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It is almost the anniversary of our last news post. Time perhaps for a quick looksee at the usual subjects and where they stand today.
LiteStep development seems to have stalled anew since my last post, almost a year ago. Shortly after that, a numbers of dev builds were released.
And then there was silence.
Then again, this happened before, so I'm not worrying… much.
Rainlendar development is still going strong. Betas are released regularly. In fact, the latest 2.13 beta 140 build was released last week.
Rainy's even using this fancy new thing called Twitter these days (which is like a monolithic yet fragmented version of the shoutbox we have on the left) so ya'll can stalk him.
Laugh if you may, but I know a crazy chick who thinks she's friends with celebs just because she follows 'em on Twitter.
Social media is so not for me.
Sibling RainMeter was spun off to a separate dev team some time ago. I can't recall the details, but seeing that our front page goes back to 2008, I've probably covered it somewhere below.
But this too is still in full effect. Latest stable 3.1 was released late May and the latest beta, 3.2 r3202 came out a few weeks back.
There is more. But my dishwasher needs me, so it will have to wait for another day. || craeonics | comments (9)
Late last month, our man in South America sent a message to Tek HQ that simply said: "new LiteStep alpha".
The last previous LiteStep build was in April 2009. Stanley had already set out to find the lost Dr. Livingstone. But at long last, here was a new build:
"We have just posted the 2013-06-27 experimental build. This is a 0.25.0 "Alpha" build. […] Here is what has changed since the last experimental build:
The !Run dialog now supports !Bang commands.
Added LSCloseExplorer, which will gracefully close the currently running shell when LiteStep launches.
Added LSRunX and LSRunY to position the !Run dialog.
Fixed left click menu positioning for tray icons (also requires tray module updates).
Tray modules now need to register for and handle LM_SYSTRAYINFOEVENT.
Added a fileExists() function.
Added a performance page to !about, showing module load times.
Added new enumeration type ELD_PERFORMANCE to EnumLSData
!about's system information page will now show > 4GB of memory correctly.
!about's system information page now supports Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
Various 64bit compilation fixes."
While we were still recovering from that bombshell, in came word of a second, 2013-07-21 build:
"Modified the .RC file syntax to allow for settings prefixes. This change is backwards compatible.
Added detection of Windows 8.1 and Server 2012 R2.
LSAutoHideModules is now more reliable, and will hide modules on a monitor as long as there is a fullscreen window on that monitor.
Added more details to the error message that is shown when a module fails to load."
Going by the LS Dev download section, there's even a 2013-07-24 build out. And aside from all that, there are new xTray and nModules builds available. || craeonics | comments (5)
After some good two years of silence a new build (150) of Xion Audio Player was released last month, followed by build 154 earlier last week.
Or as developer Cliff put it:
"So...been a while huh? Unfortunately I don't just work on Xion in my spare time. I also have to work a day job to pay my bills, eat, etc. I have a few other projects that I spend time on too. I've been working on some projects that can hopefully bring an income in so I can spend more time on things like Xion. Life has also gotten in the way a few times for me but things are going great now.
I've had lots of time to think about where I'd like to take Xion. I do have big plans for it and some big choices to make going forward. I'm also just one guy doing this and my many other projects, so who knows how long it will take. If only I could clone myself."
Build 150 brings us:
"Xion 1.5 (build 150) has a brand new skin designed by the amazing Lance Thackeray as well as a large number of fixes and optimization, tons of new features for skinners including a new tint control and knobs for volume and balance and even new file icons. Make sure you check out the changelist for a full list."
And build 154 has various other fixes and additions.
It's good to see development on this app, with its unique PSD-based skin system, is going strong again. || craeonics | comments (6)
Earlier this week version 2.5 of the skinnable system monitoring tool Rainmeter was released. Most notable new features according to the devs:
"New FileView plugin. This powerful new plugin will index and gather information about all files and folders in a defined path. Information supported includes the path, name, size, type, date, and icon. Commands can be used to scroll through the index of files, move up and down in the folder tree, and select files for display or opening with the associated program.
Added new ClipString=2 setting and new ClipStringW / ClipStringH options. This will allow for more dynamic clipping and wrapping of a string while sizing the containing meter to accommodate the entire contents. […]
Added new Mouse Actions to support the scroll wheel. […]
Added new Mouse Variables. These are "macro" variables used in the context of a mouse click action to provide the current X and Y position of the mouse cursor relative to the meter or skin in pixels or a percentage. […]
Added new OnUpdateAction command to Skins, Meters and Measures. This will allow an action to take place when the element is updated normally or by any bang.
Added new OnChangeAction command to Measures. This will allow an action to take place when the value of a measure changes.
Added new OnFocusAction and OnUnFocusAction options to the [Rainmeter] section of the skin, to execute actions when a skin gains or loses focus (by clicking it) in Windows.
Added "*" as a wildcard parameter to the !UpdateMeasure and !UpdateMeter bangs to immediately update all measures and meters.
Changed the behavior of the WebParser ProxyServer option to better handle how WebParser interacts with Internet Explorer for proxy management."
The complete list of changes can be found in the beta notes or the version history. || craeonics | comments (3)
Frogboy announced StarDock's intention to run a new GUI Olympics some moons ago, but now it's official and sporting a new name: the 2012 GUI Champs.
"GUI Champs is the ultimate Graphical User Interface (GUI) competition. Graphics designers from around the world will be competing in four primary skinning categories. It is a way to help support the community of individuals who create alternative graphical user interfaces and also just to have some good old fun!
We are accepting entries of WindowBlinds, DeskScapes Dreams and Desktop Wallpapers."
Entries can be submitted starting tomorrow. So get cracking! || craeonics | comments
FullPhat just released a new beta of their notification tool Snarl. For the new bits and pieces we are referred to the download:
"Please see the included revision history for changes."
So I download the package and open the readme. Let me quote the changelog verbatim:
Key changes and improvements
Followed by emptiness. Regardless, do check it out. || craeonics | comments (3)
After lots of weekly betas RainMeter 2.3 has been released. Various things have been added and tweaked, but the biggest change is probably the new .rmskin file format:
"There is a new, improved .rmskin (Rainmeter Skin Package) system designed to make distribution of your creations easier. The most visible change is a new Rainmeter Skin Packager application available from the Manage dialog in Rainmeter. This will allow you to quickly select skins, themes and custom plugins to add to your distribution, and create a .rmskin package users can install by simply double-clicking."
There is a catch ofcourse:
"Please note that as of this release of Rainmeter, both deviantART.com and Customize.org will only accept the .rmskin format for new uploads. If you want to distribute your skins on these popular sites, be sure to check out the new Rainmeter Skin Packager."
Sometimes you just have to force people to move forward. So this is a good move. || craeonics | comments
Earlier this month the SharpE devs decided that their shell replacement was on life-support and it was best to wrap things up and end the project.
"During the past months the activity in the development team has reached a low point […] Reason for this simply is that the remaining few developers either lost interest in the shell or have more important real life interests to take care of. […] With the overall situation not leading to any progress whatsoever and with less and less time being spend on the development of the shell we see no other choice than to close the project by officially stopping the development.
It's really sad that we have to do this, we just see no other choise. We feel however that it's better to end the project under controlled conditions instead of trying and trying and trying to keep it going until at some point it inevitably falls appart."
Those controlled conditions consist of placing the project on SourceForge, throwing together a simple info site and compiling a final build. This way the source will be available for whoever might be interested in picking things up.
I could write a retrospect on SharpE, but let me suffice by quoting Bob Dylan: 'the times they are changing'. And it's not just confined to skindom. I see familiar things decay and new, not always benign, things flourish all across the web, let alone the world. || craeonics | comments (2)
After being gone for roughly half a decade, rootrider returned to that little town called LiteStep, only to find it inhabited by ghosts.
"I would occasionally check in on the Litestep Mailing List to see how things were going there. This year there were seven emails from January to May. I have every email I received from that list since June 1999. There were about 38000 emails from 1999 to 2005. From 2005 - 2011 there were about 1500 emails. This should give you an idea of how popular and active the scene was in the first several years, and how much slower and inactive it has become in the last several years."
I would say that not only the LiteStep scene, but the entire alternative shell scene and even the totality of skindom are moribund.
"As such, we need to start operating as if LiteStep is the small project that it is. It needs a good core web site where users can go to download releases and other resources, read documentation, and help add to the community if they like. Other sites can exist, but everything should be very well linked and, ideally, well coordinated. We should combine our efforts as much as possible toward a more singular goal. With our number of active users being so small, splitting efforts between multiple projects and goals only serves to weaken the group as a whole. This effort has begun."
This new situation he envisions is actually more coordinated than the 'Step has ever been. Perhaps it just was in need of a right good kicking in order to grow.
Long story short: someone has stepped up to the plate in order to get LiteStep up and running again. Be sure to read the full State of the Step and if you're interested in helping out, head over to the forums at litestep.info or #litestep on IRC. || craeonics | comments
After seven months in beta, version 2.1 of the ever-evolving monitoring app RainMeter was released. Most notable new features on the user side of things are a Now Playing plugin and a new and improved configuration editor.
"We've added our single most-requested feature: the NowPlaying plugin, which allows a single Rainmeter skin to interact with a huge range of popular media players by changing only a single setting. […] The plugin not only allows the display of track, artist and album information and basic player controls, but also makes it possible to change the track position, toggle shuffle and repeat settings, and even rate your music directly from Rainmeter.
[…] Just click on the Rainmeter icon in your Windows tray, and you'll have your whole library at your fingertips. Load new skins, change settings on the fly, and save and restore your 'theme' arrangements - all from the same elegant tabbed interface.
[…] Rainmeter's performance has been improved in countless areas, including significantly faster launch times and image caching for graphics-heavy skins. Rainmeter 2.1 also plays better with Windows 7 than ever before. Skins can take advantage of Aero blur, and Rainmeter now keeps track of your network usage independently, instead of by theme."
All that, plus a number of tweaks and additions on the skinning side of things. Looks like RainMeter is slowly filling the vacuum left by Samurize. || craeonics | comments
Earlier this month, our long-eared cousin, JCRabbit, released new versions of his shell enhancement suite WinStep Xtreme and his application launcher/dock Nexus Dock, plus a new release of the non-skinnable Start Menu Organizer.
Previous releases were back in October, so the changelogs are a mile long. Perhaps it would have been wise, from a news point of view, to stagger those releases, but basically WinStep is a suite containing the other apps (plus NextStart and WorkShelf), so it's understandable.
And somewhere along the line the WinStep site got a much needed Jenny Jones make-over. Much less 90s and more 00s. || craeonics | comments
The only mail Tek gets is usually spam, SEO crap (AKA spam) or link exchange requests (AKA more spam). Today however, I got a question from André SubPop wondering what the hell happened to this thing called 'desktop customisation'.
"I'm a deskmod enthusiast since 1999/2000, when I was 14, and is a bit sad to see that some of the good sites like desktopian and blizzle are now just digital dust... And sites like customize.org, skinz and others are just a web2.0 thrash or full of ads, respectively. […]
And now, I want to know some about Teknidermy and other related projects, like VirtualPlastic... Why Modspots is offline? Server issues?"
Unfortunately for André he joined the desktop revolution when it was already past its prime.
What exactly happened? I think it's a combination of developers moving with life or onto other platforms; skinning becoming too complicated for casual skinners (it's no fun anymore); people in general being more content with the ever increasing eye candy in interfaces ever since XP (my poor eyes); and (yes, Doreen) desktops making way for smart phones and the like.
Mr. SubPop started a thread on our board, so feel free to join in on that if you have an opinion on the subject (beware of the fiendish filter though).
And rest assured, Tek is alive and well. Just not kicking as much as it used to. || craeonics | comments on our board
Full Phat's Snarl is a notification system, similar to the balloon tips Windows has for when the icons on your desktop need cleaning up or you wifi has dropped out again.
