text:
Siri May Be Starting a Hope Chest
Jul 18, 2014 5:26 PM PT
It may not be a marriage made in heaven, but the cloud is pretty close.
Just hours after IBM and Apple announced they had entered a strategic partnership, speculation began to spread about the possible integration of two of their most well-known products: What if Siri and Watson were to hook up?
Siri is Apple's voice-enabled digital personal assistant. Watson is IBM's artificial intelligence software, perhaps best known for winning Jeopardy!
While noting that it was too soon to talk about a future Siri-Watson hybrid, IBM hasn't ruled out the possibility.
"Today we're focusing on how we can leverage the capabilities of iOS and the great user experience and design that Apple has, and combine that with our strength in the enterprise and in the cloud," Phil Buckellew, vice president for enterprise mobile at IBM, told TechNewsWorld.
"We're not announcing anything specific to Watson and Siri," he continued, "but we're not precluding it."
Extraordinary Platform
Siri and Watson would be a powerful combination.
"Marrying the two technologies could give you an engine that could leverage Big Data in a way that nobody else can," Gartner Research Vice President Van L. Baker told TechNewsWorld.
"The ability to query Watson from your smartphone and get the kind of answers at the speed it can deliver them would be an extraordinary platform," he added.
Both Apple and IBM could benefit from a Siri-Watson union. In addition to making Siri smarter, Watson could bring expertise in some vertical markets -- like healthcare -- that Apple is interested in penetrating.
"This could be a good marriage between Siri -- which is about the kind of consumer experience that Apple does well -- and Watson -- which is the kind of data parsing and analytics that IBM does so well," Ross Rubin, principal analyst with Reticle Research, told TechNewsWorld.
There also would be benefits for IBM. It would get an application -- Siri -- for Watson, along with greater exposure among consumers.
"Watson is being used now as a back end for very specific interfaces that IBM has created for it. It's not a general assistant," Roger L. Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates, told TechNewsWorld.
"IBM could use Siri at the front end of Watson as part of an interface that included other elements, like a keyboard and mouse," he added.
Buffing Up Siri
In addition, Siri could provide "lots of data for Watson. If Apple shared data about the context in which queries were developed, IBM could use that information to improve Watson's intelligence."
The corpus of natural language questions asked Watson actually is very small, explained Raj Singh, founder of Tempo AI.
By contrast, Siri has a mammoth database of what it's asked because it has an unconstrained speech interface.
"Providing something like that to IBM is of very, very significant value," Singh told TechNewsWorld.
"On the Siri side, they can apply Watson to user data, so Siri can ask and answer personal questions," he added. "From the IBM perspective, they can make the system smarter by having access to Siri's corpus of questions from all its users."
Combining Siri and Watson won't be easy, according to Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst of the Enderle Group.
"The Watson and Siri interfaces are unique, so getting the two to work together wouldn't be trivial," he told TechNewsWorld.
Combining Siri and Watson would be a natural response to Cortana, Microsoft's answer to Siri, which has a back end similar to Watson, Enderle suggested.
"For Apple to continue to compete in this area -- and clearly Google is upping its game as well -- they need substantial help, and Watson is the leading, back-end AI product at the moment," he added. "So if they can figure out how to connect Siri and Watson, the end result would be incredibly powerful."


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Armed with a new ability to find retinal anomalies at the cellular level, neurobiologists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have made a discovery they hope will ultimately lead to a treatment for cancer of the retina.
While much work remains, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's specialized tracing algorithm allows researchers to analyze thousands of cells instead of just a few dozen. This tool has helped reveal a previously undiscovered role of Rb, the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene in the developing retina. The findings are detailed in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, available here.
"Our paper shows that horizontal neurons known to be deficient in this gene exhibited abnormalities in the way their dendrites - the arms that connect to other cells - were organized after a certain number of days after birth," said the Department of Energy lab's Ryan Kerekes, one of the authors. The images of mouse retinas were acquired using confocal microscopy while The Jackson Laboratory provided the mice.
To make their discovery, Kerekes, ORNL colleague Shaun Gleason and postdoc Mahmut Karakaya developed a computer program and automated tool that traces the very complex and intricate dendritic arbor. This tool allows scientists to draw a line along each branch in the neuron's tree of connectors so the branch can be measured in terms of length, angle and other parameters.
"Previously, this was a very time-consuming and labor-intensive process," Kerekes said. "Existing commercial software tools were not tuned to this particular data and, as a result, produced too many tracing errors."
As a result, only a handful of cells could be analyzed in sufficient detail, according to Kerekes, who noted that the ORNL tracing algorithms achieves the level of accuracy required to analyze thousands of developing neurons.
Retinoblastoma is caused by a mutation in a gene controlling cell division, causing cells to grow out of control and become cancerous. It is most commonly found in children 2 and younger.
While this paper focused on cancer of the retina, Gleason noted that this research focuses on a number of retinal developmental issues.
The lead author of the paper, titled "Retinoblastoma (Rb) regulates laminar dendritic arbor reorganization in retinal horizontal neurons," is Michael Dyer of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center at Memphis and Howard Hughes Medical Center, Chevy Chase, Md. Other authors are from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Memphis, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro de Ciencias da Saude, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award/National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, the Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities. The image analysis work also received seed money from ORNL and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
ORNL Image Analysis Prowess Advances Retina Research
Armed with a new ability to find retinal anomalies at the cellular level, neurobiologists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have made a discovery they hope will ultimately lead to a treatment for cancer of the retina.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'm Vanessa Wagster, the owner of Caring Senior Service of Victoria. I worked with Caring Senior Service as the Director of Support Services. I oversaw and managed the full scope of human resources, regulation compliance, employee services and relations, and operational procedures. Before joining Caring Senior Service, I obtained a Master's Degree in social work and held a variety of management and operational roles in assisted living and hospice settings. As the owner of Caring Senior Service, it's my goal to give seniors the control needed to live safely at home and to give their families peace of mind. I believe that every senior should be able to remain healthy, happy, and home, as does my staff. We work hard to provide GreatCare® to every senior we serve.
The Caregiver is the backbone of Caring Senior Service. So, joining our team of caregivers means being the best of the best. This is because we only hire caregivers that express a passion for serving others. We know that having this quality is equally as important as having the required work experience. In addition to hiring with an eye for passion we only hire caregivers with at least one year experience working with seniors or those who have a CNA license.
The Care Manager has a great job. It starts from the very first visit with a client. Getting to know the client is very important to the Care Manager. It helps her pick the right caregivers to deliver care. The Care Manager makes sure the best caregiver is matched based on skill, experience, and personality. Once care starts the Care Manager makes regular visits to the home to make sure the care plan remains up to date and that everyone is happy with care.
The Agency Director makes sure each and every client receives GreatCare®. She manages the rest of the team so that our clients get the best possible service day or night. She does this by making sure the steps in our GreatCare® method are followed by everyone on the Caring team. With over 25 years helping seniors remain home we've learned that it's our method that makes the difference. The Agency Director has the important responsibility of making sure that the statement "We provide GreatCare®" is not just what we say it's what we do.
Caring Senior Service Victoria
103 E Red River St
Victoria, TX 77901


