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In honor of the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, I earlier offered up this posting: To Boldly Go: Star Trek at Fifty. The Verge site, cribbed from it along with another baker's dozen in "13 Science Fiction authors on how Star Trek influenced their lives," with thoughts from Allen Steele, Madeline Ashby, Becky Chambers, Elizabeth Bonesteel and others.
Also... be sure to watch the episode Is Privacy Dead? of "Morgan Freeman's Through the Wormhole" discussing privacy in the future. It's well-done and provocative... and I blather last.
A wonderful resource: Download or flip through archived issues of Weird Tales, dating back to the 1930s and 40s. And much more if you follow the embedded links ... and much, MUCH more if you follow the sidebar links at this site. You'll find older, but classic stories from Lovecraft, Bradbury, Hamilton, Sturgeon and others, along with those fantastic, evocative covers.
With her novella, Murder in the Generative Kitchen, new author Meg Pontecorvo cooks up and dishes out for you not one, not two, but three original sci fi premises. Enjoy and digest them well.
A fun book for Young Adult readers: Mad Science Institute, by Sechin Tower, offers up a teenage girl genius who loves inventing robots and electronic devices. But Sophia "Soap" Lazarcheck's science projects have a way of going awry, setting off frequent explosions and the occasional fire. When she is admitted into the secretive Mechanical Science Institute (founded by Nikola Tesla), she uncovers a conspiracy of evildoers who want to subvert the institute's science advances for nefarious purposes. Sophia teams up with her older cousin, Dean, to unravel these mysteries and prevent an imminent doomsday. For more YA, see my extensive list of suggested SF books for young adult readers.
See bios at the Clarion site. Established in 1968, the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop is the oldest workshop of its kind and is widely recognized as a premier proving and training ground for aspiring writers of fantasy and science fiction. The list of distinguished Clarion alumni includes Ed Bryant, Octavia Butler, Bob Crais, Cory Doctorow, George Alec Effinger, Nalo Hopkinson, James Patrick Kelly, Vonda McIntyre, Kim Stanley Robinson, Martha Soukup, Kelly Link, Bruce Sterling, and many others.


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I believe there are two things in life: results and crappy excuses for not achieving results. As a society, we've gotten really good at giving excuses and readily accepting them. I'm not vilifying our society—our days are more jam-packed than ever and it seems like we are constantly being pulled in a thousand different directions. I've worked with some very dedicated, talented people who have not been able to achieve the results they should have. It wasn't for lack of trying; it was lack of good habits.
Related: The 5 Traits of Great Future Leaders
Your habits and patterns determine the direction of your life, so it should come as no surprise that successful people have successful habits. In my more than three decades in business, I've practiced three habits in particular that I think have played a huge role in my success and can help you maximize yours.
1. Winners get out of bed early.
I know the business trend right now is toward flexible schedules, but while you're in bed sleeping, someone else is out working. And, the fact is, most CEOs aren't sleeping until noon and rolling into the office midafternoon. They get up early and attack the day. In interview after interview, they say their routine starts with getting up around 5 or 6 a.m. and using the two or three hours before they get into the office to focus and prepare for the day ahead. That may mean exercise, meditation, catching up on current events pertinent to the business or any number of things, but when they do arrive at work, they are more productive and achieve more than most.
The old saying "the early bird gets the worm" came about for a reason. The people who are up and doing are the people who seize the opportunities first, so get up out of bed and put in the extra time and effort it takes to chase success. It's not going to wait around for you.
2. Be a daily goal setter and a daily goal hitter.
There is nothing wrong with having long-range goals and dreams, but what you do today greatly affects whether or not you will achieve your future dreams. You have to intentionally design each and every day in a way that leads to getting things done that will maximize your results. That does not mean being busy every minute of the day just for the sake of being busy. That means knowing what is important and focusing on those things.
Related: 7 Daily Habits of Exceptionally Successful People
Every night, or in those early morning hours you are using to prepare for the day ahead, set your daily goals. Don't make goals for the entire week. Just for the upcoming day. Ask yourself what you must get done each day that will produce the most results and only work on those things. And make setting those goals a daily habit.
3. Focus, focus, focus.
Even if you set the goals, if you aren't focused—and by that I mean working on what's important now—you won't be successful. Successful people always know what is important in the moment, they are relentless in getting it done, and they don't get distracted by unimportant stuff. They have the ability to stay focused when other people are unfocused, which is no easy feat the higher up you move in an organization, because everyone wants a piece of your attention.
If you want to be successful, you've got to develop the discipline not to let anything take your focus off the important things that will get results. Sure, it's going to take a lot of practice to develop that discipline, but at the end of the day those results are going to totally be worth the hard work.
Look, I'm not going to lie to you: Winning and success is quite often boring. It's doing the same successful thing over and over again. But there is a scoreboard in life and business, and establishing repetitive habits that lead to effective performance is the key to winning results—and results are what matters.

