text:
How can a business model be scalable and unscalable at the same time? When I co-founded the online ebook platform PaperC back in 2008, I made an interesting discovery. Our idea, to build a digital platform for electronic textbooks, was very scalable because it was purely digital. On the other hand, we found it relatively difficult to scale the business until I fully understood the concept of business scalability.
Ten years ago, "old business" dominated the ranking of the most valuable companies in terms of market capitalization with PetroChina on the top, followed by Exxon and General Electric. In early 2019, the most valuable companies in the world are all digital platforms such as Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Facebook.
Why did these companies become the most dominant players in the world in such a short time? The scalability of their businesses.
Venture capitalists learned early on that scalability enables rapid growth and can potentially deliver the highest returns. A scalable business model grows sustainably with a rather steep curve and can even grow exponentially.
What does business model scalability mean?
People have very different ideas about what business model scalability actually means. Some think of expanding business to other regions or continents. Others think about replicability of the business model to other areas or product categories. Another aspect that is often mentioned is the reduction of operational costs in expanding production volume and customer base. Clustering all topics and factors that have an influence on scalability results in internal and external scalability.
The internal scalability concerns the configuration of the business model design, the resources and partners. The external scalability addresses the business environment (e.g. customers, market and regulations).
The BMI Scalability Matrix was created on the basis of these two dimensions. Internal scalability describes how capable the operations of the business model are to expand the customer base and sales in a short time and at low cost. External scalability describes how beneficial the business environment is to expand the customer base and increase sales.
Which factors influence internal and external scalability? How can I improve my scalability when I design new business models?
4 Strategies to Improve Your Internal Scalability
Leverage External Resources
The most scalable models to date are digital platforms that leverage external resources e.g. cars and drivers (Uber), engineers and product designers (Local Motors), or software developers and phone manufacturers (Android). One reason why leveraging external resources is so powerful is that there are always more resources outside your company than inside. Another reason is that by using other producers and resources you'll create less overhead costs (e.g. HR, book keeping, managerial structures) - not to mention the financial liquidity advantage.
"Internal scalability describes how capable the operations of the business model are to expand the customer base and sales in a short time and at low cost."
Digitize and Automate
Digitization and automation are the biggest drivers for innovation and extremely important for scalability. As long as nobody invents a robot that can cut hair, a barbershop cannot be as scalable as a software company. Automation in manufacturing (e.g. Ford Model T) is the reason for economies of scale. Today, we see automation everywhere. Uber is using dynamic pricing: that's why when you get out of a club at 3am, the price for a ride home is 2x or 3x the normal price. With AI, more and more tasks will be automated soon. So how can you leverage algorithms to automate decision making?
Develop and Monitor a Growth Cycle
Every business model designed to scale needs a virtuous cycle of growth – sometimes also referred to as flywheel.
When you design a new business, you should carefully develop positive feedback loops that improve and extend your offering and thus your customer base and revenues. This is especially true when we talk about multi-sided platforms – platforms that attract two types of customers such as hosts and guests (e.g. AirBnB). After you solve the – so called – chicken-and-egg problem, the value proposition for the guests improves the more hosts use the platform and submit flats to rent and vice-versa. But developing a virtuous cycle of growth is not only relevant for digital platforms. Back in 1957 the legendary Walt Disney was already very aware about all the positives feedback loops between Disney's Films, Music, TV, Magazines, Books, Disneyland, and Merchandising.
Find the Right People to Scale
People have different values, needs, and personalities. When you talk to venture capitalists, and you ask "what is most important factor for the success of a business? The market, the business model, or the team?" They will most likely answer "the team." The team is the most important resource of a new venture. Not everyone is suited for scaling a business. Some people feel pain when things are fast, uncertain, and overwhelming. Other people feel pain when things are moving slow and every time a decision must be made all opinions must be heard. Your team needs experienced people – before you enter the scaling phase –with the right mindset to scale and grow the business.
4 Strategies to Improve Your External Scalability
Pick a Big and Growing Market
Everybody wants to be in a big and growing market. But what if you have to decide between the two? Should you venture into a big or into a growing market? In the late 90s, the internet market was relatively small, even though it was an exponentially growing market. Business growth (e.g. revenues) and profitability were quite difficult to achieve for most startups at the time. Ten years later, the market was much more mature, and many startups grew more sustainably. A small market is fine, if it's a niche market within a much bigger market. This is true, if your solution is flexible enough and thus more scalable to expand to a broader market (e.g. like Amazon starting with books, and then expanding to other industries). A growing market will help you spark vision and excitement and also makes it easier to raise funds.
"External scalability describes how beneficial the business environment is to expand the customer base and increase sales."
Target the Right Customers the Right Way
Your solution needs to fit the customers' skillsets, habits, and lifestyles. Good customers in that sense are customers who are eager to adopt new solutions. You should target a market with a sufficient number of "early adopters" who are keen to try out new things. Ideally you can also leverage existing platforms to find the customers for business (e.g. AirBnB spreading on Craigslist or Instagram leveraging Facebook as an underlying platform). If you develop a two-sided platform that attracts producers (e.g. content creators on YouTube) and consumers (e.g. viewers on YouTube) it's beneficial if your consumers on one side are able to become producers on the other side. This phenomenon is called "Side-Switching", and can be a very powerful factor in growing your business. Another advantage is if your customers can also be your sales force. Companies such as Dropbox, Uber, or Hotmail were able to use their users as promoters of their service.
Look for Market Constraints
You already know that you should target a big and growing market. But every market is somehow limited, through language barriers, geographical coverage, regulation, tolls and taxes, cultural differences, technological foundation, purchase power etc. Although Google's search business is highly scalable, it is limited in its scalability reach. For instance, Google is blocked in China and it's not available in many third world regions because of the lack of internet infrastructure. This is the reason why they started the Loon project, to bring internet to rural areas, where no internet is available today. How can you expand your market and overcome barriers and limitations?
Do Something Relevant
Companies that want to scale really big, need a higher purpose than making money or just growing market share. Salim Ismail, author of the book Exponential Organizations calls it Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP). A MTP is more than just a customer problem that you address. For example, Tesla's MTP is "to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy." In the early phase of a business (before scaling) a higher purpose gives you direction and motivation even when things look dark. Later, in the scaling phase, a higher purpose helps align initiatives and attract a huge number of talents in a short period of time. Today, high potentials are more likely to join a company that has a real purpose and tries to solve a big challenge, compared to an organization without vision or ambition.
Always think about both sides
When looking back at PaperC – the digital platform for textbooks, that I co-founded in 2008, the internal scalability was there. We used content from third parties (publishers) and delivered that to students and academics in a highly automated and digitized manner. On the other side, selling textbooks is a small market. Ebooks did not take off as impressively as; for instance, mp3 or online video did and the market was fragmented with different languages and local rights. The external scalability could not keep up with the internal scalability.
It's important to think of both sides of scalability – the internal and external side. If one side is weak, your growth potential is limited, no matter how good you are on the other side.
Felix Hofmann is CEO of BMI Lab. You can reach Felix directly via email (email@example.com)
If you like to learn more about business model innovation, you can follow us on Medium (Link: https://medium.com/@bmi_lab)
Further literature on platform economy:
Moser, Daniel: The Platform Economy - Strategies, Governance, and Business Models (2018)


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Real Stories #3: I'm Not In Love But Don't Tell 'Em
My last boyfriend had a big head, that was a huge problem for me, pun intended. He was also short. I liked him though and we had some really good times together...maybe even my best times! He was generous, a true giver. He cared about me, doted on me and took great care of me…well...until he remembered he was still into his ex. He's with her now.
I was hurt but I know he wasn't "the one". He never gave me the "blood rush" or the excitement people who are in love claim to feel; the heart-wrench, the hand-touch jolts, the unforgettable kiss, the butterflies. No, we definitely weren't in love, that I am sure of.
I was hoping we would eventually "learn to fall in love". Is there anything like that? Do people learn to fall in love? Do feelings grow? That's usually how I approach most of my relationships; I hope the feelings grow out of infatuations...never works.
I know what you are thinking, "Why get into a relationship with someone you don't really like?" Umm…peer pressure, maybe. Yeah, I definitely cracked a little under all the peer-pairing pressure. Everyone is getting into relationships and I think I should too, it just seems like the next best thing.
One time, I dated yet another guy who I didn't like so much (as usual), I honestly don't know what I was doing with him. He was a teeny bit appalling to kiss. The first time we had sex was the worst ever! It was so bad that I decided to keep myself since we broke up. I just couldn't believe I was sleeping with him, I didn't even like him. I got a new perspective on sex after that.
The moment I realize there's zero chance of me ending up with a guy, the relationship ends. Yeah, once I realize it ain't love, I break up; usually by going into "ghost mode". Lol. Grade A zone-out! Another method I use is nagging until he leaves (I become annoying; I get an attitude, then I begin to nag, works everytime hehe).
Dating has been enlightening, but I admit it gets a little tiring. It's the same cycle over and over again, getting to know someone new, same questions, different person.
"Hi" *in my thin voice* "Where are you from?", "Football or basketball?", "Flavor or Wizkid?", "Pizza delivery or dine out?", "virgin or non-virgin?"
Yup, it gets exhausting.
In all, I've decided to commit it into God's hands. I'm going to keep myself and be patient for his plans to fall into place. I'm definitely not going to date anyone I'm not crazy about from the beginning, feelings don't develop over time- at least not for me.
This article was written by an anonymous contributor. Her views and opinions are entirely hers and do not necessarily reflect the views of PGI on this topic.
This is story #3 of the "Dating Like Crazy" series (read #2 and #1 here).
Please note that this is a real story, please comment kindly. Thanks.

subset: commoncrawl


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When Apple brought out the iPad in 2010, they revived what was thought to be a dead market. By combining the right hardware and software Apple was able to bring tablets back into the forefront of technology for the average consumer, instead of a niche product for industry professionals. The first generation of Android tablets that emerged to join this new market were not all that successful, lacking on both the hardware and software front to really compete toe-to-toe with Apple and it wasn't really until last year that Android tablets became a viable replacement for the iPad with the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich and later Jelly Bean of the OS as well as ever more powerful Systems on Chips (SoC) such as the Tegra 3. However even with the best hardware currently available Android tablets do find themselves lacking in graphical performance compared to the highly optimised iPad, despite being able to go toe-to-toe when it comes to raw processing power. While this current generation of tablets are by no means a slouch, the next generation will blow them out of the water with ever more powerful hardware and even better software optimisation.
The hardware is the beating heart of the device and it's the hardware that drives the fluid user interface of your tablet. While the Nvidia Tegra 3 was the poster boy for Android tablets of 2012 the technology behind it is now dated and it faces some stiff competition including its younger brother.
Tegra 4
The Nvidia Tegra 4 is the next generation SoC that Nvidia debuted at CES back in January and it should be hitting shelves by July. The old Tegra 3 that powers devices such as the Nexus 7 consisted of a high performance quad-core utilising ARM's Cortex-A9 architecture, with a fifth low power companion core that was only utilised during low intensity tasks and idle. Nvidia have stuck with this design philosophy for their latest SoC but will be ARM's new Cortex-A15 architecture that is twice as fast as the older A9. The new CPU will also be partnered with a new GPU comprised 72 cores, meaning it will theoretically have 6 times the graphical performance of the Tegra 3 and twice the CPU performance. All of this extra performance means the Tegra 4 will be capable of higher fidelity graphics with new effects such as self shadowing, better textures, higher frames and a faster interface and according to Nvidia, without having to sacrifice battery life due to the new and improved companion core that will also use the A15 architecture.
According to benchmarks that have been released the new Nvidia Tegra 4 be the new king of the hill when it comes to performance dominating the all other platforms including the 4th generation iPad. All of this extra processing power means the new chipset is capable of even more insane resolutions, the world was blown away by the Retina iPad that had a 2048—1536 display, which was then overshadowed by the Nexus 10 its 2560×1600 display, Tegra 4 will be capable of supporting resolutions up to 3200×2000 and outputting to a 4K resolution through HDMI.
While raw performance for gaming and speed freaks is important, Nvidia also try to differentiate themselves from the competition by offering new software features that can fully exploit the extra power that is unlocked by the four A15 cores and the 72 GPU cores. During CES Nvidia touted the built-in near real-time HDR capabilities of the chipset for both photos and videos. HDR stands for high-dynamic-range is a way for cameras to combat dark and bright areas on a photo by taking multiple shots at different exposure levels and intelligently combining the images to create an image with greater depth, colour and clarity.
HDR on smartphone cameras is nothing new, in fact your current smartphone probably has the feature built-in. The problem with current devices using HDR is that the photo is typically taken over 2 seconds, which means motion-blur becomes an issue because it's near impossible to hold your phone perfectly steady for 2 seconds leading to a blurred image or artefacts and image tearing. Also due to the entire process being done over a couple of seconds it makes the device is incapable of taking HDR video.
Nvidia counter this issue by leveraging the 72 GPU cores, the A15 cores as well as a dedicated image signal processor (ISP) to take multiple pictures in fractions of a second, in 0.2 seconds according to Nvidia, which leads to less distortion and blur as well as enable new features such as HDR burst shot, HDR 1080p videos at 30 frames per second as well as HDR flash and panoramas, all features that current devices can't support properly if at all.
With all these new features, needless to say we are all excited to see the first Tegra 4 devices hit the shelves here at Android Headlines.
Samsung Exynos 5 Octa
Samsung has been partnering their tablets with their own Exynos processors since the original Galaxy Tab and these processors have also found their homes in a number of Samsung smartphones. Now don't let the Octa branding fooling you, the Exynos 5 isn't some monster of a chipset that has 8 cores humming away simultaneously and devour electricity as fast as Pac-Man devours dots. The Exynos 5 Octa is the second generation of Exynos 5 processors from Samsung, the original was only a dual-core that found its home in the Nexus 10 as well as Samsung Chromebooks, while the original Exynos 5 was a mighty chip with the highest single-threaded performance at the time the new Octa promises even more performance and even better battery life.
The Exynos 5 Octa utilises ARM's big.LITTLE design, where four high-power A15 cores are combined with four low power A7 cores and the cores that are being utilised are constantly switching to maximizing performance with the high-performance cores only activating when required. This should theoretically lead to better battery life than the Tegra 4 is most usage scenarios except idle. According to Samsung, by utilising the big.LITTLE architecture there should be a 70% performance boost from previous generations while increasing battery life by 20%. It should be noted that Samsung won't be the only company will be using ARM's big.LITTLE architecture for their chipsets with LG confirming their plans to introduce their own chipset that will use the same design under the name Odin.
The CPU is only part of the picture, the most important part to ensure buttery smooth game play is the GPU and Samsung have decided to partner the Exynos 5 Octa worthy of its CPU performance. The Octa will be using the triple-core PowerSGX544MP3, this is arguably one of the fastest GPUs on the market and should deliver performance somewhere between the SGX543MP3 found in the iPhone 5 and the SGX554MP4 in the iPad 4. While this won't the fastest GPU available, the Exynos 5 is most likely going to find itself inside 1080p devices, so the extra performance of the SGX554MP4 would be wasted. Hopefully later on down the track Samsung will upgrade the GPU to a SGX544MP4 or better because as the Nexus 10 has proved, 2560×1600 displays are possible within a 10 inch tablet.
The other features of the Exynos 5 Octa will be a built-in ISP like the Tegra 4 to increase camera performance and allow devices to have zero shutter lag, however it remains to be seen whether the Exynos 5 will support the advanced HDR features of the Tegra 4. The Exynos 5 will also support USB 3.0 natively. USB 3.0 allows for faster file transfers, up to 10 times the speed of USB 2, which is an important feature if tablets are to replace laptops for portable computing as well as 50% faster charging speeds, essential if you need a quick charge while on the run.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
Qualcomm arguably had the best processor at the end of 2012 in the form of the Snapdragon S4 Pro. This chipset found its home in a variety of devices including the Nexus 4, HTC Butterfly, Sony Xperia Z and the LG Optimus G. In 2013 Qualcomm is looking to capitalise on their lead with the release of the Snapdragon 600 which can already be found in the HTC One and variants of the Galaxy S4 and potentially in the new Nexus 7. The Snapdragon 600 is an impressive chipset being the fastest chipset on release, however it has since been overtaken by the Exynos 5 in benchmarks, nonetheless it still packs a punch.
Fortunately Qualcomm does have a trump card up their sleeves, the Snapdragon 800. The new SoC due to be released in Q3 2012 will be packing the brand new Krait 400, which will have not only better clock for clock performance, but also capable of speeds up to 2.3 GHz. If you consider the performance jump from the S4 to the 600, the Snapdragon 800 should be a sight to behold with figures that might leave Qualcomm the king of the chipsets for 2013 as well. While Qualcomm has kept their cards close to their chest but the new 800s should offer CPU performance on par if not better than ARM's Cortex-A15 cores.
Partnered with this new CPU will be a brand new GPU, the Adreno 330. On benchmarks such as 3DMark, the Adreno 320, which can be found on current Qualcomm chipsets has proven itself to be the fastest GPUs on the market even beating the Mali T604 that powers the Nexus 10. Qualcomm even publicly stated that there is a misconception the Nvidia Tegra 3 was the king of graphical performance and the benchmarks do support this. The new Adreno 330 promises to be 50% faster than the 320, so that means higher frame rates and greater graphical fidelity to the end-user. The new GPU will also be capable of 4k and 2k resolution like the Tegra 4 and will support cameras up to 55 megapixels. As to whether or not we'll see a 55 megapixel camera on a phone or tablet this year remains to be seen, but you never know.
Performance is important, but so is battery life; Qualcomm have innovated a lot in this area with Snapdragon SoCs featuring a unique asynchronous core technology that not only allows for dynamic hot plugging (switching cores on and off), but also different clock speeds for different cores to ensure no excess energy is spent. The chipset will also include a new improved GPS, that promises to be more accurate, USB 3.0 and built-in 3G/4G LTE modem. The built-in 4G LTE modem was probably what lead to the Snapdragon S4's wide adoption amongst smartphones around the world as 4G LTE becomes more common. While we haven't heard news of any tablets utilising the Snapdragon 800, the new Nexus 7 is slated to use a Qualcomm chipset (probably the 600), and if that succeeds, we'll probably see a new generation of Snapdragon tablets on the market, which hopefully support mobile data.
With all these talks of new GPUs and CPUs in the upcoming chipsets, tablets will obviously be capable of a lot more processing power. Currently the vast majority of 7 inch tablets have a 720p resolution, but with the emergence of 1080p smartphones, which are capable of fitting a higher resolution in a much smaller footprint, 7 inch 1080p tablets are soon to follow. The new Nexus 7 that will probably be unveiling at Google I/O will most likely be packing a brand new 1920×1080 full HD display, which is greater for consuming media, especially if the native resolution of the videos you wish to watch are 1080p because there is no need for resizing the image, which takes up processing power therefore battery.
The Nexus 10 also proved that is possible to fit a 2560×1600 display into a tablet. While 7 inch tablets are the current talk of the market, sometimes a larger tablet might prove to be more useful, therefore we may see more 10 inch markets supporting this higher resolution. The task of designing such as device would be made a lot easier with the abundance of chipsets capable of rendering the increased pixel count, however tablet makers may stop developing 10 inch tablets in favour of smaller 7 or 8 inch ones.
As important as hardware is when it comes processing power of the device, the software cannot be overlooked when it comes to performance. Steve Jobs once stated that the success of Apple was due to the software optimisation of their devices. It's for this exact reason that the iPad is capable of such a smooth user experience, despite lagging behind in hardware compared to Android tablets. Admittedly when the first generation of Android tablets came out, the software was far from being ready and it wasn't really until Ice Cream Sandwich that Android overtook iOS as a platform if you ask me. The lead brought by ICS was solidified with the performance optimizations brought by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean's Project Butter and subsequent improvements in Android 4.2 in terms of graphics, Android is now capable of a buttery smooth user experience.
Google I/O is now less than a month away, however the latest reports suggest that we won't be seeing Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie as we originally hoped, instead we'll be seeing another version of Jelly Bean now as Android 4.3. This latest iteration of Android will no doubt bring further software improvements and optimizations to get the best out of the hardware that tablets of the future will have packing. After Android 4.3 may finally be the fabled Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie that will hopefully bring even more improvements to performance and battery life.
Regardless of which chipset comes out on top, or which version of Android we'll be seeing, the future of Android tablets looks as bright as ever as they relegate current tablets to the pages of history.


text: On 11/01/2013 17:50, Brent Christian wrote: > Thanks, Stuart. > > I did an 'hg mv' of the directory containing the (two) test files. But I > then had to 'hg export' to send the changeset for pushing. I'm guessing Yes, I noticed this before. 'hg export' and 'hg mv' are not friends. -Chris. > that the export wasn't able to preserve the history across the rename. > > -Brent > > On 1/10/13 6:25 PM, Stuart Marks wrote: >> FYI, if the file is moved using 'hg mv' then 'hg log -f' will show the >> history across the rename, and 'hg diff --git' will show the rename plus >> diffs instead of all-lines-deleted followed by all-lines-added. Looks >> like this was done using rm + add instead of mv. Too late now, oh well. >> >> s'marks >> >> On 1/10/13 11:13 AM, Brent Christian wrote: >>> Thanks, Naoto. >>> >>> AFAICT, in a case like this there where a file is moved *and* changes >>> are made >>> to it, webrev shows that the new file is renamed from the old file, >>> but doesn't >>> provide cdiffs/sdiffs/etc for the code changes. >>> >>> 'hg diff' behaves the same way WRT the code changes - it tells you >>> that the old >>> file was removed and the new file was added, but you don't get code >>> diffs for >>> the changes. >>> >>> (Interestingly, the NetBeans editor seemed to figure out what was >>> happening.) >>> >>> That's how it works for me, anyway. >>> >>> -Brent >>> >>> On 1/10/13 10:27 AM, Naoto Sato wrote: >>>> Looks good to me. >>>> >>>> BTW, I thought that webrev would effectively extract the diffs even >>>> when >>>> files were moved around. >>>> >>>> Naoto >>>> >>>> On 1/10/13 9:49 AM, Brent Christian wrote: >>>>> Hi, >>>>> >>>>> The test case for 8003228 fails in certain environments. Also the >>>>> version that was pushed was missing a couple small changes. >>>>> >>>>> The code changes to fix these issues are here: >>>>> http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~bchristi/8005962/webrev.00/ >>>>> >>>>> The test case will also be moved from java/util/Properties/ to >>>>> java/lang/System/. Webrev wouldn't do well showing that part of the >>>>> change, so it's not reflected there. Instead I generated a webrev to >>>>> better show the code changes. >>>>> >>>>> Thanks, >>>>> -Brent >>>>> >>>>


text:
Sansevieria trifasciata Golden Hahnii
Dwarf Snake Plant - Sansevieria trifasciata Golden Hahnii
A Rarer golden striped version of the popular dwarf snake plant. This plant is also known as the golden birds nest sanseveria.
This little beauty doesnt mind it dry, in fact, it prefers if you forget to water it most of the time, just a sip every couple of weeks will do it.
Dwarf snake plants are great inside or on the patio. Add one to your cacti or succulent collection for something different. Great little centre piece for a coffee table.
Sansevieria are well known for their positive effect on air quality and so are great for indoors.
If you are looking for the larger variety suitable for garden backdrops, texture or en mass indoor air improvement, check out Sanseveria Variegated Snake Plant, - also amazingly tough!


text:
Home > Planers:
DeWalt DW733 12-1/2" Portable Thickness Planer, Including an Extra Set of Knives and Dust Hood, an $84.98Value
Shipping weight: 75.0 pounds
Check price and buy @ amazon.com
The only thickness planer on the market with four-column Head Lock, plus an infeed and outfeed table 40% larger than the leading competition, to aid in the reduction of snipe.
Amazon.com Review
There's also a calibrated depth crank that adjusts 1/16 of an inch with each full rotation. Unlike other portable planers, DeWalt's provides an easy-to-read gauge of how much material each pass removes as well as the amount left over on the original board. Rather than using double-edged knives, this model takes two big M2 high-speed steel knives with single-surface cutting areas that deliver an impressive 64.1 cuts per inch. Changing knives took us a mere 10 minutes (and we were new to this design) and better yet they can be resharpened multiple times rather than discarded after one use. Powered by 15 amps with a no-load speed of 10,000 rpm, DeWalt's easily transported planer is a nice combination of high performance and convenience. Each planer ships with an extra set of knives, magnets, and wrenches.
From the Manufacturer
Technical data:
Amps: 15
Watts: 1,725
Volts: 115
Horsepower: N/A
Maximum planing width: 12-1/2 in.
Maximum planing thickness: 6 in.
Minimum planing thickness: 1/8 in.
Minimum cutting length: 8 in.
Maximum depth of cut: 1/8 in.
Number of knives: Two, high-speed steel
Feed rate: 26 fpm
Cutterhead Speed: 10,000 rpm
Cutterhead diameter: 1 in.
Knife set(s): Two
Infeed roller material: N/A
Outfeed roller material: N/A
Roller Diameter: N/A
Table width: 33 in.
Table length: 12-1/2 in.
Cord length: 8 ft.
Cord type: 3-prong, rubber
Grade: Professional
Country of Manufacture: Taiwan
Also included: N/A
Portable: Yes
Snipe Control: Yes
Double-sided knives: No
Sharpenable Knives: Yes
Dust Collection: Yes
Four Column Cutterhead: Yes
Adjustable Cutterhead: Yes
Adjustable Table: No
Adjustable Rollers: N/A
Cutterhead lock: Yes
Enclosed stand: No
Portable stand: No
Knife setting tools: Yes
Height: 18-1/2 in.
Length: 23-5/8 in.
Width: 21-1/2 in.
Weight: 80 lbs.
Shipping weight: 85.2 lbs.
Product: 1-year
Service: 1-year
Customer Reviews:
DeWalt DW733 Planer, October 20, 2002
Reviewer: Andy Franklin from Alpine, Tx
Great planer. This is a great power tool. The planer worked great. No problem setting up. I had a snipe on one piece of lumber, but I think that was my fault. I ran some southern pine boards through it that was about 50 years old, and no problem. The finish on them was ready for final sanding.
Awesome Performance!, October 20, 2002
Reviewer: adelkopf from New York City
This is a great value. I have had my DW733 for 2 years and have cut 1'000s of board-feet without a problem with a glass like finish every time.
Very heavy but convienient hadles on top and bottom make it easy to carry. Well designed dust hood makes for superior dust collection. The depth adjustment is well designed and the lock makes for accurate cuts.
DeWalt DW733 12-1/2" Portable Thickness Planer, October 16, 2002
Reviewer: David P. Sader from Amado, AZ United States
Works great and shows a high degree of quality workmanship in the fit and finish. Delta once again has shown that they build quality tools. If a portable thickness planer is on your wish list, you won't go wrong with this one.
Great Planer, October 10, 2002
Reviewer: Kent D Putnam from Grafton, NY United States
This planer worked perfect right out of the box. I have planed hard and soft wood and am pleased with the quality of the finish.The dust collection hood is a little shakey and I would hate to pay the list price for it but I can live with it and may make my own if the mood strikes me. The 4 post lock is the hot setup. I got a snipe on the first piece I planed but that was my fault. The pieces I planed had been planed on my old planer and they were fuzzy. One pass ant the woood could was ready for a finish. I love it.
Great Low End Planer, October 6, 2002
Reviewer: Chuck Kersey from Burien, WA United States
This is an impressive little power tool. I have always bought finished wood from the local home improvement store or lumber yard. I was not aware of how much money you can actually save by buying rough lumber and planing it yourself.
This tool was up and running in as little as ten minutes. It planed a 5/4x6"x8' piece of eastern maple in no time and planer did not flinch. Snipe was minimal, which was very exceptable. You have to expect it from any machine. For the price of machine though not bad. You pay for it in a lumber yard even though you don't see it.
Infeed and Outfeed tables are much heavier/thicker than on the Delta 55-580 and finish was pretty darn nice. Clean enough to go straight to 220 grit paper.
Great little machine. You can't go wrong.
You don't have to live with snipe, September 24, 2002
Reviewer: James Mayo from Little Rock, AR United States
This planer is OK but it is a little snipey. It started off that way when I bought it a couple of years ago and after trying and trying to adjust out the snipe it is still unpredictable. Expect a little snipe every once in a while from any planer, but the Dewalt delivers it much too often. In my opinion the cutter head lock on this planer is a little weak and I believe it is the source of the problem. I have several friends with the Ridgid and Makita planers who are really surprised when they see snipe, while on any given project using my Dewalt I am surprised not to see it. No offense to anyone but you shouldn't have to trim off the last 4 inches of your lumber to beat snipe. Your planer is an expensive tool and there are some that work better than others. The Dewalt is a sniper, plain and simple. The Ridgid and Makita seem to win this round.
Made on Friday/Monday, September 22, 2002
Reviewer: A home improvement enthusiast from MERCER, WI United States
I was excited to get started but had no wood to run through. After a couple of months, I got some Red oak one inch thick. I had a total of 45 board ft to plane. When I locked the cutter head down, the depth I set for my pass, creeped up resulting in not removing as much material. With the red oak, I couldn't remove more than 1/128th of wood or the machine would bog down and kick out my 20 amp breaker at my electrical box or the 18 amp fuse on the planer would kick out. The 18 amp fuse toggle area eventually started smoking and I imediately shut the planer down. After letting it cool down for hours, I tried to start the planer and it would not go. I tapped slightly near the 18 amp fuse and it restarted (but continued to smoke). There can't be more than two hours on this planer and it's fried. I live in norther Wisconsin and have no near by service center to take advantage of the warantee. The postage to get it to and from the nearest service center will be costly. As another reviewer mentioned, I am going to try to work something out with the Dewalt corporate people. I hope they are as customer friendly as they claim to be.
no snipe, August 2, 2002
Reviewer: kspieker3
Smooth cut... predicatble... no snipe (dips)... if that is what you want, this is the machine for you. I have friends that have other machines (Delta)...when they use their planer, they would expect to discard the front and back 3-4 inches of board. I plane boards as short as 12", and have no snipe....just be sure to always 'lock' the mechanism, and you will have great results too.
Very nice planer., August 1, 2002
Reviewer: A home improvement enthusiast from Ohio City, Colorado United States
I highly recommend the DW733. I originally went to [the store]and purchased a Delta 22-560. What a piece of junk. I could only plane 3 maybe 4 boards 1x8x12feet and the thing overheated and shut itself down. No, I was not planing too much at a time. I took the thing back, got my money and bought a DW733. What a world of difference. Like comparing a Ferrari to a Bicycle. Absolutely no comparison. Snipe? There is no snipe with a DeWalt period. The speed of lowering the cutter to make another pass is like comparing the speed of light to the speed of sound. I really like this DeWalt. I plane 1"x8"x12' boards. Mostly doug fir and ponderosa pine. After planing over 20 boards the motor is cool. It is just a pleasure to use. The only drawback to this machine is the dust or shaving removal. It doesn't work but I don't care. I just have my air hose handy and every so often I just blow the stuff away. I would highly recommend this machine to anyone who does any planing. The infeed and outfeed tables were perfectly level right out of the box etc. etc. I just haven't had a problem at all so far with this machine...
Solid planer for the money, July 31, 2002
Reviewer: Tim White from Norton, MA United States
I have to say I'm very pleased with the purchase of this planer. Others have complained about issues such as the depth of cut indicator being off, the depth stops not being accurate, etc. I have to say that these are almost to be expected on a machine this size. The remedy is to get an inexpensive pair of calipers and measure the wood each time it runs through.
These minor inconveniences aside, the planer really does perform as expected. It leaves a beautiful finish that needs minimal sanding to get the wood stainable. On cold days, you might have to help the wood through the machine, but worse things have happened.
Overall, I'm very pleased. For the money I spent, I feel that I got an outstanding value.


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Aiden Reese
My little nephew Aiden Reese was born yesterday to my sister Erica. Isn't he a cutie? I'm so excited to get to know the little guy and watch him grow. He's a gift from God, and I already know He's got big things in store for him.
Welcome to the world, Aiden. I hope you like it here.


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Overstock.com OSTK, -0.45% said fourth-quarter revenue rose 44% over year-earlier levels to $318 million, below the average analyst estimate compiled by Thomson First Call of $337.9 million. For 2005, the Internet-based retailer reported a loss of $25 million, or $1.29 a share, vs. a loss of $5 million, or 29 cents a share last year. Revenue rose to $803.8 million from last year's $494.6 million. The company said it expects slower growth in 2006. The stock was trading up 6.5% at $24.23.
Overstock.com revenue rises, but misses expectations
Quote References
-0.05 -0.45%


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A MAN wearing steel-capped shoes stamped on a pensioner's face, a weekend court was told.
Colin Clayton, 21, was drinking at the victim's Penmaenmawr flat when he was told to leave.
He pushed 65-year-old Samuel Sheen down a short flight of stairs.
David Mainstone, prosecuting at Llandudno, said the pensioner spent a night in hospital where he was treated for face and other injuries which needed stitches.
Clayton, of no fixed address but previously of Prestatyn, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.
Magistrates said their powers of punishment were insufficient and sent him in custody to Caernarfon crown court for sentencing.


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- Genres of movie : Comedy, Romance,
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- Release date of movie : 2014-02-14
- Companies of movie : Screen Gems, Inc., Olive Bridge Entertainment, Rainforest Films,
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Which is harder? Starting running - or restarting? Part Deux
While running, I pondered a question, the one in the blog post title. To see the beginnings of my thoughts, read this.
I started running again when I was 38 and recently laid off from Texaco. It wasn't a response to the shock or early-onset mid-life crisis, but a rational decision that I needed to stay in shape. At the time, I was working on a black belt in Tang Soo Do, a Korean style of martial arts. I figured my new boss did not want me to show up broken - and, with a family to feed, I couldn't risk getting broken.
So I decided I would run. Being goal-oriented, I decided not only that I would run, but that I would complete a marathon, so I picked one that was about six months out, the San Diego Rock 'n Roll. Seemed like a big grand thing to try for.
My first run getting ready was four miles, in rain, wearing heavy cotton sweats. It pretty well sucked but I covered the ground. Now, I was still doing the martial arts, just not the sparring. I was splitting my limited spare time from my new job driving a lumbering concrete mixer six days a week between the running and time at the studio.
In most respects, I was not a returning runner, but a new runner. I had no recent baselines and no real memory of training habits to guide me. No coach. I just ran when I could, averaging about 25 miles a week.
Marathons ought not be taken so lightly. For you veteran runners, quit laughing. I survived being dumb.
Then I moved up to a new class of dumb, tackling ultras and falling in love with trail running. It turned out that I was good enough to win age group awards in the ultras that I entered, but it was the ability to go out and cover 30, 40, 50 miles of trails in solitude that captured my spirit. I found I didn't need racing to run. I averaged 70 miles a week and felt like my legs could take me anywhere.
My body conspired against me, though. I have gout (and probably psuedogout) and long-distance running exacerbates the problem. I became an expert at managing hydration to limit the deposition of the monosodium urate crystals that trigger the worst attacks. In February of 2005, I reinjured my back coaching youth basketball and lost feeling in my right leg. Months of rehab with a physical therapist followed, which was better than the surgery that the doctor wanted to do. Different surgeon got to cut on me to repair a hernia. It was a challenging year, but I ran a marathon (Seafair in Seattle) and Hood-to-Coast with that hernia.
Gout is, unfortunately, a progressive disease, one that eventually leads to gouty arthritis and tophi, deposits below the skin. I have both, and an extra bonus complication.
I haven't had a major cold, the kind that puts a person in bed for days, in decades. My immune system is so hyped from attacking the gout that it is at full alert at all times. It detects an intruder, it tries to kill it. Ironically, this includes NSAIDs used for treating the swelling of gout attacks and the gout medications themselves. Effectively, my immune system triggered allergic reactions to the meds.
It took three years for the doctor and I to get my immune system to be slightly less aggressive so I could take probenecid. (I still react to allopurinol.) Once we could start treatment, it was almost a year of non-stop attacks while the medicine purged my body of extra uric acid. A year without running. Afterwards, the side effects of the drugs became evident. I'm now anemic. Taking iron supplements helps, but only masks the problem.
I'm slow, slow, slow, but . . .
Now I'm in a restart cycle, and back to running, though different than when I decided to run that first marathon. This time I have the memories close at hand of what I could do. Every time I run and look at my watch, see a 10 minute mile pace, I can recall knocking down that same mile in seven's. Hills I used to climb with ease require a walking break.
It's easy to get discouraged when, week after week, it becomes more clear that I won't be able to run the same way again. I have to remind myself of all the work I put in before, the miles of training, the hours on the track doing speedwork. Most especially, I need to remind myself to be patient. It took years to build the base that let me play on mountain tops, and years to lose it. I won't get it back in a month or even a year.
Whether you're just starting to run, or making a comeback to running, hope is a crucial element. It's easier for the newbie, but perhaps even more important for the runner coming back for whatever reason. Coming back, fighting not just the physical battle, or the mental battle, but your own memories, is tough.
So, stay hopeful, run gently, and good things shall come.
I promise.


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Make Bibb stores buy security cameras, Allen says
Security cameras helped lead sheriff's investigators to a quick arrest after last Friday's convenience store slaying in Bibb County. Now Commissioner Joe Allen says the county needs to force stores to buy cameras to help solve and deter more crimes.
Under Allen's proposal, a slew of businesses — motels, movie theaters, liquor stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and others — would need cameras that could identify criminals and their cars. Allen also wants signs conveying a message: "You're being watched. You don't know where the cameras are. You can be seen."
County commissioners are scheduled to discuss Allen's proposal Tuesday. Allen said he didn't know how many businesses would need to buy cameras or what they would cost.
Allen said he'd also want cameras on some busy county streets, where they could catch images of brawls or criminals fleeing crime scenes.
"You might hear somebody say 'This is Big Brother stepping up to the plate.' But, yeah, somebody's got to step up to the plate and protect the citizens of Bibb County," he said.
By requiring cameras outside and around many types of businesses,
Allen's proposal would go well beyond some other Middle Georgia communities. A 2004 survey by The Telegraph showed Warner Robins required security cameras in convenience stores and Fort Valley required them in convenience stores and liquor stores.
For the past two decades or so, Macon has also required security cameras in stores that don't have two working clerks but sell alcohol after 9 p.m., said Ed DeFore, a 38-year veteran of the City Council who helped pass that ordinance.
"That's one of the things I'm most proud of," DeFore said. "We caught a lot of people that way."
Bibb County Commission Chairman Sam Hart said he hasn't decided to support or oppose Allen's draft ordinance. The county attorney is checking on legal options, and Hart said he wants to consider costs to businesses and figure out where cameras make the most sense.
"I'm not leaning either way just now. I'm in support of making sure our businesses are made as safe as possible," he said.
In pushing for the cameras, Allen cited a recent brawl of teens at the AmStar movie theater, and two slayings at convenience stores in Macon and Bibb County in just the past few weeks.
"How much is a life worth? That's the bottom line. This is going to cost some money," he said.
To contact writer Mike Stucka, call 744-4251.


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• The Diary of a Civil War Bride: Lucy Wood Butler of Virginia edited by Kristen Brill (LSU Press, 2017)
Many scholars have used the writings of Lucy Wood Butler in their work, but The Diary of a Civil War Bride marks the first full publication of the Butler material, which includes both wartime diary and letters to her husband. Edited by Kristen Brill, this slim volume relays "a compelling account of one woman's struggle to come to terms with the realities of war on the Confederate home front." The diary is particularly revealing of "the attitudes and living conditions of many white middle-class women in the Civil War South."
More from the description: "The Diary of a Civil War Bride opens with a series of letters between Lucy Wood and her husband, Waddy Butler, a Confederate soldier whom Lucy met in 1859 while he was a student at the University of Virginia. Serving with the Second Florida Regiment, Butler died at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Lucy's diary spans much of the intervening years, from the spring of 1861 to the death of her husband in the summer of 1863. Through the dual prism of her personal marital union and the national disunion, the narrative delivers a detailed glimpse into the middle-class Confederate home front, as Butler comments on everyday conditions in Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as the greater sociopolitical valence of the Civil War. In addition to the details of Lucy's courtship, marriage, and widowhood, the diary provides a humanistic and sentimental lens through which readers can closely examine broader issues surrounding the institution of slavery, the politics of secession, and the erosion of Confederate nationalism."
Brill's introduction delves into Butler's background and discusses why her writings are important to Civil War scholarship. Brill also annotates the assembled diary and letters with occasional footnotes.


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Latest News
Manatee man killed in house fire
MANATEE — Neighbors of a Manatee man killed in house fire early this morning say they tried everything they could to get him out before flames pushed them back.
West Manatee Fire Rescue Capt. Tom Sousa said at 2:30 a.m. this morning firefighters arrived to find a house at 812 36th St. W. engulfed in flames.
Inside they found William Loran Yoakum II, 43, dead on the kitchen floor three feet from his back door. Fire officials said he most likely died from smoke inhalation. Yoakum, who neighbors said was disabled and used a walker, lived alone in the house, according to sheriff's reports.
Jessica Runck said she called 911 after her mother first spotted the fire across the street and woke her up.
"She was screaming, 'Fire, there's a fire.' I called 911 and my mother and husband and ran to try to help," said Runck.
Rendy Zola and Clint Runck tried to make contact with Yoakum. Runck sprayed the fire with a hose he found in the front yard, while Zola grabbed one of Yoakum's walkers on the front porch and used it to bang on the door.
As the flames overtook the home's roof and firefighters arrived, Runck and Zola were told to move back from the blaze.
"I just wish we could have gotten him out," said Zola. "It is just terrible."
Firefighters later found Yoakum dead in the home as they battled the blaze, Sousa said.
Sousa said 26 firefighters from West Manatee and the Bradenton Fire Department battled the fire, which is now being investigated by state and West Manatee fire marshals, as well as the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation, but there is nothing suspicious about the blaze in preliminary findings, Sousa said.


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Getting In
Schools & Colleges
- College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences
- College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
- College of Business & Economics
- College of Education
Sockwell Hall
Bioprocessing and Fermentation Laboratory
Room 137, Sockwell Hall
Capabilities and instrumentation
- Agricultural and environmental engineering
- Fermentation and testing using bench-top fermentors.
- Designing and testing pilot-scale fermentation systems.
- Anaerobic digestion and testing using bench-top digesters.
- Designing and testing pilot-scale digestion systems.
- Value-added product development.
- Waste utilization.
- Cell culturing and bacterial counting to determine cell viability.
- Chemical analysis by liquid chromatography.
- Chemical analysis by electrochemical methods (YSI Industrial analyzer).
- Landfill gas analysis by GEM-500.
- Product separation by ion exchange and membrane separation.
- Designing and testing bioreactors.
- Designing and testing photovoltaic electric generation systems.
- Determining physical, chemical and thermal characteristics of solid biofuels.
- Development of web-based instructional materials for distance education.
- Production of value-added products from cheese whey, including polymers and antimicrobial compounds.
- Production of methane fuel from animal wastes. Production of hydrogen fuel by microbial fermentation.
- Development of an automated egg packaging system.
- Assessing renewable energy potential of wood waste and agricultural residues in North Carolina.
- Determining the technical performance and economic feasibility of thin-film photovoltaic modules in a residential environment.
- Demonstrating the reliability and the performance of a 25-kW Sterling engine and a 5-kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell.
Points of Pride
Largest HBCU
N.C. A&T is the largest public HBCU in the nation
N.C. A&T is the No. 1 producer of engineering degrees on the undergraduate level awarded to African Americans.
Admired CEO
Chancellor Harold Martin Sr. is named among the Triad's Most Admired CEOs by the Triad Business Journal.
Academic Excellence
The university's Center for Academic Studies in Identify Science is the first and only National Intelligence Science and Technology CASIS in the United States.
Higher Research Activity
N.C. A&T is classified as an R2: Doctoral University of Higher Research Activity by the prestigious Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
Teaching / Research
N.C. A&T is the highest-ranked public school for combining research and teaching by the Wall Street Journal.
Engineering Professor and Student
N.C. A&T is an inaugural and pioneering tenant of the innovative Union Square Partnership for healthcare training.
2016 MEAC Champs
N.C. A&T Women's Basketball team are the 2016 MEAC Champions
Bowl Champs
Aggies win 2015 Inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl and Black National Championship.
Tarik Cohen
Running back Tarik Cohen broke the university and MEAC record becoming the MEAC all-time leading rusher.
Hall of Fame
The 1968 Aggies football team was inducted into the N.C. A&T Sports Hall of Fame as the first A&T team to win a black college national championship.
Aggie Track & Field
Three track & field athletes are named to the NCAA All-Academic team for excellence in their events and in the classroom; maintaining a minimum 3.25 GPA.
Kim Terrell-Kearney
Former professional bowler Kim Terrell-Kearney named N.C. A&T bowling coach
Track & Field Ranking
The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ranked A&T men's track and field team among the top-25 in program history.
Gail Wiggins
JOMC Professor Gail Wiggins selected as the NABJ Educator of the Year
PALO! Lyceum Series
The Band PALO! performed at N.C. A&T for the Lyceum Series
CD - Jazz Preeminence
A&T Theatre arts performs first production of "Radio Golf" by African American playwright August Wilson.
The Theatre Program at A&T was the first accredited Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at an HBCU in North Carolina; second in the nation.
Black Nativity performances
The Theatre Arts Program is nationally ranked by Black Broadway as one of the top five Theatre Arts programs for African American students
Travis Alexander
Travis W. Alexander has been named National Conductor for the 105 Voices Of History National Concert Choir


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Opera launches Mini mobile phone browserBy Derek Sooman
Opera Software has launched a system that will facilitate access to the Internet via mobile phones normally incapable of running a Web browser. It is claimed that the new "Opera Mini" will be able to work with the estimated 700 million WAP-enabled phones around the world. The software will be offered first in Norway as a free download, and then later extended.
"Opera offers full customization of Opera Mini to companies, for example broadcasters, operators, mobile content providers and the Internet industry, that would like to include their own version of Opera Mini as part of their mobile content offerings," a company statement said.


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Back in December i won 1 hair product from twitter. When in January i still hadn't received it i chased it up, i spent weeks messaging back & forth because i was really looking forward to trying the product as i have terrible thin hair :o(
Finally about a week ago i got a message saying my prize was on it's way…excited much!!! :o) Then this arrived!!!!!
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Firstly what you are able to do is choose a wall decor type that may have a repetitive patter with large patterns. For example: In autumn you should use a house decor themes reminiscent of a bedspread with autumn leaves and pillows in autumn colors. This makes the items even more meaningful as the decor becomes a monument to your creativity. The wreaths are more than a decor item to me – they are a household tradition just as much or perhaps extra so than the tree which is current centered. Coconut candles are a unique and easy strategy to lend a peaceful really feel to your decor. To find your knickknacks go to a web based public sale web site and do a seek for nautical decor.
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text: 11 Mar 2015 Alex 2015, March No Comments March 11, 2015 Alex APPLICATIONS SERVICES CONTACT ô We Handle Your Entire Digital Experience If you run a Facebook page, you can expect the like count to drop in the coming weeks. Facebook is changing the way itãsô counting likes, subtracting any accounts that have been either manually deactivated or memorialized after its owner passed.Call us toll free at 1-800-373-4373 or visit here to learn more about GemFind digital marketing services. Diamond District Jeweler Pleads Guilty to Transporting Stolen Property Rob Batesô ô ô ô JCK ô ô ô ô ô March 09 On March 3, Carlos Parra, 64, owner of Master Diamonds on 47th Street, pleaded guilty to buying and transporting jewelry he purchased from an armed robbery ring, according to an FBI news release. Read More Diamond Producers Discuss Establishing Supplier Association Danielle Max ô ô ô IDEX ô ô ô March 09 Representatives from eight companies, including De Beers, Alrosa, Rio Tinto, Petra Diamonds Ltd., Gem Diamonds Ltd., Lucara Diamond Corp., Dominion Diamond Corp and OAO Lukoil met last week to discuss the establishment of a suppliers association that would represent most of the global diamond producers. Read More Apple Watch to hit stores in April Hannah Connortonô National Jewelerô March 10 During an event held at its Cupertino headquarters and live-streamed over the Internet, Apple said its much-anticipated smartwatch will become fully available April 24 in the United States, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. Read More WHAT'S NEW AT GEMFIND Diamond LinkôÛ is now also available for Facebook! Call Today at 800.373.4373 to get it installed to your Companyãs Facebook. LEARN MORE Perth Mint Releases Limited Edition Argyle Pink Diamond Coin for $6,000 ô stonechickyô The Israeli Diamond Industry Blogô ô March 05 Australian coin manufacturer Perth Mint has released a 2oz pink gold coin featuring a hand-set pink diamond from the Argyle diamond mine. According to IDEX Online, the limited-edition Kimberley Sunset coin, created in association with Rio Tinto, is being sold for approximately $6,253. Read More EDUCATION Technology Changes Coming Your Way. Comfort is the New King: Interview with Martin Rapaport Vincent C.ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô Prosumer Diamondsô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô March 09 Last Friday wrapped up this yearãs Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem, and Pearl Show at the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong. The show is Hong Kongãs largest international jewelry show and attracts many people in the trade to buy and sell diamonds. This year, I was particularly excited because Martin Rapaport had agreed to do an interview with Prosumer Diamonds. Read More 2,300 Year-Old Jewelry Discovered in a Cave in Northern Israel The Israeli Diamond Industryô Mar. 10 ãThe valuables might have been hidden in the cave by local residents who fled there during the period of governmental unrest stemming from the death of Alexander,ã the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement reported by CNN. Read More Pat McGrath Brings a Whole New Meaning to a Radiant Complexion at Givenchy Sophia Panychô ô allureô ô March 09 Last night at Givenchy the models' skin shimmered as they came down the runway, but it wasn't because of a luminous foundation or strategically placed highlighter. In fact, other than a tiny bit of concealer, the girls had no makeup on whatsoever. Read More 7 Things You Probably Donãt Know About Rubies Victoria Gomelsky ô JCK ô ô March 05 If you were paying attention at last monthãs Tucson gem shows, you probably noticed rubies from Myanmarãwhich Iãll call Burma for the purposes of this post because thatãs how the trade still refers to itãare next to impossible toô find. Read More GETTING SOCIAL 101 Learn More Go Mobile or Go Home Andy Callowayô ô ô Business2Community ô March 06 Itãs already been well reported that Google is about to start to take more notice of whether a website works well on mobile or not. This change has been on the cards for some time, so it shouldnãt come as a surprise to anyone that Google will now promote those sites that work well on smaller screens. Read More WHAT DATA CAN DO FOR YOU Good Data is the Heart of a Successful Online Marketing Strategy. LEARN MORE How Apple Will Make Its Superstrong 'Apple Gold' for Watches Annalee Newitzô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô GIZMODOô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô March 09 Apple design VP Jony Ive recently told the Financial Times that Apple had invented a new kind of ultra-hard 18-karat gold for its line of luxury Apple Watches. Read More THE ONLY RESPONSIVE JEWELRY INDUSTRY TOOLS AVAILABLE TO DATE! If you have any comments or suggestions, please call us at (800) 373-4373 . gemfind.gemfindwebdesign.com ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô ô OUR AFFILIATIONS


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How did I get it?:
I bought it!
When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion next door, Sophie Gracewell's life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nic Falcone, Sophie finds herself falling into an underworld governed by powerful families. When Sophie's own family skeletons come to life, she must choose between two warring dynasties \- the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break …
I hadn't heard about this book until Lucy picked it for #readUKYA. I'm so glad Lucy picked it though, as I thought it was an incredibly different YA read. It is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, so of course, I wasn't expecting a happily ever after. I love YA that dares to be as gritty as Vendetta is. It sets itself apart in the genre.
Vendetta is a dramatic, tense thriller which is going to be a trilogy. I can certainly see that it's set itself up well to continue the story. It's action packed and full of grudges and revenge. Once I got into it, I found it hard to put down. I raced through it once I got half way through. The book certainly picks up pace! I wanted to know what on earth was going to happen. I didn't find it easy to predict which is always a bonus.
The characters are so interesting in this book. I was immediately invested in both the good and bad character's stories. I can't wait to see how the series progresses.
Would I recommend it?:
Of course!


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Want clear guidance on digital archives for everyone in archaeology? Join our #DigDigital Beta Group and help us draft it.
Historic England has commissioned the DigVentures team, working with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, to develop up-to-date guidance for everyone working with digital data in archaeological projects. The guidance will be published as part of the Archaeological Archives Forum's ongoing series of practice guides for archives management aimed at practitioners. CIfA's Standards and Guidance will be updated to ensure consistency between practice guidance and regulation.
In May 2018, DCMS endorsed Historic England's proposals to respond to the Mendoza Review of Museums. One such proposal was to develop guidance… 'that relieves museums of the expectation that they should attempt to curate digital material from archaeological projects in favour of their deposition in a Trusted Digital Repository that will guarantee the preservation and accessibility of digital material'.
To support this recommendation, HE recognise the need to provide clear guidance for practitioners that works alongside industry standards and is supported across the sector. The Digital Archives in Archaeology project has been initiated by the Archaeological Archives Forum to provide such guidance and encourage the consistent and robust management of digital data in archaeology.
Barney Sloane, Director of Research at Historic England, said "The Digital Archives in Archaeology project is a timely approach to ensuring that clear and practical guidance is available to all practitioners. We are entering a new era, where a 'digital-first' approach to all aspects of archaeological archive creation is becoming a reality. This project will help define what that means for those working with archaeological data every day – from data creators to museum curators".
Digital technologies have transformed the way archaeologists work, providing innovative research tools, improving how we investigate sites and giving new life to knowledge about the past. As with all parts of an archaeological archive, digital data contributes to the long-term preservation of sites by providing key information which can be accessed by researchers and the public alike. How that information can be used in the future is an important consideration and, as new technologies become the norm, we have to be sure that our archive processes adapt to incorporate innovative methods, tools and data.
The ambition of this project is to:
The use of digital data within archaeological research is extensive and varied, and over the next few weeks the project team will be asking practitioners to get involved and share their experiences. We want to understand the different ways that archaeologists collect digital data and manage it throughout the project life cycle. If you would like to contribute to the project, we are looking for a cross-section of practitioners to join our #DigDigital Beta group. The role of the Beta group will be to respond to short project surveys and provide ongoing feedback as we draft and shape guidance documents.
If you want to get involved in our Beta Group, please just complete our quick survey and sign up!
We are hoping to gather 100 people who represent a cross section of the archaeological sector in the UK to join our #DigDigital Beta group. We will ask you to respond to surveys, read drafts and contribute to ongoing discussions about digital archives in archaeology. There will be opportunities to respond to project surveys and discussions as an organisation, but the role of the group is to provide a sense of the everyday experience of people working in archaeology.
So, you are here as an individual but we will make sure that any contribution you make is anonymous – names will not be mentioned in any material which is circulated or published to audiences outside the project team. Your personal details will be used only to communicate with you directly and we will not retain personal information or use it beyond the scope of the project.
If you want to get involved in our #DigDigital Beta Group, please complete this short survey and we'll get in touch!
Our Beta Group is now closed – if you are interested in contributing to the project, please email firstname.lastname@example.com.
We're conducting our first survey and your input would be much appreciated! As our Starter For Ten, this brief survey will help identify key areas for us to focus on, and give a general feel for how people currently work with and manage digital data in archaeology.
It is not meant to be exhaustive and there will be areas which are not covered. Remember this is just the first survey and there will be more to come! The survey will be running from 10th – 30th November – just click the link below and get responding…
Don't forget, if you want to keep up to date with the project and contribute more widely to the project aims, we have a #DigDigital Beta Group which you can join.If you want to get involved in our Beta Group, please sign up here!
No nonsense. Just dig alerts and the insider's view on the week's biggest archaeological discoveries.
Easy opt-out at any time - Privacy Policy


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Mon, 9 May 2016
Once again, Free Comic Book Day has come and gone. Blake and Erin spent the day at BSI Comics, hanging with the readers, talking about nerd stuff, and having a blast. This week, they review some of this year's FCBD offerings and get in-depth with their thoughts on Captain America: Civil War!
And what's cool this week? Erin is looking forward to Ron Miscavage's book Ruthless, while Blake is doing a simultaneous read of Iron Man: Armor Wars and Captain America: The Captain!
Music provided by Music Alley from Mevio.
Direct download: Ep322FCBD2016.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:01pm CDT


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Once upon a time, there was a young man who decided that a soldier's life was for him and enlisted. In time he became such a brave, courageous soldier that he was always to be found in the front ranks. As long as the war lasted, he knew his place in the world, but when peace came he was discharged, and his captain told him he was free to go where he liked.
While he'd been away soldiering, his parents had died, which left him with no home to go to. He sought out his brothers, and asked them to give him shelter. But they refused, and insisting he could not be taught a trade, they turned him away.
Left with nothing but his musket, the soldier mounted this on his shoulder and set out, not knowing where he would go. After a time he came to a great heath with nothing on it but a circle of trees. He sat down, sorrowfully considering his fate. "I have no money, I have learnt nothing but soldiering and now, since peace is concluded, there is no need of me. I believe I will most likely starve."
He heard a rustling behind him, and turned to see a stranger standing there, dressed in a stately grey coat. Yet the soldier noticed that the stranger's foot, on which there was no boot, was cloven.
"I know what you need," said the stranger. "Gold and richly possessions you shall have, as much as you can spend; but first I must know whether or not you are a coward, for I will not spend my money foolishly."
Angered at the implication, the soldier retorted, "A soldier and a coward! That cannot be. Put me to whatever proof you require."
Raising a brow, the stranger inclined his head. "Look behind you then."
The soldier turned to see a huge, ferocious bear. Quick as anything, he grabbed his musket and shot the bear in the forehead; the beast tumbled to lie still on the ground.
"I see that you are not lacking in courage," said the stranger. "But there is still one condition which you are required to fulfil."
Having worked out who the stranger was, the soldier chose his words carefully so as not to ensnare his soul. "I shall not hesitate so long as it does not interfere with my future happiness."
"Very well," said the stranger. "For the next seven years, you must not wash yourself, nor comb your hair or beard, neither must you cut your nails nor utter one word of prayer. I will give you this coat and mantle, which you must wear during these seven years; and if you die within that time you are mine, but if you live you are rich, and free all your life long."
The soldier spent a while thinking on the conditions. Remembering how often he had braved death, he finally consented and accepted the offer.
The devilish one pulled off the grey coat and handed it to the soldier. "If at any time you search in the pockets of this coat, you will always find your hand full of money." Turning to the bear, he pulled off the creature's skin. "This shall be your cloak and your bed; you must sleep on it and not lie in any other bed. From this day for the next seven years, you shall be called 'Bearskin'." With that, the devil-stranger disappeared.
The soldier put on the coat and dipped his hands into the pockets to make sure the stranger was true to his word. Then he hung the bear skin around himself, and went about the world, pleased with his good luck and buying whatever suited his fancy which money could buy.
His first year in this guise was easy enough, for his appearance was not very remarkable. But as he went through the second year, he began to look more of a monster. His hair covered almost all his face, his beard hung like frayed cloth, his nails were claws, and his countenance was covered all over with dirt. Whoever crossed his path ran away; but wherever he went he gave the poor gold coin and they prayed for him. Each night, he would find lodging without difficulty for he paid liberally.
In the fourth year, he came to an inn where the landlord refused to allow him in, refusing even to let him sleep in the stables in case he frightened the horses. But when Bearskin put his hand in his pocket and drew out gold coins, the landlord yielded and gave him a place in one of his outbuildings.
While Bearskin sat by himself in the evening, wishing once more that the seven years were over, he heard someone weeping. Having a compassionate heart, Bearskin went to investigate, and saw an old man weeping most violently. He stepped nearer but when the old man saw him, he cried out and tried to run away. But when he heard Bearskin speak in a human voice, he stopped and allowed himself to be persuaded to stay. Because Bearskin spoke to him kindly, the old man finally spoke of the cause of his distress. His property had gradually dwindled away, and surely his daughters would now be left to starve, for he was so poor that he had not the money to pay the host, and would be put into prison.
"Do not worry," said Bearskin. "I have money enough." He called for the innkeeper and paid him, then put a purse of gold into the pocket of the old man.
The man, unable to believe his good fortune and not knowing how to be sufficiently grateful, said to Bearskin, "Come with me. My daughters are all wonders of beauty, and you may choose one of them for a wife. When they hear what you have done for me, and also for them, they will not refuse you. You certainly appear a most uncommon man, but they will soon put you to rights."
Pleased at the thought of, perhaps, being able to have a wife, Bearskin went with the old man. But, despite the man's words, as soon as his eldest daughter saw Bearskin, she was so terrified that she shrieked and ran away. The second one stopped long enough to look at him from head to foot before she said, "How can I take a husband who does not look at all human, but more of a grizzly bear?"
But the youngest daughter, having heeded her father's words, said, "Dear father, this must be a good man indeed who has assisted you out of your troubles, and in doing so, assisted us also. If you have promised him a bride for the service, then your word must be kept."
It was a pity that Bearskin's face was so covered with dirt and hair for none could see how glad the young woman's words made him. He took a ring off his finger and broke it in two. On one half, he wrote the daughter's name, which he kept for himself, and on the other half he wrote his name, which he gave to her. He begged her to preserve it carefully. When it came time for him to leave he said, "For three years longer must I wander about. If I return, then we will celebrate our wedding. But if I do not, you are free, for I shall be dead. But, I beseech you, pray to God that he will preserve my life."
When he was gone, the poor bride clothed herself in black, and whenever she thought of her bridegroom, she burst into tears. From her sisters, she received nothing but scorn and mocking. "Pay attention when he takes you by the hand," said the eldest, "and you will see his beautiful claws." "You must mind and do his will," said the second, "or he will begin growling." But the bride kept silence, and would not be drawn from her purpose by their taunts.
Bearskin, meanwhile, wandered about the world, doing good where he could, giving generously to the poor, and they prayed for him. At length, the last day of the seven years approached and Bearskin made his way back to the heath with the circle of trees, there to await the stranger.
The wind whistled around the trees, and around Bearskin, heralding the arrival of the devil-stranger, who looked most vexed indeed. Without a word, he threw the soldier his old coat and demanded his grey one back.
"Not so fast," replied Bearskin. "You must clean me first."
Tied by his own words, and left with no choice, the devil-stranger fetched water to wash the soldier. He combed his hair out and cut his nails. By the time he was finished, he left the soldier looking once more like a brave warrior, but this time much handsomer than before.
Left alone once more, the soldier merrily made his way to the nearest town where he bought a fine velvet coat, and hired a carriage drawn by four white horses, and made his way to the house of his bride. Nobody knew him, and the father, taking him for some great general, led him into the room where his daughters were.
Seated between the two eldest daughters, he was plied with wine and the choicest morsels, for they thought they had never seen anyone so handsome before. The youngest daughter, meanwhile, still dressed in black, sat opposite them, neither looking up nor speaking a word.
The soldier then asked the father if he would be allowed to have one of the daughters as his wife. Immediately, the two eldest ran to their chambers to dress themselves in their most becoming clothes, for each believed she would be chosen.
Finding himself, at last, alone with his bride, the soldier pulled out his half of the ring, placed it in a cup of wine and handed it to her across the table. She politely took it, and upon emptying the cup, saw the half-ring lying at the bottom. Eyes wide, she produced the other half, which she wore around her neck on a ribbon. She held them together, and they joined each other exactly.
The soldier went to her side and said, "I am your groom, whom you first saw as Bearskin, but through God's mercy I have regained my human form, and am myself once more." He embraced her and kissed her, and she thought her heart would burst with happiness.
At that moment, the two eldest sisters entered. On hearing the truth of the soldier's identity, instead of being happy for their sister, they ran from the house, full of rage and jealousy. The youngest, meanwhile, readied herself for her new life as a wife.
There are various aspects to this story that I enjoy … the stranger may well have been the devil but I thought him rather generous, making sure the soldier was never lacking in money, not something that usually happens. Even though he had to endure people's horror at his appearance, at least he had enough funds to get through those seven years.
I also liked that the soldier's generosity and kind spirit won over the father despite his awful appearance; and that the young woman recognised that and consented to be his bride, and waited for him as he was – it seems to me that they were both attracted to the other's character, and that it wasn't all based on looks alone.


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Nail varnish is one of those beauty products that is so easy to forget that it can actually be full of nasties in those wonderfully colourful little bottles. Truth is, as I mentioned in the Nailberry post, there are quite a few ingredients you want to steer well clear of. Zoya is free from:
- toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, parabens, TPHP, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, dibutyl phthalate or lead
Lots of long complicated words there I know but trust me you do not want them seeping into your lovely fingers.
I normally shy away from bright colours including red, slightly a bit of a miserable bugger when it comes to bright make up, always stick to my very dark purples, equally deep crimsons but it seemed as good a time as any to step out of the comfort zone. I always use a base coat and a top coat so it is worth bearing this in mind… If you don't use these, it will change your nail painting life – while also saving time in your year by lasting a lot longer!
Well wow, what can I say, the colour is so vibrant (I applied two layers as I never want gaps). It has lasted longer than any other nail varnish I have worn and still looks great! I am so surprised, not because I ever doubted the company but you never expect such a lengthy wear. It is worth also noting that I tried this out on my toes and not fingers, so it may not be chip free for as long the other way around.
I definitely would recommend this brand and to be honest it is no more expensive than a good chemical based product, with a price tag of £11.70, so I see no reason to why you wouldn't jump ship for a much safer time. They have a pretty decent colour range and your toes and fingers will be ever so happy!


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This morning was pure madness in the German retail sector. Not because of market trends or a shift in meat pricing but simply because geraniums went on sale. Now I've journaled about the beloved balcony flower before but I hadn't really touched on the whole gardening part of the story.
I was thinking about re-naming the flower "Germanium," as in a funny little play on the words "German" and "Geranium." But as it turns out, there already is such a thing as Germanium which is apparently some sort of magic element that doesn't know if it's a metal or not. Wow. Whoever would've thought that whole periodic table thingy would actually show back up in life again. Nutty.
Normally I avoid any type of sale like the plague since I'm just not into full body wrestling in order to save a few bucks. I'm pretty much the kind of person who's willing to spend a bit more and tolerate the milder German shopping clientele where all you'll get is a cart jacked up the back of your heels once or twice along with heavy sighs of impatience if you're purchasing more than the average German daily shopper does.
The trick with gardening is you've got to watch where the old folks go. These people have wisdom and it's safe to assume that if there's a traffic jam of walkers and canes, the plants are probably pretty darn good and affordable. And I had walked smack into a geriatric convention. Less than 15 minutes after the store had opened, entire carts full of 10-plant trays were empty. Swiped clean!
So although I happened to be at this store for a whole different reason it suddenly occurred to me after five years of living in this country, that I wanted my geraniums too!!!
I got out my elbows. And I went in. Very quickly I realized that the ones I was after were scarce. Until I noticed that way down low on the wheeled carts, way down by the ankles, were packages that the elderly just couldn't get to. Imagine my glee! Then the shame truck hit me realizing that it's probably fundamentally wrong to benefit from other people's physical limitations. So after tucking a couple boxes into my basket, I got down on my knees in the store and pulled out and re-merchandised all the rest of the plants so that the individuals a couple decades older than me could actually access them. (Note to self: check off "good deed for the day"). This reduced my guilty feeling of grabbing the healthiest of the flowers for myself.
Now it's here in the story where I did the unthinkable. I attempted to engage strangers in conversation.
I was a little skeptical if it isn't actually too early to plant these annuals. And there's nothing I hate more than putting effort into a dirty job where I've got to scrub out my nails and then they die on me. So I whipped out the one German gardening term that I know in an attempt to impress two of the ladies next to me. I asked them about Eisheiligen. Dang I felt like hot shit. These ladies eyes lit up and it didn't matter that I spoke with a wacky accent. I was suddenly a young gardening protege with potential!! Off they went telling me about frost and covering plants with newspaper at night. Discussion ensued over whether or not it's too early to have them on a balcony with an overhang, close to the house where we'll outsmart father frost. It was awesome. I thanked them while flashing my big toothy American smile and trotted up to the cashier with 30 little sprouts of potential. Dang, maybe I am practically famous after all. What a great morning!!