text:
This page best viewed at 1024 x 768.
This site designed and maintained by Pyro, Doug and a crack team of invisible interns. We hate popups, trojans and spyware more than you do...if you're seeing popups or virus warnings here, your computer has been compromised. To contact us, see the About Us page.
Doug's Dirt Diary maintains a strict policy of neutrality with regards to tracks, teams, sanctioning bodies, drivers and fans.
All content copyright 2006-2008 Doug's Dirt Diary and Elkins Media Service. Any use without prior authoriziation (other than legal "fair-use" applications) is strictly prohibited. See our picture page for an explanation of our picture use policy.
This site has been tested on Mozilla 1.7, Firefox 2.0, Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0. Yes, it works.
Be safe, be fast and have fun!.


text:
*** delivers the best roasts
165 points · 8 comments
8 Comments
Trending Videos
Game Of Thrones < LOTR > Harry Potter
130,252 Gold Club
Next Posts
Every 4/20
My favorite English poet
Sage words
Despair is inevitable
Make it go away pls
The best wingman you could ask for
You're so cute when you are wrong
Thanks for NOTHIN'
✞✞Y'all need Jesus✞✞
I've waited a very long time to post this juvenile image, and that time has come.
A little girl thought I was walking a baby Panda at the park today!
Best Caller ID ever ... seems legit
I always loved Phineas and Ferbs humor.
Is there a mars bar down there?
True love
Lemme smash training
That put Steve in a difficult position.
Houston Astros mascot trolls Mike Trout of the Angels.
Farm to table
getting older
Bolshevik Morpheus
Charges tesla cannon****
People tell me and my wife all the time that we are going to die alone because we didn't have kids. I'm always like!
Was it high? Was it low? Where the hell did that one go?
Schrodinger's Sugar
That time I faceswapped with a Botero
my cat has a major case of resting *** face
Gonna be handing these out like hell. . .
Pre-Gang bang!
This just needs to be seen more
Saw this at a gas station in Alabama
To be blunt, this is FAR larger of a problem than "Manspreading"
Sire bites-a-lot
My wife sent me this
This guy deserve a PhD in marketing
Wierd ass dolphin
Autistic screeching intensifies
Here's some Shrekposting
Saw this on the way home from work this morning.
My dad just got a PS4. Came back to find my dad had regressed into a child..
Structure of ass
He thought he'd make it to the end before the bridge fully opened
So my philosophy prof. just sent out an email...
Read the comments
The ancient ruin of the lost land
Types of knives
Finding Nemo's hidden message
A meme can't be dead if people still find it funny
Attaboy, Larry
relatable content
Allow me to contribute to the shaming of a culturally dominant racial group
How to confuse a vegan
Mother's Day is almost here, don't forget where you came from!
ahh my boy Unregistered HyperCam 2
The college camouflage
Romantic Era 1800-1850
secret girlfriend
5 kg
King of cats....deal with it.
Too bad the only user that knows that is banned
Hi. I'd Like to Add you to My Professional Network on LinkedIn.
Step 1: Be Attractive
Dude's got a point
The worst Wendy's. . .
01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111
Street Art in Korea is very accurate. . .
Ugly people's main Tindr pic be like —
How times have changed.
Breaking the space time continuum
Roaches gonna roach
Dancin to the beat
Toads are great at critical thinking
Savage Basketball Player
The moment you realize he wasnt high, or on ground...
Nice try, random Icelandic bar.
Weebs suck
Bought a new MacBook Pro, decided to put my decal on right away. I'm an idiot.
Hey, you wanna do some cleaning?
My kids just set the new bar for laziness.
Living meme Joe
Lurker of 4 years
Happy 10k Karma to me... Happy 10k to me... And more shitposting for all of you!
*autistic screeching*
they're collectibles
Things where easier back then
ayyy we haven't had a tumblr like this in quite a while, have we?
no, no, i wanna sell dognuts
When lurkers find new juicy memes, but can't post them because they won't be lurkers anymore
Well done, Adidas...
Wait.... What??
Man, I was really looking for some Stuff instead...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Microsoft Open Technologies (MS Open Tech) is open sourcing Reactive Extensions (Rx), a programming model developed by Microsoft architect Erik Meijer that allows developers to glue together asynchronous data streams. As independent developer Dave Sexton puts it, "If asynchronous spaghetti code were a disease, Rx is the cure."
More Insights
White PapersMore >>
ReportsMore >>
- SecDevOps: Tying Security to Your Application Development Processes
- The Best Ways to Stop Malware and Ransomware That No One Else Will Tell You
NOTE: Launched as a company subsidiary in April 2012 under the watchful eye of XML co-inventor and interoperability champion Jean Paoli, Microsoft Open Technologies is hoped to help major open source projects get better access to Windows code.
