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Locust Valley dominates Nassau II championships
Locust Valley rules the mat. There was no doubt about that after Sunday's Nassau Division II wrestling championships at Carle Place High School. Locust Valley took home seven individual county titles and scored 264 points en route to its second consecutive county championship.
"We have a special group of young men," coach Joe Enea said. "Since we won last year, it's been their focus, as well as the coach staff's, to repeat . . . "
Tenth-grader Bryan Coll set the tone with a 9-7 overtime decision over Carle Place's John DeRidder at 99 pounds. After being down by five points early, the bout was tied at 7 after two periods. Coll was able to force overtime and earn a takedown.
The formula for an overtime victory, according to Coll, is simple. "It's just mental toughness," he said. Coll was named champions of champions following the meet.
"It would have been very easy for him to pack it in and give up," Enea said. "But he didn't. He just kept on fighting."
Eighth-grader Hunter Dusold followed Coll's victory by pinning Oyster Bay's Andre Perez in 1:30 at 106 pounds. "I went out there knowing I was going to win," Dusold said of his match.
At 113, Nick Casella pinned Clarke's Tyler Constantine in 1:05. "I did well when I got on top. I really controlled him," Casella said. "My mind-set was, 'don't let him get to the second period.' "
Casella beat Constantine earlier this season at a dual meet. This gave the sophomore both confidence and something to aim for. "I wanted to go out there and be aggressive," he said. "Last time, I didn't pin him and I really wanted to get that."
Sam Ward took his 132-pound bout, defeating Wheatley's Erik Rodriguez. Ward earned a technical fall 3:32 into the bout. "I was just working takedowns, trying to score, and finish the match," Ward said. "I did well from my feet, worked my shots well, and keeping the pressure on him."
Teammates Yamique Webb and Joe Bressingham squared off at 170 pounds. Webb came out on top, 9-2. "It was kind of weird at first," Webb said of wrestling his teammate. "But I had to go out and win because I wanted to go to states."
All winners qualified for the state tournament in Albany on Feb. 22 and 23. With seven qualifiers, the Locust Valley bus certainly won't be a quiet one.
"It's going to be so much fun," Casella said.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Best Sandwiches I Ate in 2010
As the editor of Serious Eats: NY, I spend an awful lot of time thinking about sandwiches in New York City. But over the last year, jetting around the United States in the name of Serious Eats book research, I had the rare and delightful opportunity to try them from all corners of this sandwich-crazed land of ours. (Sometimes two dozen of them in one day—which, er, I don't recommend.)
Here are the sandwiches I'm still thinking about months later. The ones that had me calling the Serious Eats office with my mouth still full, so important was it they understood how good the sandwich was. The ones I find myself talking about far too often.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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If for you bluffing is a piece of cake, Deck building has become child's play and wiping out your opponents is an everyday event, then the Champions Tournament is just what you've been waiting for!
Come and challenge the best Urban Rivals' players in a fast and furious competition that will take place between 25th and 30th March included, and show everyone who's the real Boss of Clint City!
Many prizes to be won !
Qualifiers: from Monday 25/03 to Friday 29/03 for all Standard DTs.
The Champions Tournament: in event room The Champions Tournament (Standard) Saturday 30/03 between 2pm (GMT+1) and 8pm (GMT+1)
WHO? 128 players.
The top 2 of every Standard DT will automatically qualify. If an already qualified player finishes top again, the next player in line will qualify in their place.
Every day from Monday to Thursday included, 2 extra players will also be randomly selected from those who have finished in the top 150 of a Standard DT on that day. The last 8 to qualify will be selected in this way.
Qualifiers: Normal Standard Format
The Champions Tournament: The Champions Tournament will be in the Standard 27* format with a ban on organizers (available here).
1st: A Cr of your choosing + the possibility of choosing the name of a future Urban Rivals' character (in agreement with staff members)
2nd: A Cr of your choosing
3rd: A Cr of your choosing (max. price: 200,000 Clintz max) + 100 Credits
4th: A Cr of your choosing (max. price: 100,000 Clintz max) + 100 Credits
5th to 8th: A Cr of your choosing (max. price: 50,000 Clintz max) + 100 Credits
Top 16: 100 Credits
Top 32: 60 Credits
Top 64: 40 Credits
Participation in 7 rounds: 20 Credits (non-cumulative with the other prizes)
(The prizes are not cumulative. E.g. a player who wins 60 credits because they are in the top 32, will not then win a further 40 credits for being in the top 64.)
Further information in the event room: The Champions Tournament (Standard)
Players are automatically added to the event during the qualifying week.
The Champions Tournament adheres to the Swiss-system type of tournament + A Knockout Phase for the 8 best players to have emerged from the rounds. Each round lasts 20 minutes with a break of 10 minutes to set up confrontations for the next round.
7 rounds of 2 winning legs (Best Of 3) will determine the 8 players who play in the Knockout Phase.
The Knockout Phase will be organized in the form of a direct elimination table. At the close of play, the 1st player will confront the 8th player, the 2nd player will confront the 7thplayer, and so on. In this phase the quarter and semi finals will be played out in a Best of 3 format (2 winning rounds), while the Final and fight for 3rd place will be contested in a Best of 5 format (3 winning rounds).
In order to improve the organization and dynamics of the Event:
Players who appear as not-connected (or invisible) and who have not fought their match can be disqualified.
Should a disagreement arise, the organizers reserve the right to make the final decision based on the information received concerning the problem.
Disqualified players will not receive a participation prize.
Enter the Standard DT qualifiers...
... and take part in the Champions Tournament!
edited by Boing friday 22/03/2013, 17:02
Jayme16 Cr - Monday 25/03/2013, 01:52
Whats dts
J amox - Monday 25/03/2013, 11:01
Colossus - Open Casket
Look up 2 posts
Nedsab01 - Monday 25/03/2013, 13:12
Hero - Wise Men Distracted
Espectroscuro - Tuesday 26/03/2013, 10:13
Imperator - Le p0tager
Sigma has been added to banned cards of the event format.


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Peter Uihlein of Bradenton, Fla., and Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Fla., were named the Rolex Junior Players of the Year by the American Junior Golf Association, the AJGA announced Tuesday.
Introduced by the AJGA in 1978, the Rolex Junior Player of the Year award recognizes one boy and one girl who had the most outstanding year in junior golf events at the national level. Past recipients have gone on to become some of the most esteemed players on the PGA and LPGA Tours, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Charles Howell III, Hunter Mahan, Grace Park, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.
Uihlein's and Hurst's accomplishments during the past season will be heralded Nov. 18 during the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet held at Ginn Reunion Resort. The awards ceremony, dubbed "The Greatest Night in Junior Golf," will also trumpet the achievements of the rest of golf's next generation by means of the Rolex Junior All-America Teams, HP Scholastic Junior All-America Teams and Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award.
By earning this honor, Uihlein and Hurst secured a spot on their respective Rolex Junior All-America First Teams. This is Uihlein's third consecutive year on the first team and his fourth consecutive year as a Rolex Junior All-American. This is Hurst's second straight year appearing on a Rolex Junior All-America Team, earning first-team honors in both instances.
Peter Uihlein
After garnering Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors in 2005, Uihlein, 18, became the fifth boy in the award's 30-year history to win more than once. Only Tracy Phillips (1979-80), Mickelson (1986-88), Woods (1991-92) and Brian Harman (2003-04) can boast such an accomplishment. Uihlein is the first boy to ever claim the award in non-consecutive years.
Uihlein, who has verbally committed to Oklahoma State University, hovered at the top of the Polo Golf Rankings the entire season, never falling lower than fourth. He ascended to the No. 1 spot by way of seven top-10 finishes in national events and one AJGA Invitational victory.
He began the season at last year's Polo Golf Junior Classic – the first official AJGA event of 2007 – as the No. 3-ranked player. That week last November in Sea Island, Ga., he made a run to the semifinals before being defeated by Rickie Fowler, now a standout freshman at Oklahoma State. In December, he posted a second-place showing at the Orange Bowl International Junior by shooting a 65-71-67-71–274 tournament total.
His position at the top of the Polo Golf Rankings came from his continued strong finishes in AJGA Invitationals and the U.S. Junior Amateur. He placed fourth at the Thunderbird International Junior in Scottsdale, Ariz., in May with a 71-70-70–211 tournament total. Then, in June, he won his first-ever AJGA Invitational at the FootJoy Boys Invitational in Greensboro, N.C.
His strong play continued into July when he finished tied for fourth at the Rolex Tournament of Champions at The Ohio State University Golf Club's Scarlet Course, posting a 71-70-74-73–288 tournament total. By July 24, he would take the No. 1 position in the Polo Golf Rankings, a spot he would not relinquish the rest of the season.
