dragon magazine I was reading "Marvel-Phill" whatever that meant.
Can't say I didn't learn anything in college.I loved the super flexible Marvel mechanics. In the late 80's & early 90's I used it's universal table to create a custom games like a Pulp campaign based on Temple of Doom, a Dawn of Dead-like zombie campaign, a Marvel game based on Project Wide Awake campaign with the players playing straight laced G-men taking down freaky mutants, and a campaign based on Marvel's horrible New Universe. I even know of a friend's 12 year old who is currently using the Marvel mechanics to run a Lord of the Rings/D&D-like game.
Not only did Marvel supplant D&D with my group, but I spent my spare time after school creating a "random character roller" on my Commodore 64 which would spit out random characters with "hollow bones" and the "Power Cosmic" which would show up in my games as random baddies/mutants.
I think the Marvel Universal table is probably the easiest, rules light system available.- AnonymousFebruary 5, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Hi, I would just like to add my gratitude to Jeff and Steven for creating such an elegant game.
I have been running a superhero campaign, set in its own world and with totally original characters, that is now in its sixteenth year and still going strong.
In addition, I have found the system so flexible that I and my friends have run everything from zombie horror adventures, to all-out sci-fi and wild west (with some creative tailoring of new skills such as Quick Draw and Hard Drinkin').
For my regular role playing group it is our favourite system of all time. (And believe me, we've played almost every system under the sun.)
Thanks once again, Jeff and Steve, for almost 2 decades of role playing entertainment.
Brady Webb Thanks to all for your kind comments. They encouraged me to get around to telling some of the secret history of MSH, over at my Grubb Street blog. Enjoy.
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 5, 2010 at 4:47 PM
When I was eleven or so, we played the advanced MSH ruleset with the Ultimate Powers Book every day after school. I rolled a sentient vegetable with the Nemesis power (copy one power from anyone within range) at Monstrous rank. I modeled my character after Bob Burden's Flaming Carrot, and I had some truly ridiculous adventures, culminating in becoming the herald of Galactus, whereupon I became the Silver Carrot.
Great game. Even at the age of 15 I suppose my group and I were already looking to customize as much as possible. We loved comic books but never wanted to 'be Spider-Man' or 'be Batman'. We wanted to be our own guys. As Jeff Grubb himself stated, that wasn't the primary goal of the game when it first game out and so that soured our initial reaction to it I'm afraid.
Additionally, I am more of a DC fan. ;)
By the way, Mr. Grubb, its a pleasure to read your blog and so cool of you to come here and rap with us. The ol' guard dudes just rock.
Regarding the names for levels of power thing - BigFella hit it right on the head for me.
@Matthew...Yeah. I took the SATs...but anything that reminds me of high school gets a boo hiss.And James, I implore you: Why would you play a Marvel game if you didn't want to play Spider-Man, or Captain America, or someone like that?
You mean like the way that someone playing Star Wars wants to play Han Solo or Luke Skywalker? For me, playing a licensed RPG is about playing in that world but not playing different characters rather than those we already know. I don't see a lot of point in using an existing character; doing so removes one of the key elements of fun for me: creating my own character.


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For one pound of lump crab meat, six medium, raw shrimp were pureed in a food processor. The pureed shrimp were added to a mixing bowl with a little fish sauce, one egg, some chopped green onions, cilantro leaves, a seeded and chopped Thai chile or two, minced fresh ginger, chopped Thai basil, and the crab. This was carefully mixed together while trying not to break up the crab too much. Two to three tablespoons of fresh bread crumbs were to be added, and I think I used even less than that. The shrimp and egg held the mixture together very well, and the breadcrumbs were almost unnecessary. The cakes were formed and refrigerated for 30 minutes or so and then were dredged in flour before being fried for a few minutes on each side.
In the article, Bittman suggested serving the cakes with a dipping sauce of fish or soy sauce with lime juice, etc. or possibly with a mayonnaise mixed with fish sauce. I stirred together a quick sauce with mayonnaise, fish sauce, lime juice, and chopped Thai basil. These crab cakes were fantastic with a little dollop of that on top, but they were so full of flavor, they were also great all by themselves. I'm definitely hanging on to this recipe and foresee cute, little, mini versions of these cakes being served at upcoming holiday parties.


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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Richard Mellon Scaife, the billionaire heir to the Mellon banking and oil fortune and a newspaper publisher who funded libertarian and conservative causes and various projects to discredit President Bill Clinton, has died. He was 82.
Scaife died early Friday at his home, his newspaper, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, reported. Scaife's death comes less than two months after he announced in a first-person, front-page story in his Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he had an untreatable form of cancer.
"Some who dislike me may rejoice at the news," wrote Scaife, who acknowledged making political and other enemies. "Naturally, I can't share their enthusiasm."
He was the grand-nephew of Andrew Mellon, a banker and secretary of the Treasury who was involved with some of the biggest industrial companies of the early 20th century. Forbes magazine estimated Scaife's net worth in 2013 at $1.4 billion.
The intensely private Scaife became widely known in the 1990s when first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton said her husband was being attacked by a "vast right-wing conspiracy." White House staffers and other supporters suggested Scaife was playing a central role in the attack.
Several foundations controlled by Scaife gave millions of dollars to organizations run by critics of Clinton, including $1.7 million for a project at the conservative American Spectator magazine to dig up information about his role in the Whitewater real estate scandal.
Scaife rarely gave interviews, but in a sit-down with George magazine editor John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1998, he called President Clinton "an embarrassment."
In the interview, Scaife denied that his money helped support an effort to hurt the president, but he suggested Clinton might be linked to the deaths of dozens of administration officials and associates, including White House Deputy Counsel Vince Foster and onetime Commerce Secretary Ron Brown. Foster's death was determined to be a suicide; Brown died in a plane crash.
Scaife also accused Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel whose investigation led to Clinton's impeachment in the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal, to be a "mole working for the Democrats."
Scaife's stance toward the Clintons softened years later. In an interview published in early 2008, he told Vanity Fair magazine he and the former president had a "very pleasant" lunch the previous summer, and "I never met such a charismatic man in my whole life."
Clinton gave Scaife an autographed copy of his book, and Scaife said he later sent $100,000 to the Clinton Global Initiative. (Scaife also said philandering "is something that Bill Clinton and I have in common.")
Scaife's newspaper also endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton's bid for president in 2008.
Despite funding many causes dear to conservatives, Scaife was libertarian on many social issues. He supported Planned Parenthood and abortion rights, supported legalizing same-sex marriage and marijuana, and opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Scaife bought the Tribune-Review in suburban Pittsburgh in 1969, using its editorial pages to trumpet his views.
"I fell in love with newspapers as a boy, when my father bought me editions from around the country and abroad," Scaife told readers in the column announcing his cancer diagnosis. "The day I became a newspaper publisher, buying the Tribune-Review, remains one of the proudest, happiest moments of my life."
