text:
VICTORIA — The B.C. Liberal government appears set to continue a long-running legal battle with the province's teachers, even as it quietly makes progress in wrapping up significant labour deals with thousands of other public sector workers.
Premier Christy Clark said Tuesday it's likely her government will appeal Monday's B.C. Supreme Court ruling that said the province must retroactively restore class size and composition language that was removed from teachers' contracts in 2002. The judge also awarded $2 million in damages to the B.C. Teachers' Federation.
"We and our lawyers are looking at it very carefully to really understand it — a complex decision," Clark told Kamloops radio station CHNL. "There seems to be a view at the moment that [the] likelihood is government will appeal the decision. It doesn't reflect government's view of the case and the facts in the case."
The move appeared to catch the teachers federation off-guard, especially after Education Minister Peter Fassbender had pledged Monday to conduct a thorough analysis of the impact of the court ruling on the education system before commenting on an appeal.
"I'm a bit surprised," said BCTF president Jim Iker. "You would think they would take the time that's needed to look at the implications, to look at what the judge said and to chart a court action based on the judge's recommendations."
The court ruling could derail negotiations between the BCTF and government on a new collective agreement. The last teachers contract expired on June 30, 2013. Both sides had met as recently as last week and more talks were scheduled for Feb. 6.
"We'll be back at the table in February, we hope," said Iker.
However, he said the government needs to bring with it the proper money required to accommodate the lower class sizes and specialist teacher ratios that Monday's court decision restored.
Both sides have promised to keep details of any recent contract offers private. The government had publicly insisted on a 10-year deal for teachers to ensure a decade of labour peace for children, but Iker would not say if the province has remained stuck on that time frame in its recent offers. Ten years remains too long of a deal, Iker said.
If the B.C. government does decide to appeal, it may be in a stronger legal position than in previous years due to more recent judgments from the Supreme Court of Canada, said University of Victoria labour relations lawyer Ken Thornicroft.
Or, the Clark government could decide to be the first in B.C.'s history to try to use the charter override — also known as the notwithstanding clause — in new legislation, though Thornicroft acknowledged "that would be an extremely provocative thing to do."
Despite the labour strife with B.C.'s teachers, the Liberal government has enjoyed early success with a postelection bargaining mandate that offers modest wage increases with the promise of more money if the province's economy outperforms expectations.
So far, that "Economic Stability Mandate" — as the government calls it — has led to approximately 20 per cent of B.C.'s 302,000-strong public sector workers signing new five-year deals since the May provincial election.
The latest deal was with the B.C. Government and Services Employees' Union, which ratified a new five-year contract Monday for more than 25,000 direct government workers. BCGEU members will get a 5.5-per-cent wage increase over the term of the contract, as well as extra wage hikes representing half of every percentage point the province's economy outperforms over private-sector forecasts.
The early deals have surprised even organized labour.
They came after the premier offered a ceasefire of sorts following her surprise election victory in May, said BCGEU director of negotiations David Vipond.
"I'm surprised the overture was made," he said of the premier's offer to negotiate. "I was really struck that she was magnanimous in victory."
The Health Sciences Association, community social service sector and community health employees — representing a total of 42,000 workers — have also made deals with government.
The Liberals hope the early deals set the stage for eventual labour peace extending beyond the next election, to 2019.
"She'd rather have peace with labour and get on with other things," Vipond said of the premier.
"For most premiers, public sector bargaining isn't their favourite activity."


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This sixth set of accessories with further equipment for your airport diorama contains two apron markers, two staircases for the airport building, two moveable jetways, two fire engines, a fire chief car, a policecar, two generator vehicles, and two deliv
MicroMiles Credit: Purchasing this product will give you 13.95 MicroMiles - currently valued at 0.56
Release info:
Added to our catalog on 01 October, 2006.
For more information, please visit this products webpage.
For other countries click here!
disclaimer: Description and pictures may be different from the delivered product. Pictures are always from pre-production samples. MicroWings is not responsible for the correctness of this information. If you need to know the exact registration number of the model that will be delivered, please contact us before your purchase.
< € 150: -10%
From € 150: -20%
From € 250: -25%
From € 500: -30%
From € 1000: -40%
(discount will be applied at checkout)
Take advantage of these discounts to complete your collection!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
PropertiesJython uses JavaBean properties to make it easier to interact with most Java classes. These properties can be used as normal object attributes, and can also be specified to the class constructor as keyword arguments (this idea is stolen from TkInter where it seems to work extremely well).
These properties are generated automatically using the JavaBean Introspector which identifies properties either from common design patterns, or from explicitly specified BeanInfo.
As a first example, consider the case where you wish to create a button that is disabled.
The first example shows how you would do this in the typical Java fashion:
The second example shows how enabled can be set as a property:b = awt.Button() b.setEnabled(0)
The final example sets this property at instantiation time using a keyword argument:b = awt.Button() b.enabled = 0
b = awt.Button(enabled=0)
TuplesIf the value of a property is specified as a tuple, then the property will be created by applying the constructor for the type of the property to the tuple. This is particularly handy for specifying sizes:
It can also be handy for specifying color as an RGB triple:frame = awt.Frame(size=(500,100))
will set the background color of the frame to yellow.frame.background = 255,255,0
Event PropertiesIn standard Java, the event handlers for a widget are specified by passing in an instance of a class that implements the appropriate interface. This is the only reasonable approach to take in a language that doesn't have first-class functions. In Jython, for every event listener supported by a class, there will be a property added to the class for each method supplied by the event listener class. These properties can be set to give a function to be called when the appropriate event occurs.
The standard Java style for setting an event listener is shown below:
This can be written in a more Pythonesque (and compact) style by using event properties as follows:class action(awt.event.ActionListener): def actionPerformed(self,event): java.lang.System.exit(0) button = awt.Button("Close Me!") button.addActionListener(action())
def exit(event): java.lang.System.exit(0) button = awt.Button("Close Me!", actionPerformed=exit)
Methods, Properties and Event PropertiesJython have only one namespace for these three class attributes. Java can be seen as having a unique namespace for each of the three types. As a consequense, there can be conflicts between methods, properties and event properties. These conflicts are resolved so that:
properties < event-properties < fields < methodsThis means that a method will override a field with the same name. Some carefull handling of properties and static fields allow for the existence of, and access to, both an instance property and a static field with the same name.


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Export 42 results:Author Title Type [ Year]
Filters: Author is Afzal S. Siddiqui [Clear All Filters]
"Optimal Technology Selection and Operation of Commercial-Building Microgrids." IEEE Transactions on Power Systems 23.3 (2008) 975-982..
"Optimal Technology Selection and Operation of Microgrids in Commercial Buildings." 31st IAEE International Conference "Bridging Energy Supply and Demand: Logistics, Competition and Environment", June 18-20, 2008. Istanbul, Turkey, 2008..
"Optimal Technology Selection and Operation of Microgrids in Commerical Buildings." IEEE 2007 Power Engineering Society General Meeting, June 24-28, 2007. Tampa, Florida, 2007..
Localized Aggregation of Diverse Energy Sources for Rural Electrification using Microgrids. Berkeley: LBNL, 2006. LBNL-60399..
Operation of Distributed Generation Under Stochastic Prices. Berkeley: LBNL, 2006. LBNL-59446..
"Effects of a CarbonTax on Microgrid Combined Heat and Power Adoption." Journal of Energy EngineeringAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 131 (2005) 2-25..
"Optimal selection of on-site power generation with combined heat and power applications." International Journal of Distributed Energy Resources 1.1 (2005) 33-62..
Distributed Energy Resources with Combined Heat and Power Applications. Berkeley: LBNL, 2003. LBNL-52718..
"Auswirkungen einer CO2-Steuer auf Dezentrale Energieversorgungsunternehmen mit Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung und deren Interaktion mit dem Verteilnetz, analysiert am Beispiel eines städtischen Mikronetzes." Energiegespräche, September 24, 2002. Technischen Museum, Vienna, 2002..
"Effects of a Carbon Tax on Combined Heat and Power Adoption by a μGrid." Second International Symposium on Distributed Generation: Power System and Market Aspects, October 2-4, 2002 2002..
"Effects of a Carbon Tax on Combined Heat and Power Adoption by Microgrid." 22nd USAEE/IAEE North American Conferences, October 6-8, 2002 2002..
CERTS Customer Adoption Model. Berkeley: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2001. LBNL-47772..
"Customer Adoption of Small-Scale On-Site Power Generation." European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy Summer Study 2001. Mandelieu, France: LBNL, 2001. LBNL-47896..
Modeling of customer adoption of distributed energy resources. Berkeley: LBNL, 2001. LBNL-49582..
"Shape of the Microgrid." Power Engineering Society Winter Meeting, 2001, January 28-February 1, 2001. Vol. 1. Columbus, OH: Practical, 2001. 150-153 vol.1..
"Spot Pricing of Electricity and Ancillary Services in a Competitive California Market." Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2001: 10..
Ancillary Services Markets in California. Berkeley: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1999. LBNL-43986..


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Special seals
In addition to the standard seal assortment, SAF and SAW pillow (plummer) block housings are available, on request, with high-temperature contact seals or high-speed contact seals.
High-temperature seals
High-temperature contact seals (designation LORP) consist of a PTFE labyrinth ring with an FKM (fluoro rubber) O-ring and a PTFE contact element. The PTFE contact element is available separately (designation B-10785). High-temperature seals can accommodate operating temperatures up to 400 °F. The limiting speed for the bearing can be attained.
WARNING! Seals made of FKM (fluoro rubber) exposed to an open flame or temperatures above 570 °F are a health and environmental hazard! Contact SKF for detailed safety instructions.
High-speed seals
High-speed contact seals consist of an aluminium labyrinth ring with an NBR O-ring (designation LOR) and a PTFE contact element (designation B-10785). With PTFE contact elements, the limiting speed for the bearing can be attained.


