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Had to share this video. I love Ross Jeffries comment about this: "I tell you, this woman isn't far from the kingdom of heaven."
Category Archives: A3 Qualify
Qualification is so important it's not even funny.
Tell me if you've ever been in this situation. You've got a girl giggling, she's facing you, and she's touching your arm. She's attracted to you. And you're panicked.
I'll tell you what I've done in the past.
Self-conscious. "Holy shit, she's actually attracted to me? But I'm not really that attractive. What if I screw things up?" All of a sudden I'd feel my body getting all stilted and unnatural, and guess what? She'd lose interest in me. And I'd kick myself in the ass for being such a loser.
PSYCHED! "She likes me? Nice! Might as well show my interest in her, too." And I'd say something like "I like you a lot, too. Let's get together." She'd STILL lose interest in me. And I'd be scratching my head. What did I do wrong this time?
Well, I'll tell you what went wrong. I stopped being any sort of a challenge. When in doubt, if you've ever got a girl's interest… or you've been doing good and don't know what to do next, here's what to do:
Once again, it was Mystery that I learned this all-important piece of wisdom from.
Here's the reason.
Women get attracted differently than we do. They're attracted more to PERSONALITY. We're attracted more to looks. As long as a woman is hot enough, she might do something silly, whatever, we'd still want to sleep with her.
Not so with women.
If you make some social goof-up, let's say you wear white socks with black shoes, often she'll lose attraction for you. She'll be like "what's wrong with him?" Or, "what's that say about him?" Or, "God, he must have really low social status." Looks aren't #1 for them like they are for us.
So, let's say you've attracted her by being a bit of a challenge. For God's sakes, don't stop! Keep being a bit of a challenge. How?
The reason goes even deeper than that.
Attraction is a two way street. You've worked to attract her. Well, your job is only half done. Now, she's got to work to attract YOU.
Showing your interest in her because she's showing interest in you is NOT a legitimate reason for you to be interested in her, according to her.
Because it took absolutely ZERO effort on her part to get you. She'll be like, "Well, that was easy. NEXT!" She wants to actually DO something personality-wise to EARN your attraction to her.
Well, qualification is the way.
It's actually beautiful when you think about it. The second and third stages of the attract phase are very much brother and sister to each other. They're mirror images.
First, I've got to get the woman attracted to me. Second, I've got to reveal I'm becoming more and more attracted to her for LEGITIMATE reasons.
Let me say that another way.
Mystery calls A2, when I get the woman attracted to me, "female to male attract." The objective is to systematically trigger her 5 attraction switches by DHVing to her group of friends and negging, ie pushing away the target and pulling her in at the same time. The group is like "This guy is cool, funny, interesting." And the girl is like "have my hot looks lost their super powers?"
Again, you're a fun, interesting guy with cool topics of conversation. You're full of good feelings, and… "wait a second," your target says, "he's giving me a little shit instead of being up my asshole? This is different." Play A2 right, and she'll show indicators of interest to you like asking your name, giggling, and all that great stuff.
It's SUPER exciting when that happens. Belieeeeeeve me, I know. But my point is, stay cool.
All that good stuff begins A3. A3 is when the woman tries to get me attracted to her. Mystery calls it "male to female attract." The objective is for you to encourage her… ENTICE her… to bring out the best in her, in such a way that when she DHVs to you, you can then reward her with indicators of interest of your own.
A2 and A3 are exact, perfect opposites. Attraction is a two way street. You DHV first. When she shows her attraction, get her to DHV to you. That way there's mutual attraction based on SUBSTANCE. She's earned your interest. It's not because she's interested in you.
After all, if you're interested in her just because she's interested in you, you leave yourself open to getting manipulated. She might think, "Oh, I see how this all works. If I act all interested in him, I've got him wrapped around my finger. I wonder how much I can get away with now." Nooooooooo!
Even if she shows interest, still be a challenge. QUALIFY HER!
Getting sex from this unbelievably, incredibly hot woman must NOT be #1. You've got standards. Who is she as a person? She's gotta earn your interest based on whether she's got good substance or not. She's gotta pass YOUR tests.
That way she's not just being handed a fish (i.e. your interest in her) for free, but she's WORKED to reel it in. She's earned your interest. She'll value it more that way. People simply don't value free shit.
There's an even deeper reason to qualify. And I learned this from a fantastic book called "Being the Strong Man A Woman Wants," by Elliott Katz. Highly recommended.
Katz observed that we human beings tend to love the people we give to, more than love the people we receive from.
It's counter-intuitive.
The more you give, for example the more you DHV, DHV, DHV, the more your interest in your target grows. But not necessarily does her interest grow for you. You get more and more invested. But not necessarily does she get more invested.
Well, it's the exact same thing the other way around. If she can DHV, DHV, DHV to you, the more her interest in you grows. And the more she gets invested.
The giving has gotta be mutual.
You can see this with parents. They give and give to their children. But if the children don't give back, they'll often resent their parents, take them for granted, or get really spoiled.
And how many times have you seen guys give and give to their woman, pay for all the things she wanted… and wonder why she's still unhappy?
We guys want to be givers and providers. Believe me, I understand. I'm the same way.
But we've got to learn how to let her give to us, too. Not so that we can become takers. But to let her feelings of love grow for us.
And the really gorgeous thing is when she does something for me, I can then show appreciation to her. It ain't gonna be bullshit appreciation. That's for sure. Cause she's actually done something. It's gonna be SINCERE appreciation.
It's such an important point, and one I've got to remember myself.
Recently, I left my girl a rose and a card while she was sleeping. She's incredible, and I wanted her to know how much I appreciated her. She woke up the next morning and wrote me this lovely note in return. I was taken aback at first. It reminded me how important it is not just to give, but to receive, too.
So, qualification extends into relationships, too.
It's okay to ask her to do stuff for you. It's okay if she buys you a drink. It's okay if she drives to your place. It's okay to have her help you with your passion and life's deepest purpose in some way. It's okay to tell her to suck your dick.
As long as you give too, there's nothing wrong with telling her what to do so she can give to you. In fact, make sure to do this. Her doing shit for you increases her attraction for you.
It's weird how that works, right?
Once again, it's NOT the more I give to a person, the more they'll love me. It's the other way around. We develop feelings of love to the one we're giving to.
So, even if a girl doesn't like a guy, just by doing things for him, good feelings towards him will grow. "I must really like this guy," she might say. She's investing, she's gotta backwards rationalize it someway.
A2 is all about you giving. A3 is about receiving. Or, letting her give to you. Once she does, THEN you can state your interest and show appreciation. And now, it's safe to hit on her.
Qualification is really the art of the compliment.
Moral of all this? Next time she shows interest in you, QUALIFY HER! Like her for LEGITIMATE reasons.
Here's some qualifiers you can use.
- "Name me three qualities that would make me want to get to know you more than just a hole in the wall."
- "What have you got going for you besides your looks?"
- "Look around you, beauty is common. But what's more important is a positive outlook, a desire to always grow as a person, and integrity. What are some things about you that would make me want to get to know you better?"
- "If you could do anything in the world with no chance of failure, what would you want to be? And don't say princess."
- "Are you adventurous?"
- "Are you a passionate person?"
- "Can you cook?"
- "Who are you?"
Once she says something of interest you can be like, "No WAY! That's awesome."
Make her feel like you like her for legitimate reasons.
Here's some simple ones.
- "What's your favorite incense?… Oh I love Jasmine!"
- "What's your favorite food?"
- "What's your favorite place to visit? Or, if you you could wake up anywhere in the world, where would it be?"
- "What DVD would you pop in to have as comfort food for when you're feeling down?"
- "If I were to turn on your iPod, what song would I find playing right now? You listen to Tool? I love Tool. Get your ass over here. *Hug* Now get off me. *Release*"
And notice these questions aren't philosophical or intellectual. The simple ones are tangible, not abstract. But all of em are EMOTIONAL. Keep it emotional. Get her FEELING what you're feeling. Enthusiasm. Excitement. Interest.
After you qualify, and she's said something of interest… NOW you can show your interest.
- "Are you single?"
- "Wow, you're pretty cool. We should continue this."
- "Oh, I like this one!"
- "Oh my God, you're a dancer? That is so awesome. I can't even talk to you right now."
- "You know what? You seem pretty cool. I'm curious about you."
- "We have to hang out again sometime!"
- "That's it, we're getting married. We'll fly to Vegas tomorrow. I'll dress you up as Catwoman, and I'll be Batman. It'll be awesome."
- "You have a great energy and such an expressive personality. I admire that."
Notice these statements have NOTHING to do with her looks. They're about her personality. Compliment her looks when you get to the bedroom. Before then, focus on her qualities as a human being.
Anyway, all those statements above are called an "SOI" or Statement of Interest. It closes A3 and the attract phase. And it automatically moves you into comfort.
I just want to add one point to all this.
Mystery normally recommends waiting to receive three IOIs (indicators of interest) before qualifying.
If I know I've negged or bantered with my target, and I've DHVed to the group and their response is positive, I take those as IOIs enough. I cut to qualification right away. I DON'T wait. Otherwise I've gotten stuck in DHV land. Not a good place to be.
Whenever I qualify, I always feel this lovely shift in the conversation. It gets deeper. A connection is happening. Qualification is the perfect bridge to creating an emotional connection with her.
Okay, here's what you can do right now.
1. Pick ONE qualifier you like a lot. Only one. You don't want a lot swimming in your head. That gets confusing and it paralyzes you. Just pick ONE. Either from the ones I listed here, or from "My Routines Collection."
2. Memorize it and practice it in the mirror. Now you've got it in your back pocket ready to go.
3. Create a stack or script. This stack should include: an opener, a neg/banter line, a DHV, your qualifier, and a statement of interest like "Are you single?"
4. Practice your stack on 10 sets in one night. You don't have to wait to get interest from a girl to qualify her. You can do it right after you neg/banter and DHV.
5. Once that qualifier feels like it's in your bones, you can learn a new qualifier. And repeat the process.
Now, you know. Next time you get any interest from a girl… or you don't know what to do next… QUALIFY HER!
Your success rate will skyrocket. Guaranteed.


