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ROANOKE, Va., July 30, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Luna Innovations Incorporated (Nasdaq:LUNA) announced today it will report its second quarter financial results for the period ended June 30, 2013, in a conference call with investors. My Chung, president and chief executive officer, and Dale Messick, chief financial officer, will host the call on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, at 5:00 p.m. (EDT). The investor conference call will be available via live webcast on the Luna website at www.lunainc.com under the tab "Investor Relations." To participate by telephone, the domestic dial-in number is 800.299.9630 and the international dial-in number is 617.786.2904. The participant access code is 24290407. Investors are advised to dial in at least five minutes prior to the call to register. The webcast will be archived on the company's website under "Webcasts and Presentations" for 30 days following the conference call. About Luna: Luna Innovations Incorporated ( www.lunainc.com) is focused on sensing and instrumentation. Luna develops and manufactures new-generation products for the healthcare, telecommunications, energy and defense markets. The company's products are used to measure, monitor, protect and improve critical processes in the markets it serves.
CONTACT: Investor Contact: Dale Messick, CFO Luna Innovations Incorporated Phone: 1.540.769.8400 Email: email@example.com


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The lumbar roll promotes a natural posture in the low back while in a seated position, by supporting the lumbar spine and preventing a slouched posture. Particularly beneficial for those who develop pain in the low back or lower extremities while seated.
This is the Original McKenzie Lumbar Roll, featuring a non-wrinkle, moisture wicking, 100% polyester removable cover. This roll may be used in the car, at the office, or for use with any seat that does not provide adequate lumbar support. The built in strap secures the lumbar roll to most back chairs and can even be used around the waist. The strap does contain latex.
Variations to the Original Lumbar Roll exist, and can be found in our product listings.
Roll measures approximately 28 cm x 12 cm dia. (L x11″ L x 4¾" dia.)
Made in the USA.

subset: commoncrawl


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Jeffery Larsen
Jeff Larsen is an ex-investment banker and co-founder of and on line brokerage company that was sold to Reuters PLC. Along the way he became interested in art, design and real estate. Here are a few of the projects that he has developed over the years.
If your interested in any information on these projects or are interested in the current home being built for sale in Provincetown, MA please contact me directly via phone or e mail.
I am happy to answer any questions you have.
Jeff Larsen


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The Hook - Charlottesville's weekly newspaper, news magazine
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The National Weather Service expects two to four inches of rainfall with five inch totals in some spots. FILE PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR The inch or so of rain that's fallen overnight is a mere presage,...
Flood warning: Weather Service predicts more rain
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Nov 19th, 2009
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Mike Dillard of UVA's Facilities Management unclogs a leaf-choked storm drain at 8:50am on University Avenue. PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER The rush-hour lake on University Avenue didn't slow everyone...
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Are you good at guessing how many gumballs are in the big jar? How about how much that average-size dark-haired lady weighs? Do you have a Ouija board? Even if none of that applies to you, you should...
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com Page 1 of 3
UK Search
The amount of global deals is growing at a staggering rate, increasing the need for thorough diligence. In 2006, global deal value surpassed the $4 trillion mark, up from $3 trillion in 2005. The number of transactions increased globally from 35,329 in 2005 to 39,120 in 2006.
Last year, U.S.-focused funds raised an incredible $252 billion - $80 billion more than the amount raised in 2005, according to Thompson Financial. This amount includes the $130 billion raised by U.S. venture capital, buyout and mezzanine funds.
The increase in merger and acquisition (M&A) volume and available capital fosters competition for transactions, creating a seller's market. However, with competitive bid dates, the time allotted for diligence has in recent periods been reduced, increasing transaction risk. It is therefore imperative to understand a company's fundamentals and value drivers, and arrive at an appropriate valuation that thoroughly assesses the target company's health, investment prospects and transaction risk.
Successful buyers must be fully prepared to back up their valuation with realistic data and a solid action plan, knowing the only way to win a deal is to understand a target's business sooner and more completely than the competition.
Following are 10 key items of focus when performing due diligence on a company up for sale ("target").
1. Focus on cash flows/EBITDA: Prospective buyers typically base their bids on a multiple of a target's cash earnings from operations or Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA). When determining a target's normalized EBITDA or "run rate," the buyer should exclude non-recurring, non-cash items such as gains or losses from acquisitions, divestitures, discontinued businesses or fixed asset sales. Other items to consider include other unusual and non-recurring revenue and expense items that may not recur, such as out-of-period accounting adjustments, adjustments proposed but unrecorded by the company's auditors, one- time revenues or expenses, and other non-cash items. In addition, changes in historical versus prospective management compensation, major customers gained or lost and changes in historical versus prospective ownership should be considered (e.g. public versus private company costs, and stand-alone financial statements versus corporate allocations).
http://www.accountingweb.com/item/104378 29/12/201010 Keys for acquisition due diligence | AccountingWEB.com Page 2 of 3
3. Historical revenue and cost trends: Buyers should always consider the target's key historical revenue trends and whether or not they can be sustained. Diligence should include analyses of historical revenue and margin trends by customer, product family/business, product line, geography and distribution channel. Seasonality and customer concentration trends should also be assessed. On the cost side, emphasis should be placed on analyzing supplier concentration, sole source suppliers, new contract terms/contracts expected to expire, raw material costs trends and trends in historical selling and administration, advertising and research and development costs.
4. Consistency between historical results, versus budget and forecast: Once historical trends are understood, the diligence team should assess the linkage between the historical budgeted versus actual results to gauge the accuracy and reasonableness of the company's forecasts. For example, if the target is forecasting revenue growth and margin increases, how successful has it been at achieving this level of performance in the recent past? The buyer should inquire as to the projected impact of new and unproven products. A forecast analysis should also include a review of the components of projected revenue growth to ascertain if growth is heavily dependent on a core group of customers or if any changes in recent periods might affect growth. Did prior periods include restructurings? If so, were they successful, and are new "run rates" reliable? The buyer should also consider analyzing gross margin and customer loyalty assumptions, as well as forecasts relating to operating expenses (i.e. head count, capacity, etc).
5. Historical and anticipated capital expenditure levels: The buyer should determine if current and planned capacity is sufficient to meet the target's forecasts. This should entail comparing historical and projected capital expenditure levels, analyzing current commitments for future expenditures and analyzing maintenance versus investment capital expenditures.
6. Quality of assets and working capital: The due diligence effort should include an analysis of historical balance sheet trends, the composition of significant balance sheet accounts and the quality of working capital. Normally, parties to a transaction negotiate a working capital peg in the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA). This means both parties agree that a minimum dollar amount of working capital will be delivered at closing. If the amount of working capital comes in higher than agreed at closing, there is usually a purchase price adjustment favoring the seller. If it comes in lower than the peg, the adjustment usually favors the buyer. Pegs are usually set based on historical averages. However, when negotiating the peg, a buyer should also consider such factors as GAAP adjustments, seasonality and recent business trends (e.g. increases in days
http://www.accountingweb.com/item/104378 29/12/201010 Keys for acquisition due diligence | AccountingWEB.com Page 3 of 3
sales outstanding and changes in customer/supplier terms). The expected timing of the closing should also be considered when determining the appropriate peg.
7. Debt and debt-like items: The amount of financial leverage as considered in the buyer's model may not only reduce purchase price, but also impact the selling price in the buyer's exit. There may be liabilities a buyer may wish to consider as debt-like, and therefore, either exclude from the deal or seek as a reduction in the purchase price. If debt is to be excluded from the transaction, the buyer should ensure the definition of debt in the SPA is sufficient to require a reduction in purchase price. Key items that could be considered debt-like in nature include operating or capital leases, unusual provisions in employment agreements or purchase and supply agreements, financial guarantees and other financial instruments, environmental contingencies, litigation and acquisition earn outs.
8. Contracts: In performing diligence, the buyer should review key customer, supplier and employment contracts looking for items such as change in control provisions, expiration dates of the agreements and increases/decreases in customer/supplier pricing that differ from the historical results. This work should be done in conjunction with the buyer's legal advisors.
9. Taxes: An analysis of a target should always include detailed tax diligence. Buyers should know the expected tax structure of deal (i.e. if it is likely to be a stock or asset purchase) prior to beginning the diligence process. Stock purchases generally require more analysis because the buyer usually assumes all of the target's historical tax liabilities. In an asset purchase, by contrast, most historical tax liabilities (other than transferable state and local tax liabilities that follow the business) remain with the seller. In a stock acquisition, the buyer should assess the target's historical tax exposures and its domestic and significant foreign income tax filings. Prospective buyers should also contact tax authorities in the relevant jurisdictions regarding past communications, obtain an understanding of transfer pricing policies on international sales and assess any uncertain tax positions on significant transactions.
10. Other specialists on your team: A good diligence team should always include the appropriate specialists in areas such as human resources, tax, insurance, management information systems, commercial/strategy and industry-specific specialists. Acquirers should always coordinate their findings with those of other advisors such as environmental and legal counsel.
This list is not all-inclusive, as certain commercial and regulatory issues are far more important in some industries than in others. Therefore, prospective buyers should seek assistance from diligence professionals who have the necessary industry expertise.
http://www.accountingweb.com/item/104378 29/12/2010


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Steady Shawl
Steady Shawl
This is the second part of my lace knitting course. This shawl might look difficult to knit, as the lace sections are significantly longer than the garter sections, but the lace instructions are easy to follow and only basic increases or decreases are used, so that beginner lace knitters can handle them without problems.
The result is an airy, classic triangular shawl that can be used in any occasion, depending on your color choice.
Beginner lace knitters looking for challenges can knit it in two colors.
M, L Finished size after blocking: 61 x 155cm (24 x 61 inches), 72x189cm (28 1/4 x 74.5 inches)
Yarn used in sample:
Zitron Filisilk Handdyed by Soft Rainbow (600 m (656 yards) / 100 g, 70/ merino, 30% silk), 468 m (511 yards) (78 g)
Suggested yarns:
Cca 500 m (546 yards) lace weight yarns with significant wool content
3.5 mm (US 4) circular needle, at least 100 cm (40") long (or any size that gives you the right gauge).
tapestry needle, 4 stitch markers. More stitch markers to separate repeat sections, if requested.
17 sts x 36 rows in 4" [10 cm] in lace pattern. Please note that in this particular project getting the right gauge is not essential. However, working with different yarn weight / gauge will effect both the yardage and the final size of the project as well.
Ready, Steady, Go e-book contains the 3 shawl patterns that are especially designed for beginner lace knitters to help to understand and practice lace knitting techniques.


