text:
|Número de publicación
|Tipo de publicación
|Número de solicitud
|Fecha de publicación
|6 Mar 2003
|Fecha de presentación
|29 Ago 2002
|Fecha de prioridad
|31 Ago 2001
|Número de publicación
|Seth Rosenberg, Timothy Brennan
|Cesionario original
|Evolveworks, Inc.
|Exportar cita
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Citas de patentes (5), Citada por (14), Clasificaciones (9), Eventos legales (1)
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet
[0001] This application claims the right of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60,316,331 filed Aug. 31, 2001.
[0002] Not Applicable.
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention is directed generally to a method and apparatus for managing information and data flow between points and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for object based information flow management.
[0005] 2. Description of the Background
[0006] Historically, a company or an individual desiring to engage in information management, such as the management of contact lists or calendars, had two options available. The first of these options was the purchase of an expensive on-site site server-based system, and the second was the use of a web-based system.
[0007] The first option does not present a central storage area that can be used across multiple organizations, or among multiple individuals not within the same organization. The on-site server system is complex to set up, and must be maintained, administrated, and updated on-site. On-site server applications, in general, are not optimized for communication-over the internet, due to the fact that such systems are not designed for cross-organizational information sharing.
[0008] The second option, a web-based system, offers storage at a central site, and eliminates the need, on the part of a company or individual, to purchase and maintain expensive on-site equipment. However, a web-based system offers little flexibility in the manner of accessing the system, as only web-enabled devices can communicate, via web-based methodologies, with the system, and the system is accessible only when a communicative connection is present. Thus, mis-matched protocol devices are not interoperable with web-based systems. Additionally, a web-based device, due, in part, to the nature of an internet connection, is often slow, inefficient, and frustrating to use. Further, a web-based system may be further slowed by the need to access an entire application, and all the functionality offered therefrom, over an internet connection.
[0009] Therefore, the need exists for information flow management that may be accessed from any communication device, irrespective of internet interoperability, that does not require expensive on-site equipment, that provides a central access point and data management point, that provides increased access speed, and that improves information flow between all devices, including devices operating on mismatched protocols.
[0010] The present invention is directed, in part, to an application-based communication system and protocol. The system includes at least two communicating agents, wherein each of the communicating agents hosts at least a portion of a plurality of information, and wherein the at least a portion of the plurality of information is accessible via an application interface communicatively connected to each of the communicating agents. The protocol includes at least one entity object and at least one association object. Each object is preferably an independent data item, and each entity object and association object include at least one identifier. Each class identifier is pre-registered within the application interface on at least one of the at least two communicating agents, and each association object links at least two entity objects in accordance with at least one of the pre-registered identifiers. The at least one entity object, and the at least one association object, are accessible by accessing at least one logical address, and a first of the at least two communicating agents is capable of updating the portion of the plurality of information in at least one second of the at least two communicating agents by exchanging the at least one address from the first communicating agent to the at least one second communicating agent. The system may additionally include a communicating host in the form of an entry-way, wherein the entry-way includes the application interface to communicate with the application interface on the second communicating host, such as a central server. The entry-way may then communicate with devices that do not operate using the protocol of the present invention.
[0011] Additionally, the present invention is directed, in part, to a method of updating display data, between at least two communicating agents, using an object-oriented application-based communications protocol, wherein each communicating agent hosts at least a portion of a plurality of information, and wherein the at least a portion of the plurality of information is accessible via an application programming interface. The method includes the steps of transmitting at least one association object from a first of the at least two communicating agents to a second of the at least two communicating agents, and transmitting at least two entity objects from the first of the at least two communicating agents to the second of the at least two communicating agents. The at least one association object links the at least two entity objects, and each of the at least one association object and the at least two entity objects includes an identifier. The identifier is pre-registered within the application program interface on each of the at least two communicating agents.
[0012] Thus, the present invention provides information flow management that may be accessed from any communication device, irrespective of internet interoperability, that does not require expensive on-site equipment, that provides a central access point and data management point, that provides increased access speed, and that improves information flow between all devices, including devices operating on mis-matched protocols. Those and other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention hereinbelow.
[0013] For the present invention to be clearly understood and readily practiced, the present invention will be described in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference numerals designate like elements, and wherein:
[0014]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the communication between a remote unit and a central server;
[0015]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the architecture of the present invention;
[0016]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a connection between at least one remote unit, or at least one entry-way server, and at least one application server; and
[0017]FIG. 4 is a relational diagram illustrating the interaction of the four levels of the API employed in FIG. 3.
[0018] It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, many other elements found in a typical information management system and method. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other elements are desirable and/or required in order to implement the present invention. However, because such elements are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements is not provided herein.
[0019]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the communication between a remote unit 10 and a central server 12. The remote unit 10 is preferably used by a local user 14, such as a user 14 of a personal digital assistant 10 a, computer 10 b, cellular telephone 10 c, or other remote communication device 10 d, that is communicatively connected 16 to the central server 12. The central server 12 is a server known in the art, and provides central storage, eliminating the need for an on-site server or back-up at the remote unit 10. The remote unit 10 of the present invention preferably offers immediate response to requests of the local user, which immediate response is preferably enabled by the storage of information responsive to the request 22 at the remote unit 10. This storage 22 may be in a cache at the remote unit 10, and the responsive information for the immediate response is preferably information granted for a previous information request by the local user 14.
[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the cached information 22 is immediately displayed on the remote unit 10 to the local user 14 upon a request by the local user 14, irrespective of the existence of a communicative connection 16 to the central server 12. Upon contact with the central server 12, and preferably while the cached information 22 is displayed, the remote unit 10, if authorized to communicate with the central server 12, opens a communicative connection 16 to the central server 12, synchronizes with the central server 12, and downloads any changes necessary to update the information 22 then-currently displayed, and then currently cached, at the remote unit, to updated responsive information 26. The cached information 22 is then preferably updated with the updated responsive information 26 upon receipt at the remote unit 10.
[0021] Authorization of the remote unit 10, or of the local user 14, by the central server 12, may be in the form of a user registration, and may include the entry of a plurality of user information 30 unique to that user. Subsequent authorizations to the first authorization may or may not include the entry of, for example, a password and/or login name unique to that local user 14, in order to access the previously entered user information 30. Further, subsequent authorization may include an automated login, as is known to those skilled in the art.
[0022] A plurality of responsive information 26 is preferably available via download from the central server 12, and a copy of at least a portion of the plurality of responsive information 22 is preferably cached at the remote unit 10, as discussed hereinabove. For example, information may be available on each user authorized to use the central server 12, such as the contacts and the calendar for each local user 14. In a preferred embodiment, authorized local users 14 of the central server 12 are differentiated from users that are not authorized to use the central server 12, both at the central server 12 and upon display on the remote unit 10. For display at the remote unit 10, this differentiation may be performed, for example, by a color differentiation differentiating authorized users from non-authorized users. For example, in the instance wherein a local user 14 accesses the system and accesses his or her contacts list, other authorized users of the system in the contact list will be highlighted in a particular color different from the non-authorized users.
[0023] Each authorized user 14 of the system may uniquely authorize or not authorize particular other authorized users of the central server 12 to access all, or a portion of, his or her information 30 from the central server 12. For example, authorized user A may authorize authorized user B to access the contacts list of authorized local user A. This authorization by one authorized user to allow one or more selected other authorized users to access at least a portion of his or her information is termed "sharing". In one embodiment of the present invention, in the instance wherein authorized local user A has accessed the contact list of authorized local user B, any secondary authorized users in the contact list of authorized local user B that have authorized user A to access the contacts of that or those secondary authorized user(s) are then accessible by authorized user A, and so on.