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New Movies: 'Thor: The Dark World,' 'About Time'
It's a weekend filled with superpowers, as costumed heroes wielding magically-infused hammers return to theaters, along with a family of men who can travel through time.
'Thor: The Dark World'
When an ancient evil returns and threatens to unmake the universe, Thor, the God of Thunder, must rise up and defend Earth and all that he loves.
Directed by Alan Taylor
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston
'About Time'
When Tim turns 21, his father lets him in on a big secret: that the men in their family can travel through time. But Tim soon discovers that, even with the amazing ability to go back and redo things, he'll never be able to make his life perfect.
Directed by Richard Curtis
Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander


text:
Handling & Moving Two Day Induction Course (External Agencies will be charg...
To have an awareness of current Legislative Framework
To keep participants up to date with any changes to current practice, techniques and usage of new equipment
To achieve a theoretical and practical learning and development one day session
An understanding of safe and efficient movement in relation to your own personal care, those who you are caring for and work colleagues within the community care sector
The importance of current legislative frameworks that we work within and how this impacts on your daily working practice in life and community care
To have the knowledge, confidence and practical skills of how to use all relevant equipment, hoists etc that are used within Perth & Kinross
NB - Please note charges may apply to external organisations.
Please be advised the Learning and Development doors will be open to the Training Suite at 09.15am. Parking can be found in the surrounding area and not within the grounds of Beechgrove House.
This course runs over two consecutive days times are 9.30am - 4.30pm each day.
Thank you
Please be aware we require 48 hours' notice if you need to cancel your place on this learning session.
If 48 hours' notice is not given or if you fail to attend on the day, there may be a charge of £50 for non-attendance.
To cancel your booking, please go to www.eventbrite.co.uk.Alternatively you can contact the Housing and Community Safety Learning and Development team on 01738 477 828 or email firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Taiwanese Animators Take on the Beyonce Baby News [VIDEO]
Next Media Animation, the Taiwanese animation company famous for such gems as the re-enactment of the Tiger Woods car crash and the bizarre recap of Steve Jobs' career, has found its next subject: Beyonce and Jay-Z's unborn baby.
The awesomely hilarious clip shows Beyonce's reveal of the pregnancy at the VMAs and envisions the impending birth in a manger, with gossip purveyor TMZ serving as one of the Three Wise Men and Kanye West declaring it "the best pregnancy of all time."
The story continues with Bey and Jay deciding what to name their little one and "Nanny Minaj" changing his high-priced diapers.
[via The Celebrity Cafe]


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20 comments:
- Fan said...
Barbara's stuff is amazing.
- 10 December 2011 at 11:47
- Anonymous said...
Went past but no signs and just looks like someone's house?
- 11 December 2011 at 14:00
- Tamsin said...
Same here - and as I was going by memory that it was no 53 I didn't feel quite confident enough to ring the door-bell.
Any chance of a re-run next week with a sign outside to convince the doubters?
- 11 December 2011 at 14:45
- tyrwhitt ali said...
I remember the same thing a couple of years ago when I went with Brockley Kate. We really weren't sure we were in the right place!
- 12 December 2011 at 10:00
- Tamsin said...
It is a pity - I made a special trip prepared to spend money.
But should probably have had the bottle to knock on the door...
- 12 December 2011 at 10:42
- Brockley Nick said...
@Tamsin - so you knew that BW had gone to the trouble of making a flyer for the event and sending it to BC to promote. And you had all the details and had made a special trip, but because they didn't have sign outside the door, you didn't even knock!?
Sometimes, I do not understand people.
- 12 December 2011 at 10:45
- Barbara Wiggins said...
Hi, its Barbara Wiggins here. I am really sorry that you felt tentative about knocking at the door. We are here all day today and tonight,if you do want to pop along or you can make an appointment this week (contact details on flyer). The sale was so popular that we are considering a re-run next Sunday so watch this space. A big thank you to all those who came along, it was a wonderful day!
- 12 December 2011 at 11:29
- Mondee said...
Honestly tamsin! Couldn't you just have checked the flyer details on your phone? Or are you still using a Nokia 3310? ;-)
- 12 December 2011 at 11:51
- Anonymous said...
Tamsin - the law of the jungle say ... never show any kind of weakness on Brockley Central or you will make a fine meal for all the trolls out there.
P.S. It's alright to be uncertain in my book!
- 12 December 2011 at 11:59
- Bea said...
Sorry - the above was me - did not mean to click Anon
- 12 December 2011 at 12:00
- kolp said...
Nick as Tamsin has stated: "I was going by memory that it was no 53 I didn't feel quite confident enough to ring the door-bell."
So she did not : "And you ha[ve]d all the details..."
Considering the reports of muggers not to mention flashers about on that specific road, I do understand why someone would be reticient on uncertain doors & about getting a smart phone out to check details rather than keeping their attention on the location they're in.
If someone is having a sale or an event at their home, it's not unreasonable to expect for a discreet notification, the flyer on the door for example to be present.
- 12 December 2011 at 12:20
- Anonymous said...
Who wants a smart phone? I'm smarter than my phone.
- 12 December 2011 at 12:24
- Brockley Nick said...
@Kolp - so now we're afraid to knock on someone's door in case they show us their genitals? Give over.
- 12 December 2011 at 12:28
- kolp said...
Nick has someone hacked your account today?
- 12 December 2011 at 12:32
- Brockley Nick said...
@Kolp - I have no interest in getting in to a discussion with you about Tamsin's attitude to door-knocking. I was expressing surprise to her, but I don't really care.
On the other hand, your suggestion that we should be worried about knocking on people's doors in case of flashers or muggers is terrible.
- 12 December 2011 at 12:37
- kolp said...
My points are reasonable and fair, yours are not.
- 12 December 2011 at 12:45
- Brockley Dogging Society - Head Office said...
The postman has complained to us that he's nervous about pushing anything through our flap. Colin went to speak to him but he cycled off in a rush, must have been behind in his round.
- 12 December 2011 at 12:45
- Tamsin said...
Don't knock my nokia - when I have it with me, and when I turn it on, and when I remember to charge it up it's fine - it's a phone and it works. And if anyone stole it they would probably feel so sorry for me that they would give it back and also bung me twenty quid!
I had set off confident of the address but - when you've gone to the trouble to produce a flyer (with or without the "r" in Christmas ;o)) - it's really odd not to put it up on the door or in a window so I genuinely thought I had the wrong address.
Next Sunday I will know.
- 12 December 2011 at 13:03
- Anonymous said...
Yes please to a repeat on Sunday - I couldn't make it this weekend.
- 13 December 2011 at 22:18
- Barbara Wiggins said...
Due to popular demand we are doing a repeat Christmas Studio sale this Sunday 18th 10am-6pm and Monday 19th 10am -2pm. Some of the money will go to my favourite charities.
It will be at my home address-
Peartree studios
53 Breakspears Road
Lots more lovely stationery, accessories, 2012 Diaries and bags.
Hope to see you there.
- 16 December 2011 at 23:51


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Bleid Sports is pleased to announce that the title sponsor for the Clash at Cameron and Clash at Central is the S.J.G NC Pro-Am. From this moment forward these events will be titled, "The S.J.G NC Pro-Am Clash at Cameron" and, "The S.J.G NC Pro-Am Clash at Central." Bleid Sports is in the process of re-making the logo and will have it ready for release to all media outlets by the end of the week.
The S.J.G. NC Pro-Am is a summer basketball league produced and run by North Carolina' own Jerry Stackhouse along with childhood friends Donyell Bryant and John "Chuck" Jones. Their organization has done a magnificent job in building the summer league into one of the best in the country, not only by the exceptional talents that participate on the court but more so by implementing a system that stresses mentor-ship, sportsmanship, and competitiveness to all the athletes involved. We are blessed with the opportunity to partner with Jerry, Donyell, and Chuck in hosting this event in Durham beginning December 16th," said Rob Blair, Bleid Sports CEO. "Having our two entities partner makes perfect sense for both parties. Jerry brings years of knowledge and All-Star status to the basketball arena, and Bleid Sports is building momentum in hosting the premier showcases for young women and men across the United States. I'm thrilled to be working with the staff at S.J.G NC Pro-Am and look forward to a very long relationship with them."


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This artful fruit compote is colorful and versatile.
Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
In large saucepan, combine sugar, water and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add dried fruit mix. Bring back to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low simmer. Cook, uncovered, until fruit is not quite tender, about 5 minutes.
Add cranberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop. Stir in orange and apple. Remove from heat and allow to cool down. Serve warm or at room temperature.
It can be served "as is" for family meals; as a topping on angel food, sponge, or pound cake for company; or for those favorite winter comfort foods, with rice and tapioca pudding.


