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Inner Darkness Chronicles
Alone at last. Today's classes are done and I can finally get some well deserved rest. Well deserved... The fatigue is starting to get to me, I am repeating myself without even realizing it. Aaahhh, bed, sweet bed. If only the Jedi Temple wasn't such a huge structure, if only I was already in my room. Hmmm, now that I think about it, I'm not sure I want to be in my room at all.
The classes I had today didn't differ much from the ones I've had so far. It was the same story over and over again, the Masters simply used different words. The message, the point was the same though. Beware of the Dark Side. The Masters spoke of the Jedi's calling, of the Jedi Code and its importance. They ranted endlessly about the dangers of feelings. A Jedi needs to control them, they said, lest they drag him to the Dark Side. The Light is the only true path according to them, the Darkness is deceiving and perverse. My own Master said to me once that a good Jedi can't allow himself to feel, because feelings, he said, prevent a Jedi to achieve his true potential. They prevent him to become a true emissary of the Light.
I have pondered often on my Master's words, mostly when we were out on a mission, but the more I think about them the more they sound like a load of rubbish. My Master also said that the Jedi protect the innocent and pure hearted and punish the evil, thus reducing the influence the Dark Side has on the galaxy. Yet more... rubbish. I have went on dozens of missions with my Master and I have yet to see a person with a pure heart, how my Master so eloquently decided to put it. Sure, the bandits and crime lords we put away are the worst scum of the galaxy, but even those we are supposed to deem innocent are in fact far from it.
I have felt it in them. Every time me and my Master talked to someone. I have felt the little white lies coming out of their mouths. There were so many lies that the person who speaks them doesn't even know the difference between them and the truth. Ah, how sad it is that the great Jedi Masters don't care about those lies, since I doubt they can't feel them, if I, a mere Padawan, can.
I couldn't always feel what I can now. My senses sharpened over time. Now I don't even need to concentrate to know what hides in a person's heart. All it takes is a look, but most of the time I don't like what I see. It is truly saddening, the amount of darkness that exists here, on Coruscant alone. I dare not think about its true proportions in our galaxy.
The darkness is here. Even the city streets are filled with it. I have seen it. Every person I look at, while walking down one of the many busy streets of Coruscant... Every mind I peak into, even in the mind of a child, I see nothing but darkness. Lately the feeling has become even more terrifying. I don't just feel their darkness anymore, I can see it, manifesting itself to me in forms of horrifying visions.
Ah, I am finally at my own door. A good night sleep will clear things up for me. It has helped, so far. I am not entirely sure about this time, though. Another terrible vision makes me uneasy as I walk into my room. I look through the huge window and instead of a bright and vibrant city with blue skies and beautiful tall buildings, I see a... perverse and ruined place, with blood red sky and black skyscrapers engulfed in flames. Strange dark creatures fly in flocks between them, carrying rotting corpses and dropping them on the masses in the streets. The screams I hear next drop me on my back.
From my bed I stare at the ceiling of my room and watch it dissolve into nothingness as it reveals the blood red sky once again. This isn't the first vision of its kind that I've had, but it's definitely the most intense. I can actually hear a whisper amongst the screams, calling to me. So far I have managed to ignore the call, but now...
My eyes are opened. I have always considered myself different than the other Padawans and now I know why. Now I know why everything felt so unnatural to me. I have kept my strange power and my visions a secret, I thought it was a curse, but it was in fact the greatest of blessings. The Jedi Masters... the worst bunch of hypocrites. They preach the suppression of feelings and yet they themselves don't suppress them, they simply hide them well from others. I realize now that the Light the Order preaches is something completely unnatural to most living things. Every single heart has a small seed of darkness inside and it is up to us to decide how big it will grow. Even the wisest Jedi Masters have it, but they aren't letting it sprout. I know, I have seen it deep in their hearts.
I can't stay in this palace of lies anymore. I quickly pack my things and sneak out through the back entrance of the Temple. Good riddance to all you hypocrites! I walk away slowly, losing myself in the crowded street and as I stand there, in the mass of mutilated beings, I look to the red sky to see the flock of black demons fly once more between the burning skyscrapers. A smile makes its way to my face, a feeling I haven't experienced in a long time. I feel... at home.
Inner Darkness Chronicles
The Middle City is a very interesting place. Lots of different and intriguing people. When it comes to residential areas, Coruscant is divided into three sections: the Upper City, with all its glamour politicians, corporates and the rest of the capital's ''elite'' and, of course, who could forget the righteous Jedi; the Lower City is a complete opposite, down there you can find the poorest of the poor and the worst of the scum, beggars, thieves, smugglers and pretty much everyone who has less than enough credits, or a beef with the law. Black and white. This is why I find the Middle City so interesting. It represents a border between the two. A gray area where the opposites melt together.
Indeed, you can see pretty much everyone here. A representative from absolutely every layer of this great society. And they all mingle together. I swear, I've seen the most unbelievable of combinations. Politicians and smugglers, beggars and thieves, assassins and... pretty much everyone. This is why I love the place so much. It shows the truth to me. Keeps me sharp. Careful.
The Middle City marketplace is probably my favorite part of the place. Everything can be bought here, from the most expensive deathsticks, to the latest in clothing, or transportation and to the most sophisticated weapons. Heck, there are people here who sell things as obscene as dead rats. Strangely enough, there are just as much people who actually buy those things. So why do I love this place so much? Most of the people here are criminals, the place is dark, you can see all sorts of disgusting things here and, on top of it all, the place smells like grilled gizka. Oh, yes. One of the finest delicacies here. Personally, I never found that particular food appealing.
The reason I love the marketplace so much is the purpose I use it for. The mixture of people from every part of Coruscant makes it a great hiding place. From who, you would ask. Well, from the Jedi, of course. You see, the good old benevolent Jedi don't like it very much when one of their own decides to give them the finger, so they send out patrols to find the person in question and bring them back for a cup of conversation with the Jedi Council. It's been more than a century since the last great Sith threat was defeated and yet they still live in fear of the Dark Side. Or so they say. I've heard of a few cases during my own stay at the Jedi Temple, cases similar to my own in the way that they decided to leave the Order without saying goodbye. After their enlightening talk with the Council, the persons in question were either stripped of their powers and let go; sent to the Jedi's own psychiatric ward, which I doubt practiced anything related to psychiatry; or they would suddenly ''see the light'' and return to the Order.
None of the offered options seems very appealing to me, which is why I'm here. The Jedi's untrained senses are blinded by the energy mixture of the Middle City, while my own senses feed off that same energy, they sharpen themselves almost with no effort from me and point out the patrols in the crowd easily. Yes, the Jedi are portrayed to me in a very unique image. And it's not very pretty. Unfortunately, after almost three months of failing to find me, the number of Jedi patrols has increased significantly. They are nothing, if not persistent.
This brings me to the second reason of my today's visit to the Middle City marketplace. As I have mentioned before, this place offers a variety of the most sophisticated and most elegant weaponry. Yes, yes, I know, I don't need a weapon, I have my lightsaber, right? Wrong! In order to sever all ties to the hypocritical Jedi I got rid of everything that came from them. The clothes and their famed weapon. I threw it all into the huge garbage refining section that occupies the very surface of the planet. Everything, except for the credits. What can I say, I need the money.
Now, let's get back to the business at hand. Weapons. Probably the most demanded commodity on the gray market. And it comes in so many sizes, shapes, even colors. Long ranged, short ranged, melee, or weapons of mass destruction, believe it or not, it's all here, for the right price. But, blades are what I'm looking for. I guess, it's logical, considering I've been trained most of my life to use a blade in combat. However, I always like to try new things, which is why, out of all the beautiful and elegant energy and vibroswords, a pair of knives has caught my eye.
Oooooo, how elegant they are. Their bronze handles, each with a small dark blue diamond at the bottom and beautiful carvings all over the rest of them. Blades out of pure silver with double, razor-sharp edges and even more stunning markings grow out of the handles and show their slightly curved shape, widening by a few milimetres halfway through and then joining in a pointy peak. Of course, both daggers have been processed with that brand new transparent cortosis liquid solution, making them extra strong and enabling them to keep that luxurious appearance. They are perfect.
Unfortunately, the same can most definitely not be said for the salesman. Ordinary people would see him as a sweaty, unshaved and overweight, middle aged human, wearing clothes that look like they've been stolen from a senator's trash can. They'd describe this person as a typical slimy dealer. I, on the other hand, have a very different view on the world. My description of this guy would be much, much worse. Thanks to my little gift of seeing through the surface, this guy appears to my eyes as a rotting, charred demon with a rodent's face and glass-like red eyes. Oh yes, my vision has evolved, courtesy of the time spent in the streets and little to no alone time. The rest of his body appears to me no differently than any other person's dead flesh, with an open rib cage, showing the man's heart. This is still the crucial distinction the aura around the heart. It shows to me as glowing smoke and with this person it's gray. Fitting to the spirit of the Middle City.
The rodent-faced salesman names his enormous price for the weapon I desire. Not even a double amount of the credits I currently possess would be enough to satisfy his greed. Luckily, I still use those tricks I learned from the Jedi. And I must say I do enjoy toying with the minds of this kind of people. It's pretty much the only pass time I can afford. After a minute, or two Rodent Face is suddenly willing to generously give me the daggers. I, of course, accept his kind offer, take the weapons and leave. And none too soon, for two Jedi patrols have decided to sweep the marketplace. I see them clearly, their hearts glow with purple smoke. No doubt this represents their aim to hide the seed of darkness within them.
The Middle City favors me once again and allows me to lose myself in the crowd before the patrols spot me. Now that the shopping's done and the pursuers evaded I can at last go to my charming new home and get some desired alone time.
Inner Darkness Chronicles
Dreams. Every living thing experiences them, yet none have ever understood their true significance, or their true purpose. No one probably ever will. There are people who say that dreams are a great way to escape reality. In a dream you can be anyone you want to be, do anything you want to do and be anywhere you want to be. So, yes, even I could agree that dreams are a way to escape. But reality? If people knew what I knew, if they saw what I saw, they would know that the only thing they were escaping from in their dreams was a well made mask, a lie. It's ironic, don't you agree? Running away into a lie and not even realizing that what you are running from is an even more terrible lie.
Then again, dreams can sometimes turn into the most perverse of nightmares. As for me, if an ordinary person were to interpret my dreams, they would name each of them a nightmare. I know better, or at least I think I do. I think my dreams are quite ordinary, compared to the things I see each day. They simply don't allow me to forget what a harsh place our reality truly is.
I am awake. Lying on my back and staring at the ceiling of my little lair. I like to joke that way. What I call a lair is actually one of many abandoned apartments that represent the residential part of Coruscant's Middle City. After I left the Order and lost myself in the crowds of the Middle City, the first thing I did was find a place to live. What I mean actually is eat and sleep, but let's not get into semantics. What is important is that the place has exactly what I need a bed, a bathroom and a small dining table. Besides that, the place has plenty of room and no windows.
I finally make myself get up, I've had enough sleep for today. I take my precious daggers, the ones I so recently acquired from the rodent-faced tradesman in the Middle City market, from under my pillow and place them back on my belt. I slowly make my way to the bathroom, still a bit woozy from the long sleep. A look on the broken mirror shows me that my little power is still working. My face, the face of a young human male with short black hair and blue eyes starts to morph as the small neon light flickers, it turns into a demonic representation of myself a face with small horn-like ridges growing from the lower part of its forehead, teeth that change their color from a clean and healthy white into a rusty yellow color and eyes that turn from those of a human to those of a snake. The first time I witnessed this transformation I was truly shocked, but now I'm used to it. It only serves as a daily reminder that my unique power still works. Besides, as soon as I splash my face with water, its image in the mirror returns to that of a human.
I put on my dark green cloak and as I hide my face under its hood I exit my window-lacking apartment. Time for a quick visit to the market. A man's got to eat, right? And for me the Middle City market is currently the only affordable food source.
When you're in my position on the run from the Jedi Order you realize that stealth is your greatest ally and you teach yourself to utilize that skill as good as the best of spies and assassins. Even when you're hidden in a crowd of people you have to be extremely cautious and aware of your surroundings, otherwise you become an easy prey for your hunters. And let's not forget that eyesight is not the Jedi's only method of detection.
Unfortunately, sometimes you can take every precaution possible and that still wouldn't be enough. That is my case today. The Jedi are far from stupid and during the last four weeks, four weeks since I got my new weapons from Rodent Face, their patrols have doubled the time they spend in the market. It should have been obvious to me that I have been sensed by them back when I was acquiring the daggers, but I have made an oversight and allowed myself to fall into an ambush.
As soon as I've stepped foot in the market I noticed four patrols approaching, one from each side and each patrol consisted of three Jedi Knights. The aura of glowing purple smoke around their hearts easily revealed them to me. There was only one thing to do and I did precisely that I ran.
This wasn't the first time the Jedi patrols found me and I knew that the key to losing them was to enter the dark and filthy service tunnels that stretched through most of Middle City. The Jedi are formidable foes, but even their minds could be temporarily distracted by the numerous sounds the empty tunnels produced. The sound of steam being released from the valves, water running through the pipes, the poor lighting of the place should have been enough to distract the patrols long enough for me to escape them, but these four patrols were more persistent than I expected.
I kept running and running until I reached a large ventilation control room. The only light in this chamber was coming through the large deactivated fan on the tall ceiling. I paused to survey my surroundings and to try to sense the progress of the Jedi patrols. I sensed them coming my way, but I sensed something else, something that was already here, something that embraced its inner darkness completely. It claimed this chamber as its domain and I was trespassing. The Jedi patrols were getting closer and I quickly and silently hid in the shadows of the chamber. The twelve Jedi slowed down as they entered the chamber, obviously doing what I did earlier, getting a feel of their surroundings. They too sensed the danger that lurked here and spread out, igniting their lightsabers. A terrifying scream echoed across the room. The Jedi have angered its inhabitant. Their fate was sealed now.
A huge wraith leaped from the catwalk above and slaughtered two unsuspecting Jedi. The other ten turned to their fallen comrades, but saw nothing except two corpses. They were definitely distracted and if I was a bit smarter I would have sneaked out while they and the creature were busy with each other and ran as far away from that place as I could, but I wasn't that smart. I was curious. I wanted to see what creature could possibly be so dark. Two more Jedi fell as the attacker sneaked from behind and slit their throats with its bare hands. Stealth is its ally. The remaining Jedi tried their best to remain calm and focused, but the fast and stealthy silhouette was too much for them. It defeated them in the next few minutes, killing all but one. It obviously wanted to enjoy its victory by slowly finishing off this last, heavily injured Knight.
The Jedi crawled to the center of the chamber, the part that was directly under the large ceiling fan and thus the part that was best lit. The Jedi must have thought that this creature feared the light, he must have thought he would live long enough to inform the Order via comlink of what has transpired here. He didn't get that chance. The creature finally showed its face and after seeing its next action, it didn't take me long to realize what I was up against. The creature appeared as an extraordinarily tall human, with pale skin and very little equally depigmented hair on his head. Soon that visage transformed into a more horrible one, again courtesy of my little gift. He appeared to me as a huge ghoul, his beating heart displayed to me in the middle of the open rib cage, but there was one distinction. There was no aura of glowing smoke emanating from the monster's heart. Instead the heart was pumping out a black fluid, very much like tar, that poured down and colored most of the organ into that black color.
The ghoul grabbed the poor Jedi and drained him of the Force, leaving an empty shell with an expression of horror on his victim's dead face. That was the moment I realized what this thing was. Back in the Jedi Temple every Padawan is told this story, the story of Tel Angor and the Order of the Silver Jedi, who tried to destroy the Dark Side. Tel Angor was the most prominent member of this secretive Jedi sect and due to an experiment of theirs gone terribly wrong he was transformed into a creature that fed on the Force, that drained it from its victims with the touch of its hands. He became a Force Vampire. Angor was the only documented case of a Force Vampire, but it is obvious now that the Silver Jedi survived him and attempted the experiment again. Failing. Such irresponsibility.
Luckily for me the monster was now distracted with draining the rest of the Jedi corpses and provided me with an opportunity. I knew I could never sneak out unnoticed, so I waited for this moment of weakness and threw one of my daggers straight at the vampire's head. It hit the spot and the monster fell down. Now I had to work fast. There was no guarantee that the monster was dead, so I sped up my pace using the Force, grabbed the dagger I threw and ran like hell. The finest of the Silver Jedi couldn't defeat Tel Angor and I surely couldn't hope to defeat this specimen. Fortunately his lair was far behind me when I heard the horrifying scream, assuring me that the monster survived.
Dreams are a great way to escape the cruel reality. My dreams were never about escape, not until now. The encounter has left a profound impact on me and not a pleasant one. The darkness this creature was bound with was nothing natural, nor was the creature itself. A freakish consequence of a failed experiment. I needed to... I wanted to forget everything, even for a short while and tonight in my dream of a bright and blissful place I escaped reality for the very first time.
Inner Darkness Chronicles