The Reactive Extensions (Rx) programming model is "particularly useful" in cloud programming because it creates a common interface for writing applications that stem from different, diverse asynchronous data sources. Data in this regard could come from (for example) stock quotes, Tweets, computer events (as in events, not get-togethers), and perhaps even web service requests.
The Rx source code will be hosted on the Microsoft open source code repository CodePlex to (hopefully) increase the community of developers seeking a more consistent interface to program against that works across several development languages. Its existence on CodePlex means that it is, logically and happily, also open to community contribution.
So why has Microsoft done this? Well, the goal of open sourcing Rx is essentially to expand the number of frameworks and applications that use Rx. This will achieve better interoperability across devices and the cloud.
According to Dave Sexton's blog, "It's a solid library built around core principles that hides much of the complexity of controlling and coordinating asynchrony within any kind of application. Opening it will help to lower the learning curve and increase the adoption rate of this amazing library, enabling developers to create complex asynchronous queries with relative ease and without any spaghetti code left over."
The following libraries are available on CodePlex:
Reactive Extensions
- Rx.NET: The Reactive Extensions (Rx) is a library for composing asynchronous and event-based programs using observable sequences and LINQ-style query operators.
- Rx++: The Reactive Extensions for Native (RxC) is a library for composing asynchronous and event-based programs using observable sequences and LINQ-style query operators in both C and C++.
Interactive Extensions
- Ix: The Interactive Extensions (Ix) is a .NET library that extends LINQ to Objects to provide many of the operators available in Rx but targeted for
- IxJS: An implementation of LINQ to Objects and the Interactive Extensions (Ix) in JavaScript.
- Ix++: An implementation of LINQ for Native Developers in C++.
- Tx: A set of code samples showing how to use LINQ to events, such as real-time standing queries and queries on past history from trace and log files, which targets ETW, Windows Event Logs, and SQL Server Extended Events.
- LINQ2Charts: An example for Rx bindings. Similar to existing APIs like LINQ to XML, it allows developers to use LINQ to create/change/update charts in an easy way. We would love to see more Rx bindings like this one.
- With these libraries we are giving developers open access to both push-based and pull-based data via LINQ in Microsoft's three fundamental programming paradigms (native, JScript, and Managed code).


text:
Greetings, Arsians! Seven-inch tablets are all the rage right now, and if you don't already have one, now's a great time to grab your own 32GB Nexus 7 tablet! Our partners at LogicBuy have dug up $229 deal for the device, which comes with Android 4.2 and is quite the little speed demon.
Update:We've heard back from LogicBuy that Radio Shack (the vendor selling the discounted Nexus 7) has disabled the coupon for use on the Nexus 7 late yesterday, so unfortunately that deal is expired.
If you're already good to go in the tablet space, check out the other cool stuff we're rocking this week. We've got our usual spread of accessories, including a nice 24-inch IPS-paneled Dell U2413 (which runs at 1920×1200, for you folks who demand a 16:10 aspect ratio in your screens). There's also a trio of office chairs from Steelcase, running the price gamut from low-cost to luxury. The middle one, the Steelcase Leap, is a perennial favorite—I had one for many years and it was comfortable, adjustable, and durable. Enjoy!
Laptops, desktops and tablets:
- 14-inch Dell Inspiron 14R Core i3 Touchscreen Laptop for $599.99 with free shipping (normally $738.99 - use coupon code J9ZR64?V1WQ2S0)
- 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 8GB Android 4.0 Tablet (Refurbished) for $149.99 with free shipping (normally $179)
- Dell XPS 8500 Core i7 Quad-Core Desktop w/ 8GB RAM, 1TB SATA III HDD, Radeon HD 7570 for $699.99 with free shipping (normally $799.99)
- 128GB Samsung 840 Series 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s SSD for $99 with free shipping (normally $119)
- 24-inch Dell UltraSharp U2413 1920×1200 IPS Monitor (2013 model) w/USB 3.0 hub, MiniDisplayPort, DisplayPort 1.2 & 3-year warranty for $509.99 with free shipping (normally $599.99 - use coupon code 6DBNK$ZJLR$L4J)
- Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810 for $84.99 with free shipping (normally $99.99 - use coupon code 8LG7XLCVX7VL21)
Gadgets and portables:
- Vornado VH2 Whole-Room Vortex Heater for $49 with free shipping (normally $89)
- Ferrari Men's Watch starting at $240 with free shipping (normally $795)
- Lego Star Wars Darth Vader LED Torch for $19 with free shipping (normally $29)
- Far Cry 3 Game (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) for $29.99 with free shipping (normally $59)
- Netgear Push2TV HD 1080p Wireless Display PC to TV Adapter (PTV2000) for $49.99 with free shipping (normally $99.99 - use $20 mail-in rebate form)


text:
Gland, Switzerland, 22 November 2012 – Flagship species conservation initiative Save Our Species (SOS) is expanding its work with US$ 2.5 million funding for 25 new projects.
