text:
Carolyn's Notting Hill Victorian Flat
House Call
Name: Carolyn's Notting Hill Victorian Flat
Location: Notting Hill, London, United Kingdom
This is a first floor Victorian flat int he heart of Notting Hill — blessed with very high ceilings. It is, however, under 550 square feet. As a foreigner I wanted to live in a "postcard" home.
When I bought this flat, it had been run down and I have decided to renovate it with one goal in mind: getting the best out of its huge marble fireplace, original wooden floor, beautiful beam, and most importantly super high ceiling.
I bought items one by one over 3 years, each time making sure I loved it on its own, but also that it would find its place in the flat. I end up with old, new, rough, polished, classic, design items but they all seem to balance each other warmly.
Hardly anything in the flat has been bought off the shelf: every time I would see something, I would get it slightly adjusted or use it as a piece to something else. All I aimed for were warm materials and to fall in love each time!
Thanks, Carolyn!
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
(Image credits: Carolyn; Carolyn Porretta)
10 Comments
Wonderful! I will live vicariously though you. Thanks so much for sharing!
Great fireplace, serene and striking bedroom
It's visually very pleasing although I cannot imagine cooking a meal in the kitchen. But I also lived in a tiny basement apartment, long time ago, and I think I had maybe a foot and a half of a countertop at the most, and I cooked there.
The white bedroom is beautiful.
fantastic & well thought out.
Stunning! Wonderful area too. You should be proud!
Very nicely done!
I would love to see a full spread. where is the fridge hidden? the kitchen hidden in plain sight is wonderful
Absolutely beautiful.


text:
The Projection Lab Uses Modul8 and a Little Chemistry
UK based Projection Lab has been hard at work on some corporate gigs recently and dropped me a line. They have been successfully using Modul8 to present some pretty impressive projection. This job was for Neal's Yard Remedies Conference and featured a 3-screen blend using Panasonic projectors. Using Modul8, (more…)
Vaddio ProductionVIEW Switcher- Review
The following appears in the current issue of PLSN magazine, and I can't thank them enough for printing it. But here on Projectionfreak you get some extras….
I use a PTZ camera system at work that is a package supplied by Markertek (outstanding prices and service from these folks….highly recommend them!) ….and manufactured by Vaddio…namely a ProductionVIEW switcher, 3 HD19 PTZ cameras with CCU, a Vaddio 3-way monitor, and a Vaddio 2-way HD monitor. The switcher is at the heart of the rig, providing control over the 3 cameras, a fourth PTZ (Sony EVI-D70), computer input, and DVD input. I should say up front that I am not paid by Vaddio or Markertek, nor do they receive advertising credit or endorsement from me or from Projectionfreak.com.……although ANY/ALL of those options and scenarios are open for discussion! Hint hint- as in "call for a rate card" hint….
I happen to use their gear based on price and performance and I couldn't be happier. It's great stuff and the image quality is outstanding- but on with the hands-on review:
Vaddio ProductionVIEW HD Switcher
As the 'video guy' I get asked to wear a lot of hats and it's not just because I'm a nice guy that says "yes". There's a lot of factors to keep track of- not the least of which is keeping a decent image onscreen. If you're touring, you're usually just trying to keep the gear from being destroyed- if you're in corporate you have the constant harangue of having to edit presenter imagery- if you're in trade shows, well- that list is too long. Usually this is all on top of being the switcher. If you are the lucky person that owns/rents the gear that makes all that happen, you need equipment that does more than one thing. So it goes (more…)
Saturdays are supposed to be for rest, no?
It's Saturday and things at the website are usually slow- plus I have to be at the day job…..most of you know I'm a video technician at a professional theatre on a college campus. It just so happens that I came from a moving light background, so when the 1st electrician is away (like now, for LDI) I get to take care of lighting for whatever event is here. It's mostly instrumental music this weekend, so it ain't that bad. Easy, in fact…to kill time why not blog a little and get some projects done?
The two big projects that are happening right now is the addition of two very high-end projectors and the other is an install of an HD camera system. First- the projectors. We got a hold of two DPI Digital Lightning 35HD's for a steal, one with a lens one without, circa 2006. Both have about 2000 hours on them. They are both in very good condition. The 35HD is a 16,000 lumen, 2k res projector, meaning it's going to take a crapload of power in my booth to make them work. We have yet to work out the details, but for now we have 2 x 100 amp breakers…I may have to invest in two buck boosters though as the voltage will not be quite what it needs to be. The other thought was that we just had a bunch of new work done on the HVAC system and there are two subpanels below my booth that are 277v. Hmmm…..maybe not buck boosters, but just a big shunt to get to 230v. I'll also need to beef up the table that both will rest on. Once these things get installed, I don't plan on moving them very often.
The camera system has been a long time coming. I have been using a 4 camera system that was largely piece-mealed together using different parts from a now-defunct distance learning program. It's currently 4 Sony EVI-D70′s controlled with an RMBR-300 and all switched with the Roland LVS-800. I then feed this to various legacy decks and monitors (also to projectors), but now that we have some high-end projection, we need some high end signal! The new system is based on the Vaddio Clearview HD18 CCU camera (x3) and a Productionview HD switcher. I also got a Blackmagic Studio 2 capture card for the big Macpro to record in analog HD (at ProRes 422 1280×720). The plan is to purchase a 1TB RAID0 from OWC as well so I'll have a decent speedy drive to record to. Storage is another deal altogether. We'll look at long term down the road. This install is going to be a bit of a challenge- I need to run 3 CAT5E cables to every camera position and in a theater that was built in 1963 out of poured concrete, this is no small feat. I also basically have to gut the rack I have now and reconfigure the whole patch. This is sometimes good, though, as it gets rid of unecessary cable and allows me to refine the cable runs a little cleaner.
I'll be taking pictures along the way so stay tuned and you can watch the progress.
That's it for now. Have a good weekend.
Go Big or Go Home
GoVision is a company in Texas that rents GIANT mobile LED screens. Their GoBig Mobile HD Video Unit features a Daktronics 9′ x 16′ LED screen that can go to 25′ high. For those who need a size upgrade, the GoBigger Unit is 19′ x 33′ and claims to be the biggest screen of it's kind. Mounted on an 18 wheel tractor trailer, it boasts 720p (with any acceptable signal), a self-contained generator, IP65 outdoor rating, and a full-blown mobile production studio with crew. With a deployed height of 34′, size is no issue here….
With a full line of other screens available (from custom sizes to golf scoring to pickup truck-towed units) GoVision provides a whole bunch of screen real estate. Their gear has been featured at concerts, outdoor events, and major sporting events like the recent Dallas Mavericks Championship parade. GoVision also provides optional camera rigs and personnel. Check out the size of that screen!
For a quick view of the tallest LED screen ever, check out their video at http://youtu.be/k9kyaC9q2WY
NEC snags award from Rental and Staging at Infocomm 2011
NEC was happy to announce that their NP4100W widescreen professional installation projector was recognized by the readers of Rental and Staging Systems and won the Best Projector Award in the 10000 lumens or less category. No small feat considering the amount of projectors in this category and the reputable manufacturers they were up against. The award was announced last week during InfoComm 2011. The NP4100W features 5500 ANSI lumens, a 2100:1 contrast ratio, and WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution. "The readers of Rental & Staging use projectors from all manufacturers in virtually every conceivable venue," said Keith Yanke, Director of Product Marketing for Projectors and Large-Screen Displays at NEC Display Solutions. "To receive recognition as the top projector from this segment of the industry is truly an honor for NEC Display Solutions and speaks volumes to the quality of the NP4100W projector." NP4100W is compatible as either dual- or single-lamp operation, which provides redundancy in the event that one lamp fails. It offers Ethernet LAN connector and DVI-D with HDCP, RCA, s-video, component, 15-pin and BNC inputs. It also can accept a wide variety of lenses for just about any throw.
Street price is $4799.00-ish.
Tools, Tips, and Tricks of the Trade- LCD Misconceptions Explained
If you're in the business of projecting or displaying media for a living, you know the importance of calibrating your gear correctly. Many times you'll run into displays not reacting quite as they should or having to explain to a client why something looks the way it does. Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate breaks down misinformation about displays,and specs. Never be fooled by LCD refresh rates, frame rates, or interlacing again! Check out these GREAT articles on response time and motion blur and also artifacts and image quality. All projection freaks need to know this stuff so read up! There will be a test and quiz later………
Let me state that this is NOT a paid plug….(although it would be nice) but be sure to check out all their display calibration software- indispensable!
This needs to be projected HUGE
Untitled from Commish on Vimeo. Something in the 30' range with an HD18k would be nice. Ouch. This is going on the next Projectionfreak projection test reel. Slice HD.
Untitled from Commish on Vimeo.
Something in the 30' range with an HD18k would be nice. Ouch. This is going on the next Projectionfreak projection test reel. Slice HD.
Video and Computer Signals over CAT5
Here at Projectionfreak, we were early adopters of this technology. It's now come into it's own and is quite popular. With the advent of higher-end home theater installs as well as industrials, tours, and museum/corporate installs, we've all seen the need for getting signal to far away places. The thing is, it's not only for distance. With tour budgets tightening and space/weight at a premium, structured cabling has definitely solved a lot of problems. But what is it all about? Let me just start by saying that this area of the signal transmission industry is HUGE. From manufacturers of cable all the way to people that wire their own home theaters and "swear this will work", the opinions and info will vary greatly. Your individual project will have unique requirements and you should weigh all the options before purchasing or trying to rig up a system. Keep in mind too, that different cable/balun combos will be able to transmit higher resolutions different distances- so again check the spec! We'll cover the raw basics:
DLP explained
And on the heels of the last video from http://www.engineerguy.com explaining
LCD technology, we get this from our friends at Texas Instruments, the folks that hold the patent and are largely responsible for inventing and propagating the DLP chip. And for those of you who don't like video (hard to believe there are any of you if you're reading this) here's a great printable article.
For all the folks who don't regularly visit Wikipedia, this chart offers a great quick and dirty guide to resolutions and aspect ratios.
Projectiondesign F35
This just in from projectiondesign- the F35 wqxga DLP projector. That's right WQXGA. That's 2560×1600 for a native resolution! That's insane! Ultimately it would mean large projection projects would require less channels, since the res is so wide. You could theoretically use this one PJ where you'd need two for width. Lensing options are .8- thru 4.6:1 so not the longest throw in the world, but at this brightness and res, I'm not sure that's a hinderance. Weighing in with 6500 lumens bright, you won't be competing with daylight anytime soon. The new projector uses the Texas Instruments WQXGA DLP chip and has a contrast ratio of 8000:1 and it supports 720p HD resolutions as well as 1080i. Inputs include DVI-D, dual HDMI 1.3, dual VGA, and component. The projector measures 376 x 510 x 223mm and weighs 12.6kg. The projector is capable of throwing an image of up to 65 feet wide, although at only 6500 lumens it wouldn't be a stunning 65′.
Here's the official press release. Â Here's the eye candy:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- News
- Calendar
- Blogs
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Business
- Lifestyles
- Community
- Opinion
- About Us
- Classifieds
- Coupons
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Contests
- Weekly Ads
Dog camp opens | Business brief
Happy Tails Doggy Day Camp, a day care for small dogs, recently opened in Poulsbo. The day camp is kennel-free and offers a scheduled routine and socialization for small dogs. It is located at 26029 Pioneer Way NW.
For more information, call owner Daria Hansen at (360) 930-0505.
Trending Stories Sep 10 - Sep 17
We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.blog comments powered by Disqus
Read the latest Green Edition
Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.
Sep 12 edition online now. Browse the archives.
Local display advertising by PaperG


