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How to Find the Turning Point in Any Negotiation
Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, May 5, 2013
The Path to a Successful Negotiation is Paved with Preparation & Practice
When viewed as a whole, life can seem like an exercise in routine, marked by several key turning points. Think about the important life-decisions you've made. Whether it's deciding to go to an event at the last minute (and then meeting your future spouse) or introducing yourself to someone at a networking event (who told you about a job opening that embarks you on a new career path), you can often look back and see a clear marker where everything fell into place.
As I continue to work with private clients to help them negotiate job offers, I'm starting to see distinct patterns. In every session there is a turning point, a moment when there is a significant breakthrough that enables a person to have a very good chance at succeeding in gaining the maximum offer for a position.
To make a distinction, I'm going to talk about the mental mindset and preparation of a person getting ready to negotiate their compensation. In terms of the negotiation itself, that is usually more of a multi-step, slow build toward a victory. It starts with navigating the initial screening process, making it through multiple interviews, doing your homework, proving your value in the marketplace, getting the offer, making an effective counter-offer, and closing the deal.
In order to have the right mindset to go through all those steps successfully, you need to reach your own turning point first. Here's how I normally see it progress:
The first part of the call is spent going over the details of the situation, because every opportunity is different. Are you getting an offer for a new position? Changing industries? Moving to a new city? Asking for a big promotion? There are dozens of variables to take into account.
Second, we determine the best approach to take given the client's personality, relationship with the interviewer, and specific needs (higher salary, more vacation, etc). For most, a face-to-face discussion is best, since you can get feedback on the fly, and quickly drill down to a resolution. But it can also be trickier because you need to be far more prepared and be able to think on your feet. For others, the negotiation is done over email. This could be because they are interviewing in another city, the employer initiated the offer over email, or they are more introverted and prefer to take the time to craft the perfect response in writing.
The main outcome of our call is carefully crafting a specific script to be used when replying to an offer or asking for a raise. During the initial brainstorm, I am usually churning out phrases in a free-flowing, stream-of-consciousness manner while the client franticly writes down the words as quickly as they can. Often times they will ask me to repeat something, but I can't remember because every time it comes out a little bit different (and hopefully a little bit better).
For example, a phrase might evolve as follows:
- "When I looked at my value in the marketplace, I was hoping for something more in the $80,000 range."
- "When I looked at my research and determined my value in the marketplace, I was looking for something in the $80,000 to $90,000 range."
- "When I consulted the research that I had done, which looked at the value of someone with my skills in this marketplace, it fell into the $80,000 to $90,000 range."
Lastly, we roleplay a scenario and put the client "in the moment," with me playing the part of the hiring manager and them in the hot seat responding to a job offer or asking for a raise. The first few times, the client is nervous and clearly reading back their notes. Without fail, they stumble over their words, talk too fast or too much, and it feels exactly like what it is -- someone reading the notes that a coach told them to say.
This can happen to anyone. Think how effortless your favorite actor looks when they are performing in a movie. Now picture them awkwardly reading a terrible joke that someone else wrote for them off a teleprompter at an awards presentation. It's night and day.
My favorite phrase becomes "let's try it again." The first few times through, I am making changes to the brainstormed phrases that I originally came up with. Hearing my words out loud from someone else makes it so much easier to create a more focused response.
The next few times through, there may be a particular word that gets changed. For example, in a situation where everything else is great (salary, benefits, title, etc) but they'd like to ask for an additional week of vacation, the client might say, "I'd like to thank you so much for the job offer. I've looked it over and it looks great, but there's one thing I have a problem with."
Instead of using the word "problem," which indicates something negative and might put the hiring manager on the defensive, I might advise them to change it ever so slightly to "It looks great, but there's one area I'd like to ask you about."
Each time the job-seeker practices their lines, it sinks in a bit more. They naturally rearrange words to fit their style of conversation, add their own cadence and inflection, and build confidence with each successive round.
And then the turning point happens.
There's a change in mindset in the client, and they stop merely saying the words that they had written on the page, and start articulating their honest feedback and requests around the situation.
It's really amazing to see it happen, and it completely changes everything. I'm able to draw out of them the reasons why they might deserve a raise, such as specific education and training, revenue impact to the bottom line, positive client feedback, and knowing the value of their skills on the market. It's only after putting that together in a summarized paragraph and saying it out loud themselves that it really hits home that all of these things are true and they honestly deserve an increase. When that lightbulb goes on, it's just as rewarding for me as it is for them.
In reality it's nothing new -- the job search version of "practice makes perfect." Much the same way that actor rehearses his/her lines until it comes natural or an athlete visualizes victory, playing out the scenario in advance can only lead to a better chance at success.
It's interesting that the average American spends about 6 hours a month on Facebook -- and 4-5 hours per day watching TV -- yet just a short time prepping for an interview that can make them thousands of dollars. Looking for a shortcut to get to that mindset? Doing homework leads to confidence. And confidence leads to a winning negotiation. Let's look at some examples.
- If you're making $50,000 and asking for a raise to $55,000, you can (and should) come to your boss with industry data you found online to make your case. But will you be 100% confident if they come back at you and say something like "That data isn't relevant for our industry." However, if you can get an interview at another competitor and they make you an offer for $55,000, suddenly you know without a doubt what your skills are worth on the marketplace.
- If you want to make the point that your work is contributing to the bottom line, that's great. Better yet is to really dig into the numbers and create a detailed report illustrating the exact projects you worked on and the specific dollar figures that your helped achieve. It's hard to argue with real data.
- If you get an offer that includes $3,500 in moving expenses, it's one thing to say "That feels a little low." You'll have more confidence if you can say "I took the time to get quotes from three different moving companies, consulted the federal government's mileage allowance guidelines for vehicle reimbursement for moving expenses, and factored in the cost-of-living difference for both cities, and the number came out to $4,934."
When you're making a major career transition, it's easy to simply go through the motions of a performance review or changing jobs and follow the same routine. But for best results, focus on creating, rehearsing, and believing in your career story, and you'll be able to look back later in life and recognize that key turning point.


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A previously suspended judge in Pennsylvania learned that a powerful position won't preclude the penalty of parking tickets.
A judge on Monday fined magisterial district court judge Kelly Ballentine $1,500 for fixing three of her own parking tickets – a charge five times more expensive than the original fines, the Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era reported.
Ballentine pleaded guilty in February to three misdemeanor counts of tampering with public records, which carry maximum penalties of up to two years in prison.
But Chester County (Pa.) Judge Charles Smith opted for the portentous fine in lieu of jail or probation because Ballentine, 44, is a first-time offender with an "otherwise reputable background," he said.