subset: commoncrawl


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Dr. Rosenthal's guiding touch showcases your beauty in a manner that is faultlessly natural.
Dr. Jeffrey S. Rosenthal is Former, Chief of Plastic Surgery, at Bridgeport Hospital and in private practice since 1985. He has been voted "Best Plastic Surgeon in Fairfield County" numerous times and was recently named a Top Plastic Surgeon within the state of Connecticut and awarded Top Surgeon Recognition in America. Additionally Dr. Rosenthal is academically acclaimed being the Chairperson for a national medical book review service. His reviews of plastic surgery texts and writing reach 300,000 subscribers and medical librarians in this country and abroad.
Dr. Rosenthal, with offices in Fairfield and Greenwich, Connecticut, views "Surgery as Art". As an acclaimed plastic surgeon and an Artist with Exhibits in France, New York and Connecticut, he is able to seamlessly fuse his experience and creativity to provide each patient a natural and vibrant appearance. Each thread Dr. Rosenthal places is crucial; each move of his hand to sculpt a face, nose, lids or body is precise and part of the melding of science and art. Dr. Rosenthal's patients know that he never rushes to finish a surgery as "every surgery is a piece of art". "I have used my artistry to enhance all that I touch. My objective is to bring a smile to each patient's face. It is important to listen to their personal desires so that I can release both their inner sparkle and outer beauty".
All personalized to meet your needs, many of his cosmetic surgery techniques for facelifts, eyelid and brow lifts, nose, ear reconstruction, lipo-contouring, breast and abdominal surgeries have been devised and refined though his meticulous attention to detail and his single-minded passion that his specialty requires. His "Rosenthal Liquid Facelift," sculpts the cheeks and face with Radiesse, Juvéderm, Expression and Botox, yielding a beautifully enhanced facial appearance.
You have a Unique Opportunity to share in Dr. Rosenthal's Expertise "Art of Cosmetic Surgery" commencing with a consultation.


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Corporate Sponsorship
Reach Out To Our Audience!
Public broadcasting multimedia offerings are designed to uniquely boost your organization's visibility and brand influence — appealing to an exclusive audience that only a public broadcasting station can deliver.
Corporations, businesses and non-profit organizations who include us in their media plans create a lasting impression, high brand recall value, and help keep high quality programming on the air.
Detroit PBS provides the opportunity to engage a million viewers per week in Southeastern Michigan and two millions households throughout Canada via cable and satellite. Our annual offerings include:
- Media Packages
- Program Sponsorship
- Event Sponsorship
- Challenge Grants
WRCJ-FM is one of the most listened to public radio stations in Southeast Michigan, offering classical music 5am-7pm daily and jazz overnights. WRCJ connects artists and organizations with greater audiences, engages people to attend concerts and events, and promotes art education for young people. Approximately 200,000 listeners tune in each week for "Classical Days" and "Jazzy Nights," with many more worldwide on wrcjfm.org.
An ad placed in Detroit PBS's programming guide, Signal, reaches more than 65,000 members per issue, with six issues annually. Signal magazine stays in-home for either one or two months, containing 30-60 days of program stories and listings, adding value to an organization's advertising dollar.
Our website, detroitpbs.org, offers users a place where they can go to find out about our TV programs, contests, membership, events, products and more.
To learn more about how our local public broadcasting media can connect your brand to our educated, affluent, engaged and information-seeking audience, send us a message today!
Got Questions?
We've Got Answers!
To learn more about the benefits and process of Corporate Sponsorship, contact our VP, Development Operations, Ryan Laurie.


