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Persisting to Neo4j via Spring Data [or, "Aren't We Persistent?"]
Persisting to Neo4j via Spring Data [or, "Aren't We Persistent?"]
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Hi gang!
Ok, I'm back with a new post, this time with a post about a couple quirks I ran into while implementing some test cases for Spring Data using Neo4j. They're not bugs by any stretch; it's just new behaviour to get used to as you venture into the Spring Data world (which I'm loving, by the way).
During my copious amounts of downtime (that should be read while imagining me rolling my eyes so hard that I fall over backwards in my chair), I've been putting together a little playground for me to mess around with and play with Spring Data.
It's definitely evolving and changing as I change things up and try out new ideas, and I fully plan on sharing more about this in future posts.
For now, though, I'm just discussing a couple potential pitfalls newcomers to Spring Data might fall prey to (please pardon the prepositional phrase; I'm sure it won't be the last one).
I've wanted to play with Spring Data a bit more seriously for some time now, so I started a few weeks ago and, I have to say, I'm loving every second of it. (I'm already a huge Spring fan, and the annotations continue to make my life easier.)
My sandbox goes something like this: After having gone through the docs for Spring Data (especially "Good Relationships"), I thought I'd try out something similar for myself, borrowing the whole "store" concept (as it seems to me to be the best, first choice for implementing a graph database).
Instead of using the whole "movie store" concept, I switched to something a little different to avoid total code reuse (I do borrow some code from the link above but modify it an awful lot).
For any geeks around my age (or older), you will remember a certain computer software retailer called Babbage's. I have fond memories of begging my parents to go into the store every time we passed one, which wasn't often (at least I don't think it was...). GameStop Corporation went on to purchase Babbage's (and EB Games, and a bunch of other software retailers), so you're unlikely to see a Babbage's by that name.
With that short trip down memory lane finished (more like memory cul de sac), I decided to model my domain after the concept of a software retailer. My store will cleverly enough be called Von Neumann's (any CS major and most geeks out there are currently groaning at that joke).
Domain Model
Currently, the domain model consists of the following:
Even looking at the UML diagram above, we can see that it's based on a graph model (can you pick out the entities and/or the relationship(s)?).
Test Cases' Setup
After setting up the relevant project (which I did as a Maven project), I set forth creating some tasks using JUnit. Before creating the actual test cases, I needed to make sure I had my testing context setup. I also needed away to ensure that any data being persisted was wiped clean after each run.
Fortunately, instead of having to create such functionality for my project, I learned that Neo4j already has a handy solution! The ImpermanentGraphDatabase. This little gem can be found in the Neo4j kernel. Specifically, I added these lines to my POM (you can see the specific version I'm using, too):
<dependency> <groupId>org.neo4j</groupId> <artifactId>neo4j-kernel</artifactId> <version>1.8.M03</version> </dependency>
<bean id="graphDBService" class="org.neo4j.test.ImpermanentGraphDatabase" destroy-method="shutdown"/>And presto! A suitable testing graph database for my test cases!
(Warning: I am using the latest version that I found worked best for me and is compatible with all my other dependencies. ImpermanentGraphDatabase as available in earlier versions of Neo4j, as well.)
It should also be noted that I make use of both the Neo4j repositories interfaces AND the Neo4jOperations class for persisting and retrieval.
Another note is that I've made the entire test class @Transactional.
Test Cases Proper
I'll list two of them below and a couple of the quirks I noticed.
Ensuring a Customer Can Make a Purchase
This test case consists of creating a Customer object, a couple Game objects, and making sure that Purchases can be created, persisted and retrieved (along with the associated entities).
@Test public void customerCanMakePurchases() { // setup our game constants final int QTY = 1; final String GAME_TITLE = "Space Weasel 3.5"; final String GAME_TITLE_2 = "The Space Testing Game"; final String GAME_DESC = "Rodent fun in space!"; final String GAME_DESC_2 = "Tests in space!"; final int STOCK_QTY = 10; final float PRICE = 59.99f; // setup our customer constants final String FIRST_NAME = "Edgar"; final String LAST_NAME = "Neubauer"; // create our customer for this test Customer customer1 = new Customer(); // set the customer's properties (NOTE: "firstName" is an indexed property in the Customer entity, but "lastName" is not!) customer1.setFirstName(FIRST_NAME); customer1.setLastName(LAST_NAME); // create our games for this test Stock game1 = new Game(GAME_TITLE, GAME_DESC, STOCK_QTY, PRICE); Stock game2 = new Game(GAME_TITLE_2, GAME_DESC_2, STOCK_QTY + 5, PRICE + 5);First, do the setup. (And, for the sake of brevity, I'm leaving out the annotated entities.)
Nothing strange going on here--just creating two games and a single customer. It is worth noting (for later on) that "firstName" is an indexed property of the Customer entity/node. This means that it is searchable (also recall that Neo4j's default indexing engine is Lucene).
|It had to be done.
// save entities BEFORE saving the relationships! template.save(game1); template.save(game2); template.save(customer1); // make those purchases! Support our test economy! // (NOTE: "makePurchase" actually uses the "template" parameter to persist the relationship, so no need to do it again) Purchase p1 = customer1.makePurchase(template, game1, QTY); Purchase p2 = customer1.makePurchase(template, game2, QTY);
Above, we make sure to persist the 2 games and single customer. We also do this prior to persisting any relationships. This is necessary. In this case, I make use of an instance variable called "template" which is actually an instance of
Neo4jOperations. This is one way of accessing the necessary persistence/retrieval functionality we need.
We then create 2 Purchase objects/relationships (Purchase is actually a relationship entity). It is also worth noting that, instead of using the "template" object to persist the relationships, I've followed the Neo4j tutorial book "Good Relationships" and attempted another way of doing persistence, i.e. by passing the "template" object into the necessary method and having the method (in this case makePurchase) actually do the persisting of the newly-created Purchase.
Again, both "game1" and "game2" need to be persisted prior to persisting any relationships between them.
Still with me?
// retrieve the customer Customer customer1Found = this.customerRepository.findByPropertyValue("firstName", FIRST_NAME); // // Tests // // can we find/retrieve the customer? assertNotNull("Unable to find customer.", customer1Found); // can we find the specific customer for which we are looking? assertEquals("Returned customer but not the one searched for.", FIRST_NAME, customer1Found.getFirstName()); // does the retrieved customer have its non-indexed properties returned, as well? assertEquals("Returned customer doesn't have non-indexed properties returned.", LAST_NAME, customer1Found.getLastName()); // retrieve the customer's purchases // (NOTE: We case as a Collection just to make checking the number of puchases easier) Iterable<purchase> purchasesIt = customer1Found.getPurchases(); Collection<purchase> purchases = IteratorUtil.asCollection(purchasesIt); // do we have the correct number of purchases? assertEquals("Number of purchases do not match.", 2, purchases.size());So now we get to some actual testing.
The tests above are all straightforward. We ensure the following:
- We can retrieve a persisted node, specifically via an indexed property.
- We can retrieve the correct persisted node for which we are searching.
- We can view non-indexed properties from the retrieved node.
- We can retrieve the correct number of relationships of the retrieved node.
// go through the actual purchases... Iterator<purchase> purchIt = purchasesIt.iterator(); Purchase purchase1 = purchIt.next(); // retrieving objects via Spring Data pulls lazily by default; for eager mapping, use @Fetch (but be forewarned!) // ...this means we have to use the fetch() method to finish loading related objects Stock s1 = template.fetch(purchase1.getItem());What if we want to view a node's related nodes' data?
By default, Spring Data loads an entity's relationships lazily, which makes perfect sense (just picture how much memory would be needed if you had a very large, highly connected graph). Also remember that there are implicit relationships between entities if an entity is contained as a property of another entity.
|(Courtesy of Paramount Picture's Forrest Gump)
"Mama said eager loading is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get."
Well, at least the chocolates had an easily-determined, finite number in the box...
It is possible to have an eager retrieval by using the @Fetch annotation (be warned, though, that it will currently only work, by default, on node entities and collections of relationships that are based on Collection, Set, or Iterable; Spring Data may expand that in later releases, but I believe you can extend the mappings to work with other classes, if you so desire).
So, with our lazily-loaded relationships, we can use "template"'s fetch method to finish loading in the missing data. It's as simple as that! Anyone familiar with ORM will get this immediately.
// can we retrieve our first purchase successfully w/ its details? assertEquals("Purchased item not persisted properly.", GAME_TITLE, s1.getTitle()); purchase1 = purchIt.next(); Stock s2 = template.fetch(purchase1.getItem()); // can we retrieve our second purchase successfully w/ its details? assertEquals("Purchased item not persisted properly.", GAME_TITLE_2, s2.getTitle()); // if we're here, then all test ran succesfully. Hooray! }Above, we run a couple more tests to ensure that we can, in fact, retrieve and view lazily-loaded objects from Neo4j.
Nothing to it!
Making Friends the Easy Way: By Creating Them!
For these tests, we're going to have a look at something a bit more social, i.e. customers befriending other customers (how Utopian!). I suppose we could make them "rivals" or "enemies", but that's a bit too sinister for this blog (for now...).
Anyway, I have prior to this test method a setup method (annotated with the @Before JUnit annotation) that creates 5 customers (if you're interested, I persist them using a CustomerRespoitory I created by extending the GraphRepository and RelationshipOperationsRepository interfaces).
@Test public void customerFriends() { // add friends c1.addFriend(c2); c1.addFriend(c3); c1.addFriend(c4); c1.addFriend(c5); // be careful! setting a "Direction.BOTH" relationship in one node entity will have the ENTIRE relationship saved (*including the adjoining node*) when saving just ONE of the two entities! // ...if you save both, Neo4j will remove the duplication (and you'll be left wondering why c1 is a friend of c2, but not vice versa) // save c1's friends customerRepository.save(c1);In the code above, we have the customer "c1" make friends with the other customers (he's a social butterfly).
Now, perhaps the most important part of this whole blog is shown here (and below). It has to do with relationships, specifically those that are annotated as being "Direction.BOTH".
As you can see from the comments in the code above, we need to be careful about how we create relationships between nodes and save them. If we were to create the relationship between, say "c1" and "c2", and then persist each node (and therefore the relationships, which the customer repository will handle), we would notice that the relationships have gone awry, and that the duplicate relationship from "c2" has been removed.
So, what we're going to do is the following (keeping in mind that "c1" and "c2" have already been persisted in the setup method):
- Persist "c1" (and thereby its friendship to "c2").
- Retrieve "c2".
- Add any other friends' relationships to the retrieved "c2" (while not befriending back to "c1").
- Persist "c2" (and thereby its friendships to those added in Step 3).
Step 1 is done above.
// we can't just continue to add friends to this.c2, as once we try to save this.c2, it'll remove the duplicate relationship between c1 and c2. // ...so, to get around this, we retrieve the persisted object from the DB Customer c2Found = customerRepository.findByPropertyValue("lastName", C2_LNAME); c2Found.addFriend(c3); c2Found.addFriend(c4); c2Found.addFriend(c5); // save c2's friends, which will preserve the existing relationship with c1! Old friends can remain friends! customerRepository.save(c2Found);As you can see above, we finish the remaining steps (2 through 4).
Again, note that we DO NOT create a reciprocal relationship from "c2" to "c1". (One would hope a friendship relationship would be reciprocal; unless you have stalkers or something...)
|This would totally help.
All that's left now is to run some tests to ensure that our friends have remained friends throughout all this persisting!
// retrieve c1 for some tests Customer c1Found = customerRepository.findByPropertyValue("lastName", C1_LNAME); Iterable<customer> c1Friends = c1Found.getFriends(); Collection<customer> c1FriendsSet = IteratorUtil.asCollection(c1Friends); Iterator<customer> custIt = c1Friends.iterator(); int numFriends = 0; // let's make sure all of c1's friends were retrieved assertTrue("Friend not found.", c1FriendsSet.containsAll(IteratorUtil.asCollection(c1.getFriends()))); // let's also make sure that c1 and c2 are still buds specifically (these two are inseparable...you should see them at ComicCon!) assertTrue("Friend not found.", c1FriendsSet.contains(c2)); // let's make sure the exact number of friends returned is correct while (custIt.hasNext()) { custIt.next(); numFriends++; } // while assertEquals("Number of friends returned incorrect.", 4, numFriends); // if we're here, all is well! Huzzah! }
Above, as in the
first test, we make sure that all of the friendships have been properly
preserved, both from "c1"'s and "c2"'s perspective.
In this post, we have seen the basics of persisting with Spring Data and a couple of the quirks I ran into. These are documented within the Spring Data documentation, but it never hurts to bring these little nuances out into the light even further.
We also saw that the ImpermanentGraphDatabase is available to us through the Neo4j kernel which is a wonderful tool for implementing test cases with quick setup and teardown--no needing to write initializers and cleaners for a Neo4j installation!
So there we have it! A first pass through persisting with Spring Data and implementing some unit tests using Neo4j and JUnit.
If anyone has any questions or I've made a mistake, please feel free to leave feedback.
We'll see you on the next post!
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Everybody around me seems to be having a baby...so I've been making lots of baby gifts. These were always my favorite things to recieve and something I couldn't wait to do with my new embroidery machine. Some of the things I like to make are onesies, blankets, fancy burp cloths, paci clips, sippy leashes, bibs...and I'm about to start some toys! Yes, having a machine makes it really easy but you don't have to have one to make these things. I have already shared the diaper wipes case here and I will eventually share all the pieces with you.
I normally wrap them up in a cordinating ribbon them add a cordinating gift bag.
These are so much fun to give!! I am SUPER excited that one of my good friends just anounced she would be joinging team PINK! Which means I get to go crazy making cutsie stuff for her. :)
Have a GREAT weekend everybody! I'm off to pop popcorn and watch movies with my kiddos tonight.