Assistant Attorney General Anthony Forray said Ballentine did not try to "rip off Lancaster County for $269.59," – the cost of her parking fines, but she "was given a certain amount of trust, and she abused that trust."
In court, Ballentine's attorney said that she showed a "major lapse in judgment" when she dismissed the tickets given to her by city police in December 2010 and January 2011.
Ballentine asked for forgiveness from her friends, family and peers in the judicial system.
"I regret any measure of shame I have brought to them at this time," Ballentine said, according to the Intelligencer.
"What's done is done, but go on and maybe you will work all the harder to do the job you were elected to do," Smith said.
The state Judicial Conduct Board is currently weighing Ballentine's status as a district judge and could disbar her.


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First official images and news on Wii Mini
No online? O_o
I finally decided to get a Wii for my son and wife just so I can have more time for my PS3 and was looking forward to the Wii mini and this is how it turned out?? WTF?
I admire Ninty's support for their older consoles by making the Wii able to play old games but with this, all of that, GONE! and to make matter worst, this is 2012, but they decided to ditch the wifi too? seriously, who in the hell thought that this is a good idea?? somebody should be fired!
On the bright side the the Wii Mini looks sexy... in my opinion at least.
No surprise some features got removed given how tiny the system is now and the very appealing price drop to $99.99. Same happened with the PS3 when it dropped PS2 BC in order for a price drop although it was ridiculed for it.
Well maybe they don't want it to compete with the Wii U, so they stripped out all the extras.
And not only do you lose a bunch of features but it doesn't even seem like much of a deal, for $50 more you get the full blown Wii and a game included.
And why only in Canada? That's puzzling.
"No surprise some features got removed given how tiny the system is now"
So you're saying the mini is too small to fit wifi in? My phone which is a fraction of the size has wifi, theres no excuse!
I say take that $100 and put it toward a Wii U. You can play all the Wii games, and support for the Wii is gonna be gone soon.
I agree, this is just an awful deal. No game, no wifi, no backwards compatibility (though, to be fair, they had ALREADY dropped BC with the last iteration of the console). What makes Nintendo think this is somehow a respectable SKU?
Plus, it looks like an emergency kit you might store under the seat of your car.
"No surprise some features got removed given how tiny the system is now and the very appealing price drop to $99.99. Same happened with the PS3 when it dropped PS2 BC in order for a price drop although it was ridiculed for it."
I don't know what is up with these downgraded consoles later in life? No thanks!
Oh, did I say it is completely idiotic!
Just get the reguler Wii and get full BC and none of the BS. Don't support this sh!t.
It's nearly useless and looks cheap too. Black and silver would have been better.
I think it looks quite good, but it isn't much smaller than the Wii itself.
Uh. Wii Mini is going to be even cheaper than a regular Wii. Where do you think the lower price factor comes from?
If you want a Wii with Wifi, and Gamecube games, then go buy a Wii that can do that.
Considering the current SKU's come with a game (NSMBW), an excellent semi-rare soundtrack (Super Mario Galaxy) AND a wireless card for $150, you're really spending more money for less with the mini.
And the wifi is actually much more important than people are realizing, because it completely cuts people off from the eShop.
You can buy a full size wii for that price nowadays. Sure this is smaller but less features so not really worth it.
Exactly. Too expensive. You can buy a ps2 or a gamecube for 30 bucks.
If it bothers you that they took out the Wi-Fi capability, consider this question. How much longer are any past developers of Wii games going to keep up online support for whatever games they've released? Probably not much longer. Not to mention, that if you've been wanting a Wii all this time, but had to wait until it's $99.99, chances are you probably don't have internet service in a way that would allow you to play games online. Just saying.
and they didn't even drop the price, @Outside_ofthe_Box.
But because Nintendo isn't Sony, there was no fuzz over it because Nintendo can do no wrong -__-
Nintendo announced last week that they are not making anymore Wii games, and now they release a console without online connectivity? No thanks.
I can say this. Despite the criticism this will be a collectors item. Just like the nes top loader and snes jr.
The obscurity alone makes it an automatic seller.
"But because Nintendo isn't Sony, there was no fuzz over it because Nintendo can do no wrong -__-"
Nope, BC still available where I am on Wiis I saw in-store. There were only select models of Wii that lost BC (mostly in Europe), but they got an extra game in the bundle.
Sony got flack because they pushed BC as a selling point, then backtracked and removed it on a high end console. Then they claimed it wasn't important all of a sudden very early in this generation.
They were also the first to remove major features from a console in a later iteration.
What other "major features"? Other OS? lol get over yourself.
The majority of people ranting about that never even used it themselves.
Sony has also ADDED several new software features to the PS3. A detail many biased people tend to forget.
Sony did not "push" PS2 backwards compatibility on the PS3 as a selling point any more than Nintendo pushed GameCube backwards compatibility on the Wii (or GBA on DS, later removed from DSi).
Sony never claimed it wasn't important. They cut costs AND dropped the price of the PS3. http://www.semperthree.com/... Nintendo didn't drop the price. I guess you skipped that detail too.
They've both been bundling games.
What I gathered from your comment is this:
It's only bad when Sony does it.
With access to the Virtual Console and backwards compatibility with the Gamecube, this would have made for a fantastic retro gaming machine.
As it is right now... meh!
no WiFi. I hope it still has a usb port for the broadband adapter...and portable hard drive.
This is EXACTLY what I've been waiting for!/s
Nothing about this looks appealing to me. Every reason to ever get a Wii has been thrown out the window by this iteration. This is not how you do a smaller unit, worse than the newest Ps3 Slim.
What? worse than the newest ps3 slim? Whats wrong with the new ps3 slim? It's essentially the same thing as the original, same features and all just in a smaller size. I don't get your reasoning.
Ooh. No wi-fi. That's a huge omission. The families I know who currently use their Wii all use Netflix quite often for their kids. But, if you're just looking at a basic Wii for your kids that you can just plug in a game and go without needing anything else, it's only $99. It foots the bill if that's what you're after.
I think it looks pretty cool.
That is the point. No netflix. If you want netflix mom then buy a WiiU. It's a smart move in 2 ways.
1. It gives a option to the very casual market that does not even know how to setup wifi.
2. It clears confusion between the Wii and WiiU. It will make a easy buying choice for people. The red color helps parrents id the different systems.
I used to work at bestbuy and you wont believe how many cheap people will skip WiiU if only it had netflix. We used to sell a junk TV with built in netflix and a horrible picture and people would buy it only for that insted of a better model without.
I don't think anyone on this board would qualify for the "target audience". There are still families that can't afford internet access bills and this looks like a great little system for kids. Not everything is about "core" gamers. They'll probably sell a bunch to people who really want them and that's the point.
I would have bought one if it still had wifi, what a shame. How much money could they possibly have saved by excluding it?
