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Nintendo Exchanges Goodwill For Control; Issues Mass Monetization Claims On Let's Play Videos
from the not-completely-about-the-Benjamins deptNintendo's history of aggressive IP enforcement is long and colorful and, occasionally, completely ridiculous. No one protects the brand quite as fiercely as Nintendo does, an unfortunate byproduct of its obsession with maintaining a clean, family-friendly image.
Its latest misadventure into "controlling all things Nintendo" was brought to our attention via a post to Reddit's r/games by a prolific creator of Let's Play videos, Zack Scott. For whatever reason, Nintendo is performing a "mass claiming" of Let's Play videos featuring its titles. Scott notes in his post that Machinima has seen these claims increasing exponentially recently, pointing towards this being an active move on Nintendo's part.
The speculation is now over. Nintendo has released a statement to Gamefront, which reads as follows.
As part of our on-going push to ensure Nintendo content is shared across social media channels in an appropriate and safe way, we became a YouTube partner and as such in February 2013 we registered our copyright content in the YouTube database. For most fan videos this will not result in any changes, however, for those videos featuring Nintendo-owned content, such as images or audio of a certain length, adverts will now appear at the beginning, next to or at the end of the clips. We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube, and that is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property.A few observations on this statement:
For more information please visit http://www.youtube.com/yt/copyright/faq.html
1. In terms of the internet, the present will always be relegated to some distant point in the future for Nintendo. The fact that it took until three months ago for Nintendo to join forces with the world's largest video site is astounding. This is probably has something to do with Nintendo's recent shuttering of several Wii channels, many of which were underwhelming and ignored by a majority of its customers. (The "flagship" of the lineup -- the Nintendo channel -- was one of the worst, featuring haphazardly posted content that seemed to mistake throwing darts at a lineup for curation.)
2. Nintendo's self-consciously squeaky clean image? This IP grab is about that, too. Why else would a company that only recently decided YouTube might be a viable outlet use the phrase "shared... in appropriate and safe ways" to justify slapping ads on tons of pre-existing content uploaded by its customers and fans?
3. "...unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property." Good Guy Nintendo says No Blocking! While other "entertainment companies" have blocked thousands of videos, most video game companies don't. With the exception of Sega's promotional push for its new Shining Force title that took the form of widespread takedowns, most gaming companies take a more hands-off approach, realizing that Let's Play videos are a form of advertising that costs them nothing.
4. Nintendo passes the buck on its particular copyright "strategies" by directing readers to YouTube boilerplate. Weak.
Nintendo is well within their rights to monetize these videos and images. But, as anyone who's had experience with situations like this can tell you, being "within your rights" isn't the same thing as "right," either in the moral sense or in the "opposite of wrong" sense.
Nintendo can (and does) monetize gameplay videos using its IP. There are some valid arguments for fair use that can be applied here (Techdirt contributor E. Zachary Knight runs down a few over at Gamasutra), but when it comes to uploaders v. content companies, the algorithm tends to side with the YouTube partner and the registered content. Once Nintendo makes this monetization claim, there's very little the uploaders can do to fight it.
On the plus side, Nintendo isn't actually taking down videos. This means uploaders may lose the income (many uploaders have never attempted to monetize their uploads), but their accounts will remain strike-free. (Unfortunately, having several videos from the same account claimed by ContentID tends not to reflect well on the account holder and will probably be taken into consideration should other infringement issues arise.)
The money gained from applying pre-roll/post-roll ads to Let's Play videos is likely insignificant in terms of Nintendo's annual income. (It's certainly not going to make up for the WiiU's rather inauspicious debut.) Nintendo's past IP battles make this more about control than income. This also builds Nintendo a useful database of "offending" titles that it can easily block or take down by doing nothing more than changing its ContentID options.
Is the additional control worth it? If nothing else, it will be easier for Nintendo to control its online "representation" as its actions have decreased its customer base. Zack Scott, whose account contains dozens of Nintendo Let's Play videos, has already announced he will no longer be supporting the company.
I think filing claims against LPers is backwards. Video games aren't like movies or TV. Each play-through is a unique audiovisual experience. When I see a film that someone else is also watching, I don't need to see it again. When I see a game that someone else is playing, I want to play that game for myself! Sure, there may be some people who watch games rather than play them, but are those people even gamers?
My viewers watch my gameplay videos for three main reasons:
1. To hear my commentary/review.
2. To learn about the game and how to play certain parts.
3. To see how I handle and react to certain parts of the game.
Since I started my gaming channel, I've played a lot of games. I love Nintendo, so I've included their games in my line-up. But until their claims are straightened out, I won't be playing their games. I won't because it jeopardizes my channel's copyright standing and the livelihood of all LPers.There are many better ways Nintendo could have handled this (a monetization split with uploaders, an invitation to upload to Nintendo's official channel, DOING NOTHING...), but the company's antagonistic attitude towards anything it doesn't directly profit from made this situation one of the better outcomes, unfortunately.
Filed Under: ads, contentid, copyright, let's play, monetization, video games
Companies: nintendo, youtube


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Octomom Ditches Porn, Becomes Paid Debater. No, Seriously.
Forget President Obama vs. Mitt Romney and their trite discussions of health care, job creation and the plight of the middle class. Octomom, nee Nadya Suleman, has abandoned her thriving career in creepy soft-core porn and is now America's foremost debater.
We can't believe that Octo has been paid to do either of those jobs, but indeed she has — and the extremely fertile breeder's latest money-making venture is debating intellectual topics online.
The mother of 14 has been hired by Deeyoon.com, a web destination where people can set up online debates about any topic and argue until they're blue in the face, burst a blood vessel, or finally come to their senses and realize holy crap, I'm paying good money to debate with freakin' Octomom.
TMZ reports that Octo will be paid several thousand per week (!!!) to thoughtfully discuss hot-button issues with anyone who would like to go mano y mano with her for a whole 90 minutes.
Want a sample of her work? Check out her meeting of the minds (we prefer "mindless") with Father of the Year candidate Michael Lohan — yes, Lindsay's sire — about the issue of whether or not children need both parents to thrive and prosper.
As a refresher, she has 14 kids she can't afford and his daughter has had so many breakdowns that she's worn out her AAA membership. Still, they give it the ol' college try, with Octo throwing around therapy-speak terms like "projection" and putting her palm up in sassy, talk-to-the-hand style.

subset: commoncrawl


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Katz receives Phi Beta Kappa's Fellows Award
July 2, 2010 9:13 a.m.
Princeton legal scholar Stanley Katz has been honored with the 2010 Fellows Award by the Phi Beta Kappa Society. The award recognizes "an individual who has demonstrated scholarly achievement and excellence in his or her chosen field and who, by work and life, has exemplified the goals and ideals of Phi Beta Kappa."
Katz is a lecturer with the rank of professor of public and international affairs and director of the Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies.


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|Ancaster, Ont.
|High School:
|House Affiliation:
Golf Stat Individual Statistics
Senior (2015-16):
Did not compete as a member of the varsity team in competition.
Junior (2014-15):
Posted a score of 79-76-72-227 at The Wolverine Intercollegiate … Finished tied for 53rd place at The Doc Gimmler, shooting 70-72-78-220.
Sophomore (2013-14):
Recipient of Harvard's Biff Jeeks Award ... Shot 81-80-75-236 at the Windon Memorial ... Posted a score of 72-76-148 at Temple Invitational ... Finished tied for 30th at Princeton Invitational (72-75-73-220) ... Was tied for fifth at Yale Invitational, shooting 71-73-144.
Freshman (2012-13):
Led Harvard by finishing 12th at the Ivy League Championships (73-72-79-224) ... Shot 240 (82-81-77) at Windon Memorial ... Finished with a combined score of 148 (70-78-148) at The MacDonald Cup ... Posted a score of 230 (76-77-77) at Princeton Invitational.
Before Harvard:
Played varsity golf all four years at Ancaster High ... Captained the golf team for three years ... Awarded golf team MVP three times ... 2010 and 2012 U.S. Open first stage, first alternate ... Tied for third at 2012 Amateur Public Links qualifier and named an alternate ... Participated in 2011 U.S. Open qualifier ... Named the South Ontario Secondary Schools Association Individual Champ his junior year ... Led the golf team to Hamilton Wenthworth District City Champions two years in a row ... Also played varsity basketball and tennis ... Freshman City Champions when on the basketball team ... Named to the Deans Honor Roll in 2011 ... An Ancaster High Honor Roll student all four years ... Nasum Presbyterian Church youth group leader for three years ... Also enjoys cross country, playing basketball and fishing.


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This past Sunday and Monday I took a trip to New York City to network and visit with contacts. The trip started out well with timely flights and a decent Philly cheesesteak in the Philadelphia airport. After 5 hours of travel, I arrived at Grand Central Terminal and decided to call my family back in Florida and finally tell them about my trip (prior to that, they didn't know I left Columbus). I came with one bag that contained my suit, laptop, and a few research samples. The point of the trip was to meet some of my contacts in person, buy them some coffee and connect with them.
The trip was a resounding success. I had the opportunity to talk with researchers at Barclays, Goldman Sachs, and KeyBank. They gave me insights to the industry that I had not thought about and shared their story with me. Hearing how others got to where I want to be is exciting. Every person has a unique journey, and I can relate to most of them in one way or another.
Besides researchers, I sat down with someone in FX at JP Morgan. I met him on my last trip to the city and wanted to hear his story. We seemed to bond over the fact that he was from a non-core school and made it to where he is now by seizing one opportunity. He reassured me that while it is hard to get to New York from a non-core, it is possible if you work hard enough and impress the right person.
Overall, the trip was worth it and it's time to start planning my next round.