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23 Great Reasons to Exercise Believe me, I have more reasons if you would like to chat!
Exercise, coupled with whole food eating & whole health lifestyles, may be the closest thing to the fountain of youth. Not only does regular activity strengthen your muscles and improve heart and lung function, but it can also reduce your risk of major diseases, stimulate the growth of new brain cells and even add years to your life. Studies show just 30 minutes of physical activity on most days is all that's required to reap big benefits. A simple walk that we start and finish with a round or two of push-ups and we are on our way to creating healthy fitness.
The range of health bonuses now attributed to exercise has surprised even doctors. I am completely amazed this is not common sense! We need research to prove moving our body, the way nature intended, is good for us??? What has happened to human beings' collective common sense???
OK... let's look at the benefits of daily exercise, moving your body:
1. Keeps you younger than your actual chronological age. Exercise boosts the amount of oxygen you consume during and after exercising. This benefit of increasing oxygen consumption is how we increase our aerobic capacity and live longer. More oxygen to the cells means healthier cells and longer cell life spans. The longer your cells live, the longer you could live! Every minute of good exercise and it does not need to be hard, pounding exercise, adds two to three minutes to your life! Can you get payoffs like that with any other investment? Aerobic exercise has also been shown to perhaps stimulate the growth of new brain cells in older adults. Makes sense to me that it stimulates the growth of new brain cells in anyone who exercises!
2. Healthier, glowing skin. When we exercise we increase our oxygen intake capabilities (see above) and increase our circulatory function. This means blood, lymph and intra-cellular fluids all move about your body more efficiently. The micro capillary beds of your face (really, your whole body's skin) work at top notch keeping you young and vibrant looking. More oxygen and food nutrients will arrive at your cells and cellular waste products will more efficiently removed from your cells. This means better waste removal both through efficient respiratory expiration and your fluid circulation. End result: healthier cells, including skin cells. Your skin and whole body will glow with health!
3. Fewer asthma problems. Yoga breathing exercises have .long been used to increase respiratory capacity and ease the symptoms of asthma. When people with mild asthma exercise regularly and increase theiraerobic capacity and their lung strength, they can reduce the need to use their inhalers.
4. Boost the immune system and reduces infections. Your immune cells work faster and more efficiently when you are a regular exerciser. Those white cells rev up their aggressiveness against antigens entering your body. A better functioning immune system cuts down on the viral and bacterial ills we pick up; cold, flus, etc.
5. Better blood sugar control. When you exercise (and eat a whole food diet) your body will shed the extra pounds. This creates a stable blood sugar regulation mechanism; lower insulin levels, lower and stable levels of blood sugar. What a great way to prevent diabetes. If you are an adult onset diabetic, what a great way to heal your body from this lifestyle induced disease.
6. Lessen your risk for cancer. Exercise prevents constipation. A properly functioning colon is less likely to develop cancer. People with balanced blood sugars, see above, have less chance of developing colon cancer. When our bodies are functioning well from whole foods, exercise and lifestyle choices, our hormones balance out creating a lesser chance of developing hormone related cancers: breast and prostate.
7. Fewer heart attacks, prevention of heart attacks. Exercise raises your HDL cholesterol. This is the cholesterol that is considered "good," the cholesterol reading we want to be high. Exercise is great for reducing inflammation in the body; less inflammation, less heart attacks, strokes and the resultant vascular health problems.
8. Lowers stress levels. Regular exercise reduces stress levels in the body, mind and soul creating calmer and more centered human beings. We were meant to move. Moving helps to burn up those "fight or flight" hormones in a healthy manner. Exercise is a great remedy for relieving mild anxiety, frustration and depression. Think of it as movement meditation, movement "medication!"
9. Better sleep. A body that moves daily will sleep better for all reasons: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Make it outdoor exercise and the fresh air and natural light exposure increases this benefit many times over!
10. Prevents and restores bone loss. Moving your body keeps the bones healthy and young. The bone cells lay down more new bone, preventing and reversing osteoporosis.
11. Stronger muscles, better flexibility and balance. Exercise keeps your muscles strong. Moving through full range of motion everyday keeps your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints flexible and strong. Exercise creates balance in body, mind and spirit. Yoga is one great way to increase your muscle strength while creating better flexibility and balance for ease of movement!
12. Better organ function and health. Anything that makes your body stronger is going to make all organs, right down to your very cells, function better. Better circulation means better oxygen and nutrition being transported to the cells and better waste removal from the cells. This makes for healthier cells, organs and ultimately a healthier You!
13. Protect female and male health. Full body exercise keeps your sex hormones balanced: this means goodbye PMS and menopausal symptoms, hello healthy life! Exercise to reduce and possibly remove the symptoms of: PMS and menopause. Men benefit with lower incidence of erectile problems and increased overall "male" healthiness. Pelvic exercises, called kegel exercises, help prevent reproductive and urinary organ prolapse, clitoral erectile dysfunction and urinary leaking in females; impotence/erectile dysfunction and possibly enlarged prostate which is a common cause of urinary symprtoms in males. Women benefit as they have the same erectile tissues in their external genitalia. Men, despite not having a monthly menstrual flow, do have a monthly hormonal cycle. Regular exercise keeps this sex hormone cycle at top notch function. Because all body hormones and chemicals work in synergy, healthy sex hormones keep the rest of your body chemistry humming along in great health. Got those walking shoes on your feet? Heading out the door?
14. Weight loss and loss of belly fat. We are back to the common sense thing again, moving your body, as opposed to sitting on the couch, will keep you naturally thinner. The body was meant for movement, so it stands to reason it will be thinner with less belly fat than an inert body mass! Forty-five minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the morning may actually reduce your food cravings so you eat less all day. That is a healthy body bonus!
15. Reduces Inflammation. Inflammation in the body is the precursor to chronic lifestyle diseases. Reduce your bodily inflammation and you reduce disease. See heart attack information above.
16. Regulates your appetite, reduces cravings, promote healthy digestion. When you feel good from moving, you are more apt to want to accentuate these good feelings with good food, avoiding the junk. When you eat good food and feel great, you are more apt to feel like moving. What a wonderful catch 22! Movement helps to prevent and remedy constipation. Add in a 100% whole food eating plan and constipation will leave you be.
17. Lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, raises HDL cholesterol. Trust me, you want this to happen! Again, see heart attack information above.
18. Improve mood, concentration, nervous system function and memory. Healthier bodies with healthier circulation means healthier brains for both intellectual and mood functioning! See section, above, on lowering stress levels.
19. Genetics. Your body will express its positive, healthy genes (epigenetics) when you exercise and eat 100% whole foods. Whole Health lifestyles turn off the negative genes that cause disease. Start flicking those healthy genes switches on today; Get Moving!
20. Attraction. Exercising makes us more attractive to others in mind, body and soul. We will attract to us people who have similar healthy lifestyles.
21. Prolong life. I think we are back to number one: exercise keeps you young! Studies lasting many years have consistently shown that being active cuts the risk of premature death by about 50 percent for men and women. You have mitochondria in your body cells; these are the powerhouses of the cells. When you exercise, you produce more and healthier mitochondria. This means your body functions better energetically, your metabolism is higher and you live longer because of your powerful powerhouses!
22. FUN! Exercise increases the fun factor in your life. Do things that make you happy. If running is not your thing, do not do it just because it is supposedly "healthy." Do whatever makes your heart sing. Find several options that make you happy to move and mix them up. Every day do something that makes you feel good inside and out! This is your dose of daily fun that keeps you happy all day and night. Remember the sleep and lower stress benefits of exercise?
23. Create Community: Exercise with a friend or a group of friends. Healthy friendships up the fun factor of exercise and give you a positive support group from which to draw strength.
(Can you see how all of these benefits interrelate with each other? Every benefit of exercise is part of the "web" of creating better health of mind, body, & soul.)
*Adapted, revised and added to from Consumer Reports, September, 2007and Institute for Integrative Nutrition Top 10 Reasons to Exercise handout
Need I say more? Are you convinced?
Create movement magic in your life. Get outside and move. You get the added benefit of fresh air and natural light. Your body will thank you in ways you can only imagine so let your imagination run wild (or walk wild!)! Join my Movement Magic home study course in The School of Self Healing!
PS Just a word from Garfield…… "I think that tossing and turning all night should be counted as exercise!"


