text:
Page 1
Rentbits is the place to begin your search for apartments and houses for rent in Memphis, Tennessee. The following information will help you to learn what makes Memphis such a fun and exciting place to live and make your home! If you are a renter looking for rental properties in Memphis, Tennessee, rentbits is a great place to start your rental property search. rentbits is a national rental search engine with a mission of organizing all of the World's rental information. Use rentbits when looking for apartments for rent in Memphis, Tennessee! rentbits is also a great place to find townhomes for rent in Memphis and condos for rent in Memphis and cheap apartments for rent in Memphis, Tennessee. If you are an advertiser and you are looking to post listings for houses
for rent in Memphis and apartments for rent in Memphis, be sure to check out our free Craigslist posting tool! Rentbits makes it easy for advertisers to post ads for houses for rent in Memphis and apartments for rent in Memphis to Craigslist!
Memphis- City Information
Memphis has an estimated population of 670,100, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee, the third largest in the Southeastern United States, and the 19th largest in the United States. The greater Memphis metropolitan area, including adjacent counties in Mississippi and Arkansas, has a population of 1,280,533. This makes Memphis the second largest metropolitan area in Tennessee, surpassed only by metropolitan Nashville, which overtook Memphis in recent years. Memphis is the youngest of Tennessee's four major cities (traditionally including Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville). A resident of Memphis is referred to as a Memphian and the Memphis region is known, particularly to media outlets, as the "Mid-South". Memphis has a humid subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons.
Memphis Economy
Memphis is the home of three Fortune 500 companies: FedEx Corporation, AutoZone Incorporated, and International Paper. In addition, Memphis is home to the pharmaceutical healthcare firm Schering Plough Corporation, serving as the company's research and development center. In 2006, a fourth Fortune 500 company, ServiceMaster, announced it was moving its corporate headquarters from Downer's Grove, Illinois to Memphis. In 2007, ServiceMaster became a private company. Other major corporations based in Memphis include Medtronic Sofamor Danek, First Tennessee National Corporation, Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., Thomas and Betts
Corporation, Mueller Industries, Fred's Inc., Verso Paper, Allenberg Cotton Co., Dunavant Enterprises, Accredo Health Group, Inc., GE Capital Aviation Services, Inc., Baptist Memorial Hospital, Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare, Baker Donelson, among others. Corporations with major operations based in the Memphis area include Hilton Worldwide, Technicolor Home Entertainment Services, Smith & Nephew, Sharp Manufacturing, Brother International, and Harrah's Entertainment. The entertainment and film industry have discovered Memphis in recent years. Several major motion pictures have been filmed in Memphis, including Making the Grade (1984), Great Balls of Fire (1988), Mystery Train (1989), The Firm (1993), Cast Away (2000), Forty Shades of Blue (2005), Walk the Line (2005), Hustle and Flow (2006), and Soul Men (2008).
Memphis Neighborhoods
Memphis has a variety of unique and diverse neighborhoods that make up the character of the city. Some unique neighborhoods where you can find apartments to rent in Memphis and townhomes to rent in Memphis include: Central Business District, Medical District, Harbor Town, Victorian Village, Central Gardens, Cooper Young, Evergreen, Crosstown, Balmoral, Chickasaw Gardens, Colonial Acres, Galloway Gardens, River Oaks, White Station, Berclair, Binghampton, Douglas, Frayser, Hollywood, New Chelsea, Nutbush, Raleigh, Shelby Forest, Berryhill, Bridgewater, Cordova, Countrywood, Eads, Fisherville, Pisgah, Sycamore View, Oakhaven, Westwood, Whitehaven, Wolfchase, Capleville, Fox Meadows, Hickory Hill, Orange Mound, Parkway Village and Southwind. All of these neighborhoods are great choices for apartments for rent in Memphis, houses for rent in Memphis, homes for rent in Memphis and low income housing and section 8 rentals in Memphis. Use rentbits for all of your Memphis, Tennessee rental searches, including cheap apartments for rent in Memphis.
Memphis Culture and Living
One of the largest celebrations the city has is Memphis in May. The month long series of events promotes Memphis' heritage and outreach of its people far beyond the city's borders. There are four main events, the Beale Street Music Festival, International Week, the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, and the Sunset Symphony. The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is the largest pork barbecue cooking contest in the world.
Memphis is the home of founders and establishers of various American music genres, including Blues, Gospel, Rock n' Roll, Buck, Crunk, and "sharecropper" country music (in contrast to the "rhinestone" country sound of Nashville). Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Issac Hayes and B. B. King were all getting their starts in Memphis in the 1950s. They are respectively dubbed the "King" of Country, Rock n' Roll, and Blues. Several notable singers are from Memphis, including Ruth Welting and Kallen Esperian.. The Metropolitan Opera began coming to Memphis in 1906, their first road show, but in the 1990s decided to only visit bigger metropolises. Well known writers from Memphis include American Civil War historian Shelby Foote and playwright Tennessee Williams. Novelist John Grisham grew up in nearby DeSoto County, Mississippi and many of his books are set in Memphis.
Memphis is the subject of many major pop and country songs, including "The Memphis Blues" by W. C. Handy, "Memphis" by Chuck Berry, "Queen of Memphis" by Confederate Railroad, "Memphis Soul Stew" by King Curtis, "Maybe It Was Memphis" by Pam Tillis, "Graceland" by Paul Simon, "Memphis Train" by Rufus Thomas, "All the Way from Memphis" by Mott the Hoople, "Wrong Side of Memphis" by Trisha Yearwood, "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn, "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" by Bob Dylan and "Memphis Skyline" by Rufus Wainwright. In addition, Memphis is mentioned in scores of other songs, including "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones, "Life Is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane, "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles, "Cities" by Talking Heads, "Crazed Country Rebel" by Hank Williams III, "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" by U2, and many others.
Memphis Colleges and Universities
Memphis is home to several institutions of higher learning. Colleges and universities located in the city include the University of Memphis (a comprehensive state university), Rhodes College (formerly Southwestern at Memphis), Memphis College of Art, Le Moyne Owen College, Victory University (formerly Crichton College), Christian Brothers University, Baptist College of Health Sciences (formerly Baptist Memorial Hospital School of Nursing), Memphis Theological Seminary, Harding University Graduate School of Religion, William Moore College of Technology, Southern College of Optometry, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Tennessee Technology Center at Memphis, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Graduate Health Sciences and Allied Health Sciences). Memphis also has campuses of Concorde Career Institute, ITT Technical Institute, Remington College and the University of Phoenix. The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry was founded in 1878 making it the oldest dental college in the South, and the third oldest public college of dentistry in the United States. If you are a student in Memphis, you will need student housing! Renbits is a great place to find student housing rentals close to all of Memphis's colleges and Universities. Use rentbits to find houses for rent and apartments for rent in the Memphis area! Use rentbits to find student rentals and apartments for rent and houses for rent near the University of Memphis!
Memphis Public Transportation
Public transportation in Memphis is run by the Memphis Area Transportation Authority (MATA). Each weekday, MATA transport nearly 40,000 riders throughout Memphis and the surrounding areas on 244 transit vehicles including paratransit vans, vintage rail trolleys and conventional accessible buses. MATA serves four cities in Shelby County and West Memphis in Arkansas. MATA authentic vintage trolleys offer a nostalgic trip to some of downtown's most notable attractions and a breathtaking view of the mighty Mississippi River along the magnificent Riverfront. If you are looking for apartments for rent or houses for rent near MATA in Memphis, be sure to check out rentbits! Rentbits can help you find the perfect apartment or house rental close to MATA stops in Memphis so that you are close to all of the action and excitement that Memphis has to offer!
Metro Memphis Cities and Communities
The Greater Metropolitan Memphis Area consists of the following cities and communities. Be sure to check out rentbits when you are looking for houses for rent, homes for rent, rental properties, house for rent, condos for rent, townhomes for rent, townhouses for rent, apts for rent, apartments for rent, apartments, mobile homes for rent, for rent by owner, for lease by owner, frbo, rental houses, rental homes, rental condos, cheap apartments for rent, luxury apartments, luxury apartments for rent, section 8 houses for rent , income based apartments, furnished rentals, single family homes for rent, rentals, furnished apartments for rent, low income apartments for rent, low income housing, apartments near buses, apartments near trains, apartments near subway, downtown apartments, lofts for rent, apartments for rent downtown, rental properties, section 8 application, section 8 apartments for rent, cheap rentals, relocation rentals, leasing, lease, cheap leases, short term lease, for lease by owner, homes, houses, one bedroom apartments for rent, two bedroom apartments for rent, three bedroom apartments for rent, four bedroom apartments for rent, one bedroom house for rent, two bedroom house for rent, three bedroom house for rent, four bedroom house for rent, one bedroom home for rent, two bedroom home for rent, three bedroom home for rent, four bedroom home for rent, apartments for rent near light rail, houses for rent near light rail, houses for rent close to light rail, apartments for rent close to light rail!


