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VENICE (Reuters) - Capitalism is evil. That is the conclusion U.S. documentary maker Michael Moore comes to in his latest movie "Capitalism: A Love Story," which premieres at the Venice film festival Sunday.
Blending his trademark humor with tragic individual stories, archive footage and publicity stunts, the 55-year-old launches an all out attack on the capitalist system, arguing that it benefits the rich and condemns millions to poverty.
"Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil," the two-hour movie concludes.
"You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people and that something is democracy."
The bad guys in Moore's mind are big banks and hedge funds which "gambled" investors' money in complex derivatives that few, if any, really understood and which belonged in the casino.
Meanwhile, large companies have been prepared to lay off thousands of staff despite boasting record profits.
The filmmaker also sees an uncomfortably close relationship between banks, politicians and U.S. Treasury officials, meaning that regulation has been changed to favor the few on Wall Street rather than the many on Main Street.
He says that by encouraging Americans to borrow against the value of their homes, businesses created the conditions that led to the crisis, and with it homelessness and unemployment.
Moore even features priests who say capitalism is anti-Christian by failing to protect the poor.
"Essentially we have a law which says gambling is illegal but we've allowed Wall Street to do this and they've played with people's money and taken it into these crazy areas of derivatives," Moore told an audience in Venice.
"They need more than just regulation. We need to structure ourselves differently in order to create finance and money, support for jobs, businesses, etc."
Amid the gloom, Moore detects the beginnings of a popular movement against unbridled capitalism, and believes President Barack Obama's rise to power may bolster it.
"Democracy is not a spectator sport, it's a participatory event," he told a news conference. "If we don't participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy. So Obama will rise or fall based not so much on what he does but on what we do to support him."
Moore also warned other countries around the world against following the recent U.S. economic and political model.The film follows factory workers who stage a sit-in at a Chicago glass factory when they are sacked with little warning and no pay and who eventually prevail over the bank.
And a group of citizens occupies a home that has been repossessed and boarded up by the lending company, forcing the police who come to evict them to back down.
The film re-visits some of Moore's earlier movies, including a trip to his native Flint where his father was a car assembly line worker and was able to buy a home, a car, educate his children and look forward to a decent pension.
But he brings it up to date with an examination of the financial crisis, demanding to speak to the bosses of companies at the center of the collapse and demanding that banks give back the hundreds of billions of bailout dollars to the country.
And he interviews an employee of a firm which buys up re-possessed, or "distressed" properties at a fraction of their original value and which is called Condo Vultures.
Capitalism is evil, says new Michael Moore film | Lifestyle | Reuters
Unregulated capitalism, I believe, can lead to its evil. Because it seems unregulated capitalism inevitably will produce several big businesses that stay completely out of each other's way to maximize their profits. It used to be that the general thinking was that profits were driven down by several businesses competing for the same market. Over the past few decades businesses instead go to other waters to maximize their profits while keeping a semblance of competition that doesn't pass benefits down to the consumer. The Japanese car industry did this to good effect for a good while, and some of the bigger businesses in the U.S. including HMO providers seem to be in the same basket.
Because of capitalism, Moore has been able to make his movies and a lot of money along the way. Without captialism, we would all be limited in our ability to make a better life for ourselves.
Is our defense that good? I think so. And the scary part is that the whole team seems to take a sadistic pride in shutting people down. What is Pop feeding them? They looked brainwashed out there, a single minded machine that just eats up their opponents. -----pjrfan
Destiny rides again!
I'm not a Michael Moore fan--but I do appreciate his passion for getting overlooked and ignored issues out there, discussed, and noticed. Specifically, Moore spotlights the unpleasant issues that we don't like to talk about. Issues such as: is the government for sale? Are politicians merely inept, or are they corrupt? Is America concerned with its poorest citizens?
Sure, Moore is a disingenuous mope at best, and at worst, a sleazy, fat liar...but even at that, there are better "Capitalist Libs" more appropriate to poke at.
As much as he's been vilified, Moore is reportedly generous in private, has publically reached out to help a FHB with whom he politcally disagrees, and donates much of the proceeds from his documentaries to the cause upon which the movie is based.
In other words: He ain't preachin' what he isn't willing to practice himself.
(As a related aside: You do realize that Pastor John Hagee rails against the evils of greed and gluttony in his weekly mega-church address...and then sits back in his Dominion mega-mansion and collects his MILLIONS/year. At least Moore doesn't pretend to be a mouthpiece for anyone other than himself while raking in the bucks. And to preempt the tired argument: NO. Moore is not, was not, and never will be "the spokesperson" for the left. Michael Moore is a self-described "entertainer"--just like Glenn Beck is for the right. Period.)
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"Leadership is diving after loose balls." -Larry Bird
Last edited by WhiteChocolateJr; 09-09-09 at 03:23 PM.
Well I wouldn't conflate conservative or Christian with approval of mega churches WC. I'm neither pro Hagee nore Pro Moore. I'm a raised Republican with two degrees and my msters coming down the pipe, a fully devoted servant of Christ with a long ministry history, and at the same time I voted Obama, am pro Health Reform, am not necessarily anti Socialist in terms of I believe some elements would help the system... and so on. I know you're not specifically addressing anybody and that it's hard to speak to a specific audience when on the internet we're pretty much winnowed to Conservative/Liberal, but I don't assume that because I feel you're liberal I think that means you embrace everything stereotypically associated with those elements. Neither do I make that association of Conservatives either.
You are right though, Moore has been at least somewhat generous with his earnings. As the movie the Watchmen tells us, life's more about the grays than the black and whites. Can't see a man through only one lens, and what a travesty if we only see them through their party affiliations.
I think Moore is attacking the wrong philosophy. Capitalism is based on paying a fair price for a good product. If you're not charging a fair price or offering a good product, you'll be out of business soon. No matter the size, Capitalism works.
What Moore should be questioning is why we've gone away from Capitalism. Obviously big businesses like GM (who he hates) and such stay in business, even when the free market tries to put them out of it. The reason is not Capitalism, but the government.
Look at who bailed out GM when they should have fallen flat on their faces for all the layoffs and overseas work they've done. The government. That's not a free market and that's not capitalism. Moore should be attacked the system that keeps bad business models in the running, today's overstretched government.
Jason, you complained about HMO's. Where do those come from? An oversized government. Where did lending companies get so much money that they were able to take extraordinary risks? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government inflated organizations.
Moore is right about one issue. The government isn't doing its job. That's who we need to attack. Where are his movies about that?
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. "
- Inigo Montoya
I do believe the government is needed to help regulate, but not be in business.
Many big companies gambled with their money, and they should pay the price. We all will pay the price to some degree, because most of Americans all the while were living beyond their means.
The government is acting like a spoiled teenager that has spent all his money and maxed out his credit card, but isn't worried because he will never have to pay it back.
Is our defense that good? I think so. And the scary part is that the whole team seems to take a sadistic pride in shutting people down. What is Pop feeding them? They looked brainwashed out there, a single minded machine that just eats up their opponents. -----pjrfan
Well don't take my support of Health Care Reform as a reason to think I support Moore over all; I only a week or two ago had a conversation about how I believe Capitalism is fundamentally a more revolutionary concept than Socialism, and has the entirety of support. My argument concerning HMOs has always been that they are using Nash equilibrium as opposed to typical market driven competition in order to maximize profits as opposed to drive down costs.
I do somewhat agree with the notion that certain companies are too big to fail; I don't have the entire economic grasp of it but there as so many attached businesses beyond the car makers, by which I mean the labor creating the components and such, not to mention the various shoot offs after the car reaches lot, etc. That to lose them all at once strikes me as what would have really tipped a depression. Maybe that is what needed to happen; but on the other hand the recession could also have been far more detrimental because of it.
Last edited by Jason R; 09-11-09 at 01:53 AM.
I'll join the chorus of people who believe Moore is a manipulative blowhard, but I agree with WCJ that his redeeming attribute is as a creator of discussion. Just as it is premature to say Moore is an anti-capitalist (or condemn him a hypocrite for having had success in this country) before watching the film, so is it foolish to believe capitalism is without it's flaws.
If people would take the time to read Marx shorn of his cold war-inspired infamy, they'd find that Das Kapital is a brilliant and prescient criticism of unchecked capitalism which unfortunately happens to conclude with the naively utopian solution for which it is, alas, generally remembered. I love this country and its institutions profoundly, but to act as though it is flawless doesn't strike me as patriotic. We gathered to form "a more perfect Union," and that is a process, not an end.
As for the TARP, while the logic and spirit which led to it's passage is, IMO unassailably correct (the alternative would be for the entire country to suffer for the criminal indiscretions of bankers and insurers), its execution was seemingly as corrupt and botched as the situation which demanded it. If the result is a return to strict government regulation which shrinks and diversifies the corporations that crashed the economy, then it won't have been for naught. If all we're going to do is let these criminals off with a stern talking-to, then there is no question that Bush and Obama have done us and our children a grave injustice. Time will tell. Hopefully what is left of our journalistic core will keep us all informed enough to keep the pressure for regulation and transparency on the government agencies tasked with correcting the wrongs that led us to this place.
But don't be fooled that a government option won't become a similar structure and situation.
Is our defense that good? I think so. And the scary part is that the whole team seems to take a sadistic pride in shutting people down. What is Pop feeding them? They looked brainwashed out there, a single minded machine that just eats up their opponents. -----pjrfan
I watched this interview, and he does make some points. I agree with him that the current economy is above the general public and that it is being played with by big companies and politicians from both sides.
He never fully answered the question about the hypocricy. His claim that 75% of the general population wants universal health care is absurd. The only change this country is seeing, is the government jumping into the top of the pyramid he's talking about. Socialism will put us all at the bottom of the pyramid and less than 1% at the very top, and universal health care will be a huge step in that direction. He doesn't say he wants socialism, but universal health care is the heartbeat of socialism. What are we suppose to think?
I also notice the interview gets cut off when he is asked what he thinks about Obama continuing the bail outs. He lost some credibility at that point. He also has it wrong about banks. Banks are in business. They do not exist to serve the public. They offer a service and compete for our business (or should compete, the bailouts have removed competition). If you don't want to spend 5.00 at the ATM, then go through the drive-through and withdraw for free. The banks are businesses.
The banks basically gambled with their money. That is their fault. The government played a part in all of it ending with a huge bail out. We all got suckered by politicians from both sides of the isle.
The greatest thing he mentioned was what he felt John Adams intentions were many years ago and that we should all be on that same page.
Is our defense that good? I think so. And the scary part is that the whole team seems to take a sadistic pride in shutting people down. What is Pop feeding them? They looked brainwashed out there, a single minded machine that just eats up their opponents. -----pjrfan
And why health care? Why isn't public education "the heartbeat of socialism?" Or police departments?
Is Canada a totalitarian socialist state by virtue of having nationalized health care? Is Germany? Spain? Last I checked all three of their economies were doing alright and none were headed towards totalitarianism.
Because universal health care leaves no alternative. You don't have to send your child to public school. Universal health care will be the end of private pay, which is why people from those other countries come here for treatment. Those countries may not be there yet, but they are closer to it.
Universal health care is not what this country is about, and to compare it to education and police force is rediculous. We are talking about insurance not health care. Everyone gets healthcare already, so why add to the expense? Why make the middle class pay even more than they already do? Universal health care is a giant leap toward socialism, so you keep laughing and we'll see how happy you are when your 70 years old and you're not going to get treated like dear old Ted. Make no mistake health care will most likely be rationed and quality of care will be reduced.
Is our defense that good? I think so. And the scary part is that the whole team seems to take a sadistic pride in shutting people down. What is Pop feeding them? They looked brainwashed out there, a single minded machine that just eats up their opponents. -----pjrfan
What's up with the declarative statements? The USA is about adapting to the needs and desires of its polity, while remaining consistent with its constitution. Given that enough people are interested in some sort of nationalized health care to bring it to the table, I'd say it's perfectly American -- even if you disagree with the notion.
As far as the loss of choice... straw man. Health insurers aren't going anywhere, they'll just be forced to offer more specialized products. As you say: nobody forces you to go to public school in this country. Well, nobody will force you to accept nationalized health insurance if you'd rather keep your policy. Unlike education, however, you won't be taxed for it whether you use it or not: the plan appears to be that those who use it will pay for it.
As far as people from other countries coming here to use our hospitals, you neglect to add that those that do are rich and can afford to go to the best clinics and doctors in the world, not Average Joes like you and I. By and large, socialized medicine in the countries I listed has been an unqualified success.
As far as "making the middle class pay more," I'm not buying it, Brhyn. You and I both already pay for the uninsured folks who use emergency rooms in taxes and inflated premiums. Add to that immense, inefficient bureacracies and ridiculous executive salaries. If the private health insurance companies offer such a better product, they shouldn't be afraid to compete against it in the free market -- my guess is they can't and they know it.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but really all you appear to have are unsubstantiated declarations of this dystopian future tha will happen if something like a public option were to come to be. Where are your arguments? If you think comparing UH with other socialistic amenities of American life is ridiculous, back up your argument. I happen to not see why such comparisons are out of bounds.
Let's say you are 36 years old. You have had some complications with your bowel movements. You are on a universal health care system. You are under the age of 50. There is already a one year waiting list for a colonoscopy for those who are over the age of 50 and fall into the category of risks for colon disease. You on the other hand are not probable to have an issue at your age. You do not get one, even if your doctor thinks you ought to have one. Add to the fact that almost half the physicians in this country would consider retiring or quiting if some form of public option passes and that says a lot.
It doesn't mean I am against good quality health care for everyone. I am just against a system that will give everyone coverage, but in only a very limited way. I do think that universal health care is a huge part of becoming socialistic. If you don't, I really don't care. It still doesn't make this o.k..
Is our defense that good? I think so. And the scary part is that the whole team seems to take a sadistic pride in shutting people down. What is Pop feeding them? They looked brainwashed out there, a single minded machine that just eats up their opponents. -----pjrfan
Anyway, whether or not you agree with those who seek UH or reform, I hope you would at least agree that our legislators need to be discussing this issue if our country still works the way we were taught it should in civics class. Even if something like UH is unprecedented, it isn't, by definition, un-American, as you wanted to paint it.
Most people don't need police or fire a majority of the time. BUT, it IS safe to say we all could need those services at any time, and are glad to pay taxes to ensure those services are available. Now, to some people, the response time of fire or police is not adequate or satisfactory. Those people have hundreds of options. Our semi-free market system is loaded with alarm monitoring companies, private security firms, things like dedicated fire control systems for mission critical infrastructure in the corporate world. Those companies aren't getting put out of business by government provided fire and security. Those companies fill the gaps in those goverment services and thrive on the differences.
Your argument seems to be that if the government steps in, a vast majority of people won't support their private healthcare options provided by employers when a cheaper option is available. This will force private healthcare out of business and leave us with rationed government healthcare. I doubt it. If private healthcare wants to survive (much like our pals in detroit making cars) it MUST adapt. Right now there is no incentive to break the current broken system generating billions of dollars a year.
The whole idea that we, as consumers, can regulate the system by "voting with our wallets" is, sadly, wrong. Our system as it stands is set up to NEVER let that happen. Big healthcare companies like Aetna, Pacificare and Humana go after entire companies and industries and force them into an all or nothing approach to provide services. If I work for Valero and they have Humana, and I think Humana sucks; I can't reasonably afford to use another provider. Doing so would TRIPLE my annual healthcare costs. This is the way the game is rigged. There will never be reasonable competition on a individual level – nor will I ever have reasonable choices as a consumer -- the way things are.
Take our public library system, in which we all have access to free books. Perhaps we aren't patient enough to wait for a book to become available (like rationed healthcare), or perhaps the book we want is too specialized and therefore isn't and won't be carried. In that case, you head out to your local Barnes and Noble, or hop online to Amazon.com, and shell out some cash. A public option doesn't destroy the private industry, rather it makes both operations more efficient by forcing honest competition: if libraries don't interest enough people to use their services, they lose funding, and are thus forced to provide better service more efficiently. By the same token, private companies are forced to be more efficient and offer products/services at competitive rates. Who wins? The consumer.
Or another example: the USPS. We all complain about how grossly inefficient and slow (like many pundits argue a public option would be) our government-run postal service is, and yet, many of us still use it. If we're impatient and need a better, faster alternative, we call DHL, we call UPS, we call FedEx.
Here's the USPS' mandate:
"The mission of the Postal Service is to provide the American public with trusted universal postal service at affordable prices. While not explicitly defined, the Postal Service's universal service obligation (USO) is broadly outlined in statute and includes multiple dimensions: geographic scope, range of products, access to services and facilities, delivery frequency, affordable and uniform pricing, service quality, and security of the mail. While other carriers claim to voluntarily provide delivery on a universal basis, the Postal Service is the only carrier with the obligation to provide all the various aspects of universal service at affordable rates."
That sounds pretty good to me, but if I don't like it, I have real, concrete options. Like I said... Obama's "plan" is a moving target, so I'm not endorsing it yet. But for you to say universal healthcare could never work is at the very least premature. This isn't government making a choice FOR you, it's government imposing a new option on an industry that is morally bankrupt at the highest levels. Can you imagine if police refused to protect citizens in the poorest part of the city, because "there was no money in it"? Access to care should never be based on ability to pay, any system designed on that principle is doomed to moral failure. That's what that oath you took was all about.
But even someone like myself, who pays his insurance bill every month... I can't say with any reasonable certainty that I will receive the care I have been paying for if my provider decides my care will cost too much. You know all the tricks... I won't bore you.
And by the by, are you seriously telling me insurance companies don't make decisions for you when they don't agree to pay for a patient's treatment, or make you jump through bureaucratic hoops (which my last policy forced my doctor to do) in order to receive payment? [PS, they ultimately stiffed him and he had to sue] The government payment system would differ how? Oh yeah... we don't know yet.
[q] I don't feel like you have really offered anything better. Universal health care establishes an enormous dependency on the government. Your very life to be specific. This breeds a more socialistic population and I believe the movement by the democratic/progressive parties early in the previous century did a good job of cultivating it. Our universities nurture it, and our media stokes it. Universal health care has (as many analysts refer to it) been the holy grail for the democratic party. I see it quite appropriate to view as I do.
It doesn't mean I am against good quality health care for everyone. I am just against a system that will give everyone coverage, but in only a very limited way. I do think that universal health care is a huge part of becoming socialistic. If you don't, I really don't care. It still doesn't make this o.k..[/quote]
I'll only add that to think you aren't already part of a working socialist country seems wacky to me (we're even communicating on a "socialist" medium... which I access through a private company. A familiar theme by now.)
We've very cleverly managed to balance free market economics with socialistic programs, and I don't know why stimulating competition in an industry -- which hasn't operated under anti-trust or anti-price-fixing laws since 1945, has time and again resisted policing itself and has, time and again, defrauded its clientsis – is going to spell our doom and force you out of business.
Last edited by admiralsnackbar; 09-28-09 at 08:16 AM.
Good points here, but don't misunderstand one of the mistakes that Moore made with his initial premise. Democracy and Capitalism are not competing ideologies. Democracy is a political system, and capitalism is an economic system. You can have both together, or one without the other, or neither. Capitalism does not necessarily make a democracy better, but Democracy most certainly makes Capitalism work better. Any basic college economics course or political science course can clear up these confusions.
These kind of elementary and ignorant conceptual errors are among the reasons that I dislike Moore. Worse are his various and numerous ineptitues with statistics.
Even though I admire his fundamental motivation to expose what he believes are dangers or inequities in our society, (and the quality entertainment factor of his movies) most of the time he's in over his head and ends up mangifying a small part of the issue into disproportionate importance.
He's a good filmmaker, but not a particularly well educated or skilled economist, scientist, or lawyer.
When the Spurs lose...it makes Baby Jesus cry
Last edited by Money4Nothing; 09-28-09 at 01:24 PM.
US Health System Ranks Last Compared to Other Countries: Studies | CommonDreams.org
No I don't hate Raja Bell, but I pity the fool.
So...it's a safe assumption that the medical tourists referenced above didn't enter the US by walking across the border at night; it's much more likely that they were on a first-class flight.
Click HERE to see the rest of my "oversized" signature.
"Leadership is diving after loose balls." -Larry Bird
Whether you pay the most or the least, you are not getting bang for your buck in the US.
No I don't hate Raja Bell, but I pity the fool.
Hopefully not lost amidst all this... write your representatives.
Project Vote Smart - American Government, Elections, Candidates and Voting
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text: Welcome to the international degrowth web portal. Here, you find information around degrowth. Like answers to the question "What is degrowth?", news on current projects as well as information about the international Conferences on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity. The web portal is further home to the degrowth media library with audio, video and text materials, an international blog, as well as a calendar of events.