text:
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text:
Well happy New Year to everyone. It's a strange time in the land of vicars leading up to Christmas. Not only do we have the busy service schedule (and grabbing time to buy presents, prepare for Christmas etc) but we also have to be thinking ahead to the new year and planning for the year
Tag: cell group
New Year… New opportunities…
January 2, 2014 1 Comment Short URLcell group, cell groups, Missional Community GroupsAnglicans, Cell Groups, Christianity, community, Faith, Fresh Expressions, Jesus, Prayer, Springfield Church
We've just been Visited
Quote from my bishop "you are above average I am below average". — Will Cookson (@willscookson) November 19, 2010
November 19, 2010 0 Comments Short URLAppraisal, archdeacon, bishop, cell group, skittles, staffCell Groups, Church of England
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The best kind of raw materials. Roll on (geddit?) Sunday in youth. Might let set-up team / wardens have some if they are nice to us ... the curate will - yet again - try to look dignified while eating a bacon sandwich / having pre-service conversations and find, not for the first time, that it just can't be done. #baconrollsunday #omnomnom
Singing carols at Wallington library cafe. Great atmosphere #Springfieldchurch # carols #faboccassion
All set for last Toast@10 of 2016 in Youth #readysetspread #flufforchocolate? #springfieldchurch
Christmas banners have arrived in time for Sunday. Listening to Matt Redman's new Christmas album on Spotify. #Christmasisontheway #Springfieldchurch
- Moving on November 27, 2016
- Shallow Small groups 2 January 27, 2015
- Dean of Fresh Expressions January 21, 2015
- What can we do in the face of such evil? August 14, 2014
- Celebrating the Jewish Jesus April 18, 2014
- Liam s: It wasn't only me then Will. I was annoyed by people flocking over these so called…
- Bill: Will, we have absolutely no doubt you will be as great a blessing to the Diocese as you have been…
- Will Cookson: Thanks Ross, God bless, Will
- Will Cookson: Dear Alan & Sue, how great to hear from you. How are things in sunny Haydock? I believe that you…
- Alan and Sue Roberts: Best wishes Will to you and your family. We still remember you here (14 years ?). Alan and Sue Roberts…
- Ross: I have no doubt you will be an absolute blessing in your next step of ministry. You are a…
- Humaira: Agree it was a major let down to visit topkapi I see now why the Quran emphasizes the need…
- The Rich Ecclesiology of Fresh Expressions - Luke S. Edwards: […] should be of no surprise that John Wesley also faced great resistance. The Anglican bishop Joseph Butler famously remarked…
- The dangerous prophecy of Lance Lambert… September 8, 2011
- Will Jesus return on May 21st at about 6pm? March 28, 2011
- Review – Bible's Buried Secrets – The Real garden of Eden March 29, 2011
- Why women should be Bishops…. November 23, 2012
- Review – Bible's Buried Secrets – Did King David's Empire exist? March 16, 2011
- Review of Love Wins by Rob Bell April 1, 2011
- Bains family blog: arrived in Kenya October 20, 2011
- Good without God November 5, 2010
- Moving on November 27, 2016
- Shallow Small groups 2 January 27, 2015
- Dean of Fresh Expressions January 21, 2015
- What can we do in the face of such evil? August 14, 2014
- Celebrating the Jewish Jesus April 18, 2014
- Church Growth Conference – children & youth January 24, 2014
- Church Growth – from anecdote to evidence January 22, 2014
- All Change for All Age Services January 21, 2014
20th anniversary Archbishop of Canterbury BBC cafe church church church centre church of england Egypt Faith film Fresh Expressions Giles Fraser Harold Camping Holy Week ipad Israel Jesus kakamega kenya Lake Nakuru Narnia new wine Obama Opera ordinariate Politics Pope Quote of the day rapture religion Rob Bell Roundshaw Rowan Williams RUSH Academy rush project RUSH Trip 2013 safari second coming small groups spirituality Springfield Church turkey values Voyage of the Dawn Treader Wallington
Will's twitterings
- On train home after a wonderful evening hosted by @BishopSouthwark. So many great pioneers in @SouthwarkCofE being… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
- Congratulations to @StephenHance1, I know that he has a real passion for evangelism and he will be a gift to the wi… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
- I see that Timmy Ajayi has won the selfie with the Bishops ordination tweets!! twitter.com/BishopSouthwar… 2 weeks ago
- Wonderful to be at the priestings this morning for the Woolwich area. Especially great to see Timmy priested twitter.com/BishopSouthwar… 2 weeks ago
- @MrsCWillis Give her a ring I'm sure she would love to see you again. Hope you're all well. How has the move gone? 2 weeks ago
Anglicans Answer No bainfamily Bible Blogging Cell Groups Christianity Christmas Church Growth Church of England Church Planting community Conflict Easter Faith Films Fresh Expressions Jesus Leadership Meditation Missional Narnia Politics Reviews RUSH RUSH trip 2012 Social Justice Springfield Church Structures Technology


text:
We are proud to have worked with The Andy Warhol Museum to uncover never-before-seen artworks from Andy Warhol's original Amiga disks. In 2014, a short documentary was made about the process, as well as how our members' extensive knowledge of retrocomputing was instrumental to finding and recovering the works. Read more about this exciting discovery.
Does the thought of:
...get you hyped? Then stop by at one of our meetings. We hold Open Hacking Hours weekly during the school year on Saturdays starting around 17:00 at our server room in Cyert B6.
We also present classic hacker films regularly. Check the events calendar below for these announcements.
Send mail to firstname.lastname@example.com to be (automatically) added to our mailing list!
Saturdays, 5:00pm, Cyert B6
Tuesdays, 5:30pm, Porter A19
Wednesdays, 6:00pm, Wean 5312
Check our calendar for the latest updates.
Just come to any of our meetings or events; we'll find a place for you!
Send mail to firstname.lastname@example.com to be (automatically) added to our mailing list!
We also keep up a lively IRC discussion on freenode/##cclub, so be sure to join when you're online.