I am in a dark hallway. I am running from something, something unseen. I feel... fear. When I look back the fear only intensifies, so I keep running and running. Suddenly I hear a horrifying scream. I can't help but look back again, despite the fear, but every time I do it, the scream becomes louder. It's closing in. The light at the end of the hallway seems further and further away, all the while the source of the scream seems to be getting closer. I put in one last effort and run like hell, but it's not enough. I feel a hand grabbing my shoulder and then... I wake up.
This is the fifth time in the last month. I've been having the same dream ever since the encounter with the Force-draining monster. It slaughtered the Jedi that were pursuing me and fed on their energy like a vampire. I escaped by catching it in a momentary lapse, a second-worth of distraction and I managed to wound it enough for it to lose consciousness for a minute or two. Just enough for me to leg it out of its lair.
Every time I wake up after that nightmare, I spend a few minutes simply staring at the ceiling. It takes me that long to realize that it was indeed a dream, again, and that I am still in my dark and dusty refuge in Coruscant's Middle City. After that I usually get up and go on with my day, such as it is, but this time...
Something's different. I can't quite place it, but something doesn't feel right. It's not exactly a warning by the Force, but more of a gut feeling. You know, that sixth sense some people that aren't Force-sensitive claim to have. I grab my two knives and as quietly and carefully as I can, I sneak into what's supposed to be the living room-slash-dining room of my... apartment. As I approach the entry door to my place the feeling intensifies and then I see the most horrifying thing the head of the Force vampire, severed and displayed to me as a trophy. The expression on its face wasn't one of fear, it was anger. I quickly turn full circle, convinced that someone else is here, but I see no one. Then, just as I approach to examine the gruesome head, I hear a thump and fall down. The blackness engulfs me.
I start to come to, obviously some time after, but something feels strange. When the wooziness dies down a bit, I realize what's wrong. My hands are tied behind my back and I'm hanging upside down, like a piece of meat. In my own home. My weapons... who knows where they are. Then I hear footsteps. A slender figure walks into my field of vision. It observes me for a few seconds and then, after expressing a single short remark ''Awake already?'' in a whispering, hissing voice, it kicks me in the face and I return to the blackness. In that few seconds before my captor kicked me, I wondered why I couldn't feel the Force. I got my answer just half a second before the kick. A creature resided on my captor's shoulders and, despite the lack of lighting in my home, its silhouette was enough to reveal that it was a ysalamir.
Some time later, I began to slowly wake up. Actually, I can thank the slight city breeze for that. I still couldn't see anything but blackness, but my hearing was working. I distinguished two voices. From the sounds of it, I was obviously the topic of their conversation.
''Delivered, as I promised.'' I heard the first voice say. It wasn't very loud and it sounded like hissing. I knew at that moment that it was my captor talking.
''Excellent work. Your reputation is well deserved.'' The second voice answered. Something about it sounded familiar, as if I'd heard that voice before, but I was still to woozy to place it. All I knew for sure was that the voice was that of a man.
My vision slowly returned and I saw once again the slender figure of my captor, but couldn't see well enough who he was talking to. Mind you, I am using ''he'' in the most general meaning. In truth, all I could determine about my captor was that the person was a bounty hunter and a very good one, obviously. The person knew my weakness and exploited it by bringing a ysalamir, the animal that generates a mysterious field which surpresses the Force. Brilliant. I had no idea if it was a man, or a woman. The hissing voice revealed very little and as for the figure, well... I'd say too skinny to be a man, but lacking some curves to be a woman. Maybe it's a species I haven't heard of before. Who knows? I couldn't see the face, since a black helmet with reflecting dark blue vision glass obscured it. The rest of the bounty hunter's outfit was a sleek overall with the appearance of leather, but considering the line of work this person was in, I'd say it was some special fibermesh.
My vision cleared up just as the bounty hunter collected the payment for my capture and left. I surveyed my surroundings and realized that I was back in the Upper City. This was a roof of a middle-sized building, judging from the strength of the wind. The bounty hunter and its ysalamir were gone and I started to feel the Force again.
''Well, well.'' The man responsible for hiring the bounty hunter said, ''We've finally caught you. You gave us quite a run for our money, my old Padawan.'' And it was crystal clear now. The one who hired the bounty hunter was my Master. ''Though I must thank you for discovering that Force Vampire. He was yet another we were anxious to find. And we have finally taken care of him.'' My Master added.
I've already said that the Jedi are not what they once were. The Order was never perfect, but at least the Jedi of the Old Republic were honorable. The new Jedi weren't nearly as nice as the old ones. At least they had some idea of honor when they were under the leadership of the Skywalkers. The Skywalker family was known to have a relationship with the Dark Side, but they've always managed to resist it. I guess that by resisting they were protecting the Order aswell. Unfortunately I live in a time depraved of Skywalkers. I guess that when the last of them perished, the Order became extremely voulnerable to the Dark Side and that voulnerability produced the Jedi of today.
My Master's face had changed since last I saw him. The Bothan's hair started to turn gray and a new scar decorated his right cheek, starting just milimeters under the eye. No doubt a mark left by the Force Vampire. His look was also different. His eyes showed anger, torment and hapiness, all at the same time. I've always said he was interesting.
As I rose to my feet I noticed something on his lightsaber hilt. An insignia. A silver crescent with its tips pointed downwards, and a pair of ignited lightsabers crossed at the handles beneath it. I should have known. My Master was a member of the Order of the Silver Jedi. So the sect managed to survive both Tel Angor and Palpatine and all the other threats that came after, but they've obviously changed too and not for the better. My connection to the Force was now completely reestablished and my unique sight started working again. The skies turned blood red, the birds became black leathery demons and my Master, though still distinguishable as a Bothan, now looked like a living dead.
''I see by the expression on your face that your gift has developed.'' He said, managing a smile of satisfaction, ''So our time searching for you has not been wasted. Good.'' He added.
By we he meant the Silver Jedi. I remember thinking it at that moment. ''Yes indeed.'' He confirmed it, ''Your unique ability can be of great use to us.'' My Master's greatest strength has always been his power over the mind. I didn't have to speak for him to know what I was thinking. I wondered what kind of experiments would they want to perform on me. I had a pretty good idea why my ability interested them so much they obviously thought it a great way of detecting the Dark Side, but to go to the lengths of hiring a bounty hunter to find me showed something more than the intent of bringing me into the fold and using me for detection pruposes.
''Your power is unique for our times.'' My Master said, ''And as such it must be carefully studied and controlled.'' There it was. Control. ''Do you know why you of all people have that power?'' He asked. He got me there, I had no idea. ''Your family, Padawan. Their roots run back more than four thousand years to a now extinct race that perceived the world solely through the Force. Their homeworld was destroyed by a great evil and all were killed. Fortunately their genes managed to survive. We don't know which of them was responsible for continuing the bloodline, but we know it happened with a human counterpart. That's probably the reason for the dormant genes and the dormant power. And make no mistake, their power was a great gift and we are fortunate that it manifested now in you, though in a somewhat altered form. It is your duty to come with me and allow the Order, no, the galaxy to benefit from that gift.''
Cheap slogan. Too cheap for my Master. I am very disappointed. For the sake of argument, I did ask what would happen if I refused and at that point he showed his true face and the true face of the Silver Jedi. When he said there's no choice and ignited his silver bladed lightsaber, I knew that the Silver Jedi themselves were now tainted by the Dark Side. How deliciously ironic. To be infected by what you sought to eradicate.
My hands were still restrained, but now that the Force was with me once again, it was only a matter of time before I got rid of the restraints. And so I did and it happened so quickly even my Master couldn't believe it. I threw the metal restraint at him with one hand and as he swung his blade to destroy it I used the other hand to push him with the Force as hard as I could. And he flew. Right off the rooftop. I had no idea if he would survive, or not, but I felt he deserved at least a short farewell, so before I turned around and left, I took a look down at his falling body and simply said: ''Goodbye, Master Vasyq.''
Inner Darkness Chronicles
Darkness. My life is filled with it. Everything I see
filled with it. At moments I cant help but think that theres no hope. How could there be one, in a world so driven by lies? Or is life all about proving to oneself that darkness is the natural way of things? This is what I first suspected back when I decided to leave the Jedi Order and so far it seemed to be true. Darkness does seem to be the natural way of things. There are, of course, those gray areas, like the Middle City was, where light and dark meet and coexist. Thats the confusing part.
I used to be a Jedi, but now Im more of a scholar, an observer. I look at the behavior of all creatures and study it. I compare what they say to what they do and all that to whats in their hearts. Yes, thanks to my power the truth is never concealed from me. One look and Ill know how trustworthy a person is.
I have to admit that I havent done much observing in a long time. Not since the encounter with my former Master. Not since I pushed him off the roof. Two months have passed since that day. Two months since I learned the truth of the Silver Jedi and about the origins of my unique ability. And for those two months I have been living, if it can be called that way, in the deepest and darkest caves beneath Coruscant. I couldnt return to my dusty apartment, the Jedi knew where it was and they would probably have found me soon enough, if I decided to seek another abandoned apartment in the Lower City. This seemed to be the only option.
If theres one thing I can say about these caves, its that theyre quiet and, surprisingly, not as dark as I first believed. There were crystals, some smaller and some larger, that appeared to grow out of the cave walls. They lit the tunnels with a soft blue light. I often pondered what made these crystals glow, for this property is seen in a very small number of crystals and most of those crystals are used for lightsabers. I sensed no Force in these crystals however.
There were darker tunnels too, with one or two glowing crystals every dozen meters, but these were usually not longer than a hundred meters or so. Strangely enough, the tunnels were empty. A worm, or an occasional rat now and then, but no larger beast has ever crossed my path. I wondered why this was so. I got my answer only a few days later.
I was walking, almost blindly, through one of those darker tunnels. This one was a bit longer than I expected, but I found no cause to be alarmed. I walked and walked and suddenly I saw a bright light just at the end of this section of the tunnel. It stood there for a second and then disappeared around the corner. Now this was indeed the most interesting thing I experienced in months and I decided I would not let it slip so easily. So I ran.
I tuned in all my senses and used all the skill in the Force I possessed in order not to end up colliding with a wall while chasing for the elusive light. It was quick. The light disappeared behind a few more dark corners and then I made an incredible discovery. The long lightless tunnel reached its end and lead into a huge underground chamber. This chamber was much more lit by the glowing crystals than any of the tunnels, or chambers Ive been in so far. And the most interesting part there were people there!
Yeah, from what I could see there were dozens of people living there. It appeared that most of them were humans, but I did recognize a few Zabraks, TwiLeks and even Ithorians walking around. What was this place, I wondered, and what happened to that elusive light that lead me here?
I decided not to show myself to the local residence. I still had no idea who they were, or why were they living down here, but I made a few assumptions and I wished to verify them before I did anything else. Also, I still had no idea if the Silver Jedi, or the rest of the Order for that matter, were on to me and I had no intention of attracting attention. The most important thing was that I finally had someone to study.
As the days passed I learned more and more about this small community. From their conversations I discerned that they were outcasts. People too poor even for the Lower City and people too sick of the violence and dishonesty that ruled the surface. They appeared to have no material possessions, except for the rags they were wearing and the blankets they used to keep themselves warm while they slept. Occasionally they made small campfires to keep them warm when it proved too cold. They must have found an abundant source of wood, roots perhaps, obviously the consequence of that Yuuzhan Vong invasion that happened so long ago.
As interesting as all this sounded, there was something that especially intrigued me. In order to observe these people I took up residence about a hundred meters into that dark tunnel. In my opinion it was far enough to avoid detection. As it turned out I was wrong. Every morning, or at least I think it was morning, somewhere halfway to the underground settlement I found a small roasted animal. Probably the most luxurious meal in this place and it was left for me. Someone knew I was here and I was determined to find out who.
I was awake through what I expected was the night. You never can tell after youve spent so much time underground, not seeing the sky. This time I waited, as if in ambush, only ten meters away from the spot where I usually found my food. I was eager to see my benefactor. I waited and waited, my patience failing and then returning, more than once. It was worth the wait, for what I would see next would change me forever.
The elusive bright light appeared in the corridor. It approached slowly towards the spot, glowing stronger and stronger as it came closer to me. Suddenly, a shape started to form, a distinguishable silhouette. When it approached the designated spot I almost couldnt believe my eyes. It was a little human girl. In this dark tunnel she appeared to me as a bright benevolent specter, but I could see that she was far from supernatural.
The little brown haired girl put the roasted animal on the ground, turned away and slowly went back the way she came. I was speechless. This raised so many questions, shook so many of my beliefs. I needed time to realize what it all meant. I took the roasted rat and backed away.
The next morning couldnt come soon enough. I waited again at the same spot for the little girl. She came. Again at the same time as yesterday and again with a small roasted rat for me. She put it on the ground and turned around, but I just couldnt let her leave like that. I wanted to know more.
Who are you? The words slipped out of my mouth, as if in reflex. The little girl turned back towards me again, not even a bit scared. It was more like happiness. It frightened me.
Lillianna The little girl said, but my friends call me Lills. Her innocent squeaky voice echoing in my head, two words in particular my friends.
Why would you want to help me? I started probing. My inquisitive nature slowly taking over.
I just thought you might be hungry. She said quickly. I couldnt believe it was that simple.
How do you know you can trust me? I probed further. Arent you afraid I might do something
You dont seem bad to me. She said. Ive seen you in the far tunnels and you never did anything bad.
I like to explore the caves, she added as if knowing what my next question would be. Theres not much else to do down here, so when Im tired of playing with my friends I explore the caves.
Alone? Youre not afraid some underground beast will attack you?
There are no beasts here, silly. She said, managing a small giggle. Only us.
And who exactly are you? I asked my final question.
Outcasts. She said, My daddy said so. He grew up here, you know. My mommy too. She sounded so sad when mentioning her parents. I could only discern that they are no longer alive.
They liked to explore too. She added, obviously recognizing the expression on my face. They went to explore the tunnels on the other side and the cave fell on them. The sadness returning.
I decided to stop asking questions for now. Lills turned around again, inviting me to follow her and I did. I was eager to learn more about this community, but I didnt yet know why. She made two or three steps before a dark figure descended from the ceiling right in front of her. There was something familiar about the figure, I noticed as it grabbed the little girl and put a knife under her throat.
I really hate when I have to hunt for the same person twice. The figure said with a hissing voice and I recognized it then. The bounty hunter that captured me and brought me to my former Master. I honestly didnt expect to see this individual again.
What do you want? I demanded, the bitterness in my voice revealing both the disappointment that the Order found me again and the anger that it happened now.
Come peacefully and Ill let the girl go. The hissing voice replied coldly. Otherwise
the bounty hunter didnt finish the sentence, I knew the end when the grip around the knife tightened.
So many thoughts went through my mind in the next few seconds. Both important and unimportant ones. Who is this hunter? How can I see so well in the dark? When will the Silver Jedi stop hunting me? Why isn't my vision affected by the ysalamir? Soon one thought alone remained. I cant let anything happen to Lills. The thought repeated itself in my head.
I considered my options. The bounty hunter still had the ysalamir on his shoulders, protecting him, or her from any direct Force attacks. There was no guarantee that he would let Lills go, if I surrendered, so that was out of the question. One option remained. One weakness I could exploit overconfidence. The bounty hunter thinks hes completely protected from Force attacks, but what he hopefully doesnt realize is what Ive already concluded and that is the fact that I cant use the Force to attack him directly, but there is another way to get him. Something the ysalamir cant prevent. I concentrate, my vision amplifies and I see my surroundings clearly, then I turn my attention to a single object on the ground. A fist-sized rock.
Well, whats it gonna be? The hissing voice demanded and then, with the speed of a bullet the rock hit the bounty hunter straight in the back of the head. He never expected that. The slender figure fell to the floor, releasing Lills from his grip and losing consciousness. The ysalamir decided to leave his place on the hunters shoulders and walked away into the darkness of the tunnel.
I restrained the hunters hands and feet, using his own equipment and started to drag his unconscious body farther away from the outcast community. Dont worry. Ill be back. I told Lills. Im just taking him away to make sure he doesnt find this place again. In truth I didnt want her to see me kill him. Thats when I realized what Ive found here, deep under the surface. Thats when I knew why the girl glowed with a bright light in my vision. She was untainted. There was no small seed of darkness in her heart, waiting to sprout. Only light. I never encountered a person like her on the surface of Coruscant, or any other planet I visited in my Jedi days. I had to protect her and the community that raised her from any who would corrupt them. I had to preserve their
purity of heart. It is such a rare thing to find in the universe nowadays. I had to protect Lills because she gave me hope. Hope that one day there will be more people like her in this galaxy.
She slowly turned around and started back to the outcast settlement. Suddenly she turned around again and asked: Whats your name?
I dropped the unconscious bounty hunter at that instant. My name. My name? I havent heard it spoken in so long I almost forgot what it was. I grabbed the bounty hunter by the wrists again and said: Darren. Darren Syn.
The End