text:
Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Jeff Green added 17 against his former team, as the Boston Celtics downed the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-100, at TD Garden.
Kevin Garnett chipped in 18 points and nine boards, while Jason Terry netted 16 points, including a game-clinching 3-pointer down the stretch. Rajon Rondo kept his double-digit assist streak going with 16 helpers to go with eight boards and six points in the victory.
"We're very resilient," Terry said. "Obviously we haven't played up to our standards, but everyone came in tonight and contributed, from the last man on the bench."
Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 29 points, but missed a potential tying 3- pointer with 1:14 remaining. Russell Westbrook filled the stat sheet with 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the loss.
Green, dealt from the Thunder to Boston in a five-player trade in Feb. 2011, scored seven straight points late in the third quarter, helping the hosts take a healthy 77-65 lead going into the fourth.
"Jeff Green came in and had a huge impact on the game," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of his former player. "I love him, it was good to see, but I was hoping they'd have it against Orlando on Sunday and not tonight."
The Thunder, coming off a tough overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, made a late rally with nine straight points to pull within 101-98 following two Westbrook free throws.
Three missed shots and a Brandon Bass turnover on the next Boston possession gave the ball back to Oklahoma City with a chance to tie, but Durant hit all iron on a try from the right wing.
Garnett was fouled shooting a mid-range jumper and made both free throws with 61 seconds remaining, and after Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins' shots rimmed out, Terry drained a dagger from long range to seal the win.
Westbrook went on a personal 8-0 run in less than a one-minute span late in the first quarter, leading the Thunder to a 28-21 edge heading to the second.
Boston, which had lost three of four coming in, shot 12-of-19 from the field in the second stanza to battle back, and Terry beat the halftime buzzer with a 3-pointer from the right wing for a 48-45 lead.
Pierce scored on Boston's first three touches after the break, with his 3- pointer providing a 55-47 advantage. The Thunder cut the deficit to two, 66-64, but the Celtics scored 11 of the final 12 points -- seven coming from Green -- to rebuild the cushion.
Game Notes
Rondo has dished out 10 or more assists in 36 straight games -- the longest stretch since John Stockton's 37-game run from Feb. 27, 1989 - Nov. 29, 1989 ... The Thunder fell to 7-1 when scoring 100-plus points ... Serge Ibaka totaled 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who had won three straight in Boston ... Perkins, who was involved in the Green trade two seasons ago, pulled down nine rebounds ... Boston shot 9-of-17 (53 percent) from 3-point range compared to the Thunder's 6-of-24 (25 percent) effort.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I've heard people in the past wonder about the wisdom of celebration International Blasphemy Rights Day, which is today. The last couple weeks have, with spectacular timing, underscored the importance of standing against religious authoritarianism and in favor of free speech. Now the head of the Arab League has called for global criminalization of any speech that hurts the delicate feelings of religious believers (or at least Muslims).
The head of the Arab League called Wednesday for the international community to criminalize blasphemy, warning that insults to religion pose a serious threat to global peace and security. The comments put him squarely at odds with the United States and many of its western allies, which are resolutely opposed to restrictions on freedom of expression.
Blasphemy is not a threat to global peace and security, but the madness of people who think they can kill and maim in response to it certainly is.
"While we fully reject such actions that are not justifiable in any way, we would like to ring the warning bell," Elaraby said. "We are warning that offending religions, faiths and symbols is indeed a matter that threatens in international peace and security now."
"If the international community has criminalized bodily harm, it must just as well criminalize psychological and spiritual harm," he said. "The League of Arab States calls for the development of an international legal framework which is binding … in order to confront insulting religions and ensuring that religious faith and its symbols are respected."
Elaraby maintained that the 21-member Arab League valued the freedom of speech but stressed that "we don't see any relation between freedom of expression which aims at enriching culture and building civilization of the one hand and activities that merely offend and insult the beliefs, culture and civilization of others."
Yeah, they love freedom of speech — as long as you don't say things that bother them. Famous first words of fascists.


text:
Then, unexpectedly, things dramatically changed. South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman moved to Texas A&M, immediately sparking cries for the Gamecocks to hire baseball coach Ray Tanner for the position. South Carolina offered it, and Tanner, who certainly has proven enough in college baseball, accepted.
Wasting little time after Tanner made his decision, the Gamecocks promoted associate head coach Chad Holbrook to the head coaching position, a role he could've had at many programs throughout the past few years.
Things have changed beyond Tanner's move and Holbrook's promotion. The Gamecocks no longer have legendary pitchers Michael Roth and Matt Price, and clutch first baseman Christian Walker also is long gone.
With all that said, expectations haven't changed for the Gamecocks as they usher in another fall at Carolina Stadium with plenty of new faces in tow.
1. Replacing starting pitcher Michael Roth and reliever Matt Price won't be easy -- Look at what the Gamecocks have accomplished the past few seasons, and in almost every clutch instance, the names Roth and Price came up. Whether it was Roth stepping up in the regular season, or guiding the Gamecocks through the College World Series, or Price slamming the door on an SEC team or someone in Omaha, those two were the epitome of what the Gamecocks were all about. In addition to their production on the field, Roth/Price also were big pieces to the Gamecocks from a leadership standpoint. Replacing the two won't be easy, but the Gamecocks have some options. For instance, the starting rotation should be fine with sophomore lefthander Jordan Montgomery earning valuable experience in Omaha this past June, while righthander Colby Holmes looks to return to form, as he's off to a fantastic start this fall. In essence, the Gamecocks have one hole to fill in the rotation, and they've got some options with Forrest Koumas back, while lefty Tyler Webb could be the next Roth with a unique motion and a fastball that's running up to 91 so far this fall. As for Price, the Gamecocks aren't real sure how he'll be replaced just yet, but Evan Beal has an electric arm and could be a very viable replacement for the righthanded stalwart.
2. Pitching depth won't be an issue for these Gamecocks -- As South Carolina fought its way to yet another CWS berth, it had very few issues on the mound last season outside of some shakiness in the No. 3 rotation spot for some time, and simply replacing submariner John Taylor. Well, the Gamecocks won't have any depth issues in the 2013 campaign, at least if you ask new head coach Chad Holbrook. In addition to welcoming back Evan Beal, the Gamecocks also return talented sophomore Joel Seddon, and have very high hopes for talented freshmen Jack Wynkoop and Curt Britt, both throwing in the 90s so far this fall. The Gamecocks still need to solidify its final spot in the rotation, but overall, this staff looks primed to have a very solid 2013 campaign.
3. Gamecocks won't skip a beat with Holbrook -- It was common knowledge amongst Gamecocks insiders that former head coach Ray Tanner someday wanted to be an athletic director, preferably at South Carolina. So, when long-time athletic director Eric Hyman made the move across the SEC from South Carolina to Texas A&M, all baseball writers around the country immediately went on alert. It didn't take long for the Gamecocks to anoint Tanner the new athletic director, thus the promotion of heralded associate head coach Chad Holbrook. Though losing your field general can sometimes be a daunting task -- just look at Arkansas football without Bobby Petrino -- Holbrook is more than up to the task and very experienced at this level. In addition to studying under Tanner and etching his place into the list of the nation's best assistants the past few seasons, he also learned valuable lessons under very successful North Carolina head coach Mike Fox. From a pedigree standpoint, it doesn't get much better than Holbrook. Holbrook already is known as an excellent recruiter. He'll soon be known as a great head coach, too.
4. Offense a question mark for Gamecocks -- When the dust settles and the 2013 campaign begins, there's a good chance the Gamecocks will be more than serviceable from an offensive standpoint. But for now, this unit is one with some holes. The Gamecocks finished last season with a .265 batting average, and loses their only hitter -- first baseman Christian Walker -- that finished last season with a batting average over .321. Additionally, the Gamecocks must replace athletic outfielder Evan Marzilli and veteran Adam Matthews, who always was good for some key hits. Speedy outfielder Tanner English is expected to have a much improved campaign, while the same can be said for shortstop Joey Pankake, third baseman LB Dantzler and catcher Grayson Greiner. I'd also look for Erik Payne, who finished last season with a .265 average, to play a much more important role. In terms of freshmen, infielders Max Schrock and George Iskenderian are making a strong push to be immediate contributors.
5. Gamecocks should be very good up the middle -- The middle infield was a huge question mark entering last season, but things were stable by the end of the '12 campaign. Freshman shortstop Joey Pankake had his ups and downs early in the season, but played his best brand of baseball late in the year, particularly in Omaha, from a defensive standpoint. Second baseman Chase Vergason also played well down the stretch last season and increased his worth in the eyes of Holbrook and the South Carolina coaching staff. Though Max Schrock is in the mix at second base with Vergason, that position should be a strong suit either way. There's also the center field position, which was occupied by Marzilli last season. Marzilli was outstanding defensively last season, so living up to his standards will be difficult. However, the Gamecocks have an excellent option in sophomore outfielder Tanner English, who's a great athlete and moves to the position this fall. The middle of the field isn't even a slight concern for me when it comes to the Gamecocks.