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said in a statement Friday that Scaife's passing "marks the departure of a man whose vision and generosity shaped the city's progress and our nation's course." He said his contributions helped to preserve Pittsburgh's landmarks.
Corbett also cited Scaife's investment in think tanks that he said "reshaped our nation's political dialogue and delivered the opening salvos in the Reagan revolution, replacing tired nostrums with vigorous new ideas for progress."
Scaife was a longtime supporter of Republicans, backing presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964 and heavily funding the 1968 campaign of Richard Nixon.
In 1972, Scaife donated $1 million to Nixon in 334 separate checks to avoid paying gift taxes. After The Associated Press wrote a story about the money, Scaife insisted the Tribune-Review get rid of its AP service.
"He ordered us to come in and take out the wire machines that night," Pat Minarcin, then AP's Pittsburgh bureau chief, told The Wall Street Journal for a 1995 story.
Scaife also made headlines in recent years during a bitter divorce battle with Margaret Ritchie Battle Scaife, his second wife. The divorce was finalized in 2012. His first marriage, to Frances Gilmore Scaife, also ended in divorce.
A Pittsburgh native, Richard Mellon Scaife was born in 1932, the son of Sarah Cordelia Mellon and Alan Magee Scaife. His mother was an alcoholic, and his upbringing has been described as cold and unhappy. He and his sister were raised by nannies.
He went to Yale but was expelled during his freshman year after a he rolled a beer keg down a flight of stairs, breaking the legs of a classmate, according to a 1999 story in The Washington Post.
Scaife admitted to becoming an alcoholic, and he had a reputation for having a fiery temper. He reportedly quit drinking in 1990 after going to the Betty Ford Clinic.
The Tribune-Review reported Scaife is survived by a daughter, Jennie K. Scaife, a son, David N. Scaife, a daughter-in-law, Sara Scaife; and two grandchildren.
The newspaper reported that a private memorial service would be held at a later date.


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Notice: this Wiki will be going read only early in 2024 and edits will no longer be possible. Please see: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipsefdn/helpdesk/-/wikis/Wiki-shutdown-plan for the plan.
Equinox/p2/Query Language for p2
- 1 Background
- 2 Language Design
- 3 Basic IQuery examples
- 4 Localization
- 5 Currying
- 6 Performance comparison: p2QL traversal versus the p2 Slicer
- 7 Java API
- 8 The BNF
As p2 gets more widely used, we predict that repositories will grow larger and larger over time. The Galileo repository alone contains 3866 IU's (in one single service release). Starting with Helios, we plan to keep everything over time which will put the IU count close to 10.000. And that's just one year of Eclipse IP approved material. OSGi is gaining in popularity and p2 is getting increasingly popular. Some companies plan to map the central maven repository as p2. We can soon expect to see p2 repositories with over a 100.000 IU's in them.
The problem
p2 has a query mechanism today that makes it hard to create a repository implementation that is based on a database. It is also diffiult to create an efficient client/server solution. The reason for this is that most of the queries are written as implementations of the IQuery interface, either as ContextQuery derivates that need access to all rows in the database, or as MatchQuery derivates with a java method to which all rows need to be passed.
There is no uniform way to translate these queries into an expression that can be understood by a database or by something running in another process.
Some attempts have been made to rectify this and a repository implementation could potentially make some intelligent decisions based on information derived from looking at the query (what class it is, and in some cases, what properties that are exposed). While this is an improvement, the general problem remains; A large amount of the queries are still more or less completely black-boxed and it's enough with one single such query to force a full selection of everything from the database/remote server.
The p2QL expression language discussed here is an attempt to rectify this problem. It can be used in two ways:
- Coexisting with current IQuery / IQueryable
- Using the ExpressionContextQuery (implements IQuery), or the ExpressionQuery (implements IMatchQuery), it can coexist with todays IQuery/IQueryable. The queries are created based on an expression and an array of parameters. See section #IQuery examples.
- With more explicit separation of concerns
- It can also be used in an alternative solution where an expression returns an Iterator. This usage scenario is particularly useful when implementing remote repositories or implementations on top of a database. It is also a very efficient way of querying for things that you don't want to collect in memory.
We discussed the use of a query language at length on the p2 meeting on November 9 and November 16. The issue is captured in bugzilla Create a QueryLanguage for p2.
Language Design
TODO: Add some text here to explain where the ideas stem from (xtend, xtext, Scala, Java) and other motivation behind the choice of syntax.
There are two major ingredients in p2ql:
- The language itself
- How the language integrates with and interacts with Java objects
The language itself
A query language at its heart is simply an expression evaluation language for two major kinds of expressions:
- Iterating over a collection and subsetting it in some way
- Supplying a boolean expression that is used as a callback when some other object iterates over a collection and computes a subset.
That, then is what p2ql is: a simple language for describing subsets of collections.
How the language integrates with Java objects
Since p2ql must execute inside a Java runtime, it must interact with Java objects. In the context of P2, there are two kinds of Java objects that a query language must interact with:
- A P2 IQueryable
- Arbitrary Java objects that are passed in as parameters to the query
p2ql itself is a small dynamically-typed language in the Smalltalk tradition. It has receivers (objects) and messages (methods), and whether an object can receive a message is determined dynamically at runtime. Even so, because it automatically takes advantage of various opportunities for concurrency, it is very fast. It is also a pure functional language, which means that all variables are final. As was noted before, it is an expression language--which means that while you can use predefined objects and functions, you cannot define your own objects nor your own named functions.
However, you can define anonymous functions (lambdas, closures, anonymous runnables) in the same way that a SQL "where" clause is really an anonymous function or a nested SQL query is also an anonymous function.
Java bindings
When you define a p2ql query, you are really dynamically defining and running a new method on a P2 IQueryable object, usually a metadata repository.
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> q = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("this.id == $0", id); metadataRepository.query(q);
Types of queries
There are two main kinds of queries.
- Queries that define a boolean expression to evaluate against every element in the IQueryable. This is similar to just defining a "where" clause in SQL.
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("this.id == $0", id);
- Queries that subset the IQueryable's "collection contents" and return a new collection
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createQuery("everything.select(x | x.id == $0)", id);
Variable binding
Within these types of queries, variables are bound in the following ways:
- In a match query, "this" refers to the "current row object" in the IQueryable.
- In a generic query, "everything" refers to the IQueryable collection itself.
- Dot notation follows the following rules:
- If the receiver of the message is an Iterable or an IQueryable, the message must be a function that iterates across the collection's elements. (These predefined functions are described below.)
- If the receiver of the message is a POJO, then the property name denoted by the message is converted into a "getRegurlarProperty" or "isBooleanProperty" Java call and the property value is returned.
So, in the examples above, this.id is the same as writing "rowObject.getId()" in Java.
If you prefer, "this" or "everything" can be left out. In other words, unqualified property names or function calls always refer to the "this" or the "everything" object. So, the following queries are equivalent to the first examples.
