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Well HELLLLOOOO THERE! Long time no Blog from your friendly Professional Nomads! While I have been thinking about checking in every so often I would think to myself " nothing really to report" yet as I read my last post and glanced over my photos that I have taken since September I guess lots of life has happened so here is an update of this life of ours!
After dashing from Maine to Tennessee to meet our beautiful granddaughter we have been pretty stationary. We spent August and September in Tennessee. The unexpected arrival of our little blessing caught us all by surprise. Her parents were in the midst of some home improvement projects. So my Handsome Chauffeur donned his construction hat and I with a paint brush in hand helped finish up the list of projects that needed to completion. We enjoy these projects as it gives us something to do. Sure, we have projects to keep up with on our Mobile Condo, but they rarely require a saw, hammer or paint brush! For the most part the projects were taken care of allowing our son to continue to work at his new job and our daughter in law to spend her days with our little blessing in the NICU. It certainly wasn't all work and no play as we did spend lots of quality time with our Grandson who instantly became a big brother. We were in heaven!
Soon our little girl came home after only ten days in NICU. Prayers were answered and we were thrilled to be there to help all of them settle into being a family of four. Our little buddy fell right into his role as big brother without missing a beat! He loves his "baby Dylann"Soon it was time to load up the Mobile Condo and start heading south, but not before we got to fulfill one of our dreams… we were thrilled to take our little buddy on a camping adventure. He was SO excited to go with us in our "B I G Camper Bus." Our adventure took us just an hour or so away from his home. This was the first time he would be away from both of his parents for a week so we decided to stay relatively close as an insurance policy if he got homesick or his Mimi & Pops ran out of energy😉.We all had the time of our lives! He fished with his Popsswam in the lake saw B I G airplanesWe spent a day at an aquarium played in the Parkwatched movies and had a popcorn partyand to end the week we visited a hands on science centerAll three of us had the time of our lives. He never complained or got homesick and very soon it was time for us to give him back to his parents. We made amazing memories and look forward to more adventures in the future.
As fun as it was to have a 2 1/2 year old with us for a week we were ready to be back to our "normal" Nomadic life. Next stop would be Tampa, Florida our home for the winter.
We were watching the weather closely as it was October and hurricane season in Florida. Tampa was scheduled to be hit. Good 'Ol Mother Nature spared Tampa as predicted, but did cause quite a bit of damage due to wind. There were plenty of fellow Snow Birds that were not so lucky as there were many destinations that were hit by storms and camp grounds were closed. Some of displaced Snowbirds had to scramble to make other accommodations. The military campgrounds work on first come first serve basis so we were felt the need to get down to Tampa to secure our spot all the while watching storms head north into our travel route. My Handsome Chauffeur is also a novice weatherman. He keeps a weather app on his phone and maps out our travel according to conditions. With information in hand he determined that we needed to leave Tennessee NOW as to get ahead of the torrential rains training up our way. We worked as a well oiled machine packing up and loading in record time. Our travels went as planned. We avoided any terrible weather. My Weatherman's next plan of action was to locate a place to call home for the night and that would have satellite signal to watch his beloved Kansas City Chiefs game! Another app on his phone guided him to find the satellite in parking lotwe were in for the night!
Up early for our last leg to Tampa. We made it through the much dreaded Atlanta area without a hitch! Score one for the Circus Train😎! As we traveled further south the sky began to darken the wind picked up like CrAzY. Our VERY HIGH PROFILE vehicle was being tossed two and fro. My Handsome Chauffeur's knuckles had turned white as snow and his Nervous Navigator was beyond anxious and had resorted to the fetal position when all of a sudden appeared a Camping World store! Thank goodness! To make this even better we had a coupon that we needed to use! Not only were we no longer driving through torrential rain… we were going to get a deal as we waited out this band of terrible travel weather! Anyone who knows my Handsome Chauffeur knows he loves a DEAL! I had a VERY HAPPY CHAUFFEUR!
An hour passed as we perused the aisles of Camping World along with other travelers waiting out the storm. Soon it was all clear in the sky. We gathered our newly purchased grill ( such a deal 😜) to added to the other three we currently own and began the rest of our journey south.
As I have previously mentioned we try very hard not to drive when it is dark. We try the best we can to adhere to stopping by four o'clock or dusk whatever comes first. The storm/shopping trip put us behind schedule and it was beginning to get dark FAST! The beauty of returning to Tampa again was the roads were familiar. We didn't have to rely on GPS. The night travel was easier as we knew the landscape. The skyline and bay as our guide we made it "home" without a hitch.
Ahhhhh it was a great feeling to be surrounded by all things and friends that we are familiar with after spending spring and summer exploring new places. This is a time for us to relax and take care of maintenance issues on our Mobile Condo. We truly enjoy our time on the road exploring this great country of ours, but it is equally as nice to be stationary. We felt like we were "home".
Many of our neighbors and friends have been making MacDill AFB home for years. This being our second time making it our rest stop for 5 months felt great. It was great to see familiar faces and meet new o es as well.
Right off the bat our projects got started. First was the washer/dryer. this little beauty is tucked in tighter than a drum in a closet of our bedroom. Macguyver at the ready using an end table from the living room and a throw rug from the kitchen extracted the beast out of its "home" without damage to our floor or his back! In his element trouble shooting why the washer would randomly fill with water when not being used. Using our dining table as his work benchhe discovered the what the problem was and fixed it. We were back in business.. no more leaks!
To say we rest while being in Florida is not quite accurate. Sure, we puhtz around tinkering and tweaking things on the Mobile Condo. Give her a much needed wash and hand wax, rearrange storage etc… but we ALWAYS make time for bicycle riding, exercise class, golfing, Harley riding and just plain relaxing in the sun. We even gave our luck a try with BINGO
We also made a road trip to Alabama to spend the Christmas holiday with family Our kids and grandkids came to Alabama too! What a treat it was to have 4 generations together Our Little Granddaughter was growing by leaps and boundsand so BEAUTIFUL if I do say so😉💗
We enjoyed visits from friends we haven't seen in many years. We also got to have our daughter visit us for a weekher Dad took her for a spin to see the bay.
As our time approaches to leave Florida we are plotting our course of adventure for this Spring and Summer with recommendations from some fellow Nomads. Our maps are spread out, all the while manning our phones to set reservations. There won't be any moss growing on the Mobile Condo as we will be moving and grooving. We hope to see some of you along our journey! Our travels are taking us as far west to Arizona, then north through Colorado, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and back to Florida for another long winters rest!
We love our Nomadic life and do not take one day of it for granted. Thank you for coming along with us via this Blog. Who knows maybe you too will join us as We Be Winging It across this beautiful U.S. of A.🇺🇸


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|5.3 Jaguar E-Type
|Two Plus Two
|Left Hand Drive
|Regency Red
|Nice Driver
|Madison Heights
16 more photos below ↓
Record Creation: Entered on 12 September 2011.
Photos of 1S70487BW
Click slide for larger image. This car has 17 photos. (Dates are when image was uploaded.)
Exterior Photos (3)
Interior Photos (1)
Details Photos: Exterior (8)
Uploaded September 2011:
Detail Photos: Interior (5)
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2011-09-12 16:28:19 | pauls writes:
Ebay item 9/12/11
Current bid $12,100 reserve not met, 3 bids 6 days left in auction.
Sellers description:
1971 Jaguar E-Type V-12 2 +2 Series 3 Coupe. 55,000 miles. Excellent body, paint, wheels & bright work. Burgandy over bisquit leather interior. Car has been in storage for 10 years prior to recent complete and extensive tune-up including new radiator, belts and thermostats, new engine wiring, plugs and distributor. New gaskets. New battery. New front brake calipers & hoses. All dash gauges working. Air Conditioning (needs fan motor replaced), automatic transmission. Needs new headliner.

subset: commoncrawl


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Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) The weather is expected to be stable, but the air quality will be so poor Thursday that Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) was planning to reduce the power-generating capacity of three power plants, according to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
Due to the lack of wind to disperse atmospheric pollutants, the Air Quality Index (AQI) flashed an orange alert in northern Taiwan, Hsinchu and Miaoli Thursday, indicating unhealthy levels for sensitive groups.
The air quality in central Taiwan, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung was likely to be unhealthy for the general public, with the AQI flashing a red alert, the EPA's monitoring network showed.
Yilan, Hualien, Taitung and the outlying Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu islands will be the only regions with good to moderate air quality, according to the EPA.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, 26 air quality monitoring stations in western Taiwan recorded a red alert, prompting Taipower to reduce power generation at the coal-fired Taichung Power Plant, the Hsiehho Power Plant in Keelung and the Hsinta Power Plant in Kaohsiung, the EPA said.
Meanwhile, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) predicted that the weather is likely to be fair with sporadic showers in northern coastal areas, southern mountainous areas and the east, with daytime highs of up to 30 degrees Celsius across Taiwan.
(By Liang Chun-ti, Wu Hsin-yun, and Chi Jo-yao)


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Pyrotechnical imitation hand grenades
Pyrotechnical imitation hand grenades
Pyro articles are used at specially prepared sites as simulators of hand fragmentation, smoke, noise and marker grenades.
Hand imitation grenades are equipped with pyro element and retarder assy. All structural parts of grenades including safety lever are made of safe foamed polyurethane. Original designed retarder provides a stable time before activation. The grenades are equipped with dual system of protection against spontaneous operation. Proposed grenade is additionally provided with safety lever, which prevents actuation when retained. The pyro element provides realistic sound effect, at that it is safe both for probable ignition of dry grass and leaves and for spontaneous operation.
Grenade is hand thrown after pulling off the primer ring. Grenade burst occurs after operation of the retarder system under action of pressure of gasses generated by pyro element operation inside the casing.


