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internet and web
Retail Marketing – Maximising Your Resources.
The figures just released on Retail Sales over the Christmas period is a good indicator on the power and continual rise of online shopping and trading. Increasingly it is not just components such as cameras, computers and non perishable easily posted items that are purchased online. Retail businesses generally and particularly in creative, fashion and […]
The figures just released on Retail Sales over the Christmas period is a good indicator on the power and continual rise of online shopping and trading. Increasingly it is not just components such as cameras, computers and non perishable easily posted items that are purchased online. Retail businesses generally and particularly in creative, fashion and interior furnishing sectors need to focus on how they can maximise sales and drive their margins by using online marketing channels.
As a case in point a Client I have worked with over many years contacted me a couple of months before Christmas. He had recently been appointed as marketing manager of a specialist, sustainable flooring company in Bristol and looking to see how digital marketing could expand sales of new products, drive special offers and stimulate interest and imagination in potential customers. Whilst their core business was in providing personalised, high quality carpeting and flooring solutions for commercial and domestic customers locally, they now wanted to reach beyond their business base in Bristol and the South West.
I therefore spent some time going through their business marketing model and identifying where modern technologies and marketing channels could be used to drive the business. They already had a good working web site so the key areas were identified as follows:
1. Email promotion of special offers and new products to their existing customer database.
2. Instore digital signage to create product awareness and stimulate customer interest.
3. Website promotion of special offers, fashion items and accessories.
4. A new web module enabling web customers to create their own flooring design from a wide range of options, have it made and delivered all online.
5. Using Social Media channels to create conversation, interaction and awareness.
Following these initial discussions in October Applause has now provided the following digital media solutions:
- Product photography
- Digital signage programme running on plasma screens in store
- A new special offer sustainable rugs feature on the Naked Flooring website
- A 'Happy Christmas and New Year email to existing customers with special offers on fashion items and new product and we are shortly to go live with a new 'My Rug Creator' feature.
- If you would like your own customised Sisal Flooring - click here!
I am also now working with their team to develop and create engaging social media conversations through SM channels. In addition I will be helping their team analyse web traffic and direct sales result to determine the return on their investment.
Postcript: ROI achieved in within four weeks of the site module going live!
Wales & West Festival – New Look
The Wales and West Wine and Beermakers Festival is traditionally held on the late spring bank holiday and this year coincided with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The event was a huge success attracting some 450 enthusiasts from all over the country. After the event the management team were straight on to working on the 2013 […]
The Wales and West Wine and Beermakers Festival is traditionally held on the late spring bank holiday and this year coincided with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The event was a huge success attracting some 450 enthusiasts from all over the country.
After the event the management team were straight on to working on the 2013 event and immediately realised that because all the promotional material had been themed to the Jubilee a complete refresh would be required. A good point then to rethink the whole strategy and an opportunity to start with a fresh new look. Applause were asked to look not only at a new concept but to come up with ideas on how potential visitors who are not necessarily involved with clubs and affiliated associations could be attracted to the show
We suggested the potential of getting online retailers on board; as they are in regular contact with individual home brewers who buy supplies from them, by providing them with mailers to send out with orders WWWF could reach out to these potential customers. The idea was well received and we subsequently were able to sign up 8 major retailers who were happy to help.
WWWF were also keen to make their website more up to date and to consider creating an online booking facility. The existing site was now showing its age, built in 2006!, so they had had their money's worth but time to refresh. The intervening years have seen the development of much more sophisticated and easy to use content managed systems such as WordPress, Joomla and many more. It was felt the WordPress would be the easiest to set up and understand and we have therefore created the site on this platform.
We have created a DL size mailer for the online retailers to send out providing a postal tear off, plus email and links to their new web registration facility. The usual 6pp A4 brochure plus 2pp booking form and A5 leaflet were redesigned and the website rebuilt from scratch using the WordPress platform. This provided the additional advantage of a CMS system that would allow members of the management to update pages themselves and also make a much easier transition when volunteers joined or left the team.
Is your website a razor sharp income generator or a bit of a blunt instrument?
There are almost 15 billion online searches every month. Is your website sharp enough to capture those searches that relate to your business and create potential sales? Virtually everyone who uses a computer understands that Google, Yahoo, Bing and all the other search engines are designed to find relevant answers to the queries you make. […]
There are almost 15 billion online searches every month. Is your website sharp enough to capture those searches that relate to your business and create potential sales?
Virtually everyone who uses a computer understands that Google, Yahoo, Bing and all the other search engines are designed to find relevant answers to the queries you make. Type in 'Patio Barbeque' and you will be rewarded with suppliers from all over the country. However since you may prefer not to drive hundreds of miles, perhaps a more local search would be useful. Modify the search to 'Patio Barbeques in Bristol', in my case, and this will return the local suppliers required.
From the opposite perspective if you run a business selling barbeques how will your website capture my search and entice me into your store. OK, that's an easy one – by having a great website and being ranked first on page one.
You're not there? Find out how you can apply a sharpening stone to your business website, generate traffic, website rank and sales.
- The search engine quest
- Key words and phrases for my business
- The tools you will need
- Tens, hundreds or thousands?
- The competition
- Winning
1 – The Search Engine Quest
A search engine's job for life is to supply accurate and appropriate answers to people's questions. For example ask Google how many centimeters in a foot and 30.48 comes back instantly. Search engine companies spend huge sums perfecting the process of matching queries with answers. If you want to figure in their answers you have to help them, read on to see how.
2 – Keywords and Phrases for my Business
Researching and establishing the right key words and phrases for your business is really the first thing to be done even before you build a website and will save a lot of work later on. However its fair to say that most site owners approach this after their site has been constructed. It is a threefold process: 1. research relevant key words, 2. identify the amount of search traffic they generate, 3. determine the strength of the competition. This will be time consuming but worth it when done properly. You often see advertisements from companies asserting that they will get you on page one instantly, however, more often than not, if you probe deeper you will find these listings of little or no value simply because no-one is actually using those terms. The first two tasks therefore are to find key phrases that relate to your business AND potential customers who are using that term, the third is to analyse just how strong the competition is for those key words. For example, if you run a small book shop and want to rank for the phrase 'books and novels', you'll find your competitors for page one are Amazon and nine other massive organisations all of whom have thousands of pages on their website, millions of backlinks and mostly page rank 5 and above. Forget it, you're not going to get past them! The trick therefore is to find key phrases that, to go back to my restaurant theme, are little back street gems. They relate to your business but perhaps in a more niche area, and Amazon is nowhere in sight. The Google Adwords key word research tool is ideal for this task.
3 – The Tools needed to help Search Engines to find You
When a search engine looks for an answer to a query, it goes through the billions of pages in its databases looking for matches and those that it finds are graded in order of importance. Of course we would all like to know exactly how that grading process works and needless to say they aren't going to tell us! So common sense is probably the best measure here – if you want to find a good restaurant what do you do? Ask your friends, look for a recommendation in a local publication, see how many stars it has, is it busy, does it look inviting. If a restaurant passes all these tests you walk in. Although the methods and algorithms are incredibly complex this is pretty much what a search engine does to determine whether a site is worth recommending. So apply these principles to your webpages; is the page relevant to the search, ie does it contain the search term in all the right places; does it have interesting and unique content; is it easy to navigate and are related topics all linked and easy to find; do other people find the website's content valuable and interesting and have shown this by linking to it.
These are the basic building blocks of well optimised, professional web pages and Applause can provide help and advice for anyone who needs more information on how to achieve this, but here I want to concentrate on how to determine what those key phrases should be in the first place and how they affect your web strategy.
4 – Tens, Hundreds and Thousands
So to summarise, the essence of keyword and phrase selection is to work hard on finding those still relevant to your business with hundreds or thousands of searches per month but with less then ten large competitors. Remember, do not be disheartened if there are a number of insurpassable competitors on page one; like the joke about the two missionaries who come face to face with a lion, when one puts on his running shoes, the other exclaims ' you'll never outrun that lion' to which he replies 'no, I just have to outrun you!'
5 – The Competition
So you have identified the key phrase search terms that you want to target, now you need to assess the competition. To do this you need to consider the key metrics search engines use to determine the importance of a website and compare your competitors' to your own.
- Age of website
- Page rank
- Amount, relevance and uniqueness of content
- Presence of key words in domain, title, description, meta tags, head and content of the web page
- Links within the website
- External links
- Links to recognised web directories such as DMOZ
Take each key phrase, if you find the competition is too strong move to another until you find competitors who are within range. Do not spend months optimising your website for a key phrase where you have little prospect of surpassing the competition.
A valuable tool for this analysis is Market Samurai or the SEOMoz toolset amongst other alternatives.
6 – Winning
Finding and competing for the right key phrases is critical. Even if many hours of work moved your site from position 100 to position 20 for a given phrase it might look, and is, a huge achievment but it is unlikely to generate any return for the investment of time and energy. Spend your time building site performance in less competitive areas, once you have successfully built page one status, traffic will increase and generate links. As the relevance of your site builds so will page rank and soon you will be able to compete at a higher level, taking on the competitors who, at the outset, were considered to be out of reach.
I hope reading this article will give an insight into what you need to do to give your website a competitive razor edge. Applause is an small independent business specialising in digital media and marketing. If you would like help or advice on any of the aspects of the above article please call 0117 933 4416 or browse these web pages for more information.