text:
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Chocolate Cake with Mocha Ganache and Frosting
- 227g cake flour
- 65g cocoa
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup chocolate soy milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
Mocha Ganache
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 1 tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder
- 185g bittersweet vegan chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 300g bittersweet vegan chocolate chips
- 200g margarine (or a margarine/vegetable shortening mix)
- 150g icing sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup soy milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, or 325 convection
1. Grease two 8 inch round cake pans. Cut out two circles of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of the pans. Put the parchment papers in the bottom of the pans and grease it. Flour both pans.
2. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk chocolate soy milk and vinegar together. Add remaining ingredients and whisk well to blend.
3. Add dry ingredients and gently whisk until blended. Don't overdo it.
4. Divide batter evenly between the two pans.
5. Bake for 22-24 mins (convection), or 26-28 mins (non-convection), or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire racks for 5 mins, then flip the pans over the remove the cake. Remove the parchment paper. Cover the cakes with a damp towel and let them fully cool.
Mocha Ganache
1. Heat coconut milk and instant coffee to bubbling in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and margarine. Stir until everything is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
1. Get water barely simmering in a double boiler. Add chocolate chips and margarine and stir until everything is melted. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 mins, or until just barely warm.
2. Add vanilla and icing sugar and whisk until smooth. As the icing sits, it will begin to get thicker. Blend in soy milk until you get the consistency you like. If you go overboard, you can always add more icing sugar.
1. Cut each cake horizontally into two pieces.
2. When it has cooled, spoon 1/3 of the ganache on top of the bottom layer and spread. Top with the next layer of cake, then 1/3 of the ganache, then the next layer of cake, then the last 1/3 of the ganache, then the top layer of cake. If the layers start to slide a bit, just take your time. Place the cake in a cool place to firm up in between layers if you need to. I like the ganache to be a little on the runny side so that it soaks into the cake.
3. When your layers are assembled and stable, ice the entire cake in a thin layer of frosting. I like to do this after I have blended in the icing sugar in but before I add the soy milk. Place in a cool place to firm up.
4. Ice the rest of the cake. Top with grated chocolate if you want to. Enjoy!
6 comments:
- MKivig said...
Yowsies, does that look good! Now I just need a good reason to make this decadent cake-aka, people to share it with so I don't end up eating all myself. Plus, the recipe looks quite simple. I think the cake itself looks more difficult than the recipe sounds. Thanks!
- March 3, 2014 at 8:15 AM
- Alex @ delicious-knowledge.com said...
Looks delicious! I am excited to try your vegan ganache as I am still looking for the "perfect" vegan chocolate ganache, this cake looks like a good reason to try it :)
- March 3, 2014 at 6:01 PM
- Lisa | Je suis alimentageuse said...
Hahah this post is short and sweet. I like it. Cake looks great =)
- March 4, 2014 at 11:00 PM
- Christian Simple said...
Perfect!!! I love both cake and chocolate and I like your recipe. Thanks for sharing it. God Bless!
personal chef in austin tx
- March 7, 2014 at 12:23 AM
- Claudia (Breakfast Drama Queen) said...
Oooh, this looks amazingly delicious!
- April 23, 2014 at 10:24 PM
- mediterranian cuisine said...
Looks delicious...am going to try this out.
- April 29, 2014 at 12:38 PM
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subset: commoncrawl


