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Customization of UIs and Products
Summary: Websites that let users customize the UI have the same measured usability as regular sites. Sites for customizing products, however, score substantially worse due to complex workflow.
Web-based customization is not new. As far back as the mid-1990s, people have touted customization as both the Web's destiny and the panacea to all business ills. After filtering out the hype, it's clear that Web-based customization can, in fact, be utilized to benefit both businesses and users if implemented properly.
Customization's usefulness is obvious for many applications. Still, there are countless tales of companies investing heavily in customization only to find that users rarely — if ever — customize. There are also numerous studies that tout users' desire for customization, but (as we know) what users say is often at odds with what they actually do.
Ultimately, for customization to succeed, you must have a business need for it and identify realistic hard and soft benefits to offset the expense of implementing it correctly.
Customization vs. Personalization
Although not commonly used, we could adopt the term "individualization" to refer to cases in which the user experience is adapted to each individual user's needs. In the early days of computing, everybody got the same thing. Similarly, in the Web's early days, all pages always looked the same, no matter who was visiting.
Today, designs are often adapted to individual users, so that different people see different screens both in applications and on websites. There are two main ways to individualize the user experience, depending on who initiates the adaptation:
Customization happens when the user tells the computer what he or she prefers to see. Examples include:
- Changing a news site to display the user's hometown weather forecast upon future visits to the homepage.
- Changing an automobile vendor's site to display a particular car model with specific color and feature options, along with the customized car's list price. Most auto sites now feature such configurators.
Personalization happens when the computer modifies its behavior to suit its predictions about the current user's interests. Examples include:
- An intranet portal employs role-based personalization to show management-related features only to users who are registered as managers in the HR database.
- An e-commerce site displays a list of the user's last five orders to make reordering the same products easy.
Our current research doesn't cover personalization. Instead, it focuses on two types of customization:
- Interface customization: Functionality that lets users customize their online experience by adapting the user interface to suit their preferences.
- Product customization: Functionality, such as a configurator, that facilitates customization of offline products, including custom-manufactured products.
Customization is not limited to websites. For example, the prevalence of "app stores" and ringtone downloads attests to the attraction of customization for both advanced and simple mobile phones. Even so, we limited our current research to testing customization on the Web.
User Research
To assess the usability of customization functionality on the Web, we conducted a usability study with 24 users interacting with 7 sites that incorporate customization: 3 websites that let users customize their online experience (interface customization) and 4 websites that let users customize an offline product (product customization).
Interface Customization Sites
- iGoogle
- My Yahoo!
- Pageflakes
Product Customization Sites
- Custom Ink (custom t-shirts and other wearables)
- Action Envelope (custom envelopes)
- [me] & goji (custom cereal)
- Tiny Prints (custom invitations and announcements)
On each site, we asked users to perform typical customization tasks, such as:
- Add a to-do list to your page
- Take a gadget off the page
- Add a feature that posts daily pictures of cats
- Assume that your business is moving and you need to print 500 announcements on a budget of $600
Business Benefits of Customization
When deciding whether to add customization features, it's important to first define your business objectives and then determine how customization might help you meet them. Following are some business benefits of Web-based customization.
Increased Traffic and Loyalty
In the case of iGoogle and My Yahoo!, customization is a value-add to an existing business model. Ideally, offering customization increases the number of users who will visit the site and choose it as their start page, thereby increasing page impressions and ad-based revenues.
In 2008, for example, iGoogle reportedly accounted for 20% of visits to Google's home page. As well, users who take the time to create their own custom Google or Yahoo! homepages are more likely to engage with site offerings such as Web-based e-mail and search.
Reduce Operating Costs
For businesses such as Action Envelope, there's an operational incentive to not only place catalogs online, but also to provide customization functionality so that users can configure and place their orders online as well. Without the Web, such companies would have to print and mail catalogs and maintain a large sales staff to reach the levels they can with Web-based customization.
Cast a Wider Net
Traditionally, geography limited businesses that required customer interaction to determine the product. Today, that's not the case. Tiny Prints, for example, lets users create custom announcements and invitations online. Before the Web, customers typically achieved this only by visiting the printers, where they'd select paper, fonts, and ink colors, and then examine proofs, make corrections, and so on. The same was true with custom cereals: you could create your own at a natural foods market, perhaps, but not everyone lived (or lives) near such stores. The ability to offer customization online makes such individualized products available to the masses.
Usability Challenges on Customization Sites
Our study looked at sites with and without customization to see whether there are any marked usability differences. We also separated interface customization sites from those with product customization. Interface customization task success matched that on non-customization websites, with an average completion rate of 83%. However, product customization sites averaged only 66% task completion — a significant gap.
In our post-task surveys, users generally reported feeling more lost and less in control on the customization websites, as the following (averaged) ratings indicate:
|Feeling oriented
|Feeling in control
Having users feel less in control on customization sites is particularly unfortunate, given that the goal of customization is to cater more precisely to each user's needs. Current customization user experiences have a tendency to get in the way, rather than empower users and make them feel appreciated.
The complexities of customization impact both task success and perception of the site.
For interface customization, the main problems relate to discoverability, findability, and comprehension — that is, getting to the customization in the first place, and then finding and understanding the available options. To reward first-time users with an early success experience, sites should better explain features and provide fast-tracked workflows. In our study, for example, iGoogle's promise to create a simplified personal homepage "in under 30 seconds" was successful and encouraged users to start experimenting with the service.
For product customization, poor findability caused even more problems: it was responsible for 45% of the many task failures on these sites. Overly complex workflows also caused many problems. Users frequently missed steps or misunderstood what was required to successfully design their own products. For example, one site asked users to specify font sizes in units that made no sense to the average person, resulting in a frustrating trial-and-error with different numbers. This particular problem was exacerbated by the unfortunate choice of a default size that was too small for almost all users.
The Importance of Good Defaults
Despite its benefits, many users don't avail themselves of customization features. Users exhibit a strong bias toward simply getting things done on a website, rather than spending time fiddling with preference settings.
It's too easy to resolve a design debate by simply offering all the possible options as preference settings and letting users decide the interface for themselves. Often, it's better for users if the design team decides on a single good, coherent user experience. Customization options should be reserved for those features that offer substantial user benefits, thereby compensating users for the time spent on customizing the UI rather than on accomplishing their tasks.
In any case, some users won't customize no matter how easy and rewarding you make the customization interface. It's therefore imperative to retain a good default design for non-customizing users.
Customization: Effective When Implemented Correctly
None of the sites we studied offered gratuitous customization; each site benefited from its customization and offered great benefits to users who took advantage of it. In observing users interacting with these sites, we witnessed both best and poor practices, which we've distilled into 46 guidelines for customization design. These guidelines outline the design principles that you should follow to ensure that your customization efforts provide an effective, efficient, and satisfactory experience for your users.
Customization is complicated, both technologically and design-wise. To get a user from blank slate to fully customized interface or product takes exceptional design skill. It also requires cooperation among multiple groups to assemble, organize, and architect a usable customization path. Customization isn't something you can throw together in a couple weeks, and businesses who approach it in that manner are risking their reputation and revenues.
Full Report
93-page research report with 46 design guidelines is available for download.
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FORT HOOD (December 20, 2012)—A Medal of Honor recipient and former Army staff sergeant will visit Fort Hood on Friday.
Sal Giunta is the first living person to receive the medal during the Global War on Terror.
He was presented the award by President Barack Obama in November 2010 for his actions in Afghanistan against the enemy and for saving lives.
Giunta will be autographing his book, "Living with Honor" that highlights his life before and after the Army. He also describes his experiences in the Army and what soldiers are faced with during difficult deployments.
Giunta says he wrote the book to highlight the valiant men he served with.
The event will begin at 11 a.m. and last for about two hours at the Clear Creek Main Exchange.