Search Engine Optimisation
Using social media in marketing
Website design and build
SEO in Bristol
Is your Avatar as Professional as You
Why your social media persona is important. How you can create a professional visual presence for free. Once upon a time to market your business all you needed were some business cards a telephone and perhaps if you were flush with start up capital – a brochure and an ad in […]
Why your social media persona is important.
How you can create a professional visual presence for free.
Once upon a time to market your business all you needed were some business cards a telephone and perhaps if you were flush with start up capital – a brochure and an ad in yellow pages.
How times change; in today's multi channel marketing world a whole variety of tools are at your disposal each requiring it own discipline. And, the pace of change gets faster and faster new technologies are almost tumbling over one another to gain ascendancy. One of the newest, and probably most controversial, is Social Media Marketing sometimes referred to as Socialnomics, only a few years old but now experiencing huge exponential growth, and whether you believe they are a complete waste of time or valuable tool enabling direct contact with your target audience one thing is certain, this style of communication is here to stay.
From a business perspective, although there are a host of browser based software options, the recognised front runners are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn (use these links to connect if you like !) and although these are very different marketing platforms they have one thing in common – the 'Avatar' or the little square picture sitting top left of screen. This was the point during your signing up for an account with one of these social media vendors when you were presented with an 'upload your photo' button, and thought, "Good grief, where can I find a photo". Rummaging in the attic and finally resorting to the one of you grinning at the camera whilst in the Costas. Much in the same way as in the past you might have thought "I need some business cards" and nipped down to the local copy shop.
The result is largely the same – unprofessional, creating negative impact and damaging the perception of you and your business.
Why so? When you are having a face to face communication, you have an opportunity to build rapport and create a good impression, the business card is secondary, albeit still important. Not with #SM when someone links to you that little picture is all they've got. That's why it is important.
So I thought it might be useful to provide a few hints and tips on how to create an Avatar that will give a professional impression and it won't necessarily cost a bean.
Firstly consider how want to use Social Media and what you think the viewer will be looking for. If you are marketing a product you manufacture – a picture of it; a service that you provide – a photo of you; an abstract, like a community or charity could be an iconic image or logo.
Secondly bear in mind size. Avatars are a tiny squares and you want yours to convey your message. A photo of you in front of your wonderful new premises looks great on the website and press release but will be reduced to unidentified blobs at this size.
Here's how – First off, get out the digital camera and take your picture. Now I did say 'for free' so YOU have to take the picture but if you really don't get photography then employ the family camera enthusiast or bring in a professional there are super people around who will do this for less that £100 and provide you with range of shots you can use in a variety of ways. Here are some I hadshot by Blue Skies Photography in Redfield, Bristol [OK it did cost me something!). Note the composition and usage of a plain grey or my brand colour background to provide a space to superimpose a logo or keyword.
If DIY is your choice here are some handy hints:
- Use natural light but not direct sun and not flash (window light is good for portraits)
- Make sure the background is uncluttered (there won't be room for much background anyway)
- Wear clothes that contrast with the background and convey your style (professional, trendy etc)
- Make the subject occupy at least a third of the picture area (cameras today have plenty of resolution for this purpose but bear in mind you might want to use this shot for other purposes)
- Consider using some bright colour (background, clothes flowers perhaps)
OK so now you have your picture and imported into the computer the final stage is to prepare the image for upload. You will need some image editing software to do this, if you are lucky enough to have a copy of Photoshop or Fireworks you are good to go. But there are many free applications you can use, GIMP is a good example that will do all you need ('FREE but do make the donation).
The task is to adjust and crop the image to the size required so that you have exactly the right image to upload. If you have Photoshop likely you'll know what to do so I'm leaving you to your own devices. If not download and install the GIMP from here http://www.gimp.org/ . Here's quick 'how to' adjust and crop a photo for your avatar:
1. Open a photo file, I've picked a flower photo so we can assume this is for a florist's Twitter avatar photo.
2. Often the exposure or colour of the picture isn't quite right so you have a complete range of tools under the <Colours> menu to adjust the image to your liking.
3. Now you crop the area to select the portion of the image you want to use. On the tool panel on the left find the 'craft knife' icon (I've ringed it red on my screen image) and select it, you can now draw an area over the image, you can also fine tune your selection by dragging the corner handles (remember you want to end up with a square format). Once you are happy hit <enter> and save your image (use a different filename if you want to keep the original. All that remains is to set the image to the correct size, most Social Media programmes use 100 x 100 or 200 x 200 pixel images for avatars. Go to the <Image>/<Scale Image> menu to adjust the size of the final image the whichever size you require and do a final save.
This is clearly a very quick snapshot and there are a host of tools and features within the software that will allow you to manipulate your avatar photo in a host of ways. Have a play and see what you come up with – but remember the final photo will need to reflect the professional image you want to portray so don't get too carried away!
London Property Developers get Design Applause
London property developer London Wharf plc came back to Applause to revamp the site produced for them in 2006. Formed in 1993, London Wharf PLC has forged a reputation for developing high quality homes in and around London and is one of the capital's leading niche property developers. Through meticulous detailing from the initial concept […]
London property developer London Wharf plc came back to Applause to revamp the site produced for them in 2006.
Formed in 1993, London Wharf PLC has forged a reputation for developing high quality homes in and around London and is one of the capital's leading niche property developers.
Through meticulous detailing from the initial concept stages to final completion, bold innovative design, and the fusion of modern and traditional building techniques, has resulted in recognition by numerous industry awards.
Director David Lewin said " We were delighted with the clean design and clear message of the original site but wanted to take advantage of the latest modern search engine optimisation techniques and the larger screen sizes now common. Applause have now refreshed the site and provided advantage in design and optimisation."
AMD Loft Conversions Website Rebuild
In 2004 AMD Lofts commissioned Applause to build a web site for them combined with a multi-media CDROM which would assist in marketing the company and drive traffic to the website. The website and CDROM have worked extremely well for the company in the intervening years, creating a professional high quality image that proved to […]
In 2004 AMD Lofts commissioned Applause to build a web site for them combined with a multi-media CDROM which would assist in marketing the company and drive traffic to the website. The website and CDROM have worked extremely well for the company in the intervening years, creating a professional high quality image that proved to be key in winning major building and loft conversion contracts.
However the original site, designed to work well with the smaller computer monitors and dial up internet connections of the day, now needed a makeover to optimise today's technologies. AMD came back to us to provide design ideas and costings and once again chose Applause to carry out the web revisions which included a larger screen format, high quality images, interactive portfolio module and streaming audio testimonials.
The latest thinking on search engine performance, social media marketing of the company and web analytics has also been integrated which enable the Directors of AMD to monitor and assess the return on their investment [ROI].
A further module is planned for the new year which will encompass full 3D flythrough of key projects.
Trust – The Way to Secure a Solid Base in Business
One of the unique attributes of Applause is that we build long term, trusting relationships with our clients. Although cost is always a key element in any business transaction we consider that, in most cases, it isn't the primary element because people want to do business with people they like, trust and can rely on. […]
One of the unique attributes of Applause is that we build long term, trusting relationships with our clients.
Although cost is always a key element in any business transaction we consider that, in most cases, it isn't the primary element because people want to do business with people they like, trust and can rely on. Of course they also want competitive pricing!
To illustrate my point, two clients with whom we have built such a relationship have just commissioned us to rebuild their website. One originally developed in 2004 the other in 2006. Sure proof of their trust in our reliability, competence and value for money.
Specifically they are using our services again because:
- Doing business with us was a very positive experience.
- The original work was of a quality and design to last 3 and 5 years respectively.
- Mutual trust has developed over time because of our reliability, attention to detail and the level of support we have provided.
- The price was right for the project both times.
Sceptical? Check out our linked in profile where you will find testimonials from clients we have been working with for up to 15 years. http://uk.linkedin.com/in/applause
There is just one way to create such a relationship and that is to build it. And a good place to start is with a phone call – 0117 933 4416.
Here are some of the ways we build trust and get Applause!
- We do what say we say going to do.
- We follow up and ensure you are happy with things.
- We are interested in what you do.
- We find out what you want and exceed your expectation.
- We stick to the price.
- We set out an understanding of requirement.
- We communicate, communicate, communicate.
- We are always helpful, the reward is always worth the time.
Google Page One – organically driving your website performance
Here I will help you understand what makes a web page perform well in Google, Bing, Yahoo and others. I'm considering linking rather than page structure and content, I will do that another time, for now we'll assume that you have a search engine friendly website full of pages with interesting content about what you […]
Here I will help you understand what makes a web page perform well in Google, Bing, Yahoo and others. I'm considering linking rather than page structure and content, I will do that another time, for now we'll assume that you have a search engine friendly website full of pages with interesting content about what you do.
Like me you probably use search engines in two ways. Your either searching for a product or service for yourself or you're wanting people to find you when they are searching for a product or service that you provide. The search engine, for its part, wants to keep everybody happy by responding with relevant and useful information. Of course for every subject there will be thousands or millions of pages, so to determine which are the most relevant the search engine analyses each and gives 'brownie points' or pagerank according to all the positive elements it finds. When asked the search question it then presents those pages in descending order.
So 'brownie points' for our pages is what we're looking for and a primary source of these are backlinks or links to your page from another page. Sources of these can be directory listings, forums, links from other web pages and published articles but vary considerably in the value (number of points) they give to your page. Consequently it is a useful exercise to understand how this process works so that you can intelligently apply the time you spend building links according to their value.