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Communiqué on the Meeting between Cardinal Ladaria and Fr. Pagliarani
The Palace of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome
Communiqué from the General House of the Society of Saint Pius X concerning the Nov. 22, 2018 meeting between Cardinal Ladaria and Fr. Pagliarani
On Thursday, November 22, 2018, Fr. David Pagliarani, Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, traveled to Rome at the invitation of Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was accompanied by Fr. Emmanuel du Chalard. Cardinal Ladaria was assisted by Archbishop Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.
The meeting took place in the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Its purpose was to allow Cardinal Ladaria and Fr. Pagliarani to meet for the first time and together to take stock of the relations between the Holy See and the Society of Saint Pius X since the election of its new Superior General last July.
During the meeting with the Roman authorities, it was recalled that the fundamental problem is actually doctrinal, and neither the Society nor Rome can escape this fact. Because of this irreducible doctrinal divergence, for the past seven years no attempt to compose a draft of a doctrinal statement acceptable to both parties has succeeded. This is why the doctrinal question remains absolutely essential.
The Holy See says the same when it solemnly declares that no canonical status can be established for the Society until after the signing of a doctrinal document.
Therefore, everything impels the Society to resume theological discussions with the awareness that the Good Lord does not necessarily ask the Society to convince its interlocutors, but rather to bear unconditional witness to the faith in the sight of the Church.
The future of the Society is in the hands of Providence and the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, as is demonstrated by its whole history, from the Society's foundation to this day.
The members of the Society want nothing else but to serve the Church and to cooperate effectively in her regeneration, to the point of giving their lives for her triumph if necessary. But they can choose neither the manner, nor the terms, nor the moment of what belongs to God alone.
Menzingen, November 23, 2018


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Reef House – Scrub Island
Scrub Island
Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina was the first luxury, private-island resort development to be built in the British Virgin Islands in more than 15 years when it opened in February 2010. Scrub Island was the first luxury Resort to reopen in the BVI following Hurricanes Irma and Maria and has continued to go from strength to strength.
#BVIStrong, #ScrubIslandStrong
Coldwell Banker Real Estate BVI is very excited to to have teamed up with Mainsail BVI Ltd. who developed the island and is the resort management company. Scrub Island's affiliation with Marriott International, as franchisees with Marriott's Autograph Collection®, was a significant step towards enhancing the income potential of the suites and villas. The Autograph Collection® is a collection of independent luxury hotels, each with their own unique personality.
The Resort is named after its location on Scrub Island, a serene 230-acre haven situated one mile from the east end of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Scrub Island was first discovered by Christopher Columbus nearly 500 years ago while serving as a stopping point for European explorers in route to new lands. Legend has it that its name came from pirates who dropped anchor in the area to "scrub" barnacles off of their boats. The island remained relatively untouched for centuries.
Scrub Island is fringed by three pristine beaches that shelve gently into the Caribbean Sea. It features protected coves, nature trails and stunning scenery.
Located just one mile off the coast of Tortola, the largest island in the BVIs and home of the capital and largest city, Road Town. Upon arrival at EIS, our owners and guests are escorted to Trellis Bay, for a 10-minute ride aboard our private luxury Powercat to Scrub Island. It is also centrally located amongst the islands that make up the BVI, making it very convenient for island hopping and exploring all of our beautiful secluded beaches and welcoming island-style bars and restaurants.
We've put together a very experienced BVI real estate team to ensure that we make the purchasing process as simple as possible. We understand merely the thought of buying property on a private Caribbean island might result in a few sleepless nights, so we are committed to hold your hand through the entire process.
Scrub Island offers homeowners an entirely optional, competitive rental program, designed to offset the costs of ownership. It's your home, after all, so you decide when you use it, not us. But if you do decide to join our program, then you can benefit from revenues and occupancy rates that have been consistently higher than any other BVI luxury Resort property. This is largely due to the quality of the Scrub Island condos and villas and because of the affiliation with Marriott. The Scrub Island team looks after all things marketing and maintenance, leaving you to relax and enjoy your island home.
As its name suggests, The Reef House overlooks one of the largest reefs of Scrub Island, providing a vibrant palette of blues. As with all Scrub Island Villas, the Villa is offered fully furnished and turnkey. Interiors are equally spectacular—featuring a spacious gourmet kitchen, elevated dining area, and generous, well-appointed living room. Luxurious bedrooms offer expansive terraces with sweeping views of Great Camanoe and the dramatic outcropping of Governor's Point. And for the quintessential BVI experience, the Master Bedroom features an enchanting outdoor shower.-Master suites, each with a king-size bed, large bath, and separate seating area
– Master suites, each with a king-size bed, large bath, and separate
seating area
– Lavish bathrooms with walk-in rain showers, soaking tubs, double-
sink vanities, and
private water closets
– Full gourmet kitchen with raised marble breakfast bar
– Spacious living room that opens to the main terrace
– Separate dining area
– Private plunge pool or an infinity-edge pool
– Comfortable outdoor furniture for relaxing and entertaining
– Superior appliances including dishwasher, washer/dryer, Wolf range,
and Sub-Zero
– Endless views of the Caribbean and surrounding islands
Call 1(284) 340 3000 for more information on owning a Luxury Villa at Scrub Island
approx 1/2 Acres
4 Bedrooms
4.5 Bathrooms