[0024] The authorized use by other users of all or a portion of the information of each local user information 30 is preferably authorized by a plurality of security settings for each information item of each user. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is operable using prior art methods wherein one security setting is applied to each user profile, rather than individualized security settings for each item of user information 30. In an exemplary embodiment, where security settings allow a plurality of users to share contacts and/or calendars, any first authorized user could, for example, access and overlay the schedules of any number of authorized users authorizing the first authorized user to access the calendars of those authorized users, and the first authorized user could then conveniently generate a meeting time when all other necessary authorized users were available to meet. The first authorized user can then enter a meeting time into the first user's schedule, and, dependent upon the security relation between the first and the other users, the meeting may then automatically be entered into certain of the other authorized user's schedules, and invitations to the meeting may be sent to certain other of the other authorized users, which other authorized users "share" information with the first authorized user.
[0025] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that sharing can occur not only between members of one organization, but among members of numerous organizations, wherein each of the users between the different organizations are authorized users of the central server, and wherein authorized users of each organization authorize users in other organizations to access information. For example, through the use of the present invention, an authorized user in company A is able to generate available meeting times as between companies A, B and C, and between whatever personnel the authorized user desires to set up those meetings, if companies B and C, or authorized users therein, "share" information with company A, or at least one authorized user therein.
[0026] The present invention is enabled via the communication between the remote units 10 and the central server 12 that is shared among all authorized users. Each remote unit 10 communicates directly with the central server 12 via the communicative connection 16, but does not necessarily communicate with elements within the central server 12 through a browser, or through a particular assigned communication language. Thus, the present invention is a front-end, application based methodology and apparatus, rather than a web-based apparatus and method, and thereby allows an interaction between remote units 10 employing varied communication methodologies. Nonetheless, the present invention may additionally be employed to communicate over a web-based environment. The direct communication from the remote unit 10 to the central server 12 allows the aforementioned caching to be performed at the remote unit 10, thereby allowing offline updates to the local user information 30, and later synchronization with the central server 12 for downloading of the information 30 to the central server 12 for updating. The present invention is applicable, for example, in the use of contacts, calendars, document management, instant messaging, PDA synchronization, file transfer, reminders, and the like.
[0027]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the architecture 200 of the present invention. The architecture 200 of the present invention may include, for example, a cellular telephone 10, linked to an entry-way server 202, such as a web server, which web server may include an ASP, Java Service Page, or the like, for example. The entry-way server 202 is communicatively connected to a at least one application server 204 resident on the central server 12. Further, the at least one application server 204 is communicatively connected to a data base 206 at the central server 12. Additionally, a computer 10, such as a lap top or desk top computer, or a personal digital assistant 10, for example, is shown directly communicatively connected to the application server 204 or servers at the central server 12.
[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, only the application server 204 or servers at the central server 12 communicate directly with the data base 206. Thus, it should be noted that the computer and/or the personal digital assistant shown are direct clients of the application server 204, and additionally the web server 202 is a direct client. The cellular telephone, or other remote unit 10, that must dial into the web server 202 is not a direct client of the database 206. Therefore, communications entering the web server 202 are translated by the web server 202 for communication with the application server 204 or servers, and communications from the computer 10 or PDA 10 are translated by application software 212 on the computer or PDA 10 for communication with the application server 204 or servers. Thus, the present invention operates irrespective of the communication protocol of the remote unit 10, as all remote units 10 are either directly in contact with the application server 204, using protocol known to the application server 204, or are translated by, for example, the web server 202, into the protocol of the application server 204.
[0029]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a connection 16 between at least one remote unit 10, or at least one entry-way server 202, and at least one application server 204. The communication connection 16 between the remote unit 10, or the entry-way 202, and the application server 204 is a true object based protocol, and thus each of the at least one remote unit 10, or the at least one entry-way 202, and the at least one application server 204 preferably includes an object based SDK thereon, and each SDK includes a common application program interface ("API") 304. The term "object" is used herein in a generic sense, and need not be C++, xml, or the like, or any particular computer language. The object based communication 16 illustrated in FIG. 3 is an SDK preferably having a four level API 304. Each API level allows for application programming and communication consistent with that level. The first level is the object structure level, the second is the communication level, the third is the security level for each object in the object structure level, and the fourth is the function level.
[0030]FIG. 4 is a relational block illustrating the interaction of the four levels of the API 304 employed in FIG. 3 hereinabove. The object model structure level 400 is an "entity-association model" ("EAM"). An entity 402 in the EAM is a finite information item, or a finite "object", such as a name, an address, a time, a location, a telephone number, or a job title, for example. An entity 402 is preferably not a complete employee record, in that an entity 402 may be merely a single field of a complete employee record, such as a telephone number, but implies no relationship between fields, such would be implied in a complete employee record. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is applicable not only to a complete employee record, but also to, for example, a complete meeting schedule, including a time, a location, and an attendee list.
[0031] An association 404 describes a relationship between entities 402. For example, entity A may be the name of a person, and entity B may be a telephone number, and an association between the two entities may be that entity B may be the work telephone number for entity A. Each of an entity 402 and an association 404 is, in and of itself, an object. Thus, an association class, such as business telephone number, inherits from, for example, a telephone number, and, similarly, a home telephone number, a fax telephone number, and the name of the person to whom each is associated are interrelated by association objects 404. Thus, the class, or type, of an association must be specified in order to specify an association object 404. Association objects 404 are subject to certain rules, which rules will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, a telephone number entity preferably cannot be associated via an association object 404 as the e-mail address entity for a person entity.
[0032] Consequently, in operation, no foreign keys are necessary to create new relationships between entities 402 in the present invention. Rather, existing association objects 404 are employed, or new association objects 404 are created, and those association objects 404 operate on already-existent entities 402. Thus, the database 206 of FIG. 2 preferably includes only objects, in the form of entity objects 402 and association objects 404, addressed in the database 206 by memory addresses, and the API 304 of the present invention pieces the objects together from the data base 206 in order to create communication between the central server 12 and the remote unit 10.
[0033] Each entity 402 preferably has a class identifier and a unique logical instance identifier 402 a, and each association 404 similarly has a class identifier and a unique logical identifier 404 a. Associations may include, for example, a first column of the association class I.D., a second column of the association unique I.D., a third column of entity one I.D., and a fourth column of associated entity to I.D, wherein each entity includes an identifier that assures that columns three and four can be properly associated in light of the rules discussed hereinabove. It should be noted that, in general, association objects 404 operate on entity objects 402 in a one way fashion. In other words, if person A is a contact of person B, person B may be, but is not necessarily, a contact of person A. This true object oriented methodology of communication between the remote unit 10 and the central server 12 in the present invention allows for a substantially higher data update rate, thereby increasing refresh rates, than a typical communication protocol, as discussed hereinbelow. Further, the caching of information from a previous use, as discussed hereinabove, allows for the display of information to a local user 14 desiring to see information without a wait period, and the removal of the wait period in the prior art, in conjunction with the improved data update rate of the present invention, allows for an increased speed of use of the present invention.
[0034] The second level 410 of the communication methodology is the communication within and between the APIs 304. The pieces of an entity object 402, or an association object 404, are objects in and of themselves. For example, the first name in a name field entity is an object. "Atoms" 412 inherit from objects, and, consequently, an atom is an integer, for example, in a date/time, or a portion of a logical address pointer, and is thus a minimum sized information item. Each atom preferably possesses knowledge of the manner in which that atom reads itself to, and writes itself from, the stream discussed hereinbelow.