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
User talk:Hollunder
- 1 Documentation Concept
- 2 Jack Draft
- 3 Other Stuff
- 3.1 Jack Session
- 3.2 Tutorials
- 3.3 Screen Blanking
- 3.4 Want To Know What's compiled Into Your Kernel?
- 3.5 Apps that would be nice to have in AUR and archaudio.org
- 3.6 Rumors and stuff
- 3.7 jack connection dialog idea (possibly using ncurses)
- 3.8 Traverso manual working draft
Documentation Concept
Concept of wiki documentation accompanying infrastructure and audio applications that are present in binary or source form in the official arch repositories, in AUR and in the archaudio.org repository.
Due to limited workforce documentation focus should be on:
- Base audio system (jack et. al.)
- applications present in the official binary repo
- applications present in the archaudio.org binary repo
- applications present in the archaudio.org source repo
- applications present in AUR
Organisation of information through use of categorization as tagging system (multiple categories per article describing the basic functionality) and extensive use of hyperlinks between articles in the wiki as well as to external pages like manuals and tutorials.
- Some kind of portal, replacement for the proaudio page, reuse content if possible
- tagging structure (categories)
- Infrastructure: jack, alsa, midi (jackmidi, alsamidi ?)
- plugin APIs: ladspa, dssi, lv2, (vst-native, vst-windows?),
- kind of application: sequencer, plugin host, synth, ..
- ... what else and what exactly?
- One page per application (at least for core applications)
- Description
- link to homepage, manual, tutorials..
- own manual/tutorial if external information insufficient
- arch specific information
- "What needs to be done?"-page
Jack Draft
Part One: Beginners Guide
Who is this Jack? Do I need him?
JACK stands for Jack Audio Connection Kit. It's homepage is http://jackaudio.org/.
It is a soundserver and sits between Applications and hardware drivers (see jack#backends).
If all you want to do is listen to music and watch videos you don't need it. It could get into the way or could be useful for special tasks, it all depends on your exact usecase.
Jack is designed with two goals in mind: low-latency and flexible connections.
- Low-latency is especially useful in professional-grade recording applications, to be able to hear what you play or hear without noticeable delay. In this respect jack performs at least as well as similar systems on other operatingsystems.
- Flexible connections is an outstanding possibility that only jack provides. It allows you to route audio output from one application to another to three others to the next two back to anotherone, record it with yet another one and to your speakers. Or so, or any other way you can imagine.
So do you need jack? If you plan on Linux in a recording or audio production environment, be it a professional grade studio or your bedroom, you almost certainly need it to achieve lowest possible latencies and make full use of the available applications. Also the connection possibilities make it a very useful component in many special applications, be it a complicated multi-speaker setup or just for adding some compression and room equalisation when watching movies. The possibilities are there, pretty much all you need is your imagination.
Basic Configuration
Show and explain how to get a basic setup that should work for most users. On commandline and in qjackctl
How to make connections in qjackctl -> connect and in patchage (maybe even brief example on commandline)
What are they? (Why didn't I have them on Windows/OSX?) What can I do to get rid of them?
Xruns are either buffer-over or buffer-underruns, so basically some part of your audio chain couldn't keep up and data got lost. It's therefor quite essential to avoid them.
You used audio applications on Windows or OSX and never heard of something like that? Be assured that this problem exists there as well, the applications there often just don't tell you what's going on, you just end up with crackling noises in your recordings.
So how do you avoid them? There are many things that can cause them or influence their occurence which in concequence means that there are many things you can try.
Part Two: Additional Information
List of content without order:
- devices by alphanumeric name, cat /proc/asound/cards
0 [UA25 ]: USB-Audio - UA-25 EDIROL UA-25 at usb-0000:00:10.0-2, full speed
the thing in brackets -> UA25 or try 'aplay -l',
- performance tweaks (move these to a dedicated audio system tweaks page?)
- rt-kernel
- rtirq
- usage tricks
- killing qjackctl without killing jack (move to qjackctl page?)
- killall qjackctl
- start jack before qjackctl
- killing qjackctl without killing jack (move to qjackctl page?)
- backends
- alsa
- additional hardware latency compensation: -I and -O in frames
- alsa_in, alsa_out: can be used to get in-/output on another audio interface to interact with jack. Usage example: alsa_out -dhw:1 -n3 -r48000
- oss
- freebob
- ffado
- netjack
- alsa
- jack2
- per application portlimit (256, needs change in source)
- jack with dbus and implications
- dbus applications, jack_control
- "JACK_NO_START_SERVER" env variable
timers, hpet, hrtimer
hpet is a very high precission timer available for newer motherboards. Using it might enable better midi timing than using older timers. Jackd can use hpet if run with the options '-c h', but it's not totally clear to me if this improves midi timing and in which cases it improves it.
I couldn't test it since I still have troubles.
How to check whether hpet is available:
$ ls -l /dev/hpet crw-rw---- 1 root root 10, 228 2009-11-10 10:13 /dev/hpet
It seems like you have hpet, but it's not a certainty. I got this through adding hpet=force to the kernel command line:
$ dmesg | grep -i hpet Kernel command line: root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/3e47466f-5ca1-499b-85fc-152074f36364 ro hpet=force pci 0000:00:11.0: Failed to force enable HPET
As you can see, it failed, so hpet isn't available, yet I have /dev/hpet.
I recommend to try:
$ dmesg | grep -i hpet
If hpet isn't enabled it will tell you. If you don't have a BIOS option to enable it, you could try hpet=force, but chances are your mainboard just doesn't have it, as in my case.
/dev/hpet is a userspace interface to hpet, only jack uses it. If you run jack with the option '-c h' you might get a message saying:
This system has no accessible HPET device (Permission Denied)
Which means you need to change the ownership group of /dev/hpet to audio:
(sudo) chgrp audio /dev/hpet
If jack still complains and says: This system has no accessible HPET device (Device or resource busy)
Something is still wrong..
check whether alsa uses hrtimer as default source:
$ zgrep CONFIG_SND_SEQ_HRTIMER_DEFAULT /proc/config.gz CONFIG_SND_SEQ_HRTIMER_DEFAULT=y
Other Stuff
Jack Session
status: http://trac.jackaudio.org/wiki/WalkThrough/User/jack_session
Screen Blanking
This annoys me a lot, and seems to even cause xruns, at least on my laptop. Here's a good resource I found on this: http://www.shallowsky.com/linux/x-screen-blanking.html Theoretically the manpage should help:
man xset
However, the syntax is rather strange. This is more or less what should keep the screen from turning off:
xset s off xset 0 0 0 xset -dpms
To query the status of xset:
xset -q
These settings can be made permanently in xorg.conf, but don't ask me about the syntax. I don't use the xorg.conf and put it into xinit.rc. Actuall, these two lines are likely enough, but I didn't test it:
xset s off xset -dpms
Want To Know What's compiled Into Your Kernel?
zcat /proc/config.gz | $PAGER
zcat /proc/config.gz | grep ACL
Other useful stuff seems to be: zless/zmore
Apps that would be nice to have in AUR and archaudio.org
In most cases simply no-one did package them yet, for various reasons. Often the program is new and not well known, in other cases the packaging would require a significant amount of effort. Have a look at those apps, add new ones to the list, or package one and remove some.
GUI version of some LV2 plugins - http://sourceforge.net/projects/teliasopia/
Note visualization tool - http://clam-project.org/wiki/Chordata_tutorial
Musical midi accompainment - http://www.mellowood.ca/mma/ thanks to elb
LADSPA plugins, probably nice - http://www.studionumbersix.com/foo/
New plugins - http://sourceforge.net/projects/pxu/
Matrix jack connection manager, in early development afaik - http://svn.fuzzle.org/jsweeper/trunk/ thanks to oiata
Genetic algorithm synthesizer, it looks fun - http://www.pawfal.org/Software/fastbreeder/
DAW based on libardour - http://ayyi.org/
DAW with fltk GUI - http://non-daw.tuxfamily.org/ thanks go to hm_b
Mixer with fltk GUI - http://non-mixer.tuxfamily.org/ thanks go to hm_b
Phonetics analysis software - http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/ thanks to jpate
Audio/Video synthesis/composition tool - http://avsynthesis.blogspot.com/
System for real-time, in-performance sequencing, sampling, and looping - http://gabe.is-a-geek.org/composite/
Converts between jackmidi and CV - http://git.fuzzle.org/cgit/jm2cv.git/
LV2 synth plugin - http://git.fuzzle.org/cgit/psyn/
midi splitter - http://fuzzle.org/~petern/music.html
jackmidi looper - http://fuzzle.org/~petern/mloop.html
jack audio trigger - http://hg.atheme.org/users/daste/users/daste/jack-trigger/
blepvco, three anti-aliased, minBLEP-based, hard-sync-capable oscillator LADSPA plugins - http://www.smbolton.com/linux.html
audio file player with timestretching and pitch shifting - http://www.teuton.org/~gabriel/stretchplayer/ thanks to schivmeister
neilsequencer, fork of the discontinued aldrin tracker - http://sites.google.com/site/neilsequencer/
boodler, soundscape tool - http://boodler.org/ thanks to gt_swagger
conviction, a jconvolver frontend - http://sourceforge.net/projects/conviction/
jack.plumbing, a CLI patchbay - http://slavepianos.org/rd/f/207983/
luaAV, using lua for multimedia - http://lua-av.mat.ucsb.edu/about.html
Foo YC-20, Yamaha YC-20 software synthesizer - http://code.google.com/p/foo-yc20/
rt-tests, a set of tests for the rt kernel - git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/clrkwllms/rt-tests.git
rteval, a test/benchmarking tool for the rt kernel - git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/clrkwllms/rteval.git
naspro, bridges from LADSPA, DSSI, and more to LV2 - http://naspro.atheme.org/about
vocoder ladspa, fixed version - http://www.nekosynth.co.uk/browser/wip/vocoder/trunk
nama, GUI/TEXT frontend for ecasound - http://ecmdr.infogami.com/
synthclone, sample your synth - http://code.google.com/p/synthclone/
rivendell, radio automation system - http://www.rivendellaudio.org/
tapstart, tap your tempo - http://www.arnoldarts.de/drupal/?q=TapStart
sauditor, sample auditor for jack - http://dis-dot-dat.net/index.cgi?item=/code/sauditor/
spectmorph, analyze samples and create hybrid sounds - http://space.twc.de/~stefan/spectmorph.php
jacksampler, a jack MIDI/AUDIO sampler - http://space.twc.de/~stefan/jacksampler.php
spek, a simple offline spectrum analyzer - http://www.spek-project.org/
JACK NetSource GUI - http://gtk-apps.org/content/show.php/JACK+NetSource+GUI?content=122327
russolo suite, LV2 synth and effect - http://intonarumori.sourceforge.net/
eq10q, 10 band parametric lv2 eq - http://eq10q.sourceforge.net/
jackctl, a cli jack connections manager - http://www.akjmusic.com/software/jackctl20100528b.py (newer versions might be available, check the parent directory)
jack_midi_clock, get midi clock signal from jack transport - http://www.teuton.org/~gabriel/jack_midi_clock/
jack scrolling scope - http://das.nasophon.de/jack_oscrolloscope/
neat looking sonogram (java app) - http://www.christoph-lauer.de/Homepage/Sonogram.html
autotalentlv2, with midi i/o - http://code.google.com/p/autotalentlv2/
JACK NetSource GUI - http://gtk-apps.org/content/show.php/JACK+NetSource+GUI?content=122327
mverb - http://martineastwood.com/wordpress/?p=180
Rumors and stuff
ZynAddSubFX Qt GUI - http://metellius.mine.nu/zynexperimental.png
jack connection dialog idea (possibly using ncurses)
The basic idea is to have a patchbay similar to qjackctl that is fast to work with and works well with a large number of channels. IMHO requiring X is just a burden on such a thing, however, if ncurses is not usable for such a thing then it might be necessary to use some kind of GUI toolkit.
The basic idea is to just have two lists, one left for outputs, one right for inputs. The list should be ordered in a sane way (by name?). There needs to be a way to select a whole block of ports at once. It should then be possible to select an equally sized block on the right side to connect the output block to. In fact, it should be possible to connect the just connected block of output ports to any number of input port blocks. Maybe this should also work the other way around, from inputs to outputs?
- My main concern atm.:
- how to display connections?
- ascii art?
- Would it be possible to keep an overview?
- Would colors help?
- how to display connections?
- Further ideas:
- select only ever Nth port
- reduce/expand number of ports to connect to -> which logic?
- use screen width
- each port could show its connections in the center
<TODO: Example of what it could look like>
Traverso manual working draft
Traverso Working Document.
This document is intended as suggested additions to the current manual with the view towards the next release. For the sake of continuity, the next releaee is referred to in this document as Traverso 0.50.0. In this document, the old paragrpah is listed first, followed by a new paragraph with suggested alterations.
4.1.3 Jack
Traverso can also connect to the jack soundserver, which provides advanced routing features and zero-latency connections between clients. If you don't want to use these features and ALSA works for you, there's no advantage in using jack. We recommend to use qjackctl, which allows to easily setup jack for your system. Start the jack daemon by pressing Start in qjackctl. When it is running, set the driver in Traverso's configuration dialog (fig. 4.3) to jack and press OK. The menu bar should display jack if the driver was loaded correctly. Now go back to qjackctl and open the Connect dialog. Important: You must set up the connection manually, otherwise you won't hear any sound. Select the Traverso entry in the left part ("Readable Clients"), and alsa pcm in the right part ("Writable Clients"), then press connect. If a line connecting the two clients is drawn, the sound system is set up correctly.
4.1.3 Jack
Traverso can also connect to the jack soundserver, which provides advanced routing features and zero-latency connections between clients. If you don't want to use these features and ALSA works for you, there's no advantage in using jack. In Traverso 0.50.0 the internal structre has changed, and this has an impact on the use of the JACK sound server. When creating a new track, the user is presented with a dialog which gives him options to set for the new track.
<picture of track dialog> (4.4)
In the picture (fig. 4.4), you can see the option to set the track name, which type of track you want, either a track, mono or stereo, or a subgroup buss, again mono or stereo. Once you're happy with the parameters you've set, you can either close the dialog, or simply add a new track. When creating a jack port, Traverso automatically creates the input and output busses for that track, with the busses taking the track name, so it's important to get the name right, then hit apply. When a track is created it has a single input and a single output. Both inputs and outputs will show up in your patchbay client (in our demonstrations case, Qjackctl) and you can then route these ports, as for any jack application. You may decide to route your new jack tracks within Traverso, to a subgroup buss, and this can be done by opening the track properties dialog using the key < E > (when the track header is highlighted, for qwerty users), or simply left clicking on the output indicator in the track, to open a list of available output busses the track can be routed to.
<picture of new track properties box, as for a track>(4.5)
In our track properties dialog, we can see quite clearly the input and output buss selectors. The user adds an input from the list, and likewise for the output. Please note that if you wish to connect to a subgroup buss, then it makes sense to create the subgroup buss first, so it appears in your output list for a track, as an option to connect to, otherwise you'll have to open the track properties dialog again, to change the output and repeat this process unnecessarily.
<picture of new track properties bix, for subgroup buss>(4.6) The track properties dialog changes for the creation of subgroup busses. In the pic you can see the inputs selector only contains an add button, not add new. This is because the subgroup buss will accept multiple inputs from existing inputs, usually tracks. The same procedure for creating a subgroup buss applies. Select the inputs you want to route into the subgroup buss, and in the viewable list, they will appear, so you have a quick visual cue of what's being routed to the subgroup buss. Traverso by default connects all tracks to the sheet master, which are in turn automatically connected to the MASTER. To hear sound from your jack track, you will need to ensure that the path from initial track input, to MASTER output is connected correctly for the entire path. Subgroup busses can accept multiple track inputs, so you can route several tracks to that subgroup buss, and have a single output buss. This is also true for the MASTER, where you can connect subgroup busses from any sheet. The MASTER, a "global" project master out, can be seen on all sheets, and this makes it easier to organise your routing without having to switch sheets. As for any jack application, the MASTER out will need to be connected to your playback ports in Qjackctl, so you can hear your sound.
Section 3A
Key actions for qwerty use only.
As well as Traverso's intelligent soft selection mechanism, Traverso now boasts a "qwerty use only" option for users. All actions, commands, and navigation can be manipulated with the qwerty, without using a mouse as all. The mousecursor is replaced by an "Edit Point", a smaller teardrop shaped cursor that sits on the workcursor (WC) to indicate the current vertical position for the user.
< close up picture of the edit point cursors, with a text label for each > (4.7)
At any time, the user can switch his usage from qwerty to mouse and back again, by leftclicking on the mouse (entering mouse use), or moving the WC (which enables qwerty use).
Where possible, Traverso seeks to provide as few keys for the user to remember as possible, and uses a common structure for navigation, and function commonality.
To explain.
As for the soft function framework, the following is valid:
[ some key ] is a hold function. The user holds this key.
< somekey > is a press once function. The user presses this key and releases it quickly.
Some common keys for qwerty users are as follows:
[ W ] is the workcursor (WC) binding, and is used for all actions and navigation for the workcursor.
[ V ] is the playback cursor (PB) binding, and is used for all actions and navigation for the playback cursor.
[ W ] + < V > means hold W (WC) and press V (PB) once, and release. This action moves the WC to the PB.
[ V ] + < W > is the opposite of the above, and moves the PB to the WC.
[ G ] + Up/down keys. This function adjusts gain, dependent on the layer you are in.
[ P ] + left/right arrows. This function adjust pan, in the track layer.
[ D ] + left/right/up/down arrows. This function enables the movement of a object, dependent on which layer you're in.
[ E ] This function opens a dialog, dependent on which layer you're in. (This function, in the clip layer, enables the movement of clip edges.)
[ F ] + left/right arrows. This function adds and edits fades. (in the clip layer.)
[ N ] This function adds a node in the visible line in curve mode. (In the effects layer.)
< M > Add markers to the timeline ruler.
< CTRL + X > This function splits a clip.
[ SHIFT ] + up/down keys. This function changes the layer you are in.
[ U ] This is the mute function, dependent on which layer you're in. (Toggle)
[ O ] This is the solo function. (Toggle)
[ A ] This is the track record arm/disarm function. (Toggle)
F2 This is the action for enabling curve mode. (F1 disables curve mode)
F5 This is the action for opening the plugin dialog. (Applicable for track and clip layers, dependent on which is the active layer)
< SPACE > playback/stop. (Toggle)
< CTRL + SPACE > Commences recording.
< DELETE > Deletes selected objects.
The arrow keys are your directional navigation keys, and as one would expect, left goes left, and right goes right. Up goes up and down goes down.
Depending on the task you are intending to perform, the speed of movement of the WC and PB can be adjusted on the fly. This is achieved with the qwerty number keys, the page up/down keys, or the numpad keys. the number 0 represents the slowest speed, and 7 is the fastest. As an example, you want to move your PB quite some distance to the right of where you are, and you want to get there quickly. [ V ] is the PB key, and is held down. The user can set the speed they want the PB to travel at, so let's use numpad 7, and then tap or hold the right arrow. The PB moves across the screen quickly. When we arrive near our intended destination, we want to slow down a bit to make the PB stop in the right place. We can do this on the fly, and while the [ V ] is still held down, and the arrow is still pressed, we tap the 2 key on the numpad, and the cursor speed slows considerably.
The speed change mechanism is called Varispeed, and is applicable to functions requiring the ability to move long distances quickly, or make very fine movement adjustments.
An example is using the WC to add and adjust fade lengths in a clip. The user moves the WC to a clip, and the edit point appears in the exact centre of that clip. Now he or shoe wants to add a fade to left and right of the clip. Using the arrow keys left/right, the user simply nudges the WC to the left or right of the centre, and then presses and holds the [ F ] key. If the user is adding and adjusting the left fade (fade in), he will set a fairly slow speed (numpad 2 for example) and tap or hold the right arrow key. The fade appears, and can be adjusted to suit. The user might then want to add and adjust a fade out, on the right of the clip. He moves the WC to the right of the clip centre, and holding [ F ], taps or holds the left arrow, adjusting to suit. (once the fade is created, left and right arrows on either end of the clip move the fade size, and the fade can be reduced to nothing if the user wishes.)
For any function that accepts a speed change, varispeed can be adjusted on the fly or before the event.
There are some basic tools and edit functions that users expect to use, and for qwerty users, some of these are as follows:
[ C ] + < L/R/U/D arrows > This is the copy function. The user selects a clip with the Edit Point, presses and holds [ C ], and presses the arrows key for the direction he wants to move the copy of the clip. (If the user taps a Varispeed number first, he can control the speed of this function.) ASssuming as an example the user wants to copy a clip to the track below the current clip position, then he would use [ C ] + down arrow, to perform this event.
[ D ] + < L/R/U/D arrows > This is the move function. The user selects the clip he wants to move, presses and holds [ D ] + the arrow key for the direction he wants to move the clip. This function uses Varispeed, to control the speed of movement.
L/R/U/D arrows. By default, the arrows keys, on their own, move the WC/Edit Point. This function uses Varispeed.
Traverso's screen is built in layers, and these are, the track layer, the clip layer, and the effects layer. The Edit Point cursor has a letter in it, defining the layer you are in, so the Track layer has a T, the clip layer has a C, and the effects layer has an F. The user can navigate the layers with [ SHIFT ] + Up/Down arrow keys. (See Fig. 4.7)
The track layer, denoted with an Edit Point "T" cursor, allows the Edit Point to move up and down, or left and right, across the screen. It ignores clips, and simply traverses strictly by track (and this is a Varispeed function). In this layer, the functions for all track based events can be used and modified. An example is the track properties dialog. The user presses < E >, and the track properties dialog opens. Another example is changing the gain of a track, holding the [ G ] and using the up/down arrows to raise or lower the gain. Track pan is changed here too, holding the [ P ] and using left/right arrows to move the pan left or right.
The clip layer, "above" the Track layer, denoted with an Edit Point "C" cursor, move the Edit point by clip, up and down, or left and right. The Edit Point will jump to the exact centre of each clip (and this is a varispeed function). For all your clip related functions, including moving, copying, and editing, this is the layer that enables all those functions. The first example is changing the gain of a clip, which is performed with the [ G ] + up/down arrow keys. The second is opening the clip parameters dialog, which is performed with the < E > key. The third is the [ E ] key as a hold function, which enables you move the edges of the clip, left or right, after you've moved the WC to the left or right of centre.
Note the commonality of functions with the track layer. The layer currently selected determines which common set of functions apply to which layer.
The effects layer, "above" the clip layer, denoted with an Edit Point "F" cursor, enables further editing functions and effects, for the clip. An example is pressing F2 and entering curve mode (F1 to exit), which displays the gain curve for the clip, and enables the user to add nodes ( < N > ) to the curve, which can then be cycled through (left and right arrows), and moved up and down or left and right ( [ D ] + L/R/U/D arrows ), changing the shape of the gain curve according to user's wishes.