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("id == $0", id);
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createQuery("select(x | x.id == $0)", id);
The $0, $1, ..., $n variables simply refer to the Java parameter objects that were passed into the query. The same dot operator rules apply to these variables as apply to the "everything" and "this" variables: If the variable is an Iterable, you have to call a function on it that processes its contents. Otherwise, you can treat it like a Java Bean and the dot operator accesses its properties.
With that introduction, let's take a look at this material again, but expressed more formally.
Boolean Queries
Queries can be written as simple predicates such as "id == $0". When executed, the predicate will be evaluated once for each row in the queried material. This form is used for the IMatchQuery implementation. The current value is available in a predefined variable named this. Like in Java, this is normally implicit so that:
id == $0
is actually the same as:
this.id == $0
Collection Queries
A query can also be declared as something that acts on "everything". This is particularly useful when things like search for latest or doing requirements traversal. These queries make use of a predefined variable named everything. When accessed, that variable returns an iterator over all queried material. As with this in a predicate query, everything is something that you don't normally need to specify, i.e.:
select(x | x.id == $0)
is the same as:
everything.select(x | x.id == $0)
A boolean query can always be written as a collection query. These two queries are fully equivalent:
Boolean: id == $0 Collection: select(x | x.id == $0)
Special operators
- Matches operator '~='
A large amount of queries involve versions, version ranges, and capability matching. So managing that is important. Another thing that is important is to be able to support filtering based on ID's. All of this is now also built in to the language through the matches operator ~=. It can be though of as the 'satisfies' method on an installable unit or provided capability, as 'is included in' when used with a version and version range, as a plain matches when used with a string and a pattern, or as 'instanceof' when comparing with a class.
The following things can be matched using the operator
LHS RHS Implemented as IInstallableUnit IRequirement lhs.satisfies(rhs) IInstallableUnit Filter rhs.matches(lhs.properties) IInstallableUnit IUpdateDescriptor rhs.isUpdateOf(lhs) Version VersionRange rhs.isIncluded(lhs) Map Filter rhs.match(lhs) Dictionary Filter rhs.match(lhs) String SimplePattern rhs.isMatch(lhs) String VersionRange rhs.isIncluded(version(lhs)) <any> Class rhs.isInstance(lhs) Class Class rhs.isAssignableFrom(lhs) - And operator '&&'
This operator checks if the first operand evaluates to a boolean. If it is, the it is assumed that all other operands also are booleans and the full evaluation is true if all its operands evaluate to true. If the first result was not a boolean, then it is assumed that it is a collection and that all other operands also evaluates collections. The operator will then function as a intersect operator and the result consists those elements that could be found in all collections. - Or operator '||'
This operator checks if the first operand evaluates to a boolean. If it is, the it is assumed that all other operands also are booleans and the full evaluation is false if none of its operands evaluate to true. If the first result was not a boolean, then it is assumed that it is a collection and that all other operands also evaluates collections. The operator will then function as a union operator and the result is the unique sum of all elements from all collections.
A small number of functions are available to assist with some common problems. Example: An IRequiredCapability.getFilter() returns a String. I only want the capabilities that has a filter that match certain properties. Consequently, I need an instance of an OSGi Filter. Not a string. I can do this using the filter function. Like this:
requirements.exists(rc | rc.filter == null || $1 ~= filter(rc.filter))
The currently available constructors are:
name | arguments | creates |
filter | string | an instance of org.osgi.framework.Filter |
version | string | a p2 Version |
range | string | a p2 VersionRange |
class | string | a Class |
boolean | string | a boolean |
set | comma separated list of expressions | an instance of java.util.HashSet |
iquery | IQuery [, variable [, collector]] | The result of evaluating the query |
A note about the iquery constructor.
The constructor operates in one of two modes depending on its IQuery argument.
If the argument implements IMatchQuery, the the constructor will return the boolean result of invoking the isMatch(value) method on that query. The value is picked from the variable and the default variable is 'item'. It is considered an error to pass a third argument in combination with an IMatchQuery.
When the query does not implement the IMatchQuery interface, it is considered a context query and its method perform(iterator, collector) will be called. The iterator is picked from the variable and the default variable is 'everything'. The collector can be passed in as the third argument. If no third argument is present, a new collector will be created.
Collection functions
A number of functions was added to enable various manipulations of collections. A common way of writing collection functions is:
elements.someFunction(element | <expression>)
Here are the functions that are available in the p2QL language:
- Select
The select function will evaluate its expression, once for each element, and return a new collection containing all elements for which the evaluation result was true. Example:select(x | x.id == 'org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ql')
- Collect
The collect collects the result of evaluating each element in a new collection. Example:collect(x | x.id)
returns a collection consisting of the value of the id property of each element in the original collection.
- Exists
The exists function will evaluate an expression for each element in the collection until an evaluation yields true. If that happens, the result of the whole evaluation yields true. If no such element is found, the whole evaluation yields false. Example:providedCapabilities.exists(p | p.namespace == 'osgi.bundle')
- All
The all function will evaluate an expression for each element until an evaluation yields false. If that happens, the whole evaluation yields false. If no such element is found, the whole evaluation yields true. Example:$0.all(rc | this ~= rc)
Assuming $0 is a list of required capabilities, this query asks for items that fulfill all requirements. - First
The first function will evaluate an expression for each element in the collection until an evaluation yields true. If that happens, the result of the whole evaluation yields that element. If no such element is found, the whole evaluation yields null. Example:providedCapabilities.first(p | p.namespace == 'java.package')
Returns the first provided capability with namespace 'java.package'. - Flatten
Intended to be applied on collections of collections. Yields a single collection with all elements from the source collections, in the order they are evaluated.Example:collect(x | x.requirements).flatten()
Yields a collection with all required capabilities from all iu's that the collect was applied on. - Latest
Some queries must make sure that the result only contains the latest version of each found IU. The special function latest to makes that possible. The function will require that the collection elements implement the IVersionedId interface. Here is an example of how to use it:select(x | x.id == $0).latest()
As a convenience, it is also possible to write:
latest(x | x.id == $0)
- Limit
It is sometimes desirable to limit the number of rows returned by a query. The function 'limit' can be used for that:select(...).limit(100)
- Unique
This function will ensure that the resulting collection contains unique elements. The function can operate in two modes, with or without a cache argument. I.e.x.unique()
The latter expects the argument to be a java.util.Set that it can use to enforce the uniqueness of the element. This enables the result to be unique in a larger scope then the collection itself. - Traverse
A common scenario in p2 is that you want to start with a set of roots and then find all items that fulfill the root requirements. Those items in turn introduce new requirements so you want to find them too. The process continues until no more requirements can be satisfied. This type of query can be performed using the traverse function. The function will evaluate an expression, once for each element, collect elements for which the evaluation returned true, then then re-evaluate using the collected result as source of elements. No element is evaluated twice. This continues until no more elements are found:$0.traverse(parent | parent.requirements.collect(rc | select(iu | ~= rc)).flatten())
This is of course a fairly naive slicing mechanism. See #Currying below for more advanced examples.