text:
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The names of hundreds of convicted sex offenders that appear on Oklahoma's Sex Offender Registry could potentially be removed following a recent ruling by the state Supreme Court.
Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie said Tuesday the agency is reviewing the cases of more than 7,000 people whose names appear on the registry. Massie says many may be removed from the list following the high court's decision.
The court ruled last week that a man who pleaded no contest to a sexual assault charge in Texas in 1998 should be removed from the registry.
The ruling says amendments to the state's sex offender registry statute that increased the length of time the offender was required to register are unconstitutional because they retroactively increased his punishment after the crime was committed.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
A Houston pastor refused to marry a couple in his church, because he didn't find the bride's dress to be appropriate.
Lisa Washington showed up to the storefront church she'd rented for her wedding ceremony in a nontraditional wedding gown — a cleavage baring white halter dress that skimmed her bottom. "I'm a unique person," Washington toldAmericanPreachers.com, explaining her risqué choice. "I chose this dress because it's different than the traditional wedding gown you see at every wedding," she said.
"Where is the other half of the dress?"
Unfortunately, the church's pastor, Apostle Michael Canty, wasn't impressed by her lack of convention. The family says that on the day of the wedding, the pastor saw the racy gown an hour before the wedding and asked Washington, "where is the other half of the dress?" The family thought the minister was joking. He was not. Thirty minutes later, the minister sent a church official back to the family to request that the bride cover her cleavage and add length to the dress.
The bride, of course, was not able to alter the dress at the last minute, so the pastor refused to perform the ceremony. Relatives pleaded with him to change his mind to no avail. One family member, a minister, offered to perform the ceremony, an offer the pastor flatly refused.
I offer my sympathy to the bride, who is undoubtedly mortified that her wedding did not take place as planned. However, she chose to be married in a church, and most churches have rules – unwritten or not—on what is appropriate attire for functions that take place in God's house.
Washington's "gown" wasn't an on-the-fence outfit, the likes of what gospel singers Yolanda Adams and Mary Mary are sometimes criticized for wearing. It was in the vein of what Beyonce' called a "freakum dress," at it was way over the line for what a reasonable person would consider acceptable for a church event. I was raised as a church girl and I know that you show respect in the house of Lord.
Whose fault is it?
I don't fault the pastor for upholding and enforcing the widely-understood standards of what is suitable for church.
I do, however, find fault with the pastor for not providing Washington, who was not a church member, with a general list of rules for what is and is not acceptable in his church. Washington's choice of attire for a church wedding leads to me to believe that, though she desired to be married in a church, she may not have spent a lot of or any time in one previously. What is appropriate for a church function is clearly not common knowledge and as the pastor allows non-members to rent the space and the pastor performs ceremonies for non-members, the onus is on him to make sure clients know what is and is not acceptable at the church.
That's doubly important as the pastor reserves the right to refuse to perform a ceremony because he doesn't find the clothing acceptable.
Miscommunication causes mayhem
The pastor evidently did not cross his clichéd "t's," if the bride showed up to the church in club attire. Perhaps instead of devastating the couple and their family members, he could have offered the bride a robe, or cover-up of some kind to meet his desire to have her more covered and she could have been married. That would have been an happy-ish ending.
Unfortunately, the poor communication on the pastor's end and the absence of any negotiation despite not providing a list of rules led to a desolate couple and angry family members — who traveled to a wedding that didn't happen. The pastor has his moral high ground, but at the time of AmericanPreachers.com's story, the bride still didn't have her groom.
All because the pastor didn't like a dress.


text:
Sponsored By
2010 Pentagon Shooter Deemed Schizophrenic ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The ex-Marine who fired shots at the Pentagon and Marine Corps museum in 2010 has been classified as schizophrenic by government doctors, but prosecutors still want to enforce a plea deal that requires a 25-year prison sentence. Twenty-five-year-old Yonathan Melaku (meh-LAH-koo) of Alexandria pleaded guilty last year to firing shots at several military-related targets. No one was injured. He was caught months later, only after he was discovered trying to desecrate graves in Arlington National Cemetery. He struck a plea deal last year requiring a 25-year prison sentence. After making the plea bargain, his family hired new attorneys who questioned Melaku's mental health. In court filings Friday, federal prosecutors in Alexandria said Melaku has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. They want him to serve his sentence in a prison hospital.


text:
In a few hours, as predicted by the Mayans – or more precisely, the media – we will all be die. It is the end of our world.
Or not.
Do you believe in any of this? I don't. In about 2 hours, here it will be the 22/12/12 and there still hasn't been any tsunami warning or violent cyclones or incoming flood or deadly earthquakes… Or not even snow. (NB: it never snows in tropical regions, so if there will ever be snowing here in Mauritius, I believe it might be a reason to get worried.)
Continue reading "Is It The End Of The World Yet?"


text:
Book Review: Threat Modeling: Designing For Security 32
|Threat Modeling: Designing for Security
|Adam Shostack
|Ben Rothke
|Invaluable guide to create a formal threat modeling program
In the introduction, Shostack sums up his approach in four questions:
1. What are you building?
2. What can go wrong with it once it's built?
3. What should you do about those things that can go wrong?
4. Did you do a decent job of analysis?
The remaining 600 densely packed pages provide the formal framework needed to get meaningful answers to those questions. The book sets a structure in which to model threats, be it in software, applications, systems, software or services, such as cloud computing.
While the term threat modeling may seem overly complex, the book notes that anyone can learn to threat model. Threat modeling is simply using models to find security problems. The book notes that using a model means abstracting away a lot of the details to provide a look at the bigger picture, rather than the specific item, or piece of software code.
An important point the book makes is that there is more than one way to model threats. People often place too much emphasis on the specifics of how to model, rather than focusing on what provides them the most benefit. Ultimately, the best model for your organization is the one that helps you determine what the main threats are. Finally, the point is not just to find the threats; the key is to address them and fix them.
The beauty of the book is that it focuses on gaining empirical data around threats for your organization. Rather than simply taking an approach based on Gartner, USA Today or industry best practices.
While the author states a few times that threat modeling is not necessarily a complex endeavor, it nonetheless does take time. He writes that threat modeling requires involvement from many players from different departments in an organization to provide meaningful input. Without broad input, the threat model will be lacking, and the output will be incomplete.
For those organizations that are willing to put the time and effort into threat modeling, the benefits will be remarkable. At the outset, they will have confidence that they understand the threats their organization is facing, likely spend less on hardware and software, and will be better protected.
Chapter 18 quotes programmer Henry Spencer who observed that "those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly". Shostack writes that the same applies to threat modeling. The point he is making is that there are ways to fail at threat modeling. The first is simply not trying. The chapter then goes on into other approaches which can get in the way of an effective threat modeling program.
Why should you threat model for your IT and other technology environments? It should be self-evident from an architecture perspective. When an architect is designing an edifice, they first must understand their environment and requirements. A residence for a couple in Manhattan will be entirely different from the design for a residence for a family in Wyoming. But far too many IT architects take a monolithic approach to threats and that's precisely the point the book is attempting to obviate.
As noted, threat modeling is not overly complex. But even if it was indeed complex, it is far too important not to be done. The message of the book is that organizations need to stop chasing vague threats and industry notions of what threats are, and customize things so they deal with their threats.
For those that still think the topic is complex, the book references Elevation of Privilege (EoP), an easy way to get started threat modeling. EoP is a card game that developers, architects or security teams can play to easily understand the rudiments of threat modeling.
Risk modeling is so important that it must be seen as an essential part of a formal and mature information security program. Having firewalls, IDS, DLP and myriad other infosec appliances can be deceptive in thinking they provide protection. But if they are deployed in an organization that has not defined the threats these devices are expected to address, they only serve the purpose of giving an aura of infosec protection, and not real protection itself.
Amazon has over 800 Disney World guide books. Anyone who is going to invest their time and money to spend a few days at Disney World knows they have to do their research in order to get the most out of their visit.
There are only a handful of books on this topic and Threat Modeling: Designing for Security is perhaps the finest of them. No tourist would be so naïve to go to Disney World uninformed. And conversely, no one should go into the IT world without adequate threat information.
Threat modeling provides compelling benefits in the ability to make better information security decisions, better focus on often limited resources, all while designing a model to protect against current and future threats.
For those serious about the topic, Threat Modeling: Designing for Security will be one of the most rewarding information security books they could hope for.
Reviewed by Ben Rothke.
You can purchase Threat Modeling: Designing for Security from amazon.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews (sci-fi included) -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.