text:
(ON-jol-ly MOO-drah)
anjali = a gesture of reverence, benediction, salutation (from anj, "to honor, celebrate")
mudra = seal (The gesture "seals" energy in the body and "seals" your relationship with the Divine.)
This gesture is also known as Hrdayanjali Mudra (pronounced hri-DIE-ahn-jah-lee, hrd = heart), the Reverence to the Heart Seal, or Atmanjali Mudra (OT-mon-JAH-lee, atman = self, derived variously from an, "to breathe," at, "to move," or va, "to blow"), Reverence to the Self Seal
Step by Step
|Pose Information
|Sanskrit Name
|Anjali Mudra
|Pose Level
|Modifications and Props
|Press a block or thick book (about 3 to 4 inches thickness) between your palms. Spread the skin of the palms and stretch the fingers out of the centers of the palms. Use the prop to help widen your sternum and collarbones. Then recreate this same width without the block, palms touching.
|Deepen the Pose
|This palms-together gesture completes an energetic circuit between the hands and the heart and harmonizes the two hemispheres of the brain. See if you can discover, as you perform this gesture, the roots of the hands in the yoga or subtle heart, which unlike the physical heart is directly in the center of your chest (below the sternum and between the shoulder blades), and towards the back of the torso.
|Preparatory Poses
|Beginner's Tip
|Take care not to harden the skin as you spread the palms against each other. The center of the palm should always stay soft and maintain its "dome" shape. Keep the thumbs soft too.
|Have your partner sit in front of you, also in a comfortable seated posture. Perform the gesture and have the partner cover your hands with his/hers. Sit together for a few minutes with joined hands, feeling the energetic exchange between your subtle hearts through your hands. Then reverse and cover your partner's hands with yours.
|This palms-together gesture is usually centered over the heart. But you can also raise the pressed hands to the front of your forehead or bring them slightly above and in front of the crown of your head.