Query parameters
The query must be parameterised so that expression parsing can be done once and then executed multiple times. A parameter is expressed as $n where n is either the parameter index, originating from 0.
Basic IQuery examples
Here are some examples of how to use the expressions with IQuery: Query for all IU's that has an id:
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("id == $0", id);
Query for the latest IU of some specific id:
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createQuery("latest(x | x.id == $0)", id);
Query an artifact repository for all keys with a specific classifier:
IQuery<IArtifactKey> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery(IArtifactKey.class, "classifier == $0", classifier);
Query for the latest IU that matches a specific version range. Since the second parameter is a VersionRange, the ~= operator is interpreted as isIncluded:
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createQuery("latest(x | x.id == $0 && x.version ~= $1)", id, range);
Query for an IU that has a specific property set:
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("properties[$0] == $1", key, value);
The same query, but this time for multiple possible values:
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("$1.exists(v | properties[$0] == v)", key, new Object[] { v1, v2, v3 });
Query for all categories found in the repository:
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQueryx("properties[$0] == true", IInstallableUnit.PROP_TYPE_CATEGORY);
Query for all IU's that fulfil at least one of the requirements from another IU. Since the first parameter is a list of IRequirements, the ~= applied to each each IU using satisfies.
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("$0.exists(rc | this ~= rc)", iu.getRequirements());
Query for the latest version of all patches:
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createQuery("latest(x | x ~= $0)", IInstallableUnitPatch.class);
Query for all IU's affected by a patch:
IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("$0.exists(rcs | rcs.all(rc | this ~= rc))", patch.getApplicabilityScope());
An installable unit may have locale specific properties. Such properties may be stored in the IU itself or in fragments that provide localization for the IU in the 'org.eclipse.equinox.p2.localization' namespace. p2QL will interpret the member translations applied on an IU as a map of translated properties, hiding all the details. As an example, this query:
translations['license'] ~= /*kommersiellt bruk*/
when used with a default Locale("sv_SE") would yield all IU's that has a license, translated into Swedish, that contains the exact phrase 'kommersiellt bruk'.
A special class named KeyWithLocale was added to allow queries for entries that does not match the current locale. So the above query can be written as:
QueryUtil.createMatchQuery("this.translations[$0] ~= /*kommersiellt bruk*/", new KeyWithLocale("license", new Locale("sv", "SE")))
Want some add some spice? Probably...
Consider the traversal function and the example we had above:
$0.traverse(parent | parent.requirements.collect(rc | select(iu | iu ~= rc)).flatten())
Now let us assume that we want to perform this traversal and filter the requirements based on platform. Our first attempt could look something like this.
$0.traverse(parent | parent.requirements.select(rc | rc.filter == null || $1 ~= rc.filter).collect(rc | select(iu | iu ~= rc)).flatten())
This would however be very inefficient since many requirements exists in several IU's. During the traversal there is no point traversing a requirement more then once so it would be good to "remember" the perused requirements.
The p2QL syntax permits something generally referred to as currying. Currying means that you can provide more parameters then the single one that represents the current element to the expression of a collection function. So far, we've seen examples using the syntax:
select(x | <do something with x>)
This is actually a short form for the longer:
select(_, {x | <do something with x>})
The select provides one parameter to each iteration. It's value is always provided reachable using the special operator '_'. In this case, the variable x maps to the parameter _ since they have the same positional offset. I can add more parameters by declaring:
select(a, b, _, {x, y, z, <do something with x, y, z>})Variable x will now have the value of a, y the value of b, and z the value of _.
So why is this important? Well, the initializers are just evaluated once for one call to select. The expression however, is evaluated once for each new value of _.<p> <p>Let us now return to the traversal again. Because with this syntax, we can actually specify a global set that we can pass to the unique function so that no requirement is perused twice:
$0.traverse(set(), _, { rqCache, parent | parent.requirements.unique(rqCache).select(rc | rc.filter == null || $1 ~= rc.filter).collect(rc | select(iu | iu ~= rc)).flatten()})
Performance comparison: p2QL traversal versus the p2 Slicer
A test was performed using the query example above on the Galileo repository, using a specific version of the org.eclipse.sdk.feature.group IU as the root. The test produced a result with 411 IU's in < 12 ms average. I compared this with another test that used the p2 Slicer. The number of IU's produced was exactly the same. The slicer however, took > 22 ms (it also uses a capability cache internally). Not very scientific perhaps but repeated tests produce similar results.
I'm sure the Slicer can be optimized and achieve results that might be even slightly better then the traversal but I still think this proves a point. p2QL Performance is very good at this point.
Java API
The expression tree created by the parser must be well documented and easy to use so that queries can be created programmatically. Since all expressions are immutable and without context, they can be combined freely. Hence, code like this is fully possible:
// Create some expressions. Note the use of identifiers instead of // indexes for the parameters IExpressionFactory factory = ExpressionUtil.getFactory(); IExpression item = factory.variable("this"); IExpression cmp1 = factory.equals(factory.member(item, "id"), factory.parameter(0)); IExpression cmp2 = factory.equals( factory.at(factory.member(item, "properties"), factory.parameter(1)), factory.parameter(2)); IExpression everything = factory.variable("everything"); IExpression lambda = factory.lambda(item, factory.and(new IExpression[] {cmp1, cmp2})); IExpression latest = factory.latest(factory.select(everything, lambda)); // Create the query IQuery<IInstallableUnit> query = QueryUtil.createQuery<IInstallableUnit>(latest "test.bundle", "org.eclipse.equinox.p2.type.group", Boolean.TRUE);
The BNF
condition : orExpression ( '?' orExpression ':' orExpression )? ; orExpression : andExpression ( '||' andExpression )* ; andExpression : binaryExpression ( '&&' binaryExpression )* ; binaryExpression : notExpression ( op notExpression )?; op : '==' | '!=' | '>' | '>=' | '<' | '<=' | '~=' ; notExpression : '!' notExpression | collectionExpression ; collectionExpression : memberExpression ( '.' collectionFunction )* ; memberExpression : function ( ( '.' ID ) | ( '[' memberExpression ']' ) )* ; function : ( filter | version | range | class) '(' condition ')' | set '(' ( condition ( ',' condition )* )? ')' | unaryExpression ; collectionFunction : ( select | reject | collect | exists | all | traverse | first ) '(' lambdaDefinition ')' | limit '(' memberExpression ')' | unique '(' memberExpression? ')' | latest '(' lambdaDefinition? ')' | flatten '(' lambdaDefinition? ')' ; lambdaDefinition : initializer ( ',' initializer )* ( ',' '{' lambda '}' )? | '{' lambda '}' | lambda ; initializer : '_' | condition ; lambda : ( ID ( ',' ID )* )? '|' condition ; unaryExpression : '(' condition ')' | '[' condition ( ',' condition )* ']' // #array construct | STRING | INT | parameter | 'null' | 'true' | 'false' | ID ; parameter : '$' INT | ID ;


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Police Exchange Gunfire With Alleged Cop-Killer Christopher Dorner
Going on right now in Big Bear, California, is a gunfight between law-enforcement officials and alleged cop-killer Christopher Dorner. Multiple officers have apparently been injured during the battle, in which hundreds of rounds have been fired.