[0035] In the present invention, each object 402, 404 has the capability to read and write atoms 412. For example, a series of atoms 412 is preferably saved, such as into the central database 206, or into the cache 22 of the remote unit 10, as a block of bits, also called a stream. In order to perform communication between the remote unit 10 and the central server 12, each of the remote unit 10 and the central server 12 must include a capability to write to the stream, and to read from the stream. The read and write capability is defined for each atom 412 of the stream, as discussed further hereinbelow.
[0036] The stream may or may not include information on the information items, or the order of the information items, included in the stream. For example, the class I.D. of an object 402 a, 404 a may be read from the stream, or a class I.D. may be written to the stream, or no class may be included in the stream. When the class I.D. is included in the stream, the receiver of the communication can construct the objects sent based upon the streamed bits received, in accordance with the class I.D. instruction. For example, wherein the class I.D. is written to the stream, followed by the data bits written to the stream, the receiver can, upon receipt, first read the class I.D., and then read the stream in accordance with the class I.D. received.
[0037] As discussed hereinabove, the class I.D.s 402 a, 404 a are preferably pre-registered at each end of the communication stream, i.e. at the remote unit 10 and at the central server 12. Therefore, upon receipt of, or upon writing of, information, the information read or written is classified according to the already pre-registered class. For example, a class I.D. 402 a may be written to the stream having entity class "person name". The data streamed may then include atoms 412 that form the last name first, followed by the first name, followed by the middle initial. Upon receipt at the receiving end of the stream, the receipt of the pre-registered class I.D. "person name" instructs the receiver 10, 12 that the data structure that follows is known, and the bits will be streamed in a particular order for reconstruction. Alternatively, only logical addresses of the unique identifier may be streamed, which logical addresses of the unique identifier may point to the atom information desired, which atom information has been pre-registered at both the sender and receiver, and, as such, may be referred to solely by the commonly-known logical address of the unique identifier.
[0038] Similarly, each association has a pre-registered I.D 404 a. This association I.D. 404 a is preferably streamed to evidence a particular association object between entity objects that follow, such as the association that the telephone number entity object (or logical address of the telephone number entity object) that immediately follows the association object (or logical address of the unique identifier of the association object) in the stream is the number of the person entity object (or logical address of the unique identifier of the person entity object) that follows after the telephone number object. The bit stream in this example might continuously include the atoms that form the association, the atoms the form the telephone number, followed by the atoms that form the name of the person to whom the telephone number belongs. Alternatively, rather than receiving the atoms of the association, the actual telephone number, or the actual atoms of the name, for example, a pointer is instead received, wherein the pointer is the pointer discussed hereinabove, and wherein the pointer points to a logical address of the unique identifier in the database 206, or in the remote unit 10, that includes the necessary data. Thus, the pointer to a logical addresses of the unique identifier is received, and the necessary data is accessed from that logical address in, for example, the central database 206, and an association may then be created between the data in the addresses pointed to, in accordance with the I.D., i.e. the type, of the association object received.
[0039] Through the use of the present invention, associations, and the entities associated thereby, are streamed with a minimal amount of data flow. As set forth hereinabove, through the receipt of an association class I.D. and/or pointer, the receiver may be informed that the association is a link between two entity objects to be received in the data stream via a receipt of pointers to the objects. Thus, the only information that must be transmitted is an I.D. or pointer to an association, followed by pointers to be associated by the association I.D. Consequently, in order to create new tasks, such as new commands, or new associations, with the API 304, only pre-registration with the API 304 of the new task, command, or association I.D., or the memory address thereof, must be performed, and no manipulation of the entity data, or then-current association data, in the database 206 need be performed. Further, in order to enter new data information, all that need be streamed is a command to create new data information, preferably in the form of an object, such as a pointer, and/or an association object between the new data information to be streamed thereafter, such as in the form of a pointer, and the atoms that make up the new data information. Thus, the convenience of data base 206 upkeep and updating is substantially improved through the use of the present invention, and the speed of entry for new data, associations, or commands, is substantially increased.
[0040] The third level of the API 304 is the security level 430 for each data item. Security is preferably merely an association object 404 in the present invention, wherein the association associates a particular security association object A for an entity object B as to entity association object C, wherein entity object B is otherwise associated with entity object D, such as entity object B being the telephone number for a person entity D. For example, each entity object 402 may have a security profile associated with it by an association object 404, and that security profile is itself an object. The use of entity objects 402 and association objects 404 eliminates many of the security tasks necessary in the prior art. For example, a home profile and a work profile may each be association objects that associate particular entity objects for a particular individual in the present invention, and each such profile may each have different security levels associated therewith for the entity objects associated therewith. Additionally, different associations may be available for each entity object. For example, wherein entity A allows entity B, via a security profile object, to view the contacts of entity A, entity A may still not allow entity B to see that the contacts are associated with entity A. In this manner, security may be employed in a plurality of ways. For example, rather than assigning all available and desired parties into a meeting on the shared schedule, the security level for a particular entity, such as a staff member of a company, may only allow that entity to send out invitations to a meeting at a given time or any given place, rather than assignments, which may only be sent by a party having managerial security. Thereby, security levels may be varied by entity, such that entity B may only view the name and business telephone number, but not the home telephone number, of entity A, or such that the head of a department has the ability to assign personnel to a meeting, while a member of the staff of the department head may only invite personnel to a meeting.
[0041] The fourth level is the function level 432. The command set of the present invention is also series of objects, which objects are streamable, and may be streamed in an assigned order, such as first streaming a stream identification, then streaming at least one object, then streaming operation commands, and then streaming command parameters. Thus, new functional commands may be added in the present invention by creating the new commands as new objects, and pre-registering that new command object into the API, as discussed hereinabove. The present invention may thus be functional in any programming language, and programming languages at points between the remote unit and the application server, such as at the entry-way, may be mixed and matched. The present invention is dependant only upon streaming and pre-registration, and is dependent only upon communication between the APIs 304.
[0042] Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be implemented. The foregoing description and the following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations.
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Owner name: EVOLVEWORKS, INC., DELAWARE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ROSENBERG, SETH;BRENNAN, TIMOTHY;REEL/FRAME:013244/0995
Effective date: 20020827


text: When I arrived at the hotel, I was greeted with a smile and the clerk was very nice. The lobby was very clean.I arrived early than check in (much earlier) and they acted like it was no problem. My king room was roomy and welcoming.I had all I needed to stay for a couple of nights. Breakfast was ok. It... More

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Latest Updates 10-Oct-2015
Find the fashion sewing patterns you are looking for:
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text:
Washington Life magazine and Saks Fifth Avenue hosted their fourth-annual Men and Women of Substance and Style awards Monday night at Saks' Chevy Chase store, and, as always, the awardees were mostly substance, the atmosphere pure style. About 250 guests dressed with flair appropriate to the occasion — which required lots of air-kissing, sipping mojitos and tasting delicacies from area restaurants (barbecued clams casino from the Oceanaire Seafood Room, tuna sashimi from Chef Geoff's, mini eclairs from Mie N Yu) amid racks of $300 silk shirts and $3,000 designer gowns.
A head-turning show of designer David Rodriguez's fall line preceded the brief award ceremony, with top-notch models in blacks, grays, browns and maroons parading past a crowd that included former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge, Debbie Dingell, Mary Margaret Valenti, Mandy and Mary Ourisman, Ann Hand, Rima al-Sabah, Wyatt and Tandy Dickerson, Deborah Sigmund and event chairwoman Lisa Gordon-Hagerty. Fox-5's Laura Evans was a perky emcee, dressed in a beige leather jacket designed by Mr. Rodriguez.