text:
prohutchinson needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 148 designs submitted by 28 freelance designers.
The Lease Store
Logo needed for a new web based portal that will provide consumers who lease commercial or industrial real estate the tools to confidently and successfully negotiate a lease with their landlord. The website will give members the ability to successfully negotiate the best deal for their business by providing them with all the necessary information and guidance needed to negotiate a lease with their property owner.
Any business owner who leases office, retail or industrial space from a landlord are a target audience. If they are negotiating a lease for their business with their landlord, then they are are a possible client.
Our vision is that the logo would be simple and that T L and S would be some what intertwined with the feeling of them representing the look of a high-rise office building. "The Lease Store" in words should be incorporated in the design below, above or on the side in some way.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
MediaWiki is the software that runs Wikipedia. It is one of many wiki tools and excels for building large sites that have a loose or changing relationship between pages. Pages are the basic unit in MediaWiki and can be linked together directly using a simple [[Page Name]] syntax, as well as grouped via categories. Like many wiki tools, MediaWiki does not have any hierarchy of pages or built-in navigation menus; users navigate the wiki by following links between pages, browsing categories, or searching.
Quick Start
Existing Wikis
- Go to the wiki or browse to it via the list of wikis.
- Log-in using the link in the top-right of the page.
- Click the Edit tab at the top-center of the page.
- To create a new page, simply make a link to it from an existing page.
New Wikis
Creating new wikis is not currently a self-service operation.
- Go to the wiki request form and log-in with your normal Middlebury username/password.
- In the description, please give the following information:
- Desired title
- Desired short-title that includes just letters, numbers, and "_" (underscores).
- Visibility: Will this wiki be visible to the world or just a particular group? If restricted, to which groups?
If you have problems with the submission form, please contact Joe Antonioli with your new-wiki request.
Case Studies
Wikipedia for Chemistry (Jeff Byers)