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Book Club for Value Investors (Discussion) http://www.moderngraham.com/
Graham & Doddsville – Issue 20 – Winter 2014
Can a Firm Have Too Much Debt
Is There Too Much Corporate Debt_Bernankie 1988
The above papers were written during the LBO craze of the late 1980s which, in turn, was driven by the all-time low in asset values of the early 1980s.
Liquidation and Debt Capacity Worth a read!
Free Course with Yale's Schiller on Financial Markets and Risk:
Argument Clinic

subset: commoncrawl


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Two Hour Potholders
It seems that we have a fabric eating monster in our home. Socks, dishcloths, hand towels, and potholders seem to disappear with alarming regularity. Or maybe it's just my 2 and 4 year old throwing things away when I'm not looking! It finally got so bad, I could hardly find a potholder to get things out of the oven. Well, with plenty of cotton yarn in my stash, I thought that, surely, I could knit up a much needed potholder without running to the store. The key was to get it thick enough. I've found that using two strands of cotton yarn and the double stitch works very well. These are so much nicer and thicker than the potholders you can buy in the store, and now you can make them to match your kitchen décor. Plus, they are easy to knit and work up quickly. So, save yourself a trip to the store and knit a few today, from Authentic Knitting Board.
Finished size is approx. 7 ¼" x 7 ½"
- Knitting Loom: Regular gauge (pegs ½" from center to center) double sided
- knitting board with at least 16 pegs. The 28" Regular Gauge Authentic Knitting
- Board (standard (1/2") spacer setting) was used in the sample.
- Yarn: 75 yards each of two different colors of 100% cotton worsted weight yarn.
- Peaches & Crème yarn and the twisted stockinette stitch was used in the
- sample.
Notions: Tapestry Needle, Knitting tool, Size H crochet hook
Gauge: Not important
Abbreviations: Cast on—CO, Bind off—BO
- CO 16 pegs with the stockinette cast on. When casting on, wrap the board once, lay the anchor yarn, and then wrap the board two more times. If you are using the twisted stockinette stitch, begin wrapping in that pattern on the third pass. There will now be 3 sets of loops on each peg. This will be the only time that the board is wrapped three times. Hook the bottom set of loops over the top two sets of loops. After hooking over, there should be two sets of loops on each peg.
- Knit 36 rows or until the piece measures 7 ½"", always hooking one set of loops over two sets of loops, except on row 36. On row 36, lift the bottom two sets of loops over the top set. There will only be one set of loops on all the pegs.
- BO both ends. You will have more loops than usual because of using the double stitch. Treat each pair of loops as one loop and BO as usual. Weave in loose ends.
Pattern Notes:
- Two strands of yarn, held together, are used throughout the pattern The double stitch (1 over 2) is used throughout the pattern. This potholder can be knit in either plain stockinette stitch or, what I call, twisted stockinette. To wrap in twisted stockinette, wrap the board as usual for the stockinette stitch, but go to the far side of each needle and wrap around the needle. This is like the figure 8 wrap. Wrap the end needles, on the opposite end from where you start, in the normal manner, do not wrap around them as you did the others. The picture shows how the board will look when properly wrapped for the twisted stockinette stitch. Experiment with other stitch patterns to make one-of-a-kind potholders. Just make sure to use stitches that create a dense fabric.
- Make sure to only use yarns that are made of natural fibers. Acrylic and other synthetic yarns can melt if they come into contact with high temperatures.
Up Next:
Read NextHow to Loom Knit a Beanie
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Nov 05, 2013
To gr8chefmb; a potholder made with plastic bags would likely be a melting hazard under a hot pot or holding a steamy lid. Plastic bag crafts gave their place, but melted plastic is extremely hot and dangerous. Ask any IED burn victim. To jelun; no, the other comments aren't ridiculous. Yes, there's many, many other potholder patterns available. But not many purport to be finished in "two hours". That's what caught everyone's eye and why we spent a few minutes reading the pattern, only to be disappointed. Frankly, the title should have been "Two Hour Loom Potholder" and saved us a lot of hassle.
Sep 02, 2011
I think these comments are hilarious. This is a FREE pattern for using a loom. If you don't use a loom this pattern is not for you. There must be at least 10 million patterns using either crochet or knitting needles on the internet. For heaven's sake, look one up!
Jan 16, 2011
Some of these comments are from April, 2010. We still didn't get an answer of how to know or crochet this great potholder without using plastic bags, etc..
Dec 30, 2010
If I understand you correctly you are doubling the thickness of the shaped piece I believe the same thing can be achieved for knitters and crocheters without a loom to knit or crochet in a circle then close the ends.
Dec 02, 2010
Most of the comments on the 2 hour pot holders were asking if you could convert this to knitting or crocheting. One person responded with using a plastic bag. Another was converting it to knitting but still using a loom. Do you have a conversion for knitting or crocheting?
Nov 05, 2010
You responded to my question (HJM) using a stockinette stitch. You still mention the pegs and board in your answer in the pattern notes. If I'm substituting the stockinette stitch, please give the exact beginning directions for the stockinette stitch (no plastic bags)
Oct 30, 2010
I am very anxious to make these 2-hour potholders. I knit and crochet. I don't know what a loom is, pegs, board, knitting tool. Can you convert this. I would be very thankful.
Oct 14, 2010
For those who don't want to use a loom, a basic stockinette or single crochet stitch would be just as effective. If you really wanted to get craft, cut plastic bags into rings by cutting the handles off and folding the bag in half lengthwise, and repeat 2-4 times until folded bag measures 1-inch across. Cut crosswise into strips about 3/4-1 inches wide. Loop them together to form 'plarn' and roll into a ball. Use as you would regular yarn, adjusting your needles/hooks to accomodate the thickness of the 'plarn.'
May 07, 2010
Hello Reta Powers. I do a lot of loom knitting it's great. May I suggest you start with the loops on one side then go the the other side to finish. In other words start on either the right side or the left, when you get to the middle of the loom start on the other side till they are all loomed that way the edge will be even. I hope you understood me and that I was of some help.Irene
Crafter 6109925
Apr 27, 2010
Hello, I finished one of these potholders last night, the only problem I have with it is...the cast on edge , the loops are big so what is done with those so they don't hang so large? Thank you Reta Powers
Penguin 911
Apr 24, 2010
Does anyone have a pattern similar to this using needles? Please post. Thank you!
Apr 24, 2010
I totally agree this looks like something really nice, but do you have instructions for people that do not use a loom yest?
Crafter 7167130
Apr 13, 2010
This sounds liken a great project. However, I only knit with needles. Is there some way it can be converted?
Quilting Cat 4
Apr 12, 2010
This would also be very helpful to those of us who don't use looms (at least for now) to give us a pattern for this with traditional kitting needles.
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War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity And Genocide In Iraq
Case Filed Against 4 US Presidents and 4 UK Prime Ministers
By The Brussels Tribunal
October 08, 2009 "Information Clearing House†— MADRID: Today the Spanish Senate, acting to confirm a decision already taken under pressure from powerful governments accused of grave crimes, will limit Spain's laws of universal jurisdiction. Yesterday, ahead of the change of law, a legal case was filed at the Audiencia Nacional against four United States presidents and four United Kingdom prime ministers for commissioning, condoning and/or perpetuating multiple war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Iraq.
This case, naming George H W Bush, William J Clinton, George W Bush, Barack H Obama, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Anthony Blair and Gordon Brown, is brought by Iraqis and others who stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people and in defence of their rights and international law.
Iraq: 19 years of intended destruction
The intended destruction — or genocide — of Iraq as a state and nation has been ongoing for 19 years, combining the imposition of the most draconian sanctions regime ever designed and that led to 1.5 million Iraqi deaths, including 500,000 children, with a war of aggression that led to the violent deaths of over one million more.
* Destroying Iraq included the purposeful targeting of its water and sanitation system, attacking the health of the civilian population. Since 1990, thousands of tons of depleted uranium have been dropped on Iraq, leading in some places to a 600 per cent rise in cancer and leukemia cases, especially among children. In both the first Gulf War and "Shock and Awe†in 2003, an air campaign that openly threatened "total destructionâ€, waves of disproportionate bombing made no distinction between military and civilian targets, with schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, shelters, residential areas, and historical sites all destroyed.
* Destroying Iraq included promoting, funding and organizing sectarian and ethnic groups bent on dividing Iraq into three or more sectarian or ethnic entities, backed by armed militias that would terrorize the Iraqi people. Since 2003, some 4.7 million Iraqis — one fifth of the population — have been forcibly displaced. Under occupation, kidnappings, killings, extortion and mutilation became endemic, targeting men, women and even children and the elderly.
* Destroying Iraq included purposefully dismantling the state by refusing to stop or stem or by instigating mass looting, and by engaging in ideological persecution, entailing "manhuntingâ€, extrajudicial assassinations, mass imprisonment and torture, of Baathists, the entire educated class of the state apparatus, religious and linguistic minorities and Arab Sunnis, resulting in the total collapse of all public services and other economic functions and promoting civil strife and systematic corruption.
* In parallel, Iraq's rich heritage and unique cultural and archaeological patrimony has been wantonly destroyed.
In order to render Iraq dependent on US and UK strategic designs, successive US and UK governments have attempted to partition Iraq and to establish by military force a pro-occupation Iraqi government and political system. They have promoted and engaged in the massive plunder of Iraqi natural resources, attempting to privatize this property and wealth of the Iraqi nation.
Humanity at stake
This is but the barest summary of the horrors Iraq has endured, based on lies that nobody but cowed governments and complicit media believed. In 2003, millions worldwide were mobilized in opposition to US/UK plans. In going ahead, the US and UK launched an illegal war of aggression. Accountability has not been established.
The persons named in this case have each played a key role in Iraq's intended destruction. They instigated, supported, condoned, rationalized, executed and/or perpetuated or excused this destruction based on lies and narrow strategic and economic interests, and against the will of their own people. Allowing those responsible to escape accountability means such actions could be repeated elsewhere.
It is imperative now to establish accountability for US and UK war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Iraq because:
Every Iraqi victim deserves justice.
Everyone responsible should be accountable.
We are before immoral and unlawful acts, contrary to the basis on which the international order of state sovereignty and peace and security rests. Whereas the official international justice system is closed before the suffering of those that imperialism makes a target, through this case we try to open a channel whereby the conscience of humanity can express its solidarity with justice for victims of imperial crimes.