Alma Powell, chosen for her work as vice chairman of the Kennedy Center and chairman of the America's Promise charity, wore a simple blue suit and pearls. "I don't know that I fit in with the 'style' part" of the award, she said, "so I decided just to be low-key." Also honored were David Domenici, executive director of the See Forever Foundation, which established the Maya Angelou Charter School for at-risk youngsters in Washington; Diana Goldberg, chairman of the board at Children's National Medical Center; Ludy Green, president of Second Chance Employment Services, which offers free job-placement help to at-risk women; Sean Tuohey, director of Playing for Peace; Jan Verhage, executive director of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital; and lawyer Riley Temple, founder of the True Colors Theatre Company.
Mr. Temple was frank in explaining his own personal style. "I only wear bow-ties, principally because I eat out a lot and [long] ties get ruined," he said before noting that the award shouldn't be thought of as a prize for good fashion sense, but as a means to honor those "who have made significant contributions improving the lives of others."
About $80,000 was raised for Wired Kids, an all-volunteer organization that works to protect children from Internet sexual exploitation. Nancy Bagley, editor in chief of Washington Life, said that awareness of the issue had increased dramatically after the recent tsunami, when news organizations reported Internet-organized sex tours that included visits to orphanages in Southeast Asia.
Parry Aftab, a privacy lawyer who quit her lucrative practice to start Wired Kids after seeing Web images of a 3-year-old child being raped, thanked the chic guests for their support, and hoped they'd do even more for the cause. "When Washington cares," she said, "Washington can move mountains."


text:
Wisconsin Badgers tailback Corey Clement will be out for the next four-to-six weeks due to sports hernia surgery.
"Corey Clement has been dealing with some issues since before the Alabama game," Wisconsin Head Coach Paul Chryst said. "He has been undergoing treatment since that time and has seen some progress but not to the point where our medical staff is satisfied. So after consultation with our medical staff, Corey has decided to have surgery for a sports hernia."Follow paulmbanks


text:
You know Ed Schlossberg as a guy who married into the most famous family in America. But his new project -- helping ordinary Americans trace their family histories through Ellis Island -- may finally give us all insight into the man who lives with Caroline Kennedy. ... Read the story
Discussion of:


text:
By Marshall Connolly, Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
4/19/2013 (2 years ago)
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Scientists have discovered three new planets which they believe could be quite similar to Earth. Studying data from the Kepler mission, scientists say they have located three earth-like planets more than 1,000 light years away.
By Marshall Connolly, Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
4/19/2013 (2 years ago)
Published in Technology
Keywords: planets, smallest, life, Kepler, telescope, search
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Scientists have discovered three earth-like planets orbiting distant stars using the Kepler space telescope. Now that they can reliably locate such planets, it is believed more will soon be discovered.
Two of the planets, Kepler 62e and Kepler 62f were announced in the journal Science. A third, Kepler 62c was announced in the Astrophysical Journal.
The three planets are close to the Earth in size, ranging from 40 to 70 percent larger than the Earth. They orbit their parent stars around the habitable zones, which is the zone around a star where liquid water can exist.
This means that the planets could potentially harbor life.
Unfortunately, they are so distant from Earth, it won't likely be possible to assess if they have life anytime soon.
That's different for closer stars. Now that scientists have refined their methods for detecting earth-like planets around other stars, they can start looking at closer systems for them. The next generation of telescopes will be able to discern the individual planets around these stars and even perform analysis of their atmospheres. Which gasses make a planet's atmosphere can be determined by the light that is absorbed by molecules in their atmospheres. Scientists can learn this by studying the light that passes through their atmospheres.
What gasses are present in the atmosphere matter because they can carry the telltale signs of life.
New telescopes will look for small, rocky planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars. Scientists suspect that earth-like planets will be surprisingly common and that a number of them will feature habitable conditions. However, just because a planet is habitable, doesn't mean life follows.
Humans will not likely ever be able to travel to such worlds distant worlds, however we could still answer age-old questions about the possibility of life on other planets by studying these distant worlds.
The discovery of life on another planet would teach us that we are not alone in the universe and could forever change our approach to science and astronomy.
Brown Wood Family Rosary
St Patrick Rosary
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
In the digital age, the new mantra should be, "The most important in the world - is the one that I am with." "Phubbing," the rude practice of taking cell phone calls while ignoring the people near you is described as being an epidemic problem in the United ... continue reading
By Nikky Andres (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
It has been months since police began tracking down a single man in a hoodie with a black ski mask caught holding up one gas station after another. It took authorities a bit of time before they solved a Long Island robbery spree, as the grainy surveillance footage was ... continue reading
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Futurist and lecturer Ray Kurzweil foresees the day when the human race will transform with the help of nanobots, which will be implanted into our brains to connect us to the Internet. Kurzweil welcomes the day, which he predicts will be in the year 2030. While he is ... continue reading
By Hannah Marfil (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Scientists from NASA are seeking answers for the mysteries of moon-like dwarf planet Ceres. On Wednesday, the agency announced they are accepting suggestions from the public that they report would be taken "very seriously." LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - After ... continue reading
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Much, if not all human experience resides in the memory. Now, an implant that encodes human memory is giving new hope to Alzheimer's patients and wounded soldiers who have lost their short-term memories. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Developed at the ... continue reading
By Talia Ramos (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Online scams are still prevalent, especially with the steady growth of new users. Social media giant Facebook gets new users every single day. However, novice users can pose dangers to themselves and to their Facebook friends by calling for "dislike" button scams. ... continue reading
By Kenya Sinclair (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
A major study's results show promise for a gene-activity test that gauges early-stage breast cancer patients' risks. The test can tell who will benefit from chemotherapy treatment and who will not. Those who do not require chemotherapy are not negatively affected by ... continue reading
By Marshall Connolly, Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
The good news? Scientists in California have found water! The bad news? It's on Mars. Scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California have announced through NASA, the finding of recent water flows on Mars, demonstrating the planet still has liquid ... continue reading
By Talia Ramos (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
A Cape Cod, Massachusetts high school senior almost ran out of luck when he felt ill after a football practice last week. He experienced back and chest pains long after football practices ended and his heart rate seemed irregular. It was then the teen checked his pulse ... continue reading
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Excitement is running high - the National Aeronautic Space Agency or NASA is planning to make a major announcement about the red planet mars. Speculation is that scientists will proclaim either the discovery of life - or earlier evidence of life on Mars. LOS ... continue reading


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And they're off ! A Three Day Report !
We were up bright and early at 7am, we slept quite well to say it was the day of departure, usually were awake all night worrying we must be getting used to it - the worrying that is ! A quick bowl of porridge to settle 'boat belly' a last few checks and we were off - we were going to cross the Bay of Biscay. Over the Centuries the Bay has seen the demise of many a sailor, thousands of them dying in the treacherous Bay between France and Spain, ...
Last Day in Camaret
Tomorrow we leave to cross Biscay, we have opted to go to Ria de Viveiro due to a big swell around La Coruna. So after a great nights sleep on our new mooring we were up early preparing for tomorrow which will be the biggest voyage of our adventure so far. The very name 'Biscay' conjures up images of heavy seas, rough weather and fills you with dread, we have waited for the right weather window, some people don't have this privilege and get caught ...
New Mooring
... the rear end and did the rest - Anyone watching would have thought 'Wow, he knows what he's doing' - if only they knew ! We tied her off, then set about our chores for the day, which consisted of washing down the boat, tidying the lazarette in the cockpit, thoroughly cleaning and decluttering it. We then filled the fuel tank with 80 litres of fuel out of the spare Jerry cans ( We carry 8 x 10 litres, 20 litres ...