subset: commoncrawl


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7 Physical Mutations That Helped Famous Careers
#3. Tony Iommi Mutilated His Fingers, Invented Heavy Metal
You might not immediately realize it, but the John Oates prototype you see in the above photo invented the sound we've all come to know as heavy metal. His name is Tony Iommi and he's the guitarist and only consistent member of rock visionaries Black Sabbath.
His groundbreaking guitar techniques and tritone riffs are widely credited for launching an entire genre, while his mustache/perm combo is credited for creating the classic '70s porn star look [citation needed]. But it wasn't the hair or killer mustache that compelled Tony Iommi to rock as hard as he does. It was his grotesquely mutilated fingers.
There are only two careers you can have with that facial hair, and the world already had a Ron Jeremy.
While working in a Birmingham factory as a teen, silly Tony managed to get his hand caught in the machinery, an accident that severed the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand. No worries. Instead of hanging up his dreams of rock glory, Tony Iommi just invented a completely new way of playing guitar to better accommodate his destroyed digits. He incorporated tweaks like using lighter banjo strings and tuning his guitar down three semi-tones, which is technical-speak for making your guitar sound like the breath of the devil.
He's only looking upward because Satan is requesting "Stairway to Heaven." The guy's a dick.
Because the setup he landed on proved to be a comfortable one, he stuck with it. As luck would have it, the alterations had a vast effect on his guitar sound, creating a deep, booming sound that was hitherto unheard of. Iommi liked the sound and adopted it as his own. This forced Geezer Butler, the Sabbath bassist, to downtune his bass to match the strange new noise Iommi was blasting at him.
Also he removed a hand to one-up Iommi, but no one noticed because he's a bass player.
As a result, the whole Sabbath sound, while essentially blues rock at heart, became heavier and more ominous than anything else around. Add some dark lyrical themes and catchy tunes and lo and behold, heavy metal was born, due to an industrial accident. Just like Satan intended.
#2. Winston Churchill's Stuttering Made Him a Great Speaker
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was the fancily named prime minister who led Great Britain through World War II with his inspired leadership, giant cigars and handsome, masculine jowls. He is widely considered to be one of the most eloquent and quotable speakers in history. For that last part, you should consider showing some damn respect.
It's a fact now mostly lost to history that, while navigating his way through complex and emotional moments like the famous "Iron Curtain Speech" (not to mention ensuring that Adolf Hitler didn't goose step England into anti-Semite rubble), Winston Churchill was quietly struggling with a severe stuttering problem. It borders on unbelievable that a man with one of the most impressive resumes of epic speeches and massively quotable offhand quips and remarks of all time did it all while teetering on the brink of incoherent stuttering. It's even weirder that it was because of said stuttering.
Winston "Sometimes I Wasn't Drunk" Churchill.
See, in order to overcome his speech impediment, Churchill made sure everything he said was planned and written in advance. Everything. Not just speeches, but all of those little quotes and jokes and quips and comebacks were all in his head well before he ever said them. Because he didn't want to have to think too hard about things and, in turn, stutter like a buffoon (no offense, stutterers of the world!), Churchill would study any issue about which he may have been called upon to speak and determine what objections people might bring up before even stating his case. If you planned to call Winston Churchill fat, he probably knew to bring up your mom's drinking problem in response to shut you up.
His trigger finger stuttered, too. Forty men died.
And guess what? A funny thing happens when you spend so much time studying up on the various intricacies and angles of doing your job and how the world works in general ... you end up doing your job extremely well. All of that intense studying of not only his viewpoints on the ridiculously pressing issues of the day but also the viewpoints of those who would dare to disagree made Churchill far and away one of the most knowledgeable and effective leaders of his or any other time. Just ask anyone in England who isn't a Nazi right now, they'll surely agree. People appreciated Winston Churchill's unwavering dedication to not sounding like a jackass in public.
"When in doubt, wave your fingers at people."
#1. Teddy Roosevelt Overcame Every Ailment He Had to Become Unspeakably Awesome
Theodore Roosevelt was the leader of the Rough Riders, the 26th President of the United States and the kind of guy who sometimes likes to ride a giant moose over a river for shits and giggles.
"How do you go mermaid hunting?"
We have discussed him before, and if it isn't apparent yet, we kind of hold the man in pretty high regard. So, if we like him, you know he must have been pretty incredible. But you have no idea how incredible this man was until you take into account all of the various ailments and afflictions that he had to overcome in his life. From life-threatening asthma to constant bouts of illness to nearly nonexistent eyesight, Roosevelt was such a weak and sickly child that he wasn't realistically expected to survive into adulthood.
His father, however, had other ideas. Knowing that young Theodore was a goddamn Roosevelt and therefore roughly 10 times more manly from the get-go than mere mortals, he introduced the child to the traditional family way of dealing with shit, and its basic tenet was simple: If life gives you lemons ...
... punch it in the dick until it doesn't.
Young Teddy took his father's advice to "make his own body" to heart and decided that he had indeed had enough of sickness' shit. He went from a faint lily-of-the-valley to a vigorous athlete and outdoors advocate overnight, climbing mountains with lungs that the doctors had warned could collapse from climbing the stairs.
Roosevelt gave his new life ethic the name of The Strenuous Life, a concept he would later take every opportunity to preach to the American public, and it basically amounted to taking up every physical activity a person could imagine all at once. This was a man who spent much of his childhood confined to a bed, and he was determined to make up for lost time. This resulted in his evolving from a shell of a man into something that looks like it should have been in an X-Men comic ...
"Adamantium isn't nearly as hard as Rooseveltium."
... until he took his final form as the man you know: A war hero, the youngest president to ever hold the office and the hardest motherfucker to ever walk the Earth.
His constant cockfight against the weaknesses mere genetics dealt him lasted throughout his life, and is therefore directly responsible for exactly 100 percent of everything badass he ever did. Really, the only one of his ailments that never really affected him positively was his legendarily poor eyesight ...
"I fixed our badger problem."
Unless of course you count the time when it totally saved his life from an assassination attempt, because the bullet was slowed down by both the large-fonted and therefore insanely thick speech in his breast pocket ... and his spectacles case.
Naturally, T.R. kept the bullet as a souvenir. Inside his body.
Pauli Poisuo once stubbed a toe and now writes Internet comedy. Visit him at the Unpronounceable.
For more odd ways celebrities hit it big, check out 7 Celebrity Careers That Launched by Accident and 5 Celebrity Careers Launched by Ethnic Makeovers.


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(CNN) - Maine's independent senator-elect announced Wednesday he would caucus with Democrats, giving the party a ten-vote advantage over Republicans in the upper chamber.
Angus King made the announcement Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol, where he and other newly elected senators and representatives are convening for a week of orientation. They will be officially sworn in as lawmakers in January.
King said discussions with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had left him reassured his "independence would be respected," but that Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, did not reach out to discuss potentially caucusing with the GOP.
Members of both parties expected King to caucus with Democrats, though until Wednesday he had not publicly declared his intentions. He did not say during his campaign which party he would choose.
It was seen as highly unlikely that King would choose to side with Republicans, since the arm of the party responsible for electing members of the GOP to the Senate ran ads against him during the campaign in an attempt to bolster their own candidate. Democrats, who also had a candidate in the race, did not run ads in Maine specifically targeting King.
On Wednesday, King said money from national Republicans played no role in his decision to caucus with Democrats, and that his pick would not bar him from working with Republicans in the future.
"By associating myself with one side, I am not in opposition to the other," King said, noting that with a divided government compromise will be essential.
Speaking after King, Reid said the new member of his caucus "represents the best qualities of what a United States senator should be."
"Number one, he's independent and number two, he's a man of principle. Always has been," the Senate majority leader said.
One Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, held out hope Tuesday her fellow Mainer would join her, saying she'd "love to have Angus King as a member of our Republican caucus." She said whichever party King chooses, the senator would remain independent.
"I am positive he will not be an automatic vote for either caucus, and instead will look at the issues on their merits, and will attempt to reach across the aisle, no matter which side of the aisle he's sitting on," Collins said.
The Senate's other independent member, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, caucuses with Democrats.
King is a former two-term governor of Maine and will fill the seat of retiring Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican. In announcing she would not seek a fourth-term, Snowe decried what she saw as increasing partisanship in Washington.
The 55-seat majority for Democrats in the Senate is a gain of two seats for the party over the last Congress.
CNN's Alan Silverleib and Kevin Liptak contributed