No wifi, no online capabilities, no netflix, no buy -_-
Thats dumb as heck some of Wii's best games were on wiiware.
This is terrible. If you want a Wii download Dolphin. It's 100 times better and get this, absolutely free.
Well, ignoring the cost of a strong pc.
And games.
And if you're ignoring that cost then you be a pirate, mate.
What the fck Nintendo
this is so freaking stupid
the wii sells for 89-120 as is especially when the sales come around
this shit is stupid I swear
No Amount of Fanboy Delusion helps you to agree with this product
No internet
No gamecube
No OS
No wiiware
No nothing
Just a wiiplaying dvd like machine.
It should be 49.99 really unacceptable.
this trend of downgrades is not good -_-
Yall been PRANKED lol lol lol. Really, have a look at the image of the box
I think this with the normal Wii and the Wii U will create massive confusion come christmas.
Agreed. People can't forget that a lot of mothers can't tell shit from clay.
When my younger brother asked for Yu-Gi-Oh cards years ago, when they first came out, my Mother was asking people where to get these "UDL" cards. Yeh.....UDL is pre-mixed Vodka. *Facepalm
When they first came out? That was like 10 years ago.
I must admit, im loving the design.
Very retro NES feel to it and the colors are just excellent. But with my Wii still A-OK i shall pass.
The Wii mini is a canada exclusive so there shouldn't be much confusion...unless you live in canada of course :P
I do agree that it looks nice with the retro vibe it has.
Blame the idiot associates who don't prevent them from making that mistake.
This will be a great hit on Christmas. People usually dont realize how much consoles with the price pont of 99€ sell on this holliday season. Its a simple an small console for gaming, just that. No internet, no nothing. Gamers maybe dont understand this but youll see the sales numbers.
@moodgamer http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Do you work or worked in a retail store or gaming store?
They stripped the wifi part which probably costs less than $5 in bulk, costly decision that probably doomed this before it even releases.
it does have the same colors as the virtual boy...
stripped memory slots too will hinder this as well seeing a huge thing about the WiiU is transferring your saves from wii to wiiu and the people that will most likely buy this will only buy while waiting for the WiiU to restock.
Who in their right mind would do this?
Yeah, really surprised they did this. Wi-fi chips are so cheap (I even think your $5 is an overestimate given how you can easily find them in $99 phones now).
I don't think it's doomed as such, but having Netflix et al would have made for a more attractive package.
They're probably assuming that everyone already has their boxes in place though.
i think they should have kept the wifi feature in there or at least have some type of internet connectivity, but thats ok you can a buy the old wii for about 80 used in most pawn shops and gamestop now anyway.
What a hideous machine. The original Wii was much better looking.
No wi-fi/online features, no Gamecube controller port, no backwards compatibility. Is Nintendo trolling us? I sure hope people don't get conned into buying this.
I also think this came out at the wrong time. Parents who don't know any better might get this instead of the Wii U.
"no Gamecube controller port, no backwards compatibility."
wtf? really?! .. I was just fucking happy about this ..and now I am not -_-
I think the new design is better thought
The later revision of the Wii also omitted the gamecube ports/compatibility.
I bought a Wii last cristmas for my kids and even then we had to make sure the model we got was the one with b/c. I would think they don't sell those anymore in stores. Don't know though.
This seems kinda stupid move by Nintendo imo but I'm a gamer so I think this console is not intended for me in the first place.
It looks fantastic.....although a little redundant.
I can see many a sad child opening this on christmas morning or on their birthday...instead of the Wii U they pleaded for
....Mass parental consumer confusion ensues!
*I have to LMFAO when receiving disagrees from comments like this!?
1) Are we disagreeing parents won't be confused...not even one? or a child won't be disappointed expecting a Wii U?
2) Are we disagreeing because I commented 'Redundant' releasing a completely stripped down Wii when you can get a fully featured Wii for approx same price?
3) Are we disagreeing because I commented it looked Fantastic?
What?? Huh?? ...Don't disagree just cos you can...that's just dumb?
I can see that too.. lol
Kid: MOM MOM MOM! I WANT THE NEW WII U!!!!!
At Store
Mom: Can I get the new Wii?
Store Rep: You want the new Wii Mini that just released?
Mom not knowing any better answers: Yes.
Christmas Day
Kid starts opening present full of joy.
After opening...
tears starts to erupt. And no, not tears of joy.
Why would the moronic store rep suggest that?
The mom asked for the new Wii, didnt ask for Wii U.
It happens.
...I just don't think the store rep would just leave it at that.
Don't worry bro, I've got your back. +1 Agree
I actually like this tiny machine! If only they kept the Gamecube support I would of got this in a heart beat.
this has to be the most hideous console ever created. Whoever made this shouldn't be allowed to design anything else ever again.
Wrong article
The one with the ps3 super slim is on another page
People are bitching about no online but I can't even remember using the wii for any online features.


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http://sqlfiddle.com/#!2/808cc/1 - See for Schema and Query
The query returns the expected results, I want to see all the child_ids that match all the criteria in the IN() function. If I didn't use HAVING COUNT then there query would return results that meet any of the id's in the IN function.
Is there a cleaner way of doing this? What I have at the min seems more like a hack.


text:
Cape Coral City Council has unanimously denied a rezoning request for a 1.12- acre site next to one rezoned commercial to put in a gas station.
Monday's vote affirmed a unanimous verdict in February by Planning & Zoning to deny commercial status for property on 821 Cape Coral Pkwy.
Opponents of the proposed rezoning from professional to commercial said the change would increase the number of accidents and decrease property values.
One by one they laid out their case against the rezoning.
Richard Mullins said the area has already been degraded by the proposed gas station and that in a city where there's a surplus of available space, another office building is not needed.
"It will have a negative impact on property values and will make Cape Coral Parkway more dangerous," said resident Larry Toth. "There's also a risk of criminal activity and the zoning doesn't fit."
The proposed building would have been surrounded on most corners by multi-family housing.
Bill McFarland, representative of the landowners, disagreed, saying the rezoning was more perception than reality.
"Whether its P-1 or C-1, it's the same building. Putting a building there doesn't make a difference, what matters is getting tenants," McFarland said. "C-1 appeals to a broader base of tenants. It would improve development."
When council had its say, Marty McClain felt like it was dj vu all over again.
"There are myths coming up that have no documentation," McClain said, but added, "We were promised no gas station and it was shoehorned in. We have control with a P-1 zoning."
Councilmember Kevin McGrail said it would turn Cape Coral Parkway into strip mall city.
"A zoning change would create an Old Del Prado," McGrail said. "I urge council to agree with Planning & Zoning and deny."
Afterward, McFarland said there were no surprises and, as a result, the land will just sit there.
"It wasn't unanticipated. The fallout from the gas station and the way it was prosecuted was what caused it," McFarland said. "The land will sit there vacant. There isn't interest in P-1 zoning at this time."
In other business, Cape Coral Leadership Group presented a check for $20,400 to Special Populations, proceeds from a Casino Night the group held at the Yacht Club.
Couples paid $75 and there were raffles and silent auctions, and play money (except for the poker).
"Special Populations serves hundreds of people and is the crown jewel in this city," McClain said, who was a member of this year's leadership group. Everyone reached out and gave what they could to them."
Also, Councilmember Derrick Donnell addressed the council on podium procedures and his concern over recent incidents with those he says were out of order in addressing the council.
While nothing concrete came of it, some suggestions on what to do with future outbursts were given, including allowing Mayor John Sullivan to shut off the microphone or shut off the projector when a point of order is made by a council member.
Councilmember Chris Chulakes-Leetz was worried about such actions, saying it was like "killing a fly with a sledgehammer."
Sullivan said that while council may be experts on parliamentary procedures, the average resident is not.
"How often do I have to remind people to take off their hat or to not address council," Sullivan said. "Not everyone knows the rules."


text: Ferrari's Fernando Alonso made it clear that he was upset by Sebastian Vettel's dangerous move that forced him off the track during the Italian Grand Prix.The Ferrari driver, who finished third behind McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Sauber's Sergio Perez, was asked about the defending champion's driving during a post-race news briefing and, at first, refused to answer.BAD DAY FOR RED BULLHis enigmatic smile was enough to confirm an impression that he agreed entirely with the stewards' decision to give the Red Bull man a drive-through penalty.Asked again about the incident, however, and pressed to explain if it had cost him a chance to do better in the race, he said: "I lost 10 laps behind him, after the incident, and for sure the car was damaged because at 330 km/h you are jumping on the gravel - so I don't think the floor and everything was fine after those jumps.""I think that the people who are in charge of making the decisions took a careful view of everything. It is up to them to do their job."Vettel's wild driving came on a bad day for Red Bull as both drivers were forced to retire and the team finished pointless. But for victorious Hamilton, Perez and Alonso, there was poetic justice in taking the podium places just a week after another erratic driver Romain Grosjean of Lotus had triggered an opening lap multiple collision at the Belgian Grand Prix. That crash eliminated all three of the podium finishers in Monza before they could make any impact at Spa-Francorchamps.Click here for full race results!


text:
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Maid for the Billionaire (Book 1) (Le...
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text:
- Band:
- Upon A Burning Body
- When:
- 5:00PM on 03/20/2011
- Venue:
- The Studio @ Warehouse Live
- Where:
- Houston, TX
Top Stories
More On Upon A Burning BodyUpon A Burning Body Profiles: Metal Riot | Myspace
Band Spotlight
Harvey & Wolf
None or Unknown
Rockabilly hero Danny B. Harvey paired with ex-Cycle Slut From Hell/She Wolves/Star & Dagger legit metal lifer Dava She Wolf? Sign us up! If you crave a sleazy, whiskey soaked grit to your rock n' roll (with more than a hint of bar brawl or floor crawl inducing Link Wray and Motörhead inspired antics), proceed directly to your pre-scheduled bangover courtesy of the new Fine Spirits EP. Harvey has worked with rock and metal people before ranging from Lemmy to David Vincent, but this new EP of slinky, kinky and far from watered down boozy crawlers is infectious and downright reckless. Each song on the EP will crawl into your ear and possess you to slink and shake while being as heavy as C.O.C. but as wild as the West. The replay factor on this is huge. Let's hope Harvey & Wolf keep this going awhile, cuz it sounds fun for them but is really fun for us! Check out our favorite track "The Prowl"! It packs a slow motion groovy wallop.
Sierra: The Mirror
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L.A. Guns: Made In Milan
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Blaze Bayley: TROWB-IE3
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Napalm Death: Coded Smears And More Uncommon Slurs
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conquer at will: Lou's Revenge
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text:
There Really Are Privacy Issues Out There; Facebook Using Facial Recognition Is Not One Of Them
from the crying-virtual-wolf dept
And what's all of the fuss about? The ability of your friends to more quickly identify you in a photo? Where is the privacy violation? There isn't any.
It doesn't run the facial recognition and identify everyone in all photos. It just means when you upload new photos, it suggests who might be in them for you to tag. The user still needs to officially do the tagging, which they could have done already. And, if it really bothers people, it's easy to turn the feature off. The whole thing is a clear moral panic, and as some people are noting, these sorts of things take attention away from actual privacy issues. On top of that, the technology is already in use in lots of other places that no one complained about. The whole thing just seems like a bunch of people getting angry over something they don't understand... which makes it perfect for a bit of XtraNormal video action, and Kashmir Hill delivers an excellent video highlighting the absurdity:


text:
Getting started
33 Replies - 6848 Views - Last Post: 19 August 2012 - 03:03 AM
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 03:49 AM
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 04:37 AM
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 09:05 AM
Silver1992, on 14 August 2012 - 10:49 AM, said:
If you mean System.Net, no offense, but you are on crack.
With the possible exception of working with NodeJS, I have NEVER come close to the ease of use of the .NET networking classes. Granted, the underlying protocols are a bit crufty, but that's true of every api, they can't exactly recreate UDP/TCP at this point.
As to your actual question, I would recommend reading this guide. In the end there are all kinds of ways to start out, and you cant really make all that bad of a decision, so get at it. The worst thing you can do is nothing, and the next worst thing you can do is too much. So, pick something, dont overthink it, and jump in. Once you jump in, stick with it for a while.
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 10:01 AM
But I've ordered a few books and bookmarked tons to read up on now. Might as well do something productive at work
Anyhows! A big whooping Thanksies to everyone who had some kind of input here!
And this goes 100x <3 for staycrisp! You were amazing.
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 01:44 PM
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 01:57 PM
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 02:07 PM
stayscrisp, on 14 August 2012 - 07:37 AM, said:
The fact that with Metro, or whatever they are calling it today, allows access to DirectX for screen access bodes well for XNA in the future. Even if it won't do Metro there is the desktop side of Windows 8 which in theory runs everything Windows 7 can. Personally I'll be sticking with Windows 7 and probably will never install Windows 8 on my box. A lot of people out there in the same camp. If I was to get a tablet though then Windows 8 makes sense. I've got a feeling that Microsoft is going to include XNA in Windows 8 in some form or another.
Silver1992, on 14 August 2012 - 04:44 PM, said:
Yes, there are alternatives to using Games for Windows LIVE. For example there is the Lindgren Network tool kit. http://code.google.c...n-network-gen3/
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 02:21 PM
Silver1992, on 14 August 2012 - 02:44 PM, said:
That's a really good question and one that I would like to know the answer to. I've seen some talk about networking for XNA, but I think you are correct about it going through Windows Live and my opinion of that is about where your's is.
I wonder if you can't do sockets programming through the .Net library in C# (even for XNA games). I pretty much have to believe that's stable now as many revisions of .Net as have come out.
All my network programming has been with WinSock in Win32 and C++. I haven't really tried doing any networking with C# or XNA, as I haven't really had a need for it yet. But I'm still curious about what's possible.
Actually, now that I think about it, I wrote a C#/CLR stored procedure that FTP'ed into an FTP server. It's been a couple of years since then, but that must have used .Net sockets. I remember it worked really well.
I'm not sure, but I would imagine you could use the same sort of thing in XNA.
Re: Getting started
Posted 14 August 2012 - 02:41 PM
stayscrisp, on 14 August 2012 - 05:37 AM, said:
I'm a Microsoft fan, so I'm admittedly a bit biased. And I'm a bit of an XNA evangelist. So, you know I'm going to promote that.
I know a lot of people like other Operating Systems. The only other one that I really use is Android and I haven't gotten into programming for it. So, Windows is all I care about, but I could see why people who like other OS's might not be as crazy about Windows. Personally, I have no interest in writing for any platform other than Windows, but again I could see where others might not feel the same.
I'm not worried about XNA and Windows 8. We still have several months left before it's really released and it "may" take a year or more to catch on. Even then Microsoft promises that anything that will run on Windows 7 will run on Windows 8 in the "legacy" mode or whatever they call it. (It looks like it's basically a Metro app that acts like a Windows 7 desktop although I haven't really seen more than hints of Windows 8).
But the big thing for me is that it takes years and years to learn 3D game programming. Maybe a little less for 2D. So, its pretty much inevitable that there will be a new platform out before you're really ready to produce something serious. The way I see it, I'm going to "just be learning" for the next several years anyway. So, everything I learn between now and switching to the next platform will just be stuff I'll already know when I go to the new platform. I mean things like Axis Aligned Bounding Boxes and Oriented Bounding Boxes and how to calculate collisions with them isn't XNA specific. It's something that once you learn you'll carry that knowledge with you to every platform you ever work with in the future, especially if you learn it well and learn it at a mathematical level rather than just copying and pasting code.
And so that's really the reason I'm not afraid of Windows 8. Because I figure 90% of what I'm learning now in XNA will be stuff I will carry on to the next platform no matter what the next platform is.
And XNA/C# has more learning resources than any other game programming language that I'm aware of. There's just a ton of good learning material for it out there. So I really feel like any time spent with XNA between now and Windows 8 is time well spent no matter what happens.
And my belief is that Windows 8 is going to use a new version of Visual Studio (which should be released at roughly the same time) that will revolutionize game programming in Windows in a way that's tied deep into the Windows Metro concept. It's just speculation on my part, but I can kind of see a pattern developing and I just belive that XNA is not going to be needed after next year. I believe that you'll be able to do the same things directly in C# that now require XNA. And so XNA will go the way of the dinosaur, but most of us won't really care because we'll be very comfortable programming 3D games (or 2D) in C# without XNA.
The "evangalist" has spoken. ;-)
This post has been edited by BBeck: 14 August 2012 - 02:45 PM
Re: Getting started
Posted 15 August 2012 - 01:31 AM
Your arguments for XNA are applicable to many game development tools and languages, collision detection algorithms and 3D math is the same throughout game development whether you are using AS3,XNA,Javascript,Java or C++ (whether using an engine or a framework). But, it is well known that the performance of a managed application is not as good as a native application and the skills needed to develop one or the other differ quite dramatically.
I love AS3 because of the ease of development and that fact I don't need to worry about garbage collection or other such things (which is also a good reason to use XNA) but I know that I am missing out on learning more intricate performance techniques required when developing native applications. This doesn't put me off though as the ease of development outweighs the performance hits (in the case of the games I make anyway).
The reason I find it hard to recommend XNA is that it seems to be getting left behind in the scheme of things. Whether XNA 5 is actually released or not is besides the point, it's clear (from things I've read) that it's not at the forefront of how Microsoft want you to develop games for their platform. It's also worrying that I also read that there most likely won't be dedicated DirectX SDK releases either and that the game development part of windows will most likely be integrated into the windows API with releases coming through service packs. I don't hate XNA or even dislike it, I just see more interesting technologies coming through that I want to dedicate my time to.
Re: Getting started
Posted 15 August 2012 - 01:48 PM
stayscrisp, on 15 August 2012 - 02:31 AM, said:
Interesting article. I think I mostly disagree with the author. I think he might be right about that regarding the future of C++, but I don't see that as really affecting the future of C#.
I totally agree that native code will always run circles around managed code in terms of performance. But I would point out that for a lot of projects, that just doesn't matter.
Because of my personality, I like efficiency. I like to see things that are well designed and I think Assembly Language is the ultimate language and would like to remove all other computer languages from the world. Seriously. :-) I think the world of programming would be far better off if all examples, books, and tutorials were for Assembly langugage. If there were good Assemply language libraries that had the power of .Net(CLR) I would do all my coding in Assembly Language probably. I love Assembler and always will.
However, C++ is so close to Assembler that it pretty much makes working in Assembler a waste of time. And more importantly, there are 10,000 times more books, tutorials, and examples on how to get things done in C++ than there are in Assembler. Plus, C++ is ever so slightly faster to develop in than Assembler is. (Suprisingly not that much faster because Windows programming is mostly Win32 calls regardless of whether it's in C++ or Assembler.)
Before C# and XNA came along, I was all about C++ and DirectX. I hated Visual Basic and thought it was a waste of time because VB6 with ActiveX was just a mess. I would spend more time trying to figure out how some ridiculous ActiveX object actually worked than I would just coding it myself in C++ or Assembler. And 90% of the time the ActiveX object was either riddled with bugs that could not be debugged (because you couldn't get inside the object) or just poorly documented to the point of being unusable. I never want to look at VB6 ever again.
That left a bad taste in my mouth and I was slow to adapt C# and .Net (along with XNA) because of it. Some friends of mine started preaching the wonders of XNA and C# and I just couldn't imagine XNA performing well enough to be taken seriously. But in the end I decided to give it a try. Anyway, I was immediately hooked and never looked back.
Granted, I mostly work on my own code and the largest C# project I've worked with was either some of my own XNA code or a Project Management program I wrote in C#. But I have never seen a performance problem in C#. On today's modern computers it just runs as fast as C++. I mean, if it takes 4 microseconds for something to be drawn on the screen, or if it takes 400 microseconds to draw something on the screen, it just simply doesn't matter. Both are too fast for the human eye to see. The native code may be outperforming the managed code, but if you can't tell the difference, you can't tell the difference.
Where native code pays off for game programming is if you're building Grand Theft Auto V and you've got billions of polygons and thousands and thousands of game objects being managed simultaneously. In that case, you're working with a large team of professional programmers just to build something that large and complicated. And you definately want to squeeze that last ounce of performance out of the game to make it better than GTAIV.
But, when you're building simple games working by yourself. You're simply not going to have as much going on in your game as GTAIV even had. You're probably not a hot 3D modeler. So, you're models might as well be low poly. And one person just doesn't have enough life times to make the game as complicated as GTAIV, let alone GTAV.
I've never hit the wall in XNA 3D programming where I really had to cut something back because it wasn't performing well enough, largely because I'm working on solo projects. Whenever I've seen XNA have a performance problem, I've always realized that I've coded something wrong, and once I get it coded correctly, performance goes back to where it was before. And I'm still not doing much of anything to optimize such as frustrum culling or level of detail. I know at some point I'll run into performance problems if I don't, but even without that XNA has performed well on my 4 year old computer (it was about $2,000 back then when I built it, but it's certainly not bleeding edge hardware).
So, I guess my point is that native(non-managed) code is undisputably faster and more efficient, but .Net(CLR)/(managed) code performs "well enough" for a lot of people and is far easier with a much smaller learning curve.
If managed code (.Net) went away completely, and we were all forced to revert back to writing native(non-managed) code, yes - that would be a huge problem and there would be an enormous learning curve because .Net does not hardly prepare you to learn native code at all. For me personally, I don't care because I started out in the world of native code and came over to the "dark side" of writing managed code in C#.
And honestly, the fact that C# is "managed" is not at all why I like C#.Net. In fact, the managed thing was a bit of a stumbling block that delayed me getting into C# in the first place because I kept saying "How about you learn to program right and then you won't need a garbage collector to do your job for you?!" I didn't even like the concept of managed code because to me it just seemed like inefficiency for the sole purpose of laziness.
What I like about C#.Net is not that it's managed but that it comes packaged with the "glorious" .Net library. I love .Net because it has this tremendous library of functionality that I would have been spending years in C++ duplicating without it. I can literally crank out a program in C# in a month that would take me 2 years to write in C++. I spent an enormous amount of time in C++ doing things like writing data structures such as a generic double linked list. Granted, I had just started getting into STL, but I think .Net runs circles around STL and Win32 in terms of what it can do straight out of the box. And .Net just works! I've never found a bug in .Net. It just simply works and works well. Could you build the same functionality in C++ and have it perform better? Absolutely. But it would take you many many years and the end users would probably never notice the difference for business applications. Could you buy a library with similar functionality? Probably, if you can find such a thing. But, I would bet that such a library for C++, as rich as .Net, would cost you several thousands of dollars (which is a whole lot if you are doing it just for yourself). And I would even doubt that it exists these days, because it's kind of re-inventing the wheel when you can just buy Visual Studio .Net and already have the .Net library ready to go.
And going back to the idea that managed code is on the way out and native code is going to take everything over. I would say that my personal belief is just the opposite. I work as a DBA doing contract work, and that's allowed me to work for some of the biggest corporations in the world. With the exception of one company (who's business was selling software), none of them had any C++ programmers as far as I know. They had a teams of Java and .Net programmers, but I can't remember any of them having a single C++ programmer.
I used to get offended by the way corporations seem to not value efficiency and getting the job done right at all. Their answer to every problem is "buy another server", "throw money at it", "get it done now at any cost". But over the years, I've started seeing it from their perspective, at least a little. They're all about "time is money" and "how much is that going to cost my budget this year?"
They figure they can hire a C# contractor (who maybe knows everything he knows from reading 2 books) who has a couple years of experience for 3 months and pay his contracting company $50,000 a year ($12,500 for 3 months because he really barely knows how to do the job and probably makes minimum wage from his contracting company). Or, they can hire a C++ contractor (who maybe is top notch and one of the best coders out there) for 24 months and pay his contracting company $150,000 a year (because he's good and maybe makes $50 an hour or more) (that's a total of $300,000 for 2 years and they have to wait 1 and 3/4 of a year longer for the software to be produced).
So, they pay $12,500 for the C# contracter because they baulk at the thought of taking 2 years and spending $300,000. And if the program runs the business is happy. The C# programmer cranks out something that works "most of the time". Sure, it takes an hour to do it's thing, but they can go work on something else during that hour and they're just happy that they can do it now with one person in an hour when it used to take them 6 people working for 10 days to do the same thing with pen and paper. They have to buy a new server for $50,000 just to make the program run fast enough to even be usable because it's not at all efficient and it performs like a stuck pig. But that's still only $62,500 compared to hiring the C++ programmer for $300,000.
Granted, if they had of gone with the C++ programmer, maybe they would not have had to buy a new server because the old one would have been more than sufficient. And maybe they wouldn't have had to hire an extra server administrator to keep the new server running because the bugs in the code keep crashing the new server on an almost daily basis. But they probably don't even realize that the ongoing maintenance costs exists. Or if they do they may not realize that letting the amature programmer build their software for them is going to require extra support people to constantly deal with all the crashing and performance problems it creates. Or maybe they ran the numbers and decided that an extra server administrator will only cost them $80,000 a year and so the cost is somewhat comparable to hiring the C++ programmer but they get the software in 3 months instead of 2 years.
Anyway, my point is that I'm more worried that native code may be going the way of the Dodo bird. I figure managed code (or something that requires even less skill) is what is going to dominate in the future.
Microsoft loves to innovate and try to drive the market. But at the end of the day, Microsoft is a business. They exist solely to make a profit for their stakeholders. So, if the businesses that they provide software want native code, that's what they will sell. And if the businesses they provide software to want managed code, they'll sell managed code. And from what I've seen amongst their major customers is that you have managers who know nothing about computers running the IT deparments because modern management philosophy is that "you don't need to know how to do the job, you just need to know how to manage the people that do". And that leads to a bunch of managers who make IT decisions based on short term costs rather than long term support costs. And so what I see the business world asking Microsoft for is software and programming languages that require them to hire as few people as possible with the least possible skill set possible. They want a programming language where they can take a six year old off the street and turn him into a "professional programmer" in 10 minutes. The last thing they want is to use a programming language that only those programmers with the greatest natural ability can even understand, who have had to study for 10 years and read hundreds of thousands of pages, are self taught because no University teaches this langage, and command a salary greater than a lot of managers, especially when it takes that guy 10 times as long to produce the same program (because they have no appreciation for all the headaches that they could avoid if they just designed it and built it right in the first place).
And that's why I have no fear that C#.Net, or something even more simple, will be produced by Microsoft until the day Microsoft closes their doors and declares bankruptcy. :-)
(By the way, I mean this as no insult to C# programmers. I program in C#. C# is used both by very skilled programmers and beginners. It's just that professional grade C++ tends to be exclusively top notch programmers where as C# is easy enough to get started in that a child could do it while still having enough power to be useful to a lot of businesses. I don't mean to insult anyone.)
Also, C++ "may" always be the language of choice for professional game studios because it allows a big team to squeeze out that very last ounce of performance so that can get more eye candy on the screen than any game that's come before. I think C++ and native code will always have it's place, I'm just not sure that place is a place that non-game programmers, non-scientists, and non-engineers want to go.
GEEZE I'm long winded!!! ;-)
This post has been edited by BBeck: 15 August 2012 - 02:29 PM
Re: Getting started
Posted 15 August 2012 - 01:55 PM
Re: Getting started
Posted 15 August 2012 - 02:00 PM
So wait.. you ar comparing professional c++ to hobbyist tweens? Yeah.. okay.
Re: Getting started
Posted 15 August 2012 - 02:12 PM
stayscrisp, on 15 August 2012 - 02:31 AM, said:
The skill level does differ dramatically, and I admire those who take the time to learn to do it well do it right. And native is definately faster. But I've never seen C# not be fast enough for something written by one person rather than working on a large team.
As for various languages, I've never seen AS3 (so can't say anything). I tried Java years ago and kept hitting brick walls of what it "couldn't" do and quickly went back to C++. Can you program games in Java Script? (I've heard that a lot more games may get designed in HTML5 in the not too distant future).
Yes. My argument certainly does apply to any game programming language, but I think XNA is the best place I've found so far to be a beginner that also grows with you well into the advanced learning stages. Mainly, I prefer it because there is a lot of learning material out there for XNA that teaches even advanced concepts such as High Level Shader Language and such.
This is actually the first time I've heard of AS3. It "may" be better than XNA. I couldn't say, because I don't really know what it is. I'm only interested in Windows development (a personal decision), and so I mostly stick pretty close to Microsoft technologies. I would guess that there are a lot more books written to teach XNA than AS3, and that would probably be my primary reason for choosing XNA (since otherwise I don't know anything about AS3). So, AS3 might be better. I couldn't say.
I think DirectX becoming part of the Windows API is at the core of XNA's future. I don't believe there will be an XNA 5. I think Microsoft has already all but dropped it. However, I think Microsoft has always moved forward with technology. When we lost VB6 and ActiveX it was pretty much the death of ActiveX as we knew it. But .Net came along to replace it and that was so much better. Likewise, I think 2 years we'll be laughing about the fact that we thought we needed or even wanted XNA. We'll be laughing about why it was we though we couldn't just do it in C# without XNA and wonder to ourselves my Microsoft didn't make the change over in Windows 7 instead of making us wait for Windows 8. I imagine that C# game programming in Windows Metro will be almost just like C# game programming in Windows 7, just better and easier. Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but I've seen major shifts like this before and looking back on it, I don't think Microsoft ever really disappointed me. Even I'm a little worried about the future of XNA, but I believe it's all going to work out in the end. So, I'm still recommending it to all beginner game programmers.
As to prefering something other than XNA, that's fair. Not everyone has the same goals with their programming langage and we all have different opinions. I have reasons for choosing what I choose, but that doesn't make it the best choice for everyone all the time. And it's also possible that there's something better out there that I'm unaware of.
modi123_1, on 15 August 2012 - 03:00 PM, said:
So wait.. you ar comparing professional c++ to hobbyist tweens? Yeah.. okay.
In the statement you are quoting there, I was simply saying there's nothing wrong with being a hobbiest tween or a beginner, and that I also understand that professional C++ programmers are elite, and I did not mean to suggest otherwise. I was just saying that I hoped that my saying that C# code is "usually" inferior to C++ code did not insult anyone. And that C# programmers (especially hobbiest tweens), are in a whole different league than the guys that write C++ for a living. It's kind of the high school league compared to the pro league. Even professional grade C# isn't really as difficult, and doesn't require as much skill, as professional grade C++ code.
I was also saying that it is possible for a professional to write very good code in C# that often may perform just as well as something written in C++, especially for business applications (based on the fact that a lot of business applications may never need the performance benifits of C++ and therefore that improvement in performance may be wasted or unappreciated).
Mostly, I was just pre-appologizing a little if I offended anyone.
This post has been edited by BBeck: 15 August 2012 - 02:37 PM
Re: Getting started
Posted 15 August 2012 - 02:46 PM
It's not better, it's very different. I just happen to find it pretty interesting at the minute and for quick game dev it's awesome. Especially now you can utilise the GPU. Also, you do know I'm talking about actionscript 3 and flash? You must have heard of it. Being able to easily send your game across to a friend, embed it in a webpage and even package it for mobile is the main reason I like it.
Just as a general musing, why do you like Microsoft so much?


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Mark Ruffalo has never been one to shy away from controversy.
The 47-year-old has long been one of Hollywood's most outspoken actors, particularly when it comes to the environment. For the last few years, he's been on a public crusade against fracking -- hydraulic fracturing for natural gas that many argue contaminates water sources -- attending marches and criticizing Obama's energy plan.
So it's no surprise that now that there's turmoil in Hollywood over computer hacking, Ruffalo is speaking out.
On Thursday, the actor was interviewed about the two Golden Globe nominations he'd received -- one for his turn as an AIDS activist in HBO's "The Normal Heart,"...


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9.5.4 Released
Posted 19 February 2012 - 02:18 AM
This is a free upgrade to all Accordance 9 users, so get your download now via Check for Updates, or download it directly here.
The most important fix was the impossibility of typing a reference with a space in a More Options field of the Tools tab, since the space bar was paging the text below, a new feature in 9.5.3. This error let us remind users of an often overlooked option:
There is a shortcut in the Preferences:General which adds the reference to More Options whenever you amplify from a word in the text. You can override it either way by pressing shift.
This neat option highlights the relevant reference in the article in the tool if there is one, but still finds the article even if the verse is not cited.
A reminder to those who downloaded the beta version: this will not show up in Check for Updates. Please download the installer from the website.
OakTree Software
Posted 19 February 2012 - 04:24 AM
Posted 19 February 2012 - 09:27 AM
OakTree Software
Posted 19 February 2012 - 09:31 AM
I happen to be at a place where I can download this, but for some reason after three times it says it is corrupted. It could be my internet connection here in Africa, but if anyone else has this problem, it might be something that applies to everyone.
Donovan, the download and install worked for me as well.
Posted 19 February 2012 - 10:22 AM
By day: Consultant for Oaktree
By night: Freelance Trombonist and Private Instructor
Posted 19 February 2012 - 05:13 PM
My blog: Pentecostal Blogger
Late 2013 13" MBP Retina OSX 10.13, 8GB RAM
HP p2-1013w Windows 7 Home 3GB RAM
Dell Inspiron 15 4GB RAM and Windows 10
Accordance: 12.2 on Mac/Windows
Accordance 2.5.8 on iPad Pro 10" / iPhone 6+
Posted 19 February 2012 - 10:24 PM
Posted 20 February 2012 - 08:32 AM
Posted 20 February 2012 - 09:52 AM
"The name 'Sample Tool' cannot be used, since it is used by an existing file with a different type. Please use a different file name or delete the existing file."
When I dismiss the message, nothing appears. My default startup session does not load.
I have not created or modified a tool by any name. I tried downloaded the full .dmg file and reinstalling the update, but I get the same error message, and the same missing startup session.
Problem solved by deleting Sample Tool in user/Documents/Accordance Files/User Tools folder
Edited by DavidKrishef, 20 February 2012 - 10:21 AM.
Congregation Ahavas Israel
Grand Rapids, MI
Posted 20 February 2012 - 10:30 AM
I am not a programmer, so take this with a grain of salt.
"We are men of action; lies do not become us." - The Dread Pirate Roberts
Posted 20 February 2012 - 10:43 AM
By day: Consultant for Oaktree
By night: Freelance Trombonist and Private Instructor
Posted 20 February 2012 - 11:40 AM
Posted 21 February 2012 - 05:35 PM
Also, thanks for the fix! I was actually on my way to see if anyone else was experiencing this bug when I saw that the update fixed it. It's pretty awesome that you guys stay on top of this stuff the way you do.
Edited by Chris Robinson, 21 February 2012 - 05:36 PM.
Posted 06 March 2012 - 11:22 AM
<edit: 3.4.12>
Nevermind. The Holy Spirit is a genie in a bottle logo came back after I opened the program a couple of times. weird.
Edited by Chris Robinson, 07 March 2012 - 10:05 AM.
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History Of The AWS-IBM Dispute
Before we get into the details of Judge Wheeler's ruling, here's a quick rundown of the AWS-IBM dispute.
The CIA picked AWS over IBM on Feb. 14 to build what was described as a replica of the AWS running in the CIA's own data center.
IBM filed a protest in March to block the CIA deal, and in June, the GAO upheld parts of it and recommended the CIA re-open bidding.
In July, AWS sued the government to have the deal re-instated, and it won that ruling in early October. IBM finally gave up when the government said any further delays could harm national security.
AWS is the top public cloud player, but the CIA contract calls for a private cloud. That's what made this win doubly significant: Not only has IBM ruled the roost for decades in government IT, but AWS moving into the private cloud space could open a new front in the cloud wars.


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M2MCombo chip RS9113 offers dual-band 11abgn Wi‐Fi, dual‐mode Bluetooth 4.0, and ZigBee interfaces on a single die for M2M device manufacturers.
Redpine Signals, Inc. [1] (San Jose, CA) has announced the release of its RS9113 M2MCombo chip, the first of its kind in the industry. It integrates dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and dual-mode BT 4.0 wireless connectivity, making it the ideal device for universal M2M communications applications.
The RS9113 M2MCombo chip is a fully self‐contained solution, with no requirement of any part of the protocols to run on a host processor.
It is accompanied by a high level of hardware integration and saves manufacturers time and money by accelerating the product introduction through removing challenges involved in solving multiple wireless co‐existence issues.
Redpine also provides a complete reference design and development environment for creating applications using the new chip, and offers an easy‐to‐ use development kit with a USB interface.
Devices and systems use ZigBee, Wi‐Fi, BT and other wired means to communicate, with gateways and hubs offering multiple protocols and providing the link between the devices and cloud systems through the internet.
As a convergence device, RS9113 maintains connections on some or all interfaces – Wi‐Fi, BT 2.1+EDR, BT 3.0, BT 4.0, and ZigBee – presenting a virtual simultaneous multi‐protocol connectivity, a key feature to create a device which can be deployed in legacy and new wireless environments.
For example, a gateway device implemented with RS9113 could communicate with a medical sensor with single mode BT 4.0 connectivity, a smartphone with BT 4.0/Wi‐Fi, or an HVAC device with ZigBee connectivity without the need for multiple modules from various vendors.
"Our experience with thousands of customers in the growing wireless M2M space over the past decade has shown us that they need a way to hurdle the barriers of multiple protocols in order to accelerate product time to market, and therefore drive The Internet of Things market," says Venkat Mattela, CEO of Redpine Signals.
"Our M2MCombo solution not only provides an outstanding customer value for cost but also speeds up the product lifecycle by removing challenges involved in wireless co-existence issues."
The RS9113 is sampling now and multiple form-factor certified modules based on RS9113 will be available in the second quarter of 2013.
For more information visit http://www.redpinesignals.com/ [1] or email firstname.lastname@example.com [2].
Redpine Signals, Inc. [1] has announced the release of its RS9113 M2MCombo chip, the first of its kind in the industry. It integrates dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and dual-mode BT 4.0 wireless connectivity, making it the ideal device for universal M2M communications applications.


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It wasn't that long ago that parents were pretty worried about who would take care of their kids in Estherville.
First there was the decision by the Estherville Lincoln Central Board of Education to close the Estherville Child Care Center. The reason was simple. The center was losing money. And taxpayers had to make up the difference.
The other was that the ELC Board of Education found itself having to let school out Wednesday afternoons starting next school year to find the time to meet state-mandated teacher collaborative time.
Fortunately, people have stepped forward to help.
Community partners pitching in include the Regional Wellness Center and Estherville Public Library which will be both shouldering a big part of helping kids find meaningful activities Wednesday afternoons.
Another partner became official Monday when the ELC Board of Education approved the Y Kids Program. Bedell Family YMCA is providing the program and providing assistance to families that need it.
The Y has already proven itself by taking on what was formerly Kinship of Emmet County. Under that arrangement, participating kids in both Emmet and Dickinson counties have enormous opportunities through a great mentoring program bolstered by lots of activities. This arrangement has benefitted Kinship kids greatly in both counties, making it a win-win for everyone. And, under the very capable leadership of Kinship coordinator Melony Renze of Estherville, mentor-child matches have more than doubled.
This excellent track record of cooperation shows why the Y Kids Program is a good idea too. There is no possible way that the RWC and public library could have handled the volume of kids out of school Wednesdays. But with the Y Kids Program, that's possible.
We're lucky to have such great community partners right here in Estherville.