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July/August 2010 Volume 16, Number 7/8 Table of Contents
Tony Hammond Nature Publishing Group email@example.com doi:10.1045/july2010-hammond
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This paper provides a case study of OpenSearch and SRU integration on the nature.com science publisher platform. These two complementary search methodologies are implemented on top of a common base service and provide alternate interfaces into the underlying search engine. Specific points addressed include query strings, response formats, and service control and discovery. Current applications and future work directions are also discussed.
This paper provides some details on the nature.com OpenSearch [1] service that Nature Publishing Group (NPG) launched early Q4, 2009 and which may be of interest to other implementors. This was the result of a short (2-month) but intense development following an earlier incubator proof of concept. The impetus for this project was to provide a new resource discovery channel for nature.com a structured search facility using the emerging digital library standard for information retrieval: SRU [2]. Fig. 1 shows a remote search interface to this service using a standalone desktop widget.
The reasons for seeking to develop an SRU service were various. We wanted to be able to provide an off-site search functionality to complement our hosted search. We were also accustomed to fielding queries about our support for Z39.50 [n1] with all the promise of federated searching that Z39.50 extended. Concurrently we had been following the development of SRU as a next generation replacement for Z39.50. This Web-based technology mix (XML over HTTP) projected a much better return on investment for us than building (or commissioning) a service based on what is essentially a pre-Web technology one with its own wire protocol and architectural reference points. Further, the work on search web services in OASIS augured well for SRU becoming a standards-based query language and search protocol. And at the same time although we were disposed to adopt the newer semantic search alternatives (e.g. SPARQL [n2]) we judged that we were not ready to make that leap in a single tech iteration. That is, we would confine ourselves at this time to a traditional records-based search rather than any more granular level of results.
So, SRU it was.
As the project developed, however, we found that our attention shifted somewhat from the query axis that is SRU's main selling point and came to rest more on the structured result sets and on the advantage to remote applications that this affords. That is, we started to focus more on the OpenSearch [3] methodology beyond the SRU protocol as being the more accessible search paradigm for applications at large. The nature.com OpenSearch implementation makes use of both technologies: it builds on a solid SRU base service but also presents a rich set of OpenSearch-type result formats. Both interfaces are equally supported in nature.com OpenSearch.
In the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of D-Lib Magazine [4], Ray Denenberg gave an update on the work ongoing in the OASIS Search Web Services Technical Committee [5]. This work aims to standardize SRU and to reconcile it with the differently originated OpenSearch as well as with other records-oriented search methodologies.
SRU is an initiative to bring Z39.50 functionality to the Web and is firmly grounded in both structured queries and responses [n3]. Specifically a query can be expressed in the high-level query language CQL [n4] which is independent of any underlying implementation. Result records are returned using any registered W3C XML Schema format and are transported within a defined XML wrapper format for SRU. The SRU 2.0 draft provides support for arbitrary result formats based on media type.
OpenSearch by contrast was created by Amazon's A9.com [n5] and is a simple means to interface to a search service by declaring a URL template and returning a common syndicated format. It therefore allows for loosely organized result sets while not constraining the query. There is support for search operation control parameters (pagination, encoding, etc.), but no constraints are placed on the query string which is regarded as opaque. OpenSearch is thus a means to interface to arbitrary search APIs (both standard and proprietary) and to retrieve results using a common list-based format. OpenSearch is a plug-and-play technology.
One can summarize the respective OpenSearch and SRU functionalities as shown in Table 1.
The timing for this project was opportune in that we had already been running for a couple years and more a prototype instance of an SRU server (with basic CQL capability) as a proxy interface to our existing ASP-hosted search. This afforded us some ready familiarity with the record formats that we would ultimately be delivering and provided a useful reference implementation for development purposes. During this same period we had also settled on MarkLogic Server as the basis for our XML repository with one of the first services implemented being a new search application for nature.com. A further timing fortuity was the concurrent development through OASIS of SRU 2.0 with its support for OpenSearch and the willingness of the software package developer to make changes for us to accommodate this new functionality.
As noted above, our XML records to support resource discovery are now being maintained in a MarkLogic instance (actually three instances as dictated by our 3-tier deployment strategy: test, staging and live). We had initially been worried that we might have to start with XQuery from scratch, but we already had XQuery library components available to us that supported our existing user-facing search service. We were also concerned about their generality as implemented but ultimately decided that they would be fit for purpose as most queries would necessarily be forms-driven and so would be fairly simple (i.e. a flat set of boolean-connected search clauses). We would thus leave it to the CQL parser to handle any query complexity.
For our implementation we chose to use the 'oclcsrw' package [6] from the SRW/U open source project [7] at OCLC. This was an implementation of the SOAP-based SRW web services protocol that also supported the REST-based SRU protocol. While we had no especial interest in SRW we were not averse to having the wider generality it would afford as long as it did not cause us any additional overhead. In practice, the SRW layer was largely transparent and we were able to focus on the SRU functionality alone.
SRU provides for three service functionalities: description ('explain'), search ('searchRetrieve'), and browse ('scan'). Due to time constraints we decided not to support a general 'scan' facility, and instead to restrict our application to a very limited 'scan'-type functionality for one index only which would at least allow downstream applications to list out our full product set (or list of journals).
The 'oclcsrw' package is based on SRU v1.1, which is the last SRU version to define an SRW interface. From the SRU point of view the main difference with respect to the latest stable version v1.2 is its support for 'sort' which must be handled by the URL parameter 'sortKeys' and which is a prescription for operating a sort function over the XML result set records. By contrast SRU v1.2 supports sorting by adding this into the CQL grammar so that it can be handled at the language level and is independent of any particular implementation.
The standard 'oclcsrw' package was built to deliver only SRU-based XML as an output format, whereas if we were going to fulfil our wider OpenSearch ambitions we would need to support other list-based XML formats notably RSS and Atom and text formats notably HTML and JSON. We were fortunate in gaining Ralph LeVan's attention at OCLC and he was also interested in adding support to the package to allow alternate formats to be returned according to media type, either by standard HTTP content negotiation or explicitly using the new SRU 2.0 parameter 'httpAccept'. This was timely for us and we are very grateful for his help in adapting the software at short notice. The simple solution he implemented was to make a configurable (by properties file) pairing between media type and XSL stylesheet which transforms the output SRU/XML. Table 2 shows the media types supported by nature.com OpenSearch.
We have included the familiar OpenSearch syndication formats: Atom and RSS [n6]. In addition to this we have included JSON as a simpler transport alternative to XML, and a variant form JSONP (JSON with Padding) to support cross-site scripting. The JSON is structured as a direct mapping of the Atom feed, with a couple of obvious changes due to JSON limitations (e.g. use of array property values where property key must be unique and cannot be repeated).
Functionally the nature.com OpenSearch service presents two distinct interfaces as shown in Fig. 2.
Some of the observations presented above were first outlined in a couple of posts to CrossTech last year where further details may be found [8,9].
The big thing that SRU brings to search is the query language CQL [10], which is a development based on Type-1 queries [n7] from Z39.50. In essence, CQL is a very simple grammar being nothing more than a boolean-connected set of search clauses (which are simple triples of index, relation and term). Search clauses can be nested. Indexes and relations are drawn from publicly registered 'context sets' which allows for a general extensibility of the language. They are also namespaced by context set and queries can thus contain a mix of elements from different context sets.
To relate CQL to the Lucene QueryParser API [11] (another well-known query grammar) we would note that CQL presents a more uniform grammar with a larger set of elements and that it has a clearer recognition of relations as well as making use of namespacing to import indexes and relations from publicly registered context sets. By contrast, the Lucene syntax is simpler (but less expressive) and certain constructs (e.g. 'field:term') are more commonly encountered in proprietary syntaxes offered by familiar search engines such as Google. However, the Lucene API does not use publicly declared index sets so indexes are specific to the particular implementation. Relations insofar as they are defined are fixed by the grammar and are less regular in form.
OpenSearch knows nothing of structured queries and is really confined to simple keyword search. It is possible to send a CQL query string to an OpenSearch server, as long as the client is aware of CQL. A server expecting a CQL query will succeed if it is a valid CQL string, or in the following cases (see A and B in Table 3) where it may coincide with a valid CQL string: simple bare word or quoted string. For more complex cases unquoted strings and mixed quoted strings (see C and D in Table 3) the CQL parser will fail [n8]. Table 4 shows how keyword queries may be mapped into CQL queries.
It was our intention to serve two different communities: CQL-aware users and non-CQL-aware users. Note that our default query parser was CQL-based so we had a potential problem dealing with non-CQL users. We therefore used a trick to manage CQL and non-CQL query strings. We hardwired a parameter 'interface' with value 'opensearch' into our OpenSearch URL templates so that we could test for this and apply some string preprocessing to turn a keyword list into a CQL string. But this gave rise to a further problem. If we had a CQL-aware OpenSearch request how could it signal that it was sending a valid CQL string and did not require preprocessing since the 'interface' parameter was hardwired? The answer we came up with was to make use of an optional SRU 2.0 parameter 'queryType' with value 'cql' which an application could use to flag that while this was an OpenSearch interface it was indeed talking CQL. But the OpenSearch parameters are fixed by the specification and any new parameters need to be defined through an OpenSearch extension. We thus defined such an OpenSearch extension for SRU (see Annex A).
Native SRU record descriptions are serialized in XML and constrained by a W3C XML Schema. We already had a fairly clear idea of the record data we were looking to return: a core set of bibliographic metadata. We had earlier implemented an OAI-PMH service for nature.com [12] and that likewise required an XML response format governed by a W3C XML Schema. At that time we had turned to PRISM Aggregator Message (PAM) format [13] as this had a very convenient schema definition with a conventional article head/body structuring and we could make use of the head element for our bibliographic data and simply leave the body element empty. The elements supported by PAM covered in large part the DC and PRISM terms that we were also routinely providing through our RSS discovery channel. We thus thought to return the same PAM record structure for SRU.
As noted earlier, however, we had become especially interested in the possibility of returning OpenSearch-style, simple list-based formats such as RSS. This has the clear merit over any given XML schema in being well supported by software libraries and lends itself well to AJAX applications. Based on an earlier proposal from the OASIS work we sketched out some response formats for RSS, Atom and JSON [14]. Our reference was the Atom feed with the RSS being a simple translation. Both Atom and RSS as XML applications already have their own well-defined structures, while JSON is just a data object notation and has no predefined structure. We decided to base a JSON profile on the Atom structure since we were taking that as our reference.
One issue we faced was a consequence of the direct mappings we established between the SRU response format (in particular the record data structure) and the OpenSearch list-based formats. These mappings resulted in the actual data properties returned being 'buried' within the response as they are deeply nested within the record data structure. In fact in our case (using PAM) there was a 4-level deep nesting in the record data structure. We felt that we needed both to honour this nesting in the output format for strict compatibility with the regular SRU response, while at the same time allowing for a 'freer' structuring whereby the data properties themselves could percolate up to the topmost layer in the record data element. For this purpose we noted that there was an existing SRU parameter 'packing' which could assume two values: 'xml' and 'string'. We decided to overlay a provisional third value 'unpacked' to meet the case where data properties were free to migrate to a higher level for easier data access [n9].
By comparison with SRU with its 'closed' XML schema the OpenSearch formats are 'open'. However, even though the OpenSearch formats are open the schema remains a chokepoint in determining which data can be passed back from an SRU application. This is something we will need to revisit as we begin to ramp up the data volume in subsequent releases. One possibility would be to circumvent this restriction by implementing a lax schema which would effectively pass any data through. An alternative would be to use the SRU 'extraRecordData' element to bundle additional data along with the main result.
Diagnostics handling is one of the key strengths of the SRU protocol. Following on from its Z39.50 legacy, SRU goes so far as to define in excess of 100 separate diagnostic message conditions [15] and returns the messages within the standard SRU/XML wrapper.
OpenSearch, by contrast, pays no heed to diagnostics handling. Nevertheless, for completeness we decided in nature.com OpenSearch to pass the diagnostics messages through to any OpenSearch-type format. This example shows the diagnostics message for an unsupported index as passed through to an Atom feed:
<feed ... xmlns:diag="http://www.loc.gov/zing/srw/diagnostic/" ...> ... <sru:diagnostics> <diag:diagnostic> <diag:uri>info:srw/diagnostic/1/16</diag:uri> <diag:message>Unsupported index</diag:message> <diag:details>Index "foo" not supported</diag:details> </diag:diagnostic> </sru:diagnostics> </feed>
OpenSearch and SRU have their own separate ideas about service discovery. OpenSearch comes to this very much from the Web way of doing things and specifies the addition of an autodiscovery link in a Web page to signal the presence of an OpenSearch service. This is a standard practice in the blogging world for notifying users and applications of related RSS feeds. The inclusion of a link element allows an OpenSearch-aware application to sense the link and act on it accordingly. Some browsers (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, IE7+, etc.) can detect this link and offer to add the OpenSearch to their list of search services. This method is very supportive of dynamic service configurations.
The OpenSearch autodiscovery link points to an OpenSearch description document which details various aspects of the service. Predominant are URL templates for the various result formats supported (by media type), as well as contact details, rights information, input/output encodings, etc. The nature.com OpenSearch service is described by an OpenSearch description document [16].
By contrast, the SRU method relies primarily on registry records which is largely an 'out-of-band' solution. Again a service description document is made available this time through the 'explain' service. This can be generated by calling the 'explain' operation directly or more simply by calling the service endpoint with no parameters. This is similar to the OpenSearch description document but is more skewed towards cataloguing the indexes and relations available for querying, the result being an XML record in SRU format. The nature.com OpenSearch service also provides such an 'explain' record [17].
The service discovery model for SRU follows Z39.50 practice, whereby these 'explain' records would be aggregated into 'explain' databases, also queryable by SRU. As such, although it provides for distributed discovery it is not nearly so Web-friendly as is OpenSearch which provides autodiscovery links on individual Web pages. New features for the forthcoming SRU 2.0 spec to consider are autodiscovery links and result formats (by media type). Our own approach has been to preempt SRU 2.0 and to provide autodiscovery links on our Web pages for both OpenSearch description documents and for SRU 'explain' records:
<link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="http://www.nature.com/opensearch/opensearch.xml" title="nature.com" /> <link rel="search" type="application/sru+xml" href="http://www.nature.com/opensearch/request" title="nature.com" />
(Note that SRW also supports a standard web services WSDL description file for SOAP clients but we shall not discuss that further here.)
Since we deployed nature.com OpenSearch we have begun to reposition it as a common public API for use both by our own hosted and standalone search applications as well as by public applications. Annex B provides a cheatsheet which summarizes this API.
The 'oclcsrw' package implements a native user interface via a search form which is built directly from the service description in the 'explain' record and is useful primarily for test purposes. Such a form is available at the nature.com OpenSearch service endpoint [18] see Fig. 3.
Since SRU provides for both structured query and structured result sets it is readily used for remote searching or search 'at a distance'. A client application can collect the user's query parameters, bundle them up together on a URI querystring, send that querystring on to the server, receive in response a content entity body with result sets in a structured markup, and finally interpret those results for an appropriate user presentation.
Our standalone client-facing applications have thus far leveraged two different OpenSearch-style media types: RSS and JSON.
To coincide with the initial launch we developed a 'nature.com search' desktop widget [19] which uses the RSS feed (although we could equally have used the Atom or even the native SRU/XML format). Actually we developed two parallel versions of the widget, one for Apple Dashboard (for Mac) and the other for Yahoo! Widgets (for Mac and PC) which are available from Apple Downloads [20] and the Yahoo! Widgets Gallery [21], respectively. The Dashboard version makes use of the WebKit engine while the Yahoo! version uses the Konfabulator engine. Our developer did an excellent job in aligning both presentations and functionalities. (See the YouTube screencast [22] for a demo of the widget in action.) Widget features include simple/advanced search, custom search collections, and a 'peek' panel to show the actual CQL query string sent to the server. Fig. 4 shows a composite of the various widget panels.
More recently we deployed a search gadget for Nature Network's Workbench [23] which uses the JSON response format. This supports a simple search only at this time, although is readily extensible to a more advanced fielded search.
We have also made available an extensive gallery of HTML demo applications which use the JSON interface [24]. (Strictly though for cross-site scripting purposes the corresponding JSONP interface was used.) These AJAX-based demos are very compelling as they show how simple it is to run a search in situ, where results are presented inline with the original queries.
One such demo application 'Clouds' (shown in Fig. 5) provides a simple drag-and-drop search UI whereby individual search fields (with associated booleans) can be dragged and dropped onto a central search cloud prompting an AJAX query with structured results updating on the right. Each result has its own cloud cluster which can be clicked on to expand and the individual search fields (prepopulated from the query) can be dragged back into the main query, so allowing for partial results to be used in requerying.
More detail on these various applications can be found in a series of blog posts made following the nature.com OpenSearch launch [25-27].
We are beginning to consolidate our various search services on top of a common public interface. The immediate priorities are to increase the volume of metadata flow through this interface, to make our record descriptions richer, and to position appropriate search functionality at key points in the user's interaction path with our content.
Beyond this we need to consider how best to address the next goal looming in resource discovery where individual result records are dismantled and atomized and the bare facts (or 'triples' in RDF parlance) can be selectively retrieved from across multiple databases and recombined into higher-order structures. We note that search services like nature.com OpenSearch could play a role in delivering structured information up to dedicated triplestore repositories [n10].
The nature.com OpenSearch service successfully marries within a single search web service two complementary approaches to resource discovery: OpenSearch and SRU. Users can benefit from the various options at their disposal according to their own needs, from the straightforward plug-and-play of OpenSearch to the structured protocol exchanges of SRU.
Irrespective of the search paradigm followed, structured queries and responses lend themselves directly to remote searching. Rather than being confined to any set-piece application for a site, search now folds back into the general infrastructure. In essence, search becomes a platform for applications. It becomes a utility. It becomes ubiquitous.
Special thanks go to Ralph LeVan of OCLC for not only creating the excellent open-source 'oclcsrw' software package but also updating the package to support HTTP content negotiation and making it generally more responsive to OpenSearch requests such as allowing for alternate formats. Thanks are also due to Nawab Siddiqui of Nature Publishing Group for doing the actual hard graft in implementing this service for nature.com and for leaping so agilely into this new terrain. And thanks too to Andrew Mee who developed the desktop widgets for us and produced the YouTube screencast.
There are two overlaps in specifications between SRU and OpenSearch:
As discussed earlier, in order to support SRU parameters within OpenSearch URL templates we needed to define an OpenSearch Extension for SRU. In coordination with the nature.com OpenSearch release we provided an OpenSearch Community Proposal which is registered on the OpenSearch.org site. This document defines an XML namespace for SRU:
It also details all parameters from the SRU 2.0 specification and provides examples of usage. This means that SRU-specific parameters can now be entered alongside regular OpenSearch parameters within an OpenSearch URL template.
The OASIS Search Web Services TC is currently defining SRU 2.0 as a binding of its Abstract Protocol Definition (APD). In parallel to that work an OpenSearch binding is currently in draft. This will map the APD abstraction to the concrete OpenSearch processing model. It details the OpenSearch request parameters and the response elements, as well as documenting the service discovery model the OpenSearch description document. The expectation is that OpenSearch will receive a standards-based description through OASIS.
Reproduced in Fig. 6 is a cheatsheet for nature.com OpenSearch (first published on CrossTech [30]) which summarizes this public search API. This lists the various CQL indexes, relations and booleans that are supported alongside the standard SRU parameters and media types that this service provides. Note that differently to many search APIs which freely mix control and query parameters, SRU partitions control parameters from query parameters by the simple device of allocating a single parameter 'query' which carries the full CQL query string.
[n1] Z39.50 is the 'gold standard' for library information retrieval in networked systems. A good account of Z39.50's development and its application to the Web has been given by Cliff Lynch [31].
[n2] SPARQL, the SPARQL RDF and Query Language, is a means of querying over RDF triplestores. Syntactically similar to SQL it adopts a template-based approach to querying where complex patterns can be built up and the query engine will backtrack over the rules provided by matching RDF triples that fulfil the query.
[n3] SRU was originally conceived as one of two companion protocols: SRW (Search and Retrieve Web Service) and SRU (Search and Retrieval via URL). SRW was positioned as a SOAP-based web service, and SRU as a REST-based web service. SRW is no longer presented as a separate protocol but rather as a variant of SRU, referred to as 'SRU via HTTP SOAP'.
[n4] CQL, the Contextual Query Language, is a high-level query language designed to be human readable and writeable and to be intuitive while maintaining the expressiveness of more complex languages.
[n5] See this interview [32] with DeWitt Clinton, one of the chief architects of OpenSearch, for a brief history of OpenSearch development.
[n6] Note that we have preferred the RSS 1.0 format for reasons articulated earlier [33].
[n7] It is curious to note that the default Type-1 queries required by any conforming Z39.50 implementation have no string representation. They are commonly rendered in human readable form using Prefix Query Format [34].
[n8] The CQL-Java parser that we are using has been upgraded in version 1.4 [35] to allow for multi-word terms. Note, however, that while this will greatly simplify implementation support it remains a non-CQL feature.
[n9] The SRU 2.0 draft has now split the 'recordPacking' parameter into a new (but same-named) parameter 'recordPacking' with values 'packed' and 'unpacked', and a companion parameter 'recordXMLEscaping' taking over from the old parameter usage with values 'xml' and 'string'. These two parameters more clearly capture the orthogonal concerns of data packing and (XML) data escaping.
[n10] Some early ideas on migrating from a records-based (or graph-based) search to a triples-based search were made in this post to CrossTech [36].
[1] 'nature.com OpenSearch.' [Web page.] http://www.nature.com/opensearch/.
[2] 'SRU: Search/Retrieval via URL.' [Web page.] http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/.
[3] 'OpenSearch.org.' [Web page.] http://www.opensearch.org/.
[4] Denenberg, R., 'Search Web Services The OASIS SWS Technical Committee Work: The Abstract Protocol Definition, OpenSearch Binding, and SRU/CQL 2.0.' D-Lib Magazine, 15(1/2). January/February 2009. http://dlib.org/dlib/january09/denenberg/01denenberg.html. doi:10.1045/january2009-denenberg.
[5] 'OASIS Search Web Services Technical Committee.' [Web page.] http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/search-ws/charter.php.
[6] 'oclcsrw: An interface framework for exposing local databases via SRW/SRU.' [Web page.] Google Code. Google. http://code.google.com/p/oclcsrw/.
[7] 'OCLC Research Activities: SRW/U.' [Web page.] http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/srw/default.htm.
[8] Hammond, T., 'Aligning OpenSearch and SRU.' [Blog entry.] CrossTech. CrossRef. June 5, 2009. http://www.crossref.org/CrossTech/2009/06/aligning_opensearch_and_sru.html.
[9] Hammond, T., 'Search Web Service.' [Blog entry.] CrossTech. CrossRef. May 30, 2009. http://www.crossref.org/CrossTech/2009/05/search_web_service.html.
[10] 'CQL: Contextual Query Language (SRU Version 1.2 Specifications).' [Web page.] http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/specs/cql.html.
[11] 'Apache Lucene Query Parser Syntax.' [Web page.] http://lucene.apache.org/java/3_0_0/queryparsersyntax.html.
[12] 'nature.com OAI-PMH.' [Web page.] http://www.nature.com/oai/.
[13] 'PRISM Aggregator Message.' [Web page.] http://www.idealliance.org/industry_resources/intelligent_content_informed_workflow/about_the_prism_aggregator_message.
[14] Hammond, T., 'OpenSearch Formats for Review'. [Bog entry.] CrossTech. CrossRef. July 23, 2009. http://www.crossref.org/CrossTech/2009/07/opensearch_formats_for_review.html.
[15] 'SRU Diagnostics List.' [Web page.] http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/resources/diagnostics-list.html.
[16] 'OpenSearch description document for nature.com OpenSearch.' [Web page.] http://www.nature.com/opensearch/opensearch.xml.
[17] (Explain record for nature.com OpenSearch.) [Web page.] http://www.nature.com/opensearch/request?stylesheet=.
[18] (Forms interface for nature.com OpenSearch.) [Web page.] http://www.nature.com/opensearch/request.
[19] 'Desktop widgets.' [Web page.] http://www.nature.com/widgets.
[20] 'Apple Downloads Dashboard Widgets nature.com search.' [Web page.] http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/search/naturecomsearch.html.
[21] 'nature.com search Yahoo! Widgets.' [Web page.] http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/naturecom-search.
[22] 'Introducing 'nature.com search' desktop widgets'. [Video clip.] Nature Video Channel. YouTube. September 30, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqf_ew4o3U8.
[23] 'Workbench : Nature Network.' [Web page.] http://network.nature.com/workbench.
[24] 'nature.com OpenSearch Demo Apps.' [Web page.] http://nurture.nature.com/opensearch/apps/.
[25] Hammond, T., 'nature.com OpenSearch.' [Blog entry.] Nascent. Nature Publishing Group. October 3, 2009. http://blogs.nature.com/wp/nascent/2009/10/naturecom_opensearch.html.
[26] Hammond, T., 'Demo Web Clients for nature.com OpenSearch.' [Blog entry.] Nascent. Nature Publishing Group. October 4, 2009. http://blogs.nature.com/wp/nascent/2009/10/web_clients_for_naturecom_open.html.
[27] Hammond, T., 'Desktop Widgets: nature.com search.' [Blog entry.] Nascent. Nature Publishing Group. October 1, 2009. http://blogs.nature.com/wp/nascent/2009/10/desktop_widgets_naturecom_sear.html.
[28] Hammond, T., 'OpenSearch Extension for SRU (Draft).' [Web page.] http://www.opensearch.org/Community/Proposal/Specifications/OpenSearch/Extensions/SRU/1.0/Draft_1.
[29] 'OASIS Search Web Services TC Public Documents.' [Web page.] http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/documents.php?wg_abbrev=search-ws.
[30] Hammond, T., 'A Cheatsheet for nature.com OpenSearch.' [Blog entry.] CrossTech. CrossRef. October 22, 2009. http://www.crossref.org/CrossTech/2009/10/a_cheatsheet_for_naturecom_ope.html.
[31] Lynch, C., 'The Z39.50 Information Retrieval Standard Part I: A Strategic View of Its Past, Present and Future.' D-Lib Magazine, 3(4). April 1997. http://www.dlib.org/dlib/april97/04lynch.html. hdl:cnri.dlib/april97-lynch.
[32] Bisson, C., 'DeWitt Clinton On The Birth of OpenSearch.' [Blog entry.] MaisonBisson.com. May 3, 2007. http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/11665/dewitt-clinton-on-the-birth-of-opensearch/.
[33] Hammond, T., Hannay, T., and Lund, B., 'The Role of RSS in Science Publishing: Syndication and Annotation on the Web.' D-Lib Magazine, 10(12). December 2004. http://www.dlib.org/dlib/december04/hammond/12hammond.html. doi:10.1045/december2004-hammond.
[34] Hammer, S., Dickmeiss, A., Taylor, M., and Levanto, H., 'YAZ User's Guide and Reference, 4.0.1: Chapter 7. Supporting Tools, Query Syntax Parsers, Prefix Query Format.' http://www.indexdata.com/yaz/doc/tools.html#PQF.
[35] Taylor, M. 'CQL-Java, version 1.4 Changes'. [Web page.] http://zing.z3950.org/cql/java/changes-1.4.html.
[36] Hammond, T., 'Search: An Evolution.' [Blog entry.] CrossTech. CrossRef. April 28, 2010. http://www.crossref.org/CrossTech/2010/04/search_an_evolution.html.
Tony Hammond works for the Platform Technologies group at Nature Publishing Group (NPG). His primary focus is in the general area of description technologies and he has been actively involved in developing industry standards for network identifiers and metadata frameworks. (Currently he is a member of the OASIS Search Web Services TC.) He has had experience working on both sides of the scientific publishing information chain, from large scientific publishing houses to academic research centres. His background is in physics with astrophysics.
Copyright © 2010 Tony Hammond


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Red Freedom Rose
Red Freedom Roses are a classic choice and work perfectly in any floral design. Standard roses are hardy, long-lasting, and provide consistent color outcomes. Roses can be reflexed to stand out, or nestled down into some soft eucalyptus or greenery. They can be used in bridal and bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, bud vases, centerpieces, arches, and large-scale arrangements.
- Description
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- Color: Red
- Season: All Year
- Special Care Note: Cut and hydrate for 1 hour BEFORE removing cardboard wrapping. Then spread out so they open to full potential.
- Flower Design Type: Filler Flower
- Shipping Note: For protection, roses are shipped in a cardboard wrap. The 25 stems are layered, therefore you will only be able to see the top layer. DON'T FREAK OUT, you have not been short-changed, sweet pea! Once you unwrap, all 25 stems will be waiting on you!
Flower care:
- Remove lower leaves, give the stems a fresh cut, and place in cool water for 1 hour BEFORE unwrapping cardboard. This will prevent the roses from slumping over by allowing them to rehydrate while upright.
- After an hour, remove the wrapping and spread out. Allow for plenty of elbow room!
- Roses can come in tight, so place them in a sunny location to encourage opening.
- Remove guard petals, which may have spots or bruising.
- Roses come closed and need to 'bloom', therefore they need a lot of elbow room, so no crowding! If tight set them outside in warm weather for a few hours or use a hairdryer (heat OFF, cool setting only) to push the petals open. One other trick is to turn a rose upside down and spin the stem in your hand, this will force the bloom open quickly.
The Good: Standard Premium Roses are very predictable in color and they are so hardy and long-lasting! We rarely do a wedding without roses, they are truly classic and a wonderful foundation element in any arrangement. They are also fun to reflex, see video below!
The Bad: Roses come closed and need to 'bloom', therefore they need a lot of elbow room, so no crowding! If tight set them outside in warm weather for a few hours or use a hairdryer (heat OFF, cool setting only) to push the petals open. One other trick is to turn a rose upside down and spin the stem in your hand, this will force the bloom open quickly.
The foliage on roses are typically crummy, and we often remove, so don't freak if the greenery looks shabby.
Roses are considered a 'Filler Flower'. Based on our design ratios, here's our recommended quantity suggestion:
- Bridal Bouquet: 8-15 stems
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Flower Moxie reserves the right to make changes or substitutions. All substitutions are only done as a last resort, and only when the reasons for doing so are reasonable and genuine. For example, if a flower becomes unavailable (off-crop), incorrect color, or not in good condition to grace a wedding function we will substitute a flower that has a similar color and price-point. Watch our video on substitutions to learn more.
Acceptable Subs: Different rose variety in the same color palette, or a combination of filler flowers to give the same stem-count and colo.
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July 2011 Steve Jobs news roundup
23 Jul 2011 | in Management, Steve Jobs history, Steve Jobs news, Steve Jobs personality, Steve Jobs trivia
Busy month for me, hopefully Steve Jobs news have been somewhat slow too (apart from last week's).
Here's what I put aside for you:
- July 9: A weird video surfaces from Taiwan. A tea brand shamelessly used an actor to play Steve Jobs and sell bottled tea in a TV commercial. See for yourself:
(via Cult of Mac)
- July 8: French magazine Le Point reveals that Steve almost purchased a castle in the South-East of France. Pictured below, the property is valued at around €25m ($36m). Apparently Steve's wife, Laurene, toured the property herself.
The article also relates that back in 1985, Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, a French journalist close to President Francois Mitterrand, apparently asked of the head of state a special present to Steve Jobs for his 30th birthday. I've read many stories about that famed birthday, where tons of celebrities attended, including Ella Fitzgerald who was the party singer. Anyway, JJSS (as he is often called) reportedly suggested that the French nationality was offered to the Apple co-founder as a special gift. The French President nonchalantly refused. I think Steve would have appreciated the gift, as he has often testified of his love of France (I have made a compilation of the many times he uses France in Apple demos).
- July 11: a new Tshirt made it to the Apple Gift shop in Cupertino… making fun of the company's cult of secrecy. I'm buying it next time I go there! (via Macrumors).
- July 21: John Gruber of Daring Fireball spotted a nice anecdote about Steve and his legendary curtesy. I am quoting the same thing he did:
The story goes that ESPN president George Bodenheimer attended the first Disney board meeting in Orlando, Florida, just after the company had bought Pixar, the innovative animation factory, and spotted Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a hallway. It seemed like a good time to introduce himself. "I am George Bodenheimer," he said to Jobs. "I run ESPN." Jobs just looked at him and said nothing other than "Your phone is the dumbest fucking idea I have ever heard," then turned and walked away.
- July 21: Philip Elmer-Dewitt dug out a nice chart that compiles all the public data about Apple's reiumbursements of the expenses of Steve's famed private jet airplane. I think it is worth mentioning that Steve can use the jet for his personal use, but then of course the company doesn't reiumburse him of the cost of operating it. The chart is below:
- July 23: after all the nonsense we've come to read about Steve's succession lately (which did grant us a new Steve Jobs quote: "it's hogwash", courtesy of the Wall Street Journal) — John Gruber wrote a very good article, the kind that only he knows how to write, on the topic: On Succeeding Steve Jobs. His conclusion: "the obvious structure for a post-Jobs Apple is simply Apple as we know it, without Steve Jobs." I believe he is 100% right and that's what we will see, perhaps as early as next year. BUT, and it's a big BUT, I am not sure Tim Cook can keep the fire alive as Steve did for the next decade. And as I've stated before, I think he will have trouble running the company unchallenged the way only the genius-founder Steve Jobs can. His authority to run the super-disciplined fruit company will probably be challenged a couple of years after Steve is gone… Time will tell.


