text:
ALL donations are applied to
STEP operating expenses.
| Warning: This guide is out of date! It may contain information that is incorrect or not in line with the current state of the game!
About STEP
STEP is an extensive, STEP-by-STEP, guide to enhancing TESV Skyrim with the best mods, tweaks and settings. The focus is quality over quantity. STEP tries to stay as close to vanilla Skyrim as possible while improving visual quality and fixing game-play mechanics.
Created by TheCompiler, STEP is a collaborative project with input from the modding community, technical volunteers, and project administrators. The goal is to provide tested and validated methods for establishing and maintaining an enhanced modded Skyrim. Thus, the Guide provides detailed, well-tested build instructions for a solid modding template. New modders can follow STEP explicitly, or more experienced modders may use it as general guide.
The STEP team collects information from the modding community through detailed reviews, feedback, and suggestions exchanged on the STEP Community Forums. Posting rules apply, so be sure to read and follow them and enjoy a warm welcome and plenty of high-quality support from a large community of experienced STEPers. Check out the comparison screenshots on the Nexus. But remember: the only way to experience STEP ... is to actually experience STEP.
Call for Wiki Content Editors
The STEP Community Wiki is open to editing by all registered community members; however, we need assistance maintaining and creating new supporting content. We are particularly interested in obtaining a few people with a passion for writing and editing. Familiarity with wiki markup is preferable but not necessary. Interested parties please contact one of the STEP Admin (Farlo, z929669 and/or stoppingby4now) via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page).
Call for STEP Mod Testers
STEP users interested in becoming testers, please contact one of the STEP Admin (Farlo, z929669 and/or stoppingby4now) via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page). Once registered, record your system specs by clicking on the button and filling out the form. These specs will be associated with performance data by tester.
Call for STEP Benchmarks
Users interested in helping out with the STEP Benchmarking Project, see our benchmarking guidelines and submit results on the forums (see link at upper left of site header bar).
Call for Forum Moderators
Regular STEP forum users interested in becoming moderators, please contact one of the STEP Admin (Farlo, z929669 and/or stoppingby4now) via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page).
Visit the forums and provide feedback related to STEP. Assistance and feedback are what is needed in order for STEP to grow and improve. Also visit the STEP Facebook page maintained by TheCompiler (Daniel).
To support hosting and maintenance of the STEP Community Project, contributions are welcome.
STEP Mandate
Core STEP is about enhancing vanilla Skyrim for the PC ...
- Texture replacements at minimized performance cost and true to vanilla Skyrim
- Continuity of all in-game textures (i.e., comparable resolution and style across all armors, weapons, clutter, terrain, etc.)
- Graphical mods (ESPs) including new content and effects that "fit" vanilla Skyrim
- Gameplay & sound mods that improve the consistency and the perceived intent of vanilla Skyrim
- Interface mods that improve the menus and UI.
- Fix mods that truly "fix" malfunctioning aspects of vanilla Skyrim.
STEP is NOT about ...
- Content mods that conflict with vanilla Skyrim and/or TES lore
- Mods that change the perceived intent of vanilla Skyrim
- Sex mods or female body replacement mods
- Music replacement mods
- Gameplay overhauls
Performance, Baseline & Extreme STEP
STEP provides an enhanced vanilla experience by utilizing a minimum or "Core" set of game enhancements adhering to the original vanilla feel of the game according to the STEP Mandate. All Core mods are considered essential to all STEP "versions". Non-Core mods are optional but highly recommended. STEP versions are delineated at three levels according to relative performance impacts:
- Performance STEP: Core mods only; performance options wherever possible.
- My poor box needs all of the mercy that I can spare it, but I must have STEP!
- Baseline STEP: Core and non-Core mods; performance/quality and balanced options wherever possible.
- My box is decent, but I hate even the tiniest FPS drops and stuttering!
- Extreme STEP: Core and non-Core mods; highest-quality options wherever possible.
- My box is omnipotent!
- Official Patch v1.8
- Patience and attention to detail
Baseline System
The STEP Guide is written with the following system (or comparable) in mind:
- Windows 7
- Intel i5/i7 quad core
- 4+ GB system RAM
- GPU with 1+ GB VRAM (DDR5)
- Resolution: 1680x1050
1.A. Install Steam & Skyrim
This guide assumes that the reader has installed Steam as recommended by the Skyrim Installation Guide (SIG). Please take some time to properly set up and configure Steam as recommended by the guide before continuing.
It is very important to begin by reverting to a clean Vanilla Skyrim installation.
1.B. Skyrim Launcher Options
1.B.1. Launcher Settings
- Launch Skyrim from Steam and click on [Options]. This will establish the INI file configurations according to the detected hardware. It will also establish the registry entries necessary for utilities and applications used downstream.
- Click the [Ultra] button.
- Under Antialiasing, select 4 Samples, as the difference between 4 Samples and 8 Samples is very subtle and not worth the performance loss (per Tweakguides). Drop down to 2 Samples as a last-resort to improve performance. NOTE: If using SMAA, set this value to zero.
- Under Anisotropic Filtering, select 16 Samples (use 8 Samples for a very slight performance gain).
- Click the [Advanced] button and make sure FXAA is UN-checked. FXAA reduces the Anisotropic Filter effect as well as overall texture detail. It is a huge performance improvement over AA, but comes with a quality cost. For more information on FXAA, and to see if it is right for you, see this post. NOTE: SMAA is a superior alternative to FXAA.
- Consider setting shadow detail to 'High' rather than 'Ultra' for video cards with less than 1 GB VRAM (Performance STEP), or leave at 'Ultra' for Extreme STEP:
- Under [View Distance], make sure Object Detail Fade is UN-checked and adjust grass to 100% with all other settings around 50%.NOTE: High-end systems can handle max view distances just fine.
- Exit and click Play from the Skyrim Launcher. This will create the necessary configuration files, and registry settings required by downstream applications (contrary to popular belief, the INI files are created immediately, and the game does not need to launch).
1.C. Display & Video Card Settings
1.C.1. Nvidia Users
- Download and install the latest Nvidia drivers (beta if available).
- Download Nvidia Inspector.
- See the Nvidia Inspector Wiki Guide for configuration details.
1.C.2. ATI Users
- Download and install the latest AMD drivers (beta if available).
- Open Catalyst Control Center, and click on the [Preferences] button in the upper right. Select Advanced View.
- Under the Gaming section on the left select 3D Application Settings.
- Mirror the anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering values set using the Skyrim Launcher above.
- Set [Tessellation] to AMD Optimized
- Set [Catalyst A.I.] to highest texture quality and tick Enable Surface Format Optimization
- Set [Wait for vertical refresh] to Quality
- Set [Anti-Aliasing Mode] to Multi-sample AA
- Tick Triple buffering under [OpenGL Settings]
1.C.3. Display
Configure the monitor's display settings using Windows Display configuration utility (Control Panel > Display > Calibrate Color).
- First use the monitor's built-in configuration to attempt to complete the wizard. (ignore the ClearType tuner process)
- Repeat the calibration wizard using the GPU's driver configuration settings.
- For each run, be certain to execute all calibrators with particular attention to gamma, brightness and contrast. Most users' monitor output will be significantly darker and slightly more color-saturated.
1.D. Performance Benchmarking
The following procedure is very important in determining baseline performance and ultimately helps the STEP team to assess performance variation across a wide range of computer configurations. This ultimately allows the accurate prediction of performance requirements for the various versions of STEP to come. User contributions in this regard are highly valued and much appreciated! Even more importantly, this routine should be used to assess the performance of the strict STEP versions as described above. Database-comparison benchmarks will be available as sufficient numbers of user-submitted data accumulate.
At this point ...
- There should be a clean install of both Steam and Skyrim as recommended by the SIG (see above),
- the baseline INI settings should be configured (via the Skyrim Launcher), and
- the monitor and video-driver configurations should be optimized.
This is a perfect point to collect some baseline performance data, as all tweaks after this section are manual and could have significant performance impact on some systems. A baseline benchmark provides valuable information about the setup and the gaming environment. Detecting driver issues, software incompatibilities, hardware problems or other issues is essential while the build is simple, as these kinds of problems are much more difficult to diagnose and solve as the build becomes more complex. It is recommended that users execute the following process again after the INI edits following are applied and after each sequence of potentially-impactful changes is introduced (e.g., after each mod section).
Points during setup that benchmarking is suggested will be indicated by:
Use the following checklist to calculate the standard STEP benchmark:
- Identify any unnecessary background programs that may be running. Most importantly, determine if it is possible to set any anti-virus/spyware to low priority or "game mode". Any running background processes will consume some proportion of resources that Skyrim could otherwise use and increase the chances for instability. It is fine to have processes running in the background, but it is a good idea to be aware of what they are for troubleshooting in case there are problems.
- If mods were recently installed and IF NOT USING a SSD, defragment the game HDD. This will prevent game stutter caused by i/o inefficiencies (the effects are real!).
- Launch Fraps in order to measure FPS. Set to output FPS to a log file.
- Launch GPU-z in order to measure GPU and system memory-usage statistics. Set GPU-z to output the following to the log file (Sensors > Log to File; each variable log can be toggled by selecting the corresponding drop-downs):
- GPU Core Clock (MHz)
- GPU Temperature (°C)
- GPU Load (%)
- Memory Usage (Dedicated) - This is on-card-VRAM
- Memory Usage (Dynamic) - This is the amount of VRAM transferred to much-slower system RAM
- Launch Skyrim, and start a new game. Once loaded and the sound starts and the FPS counter appears, hit the FRAPS benchmark hotkey (F11 by default).
- Let the game progress up to the first autosave just after jumping down off the cart, and press the FRAPS benchmark hotkey again to stop benchmarking. Total time since first depressing the benchmark hotkey will be approximately 240 seconds.
- Quit the game as quickly as possible and immediately exit the GPU-z app to stop logging.
- Go to the GPU-z log. Identify the point in the log where the GPU Core Clock first maxes out and find the point beyond which the GPU Load values and the Dedicated Memory max and become fairly consistent (it should be between 50-90 rows from the top of the file). Delete all preceding rows (keep the header row!).