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I have just taken a preliminary look at my newly purchased lens ring before mounting it onto my Nikkor 10.5mm 1:2.8 G ED lens. It looks to be a straightforward enough task, but before I proceed I have a couple of questions, please -
1. I seem to remember some time ago seeing a post - on this forum I think - which detailed the correct procedure. However, I can't find it now, so maybe I am mistaken. If it does exist, would someone be so kind as to point me to it, please?
2. On the lens, the gold coloured lettering on the panel which contains the focus setting window is raised such that it is proud of the remainder of the lens barrel by a small amount - looks to be about 0.5mm. I am concerned about the lens ring pressing directly down onto this panel when I tighten the clamp. I am thinking of cutting a strip of thin card to pad out the rest of the barrel to a slightly greater height to prevent this. Any thoughts on this, please?
Kind regards


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Mondaine Helvetica
Originally known as Haas Grotesk, Helvetica® was created at the Haas Type Foundry near Basel in 1957 by Swiss graphic artist Max Miedinger and Haas business manager Eduard Hoffmann. Their goal was to design a typeface that was "well conceived, discreet enough and tempered, matter of fact, soft and flowing with harmonious and logically structured forms."All Watches
Official Swiss Railways Watch
The simple design, the unmistakable easy-to-read face, distinctive hands and the famous red seconds hand have made the Mondaine collection successful the world over. Ingenuity and simplicity are the elements, which often distinguish an attractive piece of design from a truly iconic design classic.All Watches
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Mondaine PayChip - contactless payment technology
Mondaine continues to innovate with new Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless payment technology.Read more