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Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (code 2-8545)
The academic program described below was approved by the President on October 19, 1990 and the Chancellor on April 12, 1991
The Bachelor of Arts in International Studies is an interdisciplinary degree program designed to provide a rigorous introduction to the complex interrelationships that exist among societies in the modern world. It combines the study of international relations, global and development issues and contemporary belief systems with a concentration on a major world area. In addition, the degree aims to equip students with the skills in language, analytical thinking, research, and economic literacy that are necessary for graduate study and careers in international fields. Further, students in the International Studies program receive direct exposure to an international environment by participating in a foreign study program or an internationally related internship in this country. As an interdisciplinary program, this program emphasizes the ways in which the expertise and methodologies of various disciplines contribute to the understanding and resolution of international issues.
The degree is a liberal arts program intended to provide a broad understanding of international issues and world cultures through the methodologies of the social science disciplines. It offers pre-professional study for careers in government, communications, business, law, journalism, and international non- profit organizations. Students are encouraged to combine a major in International Studies with a second major or minor in a field appropriate to their career plans.
All International Studies majors are required to develop a program of study in consultation with the program advisor. This program should be balanced among the participating disciplines and should help the student to develop a coherent emphasis in a world region and/or a topical area. The foreign language, foreign study or internship and research in the senior seminar should reflect this emphasis. The program advisor will also give advice on post-graduate study.
Requirements for the BA in International Studies
A minimum of 45 units in a program approved by the International Studies advisor. It is expected that each student's program will reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the degree by including a balanced selection of courses from the participating disciplines.
Lower Division Prerequisites
(12 units): ANTH 120; HIST 112; GEOG 100 or 160; POSC 215 or 220.
Economic Literacy
(Units not included in total for major; may be fulfilled as part of General Education): ECON 201, 202; or, with permission of the I/ST Advisor, ECON 300. (Note: Economics 201 and 202 are strongly recommended, and may be required as prerequisites for some upper division courses in the program).
Foreign Language
Three years of college level study or equivalent proficiency in a language appropriate to the program of study and area concentration selected.
Upper Division
D: A minimum of 33 units including:
Cross-Cultural Communication
3 units, chosen from ANTH 320 (Comparative Religion and Folklore); 412IC (Culture and Communication); 413 (Language and Culture); SPCH 451 (Intercultural Communication).
Basics of International Relations
6 units, selected from: GEOG 470 (Political Geography); ECON 471 (International Economics); HIST 478 (Foreign Relations of the United States); POSC 371 (Introduction to International Politics); POSC 378 (International Organization and Administration); POSC 483 (Foreign Policies of the Major Powers); POSC 485 (International Political Economy).
Development Studies
6 units, selected from: ANTH/GEOG/HIST 307IC (Modernization in Global Perspective); ECON 465 (Economic Development); GEOG 460 (Population Geography); H/SC 420IC (International Health); JOUR 312 (World Press); POSC 461IC (The Politics of Development); SBS 317IC (Problems in International Social Conflict); SBS 318IC (Cases in International Social Conflict); SBS 319IC (International Development); SOC 350 (International Population Problems); W/ST 401IC (History of Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective).
Contemporary Belief Systems
3 units selected from: ANTH 305IC (Radical Social Analysis); ECON 313 (History of Economic Thought); HIST 438 (History of Marxist Thought); POSC 306 (Contemporary Political Ideologies); R/ST 338IC (Christianity and Marxism); SOC 356 (Development of Sociological Theory).
Area Concentration
D. Choose 9 units from one of the following areas:
A/ST 300IC (Traditional Asia); A/ST 301IC (Modern Asia); A/ST 310 (The United States and Asia); A/ST 495IC (China Heritage); ANTH 332 (Chinese Culture and Society); ANTH 333 (Cultures and Societies of Southeast Asia); ANTH 335 (Japanese Culture and Society); GEOG 312IC (Eastern and Southen Asia); HIST 382B (Modern China); HIST 383B (Modern Japan); HIST 384 (Contemporary Japan); HIST 385 (History of India); HIST 386 (Modern Southeast Asia); HIST 407 (Japan and the US in the 20th Century); HIST 488 (Chinese Revolution); POSC 362 (Society and National Politics of China); POSC 363 (Society and National Politics of India); POSC 366 (Government and Politics of Southeast Asia).
Latin America
ANTH 323 (Peoples of Mexico and Central America); ANTH 324 (Peoples of South America); ECON 363 (Latin America and Industrialization); GEOG 320IC (Latin America); HIST 364 (The Latin American Nations); HIST 462 (Mexico); HIST 463 (The Caribbean and Central America); HIST 466 (Topics in Latin American History); MEXA 312 (Mexican Thought); POSC 358 (Contemporary Latin American Politics); POSC 359 (Latin American Comparative Political Systems); POSC 459 (US-Latin American Relations).
ANTH 336 (Peoples of Africa); B/ST 337 (Cultures of the Pan African Peoples); B/ST 380 (African Political Theory); B/ST 430 (African Political Leadership in the Twentieth Century); B/ST 460 (African Thought); GEOG 310IC (Africa and the Middle East); HIST 491 (Modern and Contemporary Africa).
Near and Middle East
GEOG 310IC (Africa and the Middle East); HIST 431 (Arab and Islamic Civilization); POSC 367 (Governments and Politics of the Near and Middle East); R/ST 331IC (Islamic Religion and Culture); R/ST 315IC (Modern Jewish Thought/Zionism).
Eastern Europe/Soviet Union
ANTH *331 (Soviet Culture and Society); GEOG 318 (The Soviet Union); HIST 341B (Modern Russia); HIST 441 (Russian and Soviet Cultural History); HIST *495 (Eastern Europe); POSC 356 (Government and Politics of the USSR); POSC 357 (Governments of Eastern Europe); POSC 484 (Soviet Foreign Policy).
Western Europe
ECON 361 (European Economic History); FREN 440 (French Civilization); GEOG 316 (Europe); GERM 316 (Survey of German Literature and Culture II); GERM 410 (German Civilization); HIST 337 (Europe in the 19th Century); HIST 339 ( Europe Since 1914); HIST 357 (Recent Britain); HIST *432 (Modern Scandinavia and the Baltic Region); HIST 433 (Spain and Portugal); HIST 437 (History of Germany 1871 to Present); POSC 353 (Government and Politics of Western Europe); POSC 354 (Government and Politics of Scandinavian Countries); POSC *497 (German Question); SPAN 430 (Spanish Civilization).
Internship or Foreign Study
3 units. An internship or foreign study program related to the course of study selected, as approved by major advisor.
Senior Research Seminar
SBS 496 Seminar in International Studies.
EFFECTIVE: Immediately
IMPLEMENTATION: Per Provost


text:
Export 34 results:Author Title [ Type] Year
Filters: Author is Gonçalo Cardoso [Clear All Filters]
Conference Paper
"Stochastic Programming of Vehicle to Building Interactions with Uncertainty in PEVs Driving for a Medium Office Building." 39th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society . Vienna, Austria, 2013. LBNL-6416E..
"Smart buildings with electric vehicle interconnection as buffer for local renewables?." Researching the Intelligent City: Key Challenges of Integrating Urban Energy and Mobility Systems Research Symposium. Berlin, Germany : LBNL, 2011. LBNL-4921E..
"Optimal Sizing and Placement of Distributed Generation: MILP vs PSO Comparison in a Real Microgrid Application." Intelligent System Applications to Power Systems (ISAP) Conference. 2017. LBNL-2001060..
"Modeling Electric Vehicle Benefits Connected to Smart Grids." 7th IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference. Chicago, IL : LBNL, 2011. LBNL-4929E..
"Hydrogen Storage Applications in Industrial Microgrids." 2017 IEEE Green Energy and Smart Systems Conference. CSULB, Long Beach, CA: IEEE, 2018..
"Greenhouse Gas Abatement with Distributed Generation in California's Commerical Buildings." 10th IAEE European Conference, Energy, Policies and Technologies for Sustainable Economies. Hofburg, Vienna, Austria, 2009. LBNL-2693E..
"A Green Prison: Santa Rita Jail Creeps Towards Zero Net Energy (ZNE)." ECEEE Summer Study, June 6-11, 2011. Belambra Presqu'île de Giens, France, 2011. LBNL-4497E..
"Enabling Broad Adoption of Distributed PV-Storage Systems Via Supervisory Planning and Control." ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings 2014. Asilomar Conference Center Pacific Grove, CA, 2014. LBNL-6715E..
"The Added Economic and Environmental Value of Solar Thermal Systems in Microgrids with Combined Heat and Power." 3rd International Conference on Solar Air-Conditioning, September 30 – October 2, 2009. University Palermo, Sicily, Italy, 2009. 11. LBNL-2629E..


text:
All those efd and you look like a bot from the Jetsons =( MA and FPC don't appreciate you enough... you should go back to the Jetson's house, at least they gave you some color =D
Can we please have an update on ETA for Taming/Pets, Mindforce, Vehicles, Hangars. The natives are restless. Thank you
Join the Bertha Fan Club!
Oh hi Berta!
How are the kids doing?
And when are you going to donate me 100M efd like you promised once?
"I'm having as much fun here in Entropia Forum as I am on Calypso! I added you to my friendlist because I think ?I will be getting a lot more news delivered by you! I'm pretty new to using EF, but I plan on being a lot busier here...
I haven't recorded my Entropian Song yet, but the lyrics are good and I'm just looking for the right musicians. Thanks for the awesomne service!
OOohh thanks a lot Didn't believe that would work lolz
Free texturing for you ! once though XP
And take a look at 26 June! You have your own day! Bertha Bot-Day!
Hi dear Bertha! Maby this is something for the forum? People seems to think its a good idee´!
All the best! Hotte
783,282,845.00 is not that much .
At the exchange rate of 250 EFD/1 PED and 1 PED/0.10 USD it's only a little more than 300,000$ .
You...are such.,....a rich piece of shit lol, BERTHA BOT YOU GOT SO MUCH EFD!!! :O
Site Admin
Indioni Jones
Old Alpha
Forum FounderAdministrator
The Half-Wit Phoenix


text:
New Media Seminar LA – October 11, 2012
"Woman of the Year" presentation. Robin Bertolucci (l) receiving award from last year's recipient Stephanie Miller (r).
"Challenges of Hosting a Show" panel. (l-r): Eric Weiss, Alan Stock, Jerry Doyle, Heidi Harris, Lars Larson, Doug Stephan and Mike Kinosian.
"State of Talk Programming" panel. (l-r): Andy Ludlum, Skip Essick, Kevin LaRue, Garret Lewis, Chuck Tyler and Kevin Casey.
"Modern Pioneers" panel (l-r): Michael Horn, Sam Hasson, Tom Leykis, Shadoe Stevens, and Ian Freeman.
Category: galleries


text: Hi, I am starting a 4e campaign soon that, according to the magic matchmaker here on P&P, you may be interested in. It's a low-magic, high-role-play campaign. Players will portray members of a thieves' guild in mostly city-based adventures. Lots of role-playing and skill-challenges using social skills (diplomacy, bluff, intimidate) and roguish skills (streetwise, stealth, thievery). If this sounds fun, or if you'd like more info, let me know! Happy gaming! Jeremi