- Move down to the end of the file and locate the point at which the GPU Load and Dedicated Memory begin to recede again (signifying loading the menue and quitting the game, usually 20-40 rows of data, depending on how much time is spent in the menu and actually shutting down the game and quitting GPU-z). Delete all rows after this point. The GPU-z log file is now trimmed of "noisy" data.
- There are many ways to do this, but get GPU-z log data into a spreadsheet program and calculate the mean and standard deviation for:
- GPU Load
- GPU Temperature
- Memory Usage (Dedicated)
- Memory Usage (Dynamic)
- Open the Fraps FPS log, and copy that column into the GPU-z spreadsheet.
- Download this example spreadsheet as an actual working example.
- As can be seen in the example spreadsheet, there are several columns and 200+ rows of data. The relevant summary statistics are the mean (i.e., average) and the standard deviation (i.e., a measure of the variation about the mean). These can be calculated for each column of data by using the following formulas in Excel or most other spreadheets (cell ranges are in parentheses):
Example benchmark results:
1.E. Install Utilities
1.E.2. Better Oblivion Sorting Software
Better Oblivion Sorting Software (BOSS) is an essential utility for managing mod plugins for Skyrim. Specifically, BOSS ensures proper mod order and Bash Tags, and it also identifies plugins (ESPs/ESMs) that need cleaning or other special treatment (more on this below). Download BOSS and install according to the instructions provided by the author.
1.E.3. BOSS Userlist Manager
Boss Userlist Manager (BUM) helps to make BOSS even easier by providing a GUI to edit the BOSS masterlist, which is used to define load order. Includes automated BOSS masterlist management and more.
1.E.4. Mod Manager(s)
There are several utilities that may be used to manage the STEP setup. Truth be told, mods can even be installed manually (not recommended). A mod-management utility is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED in order to keep track of a comlpex setup like STEP. These utilities also make it exponentially simpler to deconstruct a STEP install in order to update between versions. This is impossible to do simply or efficiently (or even correctly) otherwise.
- Wrye Bash
- Wrye Bash (WB) is perhaps the most powerful mod-management utility, and is full of features for both modders and advanced mod authors alike. A fairly comprehensive mod-maintenance process is presented in the Wrye Bash Guide and presented in a context that applies to STEP. Presently, Wrye Bash lacks a Nexus-compatible-mod-update management system, so this will need to be managed by the user. Mod updates are not necessary for STEP though, and it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that regular STEP users avoid updating single mods piecemeal. This is the kind of thing that the STEP mod testing team works on for upcoming releases, and troubleshooting issues related to mod updates takes resources away from supporting others that are using supported versions of mods. (The mod testers are specifically encouraged to use Wrye Bash as the preferred management utility to simplify information exchange, although MO is another option).
- Mod Organizer
- Mod Organizer (MO) is a feature-rich management utility that utilizes data virtualization to keep your Skyrim folder pristine. See the Mod Organizer Guide to learn more. MO does keep track of mod updates on the Nexus, and is as accurate as long as the Nexus metadata is current.
- Nexus Mod Manager
1.E.5. TES5Edit
TES5Edit is a utility that can be used to 'fix' plugins in order to prevent problems during gameplay. The potential for incompatibilities, CTDs and other issues increases as the mod load increases. Thus, it is inevitably necessary to do some basic cleaning of a few mod plugins that BOSS identifies. The process for cleaning mods can be found here.
1.F. INI Tweaks
INI files can be used to managed many aspects of the game and also ancillary mods to Skyrim. Following are relevant tweaks that apply to Baseline STEP. Performance STEP may require that some of the following settings be relaxed, and Extreme STEP settings can be further enhanced in some cases. Potential performance impact is indicated for each tweak.
The Skyrim INI files are located in "Documents/My Games/Skyrim" or "My Documents/My Games/Skyrim," depending on Operating System. At this point, the default INI files should have been established due to actions completed in step 1.B, and the following tweaks assume that the Skyrim INI files are not already customized in any way. If using Mod Organizer, editing INI files is done by clicking [Edit Ini]. Wrye Bash users can edit and manage all INI files via the INI Tweaks tab.
1.F.1. Skyrim INI
Go to the bottom of the Skyrim.ini and create the following:
- Increases the distance arrows fly. (From "Arrows and Bolts Tweaks").
[Actor] fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000
- Places the camera just above your character's head in third-person view, and correct the camera angle in third-person view while on horseback. (From "Third Person Horse Camera"). Provides instant camera-angle switching when switching view types or when mounting/dismounting your horse. (from "Instant Camera POV Switching").
[Camera] fOverShoulderAddY=0.0 fOverShoulderPosZ=18.0 fOverShoulderPosX=0.0 fOverShoulderCombatAddY=0.0 fOverShoulderCombatPosZ=24.0 fOverShoulderCombatPosX=0.0 fOverShoulderHorseAddY=-72.0 fOverShoulderHorsePosZ=50.0 fOverShoulderHorsePosX=35.0 fActorFadeOutLimit=-100 fMouseWheelZoomSpeed=60.0 f1st3rdSwitchDelay=0.95 iHorseTransitionMillis=001
- Speeds up the book opening animation, and move the HUD elements closer to the borders of the screen.:
[Interface] fBookOpenTime=200.0 fSafeZoneX=10 fSafeZoneY=10 fSafeZoneXWide=10 fSafeZoneYWide=10
Add the following under [Combat]:
- Shifts the point of aim to the center of the aiming reticule for arrows and crossbows (with this setting targets will be hit where the cursor is placed at approximately 100 feet from the target).
f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7 f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7 f1PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7 f3PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7
Add the following under [Display]:
- Fixes the shadow flickering issue. Shadow flickering is caused by updating sun shadows.
fSunShadowUpdateTime=0 fSunUpdateThreshold=2.0
- Increases the time that blood decals remain visible (tweak from "Enhanced Blood Textures" mod).
- Helps reduce Z-fighting, but may increase clipping, especially with a higher field of view. See Gopher's More Z-fighting video for more information and examples.
Add the following under [General]:
- Disables the annoying intro sequence.
- Prevents crashes when loading into a large interior area.
- Helps prevent lighting "pop-in" by pushing back the distance at which the flicker/pulse animation loops begin.
1.F.2. SkyrimPrefs INI
Modify the following under [Controls]:
- Disable mouse acceleration.
Add the following under [Decals]:
- Enables higher resolution blood decals on NPCs.
Modify the following values under [Display]:
- Valid values range from 0 - 7. Lower values will sharpen shadows (not the resolution), making vegetation more "vibrant." It gives a subtle increase in performance, but also gives more pixelated and striping effects to shadows. Higher values will make shadows softer and more blurred. Consider a value of two if using ENB.
- Enables shadows rendering on trees.
- If running Extreme STEP using 'Ultra' setting for shadow shadow quality to in 1.B.1, this tweak will further improve shadow resolution at a performance cost. Consider also raising 'iShadowMapResolutionSecondary' to 4096 on high-end machines. For Performance or Baseline STEP, do not change the default values for either of these settings.
iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=4096 iShadowMapResolutionSecondary=2048
- Improves the blood decals number per scene (from "Enhanced Blood Textures").
- ENB users ONLY! Enabling these without an ENB will decrease performance with no visual impact and possibly introduce excessive shadow striping.
bDrawLandShadows=1 bFloatPointRenderTarget=1
Modify the following under [TerrainManager]:
- Helps reduce Z-fighting, but may increase clipping, especially with a higher field of view. See Gopher's More Z-fighting video for more information and examples.
fBlockMaximumDistance=500000 fBlockLevel1Distance=140000 fBlockLevel0Distance=75000 fSplitDistanceMult=4.0
Modify the following under [MAIN]:
- Also helps reduce Z-fighting. See Gopher's More Z-fighting video for more information and examples.
Reminder - Essential Guides
The following guides form the base from which STEP builds and provide details on many of the topics mentioned in this Guide.
- Skyrim Installation Guide (SIG) – Comprehensive installation and configuration guide to Skyrim and its DLCs, mods, extensions, and utilities.
- Wrye Bash Guide (WBG) – A practical, hands-on introduction to Wrye Bash using STEP as a working example.
- Mod Organizer Guide (MOG) – A WIP with some advice and troubleshooting suggestions.
Final Notes
Install mods in the order that they are presented in the following tables in order to achieve an aesthetically and mechanically well-vetted result. More experienced or adventurous modders may want to use STEP as a loose guide.
Information from certain mods used can write additional information into save games. Thus, some mods can continue to affect the game even after the mods are removed or updated.
From the Bethesda document, Skyrim Mod Troubleshooting: Best Practices:
"When you play Skyrim with a mod, in most cases, the new data for the mod will be written into any new saved games you create. For example, if you play Skyrim with Mod X and create a save, the next time you load that save, the game will expect Mod X to also be loaded. If you no longer want to play Skyrim with Mod X, it is best to unload Mod X (by unchecking the plugin under Data Files in your Skyrim launcher) and loading a save that does not require Mod X, usually an older save or a backed up save."
The short version is "Never continue with a save once a mod it relies upon has been removed." Although this is good advice, there may be occasions when it is inconvenient to revert to an older save. The Troubleshooting Guide provides a "best-practice procedure" for attempting to 'clean' the effects of a removed mod from a save game.
ALWAYS read the ReadMe and other mod-related documentation that comes packaged with most mods. This includes the mod description on the Nexus. If the mod author has seen fit and taken time to create these reference materials, then they are relevant and important in the eyes of the mod author. This means that they are relevant and important to you!
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Mod Name
|Core Mod
|Core mods are indicated by the presence of a green vertical bar in the row at the immediate left-hand column of the table.
|Mod Name
|Nexus mod name (where applicable) presented as a link links to Nexus for download.
|Link to the mod's Wiki page.
|This notes the STEP Baseline version or option of the corresponding mod, and usually only refers to graphical quality choices. Stylistic or mechanical suggestions are located in the "Notes" section.
|Quality Options
|Indicates if there are performance-friendly or performance-unfriendly versions of the mod relative to the Baseline recommendation:
|Relative to Baseline, a lower quality, less demanding version of the mod is also available.
|Relative to Baseline, a higher quality, more demanding version of the mod is also available.
|Relative to Baseline, both lower and higher quality versions of the mod are available.
|DLC Required
|Any DLCs listed here are required for the mod to function. If all DLCs listed are not present do not use this mod.
|Brief notes that apply to the mod or installation. In some cases, mods with many alternative options will include a suggested option. These suggestions will take the form of: "STEP recommends 'Option A'." In other cases, there may only be one appropriate alternative option that fits the STEP Mandate. These instructions will take the form of: "Use 'Option A'."
| Notice: Consider the following while installing mods:
2.A. Configuration
- Mods and tweaks that modify Skyrim configuration such as INI files.