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This is a beginners game - Storium First Timers only, please!
Across time and space, across dimensions and stuffed into that misty interface between fiction and reality are scattered a hundred million white cubes. No-one knows where they came from, or how they got their special power. The cubes are made of purest, smoothest white marble, and - no bigger than the palm of a human hand - for the most part, they tend not to attract very much attention, dismissed as part of the environment. But every so often, by accident or design, a curious soul might pick one up for closer examination.
What happens next to the person who picks up a cube is the night of their lives. The cube is a portal to a point outside of time around which has been built an ineffably cool bar and nightspot called "Anatole's". "Anatole's" has been designed as a place where characters from all walks of life can stumble in, order any drink their heart desires and chew the fat with the other patrons, before returning to their everyday life. Where else might you exchange poetry with a cyborg assassin, arm-wrestle a dead president and fall in love with a sentient paramecium… all in one amazing night! "Anatole's" doesn't accept money - drinks can be purchased for tall tales and inventive ideas. Once in a while, eponymous owner & barkeep Anatole will call "Time!", close the tab, and drinkers are expected to pay their bill by sharing stories of their lives.
The bar caters for all languages and exists in a state of temporal grace - no weapons will fire (although that's not to say the odd fight doesn't break out - fists & cudgels still work just fine). And somehow the decor shifts to suit the current clientele.
Characters can arrive & leave of their own free will (or until Anatole throws them out!) There are no rules at "Anatole's" except civility… and an unspoken agreement not to upset Germ. No-one knows exactly who the hooded figure really is nor where she came from, except that she's occupied the end stool for the bar for more than five millennia…
Hosted and narrated by: Chris Lewis (Ceekayell)
Started 11/05/18. Scenes played: 2
License: Community License


