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The success of a pilot project involving bear-proof waste bins in Glenwood has encouraged a state biologist to expand the concept to other communities.
DEBARY — With complaints about Florida black bears on the rise, the city is looking into a program that could make special trash cans available to residents at a reduced cost.
The success of a pilot project involving bear-proof waste bins in Glenwood, an unincorporated community west of DeLand, has encouraged a state wildlife biologist to expand the concept to other communities. After hearing a presentation earlier this month, DeBary City Manager Dan Parrott said he is working on a proposal for the City Council to consider in coming months.
One thousand or so bears live in the region, mostly concentrated in the Ocala National Forest and in the woods that run south along the St. Johns River, including areas of west Volusia County, said Mike Orlando, assistant bear program coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The bears — who adhere to a hibernation cycle in which they fatten up in the autumn months, even in sunny Florida — have been hungry.
Instead of hitting a drive-through, Florida black bears overturn trash cans and tear open plastic bags in search of their fast-food fix.
"When you're looking for 10,000 calories a day, it's a lot easier to go through someone's garbage can than to eat 5,000 berries a day," Orlando said.
With the intersection of bears and humans becoming more common, Orlando and his colleagues at the wildlife commission are getting more and more calls. He expects the figure statewide this year will be a record, topping 5,000 — with about 3,500 of those calls in the 11-county Northeast Region that Orlando covers.
About 60 percent of those calls are connected to bears digging into trash, Orlando said.
Last year, using funds from the Conserve Wildlife license plate and working with trash hauler Emerald Waste Services and Volusia County, Orlando was able to purchase about 125 bear-proof trash cans for about $175 each. The cans were placed in an area of Glenwood where about 75 percent of the homes had been seeing bear problems, Orlando said.
After switching the homes to the bear-proof cans, Orlando said the percentage of homes reporting continued bear problems dropped to about 5.
Another program in Ocala, where bear-proof cans are part of the hauling fee all homeowners pay, has also proved to be successful.
"These things are like gold," he said. "Nobody wants to get rid of them."
To make the program work, Orlando said the waste hauler has to agree, as bear-proof cans are not as easy to empty as the standard waste bins.
Haulers have to dump a can within five seconds or the company starts losing money, he said. But some cans can be designed to be easily opened by humans.
DeBary Mayor Bob Garcia said he has routinely gotten calls about bear complaints, particularly along West Highbanks Road, which runs all the way to the St. Johns River.
"It is something worthwhile," Garcia said. "I would have a roundtable with the residents impacted and ... see how many want to get that waste can."
Vice Mayor Chris Carson sounded a bit skeptical, saying he has spoken with people who have purchased bear-proof cans in retail stores. "It doesn't matter how good the trash can is," he said. "The bear is going to get into it if it wants. It will jump on it, weaken it. It doesn't matter if it's locked."
Carson said the cost of bear-proof cans is also prohibitive. They are priced in the $150-250 range.
Parrott said he intends to meet with Orlando and come up with a workable option for the council to consider. The city's waste hauler, Waste Pro, seems to be "willing to work with us," Parrott said.
"I don't get a sense that the council feels it's serious enough to mandate (residents' purchase of the cans)," he said.
But an opt-in program might be worthwhile in DeBary, he added.


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Black Sabbath (UK - BD RB)
Marcus watches the Bava Anthology of horror and faces the three faces of fear.
This collection of horror shorts, presented by Boris Karloff and directed by legendary horror master Mario Bava, features three short stories to put the chills up your spine.
'The Drop Of Water' - Nurse Helen Chester (Jacqueline Pierreux) is called to a large house to prepare a corpse of an elderly medium for her burial but when she steals the ring the dead bodies finger she begins to be haunted by an unknown presence.
'The Telephone' - Rosy (Michele Mercier) is an attractive, high-priced Parisian call-girl who returns to her spacious basement apartment after an evening out when she immediately gets beset by a series of strange phone calls.
'The Wurdack' - In 19th Century Russia, Vladimir Durfe (Mark Damon) is a young nobleman on a long trip. During the course of his journey, he finds a beheaded corpse with a knife plunged into its heart. He withdraws the blade and takes it as a souvenir.
The Drop of Water begins the trio of horror and it's immiditaly the brightest of the shorts largely due to its use of colour. There's plenty of overpowering reds and almost comic book blues and greens and the stylised lighting gives everything an almost pulp feel to proceedings. Colours are more controlled across the other two shorts, but black levels are consistently strong across the three stories here, so much so the often show up every little speck on the print. The visuals here pass the HD test but that's not to say its a perfect all-rounder. It can sometimes appear a fuzzy looking feature. Dancing grain twitches amongst the larger areas of bright elements within the frame and there's no escaping the film's age because of that really.
The image has a noticeable level of good detail but isn't always as sharp as it appears. Wider shots can sometimes appear a little soft and closer shots have glimpses of sharp detail but it can sometimes get lost under a gauze of grain. The presentation here is really good but rarely slips into really great, even though some of the more garish colours and great lighting adds a great deal to the HD good looks this release has.
All in all this LPCM track far out punches its limitations. There can be some noticeable hiss to some of the quieter moments but the stereo track still manages to generate quite an all encompassing mood. The playfully spooky score merged with the very well placed sound effects all get wrapped up in Bava's wonderful knack for pacing and tension. He literally builds and builds the audio in his stories until it's hard to sit easy as you watch them unfold. It's also very interesting to see the differences the lack of score makes in the European version and just how much further a sound effect tricks can go.
With both the American Black Sabbath (95 mins) and the European I tre volti della paura (The Three Faces of Fear)(93 mins) cuts available here along with a whopping three discs in the set you are probably expecting a ton of goodies here. Sadly, that's not really the case.
Disc 1 (Blu-Ray) - The Commentary with Tim Lucas on the "superior" I tre volti della paura version of the film is another solid facts for the fans track. Loaded with information the track does the business in regards to teaching you all you would ever need to know and more about the Bava film and its history.
'Twice The Fear' (32:13 HD) has a side by side comparison of the two versions of the film. Dialogue differences and cuts and the more significant changes are highlighted with text. The Sound effect use and the differences in character between the two versions is a very big deal and the big differences when music is and more effectively isn't used in the two versions really shows the different sensibilties taken between the two cuts.
Disc 2 (DVD) - feature the I tre volti della paura version of the film along with the commentary by Tim Lucas.
The always great 'Introduction by Allen Jones' (02:53) covers Bava's love of his horror sensibilities here and it also has a brief overview of the films cuts and informs us that the writers for the film are in fact made up for effect.
'A life in film: Interview with Mark Damon' (21:01) covers the actor's career and his roles over the years.
Lastly for disc 2, its trailer time. We get the International Trailer, US Trailer, Italian Trailer, Tv Spot and a Radio Spot.
Disc 3 (DVD) - Here we get the 'Black Sabbath' cut and the only extra is the 'Twice The Fear' featurette from disc 1.
Despite being sure that I hadn't, I soon realised I had seen Black Sabbath before and the key visuals of the films (the dead medium corpse in The Drop of Water, the hot vampire eyes of the girl in 'The Wurdack' and the creepiness of the telephone calls in The Telephone) all came back to me from a viewing I guess I must have had in my teens or even earlier.
I'm usually not a big fan of short story flicks but Bava rinses every bit of tension out of every moment here and I've already pencilled in a re-watch for Halloween because its just the perfect anthology for a classic feeling creepy night's viewing. The presentation here is good and really only borderline great, but to be fair most long term fans will probably feel the improvements way more than newcomers on this one and there's plenty of HD upgrade goodness to enjoy. The extras feel a tad disappointing considering the three disc set boast but everything here is still a great supplement to the two versions of film.
Review by Marcus Doidge
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,721
I might end up importing this one because I'm afraid the upcoming US release won't have both cuts.
Suitable only for persons of 18 years and over
Disc Details
Release Date: 13th May 2013
Discs: 3
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 1.85:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: LPCM 2.0 English, LPCM 2.0 Italian
Subtitles: English
Extras: Commentary, Featurettes, Trailers, DVD Copy
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Mario Bava
Cast: Boris Karloff, Michèle Mercier
Genre: Horror
Length: 95 minutes
7Review Guide
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subset: commoncrawl


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LAS VEGAS (AP) — The grand plan for Canelo Alvarez is to win Saturday night, then set up his pay-per-view franchise on the same Mexican holiday weekends that Floyd Mayweather Jr. always made his millions.
The plan for Miguel Cotto isn't nearly as ambitious, though it could be almost as lucrative. After reinventing himself with famed trainer Freddie Roach, Cotto will be in the mix for even more big money fights should he upset Alvarez in their 155-pound fight.
Unlike Alvarez, Cotto will have to do it without a title after being stripped of his piece of the middleweight crown this week for refusing to pay a $300,000 sanctioning fee to the WBC.
"I don't need a...