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Don and Donna Carpenter (Leased)/
After spending almost 30 years in the military and having grown children on both coasts, we've probably moved more times than the average couple. Hal made this cross-country move one the smoothest of them all. He also kept us on the straight and narrow when it came to the legalities of renting in Florida. We have no problems recommending this Pro!
(Provided 100% top marks in performance evaluation)
(Hal's Note: Don and Donna are moving to Florida to be near their son who is carrying on the family military tradition. I am glad to have helped!)


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Buying a Home
Buying a home as an investment or for personal use is likely to be one of a person's most stressful times. With the addition of climbing prices and intense competion, particularly in the London market, more and more people are turning to the professionals to assist them. Aristeia offers a bespoke property finding service, beginning with a initial meeting to discuss the "wish list" and to look at a few options on paper within budget to allow us to get a feel of what the person is really looking for.
We will go out to find a short list of properties whether on or off market and should you like one will negotiate the price and through our contacts in the industry can assist with surveys, mortgages and legal matters.
We have both personal and professional experience in property development.
If you are considering carrying out works to your property we offer a consultancy service to facilitate your needs.
To discuss how we can assist further with your development requirements please do get in touch.
A colleague who has worked with us says..
"WG Ltd has worked with Aristeia Limited over the course of two years and would highly recommend the service they offer to anyone embarking on a development project, large or small. Whilst we are a building and project management company, Aristeia provide a level of service which substantially surpasses this, ensuring all of the clients needs are dealt with on a personal level, in a highly efficient manner. Our clients are always surprised about how complex and stressful building projects are but with Aristeia involved all aspects, from planning to snagging, seem to run more smoothly."


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Cool Parties. ABDO Publishing, 2012
For grades 3-5
Do you love parties? I do! And these books were so fun to write. Each one has a fun theme and includes an invitation activity, decoration activity, recipe, and party games to play and crafts to make. Plus there are suggestions for many more things to make and do in each book.
–Cool Slumber Parties
–Cool International Parties
–Cool Family Parties
–Cool Sports Parties
–Cool Holiday Parties
–Cool Theme Parties


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Arrows Rising 2014 Was A HIT!
I'm incredibly proud of this event. Everyone who attended got a comprehensive introduction to the sport and a taste of my community. Saturday was co-taught by Kathy of WindWomen Farm. She is a very talented archer and a leader in her local sporting club. She's a traditional archery fanatic and has beautiful bows and equipment, which she not only brought to show but shared with the guests. Together we started the workshop by explaining the bows, history, our stories and going over equipment and safety. Before we broke for lunch we had everyone outside to shoot their first targets and while some did find a rocky start to it everyone was hitting the mark by end of the day.
I was very grateful and lucky to have Kathy there all day, but she wasn't the only friend to drop by and add color to the workshop. Neighbor and mentor, Patty Wesner dropped by after picking up her first ever trio of lambs (I named one Trevor) and was glowing with joy over her new little ones. She has been excited about sheep for years now and finally had a small start up flock in the back of her Toyota SUV. I helped her out by docking the tails for her right then and there and everyone seemed okay with the short break to see the gorgeous lambs and the proud new shepherd!
We broke for lunch and when we returned from it we headed to the copse of woods behind my little red barn and shot targets. Most of the afternoon was spent refining and correcting folks stances, aim, and technique. By the end of the day everyone was more familiar with their new bows and could string and unstring them on their own without fail. We ended Saturday grateful we missed the rain and with slightly sore shoulders and arms.
An hour before the workshop picked up again, my friend Erik walked into my house with a hand carved bow and a jug of home brew. It wasn't any bow, either. It was a hand carved and painted 60-pound longbow of dragon scales. Each scale hand carved and painted on the bow stave. I was beyond impressed and realized how much I had missed my winter away from the SCA. He and Tomas Apple—the two men who run our local historical archery club—invigorated my Society Spirit. T'mas did a wonderful introduction talk to what the SCA is and how it can expand their archery practice for little or no cost. Few people realize that there is a group out there holding traditional archery practice weekly in nearly every part of North America. So T'mas shared some information on getting started in the Society and Erik talked about bows and the boyar's craft. He brought a half dozen handmade bows and passed them around. When the educational morning indoors was over (we were hoping to beat the rain and 40-degree high temperature) we all headed back outside to shoot under the tent that the gals from Coyote Crow Farm brought along.
After they got a few rounds in on the targets with the one-on-one assistance of T'mas and Erik, I headed over to grab Merlin and tack him up. I wanted to show them a short demonstration of mounted archery and where Merlin and I are in our training in that regard. It was that cold, rainy, day I wrote about just recently but I think riding Merlin from the front of my house to the back woods with a bow in one hand and reins in the other might have been the highlight of the weekend, personally. We shot a few arrows and Merlin was a perfect gentlemen. He didn't even care about the new tent in his woods or the dozen people petting him. The demonstration was short and I answered some questions about it but everyone was eager to get back to the forest shooting.
Next and last was a forest shoot through the woods at 3D targets Erik made. They looked like derpy dragons and you couldn't help but laugh at them before you took aim. We walked through the narrow path of young forest and as you turned a corner BAM! DRAGON! And then in pairs we shot them down. It was a whimsical part of the day but a lot of fun. The rain couldn't dampen our spirits, not after that.
Erik ended up selling some of his bows as well, folks were already getting the archery bug. He makes wooden quivers that stick in the ground as well as latch onto a belt for field and tournament. I got to shoot one of the dragon bows and it shot amazingly well. I wish the guys who sourced stuff for Game of Thrones knew who Erik was, because it felt like a prop for someone far better at archery and cooler than I am!
All in all the weekend was a hit, and I mean that in all its clever implications. Women and gents who had not touched a bow since scouting years of their childhood left with the tools and instruments to keep shooting at home and shoot well. We covered so much, thanks to the guest instructors and the questions of the archers in attendance. Folks who arrived knowing nothing left able to talk shop with boyers, fit arrows to their arm and bow, find local clubs and resources and half left with a second handmade bow! Not a single person was injured besides a few string slaps on the arm, and everyone made the bulleyes at least once. Smiles were infectious and the rain was just a taunt, daring us to try and not be thrilled. It lost that dare. I'm sure of it.
Thank you again to all who were a part of the weekend event! Thank you for braving the wet and cold, pulling back those bow strings, and letting the grey geese fly!


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My prayers for the baby's delivery
I wrote this prayer about 10 weeks before the due date, and prayed it regularly for the remainder of the pregnancy. Everything happened exactly the way I wrote it - including down to the weight of the baby- except that the boys were being looked after at church, not at school. As for 'easy' labour - well, in comparison to the previous ones, it was!
I believe that, under God's sovereign hand,
Our baby will be born at 39 weeks,
while the children are at school
At between 8 and 9 pounds
With a short, easy, active, joyful and fulfilling labour.
She will present in the normal way and
There will be no need for stitches or pain relief
I believe that God will keep and sustain me in the weeks leading up to
And going through the labour and birth.
And that I will defeat fear, shock and trauma, with the power of his word, and of Jesus blood.
I believe that God will keep the baby's heartrate steady
keep the cord away from her neck
hold her safe as she descends down and out to her new life
I believe that God will give me internal directions
hold my uterus strong and fit with no ruptures
comfort and secure me in his hiding place
keep me free from dehydration and any medical interventions
reassure me of his presence
I believe that this birth will mark the beginning of a new life for me as well as the baby,
Will heal old hurts
And will be the pattern for my daughters as they give birth in the future.


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Friend —
Yesterday, Judy Blume — a beloved writer and icon to generations of women — graciously wrote a letter about Mother's Day for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Now, anti-choice extremists are inundating her with hate mail and phone calls. We rarely respond to these outrageous attacks, but when it comes to Judy Blume ... well, I can't stand by and do nothing. I just can't.
Please, let her know how much we appreciate her courage!
Say thanks and send her a note of support. Click here.
Spread the word. Please send an e-mail to friends, and post this message on your social network, blog, and twitter.
Nothing — NOTHING — would make Judy happier than to know that the backlash has resulted in more support for Planned Parenthood and the women they serve.
Thank you, thank you —
Links omitted for obvious reasons. You can see Judy's letter here.


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Post by Amélie Anglade, Tech Ambassador of Berlin Geekettes
At the Berlin Geekettes hackathon a few days ago, Geekettes have shown that they can hack and that they like hacking. Unfortunately, some people might have missed their awesome demos at the hackathon. To remedy this we will be featuring some (if not all) of the hacks right here on this blog, including all the details, links and download information for you to play with the apps that those lady hackers have built. But even by now, those hacks have made quite some waves in the community already.
The more excited we are to announce: the Geekeetes Hackathon Participants have been officially invited to present those hacks at the Berlin Hack and Tell for the March edition. For those not aware of what Hack and Tell is, let's hear it from Stefan Hoth, cofounder and organiser:
"Originally from New York City, Berlin Hack and Tell is a monthly event at c-base space station where developers showcase their latest projects and side projects, called hacks, to share knowledge and get feedback from the crowd. Every talk only gets 5 minutes with a short Q&A-session afterwards, this way the evening won't get boring and you can see a lot of different things."
Started way over one and half years ago Berlin Hack and Tell quickly grew into a corner stone event of the local developer and hacker community, if not the event to be at to present your awesome hacks. And it has seen great stuff over time, from programmed knitting machines over tcp-over-twitter-tunnels up to 3d-Multiplayer Bomberman. The more exciting it is to be embraced by that community and get invited at this month edition: Berlin Geekettes receive a priority registration for the next meetup on Monday 25th March at 6:30pm at c-base, meaning that if you mention you are a Berlin Geekette while registering you will get in (up to a limited number of seats). That goes for all Geekettes, even those that do not have a hack to demo. What an amazing offer, because, trust me, Hack and Tell is usually fully booked within minutes.
Why attend?
- Because you can meet cool and interesting like-minded people
- To represent tech ladies (be an ambassador!)
- To discover c-base, the oldest hacker space in the world, if you haven't been there yet
- Because there is free food (pizza)
Why present?
- To show your amazing hacks from the BG hackathon or your side projects
- To get feedback on what you have been hacking
- To work on your presentation skills in a friendly and safe atmosphere
- To represent hacker ladies
So, Ladies, grab your laptops and present the awesome stuff we did at the hackathon and find other fellow hackers to socialise with and chat about it.


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- Perfect for securing sides or flexing parts.
- Usually utilized with GSE arms and vacuum cups or GRF gripper fingers (not included).
- Double Acting Cylinder.
|Chart / Diagram
SZD 20-50 Special Cylinder
- Product Code: SZD 20-50
- SAS Part#: E17240250
- Piab Item#: 0214655
- Availability: In Stock
CAD File (Login Required)
Fusion360 Users: You can insert this CAD file into your Fusion360 Projects from this page once you have logged in. Learn more about Fusion360.


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It's Official: Apple Mac mini Is Lowest-Power PC
Apple COO Tim Cook unveiled a bold claim recently: "The Mac mini is not only our most affordable Mac, it's also the world's most energy efficient desktop computer," notes the interim Apple chief. With an integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor and a 2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, the Mac Mini uses less than 13 watts of power at idle, claims Apple. But does it really? As we set out to review the product over the past two days, we aimed to verify that claim.
The Apple Mac mini (like all Macs now) has EPEAT Gold certification. (EPEAT is a consortium-based certification program that tracks products' environmental impact, Gold is the best score.) It meets the pre-criteria for Energy Star 5.0 (it's not ratified yet), and has smaller packaging, like current iPods. It's miserly with its energy usage as well: The mini uses only 15W while idling in our tests, and a low 34W while running the CineBench benchmark test. This is the second lowest active score, after the 18W observed on the Asus Eee Box nettop. I'd take the mini as more useful, though, since the Eee Box can't run any of the other benchmark programs with which we usually test desktops. The old mini was a little less frugal: 20W idle and 42W under load. Therefore the new Mac mini also earns our PCMag.com GreenTech Approved award.
For more information on this energy-sipper, read the full review at PCMag.com. After the jump, Apple's official comments and claims on the Mac mini's green credentials.
Many harmful toxins eliminated. Apple has worked hard to eliminate many of the toxins that are a common part of computer manufacturing. Apple engineers removed brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from circuit boards, internal cables, connectors, insulators, adhesives, and more in Mac mini.
Highly recyclable. Mac mini uses a combination of highly recyclable aluminum and polycarbonate to create its incredibly compact enclosure.
Reduced packaging. The new Mac mini retail packaging is 31 percent smaller than the previous generation. In addition, the volume of the shipping box has decreased by 60 percent compared with the first-generation Mac mini.
More energy efficient. The energy-efficient hardware components in the new Mac mini work hand in hand with Mac OS X to create a system that can dynamically adjust power consumption to reduce the energy used overall. The new Mac mini uses an advanced power management system leveraged from technology that makes the most of battery life in Apple's MacBook family.


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What does a ballet mistress do?
13 March 2017
The traditional image of a ballet mistress is of a harsh disciplinarian, but the reality is somewhat different.
How does The Royal Ballet School create such great choreographers?
24 February 2017
Several world-class choreographers began their training with The Royal Ballet School – how do they grow the dance-makers of the future?
Watch: Why The Royal Ballet never tire of performing The Nutcracker
16 December 2016
Each and every time it returns, the cast and creative team work tirelessly to ensure that Peter Wright's classic ballet is up to the Company's supremely high standards.
What life is like at the Royal Ballet School
12 September 2016
How do aspiring dancers juggle training and academic work at one of the world's top training institutions?
Promotions and joiners at The Royal Ballet for 2016/17
10 June 2016
Promotions and joiners have been announced for The Royal Ballet's 2016/17 Season.
10 of the best dance films
6 May 2016
From Red Shoes to Black Swans and Silver Linings, dance has long inspired movie-makers.
Vadim Muntagirov: 'I'm a mixture of Russian blood and the English school'
28 July 2014
The Royal Ballet's newest Principal on training in Perm, the challenges of moving to London as a teenager and why he's looking forward to flexing his acting muscles.
The Leanne Benjamin Awards established
1 May 2014
Former Royal Ballet Principal launches a scholarship scheme for young Australian dancers in collaboration with the Tait Memorial Trust.
Director of The Royal Ballet School Gailene Stock dies
29 April 2014
Former dancer and inspirational teacher passed away peacefully after a battle with cancer.
Student from Chance to Dance outreach programme to join The Royal Ballet School
12 April 2014
Jacob Tidmarsh to start at The Royal Ballet Lower School White Lodge in September 2014.


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Special Educational Needs
The Board of Management and the staff of the College will do everything possible to identify, plan and provide for a student with special needs seeking admission to the College. We will endeavour to make every effort to provide an integrated and inclusive education. Therefore, parents should contact the College with information on any special needs as early as possible so that these needs can be assessed and addressed properly.
In making provision for students with special needs the following information is required:
Has the student had access to any of the following resources?
- Special needs assistant
- Special class
- Help, for specific needs, from any resource teacher
- Assistance with behavioural modification
- Professional assessment. (Report should be provided to school)
- Any additional resources to help with special needs
- Help in areas including visual impairment, hearing impairment, general learning disability or emotional disturbance.
- Any resource in relation to travel or mobility etc.
If an expert report is available it should include a workable strategy for addressing the needs, allowing for the resources available.


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I have been working on making jobs ignore intermittent failures for mochitests (bug 1036325) on try servers to prevent unnecessary oranges, and save resources that goes into retriggering those jobs on tbpl. I am glad to announce that this has been achieved for desktop mochitests (linux, osx and windows). It doesn't work for android/b2g mochitests but they will be supported in the future. This post explains how it works in detail and is a bit lengthy, so bear with me.
Lets see the patch in action. Here is an example of an almost green try push:
Note: one bc1 orange job is because of a leak (Bug 1036328)
In this push, the intermittents were suppressed, for example this log shows an intermittent on mochitest-4 job on linux :
Even though there was an intermittent failure for this job, the job remains green. We can determine if a job produced an intermittent by inspecting the number of tests run for the job on tbpl, which will be much smaller than normal. For example in the above intermittent mochitest-4 job it shows "mochitest-plain-chunked: 4696/0/23" as compared to the normal "mochitest-plain-chunked: 16465/0/1954". Another way is looking at the log of the particular job for "TEST-UNEXPECTED-FAIL".
The algorithm behind getting a green job even in the presence of an intermittent failure is that we recognize the failing test, and run it independently 10 times. If the test fails < 3 times out of 10, it is marked as intermittent and we leave it. If it fails >=3 times out of 10, it means that there is a problem in the test turning the job orange.
Next to test the case of a "real" failure, I wrote a unit test and tested it out in the try push:
This job is orange and the log for this push is:
In this summary, a test is failing for more than three times and hence we get a real failure. The important line in this summary is:
3086 INFO TEST-UNEXPECTED-FAIL | Bisection | Please ignore repeats and look for 'Bleedthrough' (if any) at the end of the failure list
This tells us that the bisection procedure has started and we should look out for future "Bleedthrough", that is, the test causing the failure. And at the last line it prints the "real failure":
TEST-UNEXPECTED-FAIL | testing/mochitest/tests/Harness_sanity/test_harness_post_bisection.html | Bleedthrough detected, this test is the root cause for many of the above failures
Aha! So we have found a permanent failing test and it is probably due to some fault in the developer's patch. Thus, the developers can now focus on the real problem rather than being lost in the intermittent failures.
This patch has landed on mozilla-inbound and I am working on enabling it as an option on trychooser (More on that in the next blog post). However if someone wants to try this out now (works only for desktop mochitest), one can hack in just a single line:
options.bisectChunk = 'default'
such as in this diff inside runtests.py and test it out!
Hopefully, this will also take us a step closer to AutoLand (automatic landing of patches).
Other Bugs Solved for GSoC:
[1028226] – Clean up the code for manifest parsing
[1036374] – Adding a binary search algorithm for bisection of failing tests
[1035811] – Mochitest manifest warnings dumped at start of each robocop test
A big shout out to my mentor (Joel Maher) and other a-team members for helping me in this endeavour!