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Clean water is a need for survival. Unfortunately, not everybody has access to it and as the years pass by, the threat of water scarcity is becoming seemingly unstoppable because of many pressing factors like climate change and population growth. Will you be ready for the water crisis? If you have the Water Freedom System, you can!
What is Water Freedom System?
Water Freedom System is your reliable solution to clean, unlimited water. It teaches you a method of pulling moisture out of thin air, filter it and turn it into a supply of clean, drinking water with a simple press of the button. A breakthrough technology that can provide 60 gallons of water per day and is already used by the military from various countries. Extraction of potable water from the air will be extremely useful for military troop's demands for drinking water especially in desert regions.
Imagine the potential of this technology to provide water for all, especially those that do not have access to safe drinking water. This technique of water extraction can save you and your family during possible droughts and calamities. Also, it can save you a lot of money, water is becoming more and more expensive, be it bottled water or tap water. Instead of paying the big water corporations, why not build your own water generator that is inexpensive and ingenious.
This technology can give you peace of mind and security, as you can be ready for any emergency situations and safeguard your family's survival. You will get pure and clean water, enough for your family's needs and more.
The materials can be purchased online or at your local store, the process is not complicated and you will be provided with an easy to follow step-by-step tutorial to build your very own portable "home oasis" to prepare you for highly probable crisis.
Who Created the Water Freedom System?
The program is authored by Chris Burns with the help of his uncle. Wanting to provide enough water for his family and secure their future come possible emergency situations, he discovered a simple invention to make safe, clean and cool drinking water out of thin air. This system has been used thousands of years ago but not everybody knows about it.
Believing how this technology can change the world, he is sharing an easy to follow blueprint, with the materials needed and follow-along guide to share to the world how to generate clean drinking water without spending a fortune, so that your family won't ever experience water scarcity which can put your life in danger.
How Does Water Freedom Work?
Generate your own safe to drink water, free from harmful chemicals by just a press of a button.
The program provides a step-by-step guide, illustrating how to build your own water generator technology. The materials are easy to find, and the process is simple, carefully designed so that you or anybody can do it. The device is based on a simple condensation principle. There is more water in the atmosphere than you know, available and free, all you need to do is this device to convert it into a safe drinking water.
You will only need to build it once and there won't be much needed to maintain the device. Do you have 3 hours and a few dollars to spare? Then you are ready to build your own life-saving device, so that you will survive and thrive even during emergency situations.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxvWunBT9j4?feature=oembed&w=525&h=295]
– Teaches you how to get automated and unlimited supply of fresh, clean and cool drinking water.
– A means for survival. It makes you prepared for water shortages.
– The instructions are clear and simple so that you can easily follow.
– The materials needed are not complicated, you can find it at your local hardware store.
– It helps you earn savings so that you can use it to something more useful.
– It is a system that is proven to work and has already helped thousands of families.
– A reliable device that works no matter the weather.
– There is an unlimited lifetime email support so you are guaranteed that any queries you have will be attended to.
– Encourages independence from big greedy water corporations.
– It is backed with a 60 Days Money Back Guarantee.
– No physical product. It can only be accessed online.
– Needs careful attention when building the device so that you can build it right. But you are provided with easy instructions, if it really becomes difficult, there is an online support you can rely on.
Disasters come and go. The question is, are you ready for it? The Water Freedom System will equip you with a brilliant device for survival, come drought or any other water scarcity crisis. Guarantee your family's safety and build your own water generator.


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With dexterous team of technical experts and vast industry experience, we are able to export and supply a qualitative array of Ring Gauges. Under the proper supervision of technical experts of our vendors, offered gages are precisely manufactured in line with predefined industry standards using optimal quality raw material and latest machines. These gages are used for precision measurement. Moreover, our clients can get these Ring Gauges in diverse dimensions at pocket friendly prices.
Easy to use
Rugged design
Excellent endurance
Rust resistance


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Speaking Spring
By Andy Kirkaldy
Anyone out there object if we talk spring for a moment?
I didn't think so.
To start with, the Middlebury College lacrosse teams are already practicing and even scrimmaging. One news tidbit: Middlebury Union High School's own Gus Brakeley is assisting Coach Dave Campbell's men's team this year.
At home, with two youth lacrosse players in our household, we get Lacrosse Magazine in the mail. That periodical likes the chances of both Campbell's Panther men's team and Coach Missy Foote's women's team — they are both picked fourth in the NCAA Division III preseason rankings.
OK, coaches, yes, I know, it doesn't mean a thing — except that your programs have earned a ton of respect.
Meanwhile, Lacrosse Magazine is touting Cornwall's Sarah Dalton — who back when helped MUHS win a couple of Vermont D-I titles and last spring scored 71 goals as a Boston University junior — as a possible Tewaaraton Trophy winner. That award is given to the top collegiate men's and women's lacrosse athletes. Her BU team, the four-time America East champion, made it to the NCAA quarterfinals a year ago and is ranked the preseason No. 9 by Lacrosse Magazine.
A little closer to home, word is that more recent MUHS graduate Laura Barber may have a good shot at starting in goal for the Vermont women's lacrosse team and facing Dalton in America East competition this spring. According to MUHS girls' lacrosse coach Harriette Brainard, Barber opened in goal for the Catamounts' first scrimmage.
Of course, not all the sports news at UVM is cheerful: the school recently dropped its baseball and softball teams, effective at the end of this season, as part of cutting more than $1 million from its athletic budget.
I won't debate that move here, but just point out its direct local impact: Mount Abraham and Addison County American Legion standout left-handed pitcher Greg Lutton made the Catamount baseball team as a walk-on.
Now Greg has to decide whether to stay where he may be comfortable pursuing his education, or to transfer to another school to pursue both his studies and his pitching career.
It's been less than a week since the bomb dropped on the UVM diamond gangs, and I'm sure he's still dealing with the shock. Let's just say for now I'm sure there are many schools that would welcome an athlete of Greg's talent and character.
OK, so much for spring. It's still winter: There are two local championships to award. In girls' basketball, MUHS compiled a 4-0 record against Mount Abe, VUHS and Otter Valley to reign as this winter's regional best in show. The Eagles came in at 3-2, with only a missed last-second shot up in Bristol standing between them and the mythical crown.
The competition among the boys' teams pretty much proved you really can throw the records out in high school sports. In the regular season, VUHS, MUHS and Mount Abe all split their games with each other. The Otters split two games with Mount Abe, but lost their only game with the Tigers.
That win over OV would have put the Tigers on top if not for the playoff game in which they drew the Eagles and were upset at home. That left the final tally at Eagles, 4-3; Tigers, 3-3; Commodores, 2-2; and Otters, 1-2.
The bragging rights go to Coach Bill Leggett's boys in Bristol.
That said, the games were played as hard as ever, but there's so much overlap between the boys' teams in other seasons the rivalries have taken on a different tone. Many athletes played together this past summer for the Legion baseball team, and they showed up this winter in each others' gyms wearing their green championship jackets. And many others are AAU hoop teammates. These guys are friends as well as competitors — the post-game handshakes were more than perfunctory.
And it was great to see the enthusiastic regional support of the successful MUHS boys' hockey team, which included athletes from all four local school districts.
This winter, there were plenty of good vibes in all venues.


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Collecting, Using and Sharing Personal Information
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The new operating system Windows 10 is still full of issues and bugs that need to be fixed, despite the quick pace and hard work of Microsoft where beta testing and patching is concerned. Most of these issues are directly related to third party apps. Compiled here is a comprehensive list of some of the most critical issues still persisting with Windows 10.
Many of these issues are likely to be remedied within the coming weeks as Microsoft works to fix the root causes or the third party apps themselves fix, but as of now, they are noteworthy as the widespread adoption of Windows 10 continues:
- High DPI Awareness
It is likely that high DPI awareness will be one of the most persistent issues going forward for Windows 10 as it directly affects so many legacy applications. As of right now, there is only a partial fix available at the OS level. Apps that have not been specifically designed to utilize Windows DPI scaling API's will have a blurry appearance when displayed on high resolution screens.
The most viable solution to this issue is for non optimal apps to be rebuilt to take advantage of the scaling APIs, assuming of course, the apps are still being developed. Another alternative is for Microsoft to come up with a better way to scale legacy apps, but at this time, there appear to be no signs of this happening.
- Microsoft Office 2003 and Earlier Not Compatible
There are many users that still have not felt the need to upgrade from Microsoft Office 2003 and even earlier software, however, they are not certified to be compatible for use with Windows 10. It has been noted that there is a chance they will work using compatibility mode but nothing is guaranteed. This also applies to any third party add-ons of an Office installation.
- Creative Suite Products and Adobe Creative Cloud
The most recent versions of Creative Suite and Creative Cloud are likely to be fully compatible with Windows 10, but not everybody prefers to use the newer updated versions. As a result, users running Creative Suite products from the CS3 generation could potentially experience compatibility issues.
It is thought that the source of the issue with Adobe applications is the video card driver, as many Creative Suite apps use GPU acceleration that depend heavily on the feature. These are the apps that will likely cause problems when upgrading to Windows 10. Adobe plug ins may also use the GPU acceleration as well, and therefore, also have compatibility issues. Updating the video drivers after the OS update is complete seems to resolve these issues.
- Error 1935
Many users are experiencing an error 1935 when installing applications, both from third party and Microsoft. A common thread with these apps is that they all require a redistributable library of some sort. Some of these issues can be resolved easily by launching the application installer in compatibility mode but this is not a guaranteed fix. A more dependable solution will have to be provided by Microsoft.
- Endpoint Protection and Antivirus
The majority of current antivirus products products have upgrades available for Windows 10, but not all of the free to use products will work with the new OS. Users need to be careful not to assume that older products will work properly with Windows 10, and take the time to uninstall any antivirus products before doing the system upgrade. Once the upgrade is complete, a new OS approved product should be installed in its place.
If you haven't moved to Windows 10 yet, it's best to wait until the issues and bugs listed above are resolved. Contact Compunet InfoTech for more information. Call (604) 986-8170 or send us an email: email@example.com.