subset: commoncrawl


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Windows Phone UK has announced that they will be having a 'Meet Windows Phone' event later today in Westfield Shopping Centre.
The event, to be held in conjunction with O2 will see a colourful evening of fun with the O2 angels, demos and of course Windows Phone 8. Chances to win Windows Phone handsets and Xbox's shouldn't be missed, check the details after the break.
The big meet up will take place in London this evening from 5pm onwards and finish at 10pm, it will be held in Westfield Shopping centre in Sheppard's Bush. This is what their Facebook page had to say on the details:
Location : UNIT 1099 LOWER LEVEL, WESTFIELD SHOPPING CENTRE, GREATER LONDON, W12 7GB LONDON
"Join O2 and Windows Phone for a colourful evening of O2 angels, divine demos of the new Windows Phone, mouth-watering cocktails and a chance to win some heavenly prizes such as the new Windows Phone, Xboxs and plenty more.
See you there!"
The Windows Phone UK team always does a good job of putting on a show and nice they are offering cocktails and free prizes. Great to see the momentum in this crucial pre-Christmas season is being kept up. If out an about in London, it's getting more and more difficult to miss a billboard advert with "meet Holly" and switching on the TV has become something of a Lumia advert extravaganza.
It is also interesting to see O2 involved with the event, they look poised to have a big push on Windows Phone 8. Displays have been spotted in stores awaiting the arrival of Samsung's ATIV S handsets and tablets.
If your heading down there, good luck with winning some of those prizes and try not to drink too many of those free cocktails eh?
Source: WindowsPhone UK


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Exhibits and more...
AB-EX/RE-CON: Abstract Expressionism Reconsidered
AB-EX/RE-CON explores both the best known and less familiar practitioners of abstract and gestural painting who dominated the American art, criticism and commentary during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. Artists on display include Diebenkorn, J. Ernst, Frankenthaler, Hofmann, Kline, and Motherwell. Through June 16. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. 484-9337 or www.nassaumuseum.org.
Across Time & Place: Treasures from the Permanent Collection
This rotating exhibition highlights a broad range of works by 19th and 20th century American and European artists from the Heckscher Museum's Permanent Collection. Of particular interest is Étienne Berne-Bellecour's monumental Embarkation Maneuver, 1882, which factually depicts the departure of a regiment of cuirassiers following the Franco-Prussian War. Heckscher Museum of Art, Main St. and Prime Ave., Huntington. (631) 351-3250 or www.heckscher.org.
Claudia Waters: The Figure in Motion
A solo exhibition of oil paintings, including 30 of Claudia Waters' figurative seashore and pool paintings. Through July 12. Steinberg Museum of Art at Hillwood, LIU Post, Rte. 25A, Brookville. 299-4073, or www.liu.edu/museum.
The Lyon, the Which and the Warhol: The Sequel
This sequel to Hofstra Museum's early spring exhibit highlights photography by artists Danny Lyons and Andy Warhol. focusing on themes of gender and identity. The exhibit also includes works by Diane Arbus, as well as those in other media by Oskar Kokoschka, Alfred Maurer, and Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi. Through Sept. 15. Hofstra University's David Filderman Gallery, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, South Campus, Hempstead. 463-5672.
Using the Lessons of the Holocaust to Teach Tolerance
A contextualized history that explains the 1920s' increase of intolerance, reduction of human rights, and lack of intervention that enabled the persecution and mass murder of millions of Jews and others. Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, 100 Crescent Beach Rd., Glen Cove. 571-8040 ext. 100 or www.holocaust-nassau.org.
We Hold These Truths...
This exhibition celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and examines slavery, the abolition movement and emancipation through artworks, artifacts and ephemera. Artists include Willie Cole, Daniel Chester French, Richard Hunt, William H. Johnson, Glenn Ligon, Howardena Pindell, Betye Saar, and Kara Walker. Through July 26. Hofstra University's Emily Lowe Gallery, Emily Lowe Hall, South Campus, Hempstead. 463-5672 or www.hofstra.edu/museum.
Afternoon Movie
See "Hitchcock," the drama about the relationship between filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and wife Alma Reville during the filming of Psycho in 1959, Friday, June 7, 2:30 p.m.; also "Parental Guidance," the family comedy about grandparents babysitting their Type A daughter's overprotected kids, Tuesday, June 1, 2 p.m. Elmont Memorial Library Theatre, 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. 354-5280.
At the Movies
View "Zero Dark Thirty," Friday, June 7, 1 p.m.; Monday, June 10, 6 p.m. Baldwin Public Library, 2385 Grand Ave., Baldwin. 223-6228.
Movie Matinee
See "Cloud Atlas," the sci-fi drama involving multiple plotlines set across six different eras, Friday, June 7, 2 p.m. Rockville Centre Public Library, 221 N. Village Ave., Rockville Centre. 766-6257.
Film Showing
See "Lincoln," the historical biopic featuring Daniel Day Lewis' award-winning performance, Tuesday, June 11, 10 a.m., 1 and 7 p.m. Peninsula Public Library, 280 Central Ave., Lawrence. 239-3262.
Art Talk
Examine "The Flemish Golden Age," with Professor Thomas Germano, Thursday, June 13, 1 p.m. Peninsula Public Library, 280 Central Ave., Lawrence. 239-3262.
Film Time
See "One for the Money," the comedy about an unemployed newly-divorced woman who lands a job at her cousin's bail-bond business, based on the popular heroine of Janet Evanovich's mystery series, Thursday, June 13, 2 p.m. Franklin Square Public Library, 19 Lincoln Rd., Franklin Square. 488-3444.


text: I did some searching here and a few other sites and haven't found my exact answer so here it goes. Ok with income tax coming im putting some money away to find some used rims prob on Craigslist or threw a friend. I want to get some 20s and still lay out. I know the bolt pattern is 5x4.75 or 5x120.65. but im unsure on a few thing as for what off set I need and back spacing. how do I determine what the offset and backspace is on a used set of wheels? will most universal 5 lug fit? is there a way to messure the wheels with out trying to bolt them to the truck. what size tires should I run? and will I need to tub the fire wall? what width should I get 8.5 or 9?


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Maine homebuilders are growing more confident about the market for new single-family homes, a sentiment that mirrors the findings of a national survey issued Monday.
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, a leading economic indicator for the housing industry, showed that builders are more optimistic about demand for new homes than they have been since before the housing-market crash began in 2006.
The index hit a milestone in June, jumping 8 points from 44 to 52, the National Association of Home Builders said Monday. It's the first time the index has been above 50 since April 2006.
Any score above 50 indicates that a majority of builders surveyed said they perceive sales conditions as positive.
"Surpassing this important benchmark reflects the fact that builders are seeing better market conditions as demand for new homes increases," said association Chairman Rick Judson, a homebuilder and developer from Charlotte, N.C. "With the low inventory of existing homes, an increasing number of buyers are gravitating toward new homes."
In Maine, market conditions are improving mainly in coastal areas. The trend has yet to spread west to inland markets, said Larry Duell, president of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Maine.
Duell, who owns Lebanon-based Father and Son Builders Inc., said his customers are primarily vacation-home buyers from New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Inland areas, where homebuilders rely mostly on local buyers, have yet to recover from Maine's housing crash, which hit full force in 2008, he said.
"Once you get west of that (Interstate) 95 corridor, there's absolutely nothing going on," Duell said.
But overall, signs throughout the state are positive, he said.
Permits for construction of single-family housing were up 18 percent statewide through April of this year — the most recent month for which data is available — compared with the first four months of 2012. As of April 30, 677 new-home permits had been issued this year, compared with 574 a year ago.
The Portland area had an even bigger jump. As of April 30, 336 permits had been issued in 2013, up nearly 24 percent from the 272 issued a year ago.
Economic indicators that bode well for future home sales include the recent drop in Maine's estimated unemployment rate to below 7 percent, and a 7-point boost in the national Consumer Confidence Index in May, Duell said.
"Everything's encouraging," he said. "If we could just get some building inland, we'd be golden statewide."
Jerry DeHart, owner of Ogunquit-based Coastal General Construction Inc., said his company's target market of second-home buyers never went away completely, but his business had to rely increasingly on home-renovation jobs after the housing market imploded.
That's no longer the case, he said. Coastal General Construction's homebuilding side is up 30 to 40 percent from a year ago.
"We've noticed a significant increase," DeHart said.
Mark Patterson, who owns Sanford-based Patco Construction Inc., said his company has yet to see an increase in new-building contracts over 2012, but he has received an encouraging number of calls recently.
"I'm definitely optimistic about the next six months because of the number of inquiries we're getting," said Patterson, who participates in the National Association of Home Builders' monthly survey.
Nationally, the 8-point jump in June's Housing Market Index was the biggest one-month gain since September 2002, David Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, said in a news release.
"Builders are experiencing some relief in the headwinds that are holding back a more robust recovery," Crowe said. "Today's report is consistent with our forecast for a 29 percent increase in total housing starts this year, which would mark the first time since 2007 that starts have topped the 1 million mark."
Derived from a monthly survey that the association has been conducting for 25 years, the Housing Market Index gauges builders' perceptions of current single-family home sales — and expectations for the next six months — as good, fair or poor.
The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as high, average or low. Scores from each component are used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index. Any number above 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor.
Improvements in the market for existing single-family homes boost new-home sales. When the number of existing homes for sale decreases, the prices and demand for new homes increase.
Maine Association of Realtors data for April, the most recent numbers available, indicate the median price for an existing home increased 4.4 percent statewide from April 2012.
The number of home sales statewide increased by 13.7 percent, from 824 in April 2012 to 937 in April 2013, according to the association.
One possible driver of the growth in home sales is the low but rising average interest rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, said industry analysts.
As of Monday, the average interest rate had risen to 3.98 percent, a 14-month high but still lower than interest rates in previous decades, according to Freddie Mac.
Analysts suggest another reason for the rebound in home sales is likely the entrance of large, institutional investors into the rental-home business since the national home foreclosure epidemic sparked by the widespread issuance of risky, sub-prime loans.
In April, the U.S. home ownership rate reached an 18-year low of 65 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Investors continued to buy up rental homes to capitalize on the unprecedented number of families that cannot qualify for a mortgage.
Duell said many of today's would-be home buyers are struggling to get financing in the aftermath of that crisis, and that hurdle must be overcome before the homebuilding industry can reach sales levels comparable to those before the housing crash.
"Financing is an issue that we're battling," he said.
J. Craig Anderson can be contacted at 791-6390 or at:
Twitter: @jcraiganderson
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How Corporations Are Slashing Their Legal Fees
Top partners at leading U.S. law firms are charging more than ever -- routinely $1,150 or more an hour -- but after discounts and write-offs the nosebleed rates aren't all they appear to be. Jennifer Smith reports. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... clients offering sticker shock from the legal bills may want to listen up you may be able to sell action man Bill ... about that ... will Street gentle Jennifer Smith on this on the set with the answer ... to this ... all this slicing the legal bills with the right ... substitute OCBC remix of some recent day and two ... was ... more funds charge ... what they say the Dodge animal than she did tell us we found ... right so I sit at the very top of the keep some law firms are continuing to church and it's pretty amazing astronomical rates for the top town in the field ... I love with ... the now offer for lot yet the new year the floor use to be a thousand bucks an hour now ... now that's going up as the good things do with inflation now it's eleven fifty ... that's that's one story what you're not ... hearing is that for ... for all the of the legal matters that the people might hired worse for them ... to all this handling going on rates this year says discounting of rates ... sometimes work it's written off if if a firm exceeded one ship they might have to know ... not charge for some of the work this is uncertain backstory behind what's happening at the break up and that the great snow in the new reception Chemical stubble to news that the sum demanded to um ... big pay cuts for price and Max zero one one that makes did what were they to say just like if you don't if you don't use the discount will go well ... this is actually it's it's pretty common it if you are ... accompanying you use the law firm Fried regularly you how the set of muscle on it in a market share to stay with the firm said look ... the one it's that what the rates again and be and if you want a reason for can have to have a conversation that said it since the recession that taken at the driver's seat bid on the read conversation so ... while if if you really over a barrel if you're in the middle of the big crazy losses in the future the company is at stake you might ... know you you might pay fifteen hundred an hour for the very best litigator you can find ... but for all the other work that actually pays the bills of law firms ... that a lot of negotiating going on in and answered it into the sticker price and then this what you actually pay in as often as the gas ... interesting stuff ... well this ... is so ... tough I refer to rule on campus map of the Wall Street John Lang can read mall man


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V-Money vs 24/7 Rap Battle Pt. 1 [Grind Time Florida]
Drect reports "Battle from March 28, 2009 at Tatame Sake Bar in Orlando, FL. V-Money faces the undefeated 24/7. Will 24/7 advance to 2-0 or can V-Money stop his recent loosing streak?"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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Our next giveaway is underway! Win a gorgeous MAC Lipstick AND a MAC Lipglass in the shades of your choice! One lucky winner will get both products – two of our very favorites from the MAC product list. They're especially great when worn together, but can also be used alone depending on the look you're going for.
So, be sure to enter. You don't want to miss this one. :)
Help us spread the word by Tweeting, or sharing the giveaway in one of the ways in the widget below. Best of luck to all!


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This site brings you a comprehensive collection of manuscripts of the Shahnama, the Persian epic 'Book of Kings', completed by the poet Firdausi in AD 1010, together with a display of the miniature paintings in each one. There are currently about 1500 manuscripts and single pages recorded, 18,000 records of paintings, and 12,000 images from all over the world, now accessible with a few clicks of a mouse.
It allows you to see and compare all the different depictions of a particular scene in the story, produced over a period of almost 600 years, and to look through the manuscripts held in different collections.
A new book of stories from the Shahnama has recently been published: "Shahnameh. The Persian Book of Kings". Retold by Elizabeth Laird, illustrated by Shirin Adl. Frances Lincoln Children's books, London, 2012 Click here to view.
The State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, New South Wales, Australia, is hosting an international conference on Persian art under the titlle:"Love and Devotion: Persian Cultural Crossroads", from 12 to 14 April 2012. Conference details. This is in association with the exhibition "Love and Devotion: From Persia and Beyond". For details of the exhibition, click here.
The site is currently undergoing extensive reorganisation, especially to the front pages. Please be patient while the improvements are carried out. Meanwhile, we welcome any feedback about the site or about any of the information it contains.
This is a result of work supported by a Resource Enhancement grant from the AHRC, 2007-2009. Further enhancements are planned and new data is being added at regular intervals.
From 1 October 2010, the Project is located in the Shahnama Centre, 1 Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, tel: 01223 339851, administered by Dr F. Abdullaeva. The establishment of the Centre and the supporting post of Research Associate has been made possible by grants from the Aga Khan Development Network, the Iran Heritage Foundation and the Isaac Newton Trust. The Centre welcomes visiting scholars and suggestions for future collaborations.


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|2006-05-01, 06:27
|Link #1
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
Higurashi - Requests for new threads
Since the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni forum is now limited (only Mods and Admin can create new threads), this thread serves as a way to request a new thread to be created.
Please post here if you wish to request a new Higurashi no Naku Koro ni thread. Please bear in mind that we will only accept reasonable requests, we wish to maintain the focus within the forum and cut down on the noise (so no pointless threads cluttering up the place).
Don't forget that you may still post in existing threads as usual, the only restriction is that you may not create new threads within this particular forum.
|2006-05-01, 07:29
|Link #4
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
Since I haven't played the game and have only started to watch the series, I'll have to leave this up to someone like kj1980 but maybe there's a need for two different threads concerning such speculation.
One where people (most likely non-game players) can post their ideas and thoughts as to where they think the series is going (a sort of "non-spoiler" speculation thread). And then a second thread for the people who have played the game where they can discussion the actual events in the game and their interpretation of the way they think the anime will go.
Any comments on this (again, it's going to be something that kj1980 will have to decide on) but comments from the non-game players are welcome. It might be that just a "non-spoiler" and "spoiler" speculation thread would be better suited.
|2006-05-01, 07:37
|Link #5
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
We do plan to create the usual threads so give us a day or so to sort ourselves out. I want to make sure there isn't the same problems we had with the other new forums we've been creating latley.
I'm sure Catgirls will create the Image and Avatar threads, and kj1980 will create the Game and Speculation threads. I'll look at making some of the others as well.
|2006-05-01, 08:55
|Link #8
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kino's luggage
It would be good to have a "guessing game/speculation game" thread instead of a normal speculation one. Somewhat like a normal speculation thread but with some expert on Higurashi giving out hints and keep the guessing game going (like what we had in the old Higurashi thread)
|2006-05-01, 09:15
|Link #9
Beautiful fighter.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: England, UK
Age: 32
|2006-05-01, 09:19
|Link #10
|2006-05-04, 12:21
|Link #12
Gomen asobase desuwa!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Age: 38
Just in case if you haven't noticed it already, the TIPS thread has been created as a sticky on top of this sub-forum.
Please feel free to utilize them in your quest to solve the mystery. As stated in that thread, no posting is allowed there unless you can help contribute by translating some of the TIPS.
As of today, all the TIPS for the Onikakushi-hen chapter have been done. As the most recent episode was the beginning to Watanagashi, we've gone and started some of the Watanagashi-hen TIPS up to the relevant point of most-recently aired episode.
|2006-05-07, 12:25
|Link #13
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Fairfax, VA, USA
Would it be practical to add separate speculation/guess work threads for each story arc? We can keep the general speculation thread to talk about the overall story, and then keep smaller, arc-specific questions for each respective thread. That would save headaches when the momentum of questions start to appear at the end of the 2nd arc.
Also, maybe add a character speculation/comment thread too?
Let me add that threads for each episode should probably be more for expressing about what people thought of the episode than what people think what's happening in this mystery. The problem with adding speculation and thoughts about the story is that it gets split among 4-5 threads for each story arc.
Just a thought, anyway.
Last edited by FubaredByAnime; 2006-05-07 at 12:38.
|2006-05-08, 00:55
|Link #14
Gomen asobase desuwa!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Age: 38
As for the character speculation, I'll create something similar to the one in the Fate thread.
|2006-05-09, 10:24
|Link #15
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Fairfax, VA, USA
Maybe you guys should have a FAQ, controlled only you the moderators to answer/comment on the questions that keeps seemingly to pop up, such as:
- How are the chapters related to each other?
- Is that a gun on Mion's shoulder?
- Why is Rika so cute?
Then you can tell anyone who asks to please refer to the FAQ. I too keep feeling like it's broken record when the same question. Also, I think it kinda wastes time when KJ and Sushi have to write long descriptions of what's going on. And I'm sure we all asked all three questions at some point.
|2006-05-11, 11:45
|Link #17
Gomen asobase desuwa!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Age: 38
|2006-05-25, 11:41
|Link #18
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Dallas, TX
Age: 35
I had to come out of lurking to post this, seems like my account got deleted during the whole board crash a while back, but anyways --
Can we start threads for each 'chapter' or 'arc' of the series? I was trying to post something about the shion/mion thing, but they could fall into any of the episode 5-8 threads.
|2006-05-25, 12:11
|Link #19
Gomen asobase desuwa!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Age: 38
1. Discussion sections for each episode (x 26)
2. An overall general theory section (x 1)
3. And the possibilty of discussion sections for each chapter (x 6)
It is inevitable that such discussions will overlap. I need to see more of the pros and cons of gaining six additional chapter discussion sections. For example, what is there to stop people who have watched Watanagashi-hen to start spoiling in Onikakushi-hen? If such chaos ensues, it might be better off to leave the overall discussion with that singular general theory section. Please give me your input.
|2006-05-25, 13:27
|Link #20
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Blue Raider Nation
Age: 33
I like the idea, but I don't think I'm the only the one that has a terrible time wanting to be surprised at chapters but keep hitting the spoiler button on posts anyway. Which probably seems really wierd. I would vote on putting up the chapter discussions as they finish in the anime series, this would allow people that have played the game to give input on things that were left out in the anime series.
I'll put up a really crappy pros and cons list
-It allows for a more in depth look at chapters,characters,plot and setting
-People who played the game can toss in things left out
-By putting up chapters already played in the anime it allows for more feedback from other members
-Not necessary for people to put up spoiler tags
-Overlapping with a series like this it's probably gonna more with later chapters looking back on earlier ones.
-Flaming wars are likely but maybe can be avoided (ex. the your wrong i'm right type stuff)
-Admins/Mods have to lookout for people putting in other chapter spoilers. A person may be discussing Onikakushi-hen because they have'nt seen Watanagashi-hen yet.
This is just some things I thought up off the top of my head.
|Thread Tools


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Motivational Posters - This Guy - 04/18/2009
You are looking at the gallery from INCIT, a multi-player game where people compete to create inspirational and motivational posters.
View other posters in our gallery!
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This Guy
Is in your closet, waiting to molest you
Winner Details
If you had a Forumwarz account, you could vote for it. Also, you could play INCIT and create your own posters.
Share this Poster!


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Join us for the 3rd annual KGB season opening demo and bbq/party on the 20th and 21st at Toll Plaza Beach & KGB Kiteboarding Shop from 2-9:30pm!
Try all the latest gear from Best, Litewave and NRS SUP, with Pros on-hand to answer questions and to offer trick tips.
Free Swag! Drawing and giveaways at the After BBQ/Party back at the shop from 6:30-9:30pm!
Win a new board and other great prizes!
CYA there!


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Sweden's Peter Gustafsson went some way towards erasing some of the heartache he has endured in recent years by moving into a share of the lead on the opening day of the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, which marks the climax of the 2010 Challenge Tour season.
Gustafsson has twice missed out on securing his European Tour card by a single place in the Challenge Tour Rankings, finishing the year in 16th place in 2004 – when only the top 15 earned promotion – and then 21st 12 months ago.
But the Swede's five under par round of 66 in benign conditions at the stunning San Domenico Golf in Puglia, Italy, was good enough to climb to the top of the leaderboard alongside England's Steven Tiley and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.
With three rounds of the €300,000 event remaining much can still change, but if Gustafsson continues his fine form he stands every chance of jumping from his current Ranking position of 35th and into the all-important top 20.
Gustafsson, who holed his bunker shot for a birdie on the fourth hole, said: "I finished third in the Italian Open so Italy's been pretty good to me so far this year, and I'd like to keep that run going for one more week if possible. Conditions today were pretty good, and if you can play the tricky holes well then you can take advantage on some of the easier holes. My putting today was the key to my score – I putted better than I have done for a very long time. I only had 25 putts, so any time you do that you're likely to have a good day. I holed a few nice putts in practice yesterday, and that continued today. My confidence was high and I could read most of the putts – and not only that, they went where I wanted them to go.
"This week I haven't really got anything to lose – the guys just inside the top 20, like I was last year, have got everything to lose. That's the way it is. But we all have to remember that we're very fortunate to do what we do so it's important to enjoy this week as much as you can, though obviously that's not always possible! I haven't always enjoyed it in the past, but I only had myself to blame really. If I'd played a bit better, I would've secured my card. But everything happens for a reason. It wasn't the best two days of my life when I missed out by one, but people have had far worse days than me."
Like Gustafsson, Tiley has also adopted a relaxed approach as he seeks the top three finish which would in all probability see him climb the necessary six places from his current Ranking position of 26th.
The 28 year old, whose previous claims to fame were his victory in last year's Egyptian Open and an opening round of 66 at this year's Open Championship, felt right at home on the 7,031 yards, par 71 links layout, which was designed by European Golf Design, having grown up playing similar courses at home in his native Kent.
Tiley, whose tap-in birdie at the last was one of five gains, said: "I hit it pretty straight off the tee today, though the fairways are fairly generous in some places. That's my game, short and straight, and today it served me well. It's my first Grand Final, and I'm trying to enjoy it – I suppose you always enjoy an event more if you're playing well. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a fun week because it's quite stressful, but it's a good week and I enjoy playing this course.
"When my caddie got here he texted me to say it's just like Deal, which I play on back home in Kent. I didn't believe him, but it is very similar in many ways – especially the holes next to the seas. So you have to hit similar shots, and play the course in a similar way. The only real difference is that there's sunshine here in late October, which you definitely wouldn't get back at home!"
Whilst Tiley and Gustafsson strive to climb into the top 20 of the Rankings, Wiesberger can afford to relax, safe in the knowledge that a return to The European Tour has long since been sewn up after two victories in France this season.
The big-hitting Austrian's win in Toulouse was secured in windy conditions not dissimilar to those found at San Domenico Golf, on the Adriatic Coast, where he has a decent record having finished in the top 15 on his only previous appearance in 2007.
Wiesberger said: "It's strange – I putted really well, and yet my only two bogeys came from three putts. But I also drove the ball really well, especially down the stretch. I got off to a great start with birdies at the second, third and fourth, and just carried it on from there. It helps that my card's virtually secured already – it's not absolutely guaranteed that I'll finish in the top ten, but I'm almost there.
"So I can relax and enjoy it a little bit more than some of the guys here this week. I also started with a 66 when I was last here two years ago and wasn't able to see it through, but hopefully I can build on it this year and maybe win the tournament. It would be a great finish to the season, and might mean I win the Rankings. But I don't expect Alvaro [Velasco] to have a bad week so it's not something I'm really thinking about."
Rankings leader Velasco endured an indifferent day, with two bogeys and a double at the 16th hole blighting his one over par round of 72.
But his compatriot Carlos de Moral endured better fortunes after signing for a flawless round of 67 which saw him take a share of fourth place alongside Australian Daniel Gaunt.
The duo have each won once on the Challenge Tour this season and both are currently inside the top 20, with English Challenge champion Gaunt in 12th, seven places higher than Del Moral.
The Spaniard's need is therefore the greater, though he is doing his damnedest to ignore the Rankings and just concentrate on his own game.
He said: "I'm just trying to take it step by step and shot by shot. This week that's more important than ever. It's my second time here – the last time, in 2007, I played horribly, but I'm a much better player now. There's just no comparison – last time I couldn't find a fairway, whereas now the game feels much easier. So I'm happy with my game, but you can lose your form as quickly as finding it. This week is just about keeping going and concentrating fully. Since my win in Russia I feel much stronger mentally, but my game still needs to improve. Hopefully it's good enough to get me through the week, then I can work hard over the winter and get ready for next season – wherever that may be!"
Gaunt is all but assured of a place in The 2011 Race to Dubai, but he has set his sights on a place in the top ten of the Rankings, in order to ensure as many starts as possible next season.
The man from Melbourne, who now resides in London, opened with a double bogey at the tough opening hole courtesy of a wayward approach shot, but rallied impressively with six birdies – including one from a foot on the last.
He said: "The opening hole's really tough – it's almost playing like a par five into the wind, so even though I didn't play it well, I felt I'd only lost one shot on most of the field. There are still 71 holes to go so you can't afford to get down or lose your concentration, and luckily I got one straight back with a birdie on the second. After that I hit some good shots, especially on the back nine, which I played very well. I've been brought up playing in the wind, so the sort of tough course we've got here, where you have to hit quality shots to make birdie, suits my game.
"After my win I lost my swing a bit, but over the last month or so I've found it again and my game feels that much sharper. I've been playing well, and if I can keep it going for the next three days, it should stand me in good stead. I haven't allowed myself to think about next season – I'll think about that come Saturday night. I've virtually guaranteed myself a place in the top 20, but my goal this week is to climb into the top ten. It's a big ask, but I've won once already so I know I'm good enough to compete out here on the Challenge Tour."
American Christopher Ryan Baker and Sweden's Pelle Edberg share sixth place on three under par after both men posted four birdies and a solitary bogey in their respective rounds of 68.
|Player Name
|HAINES, Matt
|GAUNT, Daniel
|GAGLI, Lorenzo
|SLATTERY, Lee
|EDBERG, Pelle
|GUSTAFSSON, Peter


