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The 8 Most Ill-Conceived Product Names of All-Time
#4. The IKEA Fartfull
IKEA is famous for slapping unintelligible names on unassembleable furniture. Every so often, one of these names smashes headfirst against the language barrier, causing IKEA's English-speaking consumers to titter like schoolgirls. We're looking at you, Lessebo loveseat.
Tee hee! Also, "titter."
But our favorite terribly-named, ergonomically bankrupt IKEA contraption has to be the Fartfull kids' workbench. In 2005, this half-desk, half-mystery hit stores, tantalizing hipster parents with visions of a more productive (if perpetually gassy) child.
Is it table? A rickshaw? An ice cream cart?
Although "Fartfull" merely meant "speedy" in Swedish, IKEA eventually pulled the doohickey from their website. Between its name and design, we wouldn't be surprised if more than one child mistook it for a portable toilet. Hell, maybe that's what it is.
#3. The Reebok Incubus
Reebok introduced this women's running shoe in 1995, a time when naming your sneaker was as important to marketing as curing cancer is to science. What this shoe ultimately proved was that Reebok's ad team consisted entirely of a random word generator and a macaw who only knew the word "yes."
If you're confused, an incubus is an evil spirit that, in medieval times, would descend upon women and have sex with them. That's right, Reebok was marketing rape shoes.
This is a Google Image Result for Incubus, and Reebok (wisely) tried to distill its essence into a shoe.
Fortunately for Reebok, the public at large wasn't up to speed on demons with a penchant for non-consensual sex, and the error went unnoticed for about a year until ABC News caught on. In the end, Reebok shipped out a bunch of labels to cover over the name on approximately 53,000 shoeboxes.
Reebok made an about face in its marketing strategy not long after, instead focusing on the hip-hop lifestyle which has never been known to demean women in any way.
Just ask Reebok spokesman Nelly, seen here in a rare moment of not telling women to take off all their clothes.
#2. Wack Off! Insect Repellent
Army surplus stores are magical places where you can find World War II side arms and the mummified thumbs of dead terrorists. In Australia, amongst the boomerangs and Paul Hogan-endorsed machetes, you can also find the fabled Wack Off! bug lotion.
The Wack Off! brand raises some curious implications. First, the product's name is an imperative - it commands the consumer to drop whatever he's doing to repel mosquitoes... or pleasure himself.
"Don't mind if I do!"
Also, the product proudly boasts "AS USED BY THE ARMED FORCES." To take this encomium at face value is to assume that the Australian military exclusively recruits chronic masturbators. Which, to be fair, would be a hilariously disturbing form of psychological warfare. What would YOU do against a platoon of angry Aussies, dicks a-wagging?
"Remember: Follow my stroke until you see the whites of their eyes."
#1. Nintendo DS Touch Dic
Alright, so here is a case where it probably was a "lost in translation" issue to a degree. But the result made the Unintentional Comedy Hall of Fame.
The year is 1995, and Nintendo has set the gaming world on fire with their new DS system, built entirely around its touch screen. So you're a Korean company, wanting to make a piece of dictionary software that takes advantage of the touch screen capabilities. Touch... Dictionary... just need to shorten it up, to make it snappier, something cool that the kids will remember.
Touch Dic.
Oh, how many English speakers ordered copies of this game, oh how many hugely, hugely disappointed men saw their erection wilt under screen after screen displaying nothing but Korean words. Oh, how many had an awkward conversation as they tried to return their copies to the store, unable to make eye contact as they explained that they, uh, didn't need to learn Korean after all.
We can sympathize, guys. Thanks to mistranslations, every trip of ours abroad has ended in numerous embarrassing situations...
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2011 HOT ROD Drag WeekWritten by on February 6, 2012 Gear Vendors Presents HOT ROD's Biggest-Ever Drag Week(TM), Where Truth Always Wins.
"We stopped counting at a quarter million. We could have bought a nice house with what's in this car." --Denny Terzich Sr.
Waste 20 minutes on the Internet and you can read a lifetime worth of smack talk. Spend five days at Hot Rod Drag Week and you'll see fiction obliterated by cold, hard, rod-throwing, axle-breaking facts. While the keyboard jerkies are in their tighty whities racing the Barcaloungers, the Drag Week heroes are in action, running all-out five times in five days at four different strips, driving their cars from track to track. There's no better BS filter on Earth.
"I don't even know if you could ever be prepared for this thing." --Hayden Robertson
In 2011, more guys took the challenge than ever. A record 177 showed up, yet only 135 returned from the 1,260-mile jaunt from Kansas City, Missouri to Great Bend, Kansas; Amarillo, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and back to KC. This is mostly a game of survival--and for many, finishing is the prime directive. Sometimes the Internet jabber gets it right, and a guy called Two Tons of Fun on YellowBullet.com wrapped it up as well as we ever could: "I will be going on Drag Week next year. I don't care if my $&!% scatters in the middle of bumble-@*#&, Nebraska. I'm going for the racing and the experience. I don't care about winning, being in a magazine, setting some sort of record, or looking like Elvis. That's not what it's about. Every single one of us can sit here and say it's going to take these parts, and this amount of power, and I can make it, and beat so-and-so. That's great, you can make claims on the Internet. I'm going to go. That guy pretty well has to show up or he'll be a chump in front of our million readers. But when he does, he'll find the other glaring truth of Drag Week: It's fun.