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Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in Burano: Designs Inspired by a Venetian Island (Paperback)
Kaffe Fassett uses the colorful Venetian island of Burano to form the backdrop of another stunning collection of new quilt designs from the Kaffe Fassett Studio.
In this 22nd installment of Kaffe Fassett's ever-popular series of patchwork and quilting books, the quilts have been photographed on location in Burano, a tiny island in Italy's Venetian archipelago, famous for its lace making but also for its brilliantly painted houses in a myriad jewel colors.
The colorful house walls, sometimes distressed and occasionally decorated with murals, form the backdrop, along with the canals, bridges, and boats of this special Venetian island, to another wonderful selection of Kaffe's new quilt designs.
The collection of 19 quilts features both new fabric designs from the Kaffe Collective and some of his Classics. Bali Brocade makes a fantastic background to Kaffe's sumptuous Shimmer Star quilt with its ripples of pattern in contrasting prints. His two versions of a very simple quilt, comes in two very different colorways. Hot Steps is a riot of color, whereas by contrast its sister quilt, Cool Steps, in dusty blues, greens, and greys has an dreamy quality. Liza Prior Lucy's rich and dark Turkish Coffee quilt, with its hint of Eastern promise, fussy cuts Kaffe's new Turkish Delight fabric to brilliant effect.
Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in Burano provides all the instructional text, diagrams, and templates to make the quilts, plus a section on basic patchwork techniques for less experienced quilters.


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Water Efficiency Certificate Mudgeeraba
Jetset Plumbing provide a Water Efficiency Certificate service for Owners, Landlords, Real Estate Agents and Lessors. In order for a tenant to be charged for the water they use the property must be Water Efficient, our Licensed Plumbers can inspect your property and convert your fixtures and fittings to be Water Efficient if required and provide a Water Efficiency Certificate. Simply call Jetset Plumbing today.
For any water fixtures you can easily check if they meet required efficiency standards by looking at products WELS rating of three stars or higher. WELS is Australia's water efficiency rating system which includes taps, shower heads and toilets, the more stars the higher the efficiency.
When Plumber Mudgeeraba inspect your property for water usage compliance, we check all of your taps, shower heads, toilets and any other water-using fixtures. Items the tenant cannot be charged for include state bulk water charge and water usage charges.


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Open Tree progress
The Open Tree of Life project includes periodic releases of
OTT (Open Tree taxonomy)
and the
latest synthetic tree,
as well as incremental addition of published phylogenetic trees.
The timeline below shows the increase in the number of OTUs
(operational taxonomic units) in various components. Note the
large gap between the number of taxa in OTT and the number of
taxa in our datastore (phylesystem) and the synthetic tree!
Please help close this gap by adding published trees through our
curator application.
Move the mouse below to see details for any date.


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Consider the omelette
Sometimes making a particular dish takes a long time, involving several steps, but if you follow the directions carefully enough it's fairly easy. On the other hand there are things that only take a few minutes to prepare, but may take years to really get right.
One such item is a classic plain omelette.
To make a good omelette, you must start with good eggs. Good eggs are fresh (used within a week of laying), and preferably come from happy hens who have been raised in an environment where they are allowed to roam freely, rather than an egg factory. Even if you have to pay a premium price for such eggs, it's worth it. I know there are several tests that are supposed to show if an egg is fresh or not (such as that it sinks in a bowl of water) but the best way to ensure that you have fresh eggs is to buy them from a reputable source.
I mentioned before that we are lucky enough to have an organic farm within 5 minutes from our house. The main reason we love them so much is that they sell fresh eggs, from happy hens. The yolk color varies according to the season - in the winter it's a rich lemon-yellow, and in the warm months it's a deep orange. The eggs are also expensive, at 60 Rappen per egg (about 50 US cents), but considering that just 2 to 3 eggs produce a delicious omelette, it's a bargain.
The other critical ingredient is butter. Use unsalted butter, as fresh as you can get it.
The perfect omelette should be just cooked with maybe a hint of brownishness on the outside, and runny and creamy on the inside. You must eat it when it's just out of the pan, so make everything else ready beforehand.
Great accompaniments for an omelette include boiled potatoes with a bit of chopped parsley and butter, a green salad, and/or a crusty baguette. Add a glass of crisp dry white wine (a Sauvignon Blanc or a Chenin Blanc would be nice) and you'll be in heaven.
The plain omelette
- 2 extra-large or 3 medium to large eggs
- 1-2 Tbs of cream
- Salt and pepper
- Unsalted butter
Equipment needed: a 20 cm / 8 inch non-stick frying pan. I have a 10 year old Tefal model that I basically only use for omelettes or fried eggs. Plus a clean kitchen towel.
Break the eggs into a bowl. Add the cream and mix thoroughly with a fork. You don't need to use a whisk since you just want it to be thorougly amalgamated and creamy, not necessarily frothy.
Heat up the frying pan over medium-high heat. Add about 1/2 - 1 Tbs of butter and swirl it around. Heat until the butter has more or less stopped bubbling (that's a sign that all the moisture is gone).
Add a dash of salt and a few grinds of pepper to the eggs. As soon as the butter is melted, rapidly tip the egg mixture into the pan. Now, you have to work fast. Either swirl the omelette around rapidly to make the cooked part go to the middle and the raw part to flow out, or flip in the cooked edges with a fork, tilting the pan to let the raw part flow out. Repeat several times, all around the pan. Practice really does improve technique.
As soon as the bottom is set and the middle part is creamy and slightly runny, take the pan off the heat. Tilt the pan over a plate (heated if possible) and let one third of the omelette slide onto the plate. Turn the pan and flop it onto the plate in thirds.
To make the perfect oval omelette, using the kitchen towel gently press the omelette into shape.
Serve immediately.
Variation: to make this an omelette aux fines herbes (omelette with herbs), add some chopped fresh herbs into the egg mixture. Some to try are: parsley, chervil or trefoil, and chives.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider becoming my patron via Patreon. ^_^
Consider the omelette
When I lived in Kyoto, our next door neighbor had a few chickens. Every morning my roommate and I would buy two fresh eggs from her. They were still warm! We would crack them over hot brown rice, stir them up with the rice and add shoyu and slices of nori. This is still my favorite breakfast of all time, though it grosses out most Americans I know.
Here in Sacramento we often get eggs from my mother's friend who raises chickens with a lot of love and room to roam. The eggs come in all different sizes and colors and they make the best tasting scrambled eggs and egg omelettes! There really is a difference in taste between these and store bought. Sort of like the difference between organic heirloom tomatoes and those from the grocery store.
Consider the omelette
Your delicious blog and this specific post call to mind the Tea Ceremony.
Consider the omelette
Elise, I love the comparison between heirloom tomatoes vs. regular ones and fresh organic eggs vs. store bought! That's so true. I love raw egg with soy sauce on hot rice too.. hehe.
(have you tried just the yolk? That is very much richer and quite tasty too.)
Sissy, thanks :) I've never taken tea lessons formally, but from what I understand the whole ceremony is about appreciating everything - the flavor and aroma of the tea, your surroundings, etc. with all your senses. And I think that real appreciation of food is about that too.
Consider the omelette
Why go to the trouble of using unsalted butter (usually more expensive) and then add salt? I've never read any logical reason not to use salted butter, other than when baking things where the leavening effect of the salt is hyper-critical and you need to control the amount. But I suspect this is exageration rather than chemical reality, and I doubt most people making the claim have really tested it.
Consider the omelette
A good question why just use salted butter... but, do you know how much salt is in that salted butter? Usually too much anyway.
Also keep in mind that even here salt covers the flavor, which means that it is possible to sell lower quality butter when it is salted. And that means that you will get dreck when you have salted butter, as opposed to unsalted. This also explains why salted butter is more expensive...
Think about it.
Consider the omelette
What a wonderful simple way to make an omelette. I was taught to make it by seperating the yolk and the whites and then whisp the whites until almost stiff and gently fold them into the yolks mixed with cream, seasoning and herbs. But your methode I've got to try, thanks!
Consider the omelette
Re: unsalted vs. salted butter; what Max said is my primary concern with salted butter. Salted butter lasts longer...and therefore can be not as fresh as unsalted. For the simplest dishes, such as an omelette, I believe you should choose the freshest and best ingredients possible. The ideal would be farm-fresh organic eggs and organic unsalted butter. Believe me, you will taste the difference.
Karen, I think the method of whipping the whites separately is another type of omelette - i guess I'll write about that some other time. :)
Consider the omelette
Perfect description and recipe, I tried it with great results. I recommend finishing the omelette bien cuit and slicing it for filling. My favourite filling is chopped green olives.
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This is a time for former Saints. Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers are in the Super Bowl. Also, Sam Mills and Mark Fields, both former Saints linebackers diagnosed with cancer were honorary co-captains for the Panthers for the NFC Championship g...
this looked delicious, can i
this looked delicious, can i thy make this for omurice basic, btw how to make omu rice???


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Custom Maps is an essential app for Android phones for any serious off-trail hikers, sailors or anyone else who needs detailed off-line maps.
The app lets you quickly create a custom map for your Android phone from any map image or photo file. The image can be a photo or scan of a paper map. It could even just be the photo of a map posted at the beginning of a trailhead or at the entrance to an amusement park, which you can capture with your smartphone camera.
To create a custom map all you have to do is choose two (or more) points in your map image and plot them on a Google Map. That's all it takes. Your finished map can then show your GPS location and will work even when a data signal is not available like in a state park or when abroad.
I have a boat that is moored on a river with lots of tributaries and creeks, some of which are navigable and some of which aren't. When you start exploring these backwaters it is very easy to quickly lose a sense of where you are.
Using Custom Maps I made an off-line map for my phone in less than five minutes using a scan of a river chart. Now I should never get lost on my boat again.
The source code for Custom Maps is also available on Google Code. Several new features are also planned for the app including distance measurement, marking map locations with icons and making it possible to geolocate map images without Google Maps or a data connection.
Via: Open Source at Google