The dreaded outer Breakwater
... thing but it is nice to know people are also crossing at the same time. Tomorrow we will start getting the boat ready, fuelling her up, filling the tanks, doing engine and sail checks etc Tonight it's another night on the outside because there are no other berths free to get at, we keep trying all combinations on the ropes but none are working how we would like them too, Looks like another sleepless ...
Full Day Foraging
... clams and cockles went into the Thai Soup I made for dinner and went down well, the lob worms, crab and mussels we used for bait fishing off the back of the boat but the motion is that bad you wouldn't know if you had a bite or not so no fish today. We had our nightly jolly into town to check weather (again) emails etc and came back to watch a Dvd. I was right about a poor nights sleep - I was forever up and down checking the mooring lines - We are moving back inside tomorrow for ...


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locketheleisz's blog
on 10.10.2012
Dishonored, Retro City Rampage, and the Death of the Sixty Dollar Purchase
Last night I played through the first hour-ish of both
Retro City Rampage
. Fun was had all around. Still, this lethal cocktail of digitally-delivered-nostalgia and surprise-AAA-hit-of-the-holidays has unexpectedly opened a can of worms I can now never close. A flurry of considerations surrounding the contrast between these two games has been forced into my attention. As each universe unfolded its rules, discoveries, and learning curves, the stark difference became impossible to ignore. The price-points, the proverbial packaging, and of course, the pure joy of playing; they all point to one conclusion.
I am done with AAA games.
To be clear, this is not a slight on
. I am definitely liking the game thus far, and it has succeeded as far as peaking my interest. The problem is that, now that digital distribution and indie games have become a movement, the silhouette of the AAA game has become somewhat defined. Before, when there was no other product to stand next to, the commercial release was just a video game, plain and simple. With indie games having the freedom to forsake formula, the template that forms the AAA game is clear. The sad fact is that most AAA games are not afforded the freedom to escape this template, and all their innovation must be exercised within the established framework.
is a game that wants so badly to provide you with something new, but there is only so much it's allowed to accomplish.
I want to explore what makes
unique. I want to toy with its "Chaos" system, which uses your tendency to sneak or kill as an input to affect the condition of the game world. More kills means more guards, more rats, and more plague. However, hours of exposition, walking from checkpoint to checkpoint, and accomplishing pedestrian tutorial tasks stand in between the player and the core of the game. The idea of tactical freedom is almost enforced onto the player, but a lot of the freedom that
affords the player is illusory. I am free to choke out an NPC, at the consequence of failing the game, and restarting from my last save. NPCs ask me if I am ready to move on to a new locale, but the choice to stay behind begets absolutely nothing, apart from the odd coin or potion here or there. Furthermore, the game is a unique sum of familiar parts; certain elements are immediately recognizable from earlier games. The easiest comparison to draw is
, from which
borrows it's loot system, it's magic system, and it's central agenda as a narrative driven, tactically-open FPS set in a kind of both-past-y-and-future-y-at-the-same-time alternate reality.
My time with
begs the question, "what is this game about?" Is it about the story and setting, an oppressive alternate reality which beneath its surface is not so different from our own? Is it about the player, who's character is examined through the exercised freedom to kill or remain unseen? Recently, I've been feeling more and more like the condition of AAA games is that they have no idea what they're about. They'd like to be about something visceral; they'd like to communicate something to us, but that message is lost amidst a wash of familiarity.
I think price point has a lot to do with the homogenization of the commercial game. Because we as consumers can only afford so many AAA games a year, games like
have to jump through a number of hoops in order to prove their worth as a must-have purchase. Things like Hollywood voiceover talent and multiplayer modes have become staples of the industry, whereas the creativity and the courage to do something different has become risky business. And now this has gotten so bad that a game like
, which provides a new-ish and interesting framework for the player, but never requires the player to perform an action that hasn't been learned from an older AAA game, has become a RISK IP!? However interesting its art direction and however novel its handful of spells can be, I cannot honestly say that
does anything risky at all.
For all these reasons, when I shut off
for the night, I knew that for a part of me, there was no going back. Not once I had experienced all the vicarious joy of Brian Provinciano's excitement that oozes from every pixel in
Retro City Rampage
. Then I finally once and for all knew that I had no reason to ever pay $60 for a game ever again. Not when a $15 game is afforded the luxury of complete freedom. Not when a designer can sell you a dream come true. Not when I can once again play a game and feel like I am having a conversation with a human being, not being told a fairy tale by a screenwriter. This is it; the point of no return. The titans are finished with me, because I no longer want what they have. I'm sick of looking for the sliver of innovation hidden in all the layers of the same old song and dance. I've defended these games for way too long, saying shit like, "yeah, but the [whatever system] was really cool." I'd rather play a 5 second game that looks like
and is built out of pure creativity, than some 40 hour Hollywood-ass game that wants me to do the same shit I've been doing for a decade.
So, here's my little personal revolution against the AAA monster. Next time a commercial game is coming down the pipe with some halfway interesting setting or concept that catches my attention, I am going to take the $60 I would've spent on it, and I am going to burn it. No, just kidding. I am going to take that $60, on release day for whatever AAA game, and I'm going to buy 5 or 6 indie games with it instead. I don't care how many
Call of Duty
games the monster publishers have planned; they are fighting a losing battle, and I'm sick of playing for their team.
In the words of Eddie Murphy/Janet Jackson:
What have you done for me lately?
Did you like
Dead Space
? We've got a
Dead Space
threequel coming out... with co-op... and...
What have you done for me lately?
Farcry 3
has like tigers and shit now...
What have you done for me lately?
is our largest sandbox to date and we're bringing back...
What have you done for me lately?
I've spent the last decade popping off critical-hit-head-shots, snapping to cover, pressing shoulder buttons to throw grenades, completing mundane fetch quests for NPCs, crouching to perform a silent kill, and watching the counter on my in-the-distance checkpoint tick down.
But what have you done for me lately?
on 08.28.2012
Why I Hate to Love Open World Games
�Open world� games are my guilty pleasure.
Let me back it up a bit.
To me, the most boring tendency of commercial games is the blanket use of violent conflict as a primary means of �problem solving.�
�Hey, protagonist. We�ve got a problem. You�re just the guy for the job.�
�Sure thing! What can I do for you?�
Defend this point, and kill these guys until this timer runs out, then run to this point and kill all these guys on the way. Chase that guy in a car and kill him. Snipe that guy from afar.
The problem I see is that the games that are guilty of this generic brand of gameplay are rarely about violence, they are just using violence as a sort of figurative puzzle solution.
It�s a tricky distinction to make. Think about the Portal franchise. The games are top notch all round, but for now we will totally discount the amazing sound design, writing, etc., and focus on the core gameplay mechanic: the portal and portal gun. In Portal, there are no pickups, upgrades, skills, etc., there is only a portal gun (a totally novel and unique gameplay concept), and an environment with which you can interface. That�s it. This is a game about power unchecked and technology run amuck, and as the player, Portal gives you a taste of that. With a portal gun in your hand, you have quantum access, the superhuman ability to travel across time and space; an ability the game beautifully balances with an adversary who is literally everywhere at once.
Looking at your everyday �shoot-em-up, take over territory, complete missions for factions� open world games, we see a totally different species. These are robust, with tons of different gameplay scenarios, and control schemes particular to those scenarios, menus within menus, skill trees, currency systems, etc. So what are these games about? It can be hard to tell. However they all seem to agree on one thing: a blanket game design that employs a variety of scenarios the player is already familiar with.