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Smartphones turn new mentors for corporate professionals
Smartphones Turn New Mentors For Corporate Professionals, Adoption of E-Learning.The survey further said the other 54 per cent of respondents from organisations, which have deferred the implementation of mobile learning, cited network integrity and security as the prime barriers to adoption.
With the growing usage of smartphones, tablets and laptops in the country, about 86 per cent of Indian employees prefer to enhance their corporate skills through mobile devices, according to a recent report.
"About 86 per cent of learners surveyed in India prefer to access learning on their mobile devices," according to a survey 'Learning and Development Trends in Asia Pacific' by cloud-based learning solutions provider Skillsoft. However, only 46 per cent of organisations surveyed in the country provide their employees with this option, it said.
The survey further said the other 54 per cent of respondents from organisations, which have deferred the implementation of mobile learning, cited network integrity and security as the prime barriers to adoption. "There is a noticeable shift across organisations in India towards the adoption of e-learning. The survey indicates that organisations are rapidly integrating learning programmes customised to individual development needs and also delivering it across platforms that include mobile devices and tablets," Skillsoft Country Manager, India, Vinay Pradhan said.
About 93 per cent of learners surveyed reported that learning directly impacted their work performance when customised to their individual needs, he said. The Skillsoft, survey includes data from more than 300 businesses and organisations across 20 industry sectors in Asia Pacific, with IT or technical services and education or training services representing 42 per cent of the sample.
It revealed that 67 per cent respondents in India saw growth in their organisational budget on learning over the last two years, whereas in the rest of the Asia Pacific region saw tightening of budgets on the same. About 75 per cent of companies in India spend around $ 800 per learner on learning and development, it said.
It also found that 74 per cent of respondents reported that skills gained from learning programmes had a direct positive impact on their work performance, while 81 felt they were able to effectively apply the skills gained from these. "The report has shown that both decision makers and learners are keen for more learning opportunities, and the e-learning market is set to grow," Skillsoft Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Glenn Nott said.
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Founded by Steve Moynihan in 1979, HMY Yachts has expanded into one of the largest, most diverse, yacht sales organizations in the country. We have the team and expertise that assures you the finest experience possible, whether purchasing or selling a yacht. HMY consistently delivers the results our customers have come to expect.
Okean Yachts, The Future Of Design
New Model Overview: Viking 46 Billfish
Preparing Your Boat Or Yacht For A Hurricane
2001 61' GWALTNEY CUSTOM CAROLINA "ABSOLUT PLEASURE" was the last boat by Steve Gwaltney and was finished by some of the best craftsman in North Carolina. The over-attention to detail throughout make this 61 GWALTNEY a very special boat.The initial construction included the addition of an extra layer of fiberglass to account for the additional speed. The forefoot was extended slightly to improve ride. There is a very high level fit and finish on the interior, including a "figured or curly" cherry wood hand picked from the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. The fairing on the exterior was contracted to 2 former Palmer Johnson employees with "Mega" yacht experience and it shows with her flawless lines. With her dependable 3412E Caterpillar's, numerous recent upgrades and excellent maintenance from her Captain of 9 years, makes her ready to compete this season for a new owner.
Absolut Pleasure
She features a comfortable 2 stateroom 2 head layout, plus 2 companionway berths with storage and a new custom rod locker to starboard. Both staterooms have large Island queen berths with and heads with stall showers. The salon / galley is exceptionally large with gracious head room, large L-shaped seating, dinette with inlaid table and a large galley. The boat's interior is built with hand picked "figured" cherry wood and expertly finished by Dave Midgett.
Entering the salon from the starboard offset cockpit door, one is taken by the beautiful "curly" cherry wood interior. Using hand picked solid stock, Dave Midgett beautifully crafted an interior not found on many Carolina style boats. And the use of high-end materials and craftsmanship continues with the "glove soft" blue leather used on the large L-shaped sofa, "Fabric" carpeting and solid surface countertops. The sofa is offset to port and has storage under with an end table closest to the salon door which houses the salon VHF and drawer storage. The starboard side is covered in raised panel figured cherry and conceals the entertainment center, tackle storage and the ships electrical panel. This cabinet is covered by solid surface material and stopped forward by the large dinette. Direct and indirect lighting illuminate the space. Indirect A/C venting provides the air conditioning. Soft padded panel cover the overhead which is 6'6" in most areas.
The large galley is forward to port and features a tremendous amount of storage, built-in appliances, solid surface counters and cherry and maple flooring. The upper cabinets feature s pull-out drawers and a microwave. The lower cabinets feature 4 pull-out drawers and a coffee maker. The sink built-in Corian sink has a designer faucet. Capable of preparing a full course meal or a sandwich while fishing, this is a complete galley.
Engine Room/ Mechanical
The engine room access is through a center door in the cockpit. As you step down you enter the pump room. The pump room is very well laid out housing all the mechanical systems. There is another door centerline leading to the engine room. The engine room is extremely roomy with full access to the Cats from all sides.
Get more info on this yacht!


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Domobar Super Rotary
For well balanced home espresso, full of flavour and aroma, together with thick velvety milk, the Domobar will give you a flat white as good as you will get anywhere in the world.
This authentic and stylish coffee machine is made in Italy.
Domobar espresso machines have a heat exchange to ensure a consistent 92 degrees coffee temperature and the most powerful steam pressure in its class.
Built to last and made to deliver a perfect cup every time.
Download Brochure


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Cheap flights from Montreal to Whitehorse
For cheap flights from Montreal to Whitehorse, WestJet has what you're looking for. We operate scheduled flights to more than 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe — including Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport — and we make it our mission to get you wherever you need to be. Our mission is to provide our guests with great experiences, which for many means safe and affordable travel. Book your next getaway with us today.
Low fare finder
Don't see what you're looking for? Find all of our great low fares in one place.
Get your ticket to the Wilderness City from WestJet
Airport Details: From YUL, Montréal To YXY, Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport
There's no question that Whitehorse is a top destination for any travellers seeking a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. But this cosmic spectacle isn't the city's only attraction: it's also a great springboard to high-octane outdoor pursuits like canoeing, skiing and dog mushing. In addition, a warm welcome awaits in the town itself — especially at the Shipyards Park, where locals come together to ice skate, enjoy festivals and shop at seasonal markets.
Arrange your cheap flight now and start planning an exciting trip to Yukon's alluring, gorgeous destination. We know Miles Canyon, Emerald Lake and S.S. Klondike are amongst the things you can't wait to see, which is why at WestJet, we're dedicated to getting you from Montreal to Whitehorse.


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A pain in my neck,
a strain -- a sprain?
A pain what pain may be,
but how it reminds me
of how I am not the East Village
(too fat; hair too combed;
getting too old?
looking too much
like I come from uptown)
and I am uptown,
but truth be told
(as truth is often not)
I am not of the city
but rather from a place where yellow light
and the smell of humid, heavy rain
are parts of speech for love undiscovered,
forcing a square illusion
into a round truth.
These days, I say,
return me to the beach:
where we used to drink beer
and take off our shirts,
a pale virginity burned
while we lost our sunglasses
in a gulf of want.
Return me, I demand,
to the fields of salt grass,
to the mornings when finding an egret
was winning the lottery,
to the sound of a river
gently passing away.
Return me to what I was:
a child?
a pain?
The strain.
Return me to simpler me,
I beg,
over the roar of honking cabs.
Yet I write this now --
on the D train uptown --
pain in my neck --
a strain -- a sprain?
And the woman next to me,
cautioning her granddaughter says,
"Be careful, sweetie"
as they step over the gap
and I marvel.
Copyright © 2015 John Grimmett. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on these pages are copyrighted by the author. All rights reserved. No part of these pages, either text or image may be used for any purpose other than personal use. Therefore, reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system or retransmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, for reasons other than personal use, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.