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...one of the most highly
regarded and expertly designed C++ library projects in the
— Herb Sutter and Andrei
Alexandrescu, C++
Coding Standards
Front Page / Iterators / Iterator Metafunctions / prior |
Returns the previous iterator in the sequence. [Note: prior has a number of overloaded meanings, depending on the type of its argument. For instance, if X is an Integral Constant, prior<X> returns an decremented Integral Constant of the same type. The following specification is iterator-specific. Please refer to the corresponding concept's documentation for the details of the alternative semantics — end note].
#include <boost/mpl/next_prior.hpp>
Parameter | Requirement | Description |
Iterator | Bidirectional Iterator. | An iterator to decrement. |
For any Bidirectional Iterators iter:
typedef prior<iter>::type j;
Return type: | |
Precondition: | iter is decrementable. |
Semantics: | j is an iterator pointing to the previous element in the sequence. If iter is a user-defined iterator, the library-provided default implementation is equivalent to typedef iter::prior j; |
Amortized constant time.


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How Good is your Employee Termination Policy?
A former employee of Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems Inc. compromised his boss' computer during a presentation and replaced some of the content with pornographic material. It is customary to have policies in place that require terminated employees to be escorted out of the building by either a security officer or member of upper level administration.
However, when it comes of terminating employees, this case highlights the importance of having a solid corporate termination policy. The actions of this former employee embarrass the company during a presentation but what if he would have deleted business critical data and trashed the backups? Or copied the business critical data (i.e. financial data, client credit card data or employees' information) and sold it to the highest bidder?
It is important to have a policy for limiting access to corporate technical resources after an employee has been terminated. Some basic step include: disabling user account(s), changing or locking all the passwords the former employee had access to, disabling corporate e-mail access and locking down access to their personal workstation.
An email from HR using a pre-configured template to all key stakeholders with a mean of reporting back to HR, confirming the work has been completed, would help prevent this kind of malicious activity. Of course, the account(s) should be monitored to detect potential unauthorized access. Do you have similar horror story to share?
[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2006962/Fired-IT-manager-hacked-companys-swapped-boss-digital-presentation-porn.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
[2] http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-computer-hacking-sentence-20110621,0,857376.story
[3] http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/06/22/hacker-ceo-presentation-porn/
Guy Bruneau IPSS Inc. gbruneau at isc dot sans dot edu
WordPress Forces Password Reset
WordPress is currently investigating a series of "[...] suspicious commits to several popular plugins (AddThis, WPtouch, and W3 Total Cache) containing cleverly disguised backdoors. We determined the commits were not from the authors, rolled them back, pushed updates to the plugins, and shut down access to the plugin repository while we looked for anything else unsavory." [1]
If you have a WordPress.org, bbPress.org and BuddyPress.org account, you will be required to choose a new password. You can change your password here.
[1] http://wordpress.org/news/2011/06/passwords-reset/
Guy Bruneau IPSS Inc. gbruneau at isc dot sans dot edu