No mods are currently defined in this section within the Wiki.
2.B. Utilities
- Applications and utilities that aid in Skyrim mod management.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Detailed instructions available
|BOSS Userlist Manager
|Detailed instructions available
|Wrye Bash
|Installer version
|Detailed instructions available
|Mod Organizer
|Detailed instructions available
|DDSopt - pre-release - update 4
|Detailed instructions available
|Optimizer Textures
|Detailed instructions available
|Skyrim Performance Monitor
|Detailed instructions available
2.C. Extenders
- Third-party programs (or extensions thereof) that enhance Skyrim functionality or display.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Skyrim Script Extender
|Detailed instructions available
2.D. Fixes
- Essential mods that fix bugs and tweak deficient aspects of Skyrim.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Ancient Nord Armor Fix
|Appropriately Attired Jarls
|Argonian Decapitation Fix
|This is now covered by USKP 2.0.5.
|Barrow Button Fix
|Bowlegged Jump Fix
|Brawl Bugs Patch
|Detailed instructions available
|Consistent Older People
|Detailed instructions available
|Fast Travel Timescale Fix
|Fuz Ro D-oh
|Detailed instructions available
|Users NOT using Mod Organizer should install this mod. The fixes are already included in Mod Organizer.
|Unofficial Skyrim Patch
|Unofficial Dawnguard Patch
|Unofficial Hearthfire Patch
|Unofficial Dragonborn Patch
|Unofficial High Resolution Patch
|Acquisitive Soul Gems
|Vanilla users: Use the old v2.1 file.
2.E. Interface
- Mods that modify Skyrim's menus and user interface.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Blessings-Altar Descriptions
|Better Book Names
|Use the "Vanilla Version". Dawnguard users: Use the "Vanilla - Dawnguard" file. Dragonborn users: Use the "Vanilla - Dragonborn" file. Dawnguard and Dragonborn users: Use the "Vanilla - All DLCs" file.
|Better Dialogue Controls
|Better MessageBox Controls
|Categorized Favorites Menu
|CFM-Oni Edition
|Choose "Classic" (3:4, 5:4) or "Widescreen" (16:9, 16:10) depending on your monitor's aspect ratio.
|Dungeon Quest Awareness
|May cause minor spoilers.
|High Quality 3D Map
|Hi-res meshes, 1k normals
|STEP recommends installing both the HQ3DMap - Meshes Hi-Res and HQ3DMap - Normals Original main files. Do not install any of the files with "Textures" in the file name. Choose the 03 - High 1024x1024 option in the installer.
|Immersive HUD
|Interface Hard Coded Key Tweaks
|Normal Tweaks
|STEP recommends "Normal Tweaks".
|Lockpicking Interface
|STEP recommends the without wings around keyhole main file.
|Lore-Based Loading Screens
|Main Font Replacement
|Fertigo Pro
|DO NOT USE this mod if Skyrim language is not set to English!
|No Boring Sleep-Wait Menu
|No Menu and Loading Smoke
|Not Another Colored Map Icon Mod
|STEP recommends installing only the optional "NACMIM - Full" file. Turn off version checking for maps in the MCM: SkyUI menu. This is necessary until NACMIM is made fully compatible with SkyUI 4.0 or higher.
|A Quality World Map
|Detailed instructions available
|Detailed instructions available
|Simple Crosshair
|STEP recommends"Normal".
|Skill Interface
|Detailed instructions available
|Smaller Cursor
|STEP recommends the main file.
|Main Menu Spinning Emblem
|STEP recommends the Main Menu Spinning Skyrim Emblem Average Speed main file.
|KenMOD Time On Loading Screen
2.F. Conflicting Graphics
- Graphics mods that cannot be listed within their respective categories because they must be overwritten to achieve the desired result.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Bethesda Hi-Res DLC Optimized
|Hybrid + Vanilla normals
|Detailed instructions available
|Better Dynamic Snow
|No Stretching
|Static Mesh Improvement Mod
|Detailed instructions available
|Skyrim HD
|Detailed instructions available
|Serious HD
|Detailed instructions available
|HD Misc
|Tobe's Hi-Res Textures
|Detailed instructions available
|High Quality Food and Ingredients
|Performance repack
|Detailed instructions available
2.G. Landscape & Environment
- Mods that modify landscape, buildings, and environments of Skyrim.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Snow & Rocks HD
|AOF Detailed Mountains
|AOF Farmhouses
|Skyrim Flora Overhaul
|Detailed instructions available
|Better Rocks & Mountains
|Use the "UV Tweaks only" file.
|Bumpy Inn & Shop Signs
|STEP recommends "Bumpy" .
|Chimneys for Skyrim
|Skyrim Distant Detail
|Hearthfire users: Use the "Hearthfire Edition" file instead. Mod requires TES5Edit cleaning.
|Dragon Glyphs-Fixed
|Dragon Chiseled
|STEP recommends the Dragon Chiseled main file.
|Enhanced Night Skyrim
|Download and install only the Enhanced Night Skyrim v04 Low Stars optional file.
|HD Enhanced Terrain
|Detailed instructions available
|High Quality LODs
|Hi-Res Meshes
|Install the HQLODs - Meshes Hi-Res main file. Do not install the normals. For slightly better performance at slightly less quality, the medium-resolution meshes can be used.
|Hybrids HD Plants and Herbs Retexture
|Detailed instructions available
|Lanterns Of Skyrim
|Default preset
|Detailed instructions available
|HiRes Legible Road Signs
|STEP recommends only installing the HiRes Road Signs Version 3 Worn Text optional file.
|Milky Way Galaxy
|26 Moon Size Tweeks
|Only install the masser Size x0.5.esp and secunda Size x0.5.esp
|Real Ice
|Detailed instructions available
|Realistic Mushrooms
|Low Res
|Realistic Tundra Moss
|1024, Yellow
|Re-Defined Dungeons
|Detailed instructions available
|Trees HD
|Detailed instructions available
|Vibrant Auroras
|Visible Windows
|Medium version
|STEP recommends the "Gritty" option for all windows and the "Default" for all color options but "Yellow Tint" for both Solitude and Whiterun. BCF Available. BCF needs 2 files (Reduced Night Glow optional file also needed)
|Detailed instructions available
|Whiterun Trellis Redesigned
|Windmills Resized
|Install the default (1.5x) version. (Has minor clipping issues with the stables in Solitude when not used in combination with SkyFalls and SkyMills.)
2.H. Characters & Creatures
- Mods that improve the appearance of characters and creatures.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Bellyache's Creature Pack
|Use the "Default Animal Replacement Med Res" located in the Miscellaneous files.
|83Willows 101BugsHD
|Lower resolution
|AIMP-Antz in my Pantz
|More Realistic Hair
|AOF Believable Hair
|The Elder Scrolls V Rewritten-Arvak
|Detailed instructions available
|Bellyaches HD Dragon Replacer
|Better Beast Races
|This mod is not packaged correctly. When installing this mod, right-click on the Data folder and choose [Set data directory]. Okay [OK] to install.
|Better Freckles
|This mod is not packaged correctly. When installing this mod, right-click on the Data folder and choose [Set data directory]. Okay [OK] to install.
|Birds and Flocks
|Hearthfire Edition Cleaned
|Detailed instructions available
|Birds of Skyrim
|Lower resolution
|NoMaaM Breathing Idles
|Download and install the Female without BBB and Male Breathing Idles V0_1 optional file.
|Cover Khajiits
|Detailed instructions available
|Female Vampires Have Fangs
|Install the Footprints v1_00 - Legendary main file. Clean save required if updating from 0.99
|Frost Atronach HD
|HQ Beards
|HQ Eyebrows
|Ultra light
|Improved Foot Wraps for Females
|XCE-Xenius Character Enhancement
|Download and install the main file only. This mod is not packaged correctly. Right-click on Data and choose [Set data directory]. Click [OK] to install.
|Natural Eyes
|New Children
|Detailed instructions available
|Pond Fish
|HD Rabbits Plus
|This mod is not packaged correctly. Right-click on Data and choose [Set data directory]. Click [OK] to install.
2.I. Clothing & Equipment
- Mods that add or modify armor, weapons, clothing, adornments, and other equipment.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Better Circlets
|Accingite Vos
|Weapon Retexture Project
|AMidianBorn Book of Silence
|Detailed instructions available
|Daedric Armor & Weapons
|STEP recommends "Full, default glow". Also disable the ESP as it isn't needed.
|Dawnguard Crossbow Bolts Visualized
|Also install the optional "Explosive Bolts Visualized HD Textures" file.
|Closer Quivers and Longer Arrows
|Detailed instructions available
|Elemental Staffs
|Install the main file.
|Elven Weapons for Silence
|Detailed instructions available
|Skyrim Weapon De-LARP-ification Project
|Also install the optional Dawnguard and Dragonborn files.
|Greatsword Sheaths and Scabbards Redux
|Detailed instructions available
|Improved Closefaced Helmets
|Detailed instructions available
|Nightingale Prime
|STEP recommends "Leather".
|Not Really HD-Mask of Clavicus Vile
|STEP recommends "Wrecked".
|Shield of Ysgramor
|Yuril Rings
|STEP recommends "Gold Circle".
2.J. Animations & Effects
- Mods that add animations and/or effects.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Animated Weapon Enchants
|STEP recommends the Animated Weapon Enchants - Vanilla Sounds optional file.
|Better Turn Animation
|Detailed instructions available
|Burn Freeze Shock Effects
|Detailed instructions available
|Deadly Spell Impacts
|Detailed instructions available
|Enchantment Effect Replacer
|STEP recommends "2XRes".
|Enhanced Blood Textures
|Detailed instructions available
|Enhanced Projectile Soul Trap
|Use the "With Aquistive Soul Gems" version.
|Finer Dust
|Get Snowy
|Use the main "v4.x" file.
|Improved Weapon Impact Effects
|Lightning During Thunder Storms
|Detailed instructions available
|No Spinning Death Animation
|Detailed instructions available
|Realistic Smoke and Embers
|Running With Bows
|Shooting Stars
|Skyrim Performance Plus
|Detailed instructions available
|Skyrim Sunglare
|This mod is currently unavailable.
|Ultimate HD Fire Effects
|Install the Ultimate HD Fire Effects -Medium Resolution- main file.
|Warmer Magic Lights
|Mod page contains various compatibility patches. Only install one of the ESPs from "Warmer Magic Lights v2_Compatibility_Patches". STEP recommends "Warmer Magic Lights v2.esp". Comparison images can be found here.