A large manhunt for Dorner has been under way for days now, extending as far as Tijuana, Mexico, on Monday. It appears that the manhunt may have finally located its target.
Dorner is a former Los Angeles police officer who was fired for lying about his supervisor. He then declared war on the LAPD, and that seems to be what he is trying to carry out. First, he allegedly killed Riverside police officer Michael Crain, last Thursday. Then he may have murdered Monica Quan and her fiance. Quan is the daughter of Randal Quan, a former LAPD captain whom Dorner mentioned in a Facebook post outlining his grievances.
Live video coverage can be seen here.
As events develop, we will update this post.


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Levy, David
Ref: KB0062
Status: Located
Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery (Maiden Lane), London, 1. England, UK
Notes: Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery: Opened in about 1810 by Maiden Lane Synagogue and closed in 1907. Bombed during WW2 causing damage to many of the headstones, few remain. It was described in 1896 as crowded with upright gravestones (London Burial Grounds by Mrs Basil Holmes, 1896 Fisher-Unwin). Status - Headstone photos : complete Due to the state of the cemetery we have added some entries that are very incomplete in the hope that someone may be able to identify the individuals from the little that is available. If you have any photos you would like to donate to the CemeteryScribes please Contact Us THANK YOU!!


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Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed, scores of motorists got stuck on icy roads or slid into drifts, and blizzard warnings were issued amid snowy gusts of 30 mph that blanketed roads and windshields, at times causing whiteout conditions.
"The way I've been describing it is as a low-end blizzard, but that's sort of like saying a small Tyrannosaurus rex," said John Kwiatkowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.
The system, which spawned Gulf Coast region tornadoes on Christmas Day and a historic amount of snow in Arkansas, pushed through the Upper Ohio Valley and headed toward the Northeast. Forecasts called for 12 to 18 inches of snow inland from western New York to Maine starting late Wednesday and into Thursday.
The National Weather Service said Wednesday night that spotters had reported up to a foot of snow in some Pennsylvania counties. And a mix of snow, sleet and rain accompanied by high winds arrived in western Massachusetts late Wednesday. Forecasters predict 10 to 12 inches of snow in western and central Massachusetts.
The system was expected to taper off into a mix of rain and snow closer to the coast, where little or no accumulation was expected in such cities as Philadelphia, Boston and New York.
The storm left freezing temperatures in its aftermath, and forecasters also said parts of the Southeast from Virginia to Florida would see severe thunderstorms.
Schools on break and workers taking holiday vacations meant that many people could avoid messy commutes, but those who had to travel were implored to avoid it. Snow was blamed for scores of vehicle accidents as far east as Maryland, and about two dozen counties in Indiana and Ohio issued snow emergency travel alerts, urging people to go out on the roads only if necessary.
Some 40 vehicles got bogged down trying to make it up a slick hill in central Indiana, and four state snowplows slid off roads as snow fell at the rate of 3 inches an hour in some places.
Two passengers in a car on a sleet-slickened Arkansas highway were killed Wednesday in a head-on collision, and two people, including a 76-year-old Milwaukee woman, were killed Tuesday on Oklahoma highways. Deaths from wind-toppled trees were reported in Texas and Louisiana.
The day after a holiday wasn't expected to be particularly busy for AAA, but its Cincinnati-area branch had its busiest Wednesday of the year. By mid-afternoon, nearly 400 members had been helped with tows, jump starts and other aid, with calls still coming in, spokesman Mike Mills said.
Jennifer Miller, 58, was taking a bus Wednesday from Cincinnati to visit family in Columbus.
"I wish this had come yesterday and was gone today," she said, struggling with a rolling suitcase and three smaller bags on a slushy sidewalk near the station. "I'm glad I don't have to drive in this."
Traffic crawled at 25 mph on Interstate 81 in Maryland, where authorities reported scores of accidents.
"We're going to try to go down south and get below" the storm, said Richard Power, traveling from home in Levittown, N.Y., to Kentucky with his wife, two children and their beagle, Lucky. He said they were well on their way until they hit snow in Pennsylvania, then 15-mph traffic on I-81 at Hagerstown, Md. "We're going to go as far as we can go. ... If it doesn't get better, we're going to just get a hotel."
More than 1,400 flights were canceled by evening, according to FlightAware.com, and some airlines said they would waive change fees. Delays of more than an hour were reported Wednesday at the three New York City-area airports, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
In Arkansas, some of the nearly 200,000 people who lost power could be without it for as long as a week because of snapped poles and wires after ice and 10 inches of snow coated power lines, said the state's largest utility, Entergy Arkansas. Gov. Mike Beebe sent out National Guard teams, and Humvees transported medical workers and patients. Snow hadn't fallen in Little Rock on Christmas since 1926, but the capital ended Tuesday with 10.3 inches of it.
Other states also had scattered outages. Duke Energy said it had nearly 300 outages in Indiana, with few left in Ohio by early afternoon after scores were reported in the morning.
As the storm moved east, New England state highway departments were treating roads and getting ready to mobilize with snowfall forecasts of a foot or more that was expected to start falling late Wednesday and through Thursday.
"People are picking up salt and a lot of shovels today," said Andy Greenwood, an assistant manager at Aubuchon Hardware in Keene, N.H.
As usual, winter-sports enthusiasts welcomed the snow. At Smiling Hill Farm in Maine, Warren Knight was hoping for enough snow to allow the opening of trails.
"We watch the weather more carefully for cross-country skiing than we do for farming. And we're pretty diligent about farming. We're glued to the weather radio," said Knight, who described the weather at the 500-acre farm in Westbrook as being akin to the prizes in "Cracker Jacks - we don't know what we're going to get."
Behind the storm, Mississippi's governor declared states of emergency in eight counties with more than 25 people reported injured and 70 homes left damaged.
Cindy Williams, 56, stood near a home in McNeill, Miss., where its front had collapsed into a pile of wood and brick, a balcony and the porch ripped apart. Large oak trees were uprooted and winds sheared off treetops in a nearby grove. But she focused instead on the fact that all her family members had escaped harm.
"We are so thankful," she said. "God took care of us."
Associated Press writers Rick Callahan and Charles Wilson in Indianapolis, Kelly P. Kissel in Little Rock, Ark.; Jim Van Anglen in Mobile, Ala.; Holbrook Mohr in Jackson, Miss.; Julie Carr Smyth and Mitch Stacy in Columbus, Ohio; Amanda Lee Myers in Cincinnati; David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Md.; Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; and David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.


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U.S. officials look at evacuation orders after Sandy
Nov. 14, 2012, New York – Despite days of dire forecasts and explicit warnings, hundreds of thousands of people in New York and New Jersey ignored mandatory evacuation orders as Superstorm Sandy closed in. Now, after scores of deaths and harrowing escapes, emergency officials say they will look at what more can be done to persuade residents to get out when their lives are in danger.