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Automation refers to the use of computers and other automated machinery for the execution of business-related tasks. Automated machinery may range from simple sensing devices to robots and other sophisticated equipment. Automation of operations may encompass the automation of a single operation or the automation of an entire factory.
There are many different reasons to automate. Increased productivity is normally the major reason for many companies desiring a competitive advantage. Automation also offers low operational variability. Variability is directly related to quality and productivity. Other reasons to automate include the presence of a hazardous working environment and the high cost of human labor. Some businesses automate processes in order to reduce production time, increase manufacturing flexibility, reduce costs, eliminate human error, or make up for a labor shortage. Decisions associated with automation are usually concerned with some or all of these economic and social considerations.
For small business owners, weighing the pros and cons of automation can be a daunting task. But consultants contend that it is an issue that should not be put off. "We are creating a new ball game," wrote Perry Pascarella in Industry Week. "Failure to take a strategic look at where the organization wants to go and then capitalizing on the new technologies available will hand death-dealing advantages to competitors—traditional and unexpected ones."
Although automation can play a major role in increasing productivity and reducing costs in service industries—as in the example of a retail store that installs bar code scanners in its checkout lanes—automation is most prevalent in manufacturing industries. In recent years, the manufacturing field has witnessed the development of major automation alternatives. Some of these types of automation include:
Information technology (IT) encompasses a broad spectrum of computer technologies used to create, store, retrieve, and disseminate information.
Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) refers to the use of computers in the different functions of production planning and control. CAM includes the use of numerically controlled machines, robots, and other automated systems for the manufacture of products. Computer-aided manufacturing also includes computer-aided process planning (CAPP), group technology (GT), production scheduling, and manufacturing flow analysis. Computer-aided process planning (CAPP) means the use of computers to generate process plans for the manufacture of different products. Group technology (GT) is a manufacturing philosophy that aims at grouping different products and creating different manufacturing cells for the manufacture of each group.
Numerically controlled (NC) machines are programmed versions of machine tools that execute operations in sequence on parts or products. Individual machines may have their own computers for that purpose; such tools are commonly referred to as computerized numerical controlled (CNC) machines. In other cases, many machines may share the same computer; these are called direct numerical controlled machines.
Robots are a type of automated equipment that may execute different tasks that are normally handled by a human operator. In manufacturing, robots are used to handle a wide range of tasks, including assembly, welding, painting, loading and unloading of heavy or hazardous materials, inspection and testing, and finishing operations.
Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) are comprehensive systems that may include numerically controlled machine tools, robots, and automated material handling systems in the manufacture of similar products or components using different routings among the machines.
A computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) system is one in which many manufacturing functions are linked through an integrated computer network. These manufacturing or manufacturing-related functions include production planning and control, shop floor control, quality control, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided design, purchasing, marketing, and other functions. The objective of a computer-integrated manufacturing system is to allow changes in product design, to reduce costs, and to optimize production requirements.
Understanding and making use of automation-oriented strategic alternatives is essential for manufacturing firms of all shapes and sizes. It is particularly important for smaller companies, which often enjoy inherent advantages in terms of operational nimbleness. But experts note that whatever your company's size, automation of production processes is no longer sufficient in many industries.
"The computer, in its hardened and non-hardened forms, has made it possible to control manufacturing more precisely and to assemble more quickly, factors which have increased competition and forced companies to move faster in today's market," wrote Leslie C. Jasany in Automation. "But now, with the aid of the computer, companies will have to move to the next logical step in automation—the automatic analysis of data into information which empowers employees to immediately use that information to control and run the factory as if they were running their own business." Indeed, industry analyst Scott Flaig proclaimed to Jasany that "automation of information is clearly where the opportunity is, not in automation of labor. The work that is being done now in advanced manufacturing is work to manage and control the process, not the automation of the added-value aspect of the process."
Small business owners face challenges in several distinct areas as they prepare their enterprises for the technology-oriented environment in which the vast majority of them will operate. Three primary issues are employee training, management philosophy, and financial issues.
EMPLOYEE TRAINING Many business owners and managers operate under the assumption that acquisition of fancy automated production equipment or data processing systems will instantaneously bring about measurable improvements in company performance. But as countless consultants and industry experts have noted, even if these systems eliminate work previously done by employees, they ultimately function in accordance with the instructions and guidance of other employees. Therefore, if those latter workers receive inadequate training in system operation, the business will not be successful. All too often, wrote Lura K. Romei in Modern Office Technology, "the information specialists who designed the software and installed the systems say that the employees are either unfamiliar with technology or unwilling to learn. The employees' side is that they were not instructed in how to use the system, or that the system is so sophisticated that it is unsuited to the tasks at hand. All the managers see are systems that are not doing the job, and senior management wonders why all that money was spent for systems that are not being used."
An essential key to automation success for small business owners, then, is to establish a quality education program for employees, and to set up a framework in which workers can provide input on the positive and negative aspects of new automation technology. As John Hawley commented in Quality Progress, the applications of automation technology may be growing, but the human factor still remains paramount in determining organizational effectiveness.
MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY Many productive business automation systems, whether in the realm of manufacturing or data processing, call for a high degree of decision-making responsibility on the part of those who operate the systems. As both processes and equipment become more automatically controlled, claimed Jasany, "employees will be watching them to make sure they stay in control, and fine tune the process as need. These enabler tools are changing the employee's job from one of adding touch labor to products to one of monitoring and supervising an entire process."
But many organizations are reluctant to empower employees to this degree, either because of legitimate concerns about worker capabilities or a simple inability to relinquish power. In the former instance, training and/or workforce additions may be necessary; in the latter, management needs to recognize that such practices ultimately hinder the effectiveness of the company. "The people aspect, the education, the training, the empowerment is now the management issue," Flaig told Jasany. "Management is confronted today with the decision as to whether or not they will give up perceived power, whether they will make knowledge workers of these employees."
FINANCIAL ISSUES It is essential for small businesses to anticipate and plan for the various ways in which new automation systems can impact on bottom-line financial figures. Factors that need to be weighed include tax laws, long-term budgeting, and current financial health.
Depreciation tax laws for software and hardware are complex, which leads many consultants to recommend that business owners use appropriate accounting assistance in investigating their impact. Budgeting for automation costs can be complex as well, but as with tax matters, business owners are encouraged to educate themselves. By doing so, wrote Best's Review's Janice L. Scites, "you can ensure that you are investing your money wisely and can bring some predictability to your financial planning. With the shortened life of most new technology, especially at the desktop, it is critical that you plan on annually reinvesting in your technology. Spikes in spending can be difficult to manage and can wreak havoc with your budgets. You'll also need to decide what is an appropriate level of spending for your company, or for yourself if it's a personal decision. Arriving at that affordable spending level requires a strategic look at your company to assess how vital a contributor technology is to the success of your business."
Scites notes that "hardware decisions are generally complex, with long-term implications" in such areas as stream of payments, maintenance costs, and additional support expenses. But she adds that business owners can reduce risks by "having a clear understanding of business plans, establishing a sound technology architecture, selecting hardware in the context of this architecture, building strong vendor alliances, and adopting standard software interfaces."
Once new automation systems are in operation, business owners and managers should closely monitor financial performance for clues about their impact on operations. "Unused technology or underused technology is a big tipoff that something is wrong," wrote Romei. "Many ideas for applications with few in actual operation is another. Watch for cost overruns on new systems, and look out when new systems are brought in predictably late."
The accelerating pace of automation in various areas of business can be dizzying. As James Pinto observed in Automation, "technology is causing ever faster movement, with cost variations and fluctuations that defy even contemporary financial tracking." It will be a challenge for small businesses to keep pace—or stay ahead—of such changes. But the forward-thinking business owner will plan ahead, both strategically and financially, to ensure that the evermore automated world of business does not leave him or her behind.
Bartholomew, Doug. "Automation Advance." Industry Week. May 15, 2000.
Bradbury, Danny. "Through the Looking Glass." Computing. April 3, 1997.
Hawley, John K. "Automation Doesn't Automatically Solve Problems." Quality Progress. May 1996.
Jasany, Leslie C. "Knowledge (and Power) to the People." Automation. July 1990.
Moore, Walt. "Working Smarter with Automation." Construction Equipment. April 1999.
Partch, Ken. "The Coming Impact of Information Technology." Supermarket Business. February 1997.
Pedone, Rose-Robin. "Sales Automation—Changing the Way Business Is Done." LI Business News. September 22, 1997.
Pascarella, Perry. "Unlearn the 'Truths' about Automation." Industry Week. May 26, 1986.
Pinto, James J. "If It Ain't Broke—Fix It Anyway!" Automation. September 1991.
Romei, Lura K. "Take a Nice, Easy Backswing and Then Just Follow Through." Modern Office Technology. October 1987.
Scites, Janice L. "How Can I Successfully Budget for Automation?" Best's Review—Life-Health Insurance Edition. May 1995.
Stasko, Linda. "Computers Alone Are Not Always a Solution." Machine Design. September 28, 1995.
SEE ALSO: Robotics