text:
College Avenue before it became University. The house in the background still sits on the corner of Johnston and University, and can be seen in the picture below.
A view from the shadows of Old Martin Hall in 1901. It shows, among other things the circle drive when it was dirt. Students making their way down the walk from the corner of Johnston and University, University was renamed from its former name College Avenue.
Turbine, you entitle this the graduating class of '02, but I was told the first graduation was in 1904?
Which is it?


text:
Police are appealing for information after a man allegedly exposed himself to a woman in Chesterfield.
The woman was at the Brewery Street car park - known as the former Trebor Bassett site - at around 4.40pm, on Wednesday, May 7, when she was approached by a man who she said was exposing himself to her.
A police spokesman said the woman was at her car, parked near to the payment machine, at the time of the incident and got into her vehicle and drove off.
The man was last seen walking out of the car park in the direction of Holywell Street.
He is described as white, around 5ft 5in tall, with a shaved head and was wearing a blue coat and blue jeans.
Anyone with information should contact Derbyshire police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


text:
DENVER—Colorado Democrats are proposing legislation allowing illegal immigrant students to pay in-state college tuition.
A similar bill was killed by the Colorado Senate two years ago.
Sen. Angela Giron and Sen. Michael Johnston are drafting legislation that would allow students who are in the country illegally and who have graduated from Colorado high schools to pay in-state tuition. They would not receive a state stipend that other in-state students receive though.
Giron says some of the best and brightest students in the state are leaving because they are forced to pay higher tuition.
Opponents have argued it violates a federal law that bars states from offering illegal immigrants any benefit that's not given to citizens from other states.


text:
|000 Appleton Ridge Road
000 Appleton Ridge Road Searsmont, ME 04973
Camden Real Estate Company
(207) 542-8626
Mary Wight Holmes Realtor/Broker
"I feel I know some of the history, and the special places that perhaps someone just passing through the Mid-Coast might miss," says Mary. Naturally she does, Mary grew up here and her family has been running a harbor-front business that has been passed down through generations since the late 1800's. "The Camden area is a great place to live and raise children. The choices for education, the natural beauty of the area, and the opportunities created by the variety of people who are drawn to and live here, provide fantastic options for the entire family."
Mary is self motivated and hardworking. Having run her own business designing and knitting sweaters professionally while raising three children, she knows how to be organized. She has brought that level of organization to her real estate career along with her innate ability to work on details. "I like to work with people on a one-on-one basis. Once I know someone wants that kind of help, I'm right there for them," she says.
Having worked at another local real estate company for the past several years, Mary jumped at the opportunity to work for Camden Real Estate Company, "this is a very respected company and the commitment to service is unsurpassed. I am quite honored to have been considered for the position. The decision was an easy one."
Mary and her family live in Hope, where Mary is a volunteer firefighter. In her spare time you will find Mary creating and building rustic furniture in her woodworking shop, melting glass in her kiln, or spending time in her garden. You will also find Mary enjoying Maine with her family, whether it is skiing, hiking, biking, or exploring the many harbors and islands on the coast.