text:
This post dedicated to all the cosmoline luverz… source: http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/40290-i-hate-cosmoline.html
- superultragigganigga likes this
- mibber22 likes this
- bad-genetics reblogged this from thegunlocker
- bad-genetics likes this
- 2nd-amendment likes this
- operator-as-fuck reblogged this from thegunlocker
- senjukannon likes this
- ltclaws reblogged this from thegunlocker
- freexcitizen likes this
- jdegs reblogged this from operator-as-fuck and added:
Thats crazy.
- operator-as-fuck likes this
- sunji53 reblogged this from thegunlocker
- swang1 likes this
- woodworkandhistory likes this
- kingofnipples reblogged this from 45-70govt and added:
- weaponsystems likes this
- bigtire likes this
- 45-70govt reblogged this from fmj556x45 and added:
Cosmoline is truly a double edged sword
- peashooter85 likes this
- fmj556x45 reblogged this from cerebralzero and added:
They don't put cosmoline on the rifle, they put the whole rifle in the cosmoline. Thank god too, otherwise it would be...
- niceassbigguns reblogged this from cerebralzero
- cerebralzero reblogged this from slavshit and added:
I can almost smell the musk of cosmoline coming out of this picture.
- apps2244 reblogged this from slavshit
- sovietgoner likes this
- slavshit reblogged this from diabsoule
- diabsoule reblogged this from rodrigeuz and added:
My SKS was possibly worse than this. Because some Yugoslavian armorer was pissed off and felt like being a massive dick...
- diabsoule likes this
- loyalist-libertarian likes this
- rodrigeuz reblogged this from cumsoline
- cumsoline reblogged this from thegunlocker
- cumsoline likes this
- rightsided reblogged this from thegunlocker and added:
OH GEEZUS, that's a lot of cosmoline!
- thegunlocker posted this


text:
New to Aurora, IL? Make Your Family Game Night Fun with These 5 Games
Posted on April 18th, 2011 by Renaldo Smith
When you first move into a new house in Aurora, IL, it will take some time for it to begin to feel like a home. If you've been thinking about speeding up the process by reinstating the famed family game night, MovingCost.com is here to help you add some spice to the gathering. So before you reach for the old school Monopoly, Scrabble or Apples to Apples, take a look at this blog. We've got 5 fresh games that will get your entire family excited about playing again.
- Wits and Wagers Family: After winning numerous awards for their party friendly game Wits and Wagers, North Star Games decided to publish a family version in 2010. This trivia game, which contains 150 question cards is an excellent way to get everyone laughing again after a week of nothing but apartment movers and moving services. If you're feeling confident and lucky, put it on the line in Wits and Wagers.
- The Family Farm Board Game: Yeah that's right; it's a farming board game. If you've never even thought about owning a farm in your life, this game will be educational and more fun than you might imagine. Created by John Deere, this game will test your abily to start and take care of a farm. You will have to decide which crops to plant and deal with everything from adverse weather to insects. The player who has the most impressive farm at the end of the game is the winner. Give it a try!
- Tobago: We had to include at least one game for the family of adventure lovers out there. In Tobago, a popular 2009 release, each member of your family will have different parts of maps that are supposed to lead you to treasure. The more you play the game, the more information is released about the location of the prize. Use your wit and smarts to secure it before someone else does!
- Ticket to Ride: Europe: Even though you're new to beautiful Aurora, a little family night vacation won't hurt will it? Gather around the table and play Ticket to Ride: Europe. In this 2005 edition of the classic game, each player will choose destination cards illustrating two cities on a map. Your objective would be to make your way across Europe using anything from ferries to trains. Choose the right routes so that you can accumulate the most points!
- Pandemic: Reccomended for anyone age 10 or older, Pandemic is about exactly what it sounds like. You and your family must bond together to stop a deadly disease from spreading all over the country. If you can put treatment centers in the right places at the right time, you can all win.
Tags: city, entertainment, family fun
This entry was posted on Monday, April 18th, 2011 at 7:20 am and is filed under Illinois. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Leave a Reply


text:
Famous quotes containing the words video, programs, top and/or features:
"It is among the ranks of school-age children, those six- to twelve-year-olds who once avidly filled their free moments with childhood play, that the greatest change is evident. In the place of traditional, sometimes ancient childhood games that were still popular a generation ago, in the place of fantasy and make- believe play . . . todays children have substituted television viewing and, most recently, video games."
—Marie Winn (20th century)
"Short of a wholesale reform of college athleticsa complete breakdown of the whole system that is now focused on money and powerthe womens programs are just as doomed as the mens are to move further and further away from the academic mission of their colleges.... We have to decide if thats the kind of success for womens sports that we want."
—Christine H. B. Grant, U.S. university athletic director. As quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A42 (May 12, 1993)
"What exacerbates the strain in the working class is the absence of money to pay for services they need, economic insecurity, poor daycare, and lack of dignity and boredom in each partners job. What exacerbates it in upper-middle class is the instability of paid help and the enormous demands of the career system in which both partners become willing believers. But the tug between traditional and egalitarian models of marriage runs from top to bottom of the class ladder."
—Arlie Hochschild (20th century)
"It is a tribute to the peculiar horror of contemporary life that it makes the worst features of earlier timesthe stupefaction of the masses, the obsessed and driven lives of the bourgeoisieseem attractive by comparison."
—Christopher Lasch (b. 1932)


text:
"I have beheld no day since the commencement of hostilities that I have thought her liberties in such eminent danger as at present. Friends and foes seem now to combine to pull down the goodly fabric as we have hitherto been raising at the expence of so much time, blood, and treasure; and unless the bodies politick will exert themselves to bring things back to first principles, correct abuses, and punish our internal foes, inevitable ruin must follow."
- George Washington


text:
Culture Blog!
The skew on arts and culture from Inside 5th & Mission
Posts filtered on Tag
SFIFF: Is it ok to yell 'Fire' in a crowded film fest?
. The Q&A session after last Sunday's screening of The Last Gladiators, the film about former NHL enforcer Chris "Knuckles" Nilan, was interrupted by a fire alarm … and golly, were people slow to get moving out of the theater. I didn't see any fire — nor did I stick around to find out what […] [Read More]


text: Comments on: DYI innovations make painting a room easier Back to the article » Merlisa Corbett • | February 7, 2013 | 12:00 am Painting is the simplest way to transform a room and it is even easier with innovations designed to help do-it-yourself decorators. Benjamin Moore products with zero volatile organic compounds, such as Natura, protect people who are sensitive to paint fumes. "We developed a proprietary technology that lets us make this paint zero VOC in any color," said Sonu Mathew, color expert for Benjamin... Web URL: http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2520879 Share this article on Facebook or Twitter Print this article


text:
Prive /NYFW 2013
Prive Group-Teaser (Micro-Budget)
Prive Group presents Sak Noel - Francis Mercier at Skyroom 9/13/13 Event Teaser
Fashion Week (Video Flyer)
REGENERATED NYC "Light Up My Life" ft. KELLAM at TAMMANY HALL. NYC (Promotional Video)
Acerbic Film & Entertainment Production
"Light Up My Life"
2.15. 2013
Event Produced & Promoted by:
Kelly Kellam
Event Co-Producers:
Michael Trotter
Travis Kavovit
Music is a selection from a live mix by KELLAM (soundcloud.com/Kellam & Facebook.com/kellamnyc )
Tracks included in this mix are:
I Try To Fight by Siopis ft. Alfons
No Cure (Audiojack's jam on mars remix) by Jens Bond & Jacob Phono
Party Production: REGENERATED NYC
Featured DJ in video is:
Special thanks to the DJs
-Mikail Pruidze (Misha) w/ Sunny Night
-Stephanie Herndon
-Rambo Springsteen (Regenerated)
-Kellam w/ Regenerated NYC & Trifucta)
-DJ Travisty (Trifucta)
-Christian A. w/ Sound Saintz
Visuals, Art & Aesthetic by:
Michael Trotter of TrotterArt
Kelly Kellam of REGENERATED NYC
Special thanks:
Sean Baker and Tammany Hall
Billy Mendola
Michael Trotter
Travis Kavovit
Greg and Dana w/Black Light Lounge
Jim Su
Sarah Macdonald
All the DJs
Special thanks also extended to everyone that came and help set up and break down.
ETERNAL REIGN LONDON Fashion Show at WIP Nightclub. NYC. 2/13 [Extended] (Promotional Video)
Acerbic Film & Entertainment Production
The "Eternal Reign London Fashion Show" Promotional Video
Filmed at W.I.P. Nightclub in New York City.
Please "LIKE" & "FOLLOW" our pages if you like what you see?
Plenty more coming soon... stay tuned!
Website Links
"#CHAMPAGNING" Event at Villa Pacri Restaurant. Meatpacking. NYC (Promotional Video)
CHAMPAGNING! Downtown. Champagning- v. /sham-pan-ing/ To celebrate life by drinking champagne. Special guest host and DJ Billy Mendola with a birthday celebration for Natalia Belgrade. The weekly fashion networking party for "people who like champagne" has expanded and added an indoor/outdoor downtown location. -55 Gansevoort Street, Meatpacking. Generous Champagne specials by the bottle and glass - and full dinner served until 11pm. Hosted by: Nick Andreottola - Nicole Rose Stillings - Katrina Caro. For the love of champagne! email@example.com


text:
Buckle in.
Maybe Mitt was just being honest about his electability chances among people who have to do actual work to make a living.
(Source: pulppoetry)
1. A person hired based on how much they claim to hate the employer and how little experience they have doing the work.
(Source: pulppoetry.com)
"Let's build a government that serves the interest of property owners. We'll fight on their behalf against their oppressors, for promises of trinkets, fine speeches, and honest work. One that keeps all women, all non-whites, and poor whites outside the power structure as much as possible…."


