text:
Improving developers enthusiasm for unit tests, using bubble charts
Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes
The Idea
Visualize your team's code to get people enthused and more responsible for unit testing. See how commits contribute to or degrade testability. See massive, untested checkins from some developers, and encourage them to change their behavior for frequent, well tested commits.
Several years ago I worked with Miško Hevery, who came up with an unreleased prototype to visualize commits on a bubble chart. The prototype didn't make it as an open source project, and Misko's been so busy I don't know what happened to it. I was talking to him recently, and we think there are lots of good ideas in it that other people may want to use. We'd like to share these ideas, in hopes it interests someone in the open source community.
This is a standard Flex Bubble Chart. This was a rich flash widget with filtering, sorting, and other UI controls.
- Each bubble is a commit
- The X axis is a timeline
- The size of bubbles is the size of each checkin
- The colors of bubbles are unique per developer
- The Y axis represents the ratio of (test code / total code) changed in that checkin.
Size is measured in lines of code, an imperfect measure, but it proved useful for his internal use.
Interpreting It
We found that showing this to a few people generally got a big interest. All the developers wanted to see their bubbles. People would remember certain commits they have made, and relive or dispute with each other why certain ones had no test code committed.
Best of all, though, when used regularly, it can encourage better behavior, and expose bad behavior.
Using It
Developers often leave patterns. When reading code, I've often thought "Ahh, this code looks like so-and-so wrote it." I look it up, and sure enough I've recognized their style. When you have many people checking in code, you often have subtly different styles. And some add technical debt to the overall codebase. This tool is a hard to dispute visual aid to encourage better style (developer testing).
Many retrospectives I lead start with a timeline onto which people place sticky notes of positive, negative, and puzzling events. This bubble chart can be projected on the wall, and milestones can be annotated. It is even more effective if you also annotating merges, refactorings, and when stories were completed.
If you add filtering per user story and/or cyclometric complexity, this can be a client friendly way to justifying to business people a big refactoring, why they need to pay down tech debt, or why a story was so costly.
While you must be careful with a tool like this, you can give it to managers for a mission control style view of what is going on. But beware of letting anyone fall into the trap of thinking people with more commits are doing more work. Frequent commits is probably a good sign, but with a tool like this, developers must continue to communicate so there are no misunderstandings or erroneous conclusions made by non-technical managers.
Some developers may claim a big code change with no test coverage was a refactoring, however even refactorings change tests in passing (Eclipse/Intellij takes care of the updates even if the developer is not applying scrutiny). Thus the real cause for the large commit with no tests deserves investigation.
Many other features existed in the real version, and a new implementation could add additional innovations to explore and communicate what is happening on your project.
- Filter by user
- Filter by size or ratio to highlight the most suspicious commits
- Filter by path in the commit tree
- Showing each bubble as a pie chart of different file types, and each of their respective tests.
- Display trend line per team or per area of code
- Use complexity or test coverage metrics instead of lines of code
- Add merge and refactoring commit visualizations
- Color coding commits to stories, and adding sorting and filters to identify stories with high suspected tech debt.
- Tie in bug fixes and trace them back to the original commits' bubbles
We hope some of you also have created similar visualizations, or can add ideas to where you would use something like this. Thanks also to Paul Hammant for inspiration and suggestions in this article.
Book: Power: Why Some People Have It-and Others Don't
Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes
Power: Why Some People Have It-and Others Don't by Jeffrey Pfeffer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It is an easy read with interesting examples. If you dislike the title, consider how the world is political, and it is in you interest to know the power games other people will play.
A few highlights:
- When Keith Ferrazzi (author, CMO, CEO) was offered a position at Deloitte, he insisted in seeing the "head guys." He met the NYC chief, Loconto, over dinner and Keith said he would accept if the two would have dinner once a year at the same restaurant." This was a gutsy move, but gave him influence at a very high level. All because he asked. What could you have asked for?
- Ishan Gupta is an entrepreneur from India who positioned himself with compiling a book of major Indian entrepreneurs. He had the founder of Hotmail, the Indian president Kalam, and over a dozen leaders contribute to the book. How? His pitch was as a fellow entrepreneur and IIT graduate, he appreciated their courage, and said no one would take a book by him seriously, he wanted their help to write just a few pages or hundred words with key advice. He packaged the request brilliantly, and almost all accepted. Asking for help is inherently flattering. He leveraged his experience to write something with a positive social implication. Then gained influence with very big hitters, and 'jumped up a weight class.'
- Confucius said, 'Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's own ignorance.' While this seems somewhat out of place in this book, remember if you gain more power, you will change. It is best to not become full of yourself.
- Stay focused on the outcomes you are seeking, and do not get hung up on people and their idiosyncrasies. You can not and will not please everyone.
- Be able to act. As in acting, theatrics, Hollywood. If you are 'angry' don't always really be angry, as you can act with emotion, skipping over facts, weaken you position, and alienate people. I have made my worst mistakes when acting out of emotion. You can use emotions effectively to lead a team; however, if you can have the passion of emotion, without the irrationality, it is much better. Thus, learn how to act. It disconnects the irrationality. When I worked at FeedBurner, Dick Costolo was CEO there and he came from 10 years of stand up comedy. Extremely useful for his outward influence (now CEO Twitter), and inward motivating employees.
- Synchronize the 'voice' of a team's many leaders. I have had huge team problems because the peer group of senior leaders all had different opinions about the vision and priorities. If one of us had suggested a simple, quick, weekly breakfast or lunch meeting next door, we would have been on sync. It would have boosted the team's morale and effectiveness.
- Oliver North vs Donald Kennedy's congressional testimonies suggest theatrics (righteous anger vs shame and timidity) is a significant factor for how people are judged. This was an "aha" moment. Senior leadership is a lot of acting. CXO's may not see some employees but once a year. The ability to turn on the energy and optimism (acting) is crucial to leave strong, lasting influences in people.
- One comical specific claim was that "moving your hands in a circle or waving your arms diminishes how powerful you appear. Gestures should be short and forceful, not long and circular." Probably true. How you carry yourself influences how you are viewed. Are you the carefree person, consistent worker, angry person, goofy one, solid leader, etc.?
- Take you time in responding. Flustered or unsure people are marginalized. Related to acting. When choosing between emotions or a slower response, always choose the slower, more deliberate response. (My editorializing).
Not amazing, but short and I finished it. I think I can only read a
small number of these kinds of books a year. Now I am ready to read
more math books.
Book Review: The McKinsey Mind. Focusing on Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive thinking
Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes
The McKinsey Mind: Understanding and Implementing the Problem-Solving Tools and Management Techniques of the World's Top Strategic Consulting Firm by Ethan M. Rasiel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Worth reading. Especially if you are in consulting. I like the beginning of the book especially, and will be turning back to some of those pages for reference.
Thinking logically
The book starts strong by introducing "MECE: Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive." I use it often in my teams. Think of it as building a decision tree, where you cover every option, and none are overlapping. Each branch in the tree also has more MECE sub-branches. When deciding or investigating something, draw the tree on a whiteboard, and walk everyone through the options, and sub-tree options until you have a decision, or clear actions to take. Very logical. Be sure to encourage other people to contribute to the branches, and if you are leading it, ideally you team will volunteer the branches, and then they have more commitment to the options.
Or, as Wikipedia says:
[MECE] says that when data from a category is desired to be broken into subcategories, the choice of subcategories should be
1. collectively exhaustive — i.e., the set of all subcategories, taken together, should fully characterize the larger category of which the data are part ("no gaps")
2. mutually exclusive — i.e., no subcategory should represent any other subcategory ("no overlaps")
This is desirable for the purpose of analysis: mutual exclusivity avoids the risk of double counting information, and collective exhaustion avoids the risk of overlooking information.
Two areas for MECE thinking are in logic-trees and issue trees.
Logic trees help you identify components of a problem. Start at the 20,000 foot view and move progressively downward. You may want to build multiple trees, for instance by business unit (organizational hierarchy) and functionally (production, sales, marketing, etc.) to see which leads you to the next step, the hypothesis.
Form a hypothesis of what component of the logic tree may be causing the problem. Run it by the Quick and Dirty Test: ask what assumptions you are making that must be true. Are any false? If it passes the QDT, gather data and do analysis to disprove it. This is the same as the scientific method. If you fail to disprove it, you may be on to something. Predict what could happen if the identified root cause was changed.
Issue trees let you rigorously test the hypothesis. They are different from logic trees. Logic trees are a hierarchical grouping of elements. Issue trees are the series of questions or issues that must be addressed to support or disprove a hypothesis. It becomes you roadmap for analysis.
Present with the conclusion at the start. This was a good lesson. Do not use inductive reasoning to build up from details into a specific conclusion for your audience. They may already agree with it. You would then waste their time. Instead make you conclusion, and progressively drill into details, broadly covering each level before drilling down further. Stop/skip forward if they do not need the convincing. (A refresher on inductive/deductive reasoning).
Presentations are all about getting buy-in. It is important to "pre-wire" the meeting so that there are no surprises, and people already know your conclusions. The act of pre-wiring will identify gaps you need to work on, or build allies for you proposal.
Interviewing clients/stakeholders is a common activity I have done at ThoughtWorks. The authors advised scheduling time with people, and sending them an agenda. This lowers their apprehension of why consultants want to talk to them. Also at the end, during small talk before you walk out, ask "is there any thing else we did not cover that you think we should?" You've built rapport by now. Their answer can uncover important, previously unmentioned issues.
Note: as a software engineer, I appreciate the MECE thinking style for its logic. Also, it is the exact way we approach performance tuning an application. Think about the logic tree of slow spots. Build a hypothesis. Test it by profiling the running program under load. Let the data of time spent in each component show the root cause.