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This is an update of the 3.0.2 FAQ for bears. So much has changed since then that it made sense to redo things instead of just revising that content.
Over on Maintankadin, one of my favorite posters put up a great FAQ on tanking for paladins in 3.0.2 and Wrath. I've not seen anything like that for bears - so here's my try. Please comment, ask questions or clarifications and I'll do my best to update it.
Q: What's the point & purpose of this FAQ?
A: Short & simple answers for people who want a quick fix. You don't need to have followed the beta changes since day one or the patch notes. This is for those who didn't read everything on EJ, didn't pour over changes and just want to know what the heck is going on.
Q: You're wrong! My research says blah!
A: Maybe. And if so, point it out and I'll correct it. But I warn you - I do a lot of research and I'm good at it.
Q: But what about 5-mans? Or PvP?
A: I don't care. This is for bears who are MTing 10 and 25-man content, especially 25-man. It is probably suboptimal for other choices.
Q: You smell, and I hate you!
A: Enjoy the WoW forums then. I get flamed over there all the time too.
Q: You don't talk about trash mobs, enchants, or detailed gear selection!
A: Nope, this is quick and dirty. I've talked about professions, gear choices, various good stats and other things elsewhere.
Q: You're just repeating stuff on EJ, Rawr, and Toskk's forums!
A: Largely yes. That's kind of the point - I do the reading so you don't have to.
Mechanics & play changes:
Q: What rotation do I use?
A: UPDATED: Depending on what skills you have, you should do the following:
if mangle is off cooldown, mangle
if faerie fire is off cooldown, faerie fire
if you have more than 6k AP and the lacerate stack is > 5 seconds, swipe
else lacerate.
And at all times, maul.
Q: Wait, Faerie fire? Really?
A: UPDATED: Yep. Faerie Fire does damage based on AP, has a high amount of threat. It does higher average threat than lacerate or swipe at any level of AP. Even with it being based on spell hit and spell crit, it does the most threat.
Q: I get the 'more powerful spell is in effect' when I use FFF.
A: UPDATED: This should be fixed now, and you should be able to do it every 6 seconds provided there isn't another bear or cat in your raid.
Q: What about best damage?
A: For best damage, you should swipe whenever mangle isn't up and keep your lacerate stack up. And still use faerie fire - it still does more damage too!
Q: I had heard that swipe was better than lacerate for threat - is that true?
A: Most of the time. It really depends on your armor penetration, your AP, and what talents you have. This is for short answers, and no matter what your gear level you'll do okay with spamming lacerate.
Q: When do I use Berserk?
A: At the beginning of the fight and then whenever you can, unless you have to save it for a fear break.
Q: I just got crushed.
A: Not by a raid boss. Mobs that are 4+ levels higher than you can crush. But in a raid you'll be fine.
Q: So the magic number for defense was 156 defense rating or 103 resilience rating before. What is it now?
A: 0. As long as you have 3 points survival of the fittest you won't be crittable by raid level mobs unless they do something to you, like unbalancing strike.
Q: So no defense then? Or resilience?
A: Yep!
Q: My macro for drinking pots in forms doesn't work any more - how do I fix it?
A: Druids can use potions and other consumables in forms now, so there's no need for a shift to caster to drink then shift back macro. You can do it if you want a bit of extra health, but it's not required.
Q: Wow, I've got all these cooldowns now - how do I use 'em?
A: With the glyph, you've got three ohshit buttons - Frenzied Regeneration, Survival Instincts and Barkskin. And you've got Berserk to break a fear if you need. Barkskin should be used every minute unless it's a fight with predictable spiky damage (like Sartharion giant breaths or Tympanic Tantrum on XT-002.). Try using Survival Instincts with things like Shadowmoon Insignia for extra health. Try using Frenzied Regen with any healing effects you can do like health pots.
Q: Pots in forms, more ohshit buttons...any other big changes?
A: Swipe hits infinite targets! It doesn't require a target! It hits everything in 360 degrees around you!
Q: Wow...swipe's that changed?
A: Oh yes.
Q: I didn't have anything targeted and couldn't swipe. What the?
A: You need to have an enemy mob targeted in order to swipe, but you don't have to face them in order to hit them - and that mob doesn't even need to be in range in order to swipe.
Q: Okay, so swipe now is like a consecrate. What else is new?
A: Savage Defense!
Q: Savage...defense? That was the name?
A: I know.
Q: What does it do?
A: When it works, on a melee critical hit or bleed crit it procs an absorption shield that absorbs 25% of your AP off of the next physical attack and then goes away, regardless of how much it absorbed.
Q: That sounds great...what do you mean, when it works?
A: It has some latency bugs associated with it.
Q: So...I should gear for AP now?
A: Not really. Savage Defense isn't that big a deal, and tends to be no more than 5% of your overall mitigation.
Q: So it's still just bonus armor I want on everything?
A: Nope! Bonus armor doesn't get multiplied by bear form. In fact, no armor on rings, trinkets, necks or weapons gets multiplied.
Q: Doesn't that make us have low armor?
A: Kinda. Bears have lower armor than they did at the end of Sunwell. But that's okay - between no crushing blows and protector of the pack, bears still don't take a lot of damage from physical attacks. Q: What was that about bleeds critting?
A: With the talent Primal Gore, your lacerates and rips will crit. Which means that your lacerate stack should stay up at all costs.
Q: So I can solo SM in 5 minutes now?
A: Yep, really easily as a matter of fact.
Q: Anything else?
A: Growl has a 30 yard range. And Faerie Fire does damage, but I covered that. And bash now does a spell interrupt.
Q: My powershifting macro is broken!
A: Another not a question, but powershifting is nerfed TO THE GROUND. It doesn't work at all. Don't use it.
Q: Where's all my armor?
A: Gone, baby, gone. No more extra armor on leather items. And no bonus from non-leather as well.
Q: So what, we're supposed to wear rogue leather?
A: Yep.
Q: That sucks!
A: Tell me about it.
Q: What rogue leather is best then? It's got all these weird-ass stats...
A: The only stats that help mitigation/avoidance that are on rogue leather are agility, stamina and expertise. Everything else only helps threat.
Q: But doesn't that mean PvP gear has the best stats for tanking then?
A: Yep! At least it has the best mitigation/avoidance stats. The PvE gear is better for threat.
Q: So great...I have to pvp now, don't I?
A: Nope. Sunwell gear is fine for tanking Naxx, as are the lvl 80 quest blues and non-heroic items you get. Threat isn't really a big concern, nor is survivability right now. If you want to get an edge I'd recommend getting enough honor/arena points to get the PvP belt/boots/bracers, which are better than anything that drops in T7 and which should be pretty cheap.
Q: What about the non-leather items?
A: UPDATED: Armor, stamina and then avoidance/threat stats. Armor isn't as important as it was in Sunwell to be on rings/trinkets/necks/cloaks, but it's still very good for mitigation.
Q: Man, there's all this shitty defense on all that gear. Why don't they make druid-itemized gear?
A: UPDATED: They hate the druid. But it's okay. Defense is not bad at all, and is only a bit less effective than dodge at higher levels of dodge. Strength is nice for threat. Just try and skip the stuff with parry rating or block rating. Armor is good, agility is good, stamina is good. Try and find items with two of the three.
Q: How about gems?
A: UPDATED: Stamina scales better, but agility helps too. Don't go overboard with agility like you used to, but definitely do have some agility in there. Agility is right now the best avoidance stat and the best overall stat (the only one that provides mitigation, avoidance and threat). If you have a doubt, tend towards stamina.
Q: You have mongoose on your tanking staff?
A: Yep! Mongoose and all 'on hit' enchants works on bears now, and Mongoose is much better than +35 agility on the staff for bears. This is especially true when hitting multiple mobs, as mongoose has a chance to proc per hit on a mob. Right now it's the best enchant for weapons.
Q: Okay...what about other enchants?
A: In general, go for stamina and agility, then avoidance and armor.
Q: I can't take all the talents I want!
A: That's not a question, but...you need the Core Bear Talents. Beyond that it's a lot of personal preference, but you must take those. And you won't be able to take everything you want.
Q: Does infected wounds stack with other slows? Should I take it?
A: It doesn't stack with thunderclap or judgments. And it doesn't work on every single boss or mob (especially robots and elementals, in case you're wondering). If you're doing 10-mans, you should take it as you're probably the only one there who can do the slow. If you're doing 25 mans, probably not unless you find yourself the only guy on a mob. It's easy for you to apply, but a prot warrior will be tclapping all the time - and there's a lot of points to spend in that tree.
Q: What about Feral Aggression? Does it still suck?
A: At level 70: Yes, it still sucks.
A: At level 80:It doesn't suck as much as it used to. Demoralizing roar is equivalent now to demoralizing shout at level 80, and with 5 points in FA it's as good as a warrior's talented demo shout. It's a bit easier for a warrior to get the 5 points to put into their shout, but talk with your other tanks and see who should do it.
Q: What about natural shapeshifter/master shapeshifter?
A: UPDATED: Master shapeshifter would be good if it were only 2 points, but it's essentially 5. And natural shapeshifter is worthless. With the advent of dual specs, you should probably have a really good bear build and a really good cat build. In that case, go with master shapeshifter, as it's the best bang for your threat and damage buck. If you need to go with a hybrid build for doing good cat damage while tanking, I'd recommend not taking it and going with a 0/60/11 build like this.
Q: Primal Tenacity?
A: Nope. Only works in cat form now.
Q: Intensity?
A: Not for raiding. Lots of other talents to take in its place.
Q: Predatory Instincts? Shredding Attacks?
A: all cat-only, really.
Q: King of the Jungle?
A: One of the best cat talents, but only meh for bears. Nice for an early threat lead but not all that useful otherwise. And threat really isn't that big of a concern right now. Still, get it if you plan on doing any decent amount of kitty.
Q: Imp Mark of the Wild? But I don't buff my raid ever!
A: Imp MotW now adds 1% more stats per talent point. It's a must have, and you want to get to naturalist anyway.
Q: Primal Gore?
A: It's a great talent, and Rend & Tear is already one of the best threat talents you can take. It adds about 2-3% threat by itself. Take it.
Q: Furor?
A: Honestly, I'd go with 3/5 furor and 2/2 Imp MotW. You can always shift a couple times to get the furor bonus if you need.
Q: Damnit, just tell me the spec you'd use!
A: Fine. At 70: 0/61/0
I know I just said don't use KotJ, but it's that and bash or 4 points in furor, and furor really isn't worth it. The 10 points to get naturalist skips out on too many important talents, and you want to play with your new toys. Helps a bit for cat too.
A: At 80: 0/55/16.
Q: What should I go with for leveling in WotLK?
A: Go with 0/50/11 and then put points into Berserk, Rend & Tear, and finish off as you'd like to. Or go 0/61/0 and just AoE grind.
Other choices:
Q: What Inscriptions?
A: At 70: Frenzied Regeneration and Maul.
A: At 80: Frenzied Regeneration, Survival Instincts. Then Growl or Maul depending on whether you need to make sure a taunt lands or you need more threat on multiple mobs. Carry around stacks of growl/maul - they're cheap to make and can be used any time.
Q: What professions?
A: See this post - the best are Jewelcrafting, then leatherworking/enchanting/inscription/blacksmithing/mining, depending on your needs and wants. But they're all very close to each other.
Q: If I'm taking all these bear talents, how do I dps as a cat?
A: Manglespam! With improved mangle, the 2pT6 bonus and Rend & Tear a bear can just go cat and manglespam. Only shred on an omen of clarity proc (assuming you took it), and otherwise keep up rake, savage roar, rip and ferocious bite when you can. And manglemanglemangle. Even without the 2pT6 bonus this is pretty good damage.
Q: Wow...you're a sexy theorycrafter. You're so smart when you explain things. Where can I find
A: EJ forums on WotLK Feral druids - the big one.
Combat Ratings at 80, which talks about diminishing returns
Beta forums, which kind of suck right now
MMO Champion, which has the latest updates on specs and talents
WotLK wiki, where I got most of the info for professions, enchants, gems, and talent changes
Rawr, the best damn optimizer on the planet.
Unbearably HoT on Demo shouts and on gear at 80
Of Teeth and Claws on Glyphs
Toskk on DPS as a kitty (and the Druid wiki in general)
Plus a whole ton of places that I can't be bothered to mention.


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Editors Note: The original press release sent from Randy Sorrels office referred to Matthew Bonestele as a former Navy SEAL. His office has since corrected that to say he is a former Navy veteran, not a SEAL.
A former U.S. Navy veteran, from the Dallas area, is suing an e-cigarette retailer, distributor and manufacturer after he was severely burned when his e-cigarette battery exploded in his pant pocket.
Matthew Bonestele's LG Chem HG2 18650 battery exploded in his right pocket on April 21, 2016. The blast caused third degree burns to most of his right leg and tore a hole in his upper right thigh.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Houston attorney Randy Sorrels announced he would represent Bonestele, who first filed his product liability lawsuit in July 2016.
"As more and more people have made the switch to electronic cigarettes as an alternative to smoking, battery explosions and injuries have been on the rise," Sorrels' office wrote in a statement.
The lawsuit claims LG Chem America, Inc. defectively designed and manufactured the e-cigarette battery, which the lawsuit alleges did not have warnings alerting users to its potential danger. The e-cigarette was distributed by Lightfire Group, LLC. and sold to Bonestele by Great Vapes, LLC. -- both of which are named in the lawsuit.
"Mr. Bonestele suffered an injury that he could never have imagined in civilian life," Sorrels said in a statement. "The reality is that these batteries are small sticks of dynamite and the e-cigarette industry needs to make wholesale changes to ensure the safety of all those who use these batteries."
Sorrels also said the danger was not limited to Bonestele, adding everyone around him was at risk, too.
On Friday, the Navy banned e-cigarettes from its vessels after several reports of exploding devices injuring sailors.
********WARNING: Graphic Photos Below********


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Weather-Informed Ads are Coming to Twitter
The Weather Company has partnered with Twitter to bring weather-informed advertising to the social network.
The relationship will allow marketers to target users based on the specific weather conditions of their locales. For example, a shampoo brand could use the offering to target Promoted Tweets to frizzy-haired users in high-humidity environments. Or, a beer marketer might buy more ads aimed at cities in which a sunny weekend is expected.
The Weather Company has offered similar targeting capabilities on its own site for years, but now it's using its data to help inform ad buys across third-party sites, too. Twitter is the first social network it's partnered with, however.
"People experience the weather that don't use our properties, so this enables us to connect with them elsewhere," said Curt Hecht, The Weather Company's chief global revenue officer, adding, "Our clients keep asking us to go off-property."
For Twitter's part the deal represents the first time a media company has been allowed to buy ads across its service in an automated fashion using its "application programming interface," or API. Its other ad API partners are all dedicated marketing technology companies, such as SocialCode or Salesforce's ExactTarget Marketing Cloud. The difference with The Weather Company partnership, however, is that Weather will bring its own, proprietary data to the table. The pair hopes marketers can use that information to inform and deliver more relevant ads.
"It makes sense that external triggers that spur conversation or different consumer behavior such as weather provide a signal to activate marketer's campaigns," said Tony Wang, Twitter's VP of global partnerships and development.
Sales teams of both Twitter and The Weather Company will pitch the opportunity to marketers at launch, with Weather charging marketers on a commission basis related to the value of Twitter advertising they purchase.
Mr. Hecht predicted Twitter will come to similar arrangements with other publishers or data owners in future, if they have information that might help marketers better target ads across the social network. The Weather Company itself benefits from selling its clients both advertising space on its own sites and access to data for ad targeting purposes on others, he said.
"If we were just a publisher selling audience and sponsorships, that's a tough market to be in. But if you're only a data company, that's tough too. I think from our point of view it's valuable having both a scaled media asset and unique data," Mr. Hecht concluded. "Most media companies haven't fully leveraged data and insights around their users yet, but I think they will."
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text:
AYER — A jury has cleared a 20-year-old Townsend man accused of motor-vehicle homicide by negligent operation in a 2012 crash that killed a popular Concord-Carlisle school bus driver.
The jury Tuesday found Trevor Thompson not guilty after a two-day trial in Ayer District Court.
Thompson told police he fell asleep behind the wheel.
The Sept. 22, 2012, crash killed Gary Garafola, 57, of Townsend. Garafola, known as "Mr. G" to students, also taught to scores of teens as a driver's education instructor.
Garafola was walking his 10-year-old black Labrador retriever, Luke, just after 5 p.m. on Wallace Hill Road, when he was hit and killed by a 2004 Infiniti sedan being driven by Thompson.
Thompson told police he was driving home from work at an area Apple Store when he fell asleep behind the wheel, veered off the road, hit and killed Garafola. He told police he didn't remember anything until the explosion of his air bag woke him.
Police determined the crash didn't involve drugs or alcohol, and there was no speeding nor texting while driving.
In court documents, defense attorney Samuel Goldman described this as a "horrific and tragic accident," but only an accident.
Garafola, a married father of five, was an active member of St. John the Evangelist Church in Townsend. He taught CCD at the church and was a van driver for special-needs students in the North Middlesex Regional School District.
He volunteered with the Santa Claus Program sponsored by the Townsend VFW and with the Boy Scouts while two of his kids earned the rank of Eagle. Goldman said Thompson and his family are "devastated" by this incident.