text:
Somerset in Other Matches in 1949
See Also First-Class Matches and Second XI Matches
Away Grounds visited:
The Recreation Ground, Torquay
Click on this link for the season's Other scorecards and results
11 players appeared in Other matches for Somerset in 1949:
F Castle; MRG Earls-Davis; H Gimblett; GR Langdale; J Lawrence; WT Luckes; J Redman; MM Walford; HE Watts; AW Wellard; GES Woodhouse.
This page was created by the CricketArchive Oracles
© 2006-2013 Somerset County Cricket Club and CricketArchive. All rights reserved.


text:
Wilson County News 1012 C St Floresville TX 78114 Ph: 830-216-4519 Fax: 830-393-3219 Email:
Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014
Not a subscriber? Click here.
Are you a WCN subscriber?
Set up your password.
Remember me
Forgot password?
Weekly News Stories
Weekly News Stories
• Section A: General News
• Eagle Ford News
• Obituaries
• South Texas Living
• Occasions
• Sports
• Agriculture Today
• The 411: Youth
• Special Section
• Wilson's AUTO Chooser
• Wilson's List/Classifieds
BURN BAN: In Effect
BURN BAN: In Effect
• Burn Ban Status
Special Features
Special Features
• Community Calendar
• Daily Updates via E-Mail
• Make Us Your Home Page
• Military Subscriptions
• Newspapers In Education
• Trial Subscription
• Links
• Weekly Headlines in Print
• Consumer Updates
• Funeral Notices
• National News
• Meeting Agendas
• Breaking News
• Election Coverage
• Scam Central
Living Blogs
Living Blogs
• A Gift of Self
• A Salute to Our Military
• Community Calendar
• Church Directory
• Everyday Journeys
• Gardening Q&A
• Keeping the Faith
• On The Road To Forever
• Reunions
• Rose Petals
• Savvy Senior
• Tips from the Coupon Queen
• Wilson County Garden Day
• Wilson County History
Fun Stuff
Fun Stuff
• Facebook
• Movie Reviews
• Twitter
• Video Vault
• YouTube
Opinion Blogs
Opinion Blogs
• Commentaries
• Headlines & Between the Lines
• One Opinion
• Political Soaps
• Time Warp
Sports & Outdoors
Sports & Outdoors
• Fishing Report
• NASCAR News
• Reb's Race Report
• Sports Scores, Playoffs, Updates
• Wilson's List/Classifieds
• Wilson's AUTO Chooser
• COUPONS: Print & Save!
• Showcase of Homes
• Yellow Pages
Photo Galleries
Photo Galleries
• -Weekly Photos
• Floresville Opry-May 2014
• Gallery-Severe Weather 2012
• Photo Contest�Deer Blinds
• Photo Contest�Facebook
• Photo Contest-Springtime
Special Publications
Special Publications
• Eagle Ford Directory
• Floresville Visitors Guide
• La Vernia Chamber Directory
• La Vernia News
• Medical Directory Guide
• Real Estate Guide
• Ad Rates, Classified
• Ad Rates, Display
• Ad Rates, Internet
• Business Review Submission
• Classified Ad Submission
• Community Calendar Submission
• Distribution, Coverage Area
• Engagement Announcement
• FREE Yellow Page Submission
• Gift of Self Submission
• Letters to the Editor Submission
• Obituary Submission
• Peanut Festival Court Submission
• Photo Reprint Pricing
• Reunion Submission
• Showcase of Homes-Rates
• Take a Closer Look at WCN
• Terms of Use
• Upcoming Promotions
• Wedding Announcement
• Your Eagle Ford Source
Contact Us
Contact Us
• Contact Us
• Email Alerts
• Newsstands
• News Tip Line
• Staff/History
• Subscribe Today!
Preview the Paper
Report Comment
Please complete the form below in order to alert us to the following comment. If you have questions about our policy regarding comments please
reference our Terms of Use page
4 th Generation Texan
Sutherland Springs
March 20, 2012 6:06pm
"Grounch"...you are right, I do not want everyone voting. I do not think it is outrageous for people to know the issues and the nominees before they vote. What good is a vote from someone that doesn't even know the nominees name? And, I do not think it is outrageous to be able to read, write and speak English in order to vote. And, I do not think it is outrageous to be able to prove who you are when you arrive at the polling location. How can that person that didn't even know one of the most influential and powerful people in the world (Nancy Pelosi) possibly cast a meaningful vote? How can anyone that can't read/write/speak English possible cast a meaningful vote? How can anyone that can't complete the simplest of tasks in getting a photo ID cast a meaningful vote. The JD push back on the photo ID is nothing but a scam to let anyone (most will be Democrat voters, I'll bet) vote whether qualified or not, whether legal or not. Just like most things Obama and his cronies do that is secretive, under the table, in the closet, in the dark. If their actions were honest and above board, honorable, and in our best interest every action they take would be out in the open and done after debate.
Your Full Name:
We will not publish your name or e-mail address as a result of reporting this comment. We request this information in the event that we need to contact you with follow-up questions. You will not receive any unsolicited e-mail by using this form.
Your E–Mail:
< Select One >
Invasion of Privacy
Personal Attack
Your Comments:
Copyright © 2014 Wilson County News. All rights reserved.
Web development by Drewa Designs


text:
|This Article
|Bibliographic References
|Add to:
ASCII Text
Brian Randell, "The Origins of Computer Programming," IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 6-14, Winter, 1994.
@article{ 10.1109/85.329752,
author = {Brian Randell},
title = {The Origins of Computer Programming},
journal ={IEEE Annals of the History of Computing},
volume = {16},
number = {4},
issn = {1058-6180},
year = {1994},
pages = {6-14},
doi = {http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/85.329752},
publisher = {IEEE Computer Society},
address = {Los Alamitos, CA, USA},
RefWorks Procite/RefMan/Endnote
JO - IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
TI - The Origins of Computer Programming
A1 - Brian Randell,
JA - IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
This article describes some of the early developments that can now be viewed as steps toward the development of program control and the modern concept of a stored program. In particular, it discusses early automatic devices, Babbage's contributions set against a background of the technology of his day, the contributions of some of his direct successors, and the genesis of the stored-program idea.
1. I.B. Cohen, "Babbage and Aiken: With Notes on Henry Babbage's Gift to Harvard, and to Other Institutions, of a Portion of His Father's Difference Engine,"Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 10, No. 3, 1988, pp. 171-193.
2. T. Beck,Beiträge zur Geschichte des Maschinenbaues, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1900.
3. W. Walther, "Die Gespeircherten Programme des Heron von Alexandria" [The Stored Programs of Heron of Alexandria],Elektronische Rechenanlagen, Vol. 15, No. 3, 1973, pp. 113-118.
4. Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazzari,The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, D.R. Hill, ed. and trans., D. Reidel, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1974.
5. A. Buchner,Mechanical Musical Instruments, Batchworth Press, London, 1950.
6. E.A. Posselt,The Jacquard Machine Analyzed and Explained: with an Appendix on the preparation of Jacquard cards, and practical hints to learners of Jacquard designing, Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, Philadelphia, 1887.
7. A.P. Usher,A History of Mechanical Inventions, 2nd rev. ed., Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1954.
8. A. Chapuis and E. Droz,Automata: A Historical and Technological Study, V.T. Batsford, London, 1958.
9. A. Doyon and L. Liagre,Jacques Vaucanson: Méchanicien de Génie, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, 1966.
10. C. Babbage,Passages From the Life of a Philosopher, Longman, Green, Longman and Roberts, London, 1864. (Reprinted by Augustus S. Kelley, New York, 1969.)
11. Hyman, A. 1984.Charles Babbage: Pioneer of the Computer. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
12. M.V. Wilkes, "Babbage as a Computer Pioneer,"Report of Proceedings, Babbage Memorial Meeting, London, 18 Oct. 1971, British Computer Society, London, 1971.
13. A.G. Bromley, "Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, 1983,"Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 4, No. 3, 1982, pp. 196- 217.
14. Bromley, A.G. 1987. The evolution of Babbage's Calculating Engines.Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 9, page 113. See in particular the section headed 'Babbage's User Programs,' pages 127-9.
15. C. Babbage, "On the Mathematical Powers of the Calculating Engine," unpublished manuscript, 1837. (First published inOrigins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers, B. Randell, ed., Springer-Verlag, 1973.)
16. C. Babbage,The Ninth Bridgewater Treatise: A Fragment, John Murray, London, 1837.
17. A.A. Lovelace, "Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage, by L.F. Menabrea, Officer of the Military Engineers, with notes upon the memoir by the Translator,"Taylor's Scientific Memoirs, Vol. 3, Article 39, 1843, pp. 666-731. (Reprinted inOrigins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers, B. Randell, ed., Springer-Verlag, 1973.)
18. B. Randell, "Ludgate's Analytical Machine of 1909,"Computer J., Vol. 14, No. 3, 1971, pp. 317-326.
19. P.E. Ludgate, "On a Proposed Analytical Machine,"Scientific Proc. Royal Dublin Society, Vol. 12, No. 9, 1909, pp. 77-91. (Reprinted inOrigins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers, B. Randell, ed., Springer-Verlag, 1973.)
20. P.E. Ludgate, "Automatic Calculating Engines," inNapier Tercentenary Celebration: Handbook of the Exhibition, E.M. Horsburgh, ed., Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1914, pp. 124-127. (Also published asModern Instruments and Methods of Calculation: A Handbook of the Napier Tercentenary Celebration Exhibition, G. Bell and Sons, London, 1914.)
21. L. Torres y Quevedo, "Essais sur l'Automatique. Sa définition.Étendue theorique de ses Applications,"Revue de l'Academie des Sciences de Madrid, 1914. (Reprinted inOrigins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers, B. Randell, ed., Springer-Verlag, 1973.)
22. L. Torres y Quevedo, "ArithmomètreÉlectroméchanique,"Bulletin de la Soc. d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale, Vol. 119, 1920.
23. A.W. Burks and A.R. Burks, "The ENIAC: First General-Purpose Electronic Computer,"Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1981, pp. 310-389.
24. B. Randell, "The Colossus," inA History of Computing in the Twentieth Century, N. Metropolis, J. Howlett, and G.C. Rota, eds., Academic Press, New York, 1980, pp. 47-92.
25. J.P. Eckert, "Disclosure of a Magnetic Calculating Machine," unpublished typescript, 1945. (Reprinted as "The ENIAC" inA History of Computing in the Twentieth Century, Academic Press, New York, 1980, pp. 525-539.)
26. J.P. Eckert, "A Preview of a Digital Computing Machine," inTheory and Techniques for the Design of Electronic Digital Computers, C.C. Chambers, ed., Moore School of Electrical Eng., Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1947, pp. 10.1-10.26.
27. A.M. Turing, "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem,"Proc. London Mathematical Society(Series 2), Vol. 42, 1936, pp. 230-267.
28. B. Randell, "Comment (on 'The ENIAC: First General-Purpose Electronic Computer,' by A.W. Burks and A.R. Burks),"Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1981, pp. 396-397.
29. J. von Neumann,First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC, Contract No. W-670-ORD-4926, Moore School of Electrical Eng., Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1945. (Extracts reprinted inOrigins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers, B. Randell, ed., Springer-Verlag, 1973.)
30. B.E. Carpenter and R.W. Doran, "The Other Turing Machine,"Computer J., Vol. 20, No. 3, 1977, pp. 269-279.
31. S.H. Lavington, "A Golden Era Rich in Talent,"Computing, Vol. 11, Aug. 1977, p. 19.
32. S.H. Lavington, "Computer Development at Manchester University," inA History of Computing in the Twentieth Century, N. Metropolis, J. Howlett, and G.C. Rota, eds., Academic Press, New York, 1980, pp. 433-443.