2.K. Clutter & Miscellaneous
- Mods that modify general items such as furniture, barrels, bottles, food, etc.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|The 418th Step
|STEP recommends "Snow Version".
|Better Bones
|Better Shadowmarks
|Designs of the Nords
|Destructible Bottles
|Ruins Clutter Improved
|STEP recommends the Ruins_Clutter_Improved_v2-8 NMM Installation main file and during the FOMOD select Custom. Install everything but the Dragonclaws option. The dragonclaws have mesh changes which are not compatible with STEP.
|Detailed Chests
|STEP recommends "Washed-Out Dirty".
|Detailed Rugs
|Main File
|STEP does not recommend either of the optional files.
|Golden Gods Shrines
|STEP recommends "default" on all options.
|HD Baskets
|512 x 1024
|HD Linens
|HD Ore and Ingots
|STEP recommends the "With manager" file. The main file is mostly extraneous screenshots and duplicate files.
|HD Sacks
|Use both Type B Small and Big sacks.
|HQ Skyrim Map
|Intricate Spider Webs
|Lockpick Inventory Remodel
|Ultimate HD Torch
|Also install the Ultimate HD Torch -less glowing cloth- optional file.
|New Thinner Torch
|Use "Ultimate HD Torch by rheadude compatible" version ONLY.
|Not Really HD-Display Case
|STEP recommends "Smudged Glass".
|Not Really HD-Keys
|With normals
|Pilgrim's Delight
|STEP recommends "Legacy" version.
|Radiant and Unique Potions and Poisons HD
|Use "Booze v2 Non-Glow".
|Realistic Instruments
|Realistic Paper
|STEP recommends "Dark".
|Septim HD
|Silly Level of Detail-Potions and Poisons
|Use Ceramic style. Install for both potions and poisons.
|Silly Level of Detail-Wine Cellar
|Also install "Less saturated labels" optional.
|Skyrim Redesigned
|Detailed instructions available
|Soul Gems Differ
|Detailed instructions available
|Super Realistic Ore
|Download the Just the textures optional file. This mod is not packaged correctly. Right-click on Data and choose [Set data directory]. Click [OK] to install.
|Sweet Mother
|STEP recommends the main file only.
2.L. Sound
- Mods that modify audio including music, sound effects, environment, and voice.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Activate Fail Noise Removal
|Ambient Seagulls
|Better Animal Footsteps
|Detailed instructions available
|FSS-Better Bards
|STEP recommends the "No pause between lines" option. Optional: The Nexus version will not play nicely with mod managers, so the fixed version can be used until the author can correct the issue.
|Better Horse Pain Sounds
|Better Weapon Swing Sounds
|Detailed instructions available
|Clanking Armor
|Heart of the Beast
|High Agression
|Immersive Thunder
|This mod is not packaged correctly. Double-click on ImmersiveSkyrimThunderV6. Right-click on Data and choose [Set data directory]. Click [OK] to install.
|Improved Combat Sounds
|Ultra Realistic Bow Shoot Sounds
|Roosters At Dawn
|Smooth Blade Draw and Sheathe
|Detailed instructions available
|Thundering Shouts
|Download and install only the Thundering Shouts - loose files optional file.
|Waterbreathing Breathless Emerge
2.M. Gameplay
- Mods that improve game-play without significantly changing the game mechanics.
|Mod Name
|Quality Options
|DLC Required
|Ars Metallica-Smithing
|Auto Unequip Ammo
|Detailed instructions available
|Breaking & Entering
|Bring Out Your Dead
|Candle Lanterns of the North
|Use the "Dawnguard Edition" file.
|Clams Drop Pearls
|Convenient Horses
|Dark Brotherhood to Misc
|Currently NOT recommended. Use the optional in Even Better Quest Objectives instead.
|Death Cam Duration Options
|[ Disable Thieves Guild Autostart]
|SM Drop Lit Torches
|Dynamic Fires
|Follower Trap Safety
|Gildergreen Regrown
|Guard Dialogue Overhaul
|Do NOT clean with TES5Edit. ITMs/UDRs are intended by the author for the mod to work correctly.
|Non-Essential Children
|Use the Hearthfire version.
|Lantern Caretakers
|Requires "Lanterns of Skyrim"
|More Interactive Items
|More Salt Please
|Also install the optional "Dragonborn Addon" file.
|More Village Animals
|Use all three Main Files.
|Move It Dammit
|Less Wait Time
|No NPC Greetings
|Sligtly Reduced
|Included in every version of the STEP Patches, STEP Core Patch, STEP Extended Patch, and both versions of the STEP Combined Plugin.
|The Paarthurnax Dilemma
|Note: The Nexus page for this mod has a spoiler for those that have not played the main quest yet.
|Realistic Crime Radius
|Realistic Ragdolls and Force
|STEP Extended Patch users can remove the plugin from this mod. All other files are required.
|Run For Your Lives
|Skyrim Coin Replacer Redux
|Download and install the SCRR - Legendary Edition main file and the Septim HD Coinpiles optional file.
|Detailed instructions available
|The Choice is Yours
|Detailed instructions available
|Wearable Lanterns
|No BSA
|Lanterns for Caravans
|No BSA
|Lanterns for Guards
|No BSA
|When Vampires Attack
Post-Installation Housekeeping
Once all mods have been installed and are ready to play, be certain to either:
- Start a brand new character, or
- load the save game generated just after character creation if it exists, or
- load an existing character after clean saving the relevant save game.
3.A. Technical Tips
The following is a good place to begin, but be certain to also check the Troubleshooting Guide. Also, search the support & Troubleshooting forum on the STEP Boards,
3.A.1. Maximizing STEP
A heavily modded Skyrim can bring even a very powerful system to its knees. Maximum visual quality is highly dependent upon total on-card graphics-dedicated video memory (VRAM), the number of GPUs, and monitor resolution. The goal should be to maintain 32 or more FPS on average without any noticeable stuttering. Following are some enhancements that users with rather powerful systems might be able to take advantage of:
- Try using SSAO (using video driver settings) for better quality graphics and note the performance hit.
- Use one of the STEP-recommended ENB configurations.
- Make sure Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini are writable and, using the Skyrim Launcher, max out ...
- anti-aliasing
- anisotropic filtering
- view distances
- shadow quality
- texture quality
3.A.2. Fix game launch crash after installing STEP
For crashes to desktop (CTDs),
- Set the Skyrim executable "TESV.exe" to run as administrator (right click TESV.exe > Properties > Compatibility > Check Run this program as administrator).
- If using RCRN or any other FXAA-Injector/ENB mod, turn off any on-screen display programs and monitoring tools such as Fraps, ATI Tray Tools, MSI Afterburner, GPU-Z, etc.
- Get the latest DirectX runtime installed.
3.A.3. Defrag the Hard Drive
For hard drives (not SSDs), this is a very important task once most/all mods are installed. The Windows defrag utility may be used, but it is sub-standard. A couple of the best free utilities are Defraggler and Auslogics Disk Defrag. Do NOT defrag an SSD as it will detrimentally affect its lifetime.
3.A.4. Semi-Invisible People & Misbehaving Walls
Be certain that ATI Antialiasing is set to Multi-Sample and NOT Adaptive. Also, remember to download the latest ATI drivers. Also be certain that bFloatPointRenderTarget=1 in the SkyrimPrefs.ini if using ENB.
3.A.5. Using Windowed Mode (ATI)
If having stuttering problems or CTDs in full screen mode, try "full screen" windowed mode by downloading Simple Borderless Window. The "Simple Borderless Window" launcher SBW.exe launches SKSE, so start the game through SBW.exe.
3.A.6. Increase Overall Performance
If after following the whole guide and installing the enhanced graphics, the game is unplayable due to low performance, try one or more of the following:
- Disable SSAO or Supersampling AA (or both) if enabled.
- Reduce shadow quality from the Skyrim Launcher.
- Install the performance-friendly versions of textures where applicable.
- Consider texture optimization.
- Reduce The [View Distance] settings in the game launcher (see 1.B.1).
3.A.7. Texture Shimmering, Etc.
Refer to the Z-Fighting Guide.
3.B. In-Game Tips
The console can be activated by pressing the tilde ([~]) key, often located just below [Escape], while in-game.
3.B.1. Optimize Field of View (FOV)
In the console enter the following using a number from 66-100, depending on resolution and screen ratio. Default is 65 (4:3 screens), but 70-75 works nicely for 16:10 screens and 75-80 works nicely for 16:9 screens:
This change will be permanent in the saved game. Other INI FOV tweaks don't require opening the console, but they don't 'stick' and can corrupt the game. Also note that high FOV can cause a performance drop for some configurations.
3.B.2. BIG Frame Drops During Cell Loading
This is a likely indicator that VRAM is too often operating at or beyond capacity (see 3.A.6).
User Contributions
STEP can only get bigger and better with help from the user community. Even simply maintaining the current STEP is too much work for the core STEP team to ensure that the highest quality is maintained. We need people to help us identify mods that are thought to improve Skyrim while adhering to the STEP Mandate. We also need ongoing reviews and updates on mods that may be causing problems or that stray from the STEP philosophy. Finally, we need help from the community in terms of testing, benchmarking and analysis. More detail is presented in the Mod Testing Guide.
In order to suggest a mod, visit the Mod Suggestions section of the STEP Forums.
|Notice: The STEP team will be beta testing a new mod-testing procedure and interface currently in final stages of development here on the STEP Wiki. Anyone interested in testing mods of any kind --whether included in STEP or not-- should contact the STEP administrators by email or on the forums (click on the link in upper left of header).