Except that Snarl does not seem to hook into that but instead provides a seperate framework. The downside of that being that other applications need to actively support Snarl to get things going. That has been Snarl's achilles heel ever since its inception. Fortunately there seems to be a somewhat healthy amount of helper apps for it these days.
So what's new?
"Chris and I have been running this release without major issue since February this year so we thought it would make sense to release it to the wider community. Please be aware that it should still be considered an alpha release (as such, please assume it will be more buggy and unpredictable than a beta release)."
Latest version can be found on SourceForge. || craeonics | comments (3)
One might think that either WindowBlinds is the last sole survivor of the tribe of window skinners or that native theming from XP onwards has killed the need for such applications. The latter is irrelevant, for it is in the skinner's blood to transcend the norm. The former is simply not true. Yes, there's WindowBlinds and then a vaste plain of emptiness. But it is not alone.
Case in point, True Transparency. A program that appears to be rooted in the desire to have Aero-like alpha transparency in the Vista manner, but does so by basically replacing the borders of your windows by customisable bitmaps.
And isn't that just the minimum that a window skinner is supposed to do?
Ability to have TT 32 bits and 64 bits at the same time
Right click on close button sends the window to the back
FadeIn/FadeOut for buttons
Firefox 3.6 and higher was not skinned
Fix title problem with some Unicode window
Fix problem when closing toolbar window
Fix size calculation for toolbar window
Fix AeroShake bug
Fix focus bug
Better handling of modal window
Bettre handling of fullscreen window"
Ah, winroll. It used to seem like such a cool feature to me, but once I had it, I found that I never used it. Regardless, I grow weary of the classic look of my netbook. Perhaps I should give True Transparency a spin. || craeonics | comments (7)
Jorge 'JcRabbit' Coelho knows where it's at. Not only because of the leporid affiliation of his nickname, but also because the latest version of WinStep Nexus Dock sports an in-dock system tray. Now you might take this as me being my sarcastic self, but I'm serious. There is so much essential stuff hidden in the tray that it would be a shame if an app that is about personalisation does not provide the means to put the tray where you want it, in the shape you want it to have.
"Nexus?", I hear you ask.
"The Winstep Nexus dock is a FREE, stand alone, version of the Nexus dock that is part of the Winstep Xtreme suite of applications, although it has no support for multi-docks, multi-level sub-docks, and system tray icon configuration, unlike its bigger 'cousin' in Winstep Xtreme."<
Changes in version 10.3 include:
"in-dock system tray, ability to customize the images of the dock control icon and the clock, recycler, cpu, net, ram and email checker widgets, option to open context sub-menus on mouseover, major reorganization of right-click context menus in order to make them more consistent between different item types and make it easier to add new items to the dock, amazing new set of weather icons by Teknofrik (Style 2), full and seamless integration of native Nexus and 3rd party dock skins (no longer separate), option NOT to flip dock backgrounds for docks located at the top of the screen, ability to specify the folder used to store screenshots taken by the Capture Desktop command, and much, much, more!"
Grab it over at WinStep. || craeonics | comments (4)
Earlier this month, the SharpE Shell team said it took them a little longer than they had hoped for to release the latest milestone TD6R4 of their shell replacement. Not as long as it took me to post about it. Alright, enough jokes.
"Took a little longer than we had hoped for. Here it finally is, the next release - TD6R4.
Besides several bug fixes of some major bugs (like the link launcher not working when SharpE was unpacked in a directory which contained spaces) there is also a lot of new stuff included. For example there is a "new" skin, "Number 8" which basically is a very much improved version of "Number 7". But this new skin makes use of two new features in the application bar. The hover and highlight blending effects are now using the colors of the icon which is assigned to the application bar item. And the multiple window overlay is now displayed as a number instead of the new white squares. Both features are skin specific and currently only supported by the new Number 8 skin. Besides this there are some nice new features in the cursor service (thanks to our user HomerSp)."
In an unforeseen move I actually installed this shell on my new Vista video playing machine. It provides you with a set of themes, a number of taskbars, the desktop context menu Explorer still so sorely lacks, skins your cursor, has some icon sets and commits the cardinal sin of replacing my desktop backdrop which I had searched so long for.
I gave myself five minutes to find out how to set those taskbars to autohide (us minimalists don't like clutter). That didn't work out, so I installed Emerge Desktop instead. || craeonics | comments (9)
LS-Universe's unfortunate downtime, which I mentioned last month, fortunately didn't last very long. LS-Themes's THC4K stepped in and set them up with a subdomain: ls-universe.ls-themes.org, as the original domain name went the way of the dodo along with the hosting.
Me thinks universe.ls-themes.org or lsu.ls-themes.org might have been better picks, but regardless, it's good that it's back.
While I'm stealing news from LSP, two new German LiteStep sites have popped up, LiteStep.de and LiteStep-Forum.de. The more the merrier. Umm, that is, if they have a healthy population and steady supply of participants. || craeonics | comments
The one site that kept the LiteStep flame flickering has just kicked the bucket, as LS-Universe's hosting was cancelled by its owner. Or as Andymon put it on LSP:
"Ok, that was entirely unexpected, especially for me :(
But GothsSecret (the real owner of LS-U) has canceled the contract with the hoster sooner then expected and when he called me yesterday it was too late for me to do anything and today all is gone as you can see.
I have a (hopefully working) backup from 09.09.09 at least for the xDocs data and the LS-U Mainpage so nothing is totally lost.
I apologize that the site is shut down without notice, but sometimes things like this happen.
If i get another community hosting offer, the site will probably come back somewhere else, but atm i don't know where and when.
Btw.: If someone wants to contact me, my new mail is andymon at go4more dot de."
With Blizzle being toast, LS-Universe down, and an economic crisis to boot, these are joyfull times. I sure hope the module loading thing in LiteStep doesn't depend on LS-Universe.
Credit to the frosticle for the heads up. || craeonics | comments (2)
Frequent updates are so 2008. Old is the new vogue. To think that Tek, the magazine, once gained a news section so we could fill the gap between our strict bi-monthly publications, and present some content to keep the people interested. The magazine somehow snuck out of the back door at some point in time and meanwhile news has gone the way of the dodo as well.
Mea culpa, but not completely, for it seems the avenues of skinning we used to follow have reached an evolutionary dead end. A decade ago I could spend hours a day reading the latest news on floach.pimpin.net and Desktopian (and its previous incarnation). No more. We are the neanderthals of Skindom.
Fortunately, there's still sryo. He's been faithfully keeping track of the bits and pieces of news that pop up in the lands of skins and shells at ModTalk and Shells Update. Hell, he even sacrificed a black rooster and ressurrected ModSpots.
Doreen sent him a teknishirt, but they were so hip the officials confiscated them. Twice. || craeonics | comments (3)
Back in May when we last saw our faithful heroine Rainmeter, she had just been brought back to life by mad scientist Rainy and his wicked henchmen. Skip three months (I've been busy) and we have a 1.0 of our intrepid investigator.
And I'm glad cuttheredwire wrote a little something something about it with the changelog, because I sure don't see it anywhere.
"Among Rainmeter 1.0's numerous improvements:
A built-in theme manager, RainThemes, to save and load your setups.
Complete compatibility with Windows Vista and 7. (Your data is no longer stored in Program Files, which eliminates problems with UAC.)
New visual options, such as text shadows, transformation matrices and improved anti-aliasing.
Expanded plugin support for iTunes, WiFi and even Recycle Bin management.
An official online forum at Rainmeter.net for support, discussion, third-party addons, tips and feature requests."
Rainmeter 1.0 comes packed with a new default skin called Enigma which has some rather high ambitions. || craeonics | comments (4)
Rainmeter, after being abandoned for quite some time, has been brought back to life. Rainy, maker of the popular calendar app Rainlender, has brought on some help and restarted development as a Google code project. There is a forum and a IRC channel too.
For those unfamiliar with the app, Rainmeter is a skinnable system resource monitor for windows. It can give you a readout on just about anything on your computer (and then some). It was the first really flexible app of its kind, blowing old Sysmeter 2 out of the water. Even in its dormant state, dedicated users continued to skin it. It's one of those old school apps I love to see returning to the scene.
This may be very good news to another app: LiteStep. One of the unique features of Rainmeter is was that it could run as a LS module (plug-in). It could be completely integrated into your desktop experience. Hopefully the new guard will hold true to this ideal.
Special thanks to DragonMage for keeping me in the loop and his dedication to the app. || cuttheredwire | comments (6)
If memory serves me correctly it was '97 or '98 when everyone's favourite shell LiteStep entered the 0.24 cycle. And now, after more than a decade, it's finally end of the line with LiteStep 0.24.8 Final. Onwards to 0.25!
The most important update in this version must definitely be:
"This release comes with a manual that fully covers the use and configuration of the LiteStep core."
Let's hope this brings an end to the endless crawling through changelogs to see what's in, what's out and what's changed. Further changes include:
"New evaluation parser
With the evaluation parser, both conditional expressions (If, ElseIf) and in-line expressions ($a + b$) now use the same syntax. The new parser adds new capabilities that were previously unavailable such as strings and built-in functions.
Appbar support
We have added an implementation to support AppBars. This is a feature found in the Explorer shell which some applications use to dock their window to the edge of a screen (e.g. the Explorer taskbar). Some typical applications that use this feature are IM clients and various media players.
Icon notification tray (systray) service fixes
The Icon Notification Tray service has been updated to fix several issues. The most visible one being where old icons and sometimes balloon (info) tips would appear during a recycle.
Broken configurations that would recursively define variables no longer lock LiteStep up.
Removed !gather bang command proxy for VWM modules (all current VWM modules now implement that function internally).
Large improvements to LSAutoHideModules.
Changed !alert and !confirm default messagebox caption to include the !bang command name.
Added support for Windows 2003 ($win2003$ is now available and !about box information is correctly displayed)
Improvements to !ShowModules, !HideModules and !ToggleModules. They now have apparent instant affect; no more jerky showing/hiding."
Note that the 0.24-series is not compatible with Vista and its future offspring. Development is already underway in the 0.25 branch to make this happen. || craeonics | comments (6)
2009 | 03 | 02
23:56 | Y'z Shadow 2.3 beta 1 and Y'z Toolbar 2.2
Y'z Shadow is a utility that adds shadows beneath your windows. Sounds simple perhaps, but the effect works so well. It makes the windows feel more layered. And ofcourse if you want to go wild you can also turn the shadow into a glow instead. Beta 2.3 enhances the shadows drawn under the taskbar.
Y'z Toolbar 2.2
is a Mac OS-like dockskins the icons of Explorer's toolbars, be it Explorer the file manager or Internet Explorer the browser. It's a small tweak, but it beats having to hack .dlls. Version 2.2 fixes a bug with windows opened by IE6.
The English version of the site is as dead as the dodo and I may assume that not everyone's Japanese is up-to-date, so I'll just point you straight to the download page so you can check it out yourself. || craeonics | comments (3)
2008 | 09 | 28
20:37 | Customizing the iPhone
Every time I decide to do an article on customizing one of my beloved gadgets, I first have to reflect back on when I last did an article followed up by then taking a quick walk down memory lane to skim the article which in turn causes a few reactions from me. First I'm amazed at how many years have passed by so quickly and then I'm shocked at how extremely far these gadgets have evolved and lastly I'm completely embarrassed at how ridiculous my article looks to me now that I've looked back at it w/ older eyes or something! (course that won't stop me from embarrassing myself yet again cuz I'm gonna write another one right now)
But I truly am amazed by the broad spectrum of changes that have come about to these small hand held gadgets that we now cannot seem to live without. I mean think about it, can you honestly remember the last time you looked for a pay phone on a street corner to make a call?
We rely on our cell phones daily to contact our family members and co-workers via either the phone or instant messaging apps installed on them, we use them to remind us of upcoming important meetings and appointments, we take and share photos using them, we read our news and browse the internet while riding on the subway to work, we pass time playing cool games on them, and now today they've basically become so powerful that there really is nothing much that we cannot do on them that we can do in our office sitting behind a desktop machine! And if you have an iPhone you know this to be true, that we can pretty much rip the calendar off the wall and grab our camera, calculator, telephone, picture frames, alarm clock that's sitting right on our desk along w/ our Desktop Computer and toss them all out the window and simply grab our iPhone and we've got everything we need right in our hand!