Dolphins, dugongs, manatees, gibbons, rhinos, tigers and many other lesser known yet similarly threatened species such as river turtles, Asian crocodiles, flying foxes, myriad freshwater fish and plant species are going to benefit from what will be the second round of species conservation projects within the SOS initiative – a global coalition initiated by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank.
"The latest injection of US$ 2.5 million doubles the number of active SOS projects but much more needs to be done in the field of species conservation," says Jean Christophe Vié, Deputy Director of IUCN's Global Species Programme and SOS Director. "Every year we receive more project proposals than we can possibly fund and the selection process is extremely challenging.
"With more funding available from a broader range of sponsors and donors, we can be much more efficient in addressing the current biodiversity crisis. That is why we are ramping up our efforts in promoting SOS to individuals and companies alike with the possibility to make online donations while also engaging with several progressive industry leaders."
This announcement comes a few weeks after the meeting of the Convention on Biological Biodiversity in Hyderabad where 193 countries discussed ways of honouring their engagement to preserve the diversity of life. It also follows the publication of a recent report in Science, calculating the cost of improving the status of threatened species until 2020 at approximately US$ 4 billion annually, just 1% of the value of ecosystems being lost every year.
The new SOS projects will be implemented by NGOs across the Americas, Africa and Asia, starting immediately. They will focus on a broad range of species groups that have been assessed by the IUCN Red List, including small marine mammals, freshwater African fish, tropical terrestrial Asian vertebrates and cycads – one of the world's oldest plant groups. The projects will address conservation needs of some of our most threatened species such as the vaquita, the world's smallest dolphin which is Critically Endangered in its only home, the Gulf of California or the Javan and Sumatran rhinoceroses, also in urgent need of support and protection.
According to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, one in three amphibians, one in four mammals and one in eight birds are at risk of extinction in the wild.
Through its species-focus approach, SOS aims to stop biodiversity loss and increase resources for biodiversity conservation. IUCN manages the initiative by channelling resources to fund the best projects undertaken by civil society around the world – projects which are technically sound, well designed, cost effective, have a good chance of success, and which explain conservation in an engaging way to the public. This is achieved by leveraging IUCN's in-depth knowledge base.
To date SOS projects have worked with more than 150 species listed as threatened on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, positively impacting wildlife as well as local communities.
"We invite everyone who is interested and passionate about protecting the world's animals and plants to join us and help answer the SOS call from the wild, so that we can do more for the amazing diversity of life on our planet on which our own lives depend so dearly," says IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre.
For more information or to set up interviews please contact:
Simon Bradley, SOS Communications and Fundraising Officer, t +41 22 999 0372,
Ewa Magiera, IUCN Media and Communications Officer, t +41 22 999 0346, m +41 79 856 7626


text:
The spread of financial services offered on the Web has led to an increasing number of hacking incidents, which put customer accounts, data and money at risk.
The latest problem was reported on Nov. 5 when the hacking group Anonymous claimed to have stolen the passwords to 28,000 PayPal accounts. The group said its actions were its way to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. PayPal denied the incident had occurred. Maybe it didn't, but companies are often slow to report hacking incidents.
Two weeks before that, the bookseller Barnes & Noble reported that credit card info was stolen from 63 stores around the country. The stolen info was used to make illicit purchases, the company said.
Before the Barnes & Noble attack, there was … oh, never mind, the list goes on and on.
Gary Raphael, senior vice president and national director, Risk Consulting Group for ACE Private Risk Services, says, "Hackers are growing ever more sophisticated in compromising the networks and data files of institutions."
In general, Rapahel says, "When dealing with public and private institutions that ask for sensitive information, always ask if providing such information is necessary, if there is a less sensitive alternative, and how they plan to use and protect the information."
Raphael says, "Examples of such institutions are medical services providers, schools, and charities. In one recent case, it was found that certain charitable organizations were providing the Social Security numbers of donors in the organizations' tax filings, which were open to the public."
This is potentially dangerous he says, because "Criminals could potentially use such information along with other information they may have acquired to gain access to financial accounts of those individuals."
More of his security recommendations can be found as you read AdvisorOne's 8 Massive Hack Attacks Aimed at Financial Data slideshow.
(Check out more Risk Management stories at AdvisorOne.)
1) 1994: Citibank, $10 million
By modern standards, the Russian hackers who gained access to Citibank's computer system in New York thought on a small scale. They moved $10 million by wiring it to accounts around the world. Alas, the software engineer, Vladimir Levin, who worked from his apartment in St. Petersburg, Russia, and his six accomplices were arrested. All but $400,000 was recovered and Levin was sentenced to three years in U.S. federal prison on charges on conspiracy to commit wire, bank and computer fraud.
Raphael's advice: "Transact business online only through a secure communication environment. Do not send instructions or sensitive information via regular email to your institution or advisor. Regular email can be hacked relatively easily.
"In addition, fraudsters are growing more adept at gleaning personal information from social media sites and other sources to send fictitious but very believable email messages to financial advisors. The emails could include instructions to transfer funds to fraudulent accounts set up in your name. If you have established a pattern of sending instructions via email, the financial advisor will be more likely to fall for a fraudulent email."
2) 2005: CardSystems Solutions
This case brought the security of credit card data to the public's attention as never before. In June 2005, it was reported that data relating to 40 million credit-card accounts had been stolen. CardSystems had processed the data for major credit companies, including Visa MasterCard and American Express. It turned out the data had been held in an unencrypted form, which violated CardSystems' contract with the companies.
The fallout was swift. Within days, the company lost its accounts and by October it was sold. The FTC found that millions in fraudulent purchases were made by the thieves. A settlement required Pay By Touch, the company's new owner, to be audited for 20 years to ensure security standards were met. There is no evidence of any arrests in the case.
Raphael's advice: "Use different passwords and different challenge questions with different institutions. Most institutions also include challenge questions as part of the login process. The variation will help limit your vulnerability if one of your institutions is successfully hacked."
3) 2006: Heartland Payment Systems & Others
The CardSystems hack might have been the biggest of its time, but it paled in comparison to the information stolen from about 130 million credit and debit cards by the so-called TJX Hacker.
The hacker was identified as Alberto Gonzalez, a Miami man who was 28 when he was indicted in 2009. Gonzalez and his accomplices stole information from Heartland, TJX Office Systems, 7-Eleven and other businesses. He received 20 years in prison. Despite expressing remorse when he was convicted, he later sought to withdraw his guilty plea claiming that in his role as Secret Service informant the government had directed him to commit the crimes.
4) 2011: Sony PlayStation
Playing videogames at home might seem a fun, and safe, way to pass some time. Seventy million PlayStation owners found out it wasn't quite as safe as they thought when hackers breached the system and stole personal data, including credit-card data. As if that wasn't bad enough, Sony discovered that 25 million customers who had played games at Sony Online Entertainment also had their information stolen. Police in Spain arrested three suspects in the case in September 2011.
Raphael's advice: "Choose strong passwords, such as those with 120+ bit strength, when setting up online account access. These tend to be passwords with 20 characters or more, using upper and lower case letters, numerals and special characters. Avoid using birthdays, family names, or other information easily associated with you. One trick is to think of an easy to remember sentence and then use the first letters of each word, with a few numerals and special characters thrown in."
5) 2011: Hong Kong Stock Market
As if investors don't have enough to worry about, hackers forced the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to suspend trading in seven companies when they hacked the news section of the exchange's website, which publishes corporate filings. The companies included HSBC, Cathay Pacific Airways and the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, which runs the bourse. Each had just released price-sensitive information earlier in the day. No arrests have been reported.
6) 2011: Nasdaq
Trading might not have been halted, but news that hackers had been finding their way through various parts of the Nasdaq's computer system was unsettling, to say the least. The Wall Street Journal reported that breaches had occurred repeatedly over a year's time, although the Nasdaq's trading platform was unscathed. At first, the exchange said the hackers were apparently just looking around. Then it said malware had been planted in one area that was probably intended to infect visitor's computers. Later reports that the attack was more wide-ranging led the federal National Security Agency to open an investigation. No results have been reported.
7) 2012: Bank of America, PNC, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank
Over several days in September, a massive (the largest ever according to CNN.com) denial of service attack made online banking virtually impossible for customers of five financial large institutions. The attacks, which don't involve hacking into secure areas of computer systems, resulted in embarrassment for the banks and inconvenience for customers.
Raphael's advice: "If a financial institution has been hacked, the institution will likely recommend steps its clients can take to protect themselves. These steps could include changing user names, passwords, and challenge questions–even closing and reopening accounts. If a client has used the same user name, passwords and challenge questions with other institutions, he or she should consider changing them, too. The clients could further protect themselves by more frequently running credit reports, placing a fraud alert on their credit record, closely monitoring fund transfers and account balances, and engaging an identity theft prevention/restoration service, such as ID Resolution LLC."
8) 2012: Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup
It's probably not a huge surprise that foreign governments that want to inflict damage on the U.S. might attack federal websites and those of major companies. That's apparently what happened in October when it was reported that the three big banks had been hacked by Iran, or by hackers working on behalf of the country. Iran denied the allegations and there is no word if any damage was caused or secrets stolen.
Check out more Risk Management stories at AdvisorOne including:


text:
at SANCTUM SOHO HOTEL
at SANCTUM SOHO HOTEL
Entrepreneurship, Education, Sports and IT - EASI
Educating and Inspiring Young People
Lionheart in the Community (LITC) and ScholarShop partnered as part of a shared effort to provide more opportunities for young people in Cameroon. LITC is incorporating an Information Technology Coding program for girls, to teach young girls to learn how to code and a Sports training program based on Tackle Africa's curriculum that integrates Life Skills, Citizenship Skills, Volunteering, Respect Sessions, STI/HIV Awareness, Conflict Resolution and Anger Management. In addition to these ScholarShop's successful Entrpreneurship program which is an innovative development model that furnishes students in Wum with school supplies, leadership skills and a commitment to public service.
Our Mission
To ensure young people, especially young girls to receive the Educational opportunity, Leadership and Development and mentoring support necessary to become a new generation of Leaders. Able to impact every area of society across Cameroon and Africa. EASI would encourage the creation of local Entrepreneurs, Community and Civic Engagement, Active Citizenship,Employability, Promoting the tech industry as a viable and sustainable career options for girls; Empower girls and women and develop the next community sports coaches and leaders.
If you would like to partner with LITC or submit a referral contact email@example.com.


text:
Filet mignon, tuna tartare and revenge were on the menu Tuesday in Los Angeles as DoubleLine investment guru Jeff Gundlach celebrated his firm's three-year anniversary at a restaurant in the building where the firm that fired him has its offices.
"Jeffrey Gundlach Celebrates Anniversary of Getting Fired in Cockiest Way Possible," blared the headline at New York magazine's "Daily Intel" website, which reported that asset manager TCW fired the star bond investor three years ago Tuesday. Gundlach (left) marked the event, the website reported, by throwing a lavish "independence day" bash for DoubleLine employees at Magnolia, a restaurant located just steps from TCW's Los Angeles offices.
"The party was 'very clearly' designed to rub Gundlach's recent successes in TCW's face, our source said," wrote business writer Kevin Roose. "The interior of Magnolia is clearly visible as you exit TCW's office, and above the bar, Gundlach hung a banner that read 'DoubleLine $50 Billion'–the amount of money his new firm has under management.
Gundlach, who is no stranger to AdvisorOne or its sister publication Investment Advisor magazine–where he was its cover boy in October–has enjoyed his title as the "it" manager of the mutual fund space since being named 2006 Fixed Income Manager of the Year by Morningstar.
In addition to the $50 billion he has raised, he also has amassed a colorful reputation not only as an industry forecaster and pundit but as a chaos-courting character. In September, Gundlach held a press conference to announce his offer of a $1.7 million reward for the return of stolen art on his property.
Well before then, he was known for his controversial firing by TCW–and for taking a few dozen colleagues with him when he walked out the door and started his own firm. Within less than three months, DoubleLine Capital had accumulated $1 billion in AUM.
Rather than rest on his laurels, Gundlach has spent the past few years making even more money and finding new and imaginative ways to torment his former employer. A lawsuit between the two parties was settled out of court last year after a split verdict.
"Midway through the evening, the Bond King himself gave a toast to his employees, many of whom had fled TCW with him three years earlier," Roose wrote. "'Three years ago, there were more than 40 of you who jumped off the diving board with me, believing that there would be water in the pool by the time you got there,' he said, raising a glass of Cristal. 'I'll never forget that.'"
Roose's source also said that many TCW employees were seen leaving work on their way to the parking garage stopping to gawk at the party going on inside. Some were horrified, others laughed at Gundlach's audacity and "a few even surreptitiously entered the restaurant to shake their old colleague's hand."
Read more about Jeff Gundlach at AdvisorOne:


text:
Dewan Sugar Mills Limited (DWSM Share Price) - DWSM KSE (PSX) Stock Price, Stock Quote Summary, Chart, News & Profile Info. Get live update of share prices. It updates every 5 minutes during stock exchange hours. Find out complete information about Dewan Sugar Mills Limited listed in Pakistan Stock Exchange.
Disclaimer: All information on this page are taken from third party reliable sources of relevant industry channels, with simple aim just for general information for our users. Hamariweb never endorse or recommend for any trading advice as well as accuracy of data provided here.


text:
Sock Monkey has put another video up on YouTube, this one concerning my new book:
I would like to make some corrections to what he has said in this video. While the book Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate: A Trip Through Death, Sex, Divorce, and Spiritual Celebrity in Search of the True Dharmadoes contain some material concerning sex, it does not contain "dirty parts" as Sock Monkey says. The book is in no way pornographic at all. I admit that at one point I wrote a somewhat pornographic version. But even there it was more an attempt at parodying a naive Fifties style one might find in an old dime store sex novel than actually trying to be "dirty." This didn't work so I revised the text and eliminated those portions.
He says there are scenes of drug abuse. It is true that drug use is mentioned, but not in such a way as to glorify or condone it. This is a very important point. I have made my stance on drug abuse abundantly clear both in this book and in other writings. I am 100% against the use of drugs especially when it comes to the so-called "meditative" or "enlightenment-producing" qualities of these substances. They have none. Drugs have no place at all in the true quest for one's original nature.
Finally he states that the book contains, "insults towards many Zen teachers who are nice people who should not be insulted." This is completely false. No Zen teachers are insulted in the book. I wrote about certain trends that worry me in American Zen. But I did not mention anyone specific save for a few references to the late Frederick "Zen Master Rama" Lenz, who couldn't really be called a Zen teacher in any case.
As to his allegations that he wrote the book while I "sat in (my) room picking (my) nose all day" this is patently absurd. Sock Monkey did not write this or any of my books. All allegations that my books have been "heavily ghost written" are completely false. One can compare the writing style in this blog to the style in my books and see that they are all the work of the same person.
Furthermore his statement that he played all of the bass parts on the new Zero Defex CD, this is also a lie. I played all of the bass guitar on that CD and there are numerous videos available to prove it. Does Sock Monkey appear in any of this video material? No.
Sock Monkey also ignores the rest of the contents of the book, which is a sincere attempt to look at how the Dharma fits into real life in the 21st century. The material he talks about is there only to give examples of how Zen practice and Zen teaching is a real activity done by real people, not by cartoon-like "Enlightened Beings" who couldn't possibly exist in any case. To ignore this material is to ignore 90% of the book while focusing only on the small portion that is controversial. This is an immature response to the work. Though I would hardly expect maturity from a stuffed animal made from undergarments, I did expect better from Sock Monkey, who I have known and respected for a long time. I am sincerely shocked and saddened by his reaction.
Frankly I find it very odd that he first insults my books and then attempts to take credit for writing them. His position is indefensible.
All I can say to Sock Monkey and his threats is, "Bring it on!" I will not be silenced by the likes of you.
P.S. Don't forget about my appearance on February 1st (Sunday) at Dharma Zen Center in Los Angeles. All information is in the post just below this one.


text:
Looking back to 153 days ago, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Inc (NYSE: BFAM) priced a 7,000,000 share secondary stock offering at $36.75 per share. Buyers in that offering made a considerable investment into the company, expecting that their investment would go up over the course of time and based on early trading on Tuesday, the stock is now 12.5% above the offering price.
Investors who did not participate in the offering but would be a buyer of BFAM at a cheaper price, might benefit from considering selling puts among the alternative strategies at their disposal. One interesting put contract in particular, is the March 2015 put at the $35 strike, which has a bid at the time of this writing of 80 cents. That would result in a cost basis of $34.20 per share before broker commissions in the scenario where the contract is exercised. If the contract is never exercised, the put seller would still keep the premium, which represents a 2.3% return against the $35.00 purchase commitment, or a 4% annualized rate of return (at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost).
Click here to find out the Top YieldBoost Puts of of Stocks with Recent Secondaries »
Secondaries can often present buying opportunities for bullish investors interested in purchasing shares, because the sudden extra supply of stock tends to require that the offering be priced at an attractive discount to where the stock had previously been trading before the offering announcement. That can also introduce near-term volatility which improves the premiums a put seller can achieve. Selling a put does not give an investor access to BFAM's upside potential the way owning shares would, because the put seller only ends up owning shares in the scenario where the contract is exercised. The chart below shows the one year performance of BFAM shares, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, BFAM's low point in its 52 week range is $32.78 per share, with $44.16 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $41.83.
According to the ETF Finder at ETFChannel.com, BFAM makes up 1.90% of the PowerShares DWA Consumer


text:
Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles brought their message of fiscal restraint and reform to Schwab Impact 2012 on Thursday, and the packed house of advisors in Chicago expressed their reaction in multiple rounds of applause and voiced support in the question-and-answer session for the two men's quixotic cause.
Quixotic perhaps, but Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming, and Bowles, a former Clinton Administration budget director, are also realists who understand how Washington works. So when one advisor asked Simpson how the stalemate in Washington can be changed, Simpson had a one-word answer: "Pressure."
He encouraged the audience members to contact their congressmen and voiced support for a bipartisan solution to the short-term fiscal cliff and the longer term debt and deficit issues that the country faced. He and Bowles also urged attendees to visit their website, fixthedebt.org, and sign a petition calling on Congress to make the hard decisions to restore fiscal sanity to the United States' balance sheet . "We need one thing," said Simpson. "We need you."
Bowles also said that while he and Simpson speak to many groups, they were particularly interested in speaking at the Schwab event, since the advisor attendees tend to be highly involved in their local communities. He urged the advisors to talk to their clients, within their communities, within their businesses, in their churches and clubs to put pressure on Congress to act.