text:
The Leckerton does sound like a great piece of equipment. But for portable use, especially with IEMs, I've found that having tone controls, like those on the Fiio E-17, is invaluable for getting good, balanced, and satisfying sound. I know ultra-purists will say that running the signal through tone controls introduces distortion. Yes, I'm sure it does, but not enough to outweigh the huge advantages of being able to balance sound that might otherwise be very unbalanced. Why don't more companies put this feature on their amps? The Fiio sounds only average as a DAC, but the amp section is not too bad and with a really clean input signal, plus the tone controls, it sounds really great. So I won't be buying a Leckerton any time soon, no matter how good it may be in all other respects.
Leckerton UHA-6S MKII Portable Headphone Amplifier
Portable headphone amps are an interesting segment of the market. On one hand they are quite popular, generating a large amount of discussion on HeadFi. On the other hand, a lot of headphone enthusiasts have never used one. I suspect these people do the bulk of their listening at home on a dedicated setup, and just go straight from the headphone jack of an iPhone or other player if they end up listening on the go. I can identify with that mindset - a simple, lightweight, compact solution is very desirable for mobile use.
There are other factors keeping people from using portable amps aside from the extra bulk. For starters, many portable situations don't lend themselves well to critical listening. Activities like jogging, carpooling, or mowing the lawn aren't exactly times where you concentrate heavily on your music. So even if a portable amp has potential to offer a nice upgrade in sound, for many people it just isn't worth it. And then when you are at home in a quiet environment where it would make more of a difference, a portable amp will almost always have less to offer than a comparably priced desktop unit. I can certainly identify with people who are not the least bit interested in these devices.
But what if the portable amp had more to offer? How about a nice DAC section with multiple input options? What about adjustable gain to ensure it pairs well with a variety of headphones? How about socketed opamps to facilitate customization? Features like these transform an ordinary portable amp into a more useful multi-purpose device.
Jack of All Trades
Based in Austin, Texas, Leckerton Audio is a small but increasingly popular firm that deals solely in portable amps. By day, owner Nick Kettman works as an Application Engineer for Cirrus Logic, helping other companies implement Cirrus chips into their products. He's also been offering portable DAC/headphone amp units under his own name for over 5 years. Unlike some competitors, Leckerton does not release a new model every few months, which could be seen as a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective. The UHA-6S MKII is his newest model - building on the already well regarded UHA-6S, the MKII adds several important features while keeping the same $279 price.
The new model is just 70mm x 84mm x 20mm and has rounded edges for a sleeker look. It's got the usual 1/8th" jacks for input and output like nearly all portable amps. Charging is done through the rear-panel micro-USB port, which can also link to a computer for USB DAC functionality. SPDIF digital connections are also offered in both coaxial and Toslink form, an array which is not often found in a portable unit like this. The SPDIF inputs are functional up to 24-bit/96kHz while USB tops out at 16-bit/48kHz. The somewhat limited USB implementation is used to maximize iPad compatibility - using the Camera Connection Kit, a digital stream can be extracted from an iPad without needing a dedicated unit like the Cypher Labs Algorithm Solo. There are some hi-res capable USB chipsets that will interface with the CCK but these older 16/48 types tend to have better compatibility.
Power is supplied by a Lithium ion battery which has a life of approximately 30 hours using the analog input, or 10 hours when fed through an SPDIF input. A switch allows charging to be disabled in order to preserve laptop battery life. Gain can be set at +0dB or +18dB to fit a wide range of headphones.
The guts of the device are packed rather tightly. Considering the amount of features, I'm impressed at how small Leckerton was able to make the enclosure. The original UHA-6S was comprised of two separate boards sandwiched together - one for the power supply and DAC, the other for the amp section. This update fits everything on a single PCB which makes for a thinner device overall, though it is slightly wider.
USB signals are received by a TI PCM2706, transcoded to SPDIF, and sent to the Cirrus Logic CS8416 digital interface receiver. The DIR also handles incoming signals via coaxial or optical connections. The DAC section is based on the flagship CS4398 chip from Cirrus Logic.
The power section is well done---a DC-DC power supply generates isolated + and - 6 VDC power supply rails. This means no "virtual ground" is necessary and no DC-blocking capacitors in the signal path are required. This bipolar conversion is the most expensive way to do a battery-powered DAC. It also takes up more space and draws more power than other methods such as inverted charge pumps or rail splitters. But for pure audio quality this design is as good as it gets.
The amplifier output section is centered around a pair of single channel socketed opamps. The stock configuration uses the OPA209 but other options like AD797, AD8610, or OPA627 can be had for an extra fee. The original UHA-6S came with the AD8610 stock, but the OPA209 upgrade became so popular that Leckerton is now using it by default. Output impedance is suitably low at 0.4 ohm thus preventing any impedance-related interactions.
From a technical perspective, this all adds up to a device that should sound excellent. But does it? Read on to find out.
You have to go for a product that has the features you want or need, above all else. It's like wanting to buy a sports car but having to "settle" on a big sedan so you can fit your family in there.
Another example: the smaller/cheaper Leckerton UHA-4 has crossfeed. Some people absolutely demand crossfeed. So obviously they would choose that model over the 6S, even if it isn't quite on the same level in overall performance.
Thanks for the review.
I've been "eye-ing" this unit for a while and haven't bitten yet... You know what this review lacks? Comparisons against other devices! How does it fare against Fiio's?!? How does it compare against the c421, and countless others?
For the portable amps I currently have on hand, there is no competition - the Leckerton is hands down superior when it comes to the overall package. I may not have every single relevant model on hand for comparison - but I do have some.
The c421 is a nice sounding amp and I dig the bass adjustment feature. The 10 ohm output impedance is not ideal, and it does become a headache with some of my custom IEMs like the UM Merlin.
The iBasso D10 is totally outclassed by the Leckerton. I've heard the D12 and also find it outclassed, though I haven't had enough time with it to speak definitively. I think there are some serious design/implementation flaws in these things that are holding them back. They use all the "hot" chips but the end result doesn't quite add up.
I haven't heard the Fiio stuff. The E17 looks like a good buy even just based on sheer features. The person leaving a comment above you mentioned he/she thought the DAC part was merely decent, though obviously that's just a single voice in a sea of opinions.
I've got various other portable amps around from Audinst, RSA, iQube,and some others, and I prefer the Leckerton to all of them.
Thanks! (I hadn't noticed this reply! ;-)).
The Audioengine D1, Headstreamer, and Dragonfly sound similar to me and significantly better than the FiiO E17 as USB DAC's when playing 96 khz tracks. So I wonder if this DAC/amp could beat the aforementioned 3 when playing 96k tracks from USB? Since it's limited to 48k.
What advantage is there to a higher sampling rate than 48k?
There is a great deal more audio information in the 96k track. Some people say you can't hear it, and others say you can somehow hear the 'effect' of it but not any real additional musical info. To me the sense of 'space' and 'air' in the 96k tracks are usually better, but proving such a thing is difficult.
But when it comes to testing amps, I can sure hear the differences with some of the 96k tracks I have.
From a technical point of view, a clear advantage of the higher sampling rate is being able to capture and reproduce more frequencies (higher than 24 kHz). For audio playback to be consumed by humans, these ultrasonic frequencies have some questionable value, but there are other things going on as well. To call any ultrasonic content as "audio information" may be a stretch though, unless you're a bat.
If you don't mind wading through holy wars, check out the aforementioned Meyer and Moran paper, peoples' opinions on that, and their response to their opinions. No need to rehash the whole thing here.
But as John pointed out, there is a practical point to having a DAC that can handle a higher sampling rate. A decent amount of music is released that way, and sometimes these are higher-quality masters. You could play back a 96 kHz file on a system that doesn't support it by resampling down (and some software can do on-the-fly resampling that's unlikely to have any perceivable negative effect), but it's good to just be able to play back the file natively.
So the extra bits are only for high frequencies? There's no phase or timing info or other things in the extra bits?
Beautiful write up, John.
sorry if this would be a bit out of topic, since you mention about Meizu MX. Does Meizu MX has SPDI/F port directly? or is it in a kind of USB to SPDI/F converter?
I'm aware of the bit depth / sampling rate debate, just wanted to get some feedback from those of you who have these files and are enjoying them on players that support them.
Thanks John! Very well put together review.
I'd just like to thank John Grandberg for the friendly and polite response to my post, the first in this thread. The best way to disarm your critics is to agree with them; his response is one reason I now have a highly positive impression of Leckerton as well. I have little doubt that its DAC at least, and likely the amp as well, do significantly outperform the Fiio E17. When used as a USB DAC-amp combination, the sound of the E17 to my ears is pleasing but not highly resolving as it still has a trace of graininess. It's just that, in addition to the lack of portable sources with digital outs, finding a DAC/amp combination that allows you to tailor the sound to your liking is an extra source of frustration. If Leckerton ever makes such a device I will snap it up at my first opportunity.
(For those who are interested, I get really great portable sound with the following: A HifiMan HM-801 feeding from its line out through a DIY connector of Jena Labs 7N copper wire to the Fiio E17, using a pair of Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi 10s with the dedicated Fiio upgrade cable made for them. And using the tone controls.)
Sounds great, but...
Submitted by Long time listener on July 20, 2012 - 12:44am.
The Leckerton does sound like a great piece of equipment. But for portable use, especially with IEMs, I've found that having tone controls, like those on the Fiio E-17, is invaluable for getting good, balanced, and satisfying sound. I know ultra-purists will say that running the signal through tone controls introduces distortion. Yes, I'm sure it does, but not enough to outweigh the huge advantages of being able to balance sound that might otherwise be very unbalanced. Why don't more companies put this feature on their amps? The Fiio sounds only average as a DAC, but the amp section is not too bad and with a really clean input signal, plus the tone controls, it sounds really great. So I won't be buying a Leckerton any time soon, no matter how good it may be in all other respects.
so whats relative here ,can someone pinpoint one,' that would encompass both worlds in it ? or can someone influence lacktorn audio to add ' the missing tone controls ?
Using the DAC/amp as a portable with small music players, those players are going to be amped in analog mode, and the tone controls on the music player would do the work. Most music players even have advanced equalizer options, either built in or available as apps. If you were using the DAC/amp as a USB DAC and headphone amp from a laptop computer, the tone controls (equalizer) in the music player app like iTunes or Foobar would also do the job. In that last case, I haven't figured out yet where the tone controls are actually applied, but it works that way with the three small DAC/amps I have now and I assume it would work the same way with the UHA-6S.
Yes, you're obviously right about all the options you discuss above. I've gotten locked in to using certain equipment--the HM801--and as much as I think it's tremendous as a DAC, it doesn't drive IEMs well, and its on-board equalizer is very poorly implemented and mostly useless as far as I can tell. And I'm mostly interested in portable options rather than laptops, so for IEMs I wanted something with tone controls on board. And what I'd really like is a good portable source with a digital out that can feed into something like the Leckerton, but that would offer higher quality sound than the Fiio E17, plus a full package of features, including tone controls. I guess I just don't know why such things are so difficult to find.
It does seem that the so-called audiophile music players can get very expensive. The iPods with i-device DACs are certainly not portable in my view given the number of components and cables required, not to mention sound that's not as good as what's the topic here.
And I don't know if this is worth mentioning, but Sony and perhaps a couple other companies make miniature PC's that are nearly pocket size, and if those have real USB ports, that might do the trick.
my question is ,then which would encompass both worlds ,high quality like lacktorn audio and control like fiio e17
using a portable mp3 player which have no built in EQ
The best solution would probably be getting a good quality mp3 player with goods eq or one that can be rockboxed.
Some of these issues discussed wil be moot soon enough.
Apple is changing to a miniaturized iConnector for all new iProducts.
The wider connector at the bottom of your iPhones and iPods are gone.
At this time I'm not sure if those licensed to get the digital streal off these iThingies will have the license or even the ability to get the iStream going again.
Clearly most of the iDocks out there will be obsoleted.
iMafraid we have an iProblem here.
On another matter, we need iCapable players with iZotope processing like Amarra's and Fidelia's to get good sound -- and EQ to get better sound.
I also agree, if this is not possible, the Leckerton should have some sort of EQ capability (tone controls? Ugh!)
Otherwise iMf-----d.
can you tell more about this,can this be implemented into any portable cd player or and laptop media player ?
It also appears to work properly with USB On-The-Go.
Did someone compare these ?
Hi. I would like to buy one of these. does anyone have an idea whether the UHA760 is just as good as the MKII. Don't need optical and coax. for 120 dollars more I want to know (1) is it worth the extra money (2) does the 760 at least match the MKII in quality? thanks in advance for any thoughts!
Hi...currently i am using sennheiser HD598..audiotechnica m50x..hifiman re400 and a little sound enhancing device called reveel..
recently i bought a HD800 from a freind of mine for only $700...and it was almost brand new..so even though i dont have an amplifire to drive...i bought it anyways..now i dont have the money to get a hi end amp for $2000...i was wondering can the Leckerton UHA-6S MKII drive the HD800..Im considering to buy one for the time being until i have enough money to get a decent tube amp...guys plz help!!!
I'm interested to hear anyone's thoughts on the Fiio E18 compared with this amp.
Games PS Vita You guys are even bigger fans of Ninja girls, then you can catch you the limited edition of Bahonkas. It comes with all the above bonuses, as well as with a two-sided Dakimakura pillowcase.
PS Vita Games