text:
Here's a photo I took from the train on Sunday as the evening fog engulfs San Bruno mountain:
I wrote a little Perl script to download and process data archived on Weather Underground for Mission Bay, one of the warmest neighborhoods in San Francisco. Data are recorded every 15 minutes. For each of the years 2006-2011 for which data are available at that weather station, I took daytime (6 am to 9 pm) data from the period 08 July to 07 August (the past month as I write this) and binned the data between 6 am in 9 pm in 1 F bins. I then generated cumulative distribution plots for each year. So for each temperature I indicate the percentage of daytime samples which were less than the given temperature.
There's a clear pattern here. For 2006-2008, temperatures in the 70's where fairly common, with even some numbers reaching into the 80's. However, these last three years, 2009-2011, there've been no data in the '80's, and last year the temperature even failed to get out of the 60's during this one-month period. The median temperature, even at warm Mission Bay, was only 61F. This year it's almost 63F.
While the rest of the northern hemisphere laments the dog days of August marking the end of the hot summer, here the warmest months are September and October, when the fog has the least influence. Ironic that these hottest months mark the end of the road cycling season and the beginning of cyclocross.
So my standard dress on rides continues to be knickers or full tights with long-sleeve undershirts under my jersey with a vest. I actually enjoy the heat, at least to a limit, so I look forward to those September and October days when I can ride with just a jersey and shorts.


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Mayor's Office
Thousands of dollars for energy efficiency upgrades remain available for homeowners, landlords and businesses from the reEnergize Program, a collaboration between the cities of Omaha and Lincoln to promote the local energy efficiency market. The program, which was awarded a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2010, is one of 25 pilot projects in the U.S.
The program provides Lincoln residents who live in single-family homes or duplexes financial incentives for energy efficiency upgrades. Through the "market rate" path, homeowners can receive a discounted professional energy evaluation plus up to 50 percent off the cost of installing the recommended upgrades. Those with incomes less than 80 percent of the Lincoln's median income may qualify for up to $3,000 in energy upgrades for just $100.
In Lincoln, several new incentives are now available:
Black Hills Rebate Incentive
Black Hills Energy is offering a rebate on gas bills if customers enroll in reEnergize and install more efficient appliances. Black Hills Energy will provide a $250 credits for the first 15 customers who sign up for reEnergize, receive a reEnergize evaluation and get a recommendation to replace their furnace with at least a 90-percent efficient furnace. Black Hills also will provide $100 gas bill credits for the first 15 reEnergize participants recommended for water heater replacements.
"Black Hills Energy strongly supports the reEnergize Program and the efforts being taken in the Lincoln area to build an energy smart community," said Ruth Hietbrink, Black Hills Customer Relations Representatives. "Energy-saving building improvements, efficient use of energy, and playing a role in developing effective educational programs are important to Black Hills Energy."
Credits will be given to eligible participants in order of their sign-up date and time. Customers may receive rebates for both furnace and water heater replacements if both are recommended. The offer is limited to only one furnace and/or one water heater per resident. For more information, call 402 437-1814.
Neighborhood Rewards Incentive
For a limited time, reEnergize will pay participating neighborhood associations $100 for every resident the organization refers to reEnergize who completes an energy efficiency upgrade.
"If a neighborhood has at least 50 homes complete a reEnergize upgrade, that's represents an estimated $400,000 in combined reEnergize and private investment," said Steve Larrick, reEnergize Community Outreach Specialist. "Associations and neighborhood residents can directly benefit from reEnergize, and now's the time to act." To have reEnergize staff speak at a meeting or event, call 402 441-7658.
Easier enrollment for commercial, nonprofit, and public buildings
Working with local engineering firms and sustainability advisors, reEnergize helps building owners receive free professional energy evaluations, which identity the most cost-effective upgrades that offer a quick return on investment. The advisor also works with building owners to find ways to pay upfront costs, including rebates from the LES Sustainable Energy Program, low-cost loans from the Nebraska Energy Office, existing tax credits and other low-cost options with private lenders.
The reEnergize program also is helping to enroll owners of multiple buildings in this free service. The City of Lincoln will soon participate in energy evaluations for 10 to 12 government facilities.
"We've already seen great success with efforts to upgrade lighting in many City facilities," said Milo Mumgaard, senior policy aide for sustainability to Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler. "In some buildings, we are now saving up to 45 percent on our lighting costs. Using reEnergize to upgrade City buildings is creating significant savings for taxpayers."
Any home (both owner-occupied and rental), commercial property, nonprofit or public building in Lincoln or Omaha is eligible for reEnergize incentives and services. More information is available at reEnergizeProgram.org or by contacting the reEnergize Lincoln office, 2143 "O" Street, at 402-441-7658.


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"Yes", is the loud answer of a recent study presented by Nielsen at the Oregon Wine Symposium on February 11, 2008 in Eugene. Over 3,300 wine brands are now crowding the shelves of grocery stores since 1999 and they now represent about 70% of active brands. Interestingly, their price points are higher. In 2007, 27% of new wines fell in the $10-$14 price range, while 21% were $14-$25 and 19% ranged $8-$10, still according to Nielsen.
Unfortunately, the consumers are not at all brand loyal. They love to try new wines and new brands. That's why the labels are so important: they need to catch the eye of the consumers but more importantly, to answer basic questions. The wine label must communicate the quality of the wine (60%), reinforce the brand name (55%) and emotionally appeal to the consumer (42%) .
Is it true for all labels? While in California this summer, I was amazed to notice how many brands chose to just put a letter on their front label, like the J Wine label.
Quite beautiful, but not very informative. The problem with labels is to manage to have a beautiful label with a lot of information – back label is critical!


