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Be Floridian this spring: Slow's the way to go with lawn fertilizer | Environment
Title (Max 100 Characters)
Pinellas County, Florida -- If you're planning to fertilize your lawn or flower beds this spring, take it slow - as in slow-release nitrogen. Under Pinellas County's fertilizer ordinance, only fertilizers containing a minimum of 50 percent slow-release nitrogen can be used from October to May.
Slow-release products (also called controlled release or timed release) feed your lawn or plants gradually, nourishing them for a longer period of time. They also help keep the environment healthy, since they are more likely to be absorbed by the plants and less likely to run off yards when it rains and pollute our bays, lakes and the Gulf of Mexico.
Not sure how to calculate the slow-release percentage? Don't worry. Your favorite garden center already has done that, since all landscape fertilizers they sell must meet the 50 percent slow-release requirement. Look for products with no phosphorus, too - our soils contain abundant amounts of phosphorous, so no need to apply more.
Even with slow-release products, you still need to be careful not to apply too much fertilizer. Knowing how big your yard is will make sure plants get the nutrition they need, without wasting money or polluting the waters.
Calculate the right amount of fertilizer for your yard at http://www.pinellascounty.org/environment/watershed/fertilizer-calulator.htm
The partners of the Be Floridian fertilizer education campaign also remind all True Floridians to follow the following eco-friendly landscape practices:
- Avoid weed and feed products, and be sure to sweep up any fertilizer spills from hard surfaces to prevent them from running off into our waters.
- Water wisely. Spring is typically a dry time in central Florida, so remember to adjust your irrigation schedule based on current rainfall totals. Most landscape plants require 1/2"-3/4" of water each week. If you have an automatic irrigation system, make sure you have a working rain sensor, or use a rain gauge to adjust your watering practices.
- Add two to three inches of mulch to hold in soil moisture during dry spring months. This will also help suppress weed growth. Choose eco-friendly mulches like pine straw, pine bark, or eucalyptus chips. Don't bag leaves that fall from your oak trees; use them as mulch instead.
- Prune spring flowering trees and shrubs after blooming. Prune after the last flowers fade but before new buds set in mid to late summer.
- Always remember to sweep grass clippings, leaves, and other landscape debris off of hard surfaces like sidewalks, driveways, and roads to prevent them from making their way to storm drains and then on to the waterways.
- Spring is a perfect time to embark on a Florida-friendly yard makeover. Try removing a section of high-maintenance grass and replace it with a mulched bed of drought-tolerant, easy-care flowers, shrubs or groundcovers. Learn more and see examples of what you can do at www.floridayards.org.
Remember: Being Floridian is all about "Protecting Our Fun" - boating, fishing, swimming and all the other water activities that make living here so great! To learn more, visit www.befloridian.org.
Release courtesy Pinellas County Government.


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Stuart Pearce will have further talks with Nottingham Forest on Thursday after admitting it is 'very likely' he will be the club's manager next season.
Forest have been looking for a new boss since owner and chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi dismissed Billy Davies on March 24 following a run of eight matches without a win, culminating in a 5-0 loss to bitter rivals Derby.
Pearce initially turned down the job following initial talks last week, citing family reasons, b ut he appears to have now made a U-turn and confirmed that he is in talks about taking over at the City Ground, although he will not take charge before the summer.
"I'm still talking with Nottingham Forest and I'm due to go up and meet them tomorrow (Thursday)," he told talkSPORT.
When pressed on whether he will be the manager next season, Pearce added: "It's very likely."
Pearce, who spent two years as Manchester City boss before becoming England Under-21s coach in 2007, was first approached by Forest following Neil Warnock's decision to turn the job down.
Glenn Hoddle and Martin O'Neill were also linked with the post but it now appears that Pearce, who had a spell in caretaker charge in the 1996/97 season and also coached Great Britain at London 2012, will become club's eighth permanent appointment in as many years.
The 51-year-old spent 12 years with Forest as a player and admitted on Wednesday that he still had a lot of affection for the club.
"Forest have always been well supported whatever league they've been in, there's a rich history there," he said.
"It's a great club and one that's very close to my heart."
Gary Brazil is in temporary charge of first team affairs at the two-time European champions and looks likely to remain at the helm until the end of the season.
Forest currently lie seventh in the Sky Bet Championship, two points adrift of a play-off place with seven games remaining.
Source: PA

subset: commoncrawl


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Up for sale are a Canon D30 in excellent condition, a 28-80 USM Zoom lens and a custom aluminum housing with port. All that for $2,000.
This housing is made out a solid block of aircraft grade aluminum. All controls have Quad Seal rings and are spring loaded to withstand pressure up to 150 feet. The sight glasses are made of 1/8 inch Lexan. The housing was made to accept Ikelite ports, which are quite inexpensive and are available for a great variety of lenses. For corrosion protection the housing was anodized and powder coated. There is one strobe connector on top of the housing. I am currently using two Ikelite 200 Substrobe with a dual cord, which are working only in manual mode, but are very powerful and have a short recycle time. The controls on the camera housing operate the following:
Main Dial,
Shutter Button,
Metering mode/Flash compensation Button,
AF mode/WB button,
AE/FE lock button,
Quick control Dial,
Mode Dial
Menu Button.
Those are the most common controls used and I did not see a need to cram the housing full of controls, which are unnecessary. I am currently using a 1 Gigabyte Micro drive, with a capacity of up to 800 high-resolution images.
The housing with two Ikelite 200 Strobes weighs about 20 pounds on land, and is about 1 pound negative in salt water -- depending on the port chosen.
Please check out the housing on the Digideep website through the following Link
or here on Wetpixel
The Canon D30 is about 2 years old and in excellent condition and looks like new. If you are not already familiar with the technical details of this camera, please check out Canons website.
The Camera comes with all the software, BP-511 Nicad battery, charger, DC coupler, Interface cable, Neck strap, Manual and a 16MB compact flash card.
Also included is a Canon 28-80 USM zoom lens, which is also in excellent condition.
The housing has been on approx 50 dives and has never been flooded. The reason why I am selling this great setup. Canon just came out with the new 10D and I am going to upgrade. I'll be glad to answer any additional questions.[COLOR=blue]
Canon D30 + Lens + Housing = $2,000
Started by Canon Shooter, Mar 30 2003 08:45 AM
1 reply to this topic
Posted 30 March 2003 - 08:45 AM
Kurt Bachlmayr
Canon 5D, Canon 10D backup, Custom Housing w ETTL 2x Canon 550EX.
Check out my new book at: http://www.blurb.com...e/detail/219074
Canon 5D, Canon 10D backup, Custom Housing w ETTL 2x Canon 550EX.
Check out my new book at: http://www.blurb.com...e/detail/219074
Posted 02 April 2003 - 06:11 AM
Please can you let me know if you would be interested in selling the housing only - and if so - include a revised price?


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Robertshaw RS6320 Universal Digital Programmable Thermostat - 3 Heat / 2 Cool
About This Thermostat
|Yes (7 day)
|System Compatibility:
|Heat Pump, Multi-Stage, Millivolt, Single Stage
|Power Options:
|24 VAC Hardwire, Battery
|Heat/Cool Changeover:
|Automatic or Manual
|Programmable Fan:
|Temperature Limits:
|Keypad Lockout:
|Vacation Hold:
Robertshaw R6320 Multistage Digital Programmable Thermostat - 3 Heat / 2 Cool. Replaces Models 9710, 9720
- The Robertshaw® RS6000 thermostat family is Simply the Right Choice when it comes to daily programmable temperature controls that can save energy and money. With the comfort, convenience, and efficiency features that homeowners and contractors want, the RS6000 family provides EnergyStar® and California Title 24 compliant features for an affordable price. Fully programmable with soft touch keys to easily set four events per day AND 7 day scheduling.
- Copy command that makes programming simple to set up and flexible to use.
- Pop-Up Wizard to customize thermostat settings with an instant start-up menu.
- The RS6000 thermostats are fully compatible with all standard 24V AC heating and cooling systems. Add in easy installation, Contractor ID option, and quality you can depend on, and you have the Robertshaw RS6000 thermostat family - Simply the Right Choice.
The thermostat will operate using 24V AC or two AA batteries. When the two AA batteries are installed the thermostat will continue to run if the 24V AC fails.
. 3-Stage Heating available for heat pump applications only
. Pop-Up Wizard
. Automatic changeover
. Circulating Fan
. Worry-Free memory retention
. Easy change battery
. Large back lit display
. Filter change reminder
. Low battery indicator
. Fahrenheit and Celsius displays
. EnergyStarT compliant
. Dual power
. Adjustable 1st stage temperature differential: 0.5 F Degrees to 3.0 F Degrees (0.5 C Degrees to 1.5 C Degrees)
. Accuracy within ±1 F Degree
. Automatic heating shutdown if temperature exceeds 99°F (37°C)
. Keypad security lockout
. 7-Day programming
. 4 events per day for heating and cooling
. Individual day scheduling
. User settable Hi and Lo temperature limits
Staging/Application Universal Control up to 3 Heat / 2 Cool
Programming - 7 Day
Terminations - RH/R, RC, C, G, B, O, Y1, W1, Y2, W2, E, L
Power Source - 24V AC with battery back-up OR 3.0V DC (2 AA alkaline batteries included)
Electrical rating - 24V AC (18-30V AC)
Setpoint Range - 45-90 degrees F
Dimensions -5-1/4 x 3-3/4 x 1-3/16