Special Credits
The STEP administrators would sincerely like to thank (from the bottoms of our fuzzy little hearts):
- The authors of mods recommended in STEP
- The core STEP Community for feedback, suggestions and input
- The STEP beta testers ... for their good humor and rigorous analyses
- The Nexus community
- Bealdwine, EisDrache & MontyMM - site founders on indefinite leave (we hope you guys are well!) --UPDATE: MontyMM is back ... welcome back!
- Outstanding v2.2.1 contributors - Techangel85, Neovalen, rpsgc, Besidilo, JudgementJay, torminater, Kelmych, Korentin & Mothergoose729
- Bethesda Softworks for Skyrim (and TES in general)
Site Donors
We have had a handful of generous user donations to keep this site alive anviable. Most of these donors have not left their user names, so they will remain anonymous; however, the following are site contributors that have generously given a bit of their livelihood in support of STEP. For that, we thank them immensely!
- solist (our most generous contributor)
- geeee785
- 16 additional generous contributors that will remain anonymous until their user names are made known to us.
The core STEP team is:
- Farlo - Mediawiki developer & extraordinaire, Mod-list co-compiler, forums admin, site founder
- frihyland - Solutions developer (Thunderbolt), mod extraordinaire, site founder
- stoppingby4now - Main site developer, Semantic Mediawiki developer & extraordinaire, site founder
- TheCompiler - STEP creator, mod-list extraordinaire
- z929669 - Wiki & forums content editor, main site administrator, hosting maintenance, site founder


text:
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The You Go Genealogy Girls
They are heading out next week to see how many graves they can locate in nine days and how much they can learn at the genealogy conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. It's the annual Nebraska State Genealogical Society conference where they will laugh and learn and see old friends and make new ones. From there they will travel south to Topeka, Kansas to see Aunt Cheri's son, his wife and their seven children, ranging in age from 16 to 3.
Their agenda requires them to make stops at various cemeteries here in Nebraska to decorate graves and locate them. They will be Mom's relatives and Aunt Cheri's relatives and probably anybody else that interests them. I am sure they might even find a few in Kansas that catch their eye.
My Mom likes to pack and repack and repack. Last summer she left on vacation for the east coast she packed and then repacked five more times before she got it just right. She is also a shoe-person so I'm sure she'll take at least seven or more pairs of shoes and wear them all while she's gone. There will also be the necessary things to survive such a long trip, such as the laptop computer, iPod and digital camera. They will take maps and books and magazines...anything to keep their mind on the right track.
I am sure they will shop along the way, looking for more books and possibly an antique or two. Since each will have their own suitcases and carrying bag, the laptop, all the adds and ends, that doesn't leave much room in their car for extras. But nobody will tell them that. Packing light is not something familiar to them.
Aunt Cheri drives a mini van which Mom has "lovingly" called the gypsy van. They can load that mini van full of a lot of "stuff". However, this trip they are taking Mom's little red, Dodge neon. Small trunk, but it gets good gas mileage. Before they get home I wouldn't be suprised if they have items strapped on the roof....such as antiques and books.
Y'all look for them heading across Nebraska and then back across Kansas. They will be those You Go Genealogy Girls (grannies) in the little red car that is dragging the ground and barely has overpass clearance because of what's on the top. I am sure they will have oodles of fun to last them until the next trip they conjure up which I have learned will be in May.
3 comments:
You Go Genealogy Girls---we're gone!!!!! Anxiously awaiting the trip. It has just been some recent situations in our family that has allowed Ruby and I to become the "Go Girls". Some good and some bad, but we are here at this place in life now, so here we go! We will make the most of the trip, wish you could come along. The only problem there is you would take up our "extra" room! We can always rent a trailer if necessary. Keep up the good writing. Love, Aunt CheriReplyDelete
Your mother is supposed to be coming into the Library to take a couple of boxes with her on her trip. They'll probably be strapped to the roof. Have to have room for all those shoes ya know!
Make sure she takes the witching sticks.
I'm sure there will be lots of interesting adventures she'll have and she'll probably have enough stories for a whole program.
Wish I could go along, I'm due for a good laugh. Plus I'm getting the cemetery fever now that the weather is really good.
Tell her not to run over any tombstones on this trip.
I'm a shoe person too...I can totally relate...God Bless her!! LOL, I hope they have a blast!ReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Talks to end strike make progress
The city's public schools will stay closed for at least one more day, but leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union and the school district kept talking Thursday, with both sides saying they were drawing closer to a deal to end the nearly weeklong strike.
"We are optimistic, but we are still hammering things out," said Karen Lewis, the union president.
Word of the progress in negotiations came less than a day after the school board offered to modify a system that would use student test scores to help evaluate teacher performance.
Under an old proposal, the union estimated that 6,000 teachers could lose their jobs within two years. An offer made late Wednesday included provisions that would have protected tenured teachers from dismissal in the first year of the evaluations. It also altered categories that teachers can be rated on and added an appeals process.
Classes were to be canceled Friday for a fifth day. And the union called a special delegates meeting for that afternoon, when the bargaining team is scheduled to give an update on contract talks.
Negotiations resumed Thursday with an air of optimism. Lewis said students could be back in class by Monday, a week after 25,000 teachers walked out.
"We've made progress in some areas but still we have a way to go," she added. "Teachers, paraprofessionals and clinicians remain hopeful but energized."
Following a late-night bargaining session Wednesday, school board President David Vitale was also more positive. But after a full day of bargaining, neither side had emerged to announce any breakthroughs.
Jackson Potter, staff coordinator for the union, said a host of issues were still on the table, ranging from the evaluations to air conditioning in schools.
"There's a sense of urgency today," said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who stopped by the hotel where the negotiators were working Thursday and spoke to reporters. Earlier in the week, Jackson said the two sides were talking past each other.
The new optimism also was evident among teachers who marched Thursday along Michigan Avenue. They were joined by marching bands and protesters carrying balloons, pushing strollers and waving Chicago flags.
Among them was high school history teacher Anthony Smith, who wants the district to be fair and give all public schools the same resources so they can succeed. The negotiating points include a policy to hire back teachers who get laid off due to school closures.
"One school being closed down because they didn't give it proper resources and proper attention is unfair," said Smith, a 25-year classroom veteran.
Earlier, teachers picketed at their schools, as they've done every day this week.
"I know that we will have a good resolution to this, and I do believe it will be soon," said Michelle Gunderson, an elementary school teacher on the city's North Side. The negotiators "do not mean to have us be embroiled in this for longer than we have to."
School districts nationwide have grappled with issues surrounding teacher assessments. The Obama administration has given states incentives to use student performance as a component of evaluations, though the issue has been most contentious in Chicago.
Teachers say it's unfair to use test scores to evaluate them, citing the many factors beyond their control that affect student learning: poverty, hunger and the inability to speak fluent English, to name just a few.
Chicago's walkout canceled class for approximately 350,000 students and left parents scrambling to make other arrangements for young children. The district has kept some schools open on a limited basis, mostly to provide meals and supervision. More than 80 percent of Chicago public school students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
The walkout is the first Chicago teachers strike in 25 years. A 1987 walkout lasted 19 days.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has called the strike unnecessary and repeatedly urged the union to continue negotiating with students in class.


text:
Kansas Man Killed in South-Central South Dakota
A Kansas man died Wednesday evening in a rollover about eight miles north of White River on US Highway 83. in south-central South Dakota.
The Highway Patrol says 57-year-old Ronald Franchett of Bucklin, KS was northbound around 7:30pm when his SUV left the roadway, struck a field approach and rolled in a ditch.
Franchett was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle. He died at the scene.


text:
Nineteen days after Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., at the conclusion of Friday's village board meeting, estimated the village's costs as a result of the hurricane at $400,000, citing damage to public property, debris removal, tree work, and emergency measures. Plans were being made to repair damage at Main Beach and Georgica Beach, he said.
The mayor thanked the East Hampton Fire Department's emergency personnel for efforts before, during, and after the storm. Of the Department of Public Works, he said, "Their responsiveness during the storm and their effort to clean up the mess in the weeks that follow deserve our highest praise. What is most impressive to me is the teamwork among the village employees and volunteers. They rise to the occasion in the face of a crisis and work together to keep people safe." The mayor noted that the village was fortunate in comparison to other communities to the west. "It reminds us how fragile we are in our coastal communities."


text: Hi Fred, Thanks a mil for this insight. Actually, it's the first time I see someone refer to project management as being similar to parallel processing. In fact, the optimisation of projects, with critical paths, milestones, simultaneous ends/beginings and dependancy makes of this approach quite convinient... now if only I could find a tool that is scaled to CPU times ;) The Gantt chart was definately what I was thinking of...without even knowing it. Thanks! Eric Le Jeudi 9 Mars 2006 17:35, Fred L Youhanaie a écrit : > > Hi Eric, > > Eric Thibodeau wrote: > > The "gists" of it: > > I need to generate graphics of execution sequences to explain how a process > > (ie: sGA, sMOGA) runs sequentially and then show where and how this process > > can be split up. The graphics I am thinking of are traditionally horizontal > > bars which are usually split up into multiple parallel sub-portions as the > > process gets dissected by the author...me ;) . These bars can be commented > > with either time ticks, variable names, zoomed portions, etc. > > This sounds like a gantt chart (project plan) to me. > Have you looked at GanttProject - http://ganttproject.org/ I had a play > with it about 18 months ago, but have never used it for real work. > > HTH > > Cheers > f. > > P.S. At work I use a windows based non open source one :-( which will > let you split tasks and have a finer time resolution.


text:
Store > Shop By Category > Best Sellers > Vespa Ultra Concentrate (case of 12 packets)
Vespa Ultra Concentrate is a must-have for the serious endurance athlete, or for the backcountry hiker where space and weight are at a premium. Extensively field tested over the past 3 years, each pouch of Vespa Ultra Concentrate packs a potent 175mg of the naturally-occurring, bio-active Vespa peptide in an ultra-compact package measuring 9cm x 4cm and weighing less than 11 grams! Contains the same synergistic formulation found in the Vespa CV-25 without the water -- but with an extra 75mg of extract. Recommended for experienced Vespa users who want an even stronger version of their favorite supplement in a super portable package that can be diluted with water. Not recommended for first time VESPA users. Case of 12 packets.