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Managing stress
There are many different ways to manage stress. If you're feeling stressed, keep trying until you find the ones that work for you. Because everyone feels and handles stress differently, everyone will also have their own way of managing it.
Be sure to talk to your healthcare team if you're having trouble handling stress on your own. They may suggest taking a class that teaches different ways to manage stress or refer you to a self-help group, support program or professional.
Venting emotions
You may feel as though you need to get rid of some tension or emotions quickly, before you explode. You can try different things to vent emotions like anger or frustration including:
- having a good cry
- putting on some loud music and screaming
- safe physical activities such as punching a pillow
- writing down your feelings in a journal or diary
Venting emotions in any of these ways usually doesn't hurt anyone else and may help you feel better.
Creative pursuits
Many people find that distraction techniques or creative pursuits help them safely release their feelings. Try something – and if it helps, try it again. Experiment with:
- drawing or painting
- writing poetry or stories
- singing or making music
- dancing
Although cancer isn't a funny subject, some people find that laughter helps them deal with the disease. Using laughter to relieve tension doesn't mean you aren't taking the disease seriously. It's okay to laugh. When a person laughs, their brain releases chemicals that relax muscles and make them feel good. So don't hesitate to watch your favourite funny movie or read your favourite funny book again. Or call a friend to tell them about the silly thing your pet did. You just might feel better afterwards.
Learning to relax
Learning to relax your body and mind – even for short periods each day – can help you feel better, calmer and more in control. Meditation and relaxation can help you cope with emotions, pain and other symptoms. Avoid using alcohol or other drugs (illegal, over-the-counter or herbal) to relax and cope with cancer. Talk to your doctor if you find yourself turning to alcohol or drugs.
Instructional books or DVDs can teach you about different ways of relaxing or you might find a class helpful.
Most relaxation techniques can be done sitting up or lying down. Some people like to listen to music through earphones or a headset. To begin:
- Choose a quiet place and get comfortable.
- Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing.
- Stare at an object or close your eyes and think of a peaceful scene.
- Concentrate on your breathing for a minute or two.
Practicing relaxation can help you better manage stress. By listening to the recordings that we've prepared, you will learn diaphragmatic breathing and be able to practice six different relaxation techniques.
Meditation quiets the mind. As the mind becomes quiet, muscles relax and heart rate and breathing slow down. There are many different types of meditation. Information on how to do meditation is available from a number of resources. Local groups or centres that offer classes are often listed in local phone books.
- Try meditating by sitting quietly and focusing on your breathing without trying to control it.
- Try to empty your mind of thoughts. If thoughts enter the mind, refocus on your breathing.
- You can also try focusing on a saying, like "I am calm," or focus on a picture or object.
Meditation can be hard at first, but it gets easier with practice.
Guided imagery or visualization
Guided imagery or visualization is a kind of daydreaming.
- Breathe slowly and deeply.
- Imagine a ball of healing energy forming somewhere in the body. Imagine with each breath in, that the ball of energy is being carried to the part of the body that is tense.
- With each breath out, picture the air moving the ball away from the body, taking the tension with it.
- Continue to picture the ball moving toward and away from the body with each breath in and out. Picture the ball carrying more and more tension away.
- To end the imagery, count slowly to 3. Breathe in deeply, open your eyes.
You may already use distraction to manage stress without realizing it. Any activity that holds your attention or takes your mind off worries or discomfort can be a useful distraction technique. Some examples are:
- watching TV or movies
- listening to music
- reading a book
- doing needlework
- working on a puzzle
- going shopping
- taking walks
- visiting friends
Massage can be very relaxing. It often relieves tension and can make you feel more comfortable. Talk with your healthcare team before you have a massage to make sure it's okay. They may have some guidelines for the massage therapist to follow, such as restricting the massage to certain areas of the body, or only using gentle, stroking motions on some areas. Ask your healthcare team if they know of a registered massage therapist who has experience in working with people with cancer.
Many people find they feel better, have more energy and are less stressed when they take part in physical activities such as swimming, walking or biking. You can often continue to exercise during and after cancer treatment, as long as your healthcare team says it's okay and as long as you feel up to it. Talk to your healthcare team before trying a new activity or if you have questions about exercise.
Yoga and tai chi are two gentle but effective forms of exercise that can help relieve tension. Yoga combines exercise for the body with breathing exercises and focus for the mind. Most types of yoga can be modified for people at various stages of health. Tai chi is slow and rhythmic movement. It is often called moving meditation. Tai chi improves balance of the body and the mind. Check with a community association or local phone book for instructors.
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Last year CCS funded $40 million in cancer research, thanks to our donors. Discover how you can help reduce the burden of cancer.


text:
To look:
at everything which overflows the outline, the contour, the category, the name of what is.
All appearances are continually changing one another: visually everything is interdependent. Looking is submitting the sense of sight to the experience of that interdependence. To look for something (a pin that has dropped) is the opposite of this looking. Visibility is a quality of light. Colours are the faces of light.
(John Berger, "On Visibility," in The Sense of Sight)
Calendar, in which Atom Egoyan plays the role of a photographer whose assignment is to take twelve pictures of historic sites in Armenia for a calendar. Arsinée Khanjian plays his wife, guide and interpreter. The film takes place in Armenia and Toronto.
I have come to realise that Atom Egoyan's films must be understood as the continuing construction of an open ended oeuvre. All of his films are inter¬linked. Sometimes, it seems that he is writing an extended essay on the cinema and television (Family Viewing and Speaking Parts). Other times his films are like extracts from a series of diaries about images, loss and a postmodern context bereft of meaning (Next of Kin, The Adjustor and Calendar). His films search through the living ruins of modern cultural history in much the same manner as an archeologist digs for evidence of a culture's past. The difference is that his tools are images and images are 'light' — a shift¬ing, groundless place where, "Clouds gather visibility and then disperse into invisibility. All appearances are of the nature of clouds." (Berger: 219) Yet even as this 'lightness' recreates the premises of the visible (and how we are able to understand it), Egoyan continues to use the mediums of film and television to explore history and identity. The pursuit is a noble one, but as Calendar so deftly reveals, the result may be one long travelogue where the sensibility of the tourist dominates. There is a strange irony to Egoyan's decision to use himself as one of the main characters in the film. He implicates himself in an auto-critique of the desires which have governed his relationship to photography and the cinema. He puts himself on the line in a kind of Brechtian play with divided loyalties which break apart and destroy the flimsy foundations of author¬ship.
I have recently discussed Egoyan's use of images in an introductory essay on Speaking Parts. In the above quote John Berger captures some of the ironies with regard to any analysis of images. His use of a metaphor drawn from nature is not accidental, of course. Egoyan spends a great deal of time in Calendar exploring the act of taking a photograph of historical buildings in Armenia (his country of origin), churches and fortresses, for example, within picturesque natural environments. Although these places are beautiful with rich colour tones, wildflowers and sun-baked fields, they are "tourist" images for which some anecdotal history is provided, but where the depth seems to be mis¬sing. In fact, what becomes important as we look at the old buildings is not so much their connection to the past, but the role they play in triggering questions about the two characters whom the photographer is dependent on for guidance and information. One is a woman with whom the photographer (played by Egoyan) is in love and who is identified as his wife and the other is an Armenian driver who acts out the role of the local "informant". The photographs are ostensibly being taken for a calendar but in essence we are witnesses over time to the breakdown of the photographer's relationship to his wife and by extension to Armenia. Thus, all of the monuments which we see are themselves evidence of what cannot be seen. There are histories in the buildings but they only speak through the voice of the driver. In fact the pastoral setting of the images seems incongruent with the war raging in Armenia and with the breakdown of civil life and the economic devastation brought on by the overthrow of communism. How then can this place be spoken of as home? How are national borders defined when identity and place are fluid, moveable and ever changing? Are we the sum total of all of the different nations we now live beside? — all of the different languages we either speak or listen to? How does this hybridization change the spatial and temporal boundaries within which we normally operate?
"A life-testimony is not simply a testimony to a private life, but a point of conflation between text and life, a textual testimony which can penetrate us like an actual life ." Calendar is Egoyan's testimony to his past, as much as it is a story of the efforts by the film's characters to understand their own ethnic history. The film explores the many dimensions of identity, which in the late twent¬ieth century means far more than a simple relationship to the nation-state or the recovery of ancestral connections. The postcolonial and postimperial history we are now experiencing has scrambled the meanings of home and homeland. In Homi Bhabha's terms another history is being written from within a crisis of the sign where language and meaning, discourse and identity have no firm anchors. Traditional notions of subjectivity have been transformed but this is not simply the movement from one stage to another, but a fundamental split in the operations of time and history. " today, the rapidly expanding and quickening mobility of people combines with the refusal of cultural products and practices to "stay put" to give a profound sense of a loss of territorial roots, of an erosion of the cultural distinctiveness of places Gupta and Ferguson go on to quote James Clifford: "What does it mean, at the end of the twentieth century, to speak of a 'native land'? What processes rather than essences are involved in present experiences of cultural identity?"
Hamid Naficy has commented upon the nostalgic desire to return to the homeland and thus to overcome the double loss of " origin and of reality " as a driving force inhabited by imaginary constructions which " remains alluring only as long as it remains unrealised." (Naficy: 286) This is of course the dilemma of the diaspora and exile, of cultures which have lost their roots as they have been overrun or destroyed only to be recreated elsewhere, simulated and I do not mean this pejoratively. In some respects, then, for Egoyan we have all become tourists and in the process we have had to develop new ways of dealing with each other which are more often than not mediated by complex technologies such as the camera and the telephone. Salman Rushdie has commented on this in a wonderful anecdote. "A few years ago I revisited Bombay, which is my lost city, after an absence of something like half my life. Shortly after arriving, acting on an impulse, I opened the telephone directory and looked for my father's name. And, amazingly, there it was; his name, our old address, the unchanged telephone number, as if we had never gone away to the unmentionable country across the border. It was eerie discovery. I felt as if I were being claimed, or informed that the facts of my faraway life were illusions, and this continuity was the reality."
Some years ago I found myself at a Cambodian ceremony in Melbourne, Australia. There were about eight hundred people in the gymnasium of an old school which had been taken over by the small but growing exile community of Cambodians in Australia. The gym was decorated with the symbols and colours of the homeland. Everyone was dressed up and the smell of incense was heavy in the air. I remember little of the specifics of the ceremony except for the feeling which I had that we were all in a time warp, transported back into a village, participating in the sounds and rhythms and music of a culture many thousands of years old. I understood then how crucial the nostalgia was, how curative and yet how contradictory. As a particular dance reached its peak the people around me began to cry, and as they comforted each other they seemed to me to be both weak and strong at the same time. This it seems to me is one aspect of exile — the ability to implicate oneself so strongly in the homeland and at the same time to go on, to carve out a new life, to break out of the boundaries of geography and time and yet to remain bound by a history which remains static even as things change both in one's new home and abroad. This is of course the paradox of loss and the base upon which narratives are built. As Rushdie says an original moment cannot be reclaimed here with the result that fictions will be created, 'imaginary homelands.' (Rushdie:10) But this is precisely what Egoyan is exploring. How do those fictions sustain themselves? What are the markers we accept and what happens to the ones we reject? How do photographs operate as a fictional bridge?
I mention this in relation to Calendar because of my own background as an immigrant to Canada, as someone who was born elsewhere and for whom that "elsewhere" has never disappeared from the various ways in which I define myself. This very fluid sense of identity is made all the more acute by the situation in Quebec, by the personal signposts which I have for my own past and the efforts by official culture here to eradicate the importance of that history.
It is in the borders between official culture as promulgated by govern¬ment policy and the displacement (psychological, physical, intellectual) which grows from being both a witness and participant to the diasporas of twentieth century life, that a film like Calendar is situated. The film searches for strategies of talking about identity that will not fall prey to the categories of margin or centre. It longs for some coherence in the transnational space of exile and community. Through a series of often funny conversations the film tries to locate the way time and distance work to generate a mental geography within which the markers more often than not are unstable and unclear. At the same time one of the most interesting aspects of the film is the difficulty which the photographer has in under¬standing Armenian. Everything his driver says has to be translated. Often, we don't get a translation and conversations take place which we don't comprehend. This is duplicated in the Toronto flat of the photographer where he meets a number of different women in exactly the same setting ( a small dining room table, wine glasses, a bottle wine ). Each time they go off to the telephone and have a conversation with their lovers in their own maternal language. We hear everything from Hindi to German to Spanish to Swedish etc.., and depending on our own backgrounds we either under¬stand the conversations or not. In all instances the women stand near the calendar which had been produced from the Armenian scenes we witnessed the photographer shooting.
The border region inhabited by Egoyan in this film also pivots on temporal displacement. The time is now but somehow it isn't. The characters seem disconnected from the present, always yearning for something else, for the future, for the past. Yet that is also the paradoxical situation of photo¬graphy both as an art form and as a means of documenting past and present. "In a photograph a person's history is buried as if under a layer of snow."
Kracauer distinguishes between the photograph of a person and the memory-image. The latter is what is left when the photograph is viewed outside of the time when it was taken. This distinction is a crucial one. It temporal¬izes the photograph and in so doing heightens the role of discourse, what is said and what isn't said, about images. No photograph escapes the contra¬dictions and potential excitement of temporal dislocation. There are so many movements in space and time, so many moments within which history must be rewritten, that the conceit of truth must be understood not as an ontological basis for interpretation, but as a site where memory is reinvigorated, even when memories slip from fact into fiction and back. The pleasures of seeing in this instance are invested with desiring, to make the memory real, to generate truth, to manufacture a narrative. The truth becomes a metaphor just as quickly as the image disguises its sudden transformative power. The snow melts and there is a dissolution of memory although the photograph remains suggestively encouraging — as if no historical moment will ever again escape its simultaneous role as event and image, memory and potential arena for debate.
Each encounter Egoyan has with a different woman suffers the same fate. He is left alone to contemplate the love he has left behind in Armenia. In that sense he is locked into a history which is only real within a false kind of romanti¬cism. As in nearly all of his other films the telephone is a device of contact and breakdown, a metaphor for distance and connection. As a technology the telephone is perhaps the most important contributor to the creation of a public space within which the private fantasy of communica¬tion and interaction can be sustained and through which it is often denied. This, I think, is also the role which is played by photography. Distance can be overcome but the photographic print must be narrativized if links be¬tween past and present are to be established.
Calendar is a film in twelve movements, built around the photographs accompanying the months of the year. But the film is really about the memories of times past, when an image somehow connected to its referent and when notions of home and church and tradition could be addressed from within a set of foundations as solid as the buildings we see in the film. Ironically, as the Armenian driver becomes the historian and more fully represents all that is missing from the image, from the photograph, Arsinée falls in love with him. Egoyan is left to his devices in the dining room of his Toronto house or in the darkroom trying to reconstruct a world which, as his own images suggest, has long ago ceased to exist.
CineAction, No 32, 1993