The problem here is that the blanket mentality often works against the cohesion of the game; or put another way, the lack of focus in these games often works to underemphasize the strength or novelty of the central game concept, and instead showcases what the player is comfortable with.
Going back to �violent conflict,� Assassin�s Creed is a game that is purportedly about assassins. This being considered, AC is a perfect opportunity to make a game about violence, rather than employing it as a sort laborious in between task. The violence committed against the corrupt church and officials could raise moral of the people. Murder of innocent citizens could generate a civilian fear of the protagonist. A messy assassination could begin to reveal your identity, or create panic, while a clean job may not even affect the awareness of the population at all.
These are all concepts which place violence and �assassinations� at the center of the game, making every �violent� action a significant one, which actively affects your experience as the player. Instead, AC opts to focus on roof running, a silly sci-fi plot, and a generic open mission structure, all while reducing assassinations to a one button affair, and instead emphasizing button mash close quarters combat. To me, the entire franchise has been a huge missed opportunity to make, not just a commercially successful game, but a great one. This is for one simple reason: the game does not know what it does well, or put another way, why it is fun.
A lot of these games are guilty of this, but not always for the same reason. Mercenaries 2 is a game that is a blast to play and features a novel air support system that enables the player to order air strikes or equipment drops on a whim; however, it took me a couple hours to even realize this, as the game held my hand through several generic run and gun missions, complete with cheeky dialogue and stereotypical gangster/capitalist/revolutionary characters, and tried tirelessly to convince me that it was as cool as GTA, before it even handed over the core gameplay concept. The game would be better without the longwinded exposition because it is not what the game does well, or why it is cool; Mercenaries 2 is awesome because I can order a tactical nuke on the headquarters of a petroleum corporation. The shame is that Mercenaries 2 actually hinders the player from finding this out.
Borderlands, on the other hand, knows exactly why it�s cool: it�s addictive and complex gun and loot system. Every step of the way, the loot system, and the combat are the stars of the show. The narrative is present, but non-obtrusive, and if a gameplay concept doesn�t exist to bolster the combat or loot system, it simply does not exist. To me, Borderlands is a masterful exercise in concise game design.
Games like Borderlands, an open world game with a unique identity, and the resolve to showcase it, are sadly few and far between. Open world games too often err on the side of wide appeal and sales, and what they bring to the table is lost as a result, awash a sea of familiarity. Do we really want these similarities inserted into all of our commercial games, as a sort of transitional tool? Is there one game you've played in the last decade wherein you weren't able to guess at least half of the controls or puzzle solutions? Is that really what makes these games successful or, more importantly, what makes us like them? I doubt it. I see it as a fear of failure, most likely on the publisher's side, resulting in a list of "must have" features being shoved down a developer's throat.
Anyways, that is my brick of rant about open world games, a genre that I love, but one that is an unfortunate victim of it�s own success, and is subsequently �template�-ed and uniform as a result. I�m extremely hopeful for expansion of the genre, beyond the GTA-clone, and extremely excited for the developments that are happening now, like the mind-blowing-ly amazing Minecraft, which is one of the few open world games that does not employ violent conflict as the player�s main means of interaction.
on 03.20.2012
Disappointment: Red Dead Identity Crisis
With a grand total of about 6 years of development, 800 team members involved, nearly 100 million dollars spent, and over 12 million copies sold, the numbers speak for themselves. I cannot emphasize enough that
Red Dead Redemption
is an outstanding technical achievement in nearly every field it tackles, and it sets a new bar for immersion in games. However, the narrative that sits at the core of the game works to counter this unprecedented immersion every step of the way. Ay, there's the rub.
John Marston is a kind of mutant hybrid videogame protagonist. He is equal parts Link and Commander Shepard. He is half pre-scripted character who exists to tell a pre-written story, and half moral canvas who exists as a vessel for the whims of the player. The halfway nature of our protagonist drives a wedge between the intended narrative and the player's total experience with the game. This rift between script and player choice is mostly apparent in the game's Honor system, which assigns a positive or negative moral value to actions like saving a whore from a drunk guy with a knife
, or dragging an innocent woman from your horse, then tying her up and leaving her on the train tracks
. NPCs will then either trash-talk you or greet you like a hero when you ride into town, depending on your current Honor. While the game world of Red Dead goes to lengths to ensure that I feel the weight of my actions around me, Marston himself seems constantly unaware of his actions, no matter how separate from the script they become.
Marston rides into town greeted by the scared whispers and idle threats of the NPCs I've tormented in the past, while
Marston kicks in moments later during a cutscene to offer some friendly neighborhood help with whatever stupid errand needs a-doin'. (I stole that analogy from
this excellent episode of HAWP
For me, this separation between Rockstar's and my own very distinct stories for John Marston unraveled the campaign. As the differences between the two characters grew in number, I cared less and less about Marston's family or the inevitable quest that would have him face his dark past and answer for the deeds of his old life. After all, that wasn't the past for
Marston was still committing local genocide over poker games. Disappointed with the story, I shlepped myself through the game's final act. While the few twists and turns towards the end were cool and novel, eliminating the few remaining members of Marston's old crew was strangely easy and anti-climactic, and the week in FarmVille that leads up to the game's admittedly epic finale was just straight up boring. The tragedy here is that there were about a million cool missed opportunities for incorporating unique player action into the game's story. Like I didn't just kill Ross as Jack Marston, I killed his wife too, because I was
. And while that action may have enhanced my personal narrative I had designed for the protagonist, Jack Marston was none the wiser. He was unphased by the darkness that had just overtaken him. He remained the dopily heroic robot he always was.
But that's when it happened
. Even though I was done with the campaign I only tepidly enjoyed, I could not stop playing Red Dead. There was always another bear to skin or another poker game to cheat my way through and shoot my way out of. It ended up being one of few recent games I've taken to 100% completion. I picked everyone of those stupid flowers.
As I milled it over, I realized that the disappointment I felt with
Red Dead Redemption
may not have been disappointment at all. It was more of a half fear and half excitement mutant hybrid. The fear was from the notion that the kind of videogames that I grew up on, games that were technically limited and leaned on narrative to turn rough polygons into emotional experiences, were being replaced by a new beast. A beast who's depth is born of its technical capacity. A beast who can create a compelling experience in the absence of a compelling narrative. The excitement was from the notion that Rockstar had touched on a new way to conceive of games. After all, the living world of Red Dead is something that reached universal appeal, making Marston a household name amongst nerds and their adolescent nephews alike. After Red Dead, I can begin to imagine a future where the videogames we buy become synonymous with the sprawling gameworlds contained within; Where the "open-worlds" that are slowly taking over our AAA market, become so dynamic and nearly-living, that the need to shoehorn in a singular narrative will be replaced by the freedom to seed any story the player can imagine. As the 12 year old niece of a friend put it,
Red Dead Redemption
is a place where "I can ride my horse around and nobody bothers me." And maybe that's all it has to be.
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About locketheleisz
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since 7:18 PM on 12.17.2009
Company crony by trade, n00b-ish game designer by accident.
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Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828. Trios, piano, D. 610, E major. Trio for piano in E major, D. 610: autograph manuscript, 1818 Feb.
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Toronto 2012: Kristen Wiig's 'Imogene' Sells to Lionsgate, Roadside
The actress plays a screenwriter who fakes her own suicide to get her boyfriend back in the movie, which also stars Annette Bening and Matt Dillon.
TORONTO -- Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have acquired U.S. distribution rights to Imogene, the Kristen Wiig comedy that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
VIDEO: Toronto 2012: Inside THR's Video Diary Featuring the Festival's Leading Talent
Imogene marks the second significant acquisition of the festival and second deal struck Monday by Roadside, which bought Sarah Polley's documentary Stories We Tell in the afternoon. The plan is to release Imogene in 2013.
The comedy, which drew heavy interest because of its star wattage, stars Wiig, Annette Bening and Matt Dillon. Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman directed from a script by Michelle Morgan. Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler produced with Anonymous Content's Alix Madigan. Madigan and Anonymous' Steve Golin, an executive producer on the movie, developed and attached Wiig and the directors before bringing the project to Maven.
In the movie, Wiig plays a screenwriter who fakes her own suicide to get her boyfriend back, but the plan goes awry when she ends up living with her gambling-addicted mother.
PHOTOS: Hey Hollywood, Test Your Toronto IQ
Wiig's stock has risen since her breakout performance in summer 2011's Bridesmaids, igniting interest in Imogene.
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The deals were negotiated on behalf of Lionsgate by Jason Constantine, president of acquisitions and co-productions, with Wendy Jaffe, executive vp business and legal affairs, and Eda Kowan, senior vp acquisitions.
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Private room/shower/toilet/kitchenNetherlandsNorth HollandAmsterdam
About this listing
Private Studio with private shower, toilet, kitchenette. Queen size double bed and single fold away bed. For 2 persons. Cable TV, Stereo set, Hairdryer, Cooking facilities and all kitchen equipment. Guitar ;-) Very central location, quiet street.
Space where guests can cook their own meals
Central heating or a heater in the listing
The Space
Private Studio with private shower,toilet,kitchenette. Queensize double bed and single fold away bed. For 2 persons
MINIMUM STAY: 5 nights when booking december 31st
Amsterdam Apartments Alexander's: accommodation in the Old South center of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. Dutch traditional housing, 19th century, including flights of stairs. Also several groundfloor apartments available. Private studio's and apartments including kitchenette or rooms with shared facilities.
Located in a quiet low traffic street round the corner of the canal 'Boerenwetering'.
Main squares within walking distance: Leidse square, Rembrandt sq., Museum sq. at 5 minutes walking distance, Amsterdam is a compact city. Rates around 30-60 euro per person per night. Also attractive weekly and monthly rates. Enjoy Amsterdam by bike, boat or just take a stroll... You will love it!
Old South center is the 'Quartier Latin' of Amsterdam. A vivid quarter with plenty of restaurants, bars and shopping opportunities. From the daily Albert Cuijp market to the sophisticated P.C. Hooftstraat, van Baerlestraat and Beethovenstraat with the big brands.
Bicycle rental nearby. Cycle along the river Amstel to the villages south of Amsterdam. Or along Nieuwendammer dike to the village Durgerdam at the 'Marker' lake north of Amsterdam.
Discover Amsterdam by boat. Electric boats for rent, you are the skipper!
FREE INTERNET wifi connection. GUITAR in every room. No breakfast served. Non smoking accommodation only. Extra bed/ persons not booked for: 35 euro per night. Free internet acces.
MINIMUM STAY: 5 nights when booking december 31st.
I hope to welcome you soon. Alexander
Guest Access
Private studio with shower, toilet, kitchenette. It must be quiet in the house from 23.00 onward till 09.00 a.m. No use of terrace or courtyard during these hours.
Interaction with Guests
Guests have a strictly private apartment, we may run into eachother in front of the building, or guests can find me in the next door office.
Host is available for contact, questions, needs or suggestions 24/7.
The Neighborhood
The Quartier Latin of Amsterdam. Easy going and relaxed. High level of facilities around and very centrally located in the heart of Amsterdam. Plenty of bars, restaurants, pubs and shops. This quarter called DE PIJP (part of Old South) is less frantic than the 'centre centre' and more 'human scale'. Attractive daily market round the corner and the green Sarphatipark. Just next to the most attractive Museums of the Netherlands: Rijksmuseum with old Flemish and Dutch masters and much more.The colourful van Gogh museum and the 'Stedelijk' Museum of contemporary art. This quarter was constructed in the late 19th century. Gerard Doustraat 8 dates back to 1886.
Getting Around
From the Airport: By train to Central Station in 15 minutes. By taxi: 15-20 minutes from Airport to apartment for approximately 35-40 euro max. (Mini-bus: 7 persons 55-60 euro). By Bus 197: directly to Museumsquare in 20 minutes, stop: Concerthall (10 minute walk to the apartments).
Buses and Taxi's right in front of the Airport trainstation/ Airport Arrivalhall.
From Central train station: Tramline 16 or 24 to stop Albert Cuijp market street (in 13 minutes).
Public transport round the corner of Alexander's Apartments. Amsterdam is a compact city, so everything is within walking/ cycling distance. By tram to Damsquare 10 minutes max.
Other Things to Note
Steep and narrow flights of stairs (unless you book a ground floor accommodation). House dates from 1886 when the Dutch used to pay taxes on the width of their houses, that is why flights of stairs are narrow and steep! And that is also why you see hoisting beams for furniture in top of the old buildings. There is advantages too: flights of stairs and cycling = free jogging ;-)
Plenty of restaurants, bars, shops in all price ranges in the direct vincinity.
Bicycle rental nearby.
Rent your own (electric) boat and enjoy your private boattour as a skipper or passenger!
Strictly Non Smoking Accommodation Only! Smoking possible in terrace ,courtyard and in front of the house. Smoking of joints not allowed because of smell and hindrance to other guests or neighbours (several 'coffeeshops' nearby!)
Tranquility of courtyard and neigbouring rooms/houses should be respected at all times (residencial area).
It must be quiet in the house from 23.00 onward till 09.00 a.m. No use of terrace or courtyard during these hours.
Voices should be kept low especially from 23.00 onward till 09.00 a.m., doors and windows should be kept closed then when socializing, to prevent noise hindrance and complaints from neighbours and other guests.
No partying allowed in apartment, terrace or courtyard. You can party all over the city though!
Accommodation should be kept organized and tidy during your stay.
Clean kitchen and kitchen utensils 100% before checking out, rest of the apartment should be delivered organized and in reasonably clean state. Alexander's does the end cleaning (except kitchen).
Not complying to the house rules can lead to charging (part of/ full) deposit or cancellation of the apartment without refunds.
We will do eveything we can to guarantee your nightrest so you can enjoy both the tranquility of the Amsterdam nights and your program in the daytime to the fullest. Welcome in Amsterdam.
Alexander, at your service 24/7
7 Reviews
About the Host, Alexander
Hello, I am Alexander. I hope to welcome you soon in my house in Amsterdam . Think you will enjoy it! I have been traveling quite a bit as a driver/guide and had a travel agency/touroperating agency.
I have been living in Amsterdam for over 30 years, I am Dutch and was born in 1955 in a small city along the river Rhine. I also lived in Utrecht and the Hague before I found my home in Amsterdam. The vivid heart of Holland. The accommodation is close to Museumsquare, Heineken Experience and Albert Cuijp market street. The Quarter is called ZUID / de Pijp. It is the so called Quartier Latin of Amsterdam. It is one of the most central and attractive quarters of Amsterdam. The atmosphere is easy and laid back, less hectic than the canalbelt. The house is from 1886. Steep flights of stairs (and cycling) will keep us fit ;-). Alexander's is just next to the canal 'Boerenwetering' leading to Rijksmuseum at 5 minutes walking distance. Leidse plein square, Rembrandt square and city nightlife is also near. From Schiphol Airport by train to the Central Railway Station takes 20 minutes. From the Central Railway Station it takes ten minutes by tram (16 or 24) to stop Albert Cuijp market street. Enjoy your stay in Amsterdam!