Let us take a look at how search engines assess your page. Taking Google as an example when it analyses a page the first thing it will do is search for links to that page in its index, links on pages outside of the index will not be seen and therefore will not count. Secondly, having found pages, it will look at the overall site pagerank (0-9, the BBC have a 9) then analyses them for local rank, that is, do they contain key words or phrases that are also contained in your page and the targeted search phrase.
Imagine someone gives you a bag of 'pick n mix' at the cinema, you like big sweets (pr 9s), strawberry flavour and jellies; so you go through bag picking all the strawberry flavoured sweets and all the jellies but the very best are the big strawberry jellies.
Ok so all our links will be big strawberry jellies – ideal maybe but tough, because likely these pages will be your competitors and they are not likely to provide you with links; and if you do get a link on the BBC site let me know how! But we can improvise our way round these problems by writing our own pages containing the keywords we seek and post them out to other sites with good page rank that will be in Googles index. And don't forget, using my analogy, you will still be munching the other sweets in the bag. Lesser links whilst not favourites still add value such as directories and social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
To summarise, think about the key phrases you want to be found by and the relevance of the links you seek; manage your time between building easy links which can be done quickly, such as directories and social media, but don't add huge value; and writing article submissions, building a blog, posting to forums and engaging in social media which do take time but provide high value.
Plan and execute your strategy carefully and be patient, Google aren't known for speedy responses, and you will be rewarded with highly ranked pages which lead to more traffic and more business.
How Your Website Can Out Rank The Competition
Today most companies and SMEs have a website. Often start up businesses develop their website before they find an accountant or finalise their business plan. However once the site is up and running and despite all the current hype about search engines, social media and mobile communications, often the poor old website is then left […]
Today most companies and SMEs have a website. Often start up businesses develop their website before they find an accountant or finalise their business plan. However once the site is up and running and despite all the current hype about search engines, social media and mobile communications, often the poor old website is then left completely to its own devices.
This is not unreasonable, many SMEs have their work cut out managing the day to day running of their business and actually getting the work done that pays the bills; and the processes involved in measuring the performance of a website historically have not been exactly user friendly.
Nevertheless consistent marketing of your business is key, especially in difficult market conditions and your online presence is one of the most important tools in communicating to potential customers. So it is important to get the very best return on the time and money invested in it.
Now Applause has an answer to the problem; we are offering a free visual website profile that will give you a simple visual analysis of how your website is performing and how it measures against those of your competitors. It will also tell you what you need to do to outrank the competition and you can opt to receive a monthly update showing how improvements are affecting the profile on an ongoing basis.
Our FREE profiler presents the following information in a simple and easy to understand graphical format : 1. Three key tasks you can complete to improve web performance; 2. Your google page rank for your top ten chosen key words you would like to be found by; 3. your ten nearest competitor websites (very useful for subsequent analysis).
We can also provide an in depth analysis report which provides the following information:
Overview: SEO score, Content score, Visibility Score, Top 3 Issues, Key Performance Indicators, Keyword Analysis, Competitor Keyword Analysis, Links to research and related articles.
SEO Score: No of incoming links, Link authority, Keyword cloud, Link domain, Link domain extension, Dmoz listing, Yahoo listing.
Content Score: Internal/External link analysis, Content/tag analysis
Visibility Score: Best search engine positions by key phrase, Overview of visibility, Best SE positions, Monthly evolution reports, Graphical evolution key performance indicators
Competitor Analysis: Top ten competitor analysis by keyword/by search engine/by competitor
Keyword Analysis Tool
If you would like to out rank the competition and take advantage of our no obligation free offer call 0117 933 4416.
Tips on How to Build your Social Media Network
Once you have embarked on social media networking one of the hardest things in the beginning is building your network because at the start you don't know anyone. Networking to your existing clients and colleagues gets you going but what you really want is to find new people, who you may have something in common […]
Once you have embarked on social media networking one of the hardest things in the beginning is building your network because at the start you don't know anyone. Networking to your existing clients and colleagues gets you going but what you really want is to find new people, who you may have something in common with, be able to give or share information and ultimately who may help you find new business.
Perhaps you have already acquired a Linked In, Facebook, or Twitter account or more recently signed up for Google Plus, established your profile and put up a photo of yourself or business logo. Do remember that people will use this 'Avatar', as they are known, and your username (my Twitter ID is instantApplause) to find you and get an idea of who you are and what you do. A social media software page is a crowded place, rather like meeting someone at a station where you wear something brightly coloured, you need to be visible to be instantly recognised. A similar amount of effort needs to go into designing your identity as your business card or brochure. Many social networkers change their ID monthly, I think it is a mistake. Successful companies rarely change their identity and you shouldn't either.
You may also have fed your email address list into the social media software application to see if anyone you have emailed has a profile; and signed up for some groups that you feel are relevant to your business. All of these techniques will build your network and set you on your way but in some instances can be very time consuming.
Here is a method that you may not have considered which involves querying Google with some structured search requests aimed at the specific networking software you use. The idea is that every profile page contained on the web will have key interests listed. Say for instance you run a small business selling rare formula 1 posters and catalogues, by searching for 'Formula 1′ you will pick up anyone who lists Formula 1 in their profile. You can locate people who may have an interest in your business that you would not easily be able to find in any other way.
Of course having found this information you will need to consider how you might introduce yourself. You need to avoid being regarded just as a spammer and rejected, and in many applications there are penalties for this. LinkedIn for instance will terminate your account of you persistently have people returning 'I Don't Know This Person' in response to your introductions. Perhaps in this example offer some free historical information or a list of rare posters you have to offer – just use your imagination to come up with an approach that will attract the person you want to connect with. At the end of the day everyone registered with a networking facility is looking to expand their network, gain new information and connect with people. Provided your approach is honest, respectful and does not amount to 500 words of 'buy from me buy from me' people will respond to you.
Here is a list of search terms you can Google.
Linkedin: site:linkedin.com inurl:in 'formula 1′
Facebook site:facebook.com/people 'silverstone'
Twitter site:twitter.com inurl:status 'grand prix'
MySpace site:profile.myspace.com inurl:myspace inurl:fuseaction 'cosworth'
Bebo site:.bebo.com inurl:profile inurl:bebo 'brands hatch'
For more information on web marketing call Applause 0117 933 4416
Finally remember this; although it may seem daunting at first and progress creepingly slow it does gather pace exponentially. As your network grows the faster it will expand, connect to us if you like using the links that follow, we're always happy to network.


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Two courts in two different cities over two days is too much even for Michael Lohan, so the troubled reality star was notably absent from his ar… READ MORE
Michael Lohan Agrees To Permanent Restraining Order, Wants 'No Contact...
By Amber Goodhand – Radar Reporter
Michael Lohan was in a Florida courthouse on Tuesday in connection with a temporary restraining order brought ag… READ MORE
Kate Major Arrested For Being Drunk And Refusing To Leave Plane
By Alexis Tereszcuk,
Senior Radar Reporter
Lindsay Lohan and Kate Major were in jail at the same time.
While Lindsay spent about four hours in jail overnig… READ MORE
Octo-Mom, Bombshell McGee & Amy Fisher Are Celeb Fight Girls
Nadya Suleman was clearly the favorite at Saturday's Celebrity Fight Night in Hollywood.
Octo-Mom was in fine form as she took to the r… READ MORE
Michael Lohan Being Held In Solitary Confinement, Making Collect Calls...
By Alexis Tereszcuk – Radar Senior Reporter
Michael Lohan is locked up in jail in Florida in solitary confinement but RadarOnline.com has exclusiv… READ MORE
All In The Family — Lindsay And Michael Lohan Could Be In Jail O...
It's jail day for the Lohans!
Proving the father-daughter duo are more similar than they'd ever like to admit, November 9 is goi… READ MORE
Michael Lohan Faces Another Week In Jail In 'Solitary Confinement'...
Following a week of bouncing about between court, jail and the hospital, and falling from balconies into bushes, Michael Lohan will be in … READ MORE
Michael Lohan Stays In Jail, Denied Bail In Domestic Violence Case
Michael Lohan was denied bail in a Florida courtroom Saturday morning. An angry judge refused to let Lindsay's dad out of jail before … READ MORE

subset: commoncrawl


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Quan parlo dels meus col·legues traductors. / Cuando hablo de mis colegas traductores. :) #crazytranslators
Thinking about nuances and deadlines so much can do that to you.
Hell yeah.
Anonymously famous since November 2012, this blog is run by two translators, most of whom are girls, who sometimes lovingly have a go at each other's languages. Sharing the everyday neuroses of translating.
You can like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TranslatorsAnonymous
(And you really should because there's a whole lot of discussion going on there.)
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text:
p0ach.com: I LOVE KUWAIT
Our friend, p0ach has published the participants videos of his I LOVE KUWAIT competition. Aziz, Khalid, Dhari, Lujain, and the amazing Um-Ra3ad! Watch the "I LOVE KUWAIT" videos on p0ach.com and vote for the best one!
Posts Tagged ' Kuwait '
Our friend, p0ach has published the participants videos of his I LOVE KUWAIT competition. Aziz, Khalid, Dhari, Lujain, and the amazing Um-Ra3ad! Watch the "I LOVE KUWAIT" videos on p0ach.com and vote for the best one!