text:
DailyDirt: Does Bitcoin Matter?
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
- Marc Andreessen has written up his opinion on why Bitcoin matters, stating that it's the first practical solution for the Byzantine Generals Problem -- allowing (digital) information to be transferred securely in an insecure environment (the internetz). Andreessen isn't an unbiased source, though, as he has invested nearly $50 million in Bitcoin startups and is looking for more Bitcoin-related investments. [url]
- Glenn Fleishman has a rebuttal to Andreessen's opinion, pointing out the less rosy features of using Bitcoins such as the "buyer beware" aspect of having no chargebacks and no recourse for disputed transactions. Fleishman agrees that Bitcoin has value as a secure payment and transaction system, but not as a new currency that could displace existing government-backed money. [url]
- Focusing on Bitcoin as just a payment system or a currency may be looking at it too narrowly. The Bitcoin protocol can be re-used for other purposes that have nothing to do with money, such as building a secure P2P microblogging platform (eg. Twister). [url]
- Overstock.com is now accepting Bitcoin payments, making it one of the first online retailers that you've probably heard of to do so (besides the Techdirt store, of course). So far, Overstock users have bought over $500,000 worth of stuff using Bitcoin -- with sheets and cellphone accessories as the top items purchased (???). [url]


text:
Never miss a deal, always be up to date -
The most important events and product news
with the MUSIC STORE Newsletters!
Bored of conventional drum designs? All individualist drummers and drumming design enthusiast are provided with unique drum sets made in Germany by DR Customs. The DR Customs' primary focus is clearly set on creativity and individuality, following the American customizing philosophy. Making every set which leaves the manufacturer in beautiful Frankenland, truly unique. This beautiful shell set of the "Splatter"-Series is made from maple and sounds just as good as it looks. The 8-ply, 5.5mm thick shell (Made by Keller) produces a powerful punch with a ton of presence and warmth.
Included: 20"x20" BassDrum, 12"x7" Tom, 16"x12" FloorTom
DR CUSTOMS Splatter Series Features: 45° Bearing edge Shell interior lacquered 2.3mm Powerhoops on Toms Wood hoops on Bass drum Remo Heads Pictured is a set example! Cymbals and Hardware are not included!
!!! 3 Year Music Store Warranty !!!
!!! 30 Day Money Back Guarantee !!!
Every month we are giving away a shopping voucher among all submitted reviewers worth 500 EURO!
Congratulations to the winner of December: Michael Rauser, Heilbronn (DE)
The winner from the previous month (November): Martin Reinert, Siegburg (DE)
You can rate this product if you like. By rating this product you will be automatically entered into our monthly shopping voucher giveaway!


text:
McMillan Inn Bed & Breakfast
Savannah, GA 31401
The McMillan Inn offers a quiet atmosphere for couples and friends. We are a small inn with only four rooms and one Carriage House. A maximum of 12 people can stay at the inn at one time. Up to four can stay in the Carriage House. No children under 18 or pets of any age.
We are in the Savannah Historic District next to Forsyth Park, with easy walking to all of the historic sites, restaurants shopping and nightlife. We are less than a mile from River Street. Tours pick guests up at our inn and bring them home again. Parking is available on the street, and there are no meters.
We offer a full hot gourmet breakfast each morning at 9 a.m. for all, one sitting. Afternoon sweets and tea are served in the parlor.
Our courtyard garden offers a small heated pool. Lounge around the pool and enjoy carryout lunch or dinner as you listen the trickling water of our cherub fountain.
Voted Top 10 Romantic Inns in the Nation 2007 by I Love Inns
Voted Best Savannah Bed & Breakfast 2008 by USLBA
Info & Amenities
Hours of Operation
Sunday: All Day
Monday: All Day
Tuesday: All Day
Wednesday: All Day
Thursday: All Day
Friday: All Day
Saturday: All Day
Average Nightly Rate
Facility Amenities
Complimentary Breakfast
Free Parking
Restaurant Nearby
General Information
Connecting Rooms
Internet Connectivity
Free Wi-Fi
Near Interstate Highway
Historic District: 1
Payment Options
American Express
Room Amenities
Hair Dryer
Iron/Ironing Board
Room Information
Number of Rooms (Total): 2
Room Type
1-Bedroom Units
Setting & Style
Historic & Charming
Luxurious & Elegant


text:
The Master of Science in Education, with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction, provides practicing teachers with the opportunity to develop deeper and broader understandings of the challenges of teaching and learning in today's diverse schools. In addition, individuals who work in other educational settings, such as museums, also may deepen their understanding of issues related to curriculum and instruction. This program draws on the many areas of expertise of the Teaching and Learning faculty and offers opportunities for learning that can help students grow in their abilities to become leaders in their professions.
Students may customize their degree plans to meet their career needs. An area of emphasis offers many possibilities for study:
• particular subject area, like literacy, math, science or social studies;
• particular age groups, such as early childhood, elementary, middle school, or high school;
• professional issues, such as curriculum development, differentiated instruction, assessment of student learning, teacher inquiry, or teacher leadership.


text:
Rio 2 just came out on DVD, so M was super stoked when we got to chat with one of the movie's stars, Rachel Crow. Rachel, who plays Carla — the daughter of Blu and Jewel — dished all about the film, her character, and the message she hopes that families take away from it.
"[The family] takes a trip to the Amazon... and the kids are having a blast and my character is like, 'there's so much talent here. We should have a talent show!'" Rachels explains. "It ends up being a great trip for the family and they learn a lot about each other."
Not only is the trip just what the doctor ordered for the macaws, but Rachel says the movie itself is also great for families everywhere. It's perfect for family movie night!
"I hope that [people] understand that technology and everything is really cool but there's nothing better than just sitting with your family or taking a road trip or even just playing a board game."
Rachel even dished about her connection to her character Carla and the bond they share over music.
"She's a typical teenage girl," Rachel admits. "She really loves singing and really wants to pull off this huge performance in the Amazon. And I never go anywhere without my headphones and my phone because I always listen to music."
Good music, family bonding... What more could you want from an animated film? ;)
UPDATE: This contest is now CLOSED.
GIVEAWAY: We're giving away TWO copies of Rio 2 on DVD! Comment below telling us who your favorite Rio character is! This contest ends Friday, July 25th at 12pm noon EST. To win, you must live in the United States.