text:
I have a very simple voxel engine and so far it works based on coordinates, e.g. x, y, z. I was wondering if there is a formula for rotating groups of voxels/coordinates from the x axis(e.g. [0, 1, 0][1, 0, 1] rotates to [1, 0, 0][0, 0, 1] when rotated 90 degrees anticlockwise along the x axis) from a certain point, but I hear it involves matrixes and quaternions which sound scary.
1) The non-scary way to do 90-degree rotations is to swap a set of axes, and negate one of them:
You can't get too far into any 3D programming without matrices or quaternions. It's not too scary though. There are plenty of resources available to you, since you can use some existing resources 3D model transformations. Just think of all your voxel positions as vertex positions.
With that in mind, you can apply a transformation matrix to the voxel positions. However, I imagine you'd want your voxel positions to still align to a grid afterwards, so you'd need to pick your transformations carefully.


text:
For example, if I draw a 4 (move 4 spaces backward) and the only piece that could make the move is in my "safe zone", do I have to make the move?
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Yes. From a PDF version of the rules, you are required to move if a legal move is available:
and from the description of the Safety Zone, moving backward out of the zone is legal:
Note that trading places on an 11 is an exception to this - you may decline to switch places with another pawn if you like - but yes, in your situation, you must move a pawn out of your safety zone.
Confusion arose when there was a disagreement about whether you move within the safety zone. One says you must move, while another says once in the zone, you cannot move unless you draw the exact number To arrive in your home. Since the rules specify having to move out on a four, it stands to reason that you must move if possible, but you cannot enter home on a number greater than required to arrive there.


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text:
Hybrid View
1 Feb 2011 11:49 PM #1
GridView mistakenly renders ActionColumn, mixing it with another column
Ext version tested:
- Ext 3.3.0
Adapter used:
- ext
When a GridPanel has a store and a column model which columns and fields are not exactly the same (not the same number, or not in the same order for example), and the GridPanel also has an ActionColumn, the ActionColumn may be rendered incorrectly. For example, it may be rendered with a dirty mark when another column is modified.
In fact, the problem is not limited to ActionColumn, it concerns any column of which the dataIndex is undefined.
Debugging already done:
I have found that the problem originates from the GridView getColumnData method. Here's some code that exposes the faulty behaviour:
var grid = new Ext.grid.GridPanel({ store: new Ext.data.JsonStore({ fields: ["col1","col2"] }) ,columns: [ {dataIndex: "col2", id: "col2"} ,{xtype: "actioncolumn", id: "actionCol"} ] ,renderTo: Ext.getBody() }); var cols = grid.getView().getColumnData(), c0 = cols[0], c1 = cols[1]; alert("name: " + c1.name + "\nid: " + c1.id); // name: col2 // id: actionCol
The problem itself is that, when it finds a column in the column model of which the dataIndex is undefined, the getColumnData method tries to guess it from the index of the field in the grid's store. Here's the incriminated piece of code (found in Ext 3.3.0 ext-all-debug.js, at line 47164):
columns[i] = { name : Ext.isDefined(name) ? name : (fields.get(i) ? fields.get(i).name : undefined), //... };
Possible fix:
Since I don't know why the aforementioned method tries to guess the name this way, I prefer to avoid overriding it directly. The following code snippet fixes the problem with ActionColumn by preventing its dataIndex from being undefined (put it anywhere after Ext script files). It could easily be adapted for another class of column, if needed...
// Prevents ActionColumn from being rendered according to meta associated with another column (function() { var uber = Ext.grid.ActionColumn.prototype.constructor; Ext.grid.ActionColumn.prototype.constructor = function() { uber.apply(this, arguments); if (this.dataIndex === undefined) this.dataIndex = null; }; })();
Similar Threads
adding a specific number of tabs and problems with mistakenly closing themBy kstevens in forum Ext 3.x: Help & DiscussionReplies: 0Last Post: 22 Jun 2010, 6:47 AM
Mixing column layouts on formBy Bucs in forum Ext 2.x: Help & DiscussionReplies: 12Last Post: 19 Oct 2009, 5:57 AM


text:
5 Blogging Lessons Learned In 2012
Friends! I hope you had a fab holiday season!! I am having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. I started writing my 2012 project wrap up post and wanted to kill myself…so I stopped. I am in Salt Lake right now with my family and so technically I am still on vacay…don't judge.
Last year I wrote a post about the things I learned in 2011 and it was so great for me to see, written out, things I need to remember. The best thing to get me out of a slump is to write. So that is what we are doing today. I am going to share with you a few of the lessons I learned this year.
1. You never know who is reading your blog. Sometimes I feel like I am talking to myself, which is fine, but its really easy to forget that there could be ANYONE on the other side of that computer screen. I have a few REALLY amazing things that are in the works because of this little old blog and I am so grateful
2. There is a difference between Pageviews and Influence. The best blogs have a combo of both (think Young House Love or A Beautiful Mess). If you are caught in the pageview comparison cycle STOP IT. The # of pageviews that you have does not dictate your awesomeness.
3. We have all been in this situation. You come up with some crazy awesome idea for a project and are SO excited about it. You execute said project and tell your friend about it and they say the most dreaded words known to a creative gal…"Oh! I just saw that on Pinterest!" GAH! This exact situation happened to me with my Toilet Paper Roll Stamped Lampshade
So here is what I have to say about that. SO WHAT. Just because someone else had a same/similar idea that you had doesn't devalue your creative process at all. It was still a great idea! I think with the creation of Pinterest our creative world just keeps getting smaller and smaller BUT that doesn't need to make us feel like our ideas are getting less and less fantastic. They are fantastic!
4. We have all heard a million times to Be Yourself. So many times in fact that we don't even hear it anymore. But guess what? As amazing as other people are and as much as we want to be like them…we cant. So don't even attempt it. Hands down my favorite compliment to get from a reader is when they say "You are EXACTLY like you are on your blog."
5. There is more to life than blogging. (GASP!) Sometimes you just have to walk away for a minute even if you don't want to.
I love you all more than you will ever ever know. Thank you for being such fantastic friends!
Love Your Guts, Mandi