text:
NBA Finals rematch at the Meadowlands
East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) – The San Antonio Spurs try to win back-
to-back games for the first time this season as they take on the New Jersey
Nets tonight at Continental Airlines Arena in a rematch of the 2003 NBA
The Spurs defeated the Nets in the NBA Finals in six games. Tim Duncan, who
collected 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocked shots in the
series finale, has played huge against the Nets in his career. However, Duncan
could be slowed tonight by a sprained left ankle.
Duncan may have to bang with Kenyon Martin, who could return tonight for the
Nets. Martin has played in just two games this season and has been out of
action since October 31 when he sprained his left ankle in a game against
Minnesota. Martin has missed the last five games and Nets head coach Byron
Scott is expected to make a decision late in the afternoon if Martin will be
ready to start tonight.
The Nets will have another big body to tangle with Duncan as Alonzo Mourning
will be used off the bench. New Jersey however figures to be without forward
Brian Scalabrine, who has a strained hip flexor. New Jersey also has Rodney
Rogers (dislocated left thumb), Lucious Harris (lower back pain) and Damone
Brown (back spasms) on the injured list.
The Spurs are coming off an 87-78 win over Utah Monday night and this evening
San Antonio begins a three-game road trip. Gregg Popovich's team will play at
Philadelphia on Friday and will battle Washington on Saturday. Monday night,
Duncan had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Tony Parker, who returned
from an ankle injury, had nine points in his season debut. Manu Ginobili led
San Antonio with 18 points.
Parker will be matched up with Nets star guard Jason Kidd tonight. Kidd's team
has lost three of its last four games and is coming off a 98-84 defeat versus
Detroit on Sunday at Auburn Hills. The Nets managed only 37 points in the
second half. New Jersey had all five starters in double figures led by Kidd
with 18 points and 11 assists. Jason Collins had his second straight strong
effort, as he added a double-double of his own with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Kidd has played 33 games against the Spurs in his career, more than he's
played against any other team. For his career, Kidd is averaging 14 points,
9.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds against the Spurs.
Since the start of the 2001-02 season, the Nets have won three of their last
four games against the Spurs in the regular season. The Nets have also won
three straight and five of their last six home games versus the Spurs.


text:
This story was changed on Oct. 16 to correct the headquarters location of PolyOne Corp. and Mr. Fearon's chairmanship of a Hawken School committee. Richard Fearon is a busy guy. For one, he's not just CFO at Eaton, a giant manufacturer of products that regulate power. He also provides leadership for all sorts of functions at Eaton, ranging from accounting and information systems to internal auditing and investor relations. He plays a big role in the overall strategic planning process at Eaton. That's no small task, especially these days: Eaton has acquired 60 companies since he was named executive vice president and chief financial and planning officer in 2002. Mr. Fearon — who moved from executive vice president to vice chairman in January 2009 — has been "a key leader" in those deals, the nomination said. That includes the pending acquisition of electrical equipment supplier Cooper Industries plc of Dublin, Ireland, an $11.8 billion deal that when closed will be the largest acquisition in Eaton's 101-year history. The two companies had sales totaling $21.5 billion in 2011. He has developed an organization that "functions globally and is capable of handling multiple complex deals simultaneously," the nomination said. He's always on the lookout to make sure acquisition targets are up to snuff. "Due to his nearly 30 years of international senior finance and strategic corporate development experience, Rick has been a key adviser to the CEO and Board on key acquisitions that have contributed to Eaton's global growth," the nomination said. "Rick works tirelessly to ensure each deal meets or exceeds all performance metrics," the nomination continued. Mr. Fearon played a key part in helping Eaton get through the recession. He and the rest of the company's management team quickly cut costs and re-engineered some business processes when the economy went south, which helped Eaton maintain its profitability. They did so, however, while still investing in research and development, which they considered key to helping the company rebound from the recession. He does a lot of work outside of Eaton, too: He serves on the board of directors at PolyOne Corp. of Avon Lake and for several years has served on the Ohio Third Frontier Commission, which oversees a large economic development program designed to stimulate the state's economy through investments in technology. In addition to other involvement, he's on the board of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the PlayhouseSquare Foundation and Hawken School. He's chairman of the finance committee at the museum and PlayhouseSquare, and he chairs the investment committee at Hawken. Mr. Fearon also served as co-chairman of the 2007 Pacesetter Committee for the United Way of Greater Cleveland. "While Rick was honored with (CFO of the Year honors) in 2007, his accomplishments since then have continued to be stellar for Eaton, the nomination said. "Rick is a dedicated finance leader who, through his counsel and performance, has earned the respect and confidence of the Eaton Board of Directors and of company senior management."
Eaton Corp., Cleveland
Recommended for You