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flower child
Stephanie D. Moon 3/14/2007 9:32:59 AMthis is just gorgeous, Megan. great clarity and lighting. #620579
Susan Fox 3/14/2007 10:03:16 AMMegan this is one of my favorites! So love that cute flower hat. Great POV and comp! #4053830
Judy A. Lawhon 3/14/2007 10:06:14 AMThis is just precious, Megan!! #4053839
Brinn MacDougall 3/14/2007 10:24:17 AMBaby pictures aren't my favorite subject, but I couldn't pass this one up!..excellent, Megan! #4053921
Datha Y. Thompson 3/14/2007 10:25:06 AMADORABLE!!!!!!! LOVE IT :0) #4053924
Hayley J. Hamlin 3/14/2007 10:31:47 AM:) Woohoo girl...looks great!! I am glad you chose this one;)
Rakesh Syal 3/14/2007 10:37:22 AMSo cute, Megan!! Great capture!! #4053970
Melissa G. Meiselman 3/14/2007 10:40:37 AMWonderful skin tones taken with great clarity, Megan!! She is adorable!! #4053981
Denise M. Snyder 3/14/2007 10:49:13 AMYou already know I love this one Megan! I'm glad you were able to do what you hoped with it! It looks FABULOUS!!! Such a fantastic baby pic - lovin' that hat! #4054007
Megan p 3/14/2007 10:50:01 AMThank you so very much everyone!!! Again, Thank you Hayley, you helped make this so much more special!!:):):) #4054011
Cindy Harter 3/14/2007 10:54:49 AMThis is SOOOOOOOO CUTE!! Oh my, that little face and pose... I love the pastel colors, the clarity is spectacular! You did a fabulous job!!! #4054031
Joan Kocak 3/14/2007 11:11:32 AMi echo the above! great shot- #4054080
Jane Holestine 3/14/2007 11:19:05 AMGreat shot, Megan. The colors and detail are super. #4054097
Kim McCloud 3/14/2007 11:48:58 AMOutstanding!! Hooray for you! #4054124
Cortney E. Pitcher 3/14/2007 1:12:03 PMYou did a SUPER job with this. Not only is it a great photo, it has a powerful feeling of love to it!! love it, love it, love it! Nice!! ~Cortney #4054315
Lynn Crawford 3/14/2007 2:37:10 PMOH my goodness Megan I am jealous of this beautiful portrait, Wow it is adorable, I love the way you have posed the baby here and the HAT is SO SO CUTE, great color and lighting, I just have to find a hat like that for my little Brooke :) #4054493
Megan p 3/14/2007 3:35:17 PMThank you SO MUCH Cindy,Joan,Jane,Kim, Cortney and Lynn!! Lynn, I am looking forward to pics of your sweet Brooke with a hat like this!! :):) #4054599
Kay E. Mahoney 3/14/2007 3:39:59 PMCute capture. She is beautiful. Love the pose. #4054609
Chastity Abbott 3/14/2007 4:38:23 PMThis has to be a winner, the capture is too perfect for it not to be!!!! The light, the colors and that sweet baby pink.......beautiful work!!!!!! :) #4054764
Tracy Jones 3/14/2007 7:24:16 PMoh man!!!!!!!!!!!! YUMMY!!!!!!!!!! seriously this little one is soooooo cute! great shots! #4055150
jennifer B. short 3/14/2007 10:00:27 PMOh my goodness.....this is the best baby picture I have seen on this site. I really mean that from the bottom of my heart. WOW #4055505
LENA U. FRIEDMAN 3/14/2007 11:06:37 PMThis is gorgeous!!!!!Your niece is just a beautiful baby and you did such a wonderful job with her photo! I hope that we see this one again!!!! #4055592
Megan p 3/15/2007 4:38:51 AMThank you Kay,Chastity,Tracy,Jennifer and Lena!!!!!:):) Thank you for your wonderful compliments! #4056202
Megan p 3/15/2007 9:06:13 AMTo cute for words! This one makes me laugh! #4057138
Cheryl E. Molennor 3/15/2007 11:47:53 AMOMG What a pose What a face. Great image #4057960
Christy Nichols 3/15/2007 11:58:40 AMOh this is just too sweet, Megan!! Love the pose, love the lighting, love the cute baby!! Great capture, girl!!! #4058024
Darren K. Fisher 3/16/2007 7:49:17 AMSo adorable and so well captured. I love the nice even lighting and the wonderful detail. Congrats on your POTD yesterday at shutterbugs with this shot. #4060865
Jane M 3/16/2007 9:20:58 PMLOVE that hat. Great image!! #4062705
Megan p 3/17/2007 6:55:47 AMThank you Deborah,Cheryl,Christy,Darren and Jane!! Right back at you Darren!:) #4063590
Allison Gaulin 4/2/2007 12:55:15 PMMegan, I've been browsing around your gallery- I could stay here for hours! Your baby portraits in particular are stunning. Your use of natural light is outstanding. The clarity is excellent, and you capture the most priceless expressions. Love, love, love it!! #4122617
Megan p 4/3/2007 5:35:13 AMAllison, THANK YOu so much, you are so sweet to say that!! I have been very fortunate to get some real beauties to photograph. Thank you again! #4124726
Sharon King 4/5/2007 10:01:52 AMThis is a winning shot for sure! #4133179
Emily E. Bem 6/21/2007 5:39:32 PMYou must have had a hard time keeping focused shooting this little cherub! I would be kissing her little cheeks off every few minutes...LOL! I just looked through your gallery...again...LOL! It's turing into a regular thing.... :)
Oh, btw...brilliant work here! #4421839
Emily E. Bem 9/17/2007 6:45:18 PMI cant stop laughing!!! This is adorable! #4804762
Lisa J. Boulden 1/7/2008 10:38:24 PMMegan, this is absolutely adorable!!!
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 1/9/2008 4:17:01 PMPriceless! #5316485
Carolyn M. Fletcher 1/14/2008 3:48:47 AMDefinitely the cutest kid in that contest so far! #5336639
Megan p 1/14/2008 6:01:06 AMTHANK YOU all so much!!! I just love this little chickadee!! #5337445
Tressie Davis 1/15/2008 4:09:52 AMSUPER cute! #5342468
JO ANN CLEVELAND 1/26/2008 6:36:04 PMAdorable! What's not to like about this? NOTHING!
jo ann c. #5401594
Skyy McKendry 2/20/2008 12:29:27 PMReally a wonderful portrait! Just outstanding - congratulations! #5522562
Hayley J. Hamlin 2/20/2008 1:48:24 PMCongrats girl!! I am so excited for you :) #5522788
Datha Y. Thompson 2/20/2008 5:16:40 PMSoooo ADORABLE!!! Congratulations to you girl!!! WTG :0) #5523562
Nikki McDonald 2/20/2008 6:32:59 PMCongratulations on your Honorable Mention in the Cash Contest for this adorable portrait, Megan. #5523808
Michelle L. Frick 2/20/2008 6:53:12 PMGorgeous light Megan! Congratulations on your HM! #5523857
Tressie Davis 2/21/2008 1:57:21 AMOh Megan, congrats on your Honorable Mention, this is soooo sweet!!! #5524876
Cyn Valentine 2/21/2008 5:06:06 AMAdorable..congratulations MEgan!! #5525567
Megan p 2/21/2008 5:13:52 AMThank you so much everyone, what a thrill and honor!!! Thanks again to that sweet sweet baby, I just love her to bots! #5525590
Stefania Barbier 2/22/2008 12:24:52 AMcongratulations Megan!!!!! #5529520
Dawn M. Schneider 2/26/2008 7:33:01 PMwhat a precious image!! this is so special, congrats #5558667
cheryl m. phillips 2/29/2008 8:04:58 AMMegan this is so sweet.
Symona R. Wood 8/4/2008 11:54:55 PMCongrats on the HM...this is one of the cutest baby shots! #6272222
Christi Levy 10/8/2008 3:14:44 PMMegan - Please contact me! firstname.lastname@example.com. Your flower child picture would be so perfect on a website I maintain for a children's clothing store. She looks like a "boutique baby"! I just was hoping to get your permission to use this photo on our webpage header. - Christi #6571716
Sian P 2/17/2009 3:11:44 AMThis is too beautiful and cute for words. Congrats with the accolade, well deserved. #7174487
Raquel J. Ruiz 12/13/2009 12:11:00 AMToo Cute!!!! #8212055
paola A. Jofre 7/16/2010 7:00:51 PMAdorable!!!! Congratulations!! #8768804
Kombizz Kashani 5/25/2011 8:35:17 AMvery good capture - good use of soft lighting #9427659
life does not get better than this!!
Special THANKS to Hayley for your help!!!
Exif: FNumber: , ExposureBiasValue: , ExposureTime: , Flash: , ISO: , WhiteBalance:
Uploaded on 3/14/2007 9:20:26 AM
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Megan p. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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Lovine needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 20 designs submitted by 9 freelance designers.
Danieli Painting
Danieli Painting is a house and office painting company. It serves several towns northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. The company also provide handyman and gutter cleaning services.
Target audience is local home owners and business owners searching for a painting company, handyman, or gutter cleaning service.
We believe the current site does not appear professional as average time on site is 11 seconds with 1.8 page views per visitor.
Goal of contest is to design a home page for Danieli Painting that implies it is a professional, reputable, trustworthy company that inspires visitors to call for a quote.
Home page must have a menu bar with following links: Home, About, Contact Us, Services, Locations, Testimonials, More (for extra like Photos, Videos, blog, etc.)
Page should show photos of beautifully painted homes and offices, inside and out. Photos should be vibrant and rich in color and make the viewer feel happy and confident in calling Danieli Painting.
Danieli Painting does not have a logo.
All contestants should note whether photos must be purchased, and if it must be purchased, provide a link to where photo can be purchased. All photos will be inspected for hints of a watermark, so please don't try to do us a favor by erasing the watermark. Also we learned that designers cannot purchase iStockPhotos and transfer them to us, so we expect to have to purchase any iStockPhotos in the winning design.
Have a place at the bottom for miscellaneous text links and copyright.
Current site is http://danielipainting.com


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Joining Active Directory
With the Linkstation Pro/Terastation Pro/Terastation Pro v2 it is possible to join an active directory domain. Hopefully this article helps many to get it setup faster.
Before you begin some points shall be respected to avoid errors afterwards.
- Time, Date and Timezone have to be identical on both sides with maximum 5 minutes difference,
- Do not join from the servers side,
- Server and TeraStation Pro, Pro II or LinkStation Pro have to be in the local network, no subnet or VPN_Tunnel allowed
- the username used for joining the Active Directory has to be member of the Administrator Group and has to have a password without special characters. There is no need to use the Administrator account with its password but any account with administrative privilieges.
- The Primary DNS Server IP Address inside the network settings of the Buffalo NAS has to point to the DNS/DC you want to join.
- There must be a machine account for your TeraStation on your Domain controller existing, (It must be configured for a pre Windows 2000 computer).
- This machine account for the TS must be flagged as trusted for delegation,
- Inside your DNS-server there must be the (A)Host entry for the TS in the Forward-Lookup-Zone and
- inside your Reverse-Lookup-Zone there must be the PTR-Record.
- Make sure the time of the terastation does not differ more than 10 minutes from the AD server
If 2) and 4) are not given then the LinkStation Pro/TeraStation Pro/Terastation ProII is not allowed to join the ADS as BDC, Backup domain controller, which is the working scheme of the ADS client on the Stations.
If 1-4 is given the LinkStation Pro/TeraStation Pro/Terastation ProII is able to join. Inside the Network setup you only have to enter the NetBIOS name, the full qualified Domain name and the full qualified PDC name with Domain Administrator name and password.
The LDAP on the Station then is contacting the PDC (Forward-Lookup-Zone set) and is asking for a copy of existing users. If "trusted for delegation" the TS will receive the answer (Trusted flagged and Reverse-Lookup-Zone set). So, if the last settings are not existing the answer will not be given and send. Here are about 95% of all ADS-issues located.
Normal Windows Clients in any ADS do not need to be set up this way since the PDC, the Primary Domain Controller, is handling all stuff by its own. But TeraStation Pro / Pro II and LinkStation Pro are separate things. They both communicate using the internal LDAP to communicate with the PDC. But the PDC in general is not contacted by any clients since he is the one-and-own master. So the PDC must be configured to accept the Station as a unit in the network which is allowed to contact the PDC. This is done by flagging the machine account as "trusted for delegation". Now the PDC is answering the requests. Additional the complete DNS forward and backward communication is done by both entries in the DNS-Server running on the PDC. Please note that you also should set the primary DNS IP-Address (inside network IP-Address setup of the Stations) to this and not to the gateway/router.
If it still won't work please check these:
- please check the internal Date/Time settings, especially the correct Time-Zone (by default +9 hours). The Timestamps of TS and PDC can only be 5 minutes different, otherwise the PDC will reject the Station. There is a good description of the problem caused by the "Time Difference / LDAP Error 82" located here: Troubleshooting Replication Errors, Microsoft TechNet
- the Primary DNS Server IP of the TeraStation network settings must be the IP address of the DNS Server running on the PDC.
- the IP address of the Gateway shall be the real gateway/router or the domain controller.In General 1) is the well known point why the Link- or TeraStation still cannot join even if above named things are done properly.
- If there is a WINS server given in the ADS-settings test the joining without the WINS IP.
- Check if there are some firewalls or Antivirus-Programs up and running that avoid a communication.
- If problems still exist please to a "Reset-to-Default" of the Tera/LinkStation by initiate the unit once.
In General Point 1) is the well known point why the Link- or TeraStation still cannot join even if above named things at top of this page are done proberly.