text:
Next, you'll be asked to connect with Twitter. Rest assured, we will never send a tweet from your account
without your permission.
We will send you an email with an invite soon.
Tell Congress: We should close tax loopholes for millionaires—not cut student aid. http://t.co/sbv6ZOinuk, http://t.co/XsXBTWjeUf
RT @Simas44: Listen to a teacher of the year describe what happens when education is cut: Let's cut tax loopholes instead.
Congressional Republicans chose to make severe budget cuts instead of closing tax loopholes for millionaires:
Closing background check loopholes will save lives—and it's time for Congress to act. #DemandAction,
Tell Congress: Help protect our kids by closing background check loopholes for all gun sales. #DemandAction
Tell Congress to seize this moment and get comprehensive #ImmigrationReform passed. Join us this week:
Tell Congress we need smart #immigration reform to attract & keep talent in the US. Add your voice here: #iMarch
Hold your representatives in Congress accountable. Call out #climate change deniers in the House and Senate today:
RT if you're one of the 92% of Americans who want Congress to close background check loopholes for all gun sales:
See what's Trending Now for @BarackObama
Follow @BarackObama on Twitter


text:
Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > My Lost Little Girl
The story of how I got her and lost her0 Reviews
A long episode about Amri
"In July 1999, when I was 19, I'd just started college. You know I worked at Barnes & Nobel, but I often visited an orphanarium. No particular reason at first, I just liked helping out, the people who worked barely paid any attention to the kids..."
I walked into the main playroom. It was huge, like an auditorium. It had a stage and several shelves containing toys and other things little kids liked to with. There was a total of thirty kids in the room. The entire orphanarium came to play and hang out. Children from infants to teenagers, all together in the one huge area.
Watching all the kids play reminded me of Gerard and I when we were little. Saturdays were spent reading comics and having pretend laser gun battles in out backyard. It made me smiled thinking that someday these kids would be having their own great families.
I stepped into the middle of the room, waving and saying 'hi' to the kids who knew me. When I heard a faint cry, I frowned. Walking over to the corner of the room, I saw a large crowd of 5-year-olds surrounding something.
Puzzled, I pushed my way through the riot and saw a boy, about 6, holding a purple guitar above his head. Below him was a little girl, 2, reaching up with little success to grab the guitar.
"Ha! You creepy little girl! Why don't you go back to wherever you came from?"
The boy looked up at me when I tapped his shoulder and I glared at him. Taking the guitar, I picked up the girl and walked my way through the opening the kids made for me. We went over to the other side of the room and I hopped onto the edge of the tall stage, sitting her on my lap, "You okay, sis?"
She nodded her head, wiping the tears away from her eyes. I set the little guitar next to me, "What's your name?"
She scratched her head, almost trying to remember, "Amri."
"Just Amri?"
"My mommy and daddy left me without a last name. I'm just Amri."
She spoke exceptionally well for a girl of only 2. We had a long conversation. She told me about what people did to her. They often picked on her for no reason. Her big, beautiful blue eyes would well up with tears and she'd hide behind her curled mess of black and brownish hair. Apparently, no one knew where Amri came from. She just popped in out of nowhere one morning a few months back.
Over the next few days, I'd visit the same room. The huge walls towered over me and I would walk in and send the kids crowding Amri scattering away with one look. She became my favorite kid, the one I'd look after the most.
"And everyday, I'd go see her. To talk and play and to make sure she wasn't getting hurt. But of course, you can't trust watching will make everything better."
I'd just gotten off work on a bright Thursday morning. Gerard was out with my car, of course, so I made my way to the orphanaruim. I usually saw a few kids walking my way, but they were teenagers. Not 2-year-old girls running from 5-year-old bullies.
Amri ran in my direction, not seeing me walking towards her. The kids behind her yelled and screamed and threw anything they picked up at her. Finally, a few feet away from me, she gave up and sat on the ground, covering her face. Her pant's leg was torn and the kids circled her. I ran up when I saw them start kicking her, hurting her. Shoving them out of the way, I grabbed Amri, picking her up and turning to the boys, "you are lucky you are so young. I'd kcik all your asses if you weren't 5."
Leaving them shocked I'd even saved her, I marched the rest of the way to the orphanarium. I entered the main office, setting Amri down in a chair and slamming my hand onto the counter, startling the secretary, "I'm adopting this little girl. Forms, now."
She quickly handed over the papers and I snatched them from her, sitting next to Amri on the chair.
She uncovered her face, the bruises and cuts paining to see, "What are those?"
I wiped away the tear stains left on her cheeks and ruffled her hair, "Adoption papers. I'm gonna take you from here and you'll be my daughter. You okay with that?"
She turned her head away from me, looking into the window at the large playroom where all the other kids were. It took her a moment, but she finally turned her head back, "Please do."
I smiled and picked the clipboard back up, signing all the forms and initialing everything.
When I finished, I slid the documents back to her and she gave the approval, I could take Amri home.
Alicia took my hand, "So Amri became Amri Way?"
"Yep, it felt like one of the greatest days of my life."
"What happened after that?"
I shrugged, "9/11. Gerard forming the band. I never left her alone, Amri always came with us, wherever we went. She'd sit quietly back stage and even if my stage fright drunk me up enough, I'd take care of her. She was four when we first hit it big. Amri was almost like our little mascot, she'd cheer from behind the curtain, watching me and her uncles play and have a good time."
Both Alicia and I sighed, laying back on the couch. She flicked a piece of hair out of her eyes, "So... did she get taken then?"
I shuddered. The memory still haunted me, "August 20, 2004."
"Ammy, sweetie, homework?"
She sighed when I poked my head into her room, "I'm goin', I'm goin'."
Pulling the worksheets out of her bag, I heard a knock at the door.
"You get started on that, I'll be in to help you in a minute."
I went over to the door, opening it. Two men in suits stood in the doorway. I stared a them, "Can I help you?"
"Micheal Way?"
"I'm him."
"My name is Mr. Martin, this is Mr. Brown. We're from Social Services and we're here to pick up Amri Way."
I felt my heart stop, "You're... you're taking her away?"
"Didn't you get our letter explaining the situation last week? Something is wrong with your adoption papers and we must take her into our care."
The men pushed past me and into Amri's room, "Miss Way, could you please say goodbye to your father and come with us?"
"Why?" she sounded somewhat pissed. I knew she wouldn't leave without an answer.
"Because we're taking you to Social Services. You won't be seeing this man again."
I side-stepped in time to see her face go white. She'd never been with anyone but me, "Wha-what?"
"Yes, Miss Way. We're taking you with us. Mr. Way, please say goodbye."
Amri ran to me, wrapping her arms around me in a deathgrip, "NO! You can't take me away from me dad! He's the only one who I ever knew!!"
Mr. Martin grabbed her arm, pulling her off of me, "come now Miss Way. We have to be leaving now."
She tried reaching for me and I flung my arm out to get her, but Mr. Brown put his arm in front of me, "Mr. Way, I'm sorry, but we have to take her. It's the law."
Martin had already locked Amri in the backseat, her fists pounding and tears freely streaming onto her face. Mr. Brown and Mr. Martin has gotten into their car by the time I knew what was happening. They backed out of the driveway and I ran after them, trying to open the back door and pull Amri out. But it was too late. They three of them were already far down the street and out of sight when I stopped running. Something fell onto the asphalt and I raised my hand to my eyes. I didn't even realize I was bawling until then.
"Did you ever see her again?"
I rolled over to look at Alicia, "I think once, briefly. Before a show during a Black Parade concert with an older girl. I spent the rest of the show looking for any sign of her. And I didn't see her at all. She would have been... 9, I believe."
She looked down, stroking my hand with her thumb, "I'm so sorry, Mikey. I never knew..."
"I never told anyone. Gerard, Frank, Ray, and my parents were the only people who knew about Amri. I kept her a secret from the fans so they wouldn't freak out like they usually do."
Sighing, I stood, shaking my head, "Well, now you've heard my terrible tale. I'm gonna go take a nap and try to forget about what's happened. Goodnight."
And that, my friends, is the story of Amri.
Like? Dislike?
Amber (the author)


text:
Next, you'll be asked to connect with Twitter. Rest assured, we will never send a tweet from your account
without your permission.
We will send you an email with an invite soon.
Signs of Creativity with a MacGyver Twist http://t.co/jLwYuZOElJ via @RandomCoolChick
How to Recognize the Signs & Symptoms of an Eating Disorder #NEDAwareness via @happyfoodholly
No Cost Creativity Email Service for Kids from Author Ryan Sias via @BiculturalMama
See what's Trending Now for @ssunithi
Follow @ssunithi on Twitter