text:
- 자습서
- Unity For Artists
- Unwrapping and Chart reduction
Unwrapping and Chart reduction
확인 완료한 버전: 5.5
난이도: 중급
Now that we have excluded suitable objects from the lighting precompute, we can begin the work of reducing the number of remaining Charts.
Charts are created to encompass the UV lightmap coordinates of a Static Mesh Renderer. The number of Charts that an object requires is therefore largely determined by the number of UV shells (pieces) needed to unwrap the object in question. Unwrapping is always a tradeoff between distortion of the texel distribution on geometry faces, and the number of shells required for sufficient texture coverage.
Unity's sophisticated unwrapping algorithms will often achieve good results without our intervention; however, sometimes we need to provide a little guidance. It is therefore important that we understand the theory and process behind automatic unwrapping.
Consider the following illustrations:
An unwrap without distortion, but requiring multiple UV shells.
UV coordinates which result in a single UV shell, but yield unacceptable texture distortion.
An ideal result, with no texture distortion and a single UV shell.
In the images above, we show three different examples of how the UVs on an object can be projected or unwrapped.
In the first image, we can see a result which is largely free of distortion. The checker pattern we are using as a texture is mapped in such a way that each tile of the texture remains square in aspect. If we imagine that this checkerboard was a lightmap (an 'image' of the lighting applied to the object), we would get a result that looked visually correct and without distortion. However, we require six UV shells to get this coverage. As a result, we would get six Charts using Unity's Precomputed Realtime GI system. Regardless of the size of the object, each Chart would require a minimum of 4x4 texels, meaning that this object would use at least 96 texels irrespective of resolution.
In the second image, we have a different problem. The object's UV texture coordinates have been projected so that we have one complete UV shell covering all faces. While this would be optimal in terms of the number of Charts required to cover the object, the visual results would be unacceptably distorted. We would likely see 'smearing' of textures applied across the surface of the object. The faces of the object also overlap in UV texture space - meaning that if we we were referencing a lightmap, the lighting from one side of the object would be displayed on opposing faces. Clearly this method of unwrapping the object will not give us an acceptable result.
The third image shows an example of an ideal unwrap. We have a result which is free of distortion: the tiles of our checkerboard texture have remained square in aspect. We have also succeeded in covering all faces of the object while only outputting one UV shell. This has been achieved by joining, or stitching UV edges which correspond to contiguous geometry edges on the model.
If we think about this programmatically, what have we done to achieve an ideal unwrap? First, we have made our UV projections orthographically onto the object in order to create our individual shells. We have then evaluated these shells for edges which are shared in the geometry of the corresponding object. Where shared edges are found, we have moved and stitched those shells to the partner edges of their neighbouring shell. This is what Unity's unwrapping algorithms attempt to do automatically with Static geometry.
Visualising Charts
Before working to optimize our unwrapping and lightmap Charts, we need a way to visualize them in the Editor. Charts are generated during the unwrapping stage of the mesh import pipeline. For Precomputed Realtime GI, these Charts are then packed into atlasses during the Geometry stage of the precompute process. This is to ensure that they don't overlap. We can only see a preview of our Charts once the Geometry stage of the precompute has completed and the visualisation data has been saved.
If you are working with version control as part of a team, please be aware that this information is cached locally. This means that a precompute must be carried out on your local machine before the various diagnostic draw modes become available.
UV Charts draw mode representing the different Charts used in the Scene as colored regions and lightmap resolution as a checkerboard overlay.
One way to quickly visualize your Charts is to use the UV Charts draw mode in the Scene view.
- In the top left of the Scene view, use the Draw Mode drop-down menu to select UV Charts.
Using this mode, Charts can be seen as different-colored panels overlaid with a checkerboard texture representing the corresponding lightmap resolution. If you have Auto mode enabled (Window > Lighting > Auto), changes to unwrap parameters will be calculated automatically and the Scene view will be updated with the results.
The Charting mode of the object Preview window showing Charts as colored squares and lightmap UVs as light blue wireframe.
It can be easy to miss Charts in the Scene view when working with complex objects. By using the Preview pane in the Lighting window, we can view all the Charts used by an individual object. This can help us to more accurately assess the unwrapping of these objects, which will help us to reduce Chart counts in our Scene.
Open the Lighting window (Window > Lighting) and select the Object tab.
Select the object that we wish to view in the Hierarchy window.
In the top left of the Preview pane of the Lighting window, choose Charting from the drop-down menu.
The number of Charts used by that object will be represented by colored squares overlaid with the corresponding UV coordinates in light blue.
Unwrapping parameters explained
There are a number of settings that we can tweak to optimize UV unwrapping. All of these settings are per-object. We can access these settings through the Lighting window, as follows:
Open the Lighting window (Window > Lighting) and select the Object tab.
Select the object that we wish to view in the Hierarchy window.
Auto UV Max Distance
Unity's unwrapping algorithms attempt to simplify lightmap UVs by moving shells and stitching UV edges together. UV shells will only be considered for this operation if shells are within the distance defined by Auto UV Max Distance. This range is defined in Unity's world space units. Remember that in our tutorial Scene we are assuming that a unit is 1 meter.
The Auto UV Max Distance setting found in the Object tab of the Lighting window.
In many cases the default value of 0.5 units will give acceptable results. For particularly large objects with large faces, it may be necessary to increase this value. This is to prevent suitable candidate UVs from being excluded from selection by the stitching algorithm.
Increasing the Auto UV Max Distance will often reduce the number of Charts required by the selected object. Decreasing this value is useful in situations where there is visible stretching of lightmap texels and we may actually need more Charts in order to get the required texel coverage. The results of these changes can be easily assessed using the checkerboard overlay in the UV Charts Scene draw mode. Finding the right balance can often require a little experimentation.
Auto UV Max Angle
Lighting UV shells are also evaluated for stitching based on the angle between neighbouring faces of the corresponding mesh. Auto UV Max Angle defines the maximum angle permitted between faces sharing a UV edge and is calculated using the internal angle. If the angle between the backfaces is greater than this amount, these UV shells will not be considered for stitching.
The Auto Max Angle settings can be found within the Object tab of the Lighting window.
Increasing this value will make it more likely that lighting UVs will be combined by Unity's unwrapping algorithm. Auto UV Max Angle can therefore can be a good way to reduce the number of Charts required by a selected object. However, sometimes stretched lightmaps can occur when this tolerance is too relaxed. Decreasing the Auto UV Max Angle will make the unwrapper less likely to combine UV edges, which will result in more Charts but less distortion. Again, using the checkerboard overlay in the UV Charts Scene draw mode is a good way of assessing the suitability of the values we are using.
Preserve UVs
In some cases it may be impossible to get an ideal unwrap using the auto unwrapper. We may end up with too many Charts or unacceptable distortion in our lightmaps (visualized as stretched checkering when in GI Charts draw mode). In these cases it may be necessary to manually author UVs in the UV01 channel of our model file. This is work that needs to be done while in our chosen content creation package.
If this is the case, we can use the Preserve UVs option to force Unity's unwrapping algorithms to preserve the shape of the UV shells defined in your model's UV01 channel.
The Preserve UVs option is useful when it is desirable to keep your manual lighting UVs.
It is important to note that these shells will always be be repacked to save lightmap space. It is the manner in which the shells are unwrapped, individually, which will be preserved rather than the shell's position within the lightmap.
We must be cautious when using this approach. In cases where our lightmap UVs contain a large number of UV shells, this option can actually increase precompute times. This is because the UV merging step offered by Unity's auto unwrapper is bypassed and our manual UV layout is preserved. Remember that the desired outcome is as few UV shells - and therefore as few Charts - as possible, while keeping an acceptable level of distortion.
Ignore Normals
In certain cases the mesh importer may decide to split geometry. This will also affect Charts. For example, if a mesh has an extremely high triangle count it may be more performant for Unity to split it into separate sub-meshes. Often this is for hardware specific requirements, such as reducing the number of triangles in each draw call. Where these splits occur is decided based on areas where there is large variance in the normal angle between adjacent mesh faces, such as hard edges . Splitting meshes in this way happens during the mesh import process for your models. Charts can potentially be split during this process as edges that fall within a Chart may be separated, resulting in multiple shells which in turn will require additional Charts.
The Ignore Normals checkbox prevents charts being split during the import pipeline.
Sometimes it is not desirable to split your Charts in this way. The resulting increase in the number of Charts may be detrimental to precompute times, and lighting seams can cause unwanted visual artefacts in the resulting lightmaps. In these cases, enabling the Ignore Normals checkbox will prevent the Charts being split for Precomputed Realtime GI lighting.
Note that only Precomputed Realtime GI is affected by this option. Splits in the selected meshes are still preserved for other uses in Unity.
Faster iteration in larger Scenes
Complex Scenes can contain hundreds - even thousands - of Static objects. Generating the Chart atlases for all these objects can result in slow lighting precomputes and this can negatively affect the speed with which we are able to iterate on our Scenes.
When experimenting with unwrap settings for objects, sometimes it can be useful to isolate an object of interest in an empty Scene where we can iterate quickly with minimal precompute times. The unwrap settings we determine can then be taken back and applied to other objects of that type in our original Scene. Working in this way can add up to big time savings when preparing Scenes for lighting.
Open the LightingTutorialStart Scene included in the example project.
Select one of the objects called HouseBig02 in the Hierarchy window. These are grouped under Environment > Structures > Houses.
Copy this object to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on Mac).
Create a new Scene by pressing Ctrl+N (Cmd+N on Mac).
If prompted to save your changes, select Yes if you are happy with your current Scene progress or No if you wish to discard it.
In the newly created Scene, paste HouseBig02 from the clipboard by pressing Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac).
Open the Lighting window (Window > Lighting) and then select the Scene tab.
Enable Auto precompute mode by enabling the Auto checkbox.
Now select the Object tab.
In the top left of the Object tab, select Charting from the drop-down menu.
Expand the Preview area to see how the object is unwrapped.


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Premiere of Trad Home is Live
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I'm still trying to figure out what the relationship between Traditional Home and Lonny is; all I know is that it resulted in a love child. Said child is a digital magazine called Trad Home. I'm in the midst of perusing it, and it's pretty nice. If you've checked it out, let me know what you think they are going for – is it supposed to be like Traditional Home light? Do you think they would EVER feature Brad's redecoration of Jill Zarin's apartment that was on the cover of Traditional Home last year? Would you call it "less traditional homes"? Can you feel me biting my tongue trying not to make a comment about a certain furniture polisher with the initials E.R.? Other thoughts?.
Click here to check out the premiere issue of Trad Home.
Also, do you have a favorite online magazine? I feel like I'm still getting to know all of them, and it seems like new ones pop up daily. Right now I'm still really enjoying Lonny (which seems like the grandmother of them all – the cool grandmother) and Rue and one from Australia I found the other day – the name escapes me at the moment. Please let us know what you're digitally flipping through in the comments section!
Cover image by Patrick Cline. Design by Lauren Gold and Sasha Adler of Nate Berkus Design.