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Seattle closer Fernando Rodney shot an arrow in the air — at least figuratively — and when it came to Earth, he and everyone else at Angel Stadium knew exactly where it was: in the comeback-win column for the rally-happy Angels.
Rodney spiced up a sleepy summer Sunday afternoon when, after ending the eighth inning against his former team by getting Kole Calhoun to fly out to center field, he celebrated with his trademark move of pretending to pull an arrow out of a quiver and firing. He appeared to aim toward the Angels' dugout and Manager Mike Scioscia, who took the closer's job away from Rodney in the first week of the 2011 season, though Rodney said Scioscia wasn't his target.
"I'm friends with everybody. He's a great manager and a good person," Rodney said. "I did it for the fans."
The Angels' reactions ranged from amusement — "Rodney is Rodney," Mike Trout said with a grin — to Scioscia's barely disguised annoyance. "Fernando is animated. Our guys noticed it," Scioscia said several times.
They noticed it. And they did Rodney one better — actually, two better.
Because after Trout led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and Albert Pujols doubled him home to tie the score at 5-5, Trout and Pujols mimicked Rodney's arrow-shooting gesture. The Angels got the best and final shot when Grant Green's two-out single bounced up the middle to score Josh Hamilton in a 6-5 victory.
That hit the bull's-eye as far as Angels starter Tyler Skaggs was concerned. He said he had not seen Rodney's bow-and-arrow routine but didn't like what he had heard about it.
"I'm glad we scored and won, because that's ridiculous," he said. "Just goes to show you, don't rile up our team, because we have a lot of good players, lot of good hitters, lot of good people. Looking forward to next time we play them."
Green, hitless in four previous at-bats, thought Rodney was foolish to celebrate so early.
"We were hitting well in the game but we didn't really have that key hit," Green said. "He did it kind of at the wrong time with Trout, Pujols and Josh coming up, and you kind of don't want to get those guys fired up, or even more wanting to get a hit than they already do."
Whoa, Pujols insisted. He saw Rodney's move as good fun and, maybe, a misunderstanding on Rodney's part.
"I know Rodney for 15 years and every time I see him I told him I'm going to do that to him if I get a big hit against him. That's why he was laughing. That's his thing," said Pujols, who added he directed his archery exploit toward his dugout, in fun, and not in anger toward Rodney or the Mariners.
"I think he thought it was the ninth inning, because on the board it said it was the ninth inning for the half of that inning."
Interesting theory. Rodney is accustomed to pitching the ninth, but on Sunday was asked to get five outs.
"That's what we were talking," Pujols said of the conversation in the Angels' dugout. "Out there it said the ninth inning for almost half of that inning so they probably thought it was the last out, to center field."
Angels third base coach Gary DiSarcina said he thought Rodney's bow-and-arrow move was "kind of neat for a second." He added, "I think what worked to fire us up was we had Trout, Pujols and Hamilton coming up in the ninth inning.... We've got multiple comeback wins this year. Even though Fernando was an All-Star this year we had confidence in our three guys coming up that we'd push one across."
DiSarcina also said he didn't think Rodney was being disrespectful to the Angels. "It's his thing. His shtick," DiSarcina said.
The Angels' shtick is coming back to win games, with Sunday's game their major league-leading 30th comeback win of the season.
At the very least, it should fuel a rivalry with the Mariners in advance of a possible postseason meeting. The Angels, despite winning 21 of their last 26 games, trail Oakland by 11/2 games and remain in wild-card position, with Seattle.
"That's a good team over there. Every time we play them it's a battle," Trout said. "It's a tough division. I talked to Rodney at the All-Star game. We're cool. Rodney is a funny guy. No hard feelings."
Maybe not, but it's another arrow in their competitive quiver.
Twitter: @helenenothelen


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Pirates focused on even 'bigger things' in 2014
BRADENTON, Fla. -- They're very big on alliteration, these Pittsburgh Pirates. From the walls of the Spring Training clubhouses to the murals ringing their PNC Park locker room, they remind all that "P" is also for "Pride" and "Passion."
How about one more: "Progression."
BRADENTON, Fla. -- They're very big on alliteration, these Pittsburgh Pirates. From the walls of the Spring Training clubhouses to the murals ringing their PNC Park locker room, they remind all that "P" is also for "Pride" and "Passion."
How about one more: "Progression."
Go beyond 94 wins. Go deeper than a Division Series. Finish that 2013 symphony, of Blackout whoops and "Let's Go Bucs!" hollers.
That's where the 2014 Pirates are. That's where they believe they are headed, beginning with the first step on Monday at PNC Park against, or over, the Chicago Cubs.
Actually, the first steps came a long time ago. Media touring Spring Training sites, in Florida as well as in Arizona, have been stunned upon arriving at the Pirates' complex and comparing their mode to those of other teams. They've been impressed to see line drives already rattling the cages at 7 a.m., and how long and how ardently the Bucs go at it.
"This is the hardest-working team we've seen," has been a common comment. "And the loosest."
What a wonderful combination -- shedding blood and sweat to avoid the tears.
The strut into the ultimate game of the 2013 Division Series did not end 20 years of starvation. It began six months of hunger for more.
"We earned the angst we all felt after Game 5 in St. Louis," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "And we are definitely looking forward to taking the next step. We're focused, healthy and hungry. We want to accomplish bigger things.
"We were asked, 'When are you going to win?' Well, we won. We are not the homecoming opponent on anyone's schedule anymore. It's time to take the next step. The men here are definitely embracing that."
"We set the bar high for ourselves this year," said second baseman Neil Walker. "We expect a lot of ourselves."
As the Pirates were about to take the field for one of the last Grapefruit League games, someone in the dugout rousted the gang with the requisite, "Let's get ready for the season."
He was immediately corrected by a teammate: "We're going in ready!"
All this is a 180-degree turn from what most have seen for the Pirates from the tea leaves, tarot cards, analytics or whatever medium they consult: regression. The negativism is driven by dissatisfaction with what the front office has done over the offseason. Which, basically, is nothing.
Ignored in the drone of that criticism, which has been rampant and often vicious, is that the core of the 94-game winners is back. The Opening Day lineup will include six who started in the 2013 inaugural, the most for the Pirates since eight starters returned from 1990 to '91.
Not only are they back, but they should be better.
In many ways, the 2013 Bucs were underachievers. Perhaps that is a weird knock on a team that not only ended 20 years of losing, but had the third-best record in the National League and the fifth best in all of the Majors. But the guys handling the offense didn't exactly hit their heads on their ceilings. The Bucs' scoring average of 3.91 runs per game was by far the lowest of the 12 playoff teams.
Billboard would have most of these guys rising with a bullet.
"The reality is," said the man who has taken heat for the lack of acquisitions, general manager Neal Huntington, "our improvement will come from the core of our guys internally, through their natural growth."
The Pittsburgh Kid, Walker, is back to a regular routine after full recovery from a series of annoying injuries. Starling Marte is diving into a second full season. Russell Martin is refocused on offense after a season of learning a new pitching staff. Shortstop is steady, with Jordy Mercer's heavier bat a daily presence. All have growth room.
Even Andrew McCutchen has room to step up. In his NL Most Valuable Player Award-winning season, McCutchen scored 10 fewer runs, had 10 fewer homers and 12 fewer RBIs than the prior season.
"The scary part is, I don't think he's scratched the surface of his full potential," third baseman Pedro Alvarez said of McCutchen. "He has no ceiling. I'm excited by what the future holds for him."
Alvarez may appear to be an exception to this growth theory. After all, he tied for the league lead with 36 homers. But you don't think he has a higher average (.233) and fewer strikeouts (186) in him?
Hurdle thinks so, calling Baltimore's Chris Davis -- he hit 53 blasts and batted .286 -- "a very good comparison to the type of offensive producer Alvarez has a chance to be."
The manager would know: he was Davis' batting coach while the O's first baseman was still struggling with the 2010 Texas Rangers.
That popular regression theory picks on the team sector that was most responsible for those 94 wins, which is the pitching staff: starters, closers and everyone in between. Got "career years out of" many of them, and that can't happen again, goes the downer logic that ignores the fact most haven't been around long enough to have "careers."
People still hung up on the departure of A.J. Burnett need to remember that neither Charlie Morton nor Gerrit Cole came on the scene last season until mid-June, by which time Wandy Rodriguez was 2013 history. Now all three will strap it on from the get-go, led by lefty ace Francisco Liriano. The fifth musketeer, Edinson Volquez, needs to win games to win over the critics.
The bullpen will remain indispensable, because Hurdle's approach won't allow the starters to prove whether they can carry a bigger workload. An incumbent bullpen is virtually unheard of, but that is what the Pirates have.
The accumulation of pitches and innings could indeed wear on them. However, relief arms is probably the team's deepest asset, and the just-in-case reservoir in Indianapolis is impressive.
As far as the NL Central race is concerned, the warmup is gone. The schedule has the Pirates diving right into it: the first 28 games are within the division, including six with the Cardinals and seven each with Cincinnati and the team many expect to replace the Reds as a top contender, the Brewers.
The last two years, the Bucs tripped out of the gate (starts of 2-6 and 1-5), but they were able to recover. A similar start could be harder to overcome.
"It'll be a challenge coming out, so we want to play well early," Hurdle said.
That is what the intense Spring Training was all about. Flying into bases and after drives. Laying out. Dirt patches and grass stains.
In 2013, the Pirates got something they could put in their memory bank. This year, they want something they can run up the flagpole.
Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer.


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Luxurious Cottage Interiors
Located in Wayzata, Minessotta, this luxurious lake cottage designed by Grace Hill Design, exudes elegance and many great ideas for your interiors. There's nothing small and quaint about this cottage home. In fact, this home feels very spacious and open, which is perfect to welcome family and friend wanting to spend the weekend by the lake. I can't see anything I don't like in this lake cottage. I am loving the large kitchen, the chic living room with coffered ceiling, the blue-gray master bathroom and the overall feel of this home. The color palette is also something that grabs your attention and makes you wish you could repaint your home. Take a minute of your time now to feel inspired by this house tour and make sure take notes on paint colors, furniture, lighting and other designer sources all shared in this post. You will see that this place has everything you could wish for!


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