From Olympic champions & professional athletes to athletes with day-jobs just like you, Vespa optimizes performance and recovery using an all-natural, highly bio-available amino acid complex synergistically combined with natural anti-oxidants. Vespa helps you tap into your natural energy stores; it's stimulant-free and safe for athletes of all ages and abilities
Using Vespa
Since every individual is unique the effects of VESPA can vary.
For most users shake and drink a pouch of VESPA or VESPA JR 45 minutes prior to athletic activity. Some people may find the taste is undesirable. If this is the case dilute with water or y
our favorite electrolyte replacement drink or juice. It is not recommended VESPA is taken with drinks or supplements containing amino acids. Our empirical observation is this negates the unique effects of using VESPA
Some people experience stomach discomfort and a few distress. In these cases it is recommended to take VESPA with simple easily digestible carbohydrates such as oatmeal or sourdough bread/toast along with some fat derived from butter etc.
During training and races which last longer than 2-3 hours it is recommended to use VESPA at differing intervals depending upon the workout or race and the goal of a specific workout.
Because VESPA is not an electrolyte it is important the athlete continues his/her replacement regime based upon their specific needs and conditions.
Fueling is a different story. While VESPA is not a fuel so some fueling is necessary for extra long workouts/races. Most athletes successfully using VESPA have found their fueling needs are significantly reduced allowing them to perform at a higher level.
It is recommended fueling is performed at intervals in between taking VESPA. Another successful fueling strategy some athletes are using with VESPA is slow, small and even uptake of simple
sugars by tucking a piece of hard candy between the cheek and gum or constantly sipping on their electrolyte and sugar replacement drink.
For most marathoners it is recommended that one VESPA is taken 45 minutes prior to the race and another at the half marathon mark. For a half-marathon distance a single VESPA is recommended. Training: For most marathoners one VESPA prior to the workout, especially long runs.
Ultra Running:
Adventure Racing:
Again a VESPA 45 minute prior to the event with one taken every 3-5 hours depending upon the event, conditions, intensity of athletic performance and availability of aid or drop bags.
Century Cycling:
Again a VESPA 45 minutes prior to the start with a VESPA every 2-4 hours. This depends upon the intensity of the ride (2 hours if you are riding hard and fast / 4 hours if you are cruising.
Triathlon / Ironman Training:
For most athletes even a Sprint Triathlon is an endurance event. For sprint distance a single VESPA 45 minutes prior to the event should be sufficient.
For Olympic distance 1-2 VESPA are recommended depending upon your goal time.
For Half & Full Ironman events a VESPA 45 minutes prior to the start with a VESPA taken every 2-3 hours is recommended.
Figure Skating, X/C Skiing/Biathlon, Tennis & Dance:
These and other sports require the same athleticism as any other physical endeavor combined with critically high levels of focus,and coordination. A pouch of VESPA 45 minutes prior to a workout or performance will help the athlete remain sharp throughout by keeping glycogen levels stable. For tournaments: depending upon the frequency of each performance, a VESPA 45 minute before the first performance, game or set. If the next performance is more than 2 hours after the first then another pouch again 45 minutes prior to the performance.
Team Sports:
VESPA is the leading supplement in the ice hockey market. From the Canadian National Team and NHL Super-Stars to the local clubs and youth ice hockey teams VESPA & VESPA JR give players natural sustained energy and by stabilizing glycogen levels maintain their mental clarity and motor skills throughout the game.
Whether you play roller hockey, soccer, basketball, rugby, lacrosse or other team sports where sustained levels of aerobic activity and sharp motor skills (i.e. hand to eye coordination) are necessary one VESPA or VESPA JR 45 minutes before your game will give you the endurance and mental clarity necessary to play your best!
Training Guidelines:
VESPA is an excellent training tool for athletes looking to optimize their performance. VESPA is not a magic bullet. It will not replace training, rest, stretching, a diet that works for the athlete, a stable lifestyle, etc. but given these things are in place VESPA will allow the athlete to train harder, allow the body to adapt to the increases in stress better and recover faster.
For training use VESPA sparingly, that is use VESPA at longer time intervals than you would in a race. This helps develop the body's other mechanisms for increasing fat metabolism. This does not mean eliminating VESPA from your training regime altogether because VESPA's effect of lowering blood lactates is important toward enhancing recovery.
Back to the store page


text:
Louis Columbus
Cincom Systems
Doing more with less is the new mantra.
Walk through any marketing, sales, channel management or customer services office and you'll see the results of how companies strive to get more accomplished with less. From the packed wall calendars of projects and programs to Outlook calendars of sales and channel reps working as hard as they can to keep resellers productive and profitable, there's definitely a new intensity alive.
Quotas are up and budgets are down, and channel programs are often caught in the middle. Instead of seeing this as an excuse the best companies view it as a crucible that tests their true skills of making channel programs work.
Partnerships: Produce or Be Gone
The days of trading logos and partnerships that don't produce a dime in revenue are over. In their place, this new intensity of selling and true partnerships is all about getting real results, not pumped up measures of meetings, conference calls or sales calls that don't deliver results.
The Successful Are Different: They Only Reward Results
Whether it is as simple as a marketing campaign to as complex as a new product introduction, companies getting results today are doing several things differently than the rest.
- Instead of being lulled into a false sense of security, these top performing companies only track metrics that lead to results. One distributor of high-tech electronics has a real-time dashboard of channel sales reps and the percentage of calls that lead to a sale, average sales size, time of call, gross margin contribution (dollars and %), and call frequency of account. This helps channel managers to see trending in profitability throughout the month and they know at any point in time where they are against their quota.
- Embrace competition and nurture it to get the best from your channels. One manufacturer of networking components uses their Partner Intranet site to post the daily results of sales on the hottest-selling products in units (as pricing is confidential across their partner base). This has lead to exceptional levels of competition. Sales reps, being the introverts they are, like to attach their names to the deals that push them ahead of other resellers. This is part of the new intensity that is out there.
- Realizing pricing is the last weapon of choice to win deals but the best one to automate. Tempting as it may be when sales activity hits a wall, dropping price can kill your company. From the simulations I've participated in and run for my graduate students in an MBA program I teach in, without exception every semester a team will decide to becoming the low price leader with no investment in lean manufacturing, supply chain or aggressive R&D. They purely go after price. Result: the longest one team last was seven quarters and they were out of business. Instead consider how Epson, Seagate, and others in high tech, and how Putnam Investments, TR Rowe Price and Fidelity manage financial services transactions. Both of these industries rely on price exception management and in the case of Seagate, they have an exceptional special pricing request process. Managing pricing intelligently and aggressively is key to making every channel management dollar count.
- Sales Programs Are the New King of Marketing Spend. Of the manufacturers spoken with including those producing and selling home networking, components and computer systems products, many are diverting their advertising dollars into sales for recruitment, sales effectiveness and sales tools. This is easy to track the ROI of and many manufacturers are using a phased "pay as you go" approach to make sure the dollars invested pay off. Sales is the new king of marketing spend now, and advertising spend is way down as a result.
- Online media and social network spend doubling in many manufacturers. A VP of Channel Programs with a local manufacturer of networking products told me that online media and social networks received a 34% increase in budget while spending on print media was completely cut. He explained that they get more sales leads from Facebook and Twitter and they can track it more effectively than they ever got from print media.
- The catalyst of this new selling intensity in channels is all about doing whatever it takes to save existing customers. When I asked a student of mine, who is a Sales & Marketing VP for a local manufacturer what the top priority was in this area, specifically going after new accounts of saving existing ones, he told me they dedicate nearly 40% of their marketing budget to attracting existing customers to existing products. "It is the heart of our retrench strategy" he said in class last week. Sales get a bonus multiplier for getting an existing customer to source three new product lines, he said.
- Bonuses only get paid when customers are delighted and show it in survey results. One services company that specializes in CRM implementations and outsourcing business process improvement projects only pays their consultants if the customer satisfaction surveys come back with a 95% score or higher. With work done in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Bangalore, and Chennai this metric has made global collaboration work. It has brought intensity to the process of making the customers' problems their own. The result is that this small outsourcer who has revenues just over $100 million has over 70 referenceable clients.
Bottom line: Making every dollar count in your channel management strategies has to be anchored in nothing but results, and there must be an intensity to achieve despite higher quotas and shrinking budgets. Looking at these constraints as a crucible and not a crutch pervades those companies getting to their channel selling goals.
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text: On Tue, Apr 12, 2005 at 09:32:02AM -0700, Roland Krause wrote: > Finally the whole problem is history with the arrival of 2.6.9 where > changes to the kernel were made so that the memory spaces now grow > towards each other from opposite sides so that one now can avoid these > tricks allthogether, at least on 64bit machines :-) This isn't quite right. There are *3* things that grow: heap, mmap, and stack. What 2.6.9 does is use your maximum stack limit to move mmap as far from the heap as possible. So if you have an unlimited stacksize (common for Fortran users), you still have the same old issue. 2.6.9 is more clever for programs which use limited amounts of stack; that's common in C programs, but not most Fortran programs. In 64 bits, this was never an issue, because there's so much address space available: you'll run out of physical memory long before mmap, heap, or stack can collide. -- greg


text:
One of the concerns about electric vehicles is the range. That is certainly true of the most popular commercial vehicle to date – the Newton, from Smith Electric Vehicles, which has an effective range of 100 mi. on a single charge.
But what if range was not part of equation? Certainly electric vehicles provide many benefits over their gas and diesel counterparts – fewer emissions and quieter to name just two. But with a limited range, the market for such vehicles is restricted to routes such as pickup and delivery where the vehicle returns to a fixed charging station each night.
Federal Express and UPS have been deploying the vehicles in city environments with great success. Many other companies are as well. But the market for electric vehicles could mushroom if only there was a way to charge a vehicle en route.
Now, maybe there is. Massachusetts-based OLEV Technologies has been awarded a contract by the city of McAllen, TX, to test just such a process. The On-line Electric Vehicle Bus Project is being funded through the Federal Transportation Administration TIGGER (Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction) grant program.
At a cost of $2.1 million ($211,000 from the city and the rest coming from the TIGGER grant), the project is set to launch this year and be completed by 2013.
(See how the OLEV Technologies' system works)
OLEV will install its system to allow three municipal buses that McAllen will retrofit with electric-drive systems to operate using electric power transmitted wirelessly from the roadbed. According to OLEV, this will allow the buses to continuously charge while they are traveling as well as while they load and unload passengers.