text:
I know the pyramid is supposed to have pointed to the north star at the time, and also that some proportions (height to width??) are in the Golden Ratio. Is there a complete list of such features, as well as any information on the history of its construction?
closed as not a real question by American Luke, Joe, Russell, Daniel Pendergast, Steven Drennon♦ Sep 24 '12 at 17:37
It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, visit the help center.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
Those are all facts about its construction.
The pyramids at Gisa are aligned pretty accurately north, if you are building something that big and you don't have theodolites and RTK-GPS then having a fixed star to aim at is a very easy way to get the sides parallel. If there is/was any religous significance to the Pole star I suspect it was invented by the royal surveyors.
The golden ration comes from using a survey wheel. If you lay out a line by rolling a wheel a certain number of times, and then set a height by stacking the same wheel vertically you get an angle of 51 deg or 43 degrees (depending on how many high). Then the geometry of circles gives you pi and the golden ration without you every having to calculate it.
They also knew that a 3:4:5 triangle gave a right angle (since 5^2 = 4^2 = 3^2 ) but didn't know about Pythagoras theorem in general


text:
In this section, we will boot the newly created USB Key and add full persistence and home automounting. It will make your USB Key act as a real hard disc, allowing you to install additional software and remember your personal settings.
Please note that this does not apply to live DVD.
After booting the USB key, launch Gparted in System -> Administration -> Gparted
In our example, we are using a minimal 2Gb USB Key. 1Gb free space is available:
We propose a simple rule, where 50% of free space should be for full persistence and 50% for home automounting.
You may experience problems to type on non-US keyboard. If this is the case, choose another keyboard in System->Preferences->Keyboard.
With "full persistence" it is meant that instead of using a tmpfs for storing modifications to the read-only media (with the copy-on-write, COW, system) a writable partition is used. In order to use this feature a partition with a clean writable supported filesystem on it labeled "live-rw" must be attached on the system at bootime.
This is very useful to be able to install additional software, keep your personal settings, such as keyboard, language, etc ...
In GParted, click on unallocated free space. In Partition menu, select New:
If during the boot a partition (filesystem) image file or a partition labeled home-rw will be discovered, this filesystem will be directly mounted as /home, thus permitting persistence of files that belong to the e.g. default user. It can be combined with full persistence.
This partition can be used to store data on the USB Key and exchange data after rebooting under Windows.
if you plan to read and write data directly on your Windows hard disc, you don't really need this partition.
In GParted, click on unallocated free space. In Partition menu, select New:
To apply your changes, click on apply. Applying modifications will take a few seconds. Then you should see your three partitions:
Close GParted and reboot your system:
After reboot, your system should be persistent.


text: Our goal is to provide the highest level of outreach education available by bringing in top professionals in the industry to teach and lead our classes. All of our programs offer CU credits and certificates of completion. TCU Energy Institute is currently offering the Advanced Energy Management Certificate and the Royalty Owner Certificate programs.No events in this category


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The Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association announced their most recent state rankings, and three Pratt High School grapplers found their way into the elite grouping.
Junior Trae Forman is being ranked #4 at 106 lbs., junior Cesar Regalado is atop the 113 lbs. list and senior Austin Gates made the list at #6 in the 220 lb. class.
"Trae is a quick study and in his 2nd year with us, he is performing at a very high level and he is very exciting to watch," according to PHS head coach Tate Thompson.
Thompson continued, "Austin is back to where we expected him to be from the get-go this season."
Thompson said of his #1 Regalado, "Cesar has looked very sharp all season."
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text:
Is it true that RDBMS systems are optimized for
COMMIT operations? How much slower/faster are
ROLLBACK operations and why?
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Is it true that RDBMS systems are optimized for
For SQL Server, you could argue that a commit operation is nothing more than writing LOP_COMMIT_XACT to the log file and releasing locks, which is of course going to be faster than the ROLLBACK of every action your transaction performed since BEGIN TRAN.
If you are considering every action of a transaction, not just the commit, I'd still argue your statement is not true. Excluding external factors, speed of log disk compared to data disk speed for example, it's likely the rollback of any work done by a transaction will be faster than doing the work in the first place.
A rollback is reading a sequential file of changes and applying them to in-memory data pages. The original "work" had to generate an execution plan, acquire pages, join rows etc.
Edit: The it depends bit...
@JackDouglas pointed to this article which describes one of the situations where rollback can take significantly longer than the original operation. The example being a 14 hour transaction, inevitably using parallelism, that takes 48+ hours to rollback because rollback is mostly single threaded. You would most likely also be churning the buffer pool repeatedly, so no longer are you reversing changes to in-memory pages.
So, a revised version of my earlier answer. How much slower is rollback? All other things considered, for a typical OLTP transaction it isn't. Outside the bounds of typical, it can take longer to "undo" than "do" but (is this a potential tongue twister?) why will depend on how the "do" was done.
Edit2: Following on from discussion in the comments, here is a very contrived example to demonstrate that the work being done is the major factor in determining the relative expense of commit vs rollback as operations.
Create two tables and pack them inefficiently (wasted space per page):
Run a "bad" update query, measuring time taken to do work and the time taken to issue the commit.
Do the same again but issue and measure rollback.
With @Rows=1 I get a reasonably consistent:
With @Rows=100:
With @Rows=1000:
Back to the original question. If you're measuring time taken to do work plus the commit, rollback is winning hands down because the majority of that work is spent finding the row to update, not actually modifying data. If you're looking at the commit operation in isolation, it should be clear that commit does very little "work" as such. Commit is "I'm done".
For Oracle, rollback can take many times longer than the time it took to make the changes that are rolling back. This often does not matter because
For SQL Server I'm not sure if the situation is the same but someone else will say if it isn't...
As for "why", I'd say the
Rollback isn't just "oh, never mind" - in a lot of cases it really does have to undo what it had already done. There is no rule that the rollback operation will always be slower or always be faster than the original operation. If you are waiting I suggest it is safest to just keep waiting.
Not all transactions will have their commit activity perform much better than their rollback. One such case is the delete operation in SQL. When a transaction deletes rows, these rows are marked as ghost records. Once a commit is issued and a ghost record cleanup task starts, then only are these records 'deleted'.
If a rollback was issued instead, it just removes the ghost markings from these records, and not the intensive insert statements.
Not all are. PostgreSQL takes no more time to roll back than to commit as the two operations are effectively identical in terms of disk I/O. I don't actually think this is a question of being optimized for commit so much as it is a question of what other queries one is optimizing for.
The basic question is how you address on-disk layout and how this affects commit vs rollback. The major db's which roll back more slowly than committing tend to move data, particularly from clustered tables, out of the main data structures and put it in a rollback segment when updating data. This means that to commit you just drop the rollback segment but to roll back you have to copy all the data back.
For PostgreSQL, all tables are heap tables and indexes are separate. This means that when rolling back or committing, no data has to be re-arranged. This makes commit and rollback both fast.
However, it makes some other things a little slower. A primary key lookup for example, has to traverse an index file and then it has to hit the heap table (assuming no covering indexes that are applicable). This is no a huge deal but it does add an extra page lookup or maybe even a few random page lookups (if lots of updates have occurred on that row) to check for other information and visibility.
The speed here however is not a question of optimization in PostgreSQL for write operations vs read ones. It is an unwillingness to privilege some read operations above others. Consequently PostgreSQL performs on average about as well as the other db's. It is just certain operations that may be faster or slower.
So I think the actual answer is that db's are optimized for certain workloads on the read side and this leads to challenges on the write side. Usually where there is a question, commits are usually, though not always, going to be favored over rollbacks. This however depends on the implications of doing either one (updates are different than deletes).


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Minister of Interior Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz yesterday highlighted the important role that Saudi universities can play in combating extremism.
In remarks to staff members at Makkah's Umm Al-Qura University, Prince Nayef said that intellectual security is no less important than public security. He noted that universities are capable of conducting studies and formulating scientific concepts that help eradicate extremism.
In addition to universities, the prince said that Muslim scholars and imams also play a role in combating extremist ideology. He noted that the imams of the Two Holy Mosques are fulfilling their responsibility in this regard and urged other imams to follow their example.


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Christina Cipriano weds Robert Schaefer
Christina Cipriano and Robert Schaefer were married June 2 in St. John the Evangelist Church in Watertown, by Rev. John M. Cooney. A reception followed at Fantasia in North Haven.
The bride is the daughter of Rocco and Antoinette Cipriano of Watertown, and granddaughter of Pasquale and Giovannina Polletta of Watertown and Giovanni and Carmela Cipriano of Waterbury.
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How long do woot take to answer emergency order related emails?
Okay. This happened twice.
Last time, I bought a T-Shirt for my girlfriend but somehow typed the wrong address.
I realized this about the end of the day I bought and emailed them.
They responded quickly saying the order has already been shipped and they cannot do anything.
Luckily, the address I put was 2425 instead of 2524 and there seemed to be no apartment number in that address so the mailman delivered it to my girlfriend.
Today, I wanted to buy the GPS Nav, I clicked order and didn't realize it had the same address. I have emailed them immediately but haven't heard from them yet. I am bit worried about risking electronics to be sent to wrong address.
How long do they take to read the emails? If anyone on inside is reading this, please help.
10 Answers answer
If you've gotten an automated email, they'll likely get to it in the order received. :)
@inkycatz: Haven't even gotten any automated emails yet.
Emailing email@example.com is the right call. Since you seem to have caught it pretty early, I'd imagine you'll be okay.
I've only had to email them a couple times, and it was over account issues as opposed to order issues. They've typically gotten back to me within a couple hours.
@spawan: Usually the message is automatic (within minutes). You can always check your spam folder for the confirmation email. If not, send another message. Or perhaps @inkycatz can notify someone in CS to look around for it. Same thing happened to me the other day, sent multiple messages but never got the auto message. Luckily mods caught on thanks to my question and got my problems all figured out. Top notch customer service.
@thedogma: Caught it, and sent email within a minute. Just a little worried since it is already been more than 3 hours.
@studerc: Already been notified ;)
@spawan: We answer emails in the order they come in, but I was able to track it down and reply.
Maybe check your junk mail folder if you haven't heard from us in a couple hours.
Just got an email. Thank you all. You guys rock!!
Regardless of what you may hear, you folks at email@example.com are the best in my book. Props also to the mods that I notice, @inkycatz and @thunderthighs . You ladies deserve a raise. ;)
@jsimsace: They absolutely are the best bunch of people. I screwed up ordering a gift for my dad earlier in the year. I thought it was going to be a UPS delivery so I put down his physical address rather than his post office box (UPS delivers to his small cabin deep in the woods. It's great!). While I knew the delivery was returned back to Woot, I couldn't figure out when they had credited my account. C/S Justin got back to me with the info in just a few hours. I just wish there was a method of being able to thank them when they help me that doesn't generate a new issue number.