A house maid being beaten to death… maid suicides in Kuwait… Brutality… abuse… How many times have you read about such incidents in Kuwait? If you ask me, I'd say "Almost everyday".
Below is a press release from "Human Rights Watch" about a campaign being launched in Kuwait to reveal abuse and improve conditions for domestic workers. A must read…
During the time our respectful – are they? – parliament members are fighting over Sunna-Shi'a issues in Islamic subjects, our children, brother & sisters are missing the "real" necessary education. I'm not saying the religious education is not necessary, it is! but it's really important to provide a better "science-oriented" education. Comparing the Kuwaiti schools to America, Kuwait is definitely way beyond, but to show how important it is for Americans, and how frustrated they are because they fell into #20 in graduation rates. I wonder what is Kuwait's rank?
Below, is a video I found on Vimeo, it literally describes the education crisis in America… the thing that exactly applies on Kuwait, taking into consideration that it is much much much worse in Kuwait. Watch it, and you'll feel bad!
TakePart: Participant Media – Waiting For 'Superman' – Infographic from Jr.canest on Vimeo.
In an interview with Alqabas newspaper, the respectful Mr. Bader Al.Shuraian – Minister of Electricity in Kuwait promised that the ministry will deliver TWO NEW ELECTRICAL POWER STATIONS in 2011. I do believe in Mr. Bader… but I don't believe in the government! Just to keep an eye, and not to forget… I have installed a countdown plugin in the right column which will count for a whole year, plus a bonus of extra 5 days
Will they be up to it?
Share your opinion with us…
[Full interview]
Following the finalization of Zain Africa sale, Zain management took further steps in re-organizing the management structure by switching positions and appointing new names. Khalid Al.Omar was appointed today as Zain Kuwait CEO, where Khalid Al.Hajeri (Former Zain kuwait CEO) was appointed as Zain CEO advisor for Saudi Affairs. The changes included the return of the former CEO Barrak Al.Sabeeh as Zain Group COO (Chief Operating Officer).
om9edda's blog has revealed some crystal clear details on global's scandal that occured one year ago with "mazaya KSA".
I do recommend reading it since it is totally unbiased information regarding a company that weights just too much in our little economy.


text:
Recent Comments
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- 1 year ago Let´s say that the Lumia takes better shots..... No way i´m gonna use a Windows phone. Not at the state this mobile OS is...
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Pinellas County wants to relinquish its half ownership of the Friendship Trail Bridge, but the owner of the other half, Hillsborough County, doesn't want it.
Supporters of the now-closed span across Tampa Bay wish it were otherwise.
"In all ways, it's easier," said Tampa architect Ken Cowart, who is part of a citizens' movement to save the Friendship Trail. "Anytime you have one owner versus two owners, or three or four it becomes a lot easier."
In 1999, the old part of the Gandy Bridge took on the friendlier label and became a popular, 2.6 mile long linear park for bikers, fishermen and cyclists. The state of Florida had conveyed ownership to the two counties, which counted on donations to pay for maintenance expenses.
However, the bridge was more popular than the tip bucket, neither county could afford the upkeep, and plans were made to demolish it.
Then last summer, the citizens' group convinced Hillsborough commissioners to delay a scheduled demolition and explore privatizing the recreational activities.
"It's got a lot of assumptions, a lot of issues that just need to be resolved," Hillsborough administrator Michael Merrill pointed out. "Namely, first of all, is there anybody in the world who's interested in doing something like this?"
Next week, Pinellas commissioners will vote on offering its ownership interest to Hillsborough.
"Pinellas County does not have an interest in continuing to participate in any rehabilitation of the bridge," Pinellas administrator Bob LaSala told FOX 13 News.
Any rehab is expected to cost no less than $20 to $30 million.
"We don't have that kind of money," LaSala said. "It certainly would be a nice thing to do, but we just have other priorities."
Merrill understands: he and his staff recommended demolition. However, Friday afternoon he told LaSala Hillsborough isn't quite ready to deal.
"We're not ready to accept the transfer of the bridge, even though they're graciously going to give it to us at this point, until my board determines what are we going to do with the bridge," Merrill said.
That will take at least another six months. Like LaSala, Merrill does not want his county assuming all the liability and operating costs of owning an unused bridge.
Advocates will continue to focus political pressure on Hillsborough commissioners.
"I get phone calls and emails daily asking what's going on what's going on," Cowart said. "The interest is still very high."
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But curses, it seems, are made to be broken. When Prince Charming gave Snow White True Love's Kiss, the princess awoke. The two were soon married, and The Evil Queen was furious. She stormed their wedding, declaring that she would enact a curse so evil, it would rob everyone in the land of their happiness. She set about acquiring The Dark Curse, battling one of her only friends, Maleficent, for it. The Curse demanded a sacrifice, so she cut out the heart of her prized steed, yet it wasn't enough. The Queen sought out guidance from Rumplestiltskin, the man who had created The Curse in the first place. In exchange for a life of comfort in the new land—and the ability to get whatever he wanted should he say "please"—he told her she had to sacrifice "the thing she loved most." That night, she tore the heart out of her beloved father's heart and used it to cast The Dark Curse, blanketing the land in a dark mist and changing the fates of everyone in Fairy Tale Land forever!
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Well apparently… yes?
Source: chillofnovember
I love Dream Theater, but…
If I had to use one word to describe "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", it would be 'pffffft'
Every song is instantly forgettable, and I have absolutely no desire to listen to them more than once. This makes me incredibly sad.
This September is going to kick so much ass.
I'd like to add here Ghost 2.
This and the fact I'm going to see BTBAM makes me very happy
(via ffyeahprogrock)
Source: astralpork
I was told there's a new love that's born for each one that has died
Source: marcelobellinaso
By the end of the year…
I'll have seen Focus 3 times, putting them joint first with Dream Theater for number of times I've seen a band live.
Just thought you should know.
Just watching The Royal Tenenbaums
"I want my family back"
"Well you can't have it, i'm sorry for you but it's too late"
Honor Thy Father :D
High Voltage continued…
Right, on from the last post about Saturday, here comes Sunday!
We woke up at around 10:30, leaving our friend's house just after 11. Before we left, he recommended a bakery down the road for us to procure some breakfast from, so in we went. All I can say is, that that was probably the only time in my life that I'll feel underdressed in a bakery. The tuna paninis we bought were very tasty indeed, but I'm not sure it was worth the scorn of the other patrons and the staff, as I was stood there, very much unwashed, in a Pink Floyd t-shirt and a pair of sweatbands (Pantera and Rush) - sensing this, my friend got out sharpish to roll a cigarette, while I had to wait inside for mine to be toasted. Oh well.
Eating our breakfasts on the DLR, we got to Victoria park shortly after 12, whereby we met four other friends of ours, who'd come down for the day. The day's music started with a rather unusual appearance from none other than a certain James May, who had apparently reunited a band called Love Fungus for some reason or another. Now, as much as I love James May, I'm not entirely sure why he did it, because they kind of sucked. Ah well, not to worry, onto the prog stage again!
For the next couple of hours we hopped around between stages, catching parts of the sets of Pallas, The Enid, Furyon, The Treatment, until finally we made our way to the main stage, catching the end of Saint Jude's set, in order to get a good position for Michael Schenker.
Now I was kind of looking forward to Michael Schenker, being a small time fan of the Scorpions. His set would have been great, he appeared to be playing superbly, but there was one rather glaring problem. The sound. Imagine, if you will, that the guitars, vocals, snare and cymbals are the volume of a normal conversation. Then imagine that the synths are the volume of a quiet whisper. THEN imagine that the bass, kick drum and toms are approximately the volume of a significantly proportioned supernova. Every moment that the bassist wasn't playing was a moment of sweet sweet relief from my eyeballs getting rattled out of my skull. It was absolutely ridiculous beyond belief, to the point where I made quite a shirty complaint on the HV facebook site from my phone, while they were playing - I couldn't really enjoy the music after all. One highlight was that one of the bassists (yes, at one point there were 2 bassists on stage, making it a whole lot worse) looked worryingly like a cross between Baldrick and Stephen Fry.
Having experienced the worst sound from a live gig in my life, I made my way to the prog stage in anticipation of Spock's Beard (on the way being offered weed by my friend, despite him knowing I'm about as vehemently anti-drugs as it is possible to get). I managed to get pretty close for the Beard, about 2 or 3 rows back, right in front of the living legend that is RYO OKUMOTO. They put on a storming show, despite the lack of NDV, and Ryo screwing up the intro to The Doorway and having to start it again, which everyone had a good laugh at. It was at this point that Jimmy Keegan, their tour drummer, shouted out "Where's Neal when you need him?". Whether that was deliberate, it gave a bit of a hint of what was to come. Towards the end of The Light, the entire crowd burst out in rapturous applause, as Mr. Neal Morse walked on stage, microphone in hand. He proceeded to finish the song, and then play guitar and sing the whole of June, which was totally mesmerizing. As far as I can tell, this is only the second time he's appeared on stage with Spock's Beard since he left in 2002, which is pretty special.
Jethro Tull were on the prog stage after Spock's Beard, but having already seen them at Weyfest (a smallish local festival which I am now a regular steward at), I wasn't too worried about missing them, instead deciding to go and see as much of Black Country Communion as possible, and I wasn't disappointed. Hard hitting, balls to the wall style classic rock at it's finest, with John Bonham's son doing a respectable job on the drums (although he kept reusing the same fill during Deep Purple's 'Burn', which grated with me slightly, but that's just cause I'm a drummer I guess). BCC probably had the best sound all weekend in actual fact - they really sounded stellar. As BCC finished, I started clawing my way as far forwards as possible for the headline act, Dream Theater, ending up a few rows back from the front, which I was pretty pleased about.
This was the third time I've seen Dream Theater, and they are still as great as ever. I'm not totally happy with Mike Mangini as a drummer, but no matter who they'd chosen to replace Portnoy, I would have been equally as critical. He did, however, screw up the intro to Learning To Live, which they played as an encore, with only Jordan Rudess getting him back on track. Speaking of Rudess, he has one rather shiny addition to his keyboard rig - a hydraulic keyboard stand, which tilts the entire keyboard toward the audience, which allows us to see what he's playing easier. It's very cool indeed. The sound, again, was slightly marred by the bass drum being waaaay too high in the mix, but it was still listenable. It's a shame that all sound engineers seem to have such an affinity for kick drum, although I have to say that the same problem was not apparent on the prog stage.
Overall, DT put out a stellar performance, and really topped off the whole weekend, which was absolutely fantastic musically.
However, it doesn't quite end there, oh no, we still had to get home!
Dream Theater finished at 22:25, and the last train home left at 23:30, meaning we had about an hour to get out of the festival, get to the tube station, get two tube trains across london, and get to the right platform. It was looking pretty tight at one stage, but we actually ended up managing to get on the train 10 minutes early. On the train, we met a really nice guy from Southampton, who'd just been working at the Ben and Jerry's festival which was on simultaneously. He'd missed the last train to Southampton in trying to blag some free ice cream, and was therefore on the train to portsmouth. His phone was out of battery, and he needed to phone his grandad to tell him he'd be getting into portsmouth at about 1am (what a grandad!). In exchange for borrowing my phone to make a 20 second phone call, he bestowed upon none other than a 4.5 litre commercial sized tub of Phish Food. That's a hell of a lot of Ben and Jerry's - about £40 worth at full price! I had some today and it was great.
After he gave me the ice cream, we talked about such things as Opeth, Tool, and Meshuggah - he told us he works in all kind of events all over the country, and he used to go to Southampton Solent uni. He also recommended a metal bar in Southampton which I'd never heard of, which I am now determined to check out when I get back in September.
Thus ends this veritable iliad of my weekend just gone - sorry for the ludicrously long posts, but I thought I better write it all down while it's still fresh in my memory, eh?
My second mini drum cover - the sounds a bit crap in this one, need to fiddle with mic placement and such. Ah well.
Just a quick and dirty (not literally) video of my favourite part from DT's A Change Of Seasons - unfortunately my camera cut off the two best takes so I'm stuck with this one for now, but I just wanted to finally get something on t'internets. I'll be recording more cool grooves and stuff over the coming weeks.
Song: "Voices"
Album: Awake (1994)
Artist: Dream Theater
Genre: Progressive Metal
Reason: Literally every time I hear this song I want to post an excerpt of its lyrics as a quote. The problem is that every single line in this song is so perfect that I can never decide which caption is best to post. What better way to cover them all than by posting the song as a whole? I must say, however, that these are some of the best lyrics I've ever read. Even more so than a large portion of Nine Inch Nails' lyrics (God, it's difficult to say that).
Notes: John Petrucci penned the lyrics to address with the subject of mental illness. He researched schizophrenia and similar disorders and used religious terms "to make things more vivid." "When I was writing it, I saw these terms and medical things that were just brilliant," he said. "Like there was a guy who felt that his skin was inside out. I read that and was like, 'Oh my God! That's unbelievable; I've got to write about that.'"
Also, here's something quite interesting that I noticed when examining the CD's packaging. In the little booklet included, singer James LaBrie is credited not as "vocals," but as "Voices."
"Love, just don't stare,"
he used to say to me
every Sunday morning.
The spider in the window,
the angel in the pool,
the old man takes the poison,
now the widow makes the rules.
"So speak, I'm right here."
She used to say to me
not a word, not a word.
Judas on the ceiling,
the Devil in my bed,
I guess Easter's never coming
so I'll just wait inside my head…
Like a scream, but sort of silent,
living off my nightmares…
Voices repeating me…!
"Feeling threatened?
We reflect your hopes and fears."
Voices discussing me…!
"Others steal your thoughts
they're not confined
within your mind."
Thought disorder,
dream control,
Now they read my mind on the radio…
But where was the Garden of Eden?
I feel elated!
I feel depressed!
Sex is death! Death is sex!
Says it right here on my Crucifix!
Like a scream, but sort of silent,
living off my nightmares…
Voices protecting me!
"Good behavior
brings the Savior
to his knees."
Voices rejecting me!
"Others steal your thoughts
they're not confined
to your own mind."
[Dialogue by rap artist Prix-mo reading from the book "Cultural Revolution".]
"I don't wanna be here, 'cause of my
suffering, 'cause of my illness.
Only love is worth having, only
love is what matters, loving every
people on equal terms.
You've got to know who you're
dealin' with because, like a stranger,
a-heh, just might come in through
here with a gun… and then, what
would you do? (Heh.)
Everything is immaterial…
'n' you know that reality is immaterial.
This is not reality…"
I'm kneeling on the floor,
staring at the wall.
Like the spider in the window,
I wish that I could speak.
Is there fantasy in refuge?
God in politicians?
Should I turn on my religion?
These demons in my head tell me to…
I'm lying here in bed,
swear my skin is inside out,
just another Sunday morning…
Seen my diary on the newsstand,
seems we've lost the truth to quicksand.
It's a shame no one is praying
'cause these voices in my head
keep saying…
"Love, just don't stare.
"Reveal the Word when you're
supposed to."
Withdrawn and introverted,
Infectiously perverted.
"Being laughed at and confused
keeps us pleasantly amused
enough to stay…!"
Maybe I'm just Cassandra fleeting!
Twentieth century Icon bleeding!
Willing to risk salvation
to escape from isolation!
I'm witness to redemption!
Heard you speak but never listened!
Can you rid me of my secrets?
Deliver us from Darkness?
Voices repeating me…!
"Feeling threatened?
We reflect your hopes and fears."
Voices discussing me…!
Don't expect your own Messiah.
This neverworld which you desire
is only in your mind.
Helpless hysteria
A false sense of urgency
Trapped in my phobia
Possessed by anxiety
Try to hide
Overwhelmed by this complex delirium
Ooh good shout with Roundabout, hadn't thought of that! (I'm not sure my double bass is consistent enough for A Nightmare to Remember unfortunately)
I need drum cover suggestions!
Preferably reasonably simple to start with, as I wanna worry about getting a decent sound and video rather than playing the Dance of Eternity :P (don't make them totally boring though!)
So what've you got for me?


text:
Facial-recognition technology comes to the rescue to help find lost dogs and reunite lost dogs with owners.
Video: FOX 10's Andrea Robinson and Rick D'Amico talk to John Polimeno, founder of Finding Rover about how the smartphone app works.
Online: findingrover.com
KSAZ-TV & KUTP511 W. Adams St.Phoenix, AZ 85003Phone: (602) 257-1234Fax: (602) 262-0177


text:
2012 U.S. figure skating champs Caydee Denney and John Coughlin ready to challenge for 2014 Sochi gold after injury
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Comments Posted By Siddhartha
Displaying 1 To 1 Of 1 Comments
BBT Hyderabad Step Up to the Challenge
Hare Krishna!
Is there anyway we can help in the service of BBT telugu translation through internet? By Krishna's mercy, I am decently good at internet and want to contribute for this good work.
Srila prabhupada Ki Jai!!
If so, please contact me - sidDOTkgpATgmail.com
Comment Posted By Siddhartha On 07.12.2008 @ 02:12
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text:
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 13:41
Edge is being advertised for the show, so they are likely doing a storyline with someone, probably Christian, building to something on the 10/1 show in New Orleans. (thanks to Terri Bey)
Send us a news tip: email@example.com
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news from this site or from our newsletters, please include a link to www.wrestlingobserver.com
For the most in-depth and detailed news and analysis on pro-wrestling and MMA, always turn to Wrestlingobserver.com/Figure Four Weekly Online, the #1 website of its kind on the Internet. Members receive online access to both the Wrestling Observer and Figure Four Weekly newsletters and growing archives, Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer three times per week, the popular Bryan and Vinny Show three times per week, additional radio shows including Figure Four Daily with Alvarez, Mike Coughlin's Five Star Radio, the Dr. Keith Lipinski Show, The Adam and Mike Big Audio Nightmare, Tough Talk and the Karl Stern Wrestling History Show, the infamous BOARD, and more! Members also have full access to the thousands of hours of audio in our radio show archives which date back to 2005. For your convenience, we offer secure online payments using your VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Discover card or PayPal account. Don't miss out on the fun, sign up now! Don't miss out on the fun, sign up now!
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LEAVENWORTH, Wash. (AP) — The owner of a back country ski and snowshoe resort was killed Sunday when he was buried by a large amount of snow that fell off a tree.
Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett identified the victim as 65-year-old Donald Hansen, owner of Scottish Lakes High Camp.
The sheriff told KPQ (http://bit.ly/YJKNyL ) Hansen's body was discovered by searchers Sunday night fairly close to the lodge. He had been reported missing by his wife who last saw him about 3 in the afternoon.
Burnett said Hansen may have been knocked unconscious or suffocated when he was buried by the snow.
Information from: KPQ-AM, http://www.kpq.com/


text:
News and Media
Below is a list of recent articles by Newport Academy staff, references and articles appearing in the news. At Newport Academy we believe that being informed and educated is an exciting and lifelong process.
Published Abstracts
- Schermann, JM, Sandouk, P, Redureau, M, Galons, H, Hiance, M, Kaplan, SA, Smith, DE. Inhibition of cocaine brain uptake and facilitation of cocaine efflux from the brain by a systemic specific antibody. Published abstract. College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), 61st Annual Scientific Meeting, June 12 – 17, 1999, Acapulco, Mexico.
- Kaplan, SA, Smith, DE, Markland, P, Perkins, BH, Ferrell, TM, Fulton, R, Nettles, HS, Staas, JK, Tice, TR. In vivo confirmation of naltrexone sustained release by microencapsulation in poly(D,L-lactide) for prolonged drug addiction therapy. Published abstract. College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), 61st Annual Scientific Meeting, June 12 – 17, 1999, Acapulco, Mexico.
Newport News Mailings
- Amen, DG & Smith, DE. Unchain Your Brain: 10 Steps to Breaking the Addictions that Steal Your Life. MindWorks Press, Newport Beach CA, 2010.
- Smith DE, Co-Editor. Drug Abuse Papers 1969. University of California, Berkeley, 1969.
- Smith DE, Editor. The New Social Drug: Cultural, Medical and Legal Perspectives on Marijuana. Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1970.
- Smith DE, Co-Author. Love Needs Care: A History of San Francisco's Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic. Little Brown & Co., 1971.
- Smith DE, Co-Editor. The Free Clinic: Community Approaches to Health Care and Drug Abuse. STASH Press, 1972.
- Smith DE, Co-Editor. It's So Good, Don't Even Try It Once: Heroin in Perspective. Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1972.
- Smith DE, Co-Author. Drugs in the Classroom. The C.V. Mosby Co., 1973.
- Smith DE, Co-Editor. Uppers and Downers. Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1973.
- Smith DE, Co-Author. Barbiturates: Their Use, Misuse and Abuse. Behavioral Publications, Inc., 1976.
- Smith DE, Co-Editor. A Multicultural View of Drug Abuse: Proceedings of the National Drug Abuse Conference 1977. Schenkman and G.K. Hall Publishers, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1978.
- Smith DE, Co-Editor. Amphetamine Use, Misuse and Abuse: Proceedings of the National Amphetamine Conference 1978. G.K. Hall Publishers, Boston, 1979.
- Smith DE, Wesson DR & Eiswirth NA. Cocaine in America. Hazelden Foundation, Minneapolis, 1981.
- Smith DE, Co-Editor. PCP: Problems and Prevention. Kendall Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa, 1982.
- Smith DE, Medical Consultant. The Little Black Pill Book. Bantam Books, New York, 1983.
- Smith DE, Medical Consultant. The Coke Book. Berkeley Books, New York, 1984.
- Smith DE, Gold MS, Olden K & Dwyer BJ. Cocaine: Helping Patients Avoid the End of the Line. 1985.
- Smith DE & Wesson DR. Treating the Cocaine Abuser. Hazelden Foundation, 1985.
- Smith DE, Co-Editor. The Benzodiazepines: Current Standards for Medical Practice. MTP Press, Ltd., Boston, 1985.
- Seymour RB & Smith DE. The Physician's Guide to Psychoactive Drugs. The Haworth Press, New York, 1987.
- Seymour RB & Smith DE. Guide to Psychoactive Drugs: An Up to the Minute Reference to Mind Altering Substances. Harrington Park Press, New York, 1987.
- Seymour RB & Smith DE. Drugfree: A Unique, Positive Approach to Staying off Alcohol and Other Drugs. Facts on File Publications, New York, 1987.
- Seymour RB & Smith DE. Still Free After All These Years: Two Decades With The Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic. Westwind Associates, Sausalito, 1987.
- Smith DE & Wesson DR. Treating Cocaine Dependency. Hazelden Foundation, Minneapolis, 1988.
- Wesson DR & Smith DE. Treating Opiate Dependency. Hazelden Foundation, Minneapolis, 1989.
- Seymour RB, Smith DE, Inaba DE & Landry MJ. The New Drugs: Look Alike Drugs, Drugs of Deception and Designer Drugs. Hazelden Foundation, Center City, 1989.
- Wesson DR, Smith DE, Steffens SC, Co-Editors. Crack and Ice: Treating Smokable Stimulant Abuse. Hazelden Foundation, Center City, 1992.
- Smith, DE & Seymour, RB. Clinician's Guide to Substance Abuse. McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division, 2001.


text:
Paris' Toy Story Playland price tag revealed
Written by Michael Owen
Product integration vice-president at Disneyland Resort Paris Simon Opie revealed in an interview with British newspaper The Times that the new Toy Story Playland, set to open this year at Walt Disney Studios Park, came in at a cost of £60 million.Tweet
The themed land based around popular Pixar movie franchise Toy Story will be situated near the Toon Studio area of the Studios Park and should be ready for visitors by the summer of this year, though a set date has yet to be announced.
The opening of the land is set to coincide with the beginning of Disneyland Resort Paris' new marketing campaign the 'New Generation Festival' based around more recent movie offerings from the Disney and Pixar animation studios.
The interview with Simon represents the first time a price tag has been placed on the new land and many may be surprised by such a high investment in the resort when Euro Disney S.C.A only recently announced major losses for the last financial year.
Many have been critical of the planned attractions in the Toy Story Playland area, claiming them to be more suited to a standard amusement park than a world-class Disney theme park. However no one can argue with the level of investment in the park. Even with the recent economic downturn Euro Disney S.C.A are investing a considerable sum in the land and that can only be seen as a good sign of things to come as economic recovery is becoming a realistic prospect in Central Europe.
Readers' Opinions
From James Rao on February 10, 2010 at 6:27 AM
The real question is... how long before Disney spends the 1.2 billion dollars (872,092,945.17 euros?) needed to refurb this midway monstrosity after they build it, à la Paradise Pier at DCA?
From Michael Owen on February 10, 2010 at 6:33 AM
Toy Story Playland isn't anywhere near the size of Paradise Pier, thankfully.
Up until this point the Studios has just got better and better and the addition of the Tower of Terror was exactly what it needed. For me Toy Story Playland is a bit of a step in the wrong direction, but based on the amount being spent (The same amount it cost to build ToT) I can see it being highly themed, which may just make the land look acceptable.
I'm hoping that the overall plan with Toy Story Playland is to add Toy Story Mania at some point in the near future, although I can't see that happening, not with the other proposed attractions for the park.
From James Rao on February 10, 2010 at 6:47 AM
If I understand the euros to dollars conversion right, this €70 million expenditure is about $100 million dollars, right? I think TSMM was about $80 million alone. However, I do agree, if TSMM was added at some point, it might help supply some cohesiveness to the area. It still seems like Disney is being a bit on the cheap side right now especially for a park that was, as you say, trending in the right direction.
However, I learned a long time ago to never judge Disney until you see the finished product (excepting for the American Idol Experience, of course - ugh!). Perhaps this new midway area will be much better in reality than on paper?
From Michael Owen on February 10, 2010 at 7:21 AM
As you say, we'll have to see the finished product before we make a final judgement. I thought TSMM wasn't going to be too popular due to Buzz over at the Magic Kingdom being very similar. Look how wrong I was!
From Robert Niles on February 10, 2010 at 1:04 PM
The one Pixar-related dog in the Disney theme park empire has been A Bug's Land at California Adventure, and this project sounds just a bit too much like that for my taste. ("Built to make people feel small?" Check! "Small carny rides?" Check! "No appeal for adults or kids older than 8?" Check!)
From Joshua Counsil on February 10, 2010 at 7:31 PM
Another Disney midway land? You think they would have learned from our incessant b*tching.
From Robert Niles on February 10, 2010 at 7:50 PM
Two words: Toddler segregation.
Keep the families with the little kids isolated from those with bigger kids, or no kids at all. These lands do that.
Whether that's a smart move is another debate. But families with small kids create guest flow issues in a lot of locations. Isolating them in their own lands can help make other areas of the park operate more efficiently. Plus, with these lands, the parents of those smaller kids are more likely to feel that their family's needs are met by the park.
From Joshua Counsil on February 11, 2010 at 7:58 AM
Toddler segregation is one thing. Fantasyland is largely for families with young children, and it's getting a refurbishment. Surely their reasoning behind a refurbishment was that it was old and aesthetically unpleasant due to its midway feel. In light of that, and the bombarding complaints about Dinorama et al., how can they justify this thing?
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Local student Michael Summers is a frequent traveler. He says a low-cost direct flight to Florida is just what is needed.