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The fracking of attention
"Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are"
Jose Ortega y Gassett
Empires of the mind
If buyers of a brand do not think their brand is different or unique (Ehrenberg)…
And if what matters is the creation of 'mental presence' (Moran)…
Or 'memory structures' (Sharp)….
And if we define this as "The degree to which a given brand comes to consumers' minds in the context of a particular purchase occasion or consumption occasion." (Moran)…
Or as "The probability that a brand will be recalled early in a consumer's consideration set, under a variety of situations and via a variety of stimuli, to the exclusion of competing brands" (Vieceli and Shaw)…
And if this is dependent on "The quantity (how many) and the quality (how fresh and relevant) of the network of brand information in memory, or the brand's 'share of mind'" (Romanuik and Sharp)…
And if the brain is not some rigid filing system in which memories reside as fully formed recordings but is something altogether more dynamic and malleable…
And if our brain's networks of nerve cells or 'neurons' are not fixed entities, but are dynamic and continuously modified by experience…
And if thinking, learning, and behaviour all actually change the brain's physical structure and organization, rewiring the brain, creating and eliminating new connections between neurons (Buonomano & Mezernich, Heilman & Nadeau, Schacter, Svoboda)…
Then perhaps is is not unreasonable to regard our task as the creation, expansion, maintenance, and defence of mental real estate.
And so perhaps it was Judith Williamson (Marxist and academic) who put it better than any brand expert, when she wrote that advertising's purpose was to create "empires of the mind."
And if she did put it better than anyone, then perhaps we struggle and jostle for memory.
And perhaps we shouldn't be quite so shy about the language and metaphors of conquest and battle that have become so unfashionable and politically incorrect in adland.
And if we think of our task as some kind of (benign) synaptic imperialism, perhaps we'll think beyond the mere act of contact or engagement, and think about what mental infrastructure we leave behind, maintain, and expand.
So far so good.
Highjack people's cognitive processes, leave some memory traces, reinforce and fresh them repeatedly over time, and (see Binet and Field) extract the financial rewards that lie in so doing.
High-fives and cigars all round.
And yet.
And yet.
(At this point I should note that I have Ted Florea, CSO at PNYC to thank for challenging me to think harder, and to go beyond this convenient and possibly self-serving conclusion).
It's personal
The easy industry rhetoric of interruption, disruption, attention, and engagement disguises the truth that building brands involves a deeply intimate, and personal process.
As the philosopher Matthew Crawford reminds us:
Attention is the thing that is most one's own.. in a very real sense this determines what is real for us; what is actually present to our consciousness. Appropriations of our attention are then an especially intimate matter."
The attention we marketers make claims upon is not ours.
Yet the quantity of things that - from the sublime to the banal - compete and jostle to divert and capture this, our most personal of resources expands at a rate that is hard to truly grasp.
As Charles Clavey has put it, reviewing Crawford's book:
From the quotidian - the daily onslaught of emails, texts, tweets, and updates - to the innovative - the use of ambient perfume to market coffee, for instance - the world around us relentlessly colonizes our precious attention."
Modernity offers us almost no escape from the frackers, and hackers of our attention. And we have only just begun to build the internet of things.
Inhabiting an environment ever more highly engineered to distract us and to redirect our attention, there remains but one uncolonised and unmonetised part of our lives. As Jonathan Crary puts it:
The huge portion of our lives that we spend asleep, freed from a morass of simulated needs, subsist as one of the great human affronts to the voraciousness of contemporary capitalism. Sleep is an uncompromising interruption of the theft of time from us by capitalism. Most the seemingly irreducible necessities of human life – hunger, thirst, sexual desire, and recently the need for friendship – have been remade into commodified or financialized forms. Sleep poses the idea of a human need and interval of time that cannot be colonised and harnessed to a massive engine of profitability, and thus remains an incongruous anomaly and site of crisis in the global present… The stunning, inconceivable reality is that nothing of value can be extracted from it."
All aboard the hedonic treadmill
Of course the resource of attention in our waking hours is not an infinite one.
As the oft-quoted political scientist Herbert Simon predicted, information consumes attention:
In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it."
In the name of both efficiency and survival, we're adapted to allocate our attention to the new and novel.
We are built to focus our finite mental resources on new sights, sounds, thoughts and feelings and to filter out the rest. After all, potential threats and new resources are much more likely to be novel than familiar. Simply put, survival prospects are are not good for an animal that is not suspicious of novelty.
However, there is also survival value for the initial caution to fade if the stimulus is actually proves to be non-threatening. What the Polish psychologist Robert Zajonc terms, 'exposure effect' occurs because nothing life-threatening follows therepeated exposure of a stimulus. With time and repetition then, this stimulus eventually becomes a safety signal.
Even the most exciting and novel of stimulus with repetition eventually becomes part of life's wallpaper of familiarity. The author, poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman vividly captures how the new and exciting eventually becomes submerged within that taken for granted world:
Novelty will always rivet one's attention. There is that unique moment where one confronts something new and astonishment begins. Whatever it is, it looms brightly, its edges sharp, its details ravishing... It is a form of revelation, a new sensory litany. But the second time one sees it, the mind says, Oh, that again, another wing walker, another moon landing. And soon, when it's become commonplace, the brain begins slurring the details, recognising it too quickly, by just afew of its features, it doesn't have to bother scrutinisingit. Then it is lost to astonishment, no longer an extraordinary instance but a generalised piece of the landscape."
So essential to any species' survival is this arousal by and adaptation to novelty that infants less than a day old will stare at a new image for about forty-one seconds - and then tune it out when repeated exposures render it familiar.
To combat what Pinker has termed the 'anaesthetic of familiar', the industries of entertainment and marketingare compelled to keep bringing us new sensations.
This why you get what the Dutch Nobel Prize-winning ethologist and ornithologist Niko Tinbergen dubbed 'supernormal stimulus'.
It was Tinbergen's research into how phoney, exaggerated stimulus could appeal to natural instincts far more than the original targets for which they had evolved that led him to coin the term.
In fact Tinbergen's work demonstrated how dummies could actually exert far more influence than any real, natural stimulus.
For example, he showed how song birds preferred to feed a fake baby bird on a stick if the dummy beak was wider and redder than the chick's.
He also demonstrated how song birds would abandon their normal, real pale eggs dappled with grey to sit on polka-dot Day-Glo blue dummies. So large they would constantly fall off them.
Of course animals only tend to encounter supernormal stimuli when they are the subject of experiments.
However, we humans can produce our own.
As Deidre Barrett puts it in her examination of the contemporary manifestations of super normal stimuli:
Candy sweeter than any fruit, stuffed animals with eyes wider than any baby, pornography... Instincts arose to call attention to rare necessities; now we let them dictate the manufacture of useless attention-grabbers."
This is why you get IHOPs Country Fried Steak & Eggs - a 8oz steak with gravy, two eggs, hash browns and two buttermilk pancakes that provides almost an entire day's worth of calories, two and half days' of sodium, and up to two days' of our sugar requirements.
This is why you get social media headlines such as "Disney Princesses Twerking Will Shatter Your Childhood."
This is why even The Telegraph peddlesheadlines such as "You're doing your morning routine wrong."
This is why politics isn't about policies but about media-baiting soundbites.
This is why you get the grotesquerie that is Donald Trump.
This is why movies for adults look like movies for children.
This is why Kim Kardashian exists.
This is why the language of marketing has infiltrated the common, everyday discourse.
This is why Guy Debord was moved to argue (even before the internet and its consequences) that:
All of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation."
And such is the relentless, never-ending parade of attention-hacking novelty, argues Professor Tomlinson, that our contemporary consumer culture is now characterized by an expectation of 'delivery', rather than of real satisfaction:
What I mean by this is that there is probably a widespread disbelief in the capacity of consumer goods to provide ultimate satisfaction; but that there is, none the less, an expectation that the capitalist system will– and should- continue to deliver the goods… We expect consumer goods to be functional or novel or amusing.. We expect warranties and after sale service. But in the vast majority of cases these expectations stop short of a conviction that they will, in any profound sense, satisfy our deepest desires. This is not however an obstacle to continued consumption, particularly since it is combined with the happy expectation that something new is always on the way and so it is not necessary – nor does it do – to invest too much into the thing of the moment."
A question of ethics
So attention is personal - what we attend do defines our reality.
Attention is finite - it is a scarce and thus valuable resource - not just to those who wish to monetise it, but to those to whom is belongs.