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1957 Ford Ranch Wagon - Surf WagonWritten by Eric Geisert on November 13, 2009 Gordon McGilton's '57 Ford Ranch Wagon
The ability to find anything you could possibly ever want to think about on the World Wide Web is both a blessing and a curse. Who hasn't spent mindless hours adrift in front of a computer looking and clicking on the most inane subjects? (What are those town names between Amboy and Essex in the Mojave Desert?) But the web is also one of the best ways to find something you really want, such as your next vehicle.
Gordon McGilton, it's safe to say, owns a lot of cars, and in the course of the various builds he's been through with them he's had occasion to meet and become friends with one of the best upholsterers in the country: Paul Atkins. Atkins did the interior work in a few of McGilton's rides, and when Gordon was at Atkin's shop in Cullman, Alabama, Paul took him around and introduced him to other rod builders in the area, one of whom was Jesse Greening, of Greening Auto Company.
Greening burst on the scene a few years back after building a Ridler award-winning coupe (owned by Atkins) and has since built his name up by offering some of the best-looking, finely crafted hot rods anywhere. It doesn't hurt that Greening was named Trendsetter of the Year by the Goodguys Association in 2006 either, but trust us: This guy knows how to build a hot rod.
After Atkins introduced Gordon and Greening, the two started on '67 Nova project. It's a high-end deal, and the result will no doubt test the limits of what you can do with a '67 Nova when it's completed. Knowing the project would take some time to complete, Gordon thought he'd like an interim car built-something simple, but nice.
McGilton remembered a wagon Fat Jack built years ago, and even saw it once driving around at the Long Beach Swap Meet in Southern California, and the concept for the car (lowered, nice wheels, not a lot of money) has always stuck with him. Gordon began looking in earnest for a wagon (in particular a '57 Ford) but none could be found to his liking.
After looking for some months he was able to track down a suitable candidate while surfing the web one day-a low-mileage cruiser that he'd found in Alabama, so he bought it and had it delivered to Jesse for a redo. He asked only two things of Greening: that it be black and the headlights be frenched (using '56 Ford F-100 headlight hoods). Greening began the tear down, which meant the car was going to bare metal and readied for the rotisserie. As the build progressed, a few other additions came along, such as having the gas filler lid hidden. Now some folks might just move the filler to behind the license plate or some other easy fix, but Jesse took the opportunity to relocate the filler to behind the driver's taillight, which necessitated making a new flip-out taillight housing. And while he was at it, Greening also not only created new taillight lenses but the trim ring as well.
The engine, a 390 V-8, ran well when it came into the shop, so in keeping with the lesser-cost theme, it wasn't disassembled but rather just cleaned up. But Gordon wanted an overdrive for his wagon because he drives all of his cars so, instead of going the all-Ford route, Greening backed a 4L60E trans up the big-block by way of an adapter from Wilcap. Jesse also added a few custom touches to the engine along the way, too, including milling a vintage Thunderbird logo into a set of Edelbrock- finned aluminum valve covers. The air cleaner is a one-off piece, too, as Greening machined it from a 4-inch block of billet and designed it so it would hold a K&N air filter.
The suspension was improved with a set of Fatman Fabrication dropped spindles and springs, and a set of 18- and 20-inch Schott wheels were bolted to each corner. The wagon eventually got its black paintjob (thanks to Greening's dad, Jeff, plus Josh Cook and Ted Dobkowski) and the interior went red thanks to the talents of Atkins, who used leather throughout the cavernous interior.
When you check out the interior, it looks mostly stock, but in reality the front seat was lowered slightly while the rear seat was modified at its base because of the transmission. On the outside the bumpers were smoothed up and moved closer to the body, and even the "Ranch Wagon" nameplate was recreated on a CNC machine before being added to the end of each rear fender.
With the wagon finished, Gordon was able to climb in and drive it to Pleasanton, California, from his home in Clayton, North Carolina (a one-way distance of more than 2,800 miles). Driving them is what it is all about for Gordon, but he does have a backup plan. Since it was so hard to find a wagon when he originally wanted one, he has since bought three more, two of which still have their original paint! That just goes to show how good the Internet can be for locating your next project. And though Gordon may live 100 miles from the nearest beach, just by surfing the web for his wagon he can truly call it a "surf wagon."
|Gordon McGilton
|1957 Ford Ranch Wagon
|Frame / Manufacturer
|dropped spindles and springs from Fatman Fabrication (Charlotte, NC)
|Chassis plumbing
|Greening Auto Company (Cullman, AL)
|Rearend ratio
|Rear suspension
|Rear brakes
|Baer Track (Pheonix, AZ) disc
|Front suspension
|Front brakes
|Baer Track disc
|Master cylinder
|Corvette 1" bore
|Steering box
|Wurthit Designs rack-and-pinion
|Front wheel make, size
|Schott (Los Alamitos, CA), 18x8
|Rear wheel make, size
|Schott, 20x8.5
|Front tire make, size
|Kuhmo, 225/45/2R18
|Rear tire make, size
|Goodyear, 245/50/R20
|Gas tank
|Cooling fan
|SPAL (Ankeny, IA)
|Billet Specialties (La Grange, IL) Front Runner
|Valve covers
|Edelbrock (Torrance, CA), modified by GAC
|Manifold / Induction
|Ignition / Wires
|Taylor / MSD
|Exhaust / Mufflers
|Flowmaster (Santa Rosa, CA) by Cullman Discount Muffler
|Other engine facts
|Billet Specialties air cleaner
|Trans mods
|Compushift computer, Wilcap adapter for Ford engine
|Fast Shafts
|Body style / Material
|wagon / steel
|Body manufacturer
|Paint type / Color
|Glasurit / black
|Josh Cook and Jeff Greening
|Advanced Plating (Nashville, TN) / all stainless chrome-plated
|Ford and GAC
|Classic Instruments (Boyne City, MI)
|Stereo / Speakers
|Air conditioning
|Vintage Air (El Paso, TX)
|Dynamat (Hamilton, OH)
|Steering wheel
|Lecarra (Oneida, TN)
|Steering column
|ididit (Tecumseh, MI)
|stock, recovered by Paul Atkins
|Paul Atkins Custom Auto Interiors (Hanceville, AL)
|Material / Color
|leather / red
|Juliano's (Vernon, CT)
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
The original 390 engine that was in the car was left alone internally, but it was dressed up with a set of Edelbrock valve covers that have been machined by Greening with the Thunderbird logo. GAC also machined their own air cleaner from a 4-inch block of billet, and designed it to hold a K&N air filter. Other additions include a front runner belt system from Billet Specialties, an MSD ignition system, a SPAL electric fan, and the headers were coated by Performance Coatings.There's obviously more interior to deal with in a wagon, but upholsterer Paul Atkins wasn't put off by it. He used red leather throughout and covered the stock seats with the pleated material.The command center features a Lecarra wheel bolted to an ididit column, Classic Instrument gauges, an Alpine stereo system, and controls for the Vintage Air A/C system.Greening not only made the trim ring and taillight assembly, he also devised a trick way (and a custom tool) to open the hinged unit to get to the gas tank filler neck.


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I have noticed that obstructing a spotlight typically results in a blurred shadow unlike the crisp batman symbol in the comics of batman. Is there a way to create a spotlight with a crisp batman symbol?
You need to have a focusing lens built into your projector. After that, it's just like any other movie projector sort of thing, you can focus it provided you have an object to project it onto (like a flat cloud). Physically, the clarity of the image is limited by two or three things.
(1) The size of your optics (the large diameter lens) gives a limitation in that it's impossible for a lens of, say, 2 meters, to focus light in a direction more accurately than the wavelength of light divided by that diameter. For the 550 nm that the human eye adapts to at night, this is about 550nm/2m = 0.000000275 radians = 0.00002 degrees. This is probably not going to be a problem.
(2) There's also a limit based on the size of your light source (the bright thing from which the light emits, for example, the filament of a clear glass light bulb). This is a thermodynamic limit; you can't focus your light source so as to produce a temperature hotter than the light source. In practice, this means that if your light source has a size of 1cm, then you can't focus the beam from it to a size smaller than 1cm. By the way, this restriction is the limiting presence in the number of pixels displayed by a projection system. High intensity (small size high light output) sources are expensive and so projector bulbs are sometimes almost as expensive as the rest of the projector.
(3) If the image is viewed off-axis, a non-flat projection screen (or a translucent screen such as a cloud) will make the image blurred. But this won't be such a big deal from near where the image is projected.
Neither of these restrictions will significantly degrade your image. Good hunting!
You can use a Laser. Just track it whit moving mirrors like the beam of a TV tube. There are computers that do an outline but its totally possible to track horizontal lines that appear and disrepair at the proper moments and the smoke from fire woks can make a perfect screen. O ya and a BIG laser.
If you use a huge laser (or maybe several smaller ones) you would keep the light from spreading too much. Also, it only work with clouds to reflect it! and the smoother the better.
I don't know if there is another solution.


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The Lincoln Public Library's Youth Advisory Council (Y. A. C.) is a vital part of the Teen Program at the library. This group, made up of teens of all ages, meets to plan activities in the fall, spring, and summer. Along with representatives from the Youth Services Department they are responsible for planning, publishing, implementation, prizes and clean up of teen events.
Past events have included Coffee Shops, Jazz Concerts, Teen Author Night, Game Nights, Solve a Mystery Night, and a Sock Hop.
Interested teens can leave their name at the Youth Services Desk and will be contacted for meetings.
The Lincoln Public Library District's Youth Volunteer Program (Y. V. P.) is for teens wanting to gain work experience before employment. Set up to mirror a "real" job experience, teens must fill out a job application, present a letter of recommendation, and complete an interview and orientation process before beginning their volunteer work. Volunteers usually work one day a week after school for an hour. Summer time volunteers work a half-day.
The Teen Summer Reading Program is for any teen reader who wants to earn prizes for reading during June and July. Usually a six-week program, teens report books read each week to be eligible for a weekly prize drawing (the more books read, the better your chances in the drawing). The program culminates in a Grand Prize Drawing.
Audiobooks, Ebooks, Music and Videos
Support for iOS, Android, PC/Mac, & Nook!


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My favourite debugging technique is to get in there with a debugger, or failing that to sprinkle printf statements liberally across the code to display variables and why we are where we are, and find out what the program is *actually* doing. If you try debugging code based on what you *think* it's doing then you'll get nowhere, because you'll always think the code is doing what you were thinking when you wrote it - hence you not realising that ++ was in the wrong place.
yes sir...i will try to use printf to see wats actually happening from now on..


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Russia slideshow
Olympics: 'Blocked toilets, exposed wires' - Australian team highlight alarming Olympic village issues
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Premier League: Manchester United in worst possible situation - Mourinho
Jose Mourinho feels Manchester United's Europa League participation puts them in the "worst possible situation" to challenge for the Premier League title. More »Omnisport - 7 hours ago
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Steve Bruce reportedly left Hull City after the club's owners failed to support him in the transfer market More »90Min - 4 hours ago
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Ball-by-ball commentary as England bat again after bundling Pakistan out but decide not to enforce the follow-on. More »uk.sports.yahoo.com
La Liga Leaks: Real 'to lose out on Pogba', Barca 'to sell stars to Premier League clubs'
Senor Rumour Andrew Gaffney brings us the latest transfer rumours from Spain, where it bow appears Manchester United have a clear run at Paul Pogba... More »Andrew Gaffney - 8 hours ago


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I would like to see special offers for my region
Only today and tomorrow buy your tickets to fly to many destinations in offer! Fly over the world at incredible prices. From 399 €* travel to Dubai or discover incredible cities in North America, like New York from 499 €*. Buy your tickets now and fly between April 1 and June 15, 2013.
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On lufthansa.com you will find the best flight offers to your preferred travel destination. We offer you the best fares for flights from Lisbon and Oporto. Enjoy our exclusive online offers at attractive prices for flights to Germany as well as for flights to Europe and great fares for intercontinental flights. Consult our timetables now, book your ticket and have a comfortable flight with Lufthansa.


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I have already installed Groovy in my Ubuntu 10.10 desktop version. Now the language have been released its latest version of Groovy 1.8. When I try to install using the same command that have been used to install the Groovy previous version, such as :
sudo apt-get install groovy
I'm getting error like,
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 135 not upgraded.
So how could I can install, i'm a novice to Ubuntu, so kindly help me.