"I think it's great. It eliminates having to use a larger terminal like going through Atlanta, more direct flights straight to Florida, it's good for students," Summers said.Summers and other locals can now travel directly from Burlington International to Orlando's Sanford Airport on Allegiant airlines. Allegiant also provides direct flights from nearby Plattsburgh airport to five Florida destinations. Is the new route in competition with that airport? "Not at all, this will be more of reinforcing our presence here in the Northeast. We are opening up a whole new market here in Burlington and no way at all will Plattsburgh service be affected," said the airline's Micah Lillard.Although the flight was just announced Tuesday, you can already book your ticket online and be on your way by February 19th. Each year Burlington boards almost five times the amount of passengers as Plattsburgh, which saw just under 140,000, according to the most recent FAA report. Other low-cost airlines like AirTran tried direct flights from Burlington to Florida back in 2008, but they discontinued that service after less than a year. Allegiant officials say now is a great time to try again and with their strong presence in the Northeast they expect it to be successful. Local traveler Michael Renfro thinks he knows some people who will want to take advantage of the new service. "It sounds useful because I always have to do connecting flights. Personally I don't do tropical, but my family loves tropical so they would take that in a heartbeat," he said.Allegiant is offering introductory ticket prices starting at 66 dollars, but the cost will go up from there after a limited time.
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Former Blue delighted with Club's visit to the US.
Joe-Max Moore watched Everton's 1-0 defeat to Valencia in Miami and then declared his time at the Blues as his career highlight.
Moore made 64 appearances for Everton, scoring ten goals, and he still harbours genuine affection for the Club.
"It was the highlight of my career," he told evertontv.
"I had some highlights with the national team, playing in World Cups and stuff like that, but playing in the Premier League was fantastic and I love the Club.
"It was nice coming in early and scoring a goal against Tottenham. I got off to a good start and I was getting a lot of playing time. Then the team changed and I was looking for balls from Duncan Ferguson and Kevin Campbell.
"That didn't quite fit my style but I had a fantastic time in my three years there."
Moore is one of only five players to have worn the royal Blue of Everton and accumulated 100 or more caps for his country - Nicklas Alexandersson, Landon Donovan, Kevin Kilbane and Li Wei Feng are the others.
And although he still looks good enough to play he admitted that, at the age of 42, he is very much a supporter these days.
"I'm a skinny fat guy!" he laughed. "I'm not quite as lean as I used to be and I definitely have a lot more wrinkles than I had back in my day. I'm not that involved anymore.
"I owe a lot to the game though and I help out with my son's team from time to time.
"I moved my family all around for 15 years and when I retired I thought, 'Do I still want that lifestyle?', so I focussed on more traditional stuff."
Assessing the Toffees' performance against Valencia in the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Moore agreed with the suggestion that the conditions played a part.
"Yes, it's quite a bit different to the temperatures you get back in England," he said.
"You're in Florida and the humidity is outrageous. But it's pre-season and there are always ups and downs in pre-season. You're just looking to get through it without any injuries."
The Blues conclude their pre-season
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QS Meetup Groups
Friends of QS
We recently started a program to invite QS Toolmakers to contribute directly to funding our events. We call this program Friends of QS. If you would like to participate we invite you email us to learn more.
Today we are happy to bring you another interview in our Toolmaker Talk series. We had the great pleasure of speaking with Sampo Karjalainen, the designer and founder of Moves. Over fifty percent of U.S. adults have a smartphone. That's a lot of people walking around with a multi-sensored computer in their pockets. Moves is another example of how developers and designers are focusing on the smartphone as a Quantified Self tracking and experience tool. This is an exciting space, and one we intend to keep a close eyes on moving forward.
Watch our conversation or listen to the audio (iTunes podcast link coming soon!) then read below to learn more about Sampo and the Moves app.
How do you describe Moves? What is it?
Moves is an effortless activity tracker. It's a bit like Fitbit or Jawbone UP, but in your smartphone. There's no need to buy, charge and carry one more device. In addition to steps and active minutes, the app also automatically recognizes activity type: walking, running, cycling or driving. It also shows routes and places and builds 'a storyline' of your day. It helps you remember your days and see which parts of your day contribute to your physical activity. It's a simple, beautiful app that hasn't existed before.
What's the backstory? What led to it?
We started Moves to motivate us to move more. Aapo Kyrola was doing his Ph.D at Carnegie Mellon University, working hard, gaining weight and lacking the motivation to exercise. We began discussing how to motivate people like Aapo to move more. The first prototype used game motivations: we had badges, leaderboards and virtual pet to motivate people. The problem was that they still had to remember to start and stop tracking. We quickly learnt that people didn't remember to use it for everyday walks. That made us think that maybe we could make it work continuously in the background. It took plenty of R&D to find a way to minimize battery use while still collect enough data to recognize activity types and places correctly.
What impact has it had? What have you heard from users?
We're seeing that when you make activity visible, people start to think about it. And when they think about it, they start to do small changes in their lives. They may park their car a bit further or consider biking instead of car. They may choose to walk just to get some steps and take a break from everyday hurries. It also helps people see how long it takes to travel between places and how much they actually use time in different places.
What makes it different, sets it apart?
Other phone-based trackers are good for tracking one run or one biking event. Moves is made to track all-day activity. Compared to activity gadgets, Moves recognizes activities by type, recognizes places and shows routes. It's collecting a new type of a dataset that hasn't been available before. And best of all, we now have a public API, so you can use your data as you like!
What are you doing next? How do you see Moves evolving?
Currently we're busy with the Android version of Moves and adding some features to the iPhone version. Over time we see that Moves will become a tool to understand not only your physical activity, but also your use of time, travels – your life in general.
Anything else you'd like to say?
Moves is collecting your location in time and space. It's a great 'backbone' for connecting all kinds of other data. We're excited to see what type of visualizations and mashups people create!
Product: Moves
Website: moves-app.com
Price: Free
This is the 20th post in the "Toolmaker Talks" series. The QS blog features intrepid self-quantifiers and their stories: what did they do? how did they do it? and what have they learned? In Toolmaker Talks we hear from QS enablers, those observing this QS activity and developing self-quantifying tools: what needs have they observed? what tools have they developed in response? and what have they learned from users' experiences? If you are a toolmaker and want to participate in this series please contact Ernesto Ramirez.
Sara Cambridge is an interaction designer and a frequent contributor to the Quantified Self community. This past spring she was tasked with creating a unique information visualization as part of her graduate coursework at the UC Berkeley iSchool. Given her interest in QS she chose to use her experience with tracking her diet using the Eatery mobile app as the basis for her visualization project. Using the Eatery led her down an interesting path that helped her understand her own eating habits, how she compares to others, and how people "really" rate other's dietary choice. (Filmed at the Bay Area QS Meetup)
"How do you feel right now?" Such a short question can lead us toward profound insights into our lives. But how do we ask ourselves that question? How do we keep track of our answers? There are many different ideas out there about how to tackle this seemingly simple question. Many of them focus on mood, which we've covered in previous Toolmaker Talks (see our posts about Happiness and Mood Panda). We're going to explore another idea in his week's Toolmaker Talk with Jonathan Cohen, the man behind the new (and soon to be released) app, Expereal.
Q: How do you describe Expereal? What is it?
Jonathan: Expereal is a simple iPhone app that allows people to rate, analyze, share and compare their lives. It was created to help people better understand their lives holistically, answering a most human question that cognitive biases can distort: "How's my life going now relative to other time periods, friends and other users around the world?" In order to arrive at an answer, the app requires active participation, which it prompts via push messages (which can be turned off), requiring users to consistently rate their lives over time. Though it is unclear of whether millions of users care to actively measure their life, I went this route as a minimal viable product, because I was unconvinced of passive measurement's efficacy, which crashes on the rocks of language interpretation and context.
Q: What's the backstory? What led to it?
Jonathan: I read Daniel Kahneman's book "Thinking, Fast and Slow," which outlined the duality and inconsistencies in the experiencing and remembering selves. I wondered if there might be some value in capturing the subjective opinion of the experiencing self over time to counterbalance the remembering self's so-called "peak-end bias." What I found quite interesting was that the peak end bias doesn't only affect our view of past events; it also influences how we think of our lives holistically in the present tense. Imagine walking out of a terrible meeting in which your boss publicly reprimanded you for incompetence, and someone asks how your life is going. How would our answer be influenced? Would that answer accurately reflect our perceptions across a wider swath of time? It is unlikely, as the preceding moment would act as an "anchor" in assessing our present moment lives.
From what I can discern, Kahneman doesn't necessarily argue that the remembering self is "wrong" per se; he merely illuminates that it inaccurately captures the experiencing self. In his book and TED talk, he slyly asks the rhetorical question if we had to plan a vacation, would we plan it to satisfy our experiencing or remembering selves? In any cae, I thought that it would be valuable to have a more holistic perspective on my life that offered an alternate, longitudinal vantage point than what the ever-present peak end bias might offer. Furthermore, I hoped that such information might help me "know myself better" and potentially make better decisions. I then wondered if others had similar questions and desires.
Q: What impact has it had? What have you heard from users?
Jonathan: The app is in alpha testing. I have received a range of feedback – some quite positive (about the design and the app's social nature) and some quite negative ("It's not very useful for me. It takes a lot for me to really think about my mood, not just a 1-10 rating." as well as "What exactly am I rating 1-10?") The strongest critique, which strikes at the app's very viability as a product and business, is that most people are not really that interested in measuring themselves, particularly actively over time. Consequently, Expereal needs to offer something immediate and compelling to encourage people to interact with the app. What's the immediate feedback that makes it both useful and "sticky"?
Q: What makes it different, sets it apart?
Jonathan: Simplicity: I created the initial capture mechanism to be dead simple: "How's your life going right now? 1-10." If the user has to think about it, he's overthinking. It wasn't intended to measure "mood", though it could be used as such. The Capture Details screen is totally optional, allowing additional information to be ascribed to a rating.