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Brett Wallace was one of 11 Devils to earn postseason honors from the Pac-10.
May 23, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. - Eleven members of the 2007 Arizona State Sun Devil baseball team have earned All-Pac-10 Conference honors, the conference announced today. Seven players were named to the All-Conference team, while four others earned honorable mentions.
Leading the way for the Sun Devils on the All-Pac-10 Team was sophomore first baseman Brett Wallace, who was also named Pac-10 Player of the Year. Sophomore OF Ike Davis, sophomore C Petey Paramore and junior 2B Eric Sogard all earned All Pac-10 honors for the second straight season. Sogard was also named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Joining those four on the All Pac-10 team were freshman RHP Mike Leake, sophomore DH Kiel Roling and junior LHP Josh Satow.
Junior LHP Brian Flores, junior SS Andrew Romine, junior OF Tim Smith and junior OF/LHP Matt Spencer all earned Honorable Mentions. The Sun Devils led the conference with their seven All Pac-10 Team members.
The seven All Pac-10 honorees ties the school record for most in a season with the 1982 squad. That season, Alvin Davis was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year.


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*All pricing and details are believed to be accurate, but we do not warrant or guarantee such accuracy. The prices shown above, may vary from region to region, as will incentives, and are subject to change. Vehicle information is based off standard equipment and may vary from vehicle to vehicle. Call or email for complete vehicle specific information. All advertised prices listed are for the vehicle only. Final price will include tax, tag, title, registration and $299 preparation fee for vehicles over $2,500. Alternatively, vehicles priced at $2,500 and under will have a preparation fee of $34.50 instead.*While every reasonable effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this data, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions contained on these pages. Please verify any information in question with a dealership sales representative.
** Rebate listed is cash back directly from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A, Inc. during applicable program incentive dates. Subject to availability. See dealer for details.


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Everyone wants to know if the Green Bay Packers will be able to run the football this season. Even Greg Jennings said last week on NFL Network it's the biggest question facing the team.
Aaron Rodgers isn't so worried.
"Do we need to? I think this is a pass-happy league, so I think it's got to start with the pass with us," the quarterback said Thursday on "NFL Total Access."
"The run has to be good enough to keep them honest, but we're going to have to throw the football to win games. We're going to have to run it probably a little bit more than we did last year," Rodgers added. "It starts with the passing game with us, and with most teams as well."
Rodgers is right about the NFL being a passing league, but a little balance wouldn't hurt. The running game ranked 27th in the league last season, and James Starks now steps in as the primary ball carrier with Ryan Grant gone.
Given the dominance of the Packers' passing game, logic dictates a running back could do serious damage against a defense petrified of what Rodgers can do.


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Merry Christmas Z! I'll be sending you good vibes this New years Hope you and your son have a blast ^^
Here's a toast right back, That 2015 Will bring more happiness and prosperity your way man! You deserve it all, and you have an entire community of rough n' tumbling ,foul mouthed porn loving gamers all rooting for you .Not many people can say that!
We love you man, and if you ever need anything, come to any one of us ( who ever you feel most comfortable with ) and just ask, were all here for you.


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Obama outlines effort to stem gun violence 'epidemic'
President Obama appointed Vice President Biden on Wednesday to lead an effort to develop new policies to combat gun violence. WhiteHouse.gov
President Obama appointed Vice President Biden to lead a team to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence.
WASHINGTON — President Obama's new call for proposals to deter gun violence — and his pledge to push those proposals through Congress — sets up the prospect of an intense debate over gun rights and the Second Amendment next year.
Obama appointed Vice President Biden on Wednesday to lead an effort to find ways "to reduce the epidemic of gun violence that plagues this country every single day."
Speaking five days after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., Obama said, "We won't prevent (all violent tragedies), but that can't be an excuse not to try."
BIDEN: VP a logical choice for panel
The vice president will consult with Cabinet members and outside groups before delivering "a set of concrete proposals no later than January," Obama said, "proposals that I then intend to push without delay."
The president also endorsed new congressional efforts to revive a ban on military-style assault weapons, as well as new restrictions on high-volume ammunition clips.
FULL COVERAGE: Aftermath of the Connecticut school shooting
In past years, gun rights advocates have questioned the effectiveness of gun control legislation. They say many proposals violate their Second Amendment rights to gun ownership.
MORE: Nation mourns victims in Conn. shooting
Obama said Wednesday that he believes in the Second Amendment, but he is confident many supporters will back common-sense legislation in light of the shooting in Newtown, and he's betting "the vast majority of responsible law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to say that we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few from buying a weapon of war."
STORY: Obstacles remain in Congress to gun legislation
As for the politically powerful National Rifle Association, Obama said its members are "mothers and fathers" also affected by the Newtown tragedy. "There is a big chunk of space between what the Second Amendment means and having no rules at all," he said.
The NRA and guns rights groups have said little since the Newtown shooting. The NRA declined comment on the Obama-Biden project. It has a news conference set for Friday.
President Barack Obama announced he was appointing Vice President Biden to lead a team to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence. WhiteHouse.gov
In a statement released Tuesday, the NRA said it is "prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again."
This incident may trigger a change in the NRA's policy toward gun control, said Jon Vernick of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. One of the most significant changes would be requiring universal background checks for all gun sales, he said.
Congressional Republicans indicated a wait-and-see approach to what Obama and Biden develop.
Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said: "When the vice president's group makes specific proposals, we will take a look. Right now our focus is, and should be, on the victims, their families, and their community."
Biden's task involves dealing not only with potential new gun laws, but also with mental health and cultural issues.
Obama said he picked Biden because of his experience in the Senate, including authorship of the 1994 crime bill that included an assault weapons ban that lapsed in 2004.
Contributing: Rick Jervis


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Hear a clip from the Tallis Scholars' Eric Whitacre single
New recording celebrates 40th anniversary
The Tallis Scholars have released a digital recording of Eric Whitacre's new piece, Sainte-Chapelle.
The work, which was specially written for the choir, was premiered on 7 March in St Paul's Cathedral at the launch of the choir's 40th anniversary tour.
The BBC Music Magazine deputy editor, Jeremy Pound, heard the premiere and wrote: 'Whitacre's Sainte-Chapelle, which was influenced by the composer's visit to the Parisian building of the title, is altogether more solemn and reflective, building up into an intense climax. This was Whitacre in considerably more angst-ridden form than I'm used to, and none the worse for it.'
The recording was made in the chapel of Merton College, Oxford and is available to download now from iTunes.
- Article Type: | New Release |


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ST. LOUIS, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. airplane makers Boeing and Lockheed Martin said they would team up to bid on an Air Force contract for long-range bombers.
"To this critical mission, the team brings together nearly two centuries of combined experience designing, developing and testing aircraft for defense customers around the world," the companies said in a joint statement.
"The team will be able to produce unique and affordable solutions that could not be achieved without partnering," the statement said, noting that Boeing and Lockheed Martin have partnered together on the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter.
"Building on decades of manned and unmanned weapon systems experience, we're proud to bring our collection of technologies, capabilities and resources to affordably design, develop, produce and sustain the bomber program," said Orlando Carvalho, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.


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I finished knitting a nightsongs shawl in my new Mulberry Silk yarn for my sister Lilia. I thought about keeping it as a surprise, Lilia is going to be my maid of honour at my wedding in June and I wanted to knit her, and my two bridesmaids, silk shawls. But then one day Lilia was over at my place and we were looking at all the silks and I was asking her what colour she liked (she eventually chose Blueberry as her favorite) and then we talked about patterns and one thing lead to another and I totally told her what I had planned. I won't show her the finished shawl in person until I actually give it to her, that will be the surprise. I do my best to take decent photographs, but the softness and the drape really have to be appreciated in person.
I had some issues with the pattern the first time I knit this shawl. It is a free pattern and I hate to criticize something that I got for free, but I just don't get why someone would go to so much trouble to make charts and write instructions for such a beautiful shawl but then not follow through with proper editing and clarifications. Last year when I knit my first version I spent a good deal of time searching for helpful notes on Ravelry to figure out where to stop and start on the chart. For this version I thought that I remembered what I did, I had a section of the chart highlighted and figured something out. I omitted the double yarn overs that ran down the center of the shawl because I didn't love them in my first version and I think that I took better notes this time around.
The colour changes in the yarn were very difficult to capture in photos. The shawl is a purply-blue with streaks of brighter purple and turquoise running through it. If you look closely in the photos above and below you can see hints of it.
I still love all the things that I loved from knitting it the first time around, the pointy border, the organic feather shapes, the sheen and crispness of lace...
Below is version 1 (on the left, I've been wearing it for months and haven't re-blocked it) and version 2 on the right. See the big holes running down the center of the first shawl and how I omitted them on the second? I'm happy that I did, but I think that in doing so I added stitches somehow and made the edge differently... I don't know exactly what happened there, I don't think that you would notice unless you laid it flat on the ground like this and examined it, draped around shoulders you would never see that it has extra points around the tip, but if I make a version 3 (which I probably will someday) I'll try and get the edging to look more like version 1.
I learnt a lot while knitting this shawl. I've figured out some basic things that I like and that I don't like in a shawl construction. Things that are easy to modify in any pattern, and that is very exciting for me. I think that I'm becoming comfortable with lace and shawl design and I can start knitting shawls sort of like I knit socks. I'll read a sock pattern and then maybe substitute my favorite heel and toe, knit it top-down instead of toe up, make little changes that I know I'll prefer. Now, I can start applying my preferences to my shawls as well!
I've got two silk shawls down and one more to go for my bridesmaids, I haven't decided on a colour or pattern for the third, but I'm definitely looking forward to knitting with silk again!