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Elks hosting pasta dinner on Sunday
The Weirton Elks Lodge 1801 past exalted rulers will host members and guests at the monthly pasta dinner from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the lodge located on Main Street, Weirton.
Dinner includes salad, pasta, bread, butter, dessert and coffee or tea. The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under.
One ticket will be selected for a free dinner at the February pasta Sunday dinner.
Respite grand opening Friday
The Sunny Day Congregate Respite will have a grand opening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the facility located at 1052 County Road, Weirton, adjacent to St. Peter's AME Church.
The facility will provide families who have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's disease or dementia a place to leave their loved ones in a safe environment.
Sunny Day Respite will provide meals, task assistance, medication prompts, cognitive drills and activities. The staff is Alzheimer's Association-trained. Clients can stay a minimum of one hour or a maximum of 12 hours.
The site will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and fees will be based on a sliding scale. Private pay is $13 per hour. Transportation is not available at this time.
Gardeners holding round robin
The Tri-State Area Master Gardeners will hold their fourth-annual round robin from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Mary H. Weir Public Library located on Main Street, Weirton.
Members will discuss annual, perennials, herbs, vegetable gardens, sun and shade gardens, lawns, butterfly and bird gardens, trees and shrubs, deer and other pests and ponds and water gardens.
The cost is $5 for those who pre-register and $7 at the door.
For information or to register, call the West Virginia University Hancock County Extension Office at (304) 564-3805 or send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Country Friends holding dance
Country Friends will host Hank Vincent and the Stone Street Station Saturday at the Memorial Hall located at 402 Old Police Lodge Road, Colliers.
The doors open at 6 p.m., and the dance starts at 7 p.m. Country Friends hosts covered-dish dinner and open mic nights each Friday and Monday. The doors open at 4 p.m., the meal begins at 5 p.m., and open mic begins at 6 p.m.
Country Friends Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Christianity, friendship and brotherly love through music. All proceeds go to charity.
For information, call (304) 527-4253 or (304) 479-1270 or visit the website at www.countryfriendsfoundation.com.
Gadabouts plan February outing
Claudia Clevenger, Gadabouts tour director, has announced that there will be a day trip to Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino and Racetrack on Feb. 18 with the bus leaving from the parking lot of Riesbeck's in Wintersville at 11 a.m.
For details or reservations, contact Clevenger at (740) 264-5678.
Feline Fix-It
clinics continue
Need alteration surgery for your cat, but can't afford the cost?
Hounds' Haven Animal Shelter is continuing its weekly low-cost spay/neuter clinics for cats only. The offer is limited to households in need, or for any household caring for stray cats in their area.
Cat spays are $35, and cat neuters are $20. Patrons are required to schedule an appointment and pre-pay. Call the shelter at (740) 733-8546, leave a message and expect a contact regarding appointment time and instructions.
Hounds' Haven is a private, nonprofit, "quality-of-life" shelter for homeless pets from around the Ohio Valley. It provides quality care for life to hundreds of animals each day. It also operates a comprehensive pet adoption program, public education and low-cost pet medical services.


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Will I be permitted to pack a cheese grater in my carry-on bag for a domestic U.S. flight, or will this be considered a "potential weapon" and prohibited?
It probably depends on how your cheese grater is constructed. You can see the official list of prohibited items on the TSA web site. The most relevant section seems to be the "sharp objects" section, which lists:
I suspect most cheese graters (like the first and second ones below) would not be technically classified as a sharp object.
However, others likely would be considered 'sharp objects'.
It also almost certainly depends on the judgement and mood of the person on duty who checks your bag.
I was once forbidden to take marshmallow cream in my carry-on, because it was "liquid." (Try pouring marshmallow cream, and then tell me its a liquid!)
According to the TSA's "Can I Bring..." web site (also available on their Mobile App) you CAN bring your Cheese Grater in either Carry-on or checked-in luggage.
This is potentially one of those situations where it would be worth carrying a print-out of that page showing that it's OK, just in case the TSA agents decided that it was not allowed.


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WEIRTON - On Friday, Weir High School students and faculty came together to remember two of their own.
Members of the school's Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y clubs faced off against teachers in a charity volleyball game, with all proceeds dedicated to scholarship funds in memory of Kristin Andrews and Aaron Davies.
Andrews was diagnosed with both acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia in June 2006. She died seven months later in January 2007.
Article Photos
Students and faculty prepared for a charity volleyball game held Friday at Weir High School. Proceeds from the game will go toward scholarship funds in memory of Kristin Andrews and Aaron Davies, both members of the Weir High Class of 2007 who died from cancer. -- Craig Howell
Davies was in the seventh grade when he was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer. He died a little more than three years later in 2005, at the age of 16.
They were both members of the Weir High Class of 2007.
According to Weir High Principal Dan Enich, the volleyball game was started several years ago by teacher Pete Rohal, initially in an attempt to help show support for both students as they battled their conditions.
"It's been kept alive by the students and teachers," he said.
On Friday, teacher Stacy Ruiz was among those set to take part in the charity game.
Ruiz noted both students were active in school, being members of athletic teams and various clubs, including the Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y groups. Davies mother, Connie, also is a teacher at Weir High School.
"We donate the proceeds to the scholarship funds," Ruiz said.
Faculty members wore orange T-shirts, a color, used in Davies' memory, while students wore lime green shirts in honor of Andrews.
In addition to the scholarships, several charitable organizations and events also have been created in the students' memories.
Kelsey's Christmas, organized by Andrews' sister, Kelsey, distributes pajamas, slippers and toys to cancer patients at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh during the holiday season. The field house used by the Rotary Youth Soccer League was named in Andrews' memory in 2010.
In 2012, a park on Terrace Heights was been named after Davies, and blood drives, a golf tournament and other fundraisers have been held in his name.
(Howell can be contacted at email@example.com, and followed via Twitter @CHowellWDT)


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I am looking to download some set/s of tarot cards in order to print them. This needs to be from a free site. Grayscale cards are also acceptable. It would be great if the images are designed specially for printing on A4, as then I could print sheets and cut them up.
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The most popular version in the English speaking world is the Rider-Waite Tarot cards. These were published in the early 20th century.
This site has The Pictorial Key to the Tarot that contains B/W images of the Tarot cards (clicking those opens fair quality scans in color). The book and the images predate U.S. copyright laws.
These images here are the best high quality scans I have found of these old images.
Yep, you can download the images from the pictoral key to the tarot here. I'm creating a deck, the Evolutionary Options Tarot which is being released into the creative commons. That means copyright free tarot card images! Have at it, and I'd appreciate any feedback.
You can download the L'avenir Tarot of Destiny here which can be printed or used for any purpose providing deck is not printed commercially to sell as a deck of cards. The cards should print as A4 with no problems
Heey, I Made a pack with all the tarot cards, but there is a little problem, i put the name of the pictures in brazilian portuguese cause i am brazilian, just rename it and the problem disappear Link: http://www17.zippyshare.com/v/CNDQ9L9k/file.html


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To Stay at Home or Return to Work?
In This Article:
Missing from many of our baby-makes-threesomes are spouses who share family duties equally, and defend our careers as energetically as their own. The men we married became more involved parents than their dads were. But the pledge they made to be "involved" even actively turns out to be a far cry from "responsible for" or "in-charge" to the extent most moms become.
How startling it is to find that although your spouse shares basic parenting with you, he does not experience the anguish and indecision, the guilt and frustration that tears at many a mom's soul every day. He leaves for work in the above-it-all way he always does, unaware of how many diapers are left, where the kids have stashed their cleats, or when tuition is due. And because the father of your children cannot relate to the pain and injustice of this, your sarcasm and rage start blacking out all the good stuff he represents.
The golden rule of the equal rights movement, that nature can be overcome by nurture, becomes a piñata in early motherhood. The impact of a husband's laissez-faire parenting style sets it reeling. Choices that are often too poor to be considered true choices dull the swing of our hopes, forcing them into a prescribed back-and-forth route. But the biggest blow is often from our own physiology mammary glands, cuddle hormones, hairs on the backs of our necks, and frogs in our tummies that tell us we are mothers, body and soul, and indeed deep down in our bones.
Many moms believe their husbands' lapses as fathers are due to DNA. Because even dads who jump with two feet into the muddy waters of parenting don't get preoccupied about being good fathers and don't experience the constant gnawing of details and concerns that mothers do. I would venture that moms spend as much time thinking about kids as men spend thinking about sex.
In The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World Is Still the Least Valued, author Ann Crittenden sums it up well: "For all the change of the last decade, one thing has stayed the same: It is women who adjust their lives to accommodate children; who do what is necessary to make a home; who forego status, income, advancement and independence."
More on: Adjusting to New Motherhood
From What No One Tells the Mom by Marg Stark. Copyright © 2005. Used by arrangement with Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book, visit Amazon or click on the book cover.


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Rock and Candy by Zigi NY Marilyn Women's Shoes
Buy Online & Pick Up In-Store
The Rock & Candy by Zigi NY Marilyn Women's Shoes add instant style for miles! The knee-high flat boots feature two classic buckles, one on the midfoot and the other at the top, for a secure and personalized fit. Turn your outfit into an instant hit with the Marilyn boots, and be the girl next door that everyone wants to know.


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Former Durango resident Maurice E. LeGault died Thursday, June 14, 2012, in La Center, Ky. His age was not disclosed.
Mr. LeGault was born to Lawrence Joseph and Lucille Corrine (Cline) LeGault in Hettinger, N.D.
He earned bachelor�s, master�s and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota.
Mr. LeGault was an educator in the field of vocal music and began his teaching career in the public school system in Cambridge, Minn.
He directed the choirs at Fort Lewis College from 1972 to 1980, as well as teaching at the college level in New Mexico, South Dakota, Oklahoma, in the Chicago area and at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Mr. LeGault also directed a number of choral and musical performances during his professional career.
He lived in Durango from 1989 to 2002.
In 1988, he married Bonnita Kay Davis in Durango.
Concurrent with his musical teaching career, he also continued the operation of LeGault Floor Finishing, a family business founded by his father in 1934.
Mr. LeGault was baptized at Faith Lutheran Church in 1964 in Isanti, Minn.
�Maurice had a true zest for life and a strong work ethic,� his family said. �He never wanted to be bored or waste time. Maurice enjoyed singing, listening to music, traveling, reading magazines and keeping up with current events and politics. He especially cherished the time he spent with his family and friends.�
Mr. LeGault is survived by his wife of 24 years, Bonnita Kay (Davis) LeGault, of Vienna, Ill.; daughters Julie Ann Carlson of Foley, Minn., and Michelle Rae LeGault of Atlanta; two grandchildren; a niece and a nephew; and numerous extended family members.
A celebration of life was held Saturday, June 16, 2012, in Vienna, Ill. A memorial service will be held in Colorado at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the American Lung Association, 3000 Kelly Lane, Springfield, IL 62711-6226; or to the American Cancer Society, 4503 W. DeYoung St., Suite 200C, Marion, IL 62959.
To leave an online condolence, visit www.baileyfh.com.


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About St. Louis Children's Hospital
Founded in 1879, St. Louis Children's Hospital is one of the premier children's hospitals in the United States. It serves not just the children of St. Louis, but children across the world. The hospital provides a full range of pediatric services to the St. Louis metropolitan area and a primary service region covering six states. As the pediatric teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital offers nationally recognized programs for physician training and research.
Fact Sheet
Licensed beds: 258
Employees: 3,000
Medical staff members: 700
Auxiliary members and volunteers: 1,300


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This was originally shown at the Alamo Draft House in April 2008 as part of the Dogfish Head Off-Centered Film Festival.
It's about fucking time. BREW MASTERS starring Sam Calagione starts tonight on Discovery Channel.
I first met Sam at the Great American Beer Festival in September of 2005. I told him then that he was going to be a star. He seemed embarrassed. But it was easy to see from our very first interview that here was a guy who was the real deal and a natural in front of the camera.
I got to know Sam over the 3 years it took to make the film. He allowed my crew into his home, his business, and into his head. I shot over 35 hours of footage with him in multiple locations across the country. And the rule of thumb worked – about one minute per hour made it into the film. There are so many gems that didn't fit into the bigger story. Someday I hope to open the "vault" and share.
And Sam has been very gracious since the film came out. He showed up on premiere night in Los Angeles to be with a panel of his peers and at film festivals since then to help promote the film.
And yet he gets flak from "beer geeks" for being overexposed. Seriously, it's time to stop. Yes, he's a rock star. Celebrate it. He's the guy Discovery picked to be the face of BREW MASTERS. And since it's a positive message he's espousing, he's having no problem getting media attention. And that can only help craft beer.
I hope the show does well. I hope Discovery gives the wider TV audience a chance to well, discover it. I haven't seen any episodes yet but since the show's producers are also behind Anthony Bourdain's NO RESERVATIONS, I think it's safe to go in with high expectations.
So break a leg Sam. I hope you remember me when…
Tags: beer geeks, Beer Wars, Brew Masters, craft beer, Discovery, Dogfish Head, Sam Calagione


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Add to Calendar
November 29, 2012 @ 5:00 pm – November 29, 2012 @ 8:00 pm
Thursday, November 29th, limited to our sponsors and their guests.
Heartlight Conference Center
& Friday November 30th.
The Belcher Center at Letourneau University, Longview
Tracy Byrd and Michael Martin Murphey.
Benefits the work of Heartlight and Parenting Today's Teens
For more information please visit www.ParentingTodaysTeens.org or www.HeartlightMinistries.org


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Ash Wednesday service set
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 284 Lovers Lane, Steubenville, will be holding an Ash Wednesday service tonight at 7 p.m. led by Pastor John Zimmann.
'Man to Man' Thursday
The "Man to Man" cancer support group meeting set for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Tony Teramana Cancer Center in Steubenville will feature a roundtable discussion. For information, contact Brother John Paul McMahon, regional coordinator, at (740) 283-3771.The meeting is open to the public.
Fish dinner at Irondale UMC
Irondale United Methodist Church will host a fish dinner on Friday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The menu will include fish, macaroni and cheese, green beans, cole slaw, roll, dessert and drink. Cost is by donation with carryouts available.
Support group meeting set
The Alzheimer's Association will hold its monthly caregiver support group meeting Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. at Eastern Gateway Community College, in Room 1500.


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SHERMAN, Tex. -- One local doctor is helping Austin College students reach their goals. Dr. Ray Thomas is sponsoring what is known as the Thomas Challenge Scholarship Program. Stephanie Brletic explains.
Dr. Thomas and his wife are both proud Austin College alumni, so when the vice president for institutional advancement approached them about the Scholarship Challenge, they jumped at the chance.
The Thomas Challenge is a challenge to local people and businesses to put up the money for a four-year scholarship at Austin College. As an incentive, Dr. Thomas will pay $2,000 of the pledge amount during the first year. Plus, the school will double the donation amount over all four years.
Austin College representatives say getting one of these scholarships will likely make the difference between a student being able to attend the college or not.
"These are not a bunch of rich kids. The vast majority of students who get these scholarships are not only meritorious, but are in financial need, and it will help them that way," Jim Lewis at Austin College says.
Dr. Thomas and Mr. Lewis both hope the challenge will lead to opportunity for the students as well as lasting relationships between the donor and recipient.
Scholarship money will be given out at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year.


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One Hingham-born-and-bred business has given financial support to preserve the history of another.
The Hingham Historical Commission announced last week that Talbots has made a generous donation to the Bucket Town book project, which is scheduled to be published later this year. Hingham's Woodenware and Wooden Toy industry will also be the sole subject of an exhibit at Old Sturbridge Village from June 2014 through January 2015.
The book, which author Derin Bray calls the first of what he hopes are many "material histories" of Hingham, tells the story of the rise and growth of Hingham's woodenware and wooden toy making industries from the 1600's to the mid 1900's. The industry made Hingham internationally famous for the quality of the work produced here, earning the town the nickname, "Bucket Town."
Like Hingham's earlier industry, Talbots began as a small business in Hingham, and has grown to become a worldwide brand. Founders Rudolph and Nancy Talbot began in 1947 with one store with the iconic Red Door in downtown Hingham, and expanded their retail classic clothing brand through catalog sales. Today, still known for classic style, impeccable tailoring, and personal service, they have more than 500 stores in the US and Canada. They also serve a worldwide customer base through their catalog and website.
Betsy Thompson, Talbots Director of Corporate Communications and Community Relations, said the company cherishes its connection with Hingham. "Since our founding in 1947, we have felt privileged to serve customers in a town with such a rich and diverse history. It's a quiet history, but we're very proud of it. Even though we've grown, our heart and soul is in Hingham."
Talbots supports many local projects as a corporate citizen. Members of the Bucket Town Fundraising Committee expressed deep gratitude for their financial support of this project.
For more information on supporting the Bucket Town project, go to the website: www.buckettown.com . With the fundraising deadline, March 31, fast approaching, personal and corporate donations are still greatly appreciated.
Location, ST | website.com


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Issue Date:
October, 2010
The October issue of School Reform News highlights the American Legislative Exchange Council's new report card on American education. Vermont tops the states when it comes to test scores but ranks at the very bottom in school reforms, while Florida earns a solid B+ for its sweeping and sustained reform efforts.
Also in this issue:
- Former governors Jeb Bush (Florida) and Bob Wise (West Virginia) are cochairmen of the new Digital Learning Council, aimed at increasing public funding for and use of Web-based learning tools in U.S. education.
- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has come out in favor of public school choice and privately run charter schools.
- The first parent to use California's parent empowerment law talks about her petition drive to change the administration of her local middle school in a Los Angeles suburb.
- New Mexico is considering cutting funds for charter schools and preventing any new charters from opening.
- Most Americans do not want federal bureaucrats seizing the education reins from states, according to the latest Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll on public attitudes toward education.
- Waiting for Superman, the latest documentary from the director of An Inconvenient Truth, sets its sights on the nation's foundering public education system.
Newspaper Articles in this Issue
No matching newspaper articles


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I'm intriguid as to how a patent so broad as this can be. This is a very generic method of holding an object and seems to have not invention, why is this patent here?
Can anyone enlighten me, I feel I don't understand the process or maybe I'm not reading it correct, however, the limited description of anything specific in the concept tells me there is nothing here to protect.
I'm sorry if I seem naive, I am open to sensible explanations.


text:
Loyola University Maryland's Sellinger School of Business and Management provides business education rooted in the Jesuit tradition of emphasizing strong ethical leadership, commitment to social responsibility, and a global perspective. With more than 60 faculty members and 2,000 students, the Sellinger School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Part-time, weekend, and full-time MBA programs, specialized master's degrees, and graduate certificate programs are delivered on campuses in Baltimore, Columbia and Timonium, Md.
To connect with an expert in the Sellinger School:
Andrew Aldrich
Bonnie Heneson Communications
P: 410-654-0000 ext. 7
E: email@example.com
All other media inquiries:
Nick Alexopulos
Associate Director of Media Relations & Social Media
E: email@example.com


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A movie that's now out on Blu-ray and DVD tackles the subject of bullying.
"Bully" follows several teens and their families throughout the 2009 to 2010 school year, capturing their experiences.
One of the main characters doesn't even realize he's being bullied and the movie investigates his reaction after a troubling bus ride where the filmmakers fear for his safety.
"Alex says: "If these kids aren't my friends, then what friends do I have"? You feel so deeply for him and for the struggle," said Lee Hirsch, the filmmaker.
To learn more about the movie "Bully" and how you can join the challenge to stop this form of violence click the link below.