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Grand Valley features a rich academic environment focusing on excellent faculty, outstanding students, hands-on research opportunities and nationally ranked graduate programs. Grand Valley offers over 200 areas of study, including 87 undergraduate majors and 36 graduate programs. A liberal arts emphasis teaches students critical thinking and problem resolution. Grand Valley's strong academic focus creates a challenging and rewarding educational experience.
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Dan Mancini wrote:Conan the Barbarian (2011)
I'm too tainted by nostalgia to say that it's better than Milius' movie, but it's undoubtedly a closer adaptation of Robert E. Howard's writings. Is Momoa a better Conan than Schwarzenegger? No doubt about it. There are shots where he looks like a Frazetta painting brought to life. He handles the dialogue just fine (people complaining that the movie sounds too "modern" are just wrong-footed by the fact that the actors aren't throwing around bad British accents, but British accents are no less incongruous in the Hyborian age than American accents, so who cares?). And his fighting is pure awesome. There's nothing martial artsy about whatsoever. It's raw, brutal, and not at all constrained by fairness or decency.
The thing I was most worried about going in was that the flick would be a nightmare of bad CGI, but Marcus Nispel uses technology well throughout (mostly). There are CG enhancements to traditional shots, for sure, but they're mostly subtle and believable. More than anything, he uses CG to do what it does best: replace old school matte paintings. He does a good job of keeping it out of the action scenes. The scene in which Conan fights the sand dudes? The transitions where they form from or collapse back into sand are CGI (as you'd expect), but during the actual fighting it's all stunt men in make-up, as it should be.
Is the movie flawed? Definitely. There are more than a few clunky moments (Conan's birth chief among them). I wish they hadn't lifted the revenge plotline from Milius' movie. And there's an entire action set piece that's essentially a non sequitur (Conan and another dude spend 10 minutes breaking into the bad guy's castle, only to watch him parading away outside the castle walls). Also, as much as Ron Perlman makes a fantastic barbarian chieftain (and he does), the entire beginning of the movie is redonkulous in how fervently it tries to establish young Conan's badass credentials. The whole thing borders on self-parody until the switch to Momoa as Conan.
If you're a Conan fan, you should dig it. Just don't go in expecting an action opus on the level of Ironclad or 13 Assassins.
I don't want to sound like Selk
J.M. Vargas wrote:TWISTER (1996) on HD-DVD. The perfect movie to watch overnight while Hurricane Irene was pounding outside the window of my NYC studio apartment.
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Maintaining health is a balancing act: it can be lost or gained, or remain in a steady state. It is affected by both the world outside and the world inside our bodies. Progress affects our health in complicated ways: we use radioactive substances in medicine when the benefits outweigh the dangers; cars bring convenience but create molecules hazardous to our health; and plastics, accused of potentially undermining health, save lives in hospitals. Even metals can play an ambiguous role in health.
Birds, bees, and people do it: every living thing talks. If we pay attention, even the inanimate world has something to tell us. The drive to communicate spans oceans and created the 19th-century version of the Internet. In the harsh conditions of desert isolation insects and snakes use chemical communications across distances great and small. And even that painful academic rite of high school—the periodic table—will speak to us if we are prepared to listen.
How and what we eat is driven by more than individual choice. Global climate, poverty, safety, consumer culture, all influence or limit our food and water choices. Creating adequate global food supplies will rely more and more on genetic engineering. The way we store our food today grows out of an ongoing plastics revolution. A minor lab accident, wars, and a diet culture drove the popularity of artificial sweeteners. Even modern baking would not be possible without the rise of industrial chemistry and its intersection with consumer culture.
Our bodies and the world we built with them require energy to survive. The origins and the history of the energy we use are often hidden from us: scientists created the concept of calories to study the energy use of human and mechanical machines before weight loss became a pastime; engineers who extracted gas from coal to light our cities now pull gas directly from the ground. Perhaps best hidden of all is the war-to-peace story of the miniature battery.
CHF wishes to acknowledge leadership sponsorship from the BASF Corporation for Thanks To Chemistry.
Additional support for Thanks To Chemistry has been provided by The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, DuPont, and ExxonMobil.
GE Edison Mazda lightbulb
©2010–2016 Chemical Heritage Foundation


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The Peru State softball team will play four games on the road next week with doubleheaders at Evangel, Mo., at 2 and 4 p.m. Tuesday and MidAmerica Nazarene, Kan., at 4 and 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Peru State is 2-14 on the season so far with their wins coming in recent games against Sterling, Kan., 10-3, and McPherson, Kan., 6-5.
Stat leaders for the team thus far are Traci Bohlmeyer of Fairbury, 15 hits; Emily Maresh, Central City, six RBI; Tesla Oldfield, Nebraska City, four stolen bases; and Lauren Johnson, Seward, 4.34 ERA and three-plus strikeout per pitching outing average.
Location, ST | website.com


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Transformers / Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (Special Edition) (Blu-ray) (Widescreen): Blu-ray for $5
Free in store pickup
9 Comments add a comment
Blu-ray deal is dead.
I'm sad I missed out on this one!
Out of stock online
DVD 2-pack still in stock for $5
"Special Edition?" Does that mean Greedo shoots first?
Walmart probably messed up on the price for the Blu-ray and pulled the sale, they always do...I HATE walmart...SHOP AMAZON...
Why is this still here? It's been dead for hours now. I wish I could have gotten a set though :(
I just picked one up from my local store. There was dozens of them on the shelf.
00's online and none in my local b&m ;^(
Don't buy the 2nd one! It's so bad!


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Graduate Snapshot - School Psychology
Description of Program:
The school psychology program at James Madison University, housed within the Department of Graduate Psychology, resides within the College of Health and Behavioral Studies (CHBS) and is fully accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The program emphasizes the role of the culturally competent school psychologist as that of a facilitator of an individual's overall well-being and potential. Within an integrated theoretical framework, students are prepared to be culturally competent, interpersonally skilled, data-oriented problem solvers. Central to the program focus is the understanding of children within a systems context, including the family, the school and the socio-cultural environment. Students are prepared in assessment for intervention, prevention, and promotion of well being, counseling, educational and mental health consultation, behavioral and cognitive interventions, and applied research. They are prepared to be applied child and adolescent psychologists in diverse educational and mental health settings.
The program expects students to have a commitment to academic excellence, personal growth, professional responsibility, sensitivity to and understanding of human diversity, and effective interpersonal relationships.
A Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is awarded at the completion of Level I of the program and a comprehensive examination.
Degrees Offered:
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.)
Concentration: None
Program Website: http://psyc.jmu.edu/school/programdescription.html
Catalog Website: http://www.jmu.edu/gradcatalog/12/programs/psychology.html#schoolpsych


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I know in ranked games, a characters elo determines the order of champion picks. In non-ranked draft pick, pre-arranged teams have priority. Does team size, elo, or anything else affect the order of champion pick?
AFAIK, the ranking only considers premade teams vs. solo queuers. Premades get higher priority (order randomized within the team), then any stragglers get randomly thrown in underneath them. This is why you end up in the bottom 1 to 2 slots so often if you solo queue for normal draft pick games - you're getting matched up with a pre-made (or 2).
I don't think that there's been any official word from Riot on this though, so this is all conjecture.
Pick order is random now in draft/rank mode. This was done, I think, so people can't easily recognize duo queues and get upset before the game (obviously riot doesn't say this officially).
The randomness does have some non-random aspects though. If you are duo/group queueing, the captain of the team will get swapped in for first pick(and banner) if any of the team is randomly put in that first spot and they will replace the captain in whatever spot he is in.