text: Bangkok Flight Services is a fast growing company providing services to many of the prestigious airlines operating at Suvarnabhumi airport. Our aim is to be a leader in our industry. In order to achieve this goal and meet our customer requirements, we are looking for talented staffs. In order to meet our expansion, we are recruiting candidates the following positions which will lead to a challenging and rewarding career with many opportunities for the future for those performing individuals


text:
Acquisition FAQ
Donation Procedures
How do I offer an object to the Peabody Museum?
Please send a letter or e-mail telling us about your object and whether you are offering it as a gift, for sale, or as a bequest. It will help us greatly if you can enclose photos or digital images. Please provide a description, including materials, date of manufacture and/or collection, and dimensions; verifiable record of authenticity and provenance (history of ownership); and information about any prior treatments with preservative chemicals, such as moth balls or insecticides. If the object incorporates any fish and wildlife components, please include information about permits or other documentation demonstrating that the object was collected, transported, exported, imported, acquired, transferred, and possessed in compliance with all United States and foreign laws. This information can be sent to:
Peabody Museum Research
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Harvard University
11 Divinity Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
How long before I learn whether the Museum wants to acquire my object?
Generally, the most time-consuming portion of the acquisition process is gathering information from the donor. We may have to contact you several times before we have enough information for your object to be considered by the Collections Review Committee. Sometimes additional research into legal issues or consultation with outside curatorial experts is necessary, as well. Once we have all of this information, your offer will be considered at a monthly meeting of our Collections Review Committee. After the Committee's recommendation has been reviewed by the Director, we will contact you with a formal reply.
How does the Museum decide which objects to accept for the collection?
The Peabody Museum has a formal decision-making procedure. Briefly, museum specialists will assess the object on the basis of various criteria and discuss their findings at a monthly Collections Review Committee meeting. A recommendation is then made to the Director who, acting for the University, makes the final decision.
Can I send my object to the Museum now?
Please do not send unsolicited objects to the Museum. We will contact you at an appropriate time to arrange shipping to the Museum.
How is ownership transferred?
The legal mechanism for acquiring an object differs from case to case, depending on how the object is offered.
With a gift, as soon as the Museum has decided to accept the donor's offer, the donor will be provided with two copies of our Deed of Gift for signature. One of these Deeds is to be returned to us; the other is to be kept for the donor's own records. Arrangements will also be made for the object to arrive at the Peabody Museum, if this has not occurred previously. When Peabody Museum receives the completed Deed of Gift and the object is in our physical custody, the gift is completed.
With a sale, the object becomes the property of the Peabody Museum once final payment is made. Payment will not be authorized until Peabody Museum receives the object in good condition.
Do you want the intellectual property rights, too?
The Peabody Museum asks that all intellectual property rights that exist in the object be donated to the Peabody Museum along with title to the object. This enables us to publish images on the web and in hard copy and license reproductions. This is a crucial element in the Museum's best management practices. While Peabody Museum would not automatically decline an object without simultaneous transfer of full intellectual property rights, withholding of intellectual property rights by the potential donor would weigh heavily against our acceptance.
I will make a gift only if I can set certain conditions for my object. Are you still interested?
Our practice and policy is to not accept gifts that come with strings attached. Conditions are often not in line with modern museum practices, may not reflect our constituencies' expectations and needs, or are at odds with University guidelines. Many museums now find themselves devoting resources trying to adhere to or resolve legacy issues, and we certainly do not wish to create similar problems for our successors.
Can you appraise my donation?
Federal law prevents the Museum from providing identification services or appraisal values for donated items. Donors are responsible for appraisals of value. Please contact the regional branch of the Appraisers Association of America, the American Society of Appraisers, or the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association directly. The Museum is in no way affiliated with these organizations.
How can I make a contribution to support the cost of caring for my object?
Collections stewardship requires considerable resources of space, materials, and personnel. We are very grateful to donors who understand this "big picture" and contribute funds to support the preservation and accessibility of collections. To make such a gift, please click here.
It's New Year's Eve! Can I offer to donate an object today and get a tax deduction for this year?
Unfortunately, no. For year-end donations, all information must be submitted no later than December 1. The Museum has an extended winter holiday and will process last-minute donations early in the following year.


text:
Good news and bad news folks.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Sat 15th Jan dance has had to be moved to the following week, Sat 22nd. We really hope you can all still make it and can only apologise profusely!
The good news is, we're having a valentines special on Sat Feb 12th (this cancels out the previous Feb date) A Reggae, Soul, rocking and romance kinda night, more details soon.
We hope you all had a great Christmas and wish you the best for new year,
Many thanks,
Colette and David


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A complete shithole of a forum, originally intended for fans of The Mars Volta but now overrun by rich white kids from the American suburbs. Notably one of the only forums that has a constant civil war going on (Main forum fanboys against Drunkship imbeciles). Many blame this on the fact that all the aforementioned rich kids think they are either black (because they call their albino friends "homies" and enjoy fried chicken) or highly evolved progressive experimental musicians (because they can fart into a delay pedal).
Browsing the Comatorium is more painful than a 12-hour rim ripper.
by Theory Plz Confirm July 26, 2008
A badass web forum specifically for fans of the band The Mars Volta. Has many sections, including one for At the Drive-in, which was 3 members of The Mars Volta's previous band.
"Where did you get that badass picture of The Mars Volta?"
"The Comatorium, duh!"
"The Comatorium, duh!"
by Ka October 17, 2005
buy the domain for your diy site


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Spring (or is that summer) has sprung! And we've got a new fresh crop of zines straight from the…. zine… orchard? Enjoy!
Bizarrism. Vol. 9
Bookstore Thief.
Booty. Vol. 23
Cryptic Slaughter. Vol. 25
High Maintenance Machine. Vol. 26: A periodic, Illustrated
How I Quit School. Vol. 1
Next Stop Adventure. Vol. 4
One Way Ticket. Vol. 7
Shit From Nowhere. Vol. 3
Shit From Nowhere. Vol. 4
Shit From Nowhere. Vol. 5
So Raw It's Downright Filthy.
Sowing And Dawning. Vol. 3
Tom Tom. Vol. 4
Trainwreck. Vol. 7
Worn. Vol.9
A Zine About Billy.


text: Suzy's Vulpix was an incredibly particular Pokémon, only eating food that either its original trainer, Suzy, or Brock made. Through seeing the care that Brock went into in looking after Pokémon, she decided to let Brock look after it. Brock was often seen grooming it and sometimes used it in battle, mostly however in training with Ash. Vulpix, while a little bit spoiled, did enjoy playing about with the other Pokémon. Eventually Brock met up with Suzy again and decided that Suzy should keep Vulpix.


text:
|Item Price
|your basket is empty
|sub total
Demand intensifies for Stress Engineers
Research carried out by Global StressEngineers – www.globalstressengineers.info in the last three months has shown ongoing deterioration in the ability of companies to hire the stress engineers they need.
Projected rises in demand for stress engineering skills is not being met by the supply of engineers into the sector,and is causing growing concern amongst European OEMs.
A major project carried out at the end of 2012, Global Stress Engineers interviewed a wide range of stress engineers, and employers across Europe, indicated continuing pressures in the labour market.
Global Stress Engineers– www.globalstressengineers.com
The Global Stress Engineers website has been created to bring together the Stress Engineering professionals of the world. The news and information site provides the latest developments and jobs for aerospace stress engineering professionals around the world.
Event Type: News
Date: February 11, 2013


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Super Bowl F-bomb could put FCC in a bind
After another obscenity incident involving CBS and a Super Bowl broadcast, the Federal Communications Commission is under pressure to fine the TV network.
A watchdog group says it wants the FCC to act after CBS aired audio of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco using the F-word and another player using a curse word. Both incidents happened right after the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's Super Bowl.
Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed the right of the FCC to fine over-the-air broadcasters if they aired profane words. It also said the FCC had to make its rules clearer to broadcasters. But the FCC hasn't faced a high-profile profanity case until now since the Supreme Court ruling.
The Parents Television Council wants the FCC to act and set a precedent by fining CBS after Flacco's choice of words.
"Now nine years after the infamous Janet Jackson incident, the broadcast networks continue to have 'malfunctions' during the most-watched television event of the year, and enough is enough," PTC president Tim Winter said. "After more than four years of inaction on broadcast decency enforcement, the FCC must step up to its legal obligation to enforce the law, or families will continue to be blindsided."
Entertainment Weekly said that CBS had instituted a time delay for the Super Bowl halftime show, featuring Beyonce, but it didn't have a time delay set up for its on-field live television feed.
On Sunday, the political website The Hill interviewed several obscenity experts on the eve of the game, about the prospects of the FCC fining any broadcaster for obscenity or profanity violations.
That may not happen until FCC chairman Julius Genachowski resigns later this year.
"If the chairman waits a little bit longer, he may be gone. So it'll be somebody else's headache," attorney Andrew Schwartzman told The Hill.
The Supreme Court sent a message on broadcast TV obscenity last June.
In one ruling, the decision in Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations was about three incidents where the FCC wanted to punish Fox and ABC for what it deemed as offensive content.
Fox was facing potential fines from the FCC for two incidents of "fleeting" cursing during live broadcasts involving Cher and Nicole Richie. ABC was in hot water for showing the naked buttocks of actress Charlotte Ross in an episode of NYPD Blue.
The Supreme Court found that the FCC didn't provide fair notice to both networks. Also, the ruling was specific to the three incidents, and not meant to alter the FCC's policy about broadcast regulations about obscenity.
Also in June 2012, the court refused to hear an FCC appeal after a lower court tossed out a $550,000 fine against CBS for the 2004 Janet Jackson halftime show incident.
The justices said the FCC had failed to give CBS proper notice, in that specific incident, after Jackson exposed herself briefly in front of a global TV audience.
Even though the court turned down the FCC case, Chief Justice John Roberts made his opinions very clear, after the FCC changed its policy on "fleeting expletives" and fined CBS for the Jackson incident after the Super Bowl.
"It is now clear that the brevity of an indecent broadcast—be it word or image—cannot immunize it from FCC censure," Roberts said last June. "Any future 'wardrobe malfunctions' will not be protected on the ground relied on by the court below."
In its official guidelines, the FCC says, "obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution and cannot be broadcast at any time."
Its rules for profanity are different.
"The FCC has defined profanity as 'including language so grossly offensive to members of the public who actually hear it as to amount to a nuisance.' Like indecency, profane speech is prohibited on broadcast radio and television between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.," the FCC policy reads.
The PTC doesn't have any issues with Flacco.
"No one should be surprised that a jubilant quarterback might use profane language while celebrating a career-defining win, but that is precisely the reason why CBS should have taken precautions," says Winter.
"Joe Flacco's use of the f-word, while understandable, does not absolve CBS of its legal obligation to prevent profane language from being broadcast—especially during something as uniquely pervasive as the Super Bowl. The instance was aired live across the country, and before the FCC's designated 'Safe Harbor' time everywhere but along the East Coast."
Broadcasters have argued unsuccessfully in a series of legal cases that the First Amendment protects them from FCC fines in such cases.
But it has been years since the FCC has issued a significant obscenity fine against a broadcast TV network.
Recent Constitution Daily Stories
Former First Dog Barney was an early web video icon
Yes, it was 100 years ago that we wound up with a national income tax
Background checks could be gun control deal breaker
10 interesting facts about young Franklin D. Roosevelt


text:
Alissa10 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 46 designs submitted by 14 freelance designers.
Logo for product label. Should be clean and simple and combine the electronics aspects of product with mythical aspects of name "imp" (look on wikipedia for definition). IMP (iPod/MP3 headphone/earbud case). Design should be able to stand up against varied multicolored backgrounds but not fight against them. Neutral palate (but I don't mean beige).
from Wikipedia: However, imps are sometimes described as fond of music, and capable ofbeing charmed into making a promise to aid, and "do good" in thatmanner through music—though there is always likely to be somemischievous trick to be attached to the barter.
I am the inventor of this product and need a logo for the label.
- to be used on an embossed PVC rubber label
- could also be used on packaging (collateral)
- imp can either be an imp image or the word "IMP"
- simple easy to reproduce on PVC
- size 1 inch by 1 inch so don't make it busy
- 1 or 2 colors max
- embossed aspect more important that color
- lil imp
- busy
- too colorful
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NEW YORK – Big companies such as Citigroup and Sony have been the targets of major hacking attacks. Yet a new survey finds that regular people are also prime and often unsuspecting targets.
Parents and their teenage children regularly engage in risky online behavior, according to the survey of U.S. Internet users commissioned by computer security company GFI Software.
More than half of the parents whose home computers have been infected with a virus said this has happened more than once. And while 89 percent of parents said they have antivirus software on their computers, a quarter of them said they don't know if they update it. Without updates, antivirus software is useless against the latest malicious attacks.
Of the teens who responded, 24 percent said they have visited a website meant for adults. More than half who do so said they lied about their age to get into the sites. Such sites are often designed to spread malicious software, which can infect the computers of people who visit.
"Given the potential ramifications of improper Internet use today, it would seem to merit at least the same degree of educational vigilance as other lifestyle risk categories like sex, drugs and alcohol," the report said.
The survey of 1,070 adults and their teenage children was conducted March 22 to April 5, 2011 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Among the survey's other findings:
— 11 percent of teens said they have been bullied online or by text messages. More girls reported being bullied than boys.
— 79 percent of teens said they own a mobile phone. Of this group, 29 percent said they own a smartphone.
— 76 percent of parents and 77 percent of teenagers said they are very confident or somewhat confident that their computers won't be infected by a virus.
— 65 percent of parents said their home computers have been infected.
— More than half of the households said both the parent and the teen had a Facebook account. Of these, 87 percent were "friends" with each other on the site.
— 83 percent of teenagers with Facebook accounts indicated that they understand how to use privacy settings, so they may hide content from their parents.


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Crusaders advance to 9-A title game with win over DCC
CLARION - The Elk County Catholic Crusaders advanced to the District 9 Class A championship game with a 58-47 victory over the DuBois Central Cardinals in a game played at the Waldo Tippin Gymnasium at Clarion University.The Crusaders will now meet the Union Knights Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Clarion University for the D9-A title. DuBois Central will square off against North Clarion at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the consolation game set for Clarion University. Union got by North Clarion 49-47 last night at CUP.The Crusaders were able to break open a close game midway through the fourth quarter, when they went on an 8-2 run to take a 55-39 lead with 1:53 left in the game. "We got a little lackadaisical and sluggish in the second quarter," said ECCHS coach Aaron Straub.Defensively, we had a much better plan tonight than Saturday night with the post play. But the bottom line was that we made a couple of shots which changed the way they had to play defense." The Crusaders were led offensively by Darren Simons with 17 points on one two, four threes and a three-for-five night from the foul line. Mitchel Haberberger added 15 points on five field goals and a five-for-seven night from the foul line.DuBois Central was led by Dan Fitzpatrick with 16 points on four twos, two threes and a two-for-three night from the foul line. Chris Marshall and Taylor Pentz each added 11 points. Pentz scored his points on three twos, a three and a two-for-two night from the foul line. Marshall scored his points on five field goals and a one-for-three night from the foul line.The Crusaders outrebounded the Cardinals 24-20. Ben Daghir led ECC with seven points, while Marshall led DCC with 10 caroms.Tyler Herzing and Fitzpatrick traded buckets to start the game. A field goal by Simons and two foul shots by Haberberger gave ECC the 6-2 lead. Pentz cut it to 6-4 before Pearsall hit a foul shot, Herzing a three and Pearsall a two, 12-4. Dan O'Connor scored for ECC, with Herzing scoring for Elk. Brad Gallagher scored to cut Elk's lead to 14-8 at the end of one quarter.Haberberger scored on a putback to make it 16-8. A bucket by A.J. Nesbit and a foul shot by O'Connor cut it to 16-11. Pearsall hit a three, giving ECC the 19-11 lead. DuBois Central went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 19. Luke Daghir's field goal gave the Crusaders the 21-19 halftime lead.Marshall opened the second half by tying the game at 21. Ben Daghir made it 23-21 before Pentz sank two foul shots, 23-23. A three by Pearsall made it 26-23. Marshall cut it to 26-25. Simons and Fitzpatrick traded threes. Ben Daghir scored on a putback and Herzing added a foul shot, 32-28. Marshall scored for DCC before Simons hit a three, 35-30. Pentz scored for DCC, 35-32. Haberberger sank a foul shot and Luke Daghir scored a field goal with five seconds left, 38-32. Pentz hit a three at the buzzer, 38-35.Luke Daghir increased Elk's lead to 40-35. Haberberger converted a three-point play, 43-35. Fitzpatrick sank a foul shot before Simons hit a three, 46-36. Marshall converted a foul shot, 46-37. Elk went on an 8-0 run as Haberberger scored six and Ben Daghir two, 54-37, with 2:48 left. Gallagher scored for DCC, 54-39. A foul shot by Haberberger made it 55-39 with 1:53 left. Fitzpatrick hit a three, 55-42. Marshall hit a field goal and Fitzpatrick converted a three-point play, 57-47. Simons made one of two from the foul line, making the final score 58-47 in favor of the Crusaders."Union is very well-coached, very scrappy. They will be charged up to play. We need to make sure we match their intensity," Straub said. Game notesThe Crusaders are now 23-4 on the season.The Cardinals turned the ball over 20 times to Elk Catholic's seven.The Crusaders will meet the Union Knights Saturday night at 8 p.m., the nightcap of a six-game day at Clarion.DCCHS 47A.J. Nesbitt 1-0-0-0-2, Chris Marshall 5-0-1-3-11, Brock LaBue 0-0-0-0-0, Jake Krause 0-0-0-0-0, Brad Gallagher 2-0-0-0-4, Taylor Pentz 3-1-2-2-11, Dan O'Connor 1-0-1-1-3, Dan Fitzpatrick 4-2-2-3-16. Totals 16-3-6-9-47.ECCHS 58Ricky Pearsall 1-1-1-4-6, Tyler Herzing 2-1-1-5-8, Ben Crowe 0-0-0-0-0, Eric Wehler 0-0-0-0-0, Brandon Pollick 0-0-0-0-0, Caleb Lecker 0-0-0-0-0, Ben Wortman 0-0-0-0-0, Kevin Kraus 0-0-0-0-0, Michael Jacob 0-0-0-0-0, Darren Simons 1-4-3-5-17, Mitchel Haberberger 5-0-5-7-15, Ben Daghir 4-0-0-0-8, Luke Daghir 2-0-0-0-4, Josh Gebauer 0-0-0-0-0. Totals 15-6-10-21-58.Score by quartersDCCHS 8 11 16 12 47ECCHS 14 7 17 20 58
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I just became aware of this theory:
a few weeks ago and I am getting one of the people to speak at a our Sydney Futurists meeting in October:
Are there any cosmologists here that would like to comment? - it seems fairly consistent to me, although some of the connections are branching off into weird stuff . . It claims to have better explanations than black holes, big bangs and expanding universes etc.
I am compiling some questions for the meeting so I would appreciate some more expert views on this stuff (I was a biologist).
Views: 146
I'm not a cosmologist, the closest I get is being an physicist with a master in astrophysics, who prefered to collect data rather than do the heavy theoretical work.
The electrical Universe seems to be something along the line of a book I bought on the theory of the Plasma Universe some 20 years ago. I never got around to reading the book as I had to consentrate on finishing my master and then started teaching, first undergraduates then as a high scool teacher, and never got around to picking it up again to read. So, just some random thoughts on cosmology in general rather than arguments in the dicussion between competing theories.
The theory of the origin of our Universe is an evolving theory where we might not have done the crucial observation yet or might not do the right conclusions based on the observations. As late as 60 years ago head sciencetists were still discussing whether the Universe was static or not. The expansion of the Universe must be regarded as confirmed and the cosmologists are working on the details of the theories, adjusting as new observational observations comes along. The "invention" of dark energy to explain new and more refined observations reminds me a bit of the epicycles used to explain the behaviour of the planets before the heliocentric system was accepted less than 400 years ago. But it could also be compared to the search for a new planet (that turned out to be Neptun) after observing variations in the orbit of Uranus, an example of observations confirming a theory.
We might have some idea of how the very young Universe behaved and what influenced it while it evolved, but we don't know and might not ever know. The plasma/electric Universe is based on plasma being 99.9% of the observed matter in the Universe. On the other hand, based on the observations of the movement of and within galaxies, the observable matter in the Universe might be only 4.6% of the Universe, un-observable (dark) matter 23% and 72% dark energy (relating to matter by the famous E=mc2).
In some sence; whether you believe in one or another theory of how the Universe works on the grand scale resembles religions. You defend the one you think is right and am less inclined to listen to the arguments of the other views, and the one you believe in depends on where you were born and grew up (the Universe you studied at, research group you belong to...). I guess in this comparison I'm a cosmological agnostic who thinks we don't have enough observations yet to get to a conclution.
(preparing for some cosmologist comming to hit me with some thing hard dark energy :-)
Thanks for the comments! One thing I will be chasing up - they claim that the universe is NOT expanding and this is proved because some galaxies, with greatly differing red-shifts are actually close to each other and, in some cases, actually interacting! - ie one galaxy is stripping stars away from the other galaxy. If this is true, it puts a fairly large hole in the standard model doesn't it?
This is not valid, the theory was well debunked back along with Thunderbolt of the Gods.
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Tuesday April 6, 2010 7:57 pm
iPad review: An in-depth look at the Apple tablet
Posted by Andru Edwards - Categories: Apple, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews
When Apple finally revealed the iPad to the world back at their January 27th event, it was a long time coming for many an Apple fan. After almost three years with the iPhone around, everyone figured it was time for Apple to unleash a full-sized, proper tablet. However, time and time again the rumor mill was incorrect, as Apple Event after Apple Event came and went with nary a mention of a tablet device. So when the announcement finally came, and when pre-orders finally were being taken, many prepped to grab the iPad on day one. That day came on April 3 with the launch of the Wi-Fi iPad in the United States, which you can now purchase at the Apple Online Store.
The hype has been off the charts, so let's step back for a minute and examine this thing. The iPad sits somewhere between the iPhone juggernaut and the ridiculously popular MacBook. Many have said that it is simply a "big iPod touch" and nothing more. Apple has called it "magical and revolutionary." Who's right?
We bring you the answers in our review, so hit that read link and follow along as we delve into the iPad.
Let's start with the hardware. After all, before you jump into the device and software, the first thing you experience when you pick up an iPad is the actual look and feel of the thing. We will briefly recap these features for those who aren't completely in the know.
The iPad is thinner and lighter than just about any computer or netbook that you've gotten your hands on. The face is pretty much taken over by the 9.7-inch 1024 x 768 capacitive multitouch display, which is LED-backlit to boot. Around the screen is a black bezel, which exists so that you can actually hold on to the iPad without accidentally pressing buttons on the touch display. You've got the Home button at the bottom of the screen, and the entire surface is covered in glass (save for the Home button, naturally.) The back is curved aluminum with the iconic Apple logo, and not much else. You've got a dock connector at the bottom, along with "stereo" speakers, and on the side you have the volume rocker and screen orientation lock. Finally, at the top, you have the power button, and headphone jack.
All of that comes together and forms a 1.5 pound tablet that packs a nice amount of punch. Coming in at just a half an inch thick is astounding, and a testament to Apple design and engineering.
At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, "Yeah, sounds like a big iPhone so far," and you wouldn't be off-base with that mindset just yet. However, just remember, that's exactly what Apple wants you to think. After all, they've sold millions of iPhones and iPod touch devices. If all of those users instantly feel at home on the iPad, that the learning curve for them is non-existant, they'll sell even more of these things. And anyway, it's all about the software.
As far as the internals go, the heart of the iPad is the custom-designed Apple A4 processor system. It's basically a single-core Cortex A8 alongside a PowerVR SGX GPU. The RAM is built-in to the 1GHz A4 as well, and the iPad rocks 256MB in that department. In testing, we've come away very impressed with the A4 chip. The iPad is downright speedy, and apps feel faster and more responsive than ever. Flipping through large photos is effortless, and web pages load in an instant. Of course, this is with the current restriction of running just one app at a time. We will see how it does when iPhone OS 4.0 brings multitasking to the table.
You've also got stuff like Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, a digital compass (but no compass app,) accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and microphone rounding things out. The upcoming 3G model will also have an AGPS chip and 3G antenna to connect to the cell network.
Lastly, you've got a battery that Apple says will last 10 hours…and as most reviews will point out, that's a fairly conservative number. We had our iPad playing video for a full 11 hours and 10 minutes before it gave out on us, and that's with Wi-Fi and push email enabled. We wouldn't expect it to last as long in a marathon gaming session or anything, but seriously, this things lasts a long time.
Okay, in case you couldn't tell from all the images and videos of the iPad that have been circulating across the web, this device is all about the display. As we said, it overtakes the face of the device, and quite frankly, it's the way that you interact with it, consume information, and put information in. When you think about it that way, the display has a lot of expectations to live up to, and we are thrilled to report that Apple absolutely nailed it. Originally, we were worried that 9.7-inches might be a tad too small, but we have yet to come across a situation where we feel that the screen is too little to do what we want it to do.
Apple used IPS (in-plane switching) screen technology, and that means that the viewing angles are wide, and no matter how you have the iPad propped up, you see everything perfectly. You get brightness controls that you can mess with manually, or you can set that to auto. Inside the iBooks ereader app you even get another dedicated brightness control, so that you can manage the brightness of the display while reading a book.
The multitouch capabilities are second to none. The fact of the matter is, I've never used a touchscreen that was this easy and accessible. Seriously. Even the on-screen keyboard is smart enough to allow me to touch-type using all 10 fingers with no problem. More on that later.
As we said earlier, regardless of how impressive the iPad is from a hardware perspective, it really needs a great software experience to back it up. It can't just be pretty, it has to be functional. That said, Apple decided it best to have the wildly popular iPhone OS power the iPad, which makes it immediately accessible to millions of iPod touch and iPhone owners. In fact, it runs on iPhone OS 3.2, a version of the software that isn't even available for the iPhone yet.
Now don't get me wrong, while the iPad does run iPhone OS, it definitely has some differentiating tricks up its sleeve. Apple has taken advantage of the screen real estate to show how apps can be re-imagined for the iPad, but they've also thrown in some things that just aren't supported on the iPhone. Here are a few of the more obvious standouts:
- Pop-over menus: In certain apps, when necessary, you get a window that hovers over the active app, letting you interact with a specific feature fully. Things like brewing through tracks in iTunes, or responding to an email are a couple of examples. We've also seen this behavior in quite a few third-party apps, like Twitterific.
- Almost full-sized keyboard: When typing in landscape mode, you get an onscreen keyboard that's almost as large as the ones found on a MacBook. I've been using my iPad for a little over two days, and the keyboard is a dream to type on, seriously! Don't believe me? Well, I'm actually typing out this very review using Pages on my iPad, using the onscreen keyboard.
- Split-screen UI: Another nice touch that appears in many apps when you are in landscape orientation is a split-screen display. A great example of this would be the Mail app. In portrait mode the screen is overtaken entirely by the email message, and there is an overlay menu that comes up to allow you to browse through different messages. But if you turn the iPad to landscape orientation, then you a split view that gives you your inbox on the left, and the message pane on the right.
- Overlay menus: Probably one of our favorite features, the overlay menus are a welcome addition to the iPhone OS on the iPad. They are basically toolbar menus that let you manipulate things like simple settings and options without having to leave the app or what you are doing. Twitterific makes great use of these in an elegant fashion.
What Apple has done here is make a lot of tasks that you'll be doing on the iPad super intuitive for just about anyone, new user or seasoned iPhone OS pro. Power users may say that is seems that a lot of things are dumbed down for the lowest common denominator, and that a netbook or full-on computer is a much better choice, but we'd say that these people are kind of missing the point. As Apple has stated, their vision for the iPad is for it to sit between the smartphone and the computer - this isn't a replacement. There are things you can do on a more powerful device that multitasks and has a dedicated keyboard that isn't at the mercy of the App Store, but by the same token, there are a bunch of things you can do simply and easily on the iPad that you aren't able to do as elegantly and intuitively as you can on the iPad.
Speaking of multitasking, you won't find that on the iPad, save for some Apple first-party apps. It's much more powerful than the iPhone, and obviously Apple could have made this happen if they wanted to, and we think they're gonna. We just need to wait for iPhone OS 4.0 to drop in order to get it. Luckily, Apple is set to unveil the next version of their mobile operating system in just a couple of days, so just sit tight. We are fully convinced that multitasking is coming.
In closing, as far as the operating system goes, you need to look at the iPad for what it is, not what it isn't. It's pretty amazing at the things it does, and it's the most mature touch-enabled OS out there. Apple started things off by making existing iPhone OS users fully comfortable on the iPad, but they definitely aren't going to be stopping there.
Okay, let's dive into impressions and thoughts on some of the first and third-party apps for the iPad. After all, the apps are the real differentiator here, and highlight what can be done on the iPad versus an iPhone or iPod touch.
Safari has surprised us, only because we've been so used to how Mobile Safari works on the iPhone. Don't get us wrong, we are fans, but there's just so much double-tapping to zoom in and out to make content readable. On the iPad, aside from the awesome Bookmark Bar integration, the screen is so large that you can just browse the web with a swipe of your finger, and you can pretty much read everything without all that tapping. Sure, Flash isn't supported in the browser (or anywhere else on the iPad,) but that's nowhere near a dealbreaker for us. Safari rocks on the iPad.
Another main use for us as far as the iPad is concerned is email. With the larger screen, and especially when used in landscape mode, the Mail app looks and feels much more like a desktop client than a mobile email app, and that's a good thing. When in portrait mode, your message overtakes the entire display, but you can still browse your inbox using the overlay menu.
iBooks is another killer feature on the iPad. You have a 9.7-inch color touchscreen display, and when held in portrait mode, it's perfect for reading books. The app is beautiful, and you actually get the feeling of "turning" a page and seeing the thickness of the book you're reading. Turn the iPad to landscape mode, and you can see the open book view. Definitely more elegant than any e-ink ereader we've seen so far (like the Kindle or Nook.) The only issue here is that the iPad is 1.5 pounds, and holding that much weight for a long period of time can wear on ones arms, but we found that simply resting it in a lap took care of that issue.
If you're familiar with iCal on OS X, you'll feel right at home on the iPad and its built-in calendar app. It's not as full featured as the full on version, but it is way more usable and viewable than its iPhone counterpart.
This is the best address book app that Apple has ever built, in our opinion. It looks like one of those old school book form address books, and has group support built-in. Again, more usable than the iPhone version, and more fun than the full OS X version.
The iPad excels at being a multimedia device, what with the way it handles things like YouTube, photos, videos, and iPod playback. The photo viewer isn't a big deal on paper, but actually using it is fun and a joy. The iPod app is pretty much a scaled down version of the iTunes player that's available for PC and Mac, to the point that we are confused why the app is called iPod at all. The YouTube app is also greatly improved over what you'd find on the iPhone, giving you all the comments, summaries, and surround info with the video. Even better, when you come across a YouTube embed in Safari, you can play it inline, rather than counting on QuickTime X to overtake the screen. We like it.
Apple has made their iWork office suite available on the iPad, and each app (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) costs $9.99 on the App Store. Now, we haven't had a chance to play around with Numbers or Keynote, mostly because we didn't have a need to create or edit spreadsheets or presentations. However, as it pertains to Pages, we did have one task that we knew would put it through it's paces, and you are reading the result. This entire iPad review was typed up on the iPad itself in the Pages app. We figured it would be frustrating, that there would be a lot of editing to be done, and that we'd never want to launch the app again. Instead, we found it to be just fine. I mean, it's no keyboard and mouse, but it wasn't annoying either. And at this point, the review is at over 2,500 words.
There's a small handful of Twitter clients on the App Store right now that are iPad-optimized, but we like Twitterific because it shows the elegance of what the iPad can do, using all the interface tricks we mentioned earlier, like split-screen view, menu overlays, pop-over windows, full keyboard, etc. Plus, it looks great on the screen, with barely any wasted space.
If you own a Mac and have never experienced the glory that is 1Password, we recommend that you Google it immediately. The folks at Agile Web Solutions make a might fine password manager, and they've brought it over to the iPad, and we absolutely love it. The interface is clean and inviting, and the app is actually one that is worth the money and is extremely useful.
The Epicurious app is something that we could see being sold as a standalone device targeted at stay-at-home moms and selling for up to $200 at Costco. This is the magic of what Apple has going on with the App Store, the device is different and unique for everyone, depending on what they use it for. Epicurious is stunning, and works great in the kitchen when the iPad is propped up in the Apple case. You get a split screen view in landscape mode, and you can search for a recipe for just about anything. You get the ingredient list on the left, the instructions on the right, and you can even checkmark specific ingredients to have them added to a shopping list, all right in the app.
Wormhole Remote
Okay, so this one isn't technically available in the App Store yet, but I'm good friends with the developer, Nate True, and I've been running a test copy. We actually published a Wormhole Remote review a few days ago. This is your solution for controlling your desktop and notebook Mac, right from your iPad, and it is slick. This is gonna be one to watch.
Not much to say here other than you can use these apps to watch streaming video, and it looks gorgeous. The iPad is now an Netflix Watch Instantly client, so you can pull up tons of movies and TV shows as long as you are connected to Wi-Fi. ABC Player gives you access to all the streaming television that you'd find at ABC.com.
This one is interesting. Before the iPad launched, we lamented that we'd need to carry three devices if we wanted access to all of our purchased eBook content when on the go, those being the Kindle, nook, and iPad. However, that was shortsighted, as Amazon has their iPad app ready on day one. The Kindle app allows you to read any of your purchased Amazon Kindle ebooks, right on your iPad. No Kindle hardware required. How cool is that? Barnes and Noble is hard at work on their iPad app as well. With an iPad, you'll be able to read books purchased from Amazon, B&N, and the iBookstore.
We were only able to test two accessories, as they were the only two available when we picked up the iPad.
Apple iPad Case: We must say, we are very satisfied with the Apple iPad case for what it allows us to do. It is a super-convenient way to prop up the iPad in such a way that it makes typing simple either on your lap or on a surface, and it also lets you prop it upright, which is great is you want to watch videos on the iPad, but don't feel like holding it. There are a couple of downsides, though. First, while the material feels good, it pretty much shows any dirt or dust that gets on it. Second, for what it is, we think that $39 was a bit much to ask.
iPad Dock: Apple doesn't include a dock with the iPad, but they are happy to sell you one for $29. If you don't plan on keeping your iPad in a case, this is a great way to prop it up, keep it charged, and also use it as a digital photo frame, which the iPad does support. Again, the pricing seems to be a bit high on this, since it really is just a dock.
Okay, so we know that was probably a lot to take in, but hey, we figure that our thoroughness might help sway your decision one way or the other. The question about whether you should buy an iPad or not rests solely in asking yourself how you feel about what the device does offer, rather than focusing on what it doesn't.
If you're an Apple lover and an early adopter, you've probably already made your decision, and you've got an iPad in-hand, or you are awaiting delivery of your 3G model. However, if you are on the fence, we want you to understand that the iPad is not a netbook, and it's not a laptop. Can it replace a laptop? Yes…depending on how you use it. If you just want a simple machine for reading email, doing some light word processing, surfing the web comfortable, reading ebooks, and running games and a host of other apps, then this is for you. Even if not a primary device, if you want a secondary travel or on-the-couch device? This is for you.
However, if you have no need for a device that simplifies computing in a major way, and you are more of a tinkerer or power user, then the iPad may not be for you. If you want a physical keyboard, you'll have to get used to using the keyboard dock (which we couldn't find anywhere as of press time) or using a wireless Bluetooth keyboard.
Think about the future and the potential you see in the device. To us, the iPad has been around for two days, and we've already seen developers do some amazing things with their apps. There is only more good to come, and we are excited about the iPad as a third platform, nested between smartphone and computer. With it starting at $500, and looking at the consumer electronics landscape and seeing what that gets you nowadays, for what you get, we kind of think that's a tremendous bargain for what you get.
Apple has done a great job at making the tablet form factor legitimate in the eyes of the average consumer. They used the iPhone, and later the iPod touch, as a way to get people familiar and comfortable with interacting with a device with just their fingers, and the iPad is the next evolution of that concept. Many others are on board as well, seeing as how the company sold 300,000 of the Wi-Fi model on the first day of availability. In our eyes, Apple has caused the industry to perk up and pay attention, and you can bet that other computer companies are going to be scrambling to compete in a market that has failed in the past. When you look at it from that perspective, and consider that it was Apple who put genuine excitement into the tablet PC category, you really need to give the company props, even if the iPad isn't the right product for you.
The iPad is available now in the Apple Store Online.
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