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Coffee music
Daniel Charlson unveils his all-vinyl Dark Horse Coffee Records
Ken Leighton 8 a.m., Nov. 21
You enter the spa through oversized oak doors and immediately see sun stream down on a naked old man as he climbs out of a sunken Jacuzzi tub in the center of a brightly lit atrium. Nearby, wrapped in herb-scented towels, sits a trio of tanned younger men, engaged in conversation. Around the corner, in a long, darkened, corridor-like room lined with leather-upholstered reclining chairs, a solitary figure, draped in white wraps, gets a facial from an attendant. There are other rooms -- one for steam baths, one for eucalyptus treatments, another for herbal wraps, another for massage. The attendants -- dark, big, and burly -- speak European-accented English.
Notorious men have passed through these doors. Presidents and playboys. Executives and Mafia dons. Union chiefs and hit men. This week, the nation's Republican governors, including Texas governor George W. Bush, GOP frontrunner, will gather here for their annual meeting. They will make pronouncements on the State of the Union, play golf or tennis, wheel and deal in the nightclub, rub shoulders with lobbyists, admire their female company, and maybe tip their hats to passing wise guys. Welcome to La Costa Spa and Country Club.
How much blood was spilled to build La Costa? So many bodies piled up over the years it's hard to keep track. The godfather of the place was Moe Dalitz, a mobster from Cleveland who got his start back in Prohibition days with Detroit's "Little Jewish Navy," running booze across the Detroit River from Canada. He traveled with Detroit's brutal "Purple Gang," until the Zerilli brothers arrived in town and things got too hot. He ended up in Cleveland with the Mayfield Road Gang -- Morris Kleinman, Sam Tucker, and Louis Rothkopf, a.k.a. Lou Rody.
Dalitz was a gangster's gangster. He was close to every big mob name: Joe Adonis, Bugsy Siegel, Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky. He attended the February 1946 going-away gala for deported mob boss Lucky Luciano. According to the late FBI agent William F. Roemer, who wrote War of the Godfathers, after World War II, Dalitz was dispatched by Lansky to Las Vegas to check on Siegel. After Moe made his report, Bugsy was shot dead one night in his girlfriend's L.A. mansion. Dalitz and the Mayfield Road Gang relocated to Vegas from Cleveland more or less permanently in 1949 and took over the ailing Desert Inn from Wilbur Clark. From there it was a short hop to California.
Enter Teamster boss James Riddle Hoffa. Dalitz owned a chain of laundries and dry cleaners in the Midwest, including Cleveland's Pioneer Linen Supply Company. Dalitz met Hoffa, who was rising through the ranks of the local Teamsters union, in the mid-1930s through Hoffa's mistress, Sylvia Pagano. In 1949, when Teamsters threatened to strike the Detroit Dry Cleaners Association, Dalitz's dry cleaning racket, Dalitz intervened and slipped Hoffa $17,500 to get the union off his back.
In the 1950s Dalitz and the Desert Inn picked up new friends, many from show business. According to Frank Sinatra biographer Kitty Kelley, Dalitz gave Old Blue Eyes a break when Sinatra was down on his luck, a favor for which Sinatra proved forever grateful. "Moe Dalitz let him sing at the Desert Inn," Kelley quotes a Sinatra associate as saying, "Yeah, I was at Cal-Neva with [Sam] Giancana, and I was with him a lot when he visited Frank in Palm Springs. I even knew Moe Dalitz when he was calling himself the entertainment director of the Desert Inn. Don't that beat everything? The entertainment director!" Years later Sinatra and members of his Rat Pack, including Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., would show up to entertain on La Costa's showroom stage.
In the late 1950s in Vegas, Dalitz met another couple of Las Vegas friends. Irwin Molasky and Merv Adelson were small-time builders who had separately arrived in the gambling mecca from Los Angeles. Molasky moved to Vegas in 1951 and built garage additions and home additions, according to an interview he gave the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 1998. Several years after Molasky arrived in Vegas, he met Adelson, the son of a Beverly Hills grocer who had set out to make his own fortune. The two founded Paradise Development Co., which, Molasky later said, sold a house a day from 1957 to 1959 for $30,000 to $40,000.
It didn't take long for Molasky and Adelson to get together with Dalitz, whose connections with Hoffa and the underworld were to pay off in a big way. Last year, the 73-year-old Molasky recalled for the Review-Journal that in 1956 he and Adelson wanted to build a new for-profit hospital in Vegas to compete with the county hospital. Doctors, he said, were demanding it. "The doctors wanted out of politics, and also they wanted to practice with modern facilities." At first, Molasky said, financing came from a local savings and loan. "But we ran out of money and had to take in some investors." They turned out to be Moe Dalitz and his associate Allard Roen.
To swing the deal, Dalitz arranged a $1 million loan from the Teamsters Central States, Southeast and Southwest Pension Fund. As Molasky recalled it, "The local Teamsters, as well as the Culinary Union, wanted us to take all their members for a certain amount a month. It was an early form of managed care." Actually, writes Ovid Demaris, in his book the Green Felt Jungle, the contracts were a way to guarantee that the loan payments, and Hoffa's kickbacks, would get paid on time.
The Central States pension fund was created by then-Teamsters vice president Hoffa in 1955 by folding together smaller pension funds from 22 states. On its face, the new pension fund was a move to provide portable pensions for truck drivers who frequently changed jobs. But that was only how it looked on paper. The fund was designed to be a piggy-bank for Hoffa and his friends in the Mafia to dip into. According to James Neff, author of Mobbed Up, the board of trustees of the new pension fund was "simply a rubber stamp. Hoffa dictated whom to loan money to. In return Hoffa demanded a finder's fee of up to ten percent of each loan. The trustees went along with it. The union's trustees were his toadies; the employer trustees, usually trucking company owners, feared strikes and slowdowns if they lifted a finger against Hoffa."


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A grieving couple say they are now "the walking dead" and will never forgive the driver of a car which crashed, killing their only son and daughter.
"We hope this weighs heavily on your conscience," Lyn and Leigh Lyall said of the driver, Adrian Colin O'Daniel, who faced a sentencing hearing in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday.
Many people in the packed courtroom wept as victim impact statements by the parents, other relatives, an injured passenger and two emergency workers were read to the magistrate.
O'Daniel, 21, has pleaded guilty to driving without due care or attention, causing the deaths of his good friends Troy Lyall, 20, and Shanae Lyall, 16, and causing serious harm to Jack Cave, 19.
He lost control of the car on the way home to Kadina from a hotel in Bute, on the Yorke Peninsula, in October 2011.
Prosecutor Michaela Ballard said more serious dangerous driving charges had been withdrawn, as the crown could not prove that O'Daniel was travelling over the speed limit or that he was over the alcohol limit.
Defence barrister Marie Shaw QC noted all the families came from a small country community.
O'Daniel and his family were well aware that his "momentary lapse of attention" had far-reaching consequences including the "unimaginable" grief it had caused.
In their statement, Mr and Mrs Lyall said their family had been "living the dream" before the deaths of their beloved children, who were happy and healthy with bright futures.
"Our house is so quiet now," they said.
"We feel we died too, we are the walking dead."
Unlike the descriptive words orphan or widow, there was no word to describe a parent who had lost their child as that was "too heinous and unnatural".
The children's uncle said he went to the hospital where his niece was declared dead and had to witness his sister, Lyn Lyall, repeatedly "ask her baby girl to wake up".
Ms Shaw submitted there was good reason to suspend any jail term, noting O'Daniel was only 21 and had no convictions.
"The knowledge that his actions led to the death of two dear friends and caused serious injury is a heavy burden he will carry for the rest of his life," she said.
He will be sentenced on a future date.


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ACS and the University of Pennsylvania Law School ACS Chapter are pleased to announce the 2013 Constance Baker Motley National Student Writing Competition, an annual national student writing competition in honor of Constance Baker Motley, a civil rights attorney and the first African-American woman appointed to the federal bench. This competition seeks to encourage student scholarship that advances Judge Motley's legacy by enhancing society's understanding of progressive legal theories. The winner will be awarded $3,000 and an offer of publication in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. The two runners-up will receive $1,000 each. The submission deadline is Friday, February 22, 2013.
ACS is also pleased to announce its 6th annual Richard D. Cudahy Writing Competition on Regulatory and Administrative Law. The deadline for submissions is February 11, 2013. More information can be found here.
Email ACS with questions about either competition at email@example.com.
ACS Student Chapters
Main Chicago-Kent event
Academic calendar
CLE calendar
Alumnae/i event calendar
Admissions calendar


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A Fresh, Bright & Organized Toy Area
Becky wrote us to share this toy storage area she created for her children, Preston (6) and Lyla (4). We're pretty sure her aim was to inspire others, not make us feel bad about our own, ahem, somewhat less appealing toy storage.
This area is part of a playroom, but it's so well pulled together that it could easily be in a family or living room. Becky says:
I wanted a place to help my kids organize their toys easily, but still wanted the space to be pretty. I went with bright, primary colors, which I choose because I have both boy and girl toys. My goal was to make the space functional, cheerful and very kid friendly. Everything has a place, which makes clean up a lot easier for my children and myself! It's definitely a space in our home that makes me smile :)
The main storage system is from JC Penny's (no longer available), the blue containers and green buckets are from The Land of Nod, the red baskets are from Garden Ridge, and the pillow and rug are from Ikea.
Thanks Becky! Readers, see more of this space on Becky's blog This is Happiness and see what else she's been up to.
(Images: Becky/This is Happiness)