text:
Lady Monarchs Find Spot In Latest Rolex National Rankings
By ODU Athletics
The Lady Monarch tennis team is ranked #52, making a ten-spot jump up from its previous spot of #62. In addition, freshman Nataly Cahana (Qiriat Bialik, Israel) and junior Ana Radeljevic (Zagreb, Croatia) are represented in the individual rankings.
Cahana is #5 in the women's singles rankings while Radeljevic is #82. This marks the first time in the history of Old Dominion tennis that two women's players have been ranked. The duo of Cahana and Radeljevic place #15 on the women's doubles rankings, moving up from their previous ranking of #20.
Currently, Cahana is undefeated in spring play at 11-0 in the #1 singles slot. Radeljevic is 9-2, seeing action at both #2 and #3 singles. The #1 doubles duo is 10-1 on the season.
Complete rankings and other information on national intercollegiate tennis may be found at www.itatennis.com.


text:
I have a Pivot Mach429 right now, and that's a long story how I ended up with a 2012 frame but I did. Anyway, Pivot changed the frame and now I can't run the 29X2.35 tires I have grown to love. I see that the RIP9 will take this tire with ease and I'm wondering:
I'm 6 ft and 245 lbs
- Flex? How flexy is the frame?
- Fork 120mm or 140mm?
- Durability? How's your RIP holding up? Do you ride a lot (>100 miles / month)
- What do you ride? Lots of big rocks and techy stuff or XC?
I'm going to demo a RIP this weekend in AZ and if I like the bike I may buy one, but I want to be as sure as I can and this is part of what I think is a good process.
Thanks in advance for any and all replies,..


text:
To hear Flyers general manager Ron Hextall tell it, his team is looking to make only one significant move in free agency and it's likely to involve an offensive-minded forward.
NHL free agency opens at noon Wednesday and the Flyers believe they are one or two scoring-type players away from getting back into playoff contention.
Hextall freed up some valuable salary cap space last weekend by shipping defenseman Nick Grossmann and the contract of all-but-retired Chris Pronger to Arizona in exchange for Sam Gagner.
That should be enough to allow the Flyers to go after at least one forward who can put the puck in the net.
While this season's list of free-agent...


text:
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) The state Liquor Control Board is proposing there be a maximum of 334 locations that sell recreational marijuana in Washington.
The board also set a production cap of 40 metric tons of marijuana.
Board chairman Sharon Foster said Wednesday that the rules help create a tightly-regulated system to produce, process and sell marijuana to the public for recreational use. Washington voters last year approved an initiative allowing such use.
The board also decided that no entity could have more than three licenses in each of the producer, processor and retail categories.
The number of retail stores will be allocated by population, with a limit on how many can be situated in each of the state's larger cities. Seattle would be allowed to have up to 21 stores.


text: These are the students-of-the-month for May at the Kane Elementary School. They are holding certificates provided by the Kane Elks Lodge, sponsor of the program. The group includes, left to right, front row: Haley Bundy, kindergarten; Myka Costanzo, first grade; and Jenny Crowley, second grade; back row: Kaarina Hemdal, fifth grade; Brooke Lehman, third grade; Victoria Hallberg, fourth grade.