November 14, 2012
By The Canadian Press
Nov. 14, 2012, New York – Despite days of dire forecasts and explicit warnings, hundreds of thousands of people in New York and New Jersey ignored mandatory evacuation orders as Superstorm Sandy closed in. Now, after scores of deaths and harrowing escapes, emergency officials say they will look at what more can be done to persuade residents to get out when their lives are in danger.
The issue of those who either can't or won't abide by those orders – that is a question that we have to address," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said during a tour of ravaged Staten Island over the weekend.
The same troubling pattern has been seen in previous storms, and the ideas tried across the country include stern warnings about the dangers of staying behind, moral appeals not to imperil rescuers, scary ads, and laws that threaten fines or jail time. And yet people refuse to leave, and some come to regret it – that is, if they survive.
"Staying there was the stupidest thing I've ever done," acknowledged Steve Shapiro, a 55-year-old Staten Island resident who witnessed Sandy's surge lift nearby houses off their foundations. Two of his neighbours, a 13-year-old girl and her 55-year-old father, died when the rushing water destroyed their house.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said officials should work to make sure residents can feel safe in shelters and confident their homes will be safeguarded in their absence.
But New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, it's a matter of changing minds, not tactics. The city notified people by such means as automated phone calls and sending around police officers with loudspeakers.
"People have got to start learning that when we say something, we mean it – it's based on the best prognostication," he said.
Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people and left others stranded for days on roofs, in attics and on streets in flooded New Orleans in 2005, starkly illustrated to the rest of the country the importance of getting out.
Often, though, people believe that a storm won't be so bad or that their homes are built tough enough. Some want to avoid shelters or the expense of staying in a hotel. Still others worry that their homes will be looted.
Florida State University professor Jay Baker, who has studied the subject for decades, said it is not unusual for one-third to half of all residents to defy mandatory evacuation orders, especially in places that haven't been hit hard recently.
Sandy was blamed for more than 100 deaths in 10 states, with many victims drowning in their homes or while belatedly trying to escape. In New York City alone, 35 of the 43 deaths were from drowning, largely in areas ordered to evacuate. Other people survived after police and firefighters risked their lives in churning floodwaters to reach them.
Only about half of the more than 350,000 people in New York City who were told to flee did so, officials say. New Jersey officials estimated 90 per cent of the 115,000 people ordered to evacuate
obeyed. But the areas under mandatory orders in New Jersey included many vacation homes. In New York, the threatened neighbourhoods consisted mostly of year-round homes.
Ginger Matthews has lived all her 59 years in Long Beach, N.Y., long enough to remember Hurricane Donna's strike nearby in 1960. But determined to watch over her home and the coin laundry she owns
nearby, she defied evacuation orders.
"I would never have imagined something so devastating," she recalled later, after at least four feet of water rushed into the newly refinished downstairs apartment in her split-level home. "Nobody would have convinced me to leave. …I wanted to be here to prevent anything if it was going to happen. But that was senseless."
In urging evacuations before Sandy, officials around the metropolitan area sounded a note of moral obligation: Think of the emergency workers who might have to risk their lives to rescue you. As New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie put it in his usual sledgehammer style, staying is "both stupid and selfish."
There are other avenues to try to get people to obey:
Some states make it a crime to ignore an evacuation order. North Carolina recently raised the potential fine from $200 to $1,000 and the possible jail term from 20 to 60 days. New York has a similar law that carries up to 90 days in jail.
Still, it's unclear how often such laws are enforced, if ever. Indeed, Bloomberg said there would be no arrests in the city for defying evacuation orders during Sandy.
Some scholars suggest it's legally possible to force people to leave. It could be seen as analogous to quarantining people in disease outbreaks, said Amy Fairchild, a Columbia University public health professor who co-wrote a paper on the subject.
But in general, the image of forcing people out of their homes, or arresting them for staying, has little political or practical appeal.
Under a principle known as the rescue doctrine, a rescuer who gets hurt saving someone can sue if the emergency was the result of negligence. That arguably could apply if an emergency worker was injured rescuing someone who ignored an order to evacuate, said Hayes Hunt, a Philadelphia lawyer who mulled over the issue on his blog, From the Sidebar.
It's not clear, though, whether any emergency department would want to take that step against a citizen.
When Hurricane Rita threatened Louisiana a month after Katrina, then-Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco suggested anyone who defied evacuation orders should "write their Social Security numbers on
their arms with indelible ink" so that their corpses could be more easily identified. (Rita ultimately pointed up a different problem: More than 100 people died during the clogged and chaotic evacuation of Houston.)
Some communities ask residents to sign waivers documenting their refusal to leave – a tactic that drives home the danger.
As hurricane season started in 2006, Florida launched controversial ads featuring genuine, panicky 911 calls from people begging for help during 2004's Hurricane Ivan and being told it was too dangerous to send rescuers.
It's unclear exactly what effect such scare strategies have on evacuation rates, though.
The most effective approach? Going door-to-door to tell residents in person that they should flee, but that's often impossible with big populations and short timeframes, said Florida State's Baker.
It can help to enlist community leaders to spread the word, so people hear it repeatedly from trusted figures and not just from politicians at podiums, said Richard Olson, a disaster risk specialist at Florida International University in Miami.
And officials and scientists might look for a more easily understood way to explain the threat of a storm's surge, now often expressed as a number of feet above normal tides, said Arthur Lerner-Lam, a disaster risk assessment expert at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
But what might be most likely to persuade people to flee a hazardous storm is simply having been through one before.
"Obviously, next time, I'll leave," said Shapiro, the Staten Islander. "No question about it."
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Camp fire roaring in Big Sur with live music from Vetiver, Beachwood Sparks, McCombs Skiffle Players (a once in a lifetime Cass McCombs super group), Allah-Las, Sonny and the Sunsets, The Autumn Defense, Little Wings, Neal Casal, Chris Cohen, F.D and the Wizards of the West All Stars, Range of Light Wilderness, The Mattson 2, Sonny and the Sunsets, and many more.
Sponsored by Mollusk surf shop and the Big Sur Jamboree features two days of music, camping and ensuing fun, set amongst the redwoods co-presented by (((folkYEAH!))). Sept 27-28
Though there will be food and drink on site, Jamboree attendees are encouraged to bring their own. Been saving a vintage bottle of chardonnay from the famed Marcassin Estate in Sonoma… there couldn't be a better time to uncork it than when Beachwood Sparks hits the stage deep in the woods. Lastly, Farmer Dave has been deemed the Jamboree's "Cultural Vibesman" and will be on hand to ensure all attendees will have a wonderful time. Think of the Jamboree less as a music festival and more as summer camp for adults!


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Red Sox - 000 100 000 - 1 5 0Masterson turned in another "quality start" (6.2-4-3-3-9, 98), but the Sox bats were silent.