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International Virtual Observatory Alliance Technical Specifications
The technical specifications defined by the IVOA (International Virtual Observatory Alliance) enable interoperability between and the integration of astronomical archives across the world into an international virtual observatory. They include several data models that act as metadata schemas for particular data types: for example, photometry data, simulation data, space-time coordinates, spectral lines data, spectral data, observational data, and the physical parameter space of astronomical datasets.
These data models are under active development by the IVOA Data Modelling Working Group.
Additional recommendations have been made for metadata concepts and terms necessary for the discovery and the use of astronomical data collections and services.
|Related Vocabularies
|Standard's website
- Resource Metadata for the Virtual Observatory
Defines metadata terms and concepts necessary for discovery and use of astronomical data collections and services.
The extension is based on Dublin Core, but with astronomy-specific extensions. Resource Metadata are collected in resource "registries" that are populated and synchronized using the OAI-PMH (Protocol for Metadata Handling). Version 1.12, March 2007. Developed and maintained by IVOA Resource Registry Working Group and NVO Metadata Working Group
- GAVO DaCHS - Data Center Helper Suite
The software that underlies the German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (GAVO), packaged so that it can be used to set up other Virtual Observatory-compliant data centres.
- Saada
A tool for publishing astronomical data files as online databases suitable for integration into the international Virtual Observatory.
Use Cases
- Aus-VO - Australian Virtual Observatory
An initiative to provide a distributed, uniform interface to the data archives of Australia's major astronomical observatories, and to archives of astrophysical simulations, as part of the international Virtual Observatory.
- Euro-VO - European Virtual Observatory
A project to integrate and enable data analysis techniques over the astronomical archives of Europe, as part of the international Virtual Observatory.
- US Virtual Astronomical Observatory
An initiative to integrate astronomical archives and provide associated research capabilities in the United States as part of the international Virtual Observatory.
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Metafile's MetaViewer document-capture and Web-based workflow application reduced the overall invoice-processing timeline at Perishable Distributors of Iowa Ltd (PDI) from one week to one day and bolstered accountability among PDI staff. MetaViewer reduced PDI's costs by more than 40% by generating an immediate $60,000 return on investment (ROI) after its implementation and generating nearly $80,000 per year just one year later, thanks to increased purchase orders processed without the need for additional staff.
PDI, a wholly owned subsidiary of HyVee Inc, is one of the nation's largest food distribution companies. It supplies more than 4,500 perishable food products—including fresh chicken, beef, and pork; seafood; boxed frozen foods; and bakery, dairy, and deli products—to grocery customers in eight Midwest states. The firm has approximately 500 employees, including office staff and transportation and warehouse personnel.
Each of its suppliers created an array of paper documents and invoices that PDI would have to approve, pay, ship, and process several times a day. Combined with grocery customers that each had their own supporting documentation, the firm was challenged in its ability to manage the volume of paper required to conduct business. PDI processes more than 3,500 invoices per month and experiences an appreciable increase during the holidays.
Moreover, the sheer volume of paper that changed hands also created workflow challenges. As paper was filed, refiled, faxed, e-mailed, transcribed, or otherwise acted upon, PDI had difficulty in not only tracking the progression of any particular invoice as it was processed, but also establishing accountability for that invoice among staff involved in the invoice-processing chain. An analysis revealed each document was "touched" between 34 and 42 times as it was processed.
The large quantity and flow of invoices to, from, and through PDI presented not only logistical and organizational challenges, but also financial challenges. Invoices that were not paid, processed, or otherwise acted upon in a timely manner sometimes caused the firm to miss out on early-payment incentives. This sometimes resulted in costly late-payment charges that further frustrated PDI staff and created the potential for soured vendor relationships.
"I was apprehensive at the beginning of this project," said Linda Sharp, PDI's executive vice-president and secretary. "I had heard stories of companies whose staff spent more time scanning documents than they had planned, and did not see the anticipated return on investment. Metafile's programming and implementation staff provided a workflow solution that exceeded my expectations."
Recognizing the need for an end-to-end invoice-processing and workflow system to streamline inflow and outflow of invoices and realize operational and cost savings, PDI researched nearly a dozen accounts payable (A/P) document management system providers. It used a cross-functional team that included treasury, purchasing, inventory control, transportation, and accounts-payable professionals.
Top priorities among the decisionmakers were electronic capture of information and integration with PDI's homegrown enterprise resource planning (ERP) system running on IBM's iSeries/AS400 server platform. At the end of a search among system-provider candidates, the firm selected Metafile's MetaViewer system for its experience in addressing these needs and more.
Gary Churchill, PDI's assistant vice-president of information technology, indicated Metafile offered in-depth knowledge of the end-to-end accounts payable process and an innovative approach to "e-payables" technology—using technology to capture, extract, and route digital invoices electronically.
"Among the solution providers we evaluated, Metafile truly understood our desire to electronically exchange and manipulate all data—from the invoices themselves to the documents supporting them—at each phase of PDI's invoice-processing chain," said Churchill. "While other providers were talking about scanning paper documents, Metafile was talking about eliminating the need for paper altogether, and adapting our workflow to establish staff accountability and extract maximum savings and ROI from our automation investment. That's something other providers were unable to do."
MetaViewer offers automated indexing and text extraction from any invoice, links to or attachments of supporting documents, workflow steps, customized action-oriented e-mails, and customer notification tools. This all streamlined the A/P process and created opportunities for efficiency and enhanced ROI.
PDI's accounts-payable manager uses MetaViewer's Document and Workflow Monitor to create a real-time dashboard view of the flow of each invoice within the A/P department that includes customized alerts and gauges to identify and rectify missed deadlines, stalled invoices, and other process breakdowns.
"The visibility and accountability that the MetaViewer solution affords is invaluable," said Donna Stoelk, PDI's accounting supervisor. "Not only does each member of my team understand his or her role in the accounts payable process, but I'm also afforded the opportunity to understand and quickly address breakdowns in the process with a single click, boosting my team's productivity and adding tangible value to PDI's bottom line."
MetaViewer embodied the firm's main motivation for streamlining its A/P function: to optimize A/P workflow to ensure tasks and responsibilities were clearly defined and evenly distributed among the team. The result: employees spend less time on process and more time adding value to business and performing revenue-boosting activities such as negotiating purchases, verifying actual inventory, and validating invoices in more detail.
In addition, PDI realized ROI less than one year after its implementation of MetaViewer. The company estimates its annual processing costs decreased by more than 40% per year following MetaViewer's implementation, and that the time required to process the average invoice has dropped from one week to one day.
Churchill also attributes early achievement of ROI to Metafile's commitment to doing whatever it takes to ensure the company's continued satisfaction."Metafile affords PDI a direct connection to its technical teams, who routinely go out of their way to make sure our solutions are running optimally—and continually scale as our business grows," he said. "It's that constant attention to our satisfaction that's cleared the path to accelerated ROI, helping us control costs and create conditions that are favorable to revenue growth."


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Duke football has 4 wins, 7 games to go. Here's a breakdown of the rest of its season.
Duke wide receiver Jonathan Lloyd: 'We didn't play up to our standards' in loss to Virginia Tech
For the second year in a row Duke has started the season with four straight wins, and again is well-positioned to play in a bowl game.
With seven games left in the season, the Blue Devils need to win two of those to assure themselves of a bowl trip.
In 2017, though, Duke started the season 4-0 before going on a six-game losing streak and scrambling to find those last two wins. The Blue Devils did it, beating Georgia Tech and Wake Forest in the final two games of the regular season. Duke toppled Northern Illinois, 36-14, in Detroit's Quick Lane Bowl to finish 7-6.
After losing 31-14 to Virginia Tech (3-2, 2-0 ACC) on Sept. 29, this season's Blue Devils (4-1, 0-1), however, remain confident they won't lose six straight.
"We've just got to play for four quarters," Duke all-ACC redshirt junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris said. "Instead of just one, two or three like we did last year. We've got to play four quarters and you're going to win games. When you don't play for four quarters in ACC games, you lose. That's what happened (against Virginia Tech), that's what happened last year six times in a row. We won't lose six in a row."
The Blue Devils probably saw their Coastal Division title hopes disappear with the Virginia Tech loss. But a sixth bowl appearance in the past seven seasons, and the program's fourth winning season in the past five years, are both attainable.
Here's a breakdown of the seven teams Duke will play over the next seven Saturdays, along with a look at the Blue Devils' chances of success.
Saturday, at Georgia Tech
Record: 3-3, 1-2 in ACC
So far: The Yellow Jackets had an unimpressive first month of the season, including a three-game losing streak, before posting an emphatic 66-31 win at Louisville this past Friday night. The Cardinals defense was ill-prepared to handle Georgia Tech's triple-option, but that won't be a problem for Duke. Georgia Tech's problems this season start with fumbling. The Yellow Jackets have fumbled 16 times, losing five. Georgia Tech is getting impressive play from freshmen blocking back Jordan Mason (7.64 yards per carry) and quarterback Tobias Oliver (7.80 yards per carry) in addition to senior quarterback Ta'Quon Marshall (nine touchdowns).
Duke success meter: Duke's had an extra week to prep for the triple-option. The Blue Devils should benefit with a win.
Oct. 20, Virginia
Record: 3-2, 1-1 in ACC
So far: Virginia's wins over Richmond and Ohio were expected. A 20-16 loss at Indiana wasn't. Given how Louisville and N.C. State are playing this season, the split the Cavaliers earned in those two ACC games played out how it should have. Virginia has a dangerous quarterback in junior Bryce Perkins. Defensively, the only quality offense Virginia has faced is N.C. State - and the Wolfpack rolled to a 35-21 win.
Duke success meter: The Blue Devils have lost their last three games to Virginia, something they shouldn't have allowed to happen. Duke looks like the better team this season and should, emphasis on should, win this one at home.
Oct. 27, at Pittsburgh
Record: 3-3, 2-1 in ACC
So far: The Panthers suffered lopsided losses to a pair of top-25 teams, Penn State and Central Florida. A 24-19 win over Georgia Tech showed promise but a 38-35 loss at North Carolina a week later washed away those good feelings. The Panthers have struggled to stop the run or the pass consistently. That remained true in this past Saturday's 44-37 overtime win over Syracuse. Pitt sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett, although adequate against Syracuse, is turnover-prone and inaccurate on deep passes.
Duke success meter: Since Pitt entered the ACC for the 2013 season, Duke is 1-3 against the Panthers. That's not good. Duke can't afford this trend to continue because it's November schedule is a bear. The Blue Devils figure to get the Panthers this season.
Nov. 3, at Miami
Record: 5-1, 2-0 in ACC
So far: The clear Coastal Division favorite, Miami lost 33-17 to LSU in the season-opening game but has reeled off five consecutive wins since then. Saturday's 28-27 win over a mediocre Florida State team was a near-disaster but the Hurricanes rallied from a 27-7 deficit. Redshirt freshman N'Kosi Perry has taken over at quarterback. He threw for four touchdowns, but only completed 13 of 32 passes against Florida State. Miami is winning because its defense thrives on turnovers. The Hurricanes already have eight interceptions and six fumble recoveries.
Duke success meter: Duke has just one win over Miami since the Hurricanes entered the ACC in 2004. Miami consistently has better talent and, even though Duke is better, that remains the case. Can't see the Blue Devils winning on the road in this one.
Nov. 10, North Carolina
Record: 1-3, 1-1 in ACC
So far: UNC has looked like a team coming off a 3-9 season that had personnel issues due to suspensions. The Tar Heels are not very good. A decent running game and a capable receiver in Anthony Ratliff-Williams aren't enough to overcome how poorly quarterbacks Nathan Elliott and Chazz Surratt have played. The defense has allowed an ACC-worst 36.8 points per game. It would be an accomplishment for the Tar Heels to win four games this season to show some semblance of progress.
Duke success meter: It's a rivalry so, yes, the records won't mean much. Still, Duke is far and away the better of the two blue teams in the Triangle. Blue Devils should win by a touchdown, at least.
Nov. 17, at Clemson
Record: 6-0, 3-0 in ACC
So far: The Tigers are clearly the best team in the ACC. Their defense is loaded with future NFL players. Travis Etienne is a tough runner with speed at running back. Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a big talent, so Clemson will be fine without Kelly Bryant. The Tigers may not be a national championship contender, but it's the best the ACC has to offer this season.
Duke success meter: This is the most-talented team David Cutcliffe has fielded since he came to Duke in 2008. Clemson is still two touchdowns better than the Blue Devils.
Nov. 24, Wake Forest
Record: 3-3, 0-2 in ACC
So far: The way things are going, thanks to Wake Forest's porous defense, the Demon Deacons will need a win over Duke to qualify for a bowl game. Wake Forest has allowed 36.8 points per game this season, tied with UNC for last in the ACC, and an ACC-worst 500.7 yards per game. Freshman quarterback Sam Hartman is doing his best to keep Wake Forest competitive. He has 10 touchdown passes in six games. Junior running back Cade Carney is someone Duke will have to worry about as well.
Duke success meter: This game is a toss-up every season and this will be no different. The two programs are very similar in talent. Duke looks a bit better but the Deacons are capable of winning in Durham. Duke will win if it doesn't turn the ball over, though, because its offense will score and score and score against Wake Forest.