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Grosvenor Slim Travel Wallet
Product Actions
Grained leather bifold travel wallet with gold-tone brass 'slide' closure and large slip pocket at back with gold embossed 'boarding pass' designation. Interior features three additional slip pockets, one designated for 'tickets' another for travel 'documents' and a small one suitable for an ID or credit card. Fourth slip pocket is embossed with 'passport' designation and holds a leather passport cover. Passport cover features a leather-lined interior and slanted leather 'boarding pass' and 'passport' slots.
Founded in 1887, London's illustrious purveyor of luxury stationery and fine leather goods boasts a prestigious worldwide client list, generations of fans, and is a supplier to the British royal family. Tasteful and discreet, the posh Smythson heritage is evident in every stylish, understated design.
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The False God of 'Narrative'
"What if the government starts enforcing the espionage statute whenever there's a leak?" Steve Roberts, a former New York Times journalist who teaches at George Washington University, observed to the Baltimore Sun. "It's going to have a tremendously chilling effect on this interplay between sources and reporters."
But Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) insisted that stopping leaks should be a very high priority. "When national security secrets leak and become public knowledge," he wrote in a letter to the president, "our people and our national interests are jeopardized. And when our enemies know our secrets, American lives are threatened."
As it happens, these two quotations are separated by seven years. Roberts was speaking in 2005 about the furor over Dana Priest's important story in The Washington Post revealing that the CIA was maintaining a series of "black sites" abroad where terrorism detainees were interrogated. For this, Priest came under searing attack from allies of the George W. Bush administration.
Smith's letter was sent to President Obama in 2012. It complained about national security leaks that set off the very investigation which this week prompted fury over the Justice Department's seizure of two months' worth of telephone records from a group of Associated Press reporters.
Isn't it odd that many Republicans who demanded a thorough investigation a year ago are now condemning the Justice Department for doing what they asked for? Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus even called on Attorney General Eric Holder to resign, saying he had "trampled on the First Amendment."
It's a funny thing about media leaks: They are either courageous or outrageous, depending on whether they help or hurt your political party.
Forgive me for feeling cynical and depressed about our nation's political conversation. Scandalmania is distorting our discussion of three different issues, sweeping them into one big narrative -- everything is a "narrative" these days -- about the beleaguered second-term presidency of Barack Obama.
What's being buried under a story line?
On leaks, I don't believe that the media have unlimited immunity. But I am very pro-leak because such disclosures are often the only way citizens in a free society can find out things they need to know. The Justice Department's actions in the AP case seem to go way beyond what is justified or necessary. There was no need to ignore guidelines suggesting that news organizations should usually have the chance to negotiate or challenge subpoenas.
Holder recused himself from the case, and the White House, which is, in effect, a subject of the investigation, can plausibly claim it was unaware of the decision.
Nonetheless, liberals have reason to contest the Obama administration on civil liberties questions. What's entertaining is to watch so many Republicans (let's exempt the consistent libertarians) reverse a decade of hard-line positions on national security matters and speak now as if they were card-carrying members of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Then there is the IRS's targeting tea party groups for special scrutiny in applications for 501(c)(4) status. Of course this was wrong -- and stupid. Liberals were incensed when the IRS questioned the tax status of several progressive groups during the Bush administration. The IRS needs to be ultra-scrupulous about political neutrality, period. That's why Obama came out late Wednesday to announce a shake-up at the agency.
But the other scandal -- as The Washington Post's Ezra Klein and Ruth Marcus and MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell have all suggested -- is that any groups involved in partisan electioneering are being granted standing as "social welfare" organizations, allowing them to hide the identity of their donors. A bad mistake could compound the IRS's timidity on the 501(c)(4) issue.
And finally, Benghazi, the "scandal" that seems to be all smoke and no gun. The House could have spent its energy trying to figure out what led to this tragedy, why diplomats were in such a dangerous place, and how to protect brave Foreign Service officers in the future. Congress could even have asked itself whether it's providing enough money for the task. But focusing on the narrow concern of who did what to a set of talking points (and bloviating about this episode as a new "Watergate") takes what could be a legitimate inquiry and turns it into a political carnival.
I know, I know: This "confluence" of "scandals" spells "trouble" for the Obama administration. Well, sure, this has been hell week for the president. But what spells trouble for our country is our apparent eagerness to avoid debate about discrete problems by sacrificing the particulars and the facts to the idol of political narrative. It's a false god.
(c) 2013, Washington Post Writers Group
About the Author
E. J. Dionne Jr. is a syndicated columnist, professor of government at Georgetown University, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His most recent book is Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent (Bloomsbury Press).
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Obviously Mr.Dionne did not read, or was unaware of,the Washington Post's own story on the AP's decision to publish the story of the failed al-Qaeda plot.
"Some question whether AP leak on al-Qaeda plot put U.S. at risk By Carol D. Leonnig and Julie Tate, Published: May 15"
"For five days, reporters at the Associated Press had been sitting on a big scoop about a foiled al-Qaeda plot at the request of CIA officials. Then, in a hastily scheduled Monday morning meeting, the journalists were asked by agency officials to hold off on publishing the story for just one more day.
The CIA officials, who had initially cited national security concerns in an attempt to delay publication, no longer had those worries, according to individuals familiar with the exchange. Instead, the Obama administration was planning to announce the successful counterterrorism operation that Tuesday.AP balked and proceeded to publish that Monday afternoon".
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/some-question-whether-ap-leak-on-... The investigation was pure spite on the part of Obama and his administrationas he was unable to continue his "I killed Obama with I foiled a terrorist plot" mythology.
The reprehensible change of approach is by liberals like DIonne who say one thing and do the exact opposite. Mr. Dionnes partisanship is bordering on maniacal. He continues to advocate that the Obama administration lie about information related to Benghazi, while suggesting that the Republicans are required to figure out the actual truth on what happened and why the administration lied to the AMerican people. He's also burying the fact that Democrats use the IRS as a weapon of political power as long as it's wielded on conservatives alone and suggests that a planned retirement was actually some aggressive behavior by Obama. This targeting has been going on by IRS democrats for 3 years. One retirement a few days early does not constitute outrage, just a fall guy. The apple is rotten from the core, but DIonne continues to eat.
Mr Dionne writes " And finally, Benghazi, the "scandal" that seems to be all smoke and no gun." as he totally ignores the the hard truth that the President, Ambassador Rice and every administration spokesperson publicly lied to the American people and the world by placing the entire blame for the attacks on the Banghazi "consulate" and the safe house on short Internet video and flash mob. In none of the communications released by the White House, two days are said to be missing, concerning the revisions to the original talking points is the video even mentioned once. If Mr.Dionne cannot see that the scandal is the coverup and lying to the public about who killed four Americans he is the Mr.Magoo of columnists.
Everyone knows that Benghazi terrorists killed the for Americans who were maybe all were CIA, Check Stevens' bio and keep telling yourself the Arabic speaking Ambassodor was State dept not CIA. Ask why the at the time CIA director Petreus is not being asked by the GOP to testify when his people were in charge and attacked in their 'safe' house in Benghazi.
"two days are said to be missing' this baloney is said by the same reps who are calling for impeachment. Obama said 'terrorists' the day after and that's why Romney was called out in the debate and lost the election.
Mr Gleason, If as you stated " Everyone knows that Benghazi terrorists killed the for Americans" why did Obama and his lackey,Ambassador Rice, lie to the American people,blaming it on a video and a mob demonstration. As to Obama calling the attack terrorism or "act of terrorism" the Washington Post"s Fact Checker wrote" the president's claim that he said "act of terrorism" is taking revisionist history too far" and awarded the President Four Pinocchio's, the highest award for liars. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/obamas-claim-he-ca...
Mr Mosman.
your link says that Obama called it 'acts of terror' three times. You and the GOP think that 'acts of terrorism' should have been used instead of 'act of terror'. You and the GOP think that these weasel wordings will get you back in power. NO they will not. And stop calling Obama a liar when he says acts of terror instead of terrorism.. it's a stupid ploy.
And that's why Romney lost.
Mr.Gleason, Since you chose to ignore the facts presented in the Washington Post I leave this conversation with a few words of advice. "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." ― Daniel Patrick Moynihan
In my opinion, E.J. Dionne's analysis of the narrative on these issues is correct. Everything and anything that happens anywhere in the world now is politicized and becomes a partisan issue---either the Democrats were at fault, or the Republicans were at fault. Whatever happend to the old adage that, "Politics stops at the water's edge"? Since the Democrats control the Executive Branch, they are mostly being blamed for anything bad that happens anywhere. Our elected representatives are behaving like a bunch of juvenile delinquents. Shame on them, and us. We all should stop playing the blame game, be true patriots and put our national interest ahead of partisan politics.


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I recently discovered this method for generating a 9 character password from the linux prompt in bash:
< /dev/urandom tr -dc A-Za-z0-9_ | head -c9
What is
< doing?
In case you're wondering, this is just a less common usage of the input redirector. The shell takes the file specified as input and its default behavior is to echo it to stdout.
The breakdown of the command you have:
The options -dc are equivalent to --delete --complement, which means to delete the complement of the following set of characters, i.e. all characters NOT in the set. That excludes non alphanumeric & underscore characters in your example.
Put it all together and you get, "print me the first 9 alphanumeric or underscore bytes from /dev/urandom". :)
In case you need a program output being given as file, it can be done this way: