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Dynamic Driver Loader and Linker
The erl_ddll
module provides an interface for loading
and unloading erlang linked in drivers in runtime.
This is a large reference document. For casual use of the module, as well as for most real world applications, the descriptions of the functions load/2 and unload/1 are enough to get going.
The driver should be provided as a dynamically linked library
in a object code format specific for the platform in use,
i. e. .so
files on most Unix systems and .ddl
files on windows. An erlang linked in driver has to provide
specific interfaces to the emulator, so this module is not
designed for loading arbitrary dynamic libraries. For further
information about erlang drivers, refer to the ERTS reference
manual section erl_driver.
When describing a set of functions, (i.e. a module, a part of a module or an application) executing in a process and wanting to use a ddll-driver, we use the term user. There can be several users in one process (different modules needing the same driver) and several processes running the same code, making up several users of a driver. In the basic scenario, each user loads the driver before starting to use it and unloads the driver when done. The reference counting keeps track of processes as well as the number of loads by each process, so that the driver will only be unloaded when no one wants it (it has no user). The driver also keeps track of ports that are opened towards it, so that one can delay unloading until all ports are closed or kill all ports using the driver when it is unloaded.
The interface supports two basic scenarios of loading and unloading. Each scenario can also have the option of either killing ports when the driver is unloading, or waiting for the ports to close themselves. The scenarios are:
This (most common) scenario simply supports that each user of the driver loads it when it is needed and unloads it when the user no longer have any use for it. The driver is always reference counted and as long as a process keeping the driver loaded is still alive, the driver is present in the system.
Each user of the driver use literally the same pathname for the driver when demanding load, but the users are not really concerned with if the driver is already loaded from the filesystem or if the object code has to be loaded from filesystem.
Two pairs of functions support this scenario:
When using the load/unload
interfaces, the
driver will not actually get unloaded until the
last port using the driver is closed. The function
can return immediately, as the users are not really concerned
with when the actual unloading occurs. The
driver will actually get unloaded when no one needs it any longer.
If a process having the driver loaded dies, it will have the same effect as if unloading was done.
When loading, the function load/2
as soon as there is any instance of the driver
present, so that if a driver is waiting to get unloaded
(due to open ports), it will simply change state to no
longer need unloading.
These interfaces is intended to be used when it is considered an
error that ports are open towards a driver that no user
has loaded. The ports still open when the
last user calls
or when the last process having the
driver loaded dies, will get killed with reason
The function names load_driver
are kept for backward
This scenario occurs when the driver code might need replacement during operation of the Erlang emulator. Implementing driver code replacement is somewhat more tedious than beam code replacement, as one driver cannot be loaded as both "old" and "new" code. All users of a driver must have it closed (no open ports) before the old code can be unloaded and the new code can be loaded.
The actual unloading/loading is done as one atomic operation, blocking all processes in the system from using the driver concerned while in progress.
The preferred way to do driver code replacement is to let one single process keep track of the driver. When the process start, the driver is loaded. When replacement is required, the driver is reloaded. Unload is probably never done, or done when the process exits. If more than one user has a driver loaded when code replacement is demanded, the replacement cannot occur until the last "other" user has unloaded the driver.
Demanding reload when a reload is already in progress is always an error. Using the high level functions, it is also an error to demand reloading when more than one user has the driver loaded. To simplify driver replacement, avoid designing your system so that more than than one user has the driver loaded.
The two functions for reloading drivers should be used together with corresponding load functions, to support the two different behaviors concerning open ports:
This pair of functions is used when reloading should be done after the last open port towards the driver is closed.
As reload/2
actually waits for the reloading to
occur, a misbehaving process keeping open ports towards
the driver (or keeping the driver loaded) might cause
infinite waiting for reload. Timeouts has to be provided
outside of the process demanding the reload or by using
the low-level interface try_load/3 in combination
with driver monitors (see below).
This pair of functions are used when open ports towards
the driver should be killed with reason
to allow for new driver code to
get loaded.
If, however, another process has the driver loaded,
calling reload_driver
returns the error code
. As stated earlier,
the recommended design is to not allow other users than the "driver
reloader" to actually demand loading of the concerned
demonitor(MonitorRef) -> ok
MonitorRef = reference()
Removes a driver monitor in much the same way as erlang:demonitor/1 does with process monitors. See monitor/2, try_load/3 and try_unload/2 for details about how to create driver monitors.
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameter is not a reference().
info() -> AllInfoList
AllInfoList = [DriverInfo]
DriverInfo = {DriverName, InfoList}
DriverName = string()
InfoList = [InfoItem]
InfoItem = {Tag :: atom(), Value :: term()}
Returns a list of tuples {
, where
is the result of calling info/1 for that
. Only dynamically linked in drivers are
included in the list.
info(Name) -> InfoList
Name = driver()
InfoList = [InfoItem, ...]
InfoItem = {Tag :: atom(), Value :: term()}
Returns a list of tuples {
, where
is the information item and
is the result
of calling info/2 with this driver name and
this tag. The result being a tuple list containing all
information available about a driver.
The different tags that will appear in the list are:
- processes
- driver_options
- port_count
- linked_in_driver
- permanent
- awaiting_load
- awaiting_unload
For a detailed description of each value, please read the description of info/2 below.
The function throws a badarg
exception if the driver
is not present in the system.
info(Name, Tag) -> Value
Name = driver()
Tag =
processes |
driver_options |
port_count |
linked_in_driver |
permanent |
awaiting_load |
awaiting_unloadValue = term()
This function returns specific information about one aspect
of a driver. The
parameter specifies which aspect
to get information about. The
return differs
between different tags:
Return all processes containing users of the specific drivers
as a list of tuples {pid(),integer() >= 0}
, where the
denotes the number of users in the process
Return a list of the driver options provided when
loading, as well as any options set by the driver itself
during initialization. The currently only valid option
being kill_ports
Return the number of ports (an integer >= 0()
) using the driver.
Return a boolean()
, being true
if the driver is a
statically linked in one and false
Return a boolean()
, being true
if the driver has made
itself permanent (and is not a statically
linked in driver). false
Return a list of all processes having monitors for
active, each process returned as
{pid(),integer() >= 0}
, where the integer()
is the
number of monitors held by the process pid()
Return a list of all processes having monitors for
active, each process returned as
{pid(),integer() >= 0}
, where the integer()
is the
number of monitors held by the process pid()
If the options linked_in_driver
or permanent
return true, all other options will return the value
or permanent
The function throws a badarg
exception if the driver
is not present in the system or the tag is not supported.
load(Path, Name) -> ok | {error, ErrorDesc}
Loads and links the dynamic driver
is a file path to the directory containing the driver.
must be a sharable object/dynamic library. Two
drivers with different
parameters cannot be
loaded under the same name. The
is a string or
atom containing at least one character.
given should correspond to the filename
of the actual dynamically loadable object file residing in
the directory given as
, but without the
extension (i.e. .so
). The driver name provided in
the driver initialization routine must correspond with the
filename, in much the same way as erlang module names
correspond to the names of the .beam
If the driver has been previously unloaded, but is still
present due to open ports against it, a call to
will stop the unloading and keep the driver
(as long as the
is the same) and ok
returned. If one actually wants the object code to be
reloaded, one uses reload/2 or the low-level
interface try_load/3
instead. Please refer to the description of different scenarios for
loading/unloading in the introduction.
If more than one process tries to load an already loaded
driver withe the same
, or if the same process
tries to load it several times, the function will return
. The emulator will keep track of the
calls, so that a corresponding number of
calls will have to be done from the same
process before the driver will actually get unloaded. It is
therefore safe for an application to load a driver that is
shared between processes or applications when needed. It can
safely be unloaded without causing trouble for other
parts of the system.
It is not allowed to load
several drivers with the same name but with different
Note especially that the
is interpreted
literally, so that all loaders of the same driver needs to
give the same literal
string, even
though different paths might point out the same directory
in the filesystem (due to use of relative paths and
On success, the function returns ok
. On
failure, the return value is {error,
is an opaque term to be
translated into human readable form by the format_error/1
For more control over the error handling, again use the try_load/3 interface instead.
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameters are not given as described above.
load_driver(Path, Name) -> ok | {error, ErrorDesc}
Works essentially as load/2
, but will load the driver
with other options. All ports that are using the
driver will get killed with the reason
when the driver is to be unloaded.
The number of loads and unloads by different users influence the actual loading and unloading of a driver file. The port killing will therefore only happen when the last user unloads the driver, or the last process having loaded the driver exits.
This interface (or at least the name of the functions) is
kept for backward compatibility. Using try_load/3 with
in the option list will
give the same effect regarding the port killing.
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameters are not given as described above.
monitor(Tag, Item) -> MonitorRef
Tag = driver
Item = {Name, When}
Name = driver()
When = loaded | unloaded | unloaded_only
MonitorRef = reference()
This function creates a driver monitor and works in many
ways as the function erlang:monitor/2,
does for processes. When a driver changes state, the monitor
results in a monitor-message being sent to the calling
process. The
returned by this function is
included in the message sent.
As with process monitors, each driver monitor set will only generate one single message. The monitor is "destroyed" after the message is sent and there is then no need to call demonitor/1.
can also be used in subsequent calls
to demonitor/1 to
remove a monitor.
The function accepts the following parameters:
The monitor tag is always driver
as this function
can only be used to create driver monitors. In the future,
driver monitors will be integrated with process monitors,
why this parameter has to be given for consistence.
parameter specifies which driver one
wants to monitor (the name of the driver) as well as
which state change one wants to monitor. The parameter
is a tuple of arity two whose first element is the
driver name and second element is either of:
Notify me when the driver is reloaded (or loaded if
loading is underway). It only makes sense to monitor
drivers that are in the process of being loaded or
reloaded. One cannot monitor a future-to-be driver
name for loading, that will only result in a
message being immediately sent.
Monitoring for loading is therefore most useful when
triggered by the try_load/3 function,
where the monitor is created because the
driver is in such a pending state.
Setting a driver monitor for loading
eventually lead to one of the following messages
being sent:
This message is sent, either immediately if the driver is already loaded and no reloading is pending, or when reloading is executed if reloading is pending.
The user is expected to know if reloading is demanded prior to creating a monitor for loading.
This message will be sent if reloading was expected, but the (old) driver made itself permanent prior to reloading. It will also be sent if the driver was permanent or statically linked in when trying to create the monitor.
This message will arrive if reloading was
underway, but the user having requested
reload cancelled it by either dying or calling
(or unload/1
again before it was reloaded.
This message will arrive if reloading was
underway but the loading for some reason
failed. The Failure
term is one of the
errors that can be returned from try_load/3. The
error term can be passed to format_error/1
for translation into human readable form. Note
that the translation has to be done in the same
running erlang virtual machine as the error
was detected in.
Monitor when a driver gets unloaded. If one monitors a driver that is not present in the system, one will immediately get notified that the driver got unloaded. There is no guarantee that the driver was actually ever loaded.
A driver monitor for unload will eventually result in one of the following messages being sent:
The driver instance monitored is now
unloaded. As the unload might have been due to a
request, the driver might once
again have been loaded when this message
This message will be sent if unloading was expected, but while the driver was waiting for all ports to get closed, a new user of the driver appeared and the unloading was cancelled.
This message appears when an {ok, pending_driver}
) was returned from try_unload/2)
for the last user of the driver and
then a {ok, already_loaded}
is returned
from a call to try_load/3.
If one wants to really monitor when the
driver gets unloaded, this message will distort
the picture, no unloading was really done.
The unloaded_only
option creates a monitor
similar to an unloaded
monitor, but does
never result in this message.
This message will be sent if unloading was expected, but the driver made itself permanent prior to unloading. It will also be sent if trying to monitor a permanent or statically linked in driver.
A monitor created as unloaded_only
exactly as one created as unloaded
with the
exception that the {'UP', reference(), driver, Name, unload_cancelled}
message will never be
sent, but the monitor instead persists until the
driver really gets unloaded.
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameters are not given as described above.
reload(Path, Name) -> ok | {error, ErrorDesc}
Reloads the driver named
from a possibly
than was previously used. This
function is used in the code change scenario described in the
If there are other users
of this driver, the function will return {error, pending_process}
, but if there are no more users, the
function call will hang until all open ports are closed.
Avoid mixing several users with driver reload requests.
If one wants to avoid hanging on open ports, one should use the try_load/3 function instead.
parameters have exactly the
same meaning as when calling the plain load/2 function.
Avoid mixing several users with driver reload requests.
On success, the function returns ok
. On
failure, the function returns an opaque error, with the
exception of the pending_process
error described
above. The opaque errors are to be translated into human
readable form by the format_error/1 function.
For more control over the error handling, again use the try_load/3 interface instead.
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameters are not given as described above.
reload_driver(Path, Name) -> ok | {error, ErrorDesc}
Works exactly as reload/2, but for drivers loaded with the load_driver/2 interface.
As this interface implies that ports are being killed when the last user disappears, the function wont hang waiting for ports to get closed.
For further details, see the scenarios in the module description and refer to the reload/2 function description.
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameters are not given as described above.
try_load(Path, Name, OptionList) ->
{ok, Status} |
{ok, PendingStatus, Ref} |
{error, ErrorDesc}
Path = path()
Name = driver()
OptionList = [Option]
Option =
{driver_options, DriverOptionList} |
{monitor, MonitorOption} |
{reload, ReloadOption}DriverOptionList = [DriverOption]
DriverOption = kill_ports
MonitorOption = ReloadOption = pending_driver | pending
Status = loaded | already_loaded | PendingStatus
PendingStatus = pending_driver | pending_process
Ref = reference()
ErrorDesc = ErrorAtom | OpaqueError
ErrorAtom =
linked_in_driver |
inconsistent |
permanent |
not_loaded_by_this_process |
not_loaded |
pending_reload |
pending_processOpaqueError = term()
This function provides more control than the
interfaces. It
will never wait for completion of other operations related
to the driver, but immediately return the status of the
driver as either:
The driver was actually loaded and is immediately usable.
The driver was already loaded by another process
and/or is in use by a living port. The load by you is
registered and a corresponding try_unload
expected sometime in the future.
The load request is registered, but the loading is
delayed due to the fact that an earlier instance of the
driver is still waiting to get unloaded (there are open
ports using it). Still, unload is expected when you are
done with the driver. This return value will
mostly happen when the
options are used, but
can happen when another user is unloading a driver in
parallel and the kill_ports
driver option is
set. In other words, this return value will always need
to be handled!
The load request is registered, but the loading is
delayed due to the fact that an earlier instance of the
driver is still waiting to get unloaded by another
user (not only by a
port, in which case {ok,pending_driver}
have been returned). Still, unload is expected when you
are done with the driver. This return value will
only happen when the {reload,pending}
option is used.
When the function returns {ok, pending_driver}
{ok, pending_process}
, one might want to get information
about when the driver is actually loaded. This can
be achieved by using the {monitor,
When monitoring is requested, and a corresponding {ok, pending_driver}
or {ok, pending_process}
would be
returned, the function will instead return a tuple {ok,
and the process will, at a later
time when the driver actually gets loaded, get a monitor
message. The monitor message one can expect is described in
the monitor/2
function description.
Note that in case of loading, monitoring can
not only get triggered by using the {reload,
option, but also in special cases where
the load-error is transient, why {monitor, pending_driver}
should be used under basically
all real world circumstances!
The function accepts the following parameters:
The filesystem path to the directory where the driver
object file is situated. The filename of the object file
(minus extension) must correspond to the driver name
(used in the name parameter) and the driver must
identify itself with the very same name. The
might be provided as an iolist(),
meaning it can be a list of other iolist()
s, characters
(eight bit integers) or binaries, all to be flattened
into a sequence of characters.
The (possibly flattened)
parameter must be
consistent throughout the system, a driver should, by
all users, be loaded
using the same literal
. The
exception is when reloading is requested, in
which case the
may be specified
differently. Note that all users trying to load the
driver at a later time will need to use the new
if the
is changed using a
option. This is yet another reason
to have only one loader of a driver one wants to
upgrade in a running system!
The name parameter is the name of the driver to be used
in subsequent calls to open_port. The
name can be specified either as an iolist()
as an atom()
. The name given when loading is used
to find the actual object file (with the
help of the
and the system implied
extension suffix, i.e. .so
). The name by which
the driver identifies itself must also be consistent
with this
parameter, much as a beam-file's
module name much correspond to its filename.
A number of options can be specified to control the loading operation. The options are given as a list of two-tuples, the tuples having the following values and meanings:
This option is to provide options that will change its general behavior and will "stick" to the driver throughout its lifespan.
The driver options for a given driver name need always to be consistent, even when the driver is reloaded, meaning that they are as much a part of the driver as the actual name.
Currently the only allowed driver option is
, which means that all ports opened
towards the driver are killed with the exit-reason
when no process any longer
has the driver loaded. This situation arises either
when the last user calls try_unload/2, or
the last process having loaded the driver exits.
tells try_load/3
trigger a driver monitor under certain
conditions. When the monitor is triggered, the
function will return a three-tuple {ok,
, where the reference()
the monitor ref for the driver monitor.
Only one
can be specified and
it is either the atom pending
, which means
that a monitor should be created whenever a load
operation is delayed, and the atom
, in which a monitor is
created whenever the operation is delayed due to
open ports towards an otherwise unused driver. The
option is of little use, but
is present for completeness, it is very well defined
which reload-options might give rise to which
delays. It might, however, be a good idea to use the
as the
if present.
If reloading is not requested, it might still be
useful to specify the monitor
option, as
forced unloads (kill_ports
driver option or
the kill_ports
option to try_unload/2) will
trigger a transient state where driver loading
cannot be performed until all closing ports are
actually closed. So, as try_unload
can, in
almost all situations, return {ok, pending_driver}
, one should always specify at least
{monitor, pending_driver}
in production
code (see the monitor discussion above).
This option is used when one wants to
reload a driver from disk, most often in a
code upgrade scenario. Having a reload
also implies that the
parameter need
not be consistent with earlier loads of
the driver.
To reload a driver, the process needs to have previously loaded the driver, i.e there has to be an active user of the driver in the process.
The reload
option can be either the atom
, in which reloading is requested for
any driver and will be effectuated when all
ports opened against the driver are closed. The
replacement of the driver will in this case take
place regardless of if there are still
pending users
having the driver loaded!
The option also triggers port-killing (if the
driver option is used) even though
there are pending users, making it usable for forced
driver replacement, but laying a lot of
responsibility on the driver users. The pending option is
seldom used as one does not want other users to have loaded the
driver when code change is underway.
The more useful option is pending_driver
which means that reloading will be queued if the
driver is not loaded by any other users, but the driver has
opened ports, in which case {ok, pending_driver}
will be returned (a
option is of course recommended).
If the driver is unloaded (not present in the
system), the error code
will be returned. The
option is intended for when the user
has already loaded the driver in advance.
The function might return numerous errors, of which some only can be returned given a certain combination of options.
A number of errors are opaque and can only be interpreted by passing them to the format_error/1 function, but some can be interpreted directly:
The driver with the specified name is an erlang statically linked in driver, which cannot be manipulated with this API.
The driver has already been loaded with either other
or a different literalPath
This can happen even if a reload
option is given,
if the DriverOptionList
differ from the current.
The driver has requested itself to be permanent, making it behave like an erlang linked in driver and it can no longer be manipulated with this API.
The driver is loaded by other users when the {reload, pending_driver}
option was given.
Driver reload is already requested by another user when the {reload,
option was given.
Appears when the reload
option is given. The
is present in the system, but there is no
user of it in this
Appears when the reload
option is given. The
is not in the system. Only drivers
loaded by this process can be reloaded.
All other error codes are to be translated by the format_error/1
function. Note that calls to format_error
should be
performed from the same running instance of the erlang
virtual machine as the error was detected in, due to system
dependent behavior concerning error values.
If the arguments or options are malformed, the function will
throw a badarg
try_unload(Name, OptionList) ->
{ok, Status} |
{ok, PendingStatus, Ref} |
{error, ErrorAtom}
Name = driver()
OptionList = [Option]
Option = {monitor, MonitorOption} | kill_ports
MonitorOption = pending_driver | pending
Status = unloaded | PendingStatus
PendingStatus = pending_driver | pending_process
Ref = reference()
ErrorAtom =
linked_in_driver |
not_loaded |
not_loaded_by_this_process |
This is the low level function to unload (or decrement
reference counts of) a driver. It can be used to force port
killing, in much the same way as the driver option
implicitly does, and it can trigger a
monitor either due to other users still having the driver
loaded or that there are open ports using the driver.
Unloading can be described as the process of telling the
emulator that this particular part of the code in this
particular process (i.e. this user) no longer needs the
driver. That can, if there are no other users, trigger
actual unloading of the driver, in which case the driver
name disappears from the system and (if possible) the memory
occupied by the driver executable code is reclaimed. If the
driver has the kill_ports
option set, or if
was specified as an option to this
function, all pending ports using this driver will get
killed when unloading is done by the last user. If no port-killing is
involved and there are open ports, the actual unloading
is delayed until there are no more open ports using the
driver. If, in this case, another user (or even this user) loads the
driver again before the driver is actually unloaded, the
unloading will never take place.
To allow the user that
requests unloading to wait for actual unloading to
take place, monitor
triggers can be specified in much
the same way as when loading. As users of this function however
seldom are interested in more than decrementing the
reference counts, monitoring is more seldom needed. If the
option is used however, monitor trigging is
crucial, as the ports are not guaranteed to have been killed
until the driver is unloaded, why a monitor should be
triggered for at least the pending_driver
The possible monitor messages that can be expected are the
same as when using the unloaded
option to the
monitor/2 function.
The function will return one of the following statuses upon success:
The driver was immediately unloaded, meaning that the driver name is now free to use by other drivers and, if the underlying OS permits it, the memory occupied by the driver object code is now reclaimed.
The driver can only be unloaded when there are no open ports using it and there are no more users requiring it to be loaded.
This return value indicates that this call removed the last user from the driver, but there are still open ports using it. When all ports are closed and no new users have arrived, the driver will actually be reloaded and the name and memory reclaimed.
This return value is valid even when the option
was used, as killing ports may not be
a process that completes immediately. The condition is,
in that case, however transient. Monitors are as always
useful to detect when the driver is really unloaded.
The unload request is registered, but there are still
other users holding
the driver. Note that the term pending_process
might refer to the running process, there might be more
than one user in the
same process.
This is a normal, healthy return value if the call was just placed to inform the emulator that you have no further use of the driver. It is actually the most common return value in the most common scenario described in the introduction.
The function accepts the following parameters:
The name parameter is the name of the driver to be
unloaded. The name can be specified either as an
or as an atom()
argument can be used to specify
certain behavior regarding ports as well as triggering
monitors under certain conditions:
Force killing of all ports opened using this driver,
with the exit reason driver_unloaded
, if you are
the lastuser of the driver.
If there are other users having the driver loaded, this option will have no effect.
If one wants the consistent behavior of killing ports
when the last user
unloads, one should use the driver option
when loading the driver instead.
This option creates a driver monitor if the condition
given in
is true. The valid
options are:
Create a driver monitor if the return value is to
be {ok, pending_driver}
Create a monitor if the return value will be either
{ok, pending_driver}
or {ok, pending_process}
The pending_driver
is by far
the most useful and it has to be used to ensure that the
driver has really been unloaded and the ports closed
whenever the kill_ports
option is used or the
driver may have been loaded with the kill_ports
driver option.
By using the monitor-triggers in the call to
one can be sure that the monitor is
actually added before the unloading is executed, meaning
that the monitor will always get properly triggered,
which would not be the case if one called
The function may return several error conditions, of which all are well specified (no opaque values):
You were trying to unload an erlang statically linked in driver, which cannot be manipulated with this interface (and cannot be unloaded at all).
The driver
is not present in the system.
The driver
is present in the system, but
there is no user of
it in this process.
As a special case, drivers can be unloaded from
processes that has done no corresponding call to
if, and only if, there are no users of the driver at all, which may happen if the
process containing the last user dies.
The driver has made itself permanent, in which case it can no longer be manipulated by this interface (much like a statically linked in driver).
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameters are not given as described above.
unload(Name) -> ok | {error, ErrorDesc}
Name = driver()
ErrorDesc = term()
Unloads, or at least dereferences the driver named
. If the caller is the last user of the driver, and there
are no more open ports using the driver, the driver will
actually get unloaded. In all other cases, actual unloading
will be delayed until all ports are closed and there are no
remaining users.
If there are other users of the driver, the reference counts of the driver is merely decreased, so that the caller is no longer considered a user of the driver. For usage scenarios, see the description in the beginning of this document.
returned is an opaque value to be
passed further on to the format_error/1
function. For more control over the operation, use the
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameters are not given as described above.
unload_driver(Name) -> ok | {error, ErrorDesc}
Name = driver()
ErrorDesc = term()
Unloads, or at least dereferences the driver named
. If the caller is the last user of the driver, all
remaining open ports using the driver will get killed with
the reason driver_unloaded
and the driver will
eventually get unloaded.
If there are other users of the driver, the reference counts of the driver is merely decreased, so that the caller is no longer considered a user. For usage scenarios, see the description in the beginning of this document.
returned is an opaque value to be
passed further on to the format_error/1
function. For more control over the operation, use the
The function throws a badarg
exception if the
parameters are not given as described above.
loaded_drivers() -> {ok, Drivers}
Drivers = [Driver]
Driver = string()
Returns a list of all the available drivers, both (statically) linked-in and dynamically loaded ones.
The driver names are returned as a list of strings rather than a list of atoms for historical reasons.
More information about drivers can be obtained using one of the info functions.
format_error(ErrorDesc) -> string()
ErrorDesc = term()
Takes an
returned by load, unload or
reload functions and returns a string which
describes the error or warning.
Due to peculiarities in the dynamic loading interfaces on different platform, the returned string is only guaranteed to describe the correct error if format_error/1 is called in the same instance of the erlang virtual machine as the error appeared in (meaning the same operating system process)!
erl_driver(4), driver_entry(4)