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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A plan to improve Oklahoma's troubled child welfare services includes seeking 500 new foster families by the end of June 2013 and the restructuring of the Department of Human Services' child welfare staff.
Gov. Mary Fallin, House Speaker Kris Steele and Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman praised the five-year plan Friday during a news conference at the state Capitol.
The plan was developed as part of a January settlement agreement reached with a children's advocacy group that sued over DHS' treatment of foster children.
Officials estimate the plan will cost about $153 million to initially implement with an estimated $100 million coming from the state and about $53 million from the federal government.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Some advice for the college bound
It's that time of year when our junior-year secondary school students begin to think about colleges. Having been involved with several universities throughout my career, along with putting three children through college, I believe I know a little about the complicated process of choosing a school, which might be useful to pass along to you.
When I was in this situation in the mid-1950s, I had my heart set on attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But my parents quickly let me know I could choose any university I wanted, as long as it was the University of Connecticut. There was no way they could afford to send me to any other school. So UConn it was. Consequently, I never went through the tedious process of choosing and visiting universities that is common today. By the way, as it turned out, going to UConn was the best career decision I have ever made.
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In case you didn't notice, because we were too busy celebrating and stuffing christmas meals and playing with our new toys, so we didn't find any time to brag and post about it: Ulysses is 50% for the time being, with "time being" being the holidays, all of the holidays, the whole season, from Xmas to New Year's eve and… maybe… even beyond, meaning the following day, the new year's New Year's day, like…. next year's "this year", ifyouknowwhatwemean, so, puh, to make a long sentence's story awkwardly short:
Get Ulysses NOW for 50% off!!!
That's HALF the regular price, and yeah, you read that right. Full version, half the price — fitty-fitty, everybody wins.
Have fun!


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I want to orient my elevation labels uphill. Is that possible? I'm currently using the labeling tool from QGIS (not that one in layer settings). I want the labels curved and uphill oriented (and I would like to define how regularly the numbers are displayed). It's all for a print-map.
Here we go then, a method to get some control over contour label placement, see the picture.
The first thing I did was to load the contours. Next, on a new line shapefile, I drew a line from the top of the hill to the bottom (the labels in the picture are aligned with this). I then buffered the line and used the buffer to clip the contour layer. After that I loaded the clipped contours over the contour layer, set the symbology so that the little lines didn't render, and labelled the clipped layer using the new labelling system.
In the example shown I only used one straight line, but of course it would be possible to use polylines too, to produce better placed labels.
Oh, you only need a small buffer value, 50 metres I think I used in the example, even this might have been greater than strictly necessary. Regards, Nick.
Using parallel placement together with "bellow line" and "line orientation dependent position", I managed to put the labels on the uphill side always.
Curved placement currently seems to ignore line orientation though. (I reported the behavior.)
Also, it doesn't seem possible to achieve upside-down labels, if you were aiming for that.
What you could do is to make a point file from the contours with an attribute of the elevation (You can do this using any profile from line tool). Then add in the point the aspect value (You will need the aspect raster but that is easy to produce) and finally rotate the elevation label in the points according to the aspect (in fact it will need to be 180 degrees + aspect, because aspect is the downhill direction). You can style the points so they don't show. Hope this helps, it strongly depends on the details of your data, if the aspect doesn't match the contour direction it can be quite annoying.
Often, contour line vertices are capture in such a way that the uphill is always at the same side of the line. Maybe it is the case of your data...


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I'm trying to display "the week" for appointment scheduling. The problem is that my current implementation is way too busy (but it does put everything on the table). Also, the page easily gets taller with more appointments.
I was thinking of having each "time block" (e.g 8:00A) show the number of appointments. Then when that cell is hovered over, it could should the actual appointments with their respective times. Would this take away from being able to see "the week at a glance"?
This is my current layout:
Any other ideas for approaching this are appreciated :) .


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Keep all of your parts and fasteners organized
This removable, industrial-grade steel scoop drawer has a hinged cover with latch closure to prevent parts from shifting or falling out. Polystyrene inserts keep parts separated. Finished in a rust- and acid-resistant powder coat. Use individually or with the slide cabinet (Item 28571, sold separately). Drawer measures 3"Hx18"Wx12"D and has 16 fixed compartments. Weighs 8 lbs. USA made.
2016 Master Catalog: Page 561


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5 People Who Screwed Things Up for Everybody
People complain about a lack of accountability in today's society -- politicians and bankers alike escape from scandals with no consequences beyond a stint in rehab and a nice book deal. Well, we at Cracked are all about finding the people who have made our lives just a little bit worse. Things didn't have to be as messed up as they are now, and it only takes a few assholes to ruin life for the rest of us.
#5. Ronald Clark O'Bryan Ruined Halloween
If you grew up in America, odds are pretty good that you've donned your costume and done your Halloween rounds just like millions of other children. You may cherish the memories of getting home from a long night of trick-or-treating, pulling off your ninja mask and dumping a huge-ass sack of candy onto the carpet. You may also remember, rather less fondly, waiting for what seemed to be a light-year (concepts of time and space weren't your strong suit) for your parents to finish searching said candy for deadly poison.
"Remember, kids, there are always strangers out to murder you."
If you asked them what they were doing, they'd tell you stories of evil people all across America inserting poison or razor blades or some other horrifying object into the candy they hand out to children. A policeman may even have shown up at your school to lecture you about it, or you may have seen public service announcements on television, warning you to only accept candy from people you knew, and only treats that still had their wrappers intact.
What is it about Halloween candy that turned normal grown-ups into over-protective zealots? It's such a bizarre, improbable thing to worry about, like not letting you jump in the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese's for fear there might be snakes in there. How many poison-dealing mass murderers can there be in the Western world, anyway?
A little poison is good for kids. Keeps 'em from getting soft.
Actually, it all traces back to one person. The man in question is Ronald Clark O'Bryan, an almighty dickhole who poisoned his own 8-year-old son with cyanide in order to collect on a $40,000 life insurance policy, and who we will exclusively refer to with irreverent nicknames from now on because, seriously, screw that guy.
Asshole O'Bryan slipped the poison into a bunch of Pixy Stix, which he then stapled shut. Yes, we said a bunch -- one just wouldn't do, because following some strange logic accessible to only the criminally insane, Shitbricks O'Bryan decided to poison every child his son went trick-or-treating with. Through either a miracle or, more likely, the fact that Pixy Stix suck balls, none of the other kids were harmed. O'Bryan was caught, found guilty and executed, but the case was widely publicized and so the damage had already been done.
State of Texas
We're pretty sure Texas came into existence just to punish Cocksheath O'Bryan.
And that is how even now, close to 40 years later, a trick-or-treater has to write off every piece of candy with a hole in the wrapper. Which is really sort of unfair, as although there have been a couple of other isolated incidents of poisoned candy since Dick O'Bryan set the trend, not a single one of them has been the doing of a random poison-maniac with a grudge against kids in cheesy costumes.
So, we guess the moral of the story is: If someone is going to poison your child's Halloween candy, chances are it's going to be you.
Wikipedia Commons
Also, stay the hell away from Pixy Stix.
#4. Rich Skrenta Released the First Computer Virus
Nowadays, we're so saturated with warnings about viruses and other malware that we never stop to think about how weird it is that such a thing even exists. We almost treat them like actual viruses, like something that naturally occurs in the world that we just have to live with. But behind every computer virus is an actual asshole with programming skills who is intentionally trying to harm strangers' computers. It'd be like living in a world where every sickness was the result of a weaponized microbe some stranger made and blindly inflicted upon you, for absolutely no reason. Who started this shit?
Steve "Antichrist" Ballmer?
Well, we guess it makes sense that the ultimate form of petty, mindless dickery has its origin in a spiteful teenager. Namely, a 15-year-old called Rich Skrenta.
Spiteful teenagers are also the origin of corpse-camping, 4chan and Goatse.
Skrenta, who was either a dick or just going through a dick phase in his life, had a habit of modifying the games he traded with his friends to display taunting messages on their screens. When this got boring -- or, more likely, when he got tired of getting his ass kicked by the people he'd tricked -- Skrenta set about looking for a way to mess with other peoples' computers without making himself the obvious culprit. He ended up developing something called a boot sector virus, which installed itself on any machine that booted from an infected floppy disk.
(Note: For those of you born past the early '90s, floppy discs are things we used to store data, and we continued to call them floppy discs even though they were square and, later, rigid unfloppy plastic.)
They made pretty fair throwing stars, too, if there wasn't a teacher in the room.
This virus program, named Elk Cloner, had two distinct key features that you can see in its modern descendants even today. First, it was able to breed. Once a computer was infected, every disc you put in it would get loaded with the malicious code, which basically made it herpes for high school computer class. Elk Cloner's other innovative feature was an annoying little message that would pop up on every 50th boot:
"Elk Cloner: The program with a personality/It will get on all your disks/It will infiltrate your chips/Yes, it's Cloner!/It will stick to you like glue/It will modify RAM too/Send in the Cloner!"
For an explanation, we turn to marijuana.
While these days Skrenta regrets letting the genie out of the bottle, he does argue that the basic idea of a self-propagating virus would probably have "gotten out anyway." While he may or may not be right in his argument, that won't stop us from resenting the hell out of him and making cheap, outdated insults about his stupid, stupid face.
Way to go, Four-eyes McWaveyhair.
#3. "Mrs. Geo O. Haman" Created Chain Letter Fraud
Speaking of things some of you are too young to remember, before all of those bullshit scam emails in the form of messages from Nigerian princes, obscure foreign lotteries and suspiciously typo-filled queries from your bank, those scams were carried out with actual, physical chain letters you got in the mail.
"Mail" was that papery stuff people used to shove in boxes in front of your house.
There were always two types -- the kind intended to scam you out of money, and the kind that were just intended to be forwarded and thus spread as far and wide as possible (the latter was the old equivalent of the "Post this on your wall if you want to stand up for abused children" stuff you see on Facebook today).
Both types of chain letter go back hundreds of years. The innocuous ones like this one from 1795 were annoying, but ultimately harmless. But then in 1888 somebody figured out how to make some cash off of it, and the scam chain letter was born.
"My wife will die if I don't forward $50? Little does he know, I hate my wife."
A New Hampshire resident named Ms. Wood received a letter begging funds for educating the poor whites of Cumberlands. We're not sure who exactly was behind this -- our only existing clue to the author is the name "Mrs. Geo A. Haman," which, given fraudsters' notorious disregard of real-name usage, we're going to go out on a limb and assume wasn't the person's true identity.
While today's scams are focused on stealing your bank account information, Haman was dealing with people of the 19th century. They were simple folk who tended to keep their money under mattresses or buried in the backyard. So this enterprising scammer figured out the only way to make real money was with volume, by soliciting small donations from long chains of people. To save on postage, you encourage each victim to forward the letter to multiple people on your behalf.
"Hassling my entire family is a small price to pay for vague promises of future wealth."
This, given the speed and reliability of postal services of the day, meant the payoffs weren't too mind-boggling: "Mrs. Haman's" letter, for instance, solicited exactly five 10-cent donations: from the recipient and four of her friends.
Modern scammers have learned a lot since those early days -- namely, that the appeal to greed is far more profitable than the appeal to charity. And although "Mehmet IV, a Nigerian prince of some importance" might not wipe his royal ass with today's equivalent of half a 19th century dollar, the person behind him would likely give an approving nod to Haman's pioneering spirit of preying on the gullible.
Mrs. Geo Haman, patron saint of scamming the elderly.