text:
Includes 5' telescopic tunnel, hardware, and tape.
Areas with a drop ceiling, long shaft applications and interior area of buildings all lend themselves to the commercial SUN TUNNEL skylight. For your next commercial project, trust the name you know in daylighting from above - VELUX.
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|Commercial SUN TUNNEL
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text:
Aether Shanties RP (PM if interested/Started)
Pages PREV 1 . . . 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 . . . 34 NEXT
Garrett found it strange that he was doing this. In all his life, he had never thought of the possibility of romantic relationship. But here he was standing outside a jewellers with the intent on getting a ring for Adrianna. It would be a mixture of a birthday present for her, and as a symbol for something greater. The sign for the shop read: Harrap's Artisans and Jewellers - Exquisite Pieces At Fair Prices. On the outside, it looked like a respectable place, a little higher class than the places where Garrett would normally go to, but perhaps spending time on an Imperial ship like the Invincible got him slightly used to places like this.
He could feel his heart pounding slightly inside of him, nervous about what he was about to do. Garrett found it a little funny, enough to make him laugh out loud; that throughout all the things he had done, this was the one thing that had him even the remotest chance of being scared. Still, he had to do it all the same. With a few deep breathes, he went pushed the door open and went inside.
The inside of the shop looked rather neat and tidy, a few other people, mostly women were busy looking around. There was another woman who was at the counter, currently serving another customer. She had long black hair that part of it was tied into a ponytail at the back, whilst the rest hanged loose which helped with framing her pointed face alongside a pair of rectangular glasses. The lady wore an elaborate black dress. Garrett went up to the counter, and began looking at the items on display underneath. It was after a few minutes that the shop keeper turned her attention to Garrett.
"Anything I can help you with, sir?" The question caused Garrett to look up at the lady. He had to admit, she was pretty as well.
"Yes, yes of course there is something you can help me with." Garrett replied sounding desperate. He stopped for moment before continuing.
"Sorry, its my first time going into a place like this, you could say I'm a little nervous."
"It's understandable sir. Besides we don't often get many gentlemen of your style in here. So, what can I help you with then?" The shop keeper asked as she rested an arm on the counter, sounding intrigued. Garrett smirked at the comment made, inclined to agree with her.
"I guess you wouldn't see many pirates in a Jewellers. You see, I'm looking for a special ring, for a special lady close to my heart."
"Ah, romance then. Well you certainly have found the right place to purchase such an item. We here make some of the finest items around. I'm sure I can help find something that your lady will simply adore. Anything specific?" Garrett stood there for a few moments, his arms crossed as he thought. Suddenly he snapped his finger.
"Something that has a reddish pink colour to it, you see its her favourite colour. Actually, something like this." Garrett said, pointing out to one ring in particular that looked perfect.
"Sir, you have fine taste for a novice jewellery shopper like yourself. Sorry, just my little joke." The shop keeper remarked with an elegant smile as she knelt down to retrieve the ring in question, and presented it to Garrett.
"This here is a 9ct White Gold ring with a Pink Sapphire gemstone. It is a ring that is suitable for any occasions, and your lady will certainly love it."
"Really, you think so? I guess you should know better, being the person who runs the shop. How much is it?" Garrett asked, taking out his money as he spoke.
"Hmm, let me see." The shop keeper said, bringing out a catalogue from under the counter, and began looking through the pages to find the one detailing the ring. "400 Helios. 25 extra if you'd like it gift wrapped." She then added as a finger rested on the correct page. Garrett was somewhat shocked at the price, but after examining the ring more closely, could where the expensive side of it was, the gemstone. He began counting out the money, it piling up onto the table.
After making sure it was the correct amount, the shop keeper took the ring from its display case, and went out back, returning a few minutes later with a small box about the size of the ring itself.
"Here you are sir. Hope your lady friend enjoys it." The lady said as she presented the ring box to Garrett.
"Thank you very much m'lady, you've done me a great service. I shall bid you good day." Garrett remarked with a smile as he took the ring, and placed it in the front pocket of his coat. He then made his way out of the shop to continue with his other purchases.
"It will be over before you know it. Now please, roll up those sleeves of yours."
Zach considered the offer made over the intercom. He wondered what sort of occasion it would be. Zach wasn't normally one for formality, and yet mingling with folk of higher status than himself (and there were plenty) held a mischievous allure for him. When cleaned up and dressed up Zach could pass for a proper gentleman even under the nose of the stuffiest host. A natural progression from watching people down to every last detail, was learning how to mimic perfectly. However, Zach couldn't shake the feeling something was off about this whole thing. Perhaps he was just superstitious. He'd only just got on board so going ashore again so soon seemed somehow wrong. That wasn't it though, his instincts were telling him there was more to it than that, and he trusted them more than any other thing in this world.
So, a night of entertainment, and a mystery to solve. How could Zach resist?
"What do you think Issac, in the mood for the party atmosphere?"
Samuel heard the offer over the intercom and seriously thought it over.
'Well I have never been to a skyfolk party, perhaps it won't be as boring as a Neo-Victorian party. Lord knows I never want to go to another one of those things. It also does give me the excuse to see how this crew acts in a situation requiring some amount of tact and etiquette, should be a laugh a minute.' He chuckled to himself, thinking of all the moments he'd seen this crew celebrate anything. It all too often ended in drinking and a brawl set to raucous music.
He decided to grab his bottle of whiskey and a shot glass and walked up topside to once again get some air along with a decent view to go with his drink. Being a sailor had some advantages when it came to some of the views you got on a regular basis.
Jason strode into the mess hall, the smell of traditional Skyfolk cooking filling his nose. On the other side of the room, the ship cook, a burly man by the name of Morgan, was scooping ladlefuls of seagull soup into the waiting bowls of hungry crewmen. Jason felt a growl rise from the pit of his stomach, reminding him that he hadn't yet eaten today. He grabbed one of the bowls piled to his right and walked up to Morgan's station, offering it expectantly.
Morgan gave a brief nod of recognition before dipping his ladle into the pot. "Good afternoon, Mr. Aurora." He poured the contents into Jason's bowl before locking his gaze with Jason's with a small frown. "I can't help but notice you weren't here for first mess call."
Jason responded with a shrug. He wasn't sure when first call came - he was either asleep or working on replacing the shattered starboard propeller axle, he wasn't sure which. In the weeks since they departed High Tortuga, his days seemed to bleed together into a blur of stress, toil, and increasingly sparse sleep. Not that he was a stranger to any of those things, of course. "So? I'm a busy man, Morgan. Somebody needs to keep this thing afloat."
Morgan's eyes narrowed, giving his normally gentle, reserved posture an unsettlingly intimidating air. "...For the tenth time in two weeks."
Jason returned Morgan's expression. "Are you accusing me of something, Morgan? Because if working hard is a crime, then I'll show myself to the brig."
Morgan gave an exasperated sigh. Why were all of the Mermaid's officers so bent on self-destruction? "Jason, this isn't healthy, and you know it. How many meals have you eaten in the past week? Hell, how much time have you spent doing something other than working in that engine room?"
Jason scoffed. Since when was it anybody's place - least of all the sodding ship cook - to tell him how to do his job? "What are you, my mother? I know my limits, Morgan. I'm tougher than I look."
"Working yourself to death doesn't make you tough, Jason."
"Morgan, this conversation is OVER." His lips curled back to a snarl, his patience having reached its limit. Who the hell did he think he was, trying to order him around like tha-
"'Ello, boys and gals. I have been invited to a party tomorrow, by an old friend. Since I don't want to go alone, anyone who wants too is free to come along. I'm sure we'll have a swell time. There'll be booze and music. I don't know about other pirate crews, but some skyfolk, neobeduin and Helium City folk are to be expected."
His train of thought was interrupted by Beth announcing over the ship intercom. He rolled his eyes. He was never one for the pointless pageantry and inane gossip that comprised such gatherings - a colossal waste of time, as far as he was concerned. He had better things to do - namely, just about anything else.
Jason leveled his attention back to his bowl, frowning when he saw it was still half-full. He offered it back to Morgan expectantly...
...Only to be greeted by his mischevious grin.
'Oh, this can't be good.'
"You're going to that party, Jason. And to incentivize you..." Morgan grabbed a lid to his right and placed it over the soup pot. "You're not getting any more from me until I have a promise you'll go. And don't bother lying to me - if I don't hear from the Captain herself that you went, you're not getting any from me for a week."
A shatter could be heard throughout the mess hall. Jason, struck dumb, had lost his grip on his bowl. But he didn't notice, nor did he care. He was rendered utterly speechless.
'Of all the... who the hell does he think he is!?'
A moment ticked by, the smug look never leaving Morgan's face. Jason eventually managed to regain enough of his composure to sputter a response. "Wha...what!? This had better be one sick fucking joke, Morgan."
"Is it? Your move, Mr. Aurora."
Jason rose to protest, but another growl from his stomach was accompanied by a sudden loss of feeling in his legs. It seemed his body was indeed reaching its limit, doing too much work on too little fuel.
"Fine. I'll go." Jason swallowed his pride, trying to ignore the look of triumph on Morgan's face as he went to collect another bowl. At least Morgan's seagull soup was decent...
Whether the engine room had a intercom or not, Roy completely missed the captain's announcement.
He leaned back in his chair and stretched his back and sore shoulders. He now had a basic idea of how the mechanical arm worked and what measurements he would need to take before he could continue working. Stifling a yawn, he rolled up his papers - a good third of them were of a gun design - and placed them in the chest along with the arm. He then dug out a small notebook, pencil and the measuring tape from his numerous pockets, wrote down the measurements he needed and headed back up to the deck.
Roy sighed when he reached the deck and saw Sheska talking to the captain. He hated having to wait while working on something but there was nothing he cold do. He sat down on the deck with his back against the railing, turned to a new page on the notebook and started to scribble down more firearm ideas.
Hmmm...how best to store the ammo...Not really enough space for a magazine. Maybe a ammunition belt?
Isaac shrugged in response.
He knew attending the party wouldn't be safe. There'd be all sorts of people there and if his suspicions from earlier hadn't just been paranoia, there was a good chance that he'd run into some old acquaintances he'd rather not encounter. But... he didn't have much of a choice. Those old acquaintances would have just as much chance of recognising Sheska who would definitely be going, and he didn't like the idea of his one real friend being picked up by vengeful Ggun agents.
Not to mention the idea that if they did capture her (an unlikely but plausible undertaking), his own capture would not be far behind.
Attending was perhaps the most sensible, and most stupid thing he could do.
"So, doctor. Might as well get started."
The monkey threw off the jacket. Well that was one way of doing it. He strapped the inflatable cuff around the gentleman's left arm, making sure that it was at the right size for the subject and fitted snugly. He began to inflate the cuff, increasing the pressure on James's arm. Soon, it was at about the maximum that was bearable. Dr. Roque leaned in and listened with a stethoscope to the brachial artery at the elbow as he slowly released the pressure in the cuff. As usual, after a few minutes a pounding sound was heard through the stethoscope and Vasco grabbed the bulb tightly, ending the decrease of the the pressure. While he looked the dial, calibrated by himself nonetheless, he turned to James.
"So, engineer's assistant. May I know how you came to that position?" Vasco asked in an attempt to make some friendly banter.
The upper deck of the HMS Invincible was as lovely as the breeze sweeping over it, as if the Skies were cleaning the ship as one might clean a dirty floor. The breath of the wind drifted by all on deck, murmuring sweet and gentle truths as the quiet clamor of deckhands and dockworkers weaved into a perfect harmony, forming a symphonic duet in which there was not a single dissonant chord.
Drustan Cynwrig emerged onto this marvelous moment and stopped, breathing it in. Drustan did not merely breathe the air, though, for it was not just the air that was perfect. No, Drustan breathed in every minute detail of the scene, for times like these were his air. Without these times and places, Drustan would stop living, reduced to a dead man walking.
At the time, though, Drustan was still walking, as he used that invaluable skill to exit the shipyard and emerge reluctantly among the bustling crowd that was Helium City. Peering over the shifting mass of human thanks to his abnormal height, Drustan waded through the living river off to a side street and began chatting with vendors. Despite his extended stay in the city, Drustan still relied on more permanent residents for directions and advice. He stood in an alleyway, sheltered from the thunderous population, having a nice chat with a rather charming used book seller at his stand. As their discussion meandered over recent trends in the fashion of wealthy men, Drustan browsed the merchant's library in case there was any stack of paper that would be nice to have while loitering up in the crow's nest of the Invincible. As his eyes danced along the lines of colors and letters, they were rewarded with something interesting: a faded light blue paperback titled in black letters, A Commoner's Guide to Upper-Class Etiquette and Mannerisms. Part IV: Ballroom Dancing.
"Huh." Drustan retrieved the book, flipping through its pages to make sure it was legitimate. The book was truly a miraculous machination; it had detailed summaries of both classic and contemporary dances, as well as diagrams and random tips. "There is a god." Picking up the other two volumes (I: Hats for those with Money, and III: Properly Conversing with the Opposite Sex) as well as some pulp adventure novels, Drustan wished the bookseller a good day and continued on his way.
"So, engineer's assistant. May I know how you came to that position?"
She shook her head, and breathed in the air of the city below. It smelled better up here. "Nah, I don't want to go alone. The more the merrier."
When Sheska asked if something was wrong, she shrugged, there was nothing wrong at the moment. Something was bothering her, but she wouldn't bother someone else with problems, which could be the imaginings of a drunk mind. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."
She was worrying about someone else, and it had nothing to do with her duties. She shouldn't let it affect her too much.
Sheska slowly relaxed as Beth shook her head and told her that she didn't want to go alone. Smirking a little, she leaned against the railing and jabbed a finger in the Captains direction.
"Good. Because I had to go through the indignity of getting fitted for a dress. I'd rather not have wasted my gold.", she said jokingly, before she heard what Beth said next.
"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me.".
She snorted and shook her head. "Too late for that, Cap'n. Romantically or not, I care about you, and you're still a close friend of mine. So that means I'm going to worry about you, just like I'll worry about Izzy when he's bugged by something. So just remember, if you need to talk, I'll be here.", she said, reaching over and putting a supporting hand on Beth's shoulder.
She nodded once, then turned to walk away, only to spot Roy standing a little ways away, writing down something in a journal. She quirked an eyebrow before putting a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her.
"Now, what are you doing here? Shouldn't Jason be working you to exhaustion in the engine room?", she asked firmly.
Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. For a pirate ship there certainly wasn't much to do, he had more excitement in town then on this dreary old rust bucket. He got one of his books out from one of the man pockets in his coat, so much for promises of adventure, as of yet all he had done was mope around on deck while everyone else was busy socialising. He flicked through the old, dog eared pages until he found the place where he had last read. In all honesty he could practically recite the pulp from memory, but where was the fun on that.
"'Ello, boys and gals. I have been invited to a party tomorrow, by an old friend. Since I don't want to go alone, anyone who wants too is free to come along. I'm sure we'll have a swell time. There'll be booze and music. I don't know about other pirate crews, but some skyfolk, neobeduin and Helium City folk are to be expected." Blazed the Captains vioce over the intercom. Finnaly something more suited to him.
Hector leaped up and went in search of the Captian, if he was going anywhere like that, he would need some new clothes; perhaps a suit he hadn't sewn himself.
"Captain, I'd love to go to this party. The thing is my...usual attire might not be appropriate," He said, "Maybe you could lend me some funds to get something...nicer?"
Roy hadn't noticed Sheska walk over to him and jumped a bit when she put her hand on his shoulder.
"Now, what are you doing here? Shouldn't Jason be working you to exhaustion in the engine room?"
"Oh he is, don't you worry about that," Roy said, smirking. "He put me to work on your new arm, to make a plan for all the necessary adjustments and such but I need to take a few measurements before I can continue," he explained and flipped back to the previous page where he'd written down the measurements he'd need to take.
"So, if you have a moment?"
As she watched him jump, she had to suppress a chuckle, and she saw as he flipped his journal to a different page and replied.
"Oh he is, don't you worry about that. He put me to work on your new arm, to make a plan for all the necessary adjustments and such but I need to take a few measurements before I can continue. So, if you have a moment?".
"Hmmm. I suppose. May as well see Sam about that too, he may have a few suggestions, seeing as he's going to be performing the surgery.", she said with a small grimace, motioning for Roy to follow.
She turned only to spot Hector running up to the Captain, and asking for funds for clothes. "Hector, what the fuck are you doing asking the Captain for a free handout?", she asked irritably.
She shook her head and sighed. "Well, you're a pickpocket, aren't you? Ply your damn trade on the locals! Neither the Captain or myself happen to be your mother, and you need to earn most of the coin you'll get, one way or another.", Sheska barked out, before adding, "And when you're getting those new clothes, go to Simmyns Outfitters. They'll sort you out.".
She strode away without another word, once again jerking her head to make sure Roy followed. As soon as they left the helm, she spotted Sam himself coming up from below with a glass in his hand, looking mildly amused with himself.
A moment they reached him, she impatiently introduced the two. "Sam, this is Roy, Roy, this is Samuel, the doctor on the Mermaid. So look, Roy here is on a job from Jason to get measurements for my new arm, and I figured you ought to have at least some say in it. You two have your talk, I'll be sittin right here.", she told them quickly, before making her way to a nearby barrel and plopping down onto it.
"Hmmm. I suppose. May as well see Sam about that too, he may have a few suggestions, seeing as he's going to be performing the surgery."
"I don't think that's really necessary but if it's what you wish," Roy said, shrugging. He figured it was best not to argues and who knew, maybe the doctor would be able to point out some details he'd missed?
He watched as Hector asked the captain for something for a...part?, only to be barked at by Sheska. Apparently the misbegotten was a pickpocket. Roy couldn't help but laugh when he imagined someone pickpocket him. The fellow would be very disappointed when he ended up with nothing but screws, bolts or pieces of metal.
Party? What party? he wondered but Sheska was already striding away before he could ask anything and he had to hurry after her.
"Sam, this is Roy, Roy, this is Samuel, the doctor on the Mermaid. So look, Roy here is on a job from Jason to get measurements for my new arm, and I figured you ought to have at least some say in it. You two have your talk, I'll be sittin right here," Sheska said introducing him to a Neo-Victorian looking man.
"Pleased to meet you," Roy said, holding out his hand.
She was taken offguard, when Hector came up to her and asked for money to buy a new suit. Who did he think she was? A charity? Beth didn't get a chance to speak her mind before Sheska butted in. Apparently she knew that he was a pickpocket. It could come in handy later on.
"It's coming out of your next salary, though you may have earned it after spending a day in the company of Sheska" She whispered, produced some coins and handed them to him. "It's probably not enough to get a custom outfit, like Sheska suggested, but it should be enough to get something better."
"A pleasure to meet you as well. As Sheska already introduced me I'm Samuel, resident doctor." Samuel said as he shook the man's hand with his own that wasn't holding the glass.
"So you are the one working on Sheska's arm now? Well the technical side of things isn't my specialty obviously but if you have questions on the anatomy of it all I'm sure I can provide a decent answer for you." He said to Roy.
"So you are the one working on Sheska's arm now? Well the technical side of things isn't my specialty obviously but if you have questions on the anatomy of it all I'm sure I can provide a decent answer for you."
"It's Jason's little test to see what I'm capable of," Roy explained. "Anyway, these are the measurements I'll need to take," he said, showing Samuel his notebook and after a moment of thought added, "If it isn't too much trouble I wouldn't mind some help with taking the measurements. Since you're a doctor you probably have more experience in it than me and getting even one measurement wrong could be quite bad."
"...Everything is... Correct, I assume?"
Curious, the reading was slightly higher than normal. Even higher than the reading he took from the other arm and surely it wasn't a sign of coarctation of the aorta but of stress. Dr. Roque put the aneroid gauge down and took note of the measurement. Some thought that recording the higher of the measurements from the arms would be enough, but Vasco liked to keep a record of everything. Afterwards, he began to listen to the monkey's heart beat. It was a steady lub dub, almost like the beat of a drum. Then from the depths of his pockets, he got out a pocket watch and began to count the number of heartbeats for a minute. Some thought that thirty seconds was enough, and all you had to do was double the number you counted. But Vasco liked to be precise in this matter. He noted down the figure, it seems that James was healthy in this respect. Nevertheless, he began to take a second reading, for nothing but reliability. With this, he replied to James's query.
"So far, yes." Vasco replied, "Tell me; who exactly did you meet. Apologies, but I need to know your history. For medical purposes."
1 Day later
The sun was beginning its descent from the heavens, the very bottom of the glowing orb laying tangent to the distant, flat horizon to the west. The sun was a bright vermilion that blasted the clouds around the city in a cacophony of colors and shades. Great gusts of wind blew through the city, taking any unbolted items lighter than wood. To the east, darker clouds lay illuminated only by the barest reaches of the solar light and the occasional crack of lightning; a sign of the brewing storm that awaited them not far away. Helium City rose higher than these clouds however, giving some protection from the storm's wrath. Adrianna stared at it through a still open window, taking note on it's size and shape and power - she would need to if they were to set sail tomorrow with any haste. It was unfortunate timing, but such was the nature of... well nature.
Having gained a scope of the storm, Adrianna closed her window and pulled tight the shades. She then returned her spyglass to the top of her book shelf and straightened her dress and coat; it would show poor manners to dress in anything but formal attire. Similarly, she could hardly chose to wear anything without the Imperial colors, hence the presence of a greatcoat; one more formal than her standard affair. She quickly rewound her arm and pocket watch, slipping the latter of the two into her aforementioned pocket. Finally, she grabbed her Admiral's hat - a device that served the great function of high fashion while ignoring the more important application of keeping ones head warm - and made her way out the door to top deck; awaiting the arrival of the others.
Adrianna knew she would be among the first to arrive top deck, but she'd had more than enough of waiting in her cabin, surrounded by Imperial forms and applications. Anything was better than the paper mountains; even a Gala.
Garrett could see the sky slowly descending into a shade of burnt orange as the day began to give way to the night. Far towards the eastern horizon, the clouds grew darker with each passing moment, he thought he could even make out strikes of lightning. As he gazed upon the late afternoon sun, Garrett was busy preparing for the Gala that was but a few short hours away. He made sure to look the part, his long hair being brushed and tied tied back into ponytail, and his beard having a much needed trim just to tidy it up.