text:
Donna Linen Jumpsuit - Brown Lines
Designed & Made in Türkiye
Duties and taxes are included
Free shipping on orders over $200
- 100% Cotton
- Linen fused breathable fabric
- We recommend washing in gentle mode.
- Made in Turkey
Our model wears 36 and has 1,75 height.
The model wears S at the photos.
Model sizes 85-62-90
Delivery & Returns
Most of our orders are shipped 24-48 hours from purchase.
Shipping times may vary, but rest assured we work our hardest to get you your order as quickly as possible.
For return orders please login, select your order that you'd like to return & why. We'll send you the details as soon as your return is processed.
Please note all items noted as final sale are not eligible for exchange or return. We currently do not accept exchanges or returns for international customers at this time. Please contact us via email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A couple days ago I received an email from someone at "History" (formerly the History Channel) asking if I would promote their upcoming two hour spectacle Gettysburg, produced by Ridley Scott (Alien, Black Hawk Down) and his brother Tony (The A Team, Pillars of the Earth). The person from "History" even offered a wide assortment of goodies in compensation for my blog space, including high-end items like t-shirts and hand bags.
With such a tantalizing deal before me (I mean who wouldn't want a white t-shirt with a big "H" on it?), I wisely listened to the little voice in the back of my head that asked, "Yes, but what if you end up hating it?" and ended up turning down the offer.
Needless to say, it's a good thing I did, because I can now offer you a lighthearted post on how some of my more vociferous and passionate friends on Facebook responded to what turned out to be a disappointing film on many, many levels.
Here's a sampling of what some folks are saying about Gettysburg that had me writhing with laughter.
"At least Ridley Scott didnt put laser sighters on the enfields."Now, in all fairness, I should point out that the historians who were chosen to provide the commentary did an excellent job (it was great to finally see my friend Hari Jones on the History Channel). It was the pairing of such excellent scholarship with awful Hollywood antics, however, that made the film seem disjointed, confusing, and supremely unfulfilling.
"seek medical help if this show lasts more than four hours"
"This Gettysburg thing is bizarre! Bad uniforms, beards, hats etc. No one seems to fight in formations. The Rebs apparently all fought in their shirtsleeves. The Rebel yell sounds like a bunch of radical Muslims."
"Calling it putrid is an insult to all of the rotten things in the world."
"The best thing has been the warning when the show comes back after commercials: "Some scenes may disturb viewers". I find the whole damn mess pretty disturbing."
"I think they bought much of the props at the gift shop."
"I like Ewell, he looks like a crazy toupee model."
"Ron Maxwell, you have been vindicated! At least you knew that Lee's men wore coats, you didn't try to show sweeping forestry scenes that were reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and you didn't annoy us with sidebars about the Underground Railroad and the invention of the telegraph. And who in their right mind would've thought that the fake beards you used would be shown to be superior?"
Kudos to "History" for trying to contribute to the Sesquicentennial commemoration by seeking out high-end Hollywood producers to help generate interest in America's greatest conflict.
And here's to hoping that they never do it again.