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I posted this clip last year but as it's both completely wonderful and very suitable for 31st December, I'm sharing it again this year. As the year draws to a close, it seems fitting to make my final blog post of 2016 a Carry On take on a classic tradition. Being a proud Scotsman, I'm a big fan of the work of Robert Burns. I'm an even greater fan of the work of Kenneth Williams, and in this clip we see the two worlds collide, with a little help from one of my fellow countrymen, the late great Gordon Jackson.
I love Kenneth's Audience With show, filmed towards the end of 1982. It is Williams at his finest - a sublime raconteur holding a celebrity audience in rapture with a series of beautifully delivered anecdotes and tales from his colourful life and career. It's a real classic. One of the highlights is this musical diversion that wrapped the whole show up at the end. Kenneth had performed this reworking of Auld Lang Syne on other shows but I think this is the definitive version. He credits Gordon Jackson for helping create this mini masterpiece but I'm not sure if that's true or not!
It doesn't matter, it's just a hilarious comedy number packed full of wonderful Kenneth Williams touches and brilliant comic timing. It may not be the traditional Scottish song, but Kenny's version entertains me a great deal more than the original!
So take it away Kenneth and a Happy New Year to you all!
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan


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Victorian transmission connections process overview
In Victoria, the transmission network is referred to as Declared Shared Network (DSN). It is operated by Declared Transmission System Operators (DTSOs) who are also registered as Transmission Network Service Providers (TNSPs). You may want to check the Victorian Glossary page before reviewing the contents of these pages.
When processing applications to connect to the DSN, AEMO performs some of the responsibilities carried out in other states by the connecting TNSP. AEMO manages the connection process and is the main point of contact for the Connection Applicant. At each stage of the connections process, Connection Applicants should be aware of the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, as well as the regulatory arrangements governing the connection process.
The following pages provide information on the process for establishing a new connection or modifying an existing connection to the DSN in Victoria. For information on applications to connect to Victorian distribution networks and any transmission/distribution networks outside of Victoria, see AEMO's pages on NEM network connections or the website of the relevant connecting Network Service Provider (NSP).
Information on how transmission developments are managed, who gets involved, and how communities can stay informed and contribute to this process in Victoria can be found in AEMO's Energy Infrastructure in Your Community brochure (see Connection initiatives page).
1. Pre-feasibility
Explore the feasibility of your project and begin discussions with AEMO, landowners and relevant government authorities.
AEMO's role: provide transmission network data and other information if requested.
2. Enquiry
Submit a connection enquiry to AEMO to determine the information required to submit an application to connect.
AEMO's role: receive enquiry and coordinate response and provide transmission network data if requested.
3a. Pre-application
Submit Pre-application form to AEMO to initiate key activities being requested as a part of Pre-application.
AEMO's role: receive and coordinate assessment of Pre-application.
3. Application
Submit application to connect to AEMO to initiate key activities for a new/modified transmission connection.
AEMO's role: receive and coordinate assessment of application to connect.
4. Contracts
Having received a complete application to connect, AEMO prepares an offer to connect.
5. Construction
The construction stage begins after all contracts have been executed. The Connection Applicant completes and implements designs, prepares commissioning programs, and finalises supporting information.
AEMO's role: review construction progress reports, facilitate resolution of any technical issues, and receive and review updated data and other information from the Connection Applicant.
6. Completion
Finalise registration application requirements and provide commissioning plans and test results.
AEMO's role: review and approve commissioning plans, coordinate testing with operations, as well as review of performance at successive hold points.