text:
Full size version is only available to registered users
Please Register as a New User or Login as Existing User to gain full access to all the photos on this site. Registration is quick and completely free.
Unregistered users can only view full size photos that have been added this month.
Summer at Causey
© Dervey, Sep 2012
Route: Causey Crack
Climbers: Rich, Nemo
Camera used: Panasonic DMC-FT10


text:
From Peter Smart: "I'm on an adventure - to explore the limits of design's ability to solve social problems, big and small. To do this I attempted to solve 50 problems in 50 days using design. I also spent time with 12 of Europe's top design firms."
I love New York on summer afternoons when everyone's away. There's something very sensuous about it ~ overripe, as if all sorts of funny fruits were going to fall into your hands.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Above: Victor Osborne hat, Tiffany & Co. necklace & bracelet,…
(Source: annstreetstudio)


text:
May 31, 2010
Billy Bob Thornton: Antique Furniture
Billy Bob Thornton's not the most ordinary man in the first place. But he's honestly scared of antique furniture. "Maybe it's a past life thing and I got beat to death with an old chair. But I'm totally serious. I can't eat around antiques."
Related Movie Videos


text:
This conversation is closed.
Require drug testing to receive welfare benefits
The purpose of welfare benefits is to help people who are down on their luck and in the process of searching for a new line of work. Providing money to individuals who are addicted to drugs is not a worthy cause. Welfare is supposed to be temporary and should only help those who are going to be able to one day secure another job/career in my opinion. States such as Texas are proposing legislation to have more strict over sight to make sure the money does not fall into the wrong hands.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.
Nov 20 2012: Why stop at drug use?
How about gang members? If you or a member of your family is a gang member you can't receive welfare.
Let's stop pedophiles from getting welfare. I'd like to see them starve.
No convicted murderers receiving welfare.
Child beaters, nope you don't get any.
If they live in a state that has banned gay unions, gays don't get welfare.
You don't go to church, no welfare.
Foreigners can't get welfare because they're not from here.
If you're fat you could use to lose a few pounds, come back when you're thinner.
Tattoos, you must be irresponsible, tough luck and good bye.
You look like an illegal alien, go away.
You're not American/Texan/Whatever enough. You have to take and sign an Oath of Loyalty before you can get welfare.
You're going to die anyway, why waste taxpayers money on you?
You propose a slippery slope that can justify even the most trivial reason for denying welfare to anyone.
I can not support this.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.


text:
Italian climber Hervé Barmasse has completed his 2011 project; to climb a new route on three major peaks of the Alps, namely the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa.
Back in the spring he started his quest with a four day ascent of a new route, solo, on the South Face of the Matterhorn.
Midsummer he teamed up with Spanish top-climbers the Pou brothers and they summitted Mont Blanc by a new route on the Left Pillar of Brouillard.
Then when the autumn came, Barmasse teamed up with his father (they are both mountain guides) to complete his 2011 trilogy with a new route on Monte Rosa.
See the three videos below for full details of these routes.
Hervé Barmasse: Solo Ascent Of Matterhorn - Cervino
Hervé Barmasse, Iker and Eneko Pou - new route on Mont Blanc
Hervé Barmasse and Marco Barmasse - Monte Rosa
Herve Barmasse is sponsored by The North Face


text:
Cuiridh Iain Mac Ille Mhicheil agus a chairdean an deireadh-seachdain air a chasan.
BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.


text:
We got a fan letter from our good friend Katie [F.o.E.*]!
And if you haven't picked up The Epoch is Now compilation yet, you should download it — it's FREE! But if you were to, say, slip us a dollar or two we might have a secret gift for you…
*New designation: Friend of the Epoch
5 Notes/ Hide
- svaha3 likes this
- thisismymoon reblogged this from theepochisnow
- lucaswilliammccaslin reblogged this from theepochisnow
- dangerosive likes this
- theepochisnow posted this


text:
Everlast Renovations specializes in residential and commercial renovations and painting. Areas of specialization for residential applications include basement finishing, kitchen and bath remodeling. Deck and fence construction. Custom trim installation. Custom painting. Commercial specialties include internal remodeling/outfitting and custom painting. We also do industrial paint spraying and work with specialty coatings.
A-Z Landscaping & Interlock has been providing landscaping services to homeowners and businesses in the Ottawa area communities since 2005. Meet with one of our designers to create and build custom decks and overhead features in your back yard. Call us today for a free estimate!
Advertise with us, send us Suggestions and find more about Ottawakiosk.com


text:
Damon + Bourbon
The Salvatore Brothers
gif meme | elena gilbert + bruised and battered
↳ requested by anon
"You look stunning,if it isn't obvious."
TV SHOW MEME • [2/5] tv shows
→ The Vampire Diaries
"Dear Diary, love. bites. Sometimes it can make you feel like it's the greatest thing in the world. It can make you feel safe. It can make you forget everything — like you could start all over again. But love can also make you feel out of control. Scared — like it's eating away at you 'til there's nothing left. Love really sucks."
You're my brother. That's all that matters.
Damon & Elena in Season 4 Appreciation Week
Day 7: Underrated Moment
I don't know if I'd call this underrated really - I couldn't come up with a scene that DE fans haven't over-analyzed. Honestly this was just one of my favorite moments because it's beautiful how her trust for Damon has grown since S1. She feels she can't trust Stefan in this moment but with Damon - there is no question. The best part of it all is that he even tells that she should have called her "boyfriend". Twice.
Damon and Elena season 1


text:
Easy to throw together and very tasty. Remember to spray Pam into the pan first. These keep well for several days afterwards as well.
Jack-Corn Muffins
Community Recipe from
Recipe Time
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
- 1/2 cup(s) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
- 8 1/2 ounce(s) packaged corn muffin mix
- 1/2 cup(s) corn kernels
- 1/3 cup(s) 1% low-fat milk
- 1 whole(s) large egg
- Combine ingredients. Mix with egg beater. Divide into 8 muffine cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 16 minutes or until browned.
June 2011
This recipe is a personal recipe added by 8stringfan and has not been tested or endorsed by MyRecipes.
My Notes
Only you will be able to view, print, and edit this note.Add Note
Jack-Corn Muffins Recipe at a Glance
- COURSE: Breads
- CONVENIENCE: Quick/Easy
More Recipes for Main Dishes
Best Carrot CakeSouthern Living
Classic Beef Pot RoastCooking Light
Classic Baked Macaroni and CheeseSouthern Living
Find out what we've got cooking...
Get our Free Weekly Specials Newsletter filled with our favorite recipes, seasonal menus, and special features.
We Respect Your Privacy. Privacy Policy


text:
Tags: babes beauty club long hair prolapse
Tags: gays strip
Tags: amateur blondes hidden cam
Tags: ass beauty big ass brunettes cage flexible funny
Tags: amateur
Tags: amateur fingering
Tags: amateur teens
Smokey striptease
Tags: babes brunettes cigarette fetish nude smoking softcore
Webcam striptease
Tags: amateur webcams
Amateur striptease
Sexy striptease!
Tags: babes close up webcams
Outdoor striptease
Tags: outdoor teens
Tags: amateur ass babes brunettes homemade masturbation nude
Kinky Striptease
Tags: amateur funny german kinky
Masha Striptease
Tags: strip
Vintage striptease
Tags: vintage
Bathroom striptease
Tags: bathroom strip
Gym Striptease
Tags: gym hardcore
TrafficHolder.com - Buy and Sell Adult Traffic|Trafficshop.com - Let your business grow|Contact Us|Webmaster
All content, including images, text, graphics, video and audio content contained in the website is protected under the laws of copyright, owned or under license to company or its designees,and represents proprietary and valuable intellectual property.
Contact Webmaster 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement
Powered by Stream Rotator


text:
A usually temporary fit of rage to psychosis brought on by high thyroid hormones from Graves' Disease. Because of the hormonal cause, Graves' Rage can strike without warning and last more than 12 hours. People afflicted with bouts of Graves' Rage suffer symptoms of cynicism, anger, sarcasm, emotional hypersensitivity and brutal honesty. Due to the hormone imbalance, these incidents are not usually recognized by the afflicted while they are occurring.
додав AZGG 15 Грудень 2012


text:
8 Important Things We Learned About Food from Michelle Tanner
Last week I discovered the amazing Gimme Pizza song by the Olsen Twins, which led me to other strange and wonderful Michelle Tanner images and gifs. What I discovered in this very important research is that this little girl really appreciated food, and she has some sage advice to give the world.
1. (Above Photo) When visiting a friend, it is important to always bring cookies as a gesture of love.
2. Talking to your food is normal, and encouraged. It helps you connect with what you're eating.
3. Don't fill up on things that aren't important.
4. Eating a pint of ice cream is OK, eating a quart of ice cream is even better.
5. If you're not neck-deep into your plate of pasta you're not doing it right.
6. Everyone knows the best kind of sandwiches are the ones that are bigger than your face. Eat accordingly.
7. Don't be afraid to express your feelings about food. Cookies are beautiful and it needs to be said.
8. Always thank the people who feed you –– even if the food is kinda weird and basically inedible.
(Images: 1. You Are My Heaven 2. havemercy-dude 3. no escape by our universe 4. I got bumpers number 5. Jeans and Jellies 6. Full House Forever 87 7. Existential Crisis Suxx 7. Full House Forever 87)
3 Comments
thekitchn.com - get out of my head! I just looked online yesterday to see which Full House episode it was where someone (DJ) made someone else (Kimmy Gibbler) a tater tot birthday cake! This is adding to my nostalgic moment right now :)
Tell me more about this tater-tot birthday cake of which you speak...