Reds - 100 200 00x - 3 4 0
Only two Boston runners touched second base, both in the fourth inning (Ellsbury doubled and two outs later, Manny and Lowell singled). Cincinnati's three pitchers did not issue a walk all night. Drew went 0-for-4 and did not get the ball out of the infield.
Tampa Bay beat Florida 7-3 to move 1.5 GB Boston. The Yankees beat Houston 2-1 and are, once again, a season-best two games over .500.
Justin Masterson (2.59, 169 ERA+) / Aaron Harang (4.31, 102 ERA+)
Fresh off a 7-2 homestand that boosted their MLB-best home record to 28-7, the Red Sox hit the road for some more interleague action in Ohio.
Boston leads Tampa Bay in the East by 2.5 games. The Red Sox's largest lead this season has been 3.5 games (May 5-8).
Despite the team's 31-8 record against the NL since the start of 2006, Terry Francona doesn't like the gimmicky mid-season annoyance (that's my description, not his!):
It's not set up fair. You set your team up to play American League baseball and you go and play National League baseball. ... You're asking guys to do things they're not used to doing. I've never quite understood the fairness.It's the franchise's first trip to Cincinnati since Games 3-4-5 of the 1975 World Series. Boston swept the Reds in three games at Fenway in June 2005 (10-3, 7-0 and 6-1).
Last week, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote a nice overview of the Reds. Cincinnati's BR page is here.
Manny's hamstring troubles may prevent him from playing left field. Sean Casey will start tonight in place of hometown boy Kevin Youkilis.
In Pawtucket, Clay Buchholz explains how he has dropped his arm angle to "not quite three-quarters" to regain consistent command of his fastball.
Tonight: Our new rivals (2.5 GB) host the Marlins, while our old rivals (7 GB) visit Houston.
The Yankees (34-33) were a season-best two games over .500 back on April 23 (12-10). Since then, there have been six occasions when the MFY were one game over .500 -- 12-11, 14-13, 17-16, 28-27, 32-31, 33-32 -- and could have matched that high-water mark, but they always lost the next game. Tonight is their 7th attempt.


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404 Not Found - head to our home page.
Twist and Shout 2508 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206 Phone: 303-722-1943 Hours: Mon-Sat 10AM-7PM; Sun 10AM-6PM Twist & Shout is now open for in-store shopping daily from 10AM-7PM (6PM Sunday). We are also continuing curbside pickup & mail order services. Please call with any questions!


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Craft Perfect - Classic Card - Bright White - Weave Textured - A4 (10/PK) - 9016e
The main feature of the Craft Perfect collection is the 216gsm weave textured paper. Available in 32 beautiful colours that run through the core of the paper, there will always be a shade to match your project. The subtle weave texture gives the card a luxurious depth to your finished design.
10 sheets per pack, 216 gsm - A4
A4 size
Essential range
Large array of colours
Versatile 216gsm (145 lb) makes it perfect for die cutting
Coloured through the core of the card
Subtle weave texture
Acid and lignin free


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A decision concerning euthanasia may be one of the most difficult decisions you can ever make regarding your pet.
If your pet is extremely sick or so severely injured that he or she will never recover normal health, perhaps the kindest thing you can do for your pet is help induce its death quietly and humanely through euthanasia. Your decision to have your pet euthanatized is a serious one, and seldom easy to make.
- The Next Step
Category: Living With Your Pet, Saying Goodbye
The grieving process includes accepting the reality of your loss, accepting that the loss and accompanying feelings are painful, and adjusting to your new life that no longer includes your pet. How do I tell my family? Family members usually are already aware of a pet's problems. However, you should
- Help & Support
Category: Living With Your Pet, Saying Goodbye
University of California at Davis Veterinary Students(530)752-3602 or toll free (800)565-1526Monday-Friday 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm (PT) Florida Community Volunteers(352)392-4700 Dial 1 and 4080(352)392-4700 X4744 (Joy Diaz)Monday-Friday 7 pm to 9 pm (ET) Michigan State University Veterinary Students(517)432-2696
- The Decision
Category: Living With Your Pet, Saying Goodbye
Your decision is a personal one, but it need not be a solitary one. Your veterinarian and your family and friends can assist and support you. How Do I Make The Decision? Your relationship with your pet is special, and you are responsible for its care and welfare. Eventually, many owners are faced with


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51 {comments}:
- Brenbren said...
State Fair Grosgrain then the lawn frock!
- May 12, 2010 at 9:52 AM
- Monique said...
For me it's the State Fair frock then the Hop, Skip Jump maternity frock... and I haven't been pregnant for 20 years! It's just so pretty. Monique xx
- May 12, 2010 at 11:19 AM
- Blakeandjustinsmommy said...
oThe Oh Dear or State Fair!!!
- May 12, 2010 at 11:23 AM
- Unknown said...
Apple Orchard Overalls, but really I would buy all your childrens patterns!
- May 12, 2010 at 11:58 AM
- helen ethel studio said...
Oh, my vote is for the State Fair Frock. I adore it.
- May 12, 2010 at 12:11 PM
- Ashley W. said...
I think the Social Darling Frock would be my first choice.
- May 12, 2010 at 12:38 PM
- Unknown said...
The Summer of 69 and the Social Darling frocks! That's just the women's.
- May 12, 2010 at 12:48 PM
- Sheryl and Ben said...
It's My Party Skirt.. Adult Size please :)
- May 12, 2010 at 1:56 PM
- Angela said...
Social Darling Frock and Conservatory Overcoat!! :)
- May 12, 2010 at 2:06 PM
- Eric and Carrie said...
The Cherry Pop Refashioned Frock and the Oh Dear dress are my favorites, but everything is so beautiful. I am in awe.
- May 12, 2010 at 3:51 PM
- Mom2my10 @ 11th Heaven said...
Wow. Just wow. You've sewn tons! Can't wait to look through everything and I'm glad you have this link up on your sidebar now!
- May 12, 2010 at 5:16 PM
- Alayna said...
The Garden Party Frock :) I wish it came in my size!
- May 12, 2010 at 5:20 PM
- Unknown said...
What a nice meander I've had through your designs this afternoon! They are all so lovely and unique, but if forced to choose just a few, my picks are
Oh Dear!
8 O'clock
Social Darling
Sunday Laundray Shirt Dress
Hop, Skip and Jump (in maternity and regular proportions please!)
And of course, all of your designs for little girls make me wish I had girls instead of boys. Oh well, I'll just live vicariously through the gorgeous picturs of your little ones :) - May 12, 2010 at 6:32 PM
- redspool said...
How can one even decide! They are all so lovely!!! I especially adore all the kid clothes!
- May 12, 2010 at 6:50 PM
- Brynne said...
Bubble blowing, hopscotch, bird seed, reversible July. I love your dresses but I'm a pattern sewer -- no talent for drafting!
- May 12, 2010 at 8:56 PM
- Mélanie & Brice said...
pic-nic frock
8 o'clock frock
state faire frock
these would be my favorites !!!
but i actually love all the women's dresses.... - May 12, 2010 at 10:49 PM
- Ryan & Cynthia Clan said...