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Just a day after we returned from New Mexico, a juvenile Gray Hawk was discovered by Eric Culbertson in Carpinteria, CA – not only a first Santa Barbara County record but first record ever in California. To give you an idea of how improbable this is, this is a bird that is normally found in South and Central America. It's range barely extends into the extreme Southeastern corner of Arizona. I've photographed them many times in Patagonia, AZ – just 25 or so miles from the Mexico border. The even cooler part is the bird decided to stick around the entire winter!
Range map:
I decided to take my chances waiting for morning rush hour to end and rush up the 160 or so round-trip miles to Carpinteria to photograph the bird. Lucky for me, the bird was perched in a cypress tree right on the side of the highway as I drove up. I almost felt guilty spending 5 minutes photographing the bird (before it flew off) and then getting back in my car to drive home. Total time invested: 3 hours.
Gray Hawk
Gray Hawk


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A journey to and from a delicious lunch in Koringberg, with a quick stop to buy proteas beside the road.
The last time I drove up here, on the N7 (the road to Namibia), it was dry, dusty, hot, brown, white.
Now it is green. Up, and down.
Young wheat.
On the way back to Cape Town again I saw blue cranes stepping through it.
Then the dark blue mountain appeared.
Devil's Peak and the mountain, just before 6pm.
And then President Obama's traffic jams swallowed me up.


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Plastering The Parlors
So my intern and I have been working on the plaster in the parlors. Oh, did I forget to mention I have a summer intern? Yes, The Petch House has a summer intern who is a recent graduate of College of The Redwoods' prestigious Preservation Curriculum. This moves the Petch House in to a whole new echelon of restoration projects. I mean, an intern! Come on! That's got to mean something, right? I guess, or maybe it's just free labor. Either way, it is a pleasure to have the help and to be able to pass on some of my considerable knowledge. Well, knowledge anyway. OK, maybe it will be a lesson in how not to do things.
Regardless of the outcome, The Petch House has an intern and the parlor project is back on track. My intern Meagan is from Baltimore, which is strange because I was in Baltimore for vacation last month. I'm continuing my tour of historic east coast cities. Last year was Philadelphia and this year was Baltimore and Washington DC.
My intent was to go to Baltimore & DC, walk hundreds of miles around both cities, take zillions of pictures, and then blog like crazy about it. Everything happened but the last one because I started to get sick on the flight home. By the next day I was in bed with strep throat. A week later and 6 pounds lighter, the moment had passed and I never did the blogging.
There are a few choice pictures below, but that is probably all you are going to get. Baltimorians (Is that what they are called? I'm sure my intern will set me straight.) will probably laugh, but for me one of the highlights of the trip was taking the train from Baltimore's historic Penn Station to the over-the-top Beau Arts Union Station in DC. Union Station is like a beating heart that pumps hundreds of people out in to the arteries of DC every minute. It is quite an experience for a boy from Humboldt County. That and Baltimore's Shot Tower (Google it), but only because I had never heard of a Shot Tower before and found it all very interesting. Really, it was a great trip and I encourage everyone to go.
But now back to the parlors, plaster, and my intern. Megan had planned to intern with a premier restoration carpenter this summer, but for reasons I won't elaborate on, the deal fell through at the last minute. Some how she stumbled on to my blog and shot off an email. I must admit I was leery at first. I mean, what would some ivy league egghead know about old house restoration. Well, CR is hardly ivy league, but still, was the preservation program little more than a diploma factory or did they actually teach real-world skills?
Anybody who has read my blog knows I'm obsessed with detail about this house, to the point of almost being certifiably nuts about it. Regardless of whether Megan had the skills, could I relinquish even the smallest amount of authority over the work being done. I have done every last little thing myself for the past ten years. This would be a stretch for me.
Five years ago I probably would have said no or maybe not even returned the email, but it has been well documented here that I am getting a little fried on the work. I decided to give her a try. I told her a little about my current project and agreed to give her a tour of the house. In her next email she sent pictures of a recent plaster job she was on. It was real plaster, over real lath, in a real historic home of Eureka. I started to get excited.
The next night she came by and I gave her the rare full tour of the home. Few are allowed on the second floor and even fewer ever see the attic. Her enthusiasm was apparent and infectious. She mixed a few batches of plaster for me and I agreed to have her come back. The next night she came back and did some plastering. Below is a shot of the wall she did on the first night.
I was more than a little relieved that she could actually plaster. Even after one day it was evident she really wanted to help with the project, but if the choice came down to smooth plaster walls in The Petch House or crushing the hopes and dreams of a young woman, I think we all know what would have happened. And for those of you who are still unsure, I'll just say that I would be working alone right now had Megan's wall not come out smooth.
Not only did the wall come out smooth, but in some respects it is better than some of the work I do. I'm more of a slap it up, smooth it out, and move on kind of plasterer. I get a lot done in a short amount of time and it looks good, but Megan's attention to detail means that her corners come out better on the second coat, which means the skim coat will be easier. No doubt she has an attention to detail. At one point last night I thought I was going to have to physically remove her from the scaffolding.
Here is where we are at now. The scratch and brown coats are on all walls and next comes the dreaded skim coat. This is where you separate the real plasterers from the wannabes. This is the money coat. Screw this one up and all of the other work was a pointless waste of time. I'm hopping to keep the childish behavior (profanity and throwing tools) to a minimum if a wall takes a turn for the worse, but I make no guarantees. I had some moments in the dining room I would rather forget, and when think about the kitchen I sometimes end up whimpering in a fetal position on the floor.
I honestly don't think we'll get through both rooms this weekend, but the work starts Saturday. I'll be glad when the plastering is over.
Now a few shots of one of the run-of-the-mill homes in Baltimore. You can't throw a rock without hitting a home like this in Baltimore.
It was all really very nice.
PS: Alex – Thanks for the glasses. I would not have enjoyed the eclipse otherwise. I thought your original email was spam. Oops!