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The Basics of Convenience Food
Time-pressed meal preparers are reaching for meal kits, pre-cooked and pre-cut items and other shortcuts to make a home-cooked meal in less time.
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|Pre-cut veggies and bagged salads comprise a category that is growing rapidly as consumers aim to lose weight and eat more healthfully.
American consumers, known to spend upwards of three hours to prepare a meal on weekends, have less than an hour for weekday meals. For many, that's a stretch. Phrases such as pre-cut, pre-washed, ready-to-cook, ready-to-serve, instant, microwaveable and no-time or no-fuss preparation are replacing terms like basting, searing and sautéing in the common vernacular.
Consumers are reaching for the convenience of refrigerated and shelf-stable products like prepared salads, boxed dinners and entrées, value-added meat, poultry and produce, lunch and snack kits — more so than reaching for a recipe or even a take-out menu.
It is therefore of utmost importance that food formulators comprehend what makes a food "convenient to prepare."
The elements of convenience
Consumers want meal preparation to be convenient, and convenience has two elements: quickness of preparation and ease (or simplicity) of preparation. A big third element, but often an afterthought, is minimizing or eliminating cleanup.
Research from the NPD Group (www.npd.com), Port Washington, N.Y., reveals the No. 1 issue in American homes at dinnertime is how to get a meal on the table conveniently. The need for convenience surprisingly outranks health and "comfort foods," according to NPD Vice President Harry Balzer. A secondary trend is the need for simplifying food preparation at home.
While many things have changed, one key factor hasn't. "Contrary to popular belief, the female head of the household is still the chief preparer of most of these meals and is responsible for 70 percent of the grocery shopping," says Todd Hale, senior vice president at ACNielsen Homescan (www.acnielsen.com), Schaumburg, Ill. What has changed is that she now values her sanity and is willing to pay more — sometimes two or even three times more — for foods that will ease her meal preparation efforts.
What's quick and simple? Ready-to-cook foods and prepared foods that the consumer need only cook or assemble and heat before serving. These may be cleaned and prepared fruits and vegetables, marinated proteins (meats, poultry and seafood) or shelf-stable items.
Casey Roberts, vice president at Martinsville, N.J., research organization Food Spectrum (www.foodspectrum.com) attributes most of the growth in the prepared food segment to "prepared products that significantly reduce meal preparation times." Roberts observes, "Retail meal kits integrating refrigerated components offer a unique point of difference to consumers for preparation of fresh, home-made meals in the shortest possible time."
Adding value
Meat and poultry companies, plagued for years with razor-thin margins, have migrated to added-value foods to increase profits. By figuring out what matters to consumers, some of them have transformed themselves from suppliers of commodities to providers of value-added convenience.
The "ingredient meat" concept has started a whole new category, according to Shawn Walker, senior vice president of marketing-retail at Tyson Foods (www.tysonfoodsinc.com), Springdale, Ark. "The pre-cut/bagged chicken pieces category didn't exist a couple of years ago, and now it's growing at better than 50 percent a year."
|Cooking bacon (right) is messy and preparing chicken strips (left) is time-consuming, so consumers may prefer to let Tyson do the hard work when the recipe calls for those ingredients.
Formulators added chicken broth or a salt solution for moistness and flavor to address the two major issues consumers have when they cook chicken. In addition, those ingredients help to manage water activity and minimize microbial activity.
Tyson also offers a shelf-stable fully cooked bacon, which eliminates messy preparation and cleanup.
Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper from General Mills, Minneapolis, is one of the pioneers in this convenience category. This classic yields a one-dish meal for the family in less than 30 minutes. But even it requires the cook to brown hamburger, and this step may be considered inconvenient for some and challenging for others.
Last year to rescue came Jack Link's Inc., Minong, Wis. Jack Link's Fully Cooked Ground Beef is pre-cooked, pre-drained 100 percent beef packaged in a 10.6-oz. shelf-stable pouch ready for use. The package is equivalent to a pound of uncooked ground beef. No preservatives are added, the meat is not irradiated and the shelf life is 18 months. The price for convenience: $3.49 to $3.99 per package.
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text:
Kristen Stewart Jets Out of New York City
Kristen Stewart makes her way through JFK Airport on Friday (December 14) in New York City.
The 22-year-old On the Road star was in town to promote and premiere her new flick, which will hit theaters in limited release on December 21.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Kristen Stewart
Kristen was recently asked if she was done playing Bella Swan in the Twilight series.
"No I don't take their calls anymore! … Yes, I think I soaked it up. Yeah, it was good. It was so different [promoting Breaking Dawn -- Part 2]… this was pointedly different. Yeah, it felt good," Kristen told MTV.
FYI: Kristen is carrying a Jonathan Simkhai jacket.


text: Sustainable Seas Trust arose from the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP) in which the coelacanth was the focus of attention. The coelacanth is featured in the SST logo. In its first years of existence SST worked with the Tanzanian Government to develop a Marine Protected Area in Tanga to protect coelacanths. SST also supported a desk top study of coelacanth environments and a computerised coelacanth identification system headed by Prof Booth of Rhodes University. For ten years Dr Ribbink has had a close friendship and working relationship with Mr Abe of Aquamarine Fukushima. Almost without exception they met either in Japan or Africa on coelacanth business, but in March 2011 the dramatic earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima impeded the relationship. Remarkably, despite very severe damage to Aquamarine Fukushima which took the full battering of the Tsunami, Mr Abe and his team managed to get Aquamarine Fukushima operational and open to the public again in just over six months.


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This is the first time the talented film maker will be making a promotional video. The director and screenwriter has never shot a promotional music video before.
This is also a first for a documentary as this format is usually carried out for commercial films.
The song will be sung by the band Indian Ocean and the video will feature the people of Kanpur along with the protagonist of the film.
Phantom films is presenting Katiyabaaz, a renowned documentary directed by Deepti Kakkar and Fahad Mustafa. Vikramaditya Motwane of Phantom films will be spearheading the project.
Katiyabaaz, which is about electricity theft and crisis in Kanpur, has won critical acclaim and garnered a lot of appreciation. The documentary releases in India on 22nd August.


text:
Could someone look over these please?
The topics for this unit are:
Result clauses
Relative clauses of characteristic, result, purpose
1. They ran across the fields so quickly that they arrived home faster than their friends.
Tam celeriter trans agros cucurrerunt ut celerius quam amici domum advenirent.
2. There is no one who does not know that the commander of the allies has been in charge of the troops for many years.
Nemo est qui nesciat imperatorem sociorum copiis multos annos praeesse.
3. The storm was so great that everyone wondered why the ships had not been destroyed.
Tanta tempestas erat ut omnes mirati sint cur naves non delatae essent.
4. They so wanted to get help that they ran as quickly as possible to where they might get it.
Auxilium parare tam voluerunt ut quam celerrime quo id pararent currerent.
5. He was the only one in Rome who did not know what his daughter was doing.
Romae solus erat qui nesciret quid filia faceret.
6. It is possible that the old men have suffered more than we know.
Fieri potest ut senes plus doloris quam scimus pati sint.


text:
Can Remasters Change Too Much? - The Lobby
So many remasters get flack for not changing enough, but what happens when remasters change too much? Mike, Peter, and Jean-Luc discuss.
So many remasters get flack for not changing enough, but what happens when remasters change too much? Mike, Peter, and Jean-Luc discuss.
Remasters of video games happen all the time now, but Jean-Luc thinks some aren't doing a good enough job respecting the originals.
Ten years ago id software released Doom 3. Danny recalls what Doom 3 did right, what happened to id's prominence and ponders what the future has in store for Doom.
PS4 UK preorders won't be guaranteed for launch, Xbox One DVR feature only for Gold subscription members, DA: Inquisition detailed!
GameSpot staff get a chance to try VRcade's special blend of motion capture and virtual reality.
Jess and Zorine trade gloomy forests for a demon-infested space station as they shoot their way up and down the halls of Doom 3 BFG.
Gameplay from a trip to the Hell Dimension from Doom 3 BFG Edition. PC version.
Gameplay from the beginning of Doom 3 BFG Edition. PC version.
A gameplay excerpt from the Comm. Center level in Doom 3 BFG Edition. PC version.
What does a remaster mean to a game released in 2004? We shine some light on what has been improved in Doom 3 BFG Edition. Also, shadows.
Doom 3 BFG Edition is now available!
This week we check out The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan, 007 Legends, Doom 3 BFG Edition, Ravaged, Mugen Souls and Serious Sam 3: BFE.
John Carmack gives us a look at his prototype VR Headset and insights on where the technology is headed but GameSpot's Justin Calvert is not buying it.
The president of id Software, Todd Hollenshead, breaks down everything going on at QuakeCon 2012, including Doom BFG, Quake Live, and Dishonored.
In Doom 3 BFG Edition, you are the last hope in a race to stop a full scale invasion from Hell.
Doom 3 BFG Edition will be available this Fall and features Doom 3 and the Resurrection of Evil add-on pack, as well as hours of new content!
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Photo tour: The Squared Circle
Get in the ring at wrestler Lisa Marie Varon's new Lincoln Park pizzeria, where bacon-topped burgers and pizzas perfect for brunch (like the over easy egg-topped Hangover Helper) reign supreme.
Check out photos of other new restaurants in town and make plans for weekend brunch.
Copyright © 2018, RedEye Chicago


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Nintendo launches the first new game console in six years with the Wii U on November 18, just before Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season. The new console is guaranteed to be in short supply this year with analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities expecting about 1.5 million hardware units for the U.S.
But at the end of the day, it's not the $300 or $350 (for the Deluxe set) price point that will dictate Nintendo's success. It's the games. Nintendo has 29 games available for its launch, which officially kicks off at the Nintendo World store in New York's Rockefeller Center with Nintendo President and COO Reggie Fils-Aimes. Below are 10 reasons, or games, to pick up a Wii U, and a video to show you each title in action.
The main reason for me to buy a Wii U would be the fact that Monster Hunter will be on it. That would and more than likely will be the main draw for me; but of course I'm looking at some more games as well.
Monster Hunter in 1080p/60fps is a given! I'm also getting it for the the Gamepad, great first and third-party support, and the fact that it's a Nintendo HD console...
"10 Reasons To Buy A Nintendo Wii U Today"
I'll give you one good reason why I won't buy a Nintendo Wii U today: It comes out tomorrow. :)
All joking aside, I already have my Deluxe Edition on the way. ;)


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|Santa Ana, Calif.
|High School:
|Foothill HS
Started the final 18 games of the season once her commitments to the UCSB Women's Basketball team ended, playing both first base and designated player...Finished the season fifth on the team, and second among returnees, with a .263 batting average...Ended the season fourth on the team with a .386 slugging percentage off of one home run, one triple, and two doubles in 15 hits...A great defensive player, Mann finished the season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 74 chances...Third on the team reaching base 45.5% of the time when leading off an inning...UCSB's top returning player at advancing runners, succeeding 14 out of 23 times for a .609 average...Fifth on the team averaging 0.33 RBI's per game...Collected a career-high three hits in a single game against Pacific (4/5) to open her season, and again at Utah State (4/26)...Had a three game stretch beginning at Utah State (4/26) and ending against UC Riverside (4/29) where she went 7-for-11 with four runs scored and four RBI, hitting one double, one triple, and a home run.
High School
Played first and third base at Foothill High School...Helped lead the Knights to a Century League, CIF, State and National title in 2000...An All-Century League honoree all fours years as a prepster...Also played basketball for the Knights.
Kristen Cherie Mann was born on August 10, 1983 in Lakewood, CA...She is also an All-Big West Conference basketball player at UCSB...Being a part of Jess Hansen's game-winning three-pointer to beat Louisiana Tech in the 2003 NCAA Tournament is her most memorable moment in sports...Recently competed with USA Basketball in the summer of 2003...Her favorite movies are "Vanilla Sky" and "The Sweetest Thing"...Likes to watch "Will & Grace"...Enjoys reading "Rolling Stone" magazine...Loves the beach...Has three younger brothers Payton, Guy and Mack...Daughter of Gene Mann and Kathy Deeds.


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Franklin County District Attorney Matthew Fogal announced Wednesday that he will seek the death penalty against Carl L. Varner, 54, the Chambersburg man charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 22 shooting death of Victor Hugo Campos-Olguin.
CHAMBERSBURG — Franklin County District Attorney Matthew Fogal announced Wednesday that he will seek the death penalty against Carl L. Varner, 54, the Chambersburg man charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 22 shooting death of Victor Hugo Campos-Olguin, 29, at 310 E. King St.
Varner's formal arraignment was held Wednesday in front of Franklin County Judge Carol Van Horn. Eric Weisbrod, one of two attorneys acting as Varner's defense counsel, said that Varner is pleading not-guilty to the 28 different counts he faces related to the case, including the first-degree murder charge.
The district attorney has not indicated whether he will seek the death penalty against Varner's co-defendant Jason C. Shauf, 38, also of Chambersburg.
Aggravating circumstances
In a press release, Fogal said his office filed notice of aggravating circumstances with the court of common pleas, stating that the aggravating circumstances in the case merit seeking the death penalty if Varner is found guilty.
The district attorney's office listed the aggravating circumstances as the committing the killing during a felony, knowingly creating a "grave risk of death" to another person in addition to the victim of the murder and Varner's significant history of felony convictions involving the use or threat of violence.
The crime
According to witness testimony, Varner and Jason C. Shauf went to 310 E. King St. the evening of Oct. 22 armed with guns, looking for Jesus Gallo of Shippensburg.
Varner allegedly took money from Campos-Olguin and another man before pointing a gun at them and shooting Campos-Olguin.
Police recovered a .410-slug in the bathroom area where Campos-Olguin was shot. A .410-single action shotgun and .410-casings were found in Varner's home, according to police.
Remington .410-gauge slugs were also found in the console of Shauf's pickup truck, police said.
Charges against Varner include first- and second-degree murder, robbery, burglary, criminal conspiracy to commit murder in the first-degree and of illegal possession of a firearm.
First Assistant District Attorney Jeremiah D. Zook, who will act as lead prosecutor in the case, said that he hopes to try Varner and Shauf together.
Defendant history
According to court records, Varner has faced both felony and misdemeanor charges before.
In January 2008, Varner was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, which is a second-degree felony offense. Varner was acquitted by reason of insanity in April 2008 after he was evaluated by Dr. John Hume.
In March 2008, Varner was charged with making terroristic threats and harassment, both misdemeanor charges.
In April 1983, Varner pled guilty to an escape charge, a third-degree felony, for which he was ordered to serve three and a half to seven years in a state prison.
Varner also pled guilty to a July 1979 theft charge, for which he was ordered to serve six to 23 months in county jail.


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#6 South Dakota State Leads Early, Falls at Nebraska 59-20
Sixth-ranked South Dakota State played one solid quarter of football against Nebraska Saturday in Lincoln, but unfortunately for the Jackrabbits, games are still four quarters, as a 17-14 SDSU lead turned into a 59-20 loss to the Huskers in front of 90,614 fans.
For the first time in 44 games, Nebraska started someone other than Taylor Martinez at quarterback, as redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong got the start for Martinez who was sidelined with a toe injury.
It took exactly four plays for Armstrong to lead his team into the end zone, with 65 yards of rushing and receiving from Ameer Abdullah and a 5-yard touchdown run from Imani Cross to make it 7-0 Huskers 1:31 into the game.
But the Jacks responded with a four play drive of their own. Quarterback Austin Sumner hit back-to-back passes for first downs, and running back Zach Zenner did the rest with a 4-yard run followed by a 40-yard scamper to the end zone to make it 7-7 less than three minutes into the game.
Nebraska kept up the frenetic offensive pace on their next drive, as Armstrong showed off his arm with 44-yards of passing, part of a 9-play, 66-yard drive, with Cross ending up in the end zone for the second time, this time from 2-yards, 14-7 Cornhuskers.
On SDSU's next possession , the offense was keyed by a 3rd and two from their own 37, when Zenner broke off three tackles and went for 35 yards. Two plays later, Zenner was back in the end zone from 3-yards out and the game was tied at 14 with 6:45 left in the first quarter. Zenner finished the first half with 164 yards rushing, 202 yards rushing on the day..
Nebraska rotated in Ron Kellogg III at quarterback on their third series, and he lasted just two plays before Abdullah fumbled at midfield, recovered by R.C. Kilgore. The turnover was the 13th forced by the SDSU defense this season.
The Jackrabbits appeared to take the lead when Sumner hit tight end Cam Jones for a 4-yard score, but the touchdown was called back because of offensive pass interference on Jason Schneider.
That was followed by a false start penalty, pushing it back it first and goal from the 24, then after a Zenner 12-yard run, SDSU gave up back-to-back sacks, pushing them back to the 30. From there, Justin Syrovatka kicked a 48-yard field goal, and South Dakota State had the lead, 17-14 after the first quarter. Sumner was sacked five times on the day.
On the Huskers next drive, it was another SDSU penalty that helped Nebraska, as Andrew Brown was called for pass interference on the third play, and the Huskers had it on the Jacks 43. Five plays later, Abdullah scored from a yard out and Nebraska recaptured the lead at 21-17.
The first defensive stop of the day belonged to Nebraska as they held the Jacks to three and out on the next possession and they appeared to take advantage when Armstrong returned at quarterback and dropped a 42-yard pass right into the hands of Kenny Bell at the goal line, but Bell dropped the ball and it fell incomplete.
The Huskers regrouped and five plays later, Armstrong had his first touchdown pass, 16-yards to Sam Burtch, 28-17 Nebraska.
The Nebraska defense continued to step up their next time on the field, forcing Sumner throw his first interception of the year, as Stanley Jean-Baptiste grabbed his fourth pick of the year, and the Huskers were in business at the SDSU 47.
It took just two plays for Nebraska's offense to convert, as Kellogg returned at quarterback to find Tyler Wullenwaber for a 23-yard touchdown and a 35-17 Husker lead.
After forcing SDSU to turn it over on downs with 1:29 left, the Huskers tacked on a Mauro Bondi 22-yard field goal, giving Nebraska 24 unanswered points and a 38-17 halftime lead.
The Cornhuskers outgained the Jackrabbits 401 - 289 in the first 30 minutes.
The Jackrabbit defense forced its second turnover of the game on Nebraska's first possession of the second half, when Winston Wright forced a Bell fumble at the SDSU 10, recovered by Kilgore. SDSU failed to take advantage when Syrovatka missed a 32-yard field goal, snapping his streak of 15 straight.
Nebraska got the ball back on the 20 and went 80-yards in nine plays, with a Terrell Newby 10-yard touchdown run giving the Huskers 31 unanswered points and a 45-17 lead.
The Nebraska defense made it 38 straight moments later when Randy Gregory picked off Sumner and returned it 33-yards for a touchdown, and the rout was on, 52-17.
SDSU did stop the Huskers scoring run early in the fourth when Syrovatka connected from 29-yards to make it 52-20.
Newby finished the scoring with his second touchdown of the second half with a 5-yard touchdown run on their next possession, 59-20 Nebraska.
Nebraska's quarterback tandem of Armstrong and Kellogg III were a combined 20-of-24 passing for 305 yards passing and two touchdowns.
SDSU's Sumner was 19-of-29 with two interceptions.
The Jackrabbits (3-1) open Missouri Valley Conference play at home next Saturday with #1 North Dakota State. Kickoff is 2:00pm at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
Nebraska (3-1) is off next week. The Huskers open Big Ten play at home with Illinois, October 5th at 11:00am.


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Sometimes our dogs communicate with us on levels that are surprising and revelatory. A case in point, having three dogs means that when I work from home, I'm kept busy doing door duty for them—they constantly ask to go out into the backyard, and a few minutes later, after they erupt into a chorus of "chase the squirrel," I need get them back inside. There they'll settle down for a few minutes, but then their asking to go out begins anew. Lola, our seven-year-old Pointer, takes her duties on squirrel-patrol very seriously. The two smaller dogs support her cause and cheer her on with a cacophony of barking, whining and high-pitched baying.
One day last week, I finally had it (as I'm sure the neighbors had as well) and decided that the dogs had to stay inside if I were to do any work. Charlie, our newest family member, is a gem of a Terrier boy and if he isn't already glued to my side, he has spot-on recall, so he came in first. Kit, our Kentucky coy-girl, takes more coaxing but rattling a bag of treats did the trick. Lola is another story, she gets totally transfixed staring up at the taunting-bushy tails, who inspire her to run circles around the trees up on her back legs, like a crazed circus dog. This resulted in a sweaty and not-so merry chase as I tried to grab hold of her. But I finally got her, so in she went too.
I sat down to my computer, and within a few minutes, Lola walked up and looked at me motioning to the back door. I told her, no way am I going to let you out again, but she did this a few more times, even using her chin to gently tap on my hand. But I held firm, and ignored her pleas. A few minutes passed and I decided to go into the office after all, and take the dogs with me, so I called to them to get leashed-up.
But loyal Charlie was missing, and once again, Lola looked at me, and ran to the back door. I then heard a little whimper, and opened the door to find that Charlie had been locked out and was softly crying to come in. His cries were so muted, that I hadn't heard him, although big sister Lola had. Now that the door was opened, I thought that Lola would bolt out, but instead she and Charlie did a merry little dance, greeting each other as if they had been parted for hours (and not the few minutes it was). I thought that was so touching, and so telling too. All along Lola was signaling not that she wanted out but that Charlie was stranded—but I didn't have the good sense to figure this out.
It was an eye-opener to me, marking a "Lassie" moment for Lola. It was the first time—or the first time that I "got" it—that she was trying to cue me not for herself but for someone else. Could this be an altruistic act? What do you think, have your dogs done something similar?


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The Federal Bureau of Investigation's "10 Most Wanted List"has included some of the world's most notorious criminals, including Osama Bin Laden, Ted Bundy, and Warren Jeffs — totaling 493 since its creation in 1950. Of these fugitives, 463 have been apprehended or located, according to the FBI. Of these, 152 arrests have been assisted by the public.
With the success of the "Most Wanted" list, the bureau in 1996 began putting photos and information about wanted criminals on its website. Since then, more than 50 fugitives have been arrested as a result of their information appearing on the site.
Along with the "Most Wanted," other fugitives are being sought by the FBI in a variety of categories from violent crimes and cyber crimes, to domestic terrorism and crimes against children. The FBI says it believes its efforts would be assisted by increased public awareness. One of the "Wanted by the FBI" categories, "white collar crime," highlights business or government professionals who are alleged to have defrauded institutions, organizations, or individual investors out of large sums of money.
With the help of the FBI we've highlighted some of the most interesting and excessive white-collar fugitives still on the run.Some even carry rewards of up to $100,000 for information leading to their arrest, so it could pay to be on the lookout. If you have any information on these criminals, the FBI encourages you to contact them through various methods listed on its website.
Who are some of these white collar criminals and what did they do? Click ahead for 12 fugitives wanted by the FBI.
Editors note: The original version of this story included an individual that is no longer on the FBI Wanted list, after the statue of limitations ran out on the alleged crimes. This current list now includes a replacement slide, which can be seen here.
By Paul Toscano
Updated 2 February 2012


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Next Episode of Disney Animated Shorts is
"Disney Animated Shorts" features all of the animated short films produced by Walt Disney and Walt Disney Animation Studios, from 1921 to the present. This includes films produced at the Laugh-O-Gram Studio which Disney founded in 1921 as well as the animation studio now owned by The Walt Disney Company, called the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (1923), The Walt Disney Studio (1926), Walt Disney Productions (1929), Walt Disney Feature Animation (1986), and Walt Disney Animation Studios (2007), and includes all of the cartoons of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Humphrey the Bear and the Disney produced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts.
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Artist Profile: Annette LaRue
In this latest Inked magazine (the Rock-n-Roll issue), I interviewed veteran tattooist (and rock star in her own right) Annette LaRue of Electric Ladyland Tattoo in New Orleans. We had a fun time chatting about everything, from inking her first tattoo at 13 years old to handling French Quarter drunks to her upcoming retirement. Here's a taste:
You must tattoo a lot of characters. Any favorites?
Well, we had this one guy we called "The Sheriff of Frenchmen Street." He sat outside on the bench all day long and drank draft beer. I had an apprentice and told him, "You got to go out there and tattoo that guy. He's out there every day, he's got tattoos and you can do better than what he's got." So he went over and got the guy, Dave (The Sheriff), to come in. He became one of our favorite customers. All our apprentices tattooed him. For every five apprentice tattoos, I'd do one good tattoo on him. He was awesome. After Katrina, he moved away and couldn't get back. We found out a couple of years later that he drank himself to death. There are a lot of characters like him who we don't see anymore.
With Katrina and the oil spill, and the people of the Gulf experiencing a lot of heartache, how does this translate in the tattoo business? Do you see a lot of people getting memorial tattoos for example?
Oh yes. People here like to wear their strong emotions. And they do it through tattoos.
That's got to be heavy.
It was horrible the first year or two after Katrina. Everyone who came in had a tragic story. Three guys who worked for me lost everything they owned. So yeah, it changed everything. But it made business great. We never had an appointment book before that; we were a walk-in shop. A couple of guys would have appointments a couple of times a week, but now over half of our tattoos are by appointment. It shocks me everyday just how many people come in. I'm not trying to brag, and I'm sorry for other people not doing well, but we've been blessed and really lucky. It's also been a lot of hard work. I'd like to give my crew the credit. These guys are really the life of the shop.
Read more in the latest issue of Inked on newsstands now and available for download online.


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Trademark NexGen™ 9g Pro Classic Style $25000 Poker Chips, Brown, 100/Set
Item #: 901-1451208TMG
Model #: 10-6000BRN-100
Brand: Trademark
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$20.99 Each
Delivery Date:
Enter Zip CodeParcel
Trademark NexGen™ Pro Classic style "$25000" poker chips provide a real sound and coloration of casino chip and comes in brown color, sold as 100 per set. Trademark NexGen™ Pro Classic style "$25000" poker chips in brown color have an authentic casino design. 39 mm Round chips have soft textured clay surface/unique edge spot design to add a classy look to the gaming table, sold as 100 per set.
- Poker chips
- Dimensions: 13"H x 1 1/2"W x 1 1/2"D
- 9 g Las Vegas style chips are 39mm diameter casino sized chips and are designed with the authentic casino style and unique edge spot design
- Full of vibrant colors that will look amazing on any gaming table
- Created to produce the real sound and coloration of an actual casino chip
- Same process allows for multi-colored edge spots, resembling that of casino clay poker chips
- 25000 denomination
- Pro series chip incorporates a unique process giving them the soft feel of a clay surface
- Weight: 9 g each
|Brand : Trademark
|Customizable : No
|Weight : 2.50 lbs. per Each


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Top Cars
Top 7 Overlooked Cars under $30,000
Many of today's most popular cars are familiar, highly competent and have proven track records. But then there are cars - among them, some of the best vehicles on the market - that are surprisingly well-kept secrets. Here are seven of our favorite cars that most buyers haven't heard of. We're hoping to provide alternatives to buyers bored with traditional car shopping lists. These will give you some interesting choices even on a $30,000 budget.
Audi A3
Audi's compact A3 is a tremendous choice for budget-minded car shoppers interested in a new luxury car. While many buyers stretch their budgets to purchase a base Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series, the A3's starting price of $28,145 with destination makes it much more affordable than its larger competitors. Despite its low base price, the A3 doesn't skimp on luxury, offering a long list of standard features that includes leather upholstery, remote keyless entry, 17-inch alloy wheels, satellite radio and dual-zone automatic climate control. We also recommend checking out the fuel-efficient A3 TDI, which offers a 140-horsepower turbo-diesel 4-cylinder. Its $31,000 price is slightly over the $30,000 mark, but the miserly hatchback makes up for that with fuel economy ratings of 30 mpg in the city and 42 mpg in highway driving.
Honda Ridgeline
Shoppers interested in a mid-size pickup have probably already sampled the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma; both are well built and offered at reasonable prices. But for buyers looking for further options, we nominate the Honda Ridgeline. While the truck's aging design isn't as eye-grabbing as it was when it came out in 2005, it still offers the same basic traits that led to its initial success. For example, the pickup still uses its car-based chassis, which provides a compliant ride when driving around town. It also still has a waterproof "trunk" built into the floor in its bed. Best of all, the Ridgeline offers four full-size doors and a surprisingly roomy rear seat, meaning it's capable at hauling goods or people. And if you're concerned by the Ridgeline's near-$30,000 price tag, don't be: the truck's slow sales mean dealers are usually willing to offer deep discounts.
Mazda CX-5
The Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 remain perennial favorites among buyers looking for a small SUV. In that category, Mazda's latest entry into the popular segment merits serious consideration. The CX-5, on sale since March, has the distinction of getting the best fuel economy of any compact SUV: 35 mpg when equipped with the standard manual transmission. But the CX-5 offers more than just gas mileage, with a reasonable base price of around $22,000 with shipping and luxurious available equipment including a rear-view camera, a blind spot detection system and a navigation system. The CX-5's 4-cylinder may not have the V6 grunt of many competitors, but it's a good SUV alternative for economy-minded buyers.
Subaru Impreza
Buyers in northern states may deride the Impreza's appearance on this list, feeling it's actually quite a common vehicle. We would remind them that not everyone lives in the snow belt. The Impreza remains surprisingly rare in most of the country's warmer regions. To us, that's a shame, because the recently redesigned compact car offers more than just highly capable performance in the snow. Available as a 4-door sedan or a 5-door hatchback, the Impreza comes at a reasonable starting price of around $18,000, plus a history of dependability and an available high-performance, 260-horsepower WRX model. Its all-weather traction is yet another selling point to add to the Impreza's long list of desirable qualities.
Suzuki Kizashi
It's a shame that many of today's car shoppers are unfamiliar with Japanese brand Suzuki, and particularly its highly competent Kizashi sedan. Priced from $19,765 for the base Kizashi S to nearly $28,500 for the generously equipped Kizashi SLS, there's likely a Kizashi out there for every car shopper who would otherwise consider a compact Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla-and maybe even a mid-size Toyota Camry. he sedan is also available with all-wheel drive, meaning it can be a strong candidate for shopping lists all over the country. Best of all, Suzuki is currently advertising several excellent deals on the Kizashi, including zero percent financing for 72 months and up to $1,500 cash back.
Toyota Venza
Car shoppers interested in a crossover have probably looked at Toyota's Highlander or RAV4 SUVs, but surprisingly few buyers consider the Venza. The 6-cylinder model is slightly out of the $30,000 price range, but a 4-cylinder Venza LE starts at $28,235 with shipping. The smaller engine benefits buyers in the long run by returning up to 20 mpg in city driving and 25 mpg on the highway. The Camry-based Venza also comes with all the necessary safety features expected in a modern family car, including curtain side airbags, an anti-skid system and even a driver knee airbag. There are also some driver-focused goodies including Bluetooth, a USB port for music and dual-zone automatic climate control. The Venza doesn't offer a third-row seat, but it compensates by including a roomy, comfortable rear bench.
Volvo C30
With eye-catching styling, powerful engines and a practical cargo area, the C30 should be among the first choices for car shoppers interested in a luxurious coupe at a reasonable price. Its lack of a 4-door body style may be a deal breaker to some buyers, but we think its rear liftgate gives it far more practicality than coupes from rival automakers. It's also hard to argue with the C30's strong value thanks to a base price of under $26,000 including destination. That figure includes the hatchback's standard 227-horsepower turbocharged 5-cylinder engine. If you've checked out a GTI and a Mini but you're looking for a little more power, the C30 is a strong and surprisingly uncommon alternative.
What it means to you: Don't buy your next car just because it's popular. Many great but mostly unknown vehicles are available to buyers willing to do a little extra research.


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8:00 pm
Masterpiece Mystery! "Endeavour, Series I: Girl" DC Morse and DI Thursday investigate the death of a secretarial student. Morse believes there is a connection between the student's death and the shooting of a doctor. His theories fail to impress the new chief superintendent and he is soon reduced to general duties. However he continues his investigations alone.G
9:30 pm
Death In Paradise After a shot is fired at a charity fundraiser, Malcolm Powell is discovered dead in his study. Malcolm's personal assistant Vicky believes she knows who the culprit is - a mystery man who had an appointment with Malcolm and was seen arriving and then fleeing the scene. The man's abandoned car is found but the vehicle reveals no other clues.G
10:30 pm
Call The Midwife "S1 E6" Sister Monica Joan is found wandering near the docks and returned to Nonnatus House by the police. Her adventure takes its toll on her health and she develops pneumonia. In addition she is in trouble with the law. Part 6 of 6G
11:30 pm
Lark Rise to Candleford When the local Lark Rise gossip, Mrs. Mullins, discovers her daughter Emily is pregnant, she leaps to the conclusion that Daniel is the father. Everyone, including Laura, rallies round to defend him.G


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Most cars emerge from a cauldron of corporate intrigue and dissolve back into a vat of recriminations and blame-shifting a few years later. But on occasion, one lone wolf inside a car company manages to shepherd his (or her) vision through the morass of bureaucratic infighting and produce something special. That was the case with the 1955 Chrysler 300.
At age 37, Robert MacGregor Rodger was a 15-year veteran of Chrysler in 1953, and a member of the team that launched the corporation's first Hemi V8 back in '51. He was also, despite his relative youth, the chief engineer of the Chrysler Division. Heading into its third year, the Hemi had only grown stronger and tasted racing success in Briggs Cunningham's C-2, C-4R and C-5R Le Mans racers. It was also starting to dominate the newly developing world of organized drag racing. Rodger was convinced that a standard 331-cubic-inch (5.4-liter) Hemi running one of Cunningham's cams with solid lifters, dual four-barrel carbs and an 8.5-to-1 compression ratio could produce 300 reliable and civilized horsepower. But for all that, Chrysler didn't really have a production car that seemed an appropriate showcase for such performance.
So Rodger proposed that Chrysler build a special car, a two-door hardtop, for the Hemi. There wasn't any budget for new sheet metal, so he bolted the top-of-the-line Imperial's nose onto a New Yorker hardtop two-door body shell with Windsor model rear quarter panels to produce the 1955 300. Chrysler's chief designer, Virgil Exner, tweaked the design by excising the Imperial's massive front bumper in favor of the less ornate one used on the base Chrysler, and the 300 went into production.
Since then, Rodger's inspiration (or at least its namesake) has gone in and out of production several times. At first, it was offered as a high-performance, well-appointed sibling to the lavishly luxurious Imperial atop Chrysler's lineup. Later, it wasn't much more than a heavily optioned Newport, and a few years after that, it was a redecorated Cordoba. Some two decades later, it became a high-performance version of the corporate front-wheel-drive LH sedan platform. Today, it's the herald of a new rear-drive future for Chrysler and the most spectacular home yet for an all-new Hemi V8. It's amazing how Chrysler came back to Bob Rodger's basic idea nearly a half century later.
Officially offered for sale on February 10, 1955, the first Chrysler 300 was athletic-looking, but it didn't have a letter at the end of its name. With 300 horsepower aboard, it was among the quickest cars of its time, getting to 60 mph in just 9.8 seconds, according to a test in Mechanix Illustrated by "Uncle Tom" McCahill, who also spurred the car up to a full 130 mph. But beyond being the most powerful production car of its time, the first Chrysler 300 was also among the best handling thanks to a heavy-duty suspension. It was also very luxurious and handsome in a bulky linebacker sort of way.
But the most prominent display of the first 300's attributes didn't come in any showroom, but on racetracks around the Southeast. Back in '55, NASCAR stock cars were in fact stock production vehicles and, except for some crude safety equipment and numbers on the doors, almost indistinguishable from the cars the public could buy. With absolutely no support from Chrysler, Mercury Outboard founder Carl Kiekhaefer campaigned a fleet of white 300s during the 1955 NASCAR Grand National season with drivers like the Flock brothers (Tim, Fonty and Bob) and Norm Nelson behind the wheel.
The Kiekhaefer 300s were spectacularly dominant and overwhelmed the factory-backed Chevrolets and Fords. Tim Flock took the driver's championship while winning 18 of the 38 races he entered and finishing in the top five an astounding 32 times. His brother, Fonty, took another three victories, while Chrysler campaigner Lee Petty took home three trophies. Suddenly, the 300 had a glorious racing heritage.
Considering the short model year for that first 300 (only 1,725 were sold at a thick $4,109 base price), it was no surprise that the 1956 300 was pretty much a carryover machine. Actually, the easiest way to tell the '56 300 from the '55 was that it now wore the name "300-B" as the tradition of labeling each subsequent model year with the next letter of the alphabet began.
Beyond that name modification and new taillights, the 300-B also featured the latest version of the Hemi V8, now displacing 354 cubic inches and making 340 hp. Plus, there was now an optional version featuring a 10.0-to-1 compression ratio that was rated at an almost unfathomable 355 hp. Success on the racetrack continued, but sales actually softened a bit to just 1,102 units.
Even by the standards of the mid-'50s, the entire Chrysler range of cars looked a little dowdy. If the 300 were to prosper, it had to get looks to match its performance.
Virgil Exner, then Chrysler's design chief, called his new styling direction that was seen on all the 1957 Chryslers "Sweptline," in reference to the upswept tailfins that adorned the cars' rear flanks. And the car that best exemplified the new look was the new 300-C. This car wasn't just gorgeous, but glamorous. From its Ferrari-like grille to the plump rear fins, the 300-C exuded sex appeal in a way no domestic car had before it. The original 300-C is still considered by many to be the most beautiful and desirable 300 of them all.
More than just the sheet metal was new, as Chrysler put a whole new chassis under its cars for '57, featuring a torsion bar front suspension. And the Hemi itself had grown to 392 cubic inches (6.4 liters) and was now available in 375- and 390-hp versions. Most 300-Cs came equipped with Chrysler's TorqueFlite push-button automatic transmission, but the 390-hp version was usually paired with a three-speed manual transmission. The 300-C was also the first 300 available as a convertible.
Stuffed with more leather than ever before and wearing a new circular badge that would become a 300-series trademark, the base price of the 300-C hardtop ($4,929) was almost $700 more than that of the 300-B. But that hardly mattered, as this radically more attractive machine found 2,402 buyers — 484 of them opting for convertibles. The first two years of the 300 may have established the marque's performance credentials, but it was the 300-C that gave the car an aura of greatness.
Chrysler didn't do much to create the 1958 300-D, other than modify the '57 hardtop's windshield slightly, throw some red paint on the hubcaps and offer Bendix's electronic fuel injection system as an option. Unfortunately, electronic fuel injection wasn't a great idea in an era when vacuum tubes still ruled the electronics world, and the 16 or so cars equipped with the Bendix system were recalled and retrofitted with carburetors. The single engine that remained, a 392-cubic-inch Hemi wearing dual Carter four-barrel carbs, made 380 hp.
"Once moving, the 300's huge 9.00-by-14 nylons slap at tar strips with solid authority," wrote the Motor Trend editors about the 300-D. "The low-speed ride is rough on city streets, solid on highways up to 85 or so and just right at anything you can run over that. There's no body or chassis vibration from either engine or suspension . The entire package is an impressively engineered, confident automobile that knows it's good — and soon let's you know it, too." In spite of the accolades, production dropped to 618 hardtops and 191 convertibles that year.
And that was it for the Hemi engine in the 300 for the next 47 years.
While the 1959 300-E looked much like the 300-D (except for a new grille texture and, of course, the modified badges), Chrysler fitted it with a 413-cubic-inch (6.8-liter) "Wedge" head V8. Swapping the Hemi's hemispherical combustion chambers for the Wedge's wedge-shaped ones didn't change the 380 hp available to buyers (the induction system remained dual Carter four-barrels), but it did provide additional torque lower in the power band. Just 550 hardtop and 140 convertible 300-Es found homes that year.
What was next for the 300 was a whole new way of building Chryslers.
All the new 1960 Chryslers looked different, and they truly were as the corporation adopted unibody construction techniques for all its full-size cars. So the 300-F would be the first 300 to lack a traditional ladder frame underneath it.
The relatively elegant styling of the 300-C, -D and -E was tossed aside with the 300-F, as it adopted some of the most flamboyant styling ever seen outside the Ringling Brothers big top. The tail fins were now razor-thin and ended in a point that looked ready to impale pedestrians. The flat trunk lid between the fins featured the impression of a spare tire. And up front, there was a spectacular, yet tastefully simple, grille with just two thin chrome bars intersecting at the grille's center.
Matching the over-the-top exterior, the 300-F's interior featured four individual bucket seats with a center console running the length of the cockpit between them. The "Astradome" instrumentation put a 150-mph speedometer under a large, clear plastic dome with subordinate gauges in their own smaller domes.
But the sheer spectacle of the 300-F didn't stop there. In the engine bay, the 413 Wedge V8 now featured an exotic "Ram-Tuned" long runner intake manifold that placed each Carter carb outboard of the engine itself, feeding the opposite bank of cylinders. The throttle linkage alone had the intimidating intricacy of a Swiss watch. Power was now pegged at 375 hp in most 300-Fs, with a very few vehicles getting a higher-compression version making 400 hp. Nearly all cars were equipped with the Torqueflite three-speed automatic, but a handful (maybe four) had a French-made "Pont-A-Mousson" four-speed manual. Production rose to 964 hardtops and 248 convertibles.
Except for modified styling that included headlights stacked inside slanted housings, the 1961 300-G was very much a carryover from the 300-F. Still, production climbed to 1,280 hardtops and 337 convertibles.
Things got confusing for 1962, as the 300 was now available in two distinct series. First was the traditional "Letter Series" car now called, naturally, the 300-H, which lost the massive tail fins of previous years but was otherwise a rerun of the 300-G. Then, there was the new 300 "Sport Series," which essentially replaced the Windsor in Chrysler's lineup and included the first four-doors (hardtop and pillared sedan) to carry the 300 name. The Sport Series carried over the Letter Series grille and styling cues but used a revised version of the lower-line Newport interior. And while the 300-H still had the 413 under its hood (once again rated at 380 hp), the Sport Series packed the relatively lackluster 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8, making just 305 hp while breathing through a single two-barrel carb.
If nothing else, the addition of the Sport Series confused the public, and sales of the 300-H plummeted to just 435 hardtops and 123 convertibles. However, that was offset by the 25,578 Sport Series 300s that were sold.
A major restyling came to all Chryslers for 1963, and the Letter Series 300 was no exception. However, the company decided to skip over the letter "I" and named this car the 300-J. And it was available only as a two-door hardtop with a 390-hp version of the 413 Wedge under its hood. Sales shrank to a total of just 400 300-Js. At the same time, 24,665 300 Sport Series models were shipped — including 2,167 replicas of the 300 convertible that paced that year's Indianapolis 500.
The convertible returned to the Letter Series for 1964, but the 300-K was otherwise identical to the 300-J. Still, Letter Series sales rebounded to 3,022 hardtops and 625 convertibles, while 26,887 Sport Series cars found homes.
For 1965, the 300s got a sleeker body. For the first time, dual carbs weren't available and output of the 413 dropped to 360 hp on the 300-L. There were only barely discernable differences between the 300-L and lesser 300s. It was obvious — the Letter Series was doomed even though 2,405 hardtops and 440 convertibles were sold that year.
With the Letter Series terminated for 1966, the 300 became, well, merely an ordinary Chrysler. The 1966 300 was available in four different body styles: two-door hardtop, four-door hardtop, convertible and four-door sedan. All were built on the same 124-inch wheelbase of other Chryslers and shared the same basic styling. The standard engine in the 300 was the 383 V8 with a single four-barrel carburetor making a relatively modest 325 hp. A 365-hp version of the same engine was optional.
A new roof and pointed grille distinguished the 1967 300 from the '66 model, and the four-door sedan was gone from the lineup. But the biggest change was a move up to Chrysler's 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8 which, inhaling through a single four-barrel, was rated at 350 hp. For just $79, buyers could have the "TNT" version of the 440 making 375 hp.
Hidden headlamps were added to the 1968 300's bag of styling tricks to create a unique look similar to the 300-X show car Chrysler had displayed in 1966. But there really wasn't much else changed, and a total of 34,621 300s were built with 2,161 of those being convertibles.
The 300 had always been a big car, but in 1969 it grew even larger with a new slab-sided body it shared with the lower-line Newport and luxury-leader Imperial. The available engines and body styles stayed the same, and sales dipped slightly to 32,472 cars.
Nothing was new about the 1970 300, except for revised taillights. But the Hurst Corporation took matters into its own hands when it made 501 special Chrysler 300-Hurst models during the year. Featuring a special white and gold paint scheme and a Hurst shifter controlling the three-speed Torqueflite automatic, power for the Hurst model came from the 375-hp TNT 440. While this model is not generally considered part of the 300 letter car series, it is considered collectible.
The 300 would limp into 1971 shorn of its convertible model and selling just 13,939 units. There was no 1972 Chrysler 300, and practically no one mourned its passing.
By 1979, Chrysler's midsize personal luxury car, the Cordoba, was four years old and beginning to fade in the marketplace. So midway through the model year Chrysler decided to redecorate the Cordoba using white paint, some phony front fender vents and red, white and blue pinstriping, and called it the "300." That sounds bad, but it gets worse. The only engine offered was a 195-hp, 360-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) V8 which, when combined with the three-speed automatic transmission, produced less than thrilling performance.
No wonder that the 300 went into a 20-year hibernation after that.
Every 300 produced between '55 and '79 had a V8 engine, rear-wheel drive and at least one two-door body style in common. The all-new 1999 300M was an altogether different beast: a four-door sedan with a V6 engine in its nose driving the front wheels. Yet by most measures it was the best 300 yet.