"This project will demonstrate the overall effectiveness of using enroute-charging technology to create an effective electronic roadway, as well as the cost effective means of converting buses from the existing diesel fleet to electric vehicles," said Dr. Hikyu Lee, president & CEO of OLEV Technologies.
According to Lee, the technology will result in an annual greenhouse gas reduction of 289 tons of CO2, with a total reduction of 3,455 tons over the lifetime of the project. Projected annual energy savings will amount to 2,596 million Btus, with a total 31,149 million saved over the lifetime of the project.
"We are delighted that our technology has been selected for funding to showcase the near-term and long-term benefits of electric buses via wireless power transfer technology, a zero tailpipe emission green transportation solution," said Lee. "We received very strong support from our Senator, John Kerry (D–MA), and we're grateful for the efforts he and his staff put forward on our behalf."
Originally invented at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the technology allows vehicles to charge wirelessly through road-embedded power tracks. The system uses "shaped magnetic field in resonance (SMFIR) technology to overcome hurdles related to current, voltage, and frequency, the company said.
According to OLEV, the technology has major benefits over typical electric vehicle systems, chiefly the ability to provide unlimited driving range and the utilization of a smaller battery, thereby reducing weight. Also, no direct contact is needed, allowing vehicles to simply drive over the equipped roadbed to be charged.
And because the vehicle is continuously charged, there is no need to install expensive recharging stations or wait 8 or 10 hours while a vehicle is charged, the company said.
"It is about improving the environment," said City of McAllen Transit Director Elizabeth Suarez, who oversees McAllen's bus fleet, noting that the project is a joint partnership with the McAllen Economic Development Corp., South Texas College along with OLEV Technologies. "We will have a 60 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which means less pollution. It will save us money. We will save about 80% of our diesel bill."
"Using cutting edge technology to help our residents with transportation is very exciting," said McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez. "It is an honor to be selected for such a competitive grant, and we are very appreciative of our Congressman Henry Cuellar's efforts to secure these funds for McAllen. This is a big investment that will pay off for all of us."


text:
Starting Wednesday, Alberta Energy is to auction off 1,700 hectares of land north of Grande Cache — home to the remaining members of several herds of mountain caribou.
A federal scientific panel ruled earlier this month that those herds should be assessed as endangered, the highest level of threat available under Canadian law, because their numbers have tumbled by about 60 per cent over the last decade.
"Most of it's industrial disturbance," said Justina Ray, one of the biologists who completed the assessment for Environment Canada's Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
"There's also pressure from recreational activities as well — everything from snowmobiles to helicopter skiing. The (factor) that has caused the greatest change is industrial disturbance."
About 1,200 hectares on the block is on the range of the 78-animal Narraway herd. Data compiled by Global Forest Watch suggests more than 81 per cent of that range is already disrupted. The other 500 hectares are from the 100-member Redrock-Prairie Creek herd's range, about half of which has seen human impact.
The most recent figures for those areas are four years old.
Alberta Energy spokesman Mike Feenstra said the province does recognize mountain caribou as threatened, if not endangered.
Temporary holds have been placed on lease sales on the ranges of two other boreal caribou herds, he said.
"Strict operating restrictions for industry continue to apply within Alberta's other caribou ranges," said Feenstra, who added that companies are informed of those restrictions before rights are purchased.
Carolyn Campbell of the Alberta Wilderness Association says those rules on how energy companies should operate on caribou ranges don't go far enough, Campbell said. They don't set disturbance limits and mostly deal with timing.
"It's just going through the motions, to say there are restrictions on caribou range," said Campbell.
Ray said the herds suffer as development cuts holes in old-growth forest.
The plants that grow back are much better habitat for deer and moose. Those animals are the main prey of wolves and, once the wolves gain access to an area, they start to eat caribou as well.
Alberta conducts a vigorous wolf-kill program. But provincial officials have acknowledged that culling predators won't protect caribou herds forever.
Saving mountain caribou herds is important for the overall genetic diversity of caribou in both British Columbia and Alberta, Ray said. She added that policy-makers need to consider that habitat pressures centred in Alberta are starting to spread.
"We're noticing a creep northward of these pressures and the impacts as a result," she said. "It's a question of where to draw the line."
Campbell pointed out that the federal and Alberta governments have a recovery strategy for boreal caribou that commits to restoring their range so at least 65 per cent of it is useable. A strategy for mountain caribou is in the works, but nothing has been completed.
The only thing that will preserve Alberta's caribou herds is governments being willing to say no, said Ray.
"Given the difficult state of these populations, it will require both intensive management and it will also require some restraint of our activities," she said.
"We can't try and fix what's happening with respect to their habitat without actually holding off with new disturbance."
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text: > May be it's integrated into SGE 5.3 Enterprise Edition ? I said about > *free* SGE 5.3. Both "Sun ONE Grid Engine Administartor and User's Guide" > and "Sun ONE Grid Engine Release Notes" don't have just the word "MAUI". > Moreover, the only sheduler algorithm allowed in usual > (free) SGE 5.3 is "standard" (see SGE Administrator & User's guide, p.225). It is easy to get confused by SGE versions. Enterprise Edition is also free. MAUI was integrated with it - most of this work was done by MAUI team with help from SGE team. Regarding SGE versions, I think it works as follows: 1) Developers create opensource SGE version. They work using publicly available CVS software repository. All new features come to this version. This opensource version is both "SGE" ans "SGE Enterprise Edition" - the difference is just an instalation option. You install both using the same files, you may compile both using the same sources from the CVS archive. 2) 'Commercial' part of SUN takes these sources (probably without any important changes) and compiles 'commercial' SGE and SGEEE. They add word 'ONE' to the name. They create nice manuals. You can buy this software and get usual support you expect for commercial software. You can still download the manuals for free. Just skip word 'ONE' while reading them - they are perfectly usable for free SGE as well. They just may be out of date because the free version already has new features (like MAUI integration). They may also never mention MAUI integration because the 'commercial' part of SUN has no support for it. All this is just too nice to believe it so people often get confused. Note that it probably quite differs from PBS/OpenPBS development model - I am no expert on PBS (experienced experts, please correct me if I am wrong!) but I think that commercial PBS and OpenPBS are split and the development team has quite hard times deciding what to do - they introduce new features to commercial branch to make it more attractive (to make any money on it) but in the same time similar features are wanted in the OpenPBS version. They themselves created their own enemy on the market (OpenPBS) and now they are not sure how to behave to it - support it as their child? Kill it as their enemy? Even if I am wrong in my thoughts on PBS (and I may easily be wrong as it is a long time I left PBS maillists) I am pretty sure many PBS users percieve it like this (as I got few quite few emails from them indicating this). PBS is older than SGE (and yes, PBS did many good things, no doubt) and everybody knew PBS when opensource SGE was born. And many people could easily expect that SGE used the same model as PBS did. (It was easy to think that SGE EE is the commercial version - no, it is not.) SGE did not use the same model as PBS. It used more open one. And this choice was huge success I think. (I am ready for heated comment from Scyld - I somehow manage to upset them every time I post here. Sorry if it happened again. I know Scyld integrated PBS, it is nice working solution and I should probably shut up. Or did SGE already made it to Scyld software portfolio ;-) ? ) Regards Vaclav


text:
This six-week online course begins with an explanation of the nature of matter and a review of the principles of chemistry that are important to human physiology. We'll place an emphasis on the organization of the human body and the differences between nonliving matter and living organisms. We'll also cover cell anatomy and physiology because all life processes are ultimately carried out at the cellular level. You'll also learn principles of genetics and gain an understanding of how traits are passed from one generation to the next.
After we've established this foundation, we'll survey the anatomy and physiology of each of our 11 organ systems. You'll learn how our nervous system allows us to receive, process, and interpret sensation and send messages to our muscles and glands. We'll cover the skeletal and muscular systems, learning how they make movement possible, and also about some of their little-known but equally essential functions.
This course explains how the circulatory and respiratory systems work together to provide our bodies with the oxygen our tissues need, and how they work together with the skin and kidneys to rid our bodies of wastes. You'll learn how our bodies fight off diseases, and how our digestive system converts the food we eat into energy and the tissues of our bodies. We'll also spend time on the endocrine system, which supplies the hormones we need for our survival, and the reproductive system, that group of organs that allows life to be passed on to another generation.
We'll also discuss functions of the different organ systems that you'll probably find surprising. In addition, each lesson includes information about specific disorders that sometimes happen to our bodies, and we'll also talk about some recent advances in medicine. By the end of this course, you'll have a greater appreciation and understanding of the marvelous complexity of the human body!
Holly Trimble earned a bachelor's degree in physical therapy from the University of Colorado, a master's degree in pediatric physical therapy from Boston University, and a master's degree in biology from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She also completed an additional 15 credit hours in education at the doctoral level. After working as a physical therapist for many years, Holly transitioned into teaching. She taught math and science to sixth-graders for several years at a private school, and also worked as a private tutor for children with learning disabilities. She has lectured on health-related topics to all age groups, from school-age children to adults, and she now works as an adjunct professor, teaching college-level anatomy and physiology. She received an Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award from her college and is the author of the eBook, College Success Now! as well as several ed2go courses.
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text:
Dawn Richard On Leaving Dirty Money & Bad Boy! (Why She Left, Day26's Q Cheating On Her & More)
"Power 105 1's "The Breakfast Club" interviews Dawn Richard formally of Danity Kane and Dirty Money. She speaks on leaving Dirty Money and Bad Boy and why she left, speaks on Day 26's Q cheating on her that's why that broke up, speaks on why her and Kaleema couldn't come together for another Dirty Money Project, speaks on her relationship with Diddy, and her feelings toward Cassie."
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text:
Angry Egyptians blocked roads across the country, while taxi drivers held strikes in several cities in protest against the government's decision to increase the price of fuel by more than 70% over the weekend.
A rapidly growing number of taxi drivers are also refusing to turn on their meters, because the fare rates had not been adjusted to reflect the new fuel prices, while many drivers of Egypt's popular micro buses have raised fares to match the steep rise in fuel prices.