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High Court Rejects Lesbian Couple's Request to Undergo Surrogacy in Israel
In a 4-3 decision, the judges urged the women to accept Health Ministry's compromise proposal
The High Court of Justice denied the petition of a lesbian couple who had asked to have a child by surrogacy in Israel instead of having to undergo the procedure overseas. The special seven-justice panel voted four to three against. The full opinion has not yet been released.
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Posts: 2
Joined: 28 May 2007
28-05-2007 11:42
Hi guys,
This is a bit embarrasing and cant talk to anyone about it my bf of 3 mths cant get an erections when it comes to having sex together. We have slept together a couple of times and have had no problems however sometimes he can get an erection but it goes down as soon as he penentrates me. Also when I give him oral sex if I stop for a few seconds its like starting from the scratch again its just goes down too quickly. He says i do turn him on but how can I if he is like this? He is really worried that I will leave him if it is still like this in a few months but I wont I'm not that shallow however it is very important to me all the same. He can satisfy in other ways but its getting him down that he cant perform and as a result he is getting severly depressed over it. He said it happened before but wont go into too much detail, but I am worried now that there is a medical problem or I simply dont do anything for him.
Posts: 9
Joined: 28 May 2007
28-05-2007 16:36
If your boyfriend isn't elderly it may be a mental thing. I used to have a boyfriend who could never reach orgasm because he was so nervous, I eventually made him feel comfortable enough around me that this was no longer a problem. I suggest asking your boyfriend about the previous time this has happened. If he doesn't want to talk about it let him know that you just want to find out so you can improve your sexual relationship with him...and without all the information you can't possibly know what to do about it.
Posts: 2
Joined: 05 Sep 2008
05-09-2008 18:12
My husband is in his 20's and has the same issue. He was recently diagnosed with ED, so it may not be a mental thing. Be careful that you are supportive, because I'm sure he is really worried about it and feels horrible. Encourage him to see his doctor, who can either diagnose that it is a physical problem or something else.
Posts: 1
Joined: 14 Sep 2008
14-09-2008 00:30
If your boyfriend isn't elderly it may be a mental thing. I used to have a boyfriend who could never reach orgasm because he was so nervous, I eventually made him feel comfortable enough around me that this was no longer a problem. I suggest asking your boyfriend about the previous time this has happened. If he doesn't want to talk about it let him know that you just want to find out so you can improve your sexual relationship with him...and without all the information you can't possibly know what to do about it.
Posts: 1
Joined: 07 Jan 2009
07-01-2009 02:08
I think its ED, erectile dysfunction, see I had exactly the same problem, my partner is amazing and he does everything well aparty from the actual sex part, he can never get a full on hard on and only a semi hard on, and as am a virgin there is no chance of him even trying to get there, it was hard on the relationship a lot at times but once we both went to the doctors it was amazing. it helps to just talk and be as supportive as you can..thats the best thing...and once he sees the doc sure he wil be fab.
by the way i tried chinese medicane once, chepaer version of viagra and it worked for him, he got hard and it was lasted 2 hours so it does work....
Posts: 3
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
29-01-2009 23:47
This is common and yes it is erectile dysfunction but since he can actually get an erection it might just be Performance Anxiety and there are several natural ways of treating this without using Viagra or other meds. I think the previous response was talking about horny goat weed which is good as well but the best is a healthy diet and allot of watermelon in it.
I eat watermelons 3 times a week and it makes my erections stay firm during intercourse (which is what your BF needs). This site lists over 10 options to treat erection problems http://www.edguider.com/ I just read an article about 10 foods that help ED, Brazil nuts, watermelon and others.
Good luck with your boyfriend and I hope you solve his issue
Posts: 1
Joined: 24 Apr 2009
24-04-2009 07:55
The most important thing is not to worry. Most of the problems with erection occurs in the nervous soil uncertainty. Give him to understand that everything is fine.
And of course you need good nutrition and good ecology. All that said here are true. And if nothing helps, then you may want to try some medication, but only in very small quantities.
Good luck
Posts: 1
Joined: 12 Jan 2015
12-01-2015 10:03
I recommend to buy Cialis, I take and it allows me to have a good erection, it can buy here:
http://bit.ly/14tnjsb this pharmacy is safe here have a very affordable price and have an excellent service.
Posts: 10
Joined: 19 Jan 2015
23-04-2015 09:00
Improve my sex life viagra use this medication allowed me to increase my sexual power and reach
satisfy my partner without any problem, I am very satisfied with the results obtained with this medicine. I share the online pharmacy where I am asking the
in the safest pills are also very cheap. why I recommend it. http://all-buy-online.com/pills
Posts: 1
Joined: 28 May 2015
28-05-2015 11:09
Hello, have you tried a preliminary long? This is very important if you want to have an erection. If this does not solve your problems, it is important for him to take cialis or viagra. My wife was always against this choice, but when we can not find a good remedy, we tested the cialis I tolerates this pill and now I get a firmer erection. With http://cheap-viagra-24.com, we may have to have it easily.


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Montcalm County Animal Control goes from 'bleak' to exemplary
Just a few years ago, Montcalm County Animal Control was under fire from everyone from animal rights activists to run-of-the-mill pet owners. Management was slipshod, conditions and cleanliness were abysmal and euthanasia practices were archaic and — according to many — inhumane. The shelter actually had a contract with an individual who re-sold former pets and strays alike to animal testing facilities. What a difference three years can make.


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Kariya Banana
How cute is Kariya Banana?
Her current rating is 4.39 out of 5 with 18 vote(s).
Rica's Other Pets
All about Kariya Banana
Pet Tip
My Cat Escaped – Pet tip 244
In order to keep indoor cats inside the house it's important to make sure that doors and windows are securely closed. It sounds obvious but cats are creative and very determined creatures and if there is a way for them to escape, they often will. This is especially true when cat owners (correctly) make the decision to turn their outdoor cats into indoor cats.
Windows are a favourite way for cats to escape. Make sure that all of the windows cannot be opened by your cat. If a window is left open slightly, some cats will use their paws to open it more fully. If there is no screen the cat can escape right then and there. If there is a screen, with just a bit of determination a cat might be able to break though it or slide it open. All you need to do to solve this problem is get a piece of wood and put it in the track of the window. Cut the length of wood so that when you place it in the window's track, you can only open the window a few inches. Always make sure that your cat cannot squeeze through the opening space. Then to keep the wood in the track, screw it securely into the window frame.
- Owner:
- Rica Hansen
- City:
- North York
- Province, Country:
- ON, Canada
- Type/Breed:
- Domestic Short Hair
- Date of Birth:
- December 14th, 2001
- Sex:
- Female
- Height:
- Not Provided
- Weight:
- Not Provided
- Coat Colour:
- Calico-Orange, Gray and White
- Eye Colour:
- Yellow
Hi! My name is Kariya! I am named after hockey player Paul Kariya because I was adopted from the Toronto Humane Society on the day Canada won gold in the Olympics! Maybe one day I will meet my namesake and he can sign my big white belly!
My mom and dad think I have a switch inside of me with "Sucky" on one end and "Annoying" on the other. Sometimes that switch gets stuck inbetween.
I Am Obsessed With: Q-Tips, Pringles cans, water and mom's toe dividers for when she paints her nails.
My Partner in Crime Is:Gizmo (it's always easier to blame the dog).
My Favourite Lounging Spot is: Mom's pillow with my motor on full blast.