I'm totally obsessed w/ my iPhone but since this is a skinning ezine that focuses on customization, I'll try to constrain myself to that subject, but if anyone has questions of any kind regarding the iPhone feel free to leave me questions or comments and I'll be sure to make you sorry you ever asked. =)
Okay so let's begin, what's the first thing everyone does when they purchase their new shiny toy? They cover it up to protect it therefore masking the beauty of it! But I've got a few other solutions:
iPhone Shield (Full protection but still looks completely naked!)
MyGelSkin (Protects and compliments)
IvySkin (If you must completely cover but still want some pizzazz)
Then after you've taken care of that major crisis you do one of two things. Either you'll be content as an everyday typical 'phone' user or you will realize the 'iPhone' has much more potential and want to gain full control over it. However, if you're a typical phone user and only bought an iPhone to make calls w/ you can stop reading right here, but if you're looking for much more fun and benefits from your iPhone and want to challenge yourself then you should read on—
I've no clue what Apple was thinking by finally letting in 3rd party apps but not letting the owner of the iPhone have full access to their phone but that is exactly what they've done so if you're like me and think "Hey! this is my phone, I paid for it and I want to do what I want w/ it", then you'll need to break your iPhone out of Jail which is what Apple is trying to do by keeping our phones locked up the way they've done. So the next stop is over here:
Here is a Capture of the Default iPhone prior to Jailbreaking:
And here is a Capture of an iPhone after Jailbreaking, as you can see every element can be skinned.
Unfortunately you will need to do some research on your own regarding the various jailbreaking methods since like I said, I'm going to try to restrain myself from turning this article turning into a book but simply give some useful customization information to get you started, some of which can be found here:
iPhone discussion at MacThemes
iPhone releases as MacThemes
Once you've successfully jailbroken your iPhone then you will have Cydia which is where you will locate and install some of the most useful, powerful and 'freeeeeeee' apps available for customizing your iPhone. Some of which are called:
Five Dock Icon
Open SSH
Make it Mine
App Flow
And the list will go on and on and on, but without a doubt theee most powerful customization app you will find is WinterBoard w/ this app you can turn your apple into an orange (or anything else for that matter) you'll have complete customization access over the Sounds, the entire GUI, Keyboard, Fonts, Icons, Wallpaper, LockScreen, Also some of the iPhone's default application's GUI's such as the Dialer, email app, Notes, Browser etc. (just wayyyyyy too much to cover here)
Here's a few before and after screenshots:
I've made a few themes that pretty much show off just some of WinterBoards cool and powerful possibilities which also uses a script (that I begged for in a forum over at macthemes) and some totally talented guy named Zetetic was up to the challenge to put together this script for me to accommodate a weather feed which in turn displays the current weather information along w/ the weather's icon so I took that a step further and decided to create some themes that would change not only the weather icon itself but rather the entire wallpaper according to day and night and the current weather status and display some nice images to keep things looking alive and fresh each time you look at your iPhone.
Since it's currently night here's a quick screen capture off my phone:
You can download my themes from here:
Once you get your iPhone looking just the way you want it to, then the next stop is the iTunes AppStore of course, which is another article so I'm going to end it right here before I start boring you guys to death talking about all the cool apps I've found in the AppStore. Alright I lied I have to tell you about one, jusssss one! It's called 'Polar Shot' and it's an app that lets you skin your photos!
Who wants to look at just a boring photo you took? You need to customize it alilll bit and add that personal touch, so you could either take a photo w/ your iPhone or download any image off of your Safari Browser from your iphone and then set a background color, frame it, type a quick Caption on it, or draw on it in various color inks and then save them to your camera roll or email them right out to someone from your iPhone.
Here's a quick image I grabbed off my iPhone and customized in the Polar Shot app.
I can't wait to see what applications will be available six months from now, they should be a lot more advanced then what we are currently seeing right now, since a lot of the developers are all in the early phases of learning the power that the iphone has in regards to both it's processor and display abilities. || Doreen | comments (6)
18:56 | WindowBlinds 6.3
Alpha transparency: check; layered skinning: check; the only thing left for WindowBlinds to match the future of skinning I prophecised a decade ago is scripting. Ofcourse, beyond that lies the three dimensional desktop.
What am I talking about? Premiere window skinner WindowBlinds 6.3 and its new support for layers. Alright, 6.2 had that too, but now we have blending options. You know, like in Photoshop.
"Stardock is pleased to announce the release of WindowBlinds 6.3. These releases come just in time for the start of the 2008 GUI Championships, which start next month. WindowBlinds is the easiest way to change the look and feel of the user interface of Windows XP and Windows Vista. There are thousands of skins (visual styles) are available for just about every style you can imagine. People can also create their own skins with SkinStudio.
New WindowBlinds features:
Layers now supported!
Misc. tweaks and performance fixes
WindowBlinds is available stand-alone, or as part of the Object Desktop suite of desktop enhancements. There are also bundles available which include SkinStudio or a subscription to WinCustomize.com. You can get more information and a free trial download at www.windowblinds.net."
The blurb for the new version of SkinStudio gives us more info on these layers:
"One of the biggest new features in SkinStudio 6.3 requires WindowBlinds 6.3. While SkinStudio 6.2 and WindowBlinds 6.2 introduced the concept of layers in a skin, the layers are only blended using straight alpha blending.
Layers allow skinners to take an existing image and blend it with another image without having to alter the original image.
WindowBlinds 6.3 introduces the concept of layer blend modes which allows a layer to be blended using a number of different blend modes. Some of the blend modes are auto masking which really helps with applying textures to lower layers."
Also tucked away in that announcement was a note that there's going to be a new GUI Championship(s) this year. Big competitions are always good. Not so good is that the site is way wider than my browser window. Alright, alright, job deformation. || craeonics | comments (1)
2008 | 08 | 27
19:46 | Circle Dock 0.9.2 Alpha Preview 7
Circle Dock, 'The Open Source Circular and Spiral Dock for Windows', is a dock with a twist. Or rather, a swirl. It's basically a pie menu that pops up around your mouse and allows fast access to whatever shortcuts you put in there.
"What Circle Dock 0.9.2 Alpha 7 Allows You to Do:
Launch your programs from a circular dock.
Drag and drop your files, folders, and shortcuts onto a circular dock that you can resize.
Rotate the dock with either your mouse wheel or the keyboard arrow keys.
Change the image shown for the icons and change the skins (compatible with icons and skins for Rocket Dock, Object Dock, etc.)
The dock appears where your mouse is by pressing a hotkey (default is F1) or your middle mouse button.
Tested on computers with multiple monitors, Windows XP/Vista, 32-bit & 64-bit, and requires only .Net Framework 2.0.
Please provide feedback, bug reports, suggestions, and code contributions at the official Circle Dock Support Forum."
I think I've seen an earlier incarnation of this app a few years back. It's dependency on .NET is why I ignored it back then. Pie menus work quite well once you get used to them and have memorised the locations of the icons you use most. || craeonics | comments (6)
19:18 | UberSkin
About ten years late, UberSkin is a window skinning engine for the 9x series of Windows: '95, '98 and ME. The amount of controls it is capable of skinning, judging by the documentation, places it second to WindowBlinds (on 9x that is).
"If you didn't know, i've been rewriting Revolutions Pack 8 from scratch, and now, the time has come and i'm presenting UberSkin, the ultimate skinning engine.
THE ONLY skinning engine capable of native taskbar skinning now with Windows 98, ME and even 95 shell support! The LameSkin which is no longer lame!
Does not patches, not includes, not requires system files from other OSes. Yeah, no more pain and suffering. Now even eidenk can't blame me.
=compatible with all official and unofficial updates!
Still does not consumes process to run. Smoothly integrates into system
Clean install and uninstall. Can't mess up registry. One single exe and no worries.
Compatible with all applications. Unlike Revolutions Pack 7, UberSkin does not have problems with apps using Unicows, Nero and other tools.
Miserable resource impact. UberSkin consumes several times less resources than LameSkin (considering LameSkin already using less than commercial skinners). It won't ever use more than hundred KBs of physical memory."
Apparently there's still some development being done for 9x that I wasn't aware of. Credits to sryo, as usual, for digging this up. || craeonics | comments
2008 | 06 | 09
19:29 | Winstep Xtreme 8.5
WinStep, the dock/menu system/font browser suite, goes Web 2.0 with their latest Winstep Xtreme 8.5, sporting icon reflections and more highlights than a coupe soleil.
"An integrated workspace environment, Winstep Xtreme is a powerful suite of applications that merge incredible usability and performance with breathtaking eye candy.
NeXuS is a multi-dock system, which as well as holding traditional bookmarked icons can also hold any combination of widgets, clocks, mail checkers, weather indicators and system performance meters within multiple levels of sub-docks. NeXuS is just perfect for super fast access to your most frequently used applications. WorkShelf is a tabbed dock, better suited for complex organizational duties like organizing documents, URLs, movies, work projects, applications, etc... NextSTART is the menu system - and takes care of all your task management needs as well. FontBrowser is a bare-bones font browsing utility.
A pack of popular desktop widgets are also included in this release which can be displayed on the desktop, featured within the docks, placed within shelves or merged into the taskbar. Featured widgets include a speaking Atomic Clock, Recycle Bin, SSL POP3/IMAP Email Checker, Weather Monitor with 5 day forecast, CPU, Net and RAM Meters, and Wanda, the amazing 'fortune cookie' reader. New modules are constantly under development.
Highlights in this release:
New optional and user configurable icon reflection effect on docks and shelves.
Restored the weather feed provided by the Weather Channel.
New customizable backgrounds for the in-shelf/dock CPU, Net and RAM meters.
New Dock Manager to quickly manage and locate all your docks.
Added a new 'NeXuS Common Preferences' tab to WorkShelf Preferences for settings common to both the docks and the Shelf.
Added ability to group documents from the same program into a single task icon, bringing WorkShelf's task management abilities up to par with NextSTART.
Menus displaying grouped tasks now highlight tasks that were 'flashed' in the mean time (e.g. Messenger windows).
Added 'Task Flashing' support to the Tasks shelf.
Added many other task management improvements.
Improved the dock magnification algorithm for a much faster and smoother experience.
Added a 'Magnification Smoothness' setting to control how smoothly docks zoom in and out.
Added individual settings to optimize WorkShelf for either performance or memory usage.
Enhanced the thumbnails feature by adding support for Flash movies previews.
Added visual feedback when you click on a dock icon.
Improved the preview of non-native NeXuS themes in the Dock Style Editor.
Added support for dock separator bitmaps in native and non-native NeXuS themes.
Dock tile and overlay End caps now have their own settings for non-stretchable bitmap areas."
WinStep Xtreme is shareware and costs $39.90, which also gives you a year's worth of updates.
Thanks to dev Jorge Coelho himself for the detailed press release (which I found in my spambox this afternoon, eek!). || craeonics | comments (4)
2008 | 06 | 02
19:27 | LiteStep 0.24.8 RC1
Announced back in April, the LiteStep Development Team have (finally) released LiteStep 0.24.8, release candidate 1.
"Your friendly LiteStep Development Team is proud to announce the first release of LiteStep 0.24.8 as Release Candidate 1. This release reflects two and a half years of (intermittent) development and +8636/-3301 lines changed in the source code."
Most notable changes and additions in this version are: a new evaluation parser, appbar support (no, that doesn't ring a bell with me either) and a number of fixes, like the ever improving tray service.
What am I running? /me checks… 0.24.7 from back in 2005! I wonder where LiteStep is headed. || craeonics | comments (7)
19:07 | CoolPlayer+ Portable 2.17.1
Apparently, the original CoolPlayer wasn't a portable app already. So PortableApps.com created a new, portable version of this media player. Hmm, well, if anything, it has a new default skin.
"CoolPlayer+ Portable 2.17.1 has been released. CoolPlayer+ Portable is a modified version of the popular CoolPlayer audio player packaged as a portable app, so you can listen to your audio files and playlists on the go. It includes a custom PortableApps.com skin with equalizer and shade mode support as well as a themed playlist. It's packaged in PortableApps.com Format for easy use from any portable device and integration with the PortableApps.com Suite. And it's open source and completely free."
They're a bit behind on the version though. Seeing that CoolPlayer has been bumped to build 219.
"Version 219
Fixed potential buffer overflow when reading OGG tags
Fixed open file dialog not being modal
Fixed add directory dialog not being modal
Enabled XP visual style support
Fixed bitrate display showing parts of previous songs bitrate
WAV file bitrate is now shown
Improved dialogs
Keyboard shortcuts between player and playlist are now more integrated"
Kudos to red for returning from wherever he has been and informing us about this. I'm so out of the loop. || craeonics | comments (7)


text:
Always In Our Heart Messenger Stone
These Volcanic Rocks goes through a tumbling process in order to get smooth enough for allowing our messenger stones to be Carved with various insightful musings. Javanese artisans achieve this by delicately sandblasting each phrase into the surface of each stone. Scatter these stones at will throughout your garden as "messengers" of positive thought.
- Material: Granite
- Features: Hand-painted
- Made in Indonesia
- Dimensions: 6" x 5" x 1.5"*

subset: commoncrawl


text: How does a designer follow in Tom Ford's footsteps? If you are Frida Giannini, creative director of Gucci , you do it with brio\u2014and you wear stilettos. This glamorous Italian has won rave reviews for the warmth and femininity she has brought to the luxury label that Ford so famously headed in the 1990s. Giannini grew up in Rome, the daughter of an architect father and art-historian mother. She credits her bohemian upbringing with shaping her sensibility and eye for design. "My father is a minimalist and my mother is more Baroque," she says. "I'm both, of course." Upon returning to Rome in 2009, after several years in London and Florence, Giannini moved into an Art Deco villa overlooking St. Peter's Basilica. She filled it with some of her favorite things, from mirrored furniture to Modigliani drawings. A prized possession: that 1958 classic, the Arne Jacobsen Egg chair\u2014the perfect perch, after work, for this jet-setting designer to put up her high-heeled feet. Click here to see the 12 things Frida Giannini can't live without.


text:
Oct 12, 2012
By Kaitor Kposowa
An Ohio University electrical engineering junior in the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship by an OHIO partnership whose mission is to advancement Central Ohio's innovations.
Bestowed by TechColumbus, the 2012 TechTomorrow Scholarship was created to recognize students who may be the future leaders in the computer science and IT fields.
Anthony George, a junior from Sunbury, Ohio, who is studying in the computer engineering track, said he was relieved to receive the award.
"I'm currently relying on significant aid from my parents and grandparents for tuition and my study abroad experience," he said.
George, who is minoring in computer science and Japanese, is on a study abroad trip fall semester at Chubu University in Aichi, Japan.
"We want to congratulate Anthony for all of his accomplishments," commented Tim Haynes, vice president of marketing and membership for TechColumbus. "He is a very deserving scholarship recipient and, no doubt, he has a promising future."
George said he is with group of about a dozen OHIO undergraduates, studying Japanese for up to five hours a day.
"We took part in some tsunami relief projects in late September, but we've since returned and began classes," George said. "We also have many opportunities to meet native speakers outside of class."
A member of the Eta Kappa Nu Engineering Honors Society, George is also involved with the Ohio Program of Intensive English, which offers opportunities to meet students around the world through interactions such as conversation partners. He plans to enter the field of signal processing or communication systems and make use of his Japanese knowledge in a professional setting.


text:
I have an awesome giveaway to offer you all!
NCM Fathom Events and Sony Pictures Entertainment is presenting: Lawrence of Arabia 50th Anniversary Event: Digitally Restored at 7:00pm, October 4th and theatres across the U.S.!
It's gonna be kinda awesome and even has a taped intro by Omar Sharif! WHAT?! Yes.
The details + the participating theatres can be checked here.
I have been offered three tickets to give away, so all you have to do is leave a comment or send me an email at classicforeverblogger(AT)yahoo(DOT)com before tomorrow (9/30).
I'll choose the winners at random and notify you tomorrow, because I do have to let NCM Fathom know your email address and theatre choice by Monday.
I'm super excited to see Lawrence on the big screen and so, yay!
P.S. I have the winner of the Ty DVD contest. Just need to make the announcement post.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
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text:
|2012-03-21, 14:37
|Link #28221
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Actually, that sounds like what Will says in Ep7...
|2012-03-21, 16:46
|Link #28223
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Gnawing away at Rokkenjima
Well, yeah I know, but the thing is that at that point Yasu shouldn't know of Battler's future return, or of George's marriage proposal and stuff like that.
She would just "be saving it for a rainy day" (heh).
|2012-03-21, 17:49
|Link #28224
Ordinary Magician
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Gensokyo
Age: 27
What if Krauss and Natsuhi buried the body in the forest, but then Yasu went to dig the body back out when the 1986 conference approached? She needs the corpse after all. If there's no corpse then there's no need for the witch. Kinzo can be blamed for all crimes.
|2012-03-21, 17:54
|Link #28225
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Rokkenjima stage
|2012-03-21, 18:06
|Link #28226
Ordinary Magician
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Gensokyo
Age: 27
I've read a bit about that. I believe that it depends on how you bury the body. Usually it takes from few months to 1-2 years for a body to decompose. And that's when you bury it in fairly shallow ground. Burying it deeper, in wet soil and inside a coffin will make the decomposition much slower. The less air can get to it, the better. So I believe this gives the body 5-10 years.
Besides, I wouldn't put it past Kinzo to not decompose completely in 2 years
|2012-03-21, 18:16
|Link #28227
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Rokkenjima stage
Personally, I don't think he was ever buried. After the first year, the siblings were already suspicious that Kinzo might be dead. After a few years they would probably do something like a full scale search on the island (since it's a small one as well). Then it'd be better for them to discard of the body somewhere else, instead of taking that risk. Of course, this completely makes his body appearing impossible.
|2012-03-21, 18:34
|Link #28228
Ordinary Magician
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Gensokyo
Age: 27
It's either buried really deep and remained intact for the 2 years, or was embalmed by Nanjo. One of the two must have happened. Otherwise there would have been a skeleton in the incinerator. What does it matter anyway?
|2012-03-21, 20:05
|Link #28229
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
If Genji says he'll take care of the corpse no one is going to ask him where he'd stuck it. For all they know/care he could use it as his personal Teddy Bear and no one would mind (except maybe Natsuhi...)
Also CSI ranted more than once about not too hard methods to keep a corse in a decent conservation state... but as I generally don't like that part much I always end up forgetting that sort of tricks.
Though I think the truth is we aren't supposed to wonder how they managed to keep there Kinzo's body. I think this is another of those things we aren't supposed to solve... though it's likely not one of the things that happened in Prime.
This would give Kinzo a proper resting place and I doubt someone would try to check which ashes are his wife's and which are his.
And yes, we keep on slamming against the same point.
If Natsuhi and Krauss wanted Kinzo to be declared missing why to store away his body?
If Yasuda hadn't planned yet her mistery game why to store away his body?
If they didn't store away his body how come his body is still around?
The only option I can come up is that it was Kinzo's will to have his body preserved and through Krauss wanted to get rid of it he didn't feel like going against his father's wills... though Kinzo wasn't one to write down his wills or carying for things that would happen after his death (or so he said) so this point too is moth.
Another possibility is that Natsuhi wanted to give him a proper burial/burning/whatever... but would she be willing to risk so much in order to do so?
|2012-03-21, 20:42
|Link #28230
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
I still think Yasu has it.
Just another thought. I believe when Clair asked about EP1, 4th Twilight, Will just responded "Illusions to Illusions. Let the man of illusions return to illusions."
It's the only time Kinzo's death was specifically mentioned within the Clair v. Will battle, so when talking about this subject, we should keep that in mind.
|2012-03-21, 20:46
|Link #28231
Mystery buff
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Gone Fishin!
|2012-03-22, 02:37
|Link #28232
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Anyways, just restating that someone creating a forgery pretty much HAS to account for Kinzo somehow, and any forgery attempting to capture the same "feel" as the originals will almost certainly not put him out in the open unless they go the lolGoldsmith route.
Also, regarding why Kratsuhi may perhaps have not taken the best measures to ensure their success ... well, this isn't a very satisfying answer, but is it possible they were just ... kind of incompetent in that regard? Outside of a few clever moments, I would say they're presented as the least-intelligent of the Ushiromiya adults. Maybe between the initial schock, and hysteria, and emotional attachments, and Krauss inviting astronauts to dinner, they intended to be more thorough, but maybe just never got around to it. Or didn't think it through QUITE enough. This is their first experience with such a task, after all. I'd hope.
|2012-03-22, 04:24
|Link #28233
Eaten by goats
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Rokkenjima
But if Kinzo's body was being stored frozen (or embalmed...) at Kuwadorian, I'd have to assume either that Yasuda or the other servants in the know were behind the idea. Not that it makes any sense for Natsuhi and Krauss to want to keep such incriminating evidence around in the first place.
Edit: Oh, I see on second reading through the thread that JJ already said that.
|2012-03-22, 07:51
|Link #28234
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Rokkenjima stage
|2012-03-22, 12:56
|Link #28239
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
The following episodes are something else though. The challenging Beatrice is sort of vanished, replaced by Bern & Erika (note how in EP 5 Maria sees Erika and not Beato while searching for her rose).
Plus EP 5 sees Erika forcing Kinzo to be alive even though it's obvious he's dead, EP 6 accepts he's dead but they don't even bother discussing it and EP 7... Well, the Lion part is an alternate AU where Kinzo is still alive while in the teaparty the murder game never starts, though the siblings say they know Kinzo is dead.
EP 8 is another AU.
In short Kinzo's status wasn't anymore a mystery so no one was interested about it (except for the bit in EP 5 where they knew Kinzo was dead but ignored it to build up a logic that would pin Natsuhi as culprit).
|2012-03-22, 14:29
|Link #28240
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
It's not so much "Kinzo's alive or dead" status, it's the fact that "Kinzo's body is never found in the incinerator."
I understand Chiru takes a different direction from Ni; EP5-6 are left "unfinished" and 7-8 are like AUs, but it's just interesting to think about.
|Thread Tools


text:
JDT UI/Java8
Revision as of 10:25, 19 March 2013 by Daniel Megert.ch.ibm.com (Talk | contribs) (→IMPORTANT NOTE)
This page tracks the work in progress to add Java™ 8 support (mainly jsr308 "Type Annotations" and jsr335 "Lambda Expressions") into Eclipse JDT UI. See JDT Core/Java8 for the work in the JDT Core plug-ins.
Work areas
- Annotations on types
- Annotations that moved to another node in the AST
- MethodDeclaration#thrownExceptions() -> thrownExceptionsTypes()
- Annotations on Extra Dimensions
- Receiver parameter on instance methods and inner class constructors
- Default Methods
- Lambda Expressions
- check code that walks the parent chain to find the enclosing Block or BodyDeclaration
- Method References
- The following lines must be added in all headers of modified files for Java™ 8 implementation:
* This is an implementation of an early-draft specification developed under the Java * Community Process (JCP) and is made available for testing and evaluation purposes * only. The code is not compatible with any specification of the JCP. *
Things to remember/caveats
- Goal of the first pass is to make Eclipse work with the new language features. For more advanced support (new quick fixes / refactorings / templates / ...), please file an enhancement request with the [1.8] tag.
- Bugs that went into the BETA_JAVA8 branch should be RESOLVED/FIXED with Target Milestone "BETA_JAVA8" and the [1.8] tag in front of the summary.
- For ASTNode changes:
- Search for references to a changed AST Node and update code that relies on the concrete structure
- Remember there are multiple ways to access AST node properties:
- via getter/setter or List-valued accessor
- via the StructuralPropertyDescriptor constant
- for properties declared in an abstract class: via get*Property() instance method
- Check references to superclasses of the changed/added node type. E.g. for IntersectionType, code that thinks it handles all known subtypes of Type needs to be adjusted.
- Add new node types to switch or if-else-if statements
- Think about cases where code could use StructuralPropertyDescriptors
- Think about cases where new bindings can show up.
DOM AST node changes in JLS8
If everything is correct, then you should find these as references to ASTNode#unsupportedIn2_3_4() and #supportedOnlyIn2_3_4().
+AnnotatableType (abstract superclass): +annotations: List<Annotation> (also in subtypes PrimitiveType, ArrayType, SimpleType, QualifiedType, WildcardType) +ExtraDimensions +annotations: List<Annotation> +LambdaExpression: +parentheses: boolean +parameters: List<SingleVariableDeclaration> or List<VariableDeclarationFragment> +body: Block or Expression +resolveMethodBinding(): IMethodBinding ~MethodDeclaration: +extraDimensions: List<ExtraDimension> (incl. annotations on extra dimensions) +receiverType: AnnotatableType +receiverQualifier: SimpleName -thrownExceptions: List<Name> +thrownExceptionTypes: List<Type> ~SingleVariableDeclaration: +varargsAnnotations: List<Annotation> ~TypeParameter: +annotations: List<Annotation> ~VariableDeclaration: +extraDimensions List<ExtraDimension> (also in subtypes SingleVariableDeclaration, VariableDeclarationFragment)
For JLS4, the changes were:
~TryStatement: +resources: List<VariableDeclarationExpression> +UnionType +types: List<Type>
- 'default' flag:
- show in the UI?
- update JdtFlags?


text:
Remore Visualization
It's human nature to want to 'see' the results from simulations, tests, and analyses. Up until recently, this has meant 'fat' workstations on many user desktops. This approach provides cpu-power when the user wants it - but as dataset size increases, there can be delays in downloading the results. Also, sharing the results with colleagues means gathering around the workstation - not always possible in this globalized, collaborative workplace.
Increasing dataset complexity (millions of polygons, interacting components, MRI/PET overlays) means that as time comes to upgrade and replace the workstations, the next generation of hardware needs more memory, more graphics processing, more disk, and more cpu cores. This makes the workstation expensive, in need of cooling, and noisy.
Innovation in the field of remote 3D processing now allows companies to address these issues moving applications away from the Desktop into the data center. Instead of pushing data to the application, the application can be moved near the data.
Instead of mass workstation upgrades, Remote Visualization allows incremental provisioning, on-demand allocation, better management and efficient distribution of interactive sessions and licenses. Racked workstations or blades typically have lower maintenance, cooling, replacement costs, and they can extend workstation (or laptop) life as "thin clients".
Our solution
Leveraging our expertise in distributed computing and Web-based application portals, NICE offers an integrated solution to access, load balance and manage applications and desktop sessions running within a Visualization Farm. The farm can include both Linux and Windows resources, running on heterogeneous hardware.
The core of the solution is the EnginFrame Visualization plug-in, that delivers Web-based services to access and manage applications and desktops published in the Farm. This solution has been integrated with multiple remote display protocols, such as:
Coupled with these third party remote visualization engines (which specialize in delivering high frame-rates for 3D graphics), the NICE offering for Remote Visualization solves the issues of user authentication, dynamic session allocation, session management and data transfers.
End users can enjoy the following improvements:
The solution also delivers significant added-value for the system administrators:
(features may vary according to the choice of remote visualization engine and scheduler)


text:
Login | Checkout | My Account | Shopping Cart Now in your cart 0 items
Children, Parenting, and Family
Printed Booklet - A Gentle Start, Angela Stokes-Monarch
"A Gentle Start" is a handbook of conscious parenting choices for new parents. For many, the prospect of parenthood can seem quite overwhelming, with so many new things to consider! Let this book help to guide you into conscious choices for a more enjoyable, nourishing and rewarding family experience.
Drawing on both her own experiences as a new parent and her extensive research in this field, Angela shares here in this book, in one place, everything that she says she would have loved to have known in advance of parenthood.
Help yourself to experience a gentle start!
What people are saying about "A Gentle Start":
This is such a gift! I loved it! :) I learned a lot from it and I know it will be so beneficial for new mamas! There are so many people that don't know that much about natural pregnancy, nutrition & home birth and this is an incredible resource. There is so much information from the water/lotus birth, to unassisted birth, to the burping, to the swaddling, to the supplements...it is packed with practical and simple wisdom! :) ~ Alexandra Jaye Johnson - www.entheos.me
I think the way you write and connect is sooo different. It's like you're in the room talking to you. It's really gentle and I think the "everyday" woman would be more receptive to the ideas and choices in it because of that :) Such a different energy to most Baby/Parenting Guides, so refreshing! ~ Donna Marie Watson - www.facebook.com/MotheringLife
I really like your book. It is a very genuinely written account of your experience. The honesty comes through in the things that might not normally be talked about in the more visceral and personal challenges of pregnancy/birth. For me this is the most useful in reading other women's testimonies - how to face the challenges, keep faith, and rise above. You are able to cover a wide variety of topics in a concise way, which I think will be helpful for a lot of people. All the main points are introduced and then you follow up with a super helpful list of further reading and extra resources. Personally I appreciate the concluding lists of useful/not so useful baby products. I have spent lots of time browsing through them all only to close the website later on because there are so many choices. I've even googled something to the effect of 'green baby products best list' :) ~ JS
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


text:
It has been fixed.
Those of you with OCD no longer have to twitch every time you click on my blog.
Many thanks to the generous Bart Brenner, aka GeneaPopPop, of Stardust 'n' Roots. Not only is he a talented writer, he is technically adept, as evidenced by the fact that he was able to figure out how to resize my banner.
I have to say it again: there is nothing like the genealogy blogging community - generous and talented people.
Thank you, Bart!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Notice Anything Different?
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text:
|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
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Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Annual to shrubs, generally glandular, some green root-parasites
Stem generally round
Leaves generally alternate, simple, generally ± entire; stipules generally 0
Inflorescence: spike to panicle, generally bracted, or flowers 12 in axils
Flower bisexual; calyx lobes generally 5; corolla generally strongly bilateral, generally 2-lipped (upper lip generally 2-lobed, lower lip generally 3-lobed); stamens generally 4 in 2 pairs, generally included, a 5th (generally uppermost) sometimes present as a staminode; pistil 1, ovary superior, chambers generally 2, placentas axile, style 1, stigma lobes generally 2
Fruit: capsule, generally ± ovoid, loculicidal or septicidal
Seed: coat sculpture often characteristic
Genera in family: ± 200 genera, 3000 species: ± worldwide; some cultivated as ornamental (e.g., Antirrhinum, Mimulus, Penstemon ) or medicinal (Digitalis )
Recent taxonomic note: Recently treated to include only Buddleja, Scrophularia, and Verbascum in CA; other genera moved to Orobanchaceae (Castilleja, Cordylanthus, Orthocarpus, Pedicularis, Triphysaria), Phrymaceae (Mimulus), and Plantaginaceae (= Veronicaceae sensu Olmstead et al.)
Key to genera by Elizabeth Chase Neese & Margriet Wetherwax.
Annual, perennial herb, glabrous to hairy
Stem vine-like, ascending or erect, often clinging by twining pedicels or branchlets
Leaves generally opposite below, alternate above, generally reduced upward; veins pinnate
Inflorescence: raceme or flowers solitary in axils
Flowers often cleistogamous; uppermost calyx lobe generally largest; corolla tube of opening flowers truncate or with rounded sac-like extension at base, lower lip base generally swollen and closing mouth; staminode 0
Fruit ovoid to spheric; chambers generally dehiscent by 12 pores near tip, lower chamber generally larger, upper sometimes indehiscent
Seeds many, generally with tubercles or netted ridges
Species in genus: 36 species: w North America, w Medit
Etymology: (Greek: nose-like, from corolla shape)
Reference: [Thompson 1988 Syst Bot Monogr 22:1142]
Annual, glabrous to hairy below inflorescence (inflorescence generally glandular-hairy)
Stem erect but weak, often clinging to other plants or debris
Inflorescence raceme-like or flowers solitary; pedicels 14 mm, lowest subtended by twining branchlets, flower branchlets, or both
Flower: calyx lobes unequal; corolla 817 mm, lavender, veins often vaguely darker, throat uniformly narrowed, curved upward at mouth, lower lip lobes conspicuous, thrust forward, erect or spreading
Chromosomes: n=15
Ecology: Gravelly lower slopes of rockslides, disturbed areas, often on serpentine
Elevation: 02000 m.
Bioregional distribution: Klamath Ranges, North Coast Ranges, c High Cascade Range, n&c Sierra Nevada, Sacramento Valley (Sutter Buttes), San Francisco Bay Area, n Inner South Coast Ranges
Distribution outside California: sw Oregon
Sspp. intergrade in NCoR.
Stem: lower stem glabrous or hairs sparse, < 3 mm, tapered, non glandular
Inflorescence: branchlets subtending flowers with 2 leaves at lowest node
Flower: corolla 1117 mm, no veins dark
Ecology: Habitats of sp.
Elevation: 01200 m.
Bioregional distribution: s North Coast Ranges, Sacramento Valley (Sutter Buttes), San Francisco Bay Area, n Inner South Coast Ranges
Horticultural information: DRN, DRY, SUN: 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.


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A Guide to the Divorce Process
We have put together an easy to follow guide to the divorce process.
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Many couples don't realize they are missing certain essential wedding day supplies and bridal accessories until the last minute. Small details like wedding napkins, wedding labels and disposable wedding cameras can make the difference between a great evening and an unforgettable event.Our wedding essentials and bridal accessories are a perfect fit for your engagement party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner and wedding reception. Browse party supplies for wedding receptions, personalized wedding items, wedding reception accessories, and more to see if there's something your special day is missing!show less
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At Rackspace, Fanatical Support is part of everything we do, especially when it comes to security. We work hard to secure your environment using tools, technology, policies, procedures and different teams with different specializations and skills.
But there is still one method that an intruder can exploit that no technical control, policy, procedure or team can prevent – the human element. However, we can work to alter and influence human behavior around security through security education and awareness training to each person in our company.
In the security world there has long been a debate over whether security education and awareness training is worth the time and money. Smart people from many security blogs and security sites have weighed in on both sides. For two great examples of this debate, check out Dark Readings's posts both against and for this type of training.
One good way to get an understanding of your employees' security prowess and to make sure that your education/awareness campaigns are effective is to launch an internal phishing (or spear-phishing) campaign. Phishing involves intentionally misleading a victim, typically through email, to give away sensitive information to a non-authorized person. In an internal phishing campaign you purposely send out a communication to your entire organization, or select employees or teams, and monitor how many people click the link and how many people report the suspicious activity. This can help your employees become more aware of how to better secure themselves, leading to a more secure company.
At Rackspace we employ internal phishing campaigns against our fellow Rackers to check the security pulse of the company. We target our employees to reinforce caution over the urge to click on links or emails from unknown and known sources. We also try to make the education piece more playful so it does not feel like the "Rackspace Police" are coming after any person who clicked on the link. We vary our internal phishing tactics each time and monitor how successful the campaign was to determine if our awareness training is impacting Rackers by making them more security conscious.
We have seen positive results from our internal phishing campaigns that show the security education and awareness training is having an impact. We have seen a sharp decline in clicks on the bogus links and also more Rackers reporting the suspicious emails to the security teams.
Needless to say, the results are great, but there is still more that we can do. Switching things up and thinking outside the box about the different ways future attacks could be mimicked will make an even stronger positive impact on Rackers and their overall security awareness. With a stronger overall security awareness, Rackers can also increase the company's overall security posture.
With the positive response from Rackers with regards to the phishing emails; it helps to reinforce my opinion that any company, regardless of size, should educate its employees about security. You should strongly consider implementing a similar security awareness and education program with your employees. Devising a good internal phishing (or spear-phishing) campaign is one of the easiest methods that can yield instant results and can allow every employee to touch, see and immediately understand the impact of what a click can lead to.


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Final Fantasy XIV x Monster Hunter World - Official Collaboration Teaser Trailer | E3 2018
Get your first look at new content coming to Final Fantasy 14 on PS4 and PC from the Square Enix 2018 press conference.
Get your first look at new content coming to Final Fantasy 14 on PS4 and PC from the Square Enix 2018 press conference.
In the latest developer diary, FINAL FANTASY XIV's creative staff offers their insights into the challenges of creating a storyline and lore.
Check out the Dragonsong trailer for FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward.
Johnny brings you news of Square Enix's financial recovery, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, and Twisted Metal being censored for European PS3 owners.
We speak to director Nobuaki Komoto and Sage Sundi to get their thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV's launch, what's coming up on the horizon for PC users, and what PS3 ...
This week on Crosshairs we get local fighting game community OzHadou to share some Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tips for newcomers, we get a dose of RPGs when we interview ...
Find out our Worst Game Everyone Played of 2010!
Check out Sound Byte's favorite soundtracks from 2010.
Find out our nominees for Worst Game Everyone Played!
Find out our nominees for Most Disappointing Game of 2010!
Final Fantasy XIV takes the MMORPG genre back in time. Find out how in this video review with Kevin VanOrd.
Sand yarzon are no match for the power of a thunder spell.
Xue and a party attempt to eliminate enemies near Camp Skull Valley.
Take a knee and grab your needle, because it's time to craft some gloves.
Fiddlecub and his ally unleash their fury on a vile spirit dart.
This tiny wharf rat is no match for our hulking hero in Final Fantasy XIV.
Fiddlecub braves the seedy underworld to buy some new equipment.
Check out the opening cinematic for Final Fantasy XIV Online.
This week, we take a look at Dead Rising 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and a host of releases from Square Enix.
This week brings a host of PC titles, including Final Fantasy XIV and Civilization V.
Check out the Final Fantasy XIV trailer from the Sony press briefing at TGS 2010!
Watch the heroes take on an evil monster in this stunning CG trailer.
We interview the GameSpot staff to see what hot upcoming titles might appear at TGS.
Check out this official trailer for Final Fantasy XIV Online.
GameSpot interviews Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu and conductor Arnie Roth about their concert tour.
Check out this interview from E3 2010 with a special announcement about the European edition.
Check out this interview from E3 2010 with a special announcement about the special edition.
Take a look at the full length E3 trailer for Final Fantasy XIV.
Gameplay from the next game in the beloved series.
Here is the trailer for FFIV from TGS 09 last year!
Check out the uncut version of the video wrap-up straight from the largest video game show on the planet: GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany!
Final Fantasy XIV was featured at Sony's E3 2009 press conference. Check out the trailer here.
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ADCO Super Thumb, Mag Loader, Black Finish, Fits Single Stack 380ACP Magazines, Fits Bersa Thunder, beretta 85/Pico, Ruger LCP, Sig 238, Walther PPK ST6
The following notice is required for ammunition, firearms and some other types of products sold in the State of California. This notice may or may not apply to this item, but to comply with the law we are posting this notice on all of the more than 400,000 products we sell to be sure we do not miss any that it does apply to. This item may or may not be legal to own or sell in the State of California. Regardless of this notice, all federal, state and local laws and restrictions still apply.


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Tours of Hamburg's "Michel" using the beyerdynamic Synexis tour guide system
Synexis Reference: St. Michaelis Church Hamburg
St. Michaelis is one of Hamburg's main churches and one of the most beautiful baroque churches in North Germany. It is a landmark of the city and one of the best-known sights in the region. Known colloquially as "Michel", the church is a tourist attraction that is visited by many tour groups. Many visitors take the guided tour of the church, the crypt or the organs of St. Michaelis and discover interesting details about the history and significance of this place of worship.
These guided tours are now conducted using a beyerdynamic Synexis tour guide system providing 100 receivers. This allows several guided tours to take place at the same time without interfering with each other. In the crypt, a film is shown with the sound transmitted via a stationary transmitter on a separate channel. Due to the amplification feature, each group receives the information without the church guide having to speak so loudly that other visitors are disturbed.


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12 August 2019
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Set by the government, your ISA allowance is the maximum amount you can pay into ISAs each tax year.
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SINGAPORE: comScore, Inc has released results from a study on the online travel industry with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The report found that in the past year, low-cost airline websites have experienced strong growth in visitation as consumers continue to search for the best travel deals online.
12 Apr 2011
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Rules & FAQs
- Must be 18 years or older to purchase or participate in this raffle.
- You do not need to be present at drawing to claim major prizes. All prizes must be claimed by September 30, 2019.
- Employees of the North Idaho College Foundation and their immediate households are not eligible to enter.
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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A four-run UC Santa Barbara third inning turned out be just enough offense as typically effective relief outings from junior lefty Greg Mahle and sophomore closer Dillon Tate helped nail down a 4-3 Gauchos win over Cal State Northridge in Friday's Big West series opener at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
Mahle and Tate, who were each appearing for the third time in the past four games, combined to throw 3.1 shutdown innings and preserve the victory for UCSB (28-14-1, 8-11) starter Justin Jacome, who moved to 6-2 on the year.
Brycen Rutherford of CSUN (17-31, 5-11) took the loss after allowing four runs in seven innings, dropping his personal record to 4-5.
The Gauchos opened the day's scoring with a four run, two-out rally in the third inning. Junior right fielder Cameron Newell was the first to score, coming across on a Peter Maris single after having reached himself on a base hit to right-center.
Following Maris's RBI knock, a Greg Mahle bloop single and Tyler Kuresa walk loaded the bases for UCSB. Sophomore third baseman Robby Nesovic and freshman center fielder Andrew Calica followed with RBI singles to score all three runners and put the Gauchos up 4-0.
Jacome looked well on his way to a team-leading eighth quality start, but a pair of UCSB errors in the top of the sixth aided a CSUN rally that saw the Matadors score three runs, the final two coming on a two-run single from William Colantono.
Despite the solid outing overall by Jacome, UCSB head coach Andrew Checketts summoned the dependable Mahle to extinguish the rally, and so he did by retiring Ryan Raslowsky on a comeback grounder.
After an uneventful seventh, Mahle was lifted in favor of Tate with a runner on first and two outs in the eighth inning. Lanny Rowe, the first batter to face Tate, singled back up the middle but Calica ended the inning by making the defensive play of the game, gunning out Colantono trying to advance from first to third with a strike to the glove of Nesovic.
Tate then finished off the Matadors with a hitless ninth inning to pick up his 11th save of the season, moving him into sole possession of the second-most single-season saves in program history. Of his 11 saves, seven of them have now required four or more outs.
The Claremont, Calif. native, who sports a double-take worthy ERA of 0.53, has now gone 17.2 straight innings without allowing a run and has gone unscored upon in 22 of 23 outings overall this season.
Jacome ended the day with a line of three runs (all unearned) on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts and no walks in 5.2 innings pitched. Mahle allowed two hits and struck out one in his two innings of work.
Mahle, who started the game as the designated hitter, had a team-high two hits, giving him multiple hits in two straight appearances after being named to the starting lineup in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Kuresa, UCSB's cleanup hitter, went 0-1, but reached twice via walk, scored a run, and laid down one of three Gaucho sac bunts on the day.
This was the conference-leading 18th one-run game played by the Gauchos this season. The team is now 12-5-1 in those contests.
UCSB and CSUN resume their series tomorrow afternoon with a 2:00 p.m. start. Junior righty Austin Pettibone (2-1, 4.28 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Gauchos opposite Jerry Keel (0-8, 3.43 ERA).


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Friday, February 26, 2010
say hello to Goodbyn!
Are you excited?
Not yet?
Give me a minute to tell you more about it.
They are currently available in 4 colors - red/orange (mine!), blue, green and pink!
They come with over 275 stickers to let you (or your child) totally customize it for a one-of-a-kind, very unique, super rad lunchbox.
This is where the Goodbyn can really come to life!
My oldest son suggested we give it a name. We decided on Byndi. "Like Bindi, the Jungle Girl and Goodbyn tied together!" he said. Sounded good to me! :)
Both my boys wanted to take it to school today, but I told them I needed to wash it first. Um, yes, I did need to wash it, but really - I wanted to play with it some more before they carried it off (not to mention, the issue of WHICH of them would have the first honor of using it!).
As it turns out my 2-year-old asked to use "the Byndi monster box" for her lunch at home today. It was great!
She had orange wedges, Trader Joe's corn puff things (like Pirate's Booty), applesauce with sprinkles, a few animal crackers (and not those gosh forsaken Pooh ones!), and leftover pepperoni pizza.
The Goodbyn comes with a matching drink bottle - which you can see here, fits perfectly in the center spot. My girl had ice water in it. The Goodbyn is designed to not need anything between it and the food - hence the applesauce poured straight into a side compartment. The lid fits so securely that nothing drips out of any of the areas. I did test this out, my girl toted the lunchbox around the house, and lo and behold, the applesauce did not stray! The sprinkles got all mixed in, of course, but there was no soggy corn puffs either. :)
This lunchbox is VERY roomy. I'm actually looking forward to using it myself, as I think that big half-circle compartment will be perfect for salads! The bottom square compartment could easily hold a full sized sandwich too.
One of my favorite things about this lunchbox...the entire thing can be stuck in the dishwasher - bottom rack too! Okay, that is convienent, but really my FAVORITE thing about it is that it's made in the USA (even the stickers!), totally BPA free and fully recyclable.
I'm giving the Goodbyn two thumbs-up. :)
7 comments:
- Bar 7 Ranch said... [Reply to comment]
OMG! I have been wanting to get my daughter the hot pink one SO BAD!!! Im so jealous!! Have fun with it and keep posting pics of Byndi!!!
- February 26, 2010 at 2:08 PM
- karen (and john) said... [Reply to comment]
These have been on my wishlist for a while and have now moved WAY up on the "must-get" list!
- February 26, 2010 at 3:00 PM
- Jenn @ BentoForKidlet said... [Reply to comment]
I've seen these before and wondered about them. Thanks for the review :D
- February 26, 2010 at 7:47 PM
- Astrid said... [Reply to comment]
Ok, this is way too cool.
- February 26, 2010 at 8:38 PM
- Alie said... [Reply to comment]
Cool! Thanks for the review!
- February 28, 2010 at 9:27 AM
- Jennifer said... [Reply to comment]
Hi There,
I was wondering which lunchbox you are able to fit these into?
Thanks so much for what you do here - it is awesome!!!!!
- September 22, 2010 at 3:43 AM
- Melissa said... [Reply to comment]
Jennifer, I haven't come across a lunchbox that can accomodate the Goodbyn. I suppose you could probably find a messenger bag to carry it. It fits in our (large) softsided cooler bag that we use for family outings - but that thing is too big for a kid to carry to school.
- September 22, 2010 at 11:31 AM


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Government & Politics
How stoned is too stoned to drive? States find no easy answers
Josephine Drum says her daughter was "cheated out of life" when she was killed while driving to work in downtown Seattle in 2012, hit by a man in a Jeep whose blood tested positive for marijuana.
"I feel if you smoke marijuana and you have to smoke it, that you should not be able to drive under the influence," said Drum, of Stockton, Calif. "I'm 84 years old. To have lost my daughter is something hard for me to accept."
With the push to legalize marijuana surging in popularity, states want to assure the public that roads will be safe. But they face a perplexing question: How stoned is too stoned to drive?
"The answer is: Pretty damned stoned is not as dangerous as drunk," said Mark Kleiman, professor of public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, who served as Washington state's top pot consultant.
He said Washington state has a law that's far too strict and could lead to convictions of sober drivers, with many not even knowing whether they're abiding by the law.
With no conclusive research, states are all over the map as they try to assess intoxication by measuring blood levels of THC, the main ingredient in marijuana.
There's no easy way to do it, with marijuana stored in fat cells and detectable in blood long after it's smoked or consumed, for days or weeks, depending on individual tolerance and level of use.
Washington state and Colorado, the only two states to fully legalize marijuana, have set a limit of five nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood. In Washington state, legalization proponents included the language in the ballot initiative approved by voters in 2012.
"It appealed to the voters, but it's nonsense _ it's not a good measure of whether somebody's impaired or not," Kleiman said. "The fact that legislatures will not do their job on this means we go through the cockamamie initiative process _ it's a lousy way to write legislation."
In California, much to Drum's disappointment, lawmakers last week rejected an even tougher standard. The state's Assembly Committee on Public Safety voted to kill a bill that would have set the limit at 2 nanograms per milliliter of blood, rejecting the pleas of police officers.
And in Arizona, the state Supreme Court last month struck down part of the state's zero-tolerance law, saying it could result in convictions of sober drivers.
Some legalization proponents ridicule the statutes as "sober DUI" laws.
"What we have to understand is that arbitrary rules or zero tolerance lead to unconstitutional policing," said Diane Goldstein of Tustin, Calif., a former police lieutenant and a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a pro-legalization group that opposes the laws.
While police can use breathalyzers to easily measure the amount of alcohol in one's bloodstream, the best way to determine marijuana intoxication is by examining a blood sample.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court complicated the situation for states by ruling that police must get a warrant before testing blood for a DUI.
"Drawing blood is not a roadside activity for a cop," Kleiman said. "Drawing blood is a medical procedure and you need a licensed phlebotomist. So you're not going to be able to do stoned-driving checkpoints."
Ultimately, he said, a mouth swab that uses a driver's saliva to detect the presence of marijuana may be the answer, if test results can be used to track impairment.
Like many states, Washington has a team of "drug-recognition experts" _ 200 specially trained officers who can be called in to assist with marijuana DUIs, and whose evidence can be admissible in court.
Christine Beckwith, a DUI attorney from Tacoma, Wash., said the officers attend short courses but are not medical experts. And she said the blood draws make it harder for the state to prosecute a case, requiring a phlebotomist to give a sample to a police officer, who then sends it to a laboratory for testing.
"There's so many more steps for the admissibility of the blood tests that they're easier for the defense. . . . It passes through a lot of hands, where there's lots of room for error," she said, predicting that marijuana DUIs will be a lively issue for the courts in coming years.
Goldstein, the former cop, said states should "go back and rely on things we know work." She said that includes paying for more saturation patrols, better training for all officers to spot signs of impairment and more research so that laws are "grounded in science, not just political rhetoric."
"The problem is that science is lagging really far behind with drugs versus alcohol," Goldstein said. "We're going to have to deal with this issue, not just in California, but the nation as a whole."
In March, Colorado Democratic Rep. Jared Polis, who backs pot legalization, introduced a bill to create federal guidelines and "a single federal standard" for driving under the influence of marijuana. He said that lawmakers should keep impaired drivers off the roads "no matter what impaired them." But he has not lined up a single co-sponsor.
In Washington state, organizers of Initiative 502, the ballot measure that legalized marijuana, decided to include the 5 nanogram standard in the language after California voters defeated a plan to legalize marijuana in 2010. A post-election survey found that public anxieties about impaired driving in the Golden State helped kill the measure in the campaign's final days.
Alison Holcomb, criminal justice director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington in Seattle and the lead architect of Initiative 502, said studies are needed to know whether the law will increase safety and whether unimpaired drivers wind up getting convicted.
"I don't think we have sufficient information to answer these questions, and we should try to get it," Holcomb said.
But she defended the 5 nanogram standard, saying it was backed by existing science as a reasonable guideline to measure impairment. She noted that studies using low-potency marijuana from the National Institute of Drug Abuse found that THC levels in infrequent users dropped below the limit within two to three hours of smoking marijuana, and several hours later for those who consumed it orally. A majority of heavy marijuana users dropped to the legal limit within 24 hours of their last use, she said.
Kleiman questioned whether the studies "reflect the realities of contemporary commercial pot," with much of it having higher potency levels than the government-supplied marijuana.
"Because the pharmacokinetics are unpredictable, the (law) fails the most basic test of justice in criminal law: that a person should be able to know whether he's breaking the law or not," he said.
As the debate heats up, both sides can point to competing research.
In February, researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health reported that fatal crashes involving marijuana use had tripled over the past decade, with one of every nine drivers now involved in a deadly accident testing positive for pot.
Kevin Sabet, a former drug adviser for Obama who now heads the anti-legalization group Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) said that pot intoxication doubles the risk of a car crash and that laws that focus on impairment "seem justified."
Legalization advocates cite statistics showing that the number of DUI fatalities has decreased slightly in both Washington state and Colorado since 2012.
Even in California, the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, Goldstein said that DUIs for alcohol remain the top concern for police.
"If we had a crisis of fatality rates, law enforcement would have been screaming about this going back to 1996, but what we have is probably some of the safest roads in our nation," she said.
Kleiman of UCLA sees good news and bad news in the issue.
"The bad news is at the moment we don't have have anything sensible to do about stoned driving," he said. "The good news is that it's only a moderate-sized problem. . . . I would be nervous about over-criminalizing it."
Drum, whose daughter was killed in the Seattle crash, is angry that the driver who caused the eight-car pileup received a sentence of only 54 months.
"I don't think it's sufficient," she said.
Drum said her daughter, 56-year-old Rosemary Tempel, worked as a nurse at a Seattle hospital for more than 30 years. She broke her neck in the accident.
"She was going to work that morning, and to have a reckless driver hit her head-on, and the way she was killed, it's something hard to take," Drum said. "I can't understand how a person that doesn't have the ability to do it safely, why they're on the streets."