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Total Reclaim was created in 1991 to help industry and government agencies legally recycle refrigerators and HVAC equipment in accordance with the requirements of the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act. In 1995, Total Reclaim became the first reclaimer of refrigerants in the Pacific Northwest. In 1997, we created our sister company EcoLights Northwest to recycle mercury bearing lamps and in 1999 we began recycling computers, monitors, and other electronics. Since then, Total Reclaim has grown to become the leading recycler of computers and electronics in the Pacific Northwest and developed a reputation as one of the most innovative managers of hard-to-handle materials in the nation.
Our services are designed to help our customers comply with laws regarding the handling of hazardous materials, help them reduce their long-term legal liabilities, minimize the disposal of hazardous waste and help protect the environment that we all share. We continue to develop new programs and add services to help protect our environment through the proper management of hard-to-handle materials. Finally, Total Reclaim's company-owned truck fleet enables us to offer prompt service and comprehensive logistics, recycling and certified destruction services for any volume of electronics and other materials.
- Total Reclaim is approved as a Collector, a Transporter and a Preferred Processor for Washington's E-Cycles Electronics Recycling Program.
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Nabilla Benattia is a Actress from France. She was born in Ambilly on February 5, 1992. She is listed on FreeOnes since 2013 and is currently ranked 11148th place. She currently has 18 gallery links in her own FreeOnes section.
Our records show that Nabilla Benattia is currently active which means she is still making movies, doing live shows and/or doing photo shoots.
Currently we have only a few links of Nabilla Benattia. You can help us out by submitting more photos and videos links to Nabilla Benattia galleries.
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We have come to see the stagnation and decline of our blocks and neighborhoods as a normal part of the development process. It is not. The normal course of human development is for successful cities to mature incrementally over time. When that occurs, they become financially resilient. To build Strong Towns, a community's emphasis needs to shift from creating growth quickly and easily to building value in a broad and incremental way.
In May of 2000, I took my first trip out of the country. Having grown up in a small town in Central Minnesota, I had seen quite a bit of the United States (excluding major cities, which my parents avoided) but had no idea what a country like Italy was going to be like. In fact, in my naivete, I probably assumed it would look at lot like the United States with a few more churches and some Roman ruins here and there. The truth is, while I had pondered a different culture, it had not occurred to me that the very place would be so different.
As we flew into Milan, someone said we could see the city outside the window. Milan is one of the major cities of Europe -- a cosmopolitan capital -- but when I looked out my window, I didn't see it. Where were the skyscrapers? Where were the highways? The stadium? None of the landmarks I had grown accustomed to seeing in major U.S. cities were visible. Everything just seemed so short.
I'll spare you the story of my awakening, from engineer to planner to Strong Towns advocate, but simply note that this flight into Milan was a major turning point in that story. It took me years of reflection and many trips to the neighborhoods of Milan, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and London, not to mention dozens of small towns throughout Italy, France, England and Ireland, to piece it all together. What I was seeing for the first time in Milan was a city that had progressed through centuries of development. I was looking at a place that had matured.
Last week I polarized our pleasant conversation here by writing the following:
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is the devil's tool of decline. There are two things necessary to make it "work" (and by "work" I mean as a way to corrupt your community's soul). First, the city must reconfigure as much of the community as possible in an auto centric manner so as to make it very advantageous to develop on bare ground on the edge of town. Then -- and these work together -- the city needs to continue policies that devalue neighborhoods to the point where decent commercial or residential activity is no longer viable.
And later in the same piece I wrote:
As a final note, readers should know that to grant TIF an application must pass a "but for" test. "But for" the TIF subsidy, this redevelopment wouldn't happen. When you get beyond the immediate transaction and understand the full picture of what is going on, you realize that this is a little like an alcoholic hitting the bottle and saying, "but for...." TIF is the co-dependent enabler of the suburban experiment.
Why don't we have a Milan here in the United States? Easier still, why don't we have a Stresa (Italy, population 5,000) or an Avignon (France, population 95,000), two cities of immense beauty, character and, I am quite certain, financially able to maintain their basic infrastructure? Years ago, I would have believed it was because our cities were younger and had not had the time these great towns of Europe had. Then I came across this picture of my hometown of Brainerd and realized what had happened.
Everything you see in that picture from 1894 is now gone. In its place are a bunch of parking lots, abandoned buildings and very low rent, marginal establishments. As James Howard Kunstler wrote me once in an email, my hometown -- like so many other American cities -- simply committed suicide.
It was self-inflicted damage, but injury was not the intention. The goal was growth. At Strong Towns we've discussed fairly thoroughly the illusion of wealth our development pattern creates and the workings of the Growth Ponzi Scheme. Today I want to describe what a normal, healthy pattern of development looks like. We'll focus on commercial districts and look at residential neighborhoods later in the week.
Start with the earliest settlement. In the case of my hometown of Brainerd, this photo was taken in 1870. For those with local knowledge, this is Front Street. The sign on the clearest building reads, "Billiard Hall." This is a place in its infancy.
Brainerd, MN. Front Street. 1870In terms of a country making many little bets, a lot of cities at this stage did not mature beyond infancy. That wasn't a problem as there was little wealth wagered at this point (it would be another century before we reached the beginning of the too-big-to-fail approach). Brainerd was one of the cities that did mature further, however. This is how this same street looked a mere 24 years later.
Brainerd, MN. Front Street. 1894
There are two critical things to note about the changes. First, "maturing" meant horizontal expansion, but it also meant vertical expansion and enhancement. Growth meant that the core of this city increased in value, which prompted both a simultaneous investment in improving the core as well as lesser investments in adjacent properties.
It should be noted that, while the architecture has a distinctive frontier look and feel to it, the layout and intensity of development is very similar to that of the small towns I mentioned above, Stresa and Avignon. In Stresa you will find distinctive Italian architecture and Avignon is the city of the papacy and also has its own distinct character. That being said, someone could be dropped on Brainerd's Front Street in 1894 or in Stresa/Avignon today and get meal, have a drink, find a room, buy some supplies, get a haircut, hire a lawyer, etc... In short, what you see here in 1894 is a perfectly viable place.
At this point then, the maturing process is simply a matter of enhancing the value of the existing properties. In the case of Brainerd, what that meant was that many of the wooden buildings were replaced with buildings made of rock, brick and concrete. Again, the maturing process added to existing investments, simultaneously adding value to existing developed sites as well as new growth on the periphery.
Brainerd, MN. 6th Street. Believed to be taken in the 1930's.It is important to understand that the maturing didn't simply take place automatically. There were so many things being done to build value in this community. Open spaces that had been reserved near town were now developed as parks. Neighborhoods around these parks were also filling in with residences of all styles and neighborhood businesses. Schools were being built along with other civic infrastructure imbedded in the surrounding neighborhoods. A new county courthouse was constructed in a prominent location using a distinctive architectural style. Incrementally and across a broad spectrum, things were maturing.
It is here that I need to depart from photos of Brainerd for quite obvious reasons. America began its suburban experiment and the maturing process ended. It was no longer the community's objective to incrementally add to the store of value within the community but instead to grow quickly and easily, leveraging the automobile, government transfer payments/incentives and abundant private sector capital to invest in the periphery of town. The traditional parts of Brainerd -- like most American cities large, medium and small -- reflects our change in approach.
Had we continued on the same path, it is hard to say what a city like Brainerd would look like today, but it would be much closer to Stresa and Avigonon than it currently is (and a place like Minneapolis/St. Paul, closer to Milan in its layout). That is what literally thousands of years of human history tells us is the "normal" pattern for cities; an incremental maturing process where prior investments are built on, expanded and enhanced over time. And to understand what a Strong Towns approach means, it is important to realize that an incremental maturing process over a broad community (a) increases the value of the community without (b) significantly increasing the cost of infrastructure or of neighborhood facilities like parks, schools and fire stations.
In the suburban experiment we've gone the other way with our public balance sheet. Our historic tax base has not matured but has stagnated or declined. We've made up for that with new growth through horizontal expansion, but the increase in value with that approach has been accompanied by huge increases in long-term public expenses. It is not financially sustainable.
It was my original plan to discuss how we reverse this trend, but last week's interlude (and subsequent discussion) on Tax Increment Financing (TIF) got in the way. I'm going to get to "solutions" soon, but first let me try to build the bridge from what we've been talking about so far this year (a comparison of the traditional commercial block and the auto-oriented commercial block) to where we need to go to fix this.
We have to stop looking at the stagnation and decline of our blocks and neighborhoods as a normal part of the development process. It is not. Yes, there are certainly parts of Milan, Stresa and Avignon -- as well as historic Brainerd -- that experience periods of stagnation and decline, but these are isolated areas and the decline is not persistent. The normal course of human development is for successful cities to continue to mature incrementally over time. When that occurs, they become financially resilient and are able to withstand periods of macro-stagnation without falling apart.
Now here's the mental bridge: To build Strong Towns, a community's emphasis needs to shift from creating growth quickly and easily to building value in a broad and incremental way.
That's my core problem with TIF, and I acknowledge that it's more intellectual than it is substantive. TIF is a short cut. Yes it builds value, but as a short cut, it doesn't do it in a broad, incremental and ultimately sustainable way. It doesn't require us to think through and come to grips with the reasons for the decline that makes the tax increment transaction possible. It allows us to continue the suburban experiment believing -- or at least not disbelieving -- that the failure of properties, and subsequent "rescue" through a tax subsidy, is a natural course of action. Failure is prerequisite for a successful TIF project. Today it may be a necessary evil, but it is an evil nonetheless.
Now I will grant that this is an intellectual argument I'm having with the choir. We're all going to be singing from the same page when we're talking about using TIF to revitalize an historic downtown or cleaning up a contaminated site. But for the sake of what is coming next, I really need people to understand what I wrote last Wednesday.
Use TIF if you must, but we should be shaking our heads in shame when we have to, not congratulating ourselves on our resourcefulness and innovation.
Additional Reading
- The cost of auto orientation (January 2, 2012)
- The lost opportunity of auto orientation (January 4, 2012)
- Incoherent Advice (January 9, 2012)
- Adding insult to injury (January 11, 2012)