In terms of actual clothing, Garrett decided his usual attire wouldn't do, and went for something that whilst it was rather formal looking, still showed hints of his independence and pirate nature despite being on board an Imperial ship. Garrett topped off his attire with a dark blue greatcoat he "acquired" some time ago, and had been looking for a fitting occasion to wear it, and it appears that tonight was that night. During his shopping trip, Garrett also got a dark blue tri-corn hat with a golden trim for formal occasions. Now was as good time as any to try it out.
Despite there going to be a strong security presence at the Gala, Garrett didn't want to leave things to chance; so he decided to bring along his sword and a revolver he kept for emergencies, with it being kept in a holster on the inside of his coat. After making sure everything looked suitable, he made his way up on deck. On his way, he bumped into Leigh who was carrying some supplies in a box with him.
"Hey watch it, stuff I'm carrying here is very..." Leigh said sounding annoyed, but not before he stopped to look at who it was.
"Oh, sorry Garrett, didn't realise it was you under that smart looking get up. Must say sir, looks good on you."
"Cheers Leigh, lets just hope it meets the Rear Admiral's inspection." Garrett remarked with a smile.
"Sure it will Garrett, if not, you can always charm her; seeing as though you've got a good rapport with her."
"Oh yes, you could say I can have the right effect on her when the situation calls for it. Anyway, must dash Leigh."
"Alright then, have fun at the Gala Garrett. Myself and the other crew will make sure this place stays safe." Leigh said triumphantly as the two parted ways, with Garrett soon arriving up on deck. Upon his entry, he could immediately see Adriana on deck, and her appearance was astoundingly beautiful, even more so then usual. He took a minute to take the sight in before giving out a whistle to signify his presence.
"Wow, I must say Adriana, you certainly have outdone yourself. You look more beautiful than ever." Garrett remarked with a smirk.
"What do you think?" He asked. "Personally, I think I've done rather well." He then added before giving a twirl to show off.
She had gone to bed, and slept without being interrupted. It was nice to be able to do that, even if it was rare when they weren't in port. However, today she would have skipped a good night's sleep, if she could have been in the air instead of at a dance.
Beth got dressed in the clothes she had bought yesterday. She'd end up wearing them several days in a row anyway, but she did change the clothes she wore underneath the maroon dress and the gray coat. When she put the shoulder cape on, she realized that it was long enough to smuggle a weapon into the gala, should she want too. It would likely be discovered as soon as she raised her arm though, and it didn't seem like such a great idea after that.
She wished she had something more discreet to wear, but it wasn't her clothing that was the problem. It was the large blue wings on her back. They'd always be a problem, and make her recognizable. She'd never give them up either, even if given the option. They were a part of her, and useful from time to time. She'd have been someone else if she hadn't been born with them.
Taking a swig of last night's bottle, she looked in the mirror one last time, then left her cabin. As she stepped up onto deck, the wind hit her and threatened to carry her hat away with it. She grabbed a hold of it before that happened though. "This ones for the mighty sea. Mischief, gold and piracy." Beth whispered to herself, with a smirk. There were times when she wondered, if the pirates of old had been anything like them, and what it was like sailing instead of flying through the clouds. They'd not go to fancy parties with their enemies, or maybe they would have, if they got a chance to cut their throats. It was tempting. However, there'd be guards and she didn't want to cause trouble for the free people.
She had put on an extravagant dress for the occasion, one of those any neovictorian lady would be proud to wear. It was purple with frills. Even though she was fond of it, she was glad she didn't have to wear it every day. It was problematic to move in.
"Come on, DT." She said to the automaton, which name she had been told yesterday evening.
Wilhelmena had had trouble sleeping, and ended up talking with the bodyguard which she had borrowed. She had learnt a fair bit about him, though nothing out of the ordinary. Some automatons developed a deeper understanding of themselves, which resulted in them gaining personalities. DT was a new model, and he hadn't been alive long enough to do that yet. He would serve his masters without objection.
Talking wasn't the only thing she had done to him. She had told herself that any neovictorian like Wilhelmena, would take to dressing up their servants for a gala, but he wasn't her servant. Perhaps it was just an excuse to dress up an automaton. Either way, it had been a success. He looked proper with his tophat, monocle and cane. Maybe Remmington wouldn't mind selling it to her. Well, she could take offence at what she had done to her machine too, and want to get rid off it for that reason.
They left her cabin and got up on deck, where she could see the admiral and Garret. She walked over to them, and saluted Adrianna. "Ah, a splendid day for a dance. The weather's awful, so you'd rather be inside." Wilhelmena smiled, and she thought she heard a distinctive robotic laughter. When she looked at DT though, he didn't seem any different. Could he laugh now?
Maybe interacting with real people were bad for the automaton, and he wasn't meant for keeping a lady company when she was alone anyway.
The Day of the Gala
The following day was marked by waking up from another night terror, and the exhaustion immediately after. The night before both Roy and Sam took their time in getting measurements for her automata arm, and she had had the great idea of trying to sleep again, and paid the price.
As soon as she awoke, she decided to take another quick trip to Simmyns for a few last items, leaving their store with a lighter coin purse and a slip of paper that told her that her commissions should be finished in the next few days. By the time she got back to the Mermaid, the time came to prepare for the Gala in Sam's quarters.
The next hour was excruciating and felt like it was the rest of the day in and of itself. She struggled into her dress with Sam's help, and it managed to be more troublesome and frustrating than the fitting the day before, only to be followed by her ears being pierced. Then makeup. By the time she stepped out and made her way up from below, however, she felt that she looked... Presentable.
As she stepped onto the deck, she once again wore the blood red dress from the previous day, along with a pair of surprisingly elegant black sandals that showed off the wicked looking claws on her feet, which were painted to match the dress itself. Her fingernails were similarly painted, and on her singular arm she wore a long, fingerless lace glove, also black.
Her dreadlocks were, instead of tied back as usual, were pulled back into a somehow elegant mass, and held in place by a pair of gold hair needles, while a set of gold hoops hung from her ears. As she scanned the deck with piercing eyes, it was clear that her face was touched up since it didn't look quite as pale as when she woke up, while her thin lips were covered in the gold lipstick, and her eyes were accented with gold eyeshadow.
Said painted lips twisted into a grimace when she saw the oncoming storm, and she reached to her left shoulder and rubbed her now aching wound. "Well shit, this is fine weather.", she murmured to no one in particular before looking for where the hell the others were.
Seeing the Captain, she relaxed a little and strode over. "Well, I'm ready. Hopefully I look like I might actually fit in, barring the grey skin, claws, and teeth.", she said with a small smirk.
Then she motioned to Beth herself vaguely and added, "You definitely look like you'll fit with a high-class crowd. But I mean that in a good way.".
Eddie was impatient at the best of times. And being in port for a day and a half was not the best times. Back and forth he paced on the highest point of the ship, paying no heed to the three score drop to the deck below, he was frantic, desperate for some kind of breeze other than the smell of Helium City and the docks. This wasn't right, he-The Mermaid should be out of here already. The crew could be left behind, couldn't it? No, not now, everyone was leaving for some party in the City, but Eddie was staying right where he was, he belonged on the ship, not in there, at some gathering, much less an Imperial gathering.
"Dammit,"He muttered to himself,"Can't get off the ship, and can't leave port. What's Beth thinking? We got food on the ship, ain't that enough? Besides, Imps gonna be there, in some form. And what's gotten into Shessa? Dessin' up like that and all? Am I the only sane one left on this ship? We're pirates, not some Imp busybodies..."
Waking up the next day Hector attempted to comb his hair into something that didn't look a birds nest, succeeding in only mild frustration and what could possibly resemble neatness and proceeded to get dressed in his new suit, popping the new top hat onto his head, without realising Hector had chosen head wear that for once matched his hair. He then a spent a good twenty minutes polishing his new shoes to a shine before strutting onto deck.
Clutching onto his new hat, lest the wind carry it away, he spotted the Captain with who he presumed to be Sheska and made his over to them.
"So when are we leaving for this party." He asked.
"Come now Eddie," Zach teased, emerging at the top to join him, having made his way up with his usual effortless agility, despite the rather heavier attire than he was used to "surely the finest and boldest gunner to ever ply the open skies isn't afraid of a little R&R!"
Zach was dressed in an exquisitely tailored black suit, the tails of which billowed behind him in the wind. He wore this new attire with such easy disdain it could be easily believed that he dressed as such every day, and it made him look older somehow. Such an outfit would had cost a fortune, if he had paid for it. Only a fool buys what he cannot steal.
Zach had debated if he should dispense with the jacket and tails and stick with just the waistcoat, which would allow him to move more freely. However, it wouldn't be that much of a hindrance, and the coat offered the advantage of being able to conceal several throwing knives. Not that Zach had any intention of starting trouble, but he'd be a idiot to rub shoulders with God knows who completely unarmed.
"You sure I can't persuade you to tag along?" he asked, whilst lazily flipping a coin and catching it again and again, judging the breeze perfectly, so it never escaped him. "I still owe you that drink after all, and I'm not a man to turn his back on honour so easily."
'I should have pawned these things for cigarette money a long time ago...'
Jason stared at the dress clothes in his hands. It was an unremarkable set of traditional Skyfolk dress clothing - a white overcoat and a simple undershirt, with a set of dress trousers. It wasn't fancy, by any stretch of the imagination - close inspection would reveal that, while clean and properly fitting, it was clearly an older set of hand-me-downs.
Jason's face twisted into a scowl, the mirror in his cabin giving him a clear look of his darkening expression. He had last worn these clothes six years ago. Back before he became a pirate. Back when his life had a real meaning. A real purpose.
He wore them on the day that purpose was stolen.
A familiar feeling of rage welled up from some deep, dark shadow of his mind. He took in a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He didn't want to go to this sodding party. He didn't want to be reminded of that horrible day. He just wanted to crawl back into his bunk and forget it ever happened.
'I thought I had put that behind me...' He looked down to his arm, seeing his right hand dig into his left with such force that it left a small welt. He released it, shaking his hand gently to soothe the stinging pain. 'Guess not.'
Averting his gaze from the mirror, he donned the dress suit. No point in dwelling on the past. What's done was done - there was nothing he could do about it now. Satisfied with the fit, he strode out to the deck, shooting a glance at Beth and Sheska as we went. "Captain. Sheska."
"Come now Eddie,"
Eddie spun around, pulling his gun as he did so and aiming it at Zach's chest before lowering and replacing it in the holster.
"Who the 'ell needs R n' R when you've got the sky to look at everyday? An' I already tol' ya, I don' drink. You wanna keep this debt thing'a'yors goin', go ahead."
He looked down at the deck below,"Besides, sommones gotta look after the ship while you groundlings sit around with Imps."
Adrianna was staring into the city and at the storm beyond when a whistle drew her from her thoughts and attracted her attention. "Wow, I must say Adriana, you certainly have outdone yourself. You look more beautiful than ever." Garrett remarked as he approached; his face was blanketed by his thin smirk. A light blush graced her cheeks at the comment; thankfully hidden by some basic makeup. She liked it when Garrett caught her by surprise with such comments; not that she would admit it.
"What do you think?" He asked as he arrived, cloaked by his greatcoat. poorly hidden beneath it lay a black three-piece and a violet ascot. "Personally, I think I've done rather well." he said, brandishing his smirk once more. Adrianna, having turned to meet him, reached up and straightened the piece of purple fabric until it sat just right. "You clean up as well as always Garrett. I dare say you will have the pick of the ladies this evening." she said, her own face adorned by a playful smirk. She wasn't sure how it was going to happen or how she would justify it, but she looked forward to the one part of the evening that was sure to be a pleasure: dancing with the rugged rogue.
She might have kept up the banter for a while longer, save for the arrival of another officer: Wilhelmena. She saluted - to which Adrianna replied in kind - and said "Ah, a splendid day for a dance. The weather's awful, so you'd rather be inside." Adrianna was about to reply before an automaton in finery laughed. It was rare to see automatons laugh; though not unheard of. Too people built automatons in an attempt to replicate humans; especially in the sky-cities.
After the laughter had finished, and the awkward silence that followed had sunk in, Adrianna replied. "Ah... yes; I must admit I'm in agreement. A better day to dance, we will not find."
Ciel stuffed a wrench up her sleeve - she never left home without one than squeezed into the constrictions of her formal-wear. Formal clothing - particularly for women - always proved a hassle to put on. It constrained her to the point that breathing became more difficult. Given her usual attire as an engineer was far better fitting, the effects of her formal dress were only amplified. She was forced to make use of her spider drones just to tie the corset off.
This was why she hated parties: she could deal with the people, but the outfits. She knew that there was no reason she couldn't just put on a slightly more forgiving outfit, save her own raising. She doubted her mother would have approved of her alternative outfits - she'd been a stickler about such things her entire life.
With one final tug, the spider drones finished tying off the dress, allowing Ciel to walk free - as free as the dress out allow anyway. She made her way from the cabin and down toward where she knew she would find James; she wasn't about to let him spill the beans on their arrangement anytime before they made it to sea. There, she knew, even if the officers discovered the truth, Admiral Lanester wouldn't toss him from the ship. "Just one more night."
Exeter crawled free from the confines of his bed and quickly dressed in his formal wear. It was hardly perfect - not torn, but faded in several spots from heavy use - but it was passable. When it came to such stupidity as formal events, Exeter never could bring himself to care. He was here to kill pirates, defend the empire, and most importantly, kill more pirates. At a party, the best he could possibly do was not ruin some political deal or uncover some fiasco. It was a waste of time and effort.
Lacking a better idea, he lay back on his bunk for a few minutes, thinking about the Mermaid and the pirate who'd escaped. "Well, 3/4's escaped" he thought with a little glee at the memory of taking the woman's arm. It was better then she deserved. He wondered if, should he see the woman again, he would seek to take her life or just another limb for the pleasure of watching her scream.
Pulling himself back up, Exeter slowly made his way top deck. It wasn't pirate hunting; but maybe something at the Gala would prove entertaining.
It had been a long time since Samuel had last worn his formal ensemble. He had kept it in perfect condition though since one never knew when they would need to look nice again. He had to admit, a part of him actually liked being in what had been the height of fashion from back when he was a part of the empire. Surely times and fashions had changed as they always did back in the gilded cages, but for a Skyfolk formal party it would would be much more than enough. He made sure to accurately angle everything in the mirror so as not to make an accidental faux paux. He was representing not the Neo-Victorians but The Mermaid tonight, and he would not dishonor the ship by looking in any way non-presentable.
'Having been a Neo-Victorian noble and INS officer does have certain...advantages. But not enough.' He thought with a smirk before checking the pocket watch attached to the coat by a gold chain. He walked using the cane a bit but only enough as was necessary. He walked out onto the deck and saw the Captain with Sheska and a few others.
"Well captain, do you feel I am presentable enough for this event?" He said with a very subdued laugh. He was slipping back into the role of so long ago. A polite, upper class, Neo-Victorian. Sociable, but not raucous, willing but not over-eager. Everything his family had taught him about formal manners so long ago was coming back to him as if he had never even left his family. It had been an act then and it was an act now, but it had proven itself useful enough in the past that it was natural for him to do so now.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The resounding breaths of Drustan's newly-acquired wristwatch subtly echoed around him, keeping his mind on the time while not tearing it away from the dance sequences he was memorizing. Upon a particularly resonant series of clicks, Drustan looked up from his diagrams and social tips in order to assess the time. Ignore the pun, but his timing was perfect. He arose from his cot, already dressed and prepped to go. He slid the book he was reading in his trunk beneath his bed while slipping his freshly acquired jacket in the same slick motion. He had gotten back from a successful clothes-hunting outing late in the afternoon of the previous day and spent the rest of it making his name known to the crews and officers and vice-versa. That day had been largely spent preparing for the upcoming ball, with copious facial hair trimmings, takes on tying his hair proper, and the first full bathing he remembered since his arrival at the city.
All in all, Drustan considered the job he pulled on himself to be well executed. His large collection of hair was wrangled under control, with his beard no longer being a bushy monstrosity of red and tangles, but finally a well-groomed covering of hair that managed to be under control while simultaneously not under oppression from the razor. He had visited a barber that morning, and his mane had been shortened to lengths an inch or two above his shoulders. Then, it had been properly (read: harshly) cleaned and tied back, stretching his velvet locks across his scalp and emerging through a knot into a small ponytail. Earlier, before he had started reading, he had donned his formal wear, which consisted of a three-piece suit colored in a dark grey, as if sewn from pouting rainclouds not dissimilar to the ones currently hovering overhead. The waistcoat was more grey than dark compared to the jacket and trousers, but it made no effect. Tying off Drustan's new outfit was a lightly grey cravat, both tucked into and blending nicely with Drustan's waistcoat.
Arising from his cot, Drustan buckled D'teth to its hanging position below his waist. He was advised by Adriana to be armed during the ball, both as intimidation and to assist in being protective muscle for her crew. Soon after that came the jacket, which fit Drustan's large form nicely when buttoned 2/3's of the way.
Heading to the upper deck, where most of the group was waiting, Drustan greeted many of the crew members, having learned their identities the previous day. As he wandered his way towards the windswept deck where the Admiral & Co. waited, Drustan spotted an unknown face stumbling through the belowdecks, clearly on a mission. Drustan made his way closer and offered a hand to assist the woman. She was fairly short, even before comparing her to Drustan, and she burned (if that was the right word) with a stable concoction of agency and activity. Her head was crested with a short crown of dark, yet vibrant hair, and she was wearing a simply elegant white dress paired with a leather corset. If Drustan had pointed out any suspects as to why this woman was having trouble moving, her attire was certainly the culprit.
"Excuse me ma'am, but I don't seem to recognize you. My name is Drustan Cynwrig, and I've been trying to get everybody's name since I was only just hired by the Admiral. Do you need any assistance, and would you mind please giving me your name?"
Roy woke up when his head hit the table with a soft thud! He had been working on Sheska's arm non-stop since Sam had helped him take the measurements he needed.
Yawning and peeling a sheet of paper from his forehead he looked around, trying to guess what time it was. The light in the engine room was as dim as ever and with no windows it could have easily been either night or day. Roy probably had a timepiece somewhere in his pockets but it was highly unlikely that it still worked or showed the correct time.
After he pushed his papers into a somewhat more neater pile he got up and headed to the deck to get some fresh air and clear his head a bit. He was surprised when he saw some of the crew dressed up as if they were going somewhere important.
"Something happening?" he asked, yawning, as he walked over.
"You clean up as well as always Garrett. I dare say you will have the pick of the ladies this evening." Adriana remarked with a playful smirk after she straightened up the violet fabric that made up his ascot. This caused Garrett to smile at the compliment.
"Why thank you, and whilst that may be true, I always have a special spot in my heart saved just for you." Garrett said softly, hoping only Adriana would hear. He was about to lean in and kiss her, but was interupted at the last moment by the arrival of Wilhelmena and a smartly dressed automaton who soon laughed when the lady said something; which Garrett hadn't seen occur often.
"Ah... yes; I must admit I'm in agreement. A better day to dance, we will not find." Adriana said in response to the Quartermaster's comment.
"Indeed, with fair weather... and good company with us, it shall be a memorable night."
Her train of thought was promptly derailed as she saw Hector walk up in one of the most outlandish suits she had ever seen. The fact that he stood out already simply being a tall, spindly misbegotten with six arms, made the suit itself redundant, but it would make him the easiest person to spot in a crowd, and the easiest to keep an eye on, all things considered.
"So when are we leaving for this party.".
"Should be shortly. That suit is...", she started, but stopped as she was about to say 'The most bizarre thing I've ever seen.', feeling that she ought to work on being polite and tactful then and there.
Besides, who was she to begrudge someone else their sense of style?
"... Just like you.", she finished easily after a moment, smiling just slightly.
She turned when they were joined by both Jason, then Sam, and she nodded approvingly to them both. "Sam, Jason. You both ready?", she asked.
But once again, she was interrupted by another member of the crew, this time Jason's charge, Roy.
"Something happening?".
"Yes, the party that the Captain announced. What are you, deaf? Or are you not coming?", she asked flatly, her expression bland.
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As winter rolls onward, chase away those January doldrums and warm the soul by exploring some of the many art offerings in the area. Local museums offer a wide range of exhibits. Here's a sampling.
'Artists in America' at Nassau County Museum of Art
Nassau County Museum of Art's current exhibit, surveys 300 years of great American painting rarely seen on Long Island. Its 79 works dating from the early 1700s to the present include history painting, landscape, portraits, still life, and modernist abstraction with significant examples of photography and collage among other media represented. All the works displayed are on loan from the permanent collections of the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut.
"This is such an exciting show for us," said Karl E. Willers, the museum's director, who organized the exhibition with his curatorial staff. "We are able to show the major highlights of the New Britain Museum, which has one of the finest collections of American art in the nation. This is a wonderful collection that extends back from the Colonial era to the contemporary era."
The exhibit came about out of the New Britain's interest in mounting an exhibit based on NCMA's recent William Comfort Tiffany exhibition, according to Willers. So an "exchange" of sorts evolved. "They were so kind to let us take their permanent collection literally of the walls of the museum," he said. "We got a great deal. They have been so generous in giving us their works. Some of the greatest paintings ever created are on view here."
Visitors will see pieces by every generation of American artists, representing centuries of talent and genres: John Singleton Copley, Charles Willson Peale, John Singer Sargent, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, Norman Rockwell, Robert Motherwell, and Sol LeWitt.
"There is something for everyone," said Willers. "And each piece is a highlight of that particular artists' genre and represents their body of work. There are few occasions to work on an exhibit that takes such a broad sweep."


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One of this things I detested, and still detest, about raising a child, is when other people state "I could see it in his eyes." The first time this was actually used about my child, was when he'd been jumping on a couch, age 3. A family member had asked him not to jump on the couch. He'd never been asked not to jump on the couch before. He was 3. He carried on jumping on the couch. When I came in, I took him aside and explained clearly that the rule in the house we were in, was that you didn't jump on the couch. He looked at me and nodded, and didn't jump on the couch.
At home, I let him jump on the couch. So he had been really confused by the request not to.
The family member who observed me discuss this with him, then lambasted me for being too soft. When I explained to her that he hadn't actually understood what she meant, she laughed. "He's much smarter than you think. He understood everything I said. He just knew he could ignore me. I saw it in his eyes... "
I spent a lot of my childhood confused. About arbitrary rules and dictates, unreliable rules and guidance and completely confusing messages. My confusion was never mirrored by the adults, however. They always knew what I was really thinking and feeling. They would regularly inform me, they could "see it in my eyes..."
It's such a catch 22. You can't defend against it, as you are saying the person looking at you is wrong. And as you are rarely in a pleasant and easy place when this pronouncement has been made. People rarely say "You are a lovely person, who understands what's going on so clearly, I can see it in your eyes... " Such statements are usually reserved for the tense, awkward, accusatory silences. For the moments of mis-communication between people.
For the moment when the other person, is imposing on us, their world view.
For when they speak, they speak what they fear you are thinking. It's very, very rarely, what's actually going on. It's that the face you are showing without speech... is being written upon by the other person. They are writing out their own feelings,. and thoughts, and fear, on you. Every school child knows this, when they are told to "wipe the smile off your face..." It's a natural human instinct to smile in certain situations of fear and tension: to try and look innocent and nonthreatening. How many times were you told to wipe the smile off your face, and to stop smirking, when you were shaking in your boots? Me too.
The audience would take the clues, and read into the face, what they wanted to see.
The audience would do the work. All the while, saying how wonderfully the actor had portrayed the emotions.
Truth, is in the eye of the beholder. Especially when nothing is actually said. Give a face, even a blank face, and do not speak... and the person looking at you, will say "I knew what that face was saying... I saw it in the eyes...."
Which brings us to this:
Not to mention that for most of us, the thought would be "Thank goodness she knows to use ready made when out and about, that's fabulous."
And very often it's ... "Gosh, what a pretty baby, and isn't that a lovely top, wonder where she got it..?"
And quite often it's "I wonder if I paid the gas bill on time..."
Prejudice comes from words, actions, deeds. Not telepathic reading of the eyes. Of knowing 'what that look means'.
No matter how insecure you are feeling: you need to actually check out the reality you are in, without your fears at play. And you certainly can't condemn everyone around you for the LOOK you are seeing in their eyes.
And I'm fed up apologising for breast-feeding. I suspect you are too. :-)
ps Don't let the 3 year old jump on the couch. The 6 year old will destroy it. :-)


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The mission of the Office of University Compliance is to promote a culture of ethics and compliance in the daily university activities and operations in accordance with the requirements of The Texas A&M University System policies and regulations, university rules and procedures, and state and federal laws and regulations.
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Each member of the Tarleton community has responsibility for workplace integrity and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. This includes understanding the right thing to do, making inquiries if you are uncertain, and reporting risks and/or concerns that come to your attention. Options for seeking guidance and/or reporting concerns:
- Contact your department head through the appropriate channels.
- Contact an outside department with specialized expertise. [See Subject Matter Expert list under the "Reports & Resources" tab]
- Contact Compliance Help and Reporting to obtain information about the correct action associated with an ethics or compliance question or to report a concern. Concerns can be submitted anonymously. Submit your questions or concerns via the link Risk and Compliance Help and Reporting, or call the Compliance Office at 254-968-9415.
- Submit ethics and compliance concerns and report suspected fraud, waste, and abuse via the A&M System Risk, Fraud & Misconduct Hotline website Ethics Point or by calling 888-501-3850.
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Katherine Heigl says she wants to don the scrubs once again and return to Grey's Anatomy two years after she left the series.
The question is, according to Heigl, will they have her back? "I've told them I want to," Heigl told E! Online. "Being a showrunner and being a writer of a TV series like that is so complicated ... how many characters are there now? There's a lot and so [creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes] is balancing about 40 different storylines, so I don't know if it fits into their sort of vision for this season or next or however many seasons it goes."
Grey's Anatomy scoop: MerDer happiness, a Cristina-Owen explosion and the alt-reality
The 33-year-old actress, who won an Emmy in 2007 for her performance as Dr. Izzie Stevens, left the series in January 2010 to spend more time with her adopted daughter, Naleigh. Before exiting Seattle Grace permanently, Heigl was absent for five of her final 12 episodes as a series regular. Izzie was written off the show after she and Alex (Justin Chambers) decided to divorce and after she was fired from Seattle Grace.
"I really, really, really want to see where [Izzie] is. I just want to know what happened to her and where she went and what she's doing now," Heigl said. "My idea is that she actually figures it out, and finds some success and does really well in a different hospital. She was always floundering you know, and so she was always one step behind the eight ball and I want to see that girl take some power back."
Exclusive: Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice doing another crossover
In October 2010, Rhimes told Entertainment Weekly that she almost killed Izzie off-screen after Heigl's exit, but ultimately decided against it. "I'm open to seeing Izzie again," she says. "So if [Katherine] were to come back, we would be thrilled to [wrap up her story]. But if she doesn't, we'll just move on."
Heigl next appears in the movie One For the Money, which hits theaters on Jan. 27.
Do you want to see Heigl return to Grey's? Do you think they'll take her back?