text:
The r.Net calendar is live and ready for your events! Why not use it to promote your event? Let everyone know about it -- hey, you might even get some new blood into your time period as our Forum covers all time periods. Hey, give it a try!
One thing I have noticed while researching this Time/Area is that there is a real lack of Native American reenactor links. This is just wrong, I don't know why no one posts them, but we ARE! Right now, we have only a few, but over time, I am sure we will get more and more. Please visit the sites we have linked below and tell 'em you saw it on reenactor.Net ;-)


text:
My Friend Suggest trucktempohire is best online local truck & tempo services portal from one place to another place with in city at a Reliable and affordable charges , prices at TruckTempoHire.com
I have shifted my household item from Noida with help truck services provider at trucktempohire. It is the best services provider source to hire reliable and affordable services to another place at a cheapest price
It was a very good experience by transporting my house hold goods by trucktempohire from Delhi to Gurgaon. Specially the timely delivery and efficient service provided by them is highly appreciated. Special thanks to professional team by trucktempohire.com
trucktempohire.com is one of the most popular places for searching household goods storage bangalore services. the package of household goods storage that you will get from our listed warehousing companies is formulated after looking at the requirements as well as the budget of the client. the package can also be modified according to the needs of the customers. we make use of the well planned strategies that help not helps the storage services in bangalore to touch the pillar of success but also customers can look forward to the hassle free services. our main motive our company is to provide the most satisfaction to the clients at the minimum and competitive cost.
we are provides every help to find the competent storage services in bangalore providers that are especially hassle free according to the needs and requirements of the valued customers. the packages of temporary storage of household goods that are offered by them are very economical and competitive prices that will leave a happy smile on the face of the customers.
most of the providers of warehouse services in bangalore want to compromise on the quality of their services and most importantly also gain a top position in this age of cut-throat competition. if you are looking to search for the professional warehouse service providers in the city, then you have stumbled upon at a right place. we offer our customers unparalleled household goods storage bangalore services with the unmatched quality and expertise services.
now, a very important concern with regards is that, where to find the suitable option to the same. warehouse storage facility is available with the trusted moving companies. approaching packers and movers for the storage of goods as long as you want is always the best deal. we do not make any kind of false promises and we deliver on the promises that we make. we are not unlike any other logistic listing companies in bangalore that employ false methods to win the trust of the customers and later cheat them. our main objective is to provide the total satisfaction to the customers when it comes helping them find the better warehouse company in bangalore.
we believe in offering an excellent helping hand to the clients to end their search for right warehouse services in bangalore . the dealings that the warehousing companies make to the clients with regards to the services or packages are very transparent and the customers can have a look at our different types of services offered by the companies and compare before taking a decision to store your valuable goods. we verify the credibility of the service providers before listing them into our site. we can assure that you will be getting the high quality services without any hidden costs or false commitments
for this, you have to scan the movers as per your requirement for the special storage service requirement. as storing the goods in warehouse needs proper packing and insurance too, hence relying on wrong company would bring loss ultimately.
if you are looking for some professional and well known warehouse companies in bangalore for the smooth transportation of freight then look no further. the first option is of course the household goods storage services in bangalore, who are dealing with your requirement of move but in case, you don't have them to manage the requirement of shifting then you should look for warehouse storage in delhi where you can keep the things for a particular time for the entire safety. so, these are the two options in front of you, you should choose for the one that goes well with your requirement. but yes, while you are searching for the choice, make sure that you scan them properly. check they have security features. always choose a company that possess the proper insurance and is licensed as well as certified because it is after all the matter of safety . please provide us one opportunity to serve you in a better manner and we assure you that you will not be left disappointed and get a better value for your money.


text:
We got together with our friends at Lonely Planet to curate a travel reel featuring the creepiest abandoned places on Earth, just in time for Halloween. Join us as we tour California's most haunted mansion, explore the lush greenery amid crumbling buildings on an abandoned island, and do our best to avoid the curse of Mexico's doll island.
More from Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com
SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/vR6Acb
This story is a part of our Planet Earth series. From mammals to insects and birds to reptiles, we share this great big world with all manner of creatures, large and small. Come with us to faraway places as we explore our great big planet and meet some of its wildest inhabitants.
Got a story idea for us? Shoot us an email at hey [at] GreatBigStory [dot] com
Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: http://goo.gl/2KABeX
Make our acquaintance on Facebook: http://goo.gl/Vn0XIZ
Give us a shout on Twitter: http://goo.gl/sY1GLY
Come hang with us on Vimeo: http://goo.gl/T0OzjV
Visit our world directly: http://www.greatbigstory.com


text:
SVPCO Adds Settlement to Image Exchange
The Clearing House Payments Co. (New York) has launched automated settlement for financial institutions transmitting check images through its SVPCO network. Renamed the SVPCO Image Payments Network, the service combines the ability to send and receive check images with the financial settlement of the transaction.
This was in the game plan from the beginning, according to Susan Long, senior vice president, SVPCO-Electronic Check Services. "We always intended to do automated settlement," she says. "But image exchange is a huge change to implement. It takes a ton of resources in the banks -- they wanted to make sure they got it right."
Having succeeded in that task, the SVPCO member banks could then deploy their best payments technologists onto automating the settlement process through the network. Exchanging images requires the use of a "distributed traffic agent," or DTA, which involves hardware and software to manage the flow of files to and from the exchange. But prior to automated settlement, each bank had to negotiate the settlement terms with each exchange partner.
Now, automated settlement is part of the SVPCO package. "As part of the implementation, they sign agreements with us, saying that we do settlements for any financial transaction," says Long.
The single agreement eliminates the need for banks to enter into multilateral negotiations over settlement methods. "Wachovia is now exchanging with Bank of America, and when they add another partner, they don't do anything but test with that partner," notes George Thomas, executive vice president, The Clearing House Payments Company.
Net settlement occurs twice daily, at noon and at 4 p.m. Eastern U.S. time. "If I'm exchanging with 10 partners, everything I send and receive from those 10 partners would get all rolled up into the net settlement," says Long. "I can see all the files I've sent, what I've received and my net position."
Since the banks using SVPCO for image exchange also tend to use the Clearing House for their paper check exchange, the combination creates the opportunity for those organizations to gain insight into the big picture. "A financial institution can have a consolidated view of all their check activity in one place," says Long. "Whether it be a paper check item, an image exchange item, or an adjustment, if you're the manager of a check operation, you want to see the whole business, all together."
Automated settlement is provided at no additional cost, as it is bundled into the transaction fee. The process will eliminate the need for participating banks to use the Federal Reserve or National Clearing House (NCHA; Dallas) for settlement, as is necessary using other image exchange networks such as Viewpointe (Charlotte, N.C.) and Endpoint Exchange Network (Oklahoma City), observes Thomas. "In networks that use NCHA, you have to join NCHA as a separate process -- either manual or custom coding to interface to the settlement system," she says. "Not only do you have to make the connection to the exchange network, you have to make a separate connection to the settlement system."
By contrast, SVPCO's combined system has the potential to reduce operational and credit risk, claims Long. "The banks sometimes take it for granted, but this is one of the most, if not the most important thing -- that we're monitoring the creditworthiness of all the banks in the exchange," she says. "We know how to monitor that."
With this move, SVPCO has staked out a position as a payments processor instead of an image exchange network. "If our competitors want to do the same things, they really have to become payment system operators," says Thomas. "They'd have to integrate it in-house, and then get approval from the Fed to do settlement, and that's a big step."


text:
american auto parts
With our wide range of American
If you're looking for American car parts in the UK, you can find a reliable source of auto parts at our online store. Our store offers a wide selection of American car spares, including US auto parts, for customers across the UK; we guarantee excellent customer service and high-quality products. All of our American car parts are sourced from trusted providers and tested


text:
How do I find books?
To find books and e-books on Computer Science you can search the Library Catalog by keyword, author, title, or subject. If you don't find what you're looking for the first time, don't give up! Search again using alternate words, different spellings, or a shortened version of your search term.
You may also search the Library's electronic book collections separately and you may want to search WorldCat for titles not owned by the Library. These can be requested through interlibrary loan. All of these databases are listed in the Computer Science Database List.
Alternately, you can browse for what you need on the bookshelves on the 3rd floor of the Library, using the following call numbers QA75.5 – 76.95.
How do I find journals?
The Library holds journals in either print or electronic formats. There are several ways to find out if UNO has a particular journal:
Alternately, you can browse and search only those journals that UNO has access to electronically by going to our E-journals page. From there you can search for a specific journal by name. To browse journals by subject, just click on the "Subject" tab at the top of the screen, then select "Science" from the drop-down menu and "Mathematics" on the following screen. The results list will include both mathematics and computer science journals.
How do I find journal articles?
The best way to find articles on topics in computer science is to go to the Library's Computer Science database list. Any of the databases on this list will provide you with a list of articles on whatever topic you're interested in. Not all of the articles retrieved from these databases will necessarily be available full-text online so if you run into that situation, figure out which journal the article is in and use the directions above to see if UNO has that journal in print or electronically.
Can I access Library databases from off-campus?
Yes you can, when you click on a database name, you'll be taken to a screen that looks like this. Follow the directions to log-in. If you don't know your PIN please email firstname.lastname@example.com or call (504) 280-6355 during business hours to request your PIN reset.
What if the Library does not have the materials I need?
Try our Interlibrary Loan service! Request the book or article through our iLLiad system and we'll get the book or article from another library for you for free.


text:
Faculty member presents juried research paper Thursday, April 28, 2011
Dr. Tatyana Dumova, associate professor of communication at Point Park, presented a full-length juried research paper at the annual convention of the Eastern Communication Association in Arlington, Va., held April 13-17. Her paper was titled, "Evaluating the Usability of Online Testing: From One-Size-Fits-All to Learner-Centered Models."
She also served as a respondent for two paper panel sessions: "Selling by Example: Rhetorical and Interpersonal Techniques in Contemporary Marketing" (Applied Communication Interest Group) and "Community Across Time and Tech: Questioning the Role of Media in Community Formation" (Communication and Technology Interest Group).
At the convention, Dumova was elected chair of the Applied Communication Interest Group.
The Eastern Communication Association (ECA) is a professional organization of scholars, teachers and students of communication studies. It is the oldest professional communication association in the United States.


text:
Letter to the Editor
Published 4:10 pm Wednesday, September 9, 2009
By Staff
Here working to please you
I have received phone calls from some of our residents concerning the property tax increases, and I have been asked if the County Commission, in any way, regulates these increases.
The answer is 'no.' This is regulated by the Alabama Department of Revenue and they work closely with the Tax Assessors office.
The only role the Commission plays is to make sure the assessors office has the funds budgeted to operate accordingly.
Although some of our residents did not see an increase, several had a larger than normal increase and I felt that during these though economic times, that an explanation of these increases was in order.
I contacted the appraisal office concerning these questions and they assured me that they would be happy to explain the reason for the increase and to review your notice to ensure that a mistake was not made.
They also informed me, in order to save the residents any long distance phone charges you can call me with your name, number and a convenient time and they will contact you.
I will make certain your information is relayed to the appraisal office.
You may appeal within 30 days of your notice, so I encourage all of you who have questions concerning your notice to please make this contact as soon as possible.
I want to also take this opportunity to inform you that we are approximately two to three weeks away from completing our work on the Bell Creek Road paving project.
This is one of the two projects we have had in the last few months. It's good to see these paving projects, but it has taken us away from our regular work orders.
I want to assure you that as soon as the work in complete on this second project, we will resume our work orders. Your patience and understanding is very appreciated.
Brandon Smith
Escambia County Commission District 4


text:
Brooklyn Bag #005
Designer: Rough Studios
The Brooklyn bag is one of our most iconic styles, recognized for its boxy shape and distinctive padded quilting. Made from handmade velvet, this amped-up version is suspended on an adjustable strap or you can use the silver chain strap. Fill it with everything you need for the day and let it swing from your shoulder.
· 10 x 22 x 30 cm (d x h x w)
· Leather strap Length 52cm
· Chain Length 100cm
· Multicolored Ikat Velvet (20% Cotton 80% Silk)


text:
Maazhi Maach (Our Fish!)
Sunday, January 13, 2013, 6 pm–9 pm
Mahim Beach
During the city's development—before Mumbai became Mumbai—the fish supplied by the Koli communities fed the city. Today, the Kolis face enormous challenges. Environmental pollution, fishing regulations, and rapid encroachment on the boundaries of their native villages all threaten the future of the Koli livelihood. Learn about their struggle firsthand and discuss solutions, while immersing yourself in the rich Koli culture in this evening of singing, storytelling, dancing, sharing, and of course, eating.
This event will be conducted in Marathi.
Participants: Mukund Kule and Damodar Tandel.
Photo: UnCommonSense


text:
Choose a Twintec Location
Current Location: Twintec USA USA
Select locality
Select language
Twintec provides a personal product through a total offer concept with a high level of performance, environmental sustainability and aesthetics worldwide.
Twintec is a technical specialist in the use of steel fibre reinforced concrete, designed & constructed for your specific needs.
The unique Design . Build . Guarantee package demonstrates how Twintec take total responsibility for the steel fibre concrete products.
Value engineered design solutions adapted to each users specific needs.
Site co-ordination, supply of materials, fast track construction and superior finishing worldwide.
The Twintec assurance guarantee.
Case studies, whitepapers, guides and the latest trends and insights in concrete floor production.


text:
Drug Crime Defense
Many drug-related crimes carry extremely heavy jail sentences and fines. If you are ever convicted of a drug crime, that conviction will stay on your record for the rest of your life and could affect your ability to get a job, a loan, or even an apartment.
For this reason, any time you are facing drug crime charges or have been arrested for drug offenses, it is important that you take the time to consult with a drug crime defense lawyer who can give you a better understanding of the charges you are facing, your constitutional rights, and your legal options.
If you have been charged with a drug offense, contact Vivian H. Phan Law Firm, PLLC to discuss your case with an understanding defense attorney. Depending on the circumstances of your situation, a lawyer from our firm may be able to help you obtain a favorable plea deal, help you prove your innocence, or even get the charges against you dropped completely.
The key is to act quickly.
Request a free consultation


text:
Something close to silence came over Tel Aviv in the hour after a bomb exploded on a city bus in the heart of the city. Movements became purposeful and a bit hurried as people set about to ascertain the location and safety of the people they love. "What are you thinking?" I asked the woman I'd been talking with when a phone call brought the news. Her look had grown distant. It was a kind of time travel, a fold in the memory to a decade earlier — the height of the second intifada. "Where everyone is," she said.
She had heard sirens a half hour earlier; "in Tel Aviv," she said, "a siren means a heart attack." Still, though the sound of more than one wail registered as significant — in a country where mass casualty has grown synonymous with terrorist attack — it would have more ominous in Jerusalem, which has always had more. The other telltale sound was the whirr of helicopters, common at the beach, where the shore doubles as a thoroughfare for Blackhawks and Apaches, but which are rarely heard over the heart of the city. There was a manhunt, reports of a suspect, possibly two.
"Was terrible things. People crying and suffering," said a man wearing a fluorescent orange vest and deep-blue rubber gloves. He gave his name as Israel Kornik and told reporters gathered outside the police tape at the blast site that he was one of the first paramedics at the scene. "I saw a lady inside, lots of blood. I said, 'Everything's O.K.' She said, 'Yes, but we have to be strong.' And she cried like a baby."
People were doing that. My colleague Aaron J. Klein was approaching Tel Aviv on an intercity bus when a cell phone started chirping and word of the explosion swept through the rows. A woman in a nearby seat burst into tears without saying a word.
(PHOTOS: A New Gaza War: Israel and Palestinian Militants Trade Fire)
Analysts speculated as to whether the location of the bus bombing — a couple of blocks from the Kirya, Israel's version of the Pentagon — was significant. But speculation gets you only so far: the Kirya is in the middle of town; the bomb went off closer to a major hospital, a fortunate turn for the 21 people unfortunately injured.
Already, reporters at the scene were worrying about what would be the next big story of the day: a Gaza cease-fire. Many wondered aloud if it had been announced yet. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been due to appear in Cairo beside Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy. Everyone worried that the bus bomb, whoever had planted it, would complicate the endgame negotiations if not derail them altogether. Indeed, the day the war started, Nov. 14, with the targeted assassination of Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari, a spokesman for the military wing announced that Israel had "opened the gates of hell" and promised suicide bombings and "quality attacks" inside Israel. Fears that the bombing would once again postpone the cease-fire (it had been held up on Tuesday) proved unfounded. Hours later, the truce was announced.
The most senior government official at the scene counseled restraint, stating that there was no need to panic over the negotiations in Egypt. "What does it say about the future of the [truce] talks? I leave it to [the senior officials], but this doesn't add anything," said Minister of Internal Security Yitzhak Aharonovich, a member of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beineitu party.
Paramedic Kornik, for his part, thumped the drums of war, apparently no less pleased to have an audience. "This happens when we speak about cease-fire," he said, addressing a cluster of foreign reporters in English. "What will it be later? Be strong. Finish the job."
His sister and her seven children had been staying with him for a week, escaping Ashdod, a coastal city within range of far more of Gaza's rockets than Tel Aviv is. "It's very hard," Kornik said. "But finish it, because 12 years we've suffered." Finish it how? Invade on the ground, the paramedic said. "Go forward means don't stop. Go inside Gaza. Finish the job."
But they've stopped. Again. For now.


text:
YouTube link to this video: https://youtu.be/VwCb90Rm_r8
President Obama's email address is
Copy the article below, or the link to the video above and send it to President Obama via email.
You can also use this link to send President Obama a message:
It is reported that President Obama is considering important changes in U.S. nuclear weapons policy that will make the world safer, which he can make as commander-in-chief without Congressional involvement. We urge the President to be bold and initiate the following seven policy changes:
1. Declare a No First Use policy. The U.S. currently maintains a policy that it is acceptable for it to use nuclear weapons first in certain scenarios. A No First Use policy would make nuclear war less likely.
2. Eliminate launch-on-warning. This would make mistaken launches due to computer error much less likely.
3. De-alert the nuclear arsenal. Taking U.S. nuclear weapons off high-alert would allow decision makers more time to consider the use of nuclear weapons.
4. Remove U.S. nuclear weapons from foreign soil. This would decrease tensions with Russia and make nuclear war less likely.
5. Eliminate land-based nuclear weapons. This would remove these easy targets and alleviate the "use them or lose them" scenario.
6. Zero-out funding for "modernizing" the U.S. nuclear arsenal. This would reverse the current nuclear arms race and free hundreds of billions of dollars for important societal needs.
7. Convene the nine nuclear-armed countries to commence good faith negotiations for total nuclear disarmament. This would show that the U.S. is serious about complying with its legal obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Please take a moment to send a message to President Obama, encouraging him to use his last months in office to de-escalate global nuclear tensions and set the world on a path to nuclear zero. You can write to President Obama at:
President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
You can also call: Public Comment Line (202) 456-1111
or, White House Operators at (202) 456-1414
The White House FAX is (202) 456-2461
They say that every letter or call represents the thinking of 1000 people.
Don't forget: you can also contact your Senators or Representatives. Their contact information is readily available online.
Send them to this link: http://.LoveShift.com/obama.html to learn more.
Take ACTION today!
Then SHARE this video with everyone you know.
Working together, we CAN make a difference!
Thank You!


text:
Discover Jasper
Close to Amicolala Falls State Park and Moto Mountain Park
Welcome to our Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Jasper hotel near Amicolala Falls State Park. Located off Highway 5/515, we offer fast access to the best outdoor recreation in Georgia. We offer comfortable, affordable accommodations whether you are with us just one night, or are planning to stay and enjoy the area.