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Why frac sand use will become more popular over the next few years and the best methods for drying frac sand
With the frequent rises in oil prices and the increase in oil and gas exploration in the United States, experts anticipate that the demand for frac sand will increase by at least 4.8 percent every year until 2016.
In 2009, the average price of industrial sand was $28.82 per ton, and the average price of frac sand was $44.33 per ton. With the addition of transportation costs from the Midwest to oil and gas sites in places like Colorado, Texas and Canada, the total cost of frac sand can be over $300 per ton. Many wells use more than 2,000 tons of frac sand, leading oil and gas producers to look for more cost-effective alternatives.
For years now, frac sands have been utilized to augment the production of natural gas and oil from wells, and frac sand use will most likely become more common and frequent in the years to come.
The hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," process begins with the drilling of a well into a rock formation. A high-pressure fracking fluid is injected into the well. This fluid, made up of water mixed with frac sand and a blend of chemicals, acts as a propping agent, or proppant. The proppant prevents the fracture from closing and permits gas to flow through the well.
Frac sand is a natural silica-based proppant. In 2009, 6.5 million metric tons of sand were mined to meet the demands of the fracking industry—an amount worth a total of $319 million. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that frac sand mining doubled in 2010.
Frac sand requires pure quartz with as few contaminating materials as possible. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has specific criteria that must be met for frac sands, including its weight percentage, sphericity and roundness, crush resistance, acid solubility and turbidity. To ensure that the quality of sand is acceptable, mining companies wash and dry the frac sand to rid it of all possible impurities.
To meet API standards, frac sand particles must be well rounded and relatively clean of other mineral and impurities. High-purity quartz sands are common in the U.S., but most silica sand deposits are already being exploited because of the numerous uses for the material in a variety of industrial applications, including glass making and filtration media.
The way in which frac sand is mined and processed depends on the location and quality of the sand deposit. In general, though, a typical frac sand flow sheet is made up of wet flow and dry flow. The goal of wet flow is to eliminate clay slimes and disintegrate any agglomerates, or clumps of material.
This portion of the flow sheet can also act as a preliminary sizing by rejecting excess fines—a process that is much more cost-effective if performed wet instead of dry. The first step in wet processing is to remove any clays. The sand is washed with water and then pumped to a cyclone for "desliming." Slimes are materials that are usually in the form of clays or very fine silica. Since these materials are often harmful to frac sand processing, they must be removed through the use of classifiers.
In the dry flow portion, the sand is sized into a variety of products and any magnetic contaminants are removed because they would impede crush and acid solubility. Sizes vary, but the most commonly used for frac sand are 12/20, 20/40, 40/70 and 70/140 mesh.
Shape and size have a significant effect on the sand's final permeability through the fracture. A wide variety of particle shapes and sizes will result in a tight packing arrangement, reducing conductivity and permeability. A controlled range of sizes and a spherical shape, however, will lead to greater conductivity.
Rotary Dryers: The Frac Sand Drying Solution
Rotary dryers are the most proven and preferred method to dry frac sand. A varying TPH rate can often have a substantial effect on the efficiency of the drying process. A rotary dryer allows the user to vary the mass air flow for different moisture content levels or operation at lower throughputs.