text:
- Home
- About
- Events
- Elections 2012
- Submit a Report
- Join us
- Media
- Contact
President Mahama Appoints More Ministers as Opposition MPs Boycott Vetting
Posted by admin - - Announcements, News
Report by Jerome Kuseh, for Ghana Decides
President John Mahama has appointed Regional Minister designates for six out of the ten regions. They are as follows:
1. Mr. Samuel Sarpong, Ashanti Region.
2. Hon. Eric Opoku, Brong Ahafo Region.
3. Mr. E. K. T. Addo, Central Region.
4. Hon. Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Greater Accra Region.
5. Mr. Bede A. Ziedeng, Upper West Region.
6. Hon. Paul Evans Aidoo, Western Region.
In addition to this, the president has re-assigned some of the Minister designates he had previously nominated. Hon. Abdul Rashid Hassan Pelpuo is now Minister of State at the Presidency in-charge of Public-Private Partnerships designate. He was previously assigned as Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts. The position has now been assigned to Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, who was formerly designated as Minister of State at the Presidency.
The previous list of Ministers of State at the Presidency has been updated to include the following specific designations at the office of the President:
1. Hon. Alhassan Azong, Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Public Sector Reform.
2. Hon. Abdul Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Public-Private Partnerships.
3. Hon Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Development Authorities in the Office of the President.
4. Hon. Fifi Kwetey, Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Financial and Allied institutions in the Office of the President.
5. Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Muniru, Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Human Resource Development and Scholarships.
6. Hon. Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah, as Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Social and Allied institutions in the Office of the President.
In a related news, Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have announced their boycott of the vetting of ministers nominated by President John Mahama.
The MPs said they had reached the decision following a meeting with the National Executive of the party. The first batch of Minister designates are slated to be vetted on Thursday, 24 January, 2012.
Ghana Decides, GhanaDecides, John mahama, ministerial appointments
The opinions expressed on this website, except specifically stated, are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ghana Decides team. Ghana Decides will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained these articles or liable for prosecution based on those views.
Recent Tweets
Sign up
Our Newsletters will inform you of important happenings. Sign up today and get relevant info!
Want to get up-to-the-minute updates on your phone about Election 2012? Then add your name to our broadcast list by signing up!
(c) 2012 Ghana Decides 2012


text:
Guarding the guards: Careful control of the design guard
March 22, 2010 | 0 comments
Categories: User Experience, Website Tags: academia, examples, Smashing magazine, visual design, web site design |
Being a natural pessimist I wrote recently about the terrible state of University websites aiming to attract students interested in HCI and design. With many of the academic websites there appears to be a consistent contradiction in that these institutions are purporting to be 'centres for excellence' on one hand while displaying anything but excellence on the other. Examining many of the examples out there I felt that these examples were a worrying indication that many of these courses and their approaches teach one thing but practice the opposite. The end user experience leaving students rather underwhelmed and providing little experience to make the student sit up and take notice. In the ever wonderful Smashing Magazine, a magazine which often has a much more optimistic view on matters of design, they have just written about the many positive examples of University and higher education websites. There are some truly excellent examples in there and for the moment at least have reduced my pessimism a little about the state of academic websites. These examples of web design and careful construction of the information architecture lead to an end user experiences that are beacons of light in a rather dark room. In these examples it shows that in some cases the guards are being carefully looked after with the result being an environment worthy of teaching and inspiring those who visit.