text:
The big secret: Lego Mindstorm robots are running the factory.
I, for one, welcome our new bumpy-headed overlords.
You buy that in the lego factory factory.
Police police police police...
No, TFA said that the factory is controlled by "mainframes". That's probably just nongeekspeak for "really fancy computer", but even so...
It seems lego has been moving more and more over my lifetime of 27 years from interchangable brick type pieces to specialized pieces of plastic that are really only useful with the original kit.
Granted I haven't purchased a pack in 15-odd years, but when i look at them at the store, many of the pieces are very specialized.
Am I wrong?
They still have the mixed bag packs, technics sets, etc. - it's just that most toy stores don't carry them. There's more money to be made in selling the smaller (less shelf real estate) movie-licensed themed sets (presumably better selling for younger children, the target market).
Amazon.com has a fabulous selection, and I'm sure with a little searching you could find an online retailer which had an even better selection with the same quality (or better) customer reviews.
I bought a Technics front-loader from them last Christmas when I needed some cheering up and was pleased that the quality was as high as ever, the instructions were just as graphic and cleanly presented, and the process was just as mystifying until it all came together.
It filled me with that same glee of discovery and revelation that I'm sure anybody who remembers Lego from their childhood knows.
You're wrong. It's simply the possibilities that have increased. If you want the simplicity of fewer kinds of part, just get simple sets - Creator, etc. Otherwise, at the very least, pretty much all parts are reusable in custom builds of a similar theme to the original set (vehicle, building, robot/mecha/spaceship). You can be inventive in your use of the detailed parts, or you can look at the original sets for hints as to how to incorporate them into your builds.
Many of the recent parts are very useful acr
A number of years ago, this "juniorization" process was becoming apparent as Lego attempted to make its toys accessible to younger ages while reducing the cost of nice-looking models. At the time, the company was in financial trouble and this misguided strategy ended up only making things worse.
Things seem to have reversed since then, however. Sure, there are still *some* rather specific pieces (like boat hulls) that it would be costly or difficult for Lego to sell brick-wise, but most new pieces that get i
Anyway, thanks to Gizmodo for making this amazing piece of fabrication history visible for us!!
It's high tech not to have high quality, but to have less operators. You can either have low automatization in factories in low wage countries or high automatization in high wage countries, but the quality is the same (is plastic, god damn it. The product is only as good as the plastic it's made of).
That's not really true. Process engineers have a lot to do with the quality of plastic products. Those big injection molding machines are really finicky about temperature and pressure, and the molds have to be designed very well. Otherwise you'd get legos that shrink too much, or not enough, or worst of all - not consistently.
Legos have to strike a delicate balance between fitting too tightly and too loosely... it's actually amazing that all of the sets over the years are pretty darn compatible. It's the rare Lego that simply falls off.
Plastic quality is also important, but presumably they are just buying some standard high-quality type. (Maybe not?)
it's actually amazing that all of the sets over the years are pretty darn compatible. It's the rare Lego that simply falls off.
Very good point, I have some nearly 20 year old legos that fit with brand new ones like they were from the same batch. I suppose I took it for granted without really thinking how much work would go into this level of quality control.
If you buy the cheaper competition, you'll quickly see how much Lego's focus on Quality Assurance matters. It's not unusual for the cheaper knock-offs to have a few bricks in each set that simply don't connect at all to the others.
And those are all from the same batch - I doubt that year-to-year, or decade-to-decade, compatibility is even on the roadmap for those products.
It's true... I was scanning for a post that mentioned this so I wouldn't repeat; the quality of Lego is REALLY fantastic.
Still, it's just injection molded plastic... if you look at average per-piece prices, it comes in at around 9 cents per piece... smaller sets are higher, larger sets are somewhat cheaper per piece. To me, that's outrageous for a mass produced piece of injection molded plastic.
Don't get me wrong... I'm still a sucker... I buy a lot of Lego for both me the boy; I've even bulk purchased on
They're expensive because they're made in Denmark, not China like almost any other plastic thing made even 15 years ago.
bzzzzt wrong. They're expensive because people will pay for them. Plastic injected parts are super cheap. Take a look at http://www.caplugs.com/ those are made in the USA and are super cheap. When you are doing high volume injection molded parts it makes little difference if they are made in the US, Denmark, China or anywhere else. It's all what the market will bear.
so what's your point? Factories move to china for low wages,but obviously here that's not a problem because the process is completely automatic. You only need a couple of operators to change the molds and some QC, that's about it.
Doing this in China could cost just a little less than doing it in Denmark, proving that legos are expensive "just because", and not because the manufacturing process is necessarily complex to require human intervention in every stage (like, say, clothes, that need to be sewn manually).
Exactly! Right now we are not buying our kids lego because it is so darned expensive. We get better toys cheaper.
Legos do have much higher quality than similar "block" toys. They have higher durability and don't wear out as fast, and have more stringent quality control. They may cost more than a competitor like Mega Bloks, but they'll last longer.
I realize I came across flamey - what I meant to say was that there is better value for money out there. Not necessarily in the direct competition area (as with Mega Blocks) but with other types of toys.
What gives better value for your money than Lego?
I have yet to see a toy that will get as much play as a tub of Legos
Now I do think they have way to many special parts these days but that is just because I am old.
Tub of hookers?
perhaps, maybe Lincoln logs, tinker toys. maybe knex, there was another toy that used nuts and bolts i cant' recall the name of... they might not make it any more, teaching kids how to build with wrenches and screwdrivers isn't as popular as it once was..
oh hey and Lincoln logs and tinker toys are made of renewable, biodegradable wood technology, it would be nice to know if anyone used cornstarch to build plastic like biodegradable interconnecting blocks.
i can find a google image, but not the name of the to
Oh they are all good toys. Lincoln Logs are not as flexible as Legos and knex is just a bit to fiddly for young kids.
They are all great toys with what I consider good choices.
You are thinking of Erector Sets or I think they where also called Mecco.
true, for the very young, you might want to stick with non interconnecting alphabet/number covered blocks, and teach the child their numbers and letters by Playing With the child... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000067NXE [amazon.com]
ah well. there are a ton of toys for kids, and edubuntu has a nice collection of FOSS tools for kids old enough to use a mouse on up!.
Isn't that mekano, or mechano?
Capsela and construx used to be like lego but better. I went into a toys r us recently looking for these as a present for my uncle and it seems they have been replaced by things that require no creativity or thought. It seems Capsela has been bought out and is now has quality control issues while Construx isn't made anymore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsela [wikipedia.org]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construx [wikipedia.org]
Yes, when Apple purchases Seagate HDDs, and Intel processors, and ATI video cards, they ensure that they are of a far higher quality than the Seagate HDDs, Intel processors and ATI video cards that Dell purchases.
They say that the entire plant (and robots) are controlled by computers, but that's actually a lie. Each one of those robots has a midget inside of it, controlling the vehicle. Its very expensive to hire and feed those midgets and also to supply a steady stream of hookers to keep them from uprising. Hookers aren't cheap and that's why lego cost so much.
They charge what people are willing to pay. Period. Of course they cost way less to manufacture, but how many companies do you honestly think will lower their prices 'just to be nice'? Please, Lego are popular and fly off the shelves even at their inflated price. More power to 'em. That's how the market economy works.
Indeed. There are Lego bricks in my kids' collection that are 40 years old from when I was but a tyke. The bricks that old seem to be a little more brittle than they are now, but otherwise are perfectly durable and compatible with the current Lego. It's cool to occasionally see the old logo on the studs.
Lego is very expensive, but it's worth it. They've been through many changes, including some that I thought moved away from the core of what Lego is all about, but they still make a great product, and I still buy plenty for my kids.
Lego is very expensive
Rant: They charge Europeans more in Euro that they charge Americans in dollars. And no, there's no factory in the US. WTF? Where do they get their exchange rates from?
With the dollar just above 2 PLN, buying stuff in the US and having it shipped to Poland is starting to look practical (and profitable).
What they charge is determined by the market, not by the cost of the product, exchange rates, or any other mechanism. They will charge whatever they can get from you while still producing Legos at their plant's most efficient rate.
You pay VAT, the U.S. doesn't.
When a product is so durable, you need to charge a little more for it in order to ensure your company's survival.
Exactly. Which is why computers and software, which are obselete in less than 5 years, are so cheap.
Hey, wait a minute!
Seriously, though, you make a good point. If they wanted to be evil, I guess they could make them less durable, but I think in the end it's better that everyone knows them as the best.
Seriously, though, you make a good point. If they wanted to be evil, I guess they could make them less durable, but I think in the end it's better that everyone knows them as the best.
There is also one thing to bear in mind - as soon as a company like Lego races for the bottom (in terms of price/quality), they're going to lose the customers who valued the quality and then be beaten to the customers who don't by other organisations who 10 or 20 years ago perfected the art of "juuuuusst enough quality that it won't fall apart within 15 minutes of the box opening. Probably."
If you are fortunate enough to live near a Lego Store, watch for discounts on overstock.
I've been doing that since my son was born. Scored a bunch of Duplo train sets for more than 50% off the retail price.
I can think of one reason.
People are willing to pay it.
The reasons why people are willing to pay it probably have a lot to do with the quality of the product which IMHO is very high and the name recognition.
In other words they are not cheap junk and people are willing to pay for quality, at least in this case.
Lego bricks currently clock in at an average of 10 cents a piece (i.e. an 800 piece set will run you around $80, a 5000 piece set will run you around $500 dollars.)
I also find it surprising that advanced manufacturing technology hasn't driven down the price of Legos. However, this article [fastcompany.com] gives some insight into the business side of Lego and shows that the prices aren't simply inflated out of greed.
None of which alone explain it, but can add up.
They are very particular about the ABS they use - it has to be metals-free, historically not very easy - which used to be supplied only by Bayer (until around 1998, LEGO US was still shipping ABS pellets from Germany to Enfield CT - one worth-his-weight-in-bricks engineer got GE Pittsfield MA to spec the plastic, saving them some bucks).
The bricks IIRC are build to a tolerance of 3/1000ths of an inch. Look at bricks and try and find the gates (where the plastic in injected and detaches from the flashing) or the knock-outs (where a part of the molding machine pushed the brick out - typically these are obvious kludgy bits of a plastic toy, in LEGOs they are all but invisible) The LEGO engineers used to smile a lot as other companies' engineers searched, often in vain, for these tell-tale machine marks.
In Enfield they have a lego-brick knight statue commemorating their ISO 9001 certification. Not so sure how many toy factories hit that mark.
For a long time the place was rather labor-intensive. A 1990 tour had more people on the packing line and a series of lights to alert someone on the floor (who had to be in sight of the molding machines) to a malfunction. The same tour in 1996 this was replaced by a pager system. In all that automation, they prided themselves on never letting someone go from the factory when their role was replaced by a machine -they always had something new to be done based on a lot of R&D. Haven't been there since 2000, but I understand that pattern was pretty much unbroken.
At least in Enfield, the factory was nearly as as spotless as the HQ office buildings. I doubt every plastic-toy-cranking factory elsewhere in the world has that level of upkeep, and it's not cheap.
Making the rafts of tie-in toys means paying royalties to Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. While base sets might cheaper at WalMart now than they were at a boutique toy shops a few years back, the brand name additions likely helped keep prices off the bottom.
Enfield CT likely isn't the cheapest labor market around, which explains why, sadly, a year ago the last nut and bolt of the factory were shipped off to Mexico. Blasted sad. A great bunch of people up there.
1. They're expensive because they are built to a much higher level of quality than is typical for injection-molded plastic toys.
Have you ever seen a defective Lego brick? Or heard of a set with a missing piece? A lot of work (and expense) goes into avoiding that. Hence all the automation - if they had humans doing all that work, Lego would be even more expensive.
The bricks themselves are little marvels of engineering - they use extremely heavy, multi-piece molds, and sophisticated molding machines to keep the dimensional tolerances to within (IIRC)
2. They're expensive because they're very durable.
Despite the relative cheapness of the plastic material itself, you can easily find Lego that's 30 years old, has been played with by dozens (or hundreds) of kids, snapped together and apart thousands of times, and still functions perfectly.
Given that they basically don't wear out, Lego bricks are priced higher than they would be if they were intended to be replaced from year to year.
3. They're expensive because people are willing to pay for them.
As a result of #1 and #2 above, Lego has a well-deserved reputation for quality. Despite plenty of lower-priced competition, Lego continues to sell well.
You can even buy bricks that are inter-operable with Lego for literally 1/10th the price, and they still don't out-sell the real thing. Why? Because they're simply not made as well - they don't stick together or come apart as well as Lego bricks, and they aren't nearly as sturdy.
Even as an 8-year-old, I noticed that the knock-off blocks were not worth building anything out of, and quickly separated them from my "real" Legos.
by an evil mainframe to enslave humans by hooking them on the irresistible construction toys, thus destroying productivity and creating an insatiable demand for new bricks.
So far, it's working pretty well....
Until some geek figures out how to build a robot-defeating UBER legobot... that runs linux.
Hey... that makes me wonder - do the Lego Building Bots run Linux?
No, seriously!
http://www.youtube.com/v/egPgU5kAjKE&hl=en&fs=1 [youtube.com]
"to enslave humans by hooking them on the irresistible construction toys, thus destroying productivity and creating an insatiable demand for new Lego-movies."
So who is hotter? Ali or Ali's Sister?
I don't know if you meant to make this mistake, but Duplo is a lego brand. It's their line of bricks for younger children. Really a gateway brick toy to some of their other products, such as the Town line of kits, or the most addicting of all, Lego Mindstorms.
Waiting for the part about the spoiled rich girl falling down the bad block chute.
Legos have always been expensive, but a lot of people don't realize that there are plenty of used legos for sale. Ebay and yard sales are often full of them. A great deal of the time, the instructions are included or are available elsewhere.
Interestingly, sets on ebay often go for an appreciable fraction of the price they originally sold for, or more than the original price for some of the really good ones. I can't think of many other toys that hold value or even appreciate in that way, insane Star Wars memorabilia, etc. notwithstanding.
this still doesn't answer the "Why is Lego so expensive?" question
C'mon - seriously? Why does Starbucks coffee or Coke cost the consumer 25x the cost of the ingredients? Why do baseball cards cost 50x the cost of the paper and print?
It's all BRAND. You're not paying for the plastic - you're paying for the TV commericals, the packaging, the crappy Star Wars licensing fees and even the salary of the PR flunky who gets this crap posted on SlashDot.
Maybe their operations were infiltrated by Slashdot memes...
Almost 2 decades ago I worked in the color lab of one of the suppliers of the plastic granules that LEGO uses, and I can tell you that even then, LEGO had about the most tight color and quality control in place I've ever come across. That's probably why a new brick and a brick bought a decade ago are still so much alike.
I remember that most of that production was checked in double tact: twice as often during a run then any other plastic, and that included metamere checking (ensuring that the color also changes correctly when you switch from daylight to artificial light - not always a given as every pigment you use can act differently).
I've not been involved in developing the LEGO color recipes, but hats off to whoever did them from their samples - that must have taken at least a week. New stuff like matching the color of the leather going to be used in car seats was easier IMHO (although also challenging, precisely because of the metamere issues). But it was fun, albeit occasionally dangerous work, in those days some of the additives were highly toxic..
Each honest calling, each walk of life, has its own elite, its own aristocracy based on excellence of performance. -- James Bryant Conant