In his next event, the U.S. Junior Amateur, he advanced to the tournament's quarterfinals before being defeated by eventual runner-up Anthony Paolucci of Dallas. He ended the summer Labor Day Weekend at The Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. He held onto his No. 1 ranking after his 72-70–78–220 performance was good enough for a tie for ninth.
In nine national junior events during 2007, Uihlein finished in the top 10 seven times (T-46, PING Junior at The Woodlands; T-37, The PING Invitational). In the 28 rounds of stroke play during these nine events, Uihlein amassed a 72.6 stroke average and shot 72 or less 15 times. This statistic includes a 6-under-par 66 during the second round of the FootJoy Boys Invitational that was held on the 7,280-yard Forest Oaks Country Club, home of the PGA TOUR's Wyndham Championship.
Uihlein was also named to his third consecutive Canon Cup East Team. He compiled a 3-1-0 record at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn., in August, bringing his career Canon Cup record to 8-3-1.
Vicky Hurst
Hurst will add the Rolex Junior Player of the Year award to her impressive list of notable accomplishments in 2007. Along with her outstanding junior golf season that included three victories, three runner-up finishes and berths on the Canon Cup East Team and PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team, Hurst also qualified for the U.S. Women's Open, advanced to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Women's Amateur and nearly made the cut at the LPGA's Ginn Open.
Hurst's prowess in girls' junior golf is evident by her Polo Golf Ranking, which hasn't wavered much in more than a year. She broke into the top 10 of these rankings in June of 2006 and has held steady in the top five since July of 2006. She ended last year's season with two AJGA victories and runner-up finishes at the McDonald's Betsy Rawls Girls Championship and U.S. Girls' Junior, good enough for a No. 4 Ranking
She carried the No. 4 ranking into the 2007 season and ended the year ranked No. 1 with eight top-10 finishes and three AJGA victories. She posted 33 rounds during stroke play competition with an average of 72.6. Fifteen times she shot 72 or better, including a 6-under-par 66 at The Country Club at Mirasol during the the Birks & Mayors Junior Championship.
She started the 2007 season by finishing tied for seventh in the stroke play portion of the Polo Golf Junior Classic. She left Sea Island, Ga., last November disappointed, however, having been defeated by Marta Silva Zamora of Spain in the first round of match play.
More solid showings followed, helping raise her ranking and expectations. She finished second at the Orange Bowl International Junior and seventh at The Verizon Junior Heritage in February. She then posted a 70-74-70—214 tournament total to finish second at the Thunderbird International Junior. A victory at the Birks & Mayors Junior Championship at Mirasol, where she carded a 66-71-69—206 tournament total, followed in early June. And while she stumbled the next week during the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, finishing tied for 26th at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, Colo., her Polo Golf Ranking still climbed to No. 2 by mid-June.
Early July treated Hurst well, as she secured a tie for second at the Rolex Tournament of Champions with a 73-71-71-74—289 performance, a fourth-place finish at the Westfield PGA Junior Championship, and a victory at the McDonald's Betsy Rawls Girls Championship. On July 19, Hurst won this, her first, AJGA Invitational title on the strength of a 70-67-69—206 tournament total to run away from the all-girls field by five strokes. The next week she moved into the No. 1 spot for the first time ever, albeit short-lived.
The week of July 23, Hurst made an unlikely early exit from the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, missing the cut by shooting a 74-79—153 at Tacoma Country and Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash. She would eventually drop to No. 3 in the Polo Golf Rankings heading into The PING Invitational, the last AJGA Invitational of the season.
Hurst made the most of her time in Stillwater in early October, however, posting a 4-over-par 73-69-76—218 tournament total to win by five strokes over Kimberly Kim of Pahoa, Hawaii. This victory, her second AJGA Invitational title of the season, was what she needed to propel herself back into the No. 1 position atop the Polo Golf Rankings and secure Rolex Junior Player of the Year Honors.
About the Sponsor
This award would not be possible without the support of Rolex, the AJGA's Premier Partner and supporter of the Association since 1983.
Along with the sponsorship of the Rolex Junior Players of the Year, Rolex Junior All-America Teams and Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet, the distinguished timepiece maker also continues to support two of the AJGA's most competitive major championships: the Rolex Tournament of Champions and the Rolex Girls Junior Championship.
Rolex is also the Founding Corporate Partner of the Achieving Competitive Excellence Grant. The ACE Grant is designed to give top-flight junior golfers the ability to play a national junior golf schedule regardless of their financial resources. In 2007, with the help of Rolex and various individual donors, nearly 80 junior golfers were able to compete in events they otherwise could not afford.


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Were I to tell my most perpetually indignant friend that his tablet's 3G radio is prone to regular performance drops of up to 75 percent, he would likely enter apoplectic rage.
Such is the emotional fabric of the modern tech enthusiast. We're already concerned about overloaded data networks that can't handle too many simultaneous user requests, and Apple's iPhone 4 "antennagate" imbroglio, rightly or wrongly, has left conspiracy-minded consumers wary of self-sabotaging hardware.
But now a company called Pong Research is spreading word of a proximity sensor inside the iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G that reduces the tablet's 3G radio output by some 6 dBm, or about three-quarters of its total transmission strength. The sensor is tripped whenever it comes within 10 mm of a solid object — which could be anything from human flesh to an iPad case that snugly ensconces the tablet's chassis.
Apple doesn't mention the proximity sensor in any of its marketing materials or user manuals, and it declined to comment for this article. But the sensor is referenced in Apple's filings with the FCC, which make frequent reference to a 3G radio "back-off" mode.
So what is Pong's stake in the game? The company specializes in third-party iPhone and iPad cases marketed as providing consumers with additional protection from the electromagnetic radiation emitted by their devices. As a side benefit, Pong's iPad 3G case purportedly doesn't trip the proximity sensor. Other third-party cases, Pong says, trip the sensor and leave the user with reduced 3G power.
To validate Pong's claims, I visited Cetecom Inc., an FCC compliance lab, and observed while technicians tested the iPad 3G case under the full scrutiny of scientific inquiry. But before I reveal the test results, let's dig a little deeper into the iPad's proximity sensor. Why did Apple include a potential data governor in the 3G version of its tablet, and what effect does its back-off mode really have on real-world 3G data connections?
Down the FCC Rabbit Hole
Unless you burrow your way into a cryptic database of public FCC filings, it's near impossible to find any evidence of an iPad proximity sensor. Indeed, simple Google searches only reveal speculation about the features a proximity sensor might provide were one to be deployed in Apple's tablet. One thread of what-if-ing from January posits an auto-unlocking function that would be triggered as soon as a user picks up the device.
But evidence of the proximity sensor can indeed be found in a report prepared for Apple by Compliance Certifications Services (CCS), and submitted to the FCC on March 1, 2011. Titled "SAR Evaluation Report," the document chronicles a series of tests to determine how much electromagnetic radiation a user might absorb from the iPad's wireless communications hardware. SAR stands for "specific absorption rate," and is the metric by which the FCC measures radiation exposure to the human body.
Deep inside the report, CCS makes note of the iPad's proximity sensor in a section titled "Power Reduction By Sensing." In summary, when the proximity sensor comes within 10 mm of a solid object, it triggers a "back-off" mode that reduces the power of the iPad's 3G radio (which, along with the sensor itself, resides to the right of the front-facing camera in the iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G). CCS ran a series of tests to determine not only the degree of power reduction across various radio bands, but the effect of power reduction on SAR.
While Apple wouldn't comment on the sensor, it's easy to glean the sensor's intent from both its cause-and-effect properties, and the fact it plays such a big part in a report on radiation absorption.
"It looks like the sensor is looking for human tissue next to the antenna, and if it sees it, it backs off the transmit power," says Francis Sideco, iSuppli's senior principal analyst for wireless communications. "You would assume that the FCC had some kind of requirements that the iPad had to meet."
Like iSuppli's senior wireless expert, even the teardown mavens at iFixit were unaware of the proximity sensor before I showed them FCC documentation. But in typically intrepid iFixit fashion, they got right down to business, and unearthed what they suspect could be the physical component itself.
Says iFixit's Miro Djuric: "The only component that I could see that could possibly be the proximity sensor is a teeny tiny component that's attached to the black plastic bar contained in the 3G version. That component is completely missing from the Wi-Fi version, which allows us to conclude that the Wi-Fi version doesn't need it."
And why did Apple put the sensor in the iPad?
Djuric posits: "It's to limit the amount of SAR exposure a user would get, should they place themselves next to the iPad while it's transmitting information — for example, falling asleep on top of the iPad while watching a lame movie on Netflix. The impact of radiation decreases dramatically with distance, so you're a lot safer with your iPad six inches from your head than you are with it pressed right up to your face."
While the SAR Evaluation Report from CCS makes frequent reference to the proximity sensor, it doesn't describe its operation or even intent. For this information, readers are directed to a separate document titled "Operational Description" — a report that's been tagged "Permanent Confidential" by the FCC, and is unavailable for public review.
Pong's Secret Weapon: Radiation Redistribution
So we know the proximity sensor exists, and that it attenuates 3G radio power. Our line of inquiry now turns to Pong Research, and its marketing claims.
Pong makes two promises about its case: First, that its case won't trigger the proximity sensor, while competing cases will. "The proximity sensor is triggered not just by the human body, but by any solid. As a result, all commercial cases for the iPad 2 also cause the proximity sensor to trigger, which can reduce your transmission power by up to 75 percent," the company writes.
The company's sensor solution is fairly straightforward: Its case has a cut-out over the part of the iPad where the proximity sensor is located — a strategy that can be employed by any case manufacturer that knows about the sensor, and is concerned about the tablet's back-off mode.
Pong's second promise is more ambitious. It says its case includes an integrated circuit board designed to "couple passively" with the tablet's own 3G antenna, and redistribute 3G radiation away from the user's body.
"Normally, the radiation from the iPad is concentrated near the antenna," says Ryan McCaughey, the Chief Technology Officer at Pong Research. "The Pong case redistributes the 3G radiation over a larger area to reduce the intensity and lower SAR. It's a passive device, and doesn't amplify the signal."
This is a completely separate matter from the proximity sensor, and it's Pong's raison d'être. As as a safety measure, FCC regulations limit SAR levels for partial-body exposure to up to 1.6 W/kg (watts/kilogram), and whole body exposure to up to 0.08 W/kg. But Pong caters to consumers who worry that even FCC-approved levels of radiation might have long-term health implications. Pong's phone cases, and now their iPad cases, promise extra protection by redistributing radiation away from the consumer's body.
Bold claims. How would they hold up in Cetecom's lab?
Testing the Body Phantom
Located in the business park sprawl of Milpitas, Califorinia, Cetecom Inc. is easy to miss, with a nondescript, near-featureless exterior. But walk down its hallways, and you'll discover the company is home to hardcore testing chambers filled with massive robotic arms, gigantic wall-mounted turntables, and sensitive electronics equipment calibrated to the nth degree. Cetecom is a major player in FCC compliance testing, and graciously agreed to help us validate Pong's claims.
Our first series of tests delved into SAR — specific absorption rate, or, in lay terms, how much radiation one's body may receive from handling the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G. We first ran the test with the iPad alone, sans case, and then repeated the regimen with the Pong case attached. According to Pong, its case should reduce SAR by about two-thirds.
The SAR testing apparatus in an impressive set-up. The device under review is carefully positioned below a basin filled with a special liquid solution called a "body phantom." The phantom is mostly water with a small amount of ethanol, and simulates the electrical properties of body tissue.
Above the basin moves a probe controlled by an industrial-strength robotic arm. The probe enters the phantom, and does a precise area scan, searching for electromagnetic hotspots where the iPad is radiating the most. Once identified, hotspots are investigated further with a more penetrating volume scan, which ultimately yields the SAR numbers supplied to the FCC.
Our results? The Pong case delivered all the radiation protection it advertises.
Before we ran the tests, the company provided me with documents from its own SAR testing. On the 1880MHz WCDMA 3G radio band, Pong's paperwork shows that a "naked" iPad emits an average SAR of 1.44 mW/g (milliwatts per gram), while an iPad with Pong's case attached lowers SAR to 0.445 mW/g.
At Cetecom, we tested the very same radio band, and observed that same two-thirds reduction in SAR. (Per an agreement with Cetecom, I won't be sharing specific numbers from the tests I observed in their lab.)
In total, it's an impressive product for anyone concerned about receiving excessive amounts of radiation while holding an iPad in the throes of 3G transmission. (We found the same results when we tested Pong's iPhone case in 2009.)
So that's SAR. What about Pong's claims that its case doesn't trip the proximity sensor, unlike other third-party cases?
Inside the Anechoic Chamber
To test the power of the iPad's 3G radio — and to determine what really happens when the proximity sensor is tripped — we entered Cetecom's over-the-air testing facility. Testing apparatus is spread across two rooms: an anechoic chamber covered top to bottom with foam pyramids that absorb stray radio waves, and an external room filled with equipment that measures the procedures occurring inside the chamber itself.
Inside the anechoic chamber, we placed the iPad 2 on a pedestal that rotates 360 degrees. On the wall of the chamber is a massive turntable with a 3G antenna attached. To build a 3D model of the iPad 2's 3G transmission strength, the pedestal rotates in a circle while the turntable-mounted antenna sweeps across a 165-degree arc across an opposing axis. The antenna measures 3G signal strength at specific points on the arc, and reports back to the testing equipment in the other room.
We ran three tests: the iPad 2 transmitting "naked," the tablet transmitting while seated in the Pong case, and the tablet transmitting while seated in another third-party case that firmly grips the entire bottom and sides of the iPad's chassis.
Our results at Cetecom perfectly mapped against the numbers CCI provided in its SAR Evaluation Report filed with the FCC. In this report, CCI indicates average 3G power drops from 22.4 dBm to 16.4 dBm when the proximity sensor back-off is triggered.
Just as Pong promised, we saw this 6 dBm reduction in our own testing: The iPad transmitted at full power when running naked and when seated in the Pong case, but its power attenuated when seated in the other third-party case. Because the dBm scale is logarithmic and not linear, this seemingly small reduction in power actually represents a power drop in the neighborhood of 75 percent.
But what does a 75 percent reduction really mean to users tapping into 3G in the field?
If you're currently using a third-party iPad 2 case that trips the tablet's proximity sensor, you really only need to be concerned about the tablet's ability to connect to faraway cell towers. According to McCaughey, Pong's CTO, "Reducing a phone or tablet's 3G signal strength will decrease the range within which the device can connect to a tower. A 75 percent reduction in transmission power, for example, produces a 50 percent smaller connectivity range."
Sideco, iSuppli's wireless expert, adds a bit more texture. He points out that out the tablet's radio strength affects the 3G uplink, and not the downlink, which is most central to the consumer experience — i.e., we typically download much more data than we ever upload.
Nonetheless, says Sideco, "The power back-off could impact acknowledgements by the application or the device going back to a server or base station. Therefore, you definitely want to optimize your power to balance what is needed or available versus its impact on battery life."
Sideco also points out that a 6 dBm drop might never be noticed by the user. "If the RF conditions are very clean, and you are also close to the tower, you might not even need anywhere near 16dB of power," he says. "The reduction only really comes into play in the boundary conditions where maximum transmission power is required."
So, in the final analysis, what are we to make of Pong's unique case design?
It's a very expensive accessory at $100, but it's made of a durable Lexan material that's soft to the touch, and looks nearly as smart as leather. This isn't a gaudy case. It reeks of purpose-built seriousness befitting Pong's intentions. And the case not only seats the iPad 2 with a firm grip, it also includes a unique folding cover that can be be arranged in a variety of stand configurations.
But when push comes to shove, you wouldn't spend $100 for aesthetics and a clever kickstand. You would buy the Pong case because you're concerned about radiation exposure, and want to ensure you're getting every bit of 3G power your iPad can muster.
To this end, the Pong case clearly, unequivocally delivers on both counts.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.


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Every time I despair at the stupidity rampant in my own country, along comes the UK to reassure me that it is a worldwide phenomenon.
51% Yes
49% No
Jebus. Seriously?
Every time I despair at the stupidity rampant in my own country, along comes the UK to reassure me that it is a worldwide phenomenon.
51% Yes
49% No
Jebus. Seriously?
slatham says
I'd like to say, "Pfft, acupuncture," but IMS (intramuscular stimulation) worked very well for me. It's related to acupuncture.
gbjames says
Define "work".
chigau (meh) says
After you define "work", tell us what ailed you.
Nemo says
The placebo effect works, doesn't it?
Nick Cazier says
There are people who claim that acupuncture works, too.
At best it's a placebo effect. It does not work as advertised.
george gonzalez says
Hmmm, well I guess there's a small chance that the pain is going to release endorphins or dolphins or something to counteract the act of having needles put into your body. But to actually PAY someone to stick needles of unknown provenance into your personal body parts, I don't see how that could ever happen.
Anthony K says
But to actually PAY someone to stick needles of unknown provenance into your personal body parts, I don't see how that could ever happen.
At least with acupuncture, unlike tattoos, I don't have to see the aftermath.
Al Dente says
David Marjanović says
Sticking needles into you works: pain distracts from pain.
Neither meridians nor acupuncture points exist; sticking needles anywhere has the same effect.
Jebus. Seriously?
I'm actually quite surprised "yes" wasn't much higher.
46% Yes
54% No
Numbers of votes not given.
michaelbusch says
I'd like to say, "Pfft, acupuncture," but IMS (intramuscular stimulation) worked very well for me. It's related to acupuncture.
Only in the sense that both involve being poked by needles. Acupuncture is exactly as effective as pricking the patient in randomly-selected positions (which is the relevant cross-comparison to do, since the magnitude of placebo effects depends on the type of intervention). Intramuscular stimulation actually has some evidence to support it.
Also note that even if the techniques of acupuncture were to be effective, which they aren't, that wouldn't justify the various supernatural claims associated with them (such as the supposed existence of qi).
sharkspeare says
One needs only to read the comments on the Daily Mail Online to realize that the UK has their own fair share of total twits.
anuran says
To be fair, the Chinese did find the same trigger points modern physicians use for pain management. It was unscientific by modern standards. The theory was wrong. But that particular bit of knowledge was discovered, preserved and passed on.
Kevin Schelley says
It works well for lightening the wallet
Gregory Greenwood says
Every time I despair at the stupidity rampant in my own country, along comes the UK to reassure me that it is a worldwide phenomenon.
There is no need to worry at all PZ – teh stoopid is very, very strong with large sections of the populous over here. We may not quite reach the… dizzying heights that parts of the US get too, but we do a fine line in consistent credulousness in the face of countervailing evidence.
As a humourous aside, when I clicked on the link to look at that painfully idiotic poll, there was an oddly appropriate advert right next to it for the new Wolverine movie. Logan's mutant abilities are about on a par with many of the claims made about acupuncture when it comes to scientific evidence…
slatham says
#2,3 — thanks for your interest. A couple of years ago, I was at physio complaining of lower back pain and numbing/tingling in my legs. She asked if she could try IMS. I was pretty desperate. I felt the needle enter my lower back above my hip, she pushed and re-positioned the needle inside, and then my muscles relaxed and the rigidity of my lower back 'shattered'. She said, "Holy crap!" I left there able to walk with more fluidity (I could tilt my pelvis at will) than I had in the past couple of decades. Two weeks later I thought it was tightening again and asked for a repeat treatment. No such dramatic effect, but my hips are still much better than they were. No tingling/numbness down my legs.
When 'alternative' medicine gets adopted by medicine, it loses its 'alternative' status. Right? Well, with IMS, medical practitioners are choosing to adopt it. I'm not saying that all acupuncture is good or useful. But those who are skeptical should look up IMS — it just might help you or someone close to you.
johnm55 says
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) which is the body that licences treatments in the National Health Service tend to do it on a cost/benefit basis. So an expensive treatment that doesn't have a significant benefit over a cheaper treatment won't be licensed. Acupuncture is cheap and if enough people think they are benefiting from the placebo effect it will appear to be a cost effective treatment even if it is in actual fact doing nothing.
marko says
The question is vague, "Do you believe the treatment has a beneficial effect?" Beneficial in what way? They don't actually ask if you think it works in the intended fashion.
slatham says
Perhaps it will help if I mention that I've got had tight neck/scapular muscles for a few months that I can't seem to relax. I wanted to find the same relief that the IMS on my lower back provided. I went in search of the 'magic' needle again. But I tried and found no real relief. I was predisposed to believe it would work; I would have been happy for a placebo effect. But the effect was no longer-lasting than a massage. So … it didn't work, but that doesn't negate the effect of the treatment on my lower back years before.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says
But it DOES work. The ability of a pin to penetrate human skin is extensively documented.
Oh, is that not what they meant?
lorn says
It depends on what they mean by "work".
Is it a biologically effective therapy? No.
Is it a sometimes effective method of applying the placebo effect to illness, real or imagined? Sometimes.
Is it an effective, cost effective, way for a person of little but theatrical and presentational skills to make a living while accepting the mantle of "healer" through the use of inscrutable methods? Absolutely.
abbeycadabra says
I have invariably been unsatisfied with this question, because I haven't heard of any actual clinical tests for acupuncture – not even an informal double-blind. Are the points truly random? I'm perfectly willing to believe they are (and obviously the 'chi' explanation is pure hooey), but I've never actually encountered any kind of evidence putting this one to bed.
Perhaps the rest of you can enlighten me?
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says
because I haven't heard of any actual clinical tests for acupuncture – not even an informal double-blind.
Actually, NCAM did a study with sham needles, which felt like they penetrated the skin, but didn't. Just as effective, if not a smidgen better, than the needles (references in the OP). Placebo is big factor in pain relief.
chakolate says
Acupuncture *does* work – it's called the Placebo Effect.
Caine, Fleur du mal says
A needle jammed into a certain spot in my spine can temporarily help with my pain issues, but that's because it's a hypo full of helpful corticosteroids.
slatham says
#22. In contrast, this study found deeper needling yielded better long-term results: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12048416
tororosoba says
21, 22: The German Acupuntcture Trials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Acupuncture_Trials) revealed that sham and real acupuncture are about equal. Interestingly, both are more effective than conventional treatments.
The study is not double-blinded, since the sham acupuncturists must know what they are doing.
chemicalscum says
Neurosci Lett. 2004 May 6;361(1-3):258-61.
Acupuncture and endorphins.
Han JS.
"Acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA) as complementary and alternative medicine have been accepted worldwide mainly for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. Studies on the mechanisms of action have revealed that endogenous opioid peptides in the central nervous system play an essential role in mediating the analgesic effect of EA. Further studies have shown that different kinds of neuropeptides are released by EA with different frequencies. For example, EA of 2 Hz accelerates the release of enkephalin, beta-endorphin and endomorphin, while that of 100 Hz selectively increases the release of dynorphin. A combination of the two frequencies produces a simultaneous release of all four opioid peptides, resulting in a maximal therapeutic effect. This finding has been verified in clinical studies in patients with various kinds of chronic pain including low back pain and diabetic neuropathic pain"
So yes acupuncture does work for analgesia. There is no such thing as Qi but there is a sound scientific basis for acupuncture analgesia it is more than just a placebo effect. Guys consult the scientific literature before you launch a quack hunt. By the way the original Chinese scientific work on acupuncture analgesia, in the first issue of Academica Sinica published just after the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1974 there was a paper on an an experimental animal model that used acupressure, which explains why the "sham needles" work in the control study. This experimental research demonstrated the production of an unknown circulating endogenous material with an opioid activity. This was a year or so before the discovery of the endorphins. Good science, good prediction eh!
A Hermit says
Then there's this to consider…
Canadian Olympian's 'nightmare' after acupuncture needle collapses her lung
It's a rare event with acupuncture, but not unheard of and has even caused deaths…http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/oct/18/dozens-killed-acupuncture-needles
imthegenieicandoanything says
I'm no fan of this treatment and much, much less of its long and deep popularity where I live, but at least there is some question about its degree of quackery (unlike, say, the proven 100% dangerous and dishonest bullshit of homeopathy).
The tone of superior, mocking meanness in the post (and most comments) here is pretty unpleasant, like Republicans mocking people standing in line at a soup kitchen. And unnecessary. Just present the evidence against it, strongly. Protest its being covered by insurance. The self-convinced are just that, and will not be reached by mocking of this brutal and self-satisfied sort if reason doesn't.
I'd ask us to keep our noses a little lower in the air, but likely enough all that will happen is that extra-venomous comments will come my way. (What passion some people here have when nothing is at stake!)
We're human beings as well, and pretty much as foolish, about one thing or another. If we're "better" at all, it's because of our actions, not our beliefs.
chigau (meh) says
… but likely enough all that will happen is that extra-venomous comments will come my way…
or most people will just ignore you
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says
Chemicalscum, the abstract only demonstrates what would be expected from Placebo Effect. If acupuncture was really efficacious, it would work on double the amount of testees, similar to NSIADs, vicodin, etc.
dannysichel says
First, in response to tororosoba@26 – if you wanted to do a proper double-blind experiment, I'm sure someone could engineer a device that would conceal the target area of the patient's flesh, and then either mechanically insert the needle, or produce the sound of a needle being inserted.
Second – I'm thinking about cutters. People who cut their arms, etc, in order to… ease some sort of pent-up stress? As I understand it — and this is based solely on anecdotal evidence — they experience some sort of short-term effect. Assuming that jabbing-with-needles does in fact have some sort of effect, could cutting be related?
slatham says
The URL I posted in #25 links to a double blind study. For pain, there are many short-term methods to find some relief. And people with pain often experience high variability in the pain they experience (there is a lot of statistical noise), probably related to the effects of so many factors (less agitation, more warmth, different sleep position, etc). The key is to find treatment that allows a person to live a normal life — long term response, probably not endorphins. The double blind study I cited found a difference experienced 3 months after treatment. Sample size < 50, statistically significant difference in a noisy system.
slatham says
Alternative medical treatment that works will become medicine. Right? What would that transition be like? The alternative treatment would usually be all wrapped up in myth related to the crap in the rest of the alternative field. If a science-based medicine were to adopt efficacious treatments from some traditions, it would have to separate the potentially therapeutic aspects from the mystical aspects. That is a difficult task when your main goal may be to stop your society from wasting resources on promoting an entire alternative field. Support for any particular practice within that field might legitimize it. But science is good at breaking things down and isolating component parts to test hypotheses and generate improved understanding. Scientific observers should appreciate that nature is nuanced and that over-generalization rarely leads to new insight.
I think that's a tension here in this discussion of acupuncture. Most of acupuncture might be crap. I received little benefit (if any) from it twice, but before that had an amazingly positive experience. I would hope that someone is studying how those results can differ so much. I didn't vote in the online poll regarding acupuncture — my answer from experience is "both". I suspect that a more educated vocabulary, such that specific acupuncture procedures could be interrogated for various health issues, would find that the demonstrably right answer is "Yes, it works," for some subset of problems/treatments, and "No" for the rest. A blanket "Qi doesn't exist so the whole thing is a waste of time" sort of attitude will inhibit the ability of science-based medicine to detect and incorporate useful treatments from alternative medicine (if there are any).
larrylyons says
Have to disagree with you about this one. There is a fair degree of properly controlled double blind studies that used sham acupuncture or placebo controls that still found an effect in the reduction of perceived pain over and above what was found in the placebo or sham conditions. Some examples
So there may be something there that cannot be explained by placebo or expectancy effects. Whether its endorphin release or other mechanism I do not know. But to some extent pain control via acupuncture is a real phenomenon that is not necessarily explained by placebo.
David Marjanović says
To be fair, the Chinese did find the same trigger points modern physicians use for pain management.
What trigger points? Do you mean the acupuncture points? Those, as I mentioned, don't exist – sticking the needles in random points has the same effect.
The study is not double-blinded, since the sham acupuncturists must know what they are doing.
Double-blind needles were developed years ago! They work much like theater daggers, AFAIK.
Google moar.
By the way the original Chinese scientific work on acupuncture analgesia, in the first issue of Academica Sinica published just after the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1974 there was a paper on an an experimental animal model that used acupressure, which explains why the "sham needles" work in the control study. This experimental research demonstrated the production of an unknown circulating endogenous material with an opioid activity. This was a year or so before the discovery of the endorphins. Good science, good prediction eh!
…When exactly was the period when Máo pushed acupuncture based on outright fake evidence?
Assuming that jabbing-with-needles does in fact have some sort of effect, could cutting be related?
Wouldn't surprise me at all. I'm told (n = 1) that the pain brings relief.
chemicalscum says
@Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls
The abstract reports a correlation of acupuncture to the circulating release of endorphins. It is indeed possible that there could be a possible placebo effect that results in the production of endogenous endorphins. However the electroacupuncture results are not consistent with it being a placebo effect as different frequencies produce different patterns of endorphin release and a combination of frequencies produces a composite mix of endorphins.
The original animal model work using rabbits in 1974 was an animal experiment and thus excludes the placebo effect. Furthermore they transfused cerebrospinal fluid from a treated rabbit showing an analagesic response to a second untreated rabbit and find an analgesic response in that animal. This resulted in the prediction of unknown endogenous opiate like species being present in CSF. This was subsequently explained by the discovery of the endorphins.
It is effectively impossible to do double blind studies of acupuncture treatment. Therefore the best evidence for excluding the placebo effect are results using animal models. There is an extensive literature on this over the last few decades including primate models. A simple Pub Med search provides 610 results.
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says
The abstract reports a correlation of acupuncture to the circulating release of endorphins. It is indeed possible that there could be a possible placebo effect that results in the production of endogenous endorphins.
When the Placebo Effect works, endorphins are increased. That was and is my point. Your citation showed nothing outside of Placebo Effect.
chemicalscum says
@David Marjanović
The "double blind" needles are the sham needles discussed earlier and as I have pointed out that animal studies have shown than acupressure is as effective as acupuncture with needles. Treatment with the sham needles would be equivalent to acupressure. A real double blind experiment is not therefore possible, consequently animal models are needed.
The results in I mentioned that were released following the end of the Cultural Revolution occurred when Chinese scientists were trying to re-establish themselves and do good science. During the Cultural Revolution so called "Acupuncture Anaesthesia" was trumpeted as a wonderful triumph. This was obviously grossly overblown. Any sensible person would want real anaesthesia. However it was possible that their was some real analgesic effect. The work I mentioned was a solid scientific effort to determine this. They chose a careful animal model to eliminate the placebo effect. Yes a placebo effect is possible in badly designed animal studies. Here they placed a metal tube over the nose of the rabbits. The tube was heated at a constant rate and the time for the rabbit to withdraw its nose from the tube recorded, this was repeated at a series of intervals after treatment, The same experiment was performed on untreated control animals to obtain a control acclimatization curve that could be used as a baseline. Animals were treated morphine injections and the curves obtained were the same as for the acupressure treated animals. Animals were given injections of catecholamines and the results were the same as for the controls. Perfusion experiments where CSF from acupressure treated animals was transferred to untreated animals showed the response was carried over. This work resulted in the testable prediction that there existed an endogenous circulating opiate like material in the CSF that could be released by CNS stimulation.
This prediction was confirmed by the discovery of the endorphins not long after these experiments. Making testable predictions is good science. Getting them confirmed is even better science.
Thumper; Atheist mate says
I am so ashamed of my country right now…
*He mumbles, his voice muffled by the desk he's just smashed his face into*
eoleen says
Of Course acupuncture works!!!!! It performs its designed function perfectly!!!!
Of course, the function it is designed to perform is not to heal the patient, but rather to transfer the patient's assets to the Heel performing the acupuncture…
That is why acupuncture is "performed" on the patient: it is all an act…
blf says
The poll is now closed. Final results (for what it is worth, which is basically nothing) is 38% No, 62% Yes.
I am so ashamed of my country right now…
Quite right. Yer letting the Ozlanders loose cricket matches through ineptitude. That's so completely backwards extra reversing gears are needed. (Sighs wishfully for the days when Ingerland played entertaining cricket: "How will they manage to loose this time?").


text:
Dragonas wrote:k, I admit I pee'd myself and giggled a lil bit. Anyhow, with the Naruu, I agree taht A'dal will help when the time comes. But on some certain point perhaps they are a tad lazy.... there is a bunch they could have done, to help save Azeroth, but they kind of chilled back. I know that with the burning legion they have their tough times... but then we moved on... perhaps they should have too. I do wonder though.... Elune and the Naruu... what connnection do they have? There has to be one, with them being of the light... we've seen the Naruu, we've never seen Elune... so maybe there is a major connection. As far as the next expansion (not to necro too much) I don't see a Sargeras xpac coming out any time in the relevant near future. There is toooooo much left that Blizzard can touch on. The Maelstrom... perhaps a reopening of Hyjal?... something with another Dragon Aspect freaking out? They have the whole time thing to still play with... I mean a whole world of possibilities... so i don't see them pulling the very last card that will be left to pull when they still have a whole deck to play. I'd personally love to see something come out of the maelstrom and Azshara... even before we play with the lich king more, but I'm sure they'll play that one more before we move on. So I pose a question in this huge para... Arthas > Azshara? ideas? oh and yea, I believe that the Naruu are more than they let on to be as of yet. We're far from done seeing them come into play. I think that something is definitely being held back by them.
you asked alot of questions for an answer


text:
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Posted by Am Kshe Oref - A Stiff-Necked People at 5/20/2008 08:39:00 AM
Left Wing Modern Orthodox: 78%
Right Wing Modern Orthodox: 89%
Left Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi: 37%
Right Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi: 4%
This means you're: Modern Orthodox
What does it mean?
Congratulations. You're Modern Orthodox all right, but wait! Just when you were ready to live an idyllic happily-labeled life they announce Left Wing and Right Wing Modern Orthodoxy. What the heck is up with that? Maybe you need to rethink and refine some of your positions, and then take the test again so I can put you in a little box.
See? I'm not such a Kofer after all!!! :)


text: Smokey Makes a Slam-Dunk at Denver Nuggets Event The National Basketball Association's Denver Nuggets honored U.S. Forest Service Hotshot crews and first responders throughout the state of Colorado at a recent Fans and Heroes Night in Denver. The U.S. Forest Service participated in activities before, during and after the game with Smokey Bear attending his first NBA game in Colorado. Smokey encouraged fans to be prepared for emergencies and gave two big "paws up" to the men and women who serve their communities as first responders. Phil DeSennze, Rocky Mountain Region, U.S. Forest Service Posted in Forestry Feb 21, 2017 Respond to this story


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A new year always comes with new laws and 2014 will be no exception. There are new laws in the field of healthcare that have nothing to do with Obamacare, such as capping the price of some cancer medications. New laws will protect children, on the Internet, the streets and in the penal system, and other laws protecting the rights of consumers.
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Obamacare, known officially as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, mandates that every American have healthcare coverage that meet federal standards by March, 2014 or pay a penalty. The coverage can be obtained through an employer, private insurer or through California's own healthcare exchange marketplace, Covered California.
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"The fee increases every year. In 2015 it's 2 percent of income or $325 per person. In 2016 and later years it's 2.5 percent of income or $695 per person. After that it is adjusted for inflation.
"If you're uninsured for just part of the year, 1/12 of the yearly penalty applies to each month you're uninsured. If you're uninsured for less than 3 months, you don't have a make a payment."
"It's important to remember that someone who pays the penalty doesn't have any health insurance coverage. They still will be responsible for 100% of the cost of their medical care."
The open enrollment ends on March 31, 2014.
Juvenile offenders and protections
AB 309 – Homeless children, regardless of age or parent accompaniment, will be eligible to apply for CalFresh food-stamp benefits.
SB 569 – the bill will require criminal confessions by juvenile suspects to be video taped and recorded. The bill rose out of the results of a recent study that found a preponderance of false confessions made by juveniles. There are exceptions to the mandated recordings.
SB 798 – This bill will require "require BB guns to be painted a bright color to make it harder for them to be mistaken for real firearms."
SB 568 – Known as the "California Internet Eraser Law" was signed into law in September but will not become effective until Jan. 1, 2015, prohibits an operator of an "Internet Web site, online service, online application, or mobile application from marketing or advertising specified types of products or services to a minor." the bill also prohibits an operator from compiling information about minors for the purposes of marketing.
The eraser part of SB 568 would allow a minor to remove content or information on a website or application, with several exceptions. California is the first state to have such a law.
SB 260 – The new law in California allows inmates who committed crimes when they were teenagers to be released or re-sentenced by establishing a special parole-review process in which individuals who meet certain criteria are eligible for release after 15 years of incarceration.
AB 166 – This bill requires "financial literacy" including budgeting, managing debt and protecting against identity theft to be integrated into textbooks and courses for grades 7-12.
SB 435 – This law is the one probably most pertaining to workers in the Indian Wells Valley. "California law currently requires employers to give employees who work outside in weather exceeding 85 degrees five-minute cool-down periods, or recovery periods, in a shaded area to protect from overheating. Under an expanded law, employers are prohibited from requiring employees from working during a recovery period, and they must pay them one additional hour of pay for each workday a required recovery period is not provided."


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Your Life Is Not Worth Any Money
Duan Mu Qing shouting "ghost" caused the troops to retreat, one step at a time. Everyone had their eyes opened wide, looking at the white figure that had suddenly appeared in front of them. Some of the people with sharper eyes noticed that it was the girl that they had been attacking. Apparently, it was the capital's county princess Ji An, but…
Everyone craned their necks and looked toward Xuan Tian Hua's side. Even the archers fixed their gazes on them and found that the four people had already begun to spread out. The spot in the middle was clear for all to see. They all rubbed their eyes and looked desperately. Only then did they find that the county princess that had been standing between the four had already disappeared.
"Ghost! There really is a ghost!" Someone shouted in an alarmed voice, immediately causing everyone to inhale sharply. Even the people holding bows began to tremble, gradually turning their heads.
For a moment, there was a surge of discussion among the troops from the North. They could clearly hear them say: "She did not move at all. She did not come out at all!"
"Those white clothes had suddenly appeared in the air earlier!"
"Could it be top-tier qinggong?"
"Impossible! That's something that not even a counter hidden guard could do."
Countless words filled Duan Mu Qing's mind and formed a single phrase. He stared at Feng Yu Heng with an ashen-white face and said: "You… are not human!"
"Hahahaha!" Feng Yu Heng smirked and laughed. She laughed in an arrogant and horrifying manner. She told Duan Mu Qing: "You are correct. I am not a human at all. I am the king of hell that has come for your life!" After saying this, she wrapped around behind Duan Mu Qing's back while walking on the carriage, but her hand never left his neck. Digging her sharp nails into his flesh, five bloody marks appeared. "If you want your deputy leader to keep his life, throw your weapons on the ground!" She loudly shouted. Her clear voice echoed the forest a few times, and it was loud enough for everyone to hear it.
Some were unable to contain the fear in their hearts and immediately did as instructed; however, there were some that were a little bolder and felt unreconciled. They wanted to see Duan Mu Qing's defense. Of the archers, there was not a single one that put down their weapon. They continued to aim their arrows at Xuan Tian Hua's group of four.
The ghostly atmosphere from earlier had been reduced slightly. After all, when she spoke, her voice was still very clearly human. These soldiers had all rolled out of pools of blood. Although they felt afraid, it was not enough for them to feel completely stupefied. Moreover, they were already feeling depressed. They were two hundred people, yet they could not defeat five? If word of this was spread back to the North, could they still have any face?
Thinking like this, they people that had thrown down their weapons felt their hearts stir once more. Someone used their feet to kick up their weapon, and someone else frankly shouted in a loud voice: "A little girl wants to strangle our deputy leader with just one hand? In your dreams!"
Once this was said, Duan Mu Qing trembled, and Feng Yu Heng immediately sneered from behind him: "Heh! I wonder if this is doubting me or trusting you. Duan Mu Qing, tell me, do you have the ability to escape from my grasp?"
Duan Mu Qing's forehead became soaked in sweat. In the eyes of others, Feng Yu Heng was just a little girl in her early teens. She was not yet of age, and she was thin and small. Just using one of her small hands to grab his neck, what could possibly happen? But he understood that the icy thing clamped around his neck was not a hand. It was something even harder than metal. Her five fingernails had already dug into his flesh. He had no doubt that if he moved at all, those fingernails would immediately dig into him, crushing his throat and pulling out all of the flesh and blood with it.
But he was still the deputy leader. He was still a brave man that had grown up eating raw beef. To tell him to accept his fate like this was something that he was unwilling to do.
With the situation reaching its current state, Duan Mu Qing understood that regardless of whether he chose to advance or retreat, the end result would still be one of a fight to the death. Moreover, if he succumbed to a little girl, how could he still lead these people in the future?
He gritted his teeth, and a trace of determination appeared in his eyes. Everyone then heard Duan Mu Qing loudly shout: "Kill! Don't worry about me, just kill all of them! Kill them all!"
This sudden shout was a little outside of Feng Yu Heng's expectations. In the moment that he shouted, the fingers that were clasped around Duan Mu Qing's neck dug into his flesh. When a third of the first phalanges were in his neck, blue veins had appeared on Duan Mu Qing's face as a result of the pain. Blood had covered his robe.
Feng Yu Heng sneered, "You really do have some strength of character!"
The people from the North were relatively primitive. In their minds, there really was no such thought of giving up a battle because their leader had died. Moreover, Duan Mu Qing had already said for them not to worry about him, thus the ones that used weapons picked up their weapons, and the archers drew their arrows once more; however, just as the fight was about to break out, they heard a female voice speak out like a specter once more. It was Feng Yu Heng, saying: "You must think this through carefully. If you do not care for the general's life to kill me, you would have a moment of prestige but would need to bear a life of infamy. This deputy leader is the leader's grandson. He is already willing to risk his own life, but what about his grandfather? What about the leader of the North? Could he accept this? To kill us is easy, but where will you go from this day forward? You can no longer return to the North, and the central region will not accept you. Your only choice would be to remain constantly on the move with no family to return to. Oh right, you also have family. With Duan Mu Qing dying and you running away, your loved ones would be the only ones that could be buried with him. Trust me, the Duan Mu family will not place this debt on our heads. Naturally, they will not allow you to live freely. Think about it carefully. Do you still want to shoot the arrow that you have drawn."
These words carried a strong determination and pierced their hearts. The soldiers that had become red in the eyes from fighting finally reacted to this logic. They could not help but break out into a cold sweat. This time, even the archers were shaken. Who knew who took the lead in lowering their bows, but as one lowered their bow, a second one followed until everyone had lowered their weapons. Everyone had thrown their weapons to the ground. Feng Yu Heng stood behind Duan Mu Qing and giggled, "Deputy leader, you be the judge. How was the effect of A-Heng's speech?"
Duan Mu Qing was so angry that his insides were on the verge of giving off smoke. He repeatedly shouted: "Kill them! The Duan Mu family will not seek revenge for me!"
But who would listen to him at this sort of time. Everyone began to retreat step by step. In fact, a path toward the capital was even opened up.
Feng Yu Heng sneered and leaped off of the carriage with Duan Mu Qing. She then walked over to Xuan Tian Hua's side. While walking, she twisted the fingers that had been stabbed into Duan Mu Qing's neck. The pain nearly caused Duan Mu Qing to tear up. He wanted to shout, but Feng Yu Heng's movements were extremely fast. In an instant, she stopped moving. Duan Mu Qing did his best to shout but found that he could not make the slightest bit of sound.
Feng Yu Heng leaned against the back of his head and faintly said: "It's very painful. Don't move around wildly. This county princess has also grabbed a hold of your throat. Even if you put in all of your strength, you would not be able to make a single sound. It would be better to accept your fate." Tilting her head, she found that Duan Mu Qing was looking at her with a very venomous gaze. She could not help but giggle and say: "Don't look at me like that. It's not scary at all. If you have that much energy left, it would be better to think about how far it is from here to the North side of the city. My fingers will dig a little deeper with each step, and you will suffer more pain along with it. There will also be a greater amount of blood will be lost. With it dripping like this, who knows if you will be able to endure until we reach the city's gates."
Duan Mu Qing was startled, and a feeling of despair filled his heart. Even more despair came with what Feng Yu Heng said next, "Don't worry. I will definitely allow you to live until we reach the city's gates. After all, you are my hostage. But you should not get happy too early. Duan Mu Qing, I will use you to protect our five lives. When we have successfully entered the city, do you think that you will be able to continue living? Hahaha! It's just a matter of dying sooner or later!"
Once she said this, she increased her pace. She was just ten paces away from Xuan Tian Hua, and Xuan Tian Hua had reached out his hand toward her.
But at this time, the sound of a heavy bowstring echoed in the air. The arrow forcefully flew through the air with a whistling sound.
Feng Yu Heng's eyes became wide and looked forward. She saw that there was an archer that did not care for Duan Mu Qing's safety nor her threats. He had let loose an arrow that was aimed straight at Huang Quan's heart.
Without saying a single word, she suddenly exerted her strength. Using the explosive power that allowed her to raise the Hou Yi bow, she raised Duan Mu Qing above her head and threw him forward.
Duan Mu Qing had never thought that a dignified man like him would be picked up by a small girl like Feng Yu Heng, and he was thrown out. He was completely dazed. During the process of being thrown out, he had lost his ability to react. By the time that he had recovered, he was already behind Huang Quan.
By some stroke of luck, just as he was beginning to drop and before he fell to the ground, the arrow arrived in front of him and pierced through his heart.
With the arrow piercing his heart, Huang Quan was dragged to the side by Xuan Tian Hua. Only then did she avoid getting hurt by the arrow that completely passed through his body. Duan Mu Qing dropped to the ground with a "thump" and caused a cloud of dust to rise.
Since the arrow had pierced his heart, there was no chance of survival. he did not know when he had closed his eyes. The final thought that he had right before dying was: I never thought that my, Duan Mu Qing's, death would actually be to block an arrow for a maidservant.
At the same time, Feng Yu Heng's ghostly voice rose once more: "Duan Mu Qing, your life is not even worth a hair on my maidservant."
After this, Duan Mu Qing did not hear another sound, and he finally breathed his last breath.
There was a moment of silence that filled the scene. It was so silent that the sound of breathing could be heard. But this was just for an instant. Very quickly, someone shouted: "I already said that she was not human! She is a ghost! You did not believe me! You just refused to believe it!" The person finished shouting then began to run away.
Under his lead, for a moment, all of the soldiers from the North began to run away.
Their leader had died, and they would not be able to live. Rather than continue to fight with Feng Yu Heng, it would be better to make use of their time to run away.
Everyone was thinking this way, including the archers. This was especially the case for the one that had shot the arrow. He was so scared that his soul had nearly escaped him. Duan Mu Qing was quite large, yet he was thrown so far by a girl that only went up to his waist. Fuck, was that little girl really human? Just five people had fought against 200 people. Until this moment, they still had not won, and they had actually managed to kill the leader. Stay? Only an idiot would not run away!
In the blink of an eye, the chaotic battlefield fell silent once more. Only corpses remained along with the scent of blood…


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LÖVE vs Pyxel Edit
When comparing LÖVE vs Pyxel Edit, the Slant community recommends LÖVE for most people. In the question"What are the best 2D game engines?" LÖVE is ranked 1st while Pyxel Edit is ranked 56th. The most important reason people chose LÖVE is:
The [LÖVE forums][1] are extremely helpful. With people checking the forums every day, it won't take long to receive answer to your questions on the Support board, receive feedback on games you post in the Projects board, as well as have a chat about the LÖVE engine while learning tricks to use in the very active General board. If you need an immediate answer though, or just want to chat, there is a very active and helpful [IRC channel][2]. [1]: https://www.love2d.org/forums/ [2]: http://webchat.oftc.net/?channels=love
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pro Active and very friendly community
The LÖVE forums are extremely helpful. With people checking the forums every day, it won't take long to receive answer to your questions on the Support board, receive feedback on games you post in the Projects board, as well as have a chat about the LÖVE engine while learning tricks to use in the very active General board.
If you need an immediate answer though, or just want to chat, there is a very active and helpful IRC channel.
Pro Uses the fantastic Lua for scripting
Lua is an embeddable scripting language designed to be lightweight, fast yet powerful. It is used in major titles such as Civilization as well as a lot of indie games.
Lua is very popular because it provides "meta language" features. You can implement object-oriented structures, or pure procedural functions, etc. It has a very simple C interface, and gives the engine developer a lot of flexibility in the language itself.
Artists tend to love Lua too because it's very approachable, with plain and forgiving syntax.
Lua is free open-source software, distributed under a very liberal license (the well-known MIT license).
Pro Great for prototyping
You can learn the basics very quickly and start making simple games in no time, even if you have no previous Lua knowledge. If you're a little experienced with LÖVE, you can prototype a 2D game with it in no time.
Pro Easy to understand and use
Lua2D handles loading the resources, reading input, playing sounds and displaying stuff on the screen. Only the logic is left for the developer to write. It also removes the overhead of having to use and learn a GUI game editor. All you need is a knowledge of Lua and your favourite text editor or IDE.
Pro Cross-platform
Supports Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android and iOS.
Pro Many examples and libraries with source code
There are plenty of open source examples of games or components built by the community that are ready to use or learn from.
Pro Can develop within Android
It is possible to develop games directly on a tablet or cellphone with the Android system by using the experimental Android branch.
Pro Open source and free
The LÖVE engine is licensed under The zlib/libpng License (which is very short and human readable) which allows you to use the source code and even modify it as long as you do not claim that the original source code is yours.
You can obtain the code at this bitbucket repository and even help fix bugs and participate in the development of LÖVE.
Pro Very good for education
That is a great tool for teaching novice programmers. Creating a game on LÖVE, you have to think about developing, not about the syntax of the language.
Pro Very good documentation
The LÖVE wiki provides full documentation of its easy to use Modules, which are conveniently located on the side bar of the wiki. It only takes seconds to find the module for love.keyboard, which provided a list of all functions along with arguments and examples where the function could be used.
Pro Many tutorials on the internet
Has several tutorials in several languages on the internet, mainly on Youtube.
Pro Cute name
So much love.
Pro C++ and Lua one of the best languages for gamedev
Because all professionals in gamedev use C++, and Lua the fastest scripting lang.
Pro Intuitive UI
Pyxel Edit is widely acclaimed for its ease of use.
Pro Supports animations
Tiles can be animated within Pyxel Edit, with "onion skin" frame overlays to assist in making smooth frame transitions.
Pro Tileset extraction
Given an image and specified tile dimensions, Pyxel Edit will extract a tileset with no duplicate tiles. This mostly works for flat images though. If you feed Pyxel "finished maps" you will still get a lot of duplicates.
Pro Tilemap serialization support
Tile-based images (maps) built in Pyxel Edit can be serialized via XML or JSON for easy import elsewhere.
Pro Cheap compared to others
For only $9 (£6), this is one of the cheapest but also one of the best pixel editors out there.
Pro Live tile-update
Instantly see if your tiles are tileable and/or seamless and fix it easily.
Pro Indexed tiles can be used for reusing objects in animations
Con Not very powerful
The engine has very few modules and only the really required one, you'll have to do almost everything from scratch.
Con Uses hg to version-control, not git
If the source codes were controlled by git, it would be more convenient for more programmers to contribute to Love2d.
Using hg on bitbucket resulted in loss of tons of users.
Con Documentation is very dry and technical
The site has plenty of tutorials, true, but they all read very technical, and explain very little. This might be too much for beginners, even for coding purposes, because of the fact that the specifics aren't explained well enough to learn effectively. The docs can be found frustrating to understand even the basics, such as tables or the like, because of how poorly they are explained, and how few examples are given before expecting you to be able to use them.
Con Absolutely no GUI (no graphical interface)
This has no graphical interface at all, you have to know how to read script in order to know what you're looking at. After you've written the script for everything, you compile it to see the result. It's a very poor way to create a game, given how even most professional tools out there give you a GUI to work with and debug on the go. The lack of a GUI slows down the work by ten-fold, and it's just an inefficient use of your time.
Con The community seems juvenile
For example, some of the library include names such as HUMP, LUBE, AnAL.
Con No Linux version
There is no Linux version of the editor.
Con Free version lacks features
The free version of Pyxel Edit is an outdated beta. It does not receive updates.
Con Proprietary, closed-source software
This software does not respect your freedom.
The OSX version of the application requires Adobe Air to run.


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POOLSIDE YULETIDE: A Palm Springs Christmas has the ring of an early 1960s cinematic romp -- we're picture a bathing suit on the poster, in shades of green and red -- and there's good reason why: It's very beautiful and quite full of the holiday spirit, both. Not every place can say that it has both fine winter weather and a devotion to all things holiday, but Palm Springs does. The fine weather comes courtesy of its desert location; nights are chilly and crisp but days are bright and, in some circumstances, made for the wearing of short sleeves. And on the holiday end of things? There is the famous Palm Springs Follies holiday show, the Living Desert's Wildlights, and the Festival of Lights parade. Add to that a number of solid wintertime stay-over packages, and you have a fine Christmas getaway.
RANCHO LAS PALMAS: One Palm Springs resort that is doing it up over Christmas week is Rancho Las Palmas. They've got a deal on called Dreaming of a Desert Christmas, the dates are Dec. 22-31, and there are seasonal goodies like four tickets to Wildlights and a fireside hot chocolate tasting for two people. Rates start at $256 for a night's accommodations. And you'll spend a little time poolside, right? Even if those desert temps dip in late December, a few minutes on a lounger, in the sunshine, might be just the antidote to all the holiday bustle.


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Working with XML and Java
In this article, I will demonstrate some basic techniques for reading XML file data using straight Java code and no third-party libraries. Although I am in fact a fan of third-party libraries (examples include JDOM and DOM4J, among others), sometimes they are a tool too powerful for a simple job. You simply may want to minimize the overall footprint of the application you deliver. Your own licensing might get a little sensitive about including such libraries. You just might want to further your own knowledge and develop a closer understanding of what these tools are helping you to do in the first place. Regardless, the standard Java API provides plenty of tools needed to get the work done yourself.
I will present a rather introductory article; however, the reader is still assumed to know how to write and run Java programs (using whichever editor or IDE suits their fancy) and be able to reference the standard API Javadocs for further information. (If you do not yet have a Java API bookmark, use this one to get the online "JavaSE 6" docs, although you can also download the API docs for a faster local version.) It also will be helpful (but not required) for the reader to have a basic understanding of XML files and XPath expressions. I will not go into any great detail on these topics, so let your favorite search engine be your guide to more information.
Basics of XML with Java
Classes, Interfaces, and the W3C
The main, top-level interface in the org.w3c.dom package is the Node interface. Speaking rather loosely, anything in an XML document is a node of some kind: a comment, an element, an attribute in that element, or even the raw text sitting between an elements start and end tags. All of these different kinds of information have their own interface types in org.w3c.dom, but they all share Node as their parent interface. Given this is the case, it is worth taking a quick glance at the methods declared here. Some of the notable ones include:
|Methods of org.w3c.dom.Node
|Returns a NodeList of all Nodes.
Be careful! Returns all types of nodes, not just "Element" nodes.
|Returns first/last Node of the available Nodes
|Returns which variety of Node (Comment, Element, Text, and so forth) the node is. The exact "types" of nodes are available as constants in the Node class itself, such as Node.COMMENT_NODE.
|Returns, as a String, what you might think of as the name or specifier of a Node. This is most usually useful for Element and Attr (that is, attribute) Node types.
|Returns, as a String, what you might think of as the value for a Node. This really only applies to certain Node types. This is most usually useful for the Attr (that is, attribute) Node type.
|Returns a NamedNodeMap for the attributes in the start tag of the Node (which really should be an Element to be meaningful).
|appendChild(Node newChild)
insertBefore(Node newChild, Node refChild) removeChild(Node oldChild)
|Adds, inserts, or removes child Nodes to/from a Node.
Of course, the methods not mentioned also have their utility. It is also appropriate to look at the NodeList and NamedNodeMap interfaces as well. The NodeList is somewhat analogous to a standard List-based collection (of the java.util.* variety) of Nodes; remember the naming conventions and methods have been more or less standardized by the W3C. The notable methods for both of these classes are:
|Methods of org.w3c.dom.NodeList
|Returns number of Nodes in the collection.
(Similar to size() in a standard Collection type.)
|item(int index)
|Returns the Node at the specified index in the collection. The index is counted from zero.
(Similar to get(int index) in a standard Collection type.)
Likewise, the NamedNodeMap is somewhat akin to a standard Map-based collection. It has the same pair of methods as in the NodeList, and includes a few others that are more appropriate for working with a map.
Also note there is an interface type called Document. This is the top-level container object of all the different nodes that are represented in an XML file. When you load such a file (and I will get to that shortly), you will start your work with a Document type, and you then drill down through the various accessor methods highlighted above (getFirstChild(), for example) to get to the information you need.
At this point, some of you may be asking: "So where are the concrete objects that flesh out these interface types?" Well, the W3C just designed how the objects need to look and work. Implementation details are left to language and tool makers. In straight Java, such implementation details are present in the javax.xml.* package structure. With that being said, what might seem odd at first is that you never, on your own, instantiate a concrete Element object. That is, there is nothing that provides Element e = new Element();. Instead, you use static factory method to, for example, create a new Document, and then use method calls on the resulting object to create additional nodes of various types. (And then note you need to call appendChild or insertBefore to tie a child node to its parent node.)
Page 1 of 5
This article was originally published on January 2, 2008
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Recently I've run into a huge issue that is making my Linux experience a nightmare - screen tearing.
Regardless of the distrobution or desktop environment I constantly get screen tearing (even with Openbox) . I get it when I scroll through web pages. It's especially noticable when I move windows, it fragments on the sides. When I make boxes there are blocky anomolies. I can't play video games either because there is always screen tearing. I would seriously switch to Ubuntu 13.04, in all its spyware glory, as long as it didn't have this issue.
Both of my computers are suffering from this issue. Both run high-end nVidia graphics cards, a GTX 580 and a GTX 765M. Even my laptop, which I purchased from System 76, is having the exact same issues with tearing.
Here's what I've tried-
Tweaking nVidia settings - Prefer Maximum Preformance, OpenGL sync to vblank, Image settings on high preformance, antialiasing Override Application Set to max, Anisotropic Filtering on, also turned to max, Texutre sharpening
Switching Window Managers - Kwin makes it less noticable. I can get it to go away sometimes when I mess with the settings, but most of the time the tearing is back within a few seconds. Major tearing even with Disable Effects for Full Screen Windows is checked.
dcompmgr and Compton - I still get tearing unless I turn them to their most basic settings (with shadows I still get tearing). Both of them turn off when I start a game, rendering them useless.
It's been awhile since I used Compiz, but I can't remember any tearing when I used it. I still have to turn it off if I want to play a Steam game, so I get tearing anyway.
Adding this to /etc/enviroment -
Nothing seems to work. With Linux Mint on my laptop it isn't detecting the graphics card and when I sudo apt-get install nvidia-current it won't load the X server when I restart. I'm going to try several other "Buntus" before I just try 13.04 and see how it runs.
Update - The standard Driver Manager in most Ubuntu based distrobutions doesn't seem to be detecting my graphics card on my laptop. It shouldn't be an issue with that, since I've run Arch on it before with the most up to date drivers and still got major tearing.


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- Lotus news
Raikkonen unfazed by Red Bull interest
- Race:
- German Grand Prix
- Drivers:
- Kimi Räikkönen
- Teams:
- Lotus F1
Kimi Raikkonen says interest from Red Bull will not affect his chances in the world championship battle.
With Sebastian Vettel failing to finish at Silverstone, fifth place saw Raikkonen close the gap to the top of the standings to 34 points. However, more interest has surrounded Raikkonen's chances of moving to Red Bull since Mark Webber announced he would leave the team, but having already fielded questions about his future Raikkonen said he won't be affected by the extra media interest.
"It's been like that for ten years so it's not going to change now!" Raikkonen said. "I do my things and you guys do your stuff but I've never had to worry about those things. I've got good people to look after me and they always make good choices for me, so I've got no doubt that they will do so again."
Having lost out on a podium finish at Silverstone by not pitting under the final safety car, Raikkonen is aware that his championship hopes mean Lotus needs to raise its game.
"We cannot make the mistakes that we made in the last race. Obviously we could have scored much more points and we need to put two cars in the points to change the situation. It's easy to say but it's not easy to do."
With Mercedes showing itself to be a threat to Red Bull in recent races, Raikkonen said it would help him if it kept taking points off Vettel but that he's wary of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton passing him in the championship.
"Sometimes [it will help] yes, but at a certain point [Rosberg and Hamilton] will overtake us and it's not going to help us then. So we have to improve and try to get more strong results ourselves."