Book Review: The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel
Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes
This book is *awesome*! Why? The author takes a short story, "The Library of Babel," by Jorge Luis Borges and analyzes it along many different mathematical dimensions. The results are stimulating and accessible to non-mathematicians. The story is about a library, which is composed of:
An indefinite number of … hexagonal galleries. In the center of each gallery is a ventilation shaft, bounded by a low railing. … Twenty bookshelves … line four of the hexagon's six sides… One of the hexagon's free sides opens onto a narrow sort of vestibule, which in turn opens to another gallery, identical to the first — identical in fact to all.
What's the implication of this? The author, William Goldbloom Bloch, takes us through combinatorics, information theory, real analysis, topology and cosmology (a tough chapter), geometry and graph theory, and more combinatorics. He explains things in an easy to understand way, and then if you want more, has "Math Aftermath" sections that get more in depth.
In the end, he gives a long list of suggested readings. I have started a list here http://amzn.com/w/236UZ2PNNR3W2. What math books do you all suggest?
Sukrupa in Bangalore, an AMAZING organization, and ThoughtWorks
Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes
I've been living in Bangalore since October. First training at ThoughtWorks University (TWU), now working for a UK client. The people and work has been amazing. Best of all is what we have done with Sukrupa.
Six years ago next month I was in Bangalore, volunteering with the non profit Sukrupa, a slum school founded by the amazing Krupathala Martin Dass. [1] And in January this year ThoughtWorks began working for the school in rebuilding their website and launching a student records project. I'm very proud for ThoughtWorks for investing with many dozen people to work on this, and for the honor to enable such a wonderful, high impact activity. This is part of the culture here. What a great place.
Below is a write up from TWU XX, which completed in February, and compiled by my colleague Pallavi from Australia.
TWU XX project for Sukrupa went live Feb 17 – Release 1 consisted of a redesign of the Sukrupa website www.sukrupa.org and a Student Record System.
Who is Sukrupa?
Sukrupa is a Bangalore-based NGO that works to transform the lives of children from the slums and integrate them into mainstream society. Heard enough and want to help? You can donate or explore volunteer opportunities at Sukrupa.
What did TWU-XX do?
- We met the most amazingly talented children, who made us realize that every child deserves an opportunity to shine no matter where they come from.
- We revamped and rebranded www.sukrupa.org to showcase the great work done by Sukrupa.
- We enabled online donations and are looking for ThoughtWorkers to QA our online donation widget. Any volunteers? ;-)
- We created an offline donations guide that offers the donor a variety of options to maximize donation.
- We produced an events summary to help track the many events hosted by Sukrupa (events are an avenue to showcase the talents of the children, and also to increase visibility with sponsors/donors).
- We are proud to say that we successfully delivered software in a one-click-deploy environment!
- We got completely upstaged by the Sukrupa children in 'TWU's Got Talent (or not!)', witnessed by Roy, Trevor, Dan and Dave. Stay tuned for embarrassing videos and pictures.
In Closing
- Sukrupa needs your help! Please donate and/or volunteer!
- This project with Sukrupa will continue with future TWU batches.
- ThoughtWorks' involvement with Sukrupa is set to grow, with Rohit exploring other opportunities for us to help – Thank you Rohit.
- TWU XX has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Not only did it prepare us to be consultants but it also enabled us to carry forward ThoughtWorks values in our very first project.
- A big thank you to our trainers and clients for their endless patience.
- Thank you to the Bangalore office for hosting us and particularly the Admin Team.
My backstory on Sukrupa
[1] Back in 2005, a friend and I were on a five week project to have an art camp with several non profits in India. We attempted to film a documentary and capture children's answer to "what do I want to be when I grow up." We met with many non profits and schools in Chennai and Bangalore. You can read the old blog here, ArtView India. Sukrupa was one the organization that left a deep impact on me and I returned in 2007, as well as have worked with Krupa from the US in grant writing and publicity. I've been directly involved since 2010, connecting her with ThoughtWorks.
Web Caching Design: Cache keys should be deterministic
Reading time: 2 – 2 minutes
Following up on my previous post on Session State, there are a few conceptual ways to think about caches that I want to cover.
Cached items can be placed in session. That may be the easiest, but soon it will expose limitations. For instance, session may be serialized as one big blob. If so, you won't be able to have multiple concurrent threads populating into the same cache. Imagine when logging in, you want to have a background asynchronous thread lookup and populate data.
The key with cache is the keys that are cached need to be independent. A session may be okay to store as a serialized object graph. But cache keys could be primed in multiple synchronous threads, so a single graph could involve locking or overwriting parts of session. If cache entries are deep in a graph, you're almost certain to have collisions and overwritten data.
IMHO, the most important thing is: Cache keys should be deterministic. For instance, if I want to cache all of a user's future trips (and that is a slow call), I want to be able to look in the cache without first looking up the key to the cache in some other store. I want to say "Hey, given user 12345, look in a known place in the cache (such as "U12345:futureTrips") to see if some other thread already populated the cache value." This does mean you need to count more uniquely addressable cache locations in your application logic, but the extra accounting is well worth the flexibility it gives you. For instance, it allows background threads to populate that cache item, without overwriting anything else.
Spring Slow Autowiring by Type getBeanNamesForType fix 10x Speed Boost >3600ms to <100ms
Reading time: < 1 minute
We're using Spring MVC, configured mostly by annotations, a custom scope for FactoryBeans so they don't get created once per request, and autowiring by type. This makes for simple code, where the configuration lives right along where it is configured, however after a certain number of autowired beans, performance was abysmal.
Loading the main front page in Firefox, with firebug showing slowness:
Click on to read the full post.
Read the rest of this entry »
Spring Bean Autowiring into Handler/Controller Method Arguments
Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes
We request scope controllers in our Spring MVC web application, and then spring injects in collaborators. Each request builds up an object graph of mostly request scoped components, they service the request, and are then garbage collected. Examples of collaborators are Services, request-scoped objects like User, or objects from session. Declare these injectables as dependencies of your controller, and the IoC framework will resolve those instances for you. Using Spring's FactoryBean, you can have custom logic around retrieving from a DB or service call. (Also, if you do request scoping for everything you will probably want to make your FactoryBeans caching, or create a custom scope, so Spring doesn't recreate each FactoryBean, and make a remote call possibly, on every object injection.)
Instantiate a graph of request-scoped objects per request. Is that crazy? Not really, because garbage collection and object instantiation are very fast on modern JVM's. I argue that it it helps you have cleaner and more maintainable code. Designs have better object orientation, tests don't require as many mocks, and it's easier to obey the single responsibility principle.
None of this is new, though. Here's where it gets interesting for us. We have @RequestMapping methods on a controller, but only one of them needs the injected collaborator. If it is slow to retrieve the collaborator (such as a CustomerPreferences we get from a remote call), we don't want to call it every time. Sometimes this means you need two controllers, other times you want to let any spring bean be injected into a handler method.
We extended Spring to inject any spring bean into a controller/handler's @RequestMapping or @ModelAttribute annotated methods. You benefit with only injecting the bean into the handler method that needs it, possibly preventing remote calls to lookup said dependency if it were a field on a controller with multiple @RequestMapping's.
Here's a sample controller's handler method. Before:
@RequestMapping(value = Paths.ACCOUNT, method = GET) public String showAccount(Map model) { model.put("prefs", customerService.getCustomerPrefs(session.getCustomerId())); return "account"; }
There is an extension point WebAttributeResolver for you to add your own logic to resolve method parameters (such as autowire them as spring resolvable beans). After:
@RequestMapping(value = Paths.ACCOUNT, method = GET) public String showAccount(Map model, @AutowiredHandler CustomerPreferences customerPreferences) { // the CustomerPreferences has a CustomerPreferencesFactoryBean which // knows how to make a remote service call and retrieve the prefs. model.put("prefs", customerPreferences)); // easier to test return "account"; }
This lets you inject any spring bean into fields/methods annotated with @ModelAttribute or @RequestMapping.
Another very helpful way to do this is to automatically inject
User or other request-specific objects.
References for further discussion/examples on the topic:
Some Problems with Branch Based Development, And Recommendations
Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes
As I have previously written, I dislike branch based development (especially when it involves subversion and long lived feature branches). Sometimes projects have multiple teams concurrently working in the same codebase, each on different release schedules. For example, team "Delta Force" will go live in a year, with some super top secret and amazing functionality. (Do not get me started on how bad an idea this usually is. I believe in short, frequent releases and rapid customer feedback). All the while, team "Alpha Squadron" is working on periodic releases into production every few weeks or months. Nothing from Delta can go live with Alpha's releases. How do you enable these teams to cooperate? Some may suggest a long lived feature branch for Delta Force's code. And then "just" merge the changes from Alpha down to Delta. I believe this is a Bad Idea.
But, if you're forced into this scenario, at least explain to people the importance of frequently merging (i.e. on a daily basis). The longer you wait between merges, the greater the danger of increasing complexity and merge difficulties.
Rather than using a long lived branch, I suggest the following solution: Trunk Based Development. This means you do not create actual branches. Everyone is on the same trunk. As my colleague Paul Hammant phrases it, you Branch By Abstraction. My other colleague Martin Fowler calls this Feature Toggles. First, this enables refactoring, because everyone is working in one codebase. Second, as feature toggles become permanently turned on, you can remove them, and the conceptual divergence between the two "branches" drops. This is a Good Thing.
Once again, if you have a long lived branch, and even if you frequently merge, the divergence will grow as the not-reintegrated changes accumulate in the long lived branch. This divergence is RISK. It inhibits refactoring and encourages technical debt.