text:
What started as a routine adoption of the Palo Alto County Budget for fiscal year 2013-14 turned into a surprise for one county department Tuesday morning, March 12. On a 3-1 roll call vote, with Board Chair Ron Graettinger absent from the meeting, the Supervisors cut an additional $15,000 from the budget of the Palo Alto County Conservation Board for the coming year.
Tuesday's action wasn't the first cut to the Conservation Board budget in this year's county budgeting process, however, In talks during February, the supervisors voted a $10,000 cut to the budget amount on a split vote, but only after a motion for a cut of $100,000 had failed.
Supervisor Jerry Hofstad started the conversation. "I would move to reduce the conservation board budget by $15,000 more, for a total of $25,000 the reason being I do not think that they need to have weapons; I don't think they need to be running around the county scouting out poachers and working for the DNR I don't believe we should be paying anybody for doing that and that's the reason I want to cut the budget."
"I don't agree with you," said Supervisor Linus Solberg.
"So why are you disagreeing?" asked Supervisor Ed Noonan, who was serving a the Board Chair Pro-Tem in Graettinger's absence.
"Because we already decided on all this here," Solberg answered. "But, everything you're saying is true."
"We spend $225,000 more than Emmet County," Noonan pointed out. "I've asked what we provide for that extra funding that they don't provide, but not gotten an answer. I have also asked if we went to four full-time employees instead of five, what programs they'd have to cut no answer, so I assume if I don't get answers, the answers to the questions must be that there's not a lot of difference and there wouldn't be a lot of cuts, or they'd tell me."
Supervisor Keith Wirtz wondered how many grants the Conservation Board received from the Gaming Board grants, and learned that they had received a couple of grants.
Noonan asked two other county department heads what would change in their offices if they were asked to cut an employee, and if they were asked that question, if they would answer it.
"Some service would have to go," answered Treasurer Mary Hilfiker, who started listing what services in her office would be affected.
"At least you'd answer it," Noonan said.
"Absolutely," Hifiker replied.
"So if Emmet County was spending one third of what you spent, and I asked you why you were spending three times what Emmet County is spending, would you go up to Emmet to see what we're providing that they're not providing, wouldn't you try to get an answer to me?" Noonan asked the Treasurer.
"I would go and do a comparative," Hilfiker answered.
"So why does Conservation feel like they don't have to answer these questions?" Noonan asked.
"I feel that their job is to take care of the parks they've got," Hofstad said. "To build fish stations, to do things that make it convenient for people to camp or whatever. I just don't think its their job to be out wandering around in the middle of the night at two o' clock in the morning in a river bayou with a gun pointed at somebody, hoping they can find somebody to arrest. That's about what it amounts to."
"Is it our decision to take their guns away from them or is it their board's decision?" Solberg asked.
"It's their board's decision," Hofstad answered.
"But, we also told them not to send one of their employees to officer's school and they did it anyway, so they must have had $7.500 extra dollars that year," Noonan said.
"Well, seeing as how I was the one who suggested a $25,000 cut to their budget to start with, I'll second it," Wirtz said.
Noonan called the roll for the vote. Hofstad and Wirtz voted aye, while Solberg cast a no vote. Noonan then voted aye, making the final vote 3-1 with Graettinger absent and not voting.
"Is it legal for us to do this?" Solberg asked.
"Yes it is, we checked," Hofstad said.
"It might be legal, but I don't think that it's going to make very good working relationships with the Conservation Board," observed Auditor Carmen Moser.
"I would really like to meet with their board and not argue," Solberg said. "If we could meet sometime, talk some, civilly, and see where they're going and see if they could get rid of some of this"
"I'd would agree," Wirtz said. "We should have been doing that six months ago, then maybe things would have turned out better on this."


text: Foggy Forest Canvas Art Print Item #: 123225 $69.99 $59.97 Qty: Sorry, this item is currently unavailable online. Ship to Store (FREE) Autumn trees come to life in the Foggy Forest Canvas Art Print! Vibrant hues of red, orange, and yellow make this print pop. Not only does it add color to your wall, but it creates a peaceful ambiance in your space. Print measures 39.375L x 1W x 39.375H in. Nature subject Distinctively printed on stretched canvas Finished edges to complete the look Photo print on canvas with textured paint effect Sunlight forest in autumn with red leaves on the forest floor Comes ready for wall mount; no hanging hardware required This item is only available in select Kirkland's stores. Contact your local store for availability. Sorry, this item is currently unavailable online.


text:
Place this "worm" on the 100 square and find the total of the four squares it covers. Keeping its head in the same place, what other totals can you make?
Buzzy Bee was building a honeycomb. She decided to decorate the honeycomb with a pattern using numbers. Can you discover Buzzy's pattern and fill in the empty cells for her?
In your bank, you have three types of coins. The number of spots shows how much they are worth. Can you choose coins to exchange with the groups given to make the same total?


text:
Your current filters are…
by Jeremy Keith, Ariel Waldman and Matt Bellis
The relationship most adults have with science is one of observation: watching government agencies explore on behalf of us, but not actually exploring it ourselves. Science should be disruptively accessible – empowering people from a variety of different backgrounds to explore, participate in, and build new ways of interacting with and contributing to science. By having a fresh set of eyes from those who solve different types of problems, new concepts often emerge and go on to influence science in unexpected ways. A grassroots effort called Science Hack Day aims to bridge the gap between the science, technology and design industries. A Hack Day is a 48 hour all-night event that brings different people with good ideas together in the same physical space for a brief but intense period of collaboration, hacking, and building 'cool stuff'. By collaborating on focused tasks during this short period, small groups of hackers are capable of producing remarkable results.
United States United States, Austin
9th–13th March 2012