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Red Sox turn to Lackey in finale with Twins
John Lackey tries to get the Boston Red Sox back into the win column on Thursday when they complete a four-game set with the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park.
Lackey lost for the second time in three starts on Saturday in Texas, as he allowed three runs and six hits in five innings, dropping him to 1-2, while raising his ERA to 3.52.
"I got my pitch count up, so hopefully next start will be pretty much normal," said Lackey, who was making just his second start since a biceps injury landed him on the disabled list. "It's not all the way there, but a few more starts. I like where it's heading."
Lackey has faced the Twins 15 times and is 7-5 against them with a 3.68 ERA.
Minnesota, meanwhile, will counter with righty Kevin Correia, who is 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA. Correia had a three-start winning streak stopped on Saturday in Cleveland, as the Indians reached him for four runs and six hits in five innings.
"I just didn't have command of my pitches like I did in my last couple starts," said Correia, who will be making his first-ever start against the Red Sox. "I fell behind guys, and they took advantage."
Minnesota won its second straight in the series on Wednesday, as Trevor Plouffe, Justin Morneau and Pedro Florimon each had three RBI, while Ryan Doumit and Aaron Hicks drove in a pair of runs apiece to power the Twins to a 15-8 win.
Plouffe had three hits and also scored two runs and Florimon homered and doubled. Ryan Doumit added three hits, including a two-run homer, and scored three runs and Joe Mauer had a pair of doubles and scored three times for the Twins, winners in three of their last four.
"So many guys up and down the lineup hit the ball," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Florimon had a really good night, and Mauer and a whole of bunch of other guys obviously with that many runs. So it was a good win for us."
Ryan Pressly (1-0) earned his first career win after tossing four scoreless innings of relief. Starter Pedro Hernandez gave up six runs on seven hits over just two innings of work.
Jonny Gomes went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and five RBI and Shane Victorino added a pair of hits, including a solo homer, for the Red Sox, who have dropped five of their last six games.
Allen Webster (0-1) started in place of left-hander Felix Doubront, who was moved to Boston's depleted bullpen. Webster was hammered for eight runs on six hits in just 1 2/3 innings.
"A tough night from the mound tonight. A number of pitches found their way to the middle of the plate," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "They swung aggressively, they hit a number of fastballs that didn't get to the intended location."
David Ortiz's 27-game hitting streak came to an end after he went 0-for-5.
Boston was 4-3 last season versus the Twins.


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Faith in Vermont: Five Reasons to Raise Kids in Vermont

 Just when I get used to writing "2012" on everything, the year goes and switches to 2013! Since 2013 will mark the 2nd anniversary of our family's move to Vermont, I'm going to ring in the New Year with some sweeping generalizations about why our family loves living here. The following statements reflect only my experience, during two years spent in my particular town. Here you go:

 Five Great Reasons to Raise Kids in Vermont

 1. It's too cold for evil. We have three little girls with very active imaginations, so there's a lot of fear in our house. They're afraid of witches, wizards, monsters, and (yes, really) blue-ringed octopi. Never mind that witches, wizards, and monsters are fictitious, or that blue-ringed octopi require an OCEAN to survive. No; whenever one of our daughters gets worked up over some evil entity, all my husband and I have to say is, "There aren't any [witches/wizards/monsters/octopi] in Vermont." To which our middle child always adds this beautiful bit of logic: "Nope, not in Vermont. Too COLD!"

 2. Lack of alpha-parenting outlets. In the cities we previously inhabited (Manhattan and the Bay Area), there were as many options for children's activities as stars in the sky. From the moment your child turned three, if you wanted it, you could find it: music lessons, voice lessons, dance lessons, sports, martial arts, cooking classes – you name it. Where we now live, it would take real effort to become a hyper-competitive parent with over-scheduled children. (As long as you avoid hockey.) Here, as far as I'm aware, your child has ONE choice before turning five: gymnastics. After five, the choices broaden somewhat to include swimming, dance, and softball, plus skiing and skating in the winter. It's a lazy parent's dream. (As long as you avoid hockey.)

 3. Simple pleasures. In addition to extracurricular activities, more populous areas offer a variety of entertainment options for children. Deluxe playgrounds! Museums by the score! Stimulating indoor play spaces! Enormous toy stores! My daughters, on the other hand, get hysterically excited over the prospect of grocery shopping at Hannaford's, where they might ride in one of the car shopping carts and get a free sugar cookie at the bakery. With limited kid-centric entertainment nearby, they've learned to make their own fun, and to appreciate the times when we do travel greater distances for splashier options. My five-year-old has already planned the ULTIMATE day for her 16th birthday: she's going to take her sister and best friend to jump in the bouncy house at Whirlie's World, and then drive up to Burlington for lunch at the (very modest, by most city standards) Burlington Town Center Mall. Apparently, that's as good as it gets!

 4. It toughens them up. One thing that's NOT limited in Vermont: the Great Outdoors. Vermont kids tend to spend a lot of time outdoors, in all sorts of weather. This exposure to nature, combined with the overall safety of the area that allows for less supervised wandering, creates some tough kids. My three daughters are already showing a strong inclination to walk out in a snowstorm wearing flip-flops. They climb rocks, swim in lakes and rivers, get completely filthy, and can play just about anything with a stick. My one-year-old's first words were "rock" and "acorn," my three-year-old wants to be a large-animal vet when she grows up, and my five-year-old can identify local bird calls better than me.

 But I'm still waiting for the day when they'll stop moaning, "Gross, cows!!!" whenever the smell of fertilized fields wafts through the air.

 5. Everybody knows your name. This gets a little tricky, because I don't want to seem like a negligent mother, or get in trouble with my children's grandparents. So, let me start with a fact: according to the CQ Press's 2010 state crime rankings, Vermont is the 2nd safest state in the nation (after New Hampshire). I know that statistics only take you so far, that it's important to be vigilant, and that bad things can (and do) happen anywhere. But I do feel that my family is safer in Vermont than anywhere else we've lived, and here's why: we know people everywhere we go. Whether we're at an event, in the library, walking along Main Street, or eating in a restaurant, we're guaranteed to see at least one person we know -- all this after less than two years in our town. So, when my two oldest daughters dash ahead of me into the library, I don't feel a panicked urge to bark, "STOP! Wait for me! Hold my hand!" the way I would in a larger town. As soon as my girls enter that library, 85% of the patrons, plus the librarians, know them by name.

 This may not be preparing my daughters well for life outside of small-town Vermont. In fact, NOTHING on this list is likely to prepare my daughters for life outside small-town Vermont. But maybe that's the greatest reason of all to raise kids in Vermont: when (or if) my kids leave Vermont, they'll have plenty of time to feel scared, to get overscheduled, and to shop in major department stores. A childhood that's safe, relaxed, and allows for plenty of time swimming in lakes and listening to birdcalls --now that's something rare and precious.


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THURSDAY, June 30, 2011 (HealthDay News) -- A new strain of drug-resistant scarlet fever appears to be rapidly spreading through Hong Kong and mainland China, but U.S infectious disease experts remain confident that the new bug isn't heading here anytime soon.
Hong Kong has documented more than 615 cases of this new strain of scarlet fever this year, and two children have died, according to news reports. More than 9,000 cases of scarlet fever have also cropped up in China. These numbers are much higher than what is typically seen there, which is why some public health experts believe a mutant strain of group A strep is responsible for this outbreak.
Scarlet fever is an age-old childhood scourge that has been rare in the United States since 1970. Caused by group A strep infection, the illness causes fever, sore throat, white spots on the tonsils, swollen lymph nodes, a bright-red "strawberry" tongue, and a tell-tale red rash that starts on the abdomen and spreads throughout the body within two days. Scarlet fever is treated with antibiotics, but the new Hong Kong strain appears to be resistant to at least two commonly used drugs.
"There are more infections than we would see with the standard strain and a higher level of resistance, but we don't have a lot to be concerned about right now," said Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious disease expert at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.
But, he added, "It is a small world, and there are people traveling to Hong Kong and back every single day. And we need to monitor our public health trends and be sensitive to changes or any increase in somewhat unusual infections like scarlet fever."
Scarlet fever is typically spread by direct person-to-person contact and is more common in children under 10, Hirsch said. "Kids under 10 are not the usual business traveler-type," he added.
Still, "wash your hands and make sure your children do the same, and make sure that in the day-care setting, all toys, especially those that children may place in their mouths, are cleaned and disinfected regularly," Hirsch said.
"Group A strep most commonly causes a sore or strep throat and/or some skin infections," said Dr. Sheldon Kaplan, a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of the infectious disease service at Texas Children's Hospital, both in Houston.
"A lot of kids in the U.S. get scarlet fever, but this Hong Kong strain is being spread more readily, and there seems to be a high rate of resistance to two commonly used antibiotics," he said.
"It could be introduced in U.S., but we have to wait and see," Kaplan said. "I haven't heard of an increase in the number of cases in our area or any discussion on infectious disease websites or blogs. It bears watching, but I don't think people need to be alarmed or think that their child will get a terrible case of scarlet fever."
Philip Tierno, director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Langone Medical Center, is still more optimistic that the illness won't cross our borders. He said this mutant strain of scarlet fever is related to some unique circumstances in China, including vaccination policies.
The childhood vaccination rates in China are not as high as those in the United States, he explained. One of the children who died in Hong Kong was infected with both chicken pox and scarlet fever, which can develop as a secondary infection after chicken pox.
In the United States, the chickenpox or varicella vaccine is recommended for all children under the age of 13 who have not had chickenpox, and all adolescents and adults who have not been vaccinated or had chickenpox.
"When you have a secondary infection, the chicken pox lesions are weeping with pus or the child gets high fevers, both of which is the signal that's something is the matter," Tierno said. "In the U.S., we would worry only if we start seeing outbreaks of chicken pox because children are not getting vaccinated."
"What I would do is maintain vigilance of any outbreak of chicken pox in children in the U.S.," Tierno added.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about scarlet fever.


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A vitamin A derivative, retinol is one of the best solutions for your skin, recommended by dermatologists everywhere. Its powerful effects can help the skin look better and give it an extra health boost.What is Retinol One of the first generation retinoids used as early as the 1970s, retinol was first marketed as a great product for fighting acne, but along with other vitamin A derivatives it can also help smooth out wrinkles and treat the itchiness caused by excessive sun exposure. Like other retinoids, this compound promotes faste... Read More


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The Jacksonville Jaguars have emphasized competition at all positions throughout the offseason. The new coaching staff has backed that up with its early deployment of snaps in organized team activities.
Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne, perhaps the worst QB position group in the NFL, are rotating with the first team evenly.
"It's going good," coach Gus Bradley said of the competition. "We're rotating by period. There's a lot of competition, and they're battling it. Everything we do, we're trying to create some sort of competition for our team. Hopefully as OTAs go on, we get more and more of those situations to evaluate them. I think once we get pads on and see how they react in different situations, it will become more clear."
The Associated Press suggested on Twitter that Gabbert has struggled with short passes in practice, which is not a new phenomenon. But we wouldn't read too much into OTA performances just yet. The bigger news here is that Henne will be given a legitimate chance to earn the starting job.
UPDATE: AP reporter Mark Long tweeted Wednesday that what he saw was the "worst day of QB play I've witnessed at Jaguars practice in years." He went on to say that the offensive line wasn't much better.Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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Righto, this year is supposed to be the year of the PS3. That's what they say, whoever they are. But Sony Worldwide Studios honcho Shuhei Yoshida also hopes next year would be the year of the PS3. Talking about this year (and next), Yoshida says:
All the things are now coming together in terms of the right hardware, cost and pricing, and we are increasing our hard disc space as we are increasing the content we're offering through the network and the big titles we're working on, coming out this Christmas. All that is coming together this year... That's not to say we're not working on product for next year. We have some titles that we have announced this year for release next year, like Heavy Rain and MAG, our big 256-player online title... Also there are some titles that we are targeting to launch next year that we have not announced yet. We still have a lot to come.
That way Yoshida can say the year after next is the year of the PS3, too. Endless! Yoshida - PS3 hardware, cost and pricing "now coming together" [VG247]