Prefer Trunk Based Development. It is not perfect, as there still is additional complexity in the codebase. But you can mitigate this with polymorphism instead of if conditionals, and have multiple continuous integration pipelines for all deployable feature toggle combinations.
By using Trunk based development, we make it easier to do the right thing. This is an example of the Boy Scout Rule. The Boy Scouts of America have a simple rule that we can apply to our profession. "Leave the campground cleaner than you found it."
If we all checked-in our code a little cleaner than when we checked it out, the code simply could not rot. The cleanup doesn't have to be something big. Change one variable name for the better, break up one function that's a little too large, eliminate one small bit of duplication, clean up one if statement.
Long lived feature branches make this difficult, because any changes you make to one branch needs to be replicated, or you may have merge difficulties. This is especially a problem for a "long lived receiving" branch, which by it's nature does not reintegrate its changes into the mainline. (Thus that branch is limited in what it can refactor).
Subversion Branch Merging and Tree Conflicts
Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes
I've written several times about how I recommend avoiding long lived feature branches. But, if you have to use these, you might run into a problem with subversion identifying unmergable tree conflicts. I think this has been fixed in current versions of subversion, but let me walk through a conceptual scenario of what was happening when you get this error message:
Error message:
svn: Attempt to add tree conflict that already exists
svn: Error reading spooled REPORT request response
(Using svn, version 1.6.4 (r38063) compiled Aug 7 2009, 03:47:20)
It starts when you have a branch and a cherry-picked merge from the branch to trunk.
Next, you want to merge all of the branch, to trunk. And you're using subversion merge tracking.
Subversion really does two merges: one up to the cherry pick, one after the cherry pick.
But, if there were tree conflicts in both the merge before and after the cherry pick, subversion (as of an older version we used last year) would die. I hope this is out of date, and you can avoid the problem with newer versions.
I had to recompile subversion from source, hacking in some special logging and then forcing it to continue after the merge conflict. Read more on the mailing list here and search for jawspeak or paul_hammant. With my patch, it would log a special message, continue, and not die.
Resolve it by manually fixing the tree conflicts (some of these scripts might help you), and mark the conflicts as resolved.
Moral of the story? Use Trunk Based Development, and not feature branches.


text:
I've had a high definition (HD) television for some time now, although just recently I have come out of the stone ages and shelled out the extra money to have HD cable service. I once thought that watching a regular DVD at 480p looked sharp as can be, but now that I have 1080i HDTV it has left me wanting better quality for my DVD's. I'm not alone it seems as HD content is gaining in popularity thanks to increasing availability and affordability of HD-capable television sets and movies on HD media. I was left looking for something to replace my aging DVD player that tops out at 480p as I wanted HD for my movies. With the Blu-ray and HD DVD format battle still raging I found myself looking at the Microsoft XBOX 360 HD DVD player as it should hold its retail value down the road should I ever choose to go Blu-ray as there are plenty of Xbox 360 owners in the world. The retail box that Xbox 360 HD DVD player comes in clearly states that a Microsoft Xbox 360 is required, but that isn't true as you are about to find out.
After getting the Xbox 360 HD DVD player from Best Buy we were set and ready to go. This particular HD DVD player is an external model that can be placed flat or standing up, which means it will fit in the entertainment center next to the HTPC and other audio equipment. It also comes with the HD DVD title King Kong, which means we will have something to watch once we get the system ready to use.
Many older computer systems will struggle to play smooth HD content playback as both Blu-ray and HD DVD media require up to six times the rendering required over standard-definition content and are memory bandwidth intensive. Digital rights management (DRM) technologies also create issues on older systems as High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) support is needed on both the PC and the monitor in order for Blu-ray and HD DVD media to play in HD. This means that to play HDCP content you must have HDCP ready components, including, but not limited to, an HDCP ready monitor, disk drive, multimedia application and computer operating system. If you don't pass these qualifications the copy-protected DVDs restrict playback to 480i and 480p modes, so make sure you have all the right components. HDCP is a form of Digital Rights Management (DRM) developed by Intel Corporation to control digital audio and video content as it travels across Digital Visual Interface (DVI) or High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connections (so thank Intel for this one).
My home theater personal computer (HTPC) has Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate installed along with an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT series video card, which makes setting everything up a breeze. The Xbox 360 HD DVD player was connected to the HTPC via the supplied USB cable and plugged into a power source. After connecting the HD DVD player to the computer with nothing more than the USB cable we can now worry about getting the HD content from the computer to the television.
To be compliant with the Windows Vista Premium logo requirements, a system with enabled HDMI outputs must include two distinct audio source – one main system source and one for HDMI output. All ATI Radeon HD 2000 series cards have an HD-audio controller on the ASIC, which creates a protected audio path separate from the system's main audio source. To use this source, one must use the ATI Radeon DVI-to-HDMI adapter to get full HD video and audio support. This adapter means that these cards can support Dolby Digital and DTS (AC3) enabling six channel (5.1) audio when connected to an HDMI receiver. This also makes installation simple as just one cable is needed for both the video and audio feeds, which makes for less clutter than component cables that many of us are used to running. We picked up an RCA six foot HDMI to HDMI cable from the local Wal-Mart and had the system setup for full HD support.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
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NEW Garmin OREGON Series
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I was well aware of this. My Etrex Vista was usually around 15 to 30. This is why I was just blown away with the 60SCx I just received. To be within 4 feet everytime is just unbelievable. You couldn't pry this unit away from me with a crowbar.If Garmin reads this and wants to send me an Oregon for testing I would be willing to give it another chance.
:lol: Nowthat's funny!
no consumer GPS'es that will give you repeatable one to four foot accuracy.
I hope it continues to be that accurate. I down loaded some Geocash sites in my area. I will give the unit a good workout over the next couple of weeks. We'll see how she does. Thanks for your responses Boyd.
Hit I have been a big fan of the 60 Csx myself and from my informal test while hunting and hiking, both in daylight and darkness the 60 seemed to be the most accurate unit that I have ever used and I've owned a lot of units over the past 11 years.
However, the accuracy reading that the unit displays is just an estimate and in some cases based on known waypoints or markers was not very conservative and was a lot more than what was posted on the unit at the time.
I've used my unit to travel to and from my car to the treestand and while the unit always brought me right to the location I don't think I've ever gotten within one foot, twenty or thirty feet sure but never within a foot.
Even twenty feet is excellent given all the variables and I've had many units that couldn't even come close to that type of accuracy on their best day with perfect conditions and no overhead cover.
One thing we have to remember that compared to the Garmin 60 Csx these other units are fairly new and with updates through software and firmware could quickly close the gap and tighten up their accuracy.
Take care, Roger
BTW Boyd great map I'll have to hop on over to the site and check it out!
Thanks, Roger
I agree the software may close the gap, and actually I'm hoping it does. The Oregon does have a different chip set that I'm hoping does not prove to be a disapointment over the 60CSx.
I know the units usually are within 10-30 feet accurate and that is all I was hoping for and all I need. However, this particular unit I have is much more accurate than that. I don't know why. I have used it now for almost two weeks and it has not been further off than 4 feet from any waypoint I go to. Usually much more accurate. This may vary in the future but right now I am extremely happy with the 60CSx. If anything happen to it I would purchase another one immediately.
Thanks for your post.
Bill you can't argue with success I say stick with the 60 I'm very happy with mine and it certainly hasn't let me down.
Have fun and get yourself some good mapping software like Topo USA 7.0 and start mapping out all your areas.
Have fun, Roger
Not that anyone cares what I think...
But here are 3 things that I'd like to see on the Oregon:
If you are pan'ing around on the map, and the push-pin inadvertently gets activated, the back arrow should just disable the push-pin, not take you back to where you were before you started pan'ing.
It would be cool to be able to have a particular profile where the GPS Mode is always set to Demo. Even after a power cycle.
I wish I could re-order the Where To? Sub-menu. Same with the Track Manager and the Route Planner and Waypoint Manager while I'm at it.
There are more "annoyances", but I'll save them for later...
I found some really cool stuff last night, I should share that instead of just crying... Probably not new information to everyone, but what the hay... I'm going to share it.
This is only specific to Northwest users.
I found - North West Trails:
They've put together a trail map database (transparent Map) for some of the NW states trails. Very cool collaboration.
Then there's GPSFileDepot
They have a free 24k Topo for Washington State.
There's a bunch of other stuff there as well. Worth checking out...
Overall the Oregon rules.
All very good points sam - ESPECIALLY #1. It is a real pain when you've dragged the map a great distance and accidentally tap which gives you the map tack.
GPSFileDepot does indeed have a lot of cool stuff. And the Oregon is a great platform to develop maps for - I have created one myself for Southern NJ with a very high level of detail:
Nice looking map I see you've taken the hands on approach and instead of waiting for Garmin to make the map you've made your own nice work!!!
Perhaps Garmin would entertain some of these request but I've never had any luck with trying to talk with the Garmin folks.
Take care, Roger
Thanks Styk. Life is too short to spend it waiting for Garmin :)
Here's a comparison of the pre-loaded US Topo 2008 and my map. To be fair though, my map only covers half of New Jersey (a small state) but uses almost 200MB of memory.
Does anyone else have this issue:
Sometime (randomly) while poking around in the menus, I'll tap a button, the button turns blue, yet the function doesn't activate. It's annoying.
I had an phone years ago, where you could push the number buttons on the keypad and it would beep an you, but it would not really activate the button push (DTMF tones were not sent to the network).
It's almost like the buttons have three states:
State 1 - not pushed.
State 2 - pushed half way (button turns blue, but function is not activated).
State 3 - (if you push it harder) button turns blue and button function is activated.
I'm thinking that there should only be two state: off (button not pushed) or on (button turning blue and function being activated concurently.
Is my Oregon broken, or are others seeing this as well?
Any thoughts or ideas anyone???
I have the same problem with mine. It seems to happen when I jump between screens fast. It is like the unit is trying to think or gets confused. I'm hopping they will fix it as time goes by.
Wow, I've never seen that. I am running the newest (I think) firmware.
As far as I now I have the latest firmware also. The problem seemed to get worse after installing it. My unit also seems to loose map detail if I use the car power cord for extended periods. I'm hoping all this gets fixed over time, but even with these few problems this unit rocks.
Garmin has just released the beta version of new Oregon software. Looks like there are a number of new features:
Change History
Changes made from version 2.93 to 2.94:
Report any problems with beta software to email@example.com
Note: After updating, the first GPS acquisition will take longer than normal. After the Oregon has been on long enough to collect the necessary GPS data, acquisition times will return to normal.
Added ability to see a list of points from the map when several points are at the same location
Added ability to edit a waypoint from the waypoint review
Improved render quality of GB Discoverer maps and maps with satellite imagery
Improved Main Menu setup and added option to add and remove items.
Improved readability of configurable data fields
Fixed increased battery consumption and shutdowns in some units
@rt 0 PointsCan someone tell me what bit depth the screenshots are saved as when
it is done with the unit itself?
Would be interested to know if it saved a 24 bit bitmap or 16 bit bitmap.
Also, I hear it can display photos.
Are there any limitations on the type of files you can display?
Basically, I just found out the unit normally displays 16 bit colour which means
thousands of colours rather than 16.7 million colours.
I wonder if there's a 24 bit capability where photos or backgrounds are concerned.
Cheers, Art.
scootersite 0 PointsHi All,
I'm ready to upgrade from my "state of the art" emap to a newer device and this forum has been a huge help. I've narrowed it down to the Oregon 400t or the GPS60Csx. I'd be sold on the 400 if it weren't for the accuracy and screen visibility issues. I'll keep lurking and hoping for some improvements to the 400 or I'll buy the 60.
BOYD.......saw your maps of the Pine Barrons and they look great. I ride off road motorcycles up there occasionally and I was wondering if I could buy a map set from you. My sense of direction in the woods is nonexistent so I can use all the help I can get. Would your maps be compatible with both the 60CSX and the Oregon?
This version is supposed to fix the shutdown bug in the last one. As with versioin 2.99, you can now name map files anything you want as long as you add the .img extension and put them in the Garmin folder. Very cool. Have not yet tried this myself, but it's getting good reports elsewhere on the net.
Updates & Downloads
Oregon 300 software version 3.01 Beta
as of June 22, 2009
* Although this software is believed to be reliable, it has not yet been released for production and should be used at your own risk.
Change History
Changes made from version 2.99 to 3.01:
* Fixed improper shutdown.
A review of the new Oregon 550, along with lots of screenshots and photos, has been posted here:
It sounds like the main change in the screen is a glossy instead of matte finish, and that it makes very little difference in visibility. The camera and geo-tagging features actually look pretty cool to me though.
Hi all,
I am new to the forums here. I am a GPS user but not to the technical level that many here are. I currently have a Garmin eTrex Vista and have been very happy with it but it is getting old and a bit beat up. So, I am looking at maybe upgrading to the Oregon but like most I have some questions.
First, I have the Garmin Mapsource CD's for my eTrex. The base map in the eTrex was worthless, Mapsource has been good but not great. I see that some of the Oregon versions come with a base map, some with a preloaded topographic maps and some with preloaded U.S. Inland Lakes. The information on Garmins web site is somewhat sketchy as to what these maps contain and what the differences are. Since Garmin offers Trail Maps and Road Maps as additional purchases I am guessing that the preloaded maps are lacking. Can anyone shed some light on what the different versions contain, how complete they are and what would make the add on maps worth spending the extra $100 on?
Most of my other questions are easier, such as how long does a set of batteries last? How hard are software updates to install? Does Garmin charge for software updates? How durable are they?
Any info would be greatly appreciated!
The all of the Oregon's have a base map. It has crude road detail and low resolution DEM (digital elevation model) data to provide shaded terrain. The 400i and 400c have a different basemap which includes low resolution satellite imagery.
The 200 is the basic model with no internal memory or detailed maps. You need to add your own data card for map. Also no compass or altimeter. Arguably the best bang for the buck however.
The 300 adds the compass and altimeter, plus ~850mb free internal memory.
The 400t has 4gb internal memory and includes Garmin's US Topo 100k software. This is the same map as the following:
The 400i has 1.85GB internal memory and includes G2 Vision Inland Lakes maps.
The 400c has 984MB internal memory and includes bluechart G2 Vision coastal maps.
THe 550 has 850MB internal memory and adds a builtin camera with geotagging features plus a better compass.
The 550t adds the same US Topo maps as the 400t.
If you got a 200 or 300, you should be able to use your existing US Topo maps. But due to software limits, you can't load the whole US at once. Also, if your maps are on CD (instead of DVD) they are an older version which doesn't support shaded terrain and doesn't work with the new BaseCamp software.
Have a peek at GPSFileDepot.com and see if any of the free maps might meet your needs.
Battery life seems to vary a lot depending on what you use. I use the cheapest Rayovac or whatever alkaline batteries I can find most of the time. Never completely ran them down, but they may only give 5 hours with backlight use. Some people claim 12 hour, even longer, life with expensive rechargeables.
System software updates are always free. Map updates can vary, depending on the product. They go for years without updating their topo maps, so don't expect freebies there.
I think the Oregon looks and feels very rugged. No problem with mine yet. It seems comparable to my GPSMap 60csx in that regard.
Thanks for the info. Very helpful :D
The new Oregon software is finally out of beta. Quite a long list of improvements (which I believe have all appeared in the beta versions). Will have to finally give this a try on mine!
http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4051Change History
Changes made from version 2.80 to 3.10:
* Added Waypoint Averaging application (For more information visit our new Trail Tech website at http://garmin.blogs.com/softwareupdates/trail-tech/)
* Added Sight 'N Go application for the Oregon 300/400i/400c/400t
* Added Man Overboard application
* Added big numbers option to the trip computer
* Added customizable text to unit power-on screen (see \Garmin\startup.txt)
* Added ability to load maps from any img file in the Garmin directory
* Added new trip computer dashboards
* Added option to display four configurable data fields on the map
* Added 'search near' option to Geocaches search
* Added the ability to view geocache logs separate from the description
* Added ability to see a list of points from the map when several points are at the same location
* Added ability to edit a waypoint from the waypoint review
* Added support for Custom POI database and category selection
* Added distance and bearing to point when reviewing a Custom POI
* Added POI subcategories
* Added change location to Sun and Moon
* Added change location to Hunt and Fish
* Added ability to force the Oregon into mass storage mode by holding the power button for 30 seconds while plugged into a USB cable
* Added NMEA 9600 baud
* Improved render quality of GB Discoverer maps and maps with satellite imagery
* Improved map zooming
* Improved map draw speed
* Improved map panning and zooming when shaded relief is turned on
* Improved automatic route recalculation
* Improved Custom POI spell search
* Improved Main Menu setup and added option to add and remove items
* Improved readability of configurable data fields
* Improved display of numeric degrees and mils
* Improved GPS performance at slow speeds in tree cover
* Improved compass responsiveness in challenging GPS environments
* Improved battery gage for NiMH batteries
* Improved stability when changing profiles
* Improved Wherigo stability
* Improved connection reliability with Spanner
* Improved Spanish keyboard
* Fixed airport points not displaying on the map
* Fixed lockup when a search returns no results
* Fixed elevation errors when reviewing a point other than a waypoint
* Increased the number of waypoints viewable from the Waypoint Manager and Where To?>Waypoints
TyphoonTom0402 0 Points:x I just updated my Garmin to version 3.13 and it will no longer boot. It is totally trashed. I can't even to a hard reboot/system reboot. When I try to boot it up it just quits. I am, however, able to see all my files when I hook it up to my computer. But when I try to re-update it, I get the following message: "There was a problem copying files to destination drive. File or directory is corruptetd and undreadable". This only happened after the update. Does anyone have any ideas? I need help urgently...thanks!
firstname.lastname@example.com if you can e-mail me directly...thanks!
I know some people were experiencing this problem with one of the earlier beta's. Have not followed it myself unfortunately. Visit gpsfix.net and I think you will find some help.
What's the advantage of having the on-board compass of the Oregon 300 vs the 200? Does the GPS not tell you which direction the GPS is facing?
Also - does the 200 state altitude based on ones position on the topological map?
Curious if I need the 300 over the 200. :)
See: What is an Electronic Compass?.
Altitude is derived from GPS, it does not assume you are on the ground.
Thanks for this! Pulling up more threads on this, I may be better off saving the $ and using a Silva compass when needed... like the idea this will contribute to a better battery life as well.
On this note, does the lack of the barometer/compass free up 'CPU cycles' with this GPS?
I don't think it would make much of a difference in CPU load.
Ordered an Oregon 300 yesterday. Will be here tomorrow per UPS. Looking forward to giving it a whirl this weekend. :)
Congratulations! Let us know your impressions after you get outside with it. You will also want to check out the new raster imagery feature - see this thread: http://forums.gpsreview.net/discussion/15841/x/p1/
It requires you to load the newest beta software however, so make a full backup of everything on your unit before attempting this and realize that it is still somewhat buggy - but (IMO) cool enough to be worth using anyway. :D
That - is very sweet. Thanks for pointing this out!Congratulations! Let us know your impressions after you get outside with it. You will also want to check out the new raster imagery feature - see this thread: http://forums.gpsreview.net/discussion/15841/x/p1/
It requires you to load the newest beta software however, so make a full backup of everything on your unit before attempting this and realize that it is still somewhat buggy - but (IMO) cool enough to be worth using anyway. :D
I just noticed that the opening splash screen can be customized with your contact name/number, whatever. It's not in the menus, but if you go into the "Garmin" folder on your Oregon or Dakota and find the Startup text file, it's editable. Typed my name and number at the end of the file as it instructs, changed the timing fro 0 to 10 seconds and saved it. At least an honest finder can return it to me now.