text:
Sometimes it's amusing to hear the Word of CH tumbling from the lips of women with a shred of self-awareness, as they recount their conflicted feelings for the beta males and alpha males of their lives. Here, an old woman phantom menstruates over the tiniest memory of a cad with whom she had a brief fling fifty years ago at her peak nubility age of eighteen. In her yearning recollection, you will recognize the wisdom of the Chateau.
Dark, brooding and with a hint of world-weary danger, he was a cross between a 19th-century decadent poet and a Hollywood heartthrob.
Chicks dig the dark triad, or a reasonable simulation thereof.
I was just a few weeks into my first term at Newcastle University, and determined to lose my virginity at the first opportunity. I resolved that he would be the one to do the deed.
Betas strugglewoo for years to get that pussy; alphas have it FedExed to their laps.
I discovered his name: John Nicholas Harley Pellowe — even that sounded impossibly romantic — and that he lived in Henderson Hall, the most glamorous Hall of Residence…
An important concept of game is the cultivation of mystery. A man of intrigue has hardly much self-promoting to do; the woman will promote him in her mind, filling in the missing details or embroidering the neutral facts in such a way that his allure is only strengthened.
I made it my life's work to find out where he might be and to be there, too. Alone, I tramped round the seedy jazz clubs of Newcastle whenever I was tipped off about a possible sighting.
Betas spend thousands on elaborate proposals and weddings to capstone the last hours of their girlfriends' normal weight lives; alphas get drunk, have fun, and break a small sweat trying to avoid stalkers who chase them down at clubs.
Eventually, my efforts were rewarded. I was sitting in the library one day when he walked in. I felt white-hot desire and, propelled by almost insane love and longing, walked over to him. From then on, we started a sort of relationship.
"sort of relationship"
We would meet at parties and other functions
Aka booty calls. How did men booty call before the invention of cell phones? Must have been the old-fashioned way: face-to-face. Much respect.
— at which, I have to admit, he paid me scant attention.
You'd think that would have slowed her down. But no.
But I would interpret any little crumb of affection or interest as undying love on his part.
People value that which is scarce and priced accordingly. A man who gives his affection and interest away for free is advertising to women that he believes he is worth exactly that price. If he's got at least a little going on, he'll be used like the free samples at your local farm-fresh SWPLmarket. In contrast, a man who makes a woman work for his affection will be perceived as possessing very high market value, and she will swoon uncontrollably whenever he deigns to gift her with one of these minor victories over his studied aloofness.
I soon lost my virginity to him, in his room at Henderson Hall, and thought my happiness was complete.
What he was thinking: "Ok, how do I get out of here without her causing a scene?"
I was so besotted that I never even noticed another young man lurking along the corridor, named Bryan Ferry.
A beta makes his move!
The Christmas holidays came and I wondered how I could get through them without [Alpha John].
Patience, readers. The beta will require years and countless demonstrations of abject appeasement to complete his move.
When I came back, I thought we were an item.
Hamster gif [REDACTED]. Premature hamster death. Cause: Centrifugal dismemberment.
But he was still being a very reluctant swain, and although keen enough to have sex,
It's as much the fate of women to misconstrue sex as evidence that a man wants a loving relationship as it is the fate of beta males to misconstrue emotional sharing as evidence that a woman wants sex.
he never once asked me out, or even seemed to want to be seen with me.
Maybe it's because you weren't pretty enough for him? Nah, couldn't be!
I sort of knew it would never come right, yet, wilfully, I ignored all the warning signs.
But all warning signs are not the same. For example, women have no trouble heeding the warning signs that a man showing interest in them is a beta male. In those cases, nothing is ignored; the beta is jettisoned without a moment's reflection. If anything, women over-correct for beta male warning signs (gotta protect those eggs from even catching a whiff of limply motile beta male sperm).
After one of our many nights of passion, more in love with him than ever, if that was possible,
Sunk cock theory. She had worked hard for his wang and invested her heart and soul only to be rewarded with his cruelly delicious indifference. Her investment is not going to pan out but she'll see it through to the last shilling of her sanity. This is Chick Crack 101.
I saw him at the top of the steps of the Union Building and ran up to him.
I wonder if she recalls this level of detail about fleeting moments she had over the decades with her beta hubby?
Now, surely, he would return my love. But instead of flinging his arms around me, remembering the wonderful thrill of the night before, he turned away.
He never spoke to me again.
According to feminist orthodoxy, this proves he was actually a niceguy.
I went into shock, succumbing to a range of illnesses from glandular fever to migraines and strange fainting fits. I would frequently pass out in the street — but at least I hadn't become pregnant, a girl's worst fear in those days.
There's a reason the maestros at CH declared the Pill to be one of the Six Sirens of the Sexual Apocalypse.
My love for John turned to hate. My demon lover had shown his demonic side, and I tried to move on, as we'd say now.
Indifference, not hate, is the opposite of love.
John ignored me totally, never even acknowledging my presence. Not only did he not love me, he didn't even like me very much.
Fifty years on, you can still hear the hurt in her words. Remember this, when further along in her confessional she engages the usual last-second empowered woman protestation to the contrary.
To add to the agony, he soon had another girlfriend, a proper one this time, and he even seemed keen on her, paying her the sort of attention he'd never bestowed upon me.
If her beta ex-husband, Neville, were reading her diary of tears dedicated to a long-ago flame, do you think he'd feel strong pride that GSS data trawlers have anointed him an alpha male because he had two (paternity assumed) kids with her?
But I could never forget John Pellowe and the memory of my unrequited love for him put a pall on the marriage, with Neville always feeling he was somehow second best. He used to refer to 'that chap in your past' — neither of us could even bring ourselves to mention his name, though we both remembered it only too well.
[Neville and I] went out, off and on, for nearly three years before marrying at the age of 21, while we were still students.
It took the beta three years to legally lock down what it took the alpha exactly one nanosecond to sexually lock up.
Which locking system do you think is the more impenetrable? And how many other dudes was she boffing while dating Neville?
In the late Eighties after 20 years of marriage, when our children were 17 and 18, Neville and I divorced.
Ross "Power Brow" Douthat talks a lot about social forces gutting marriage, but is even he, courageous saboteur of the Cathedral, brave enough to grapple with the CH maxim that five minutes of alpha male sexual attention can ruin a woman for the beta males who would be her realistic marital options? Just how many divorces are caused, ultimately, by vivid cock carousel memories?
This time, I sought the help of a trauma psychotherapist to try to get [Alpha John] finally out of my system. He told me that my story was surprisingly common. [ed: ] He asked if I could see John again to help me heal, so that I could finally reach some kind of closure. Apparently this is often very helpful in puncturing the fantasy.
The only fantasy here is the idea that "closure" is anything but brand repackaging for bruised, lovelorn egos.
She goes on a bit describing how she went out of her way to track down her ex-flame and meet with him to experience the aforementioned closure. Despite her dutiful description of his aged appearance (holy crap, people get old-looking!), it's clear she still tingles for his totem:
Even so, the love and desire, the old passion, rose up in me as we sat and talked over a cup of tea in the café. 'Is it really you?' I said in wonder, conjuring up the image of him in his glorious youth.
Men are optic; women are holistic.
I asked him why he'd so cruelly turned away from me and he blamed his 'ineptness'.
What'd she expect him to say? That she was barely attractive enough for a few rolls in the hay?
As I walked back to the Underground, it was as if with every step I took, a heavy coat was lifted from me. It was the most extraordinary feeling of lightness, and I realised the therapy had worked. I was free of him.
Cue the "last-second empowered woman protestation to the contrary."
I wrote a book about my adoration of him,
She sounds completely free of him.
I'd forgotten all about the book until recently when an e-book publisher saw it on my website and contacted me about updating it and re-publishing it.
I said yes. In the book, I tried to get to the bottom of this agonising phenomenon that has claimed so many tragic victims…
Heavy coat status: Lifted.
Every now and again, these cruel, uncaring lovers give you a scant bit of attention, and each slight glance pulls you in ever more powerfully.
Uncaring asshole game. Or, if you prefer a more sophisticated nomenclature, "learned charisma."
When in the grip of such a passion, it's as if you are taken over by a mind-altering drug and are no longer responsible for your actions.
The tingle trumps the cortex.
It doesn't really matter whether the object of your affections is married, unavailable, uninterested; nothing will stop the mad passion from taking root and growing, even with little or nothing to feed on.
It's the lack of nourishment that in fact helps the female passion grow. Kind of like a hydroponic plant.
But what was it about [Alpha John] that made so many otherwise rational, intelligent women fall helplessly at his feet? I think now that he exuded an aura, a kind of force field, that susceptible or vulnerable women picked up.
"Susceptible or vulnerable women" = most women.
One fellow lecturer told me that John didn't even have to try; that women just flocked to him.
He had the ability, when he was with you, to make you feel as if you were the only woman in the world, even if he ignored you next day.
Aloofness works in conjunction with seductive intensity. Total pick-up aloofness is only possible if you possess extreme fame, or you're dead.
Even his head of department at Newcastle University, Barbara Strang, one of the few female professors at the time, fell for him. She would have been in her 40s to his 25 or so. So it wasn't just me, being a daft, lovesick maiden.
It's funny how women are shocked to discover their alpha lovers only have eyes for them and two dozen other women.
After the shock of John Pellowe's treatment of me, it never felt safe to fall in love with anybody again — at least not in that cataclysmic way.
Concern for "safeness" is not why she couldn't fall in love with anybody again. "Comparative dreariness" is why.
It wasn't Neville's fault that I came to him as damaged goods, as it were, and he made up for it by being very much in love with me.
Neville, like most beta males, thought if he could just swaddle her in sufficient plumes of love, she'd return the favor. But he had no understanding; you can't love-trip a woman into reciprocal love.
I must say I always felt much more at ease with Neville than I ever had with John, but I had lost the ability to love in that passionate, all-consuming way.
"At ease." That's a telling admission. Yes, women feel at ease with beta males. And maybe that's the problem.
CH Maxim #44: Women can't feel impassioned without also feeling a little unease.
However, Neville and I got on famously from the start. Indeed, we are still good friends today — and often meet for a good natter. Neville became a monk several years ago but, to me, he's still the same man I married.
Picture now fully clear.
Act 1: Exhilarating but excruciatingly short-lived sexual fling with aloof alpha proto-emo.
Act 2: Heart broken in part by adherence to unrealistic expectations formed in the crucible of womb-wracking orgasms with said alpha male.
Act 3: Temporary soothing ego relief obtained on the tear-stained shoulder of a quasi-homosexual beta male with advanced sympathizing and listening abilities.
Act 4: Half-hearted marriage to said beta, made palatable by subconscious realization of fading looks and enticement of low risk domestic settling serenity strategy compared to high risk staying single and seeking reenactment of passionate love plus long-shot alpha male commitment strategy.
Act 5: Spend several decades secretly reminiscing about the five minutes spent with a brooding alpha ex-lover while beta hubby putters around the house, none the wiser.
Act 6: Divorce. Ex-husband becomes a monk after realizing his marriage was a sham and real passionate love will never be his.
Act 7: Write a book about the alpha male ex, claiming to be over him and empowering other women to do the same.
He did not shake the world in general, but he certainly shook mine — and sad to say, he still does, 15 years after his death.
Act 8: Diddle the dusty bean to harder orgasms over the distant memory of a dead alpha male ex-fling than those ever experienced in thirty years with a beta male husband.
After reading a story like this, delivered from a woman's point of view, you've really got to smirk at those guys who diligently peruse social survey data and subsequently conclude that number of children is the sine qua non of alpha maleness. Using that metric, the beta hubby in this woman's life was the alpha male. But does it seem to you she thought the same about him, the living ex-husband who got half as many mentions as the dead 50-years-past fleeting lover in her article? Or does it strike you as more accurate to conclude that the man she had no kids with, but with whose ancient memory she nevertheless nurtured the progeny of a million wistful regrets and the self-release of a million limbic caresses, was the real alpha male in her life?
The above question should suffice as rhetorical, but, comically, there are those who need the lesson scrawled in neon marker on their eyeballs.


text:
By Jeff McDonald
The 66th game of his NBA career had ended. The TV lights had faded and most of the microphones that had semi-circled his locker just moments earlier had disappeared in search of someone more quotable.
It was then and there, in the aftermath of the Spurs' resounding Game 2 victory over Utah on Wednesday, that Kawhi Leonard chose to reveal his best-kept secret.
"I do smile," Leonard said.
And then he did. Sort of. The left corner of Leonard's mouth inched north ever so slightly, briefly transforming the Spurs' enigmatic rookie small forward into a Mona Lisa in braids.
Just like that, it was gone. The instant passed without anyone bothering to capture photographic evidence of the Loch Ness monster of NBA facial expressions.
For Leonard's teammates, who have come to regard the soft-spoken 20-year-old as the type of player who could make it stone-faced through a tickle fight, the moment was one that had to be seen to be believed.
"I don't think I've ever seen it before," Manu Ginobili said of Leonard's grin. "Not for more than a second. Or a fourth of a second."
In the crucible of his first NBA playoff series, which the Spurs lead 2-0 heading into Game 3 on Saturday in Utah, Leonard's seeming inability to feel neither pleasure nor pressure has been a blessing.
Quietly — because how else would he do it? — the 6-foot-7 rookie from San Diego State is having quite an impact on the top-seeded Spurs' manhandling of the No. 8 seed Jazz.
During the Spurs' 114-83 picnic in Game 2, Leonard hit 6 of 7 shots, including 3 of 4 3-pointers, on his way to 17 points. It was the highest-scoring playoff game for a Spurs rookie since Ginobili went for 21 against Dallas in Game 4 of the 2003 Western Conference finals.
Leonard did it without beating his chest. Or, save for a momentary lapse in the postgame locker room, without cracking a smile.
"He's got a way about him," coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's not so anxious to show us that he's got every move in the world. He's level-headed and takes things as they come. Which is great, because he blends in with everybody else."
Leonard, for his part, doesn't quite understand why everyone keeps asking him to smile more, as if every day were team picture day.
"That's just my character on the court," Leonard said. "Act like I've been here before."
Yet his lack of outward emotion often belies a potpourri of feelings inside. He is not made of stone, even if he sometimes appears to be doing a spot-on impression of Mount Rushmore.
"I am excited," Leonard insisted. "I'm out there playing hard. If I was down, I wouldn't be playing hard basketball."
Other Spurs admit they at first didn't quite know what to make of the draft-day trade that brought Leonard to town last June. General manager R.C. Buford had to send George Hill — a versatile and popular backup guard — to Indiana to make it happen.
The deal was a gamble, and even Leonard's soon-to-be teammates knew it.
"I was definitely shocked, even upset," Ginobili said. "I loved playing with George."
It didn't take long for the quiet kid with the braids to win fans in his new locker room.
With giraffe-neck arms and hands that could palm Jupiter, Leonard is a born rebounder — he averaged 5.1 in 24 minutes per game during the regular season — and a steals machine. His ability to run the floor and finish fast breaks has given the Spurs' transition game an extra gear.
Those are the things that make him stand out. As impressive to his veteran teammates are the ways in which he fits in.
The never-smiling thing is part of it.
"He doesn't get too upset, and he doesn't get too pumped up," Ginobili said. "He just plays. That's basically who we are."
And basically who Leonard has always been.
There is but one scenario Leonard could envision that might cause him unveil his full-on, ear-to-ear, 5-year-old-at-Disneyland grin.
And if the Spurs' luck breaks just right between now and late June, they just might get to see it.
"You might see it," Leonard said. "If we win the championship."
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN
Game 1:
Game 2:
Game 3 Saturday: Spurs @Jazz, 9 p.m.
TV: FSNSW, TNT Radio: WOAI-AM 1200; KCOR-AM 1350?
Game 4 Monday: Spurs @Jazz, TBD
TV: FSNSW, TBD Radio: WOAI-AM 1200; KCOR-AM 1350?
* Game 5 Wednesday: Jazz @Spurs, TBD
TV: FSNSW, TBD Radio: WOAI-AM 1200; KCOR-AM 1350?
* Game 6 May 11: Spurs @Jazz, TBD
TV: FSNSW, TBD Radio: WOAI-AM 1200; KCOR-AM 1350?
* Game 7 May 13: Jazz @Spurs, TBD
TV: TBD Radio: WOAI-AM 1200; KCOR-AM 1350?
* — As needed in best-of-7 series