"This is a disaster. You cannot just cut subsidies without compensating the poor. I'm now paying double the fare I used to pay to go to work daily and to afford that I have to put less food on the table for my kids," said Tareq Hassan, a 43-year old civil servant. "The government and the president should not say they are trying to protect the poor if they are hurting us the most."
Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb, defended his government's politically sensitive decision in a televised news conference saying energy subsidies have cost the treasury $96 billion over the past decade.
The energy subsidy cuts will save the government $7 billion for the coming 2014-15 fiscal year, which would be spent on education, health care, pensions and raising wages, he said.
London-based Capital Economics said in a recent note that Egypt's budget deficit has ballooned to over 10% of GDP in recent years, causing the debt ratio to rise above 90% of GDP. This, its analysts said, has raised concerns about the sustainability of the public finances. "The key areas for fiscal reform are subsidies and public sector wages, which together account for over a half of total public spending. While cuts in these areas would be unpopular, they're needed to put the public finances onto a more sustainable footing."
Egyptian protestors block roads in Cairo following the government's fuel subsidy cut.
Newly elected President and former army chief Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has previously said he was determined to tackle the subsidies' burden and that Egyptians must be willing to sacrifice to help the country's economy, which has been growing at its slowest pace in about two decades.
Several analysts have warned that some of Mr. Sisi's actions to curb state spending could trigger a backlash from many Egyptians already complaining of poverty.
"I'm quite disillusioned. What else does Sisi want us to sacrifice since I'm already struggling to make ends meet?," asked Sherif al-Khodari, a 38-year old security guard. "This price increase will have impact on everything including food prices and the president should know people will revolt again if their suffering is increasing. Why cannot he at least keep things as they are."
But subsidies, including those for fuel, consume as much as a quarter of the state budget, and keeping them untouched is a "crime," Egypt's prime minister said.
"Debts are mounting and the question we must ask ourselves is whether we want to leave this legacy for future generation," Mr. Mehleb added.


text:
After Trent Roleau, 21, graduates from Vermont Technical College next year, he hopes to start a small-scale diversified farm on a property owned by his parents near where he grew up in Lincoln. Roleau's parents own Isham Brook Farm, and Trent grew up caring for pigs, collecting maple sap every spring and competing in draft horse competitions around New England.
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text:
COLLEGE STATION — Here's the latest from Reed Arena, where I've spent this morning: Coach Mark Turgeon isn't here. And those who are say they have no idea where he is.
What everyone agrees upon is that Turgeon took a short family vacation – word here is that was to Pennsylvania – this past weekend, and was scheduled to arrive late Sunday night. Multiple insiders here at Reed expected him here this morning, but he hasn't shown.
Turgeon, who's taken the Aggies to four consecutive NCAA tournaments, is a leading candidate for the Maryland job, according to multiple people here and in media reports out of the East Coast. Longtime Terrapins coach Gary Williams abruptly retired last week, paving the way for a rare May basketball hire at a hoops-rich university.
A&M athletic director Bill Byrne told me through a spokesman this morning that he and Turgeon would not address any rumors. Should Turgeon bolt for Maryland, expect for former A&M assistant and native Texan Buzz Williams of Marquette to earn a long look for starters.
A year ago Oregon courted Turgeon before he received a contract extension and raise that placed his annual salary at nearly $2 million.


text: The Fellowship is a programme for those who are prepared to go on a journey of inner and outer transformation. A programme designed to unearth and mould from among the dreamers and doers in the youth the nation builders of the future. A platform where the best young minds, deal with the problems of the times that are worth solving. The Fellowship challenges fellows over the course of a two year residential program to work with primary school headmasters to transform their schools. In the process, Fellows discover what they want to do with their own lives and how to go about converting their ideas into reality.


text:
Papa Roach Light Up Stage in 'One Track Mind' Music Video
Papa Roach showcase their high-octane stage show in the new music video for 'One Track Mind,' the next single from the 2010 release 'Time for Annihilation: On the Record and On the Road.'
Fans of Papa Roach are feverishly awaiting the band's ambitious next album. "We want to separate ourselves from the pack again," said singer Jacoby Shaddix of their upcoming sixth studio LP. "We've been listening to everything from honkytonk country music to electronic music to heavy metal to punk rock. I don't want to make an average white-guy rock record. I want to make a f—ing record that inspires people to f–k, fight, love, forgive."
With an effort of that magnitude in the works, it goes without saying that the band will be more "On the Record" than "On the Road" for the foreseeable future. For those suffering from P-Roach deficiency, the music video for their fist-pumping song 'One Track Mind' may be just what the doctor ordered.
The new clip, which premiered on Google Music, features footage culled from the band's homecoming gig at Sacramento, California's Arco Arena during last year's Rock Allegiance tour. 'One Track Mind' was one of five new studio recordings the band added to the 2010 live album 'Time for Annihilation.'
Watch the Papa Roach 'One Track Mind' Video


text:
Office for iPad May Be Waiting in Wings
Mar 20, 2014 12:50 PM PT
Microsoft's tip of a news event next week triggered an avalanche of prophecy that the long-awaited version of Office for the iPad was about to be released. Microsoft is billing the event in San Francisco on March 27 as a "briefing and news focused on the intersection of cloud and mobile computing."
While Microsoft officially withheld further details concerning next week's event, an assortment of unnamed sources did not. What's rumored to be coming is a version of Microsoft's Office productivity suite for the iPad. It will contain Word, Excel and PowerPoint; and it will be tied to a subscription to Office 365, Microsoft's cloud-based version of the productivity suite.
Microsoft in recent days has made some moves that seem consistent with plans to introduce Office for iPad. It rolled out a free, cross-platform versions of Office's notepad app, OneNote. It also announced a new pricing option for Office 365 -- US$6.99 a month for a single device.
"There have definitely been bread crumbs left along the way," Wes Miller, a research analyst with Directions on Microsoft, told the E-Commerce Times. "It's been imminent for a long time, so it looks like we might actually see it."
No Free Lunches
Although iPad users are accustomed to acquiring apps for free or a flat price, requiring an Office 365 subscription would make sense -- at least to Microsoft, suggested Miller.
"It'll be a turnoff for tablet users who don't have any investment in Office, but those aren't the people Microsoft needs to be investing in. Microsoft is focusing on customers who Office is a part of their daily life," he said.
"The people who are in a position to pay will happily pay because it means their iPads have become that much more efficient," added Jonathan H. Hill, an associate dean at the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems at Pace University.
"Those of us who use iPads during the course of a business day -- our machines just got a whole lot more valuable for us," he told the E-Commerce Times.
It could be argued that Microsoft could broaden the appeal of Office by offering it for the iPad for free or a fixed price, but that appears to be outside the company's long-term strategy.
"Microsoft has made it pointedly clear that their direction is devices and services, and they keep beating that drum," Miller said.
"Their goal is to sell you a device, and if they can't sell you a device, they're going to sell you a service," he continued. "Their goal is to make Office something you use regularly and to turn it into an annuity, not something you just buy once."
Applause for Nadella
Should Microsoft tie iPad Office to Office 365, it could be a "severely limiting factor" on the program, asserted Jim McGregor, founder and principal analyst at Tirias Research.
"I think it would be foolish," he told the E-Commerce Times. "The best thing Microsoft could do is offer it for free, but that means they'd have to replace that revenue with some other business model, and that's a difficult thing to do right now."
Recent announcements by Microsoft, as well as the rumored Office for iPad launch, are winning praise for the company's new CEO, Satya Nadella.
"He's moving a lot faster than the old regime did," Jack E. Gold of J.Gold Associates told the E-Commerce Times.
Nadella's nimbleness may have played a role in the long languishing Office for iPad project.
"He unstuck it," Val Wright, a principal at ValWright Consulting, told the E-Commerce Times. "He accelerated it and removed any final resistance to it."
For Microsoft and its new CEO, introduction of Office for the iPad couldn't come at a better time.
"With its new CEO, it signals that Microsoft is willing to go out and take advantage of good revenue opportunities like this, and it shows that they're willing to embrace the marketplace," Pace's Hill said.
It's estimated that some 200 million iPads have been sold since the product was introduced -- an Office market that could generate as much as $2.45 billion a year for Microsoft. That no doubt contributed to the $1.70 bump in share price for the company's stock following the reports of the imminent release of Office for the iPad.
"The market rewarded the move," observed Hill, "and I think they've made themselves a more relevant company with it."


text: Sun has "leaked" some preformance figorese see http://www.dvhardware.net/article25470.html If you really want to drool then Intel's new 6 CORE "Dunnington will be a new 45nm processor in the Penryn family, it will feature three dual-core banks and have 16MB of shared L3 cache memory. Each pair of cores can also access 3MB of local L2 cache. The six-core Dunnington processors will be available in the second half of this year and will be pin-compatible with Intel Tigerton processors, this means they'll work in existing Clarksboro chipset based motherboards.: well I wonder what rwin Dunnington Xeons would be like, og never enough money or spee and as usual before the latest greateswt product the Behalem Xeons are even available, or has it obsolete regualarly available, Intel already has the nest product being prepped for released. Such is the life in trying to buy a top preformance computer, as multu-cores now adding it seems faster then moore's Law of 18 months. --- On Tue, 10/14/08, Joe Landman <landman at scalableinformatics.com> wrote: From: Joe Landman <landman at scalableinformatics.com> Subject: Re: [Beowulf] Nehalem Xeons To: "Kilian CAVALOTTI" <kilian.cavalotti.work at gmail.com> Cc: "Håkon Bugge" <hbugge at platform.com>, beowulf at beowulf.org Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 2:36 PM Kilian CAVALOTTI wrote: > Hi Håkon, > > Håkon Bugge wrote: >> ... and, the statement below is based on comparing Harpertown to >> Nehalem. I have not tested products from Intel's competitors and >> compared them to Nehalem. > > Do you, by any chance, have any substantial performance figure to make > us drool? :) Intel has asked that no benchmarks be published by people with units. > > Cheers, -- Joseph Landman, Ph.D Founder and CEO Scalable Informatics LLC, email: landman at scalableinformatics.com web : http://www.scalableinformatics.com http://jackrabbit.scalableinformatics.com phone: +1 734 786 8423 x121 fax : +1 866 888 3112 cell : +1 734 612 4615 _______________________________________________ Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/attachments/20081014/141da362/attachment.html>