text:
1 Case (6 cans) Maxwell House Coffee for $25 + free shipping
coupon code: SAVENOW
1 case (6 cans) maxwell house coffee for $25 shipped
order a case (6 cans) for $30
use $5 off code SAVENOW
get free shipping
total $25
25 Comments add a comment
The link is not valid.
Bad link(s) not on Dollar General site
deals.woot affiliate program is screwed up (been screwing up all morning)
COPY AND PASTE this link
@commodog: Thanks, Almost out of coffee.
What size are canz?
Go to DollarGeneral.com, in the search box enter 11786775. Coupon code works too! In for 1 case. The Click link will not work.. Woot is Broken.
Your link stinks,....... It is not working!!!
Deal works fine, if you just spend 2 seconds to read the comments. Thanks for a great deal!
I see it for $30 a case, not $25. What coupon code?
@joatmon58: Oh, I found the code, up there in the original post. Thanks so much for the deal!
Maybe not a great deal if you like regular roast flavor......
Just sayin'.....!
Dollar General slams you to their Mobile site and the shopping cart link won't work on my Android device, but it went smooth with my laptop and the latest I-Explorer. Great deal. Thanks!
Great deal and easy to get.
Not a great lover of Max House but at 6 for 25.00 I can learn to love it.
@janet3425: Try one locally at $5 this week and then buy the case if you like it.
That is a great price for coffee, thanks for posting! I'm always on the lookout for cheap coffee for DH, and he likes a milder roast so this works out well.
The can says "1 LB 14.65 OZ." when did the measurement of a pound drop to that weight?
@pfgrooly: They probably thought writing the additional weight in ounces was more relevant to the reader than adding it as 0.92lbs.
@pfgrooly: They mean 30.65 ounces = "1 LB + 14.65 OZ."
@janet3425: This deal equates to about $2.17 a pound...
That's a FREAKIN' UNBELIEVABLY LARGE AMOUNT OF COFFEE CHEAP!!!!! =D
Maxwell House coffee has got to be the WORST "coffee" made. Its like drinking dish water. This "mild" flavor can only be HORRIBLE!!!
Bought mine! but they are apparently now on backorder... Wooters must have bought them out! heh
5% BONUS if you use Mr. Rebates.....
Works perfectly, IF and ONLY if you know how to read & follow instructions....
Will not work for the indolent....
Awesome, that came out to $4.16/can. Great deal, thanks!
$2.17/lb X twice as many scoops of this "Mild" carp to get a decent cup of coffee = $4.34/lb. Not that good a deal IMHO!


text:
I want to perform automation (selenium) using Xpath. Which one gives better results?
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closed as not a real question by corsiKa♦ Dec 26 '12 at 17:16
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.
I assume you use the terms as defined in the Xpath specification. In that sense, absolute and relative paths are not interchangeable. You use a relative path when you refer to something relative to another element. The rest of the time, you use an absolute path.
It is possible that you really want to understand the relative merits of an absolute path and an abbreviated absolute path. The former starts with a single slash, whereas the latter starts with a double slash followed by a relative path. You use an abbreviated absolute path when you want to describe a location relative to the root but you do not want to specify all of the ancestor elements.
It is possible that your web page may change someday, e.g. because a developer updates it or because it contains dynamically generated id's. An abbreviated absolute path may be more likely to still work with the changed page than an absolute path. It may also be easier to read.


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Moderators: Nelliesboo, David, mac_h8r1
Crayon Shin Chan wrote:I have a HTC One S running Trickdroid 8.1 that always randomly reboots after some time while connected to the internet. When it's not connected to th internet, it behaves perfectly. How do I go about finding more information, other than blindly asking around on xda-developers?
Crayon Shin Chan wrote:I guess I can survive another /data wipe...
I'm on Trickdroid because CM10 has issues with the radio, 3G not coming up intermittently, and WiFI not reconnecting (I must disable and enable it again for it to connect). Plus the stock CM10 camera plain sucks, and in order to go back to the stock ROM, I have to relock the bootloader or something, which I'm not about to do.
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text:
PlayStation 3D Display for $199.99 + free shipping
Bundle includes: 24" PlayStation® Full HD 3D display with stand, PlayStation 3D glasses, MotorStorm Apocalypse game, HDMI® cable, USB cable and AC power cord
$299.99 - $100 with coupon code AFFMONITORPS3 = $199.99
16 Comments add a comment
What's the compatibility of these with non-PS3 items (standalone 3D Blu-ray players, PC HDMI Connections, Cable Boxes, etc)?
@dummy1212: I'm pretty sure it is just like any other similar spec TV. The "Playstation" part of it is mostly branding. The only unique thing that this TV does is allow for simultaneous full screen views for two players in 3D on some Playstation games. That's pretty neat when you see it in action. Although, I believe a few other TV's may also be capable of that too.
Sorely tempted. As far as I can tell, 3D capable TVs at 24" tend to run around $500.
While this looks pretty cool, some of the reviews about it dying after a month make me a bit hesitant.
@zuiquan: One would think that Sony would have figured out the issue and addressed it by now, but I guess you never know. I have not researched to see if there have been any confirmations from Sony about fixing it, etc. I guess that's what the warranty is for, but, obviously, no one wants to fool with the hassle.
I'm still hesitant, I looked at reviews everywhere and even on Sony's site the latest reviews say the TV died after a month. $200 is still too much of a risk for me, I'll take it when it drops to $100. Also what about the warranty, I can't find where they have the warranty information...and if they honor the warranty, are they going to charge to ship it to a repair center? If that's the case, I've dealt with those types of warranties and it's not worth the hassle.
I bought a Sharp TV a long time ago because it got rated well on colors and deep blacks but there was a "banding" issue listed that I ignored. Even though they allowed me to swap the TV, I had the same issue with the next and the next after that...even if it's a discounted P.O.S., you're still buying a P.O.S.
CNET's review...very reputable...
@slytke: And he doesn't even touch on the faulty issues...
@slytke: Yeah, that looks pretty bad. But notice that at the time of review it had a "$500 price tag." 60%/$300 off makes it shortcomings look a lot more reasonable.
@fredwallace18: I just want to make everyone aware, just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's good. If they're getting marked down, that means Sony no longer wants to deal with them. And in my opinion, even if Sony fixed the issue of it dying after a month, I bet it will still die. If you have a year warranty on it, after that year you are S.O.L. if it dies. With its laundry list of problems, I don't think it's worth "renting" a TV for a year.
I'm going to look into this a bit... I've been thinking about getting a TV, and $200 is about what a 24-inch costs anyway.
@slytke: Never said it was good. Just maybe worth it if you don't have $500+ to throw around. Other 3D monitors using HDMI 1.4a get really pricey really fast. The closest I can find to this price is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004YCMEBI/?tag=dealswoot-20
edit: I see you extend the warranty up to 5-years for $90 (also increments in between). Which is like "renting" a 3d monitor for 5-years for $290.
I have this display, I paid $300 for it. I agree with the CNET review completely. That said, I'd buy another on at $300, and I'd definitely recomend it at $200. The picture display is extremely good. Quoting CNET:
In terms of presentation, this is a Sony TV with excellent processing of all sources, which makes it great for watching movies or cable TV. The TV is excellent at processing the natural frame rate of Blu-rays (24Hz), so HD movies look ultrasmooth. The screen itself is able to produce a high-quality picture, with excellent shadow detail and high contrast that make movies "pop."
This is a display for small rooms, and for gamers who are sitting pretty close to the screen. Everything in the CNET review is true, screen is a litle too glossy and reflective, auto off is too aggressive, cable location is in the wrong place, and you have to buy a special PS3 remote. But the picture is beautiful. It's 240Hz, so 3d is still at 120Hz. One correction, the 3D glasses can be had for $39.
This is the TV's coolest feature by far.. Two people can play on the same TV WITH FULL screen at the same time.. I'm guessing it probably uses the same tech that 3D uses..
So two people can watch two completely different things on the same TV at the same time..
(that's a promo/demo)
If that doesn't make sense, basically you and a buddy could play COD against eachother with this one TV.
I doubt you could use the SimulView and 3D at the same time, but that's not that big of a deal.
(@wnyx585am already said that, but it was worth repeating :D - that's a pretty unique feature. A pretty impressive one too.)
"The Promotion "AFF Outlet 107"is redeemed "500" times and is no longer available."
It's available again, $200 with no promo code: http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666359887#accessories