OMG - I LOVE all the little girl stuff. My hubby would die, but I'd definitely buy:
teacher's pet cardi
modern pirate frock
downtown holiday jacket & pant
garden party frock
fancy field frock
boardwalk blue stripe frock
ice cream social frock
early evening gown
mardi gras jupe
paper doll frock
strawberry quart caplet
fields of gold frock - May 13, 2010 at 12:12 AM
- Sara said...
I fell in love with the Social Darling frock the moment you posted it. (I also like Oh Dear and Paper Crane :))
- May 13, 2010 at 1:20 AM
- Christina said...
I so want a non-maternity, size L, Betty Draper dress. I'm fascinated with the collar and the build. I'm outvoted here, but gosh, I love that dress.
- May 13, 2010 at 12:04 PM
- Unknown said...
i know this is totally un-helpful..... but... i love them all! i couldn't pick if i tried!
- May 13, 2010 at 2:28 PM
Social darling frock... and many others... I would love to get a pattern
- May 13, 2010 at 6:14 PM
... By the way...I also love the State Fair frock...
- May 13, 2010 at 6:28 PM
- Bhoomika said...
Def. the Dare to Design, Lemoncello, but most of all- Summer of 69!
- May 13, 2010 at 6:40 PM
Yes yes yes! Your designs are amazing. State Fair Frock, Lawn Frock, Oh Dear Frock, and Hop, Skip and a Jump Frock (in regular size, too, plz. I love the ruffles and the curved hemline) are some favorites, but I would probably make any of the ladies dresses (maybe even test out a little girls' pattern on my nieces).
- May 13, 2010 at 7:38 PM
- Auragone said...
8 o'clock for sure - I would make five of those EASY. Love them all, though. I welcome another great indie pattern designer, absolutely!
- May 13, 2010 at 7:46 PM
Oh yay, oh yay, oh yay! Can't wait for patterns! I'd love State Fair Frock, Oh Dear Frock and The Lawn Frock most of all
- May 13, 2010 at 8:54 PM
- Kelsey said...
First choice would be the Milk & Honey maternity dress which I LOVE. Looks so cozy & so pretty. Second choice would be anything else maternity. Cute maternity patterns seem almost impossible to find. I am so impressed by all your work!
- May 13, 2010 at 10:22 PM
- Holly S. said...
State Fair Frock! State Fair Frock! State Fair Frock!
Oh Dear. If I had a sister I would have Stolen THAT from my sister's closet! Cherry Pop Refashion Frock. Social Darling Frock please! Hopscotch Camis. PICNIC FROCK! Paper Crane Frock...le sigh! The Conservatory Overcoat. Garden Party Frock in adult sizes!!! Why must we choose???!!! Oh! You torture me so! I can't wait for patterns! - May 13, 2010 at 11:07 PM
- Anna | Mormor hade stil said...
I just found you via the Selfish Seamstress and just have to say all your dresses are lovely!
My favourite would have to be The 'Oh Dear' Frock so that's where my vote goes. - May 14, 2010 at 1:36 AM
- Deborah said...
Not only would I want to own ANY of them, we'd totally carry them in our retail shop if you did wholesale--just say the word! Feel free to email me if you're interested in talking details:
deborah [at] whipstitchfabrics [dot] com - May 14, 2010 at 8:24 AM
STATE FAIR and SOCIAL DARLING!
- May 14, 2010 at 8:49 AM
8 O'clock
Hop, Skip and Jump Frock
for me, please!!!!! - May 14, 2010 at 1:59 PM
- VeronicaMade said...
I love the Peppermint Stick frock.
- May 14, 2010 at 3:57 PM
- jenny said...
Oh, Limoncello and State Fair, plus the hop scotch...
- May 14, 2010 at 4:41 PM
- Dissolved Girl said...
State Fair and Limoncello are pure LOVE!
- May 14, 2010 at 6:52 PM
Oh Dear frock, State Fair frock and the Garden Party frock if it was in adult sizes!
Angela - May 15, 2010 at 12:41 AM
Definitely th "Oh Dear" dress and the "State Fair" frock, so pretty! x
- May 15, 2010 at 11:08 AM
- Hiker - Kelly B said...
The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock
Garden Party Frock
Polka Dot Party Frock
Tropical Tree Frog Costume
LOVE them all though! - May 15, 2010 at 3:17 PM
- Sasha Rocket said...
Can I put in my vote for the Oh Dear dress, the State Fair dress and the Limoncello dress?
Absolutely beautiful designs, I can't wait till the patterns are released! - May 15, 2010 at 3:28 PM
- Lisa said...
Picnic frock!!
- May 15, 2010 at 11:20 PM
- Zoe said...
I would definately buy the Social Darling dress pattern in a heart beat. In fact less than that, half a heart beat maybe. Good luck with starting the etsy shop. PLEASE DO IT! x
- May 16, 2010 at 10:34 AM
- Shannon said...
Garden party, Recital, Downtown pants, Boardwalk and for me Limoncello!
- May 17, 2010 at 1:03 PM
- Amy said...
State Fair Frock! Hands down. But I'd likely be making it for smaller cousins as I wear plus sizes. :D
- May 17, 2010 at 4:51 PM
- Mary said...
I love the silver New Years party dress and the cherry red valentines dress.
- May 17, 2010 at 10:48 PM
No contest- the social darling frock is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I wish I could have it today!
- May 18, 2010 at 1:49 PM
- E. O. said...
I'd love to see the Cherry Pop Refashion, the Blueberry Pie Refashion, the 8 O'Clock Frock, the "Betty Draper" Evening Dress, and the Social Darling Frock.
- May 18, 2010 at 11:40 PM
- natacha lee said...
So many beautiful things that would suit all styles. My personal favorite is the state fair...
- May 19, 2010 at 6:20 AM
- Jen said...
Stolen from your sisters closet and State Fair - OHHH but any really! You are truly amazing!
- May 19, 2010 at 3:46 PM
- Christie // lemon squeezy home said...
I am just awe-struck at your beautiful skillz. Seriously! You are amazing! And one of my new heroes. Thanks for sharing!!!
- May 28, 2010 at 2:52 AM
- September Daze said...
I found you through burdastyle. I only can say that your work is absolutely amazing! And your creativity just endless! To find you are also a mother of three, I am beyond speechless! One of my favorites is the entire outfit for the red holiday jacket. Great shoot and your daughter was the perfect model. Your whole site is very inspiring. I feel like I want to go sew now :)
- June 25, 2010 at 12:55 AM
- Unknown said...
ok so im just going print all the clothes you have made for yourself and put them in my sewing inspiration journal. Fingers crossed il find patterns in your posts but i thought id let you know im so excited i could potentially wet myself :p
pretty huh?
you are such a talented lady. That fancy dress costume for the queen of hearts is AMAZING!! - March 1, 2011 at 4:11 PM