And attention is hackable - the world is overpopulated with those skilled in the art of capturing and redirecting attention for their own purposes.
Surely then, we have a responsibility - dare one say, an ethical duty - to the audience.
And to the attention we see to hack.
We enjoy pouring scorn on the reckless bankers and tax evading corporations for behaving as if they operated outside society, with no duty to the broader body politic. But the fact of the matter is that much of ad- and marketing behaves towards people with little more sense of duty, obligation, and responsibility than these popular pariahs.
So let us start with recalling the words of Howard Gossage:
Our first duty is not the the old sales curve, it is to the audience. It is not simply right to treat the audience in the fashion. If we can't look at it from a broad, ethical point of view, then we ought to look at it personally, to please ourselves - we are all members of the audience too, we are bored or irritated right along with everybody else."
And yet judging by its output, much of ad- and marketingland holds its audience in something approaching contempt.
With all the grace and socials skills of a drunken boor gatecrashing a wedding party, most advertising makes no concession to fact that it is interrupting something that people have chosen, or opted-in to watch. In return for absolutely nothing, it loudly demands our attention. It's the marketing equivalent of being robbed at gunpoint.
If you think contempt is too strong a word, just listen to the stream of snark and condescension muttered towards those on the other side of the focus group mirror and upon whose interest and custom our livelihoods and lifestyles ultimately depend.
If you still think contempt is too strong a word, just look at the imagination and empathy free wasteland that is called marketing to women. The best we believe we can do for women through advertising is 'empower' them. Because unlike men, they we're weak, down-trodden, esteem-challenged creatures, who aren't yet ready for some jolly good entertainment. That's for men. Who are empowered.
The fact of the matter is that no insight department or process can be a substitute for genuine, human empathy. And if we must turn to them for a more generous perspective on those we serve, we are probably more fucked than we think we are.
The implications of our First Duty run far and wide.
Tom Goodwin rightly rails against the digital landfill that is thrown our way - and all because in their myopic quest to grab our attention, marketers choose to ignore the truth that the foundation of advertising's contract with the consumer is value exchange:
I search on Google and find myself on nasty sites like http://about.com or second tier media websites designed only around selling my eyeballs to advertisers. I feel violated. I visit the BBC News site and find myself unable to see any video news without being forced to waste 30 seconds watching a crudely cut down TV ad. Prerolls ads insert themselves mid way in articles… Pages take forever to load swamped by cookies and content I don't need. I'm led to articles on websites where I'm "welcomed" by welcome screens and where pop ups increasingly barge their way past browser settings.. its a disgrace for people who now face their attention being stolen, their data plans killed and their time wasted for things they don't want."
If we were to hold ourselves to that First Duty, we would cease the shameless, intrusive, low-value hijacking of attention.
If we were to hold ourselves to that Duty,we would play it straight with consumers, stop passing off self-interest as altruistic, impartial information or entertainment, and stop kidding ourselves as to ethical integrity of native advertising. For its essence is to make marketing content appear similar to the publication's look and feel.
And yet we insist on kidding ourselves that we are not in the business of camouflaging our attention hacking. Here, for example, is Advertising Age:
When executed well, with time and care put into ensuring the content is in the right tone and has the right message, native formats blend into vertical streams in a manner that's much less disruptive to users (while still marked as "sponsored" so as not to be deceptive)."
Only an industry breathing in the fumes of its own inward-looking and self-regarding rhetoric, uncaring about its duty to the audience could with a straight face suggest that content can both blend in and be clearly marked.
Beyond the sizzle
Better targeted, more thoughtfully personalised, more context-responsive content may help ameliorate some of the worst excesses of thoughtless attention hacking.
But perhaps we can and should go further than all this.
Perhaps we should do more than merely engage in a never-ending arms race in the pursuit of people's attention.
Perhaps rather than add ever more to the unending torrent of cultural spam that we delight in characterising as 'content', we should turn our own attention to things of real, enduring substance.
Indeed, perhaps we should stop asking more of people' attention, and find ways of giving it back to them.
Rather than use the wonders of technology and digital connections to hack ever further at consumers' attention and giving them ever more things to do, see, click on, download, read, scroll through, interact with, engage with, with ever more competitions to participate in, in-store QR codes to scan, long-from content films to endure, pre-roll advertising to suffer, quizzes to answer, ad campaigns to upload their faces into, and content to co-create… perhaps we should actually find ways of helping consumers save time, and preserve their cognitive resources.
People are working harder. They're saddled with debt. Or unable to acquire the debt to give them the head start they need. They're facing uncertain futures. Many are having their futures disrupted into oblivion. And everywhere are the agents of attention hacking.
For the most part they don't need advertising. What they need is better products. And easier, more enjoyable lives.
So perhaps more of us should refuse to take advantage of human cognition's Achilles heel, and cease fuelling the toxic arms race of novelty for the sake of novelty.
We can rail all we want about the polluting effects of marketing's more egregious attention robbing, but when much of it is merely in the service of polluting products, it's tantamount to complaining about about the quality of the sizzle, and ignoring the quality of the actual sausage.
I leave the last words to Helen Edwards:
What about customer service? You ring your own call centre for the first time in years, navigate the endless bifurcations and hang on limply, listening to mindless music just like your consumers do. What about product quality? You look afresh at your packs, and wonder why they can't be more user-friendly ; you remind yourself of those little formulation compromises.What about fair trading and sustainable sourcing? Don't even go there.
Suddenly, it all becomes clear. Yes, the fourth wave of content marketing has arrived, but consumers aren't waving, they're drowning in an ocean of branded pap, and the interactive lifeline they really want to be thrown is the one whereby companies promptly answer calls in person, keep their promises, make better products and contribute to a better world.
Improve the substance. That's how competition really works, and it's what you've always known deep down. It will mean big investment, though: in R&D, in a new call centre, in a greener supply chain and in ethnographic research. How do you get that past the board?
Frankly, you have no idea how to solve that one. But at least you have now defined the problem."
The biggest challenge facing marketing is not how we hack people's attention.
It's what we direct that attention towards.
Diane Ackerman, A Natural History Of The Senses
Deirdre Barrett, Supernormal Stimuli: How Primal Urges Overran Their Evolutionary Purpose
Buonomano D.V, and Mezernich, MM, 'Cortical plasticity: from synapses to maps', Annual Review of Neuroscience, 1998;21:149-86.
Charles Clavey, ' Are you out of your mind?', LA Review Of Books, 05.10.20
Matthew Crawford, The World Beyond Your Head: How to Flourish in an Age of Distraction
Matt Crenshaw, 'Is native advertising about to go the way of pop-up ads?', AdvertisingAge, 04.09.2015
Jonathan Crary, 24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep
Guy Debord, The Society Of The Spectacle
Helen Edwards, 'Don't drown your consumers in an ocean of branded pap', Marketing, 05.11.2014
Andrew Ehrenberg, Neil Barnard, John Scriven, 'Differentiation or Salience', Journal of Advertising Research, November/December 1997
Andrew Ehrenberg, 'Repetitive advertising and the consumer', Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 40, No. 6, November/December 2000
Andrew Ehrenberg, 'What Brand Loyalty Can Tell Us', Admap, October 2004, Issue 454
Andrew Ehrenberg, Neil Barnard, Rachel Kennedy, Helen Bloom, 'Brand Advertising As Creative Publicity', Journal of Advertising Research: Vol. 42, No. 4, July/August 2002
Tom Goodwin, 'I miss the days of expensive advertising', 13.08.2015
Kenneth M Heilman, MD, Stephen E. Nadeau, MD, and David Q. Beversdorf, MD. "Creative Innovation: Possible Brain Mechanisms" Neurocase (2003)
William Moran, 'Brand Presence And The Perceptual Frame', Journal of Advertising Research, October/November 1990
Jenni Romanuik, Byron Sharp, Andrew Ehrenberg, 'Evidence concerning the importance of perceived brand differentiation, Australasian Marketing Journal 15 92), 2007
Jenni Romanuik, Byron Sharp, 'Where knowledge of your brand resides: the Pareto share of brand knowledge', in Report 44 for Corporate Sponsors, 2008, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
Jenni Romanuik, Byron Sharp, 'Using known patterns in image data to determine brand positioning', international journal of market research, Vol. 42, No.2, 2000
Jenni Romanuik, Andrew Ehrenberg, 'Do brands lack personality?' Report 14 for Corporate Members, March 2003
Jenni Romanuik, Byron Sharp, 'Conceptualizing and measuring brand salience', Marketing Theory, Volume 4(4), 2004
Daniel Schacter, The Seven Sins of Memory
Daniel Schacter, Searching for Memory
Byron Sharp, How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know
John Tomlinson, The Culture Of Speed: The Coming Of Immediacy
Julian Viecli, Robin Shaw, 'A Model of Brand Salience', in Mark Uncles, ed. Perspectives on Brand Management, 2011
Judith Williamson, Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising


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Simplifying your Machining Supply Chain
Celebrating 40 years at H&W Manufacturing
Choosing the Right Machine Shop
Choosing the right machine shop to work with your business is important for your budget, process, and product quality. It's critical to choose a shop that is adept at handling challenges that may arise during manufacturing and will be an efficient part of your larger supply chain. Here are a few key factor to consider when you are looking for a new machine shop to work with.


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New Year's Eve with Joe Pesci (Super Cool Guy)/
Last night I was hired to perform at a New Year's Eve Gala for about 150 people, and what an amazing event it was. I performed four hours of "mingling" close-up magic, and the guests were super cool, but there was one incident that really stands out. It was a surreal and unexpected moment.
(Warning: Explicit language ahead. If you're easily offended by profane language, now is probably a good time to stop reading. You've been warned. Continue at your own risk.)
At one point in the evening they had a comedian do about a 10 minute set. He was funny, but possibly a little too edgy for the crowd. Immediately after his set, I approached a table of three couples. Before I could say a word, one guy at the table looks at me and blurts out, "Get the fuck away! I don't wan't to see a fucken magician. First a comedian, then a magician. Get the fuck out of here!" I was in shock. I didn't know if the guy was serious or joking.
Another guy looks at me, and says. "I want to see some magic." Lo and behold, the second guy turns out to be Joe Pesci (Home Alone, Goodfellas, My Cousin Vinny). I'm thinking "How cool is this?!" So I start my set, and the first guy gets up and walks away. Apparently he was being serious. I made a mental note, and thought, "Some people just don't know how to be happy."
Anyway, I start my set by borrowing a $100 bill from Mr. Pesci, he writes his initials on the bill, and I proceed to make it disappear in a flash of fire.
Now I have the table's attention. I bring out my playing cards, and Mr. Pesci proceeds to show me some of his sleight-of-hand skills. He was pretty good. Apparently he did a little magic when he was younger.
I then proceeded to blow everyone's mind with some card magic and magic with other items. At the end of my set I reproduce the initialed $100 bill, and Mr. Pesci hands it to me, and says, "You keep it."
Right about that time, the first guy returns to the table, and doesn't say a word to me. In my head I'm thinking I need to thank this guy, because he just gave me a memorable story to tell.
One last thing, Joe Pesci was the coolest. I was a fan before this encounter, and I'm a bigger fan now. Thank you Mr. Pesci!
New Year's Eve 2017 leading into 2018 will forever remain in my memory. It was a great way to close out the year!
I'm wishing everyone an amazing 2018!
(About the Author: Lou Serrano is a professional magician who performs at high-end social and corporate events. Based out of Los Angeles, he travels the world sharing his special brand of magic, mentalism, and comedy with people just like you.)


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6 Types of Mulch to Use in Your Garden
6 Types of Mulch to Use in Your Garden
In the last post on Home Ready Home, Mike the Gardener shared with us the 3 steps to take now for next year's garden. I followed Mike's advice and reviewed the notes I made regarding my last garden.
If you remember, this summer I had a garden at the mountain house. My neighbor had a neglected garden plot and we decided to work it together. He would provide the plot, tools and knowledge and I'd do the planting and weeding. It worked out well. We successfully grew potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and squash. But we also grew a ton of weeds and spent a lot of time watering.
Planning for next year's garden, the first thing I will do differently is mulch. I've been doing some research over the last few days and I came across an article with a cool infographic on the benefits of gardening with mulch. Mulch not only helps suppress the weeds, it also helps to retain moisture which produces larger yields.
Below is the infographic from Fix.com showing the 6 types of mulch to use in your garden. After you take a look at it,click over to Fix.com's article to read more about the benefits of gardening with mulch.
Source: Fix.com
*original article here


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PT Lunaria Annua Teknologi (KoinWorks), as a Peer to Peer (P2P) Fintech Lending, has been officially registered in Financial Services Authority (OJK) with registration number S-1862/NB.111/2017, on April 27, 2017. Thus, the implementation of its activities is strictly monitored based on OJK Regulation No. 77/01-2016, about the online peer to peer lending service, issued in December 2016.


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Welcome to my website.
To see one of my Annual Reports in the Menu, click on Annual Reports then choose a year. To read one of my stories, click on Interesting Events and choose a story.
Thelma Ruby
My one-woman show., which I performed about 85 times.
January 2008 was the first time I have been asked to perform THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT for a 3-week run in a theatre. I was at the New End Theatre in Hampstead and had the good luck to find a brilliant pianist to accompany me, Jonathan Williams.
From Clive Davis in THE TIMES. HEADLINE: EIGHTY YEARS ON, THE DAME IS GRANDE "....While the title promises an evening of froth and frolics, there's a harder edge to Thelma Ruby's reminiscences of six decades on the stage. The octogenarian weaves art with ethics in a rewarding sequence of anecdotes and music that wanders as far afield as South Africa, Japan and Israel. Watching an artist of advanced years can be a nerve-racking business, but I'm glad to report that Ruby is still more than capable of putting on a show.......Ruby's comic timing is a delight--she lights the place up."
From Robert Shore in TIME OUT. "...Thelma Ruby is a real trouper. The octogenarian performer sails onto the stage, all big eyes and even bigger smile, and launches into a number about gee, how glad she is to be here. She can still deliver soubrette songs and slap her thighs with youthful vigour. You have to admire someone who can refer so unflinchingly and yet so unselfconsciously to the horrors of pogroms, war and apartheid before bursting into song again."
From Timothy Ramsden in LONDON. HEADLINE: THIS IS ENTERTAINMENT--AND MORE; JOYOUS AND MOVING. "....Virtually all Thelma Ruby's 82 years have been spent on stage and this show will delight anyone who knows her work and intrigue people with any interest in the history of performance. Here, with considerable agility and barely no concession to age, Ruby sums up what seems to have been a delightful life, for her as for audiences."
From Mark Shenton in THE STAGE. "...If Cambridge University Press dictionary defines a game old bird as an older woman who is energetic and willing to do risky things, then Thelma Ruby is the living embodiment of one. Ruby's show is a living testament to a considerable offstage achievement--a life well lived. She pays moving tribute to her late husband, director Peter Frye, whom she met late into her life, and if Golde in Fiddler proved to be her biggest West End role, it was another Golda that provided a signature one, when she played Golda Meir in a South African production of William Gibson's play about the Israeli premier. Working with Frye, she subsedquently adapted it to tour as a two-person show. The extracts she performs from that prove that she is still a considerable and potent actress.
John Nathan in THE JEWISH CHRONICLE. HEADLINE: RUBY SPARKLES. "...Wearing a dress whose colour matches her name, in Ruby's short and sweet autobiographical show, the actress manages to avoid rose-tinted retrospective. Instead, she delivers her life-story and several songs with a passion for the theatre, a good deal of comic timing and a love for |srael.
From Aline Waites in the HAM & HIGH. "...The lady appears in a shocking pink kaftan and tells her story simply with infectious warmth and vitality. She speaks directly to the audience, sharing her life with them, her large expressive eyes and mobile feature belying her age. There are many anecdotes, some amusing, many surprisingly moving. It is obvious that her life has been an adventure--a mixture of happiness and tragedy--but never boring. This is an entirely satisfying evening by an extremely accomplished veteran actress--a lady who has done it all during her long life--and is still doing it!
From Andrew Willis in the CAMDEN NEW JOURNAL. "...Clad in coral pink...Ruby is a gifted performer. Marrying theatrical flamboyance with autobiography is a haphazard enterprise, often offering little dramatic reward. But Thelma Ruby is a very rare bird....Her reflections on life around performing prove the most lucid and entertaining. It is this joyous quality that renders Thelma Ruby an original of distinction.
From Dale Maitland Cartwright for an ONLINE REVIEW. "...Spanning more than sixty years in the business, Ruby's infectiously humourous and warm take on her experiences as a performer in ENSA during the war, her television and repertory roles and her leading lady parts opposite some of the big names of the time, makes for an easily entertaining ninety minutes theatre.
From another ONLINE REVIEW. "...Sometimes in a sketch, sometimes in a song, sometimes directly to her audience the charismatic Thelma at 82, still beautiful, still singing like a dream, captures her audience with her warmth, twinkling eyes and vivacious spirit.
From Baz Bamigboye in the DAILY MAIL. "...Thelma Ruby is an actress who has given her whole life to the theatre. Thelma's comic timing is second to none. She was in "Cabaret" with Judi Dench but I first ran into her when she did a series of fun shows at the Kings Head and I was bowled over by her.
Some emails.
"...It was an absolute delight to have such a consummate and charming professional as yourself at the theatre, and I am delighted the show went so well. You have also contributed in increasing the reputation of the New End, which is priceless. As I said to you, you will be a benchmark for how other performers should be. NINON JEROME. ADMINISTRATOR NEW END THEATRE
"...You excelled yourself and were always engaging. The script was always relevant and engrossing without a superfluous word. You seemed to have even more energy and dynamism than when I saw you when I was an undergraduate at Cambridge at the Trinity May Ball of 1955.. COUSIN TREVOR LYTTLETON
"....Thank you for a wonderful evening in the theatre--you were terrific--you made us laugh and cry--I admired your energy--enthusiasm--your style--razor sharp comic timing--your stillness--and a rare quality--like Fred Astaire dancing, you made it look EASY (and we know it isn't). ACTOR FREDDIE LEAS
"...It was a wonderful wonderful show and without doubt TRUE entertainment. FRIEND JUNE JACOBS
"....What a completely wonderful evening. You are superb. A lesson in glamour, artistry and command of an audience. ACTRESS SHEILA HANCOCK
"...What a privilege it was to work with you over the past month. STAGE MANAGER MARCELLO
"....It has been a great privilege and a huge pleaure to work with you. A memory and experience I will cherish for years to come. AHUVA COHEN PUBLIC RELATIONS NEW END THEATRE.
September 2007
From John Fisher in THE JEWISH TELEGRAPH
"....If Thelma Ruby had done what her parents wanted, and married a nice Jewish doctor from Leeds or Manchester, she might not have ended up being one of the most accomplished actress-singers on the British stage. Ruby, radiant and polished, took us on a nostalgic tour of her life and career and, melting our hearts, she reminded us of a forgotten theatrical era......Ruby is a wonderful entertainer, brilliantly funny and very sweet.
I had intended to add some good press notices I have received all through the years, but I think that if you have got as far as this, it is ENOUGH!! I am thrilled that they are so complimentary.