In contrast, a fluid bed dryer features a drying gas medium that must produce heat for the drying process while also conveying the material. Because the mass air flow must stay constant, a fluid bed dryer can only be turned down by decreasing the inlet gas temperature, which has a detrimental effect on efficiency. Fluid bed dryers also require an increase in fluidizing velocities for larger particles, resulting in high power usage and lower evaporation and efficiency.
Rotary dryers, however, are far more efficient and capable of enduring the varying production requirements that accompany different drying projects. A rotary dryer is a sturdy piece of equipment that, when well-built and maintained, can have maintenance costs that are comparable to a fluid bed dryer.
Dryers are available in countercurrent and concurrent flow models. In concurrent flow, the burner and feed system are located on the same end of the dryer, and the material and exhaust gas exit the dryer on the opposite end. The primary advantage of using a concurrent flow dryer is the direct relationship between the dryness of the product and the temperature of the exhaust gas. This allows the dryer to adjust to changes in feed conditions in seconds, instead of minutes.
Dryers can be utilized at both the beginning and the end of the fracking process. Prior to its transportation to and use at a job site, frac sand must be dried and treated. After the process is completed, the waste fluids that remain form a sludge. Dryers can extract the liquid from this sludge and turn it back into a solid for proper disposal.
Worldwide Recycling Equipment Sales, LLC has a line of custom-built Vulcan rotary dryers that can be manufactured to suit any job site or drying application, including frac sand. These units are available in direct or indirect heated models and feature burners ranging from one to 30 MMBtu and rotary drums ranging from 18 to 70 feet with a variety of diameters. Vulcan rotary kilns are ideal for quick and efficient drying of numerous materials in a wide range of industries, from soil remediation to food processing to mining.
About the Author
Savannah Cooper is a writer/copy/social media specialist with Worldwide Recycling Equipment Sales, LLC of Moberly, Mo. Visit www.wwrequip.com for information.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Heads to Amazon With Western Series 'Outrider'
The Celebrity Apprentice didn't work out so great, but Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking another crack at the small screen. And this time he's shifting from reality to fiction. And a Western!
Deadline reports that Schwarzenegger will star in and executive produce Outrider, a Western "event series" headed to Amazon from Jack Ryan's Mace Neufeld. Here's what it's about:
Co-written/executive produced by Trey Calloway(APB, The Messengers, CSI: NY) and Mark Montgomery, Outrider is a mystery set in the Oklahoma Indian Territory in the late 1800s. It tells the dark and dangerous tale of a deputy who is not only tasked by a notoriously brutal judge with apprehending a legendary outlaw in the wilderness – but must also partner with a ruthless Federal Marshal to make sure justice is properly served. And as the story unfolds, not only will enemies become allies, but a series of unpredictable surprises will blur the line between good guys and bad.
Schwarzenegger would play the marshal. It's hard to say based on that description whether Outrider will fit with the themes of his recent movies, but it's definitely possible given the "dark and dangerous" stuff. Also, I'm guessing it will probably look a bit different than Schwarzenegger's last Western:
Yeah, probably a lot different.
This news along with word that Amazon is also making a Conan the Barbarian TV show suggests to me that the studio has some serious Arnold fans in charge. I should really get a job over there. Do you think they need a Vice President of Schwarzenegger Affairs?


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