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RAPTURE PRO Hiroshi Minnow 130mm Floating
The innovative shape of the Rapture Pro Hiroshi Minnow accurately reproduces the most common salt water fish baits while the striking holographic colours provide the best visual stimulation possible. The swimming action is simply unbelievable and deadly for the most wanted salt water predator. Can be used both for trolling or casting.
New product
By buying this product you can collect up to 1 loyalty point. Your cart will total 1 loyalty point that can be converted into a voucher of 0,10 €.
Brutal al curricán!
El otro día inesperadamente hice un doblete de dentones al curri con este señuelo. 3 y 5kg


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Ever completed a really hard run or training session and wake up the next day all stiff and sore? There are a few reasons as to why you might feel like this and one possibility is inflammation. Inflammation is a natural response in the body that is designed to help repair tissues after exposure to exercise e.g running. However, there are times when inflammation can become chronic. Usually this correlates with pain in a particular body region or joint, difficulty and reluctance to use the associated part, an altered biomechanical pattern and if really bad, periods of forced cross training and rest.
When working with runners and athletes we are exposed to cases of both acute and chronic inflammation. At times we hear our athletes have tried using a form of "anti-inflammatory" medication. However, what if you could be adding certain elements to your diet that act as a natural modulator of the inflammatory process as well as boosting the flavour of your meal?
The answer is herbs and spices! For some time it has been said that some spices act in the same way as the pharmaceutical agents. However, when coming to choosing the right ones we at the stride thought we should kindly share a few that present on our "to eat more of" list:
- cloves
- ginger
- rosemary
- turmeric
- marjoram
The only thing that now remains is how to incorporate these spices into your day to day meals. Do keep in mind that although you may increase your uptake of these herbs and spices, it is important to remember that certain foods such as refined sugars are pro-inflammatory in nature and potentially reduce the degree of mediation. Furthermore, these recommendations are also to be consumed in moderation and should not substitute any prescribed medication issued by your treating physician.
Stride on!
Pic source = wikimedia.org


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Imagine this: an intense work out in a penthouse overlooking the beautiful city of Los Angeles. It's real and Speedplay made it happen! A couple of weeks ago, I finally had a chance to attend a Ladies First Event ft. Nike Women at SpeedPlay. I was much anticipating the event because I've been so eager to try Speedplay!
THE WORK OUT - As always, I love to connect with the girls at these events, but I ALWAYS focus on getting a good work out and really learning the style that Speedplay LA designed.
Speedplay is a brand new high-intensity interval training consisting of run, row, suspend & lift. It's typically 60 minutes for each class. I personally loved it because it's burning a lot of calories without having to do something redundant such a running (but if that's your thing, you go ahead witcho bad self). Find more about the program here
Overall, I LOVED the work out and vibes at this event. The venue was absolutely beautiful with the modern and simplistic decor; it definitely resonated well with Modern Fit's taste. The work out was really intense from what I'm used to, but so worth it to come back. Speedplay definitely pushed my limits!
For more information on the next Ladies First Event, click here
Special shout out to Ladies First Events, Nike Women, DimePiece, Kai for all the goodies!!


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Help with One Night Only
On October 27th I am hosting an event called One Night Only to challenge people to take a step of faith and trust their lives to Jesus. I need your help with the intro video. We are looking for 30-60 second videos from people about what exactly can happen in one night. So grab your phone and record a video about something that has happened to you in one night. It can be something amazing or something not-so amazing. Send those videos to email@example.com! Thanks!Posted by T.J. Mousetis on Monday, September 21, 2015
Send 30-60 second videos to [email protected]


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We offer studies focused on management of environmental and climatic change at the local and regional scale and we evaluate adaptive strategies. We explore options for adaptation processes in water use and instruments for sustainable management of this scarce resource.
Subscribe to our Newsletter to get the lastest CREAF news.
© 2016 CREAF | Legal notice


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RSAA Colloquia / Seminars / Feast-of-Facts: Monday, 13 February 2017, 11:00-12:00; Duffield Lecture Theatre
Tyrone Woods
"Type Ia Supernova Archaeology: Searching for the relics of progenitors past"
|Despite the critical role that Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) play in the chemical enrichment of the Universe and their great importance in measuring cosmological distances, we still don't know for certain how they arise. Most models can be broadly grouped into either "accretion" or "merger" scenarios, with the former typically implying a hot, luminous phase (0.1 -- 1 million K, 10^38 erg/s) at some point prior to explosion. Past efforts to directly detect the progenitors of very recent, nearby SNe Ia in archival soft X-ray images have produced only upper limits, and are only constraining assuming progenitors with very high temperatures immediately preceding the explosion. In this talk, I will outline our new approach: given that such objects should be strong sources of ionizing radiation, one may instead search the environment surrounding nearby SN Ia remnants for interstellar matter ionized by the progenitor. Such ''relic'' nebulae should extend out to tens of parsecs and linger for roughly the recombination timescale in the ISM, of order 10,000 -- 100,000 years. With this in mind, I will introduce our new narrow-band survey for relic nebulae surrounding young Magellanic SN Ia remnants and accreting white dwarfs, already underway using the Magellan Baade telescope (PI: Alejandro Clocchiatti). In a similar manner, we have also placed deep upper limits on the temperatures and luminosities of the progenitors of Tycho (SN 1572) and other Galactic SNe Ia from the study of their Balmer-dominated shocks. In addition to opening a new era of ''SN Ia archaeology'', I will also discuss how these results can put new constraints on binary population synthesis models.


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Yesterday, I had the honor of photographing Mark and Lisolette, in Hoosick, NY... We spent the majority of the day at Mark's grandparents farm. Talk about an AMAZING location. There were rusty old trucks, barns, tall grass, dogs, fake mustaches, a picnic blanket, you name it!
But, even better than the location (or the fact the rain held off) was seeing relationship between Mark and Lisolette. These started dating in middle school when mark secretly slipped a note into Lisolette's backpack asking her to the 8th grade formal... and there love has continued to blossom ever since.
Mark and Lisolette your love is rare and beautiful!


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Ciaran Whelan Talks to one of the all time greats Kieran Whelan
There have been some legendary figure throughout the year who've pulled on the blue of Dublin, but none quite like the living legend Kieran Duff.
In the latest episode of the Dublin GAA Podcast "Whelan In The Years", Ciaran Whelan talks candidly to one of Dublin's all time top scorers about his career, spanning thirteen years.
The Fingallians man explains how much the game has changed so much over the years, the change in physicality, the style, the pace. Kieran talks about the great Kevin Heffernan and what he brought to Dublin GAA.
A late starter to Gaelic Football, Kieran was a soccer player until he moved from Primary School to Swords Vocational School in 1974 where he started on their under 14 team, Dublin won the All Ireland and Duff was in love, and joined Fingallians.
In his illustrious career, Kieran scored 22 Goals and 227 points in the Dublin Jersey over 79 League Games and 39 Championship games and is the eight top Dublin scorer of all time, among some legendary names.
Listen below to a wonderful interview with an amazing servant to the county, and the highs and lows Kieran experienced in his life as a Dublin footballer.
(source: Dublin GAA via SoundCloud)


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Tisha Take Pizza Crust
Hello everyone. One of my favorite people in the world is @tishrich. She is a wonderful culinary arts teacher in Oregon. I asked her a while back for a pizza crust recipe as I love to bake pizza, Oh man did she deliver a good one. Give this pizza a try and I am sure you are going to love the results. Ingrediants:
1 T yeast 1 cup warm water 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1 Tablespoon olive oil 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
Preheat oven to 425 F.
1 Place the 1 cup warm water and 1 Tbsp yeast in a large bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes.
2. Add the salt, sugar, and olive oil
3. Stir in 1 1/2 cups flour.
4. Add enough remaining flour (1 1/2 to 2 cups) to make a dough that is not sticky.
5. Place the dough on a lightly floured cutting board and knead until smooth.
6. Roll out or press onto well piled pizza pan
7. Top with sauce, toppings, and cheese.
8. Bake until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese is bubbly.... Then ENJOY!!!