text:
Because it worked outside of production we leapt to the conclusion it was related to the hosting infrastructure. We checked Apache, Passenger, server load, network configuration, and so on. Nothing.
Finally, I thought to check
log/production.log, and there is was:
1 2 3
We quickly tracked it down some image processing that wasn't being cached. It didn't show outside of production because the image assets were different. I won't bore you with the details.
However, I will
bore enlighten you as to my point. When debugging
a problem, start with the simple things. The Rails logs aren't very
detailed, but they provide more than enough information to quickly
drill down to problems in your code.
1 2 3 4 5
This is because FreeBSD 10 ships with the Clang compiler instead of GCC and Ruby versions priory to 1.9.3-p194 do not support Clang.
The work-around, is to install GCC, either with
or from Ports:
1 2
Once you have gcc you can install 1.8.7 with:
This should work with older versions of Ruby 1.9 as well.
What on earth would you want to install 1.8.7? Two words: Legacy Apps…]]>
The values of
:private_key, and
:key_pair can be in one of the following formats:
A string containing path to a file. This is the default interpretation of a string.
1 2
A string contanting a key in PEM format, needs to match this the regex
1 2 3
A symbol naming a method to call. Can return any of the other valid key formats.
1 2 3
An instance of
OpenSSL::PKey::RSA. Must be unlocked to be used as the private key.
1 2 3 4
Using this, you can automatically create per record public keys:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Important Caveat -
Currently, Strongbox encrypts the attribute as soon as it's assigned (this will change in version 1.0). The means that the public key must be available before the attribute is assigned, hence the use of
after_initialize to generate the key pair. Even so, this will fail if you do something like:
because the attributes are set before
after_initialize is called.
Instead, use something like:
1 2 3
Version 1.0 will allow you to control when the encryption occurs, making this less of an issue.]]>
I've written about building Emacs in the past, but OS X Lion brings a few complexities to the process.
Before you begin you'll need to have Xcode installed (free in the App Store).
In the past the best way to get the Emacs source was with CVS, but CVS is no longer included with Xcode. Fortunately, you can now use Git instead.
1 2
At this point you have two choices, you can build the current stable version of Emacs, 23.3, which requires a patch to work with Lion. Or you can build the development version, 24.0, which has support for Lion, but requires a couple of extra tools.
First Emacs 23.3. The master branch of the repository is the 24.0 development branch. The stable 23.3 branch is called emacs-23. Check that out with:
Then use curl apply the patch found in this Gist:
Now Emacs 23.3 can be built and installed:
1 2
Drag nextstep/Emacs.app to you Applications folder and you're good to go. (The "install" step doen't install anything, it builds the .app wrapper.)
If you want the future of Emacs today, you can build 24.0 instead. However, 24.0 requires newer versions of Autoconf and Automake than the ones shipped with Xcode 4.1.1. We'll need to install those versions:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
These will be installed in /usr/local/bin, so make sure you have that first in your PATH:
Now build Emacs as follows:
1 2 3 4 5
It's a bit of work, but anytime there is an update I can simply:
1 2
then re-config and rebuild to have it on my system.]]>
Wordpress is great if you want a WYSIWYG blog and I still recommend to my clients. But, if you spend your days in Emacs or Vim, running rake tasks and git commits, you might want to give Octopress a try.]]>
You install Pow:
You create a symlink to your app:
1 2
You point your browser to http://myapp.dev/ and there's you app! Awesome!
However, there is a downside: Pow doesn't play nicely with Apache (or any server listening on port 80). Life isn't all greenfield, if in the course of the day you need to work on PHP or CGI legacy apps Pow is not so simple. Pow creates a firewall rule that redirects port 80 to its port; to access Apache you need to either toggle the firewall rule on and off or move Apache to a different port all together. And now you're running two web servers. There has to be a better way.
The Win And there is, make your legacy app a Rack App. Thanks to the rack-legacy gem, this is actually quite simple.
First, install the rack-legacy and rack-rewrite gems:
(To sudo or not to sudo, that's up to you).
Next, in the top level of your legacy app create this config.ru file:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
The Details Rack::Legacy::Php runs any requested file with the extension .php. Rack::Legacy::Cgi runs any requested file that is set executable (which means you'll need to make sure your .html files are not). Files that don't end in .php and aren't executable are served as static content by Rack::File.
The INDEXES array contains a list of files to check for if a directory is requested (just like Apache's DirectoryIndex directive). You can change the order or use different names (default.htm anyone?).
The Catch rack-legacy uses the php-cgi command line program to run scripts and while PHP ships with current versions of OS X, php-cgi is not included. You'll need to install PHP using MacPort/Homebrew/Fink/etc. That's beyond the scope of this post but, if you're doing this kind of development, it's probably not beyond you.
The Caveat This is probably not a fast as running PHP using the Apache module and it's certainly not as fast as something like FastCGI. If you are primarily developing legacy apps you probably should stick to Apache. However, if you mostly work with Rack apps and just occasionally need legacy support, this is a great way to go.]]>
1 2 3 4
That's it.
Instructions you find for "Classic" Sintra apps have you setting ":env" to the ENV['RACK_ENV'] before running the app. As of Sintra 1.0 it's ":environment" and it's automatically set to ENV['RACK_ENV'] (or ":development" if RACK_ENV is not set). You'll also see instructions for setting ":run" to false, this is not nessecary for "Modular" apps.]]>
Mechanize on the other hand raise an exception when it receives a 403 status. Fortunately, it returns the page it received as part of that exception. Here's how to handle it:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
This code also works in the case where you don't get a forbidden status, so it can be used generically.
For bonus points you can use the same code in a Cucumber step by changing:
(assuming you've set up "the admin page" in paths.rb).]]>
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
This is fine if you want to generate a key pair once, but what if you want to do it on the fly? The Ruby OpenSSL library has support for generating key pairs:
1 2
2048 is the key size, and a good value to use for it.
What's not obvious is how to encrypt the private key. You don't have to encrypt it, but, if you don't, anyone who gets a hold of the key can decrypt your data. Using an unencrypted private key gives you one layer of security (something you have - the key), encrypting it gives you an additional layer (something you know - the password).
To encrypt the private key you need a Cipher object:
Then, using the Cipher object, you convert the the key_pair to PEM format:
1 2 3
The resulting PEM strings be saved and then later fed to OpenSSL::PKey::RSA.new() or used with Strongbox.]]>
As previous noted, when it comes to Emacs for the Mac, I'm a fan of Emacs.app. However, Emacs.app is not quite ready for Snow Leopard's 64 bit support. You must compile it as a 32 bit executable.
1 2 3 4 5
Then move nextstep/Emacs.app in to /Applications.
The developers have been actively working on Snow Leopard issues; hopefully 64 bit support is not far behind.]]>
You can show your support by buying a print copy (the author's link, not mine).
It also plays nicely with Fluid, using http://progit.org/book for the Fluid URL and perhaps picking up an image from Amazon for the icon.]]>
The key to making your code more readable with "unless" to is is to think semantics, not syntax. In spoken languages if there is more that one way to say something, there will be subtle differences in meaning. In English "unless" does not mean the same as "if not", instead it indicates an exception or unlikely condition. For example, compare:
Unless it rains, we will go to the park.
If it's not raining, we will go to the park.
The first sentence suggests that rain is possible, but not likely, the second that it is likely to be raining. To get the most out "unless" in your code, use it the same way.
John gives this as example of code that's very readable with "unless":
Simple, elegant, and anyone reading it will understand that we expect the format to be allowed. In the unlikely case that the format falls outside of what we expect we raise an exception. Where as with "if":
is just a little bit ugly and says less about what is expected.
In his post, John argues against using "if" with "else" but I disagree. Again, I think in makes for more readable code when you are testing for an unexpected condition. Consider code that checks for an inactive user:
1 2 3 4 5
Reading the code, our expected course of action, doing stuff for the user, comes first, followed by the unlikely case that an inactive user is trying to do stuff. You could of course write:
and there's nothing wrong with that. However, I feel that using "unless" makes it clear what is expected.
In short, if you are using "unless" as a simple macro for "if !()", then you shouldn't be using it at all. However, "unless" is another tool which, when used with care, can make your code clearer.]]>
Clearly, this screams for a plugin; watch this space.
Well, it took a while and it turned out to be a gem, but Strongbox has arrived.
First a recap:
You have a web application and you need to encrypt the data your receive from your users. The most common form of encryption is symmetric-key encryption, where one password is used for both encryption and decryption. This works very well, but it means that everyone who enters data needs to know the password and everyone who knows the password can decrypt the data.
Enter Public-key cryptography which used one password (key) to encrypt and a different key to decrypt. This solves the problem; make the encryption password, the public key, available to your application, and keep the decryption password, the private key, well, private. Users don't need to know or care how, they fill out a form and the data gets encrypted. One small problem, size. The most you can practically encrypt using this method is 245 bytes. Good enough for the launch codes, but not so for driving directions to the buried treasure.
No problem, if we have larger data, we simply combine the two. We generate a random password and use it to symmetrically encrypt to data. We then use the public key to encrypt the random password. To get the data back, the private key is used to decrypt the random password which is in turn used to decrypt the original data.
Got it? Good. Strongbox takes the above three paragraphs and reduces them to this:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
OK, it's sightly more complex. The column "secret" needs to exist in the database and be type "binary" (more on this in a bit). In additional, because we are using symmetric encryption (the default), we need two binary columns "secret_key" and "secret_iv" to store the generated symmetric key and Initialization vector (IV) (which you can think of as a second key (but it's not) once they are encrypted with the public key.
If you are certain that the data you are encrypting won't be larger than 245 bytes, you can use the following:
1 2 3 4 5 6
This skips the symmetric encryption, is faster, and you only need the binary "secret" column.
You'll also need to generate a key pair. Be sure to choose a strong pass phrase, as this is the one that will decrypt everything (as always, I suggest using Diceware).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
If you aren't going to be decrypting data on a regular basis you might want to deploy just the public key. Extract it:
1 2 3 4
And change your model:
1 2 3 4 5
You could then have rake/Capistrano task to deploy and remove the private key as needed. Or you could limit it's use to a separate, non-public, server.
As noted above you want your database column(s) to be binary. If your database does not have a binary type you can add the :base64 option:
1 2 3 4 5
This will convert the binary data to text using Base64. You must, must make your column type "text". Base64 increases the length of the data it encodes by approximately 137%. Type "string" is typically 256 bytes, 245 * 1.37 = 335.65 bytes. If you use a "string" column and encrypt anything greater than 186 bytes your data will be lost.
Finally, there are two addition options for tweaking the encryption settings that you are unlikely to need:
":symmetric_cipher" lets you change the algorithm that's used for symmetric encryption. The default is 256 bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) using Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) ('aes-256-cbc' in OpenSSL terms). AES has been approved by the NSA for top secret information, so it's probably good enough, but Blowfish ('bf-cbc') is know to work as well. Other ciphers in CBC mode should also work, but have not been tested by me. (Note that all ciphers may not be supported by your version of OpenSSL, "openssl list-cipher-commands" will provide a list.)
":padding" allows you to change the method used to pad data encrypted with the public key. Unless you are working with legacy data, you shouldn't need to change this. The default is "RSA_PKCS1_PADDING", see the code if you need other options.
I am not a security expert. This software using an off the shelf encryption tool, namely OpenSSL, that has been well tested, but that is not a guarantee that this implementation doesn't have weakness. Be sure you understand what Strongbox does, and review it for your application. A few things to keep in mind:
And test, test, test. If there is a problem with how your data is encrypted, there is no getting it back.
One concern I have is garbage collection. If you decrypt something into a variable which then goes out of scope, how long does it hang around in memory? Can you force it out? I haven't found much information on this; if there are any Ruby GC experts out there, share your knowledge!
I am always open to suggestions and improvement, but, to quote the License:
So there!
Finally, I'd like to give a shout-out to thoughtbot. While this software has existed for many years, the final form of the gem was greatly inspired by Paperclip. It's a nice example of an approach to adding complex features to an ActiveRecord attribute and how to test them. In additional, the gem sat unpublished for nearly a year because it needed test coverage and my testing was week. Then I took thoughtbot's Advanced Ruby on Rails class which really helped me get my head around testing and TDD, and got this moving again. If you know Rails, but need to improve your processes, I highly recommend this class.]]>
Now all of a sudden Emacs is cool again. And isn't it ironic…dontcha think?
So, I'm going to give Emacs on the Mac another shot. Not (just) to be cool, but because I can't so much as type this post without trying to use Emacs key strokes that may not be there (curse you Wordpress for taking my Control-A!).
In the future I plan to look for Emacs equivalents for TextMate features I'll miss. But the first question I need to answer is "Which Emacs to use?" There are a number of options, all with pluses and minuses. Since I couldn't find much in the way of comparisons, I thought I'd better review them myself. I've limited this to native OS X ports of GNU Emacs. There also exists XEmacs, a major fork of GNU Emacs with Mac support but I'm not an XEmacs user. And it's possible to run X Windows versions of Emacs under OS X, but if that's your thing, you don't need my help setting it up.
The EmacsWiki offers a lot of Mac Options, but it really boils down to three choices: Aquamacs, Carbon Emacs, and Emacs.App. These native versions of Emacs do have a lot in common. They:
Aquamacs is the most Mac like Emacs of the bunch. The Aquamacs developers strive to give Emacs a Mac feel. It features customizations such as a Mac-style tool bar, user friendly menus, and, in the 1.6 preview version, tabbed buffers. When using the Command/Apple keys to open or save files it uses the standard file dialogs. The distribution also includes a large number of add-on editing modes and packages, many of which have been pre-configured.
One oddity is it's printing support, it sends the buffer to Preview for printing.
If you are new to the Emacs, then Aquamacs is probably the place to start. However, if you've used Emacs previously you may find that some Emacs-ness has been lost, and if you plan to use Emacs on other platforms you may find some of the differences confusing.
Download Aquamacs Aquamacs FAQ
Carbon Emacs
Interestingly, while not the official version, out of the box Carbon Emacs is Emacs to a fault; by default standard Mac key-binding are not enabled and the Command/Apple key is the meta-key. This is, in fact, the version of Emacs that ships with OS X 10.5 Leopard and is installed in "/usr/bin/emacs". Apple does not include the .app wrapper so it only runs in the command line. In theory you could download and install just the wrapper, but it's much easier to grab the full version from Apple
To make it more Mac like add:
1 2
to your .emacs.el which will enable the standard Command/Apple key bindings and make the Alt/Option key the meta key. Thus configured it strikes a good balance between being Emacs and being a Mac application.
Like Aquamacs, Carbon Emacs ships with additional pre-configured editing modes and packages. Unlike Aquamacs it doesn't add much in the way of Mac-ish features. It also has the best printing support, being the only one of the three to use the native print dialog. Carbon Emacs is actively developed, but, because of the time needed to integrate it's changes, it may lag a bit behind the official version.
Carbon Emacs is a good choice for people who want a "standard" Emacs with a Mac feel to it and a good collection of pre-configured add-ons.
Download Carbon Emacs Carbon Homepage
Emacs.App (or EmacsApp) is the official version of Gnu Emacs for the Mac. It's based on the NeXTstep / OpenStep / Cocoa API and is very similar in look and feel to Carbon Emacs. Naturally it only includes the standard packages and modes that come with official versions of Emacs.
The major downside is that Emacs.App is not in the current stable Emacs release (22.3). It will be included in Emacs 23, due (or predicted for) later in 2009, but until then it only available in the developer "edge" version through CVS. This creates a further issue in that, while there are binary distributions available they tend to be out of date, so you'll have to build it from source. Fortunately this is very straight forward:
1 2 3 4 5 6
(The "make install" step builds the .app wrapper, it doesn't actually install anything.)
Emacs.app is also available from MacPorts and Fink.
When all is said and done Emacs.App is Emacs; if you want to be be up to date with the current version, then this is the one to use. However, you will need to install, configure, and maintain any additional modes and packages you want to use.
Emacs.app at the EmacsWiki
In short, choose Aquamacs if you want a more Mac-Like Emacs. For the Emacs experience with less effort, use Carbon Emacs. For the most current Emacs, with all of the risks and rewards of using edge software, plus a little more work, use Emacs.App.
Myself, I'm going to go with Emacs.App. It's closest to the versions I use on my servers, willing to beta-test, and I'm comfortable installing and configuring additional packages.]]>
Prior to Rails 2.0, ActiveRecord will always generate an SQL UPDATE statement that includes all of the attributes in the model, even if they hadn't changed.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
If "sku" happens to be read-only, the update will fail, and so will your app.
The right way to fix this is to upgrade to Rails 2.x. Starting 2.0 you can use attr_readonly which (silently) removes the attribute from the UPDATE statement.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
And, starting with 2.1, ActiveRecord only updates attributes that have been changed. As long as you don't change the value of an attribute, it won't be included in the UPDATE statement.
1 2 3 4 5 6
(Obviously, it's better to explicitly mark an attribute as read-only then to depend on this behavior.)
But, what if you are working with a pre 2.X version of Rail? As I said above, ActiveRecord generates the UPDATE statement based on the attributes in the model. The trick, or should I say ugly hack, is to load the record with only the fields you want to update using :select. This way, when the UPDATE is generate it will only include those attributes that were loaded into the record.
1 2 3 4 5 6
When doing this, you need to include the "id" column (or whatever your primary key is) in the select. Also note that while this will work with find_by methods, find_or_initialize_by methods do not take the :select option.
Yup, it's ugly but, it does, in fact, work.]]>
For example:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The above will take an image, resize it to 300 pixels wide (automatically adjusting the height to preserve the original images aspect ratio), and to 75 by 75 pixels for a thumbnail, and save resulting images. Combined with a Product model that has_one :image, or has_many :images, and the right form, you can easily manage your product images.
However, an image with both a fixed width, and fixed height, like our thumbnail, can be a problem. If the original, and resized image do not have the same aspect ratio the resized image will be distorted. In this case, if the original is not square, our thumbnail will be look squished in which ever dimension was longer originally. This is not a problem for the main image because we let the height be calculated automatically.
Fortunately, there is a simple trick that allows us to override the method attachment_fu uses to resize image and manipulate it ourselves. Add the following to the ProductImage model:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
and change the thumbnail size to:
Now, if the image size starts with 'crop: ', the image will be resized and then cropped to fit. Otherwise, it's passed on to attachment_fu and handed normally. I'm using the RMagic crop_resized! method, which resize the image using the smaller dimension and then crops the large one to fit. If you are using minimagick, or ImageScience you may need to fiddle a bit with the code. Obviously, you can extend this approach to manipulate the image anyway you see fit. For example you could automatically put a border on the images:
1 2 3 4 5
Or blur them:
1 2 3 4
Or any other weirdness your heart desires. Have fun!]]>
First a little theory; and when I say "a little" I mean it. Under the hood encryption is a headache inducing branch of mathematics. If you want to the literal truth, there is plenty of good reading out there.
Symmetric-key cryptography is what people tend to think of when, and if, they think of encryption. A password is used to encrypt some information, and that same password must be entered to retrieve the information. Under the hood is an algorithm or cipher, which simply put, is a mathematical function that transforms the data into something obscure and then back again. For our purpose we need a block ciphers. A block cipher takes a small, typically 128 or 256 bit, chunk of data and encrypts it. There are many, but in this example we'll use the Advanced Encryption Standard which is the de facto standard.
(There also exist stream ciphers which work on streams of data, encrypting a phone call for example, but that trade security for speed and can be difficult to use correctly.)
We also need a little glue. Because block ciphers operate on small chunks of data, they need to be applied again and again. However give the same input data the cipher will always produce the same encrypted output; any redundancies in the input will be exposed as redundancies in the output and make in vulnerable to a number of attacks. To avoid this we use a mode of operation called Cipher Block Chaining. CBC using data from one block to further obfuscate the data in the next, effectively hiding any redundancies.
While simple and secure, using symmetric-key cryptography can be problematic; everyone needs to know the password to encrypt data and everyone who has the password (or as the pros say, shared secret key) can decrypt data. This works well if you small set of people who need to know the password and a secure way to distribute it (over drinks in a dark corner of a seedy bar is poetic, if not necessarily secure) but in the case of a web site with hundreds or thousands of people entering data, it's not practical.
Public-key cryptography can be thought of as Symmetric-key encryption with two passwords, or keys, called a key pair. One, the public key, that encrypts data and another, the private key that decrypts. Because the public key can not be used to decrypt data it encrypts it can be safely given out or installed on a web site, allowing anyone to encrypt data to be sent to the owner of the key. The private key is kept safe and is typically symmetric encrypted with an additional password
The solution is actually quite simple. We generate a random password and use that for the symmetric-key encryption. We then encrypt the random password using the public key, and store both the encrypted password, and encrypted data. When we need to get at the data, we use the private key, and its password to decrypt the random password which, in turn, is used to decrypt the data.
Well, it's almost that simple. In order to randomize the data, the CBC glue requires a Initialization vector (IV). This article has a good explanation of why, but for our purposes we can just think of it as a second random password we need to encrypt and save.
OK, enough talk, let's encrypt some text:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
At this point we could just save encrypted_data in the database and it would be well protected. So well in fact that we couldn't get it back. To do that we're going to need to save the random password and IV.
Generate a key pair. Be sure to choose a good password as this is the one that will decrypt everything.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Now extract the public key:
1 2 3
See my previous article for more details on what we're doing here.
Now we can use the public key to encrypt the random key and IV:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Now if we store all three pieces, encrypted_key, encrypted_iv, and encrypted_data we have successfully encrypted our original data.
Of course we'll want to get that data back, and to do so we reverse the process:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
password is the password you used when generating the key-pair.
Now let's put it all together in an Active Record model:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43
When creating or updating your model you don't have to do anything, if "plain_data" is present it will be automatically encrypted. When you want to view the plain text you call "@record.decrypt_sensitive('passwd')"; that could be done with a little AJAX that prompts for a password and populates the "plain_data" field. The encrypted data is only updated when "plain_data" is present. This done so that the record can be updated without decrypting (and re-encrypting) encrypted data (handy in an application were not everyone has access to the sensitive data). To actually clear the encrypted data call "@record.clear_sensitive" and then save.
Setting up the APP_CONFIG hash is left as an exercise for the reader.
Clearly, this screams for a plugin; watch this space.]]>
First we need to generate a key pair. This creates two keys, a public key which will only be used to encrypt data, and a private key, which will only be used to decrypt data. The private key is protected by a password know only to us. When it comes to choosing strong passwords, I suggest using Diceware. 2048 is the key size in bits. Bigger is better, but also slower; 2048 is considered a good trade off between speed and encryption strength. We are also limited by this to encrypting as most 2048 bits, more on this below.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Then we extract the public key:
1 2 3
Once we have the keys, we can encrypt data using the following:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Simply, public_key_file is path to the file containing the public key, and string is the string to encrypt. We open the public key and then use public_encrypt to encrypt it. Because the encrypted string is binary I have converted to text using Base64. If your are storing the encrypted string in a database that can hold binary data, you could change:
Now that we have encrypted data, we'll want to be able to get it back.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Here private_key_file is path to the file containing the private key, password and encrypted_string is the string to decrypt. In a real application you would not want to hard-code the password, rather you should prompt for it in some way.
Again we are using Base64 to make the encrypted string human readable. If this is not necessary, change:
As noted above, you can not use this method to encrypt anything larger than the key size minus 11 bytes of overhead (padding). In this case we have a 2048 bit key which gives 256 - 11 = 245 bytes. The temptation is to increase the key size to accommodate more data, but this quickly become to slow to be useful. The correct way to accomplish this is to use public key encryption to encrypt random password, which, in turn is used to encrypt the data using symmetric-key encryption. I'll cover this next time.]]>
In public key encryption there are two passwords, or keys, one which is used to encrypt information and one which is used to decrypt (there are additional ways to use the key pair, but that's a topic for another day). Since the encryption key can not be used to decrypt sensitive data, can safely be made public. So in the case of a web form, we can make the public key available to our CGI, which protecting the private key for our use only.
The first step is to generate a key pair and password protect the private key. For this we'll use OpenSSL which comes pre-installed on just about every Unix-like system (including OS X). OpenSSL provides a wide range of cryptographic functions including an implementation of the RSA public key encryption algorithm.
First we generate the private key. "2048" is the size of the key in bits, and, in this simple example, it controls the maximum number of bits we can encrypt . For more security, at the cost of more processor overhead, you can increase size, but you shouldn't use a smaller number. We'll need a password; I like to use Diceware, but you can generate it any way you like.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Then we extract the public key:
1 2 3
Now a bit of code to encrypt a string using the public key:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
The function encryptPublic takes the path of the public key and a string to encrypt and returns the encrypt string. Because the encrypted string is binary it's converted to text using Base64 to make it easier to handle. This is certainly not necessary, and if you were storing the string in a database that has a binary type you could change the last line of the function to:
The code requires the CPAN module "Crypt::OpenSSL::RSA" which is a wrapper around the OpenSSL libraries.
Now to decrypt:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
Here we have the function decryptPrivate which takes the path of the private key file, the private key password, and the (Base64 encoded) encrypted string and returns the decrypted string. The process is a bit more complex than encryption and, do to the limitations of "Crypt::OpenSSL::RSA", we have to use an additional CPAN module, "Convert::PEM".
Crypt::OpenSSL::RSA" lacks the ability to unlock (decrypt) the private key. It's decrypt function expects to receive an already decrypted copy of the key. Fortunately for us "Convert::PEM" can decrypt the private key and return it in a format we can use.
As with encryption, you do not need to use Base64 encoded strings. Simply replace the line:
On key size: As I said above the amount of data you can encrypt this way is limited by the key size minus 11 bytes of overhead (padding), here a 2048 bit key gives us 256 - 11 = 245 bytes. You could handle larger data by increasing the key size, but that would entail a potentially large performance hit and is not how key pairs are used. Instead you would generate a random password, use it to encrypt the data using symmetric-key encryption such as Triple DES or Blowfish, then use the public key to encrypt and store the random password.
One last note; there is another Perl Module "Crypt::RSA" which is a purl perl implementation of RSA public key encryption. On the plus side, it doesn't require OpenSSL be installed and it has a much more complete API, including better key handling. On the minus side, while fast for perl, it's considerably slower than OpenSSL and can not take advantage of encryption hardware; something that OpenSSL automatically does.]]>