Bowles (right) warned that "if we reach the fiscal cliff" without a solution, "we go back into recession" and unemployment "will spike." Simpson later said that he was particularly infuriated by both Republicans and Democrats who were speaking openly of the political benefits that could accrue to both parties if we did go over the cliff. Bowles voiced frustration with the lack of activity in Congress and among both parties to address the fiscal cliff and the deeper problems: "While the rest of the country was having a fragile recovery, they were having an election."
Bowles listed the five biggest budget problems, many of them "third rails," as Simpson acknowledged that the U.S. faced and must take action on:
1) Healthcare spending: "We spend more than any other country but we don't get the outcomes" we should on that investment in terms of actual health.
2) Defense: "We spend more today than the next 17 top countries combined." Perhaps the biggest round of applause came when Bowles proclaimed: "America can't afford to be the world's cop."
3) Taxes: Bowles got another round of applause when he listed the third big problem the country faces budget-wise, "the most inefficient, globally anticompetitive tax code that can be imagined." The Bowles-Simpson proposal: "Let's get rid of all this backdoor tax spending," much of it in the form of deductions, that he said costs the Treasury $1.1 trillion. In exchange he called for reducing individual income tax rates and the corporate tax rate.
4) Social Security: Bowles said jokingly that "President Roosevelt was too smart" in setting up a Social Security system that started paying benefits at age 65 when average life expectancy was 62. "Let's make Social Security sustainably solvent so it will actually be there when we need it."
5) Compound interest: By this Bowles means the compounding of our debt that will be an albatross for the country. Referring to his decision to partner with Simpson in his fiscal crusade, Bowles said, "I began this thinking I was doing it for my grandchildren, and then for my children, but we've got to do it for ourselves, here, today."
Simpson (right) received many rounds of laughter with his folksy manner of speaking, but he often would follow by saying, "It's funny, but not really." Acknowledging that their proposals, have "effectively irritated everyone in the United States," he listed some of those "third rails" that Simpson-Bowles has irritated.
Himself a veteran, Simpson railed against the 2.2. million veterans who get very cheap health insurance, for example, even though many of those recipients were never in harm's way. Mentioning the opposition that his plan has received from the VFW and other veterans' groups, he recalled that in his military service he was part of the "Army of Occupation" of Germany after World War II.
"There was an army of occupation" until the mid-1950s, he said, not because of a military threat, but so many of those serving could qualify for VFW membership.
"We do math, not myth," Simpson said, and warned that the country's disability insurance fund will be used up in four years. He saved his deepest criticism, and got the loudest applause, when he suggested that raising some taxes would be necessary to fix the nation's budget problems. Referring to Grover Norquist, the conservative Republican guru who has successfully received pledges from many lawmakers and candidates not to raise taxes under any circumstances, Simpson turned deadly serious. What we need in this country, he said, is "patriots, not panderers."
He finished by voicing his disgust over the fact that "compromise has become a dirty word." Citing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Missouri Compromise, Simpson said that "this country has always been run by compromise."
Check out complete coverage of Schwab Impact 2012 at AdvisorOne, including:


text:
Leonardo's Watching
Last time I looked at how easy the Arduino Leonardo makes it to build a USB HID device. The Leonardo can act like a serial device, a keyboard, or a mouse. It can even act like all three at once. A lot of processors can do this, but the Leonardo's software libraries make USB coding trivial, and that's a welcome relief.
More Insights
White PapersMore >>
- Dark Reading Report Round Up
- Connecting the Dots: Key strategic opportunities in a post-COVID-19 world
- SecDevOps: Tying Security to Your Application Development Processes
- Maximizing Database Performance to Improve Customer Experience
I wanted a simple but useful project to show just how simple a USB HID device can be. I happened to have an HC-SR04 ultrasonic ranging module sitting around my office. If you haven't seen one, it is a small PC board (about the size of a USB stick). On the board are two silver things that look like dime-sized speakers. One of them is a special speaker and the other is a microphone. You supply 5V and ground. Then you pulse an input pin to the device. It emits an ultrasonic ping and measures the time it takes for the sound to return to the microphone. It then pulses a signal back to you on an output pin to indicate how far the sound travelled.
That sounds complicated (and it actually is — for example, distant objects require more gain than near objects, so you have to increase the gain over time) but the device is very inexpensive. I can't recall seeing one for more than US$10, and if you shop online you can find them for significantly less than that.
They are popular in robots, but you can also use them as liquid level sensors, to make a digital tape measure, or anywhere you need to sense and range an object. There are a few Arduino libraries available for the device, but I didn't use anything. It is simple enough and for the project I had in mind; I didn't really need the exact range, anyway.
What did I have in mind? I want to mount the little ultrasonic board over my monitor and let it watch for when I leave my computer. By sending some keystrokes to the computer, it can activate the screen saver when I leave. When I return, it can then dismiss the screen saver for me. Since the screensaver quickly powers the monitor down, this is a green project.
I use Linux about 99% of the time, and on Linux I prefer KDE, so my code is made for that environment. You'd have to modify it slightly for Windows or Gnome, most likely. There was a small catch, though. Even though the Leonardo's mouse emulation worked, the KDE screen locker didn't recognize those mouse movements as sufficient to stop the screen saver. I didn't bother figuring out if I just hadn't moved it enough, or if it ignores motion on only one axis, or if there was some other issue. I just wound up using the keyboard for both functions.
The code to drive the ultrasonic board was easy to write, especially since I didn't care about how far away the sensed object really is. Just knowing it is further away (or closer) than it was last time is enough to create the program. Here's the function that drives the sensor board:
Here's the function that drives the sensor board (you can also download the entire file here):
unsigned distance() { unsigned count=0; unsigned timeout=TIMEOUT; digitalWrite(trigger,HIGH); delay(1); digitalWrite(trigger,LOW); while (digitalRead(echo)==0 && timeout--); while (digitalRead(echo)==1 && count<MAXDIST) count++; return count; }The trigger variable shows where the board's input trigger is connected and the echo variable holds the output pin. The count variable will return a relative number (bigger is further away) or a maximum number if there is never any response. That could hardly be simpler, but what about the USB part? That's simple too, thanks to the Leonardo library:
void loop() { static unsigned vold=0; unsigned v=distance(); Serial.print(v); Serial.print(" "); Serial.println(vold); if (v<900 && vold>900) { // send an unlock Serial.println("Unlock"); #if 0 // For some reason the KDE screen locker won't // wake up on a fake mouse event Mouse.begin(); delay(100); Mouse.move(100,0,0); delay(100); Mouse.move(-100,0,0); Mouse.end(); #else Keyboard.begin(); Keyboard.press(KEY_LEFT_SHIFT); delay(10); Keyboard.release(KEY_LEFT_SHIFT); Keyboard.end(); #endif digitalWrite(led,LOW); } if (v>900 && vold<900) { // lock screen Serial.println("Lock"); Keyboard.begin(); Keyboard.press(KEY_LEFT_CTRL); Keyboard.press(KEY_LEFT_ALT); Keyboard.press('l'); delay(20); Keyboard.releaseAll(); Keyboard.end(); delay(5000); // don't try to unlock too fast digitalWrite(led,HIGH); } vold=v; delay(2000); }
If you take out the serial statements I used for debugging and the
#if 0 part of the code (this is the mouse code), this isn't much program at all. As I mentioned last time, I didn't use a wait on the serial port because that would require you to connect a serial terminal to the device for it to operate. The way I have it now, it runs and if there's no serial terminal connected, the debug output is simply lost.
The other output I used was the built-in LED on the Leonardo. It turns on when the board is waiting for an unlock event. There is a 5-second delay to prevent it from chattering as you leave (that is, trying to lock and then immediately unlock as you pass through the sensitive zone).
The only real variables of interest are
v and
vold. The
v variable holds the current distance (yes, a terrible variable name, I should be ashamed, but this was a quickie). The previous cycle's distance is in
vold (which, given that you have a variable named
v, isn't a bad name at all).
When the code wants to lock, it sends a CTRL+ALT+L. The library has simple methods for sending just strings, but if you want to send things like this, you need to simulate the key presses and release:
Keyboard.press(KEY_LEFT_CTRL); Keyboard.press(KEY_LEFT_ALT); Keyboard.press('l'); delay(20); Keyboard.releaseAll();
Overall, this isn't much of a chore considering how hard it is to normally write an HID device. Something this simple opens up a whole line of projects for custom keyboards and mice using sensors like accelerometers, cameras, etc. I could easily see hooking a Leonardo up to a "bigger computer" (like a Raspberry Pi or a Beagleboard) so that the bigger computer could do something like process video while the Leonardo handled the HID interface.
What will you do with a Leonardo? Drop me a note or share your ideas in the comments.


text:
Apollo Slab Tech 20mm
Showing 17–17 of 17 results
Coronavirus Update We are fully open for business and will be using the Governments' policies on social distancing when making visits to you premises
Showing 17–17 of 17 results
Call our team on
0845 600 5512
St James Business Centre Linwood Road, Paisley PA3 3AT**Please Send All Postal Correspondence To This Address**
London and The South Offices:
Discount Worktop Store Ltd Ehtos Facilities 20/22 Grosvenor Gardens Mews North SW1W 0JP
T. 0845 600 5512 (9am-9pm) E.Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Payment | Commercial Links
We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.
You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.