Before its introduction, Marty Levine, then general manager for Chrysler-Plymouth-Jeep-Eagle, promised The Detroit News, "This is not going to be another European wannabe sport sedan. We've never done a letter car that was as exclusively American as this." So, of course that meant the new car would be built in Canada.
Based on the second-generation of Chrysler's "cab forward" LH platform, the 300M used a 3.5-liter, SOHC, 24-valve V6 making a commendable 253 hp (that's net horsepower, a far more conservative standard than the "gross" rating used in the '50s and '60s) and mounted longitudinally in the engine bay. It drove a four-speed automatic transaxle that featured "AutoStick" manual shifting using the floor-mounted lever. Much of what one would expect on a "Letter Car" was in fact standard, including leather seating surfaces, power seats, power everything else and, for the first time on a 300, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS.
Edmund.com's first encounter with the 300M was a positive one. "[The] 300M was designed to offer a taut suspension and consistent steering as well as a strong motor," we wrote. "Two different suspension settings are available for the 300M: the standard one for more of a touring taste, and an optional Performance Handling Group which includes a tighter suspension. The performance suspension is standard fare for exported 300Ms, but because Americans seem to prefer interstate cruising to negotiating switchbacks, we have to settle for a slightly softer ride. Or you can pay an extra $255 for the 'Performance' suspension, tighter steering, 16-inch performance tires, high-performance ABS and a less restrictive governor on the top speed. Consider it money well spent." With a price starting at $28,700, the new 300M was an instant hit for Chrysler.
Unlike previous Letter Cars that got a new letter designation every year, the 300M made it into the year 2000 with its original name intact. In fact, virtually the entire car was a carryover from '99, and the '00 model finished fourth in Edmunds.com's comparison of eight entry-level luxury cars. "Everything about the 300M," we then wrote, "from its monstrous size to its guttural engine roar, exuded classic American iron. Even the gauges feature an old-world font. With their 'Timex Indiglo' lighting and polished chrome rings, it was easy to see the original Chrysler 300's bloodline in this latest 300M sedan . Chrysler is to be commended for doing more than just rebadging a Concorde and calling it a 300 (an approach taken by certain American carmakers all too often). The 300M gets its own sheet metal, suspension and the aforementioned classic gauge cluster."
However, the car did garner criticism for featuring mere 16-inch wheels in a class where 17s were becoming the standard, for the raucous nature of its 3.5-liter V6 and for its lackluster braking performance. "Think of the 300M as Chrysler's first serious attempt at a world car," we concluded. "The shortened length (compared to an LHS sedan) widens its appeal to European buyers, and the suspension offers handling that few comparably sized sedans can match. As a true world car, it needs improved brakes and much higher build-quality standards. As a people mover for full-size hot-rod enthusiasts, it hits the mark."
Changes were scant to the 300M for 2001, but a hot-rodded "Special" model arrived for 2002 with a firmer suspension, an upgrade brake system, increased-effort steering, 18-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot tires and mild cosmetic touches inside and out.
We revisited the car, as a 300M Special took part of a five-car, entry-level luxury sedan comparison test. It finished fourth again this time behind the Infiniti I35, Lexus ES 300, Saab 9-5 and Volkswagen Passat W8. Road Test Editor Erin Riches wrote, "The 300M Special has a controlled yet taut ride and tire rumble makes the cabin noisy on the highway. Of course the very attributes that make the 300M less compliant than its peers also make it a rewarding companion for any driver who turns onto a winding two-lane highway — the Chrysler was the only full-size car in this group, but it exhibited the least body roll and the most grip when pushed around curves, and maintained the highest speed through the 600-foot slalom (63.6 mph). Stability control is not available for the 300M; standard traction control prevents the front wheels from spinning excessively on slippery surfaces . Our test vehicle had much the same build quality issues as the earlier 300M Special we tested — various interior rattles, a slightly loose center console, front doors that rubbed against the firewall pads whenever they were opened or closed and misaligned exterior body panels.
"Compared with the ES 300, I35 and Passat W8, the 300M Special seemed too rough around the edges for an entry-level luxury sedan. While its roomy interior and surprising performance thresholds could justify a test-drive for some, it's not a car that we would recommend to most buyers shopping in this segment."
The 300M would finish out its life in 2003 and 2004 with the open secret of the imminent return of a rear-drive, V8-powered 300 haunting it. The anticipation for what came next was almost overwhelming.
The current Chrysler 300 is nothing short of sensational. Except for the fact that it's built in the same plant and can be had with the same 3.5-liter V6 engine in lower-end models (there's also a base model with a 2.7-liter V6), the new 300 shares practically nothing with the outgoing 300M. The new unibody structure mounts a rear-drive drivetrain and incorporates suspension components originally developed for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The styling is aggressively American with more than a taste of gangster influence. The best news, of course, is sitting up at the top of the range, the new 300C model powered by the new 5.7-liter "Hemi" V8 engine making 340 hp. After getting our first taste of the 300C, we wrote, "Chrysler has reintroduced the idea of rear-wheel drive and V8 power to buyers shopping for a premium family sedan and/or entry-level luxury car. Will the 300 be the car that sends Toyota back to the drawing board and forces BMW to slash prices? Maybe not, but with just $32,000 standing between you and a stylish, well-equipped 340-hp sedan, it has never been a better time to be a power-hungry weekend enthusiast."
It's still too early to call the new 300 a classic, but it's obviously an exciting development in the nameplate's history. And with a lengthy list of safety features and optional all-wheel drive (for those who face harsh winters), in addition to its stunning performance and styling, we don't see any reason to be anything but optimistic about its future.
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TextureJuly 14, 2004
Flat colour and gradients only go so far. It's nice to have alternatives for filling larger stretches of space within a design; I've been turning to texture more frequently. Here are some notes on that.
I'm a sucker for digitally-generated effects. I can trace that tendency back to a time when I was working with a company that had a pitifully weak stock library, and no funds to buy more. In a bind, I learned a bunch of Photoshop trickery for faking various effects and extending low-resolution digital camera photos for use in production work. It still shows in my work today, though I've made the conscious effort to branch out in recent years.
All this to say that when I think of adding texture, I turn to digital effects before I think of photography in many cases. Most of it is pretty basic Photoshop 101, but combining the right filters and hand-painting methods can result in some interesting and varied detail.
Above is a sampling of a few different methods, with details about their creation below. All textures sit on a layer over top of the basic brown square, and were converted to greyscale (by hitting CTRL+U (Cmd+U) and adjusting the Saturation slider to the far left) then blended using the 'Overlay' blending mode. Hence, the equal tone consistent across the set.
- The original brown patch, nothing applied.
- A bit of noise (Filter -> Noise -> Add Noise) was applied (a small value, Gaussian, and monochromatic — it's easy to over-do noise, I generally play in the 1 - 10% range). Noise is a good way to get quick, random detail into an image. It's one of what I'd consider the two fundamental building blocks for computer-generated texture.
- The same square as #2, with blur added (Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur). The various blur tools are great for intermediate steps during the creation process. Gaussian Blur is the most commonly useful, to the point where I used to have an action set up so hitting F5 would save me the three clicks through the menu to load up the filter.
- The same square as #3, with the Emboss filter added (Filter -> Stylize -> Emboss). Emboss is dangerous; without adjustment you can spot it from a mile away, but using it subtlely can introduce a bumpy, stippled texture.
- The same square as #2, but what has happened here is I've used the Marquee tool to select a roughly 10 pixel high bit at the top, and then hit CTRL+T (Cmd+T) to free transform the selection. Stretching random noise along one dimension produces a grainy pattern, which could potentially form the basis for hair or wood grain if I were to take it further.
- Starting again, this is square #1 with Clouds applied (Filter -> Render -> Clouds). 'Clouds' is the other of the two fundamental building blocks. Each application of it renders an entirely different set of clouds. On its own the filter is pretty easy to spot, but it serves as a great, randomized starting point.
- The same as square #6, with Difference Clouds applied. You'll find them in the same menu as Clouds. They apply over top of an existing patch of colour or texture, and use it to form a random difference pattern. Applying them a few times in a row is additive, which allows layers of clouds to be built up on top of the source; this example is the result of 20 or more applications. (Shortcut: once you've applied a filter once, hit CTRL+F [Cmd+F] to do it again.)
- The same as square #7, with the Craquelere filter applied. (Filters -> Texture -> Craquelere) Interestingly, with the exception of the Texturizer Filter, most of the options under the 'Texture' menu are pretty limited. I rarely go in there.
- Starting fresh again. This time, no filters were used — instead, I selected the paintbrush tool, a small brush size, and clicked it into Airbrush mode (prior versions of Photoshop had a separate tool; CS and [I believe] v7 combined them into one). I started with a white brush, switched into brown halfway and continued building up over top of the white, then switched back to white to finish. The end result can be anything you need it to be, but in this case it resulted in a layered, webby kind of texture.
- The same as square #9, with the Motion Blur and Unsharp Mask (Filter -> Sharpen -> Unsharp Mask) filters applied. The former is just a specialized blur that smudges in a certain direction, and the latter is almost the reverse of blur. Unsharp Mask is a global sharpening tool that is usually used as a final addition to a photo just before it's sent for printing or processed for the web; it's easy to misuse it, so it's almost always a last step. In this case, the blur was a bit too blurry, so some sharpening cleaned it up nicely.
- The same as square #10, with multiple filters applied. I'm not going to list them all here, but the first few were to modify the base texture and the last, the one responsible for the effect you're seeing, was Torn Edges (Filter -> Sketch -> Torn Edges). Though I'd hesitate to use this as texture in a final piece since it looks too filter-like, it could make for a killer mask.
- The same as #11, with more filters. In this case I built up a base layer with #11, then copied square #8 over top and applied further filters to it. Multiple layers of texture often result in a more realistic image, since very few textures in real life see a repeating pattern across an entire surface without variation. That last word is the key: variation. The more varied and detailed your texture, the more convincing it will look.
- And now we get to the photos for comparison. This is leather.
- This is rust.
- Sand.
- Wood.
Compared to the last row of photos, most of the other textures obviously have a ways to go for true photorealism. With enough time and effort it's possible to produce truly convincing results; but it's not always necessary. Sometimes a lack of detail is a good thing. Sometimes subtle detail that's only faintly perceptible is a good thing. There are no hard and fast rules in this, it's just a matter of figuring out what works.
Reader Comments
Somewhat similar line of thought… here's a free tool I have used now and then when needing some repeating textures.
Those are pretty cool textures and tips, Dave! Thanks!
Nice. Takes me back to the mid-90's when you tried to find that perfect background. :) Really, I'm like you in that I'm starting to get interested in textures again. I've always been fond of the ones that remind you of a putting green. Maybe not for a full background these days, but for the occasional div it works. I was surprised after looking at the css zen garden how many designers used textures for their backgrounds, including a few of the turf variety.
The Inspiration Gallery seems to satisfy all of my texturing needs, although some of their best textures are labeled as borders… go figure.
Can you switch that HTML to an ordered list… it would make it easier to look back and forth between picture and description.
Feel free to delete this comment after you see it :)
One of the more useful posts I've read anywhere in a while. Well, for me at least!
Very nice. I usually lean towards live reference/sources when going for realistic emulation, but, in a bind, you generated some convincing stuff.
"Can you switch that HTML to an ordered list… it would make it easier to look back and forth between picture and description."
Whoops, forgot to mention — it is, but I had to make a change to the CSS file to get it to work. (ul li {} as opposed to li {})
Refresh and reload, and you'll be good.
Reminds me of how I got started with Photoshop, (back in the day etc etc) using 'found' images, photos and generated textures to make club flyers.
I still use a lot of the same techniques, but I confess I'd forgotten how I came by them.
Maybe your next tutorial ought to be the lighting effects functions…
Subtle effects are the key. When it comes to good pictures, it's either perfect, everything in place and just fine or it's subtle, some things aren't emphasized while they should for your feeling. Creating headers is also such a task. Try and create something fun, original and lively. You'll end up using your own textures, because photos just aren't the right thing. Or you're lucky, which rarely is the case.
Lovely work, and some great tips I'll definitely be trying in my own work. Cheers!
It's refreshing to see you sharing some of your graphic design techniques. Sometimes I think there is too much proliferation of generalized code-speak. With all this movement towards web standards (which I support fully, of course) there is a tendancy to neglect basic methods of _design_. I'm glad you didn't post an entry about 'that classic worn look' - I think we get it already ;)
Nice article, in these days I've been seeing many blogs making great use of textures, two examples are http://www.cameronmoll.com and http://www.whatdoiknow.org/ , and of course the Blogger templates, created by some of the known guys.
Now I am looking for articles about creating seamless backgrounds when you use these tiles. That's very important. I lost the url I had about that, anyone has some good link?
An excellent entry, Dave! I use textures on my blog, and think they're very useful and make the page more interesting and pleasing to look at.
By the way, I have Photoshop 7, and it does combine the brush/airbrush tools together.
There was a series that I read a long time ago on this topic. I'd like to share it. It's very old but still informative:
Kai Krause wrote this like 9 years ago and it's still a good read.
Nice post!!! Always good to see blogs with useful information. SO when can we expect to see some texture on your site ;) It seems patterns are becoming very popular too these days. I for one like them!


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Pressey to enter NBA Draft
Columbia, MO – Missouri point guard Phil Pressey announced Wednesday that he would forego his senior season and enter the 2013 NBA Draft.
Pressey, who's the Tigers' career leader in assists (580) and steals (196), averaged 11.9 points and 7.0 assists per game this past season.
"Many college basketball players dream of this day, but when I had to finally make this decision it was difficult because it means I am leaving a place I love so much," Pressey said. "I love my teammates, my coaches, Mike Alden and all of our fans, and I'm so glad I had the chance to play for Coach Haith these last two years. He had such a big impact on my career and because of that relationship I will help Missouri Basketball anyway I can going forward."
Pressey averaged 9.7 points per game over his three years with the school and came up 41 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career.
"I was fortunate in that I had the opportunity to coach Phil for two seasons and he helped us win a lot of games, but more importantly, he was a great ambassador for our program both on and off the court. I wish Phil and his family all the best as he turns to a new chapter in his basketball career," Missouri head coach Frank Haith said.


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Mon, Apr 1 2013
LeTourneau University will present "Rave On!" the Buddy Holly Experience at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 23, in the S. E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center on the main campus, 2100 S. Mobberly Ave. in Longview.
Rave On! The Buddy Holly Experience reinvents the ordinary tribute show with an electrifying, high-energy, rock n' roll extravaganza featuring America's premiere Buddy Holly interpreter, Billy McGuigan, a dead-ringer for the legendary rocker. Backed by the rockin' Rave On Band, the show breathes new life into the music of Buddy Holly in a rock and roll tour-de-force featuring such hits as "Peggy Sue," "Raining in My Heart," "It's So Easy," "That'll Be the Day," "True Love Ways," "Oh Boy" and of course, "Rave On." In a unique twist, Billy as Buddy celebrates the birth of an era and pays homage to his fellow rockers Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.BelcherCenter.com or call the the Belcher Center Box Office Monday through Friday, from 10 to 5 p.m. at (903) 233-3080.
The entire 2012-2013 Belcher Center season is underwritten by Martin Midstream Partners. Marquee sponsors include Transet and Network Communications, and this show sponsor is Southside Bank.


text: Internet ad revenue hits $20.1 billion in first half Published on October 09, 2013. New York—Internet advertising revenue reached $20.1 billion in the first half of the year, up 18.2% over the first half of last year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. In the second quarter, Internet ad revenue totaled $10.3 billion, up 18.4% over the same period last year. Revenue from mobile advertising soared to $3.0 billion in the first half, up 145.0% over the first half of last year. Online video spending totaled $1.3 billion in the first half, up 24.0%. The IAB's Internet Advertising Revenue Report was prepared by auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers. Most Popular In this article: BtoB


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The Homeland Security Department reportedly plans to increase the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the Caribbean to help crack down on drug trafficking, despite doubts about UAVs' effectiveness over water.
The plan, which comes after a year and a half of testing in the Bahamas, would double the area along U.S. borders now covered by UAVs, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
Increasing the coverage area is one thing, however. How well they can track speedboats and submarines hauling drugs is another. "The question is: Will they be effective? We have no systematic evidence on how effective they are," Bruce Bagley, who studies U.S. counter-narcotics efforts at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., told the Times, which noted that military and domestic law enforcement officials have expressed misgivings.
The ocean's lack of identifying landmarks and trail could present a problem, the article said.
The use of drones could be another cog in a broader, coordinated effort to step up enforcement along the nation's borders. In written testimony submitted June 21 to the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management, a group of DHS component agencies discussed their multilayered approach to policing the borders.
"No one entity can tackle these transnational criminal enterprises alone," according to the testimony, submitted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Coast Guard. The testimony, which did not mention UAVs specifically, discusses working with state, local, tribal, territorial, international and other federal agencies.
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Of course, it would never occur to the drug runners to use a MANPAD on the drone. Good thing they could never buy one, they cost too much.
Effectiveness is directly related to the sensors deployed and the dynamic accuracy of the GPS systems on board. If you are going after drug-running subs, you probably need sensitive magnetometers on the UAV and probably should be peppering the Caribbean with hydrophone buoys or sonobuoys seeking submarine mechanical noises. High-speed surface craft are even harder to track because of their speed. Perhaps autonomous hydrofoil craft could move fast enough to provide some surface support to the effort.
So drug running is bad but illegal entry is OK? What a selective enforcement policy gives you!
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