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Ah, springtime in New England. The time when a young man's fancy turns to fly swatting. The time when flowers bloom and sinuses erupt. The time when a certain earthy aroma begins to waft over our towns, reminding us all that life in Western Mass. is still—despite the handful of colleges scattered across our Valley—largely a rural affair.
It took a while, but it's a smell I've come to enjoy, and even look forward to, after some 15 years here. (I arrived via Brooklyn, where the closest approximation was a fetid N train in August, a comparison that heavily favors the manure.) And with each returning spring I'm glad for the reminder of our region's agricultural heritage. This Friday and Saturday, a film comes to Shelburne Falls' Memorial Hall to reach back in time and show us a bit of our own story.
That film is Root Hog or Die, a 1974 documentary film directed by Rawn Fulton. Drawing its title from an idiomatic expression of American self-reliance, Fulton's film tells the stories of Franklin County's old-time horse farmers, a group that in the mid-1970s seemed to be on their way out. But the film—newly restored and digitized in the Pothole Pictures screening—provides the backstory and historical context for the more recent boom in micro-farming that has seen the area explode with all manner of natural bounty. (When my wife and I were getting ready to buy our farm share this year, the only problem was deciding among the multitude of choices.) The CSAs, farmstands and organic markets that we take for granted today didn't spring up fully formed, even if they were here by the time the Brooklynites descended.
To help elucidate the matter and strengthen our connection to the past, the director will be on hand with a panel of local farmers for the Saturday evening screening to discuss the evolution of local farming over the last four decades. They will be joined for a bit of local music by the fiddle and banjo outfit Whistlestop.
Also this week: Amherst Cinema continues with The Sapphires, a remarkable true story. It follows a group of smart young Australian Aboriginal women as they become unlikely stars in a very unlikely place. The group of four sisters and cousins has a knack for harmony, and while their love of singing keeps them going, the racism of the time holds them back—when they lose a pub contest to an abysmal (but white) competitor, it's clear that there is little chance for them in the area. But then, with the help of Irish musician and soul aficionado Dave Lovelace—conveniently out of a job after sticking up for the group in the pub—The Cummeragunja Songbirds, now known as The Sapphires, hit the road to Melbourne, where auditions are being held for performers to entertain a new crowd: the American soldiers deployed to Vietnam. By the time the group finds its audience, they've become a sharp-as-a-crease soul machine. And against all odds, their story offers a new vantage point on a wartime era that most moviegoers probably thought they knew inside and out.
A final note this week: the May 10 live broadcast of Critically Acclaimed: An Evening With The Critics, covered in last week's column, had to be postponed due to technical issues with the service provider for the live stream. At press time no new date had been set for the rescheduled screening, but Amherst Cinema will update its website as new information comes in. In the meantime, it's back to reading the papers.•
Jack Brown can be reached at email@example.com.


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It's funny, but I'd kind of thought that the version of Zero that got upstreamed was pretty much cut and dried. It hadn't had any real changes for months, after all, and the S/390 compatibility work required was so minimal—in terms of code changed, if not in terms of time taken!—that I didn't think there was much more to do. But in this last couple of months I've made a ton of fixes, including one big change that's upstream (improved stack overflow handling) and one that's hopefully heading that way (some frame anchor fixes).
The new stack overflow code is pretty awesome (if I say so myself!) The old code jumped through some pretty bizarre hoops in order to throw the exception from the exact frame of the method being called. This is more or less how it happens in "classic" HotSpot, which decides which method you're in from the ABI stack, but wasn't workable for Zero which might have run out of Zero stack with no room to put the frame of the method from which you want to throw the exception. Argh! So I wrote this look-ahead detection thing, to throw the exception when you still had some stack to put your frame on, which worked, but was easily fooled. A valid Java method could have a frame far larger than the default thread stack size on most systems, so the lookahead worked on the assumption that a frame probably wouldn't be that big. There were a number of places where the stack could overflow, in which case you'd hit an
Unimplemented and the VM would bomb out. Not good, and not very secure either.
The new code is awesome. I realised that it doesn't really matter exactly which frame the
StackOverflowError got thrown from, only that it got thrown. I wrote a little method,
ZeroStack::overflow_check, which is inline and can be called from anywhere—any VM state, etc. It does the check, and throws the exception, via
ZeroStack::handle_overflow. That one is pretty complicated, but I did say I wanted the overflow check to be callable from anywhere, so it has to set up the frame anchor if it isn't already, and cope with whatever thread state it finds itself in. The best thing about
ZeroStack::handle_overflow? You can call it from Shark, which let me blow away all the ugly stack overflow code I was griping about in my last post.
Unimplementeds in the stack overflow detector were my least favourite thing about Zero, my guilty secret (in as much as open source code published on the internet is secret). And now they're gone! No more ugly code in Zero! Until a few days later, when I discovered some stuff in the frame anchor that was reversed. But that's for another day.


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Submission + - The End of Free OTA TV? (sfvbj.com) 1
Caldeso writes: The San Fernando Valley Business Journal is predicting (free registration required) that Comcast's purchase of NBC spells the end of free-as-in-beer over the air broadcasts from ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. Currently, the networks are allowed free broadcast rights by the FCC in exchange for showing the daily news, but Rupert Murdoch is one of many who believe that the recent drop in advertising revenues means that quality reporting will no longer be affordable for the networks, eventually costing them broadcast rights.


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Stupid question maybe but.....
Posted 01 February 2006 - 10:25 PM
This may be a "stupid" question but I really want to know....
Is it true that animals, especially cats, can drive away spirits? I know that some animals can "detect" paranormal events but can they drive them away?
Since I have cats, and sometimes "odd" feelings in my home, I would like to know if it´s impossible that these feelings could be caused by sprits or I just have an active imagination?!
Ideas any one?
/ Cita
Posted 01 February 2006 - 11:06 PM
I don't think this is a stupid question at all. I think it's a very good one.
Does anyone else know anymore about animals and ghosts?
Posted 02 February 2006 - 12:56 AM
We have watched our other animals when there is activity in our house, they all act weird in some way. Sometimes they bark or run for no reason. We have caught them staring at a certain spot in a room, we would check and you could even feel the cold in that spot. My daughter would say who was there to us, many times it would be one of our animals who had passed on. They have an uncanny sense of spirits, that I know for sure.
Posted 02 February 2006 - 02:37 AM
Posted 02 February 2006 - 07:38 AM
Check out my artwork at:http://www.jimdemick.com/
and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Jim-Demick/261669903877527
"There are some things money can't buy...A good imagination is one of them
Posted 02 February 2006 - 10:53 AM
Maybe it´s an swedish "thing" in regards to what cats can and cant do? I have been told that dogs can detect spirits but cats will chase them away...it´s really interesting!
I´ve also heard that, in regards to the egyptian legends, cats are the keepers of the underground..maybe that´s were it comes from?
Since I have cats, I thought it would be really interesting to find out to what level their psychic abilities range.....do you know if there is any sites that investigates this?
/ Cita
Posted 07 February 2006 - 08:39 AM
Posted 17 February 2006 - 03:28 PM
I haven't heard this before, but there are some religions and beliefs that say cats are guardians of the portal or gateway between this world and the next. It's an interesting idea anyway. I have a cat, so if you find out anymore I would love to know.
Posted 23 March 2006 - 06:52 PM
I dont' know about animals chasing away spirits - that one is new to me. I do remember a time when I could feel a presence in my home one evening - an angry one. I first noticed it because the cat (now 15 1/2) was sitting on the couch next to me and he began staring off to the other side of the room towards a recliner that was near the door to the kitchen. Gradually, the cat became very agitated, his eyes got all huge and his fur fluffed out. He started to rumble low in his throat. After a bit he settled down, but for the time that entity was coming around, (before I sent it away) the cat always acted like that. Weird, huh?
Oh, and Cita? Remember that the only stupid question is the one that you don't ever ask. All the ones you do ask are not stupid.
Posted 23 March 2006 - 07:24 PM
Posted 23 March 2006 - 10:51 PM
Posted 24 March 2006 - 01:57 AM
Posted 21 April 2006 - 03:04 PM
Posted 21 April 2006 - 03:08 PM
Take my hand and we'll go riding through the sunshine from above
Posted 21 April 2006 - 09:38 PM
I have 5 cats now, but it hasn't stopped our little spirit from making her presense known. They tend to get a little crazed at the time...usually this is how I can tell that something is amiss. But the spirit doesn't seem to be bothered at all by it. It drives the cats insane though!!
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BMA Properties here in Fayetteville recently recognized Glenn Beech, Kaila Hampton and Sylvia McAlister as being $1 million producers for 2012.
"These agents do an outstanding job of taking care of their clients' needs from start to finish and developing long-term relationships with them, " said BMA Broker/Owner Bob Malone.
"I am honored to have them representing BMA Properties."
BMA is a full-service real estate company representing buyers and sellers for residential, agricultural, recreational and commercial purchases and sales.
Located at 1723 Pulaski Highway in Fayetteville, the firm can be reached at 931-438-4492 or by visiting its website at bmaprop.com.


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Billy Crawford went emotional during his The Buzz interview with Boy Abunda where he talked about his break-up with Nikki Gil for the first time.
The It's Showtime host shed tears even before answering the host's first question. He said he needs to find himself, revealing that he's leaving on August 3 to reunite with his mom and dad in the U.S.
Here's the transcript of his interview:
Boy: Naghiwalay na nga ba kayo ni Nikki Gil? Tell me what you can.
Billy: Nawawala ako. I'm very lost, very confused. Walang kinalaman si Nikki. It all boils down to me. It's an indescribable feeling, it's like all these negativity, confusions, the sadness, the hurt… Nikki has not been anything apart from good to me. Everything I said there a while ago, you know, she is a dream come true when it comes to finding the right one. Pero it's hard to find the right one kung ikaw mismo, you're not right. And it's been a while, it's been a while I've been… I don't know who to blame. It's been a while I'm back at being myself. Dahil lahat ng tao kasi nakikita nila ako masayahin, matulungin. I tried to do everything I can for everyone to be happy, especially the people around me; the people that I love. And I forgot what makes me happy; I forgot who I am. I don't know what I'm doing cuz all I know what to do is to work. It's been almost 26 years I'm in this industry. I've been everywhere and this is the first time I've ever felt this way. That's why I ask everyone, do not blame Nikki. She has no fault. I'm not a perfect guy; I'm not a perfect person. I've done some things in my life then that I regret and she supported me, she understood. She was there. But I tend to go home by myself. It's so simple kasi to go around with friends and to enjoy and forget about the problems, whatever you're going through. Especially kung may naririnig kang problema na pinagdadaanan ng mga kaibigan mo. Sobrang daling makalimutan kung ano 'yung problema. Nakalimutan ko I'm the one who's completely lost and I'm searching. I asked her this, you know, give me that chance to find myself cuz it's very difficult.
Boy: And she said?
Billy: Yeah… I tend to hurt and I tend to hurt her and I really don't wanna do this interview for sympathy. I don't want everybody to feel bad for me. I don't want, I mean, whatever happens, happens.
Boy: And why are you doing this interview?
Billy: I really didn't want to.
Boy: What made you do it?
Billy: One is that I needed to stop everybody from talking on our behalf. And I'm gonna leave August 3 and I'm gonna go back to my family.
Boy: In the United States?
Billy: Yeah…
Boy: Okay…
Billy: I just… That's why I'm here because I didn't want to just leave and not say anything and then for everybody to attack her. And for everybody to speculate. All I could pray for is I just really, for some reason, I needed to be with my mom… I have to start from the scratch. I have to start from… Where did I come from? I came from my parents. I need to try to find what was making me happy before. Who was I and I just want to be with my family.
Boy: Billy, sabi ko sa puntong 'yan naiintindihan ko. Pati 'yan siguro nakalimutan mo dahil, you know, you're talking about your parents. You're talking about confusion, you're talking about forgetting who you are and what makes you happy. Ito'y sisimplehan ko lamang. What you're basically trying to say is at this very moment, "Huwag n'yong sisihin si Nikki. This is about me. This is about my confusion. This is about my life." Is it safe to say that "It's about me. I am the reason for the break-up." Am I making sense?
Billy: I guess so.
Boy: I-klaro natin 'yon para hindi manghula ang nanonood at nakikinig sa atin. 'Pag sinabi mong I'm confused, ang sinabi mo, "Nakalimutan ko ang mga bagay na nagpapaligaya sa akin." Ang ibig mo bang sabihin bahagi ng inyong paghihiwalay ay nawalan ka ng oras dahil nadala ka ng iyong trabaho? I'm guessing again. I-klaro natin 'yon.
Billy: Isa na 'yon. There were times when mahirap magtrabaho pero kailangan ng trabaho.
Boy: Nagkulang ka sa aspetong 'yon?
Billy: I think so.
Boy: And that became an issue in the relationship?
Billy: I would guess that would be one of the smallest reasons.
Boy: Because to some people they would say you guys know what the business is, you're both public so you know how to manage time. Alam n'yong pareho kayong walang oras. So you're right it can be one of the smallest reasons. Billy, again para lamang, sabi mo nga ayaw mong umalis sa Pilipinas para manghula lamang ang tao at mag-speculate kung ano'ng dahilan ng inyong paghihiwalay. You have this chance to be very clear. So kung 'yan ay maliit na bahagi ng inyong paghihiwalay, in a language that you would understand, without having to reveal too much, bakit kayo naghiwalay?
Billy: Honestly, Tito Boy, it's so hard to love someone and to continue on if I don't even love myself; If I'm not happy. I can't force her to be a certain person that I want her to be and it's vice versa. She wasn't able to force me being someone that she thought I am. So I think, sa akin lang I just, it's so hard because even ako, Tito Boy, that's why I'm searching, e. Because… I just don't know…
Boy: And it came to a point when you didn't want to be together anymore in that search for yourselves, at least for yourself. Billy, I don't know how this sounds, did you outgrow each other?
Billy: Yea, I… It's so simple to say that yea, we just outgrew it's other. You know, it's four and a half years of, to me, beautiful memories.
Boy: Did you fall out of love?
Billy: I just fell out of the face of the earth. I just, people see me everyday, but they don't see me when I'm home. I love her. I still do. But it's unfair to continue if I'm the one that's… I don't wanna continue to hurt her because I became distant, and I don't wanna continue to hurt her cuz if I continue with this relationship, in the long run talagang hindi na kami magkakatugma, e.
Boy: Dahil may problema ka, may hinahanap ka…
Billy: We don't see eye to eye on things, we're not on the same page.
Boy: Was it a bad separation?
Billy: It happened numerous times, e.
Boy: Are you guys talking?
Billy: Well, we haven't really talked "talk."
Boy: But you had a formal goodbye?
Billy: Yea…
Boy: How badly did you fight to save this relationship?
Billy: Tito Boy, to be honest with you, she fought. She fought. She fought.
Boy: She fought, why didn't you?
Billy: I tried.
Boy: You did.
Billy: I tried but she really stuck it out, I have to admit. And I'm admitting this because I respect her.
Boy: Ipaliwanag mo sa akin, she fought what? She wanted to save the relationship, she fought for the relationship. You tried but could not.
Billy: I just wasn't there. I wasn't myself.
Boy: Naintindihan n'ya ba? Naintindihan n'ya ba, naunawaan n'ya ba that you had to go, na hindi mo na kaya 'yung relasyon?
Billy: Tito Boy, mahirap naman na maintindihan ng isang tao 'yun, e.
Boy: She didn't?
Billy: Because I mean, as I was saying a while ago, if it was another story, if I was seeing someone else or if she was seeing someone else and there was a mess, it would've been easier for someone to say yes, it's my fault.
Boy: So diretsa natin ito bago pag-usapan ng mga tao. May third party involved ba?
Billy: No.
Boy: Wala, that's why it's a lot easier to talk about it.
Billy: It's so much simpler if it was like that.
Boy: Alam mo dito sa ating negosyong ito, 'pag may naghihiwalay, dalawa lamang ang ginagawa, either idini-deny or tumatahimik. You decided to come out and break your silence. You still love her but you have to go. Ang daming nagmamahal sa inyo, ang daming nagmamahal sa inyo. How do you explain that? You're public figures. How do you explain that to people who love you?
Billy: Pasensiya na kayo. Sa lahat din ng sumuporta sa relationship namin ni Nikki, I think I could say from the both of us we really thank you cuz you give us strength din. But I'm sorry. I really apologize to everyone that fought. Cuz it's really pressuring, to be honest with you, na you're perceived as one of the most looked up couples, ideal couples, here in the industry. And mahirap i-continue and I just wanna say I'm sorry. I really apologize.
Boy: Did you talk about marriage?
Billy: Of course.
Boy: You did.
Billy: Of course. Umabot na sa puntong sino'ng mga ninong, ninang, sino'ng mga best men. You know, umabot na do'n syempre. Pero I really pray that matapos na 'to lahat especially sa akin.
Boy: What are you learning, Billy? What are you learning now as we talk?
Billy: You know I feel like such a bad person, actually, to be honest. I feel like I'm… sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough. But I learned that importante pala na mahanap mo 'yung sarili mo muna. I think kung maligaya ka, mas madaling magpaligaya ng ibang tao. And hindi ko s'ya, in the later part of our relationship hindi ko s'ya napaligaya; nasaktan ko s'ya. And she's an amazing person, Tito Boy.
Boy: What would you wanna tell her now?
Billy: I hope you understand.
Boy: Billy, huling tanong na lamang. Are you sure in your heart that this is really the end; ito na talaga ang katapusan ng inyong relasyon?
Billy: Only God knows, Tito Boy.
Boy: Your prayer? What is your prayer?
Billy: Save me. I feel like the devil's really, really strong. I feel defeated. All I can ask for is forgiveness and I just… Just save me.
Boy: Maraming salamat, Billy. Maraming, maraming salamat. Go home, spend time with mom and dad. Find yourself. But I genuinely, I truthfully, respect your pain.
Billy: Tito Boy, I just also wanna say that for the sake of my life lang, this will be the last time I will talk about what happened about this relationship. This is the first and this is the last. And I thank everyone for being there and I just really wanna say I'm sorry.
Boy: Thank you, maraming salamat.
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Journal Workaphobia's Journal: Argh! A Geek tragedy, complete with DeusExMachina.
Our story begins with a skim over the day's Slashdot headlines. The regulars are all present: Government X adopts OSS/ODF, Mr. Nobody gives a loose overview of security problem Y, and SCO does transparently underhanded deed Z. Yet one topic in particular grabs my attention...
Being a Weird Al fan, and well-aware of the problems he has collecting from his label, my mind registers the topic both as a must-Read-More and as another chapter to take note of in the long saga of digital music rights. With significant anticipation, I add it to my other fifteen or so open tabs and proceed to work my way through my article reading queue.
I (grudgingly) visit myspace, but something's amiss. There is no download link! Nothing in the navigation menu, the news posts, or the comments make mention of where I can obtain the song, yet visitors proceed to comment on how much they enjoyed it. Looking for an alternate link, I return to Slashdot, only to find more reactions without mention of any download difficulties. And so I begin to worry irrationally: "I'm the only one in the world who can't listen to Weird Al!" I've had usability issues with myspace before, but normally after a minute or so of misguided clicking I'm able to stumble upon something that hints at actual content. I try two other domains, weirdal.com and dontdownloadthissong.com, only to find the former hopelessly slashdotted and the latter unusable. My frustration continues to build.
I reflect that perhaps it is a browser compatability issue - I am using Konqueror after all - and try my luck with firefox. After configuring it to *not* attempt DNS queries over IPv6, that I might reach the content I so desperately seek this century, I find that myspace persists to mock me. It is as if some divine administrative force knows my IP address and has modified the web server specifically to torment me.
I search for torrent files - first through links from kind slashdotters looking to boost their karma, and when that fails, via KTorrent's integrated search plugin. Bittorrent.com? No matches. Isohunt.com? Nada. Mininova? Bytenova? Torrentspy?! My heart races as I continue to exhaust the list of built-in known search engines, until... Aha! The Pirate Bay has found one match, uploaded a mere twenty-two minutes ago.
But to use a torrent from the most infamous peer-to-peer site in existence, what would that make me? Is the torrent legal? Just because Weird Al chooses to distribute it on his webpage doesn't mean he releases that right to others. I'm sure under these circumstances he couldn't possibly mind, but not having heard of the song's existence prior to reading Slashdot, I simply do not know the record label's stance on the matter, or whether they even have partial rights over this particular mp3. But it does not matter - I must have the song!
The irony - that I am bittorrenting a free-as-in-beer song that possesses a satirical name mocking filesharing litigation, and am potentially committing a copyright violation in the process - is not lost on me. My idealistic side taunts the RIAA, "I just DARE you to try to sue me over this, my only infringement!" My pessimistically pragmatic side notes that the unusual circumstances would make no difference, as I would be forced to settle, and never see my day in court anyway.
I emerge from my digression to the present.
No peers or seeders. For the moment, the music industry and other enemies of Peer-to-Peer breathe a sigh of relief.
Then it occurs to me that the song might be unreachable to those who have not installed the dreaded Flash Plugin. But why? A slashdot commenter mentions that the song is indeed in the mp3 format, so it is not as if my lack of such a player could possibly prevent me from obtaining this song. For what kind of sick madman would consign a publically-downloadable mp3 to the clutches of a proprietary system and that system alone?
As a rule, I have abstained from using Flash on my desktop's Gentoo installation. This self-denial is due to a combination of factors: Flash's outdated linux versions, its tendency to make my browser unstable, its potential difficulty to install (and configure working audio), and of course, its closed-source nature. Given how most of the Flash content out there consists of ads, or otherwise pages that I would not wish to view anyway, I considered it a mostly favorable sacrifice.
But Weird Al is easily worth sacrificing my sacrifice! Whether the middle-man in my deal with the proverbial devil is The Pirate Bay or Adobe Flash, I must have his song, no matter the cost to my ideals. And so I click on the gateway into the proprietary plugin, and hover my mouse over the "Next" button belonging to the "I agree" EULA page. I can almost feel my clockspeed quicken to keep up with my heartbeat...
I click.
The plugin downloads, yet fails to install. It is as if some heavenly force is giving me one last chance to redeem myself. I scoff at the opportunity and continue my decent into darkness at full speed, this time seeking out the download for manual installation.
Moving the tarball to firefox's directory -
tar -xzvf'ing it -
Poised to execute the installer, when all of a sudden -
Ktorrent notifies me, with all the surreal nonchalance it can muster through its small corner popup, that my torrent has completed.
And so I open the directory, and see an mp3 and a lyrics file staring me in the face as my world begins to rematerialize. A sort of tranquil, blissful grin comes across my face as I fire up mplayer and enjoy Weird Al's satire...


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The idea that better protection means guaranteed market dominance is inherently flawed.
People quite often choose a platform strictly for its being hackable, for its flawed protection scheme. And they will buy some games while pirating more others, generating some revenue for the flawed-protection market and none for the perfect-protection one. The other will get much better revenue per customer, but much less customers. And of course they will never get the idea just WHY does their console sell worse?
I don't think any publisher ever hated the idea of digital distribution (if only it could be made pirate-proof enough for their taste.)
See, ever since the 90's or so, most of the profit has been made by the retailers. Those make money both from the few games that are a success, and from the complete flops. Even games like Daikatana or Aiken's Artefact (which got great reviews, but IIRC sold a total of 800 copies and nobody knowns why) actually made a bunch of retailers a bunch of money.
See, some of us learned a 17'th century version of capitalism (which is also the version in the game called Capitalism) where the merchant buys a barrel of wine in France for price X and tries to sell it in England for 10% more. (Or 50% or whatever.) And if it doesn't work, hey, the producer got his money anyway. Most of retail in today's post-scarcity economy doesn't work that way. Producing stuff is easy, selling it is hard, and basically as a producer you pay the retailers for shelf space to even carry your product at all. If you made an Aiken's Artefact and sold 800 copies total, congrats, you still pay all those retailers to have it on the shelves.
Worse yet, basically the retailers know how important they are and often get to directly or indirectly got to set the rules for you.
The most trivial example is the current brouhaha over ESRB ratings, which exists because of one single retailer: Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart doesn't carry Adults Only game, 'cause god forbid someone may think that means porn, and that would ruin their BS corporate image. Dumbly enough it's also the biggest retailer. Which left the industry in the pickle of simultaneously arguing (A) not all games are for kids, so fuck off, we can make a game with tits and gutting people like sardines because it's for adults, (B) but this particular set of tits and gutted people is good for 17 years old (or sometimes even 13) because otherwise Wal-Mart won't carry it and we'd, like, not make as much money. (And of course making money overrides and moral considerations. What are you, some kinda commie?)
But, heck, even the E3 exists only because at some point the industry figured out they need a way to woo the retailers. That's right. It never was meant to be a place where nerds get their photos taken with booth-babes, except as a further way to show the retailers "look how many people are interested in our next game."
But generally, you have an industry which for a long while has been squeezed by the balls by the retailers. It had to keep brown-nosing them and paying them for the privilege.
I believe that most publishers would have sold their soul to the devil to get out of that, not just tried digital distribution.
Of course, it also had to be enough of a market share, and give some reassurance that it won't get pirated right off your own servers. Piracy, now _that's_ a bigger scare than the retailers.
digital download. permanent. always there. nothing less.
Until it is DRMed by a Steam-like system, the owner vanishes and your game is gone. Granted, some boxed games these days have bad DRM (EA), but the old-school copy protection is as good as not existing. I've got 15 year old games I can still play. I doubt the same would be true of most modern digital downloads in 15 years.
That said, there are some sensible digital download sites (gog.com and, from the sounds of it, gamersgate.com) that do give you the discount and the freedom/fair use.
You've not had any issues...yet. That's the biggest problem of DRM - people don't have problems at the moment and so assume that all will be rosy in the future. Granted, most media-based 'copy-protection' DRM is trivial to defeat, but it's the phone-home ones that are especially likely to bite you later.
The only games I've found on Steam that have any DRM are Source-based games, in that you can't run them without running Steam (though you can run them in offline mode). Everything else can just be launched from the
Hell, some games you can buy WONT run from Steam, especially if they have a launcher programme that needs admin rights (like Fallen Earth or APB)
>Everything else can just be launched from the
Actually, the Source based games have the LEAST offensive DRM. Almost everything else I have bought on Steam has more restrictive DRM. Bioshock 2, while a great game, pissed me off that I had to have a microsoft gamer's account to save games, and I am FORCED to log in each time, or I can't save game. The others had serials that I had to copy/paste from the steam client, and register online. Source games, on the other hand, simply work. Then again, Gabe (owner of Steam) has made it clear that piracy is
Gabe Newell, the CEO of Valve, said that in the event of the company going bust, they'd disable authentication (which they have apparently successfully tested), allowing people to play the games without Valve's servers being there.
They might be able to do this for Valve (single player) games, but I doubt other publishers will let it slide for their stuff.
Not only that but it assumes that they get a chance and have the inclination at the time and, possibly, that the gamer goes online in the right time frame. If not with the last point then how does a system that *has* to authenticate online know that it now doesn't need to? It can't go "oh well, no server, let them play" because that'd mean you could game without authenticating now, so it needs something to tell it that the lack of server isn't a blocker.
I agree, Steam is not the best system for getting digital games, but I'm one of the few who prefer it FOR the client. The way its built lets you socially network with gamers you know personally or ones you just meet rather easily. Great Matchmaking system, Great chat tools, achievements, etc. Digital Distribution plays its part but its not the selling point of Steam for Me. Because as you've stated, there are lots of digital distributors out there, you just have to find the one that works for you.
Marty McFly: [showing the two boys how to play the shoot 'em up video game] I'll show you, kid. I'm a crack shot at this.
[shoots a perfect score with the electronic gun]
Video Game Boy #1: You mean you have to use your hands?
Video Game Boy #2: That's like a baby's toy!
So could anyone give the adjusted graph of market distribution, consoles vs PC?
Despite the curve involved to maintain, it's highly customizable, and handles a multitude of tasks and games. You can run emulators for different platforms, network PC's together (without needing an online gaming subscription), and hack someone's port... until quantum computers come out, that is.
Old games can still be played on today's pc's (starcraft comes to mind). If you bought an older game for the previous generations of gaming consoles, it will not probably play on the latest generation of consoles.
I still buy pc games that I don't have time to play today in the expectation that I will be able to play them in the future when I have more time. That said, I am buying almost exclusively stand-alone games that don't need to connect to a server with thousands of other players.
Old games can still be played on today's pc's (starcraft comes to mind).
It does vary from title to title. Starcraft is obviously well written but it does beg the question as to whether or not it would be worth Blizzard updating the engine a little so it can support higher screen resolutions - although I already own the game and the expansion, I would certainly pay, say. £5-£10 for an updated version that did this.
And if we're talking about classic RTS games, don't fail to mention Total Annihilat
"It does vary from title to title. Starcraft is obviously well written but it does beg the question as to whether or not it would be worth Blizzard updating the engine a little so it can support higher screen resolutions - although I already own the game and the expansion, I would certainly pay, say. £5-£10 for an updated version that did this."
They've said they won't, but it's going to be relatively trivial to make a Starcraft 1 mod for Starcraft 2 so I suspect someone will do that for you shor
I'm prepared to wait for the initial response to SC2 because SC1 was so good, but I'm not holding out much hope if I'm honest.
I really haven't been enthused with RTS games since they went from sprites to 3D, I think changeable camera views & zooming in & out just adds unnecessary useless features to that type of game.
Old games can still be played on today's pc's (starcraft comes to mind).
It does vary from title to title. Starcraft is obviously well written but it does beg the question as to whether or not it would be worth Blizzard updating the engine a little so it can support higher screen resolutions - although I already own the game and the expansion, I would certainly pay, say. £5-£10 for an updated version that did this.
Playing StarCraft on Windows Vista/7 requires you to turn on a bunch of compatibili
Why wouldn't you just wait until you have time to play the game before buying it? Chances are it will be cheaper in a year or two.
It varies hugely from game to game.
Borderlands was £20 on shop.to at release while it was £27 on Steam.
Digital stores only tend to be cheaper when games are on sale or when a game has mostly sold out at physical retailers.
This is what happens when you let publishers dictate prices.
This highlights the fact that it isn't just convenience that has PC gamers shopping online; it is also that games are generally cheaper than in stores.
Who'da thunked it - if people can get a game cheaper and quicker without leaving their house then they will! Next thing you know they'll be telling us that people go shopping in sales...
What define the consoles now, is that the console games hare created for people playing in a coach, with a pad on the hand. this sets limits and expectations. Then, after that, you have the effects of the owner of the console, setting rules, and maybe his idea of quality.
The PC is defined by the high and medium graphic cards, memory availability, mouse and keyboard. And people use it on a desktop.
This may change on the future,but is like that today.
Most of my game catalogue is on Steam these days
I remember when I signed up for the Steam service and paid for my first game - it was Half-Life 2, naturally
At the time, I thought it vastly different to the conventional model (and psychological security) of buying your games on CD / DVD at retail. I actually paused before committing to the order.... weighing up the pros and cons of online only distribution when I could just wander down to the store instead
Fast forward to today and, given the choice, I'll elect to buy a game via Steam over any other method. No expanding collection of physical media, no waiting in queues at retail stores where pushy assistants are trying to sell me wares I don't want and - one of my favourite points - no laborious installation processes and/or the need for a disc to be present in the drive to play the game.
I haven't even touched on the low price aspect of Steam which, except for some AAA new releases, sees software available for quite a bit less than in retail stores. I don't think I'm alone in seeing single games or multi-title packs priced at what could be said to be impulse buy pricing.
One thing I would like to know is how the revenue from a purchase via Steam is divided up. Knowing how small a percentage goes to the developer / publisher from conventional sales, I wonder how platforms such as Steam fare by comparison.
Piracy has given you all that convenience for many years, while also giving you no DRM so no risk the game will become unplayable when the distributor decides to stop maintaining drm servers.
1) Hunt for suitable p2p client that isn't taken down or adware infested yet
2) Hunt for suitable download that is not a translated version or fake and has a proper crack
3) Wait hours to leech from people with unreliable connections
4) Start over again when an important patch appears
5) Get trojans off the PC that came with the crack
Digital sale
1) Shell out $$$
2) Download at line speed
3) Play (if Steam is not overloaded)
I admit, this is hearsay experience. I've obviously never pirated a game, that would be illegal.
>I haven't even touched on the low price aspect of Steam which, except for some AAA new releases, sees software available for quite a bit less than in retail stores.
>I don't think I'm alone in seeing single games or multi-title packs priced at what could be said to be impulse buy pricing.
Only if you're in the USA. In Europe, Steam games are ludicrously expensive compaired to retail.
That said, the convience is huge. So if there are sales (which undo most of the price differential), I'm buying.
I'm in a similar position. I own pretty much every gaming platform around, with the exception of the new revisions of the handhelds (the DSi and PSP Go), and when there's a multi-platform game I want, I generally look at a number of factors before deciding which platform I go for. But if I go for the PC (or if the game is PC-exclusive), then I want to know that I can get it on Steam.
First reason (and one that applies to other download services) - I don't need to put any CD/DVD/Blu-Ray in my machine to f
This is actually a fairly major point for me; yes, I really am that lazy.
This isn't just about laziness, it's more about expecting some common sense from gaming companies.
If I buy a laptop then common sense says I'm doing so because I will probably be moving around a lot with the computer & maybe even using it while I am travelling... in which case, why the f*** do I need to carry around the game disk as well? Especially as the whole purpose of a hard disk is to deliver the capability of storing everything that might be on the game disk!
If Microsoft insisted that you inserted the MS Office CD/DVD everytime you fired up Excel, there would be a public outcry & people would be telling MS to shove their Office disks where the sun doesn't shine. So why we gamers have allowed ourselves to be treated this way is beyond my comprehension - and as someone who has bought many games over the years, I'm equally to blame.
Don't underestimate the ability to install your Steam games on different machines.
I have different parts of my Steam library installed on my real computer, the XP VM I keep around for old games, and my laptop.
The catch is that I can only be logged on to one of them at a time.
I have 3x 500GB drives in my desktop and it irritates the hell out of me that Steam games always have to fit onto one of those drives.
Why not make a partition that spans the three drives and stick Steam in there?
is the industry itself.
All the reasons that it's "dying" are reasons the big players make. The pc is open, anyone can make a game, and don't need publishers. Publishers hate this. Much how the RIAA hates P2P and the internet in general because Artists can just bypass their robber baron horseshit.
1, Piracy. aka, "we dont control the hardware and software, and cannot fully exploit the people who buy our crap"
2, Forced obsolescence. Many big companies are trying to make PC games a second rate citizen, Microsoft gives bigger perks to those who develop games using the "games for windows" moniker, which essentially makes them develop it for the 360 first. The big development houses are pushing for consoles to make console makers happy.
3, see number one
I don't necessarily agree with the comment about digital distribution always being cheaper than stores - for example, because I don't usually hurry to buy new games, I picked up Fallout 3 about 6 months after release for £12.50 new (=$18.00) & then the Game Of The Year Edition (with all 5 DLCs) for £19.99 new (=$30.00). That was from my local Game game store here in the UK, a national chain, and they constantly have similar pricing offers on.
However, especially as I've noticed how the PC games shelf space has shrunk in Game stores over the past couple of years (in favour of console games), this is where digital distribution comes into its own - namely for the range of stuff that's available on-line but not in stores.
I don't buy that many new games but I've bought from Steam & GOG.com - in both cases it's good to have the ability to get hold of a few older classics again.
I don't think PC gaming is dying as such but I do think the whole PC market with respect to games is changing dramatically for the following reasons:
1. PC and graphics hardware development is slowing down for desktop gaming PCs & focus moving to lower-powered netbooks & portable devices. Presumably people still want to play games on those devices which means smaller & less complicated games - one reason for the success of selling older titles online.
2. Most Windows users still seem happy enough with Windows XP even though I have no reason to doubt Windows 7 may be a better OS. This brings into question as to just how many people have the capability to run (or even care about running) DirectX 11 and therefore how much development games companies are prepared to do on it - when all said and done, this list [wikipedia.org] of DirectX 11 games is very small.
3. I don't personally care about "mass migrations to Linux", I use it because it's there and because it does what I need an OS to do. But whilst Windows 7 may have fared better than Vista, it's still not the raging success for Microsoft that XP was & Linux has matured greatly since XP was released to the point where there's a far greater chance of running older Windows games in WINE on Linux than on Windows 7 or XP. Again, this fact alone must influence older game sales & the forums on GOG.com have lots of threads discussing whether or not certain GOG-released titles will run under WINE. (I don't go on the Steam forums much but the fact that there's soon to be a Steam client for Linux says a lot to me).
4. Modern games are huge development projects with huge up-front costs. Developing games for a fixed console platform *MUST* be much easier than developing for PCs with their plethora of different hardware. Plus games companies make their money from making sequels of established titles, it's the younger, less cynical gamers that rush to buy (or get their parents to buy) those titles & the youngsters like their consoles. All of this leads to the conclusion that there will be a continued slowdown in new PC game releases.
5. MMORPGs & online gaming - if people are spending more money on monthly subscription games then they're spending less on boxed games, especially during an economic slowdown.
As a PC gamer, what I'm really looking forward to is a lot more resolution of petty licensing squabbles of older games so that more of them get released, maybe even with some commitment to allow those games to be updated to run on more modern Windows OSes or even natively on Linux. It make sense that if the games companies are no longer getting as much revenue from new PC games than they used to, then they should look at opening up the revenue streams from re-selling older games.
>1. PC and graphics hardware development is slowing down for desktop gaming PCs & focus moving to lower-powered netbooks & portable devices. Presumably
>people still want to play games on those devices which means smaller & less complicated games - one reason for the success of selling older titles online
This is a good point. My main system right now is a laptop instead of a desktop. I understand this is a common transition. Laptops have worse video hardware than desktops, even the high end
__2. The XP Ghetto. I quite disagree. While I still run XP, Windows 7 has done good things for gaming. Since the first DOS machines in the early eighties, there's been a split between general computing machines and PCs that can do games. At some points, the gap between an office computer and a gaming PC has been wider than others: in 1992, for example, there was little difference between a 486x33 with a fancy VGA card and Gravis Ultrasound and a 486x25 with a normal VGA card and a Soundblaster compatible; i
That was from my local Game game store here in the UK, a national chain, and they constantly have similar pricing offers on.
Now, by that do you mean the generic term "game store" or do you mean the chain of stores called GAME? Because I have always found that GAME is ridiculously overpriced. When MW2 came out I had a look round at whom was cheapest. GAME was selling it for £35 (earlier on it was £39.99), but I picked it up at Tesco for £29.99
Yes, I am talking about GAME and you are correct - most of their stuff is overpriced.
But I do pop into them or HMV if I am passing - it's very rare I buy anything from either but occasionally there is a bargain to be had.
Most of the time, I just end up seeing that something new & interesting has been released, then just pull out my smartphone and order it for 2/3 of the price online.
I don't personally care about "mass migrations to Linux"
To Steam's credit, they are in the middle of porting Steam and their Source games to Linux, which is a very small but growing market. They have supported Linux for dedicated servers for over 10 years. They seem pretty determined to support Linux as much as possible, even if it isn't particularly profitable. Now that Steam supports OSX and Linux soon, they are certainly positioning themselves for the future. The question is whether other games prod
As I said already, how many other people use Linux really doesn't bother me & I don't believe any company anywhere undertakes anything unless they think there's profit to be made from it.
But Steam for Linux is a good thing & I'll be interested to see what impact it does have on desktop Linux take-up.
Sure Windows 7 may be better than XP, I don't use it & cannot comment on it. And, yes, it's more popular than Vista, enough so that it's being hailed a success - again, cannot argue with that.
But the
sony and co (all the large game corps) have all got together and are simply trying to destroy the second hand market which is why they are trying to force us to only accept digital distribution laden with DRM like steam where all your purchases are not allowed to be resold.
I accept that Steam is a form of DRM control but it's the best of a bad bunch. The stuff you've bought already is always available to you to download onto any PC you own plus it's very easy to backup your Steam folder to an external hard disk - this means that if you rebuild your OS or upgrade your PC, you just have to copy the Steam folder back rather than having to reinstall and re-update each game one-by-one.
As for re-selling old games, have you checked prices on eBay recently? Unless the used games being sold are highly collectible or only a few months old, the prices of used PC games are peanuts. I have a stack of old PC games from about 3-5 years ago that I no longer play but are just not worth listing on eBay & will go to the local charity shop instead. I'm afraid that this idea that you can re-sell oldish games for anything near their original value is a myth.
but now they are not happy with the consoles and are trying to block second hand games being traded on them.
I'm not defending this behaviour by any means but if, as a gamer, it's important to you to be able to re-sell a game once you've finished with it, then maybe the only option is to factor it into your original purchasing decisions. The fact is that a lot of people appear to be mindless enough to queue at midnight with their kids to be the first to have a computer game suggests that most of them don't care about reselling them. Besides which, have you seen what happens to the condition of optical disks after a few weeks of kids putting them in consoles?
i hate scum bag anti consumer corporations.
I agree - but the best way to hurt them is in their wallets. If you don't agree with the expected terms & conditions around something you plan on buying then just don't buy it. Corporations have got so powerful because too many mindless consumers have been sucked in by too many marketing lies - if you stop handing money over to them, they wither and die overnight.
I have so many old games laying around that I never got around to reselling, nor do I ever play. I'm pretty sure I'm the norm.
Who can blame them? They don't owe it to anybody to supply people with games. They have a business to run. Most projects struggle to make a profit the way it is. If they see a new and emerging business model, they're not going to wait around for someone to beat them to it.
And judging by the success of subscription based models and digital distribution, it appears that most gamers aren't tremendously concerned about reselling their games.
If anybody is to blame for this development it's the large chain retail
It is always the same whining. "piracy is killing us", "the VHS is killing us", "bootlegs are killing us" - no matter if it's games, movies, music, the main expertise of the content industry has for at least 40 years been whining.
Unfortunately, they're not laughed out the door as they deserve to.
Some people like to whine and exaggerate. But it would be ignorant deny that these developments don't change the way people do business. For better or for worse.
Games developers have already shifted the majority of their efforts to consoles, so have in that sense been "laughed out the door". Some people are perfectly happy with that. Others complain about the publishers and write angry posts on forums.
Q: How many IBM CPU's does it take to execute a job? A: Four; three to hold it down, and one to rip its head off.


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Submission + - Nvidia loses huge order due to binary blob (phoronix.com)
David Gerard writes: "Phoronix reports: The Chinese, who also developed the Loongson MIPS CPU, were looking to order at least ten million graphics processors. The problem is that the GeForce/Quadro driver from NVIDIA is only available for Linux x86 and x86_64 architectures, not MIPS or even ARM (only the Tegra driver is for ARMv7). NVIDIA refused to release the source-code to their high-performance feature-complete cross-platform driver to the Chinese, and it would cost them millions of dollars to port the code-base, so they went to AMD for their GPU order."


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I wish I could be Jackie O
Added Feb 11, 2013
by Mrs. Brunner
Madison, United ...
This dress is made of a reddish brown hound tooth material (not sure if it is wool or not). Despite the confusing instruction, I managed to finish it. It actually wasn't that hard to make. I wanted to put a fabric-covered button on but couldn't find a good one in my area. If I were to make it again, I would make it more fitted and perhaps, shorter.
Material Notes
Wool blend
4 Comments Sign in to add a post
Feb 1, 2014, 02.28 AMby bethmgleason
I am struggling with the neck facing directions!! Any tips? Thanks in advance for your help!
Feb 26, 2013, 10.54 PMby Irina Schwab
I managed to finish mine, too, about 2 weeks ago, however did not get round to take any photos. Reading the pattern was the hardest part, I agree. I managed to finish it from my trial fabric, vine colour with beige button, although i bought initially white and black houndstook fine wool for it! The pattern works better on thicker fabrics. Do not shorten the dress whatever you do, because it loses its shape. I am petite, too, at 1.64m, however the dress looks better longer. Shorten it, and it's a disaster! Anyway, you did a good job, given the difficulty. Funny I chose same type of fabric for it, but decided not to use it.
the waistline looks nice once you get the instructions, and i had to undo the stitches 4 times until i made it look just like the photo.
1 Reply
Feb 27, 2013, 01.32 AMby Mrs. Brunner
Please post your pic soon. I took mine in on both sides & shorten it too. Didn't look too bad. I think lengthen my legs would make it look perfect. -)
Feb 19, 2013, 09.55 PMby linkemasche
I was curious if someone in the community made the same dress as I did last week for a good friends wedding (wedding in freezing winter,… not the best idea, if you ask me ;) ) but anyway… I think you did a great job and the instruction was indeed confusing with the waist part, wasn´t it? I think the instruction are telling something different when you look closer on the sketch (pleats in front????). I had to take in the side seems right under the arms and the shoulder seems, but this is always the case. around the hips, it fits perfectly. yes, and the lenght is great for women with a hight of 2 meters and high heels but not for petite ladies like me :P ..so shortening is a big issue of this dress. but the thing with the big button in front really makes a unique pattern and a great dress.
1 Reply
Feb 20, 2013, 01.15 AMby Mrs. Brunner
I 'd love to see a picture of yours. Mine is in a "do over" pile.
Feb 12, 2013, 07.56 PMby Mary Athey
I think you did a cracking job on this dress and.it looks good made up. I agree its big.on you and would look fab taken in a bit. Love.your second.photo x
2 Replies
Feb 12, 2013, 08.25 PMby Mrs. Brunner
I agreed. I am thinking about moving the fold line up by the waist and taken the sides in, too.
Feb 12, 2013, 10.43 PMby Mary Athey
That would make.the fit better.on you.did.you.find.it easy enough to put to.gether.x
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Google Latitude has launched a number of new features that make it much easier for users to check-in at locations. When you open Latitude in your phone you can now view nearby venues and check-in.
To help you check-in at venues the updated Latitude includes:
- Notifications: Latitude will now notify you to check in at a nearby place once you arrive.
- Automatic check-ins: Add venues to your automatic check-ins and your phone will automatically check-in whenever you're there. You don't have to lift a finger.
- Check out: Once you leave, Latitude knows to automatically check you out of places so friends aren't left guessing if you're still there.


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Posted: 01/07/13 23:47
by Dave Mindeman
Some random thoughts about the legislative session.
The Democratic majority needs to move forward quickly with a plan that should already be in place on the budget. Republicans will move out of the picture quickly because they will insist, once more and for the millionth time, on no new revenues. A more rational argument right now would be, not what taxes to not utilize, but what kind of new revenues can fix our structural budget deficit.
The bolder the plan the more intense will be the push back. This time, I would hope that the Democratic majority will resist their inherent tendency to back off. A bold tax plan may receive the most criticism but if rationally argued, it can be the most successful. We need this now....and once the public gets the idea that this is fixing the school shifts, and the contant deficits, they will warm to this solution.
But don't stop with the budget. Move forward in other areas. There is a multiple front rationale to all of this. So many things have been neglected in state government because of the Republican desire to stagnate government. Forward momentum is the Democratic friend in this regard. And the GOP will be kept busy trying to block momentum in multiple areas.
This legislature can move on gay marriage. It can move K-12. It can move on getting the U of M house in order. It can move on property taxes. It can move on early voting. And it can move on a constructive bonding bill.
One good thing about Zygi's big push last session is that we probably won't have to deal with any sports related issues this session. That clears out a lot of high powered lobbying and allows us to concentrate on the people in need.
This session has got to be about making Minnesota a progressive minded state once more.
As Ed Schultz says it....Let's get to work.


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It's unfortunate that simply getting a QB these days is the judgement of whether someone is a good GM.
Still managed to pick Mo, a pro bowler, extremely late in the first round. Even Coples looks like he could be turning into a star. He also drafted Revis who will end up being the best CB of our generation.
Getting a QB is the toughest thing for any coach and GM and it masks everything.
The worst decision Tannenbaum made was re-signing Sanchez to that deal... And it's probably going to cost him his job.
I think he should be gone as well, but he hasn't been a bad GM by any means. 2 AFC championship games under his watch despite a horrible QB. That's tough to do.


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As great as that championship battle between California and San Ramon Valley was tonight (the Grizzlies won 2-1 in overtime to claim their second straight Gold Division title), there was no more fitting way to end it than with the game's best shot from the game's best player, California's Andrew Wiedeman.
If there was an MVP award for the Winter Soccer Classic, it would have gone to Wiedeman. The Cal-bound senior scored four goals and had two assists, despite missing Tuesday's game after a red card Monday.
If the Wolves had won, it probably would have gone to goalkeeper Tommy Comer, who made 13 saves to keep his team alive in the final and didn't allow a goal in the first three games. Another candidate would be Antone Ugarte, who scored five goals in the tournament.
The WSC does a halfway decent job of avoiding blowouts by making goals against the first tiebreaker after head-to-head, but when the next tiebreaker is goals scored, you're going to see scores like California's 8-0 win over Alameda. That win gave the Grizzlies just enough goals to beat out Richmond for a spot in the title game.
If California, which started 0-2 in league and lost to Livermore in its opener, can beat San Ramon Valley, which won its first 12 games overall, it's safe to assume the EBAL will be pretty fun to watch this year. We can only hope there are more games like Friday night's classic in store for us.
But maybe the rest of the East Bay is catching up a little to the powerful EBAL. Last year the championship and third-place games of the WSC featured nothing but EBAL teams. This year's championship was all-EBAL, but Richmond and Antioch played for third.
And was there a more stunning result in the tournament than Antioch's 4-0 rout of Richmond in that third-place game? Is Antioch really as good or Richmond really as bad as they both were tonight? Probably not, but that's an impressive win for the Panthers that could give them a boost when North Coast Section playoff seeding comes around.
College Park moved up to the Gold Division this year, hoping to prove itself against the best teams in the area and improve its playoff seeding. If the Falcons proved anything, it's that they're close. A pair of 1-0 losses to California and Monte Vista will surely leave them wondering what might have been, though they should feel confident that they can compete come playoff time.
And one last note, just for kicks: If there's a player in the East Bay with a bigger leg than California goalkeeper David Bingham, I'd like to see it. "Booming" doesn't do justice to Bingham's soaring drop kicks, which somehow come down softly after traveling up to 75 yards in the air. It is a unique weapon, especially when he uses it to deliver the ball to a waiting Wiedeman.
Random thoughts from a memorable WSC
As great as that championship battle between California and San Ramon Valley was tonight (the Grizzlies won 2-1 in overtime to claim their second straight Gold Division title), there was no more fitting way to end it than with the game's best shot from the game's best player, California's Andrew Wiedeman.


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At first mention, Casey Cittadino's name doesn't sound like an Israeli one. But, then again, haven't we been taught to remember that things aren't always as they seem? The same goes for Team Israel, making its first national appearance in the FIL 2014 World Lacrosse Championships this week. An unlikely bunch with a lot to prove, in less than four years Team Israel and Cittadino have joined forces and surprised the lacrosse community.
Cittadino was raised Jewish but had never really considered extending his religious relationship with its homeland until he was contacted by Team Israel. "When they reached out to me, I just couldn't think of anything better to be a part of," he said. "I was raised Jewish, my mother's Jewish, my mother's side of the family is Jewish, I was
mitzvahed, I've been to Israel… so, when I was contacted I thought: they don't have lacrosse there, how do I help grow the sport as a whole and take it to some place amazing?"
And just like that, Team Israel had a nine year MLL defensive-midfielder veteran, complete with 84 collected ground balls, a background in training, and a deep desire to be a part of something great. There was just one stipulation, though: he needed an Israeli passport.
"The past year and a half I've gone through a ridiculous amount of paper work, interviews, different things of that nature. [I've had to] fly to Israel—make
Aliyah—go to the Israeli consulate, get passports validated, get ID cards, get my
Maavar… but, I just wanted to be a part of it, I wanted to help. I truly did."
While he was in Israel to help develop the team, Cittadino noticed the eagerness with which his fellow program members approached their training. "These guys have been preparing quite a bit… what really blew me away was one: the group of Jewish-American players' commitment. They went [to Israel] to play lacrosse but they just got their eyes opened to the Jewish culture—and, really, to Israel's culture—and now, in their mind, they're saying 'hey, I want to play on this team again in four years.' And, two: everybody just wants to learn. And most of them are soccer players, so they're playing almost as if a soccer player would, and [Harvard Assistant Coach] Ben Smith and I would take guys off to the side to work with and they'd run this play and then look at us and go: 'Can we do it again?' 'Can we do it again?' And I'm talking 50 times in a row. These kids just wanted to get it right every time. So there is some dedication and passion behind it, really."
When Team Israel first contacted him, Cittadino thought it was "just a really unique opportunity… I saw it as a chance for me to make the team, be a part of it, and go play lacrosse at the World Games… what's cool about Israel is that we've never had a team in the Worlds and we kind of want to showcase that 'Hey! We can play lacrosse, too!' and we have a pretty decent team to do that with."
But, there's something more to it now than he originally anticipated.
A dedicated and passionate lacrosse player himself, Cittadino is experiencing a newer, different feeling while watching new players and teammates connect with the game for the first time and develop their lacrosse IQ: patriotism. "Y'know, when you play [in the World Games] you represent you country. You're representing your country, you're representing a group of people much bigger than yourself, and so when anyone has that opportunity, they want to do anything they can to represent those things in the best way possible. I want to be a part of it. Really. I do."
His expectations for Team Israel challenge World Game spectators to not count the inaugural team out just yet, either. When asked of his prediction for the competition starting this week, Cittadino confessed that "most people probably have Sweden winning the bracket [of the Orange Division]… but, I think we're going to come in and surprise some people and win it."
His dreams for Team Israel don't end there, either. He continued, "From there it's… I don't know, I'll have to look at the brackets again. But, I think if we win we'll go play like, a Team Ireland, which is still a ranked nine or ten team, and I've got no doubt in my mind that we can play with those guys. We've got some good talent on the team so we can be in the game and if we win that game… then it's… who knows where we could go…"
"These guys have been preparing quite a bit and it's just nice to bring that exposure and to help grow the game for future generations in Israel," Cittadino ultimately decides. "Who knows where our team will be in four years, and in four years after that. But, I'm excited to be a part of the first inaugural team. Like I said, I just couldn't think of anything better to be a part of."
And that's one thing that Cittadino never expected: to feel so connected.


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BOSTON (AP) -- Gov. Deval Patrick plans to streamline the state's public housing system by eliminating 240 local public housing authorities and replacing them with six regional agencies aimed at ridding the system of corruption, while saving money.
Patrick is scheduled to unveil the changes to the system that shelters 300,000 low-income and elderly residents on Thursday.
The proposal would consolidate public housing management -- including budgeting, planning and administrative functions -- into six central offices, while leaving managers and maintenance workers at local housing authorities. Local boards would also be cut.
Patrick said in a statement that the overhaul will "professionalize our public housing system, improving transparency and accountability."
The system has been plagued by corruption, including one local housing authority head who made $360,000 annually.


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University of Central Missouri
Administration 302
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Phone: 660-543-4640
Fax: 660-543-4943
Contact Jeff Murphy
WARRENSBURG, MO (June 8, 2012) – While major improvements are underway in Warrensburg's downtown area, the University of Central Missouri is providing a convenient way for members of the campus community to take advantage of dining and retail establishments this summer. On Monday, June 11, the university will begin offering a shuttle from campus to downtown weekdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The free shuttle will operate for the next six weeks, and begin its route near the kiosk at the university visitor's parking area on the north side of the Administration Building. The shuttle will leave every 20 minutes, making stops on the east side of Java Junction at Holden and Pine streets, and on Holden Street, east of the courthouse. It will not operate on weekends.
Chris Wellman, director of Facilities, Planning and Operations, said the shuttle is being funded by the university as a way to assist the city of Warrensburg at a time when parking may be temporarily reduced downtown due to renovation. The area is a popular destination for university faculty, staff, and students who enjoy lunch and other amenities in the area.
"The university has a great partnership with the city," Wellman said. "This is an opportunity for UCM to not only provide convenient transportation to the downtown area while parking is affected by construction, but a way to show our support for the many business owners who make great contributions to our community. We appreciate the leadership of University President Chuck Ambrose and cabinet members who are strongly supporting this effort."
Wellman said the university will continue to monitor shuttle usage, and consider whether or not it should be extended beyond the initial dates of operation. Anyone who has questions about the shuttle can contact Kelvin Mooney in Facilities, Planning and Operations, at firstname.lastname@example.com or 660-543-4495.


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Exclusive first look at the title and cover of the final book in Rick Riordan's Egyptian series, The Kane Chronicles in Kate Snow's report.
On Wednesday, February 8, "Rock Center with Brian Williams" moves to its new time - Wednesdays at 9pm ET/8pm Central
Mitt Romney was born in Michigan, saved the Salt Lake City Olympics and was Governor of Massachusetts. But if you want to explore his real roots - the place where his father George was born and where four dozen Romney relatives still live - you have to travel south of the border ... to MEXICO. We did just that. And the story of WHY they ended up there is revealing. Mike Taibbi and crew traveled to Colonia Juarez Mexico to discover Romney's roots.
Ron Allen reports on a remarkable family from Nashville, TN with a special connection to Haiti. NBC News first met the Wilson family in January 2010 in the wake of Haiti's devastating earthquake. Mike Wilson had rushed to Haiti to rescue the two orphan girls he and his wife were in the process of adopting. Their paperwork was buried in a pile of rubble, but Mike desperate effort to get the girls out was successful. Two years later, they're continuing to make an impact in Haiti.
Behind the best-selling book series Percy Jackson & the Olympians is author Rick Riordan, but the real inspiration for the fictional hero is Riordan's own son. The books, based on Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology, have sold over 30 million copies - and they began as a simple bedtime story told to his son Haley, who had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Kate Snow interviews Haley, the son who started it all, the former middle school teacher who is sitting on top of a multi-million dollar empire, and the devoted fans who keep demanding more adventures. Plus an exclusive first look at the title and cover of the final book in Riordan's Egyptian series, The Kane Chronicles.
As Oscar season approaches, Brian Williams sits down with George Clooney � himself an early favorite for an Academy Award in at least one category - to ask for his predictions.
David Corvo is the senior executive producer, Rome Hartman is the executive producer and Brian Williams is the anchor and managing editor of �Rock Center with Brian Williams� (Mondays at 10p/9C). Follow us at RockCenterNBC.com, facebook.com/rockcenterNBC and @rockcenterNBC.


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CAUTION: Slide the rotary tangs of the TP sensor, rotated one-quarter turn clockwise away from their final installed position, into place over the throttle shaft blade, and then rotate the TP sensor counterclockwise only to the installed position. Failure to install the TP sensor in this manner may result in excessive idle speeds.
NOTE: The throttle position sensor is not adjustable.


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Where the perilous Skeleton Coast meets the world's oldest desert, Michael Gebicki flies from one jaw-dropping wonder to another.
I have sand in my hair, sand in my socks, sand in my mouth, sand up my nose and sand in my ears. My whole world right now is nothing but a sea of sand and a Windex-blue sky. The howling wind of midday has softened to a late-afternoon breeze, yet even this is enough to make the grains hover, blurring my footprints and dissolving the bleached rhino skull at my feet in a soft-focus haze.
I'm on an aerial journey with Skeleton Coast Safaris, operated by the legendary Schoeman brothers. We spend four days hopping across the Namib Desert from one jaw-dropping wonder to the next, and it's totally unlike anywhere else in Africa.
Stretching the length of Namibia's coast, this is the world's oldest desert, a scorched wilderness of sand and seared rock. Average annual rainfall would just about cover your thumbnail. It can freeze you to the marrow one day and give you sunstroke the next, yet this desert also has a cinematic majesty.
In its rock gorges you can read the history of planet Earth, its pink dunes contoured with red garnet and dusted with black magnetite. The dunes are the world's highest, topping out at the 390-metre pinnacle of Dune 7 in Sossusvlei.
Inland from the dune sea is a moonscape of deep valleys between rocky hills carved from sedimentary layers that have been lifted and sliced apart by the elements. It is a landscape tailor-made for anyone looking to make a movie that calls for post-apocalyptic scenery. When unseasonal rains greened the desert around Broken Hill last year, the makers of Fury Road, the next Mad Max movie, shifted the location to Namibia.
My pilot and guide is Bertus Schoeman, one of the brothers operating these safaris. It was their father, Louw Schoeman, a lawyer and passionate conservationist, who first began flying visitors around Namibia, taking them to the camps he established with the help of his sons.
Over the years, Bert has seen and done it all - including ferrying around Brad Pitt when Angelina Jolie chose Namibia as the birthplace for one of the couple's children. The Schoemans now operate regular flying safaris that travel in a giant loop from Windhoek, the capital, to their camps, which lie scattered throughout the country's north. The standard aircraft is the single-engine Cessna 210, a rugged and dependable workhorse with an overhead wing for all-round visibility, and sturdy enough to land on the roughest of airstrips.
Much of our journey takes us along the Skeleton Coast, and this chilling seashore is well named. We first set eyes on it about 90 minutes after leaving Eros Airport in Windhoek. After the rumpled hills of the highlands, we drop over the lip of the escarpment and cross the dunes of the Namib Desert to a thin line of brown, foam-lathered sea and a solid bank of mist stretching into the sky.
The cold Benguela Current dredges up chilly waters from deep in the south Atlantic and funnels them north along Namibia's coastline. When it meets the hot, dry air off the Namib Desert, the cold sea forms dense fog banks that rise in a mass along the coast. Combine the fog with a fierce katabatic wind and you have a shoreline tailor-made for maritime disaster, especially in the days when ships were under sail and longitude was a matter of dead reckoning. The San people know it as "The Land God Made in Anger"; to the Portuguese it was "The Gates of Hell".
Several times we fly over rusting ships that are slowly being eaten by sand and waves. Once, we circle low over the strewn timbers and spars of a sailing ship that foundered here, perhaps as early as the 16th century. Neither ships nor their crews were spared from this nautical graveyard.
Even if you made it safely to shore, help lay on the other side of a pitiless desert. Launching a small boat from these steep beaches into the tearing surf would have been impossible, and chances were that your own bleached bones would soon be strewn across the Skeleton Coast.
The chill, upwelling waters of the Benguela Current also bring with them an explosion of marine life. On our second day out, Bert takes us along the coast once again, flying less than 30 metres off the deck past South African fishermen standing on the edge of the surf. About 100 kilometres north of Swakopmund, we fly low over the Cape Cross fur seal colony, which can number as many as 210,000 seals during summer.
The animals that are associated with southern Africa are either absent or scarce in the parched wastes of the Namib Desert. From time to time we fly over ostriches or a family of zebra. Once, we see a solitary giraffe. In the middle of the night at Kuidas Camp in Damaraland, an oryx munches on the green bush by my tent.
One rarity is the desert-adapted elephant. This is the same species as the elephants that live on the African savannah, but these have been driven to the coast by encroaching human populations who have now created farms and erected fences that prevent them from returning to their natural habitat. Here the elephants have learnt to dig holes in search of water and also to surf the giant dunes on their backsides.
In the folds of the desert's rocks are clues to Namibia's history. Above Kuidas Camp, Bert takes us to a dome-like arrangement of rocks piled against a big boulder. It's a sheepfold, where goatherds would put their animals at night to protect them from lions and hyenas. Bert speculates they are at least several hundred years old.
Higher still, we squeeze through a cleft in the rocks and painted on the cave roof are finely drawn ochre figures of humans and animals, including an antelope that looks like an okapi, a suggestion that this region might once have been forested. These figures are the work of San Bushmen, the hunter-gatherers who were the first inhabitants of this area. Unlike the Bushmen, Bert says, the pastoralists did not make rock art, though they might be responsible for chiselling some of the human figures.
One of the few bits of green in this sun-seared landscape is the occasional Welwitschia mirabilis. Known locally as the tree tumbo and dubbed the world's ugliest plant, it resembles something spewed up from a furnace, a low plant with strappy green fronds writhing away from its blackened core. Welwitschia mirabilis is also a botanical miracle, capturing precious moisture from sea fogs on its leaves while its long tap roots search for underground water. Larger specimens of the plant are believed to be at least 1000 years old.
A highlight of the trip is the encounter with the Himba people. On the third day of the safari we land at a strip close to the Kunene River, which forms the border with Angola.
By Namibian standards, the surroundings are lush. Grass covers the hills, dotted with small families of oryx. After a long ride across the grassland, we dip into the river valley and a small encampment of Himba. Semi-nomadic pastoralists, the Himba follow a traditional lifestyle that has been barely affected by the outside world, living in mud-covered conical huts, hunting and herding goats.
Himba women are famous for their elaborate hair decoration, their jewellery and also for their colouring, which comes from a mixture of ochre and fat that leaves their skin a rich, deep red.
In the middle of one afternoon, we land at a strip carved out by miners at Henties Bay and fire up one of the battered Land Rovers that the Schoemans keep there. "This is where our vehicles come to die," Bert says as we head into the undulating sea of dunes that stretches inland.
It's playtime. "Nervous?" Bert asks as he drives the vehicle skywards until it teeters on the crest of a giant sand wave. It's so steep we can't even see the bottom until the Land Rover tilts downward and it's knees against the dashboard to stop from sliding forward as we glide down in an avalanche of red, rumbling sand that gives them the name "roaring dunes". We spend the next half-hour skiing, rolling and turning somersaults down dunes, until finally the sand between our teeth becomes too much.
The Schoemans' camps are comfortable bush outposts. In the middle of a sun-seared wilderness you get a decent bed in a permanent tent or a proper room, in the case of Leyland's Drift, with sheets, a quilt and a hot-bucket shower. Meals are simple but satisfying and there are always eggs for breakfast and fresh fruit on the table.
If it's contentment you're after, it's hard to beat a canvas chair and a whisky in your hand as dusk purples the African landscape, with a fire adding its crackling beat to the cook singing in the kitchen.
The writer travelled as a guest of Classic Safari Company.
Windhoek in style
In Windhoek, Namibia's capital, Olive Grove rates as a real find — a small guesthouse set around a courtyard garden with charm and heaps of style.
In a quiet, residential part of the city, the property's guest rooms open to spacious verandahs. The central courtyard has an open-air lounge, spa bath and plunge pool as well as a restaurant that offers a choice of indoor or outdoor dining.
Several rungs higher up the luxury ladder, the Garden Suite has two queen-size beds, a fireplace, dining area and infinity pool, set in its own domain surrounded by olive trees. Room rate for two starts from $N1260 ($142) a night. olivegrove-namibia.com.
Trip notes
Getting there
Qantas operates code-share flights with South African Airways from Melbourne (via either Sydney or Perth) and Sydney to Johannesburg. There are onward flights to Windhoek, Namibia's capital. Return flights start from about $2400. qantas.com.au.
Touring there
This year, the four-day Skeleton Coast Safari costs $US6450 ($6220) a person. The price includes all transport from Windhoek, meals and accommodation. skeletoncoastsafaris.com.
More information
1300 130 218, classicsafaricompany.com.au.


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International News
Cellphone AIDS Tests Studied in South Africa, South Korea
September 6, 2012
Adapted from:
A team of researchers is developing an experimental smartphone-based device that could diagnose HIV and measure CD4 cell counts in remote areas far away from laboratories.
The Smartscope is a 1-millimeter microscope and light that is placed over a smartphone's camera. A standard chip with a blood sample is slid in front of the microscope, and images captured are analyzed by an application that is on the smartphone itself. A similar US-developed prototype can take the tests in the field; however, the information must be sent to a computer for analysis.
"Our idea was to obtain images and analyze images on this smartphone using applications," said Jung Kyung Kim, a biomedical engineering professor at Kookmin University in South Korea. "Its basic function is to count those CD4 cells for diagnosis."
Trials of the Smartscope in clinics could begin next year, said Kim. The device will be targeted to remote South African and Swazi communities where clinics often lack testing technology.
"In community health, mobile technology is not a gimmick," said study partner Jannie Hugo, head of family medicine at the University of Pretoria. "It becomes an essential part of access."
Agence France Presse
This article was provided by CDC National Prevention Information Network. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.
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