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Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, plans to integrate the social networks messaging services WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger asserting his control over the companys sprawling divisions at a time when its business has been battered by scandals.
The move, described by four people involved in the effort, requires thousands of Facebook employees to reconfigure how WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger function at their most basic levels. While all three services will continue operating as stand-alone apps, their underlying messaging infrastructure will be unified, the people said. Facebook is still in the early stages of the work and plans to complete it by the end of this year or in early 2020, they said.
Mr. Zuckerberg has also ordered all of the apps to incorporate end-to-end encryption, the people said, a significant step that protects messages from being viewed by anyone except the participants in the conversation. After the changes take effect, a Facebook user could send an encrypted message to someone who has only a WhatsApp account, for example. Currently, that isnt possible because the apps are separate.
By stitching the apps infrastructure together, Mr. Zuckerberg wants to increase the utility of the social network, keeping its billions of users highly engaged inside its ecosystem. If people turn more regularly to Facebook-owned properties for texting, they may forgo rival messaging services, such as those from Apple and Google, said the people, who declined to be identified because the moves are confidential. If users interact more frequently with Facebooks apps, the company may also be able to build up its advertising business or add new services to make money, they said.
New York Times
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Artist's description:
This painting is part of series Glazing
Large abstract painting ready to hang.
80x80x4 cm / 31,50x31,50x1,7 inch
I only use fine colors for artists Rembrandt, Maimeri, Liquitex.
High quality Italian canvas, stretched on a solid wooden frame .
The picture frame is not necessary, the edges of the canvas are painted and a varnish top coat is applied to protect from pollutants and offer UV filtering to insure the longevity of your investment.
The Authenticity Certificate is included.
Packed in flat cardboard box with adequate internal and external protection.
Shipments with professional courier, tracking number.
~Europe customers: shipping takes 3 working days
~International customers: the documentation for export is issued by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage requires one week, then shipping 10 working days.
The images in context might not reliably display artwork´s dimensions and serve for illustration purposes only.
For any question contact me, (multiple purchases, measures, etc.)
© Roberta Cervelli All Rights Reserved
Materials used:
Acrylic colors,high quality Italian canvas, varnish protection
Mental flow (2017)
Acrylic painting by Roberta Cervelli
- Acrylic painting on Canvas
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.57 in (unframed) / 31.5 x 31.5 in (actual image size)
- Ready to hang
- Signed on the back
- Style: Abstract
- Subject: Abstract and non-figurative
This artwork is sold by Roberta Cervelli from Italy


text: #TBT - No Natural Talent - Urban Art Festival Posted by Haul Apparel · May 22, 2017 #TBT to the No Natural Talent - Urban Art Festival. Street-Artist and #hauligan Deadline doing what she does best! This masterpiece is still there guys so if you ever find yourself in PLaY Arena Bangalore, check it out! 0 comments


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NSTask Tutorial for OS X
In this OS X NSTask tutorial, learn how to execute another program on your machine as a subprocess and monitor its execution state while your main program continues to run.
- Other, Other, Other
Your Mac has a fully-fledged version of UNIX as its operating system, which means it has a massive amount of pre-installed command line utilities and scripting languages. Swift, Perl, Python, Bash, Ruby, plus anything you can install. Wouldn't it be nice to use to that power to create awesome apps?
NSTask allows you to execute another program on your machine as a subprocess and monitor its execution state while your main program continues to run. For example, you could run the
ls command to display a directory listing — from right inside your app!
A good analogy for
NSTask is a parent-child relationship. A parent can create a child and tell it to do certain things, and (theoretically) the child must obey.
NSTask behaves in a similar fashion; you start a "child" program, give it instructions and tell it where to report any output or errors. Better yet — it's way more obedient than your average toddler :]
A great use for
NSTask is to provide a front-end GUI to command line programs. Command line programs are powerful, but they require you to remember exactly where they live on your machine, how to call them and what options or arguments you can provide to the program. Adding a GUI on the front end can provide the user with a great deal of control — without having to be a command line guru!
This tutorial includes an
NSTask example that shows you how to execute a simple command program with arguments and display its standard output as it runs in a text field. By the end, you'll be ready to use NSTasks in your own apps!
Note: This tutorial assumes you have some basic familiarity with Mac OS X development and the Terminal. If you are completely new to programming for the Mac, check out our beginning Mac OS X development tutorial series.
Getting Started
To keep the focus squarely on NSTask, I've created a starter project for you that contains a basic user interface. Download the project, open it in Xcode, and build and run.
The starter app has one window, as shown:
This window has the title "TasksProject". It has a simple GUI that will, by invoking a shell script, let you build an iOS project, create an
ipa and observe what is happening.
Creating Your First NSTask
NSTask example will be to build and package an iOS app into an
ipa file by using
NSTask to run some command line tools in the background. Most of the basic UI functionality is in place — your job is do the heavy lifting with
Note: It's recommended that you have an iOS Developer account with Apple, as you'll need the proper certificates and provisioning profile to create an
ipa file that can be installed on one of your devices. Don't worry if you don't, though, as you'll be able to follow the entire tutorial even without an account.
You are now going to work on the embedded View Controller titled "Tasks View Controller". The first section in the window asks the user to select an Xcode project directory. To save time, rather than having to select a directory manually every time you run this app while testing, you'll hard-code it to one of your own Xcode project directories.
To do this, head back to Xcode and open TasksViewController.swift. Take a look at the properties and methods under the comment "Window Outlets":
//View Controller Outlets
@IBOutlet var outputText:NSTextView!
@IBOutlet var spinner:NSProgressIndicator!
@IBOutlet var projectPath:NSPathControl!
@IBOutlet var repoPath:NSPathControl!
@IBOutlet var buildButton:NSButton!
@IBOutlet var targetName:NSTextField!
All of these properties correspond to the Tasks View Controller Scene in Main.storyboard. Notice the
projectPath property — this is the one you want to change.
Open Main.storyboard and click on the Project Location item. You'll find it 4 levels deep in the object hierarchy; it's a child of the Stack View. In the
Attributes Inspector, under Path Control, find the Path element:
Set Path to a directory on your machine that contains an iOS project. Make sure you use the parent directory of a project, not the
.xcodeproj file itself.
Note: If you don't have any iOS projects on your machine, download a simple project here and unzip it to a location on your machine. Then set the
Path property in your application using the instructions above. For example, if you unzip the package on your desktop, you would set
Path to
Now that you have a default source project path in your app to facilitate testing, you will also need a default destination path. Open Main.storyboard and click on the Build Repository item.
In the Attributes Inspector, find Path item under Path Control:
Set the Path entry to a directory on your machine that's easy to find, like the Desktop. This is where the
.ipa file created by this application will be placed.
There are two additional fields in the
Tasks View Controller Scene you need to know about: the Target Name and an associated text field.
Target Name is designated for the name of the iOS
Targetyou want to build.
- The text area below Target Name will display output from the
NSTaskobject in your project as it runs.
Don't know the target name of your iOS project? To find it, select your project in Xcode's project navigator and look under TARGETS in the Info tab. The screenshot below shows where to find this for a sample project called "SuperDuperApp":
Remember the target name — you'll be entering it into the running app later on.
Let's start fleshing out the bits of code that will run when the "Build" button is pressed.
Preparing the Spinner
Open TasksViewController.swift and add the following code to
outputText.string = ""
if let projectURL = projectPath.url, let repositoryURL = repoPath.url {
let projectLocation = projectURL.path
let finalLocation = repositoryURL.path
let projectName = projectURL.lastPathComponent
let xcodeProjectFile = projectLocation + "/\(projectName).xcodeproj"
let buildLocation = projectLocation + "/build"
var arguments:[String] = []
buildButton.isEnabled = false
Here's a step-by-step explanation of the code above:
outputTextis the large text box in the window; it will contain all the output from the script that you will be running. If you run the script multiple times, you'll want to clear it out between each run, so this first line sets the
stringproperty (contents of the text box) to an empty string.
- The
repositoryURLobjects are
NSURLobjects, and this gets the string representations of these objects in order to pass them as arguments to your
- By convention, the name of the folder and the name of the project file are the same. Getting the
lastPathComponentproperty of the project folder contained in
projectURLand adding an ".xcodeproj" extension gets the path to the project file.
- Defines the subdirectory where your task will store intermediate build files while it's creating the
ipafile as
- Stores the arguments in an array. This array will be passed to
NSTaskto be used when launching the command line tools to build your
- Disables the "Build" button and starts a spinner animation.
Why disable the "Build" button? The
NSTask will run each time the button is pressed, and as the app will be busy for an amount of time while the
NSTask does its work, the user could impatiently press it many times — each time spawning a new build process. This action prevents the user from creating button click events while the app is busy.
Build and run your application, then hit the Build button. You should see the "Build" button disable and the spinner animation start:
Your app looks pretty busy, but you know right now it's not really doing anything. Time to add some
NSTask magic.
Adding an NSTask to TasksProject
Open TasksViewController.swift and add the following method:
func runScript(_ arguments:[String]) {
isRunning = true
let taskQueue = DispatchQueue.global(qos: DispatchQoS.QoSClass.background)
taskQueue.async {
Thread.sleep(forTimeInterval: 2.0)
DispatchQueue.main.async(execute: {
self.buildButton.isEnabled = true
self.isRunning = false
If you look at the method step-by-step, you'll see that the code does the following:
- Sets
true. This enables the
Stopbutton, since it's bound to the
isRunningproperty via Cocoa Bindings. You want this to happen on the main thread.
- Creates a
DispatchQueueto run the heavy lifting on a background thread.
- Uses
asyncon the
DispatchQueueThe application will continue to process things like button clicks on the main thread, but the
NSTaskwill run on the background thread until it is complete.
- This is a temporary line of code that causes the current thread to sleep for 2 seconds, simulating a long-running task.
- Once the job has finished, re-enables the
Buildbutton, stops the spinner animation, and sets
falsewhich disables the "Stop" button. This needs to be done in the main thread, as you are manipulating UI elements.
Now that you have a method that will run your task in a separate thread, you need to call it from somewhere in your app.
Still in TasksViewController.swift, add the following code to the end of
startTask just after
This calls
runScript with the array of arguments you built in
Build and run your application and hit the Build button. You'll notice that the Build button will become disabled, the
Stop button will become enabled and the spinner will start animating:
While the spinner is animating, you'll still be able to interact with the application. Try it yourself — for example, you should be able to type in the Target Name field while the spinner is active.
After two seconds have elapsed, the spinner will disappear, Stop will become disabled and Build will become enabled.
Note: If you have trouble interacting with the application before it's done sleeping, increase the number of seconds in your call to
Now that you've solved the UI responsiveness issues, you can finally implement your call to NSTask.
Note: Swift calls the
NSTask class by the name
Process because of the Foundation framework stripping of the NS prefix in Swift 3. However you'll read NSTask in this tutorial as thats going to be the most useful search term if you want to learn more.
In TasksViewController.swift, find the lines in
runScript that are bracketed by the comment
//TESTING CODE. Replace that entire section of code inside the
taskQueue.async block with the following:
guard let path = Bundle.main.path(forResource: "BuildScript",ofType:"command") else {
print("Unable to locate BuildScript.command")
self.buildTask = Process()
self.buildTask.launchPath = path
self.buildTask.arguments = arguments
self.buildTask.terminationHandler = {
task in
DispatchQueue.main.async(execute: {
self.buildButton.isEnabled = true
self.isRunning = false
//TODO - Output Handling
The above code:
- Gets the path to a script named
BuildScript.command, included in your application's bundle. That script doesn't exist right now — you'll be adding it shortly.
- Creates a new
Processobject and assigns it to the
buildTaskproperty. The
launchPathproperty is the path to the executable you want to run. Assigns the
pathto the
launchPath, then assigns the arguments that were passed to
Processwill pass the arguments to the executable, as though you had typed them into terminal.
Processhas a
terminationHandlerproperty that contains a block which is executed when the task is finished. This updates the UI to reflect that finished status as you did before.
- In order to run the task and execute the script, calls
launchon the
Processobject. There are also methods to terminate, interrupt, suspend or resume an
- Calls
waitUntilExit, which tells the
Processobject to block any further activity on the current thread until the task is complete. Remember, this code is running on a background thread. Your UI, which is running on the main thread, will still respond to user input.
Build and run your project; you won't notice that anything looks different, but hit the Build button and check the output console. You should see an error like the following:
Unable to locate BuildScript.command
This is the log from the guard statement at the start of the code you just added. Since you haven't added the script yet, the
guard is triggered.
Looks like it's time to write that script! :]
Writing a Build Shell Script
In Xcode, choose File\New\File… and select the Other category under OS X. Choose Shell Script and hit Next:
Name the file BuildScript.command. Before you hit Create, be sure TasksProject is selected under Targets, as shown below:
Open BuildScript.command and add the following commands at the end of the file:
echo "*********************************"
echo "Build Started"
echo "*********************************"
echo "*********************************"
echo "Beginning Build Process"
echo "*********************************"
xcodebuild -project "${1}" -target "${2}" -sdk iphoneos -verbose CONFIGURATION_BUILD_DIR="${3}"
echo "*********************************"
echo "Creating IPA"
echo "*********************************"
/usr/bin/xcrun -verbose -sdk iphoneos PackageApplication -v "${3}/${4}.app" -o "${5}/app.ipa"
This is the entire build script that your
NSTask calls.
echo commands that you see throughout your script will send whatever text is passed to them to standard output, which you capture as part of the return values from your
NSTask object and display in your
outputText field.
echo statments are handy statements to let you know what your script is doing, since many commands don't provide much, if any, output when run from the command line.
You'll notice that besides all of the
echo commands, there are two other commands:
xcodebuild, and
xcodebuild builds your application, creates an
.app file, and places it in the subdirectory /build. Recall that you created an argument that references this directory way back in
startTask, since you needed a place for the intermediate build files to live during the build and packaging process.
xcrun runs the developer tools from the command line. Here you use it to call
PackageApplication, which packages the
.app file into an
.ipa file. By setting the
verbose flag, you'll get a lot of details in the standard output, which you'll be able to view in your
outputText field.
In both the
xcodebuild and
xcrun commands, you'll notice that all of the arguments are written
"${1}" instead of
$1. This is because the paths to your projects may contain spaces. To handle that condition, you must wrap your file paths in quotes in order to get the right location. By putting the paths in quotes and curly braces, the script will properly parse the full path, spaces and all.
What about the other parts of the script, the parts that Xcode automatically added for you? What do they mean?
The first line of the script looks like this:
Although it looks like a comment since it's prefixed with
#, this line tells the operating system to use a specific shell when executing the remainder of the script. It's called a shebang. The shell is the interpreter that runs your commands, either in script files or from a command line interface.
There are many different shells available, but most of them adhere to some variation of either Bourne shell syntax or C shell syntax. Your script indicates that it should use sh, which is one of the shells included with OS X.
If you wanted to specify another shell to execute your script, like
bash, you would change the first line to contain the full path to the appropriate shell executable, like so:
In scripts, any argument you pass in is accessed by a
$ and a number.
$0 represents the name of the program you called, with all arguments after that referenced by
$2 and so forth.
Note: Shell scripts have been around for about as long as computers, so you'll find more information than you'll ever want to know about them on the Internet. For a simple (and relevant) place to start, check out Apple's Shell Scripting Primer.
Now you're ready to start calling your script from
NSTask, right?
Not quite. At this point, your script file doesn't have execute permissions. That is, you can read and write the file, but you can't execute it.
This means if you build and run right now, your app will crash when you hit the Build button. Try it if you like. It's not a big deal while developing, and you should see the exception "launch path not accessible" in your Xcode console.
To make it executable, navigate to your project directory in Terminal. Terminal defaults to your Home directory, so if your project is in your
Documents directory, you would type the command:
cd Documents/TasksProject
If your project is in another directory besides "Documents/TasksProject", you'll need to enter the correct path to your project folder. To do this quickly, click and drag your project folder from the Finder into Terminal. The path to your project will magically appear in the Terminal window! Now simply move your cursor to the front of that path, type
cd followed by a space, and hit enter.
To make sure you're in the right place, type the following command into Terminal:
Check that
BuildScript.command in the file listing produced. If you're not in the right place, check that you've correctly entered your project directory in Terminal.
Once you're assured that you're in the correct directory, type the following command into Terminal:
chmod +x BuildScript.command
chmod command changes the permissions of the script to allow it to be executed by your
NSTask object. If you try to run your application without these permissions in place, you'd see the same "Launch path not accessible" error as before. You only need to do this once for each new script that you add to your project.
Note: Using scripts like this is simple if you are developing for yourself or shipping your app outside the Mac App Store (MAS), however when developing for the MAS the sandbox rules that apply to your app are inherited by your scripts and you'll need to use more complex techniques to use command line programs. These techniques are beyond the scope of this tutorial. See the links at the end for more details.
Clean and run your project; the "clean" is necessary as Xcode won't pick up on the file's permissions change, and therefore won't copy it into the build repository. Once the application opens up, type in the target name of your test app, ensure the "Project Location" and "Build Repository" values are set correctly, and finally hit Build.
When the spinner disappears, you should have a new
.ipa file in your desired location. Success!
Using Outputs
Okay, you're pretty well versed in passing arguments to command line programs, but what about dealing with the output of these command line programs?
To see this in action, type the following command into Terminal and hit Enter:
You should see a message produced that looks something like this:
Fri 19 Feb 2016 17:48:15 GMT
date tells you the current date and time. Although it isn't immediately obvious, the results were sent back to you on a channel called standard output.
Processes generally have three default channels for input and output:
- standard input, which accepts input from the caller;
- standard output, which sends output from the process back to the caller; and
- standard error, which sends errors from the process back to the caller.
Pro tip: you'll see these commonly abbreviated as stdin, stdout, and stderr.
There is also a
pipe that allows you to redirect the output of one process into the input of another process. You'll be creating a pipe to let your application see the standard output from the process that
NSTask runs.
To see a pipe in action, ensure the volume is turned up on your computer, then type the following command in Terminal:
date | say
Hit enter and you should hear your computer telling you what time it is.
Note: The pipe character "|" on your keyboard is usually located on the back slash
\ key, just above the
enter/return key.
Here's what just happened: you created a pipe that takes the standard output of
date and redirects it into the standard input of
say. You can also provide options to the commands that communicate with pipes, so if you would like to hear the date with an Australian accent, type the following command instead:
date | say -v karen
Its the date, mate!
You can construct some rather long chains of commands using pipes, redirecting the stdout from one command into the stdin of another. Once you get comfortable using stdin, stdout, and pipe redirects, you can do some really complicated things from the command line using tools like pipes.
Now it's time to implement a pipe in your app.
NSPipe is a Foundation class that is called
Pipe in Swift 3. Most documentation will refer to
Open TasksViewController.swift and replace the comment that reads
// TODO: Output Handling in
runScript(_:) with the following code:
Next, add this function to TasksViewController.swift:
func captureStandardOutputAndRouteToTextView(_ task:Process) {
outputPipe = Pipe()
task.standardOutput = outputPipe
NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(forName: NSNotification.Name.NSFileHandleDataAvailable, object: outputPipe.fileHandleForReading , queue: nil) {
notification in
let output = self.outputPipe.fileHandleForReading.availableData
let outputString = String(data: output, encoding: String.Encoding.utf8) ?? ""
DispatchQueue.main.async(execute: {
let previousOutput = self.outputText.string ?? ""
let nextOutput = previousOutput + "\n" + outputString
self.outputText.string = nextOutput
let range = NSRange(location:nextOutput.characters.count,length:0)
This function collects the output from the external process and adds it to the GUI's
outputText field. It works as follows:
- Creates an
Pipeand attaches it to
buildTask's standard output.
Pipeis a class representing the same kind of pipe that you created in
Terminal. Anything that is written to
stdoutwill be provided to this
Pipehas two properties:
fileHandleForWriting. These are
NSFileHandleobjects. Covering
NSFileHandleis beyond the scope of this tutorial, but the
fileHandleForReadingis used to read the data in the pipe. You call
waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyon it to use a separate background thread to check for available data.
- Whenever data is available,
waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifynotifies you by calling the block of code you register with
NSNotificationCenterto handle
- Inside your notification handler, gets the data as an
NSDataobject and converts it to a string.
- On the main thread, appends the string from the previous step to the end of the text in
outputTextand scrolls the text area so that the user can see the latest output as it arrives. This must be on the main thread, like all UI and user interaction.
- Finally, repeats the call to wait for data in the background. This creates a loop that will continually wait for available data, process that data, wait for available data, and so on.
Build and run your application again; make sure the
Project Location and
Build Repository fields are set correctly, type in your target's name and click Build.
You should see the output from the building process in your
outputText field:
Stopping an NSTask
What happens if you start a build, then change your mind? What if it's taking too long, or something else seems to have gone wrong and it's just hanging there, making no progress? These are times when you'll want to be able to stop your background task. Fortunately, this is pretty easy to do.
In TasksViewController.swift, add the following code to
if isRunning {
The code above simply checks if the
NSTask is running, and if so, calls its
terminate method. This will stop the
NSTask in its tracks.
Build and run your app, ensure all fields are configured correctly and hit the Build button. Then hit the Stop button before the build is complete. You'll see that everything stops and no new
.ipa file is created in your output directory.
Where to Go From Here?
Here is the finished NSTask example project from the above tutorial.
Congratulations, you've begun the process of becoming an
NSTask ninja!
In one short tutorial, you've learned:
- How to create
NSTaskswith arguments and output pipes; and
- How to create a shell script and call it from your app!
To learn more about
NSTask, check out Apple's official NSTask Class Reference.
To learn about using command line programs in a sandboxed app see Daemons and Services Programming Guide and XPC Services API Reference.
This tutorial only dealt with working with stdout with NSTask, but you can use stdin and stderr as well! To practice your new skills, try working with these.
I hope you enjoyed this
NSTask tutorial and that you find it useful in your future Mac OS X apps. If you have any questions or comments, please join the forum discussion below!


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Reviews, recommendations and testimonials for blade creative (Clare Blackstock), graphic designer in Melbourne
We consider ourselves very lucky to have found Clare Blackstock (Blade Creative) as our brand and label designer. As a small Business there are various challenges however working with her was extremely smooth as her product and brand understanding is commendable. Moreover, she has a great EQ to understand and deliver exactly what you had in mind about ur brand. Her service is prompt and highly recommended.
Pankaj Agarwal - Pure n Cure, purencure.com.au
I have been very impressed with Clare's professionalism in all her work and communication. She has a very good understanding of how SME's work and think, and I highly recommend her services.
Stephen Pasin, General Manager, yvfresh.com.au
Clare is patient and worked hard to find exactly what I was looking for. I am very happy with her work and recommend Blade without hesitation.
Sharon Scull, Rock the Shazbah
It has been a pleasure to work with Clare to develop brochure and banner designs to take to our first trade show. Clare has been able to capture the essence of our software engineering company into eye catching and professional documents. She has ensured that there is a consistency in design, emphasising our core services, while still being able to highlight the specific product we will be promoting at the trade shows. The designs really capture who we are, and we thank you Clare for your patience, expertise and diligence to come up with such a great final product.
Christine Pamflett, Mescon mescon.com.au
Clare completed my company rebrand recently and she was fantastic. She spent the time to understand my business who we were, who we serviced and really captured our essence which then enabled her to create great concepts. She is easy to work with, professional and efficient. I would strongly recommend that you engage with her she's great.
Justine Robbins - Justine Robbins Consulting, justinerobbins.com
Clare was able to understand my requirements for a fresh rebrand of my OHS consulting and auditing business from a sole trader to a company and expand on streams for quality and environmental consulting. Clare has a friendly and bubbly personality which makes the process seamless, and her ability to interpret my thoughts into concepts for logos, colours and styles was excellent. Highly recommended if you are growing or rebranding your business, or if you are starting from scratch!
Karen Willis, TruSafety Solutions trusafetysolutions.com.au
Clare has been extremely wonderful to work with. She was very thorough with her customer brief and produced branding as if she was creating directly from my thoughts. I was happy with all options that were presented and a choice was made without any revisions needed. I have also worked with Clare updating an already existing brand to tie in with some new products about to be launched. She had no trouble seamlessly bringing my visions and instructions to life. I would highly recommend Clares' work and feel that her price is very reasonable for a highly skilled graphic designer.
Linda Vantaggiato, founder, Gaia Wholefoods, gaiawholefoods.com.au
It was great to work with Clare who has such expertise in her field. Clare has impeccable design taste and was also extremely thorough and detailed in her work. Her approach was fresh and dynamic and I am delighted with the final outcome. I feel privileged to have had Clare be the creative mind behind conceptualising the Cool Kidz' Mealz brand and will recommend Clare to anyone I know looking for a graphic designer. A massive thank you Clare.
Lisa Norgate, founder, coolkidzmealz.com.au
Developing our branding identity with Blade Creative has been a pleasurable and rewarding experience. The quality and detail of the work delivered was above and beyond our expectations. Clare has provided a professional service, from the initial design brief, through brand identity design and to the final comprehensive logo specification. At the beginning of the process, Clare took the time to clearly identify our brand personality and future goals so that her design work was a reflection of our company's personality. We're exceptionally happy with our bold and creative design. We highly recommend Blade Creative.
Leah Pant, Founder, temptingveg.com
Thanks Clare, I've really valued how you've approached the brand refresh with me. Your honesty and tenacity is exactly what I needed to help make this happen! I can not wait to roll the rest of the branding out over the coming weeks.
Karen Hollenbach, Think Bespoke, thinkbespoke.com.au
Clare it has been a pleasure to deal with you and helping me bring Athletic HQ to life. Your attention to detail and willingness to collaborate is really refreshing. I found there to be a healthy blend between delivering exactly what I was asking for whilst also mentoring me to make sensible and effective branding choices. Thanks for doing what you do best! Will be back again!
Andrew Kormas, Athletic HQ
Thank you Clare, It was fun to be taken through your process of coming up with a new logo. I was so relieved when I realized the key was to be colourful and Mobilo inspired. Having this symbol reminds me of what I want to achieve.
Kirsten Greed, Software by Design, softwarebydesign.com.au
We had the pleasure of working with Webby Web Design and Blade Creative for our business re-brand.
From the initial meeting with Clare and Meirav, to the attentive service we received, to the finished product, we always knew we had made the right choice. Clare and Meirav worked together seamlessly and it was like dealing with one company. As a team, they discussed ideas with us to develop an overall branding strategy that could flow from print to our online presence that helps to build on and enhance our brand.
I would highly recommend Clare and Meirav to anyone looking for the full suite of design work.
You guys are the best!
Join testimonial for collaborative work with Webby Web Design
Jane Libbis, Bayside Collaborative - www.baysidecollaborative.com.au
Waverley Meadows Netball Club approached Clare at Blade Creative to raise the profile of our club within our local community. Clare takes the time to understand our club including our committee and players and provides exceptional marketing and branding advice.
We receive fantastic feedback on our images and promotional material and we have no doubts in recommending Clare's services to any business or not for profit organisation.
Tim Jerram, President, Waverley Meadows Netball Club
Thank you so much for doing a fantastic job at creating my brand design, your work is amazing - my logo explains who I am, and what I do. I hope you don't mind if I recommend you to my family and friends. You were a great help from the start, pointing me to the right direction. You're a great person to work with Clare thank you for your understanding, kindness, loyalty and patience.
Jacky Garas, Melbourne Diverse Cleaning Services
Faced with the difficult task of rebranding my landscape design business, I turned to Clare Blackstock at Blade Creative. Before starting work on my rebranding, Clare made sure she had a detailed understanding of my clients, their expections and the direction I was taking my business. I couldn't be happier with the results. My branding hit the mark, and Clare continues to help me grow and hone my brand through print material as well as connecting me with a web designer and printing company. I can honestly say that the success I now have in my business started with the rebranding Blade Creative completed five years ago.
Stephen Read Landscape Design www.stephenread.com.au
My personal site is the second project in which I have enlisted the services of Webby Web Design and Blade Creative. Initially, together they created my online business, The Slipper Hub. This was an enormous job as we were branding and building a business from scratch. It has been an enormous success. For the Melanie Sheppard site, I needed an online presence for my published writing and whilst I was very clear about what I didn't want, I really had no idea of where to start. Clare listened to my ideas and key words, then pulled together something that very much represented how I wanted my brand to look and feel. Meirav then unpacked the mechanics ensuring that the sight was slick, but user friendly for both myself and my readers. These girls work beautifully together fulfilling the brief and beyond. Timelines are met and their service is of a high standard. Apart from this, they are just both lovely people to work with and I look forward to our next project.
Join testimonial for collaborative work with Webby Web Design
Melanie Sheppard, melaniesheppard.com.au
It is pretty apparent what Clare's defining factor is - intuition. She extracts every part of your heart and brand personality, injects it into your design, and then smashes it to the next level by adding a crazy, yet unassuming vibrancy.
The only word that comes close to encapsulating one tenth of what I felt when opening the initial branding concepts is 'enthrallment'. Clare's work has this ability to instantly capture every part of your attention, shoot your mood through the roof and leave you slightly breathless.
Having worked within the industry for some time, I can say that it is rare to come across someone with such a genuine, professional and experienced approach to design. I am sincerely blown away!
Kathryne Panna, Bird in Hand Agency, view Kathryne's profile on LinkedIn
Clare has been an absolute dream to work with and I cannot thank her enough for both the quality of work and her professionalism. After two short meetings Clare was able to capture the ideas in my head and produce a draft for review. With a few minor edits thereafter, Clare presented me with the final artwork which I can only describe as "very classy" and exceeding my expectations. Thanks again Clare, stirling job!
Karen Stach, laika.com.au
Clare at Blade is amazing - she did the branding for my company (and everyone always comments on my brilliant logo), and in the process helped me to better understand my own business. Her insight and acumen enable her to get to the heart of what your business is about, what it needs to say, and how best to reach out to the right customers. Even though she's on the other side of the world to me (I'm in the UK), the distance was no obstacle to her delivering a supportive service and quick results.
Alastair Merrill, alastairmerrill.com
Clare you ARE amazing. Since the day we sat down and discussed the Baybridge Consultants branding brief, you made me feel at ease, your expertise was immediately obvious, leaving me having complete trust and confidence. The initial concept designs, left me teary eyed – you had nailed the brief. Thanks to you, Baybridge Consultants has been given a visual identity that reflects our culture.
There is so much to thank you for, I know you have invested so much of yourself in the process, mostly I thank you for making this experience exciting, fun and truly stress free. I have no hesitation in recommending Blade Creative to other business owners about to embark on the business branding process.
Bridgette Triandafilidis, awcaccountants.com.au
Note: the Baybridge Consultants brand was designed in 2013. In 2016 they needed to change their name to AWC Accountants, the associated brand design refresh was carried out by Blade Creative too.
Clare had some great ideas right away and I loved the concepts she delivered. She's very responsive and intuitive and I'm very happy to recommend Blade Creative.
Julie Segal, RAWBS.com.au
Clare Blackstock from Blade Creative has been providing Graphic Design work for our start-up company for approximately the last 6 months. We have required graphic design work in a number of different areas including company logo, email signatures, website, brochures, large banners for expos and packaging design for our food products. Every time Clare has produced new work for us, we have been highly impressed with the exceptional standard. Her design work is dynamic, fresh, eye catching and stays true to our branding.
Clare is reliable, communicative, flexible and fantastic to deal with. We are looking forward to our continued relationship with Blade Creative as we grow our company.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Blade Creative to any company who is looking for outstanding graphic design.
Eve Kelly, evesbetterbake.com.au
I really enjoyed working with Clare to re-brand our business, it was a true collaboration that resulted in a brilliant solution. I had lots of ideas but didn't know how to bring them together. Clare had great vision and demonstrated a real talent for creating a concept that truly represented our business. She was adaptable, responsive and innovative. The result is fantastic face for our business that will grow and evolve with us for many years to come.
Brenton Hockley, swimright.com.au
The thought of designing a brand which captured the essence of my business seemed daunting from the outset. However, Clare's careful questioning, insightful probing, inherent intuition and raw creativity made the whole process so simple and straightforward. The end product exceeded my expectations and I'm so proud of my brand and what Clare created based on a few ideas and simple concepts.
Rebekah Davidson, prudencespantry.com.au
Clare from Blade Creative was recommended to me by a friend and what a gift that turned out to be. Clare is a great listener, very intuitive and her process is very thorough. Clare was able to take all my thoughts and ideas and meld them seamlessly into a logo and brand design that I absolutely love! It makes me smile every time I look at it and I have had so many people comment favourably on it.
Working with Clare was a breeze. She is a great communicator, is very efficient with her time and nothing was too much trouble.
I can't recommend Clare and Blade Creative highly enough. Almost tempted to start another business just to go through the process again!
Katrina Caine, fitandwellosteo.com.au
Clare did a wonderful job putting together logo concepts for MG Gardens. She didn't make it easy to choose! Highly recommend her services to anyone. Loving the new logo.
Via Google reviews
Clare is a very highly skilled designer who took my very bare company business card requirements and turned them into a fabulous and often complimented logo, together with colour schemes and company profile which eventually went through to my web site. Clare was very patient and understanding of my requirements and was able to produce something beyond my expectations.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Clare for future work.
Elaine Fearnley, fearnleyconsulting.com.au
Clare Blackstock from Blade has made the challenge of starting up a new business so much easier than anticipated. She has a wealth of experience behind her and offered great advice every step of the way. She really listened to all of our ideas and came up with very creative concepts that followed our vision. She was able to give us the starting blocks when we weren't really sure what we wanted and then gave us enough options that we could clearly see the direction we wanted to take. She was really quick to complete all of our projects and we love the enthusiasm and energy that she brings to everything that she does. We are looking forward to a long working relationship with Blade.
Susan Loucas, danceoffchallenge.com.au
I started working with Blade to help me with my business logo. When I was thinking about KISS to Sell, Clare was the 1st person that I thought to call. She listens well and worked with me to adapt and adopt my concept; and to present it in a visual format. She is fun to work with … and the results speak for themselves. I am thrilled with how quickly this was developed and with all the positive feedback I have had on the fresh & informative design. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Clare to others, and already have! Thanks Clare.
Frances Pratt, kisstosell.com.au