text:
5 Comfortable Armchairs for a Home Theater
Here are five chairs that are both comfortable and stylish.
1. West Elm's Sedgwick Recliner ($699)
This chair will surprise you. It looks very rigid, but the back is actually very plush and soft, and the arms are just the right height for leaning into the corners.
2. La-Z-Boy Emerson Low Profile Recliner in Sterling ($1,099)
I admit it. La-Z-Boy has actually come a really long way when it comes to recliners. Sure, you'll still find those old classics in their stores, but you'll also find chairs like the Emerson, which come in lots of great modern patterns and features more solid lines.
3. Design Within Reach's Milo Baugham Leather Recliner ($3,100)
This DWR chair doesn't even look like a recliner. It tricks you into thinking it's just a stylish arm chair and then BAM! it reclines. The leather is the softest around, and you know it will last forever.
4. The Joya Rocker at The Land of Nod ($995)
I'm a big fan of rocking chairs and gliders, but they too are often less than stellar to look at. I'm also a big believer in rockers for movie marathons. In fact, a rocker is my chair of choice at home because it's soft, comfortable and best enjoyed with an ottoman nearby, which conveniently also serves as landing pad for popcorn.
5. Pottery Barn's Manhattan Leather Recliner ($1,999)
This is what my boyfriend would call a "man chair." Soft leather, big arms and a deep seat. It's not for everyone, but it's a nice happy medium for couples seeking a more classic look with plenty of comfort too.
(Images: As linked above)
5 Comments
We have 2 Ekornes Stressless chairs. We wanted 1 small (for me) and 1 medium (for my husband). They weren't inexpensive, at least here in Canada, and because we wanted red leather, they were custom made in Norway and took a while to be delivered. We have them in a small room with our TV, and they are so comfortable.
That DWR recliner is a little retro for my taste, but I love the subtlety of the recliner mechanism. "Within Reach" is relative, I guess.
I have the Sedgwick and it's quite comfortable, and also subtle as a recliner.
I have been longing for a modern recliner and who knew La-Z-Boy would fit the bill...sold!
Ok so the one I like is the DWR chair...bummer for La-Z-Boy.
These are all great recliners, but do any of them do well in the CSF*?
*Couple Snuggle Factor