text:
Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Brad Boyes scored in regulation and notched a fortunate goal in the shootout as the Florida Panthers edged the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1, in an odd finish at First Niagara Center.
The Panthers had a potential go-ahead goal late in regulation denied due to a quick whistle, and Jonathan Huberdeau had his chance in the second round of the shootout waved off when, upon replay, it was ruled he pushed Sabres goaltender Jhonas Enroth into the net as the puck crossed the goal line.
Boyes, though, finished off Florida's second win in three games in the next round, as his wrister hit off the post, then bounced off the back of Enroth's sweater for the deciding tally.
"He's one of the best in the league in shootouts .. I've got to give it to him. Good shot," said Enroth of Boyes, who is 6-of-9 in shootout tries this season.
Tim Thomas stopped all three chances he faced in the shootout and finished with 23 saves, and Enroth had his 34-save effort go for naught.
Jamie McBain scored the only goal in regulation for the Sabres, who had their five-game home winning streak stopped.
The Sabres, after failing on two power-play chances in the first period, opened the scoring 5:13 into the second. Matt D'Agostini sent a drop pass along the boards to Steve Ott on an odd-man rush, and McBain took Ott's centering feed and beat Thomas stick side with a wrister.
Thomas denied Brian Flynn on a breakaway minutes later, and Enroth kept the Panthers off the board when he kicked his leg out and stuffed Sean Bergenheim on a wraparound attempt in the closing minutes of the second.
Bergenheim was stopped again midway through the third, but Enroth lost his stick on the play and was sprawled out on the ice when Tom Gilbert fired a slap shot that was deflected into the back of the net by Boyes with 10:44 remaining in regulation.
The Panthers appeared to net the go-ahead goal less than four minutes later, but a quick whistle due to an injury blew the play dead.
"The way we played we should have had two points...and we found a way," Boyes said.
Game Notes
Boyes ranks first among active skaters with 37 shootout goals ... Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell played in his 800th career game ... The Sabres have not won six straight in Buffalo since Jan. 17 to Feb. 15, 2007 ... Buffalo fell to 5-2 in shootouts, while Florida improved to 6-5 ... The Sabres were playing for the first time since last Saturday since their game on Tuesday against Carolina was postponed due to hazardous weather conditions in the Buffalo area ... Buffalo defenseman Tyler Myers began a three-game suspension stemming from an illegal check in Saturday's win over New Jersey ... Panthers rookie Aleksander Barkov had his point streak end at six games.


text:
Many top footballers never reach a major cup final during their career. Not so Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who is set play in his third of the year on Saturday when he lines up for the Blues against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final.
The Côte d'Ivoire icon missed out on long-awaited national team glory in the final of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in February against Zambia, but he received some consolation as Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final earlier this month. Always a central part of the club's success, Drogba became the first player to score a goal in four different FA Cup finals.
Saturday's match will be his third European final, having lost in the UEFA Cup with Olympique Marseille against Valencia in 2004, and also the Champions League final four years later in Russia when Manchester United won the all-England encounter on penalties.
That match in Moscow is a game Drogba is eager to forget - not only did his side lose, but he was famously sent off in the second half of extra time. The striker is now hoping to put that behind him as he looks forward to Saturday's big game at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
FIFA.com: This is another huge game for you, is it the biggest game of your life?
Didier Drogba: It is certainly one of the biggest games. I think I have played a lot of important games with Chelsea, but this one ranks highly. This is going to be special because it's only the second time we reached the final of the Champions League. We want to do everything to go there and be ready to play against the German team.
The big stage is the one you have always vied for. Are finals what you are made for?
I don't know if I am made for finals, but I certainly enjoy them. I think we are going to prepare the best we can, and I am going to do my best. I think everybody has to do his own work for the club and for the team and then trust that everything is going to work out well.
After losing the final in Moscow did you worry that that would be your only opportunity?
No, no just the opposite. After losing in Moscow, we thought that we were going to get into the final the next year. But then that is not so easy. It is very difficult to reach a final in a long competition, and I think that doing so this year shows how much we deserve to be there. It has been four years since we last played in a Champions League final.
Does it make you realise that these chances do not come around often?
Exactly, exactly.
I do not like to speak about the past. We have a great moment here.... I prefer not to worry about what happened four years ago.
What is your lasting memory of the defeat in Moscow four years ago?
You know, I do not like to speak about the past. I think it is not good. We have a great moment here, and I can speak about Bayern Munich and the Champions League final on Saturday, but I prefer not to worry about what happened four years ago.
Bayern Munich lost the German cup final 5-2 against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Did you watch that game or analyse the match?
No I did not. I leave that kind of stuff to the coaches.
You will face former Chelsea player Arjen Robben in the final. Are you looking forward to seeing him again?
He is a very good player, and we won many trophies together. It will be great to see him again.
Having won one final already this year with Chelsea, will that give you an advantage in the Champions League?
No, it is a totally different competition.
About your record in finals, you have lost several for club and country, would winning in Munich ease the pain of those disappointments?
I have had a lot of disappointments, but I have also had some great moments in other finals. Now I and my team-mates will try to make sure that this is one of the great ones. Finals are there to be won, and I am hoping we will do that.


text:
ALL BALL NERVE CENTER — Whenever someone asks me about Kobe Bryant and his return from injury this season, I am always reluctant to put any sort of timetable on his comeback. Because if there is anything we know about Kobe, it's that he is legendarily competitive. Given a challenge — any challenge — Kobe will put his mind to it and do whatever it takes to shatter expectations.
That could mean returning from a severe injury, or, as we see below, it could mean competing on a game show in Shanghai, China, where you are asked to use chopsticks to pick balls out of a bowl. (Also, Kobe throws in some beatboxing at the end of the clip.)
On the court or on the stage, the Mamba never stops…
(via SLAM)


text:
Updates on Chicago teachers strike and looming student loan crisis. Extended interview with John Curl, author of For All the People, on hidden US history of workers' cooperative enterprises.
On Economic Update with Professor Richard Wolff, Wolff and guests will discuss the current state of the economy, both locally and globally in relation to the economic crisis.
Wolff will focus on wages, jobs, taxes, and debts - and on interest rates, prices, and profits. We aim to explain why certain economic changes are happening and other changes get postponed or blocked and we will explore alternative ways to organize enterprises, markets, and government policies. Economic Update is a weekly show for people who want to understand and change not only their own financial situation but also the larger economy we all depend on.
To listen in live on Saturdays at noon, visit WBAI's Live Stream.


text:
Register for any ASP Course in 2010 and pay before February 15, 2010 and save $250 on the ASPM Master Stager Course, or $150 on the ASP Stager Course or $50 on the ASP Real Estate Agent Course, use promotion code "Save2010". (***PLEASE NOTE the Save2010 promotion is not valid for the Online 2 Day ASP Real Estate Agent course, the 2 Day ASP Real Estate Agent courses in the State of Washington or Montgomeryville/North Wales, PA Course locations.***)
Promotion code is transferable - share this offer with friends, coworkers and family. Promotion cannot be combined with any other offer and is not retroactive. Only one promotion code allowed per person. Offer not applicable towards online courses or StagedHomes.com ASP Continuing Ed special pricing. StagedHomes.com reserves the right to restrict promotional code use for any specific seminar based on prior contractual obligations.
Herndon, VA 2 or 3 Day ASP® Course
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 9:00 AM - Thursday, February 25, 2010 5:30 PM
learn more about our StagedHomes ASP® courses., After you have completed your ASP® course
registration, you will receive an email
confirmation with the exact course location.
Herndon, VA
ASP Course Marketing Specialist
78075 Main Street, Suite 201
La Quinta, CA 92253


text:
The cainsaw Lions like the chainsword from Fallout
The cainsaw Lions like the chainsword from Fallout
HUGE IMAGE IS TOO HUGE TO TELL WHAT'S GOING ON. Sorry, but seriously, waaaaaaay too big...
Can people learn to resize properly?
I always thought Abbey would be Nick, haha, I still like this. But seriously needs resizeing
I use Iaza.com
Oh wait thats Larken! FFFF, should read the tags first x[
Well obviously everyone knows that, David is Ellis, Paulo is Nick, Tess is Rochelle, and Coach being some random someone I don't even know. The original 4 would be Mike as Bill, Lucy as Zoey, Paulo (Pulling a double shift) as Francis, and Abbey as Louis (Because he's the smart one)
Augustus would be the AI director because he is always plotting and ****.
Actually, JB, I think it's Augustus as Nick and Larkwn as Coach, and Daisy is Rochelle.
If ANYTHING I believe that it should be:
Bill: Abbey
Francis: Paulo
Zoey: Lucy
Louis: David
Ellis: Mike
Nick: Augutstus
Rochelle: Tess
Coach: ... Paulo's dad?
P.S. I say Mike as Ellis because if Lucy is Zoey than it's appropriate due to the events of the passing.
NO WAIT! Definitively Daisy as Rochelle scratch what I said.
Sorry for the first comment, I wrote on my iphone
A suggestion: Click the image, dim bulbs. -.- It resizes itself when you do that.
IF you click on the pic it will RESIZE!
Your welcome.
Whys he got a ripper?Fallout and L4D2...