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Looking for the right b2b ecommerce solution? Look no further and consider these five functions of the best wholesale ecommerce solutions out there!
The sales potential of your wholesale businesses depends on the type of b2b ecommerce solution you choose. A customer's shopping experience can be as good as the platform supporting it. In order to navigate the road ahead, here are five functions every perfect b2b ecommerce solution should offer:
- Multi-channel data syncing – The online buyers today don't walk into a store expecting to purchase. The shoppers go from device to device and from channel to channel. Their research items before stepping inside. The potential buyers are out there, analyzing, watching, waiting, and listening, before you even know they exist. Selling on multiple marketplaces, platforms, and channels is easy until you consider all logistical headaches. You probably want to sell on social channels, on mobile, and different marketplaces and that is why you need to invest in a solution that integrated both b2c and b2b.
- Content marketing capabilities – Content plays a huge role today. It significantly increases brand awareness and recognition. The potential customers look for names they recognize when decided what to purchase and where to go. When choosing a b2b ecommerce solution, it is important to include the proper tools that allow content creation. This could be anything from in-depth content tools to video-based hosting.
- Client support integration – Waiting for more than 5 minutes to get back to a customer can lower your chances of becoming a successful seller. You need a solution that will allow you to respond instantly. For example, the buyers can get direct notifications and answers via email, providing further transparency. You need to make sure your platform allows for diverse client support integrations.
- Mobile optimization – It has been confirmed that most people browse the internet, go through various websites and, and search on mobile devices than desktops. Having a mobile-friendly website is very important. The checkout process should be easier. The multi-step forms need to be removed completely. The b2b ecommerce platform should integrate with credit card payments and mobile gateways such as Amazon Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, and others so customers can buy within a few slicks.
- Flexible pricing – The wholesale buyers come in different shapes and sizes. This is where most b2c ecommerce solutions fail. You need to look for a platform that helps you set maximum, minimum, and quantity increments per product, create multiple price lists for fixed or volume discounts, establish minimum purchase amounts per customer, integrate loyalty and reward programs, and etc.
Make the right choice!
Top 5 B2B E-Commerce Best Practiceshttps://t.co/iu4RDGMLHo#ecommerce pic.twitter.com/ZhNik2iiil
— MAI Solutions (@MAI_Solutions) 19 de julio de 2018