Aesthetics: Expereal was designed to look different from other apps, not so simple given that there are several hundred thousand. I was most inspired by the LACMA exhibition catalog "Living in a Modern Way: California Design 1930-1965" and, to a slightly lesser extent, Edward Tufte's data visualization books. I also respect the work of numerous "quantified selfers", "data visualizationalists" and artists, including Jonathan Harris, Nicholas Felton, Jer Thorp, Jan Willem Tulp and countless others – many of whom consistently speak at the Eyeo Festival.
Social: I initially wanted to make the app solitary, because I was concerned that sharing one's Expereal Ratings with friends would skew results, where users would only rate their lives when they were going well. I ended up taking a middle course: one can optionally share an Expereal Rating to Facebook, and one's ratings and descriptions are used in anonymous aggregates. It could become more social depending on audience demand, but I want Expereal to remain true its core of helping users better understand their lives. It's not meant to be another social network or to replicate Facebook, Path or Twitter, which could all be future partners.
Q: What are you doing next? How do you see Expereal evolving?
Jonathan: Expereal should be available in the app store in November. I have numerous ideas and dreams, but it will ultimately depend on user interest. Again, the core challenge is giving people who haven't shown interest in active measurement inspiration to continually engage. I suspect that for most potential users, the social component will be a greater driver of interest and usage than advanced personal analytics, but am happy to be proven wrong and will adapt accordingly.
Q: Anything else you'd like to say?
Jonathan: Going from an idea to an app is an incredible challenge, yet even after it "ships", it feels like the beginning of infinity. There are just so many possible permutations and extensions of what might happen. In another chapter of "Thinking," Kahneman wonders why so many people start businesses without considering the terrible odds against succeeding. Right now, without question, I feel that it's been a worthwhile endeavor. I'd give my life right now a '9', describing it "rewarding", "exciting" and "harrowing." I love a challenge
Product: Expereal
Website: www.expereal.com
Price: Initial version – Free; Download for iOS
This is the 17th post in the "Toolmaker Talks" series. The QS blog features intrepid self-quantifiers and their stories: what did they do? how did they do it? and what have they learned? In Toolmaker Talks we hear from QS enablers, those observing this QS activity and developing self-quantifying tools: what needs have they observed? what tools have they developed in response? and what have they learned from users' experiences? If you are a "toolmaker" and want to participate in this series, contact Rajiv Mehta at or Ernesto Ramirez.
Alastair Tse recently moved to New York, and wanted to walk all of the streets of Manhattan! He tried a few different approaches to tracking this that didn't work, so he decided to make his own app that doesn't use GPS or drain his phone battery. In the video below, Alastair talks about his adventures in working towards this goal, and the interesting things he learned about himself from the experience. (Filmed by the New York QS Show&Tell meetup group.)
Alastair Tse – Walk all of Manhattan from Steven Dean on Vimeo.
Melanie Swan of DIY Genomics describes the results of sequencing her own genome in the hopes of developing her own personalized preventive medicine strategies. She developed a mobile app that permits exporting of personalized sequencing data more easily. A series of small nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by Melanie in her own genome relating to cancer, immunity and aging. Importantly, she has made available the results of her own deep sequencing results to be combined and compared with those of other individuals. (Filmed at the Bay Area Quantified Self meetup at Singularity University.)
Victor van Doorn describes himself as a nostalgic workaholic. He has tried and failed to keep diaries, so he decided to build an automatic one. His iPhone app Replay My Day (@replaymyday) collects his location and online activities each day, and builds it into a film – so when he's lying in bed at night he can press play and literally replay his day. Victor also organized a fun launch party/contest to draw GPS snakes around Amsterdam! Check out his talk below. (Filmed at Amsterdam QS Show&Tell #3.)
Replay My Day @ Quantified Self Amsterdam from Lightstorm Productions on Vimeo.
When I want to start tracking a metric in my life, most of the time I use an app or service that enables me to do it more easily or provide options like statistics or sharing. I've tracked a lot of different things, some better and more easily than others. Sometimes my data would be locked-in, or sometimes I had to do the statistics on my own. During the last few weeks I've built a list of questions I ask myself before choosing a service for tracking. And I wanted to share my list with the community and service developers. This list is not definitive by all means, it's a work in progress and questions may be added, removed or changed at all times.
Let's get started! Before even looking at services you can use, it is wise to have a somewhat clear vision of where you want to go:
When I've got these questions answered I start looking for services that fit my vision. When I have a list of services I could use, I go through another list of questions that allows me to make my choice more easily:
When I stop using the service or have been using it for a certain amount of time, these are the things I ask myself:
So this is my own list of questions and things I want to answer when using a service or application for self-tracking. It's a work in progress so feel free to put any more questions you would ask to yourself in the comments.
In this video, Rajiv Mehta talks about the importance of remembering for good experimentation — carrying out the experiment as planned and capturing the results properly — and the difficulty of doing this well. He described a new app, Tonic, that helps people remember and keep track of their health activities, and shared examples of people using Tonic to learn about and better manage their health. (Filmed at the Bay Area QS Show&Tell meetup on 3/24/11 at TechShop).
Rajiv Mehta – Remembering & Enabling Experimentation from Gary Wolf on Vimeo.
From the Amsterdam QS Show&Tell group: Martijn Aslander talks about his PersonalStats.nl project to track all of his personal data. He records everything from travel to the 5 best and worst things he does each day to how many people he addresses at his lectures. He meets 100-200 people every week, and was interested to learn which people he meets the most. In the video below, Martijn talks about the various iterations his app has been through, and why he is now settling on iPad and iPhone interfaces.
Martijn Aslander – Personalstats.nl from Quantified Self Amsterdam on Vimeo.
From the Amsterdam QS Show&Tell Meetup group: Beer van Geer (aka Universal Media Man) shows his award-winning Dagaz Project. His application uses the Neurosky EEG headset to quantify brainwaves during meditation on Mandala symbols. As you meditate you can see your progress in real-time. Watch his mind-blowing talk below.
Beer van Geer – Project Dagaz from Quantified Self Amsterdam on Vimeo.


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First of all pros: Good, quite location, small children's play area but that's about it..Cons: Be careful when booking, it looks cheap but if you have children you will be charged extra for per child per night and there is a service charge of 35 Euros per room that will be added to the booking price as well. They only... More
Location: Germany > Schleswig-Holstein > Lubeck
Free High Speed Internet ( Wi-Fi )
Ranked #3 of 11 Specialty Lodging in Lubeck
Price Range (Based on Average Rates): $
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The brain-computer interface goes wireless Device could conceivably be used in the Brain Activity Map project
What is the Brain Activity Map? A Q&A w George Church Would enable us to read from & write to individual neurons
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The Cowboys hit the road to go play a team that looks to be pretty stinkin' good. Read »
It's football time, for real. Read »
Well, once again, it all comes down to Week 17. Can the Cowboys get it done this time, quite possibly without Tony Romo? Read »
The Cowboys pretty much must win out to extend their season past next week, and they have no excuse to lose to the Redskins. Read »
The Cowboys will look to bounce back from one of their worst losses in recent memory with a home game against the banged up Packers. Read »
The Cowboys play a Monday night game on national television against a Bears team that has tumbled recently. Read »
With a short week of preparation, the Cowboys are looking to get back on a winning track on Turkey Day. Read »
The Cowboys are healthier now after their bye week and face a surging Giants team on the road to keep pace in the division. Read »
Well, this couldn't be coming at a better time. Unfortunately, the Cowboys need two or three bye weeks. Read »
The Cowboys are looking to avoid slipping back to .500 and possibly into a first-place tie against a good Saints team. Read »
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Ticket Prices for Muse 2012 Tour
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Location: Kent, United Kingdom
Posts: 4,339
Re: Ticket Prices for Muse 2012 Tour
Ticket prices are getting steep and it's not like Muse have the excuse to say that their record sales are plummeting as a result of online piracy. Last time I checked they were (unfortunately) one of the best-selling bands in the UK market.
I've heard the same rant about sports too; particularly with the Olympic (hence referred to as the 'O-word') football. Ridiculous prices to see second-string national teams turning out in the immediate aftermath of the Euros and David Beckham. The whole affair there just stinks.
On the other hand, I was very happy to buy tickets for the South Africa vs. Kent Cricket tour match on the 14th of July in Canterbury. I bought the most expensive tickets. Total cost: £15 each. Rain may affect but I'm looking forward to seeing Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and AB DeVilliers.
Some ticket prices aren't that bad.
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A Kindle will sync your progress through a book when it's powered down (presumably only if it has sufficient battery to connect to a mobile or Wi-Fi network). This allows another device (another Kindle or the software on a mobile device or PC) to download that location so you can resume your reading from the same point.
If this doesn't appear to be happening from the physical Kindle (i.e. your progress isn't retrieved when you use a different device), the most likely reason is a corrupt filesystem. To fix:
- Attach Kindle to a PC via USB
- Your PC may prompt Do you want to scan and fix Kindle? – if so, click Yes
- If your device hasn't prompted you:
- Navigate to Windows Explorer
- Right click on your Kindle
- Select Properties
- Navigate to the Tools tab
- Under Error-checking click "Check now"
- Select "Automatically fix filesystem errors" and click "Start"
- Once the filesystem is repaired the Kindle will sync to Whispernet again.
- In future, unmount the Kindle by ejecting it safely or change its removal policy.
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