I'm sure Boyd already knew this, but for the rest of the dummies like me. . . :)
Actually I didn't know that Gator - thanks (although I've never had the desire to change the startup screen myself). There's also this program for customizing the Oregon (probably works on the Dakota?). Have never used it myself, so caveat emptor!
Application update 4.2 for the x50 Oregon's released today
Change History
Changes made from version 4.00 to 4.20:
* Fixed shutdown related to the current track that occurred after updating the software
* Fixed a hang that occurred when a unit had 1000 auto-named waypoints
Along with a beta application update released for the Dakota's earlier today, the Oregon versions are now available.
Oregon xx0 4.11 update can be downloaded at http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4741
For the xx5 4.31 version go to
Identical change history for both.
Updated magnetic Earth field data
Improved GPS performance
Fixed issue with track navigation sometimes not adding waypoints to the Active Route list
Fixed issue with MPC map labels disappearing
Fixed shutdown on the map page when you have a geocache dashboard active and return after pressing the geocache name
Problems with the software may be reported to email@example.com.
This is too cool! A night mode map for your Oregon and City Navigator.
The developer says for Oregon or Colorado, but I can't think of a reason it won't work with a Dakota too.
Funny, I have been meaning to do something similar, however just yesterday I had an insight into why there isn't a night mode on the Oregon. I have been developing a very complex map that has "dense" colors to it. It was designed for use primarily in night mode on the Nuvi and I'm very happy with the way it looks there. Also looks good to me in Mapsource/Basecamp on the computer.
I was just about to upload to GPSFileDepot yesterday but wanted to try it on the Oregon first. To my surprise: it looks terrible - almost unreadable. It really brings out the worst in the Oregon's screen (I have the 400t, which is the old style screen). The problem is that the Oregon screen has a very low contrast ratio (number of steps between black and white).
This probably wouldn't be much of an issue with the map you linked to, since it's a black background with light colored lines. But it's a big problem with this kind of map, which works well on the Nuvi. Not really sure what to do at this point, because I don't want to "dumb it down" just to work on the Oregon.
Very frustrating for me as a mapmaker...
I wouldn't have expected that, having no idea the contrast ratio was different than the nuvis. Sorry you've gone to so much effort as I'm sure the Oregon was a target device for your map. I wonder if the author of the map I linked had already made the same discovery as you, thus the black background.
In any case I wish I had half the understanding and talent that you do for map making. I started on a Florida-wide one based on a 1918 railroad map several months ago. Then I downsized that to Central Florida, and since then haven't been able to get motivated to complete it. A lot more time invested than I had originally expected. Kudos to anyone who takes the time to create mapping for the rest of us to enjoy.
Thanks for the kind words Gator. It sounds like you might have been trying to create one of the "Custom Maps" for your Dakota. Those are raster-based (pictures, basically). The map I'm working on is a traditional vector-based Garmin map that works on all models.
Actually my target was the Nuvi as well as the computer screen, but I was hoping it would also work out on the Oregon. Heh, didn't test it until yesterday because somehow I "bricked" my unit and needed to spend awhile to revive it (tip: if it won't complete the boot process, pull the batteries, replace then hold the power button constantly while plugging into the USB :) )
Anyway, I decided to mull this over a bit. The map currently only has a night mode, but I could add daytime colors for the Oregon. It might also look a lot better on the newer models than my 400t. The Nuvi's have very bright screens (for sunlight in the car), which is why they suck down their batteries so quickly! The Oregon/Dakota screens are trans-reflective: they also work with the backlights turned off. The Nuvi's do not.
If you want to dabble with Garmin vector-based maps, download the trial of Mapwel from http://mapwel.eu. It's pretty user-friendly and surprisingly powerful.
Yup, exactly what I was doing. The next time I have an unscheduled free day I'll give Mapwel a spin. May be a few weeks tho as my son enjoyed the hike so much this weekend he's made plans for new trails the next three Saturdays.
Boyd, the author of the NightMode file I mentioned above has determined he can't make a night mode for Garmin's 100K or 24K maps, but for a different reason. At the same time he says he's got a way for it to work with most custom maps.Funny, I have been meaning to do something similar, however just yesterday I had an insight into why there isn't a night mode on the Oregon.
Discussion thread is here: http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?s=37d8c6e9b11b70d81e2ec97b78a12a7f&showtopic=266370
I have just ordered my Oregon 450 from GPS Central....was wondering what size microSC card to buy, and I guess the card adaptor comes with the mini card.I also have an Oregon in hand if anyone has specific questions.
Really depends on what you plan to do. Some people may not need any card. If you plan to subscribe to Birdseye, you will want a card definitely. If you aren't sure, then just wait. The unit is completely usable without any card and has enough internal memory to install several maps.
Thanks Boyd....just looking for as much info I can get on the 450. By reading the posts on the Montana there are a lot user's switching to this new unit. Is there a few posts kicking around on the oregon 450, hopefully it will serve me well. I guess I'm also looking for a few maps to download. Also if there are a few maps available and does one apply these maps to basecamp and then to the 450. As you can see there is much for me to learn. With my old blue Etrex Legend I used for geocaching there wasn't much for mapping ability. Anyways won't bable on.Really depends on what you plan to do. Some people may not need any card. If you plan to subscribe to Birdseye, you will want a card definitely. If you aren't sure, then just wait. The unit is completely usable without any card and has enough internal memory to install several maps.
Have a look at the maps here: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/all
Notice the column heading "EZ Install". All of these maps include an installer program that does all the hard stuff for you. Just install Basecamp first, then run the installer and you can view the map on your computer. Then you may select the portions of it that you want and send them to your gps.
See "tutorials to help you use the maps" here: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/
Wow...thks so much, I do believe this is what I'm looking for, being a newbie. Will digest and see if I can sort this out.Have a look at the maps here: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/all
Notice the column heading "EZ Install". All of these maps include an installer program that does all the hard stuff for you. Just install Basecamp first, then run the installer and you can view the map on your computer. Then you may select the portions of it that you want and send them to your gps.
See "tutorials to help you use the maps" here: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/
Boyd, wondering if there is such a site for Canada.
Not that I know of. Choose Canada as a country at GPSFileDepot and you will find some maps I think. The ibycus topo has been very popular in Canada, but I'm not sure if you will find it online anymore. My understanding is that the author will send you a DVD for a few bucks though. See the info here: http://www.ibycus.com/ibycustopo/
babj615 41 Points
I have been trying to sort it all out for more than a year now... ALWAYS something more to learn... but it sure is fun!Wow...thks so much, I do believe this is what I'm looking for, being a newbie. Will digest and see if I can sort this out.


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"In my beginning is my end."
T.S. Elliot
Early 20th century American-English poet/playwright
A reminder that everything ultimately ends, or at least changes to become something else, including all in your career and business.
On this last day of 2010, the day before the first day of 2011, well you should recognize this in your business life.
I wish you all your best year yet, only to be surpassed by those that will follow.


text:
Get the King's Bounty: Armored Princess [PC] English Demo off WP (460mb)
This will be an add-on to the critically acclaimed King's Bounty: The Legend. Players will take on the role of Princess Amelie who travels around the world of Teana and searches for the renowned knight, and her tutor, Bill Gilbert.
This new world of King's Bounty: Armored Princess is full of mysteries and dangers. The new character, the Princess, will encounter horrible creatures, huge monstrous bosses and a new race, the bloodthirsty Pangolins. As in the multi-award winning game on which this expansion is based, the player has many options to resist these new enemies. Various new skills and characteristics of Amelie as well as her chance to fly will help her overcome the hordes attacking the kingdom. The Princess is also accompanied by a tamed dragon, at the very beginning small and amusing, but its abilities develop steadily until it becomes an incredible ally. He will do his best to protect the Princess during the battles, starting with easy blows and treasure hunting and finishing with battle rage and volcano summoning.
King's Bounty: The Legend (the main title this expansion pack works with) is an adventure game with tactical turn-based battles and RPG elements unfolding in a rich fantasy world. The character and their army of companions travel across a huge continent, visiting dozens of different locations all connected to each other. Communicating with NPCs, collecting resources and recruiting an army the player will control their character in real-time mode, while all battles take place in classic turn-based mode with a strong emphasis on tactical elements.
Key Features :
- New fascinating story-line and a whole new continent to explore
- A new female character to play - Princess Amelie
- Medals giving bonuses can be received for special achievements
- Tamed dragon which becomes more powerful as the player does
- New Pangolin race
- Possibility to turn your horse into a Pegasus which can fly
- Fast travel between opened continents
- Hire companions
- Resurrection of the classic system of contracts and headhunting
- Improved role playing system including more abilities and the chance to achieve level 50 and higher
- Brand new spells and new Adventure Magic spell for game map
- New unique bosses: Borer Robot, Gremlin, Archdemon Baal and many others
- New engine supporting the latest graphic effects
- Beautiful, hand drawn environments
More articles about King's Bounty: Armored Princess


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The web is generating a lot of buzz today, particularly with Adobe's Create the Web event focusing on tools and technologies for the modern web! Speaking of the web, I'm excited to profile a couple of upcoming browser-based games from Japan and Germany. Thanks to the reach of Adobe's Flash Player on over 1.3B connected desktops, these two games really show off where AAA and sophisticated, console quality titles are being brought to the social web with great success.
Square Enix Japan has just launched a teaser version of their upcoming social game "Legend World," where users relive past gaming glories by battling boss monsters from older Square Enix titles. Thanks to the Flash Player and Stage3D, Square Enix Japan was able to take the actual 3D models and animations out of games they shipped to consoles, and put them directly into the browser. That means that you're fighting the exact same boss that was in the original console game. While the game will only be in Japanese, you can check out the battle demo here, featuring Ring Wyrm from Final Fantasy XII on PlayStation2: http://member.square-enix.com/jp/gamezone/legendworld/battleflash/index.php
And for you MMORPG fans, Herokon Online is coming soon to a browser near you. Based on a German pen and paper RPG – Das Schwarze Auge – Herokon Online takes you into the world of Aventuria where players can role play numerous characters, with a wide variety of skills and attributes. The gorgeous graphics and over 6 million DSA players could be reason enough to entice you to sign up for the beta…even if you don't speak German!
For more examples of games on the web and mobile, please visit the Adobe Gaming Showcase.


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Pdub wrote:I did the dream shake. This is how I do it. With my back to the basket and no dribble, I press toward the left or right of the players facing direction and tap shoot right after(almost simultaneously), then I hold the right thumbstick in a direction and the player finished the move. I ended up laying the ball up behind the backboard, but atleast I did it.
Sportsgamer wrote:Sorry that I may bump but did anyone see this before?
Did he ever did this ingame? It happened after he blocked or someone went out of bounds or something.
sticky-fingers wrote:Now it's a major bumpage
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text:
cannot vs. can not
The first spelling/grammatical mistake I always see, even in journals is the spelling for cannot. Cannot must be one word, just like today and tomorrow!
But, I see so many can nots!! You can still grammatically use can not in some contexts, like Can you not shake your leg when I'm in the room? You can just not shake, ok? -> You can not shake it.
As in, you can choose to not shake it rather than you being unable, incapable of shaking! But that's not the context they use in those darn journals!
Submit Your Comment
Well, my dictionary says both are fine. And, a lot of grammarians on the Web seem to agree. But what I'm curious about is how "cannot" became acceptable and then a preferred form. I would guess that at first "can not" was the only acceptable form. We don't use "maynot", "couldnot" or "shouldnot", so why "cannot"?
Maybe because of the n and n :S
Of course "can not" is fine. It has a stronger pulse than "cannot," so I prefer it.
"cannot" is preferred; using "can not" runs you the risk of looking uneducated (despite being technically OK). Obvious exceptions are sentences like "This device can not only slice; it can also dice!"
Looks "uneducated" to whom?
"Can not" seems to work when there needs to be emphasis on "not".
Contractions are frowned upon in formal and technical writing. "Can't" is not an appropriate substitution.
I strongly believe that cannot is different from can not. cannot is the negative form of can. I cannot swim. can not is a correlative conjuction- I can not only sing but also dance. I can not only teach mathematics but also econoics and English. I stand to be corrected. Thanks
OK Muhydeen, let's correct you.
The two example sentences where you wrote "can" and "not" side by side have nothing in common with "cannot":
I can not only sing but also dance. I can not only teach mathematics but also economics and English.
In these sentences the "not" negated the exclusion expressed by the word "only" rather than the possibility expressed by "can".
Dear dbfreak,
"Can you not shake your leg when I'm in the room? You can just not shake, ok? -> You can not shake it."
First, you probably debate a permission to shake my leg when you are in the room, which should be expressed with the word "may" rather than the physical possibility expressed by "can". However you are correct to state that your example is also correct grammatically. Only then it means that you are possibly so huge as to make shaking a leg physically impossible by your presence in the tiny room. Alternatively, you could be one scary ... whose presence paralyses the poor victim and he or she can not move the darn leg.
Cannot is only accepted in the U.K. It is not considered to be correct in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
@Matt P ... Not true. Cannot is used, taught, and stated as preferred in the US ...
Others, a good discussion here: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/cannot-or-can-not/
and here http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic8863-15.html
It is a contradicting statement to write "can not" . One can do something and then not do something. But if you cannot do something it simply states that one is not able to do something. Simple as that.
It is also contradicting to write "need not". One need do something and then not do something. But if you needn't do something, it simply states that one does not need to do something. Put the words together, or it is a contradiction. Simple as that.
The OED says of cannot: "the ordinary modern way of writing can not". Fowler agrees. No one (not noone, the opposite of someone) says when it entered the language.
Personally, I think it looks ugly. I prefer can not (no modern person, I!)
By the way, Fowler claims cannot is pronounced can't.
They are both valid. They do not have quite the same meaning. Think about it. "Cannot" spoken as a single word is just a negation. But "can not" has more force, it is a negation with emotional force because it mirrors the way humans slow down when speaking in anger.
As for "can not" being a contradiction. This is false reasoning. Logically, "can not" means "not can" which is how the logic is expressed in computer languages (and formal logic). Nothing wrong with it.
Also languages are fluid. Sometimes you bend rules to get an effect.
Can not and cannot have 2 different meaning. You have the ability to not do something, which is where you would use "can not", for example "I can not choose to be a jerk, and I an choose to be nice." The word "cannot" indicates impossibility. I cannot life a building.
While it is possible for "can not" and "cannot" to be used to mean the same thing, (I can not eat this food vs I cannot eat this food), it is MUCH simpler to use "cannot" in terms of impossibility, and "can not" when there is a decision to be made on the issue in question.
Ugh. . . I can not choose to proofread my comments before I post, but then I cannot prevent spelling and grammatical errors in my work.
In my humble opinion, 'can' is not noun but modal. It doesn't change its form.
Both 'tomorrow' and 'today' - given as supporting examples - are nouns.
1. Can you not go there?
2. Cannot you go there?
Which one's correct sentence? First one for me.
I also do not like hearing 'could' is the past simple of 'can'.
Grammarians mostly say the modals can not be conjugated after which they say 'could' is the past tense of 'can'. Interesting.
I cannot believe I found a blog about the words "cannot" and "can not" , this can not be happening....lol.
"Both the one-word form cannot and the two-word form can not are acceptable, but cannot is more common (in the Oxford English Corpus, three times as common). The two-word form is better only in a construction in which not is part of a set phrase, such as 'not only ... but (also)' " Oxford Dictionaries Online
@e2e4 - You bring up an interesting point about the question form, and as you say "cannot" doesn't work there, but for the very good reason that in question form when the auxiliary is not contracted, "not" comes after the inverted subject:
"Didn't she say she was coming?", but "Did she not say she was coming?"
"Haven't I seen you before?", but "Have I not seen you before?"
"Won't you do as I ask?", but "Will you not do as I ask?"
"Can't you go there?", but "Can you not go there?"
But "cannot" is in a class all of of its own. I don't think the fact that we can't/cannot/can not use it in question form has any bearing on which is better in positive statements.
As for your other point, it is fine to use "could" as the past of "can" when talking about general ability in the past - "At the age of four he could already read and write", but not to talk about ability on a a specific occasion - "I locked myself out last night, but was able to get in through a back window" - NOT - "I could get in through a back window". In negatives though, "couldn't" works for both general and specific ability in the past - "I couldn't find my keys last night".
Modals don't really have tense, but on certain occasions, such as reported speech, four modals can act as the past of others, so: will>would, can>could, shall>should, may>might.
Incidentally my grammar books warn against simply seeing "could" and "would" as the past of "can" and "will", as they also have several other functions, like for example, distancing - "Could you pass me the jam, please?"
Sorry, that's not distancing, but a polite form.
Sorry again. That should have course read "which is better in negative statements", NOT "which is better in positive statement." Silly me!
Whatever idiot out there is trying to dictate the spelling of 'cannot' obviously needs better things to do with their time. Um, 'can not' looks way better and if people are freaking out about it than they obviously have control issues
Cannot and can not are both acceptable English, but they have different meanings.
"I can not" is stronger form of of "may not". It is possible that I can't, but the the possibility that I can is not excluded.
Example: I can or I can not go somewhere.
"I cannot" means that it is impossible.
Example: I cannot go anywhere
@Henri - do you have any evidence to back you up there. Every dictionary I've looked at has cannot =can not, without any qualification.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage has several examples of "cannot" meaning "may not", including one from the original language maven, William Safire, who used to write on English at the New York Times - "You can flout convention and flout authority, but you cannot use use flaunt for flout". At the time a correspondent complained to Safire that he should have said "may not", but MWDEU say "this usage is so clear and firmly established in writing on usage that it shouldn't be quibbled at"
There is no suggestion of this difference either in the original Fowle's or in the Third Edition.
@Henri - OK I misunderstood your argument. I thought you meant "may" for permission, but in fact you're talking about possibility. What I think you're really saying is "I might go, then on the other hand I might not go".
But I wouldn't say that that's a very common use of "can not" nor that it's the only possible meaning. We can use it when we want to stress the "not" for example. But Burchfield writing in the New Modern Fowler's suggest that it's also simply a matter of preference; he says he usually writes "can not" rather than "cannot" for example.
"Cannot" means the exact same thing as "can not". They both mean the same things. The only exception is when "not" is being applied to a verb other than "can".
I find the distinction quite useful. Cannot means the action is impossible; can not means there is the option to not take the action. Thus "I was going to X, but if you don't want me to I can not" means I would be happy to change my plans if you want me to"; on the other hand, "I was going to X, but if you do't want me to I cannot" means that you have the power to veto my action.
@e2e4: Actually, the second was in common currency in centuries past--from Jane Austen's Emma: "'Cannot you, my dear Emma--cannot you form a guess as to what you are to hear?'" Cf. will not/do not etc. Austen. It would still be grammatically correct, but modern tongues would automatically contract it: "Can't you go there?" or "Can't you form a guess?"
Indeed, I think that today "Can you not" would be used to mean "Can't you" only by people trying to sound extra-formal, such as authors writing historical fiction (which is often wrong, since it should be "Cannot you" to avoid anachronism). Much more often I would expect a spoken "Can you not?" to have the emphasis on the 'can' (as others have noted), meaning "Are you allowed to not?" or else "Would you refrain?" rather than "Is it impossible?": "Can you not buy homeowner's insurance?" or "Can you not keep tapping your foot?"
@nadibes - The problem for me is that your example "I was going to X, but if you don't want me to I can not" doesn't sound particularly natural to me. Wouldn't we be more likely to say "but if you don't want me to, I can *not* go", or even more likely "I don't *have* to go"?
In fact there is not one single hit on Google (or in Google Books) for "if you don't want me to I can not", whereas there are nearly five million for "if you don't want me to I don't have to". Even "You can not go if you don't want to", which sounds slightly better to me, really only gets one hit.
If we did use "can not" in this sense, it is because we are stressing the "not", and "cannot" would admittedly not be possible here, and there would indeed be a difference in meaning. But I think that sort of sentence is pretty rare.
As you rightly say, this stress also happens with "can you not", which can sometimes be a stronger version of "can't you".
"Can you *not* shut up while I'm trying to listen to the news?"
"Can't you shut up while I'm trying to listen to the news?"
But in other cases, "can't" wouldn't be possible.
"Can you *not* forget to buy milk this time?"
I've just noticed dbfreak's example - "Can you not shake your leg when I'm in the room?", where he says that it means - You can just not shake, ok? -> You can not shake it. As in, you can choose to not shake it rather than you being unable, incapable of shaking!
But that's not what it means to me at all! To me it means "Please don't shake your leg when I'm in the room!" just as "Can you not forget to buy milk this time?" means "Please don't forget".
A search at the British National Corpus for "can not" brings up a random fifty examples - 48 of which are for "cannot", and where "cannot" or "can't" could be substituted in both examples "can not".
Check "can not" at Google Books, and on the first few pages at least, all the examples could be replaced by "cannot" or "can't".
In almost all standard contexts, there is no difference.
What I have learned is that CANNOT is used in the UK and CAN NOT is used in the US.
@Abootty - I don't know where you got that one from, as 'cannot' is the most common on both sides of the Atlantic:
OED (UK) - "cannot is the ordinary modern way of writing can not"
AskOxford (UK) - "Both cannot and can not are acceptable spellings, but the first is much more usual."
Common Errors, at Washington State University (US) - "These two spellings are largely interchangeable, but by far the more common is "cannot" and you should probably use it except when you want to be emphatic"
Merriam-Webster (US) - "cannot"
GrammarGirl (US) - 'Both "cannot" and "can not" are acceptable, although it's more common to see the one-word spelling--"cannot." '
Google Books - "cannot" - 297 million, "can not" - 33 million
I'll stick with cain't.
I agree with Henri, I see a difference.
You cannot go there. - It is not possible/permissible to go there, i.e. you have to not go there.
You can not go there. - it is not obligatory to go there, i.e. you don't have to go there.
But I can see how it could be confusing and I'd avoid "can not".
p.s. I'm UK
@Thredder -There is a theoretically possible difference yes, as in 'I can not go, you know. I don't have to.' But trying to find examples in real life is nigh on impossible. The vast majority of times that can not is used it has exactly the same meaning as cannot (see quote from Oxford Dictionaries in my November 12, 2012 comment).
Incidentally, I've just noticed a comment by Mr Eugene from November 11, 2012 which neatly and wittily shows another difference of use:
'I cannot believe I found a blog about the words "cannot" and "can not" , this can not be happening....lol.'
'cannot' for unstressed, and 'can not' when we really want to stress 'not'.
Well nigh impossible, but not completely:
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Jake yawned
"You can not go if you don't want to." Finn shrugged and left the house
From a piece of fan fiction (with some nice pictures) at http://www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/artists/371275254?view_mode=2
From more fan fiction, but I think not by a native speaker:
"We can not do it if you don't want to!" "Ani, lets do it." My competitive spirit rised up. "Sure." He smiled cheerfully. "We'll try the competition please." "Okay!"
(on SEO - to someone who had created a lot of keywords) "first of all, you can not make so many keywords, you need to focus on some of them."
"he will get pissed whenever I ask if he can not spend so much time on the computer,"
This is quite a good one - constructions like 'Can you not make so much noise' are quite common, but less so without the intervening pronoun - could not is more common (being reported speech).
"can not do it if you don't want" gets only 1 hit on Google
"can not go if you don't want" -gets 4, but one of them is this page and two are obviously written by non-native speakers
Are there different spellings for "not allowed to" and "not able to" in terms of cannot vs. can not?
@Emera - cannot, can not, can't are all use for both "not allowed to" and "not able to"
You cannot / can not / can't smoke in here
She cannot / can not / can't come tomorrow
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (and Google Define) - "cannot = can not"
The main difference is that cannot is much more common than can not. The only exception is in the type of expression discussed above - 'You can NOT go if you don't want to go' - here cannot wouldn't work.- i.e. it is possible not to go.
You can't get to "I can't not do it" with out can not.
You can use 'can not' if you want to emphasise the 'not' as 'cannot' has emphasis on the first syllable.
I remember asking a girl if she would go to a movie with me. First she said, "I can go."
But then she said, "Or, I can (and a long Silence was filled with her most captivating face and body movements) not go."
Do you have a question? Submit your question here


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I am going to stand by what i have said though...sorry
What a lovely attitude to have. You have absolutely no idea what conditions these animals were kept in and why they were outside. No consideration has been given to how scared these cats must have been to be ripped away from their home by strangers in the middle of the night.In addition, this lady does rescue work and two of the cats that were taken were neutered non pedigrees. They could have been in an outside pen for many behavioural reasons.You may not agree with breeding and that is up to you but I find your comments callous and I hope the lady concerned does not read them.
i suppose it's possible that some well meaning person believes that they've "liberated" them rather than stolen them. if that's the case then they could well end up neutered and rehomed as pets rather than breeding stock.
Worse thing is most of them are entire so arent going to end up being sold on as pets but kept for full advantage
This is terrible.....I do hope all the kitties are brought back!
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Amazon's Share of the E-Book Market: From 90 Percent to 35 Percent in Five Years
Amazon's dominance of the fledgling e-book market will be relatively short-lived. For while sales of digital books are growing, so too are the devices on which to read them. With Apple's (AAPL) iPad heading to market this spring and a rumored Google (GOOG) tablet some time after that, Amazon (AMZN) is going to have a tough time holding on to the 90 percent share of the e-book market it currently claims.
According to Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang, the retailer will likely see its e-book market share slip from 90 percent to 72 percent this year and to 35 percent by 2015.
"Near term, we suspect that the iPad and the new eBook agency pricing model, which requires that Amazon increase retail prices to be more consistent with Apple's pricing, will provide Kindle with the most market share headwind," Wang wrote. "Going forward, we can envision a scenario where Apple, Amazon, and Google eventually split the market. Therefore, we expect Amazon's share of eBooks business to fall from 90 percent currently to about 35 percent over the next five years."
That's a steep decline, but if Wang is right, it will be tempered a bit by a concomitant increase in sales as e-books become more mainstream. The analyst figures Amazon's e-book sales will rise to $775 million from $248 million over the next five years.


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Publisher description for AnyCount - Corporate License (8 PCs)
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text:
Ayer-Shirley's largest challenge this year will be its lack of depth, but that is not uncommon for the Panthers. Billy Wright takes over the Panthers' program after former head coach Jason Rivers was chased out of town after an abysmal 1-10 finish in his first season.
The attitude around Panthers camp is upbeat, confident and ready.
"We looked pretty good in the early scrimmages," senior captain and quarterback Zak Walker said. "We are moving the ball well and stopped them defensively, which is a little different than last year. I think we look good."
Ryan Richard and Anthony Burwell are the Panthers' other two captains. They both have quickly bought into the new system coach Wright and his staff have set in place. The All-Star offensive tackle, Burwell, is looking to put the team's 1-10 season behind him and make 2013 a season to remember.
"We just want to have a better season than last year," Burwell said. "Last year, not everybody committed a lot or really cared. This year we've got the leadership and the players who want to win. Our goal is win and get to the playoffs."
Burwell's goals for the season are team-oriented, as the veteran hopes his comrades on the line will play tough and help blaze a path for the backs.
One of those ball carriers is senior co-captain, Ryan Richard, who is making the transition from tight-end to fullback this fall.
"Awesome, it is my dream come true," said a smiling Richard. "I played Advertisementfullback before in Broncos and J.V. We're not in the spread as much. We're running the ball, pushing it up the field more. We are all working as a team, so we're going to get some wins this year."
Wright cited Richard's athletic ability as his reason for moving the former end to the fullback position.
"It is a work in progress," the coach said. "He hits the hole hard, but we got him down. Once he gets his bell rung once or twice, or hit standing up, he'll understand what we're telling him. "If the offensive line can mesh together, we'll be OK."
On the offensive line for the Panthers will be left tackle Josh Thomas, guard DJ Richard, center Jason Boutilier, guard Bobby Lawton and Burwell.
Walker was quick to jokingly throw his fullback under the bus when asked about his adaptability in learning the new position.
"His jersey gets a little sweaty sometimes, so it's hard," joked Walker. "There's a lot of loose balls. He needs to get a towel or bring a few jerseys to practice."
All joking aside, the Panthers are looking more fierce than ever, but having just 38 bodies on the roster will be a true test for Wright in his first season as head coach.
"It has come together pretty good," Wright said. "We had two tri-scrimmages and I thought we played pretty well offensively. We are tweaking things as we go. Defensively, I like the job we are doing. We are very aggressive. We have eight kids to the ball all the time."
Senior outside linebacker Kyle Levansailor is the defensive signal caller for the Panthers. Junior Alex Walker is an unsung leader for the Panthers defensively.
"I have my captains but everything goes through (outside linebacker) Alex Walker," Wright said. "He is my most aggressive kid, and my best tackler. We have athletes that run to the ball. Our tackling hasn't been the best, but that's what we have been working on the last week."
At the wide-receiver position, sophomore Daniel Goldstein and junior Tyler Mayo will catch the majority of the passes for the Panthers along with backs junior Dre Carmona, Richard and Alex Walker.
"The philosophy is to try to keep it light, simple and keep the kids in the program," the coach said. "That's the name of the game in a small school like this. They ran the spread completely last year. We will try to integrate a little bit of that, option and power, as well."


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I completed Ready or Not by Meg Cabot on December 28, 2010. This marked the 78th book I read that year, and I met my goal of reading 78 books! In celebration I will be highlighting some of my favorite–and one least favorite–of 2010.
Favorite Pregnancy Read
Nominees: Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-be by Rebecca Eckler and Baby Bargains, 8th Edition: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Gear, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! by Denise Fields, Alan Fields
Winner: Baby Bargains, 8th Edition by Denise Fields, Alan Fields
I judged this category based on which book I felt prepared me the best for my impending motherhood. These two books are very different from each other, which made it difficult to choose a favorite. Knocked Up was an entertaining and realistic tale about the journey of pregnancy; it is a great memoir. Baby Bargains wins the category, however. This book helped me prepare for the new baby the most. As a first time mom, I know nothing about the products available for a newborn. This book was invaluable in helping figure out which items I needed and which I didn't. I loved how this information was all in one place for easy reference. This is such a great book that I recommend it for all new parents.
Favorite Series
Nominees: Airhead Series by Meg Cabot, Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter, The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins, and Mediator Series by Meg Cabot
Winner: Mediator Series by Meg Cabot
I didn't realize how many great book series I read this year until I tried to pick a winner. All four series were full of five-star books. In order to pick my favorite, it came down to one fact: which series was the most consistent throughout. Two of these series–Airhead and Hunger Games–started off strong but the series' finales left me disappointed. To some extent this also happened with the latest Gallagher Girls book. This was not the case in the Mediator books. Each book had a consistency that I enjoyed. I picked up the first and finished the last within forty-eight hours. The entire time I was interested and engaged in the plot. I enjoyed how Cabot was able to tell Suze's story over six books while keeping the plot connected and entertaining. Note: While the Mediator series wins this category, all four series are "Must Reads" in my book.
Favorite Goodreads "First-Read"
Nominees: Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick, The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me by Bruce Feiler, Lay the Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling by Beth Raymer
Winner: Lay the Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling by Beth Raymer
What I like most about Goodreads giveaways is that they give me a chance to read a book I wouldn't normally pick up. This is true of all ten books I have won. I appreciated all but one of them, with Lay the Favorite being the one I enjoyed the most. The fact that I had nothing in common with the main character, yet still was still entertained by her story, made the book more interesting for me. The book was a real page-turner that had me interested throughout. I never would have purchased this book, but am really glad that Goodreads gave me the opportunity to read it.
Worst Book of 2010
Nominees: Rich Again by Anna Maxted, The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell, The Gift by Cecelia Ahern
Winner: Rich Again by Anna Maxted
I previously mentioned that I picked up this book solely based on its cover. The bright colors and shopping bags made me believe the story was a typical Chick Lit plot with a bit more conflict. Instead I found a book with a confusing setup, unlikeable characters, and morbid plot. There was not one enjoyable aspect in this story. I have never before been unable to finish a book and was only able to complete this one because I heavily skimmed it. Such a bad book all around.
Favorite Memior
Nominees: Sliding Into Home by Kendra Wilkinson, My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover If Not Being A Dumb Ass Is the New Black; Or, A Culture-Up Manifesto by Jen Lancaster, Didn't I Feed You Yesterday?: A Mother's Guide to Sanity in Stilettos by Laura Bennett
Winner: Sliding Into Home by Kendra Wilkinson
So, I have a confession to make. I have a small obsession with all things related to the original Girls Next Door; Holly Madison, Kendra Wilkinson, and Bridget Marquardt. I was very excited when I heard that Wilkinson was going to be releasing a memoir. I figured this book would give me a little extra insight into what went on behind the scenes of the TV show. I was also interested in learning a bit more about what Wilkinson's life was life before her time at the mansion and what brought her there. Apparently I wasn't the only one interested, as it was impossible for me to get my hands on a copy of the book until a week after it had been released! Once I was able to start reading, I found myself enjoying the pace and flow of the story. Her truthful tale was the perfect mix of history and humor that defines her. This book may not be on the same level as some of the other five-star books I read this year, but it served as a needed escape. It was the perfect way to get some "guilty pleasure" time in and getaway from the insanity that can be real life.
Favorite Chick Lit Novel
Nominees: Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick, The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes, Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
Winner: Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
Most of the Chick Lit stories I read in previous years were fun and flighty. They involved a single girl shopping her way around town while looking for the right guy. This year I discovered that authors were moving away from this type of story in favor of serious tales. Emilly Giffin was able to successfully tell the tale of the challenges of marriage after writing great "boy meets girl" stories. There was very little about this book that didn't work. I highly recommend it to all of my Chick Lit blog readers.
Favorite YA Novel
Nominees: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green, David Levithan, Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, The Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Winner: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
It was a great year for me in terms of YA books. A quick look at a summary of YA books I read least year shows that a high percentage of the them rated four or five stars. It was hard to narrow this list down to the nominees. It was even harder to pick a winner! After much deliberation I picked Before I Fall. I started reading the book with no expectations. Lauren Oliver was a new author who was not from the usual circle of authors I read. I finished the book with a changed attitude. The way in which Oliver discussed the life and death of the main character was inspiring. I find myself often recommending this book to friends and strangers. Such an amazing book.
So, those are some of my favorite books of 2010. What were some of your favorite reads?


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Right now, the world is wondering if European leaders have the political will to save their economies from fiscal collapse. Defaulting on their debts would trigger a domino effect that threatens the continued existence of the European Union itself. Yet the entrenched interests of labor unions and government pensioners steadfastly refuse to accept cutbacks—even if it means taking their nations' economies down with them.
Could a similar scenario play out in the U.S.? That possibility is raised by a new study to be released Tuesday by the Republican staff of the Joint Economic Committee: Eurozone, U.S.A.—a close examination of the fiscal situation of state governments around the nation.
Its results are humbling. States that have followed Europe's economic policy model of unbridled spending are getting Europe's economic results: low growth and looming fiscal catastrophe.
Compared with the 10 U.S. states with the lowest rates of economic growth since 1990, the states with the highest rates of growth had smaller unfunded pension ratios (by 26%); lower debt ratios (by 18%); less tax revenue collected (by 22%); and lower welfare benefits (by 31%). Our report also shows that over the last decade, states with no income tax have much higher rates of job growth and population growth than states with the highest income taxes.
To their credit, many state policy makers have recognized the unsustainability of high-tax, high-regulation, welfare-state economics. But just as in Europe, many of the states in the deepest trouble seem the least interested in reform—either out of incompetence, ideological blindness, or a cynical expectation that when a crisis hits, someone else will bail them out.
The fuse on the U.S. debt bomb—which according to the National Bureau of Economic Research may be armed with as much as a $211 trillion fiscal shortfall—may prove to be the states' public-employee pension systems. Years of overly optimistic growth projections, underfunding and overpromising by politicians have rendered many of these public pension systems effective toxic assets on states' books. Some jurisdictions around the U.S. already spend more money on retired workers than on current employees, and more on retired teachers than on existing students and schools.
But this gathering storm is about more than just the pensions. It's about policy. In coming years, states with policies that grow their governments (rather than nourish private economies), whether through tax increases, regulation or cronyism, will drive away successful businesses and individuals, further draining their tax bases and exacerbating their fiscal crises. This process has already begun.
Higher taxes called for by California Gov. Jerry Brown to help pay for an "unexpected" 74% increase in the state's budget shortfall this year, and Illinois's recent income tax hikes of 67% on individuals and 30% on businesses, have done and will do nothing to stem the flood of people and businesses out of those states.
Meanwhile, states that confront their problems sooner rather than later, and without shifting the burden onto taxpayers, will be more likely to maintain and attract those same successful businesses and individuals and expand their own economies. In Wisconsin, ending collective bargaining for public-employee benefits in 2011 has helped eliminate the state's budget deficit, generated savings that prevented layoffs, and contributed to a reduction in property taxes. Similarly, pension reforms in Utah, New Jersey and Rhode Island have protected taxpayers from future pension costs.
Yet as big government-low growth states fall deeper into the fiscal hole, the question becomes whether Washington politicians will force taxpayers in more prudent states to bail them out. This cannot be allowed to happen. As the 2008 financial crisis proved, bailouts never solve anything. They only create more problems—moral outrage on one side, and moral hazard on the other.
It is becoming clear that the only way to force recalcitrant states to put fiscal reform on the table is for Congress to take state bailouts off of it. Recent experience on Wall Street and in Athens suggests that if decision makers in Illinois, New York, California or anywhere else believe Washington will bail them out of their fiscal mismanagement, we cannot expect any self-directed reform from them. As our report concludes, Congress must—in word and if necessary in law—make plain that the taxpayers will not protect these states from the consequences of their policies.