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In the context of online accounts and identities, what are some best practices to prepare for the one certainty we all face: not a one of us will get out alive.
The certainty of ultimate demise, be it biological or simply administrative (in a business context, employees retire or are fired, either of which being equivalent to dying from the employer's point of view), means that backups must be used, in particular for cryptographic keys which are used for encryption. For instance, if you receive encrypted emails, then those mails cannot be read without using the private key. Loss of access to the private key implies loss of access to the emails themselves, something which your successor may not like at all. In practice, if you use PGP for business reasons, then there should be a copy of your private key (the one for encryption, not the one for signatures) somewhere in a corporate safe.
As for your online estate (blogs, Facebook accountd, StackExchange reputation... are all some kinds of property to which you could attribute some value, and for which you have postmortem plans), the "normal" way of dealing with it is through a notary, who is a trained professional at such questions. Unfortunately, notaries are an institution from the Middle Ages, which is not structurally well prepared to cope with fast-changing data: you do not want to pay a visit to your notary each time you change a password. So I would suggest the following scheme:
You will probably modify the stored files regularly, which is a good thing, since storage mediums might not keep data unaltered for decades. GnuPG follows the OpenPGP standard, which is open and well supported, and thus there should still be implementations around in 40 years (or, at least, a working implementation would not be too hard to make).


text:
According to the basic rules of symbolic caculus,$[a(x,D),x_{j}]=-ia^{j}[x,D]$.So we have $[(1-\triangle)^{\frac{1}{2}},x_i]=\partial_i(1-\triangle)^{-\frac{1}{2}}$ which is $L^2$ bounded. It's also true that the $[(1-\triangle)^{\frac{1}{2}},\langle x \rangle]$ is $L^2$ bounded.Can we write the explicit expression of this commutator? More generally,how to show that $[(1-\triangle)^{\frac{\alpha}{2}},\langle x \rangle^{\alpha}]$ ($\alpha \leq1$)is $L^2$ bounded? it is obviously true when $\alpha<0$ ?
what if we use $(-\triangle)^{\alpha}$ instead which the symbol of it is not smooth at 0?


text: So how cool is this lesson on "how to draw anime Marceline" from Adventure Time. I think I might do a whole series of the Adventure Time crew in anime form. Can you imagine how the Ice King would look as an anime character? Marceline is the Vampire Queen that lives in another dimension called Nightosphere. Her father is the ruler of that place, but Marceline makes sure to remain close friends with Finn because he is special to her. Have fun drawing anime Marceline and I will be back soon. Adios mi amigos.


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NecksGen Head and Neck Restraint InstallWritten by on March 1, 2013 Contributors: Pete Epple DIY Neck Brace
Christmas came early at the Circle Track offices this year when the good folks at NecksGen sent over its latest head-and-neck restraint for us to test out. While performing a real world test of a head-and-neck restraint isn't something high on our priority list if you catch our drift, we will be wearing them whenever we climb into one of our project cars for an on-track test or to trade paint in an actual race. Since there is no money left in the budget for new front clips, we'll just cross our fingers that nothing too overly exciting occurs.
Now before can get the full benefit of the new NecksGen we first have to attach the anchors to our helmets. Tech Editor Pete Epple and I have two different helmets which require slightly different mounting procedures. NecksGen's restraints come complete with everything you need to install the anchors yourself. Editor Rob's helmet comes straight from the factory pre-drilled for the post anchors. Pete's slightly older model did not. Enough of the small talk let's get to work.
The NecksGen Youth
Ever since head-and-neck restraints became accepted shortly after Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s death one group was left out of the equation, youngsters. There simply was no restraint designed for children racers. Until now. Using the proven technology in the standard adult unit, the NecksGen Youth is a narrower unit to accommodate the smaller torso of youth racers. The biggest difference is the shoulder platform and wing size-the youth unit accepts a 2-inch seatbelt making the unit lighter and much narrower.
The Youth model is targeted toward drivers 7-16 years old and designed for drivers competing in Quarter Midgets, Bandolero, Legends, Trophy Karts, and more. Weighing in at just 1.8 pounds and made from a carbon-fiber composite material the NecksGen Youth is the lightest, smallest, most flexible, and most comfortable youth head-and-neck restraint available!
The Youth unit is adjustable to fit a wide range of seat angles from 10 to 40 degrees. The low rear section makes getting in and out of a race car in close confines easier.
The NecksGen restraints features unique belt wings to keep loose belts from falling off under accident conditions, this combined with belt channels keep the restraint system centered under the seatbelts at all times.
The NecksGen's adjustable tension-neutralizing helmet tether allows the impact load to be distributed evenly through four load paths for maximum head-and-neck protection. This has allowed the NecksGen to achieve superior results in SFI Certification testing. Its ergonomically flexible design helps achieve previously unsurpassed comfort while its body-forming belts and pads ensure there are no hard contact points to pressure the collarbone.
Priced at $599, the unit comes standard with quick-release helmet hardware and in a carrying case ready to go racing!
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
1. A small rubber plug covers the pre-drilled anchor post on Editor Fisher's helmet. With it removed you can easily see where the post will attach.1a. A small rubber plug covers the pre-drilled anchor post on Editor Fisher's helmet. With it removed you can easily see where the post will attach.2. With the rubber plug removed the next order of business is to disassemble the anchor. Two Allen wrenches, which NecksGen supplies, are all you need. First you will need to separate the backing plate from the anchor.3. Using the supplied wrench, the backing plate is slid into position between the helmet's shell and the padding. Depending on your particular helmet's construction you may have to use a little physical persuasion to get the plate situated correctly.4. You'll know the plate is positioned correctly when the threaded hole in it lines up perfectly with the pre-drilled hole in the shell as you see here.5. Blue Loctite is also provided and a thin bead is required on the screw that will fasten the anchor to the backing plate.6. The screw will easily slide right into position. You can see the wrench is still in place holding the backing plate in position, neither of which moved when I put the screw in. You will want to do it this way since in the next step you will need that wrench on the backing plate to tighten everything down.7. Here you can see the screw in place. NecksGen's instructions tell you to place the anchor at 45 degrees to the helmet's base. As you can see here we're at about 30. We will adjust it continually as we tighten everything down.
9. Next get out your trusty torque wrench and torque that screw down to 30 lb-in. In order to get your anchor to face the recommend 45 degrees you'll have to begin with it past where you want it to end up since the torque you're applying is going to rotate the whole assembly.10. With the anchor torqued to spec, the quick release spring (our favorite feature of the NecksGen) drops into place.13. We applied blue masking tape which will allow us to mark and drill Pete's helmet without unduly damaging the nifty paint scheme done up by Georgia airbrush artist Chris Gish. The first order of business is to measure from the centerline of the back of the helmet forward 6 inches along the lower edge.14. With the length set back measured, it's time to mark the height from the helmet base. This needs to be 11/2 inches off of the base of the helmet.15. Finally at the point of intersection drill a 1/4-inch hole through the helmet. Pull the tape off and make sure the hole in the helmet is clean and free of any fiberglass/composite spurs. From here the procedure is exactly the same as it was for a helmet with pre-drilled holes.18. We were eager to test out how the NecksGen feels when you're actually sitting in and racing the car. Here I am behind the wheel of one of our project cars getting set for a little Saturday night action. To give you some perspective Epple (a.k.a. crew chief) had me turn my head to the left as far as I normally would if I was talking to him in the pits. You can clearly see that even with the NecksGen on and belts pulled tight I have full range of motion, both to my left…


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What's the difference between two
dd commands that have different
bs and
count values, as long as they multiply to the same? For example:
dd if=/dev/random of=aa bs=1G count=2
dd if=/dev/random of=aa bs=2G count=1
What's the difference between two
As far as the end result is concerned, they will do the same. The difference is in how
So, essentially, the first command would try to read 2GB in two chunks of 1GB, and the latter would try to read whole 2GB at one go and then output it to the
The result will be the same but in the first case
In my opinion there is no need to use such large blocks. You can do a couple of tests but in my case I achieve a greater speed with much smaller blocks (< 1MB)
The first one will take up 1G of memory, fill it with data from the input file and output it, two times.
The second one will take up 2G of memory, fill it with data from the input file and output it.
The used block-size should match the best speed settings for source and target device.
You can best see the difference if you try to copy an LV device. The usage of very small BS-size will interrupt the read-process unnecessary. The usage of a very big BS-size will lead to long waits during write.
Since standard LVs consist normally of 4 MB chunks, wich is also a good size for physical disk access I use bs=4M for these.
Try to experiment with 16K or 256M - you will note the difference - and watch the disk indicator during copy...