text:
Lightroom 1.2 has support for four languages: English, French, German, and Japanese. With the 1.2 release, English, French, and German are packaged in the same installer. So how do you choose which language Lightroom uses? The answer depends on which operating system you use.
Note: The Japanese release of Lightroom 1.2 uses the same logic as the English, French, and German release, so you can use these same techniques described below with that release.
On windows, Lightroom bases its language choice off of the "Current Format" selection in the "Regional and Language Options" control panel. Simply select any of the "English", "French" or "German" language options
If your primary language is not French, German or English, Lightroom on Windows will use English.
If you want to select one language in the "Regional and Language Options" control panel, but prefer to use Lightroom in English, this is possible… but it requires that you modify the Lightroom installation. So proceed with caution:
- Open "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.2" in Windows Explorer.
- Create a new folder called "Disabled Languages"
- Open the "Resources" folder.
- Move "fr" and "de" to the "Disabled Languages" folder.
Now Lightroom will be in English regardless of what language setting you make in the "Regional and Language Options" control panel. To revert this change, move the "fr" and "de" folder back into the Resources folder.
Note: On Windows XP, the control panel is called "Regional and Language Settings" (Microsoft renamed the control panel in Vista).
On a Macintosh computer, you can rank your preferred languages in order by using the International control panel. Drag the language you want to use to the top of the list. Then relaunch Lightroom: The user interface will be presented in that language.
If your primary language is not French, German, or English, Lightroom will scan down the list and use the first language that we support. For example, if your primary language is "Español", but you also speak French, you can set Lightroom to use French by making sure "Français" appears second in the list of Languages in the International control panel.
If you want your operating system to be French or German, but prefer to use Lightroom in English, this is simple:
- Open the /Applications folder in the Finder
- Select "Adobe Lightroom.app"
- Right click on "Adobe Lightroom.app" and select "Get Info"
- Expand the "Languages" tab
- Uncheck "de" and "fr"
Now Lightroom will be in English regardless of what language setting you make in the International control panel. To restore the French and German functionality, follow the same steps, except this time check them back on.


text:
Kontraframe Thorbjorn + Tobias's Walltalk Photographic Display
Kontraframe Thorbjorn + Tobias Illustrates The Walltalk Photographic Display
Kontraframe Thorbjorn + Tobias, the architect of the highlighted design Walltalk by Kontraframe Thorbjorn + Tobias explains, Walltalk makes the walls talk and the employees listen! It's an office decoration concept that offers organisations a unique medium for internal branding with photography as the storyteller. The concept combines unique creative skills of artistic photography with the self designed Magnetic Hover Frame®. In short, we create unique visual stories about organisational identity and then we put it on the walls for everyone to see, everyday. We have worked with commercial clients since 2005 and have evolved the concept and value propositions through the client response and dialogue..
Kontraframe Thorbjorn + Tobias's Walltalk Photographic Display Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to Designite Design Blog homepage.


text:
This is going to be good, y'all! The mean girls are back with tagalong Suzie Ketcham trailing not far behind. It will be interesting to see if Evelyn Lozada, Shaunie O'Neal, and Tami Roman can keep their promise to keep tempers in check. Newbie Tasha Marbury is also going to be thrown into the craziness, but not this week. Of course, first VH1 needs to explain away Ev & Ocho.
A bittersweet melody plays as we're treated to a photo montage of Evelyn and Chad Johnson's wedding peppered with redacted police reports and Chad's mugshot. A somber Evelyn tells of her brother-in-law's death two days after she learned of Chad's cheating and the subsequent head butt that left her with several stitches in her forehead. She feels like people blamed her for ruining Chad's career. Is this Basketball Wives or the lead in for a 20/20 special?


text:
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Mike Medeiros has not received any gifts yet
Howdy Mike... I really enjoyed the rally. Sorry if I didn't recognize you from the Skeptics meetings. Lots distracting me over the past few years. :-) Good to see you here.
Welcome, Mike! Glad you could join us. :D
Please consider joining a group to meet people and talk about anything that's on your mind, Hang With Friends.
Hello Mike and welcome to this rational world of Internet atheism----a haven of truth and peace, far from the superstitions and fictional god of the masses.
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We invite you to make good friends by joining the busy group "ORIGINS: Universe, Astronomy, Life, Earth, Humans, Religion, Gods, Atheism, Evolution, Darwin..." with 500 discussion topics and 2900 members.
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text:
Since Cooper invented personas, they've become the de facto interaction design tool across the world. Most folks know the basics of why: They embody salient user characteristics from first-hand user research in a medium that people are good at understanding, remembering, and discussing, i.e. people.
I've been using personas as a design, teaching, and even writing tool for over a decade now and I believe strongly that all that's true. They do embody research. They are easy to remember and use. But I think there's another reason they work, a psychological reason, that's as important to understanding them: they get you to think about design problems in a fundamentally different way.
This effect is not just true for interaction designers, either. Whether you're a developer, product owner, business strategist, or content strategist, the reason they work has to do with the way that you think about the world around you. To explain why, we need to tuck in to a little philosophical thinking. Don't worry, it will be quick and painless.
The philosopher Daniel Dennett proposed that the way people reason about things the world around them changes based on the particular one of three stances they take toward those things.
When we adopt a physical stance, we use our basic sense of physics to predict things, such as when we wonder, "What would happen if I pour sand on a fire?"
When we adopt a design stance, we use our understanding of human intentions as they are embodied in designed objects, such as when we pick up a new tool and wonder, "How did the person who made this intend for it to be used?"
When we adopt an intentional stance, we use a different part of our brain to anticipate how an intentional agent (like a plant, animal, or person) will change their behavior in order to get what he, she, or it wants. When we predict what the tiger that's chasing us will do when we turn to duck in a cave, we're adopting an intentional stance.
When we design, we are trying to optimize systems towards some desired effect. This means that we're taking one of these predictive stances about what will and won't work, i.e., what will let our personas achieve their goals. Which stance is it? I don't think anyone adopts the physical stance when designing. No one perceives users' behaviors as defined by strictly physical forces. But what of the other two stances?
I believe the design stance is the default stance people take when designing, (apologies for the redundant-sounding phrasing) and it's the wrong one. In the design stance you can change the tool to fit the task. Turn the hammer around. Pull off the metal part. Only instead of working with hammers, you're working with your sense of users in the world. This gives rise to problems of "the elastic user" discussed in The Inmates, which is to say that we can cherry-pick whatever aspects of users suit our interests at hand. When we design this way, we serve ourselves and the systems more than we do the people who are using our stuff, and that's a way to ensure that people do not love your product or service.
The intentional stance is the right stance for design, since it respects users' goals as something largely fixed, and which we have to accommodate with the smartest design possible, or they will change their behavior, and go to a competitor.
Even if this were just philosophy it would make sense, but it turns out that a number of universities including Glasgow Caledonian University and MIT have done some experiments that show that in fact, we do use different parts of our brains in each stance. They've even captured it in functional images. It's not just philosophy and common sense, it's actual neuroscience. (For an academic reference, see below.)
Once you understand this "other" reason personas work, a lot of the little nuanced guidelines that I try and instill in young interaction designers and students make sense. Why don't we want our personas to have names like "Cathy Consumer" and "Adam Analyst"? Because no one in the real world would have a name like that. It's is clear that these are fabricated objects rather than real people. Such names get your teams into a design stance where the facts of actual users can be skewed or ignored. Rather, it's best to choose names that could be in the real world but aren't in and of themselves distracting or hard to pronounce. Persona names could belong to a real person, which helps encourages an intentional stance.
For similar reasons, it's why we give personas big photos that don't look like models. It's why we provide some narrative background to them, including education, training, coworkers, or family as the project suggests. It's why we avoid highlighting the data that went into them on their introductory slides. It's why we really only mention that we created them once, and thereafter refer to them as real people. We want them to trigger the sense of living, breathing intentionality in everyone who has a responsibility for accommodating those goals. This gives us the stance that will keep user goals foremost and consistently considered while possible design decisions fare the treacherous waters of the design and development process.
This is the other reason personas just work.
- If you'd like to read up on Gallagher and Frith's functional imaging experiments, see
Gallagher, Helen L., and Christopher D. Frith. "Functional Imaging of 'theory of Mind'." Learning Development and Resource Center. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Feb. 2003. Web. 16 July 2012.
Related links
- Wait. You seriously invented them? Yes. Yes we did.
- Read why Joe six pack is not a useful archetype.
- Commit to heart The parable of The Homer
- Have a little fun Putting personas under the microscope
- How do you think this plays out with conceptual personas?


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Today is Australia Day. This celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney cove and the start of our contemporary Australian Settlement. For the indigenous Australian, this day marked the invasion of the British, the arrival of rabbits, rats, measles and the common cold.
We have come a long way in reconciliation, however more is to be done.
Last night we watched Jelena Dokic win the quarter final in the Australian Open. This was quite an Achievement for this young woman. Her life has been pretty tough as she has battled depression, financial difficulties and a father who has attracted a lot of bad press for his antics. It was her Dad who brought her to Australia in 1994 to escape the conflict in their native Yugoslavia and turn her into a tennis champion. He was then thrown out of the United States Open in 2000 after screaming obscenities. But last night she was remarkable.
So while watching the tennis I was feeling a little patriotic and decided I would try and do an Australian Flag Tea Cosy - just for Australia Day.
How stupid of me as the Australian flag isn't the easiest thing to crochet. In fact why couldn't our flag be as simple as the Yugoslavia ( Serbian ) flag with simple stripes of red white and blue.
So here is my first attempt.
Family feedback - "the stars aren't starry enough"
" flags are supposed to be rectangular not square" .. doh but the teapot is round
"The pointer looks like the size of a meteor about to hit Ularoo"
"mmm I didn't realise the Southern Cross was made of triangles, and a white space.
"You know the pointer has 7 points Mum"
Yep, I know that I counted them.. pity it looks like a wildflower.....
The points are symbolic , one for each State and 1 for the territories. I reckon a flannel flower would have been a hellava lot easier to crochet though. It could easily have 7 petals.
" You should have started this about 6 months ago if you wanted it finished by today...."
Yes I love having honest critique to improve my design skills ; o)
Oh well at least I got the colours right.
So this is the first side of the cosy, and I am away to see if I can make the stars starrier, the pointer a bit more pointy, and find a rectangular teapot.
As for the rest of the Day, I have baked the pavlova, and it is now cooling in the oven. We have a nice leg of lamb to roast in the Weber and a bottle of Jacobs Creek red.
I was planning to go and sweep out the barb q area as we had a bit of a storm last night. As I look out the deck though, it is starting to rain. Maybe I will just stay in side and see if I can improve on the flag instead.
I am also thinking that the Indigenous flag might have been an easier choice for my first flag attempt.
Have a happy Australia Day!
(c) crochetroo Australia


text:
Judicial Watch's Tom Fitton hereby asked by TLR to opine on events relating to DOJ's Tony West, Keker & Van Nest 's Chris Young (formerly of MoFo) and CaliforniaALL.
Mr. Chris Young of Keker & Van Nest. During the 2008 election, while employed as an associate with Morrison & Foerster, Chris Young served as Barack Obama's Northern California Deputy Finance Director and as National Campaign's Northern California representative. USDOJ's Tony West (also of Morrison & Foerster) served as Co-Chair, California Finance Cmt. Recently, Keker & Van Nest abruptly removed Young's name from the roll of lawyers associated with the firm. Similar to Tony West, Young is under scrutiny in connection with events surrounding both Lance Armstrong and sham non-profit entity CaliforniaALL.
Mr. Derek Anthony West (AKA Tony West) Acting Associate Attorney General, the third highest official at the United States Department of Justice. He joined Morrison & Foerster in 2001. While at MoFo, West represented "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh alongside partners James Brosnahan and Raj Chatterjee. West's sister-in-law — Ms. Kamala Harris — is the California attorney general who was part of sham non-profit entity CaliforniaALL.
CaliforniaALL — entity created by Morrison & Foerster obtained "hush-hush" sub-rosa award of $774,247 from the Foundation of the State Bar of California (AKA California Bar Foundation)
Mr. James J. Bronsnahan of Morrison & Foerster: "I was suddenly elevated from an infrequent contributor to Democratic politicians to being the mastermind behind the Democratic Party."
Morrison & Foerster Team (L-R) Ms. Dian Grueneich — Former Commissioner with California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC"); Mr. Raj Chatterjee — current board member of the Foundation of State Bar of California (DBA California Bar Foundation, entity headed by Arnold & Porter's Douglas Winthrop formerly of Howard Rice which represented PG&E ; Ms. Susan Mac Cormac — part of MoFo's legal team which created CaliforniaALL. Mr. Tony West – a "mentee" of Willie Brown and CaliforniaALL's Kamala Harris brother-in-law; Mr. James J. Brosnahan — original member of the BOD at Joe Dunn's Voice of OC. Brosnahan represented El Paso Corp during California Energy Crisis opposing Pierce O'Donnell, Joe Cotchett, and Thomas Girardi who also served as original BOD member at Joe Dunn's Voice of OC, alongside Martha Escutia. Ms. Annette Carnegie, formerly member of the board of California Bar Foundation during the Hush-Hush subrosa transfer of $780,000 to CaliforniaALL; Ms. Diane Pritchard who practiced extensively before the CPUC while at MoFo.
Above (L-R) Mr. David Werdegar of IOA; State Bar of California BOG Member Jeannine English; Mr. Thomas Girardi of embattled Voice of OC; Executive Director of State Bar of California Joe Dunn of embattled Voice of OC; California Supreme Court Associate Justice Hon. Kathryn Werdegar; really special prosecutor in matter of In Re Girardi and controversial judicial aspirant Prof. Rory Little; controversial gambling attorney Howard Dickstein (spouse of Jeannine English and a client of Keker & Van Nest), MoFo's James Brosnahan of embattled Voice of OC; Keker & Van Nest partner Matthew Werdegar – son of David and Kathryn Werdegar; Keker & Van Nest partner Jan Little (spouse of Rory Little); Keker & Van Nest partner Elliot Peters — attorney for Howard Dickstein; California Democratic Party operative and mentor to Willie Brown's former paramour — Mr. John Keker; Keker & Van Nest partner, attorney for Howard Dickstein, controversial judicial aspirant, and President of the State Bar of California — Mr. Jon Streeter. (Image:courtesy photo)
In 2008, California Bar Foundation quietly transferred $769,247.00 to CaliforniaALL. CaliforniaALL never acknowledged receipt of the $769,247.00 from the Cal Bar Foundation in any of its publications, although it did acknowledge the transfer on its IRS tax returns. Likewise, California Bar Foundation never acknowledged the largest grant it ever bestowed in its newsroom, the California Bar Journal, or similar publications; it did, however, recognize the transfer on its IRS returns, and in a 2 by 2 inch blurb in its annual report.
See below Cal Bar Foundation newsroom which makes no mention of the subrosa transfer of funds.
In 2008, serving as President of the Foundation was Mario Camara. A joint letter published and signed by Camara and Hatamiya also made no mention of the hush-hush transfer. Wasn't Mr. Camara proud of it, just like he was proud of other money which went to support "pipelines?" After all, CaliforniaALL was also intended to support "pipelines". See below:
Below an image taken from CaliforniaALL own newsletter which alludes to the fact that the State Bar of California is a "Founding Partner" of CaliforniaALL. Stingy with credit and despite the transfer of close to $780,000 from the California Bar Foundation to CaliforniaALL, only utility companies are listed as "Founding Funders." See below:
Serving on the board of directors of CaliforniaALL (which was in a partnership relationship with the State Bar of California) were State Bar employee Patricia Lee, Kamala Harris, CPUC Commissioner Timothy Simon, as well as Judy Johnson. See below:


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The Washington State legislative session in Olympia is only a few days old, but so far it's looking good for "vulnerable user" legislation backed by Seattle's Cascade Bicycle Club. Or at least it isn't looking bad. This year's bill is more "wakeup call" than "strict punishment," and we think that's good. The point with upping the ante in bike-car accidents is simply to get drivers to take bikes seriously, not wreck their lives after the fact. The legislation's positive intent should carry it through this year.
Don't ask me how an Australian men's Web site became the international authority on Planet Earth's Top 10 bicycle-friendly cities, but AskMen.com is back at it with an update. Only one American city makes the list, and we're gonna let you guess which one cuz our banner includes the word "intelligence." No real surprises except possibly…Bogota? Colombia is a great cycling country and all, and we've never had the pleasure, but surely Portland's elegant matrix and relentless cheer for all things velo could have carried them higher than… Bogota? Ah well. If AskMen drops that "n" and pays attention a bit, Seattle will be in the 2011 edition.
BikeRadar: Good piece on how Trek and the rest of Wisconsin's bike industry are doing their bit for the economy. I still have the Trek cro-moly touring bike I bought in 1979 from Bicycle Outfitter in Los Altos. Thing is bulletproof.
The Vancouver B.C. bike scammer, the one featured in Mountain Bike Action magazine as a "Local Hero," the one slapped with charges the mag said "may or may not be" true … he pleaded guilty to 36 charges.
Next month's North American Handmade Bicycle Show is shaping up as a barnburner.
You're one of the countless Americans who are being furloughed from jobs around this time of year, so what do you do to maximize the value of your time off? Two Wheels has the answer.


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Archie Kenneth Quaich 1st March 2014
1 Bob Low, Wales Nameless – 'Hiharin dro o dro'
2 Alan Forbes, Edinburgh Lament for Donald Duaghal Mackay
3 Colin MacNeill, Edinburgh Lament for Donald of Laggan
4 John MacLeod, Aberdeen Lament for MacSwan of Roaig
Full report by Alan Forbes Secretary of the Music Committee
The twenty-second annual amateur Piobaireachd competition for the Archie Kenneth Quaich will take place on Saturday, 1st March 2014, in the rooms of The Royal Scottish Pipers' Society, 127 Rose Street Lane South, Edinburgh, starting at 10am.
Entries and enquiries to Alan Forbes, 24 Garscube Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 6BN. Tel: 0131-337 4094 or e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Competitors should submit two tunes with their entries, one of which they will be asked to play. Competitors may not submit any tune with which they have previously won first prize in the competition.
Conditions for eligibility are as follows:
1) Competitors must be aged twenty or over.
2) Competitors must be amateur pipers.
3) In particular, the following are not eligible:
a) holders of the Army School of Piping's Pipe Major Certificate;
b) anyone who has won a prize in open competition or who has, within the past five years, taken part in open competition;
c) anyone who has taken part in public recitals with professional players.
4) Anyone in doubt about their eligibility to play should contact the
competition organiser for advice.
There will be a maximum of twenty-five competitors selected on a first come first served basis.


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PHILADELPHIA, April 15 (UPI) -- Maxime Talbot, Danny Briere and Matt Read each scored twice Sunday and Philadelphia pushed Pittsburgh to the brink of elimination with an 8-4 playoff victory.
The Flyers scored four times in the first period and added two more in the second to chase Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and grab a commanding 3-0 lead over favored Pittsburgh in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Jaromir Jagr added three assists and Ilya Bryzgalov turned aside 31-of-35 shots as the Flyers won the first three games of a series for the first time since 2000.
They will seek to close out the series Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Fleury was shelled for six goals on 28 shots before being yanked.
James Neal scored twice and added and assist while Jordan Staal contributed a pair of goals for the Penguins.
The fight-filled game featured 14 major penalties and three game misconducts.


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UI study shows elections increase market, economic volatility
Issued by University of Iowa on 20 October 2011
Elections are great for democracies, but a new study by a University of Iowa researcher finds they may not be so good for business.
A new study co-authored by Artem Durnev, assistant professor of finance in the Tippie College of Business, finds that countries with national elections have more volatile economies because businesses don't like political uncertainty. The study also found economic volatility increases during political campaigns.
Autocracies, however, demonstrate no such volatility, as they have less political risk and so investors are more easily able to make business decisions in those countries.
The study measured volatility as the returns on stocks for companies based in each country, or companies based elsewhere that do significant business in a country. Durnev and his co-researchers looked at 50 countries, both developed and developing, and observed stock market volatility during the six months leading up to an election and for the year after the election.
The study found that in general, more mature democracies saw increased market volatility in the six months prior to an election. The markets in autocracies did not exhibit that volatility.
This doesn't mean that autocracies face no market uncertainty, he says. People in dictatorships often have a habit of mounting revolutions, destabilizing the economy by throwing out the dictator, and increasing market volatility. The death of a dictator while still in office also causes increased market volatility because investors are unsure how the country's citizens will react and new leadership will govern.
But the volatility in democracies was more frequent and clearly tied to the election, he says. The study did not quantify each country's market volatility because that level depended on factors unique to each country and each election. For instance, Durnev expects Russian markets to experience little volatility in the run-up to next year's presidential elections there because it's all but a foregone conclusion that Vladimir Putin will win re-election to a second tenure in office.
"It won't be a surprise if he receives 75 percent of the vote, so businesses already know what to expect in the Russian economy in the coming years and can plan for it," he says.
However, Egypt's already destabilized economy will likely become even more so because nobody knows who will win the coming elections. It could be a moderate party friendly to business and the West, he says, or it could be a party that will try to create an Islamic theocracy. The country's military rulers may also renege on their promise to hold elections and keep power themselves.
"This is a risky time to be making business deals in Egypt," he says.
But the study found that markets don't necessarily settle down in the year after an election. Sometimes, Durnev says the election brings political stability that leads to economic stability. But sometimes, the election only creates more instability, increasing political risk and doing nothing to smooth a country's economy.
The study found that export-oriented industries, industries dependent on contract enforcement, and labor-intensive industries exhibit higher volatility when political risks are higher. Labor-intensive industries also display higher volatility when governments from the political left lead a country or when labor laws are stricter.
Autocratic regimes, on the other hand, reduce volatility, especially in industries that are more dependent on trade or contract enforcement.
Durnev says the study sheds light on what's happening in the U.S. economy right now. Political uncertainty is high and so businesses respond by putting off expansions, investments, and new hires, slowing the economic recovery. He expects businesses to continue sitting on their cash until after the next election, when they have a clearer idea of who our new leaders will be. But even then, he says they may hold back because the polarized nature of American politics will create an ongoing uncertainty no matter who wins.
He says a companion study he is working on confirms that businesses hold back on financial investment in a country when political risk is high.
Durnev's study, "Precarious Politics and Return Volatility," was co-authored by Maria Boutchkova of the University of Leicester, Hitesh Doshi of the University of Houston, and Alexander Molchanov of Massey University. It was published in the current issue of the Review of Financial Studies.
STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Service, 300 Plaza Centre One, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500
MEDIA CONTACTS: Artem Durnev, associate professor of finance, 319-335-2626, firstname.lastname@example.com; Tom Snee, 319-384-0010 (office), 319-541-8434 (cell), firstname.lastname@example.com


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How to Break in a New Cam
There are a couple of things that have changed. Read about them here.
If you haven't heard the jungle drums rumbling, the life of your flat-tappet hydraulic camshaft may be in danger. But with a few careful steps and some attention to detail, you can avoid the killer of innocent camshafts FLCS-flat lobe cam syndrome. Just follow our lead.
Over the past couple of years, the Detroit Big Three have been lobbying to lower the levels of the antiwear agent zinc in motor oils. It seems that after engines get a few miles on them, it's not uncommon for some oil to be burned in the combustion process. The zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) additive creates an ash when burned that is apparently very good at coating oxygen sensors and the active substrate in catalytic converters, reducing their performance. Since virtually every late-model production engine uses roller tappets, the American Petroleum Institute (API) has lowered the ZDDP levels in motor oils listed as meeting the current SM oil rating.
Why is this important to a typical car crafter with a flat-tappet camshaft and no catalytic converters? This same zinc additive is a wonderful antiwear additive for sliding-follower, flat-tappet camshafts. Before you panic, the zinc has not been removed, but the levels are far lower than with older oil configurations. As a result, aftermarket cam companies are seeing an increasing number of flat-lobe problems.
If there is one period of time when a flat-tappet hydraulic or mechanical lifter cam is most susceptible to severe wear, it is during the first 20 to 30 minutes of camshaft operation. This is when the lifter and cam lobe create their initial wear pattern. If sufficient high-pressure lubricants (like zinc and phosphorous) are present during this break-in procedure, the camshaft has an excellent chance of survival. We'll go over the details of how to properly break in a flat-tappet cam and which oil to use to ensure the cam doesn't fail a few thousand miles down the road.
Break-In Procedures
Let's assume you've just finished bolting that killer new engine in your car. Before you hit the starter motor and shake the pavement with all that horsepower, there are a couple of crucial camshaft break-in procedures you should follow. Your first step should be to remove the distributor so you can prelube the engine. Prelubing uses an old distributor or a specialty tool to independently spin the oil pump.
We built an oil-pump primer out of an old point distributor for our small-block Chevy by removing the cam drive gear and cutting off the top of the distributor-shaft weight pivot. We then had a friend machine the top of the shaft so we could use either a 11/44- or 11/42-inch drill motor. A corded 11/42-inch drill motor has the most torque. We retained the distributor body, since it directs oil to both sides of the lifter galley. Without the distributor body, only one side is lubed. Engage the oil-pump driveshaft and spin the drill motor. It's also a good idea to rotate the engine by hand a quarter turn at a time to ensure all the lifters get oil. This process should only take about five minutes but can sometimes take longer. A big-block Chevy will take much longer to pump oil to all the rocker arms-perhaps as long as 20 minutes.
Now replace the distributor by positioning the engine at No. 1 cylinder at roughly 16 degrees before top dead center (BTDC) on the harmonic balancer. Line up the distributor rotor with the No. 1 spark-plug wire on the distributor cap and cinch the distributor down. This will ensure you have around 16 degrees of initial timing in the engine when you first hit the starter. Prime the carburetor by pouring some fuel into the primary fuel bowl through the vent tube. Work the accelerator linkage until you have fuel squirting into the manifold. Assuming you have also filled the engine with oil and the cooling system with water, you're ready to fire the engine. The reason for all this preparation is to minimize the amount of cranking necessary to start the engine. With everything set correctly, the engine will fire on the first or second revolution.
Once the engine fires, immediately bring the rpm up to between 2,000 and 3,000. All camshafts in V-8 engines are splash-lubricated from oil whipped up by the crankshaft. Spinning the engine at these higher speeds for the first 20 minutes ensures sufficient oil reaches the cam lobes. We prefer to have the full exhaust connected so we can hear the engine while it's running to listen for any misfire or engine problems. This is a good time to double-check the ignition timing. Also, make sure engine rpm never remains constant for the break-in period. Engine speed should vary between 2,000 and 3,000 the entire time. This ensures oil reaches all points on the camshaft. Do not merely set the fast idle on the choke and walk away from the engine. Also, use this break-in time to watch for leaks or other problem areas and to monitor the coolant level and temperature. We like to use tap water for this first break-in period so it can be easily drained if there is a problem
Why Break-In's Not a Crime
If your engine is equipped with a roller cam, this story really doesn't relate. But because a flat-tappet-style camshaft relies on a follower that slides across the cam lobe, it requires lubrication that can minimize this sliding type of wear. All off-the-shelf oils that have a current API SM rating have had the zinc levels reduced to protect catalytic converters. This is not to say that using the current SM-spec oil will eventually kill your flat-tappet camshaft. There are probably thousands of engines running around right now without difficulty.
There are some mechanical things that could predispose particular engines to wear problems. Excessive valvespring pressure will only aggravate these problems, since these higher spring rates create more load between the lifter and cam lobe. Crane Cams suggests flat-tappet cams not exceed 300 pounds of load over the nose of the lobe. Generally, most street hydraulic cams do not see this much load at max lift, since the open-spring pressure is divided by the rocker ratio. So, if the open-spring pressure is 400 pounds and the rocker ratio is 1.5:1, the load on the lifter is around 266 pounds.
Flat-tappet lifters are designed to spin in the lifter bores. This requires that the lifter bores be free of burrs or casting flash that can cause the lifter to stick and not rotate. Big-block Chevys are infamous for sticking lifters because of their angled pushrods. If you think there is a problem, place a color stripe on the pushrod and watch it with the valve cover removed as the engine runs. If the pushrod does not rotate, the lifter is not spinning.
High-ratio rocker arms also tend to place more load on the lifter and cam lobe. This is because higher rocker ratios open the valve farther, which increases the load between the lifter face and the cam lobe at every point on the lobe. For break-in purposes, you should break the cam in with a shorter-ratio rocker arm and then swap the rockers after the first hour or so of engine operation.
Post-Lube Moves
OK, you've followed all the rules and your camshaft is now broken in and makes lots of power and all is right with the world. But your job isn't over yet. First, put about 50 miles on the engine and then drain the oil and swap filters. This will get rid of the majority of the metal that ended up in the oil during break-in. If you really want to protect your flat-tappet-cammed engine, that standard API SM spec oil is not going to do the job as well as it should, since it lacks that double shot of antiwear zinc phosphate (ZDDP). While some overzealous enthusiasts are dumping a can of GM EOS in with every oil change, there is a better solution.
You may have heard several of the higher-quality diesel engine oils contain higher levels of zinc phosphate. We've listed several different brands that should be easy to find at your local auto parts store because of the increasing popularity of diesels pickups. Among these are racing oils such as Quaker State's Q Racing that offers higher levels of ZDDP as well as many other high-performance additives. If you have a question about an oil, look for an API SJ or SM rating. If the oil has either of these ratings, it probably does not offer higher levels of ZDDP. Racing oil is generally not API rated, since the oil is not intended for daily use in production engines. But for high-performance street engines, racing oils offer advantages as long as you treat the engine to frequent drain intervals.
Engine Oils Containing Higher Levels of Zinc Phosphate
|Castrol Tection Extra
|Chevron Delo 400
|Mobil Delvac 1300
|Shell Rotella T
|Quaker State Q Racing
|0W-5, 15W-50, and 17.5W-35
|Joe Gibbs Racing MicroZol
Zinc Levels in Motor Oil
The following levels give you an idea of how zinc concentrations have changed over the past three years. The new for 2007 CJ-4 diesel designation will reduce zinc levels even further.
|ZINC CONCENTRATION (parts per million-ppm)
|Shell Rotella-T (diesel)
|Q Racing
|Joe Gibbs Racing XP-4
Parts List
|GM EOS, 16 oz.
|GM oil additive, 4 oz.
|Comp, Pro Cam Lube, 4 oz.
|Summit Racing
|Comp, Break-in Lube, 12 oz.
|Summit Racing
|Crane Super Lube, 8 oz.
|Summit Racing
|Q-Racing 17.5W-35, 1 qt.
|Shell Rotella-T, 1 qt.


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Making his second appearance on Beeswax! Because in my personal Marvel Universe, this guy is an A-list villain. Needless to say, my personal Marvel Universe doesn't sell as well as the real one.
This is my last entrant in the OHOTMU Redux project. Time to get back to the stuff that pays the bills.


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How To Live Out of a Van Pt II: Giving up Normal Food
Nov 28, 2014
Remember Austin Laurent, who quit his job and started living out of a van to rock climb? Here's Part II: How to Give Up Normal Food.
Austin has been shirking traditional meals for Soylent, a nutritional drink that is meant to fulfill all of your dietary needs. It costs about $300 a month, but the DIY versions can be as low as $100 a month. If you're sick of Thanksgiving leftovers and are considering living off Soylent, here's a firsthand account of what it's actually like:
Real talk. What does it taste like?
I've tried 3 different varieties of Soylent. Official Soylent, and two DIY recipes called Schmoylent and People Chow. Official Soylent tastes kind of like coffee, kind of like chocolate, and kind of like vanilla, but ultimately, not really like any of those. It is definitely the best tasting of the three I mentioned, and tastes even better when you blend in your favorite fruit! My second favorite is Schmoylent. As the name suggests, it is a DIY copy of official Soylent that is a pretty good imitation, although it doesn't have any of the vanilla flavor that Soylent has. Schmoylent tastes like liquid oats with a little bit of stevia added for sweetness. It is the most plain and neutral tasting variety and could definitely benefit from having some fruit blended in, but sadly, we don't have a blender in the van. People Chow is one of the cheapest varieties, but also my least favorite. It tastes like liquid tortilla, and began to get on my nerves when I drank it for a few days straight. I don't think I could convince myself to drink it consistently.
Austin & Dimitri, with soylent.
Do you ever miss "real" food?
A full day's worth of Soylent is 2000 calories, and while that might be enough for most people, it falls a bit short when you spend every day hiking and climbing. I supplement with Clif bars, fruit, and small snacks like carrots with hummus, or pretzels with peanut butter. This usually puts me nearer to the 3000 calorie mark. Additionally, when you meet new friends at the crag and they invite you out to dinner, it's very rude to decline and just drink Soylent instead. I typically have a regular meal with friends once a week or so, and I also have a bit of a sweet tooth, so if I see a bakery selling cookies, I will tend to buy one… or three.
Could you live off Soylent for the rest of your life?
Once I'm done living out of my van, I plan to continue consuming Soylent for meals that I would otherwise eat alone. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, if it's not going to be a social meal, I would rather have Soylent.
Any bizarre side effects?
Dimitri, my climbing partner, finds that he no longer needs caffeine since starting on Soylent. We both have very vivid and lucid dreams that we discuss every morning, but other than that I feel like my body is running like a well oiled machine.
That's interesting. How frequently are you lucid dreaming now?
I'm having extremely vivid and memorable dreams every night, but I haven't been writing them down. I need to begin tracking them in order to achieve frequent lucidity. I've become lucid twice in my dreams so far, but I'd like to increase that number.
Do you ever rock climb in your dreams? Or what do you lucid dream about?
I haven't done any climbing in my dreams. I love music, and I often find myself dreaming about my favorite musicians. For example, I had a dream last night, where I was riding in a car with The Tallest Man on Earth. However, I have only become lucid in dreams that featured a crisis of some sort. I get jerked into lucidity when the events of my dreams violate my moral principles. You can read more about my dream escapades here.
Jul 08, 2020


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Posts: 1533
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:17 am
Location: San Diego, Ca
Re: 02 - Battle on the Downs
* Everyone got 600XP for the battle which includes the award for 4 100gp Rubies
Rol is concerned obviously and says "I better send a messenger to Baymoor Castle, we're going to need royal troops while I rebuild the Miliita."
He spends sometime questioning the Bandits but nothing more revealing is exposed then what Phadian already discovered. With your help and few men from the village the prisoners are lead up and put under guard. Rol is obviously touched by Hagwen's charity and promises to see to it that things are down right for the fallen.
The Shadowmoor is a large area of marshy, peaty grasslands. Where the Shadow Sedge can grow to stands over 15 feet tall, causing the ground trails to be overhung and covered in shadows. The area is famous for herbs, board, and the famous Swampcats a type of panther. Rumors also tell of ancient ruin in the Shadowmoor that was once a temple of Achrim. Perhaps that is were Illmir resides?
Rol would eventually ask the group. "I don't suppose you all would be willing to search the Shadowmoor for this Illmir? The town has little to offer as reward but they can offer the use of large cottage for your use."


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Asus has announced a Windows 8 (RT) version of the Transformer Prime, the Asus Tablet 600, at this year's Computex in Taipei.
The Asus Tablet 600 - not to be confused with the Asus Transformer Book range, which also happens to be a Windows 8 tablet laptop hybrid - will run Windows RT, which makes Windows 8 possible on the Tegra 3-powered tablet.
There is also 2GB of RAM and a 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 IPS+ touchscreen to let you enjoy the most the Metro UI has to offer. You also get WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, along with a digital compass and NFC. There is a front-facing 2-megapixel camera and a whopping 8-megapixel offering around the back complete with LED flash.
There's no word on price or availability as yet, but anticipate there could be a launch to coincide with Microsoft's release of Windows 8.
Meanwhile, for those who want a little more power, ASUS announced the Tablet 810 that will run an unnamed Intel processor. The new model will come with a 11.6-inch screen. Details include an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a Wacom digitizer with stylus support all in a casing thinner than a CD case - 8.7mm. As with the Tablet 600, you'll also be able to get a Qwerty keyboard dock to turn it into a laptop so you can do some work on the go.
- Asus Tablet 600, Tablet 810, and Transformer Book pictures and hands-on
Is Windows 8 the future of tablets?