"Well the oil pan didn't come with that hole in it." --Mike Chenoweth
Not only is it a killer road trip and a chance to flog your car at will at a diverse selection of race tracks you'd otherwise never see, but you'll gain friends that last a lifetime. No one at Drag Week is racing for money, so it's not so cutthroat that one racer won't help another to the bloody end. There's no race face, no throwing wrenches, no screaming at officials. Well, there's a bit of screaming at officials, but everyone gets over it pretty quickly. It's hard to harsh the vibe of Drag Week.
Read this story of adventure and adversity, then see more of the little-guy cars from Drag Week next month. You'll realize you need to sign up for 2012. We have opportunities for virtually any car, and even the slowest guys come home with memories, new friends, wild stories, and the satisfaction of having done something instead of just talked about it. The rules are on Hot Rod.com right now, so you have plenty of time before the September 2012 event to become a player. Watch hotrod.com and Facebook.com/HotRodMag for updates on the exact dates and locations.
"I've just about rebuilt the whole car at the side of the road." --Dan Nissen
During the road trips, participants are required to follow our map and stop at checkpoints, which are often fun-filled locations where cars gather to heal themselves. This scene was in Nowhere, Kansas, where Frank Romano's '55 was just one of the wounded, with fuel-system issues. The guys from Aeromotive drove their own '56 all the way, hanging out and helping out.
Our stop at the SRCA Drag Strip in Great Bend, Kansas, was very cool, as the WWII B-29 bomber base was the site of the very first NHRA Nationals, held in 1955. The community stepped up big time to support Drag Week, and we had our biggest-ever turnout of spectators. We also designed a special T-shirt (left) for the occasion, Photoshopping Larry Larson's Nova into a scene with the 1955 flag man.
The 200 MPH Club
In 2009, Larry Larson ran 204 mph in the quarter-mile after driving his car 1,000 miles--a stunning feat by any standard, and one we chose to honor by creating the Drag Week 200 MPH Club. In 2010, Jeff Lutz stepped up to that challenge, entering the event with the prime goal of joining Larry in that club. He did, running 206 mph during, the last day of competition. This year we presented Jeff with his honorary jacket. He's seen with his son Jeffry, and says, "I could never do any of this without him. Expect to see both back next year.
Spirit of Drag Week
Every year, Hot Rod honors the participant who most embraces the spirit of the event: being a sportsman, helping others, and overcoming adversity to stick in it. This year, one guy did all that. When we would not let him run the class he wanted due to an equipment situation, he was a gentleman about it. When another racer broke a transmission at the side of the road, this man tore it apart and fixed it, getting that done before dealing with his own trans troubles. He helped the same guy with a burned ignition box--twice. And when his own car was not performing up to expectation, he kept on it hard, fighting to run the number and stay in the competition. That guy is Rick Prospero, winner of last year's top spot in Big Block Power Adder in his Nova wagon, and this year's Spirit of Drag Week recipient.
"Drag Week changed my life." -- Mike Roy
"Car crash, whatever. I still had the best time I've had in years." --Richard Napravnik
"It's not about winning. If that's why you go it will crush you and teach you a lesson at the same time. Just beating Drag Week is the big deal." --Racer Jeff McConnell
With the last-day rainout, all the winners were determined by a four-day average elapsed time instead of five. See the entire daily results at hotrod.com/2011/DragWeek/.
|Larry Larson, '66 Nova
|Pro Street Power Adder
|Mike Roy, '71 Monte Carlo
|Pro Street Naturally Aspirated
|Doc Entire, '68 Monte Carlo
|Modified Power Adder
|Todd Maschmeier, '68 Camaro
|Modified Natural Aspirated
|Gary Satterlee '90 Mustang
|Big-Block Power Adder
|Scott Smith, '80 Malibu
|Big Block Naturally Aspirated
|Collin Williams, '99 Camaro
|Small-Block Power Adder
|Tim Reed, '79 Pinto
|Small-Block Nautrally Aspirated
|Alan Crump, '89 Mustang
|Daily Driver
|Brent "Buck" McCoy, '59 Catalina
Just Plain Larry
You know you've hit it when guys in the industry mention you by your first name, and everyone knows who they're talking about. That's Larry. Larson, in case you hadn't guessed. And, yes, he owned Drag Week for the fourth year in a row. There's just no debating it: Larry is the baddest man in the land. His '66 Nova--with 2,400 hp from a twin-turbo, 565ci, 23-degree, Dart-headed big-block from Mike Moran--is unquestionably the Fastest Street Car in America, if not the world. We will hear no whining on this topic. We've witnessed this thing year after year, doing it all on the road with no drama and no trailer full of parts. This year, we were cruising 70 on the highway when Larry blasted by at 85. In a small town, he passed us with a drink in his hand. Back home in Oak Grove, Missouri, he drives the thing to work. The whole program is as legit as it gets.
Larry himself is also the genuine article, as nice a racer as you'll ever meet, especially one as knowledgeable as he is on chassis tech as the proprietor of Larson Race Cars. Hit LarsonRaceCars.com and you won't even find him promoting these wins. He's not that guy. Then again, he is the guy with the target on his back. Conditions didn't allow it this year, but he ran 6.95 on the last day of Drag Week in 2010. There are at least a dozen guys claiming they're coming to knock down a 6-second pass every day. We're still waiting. See you in 2012.
"I don't need to win again. But I'll sure try." --Larry Larson
Hot Rod produced 15 action videos from Drag Week, plus we're offering replays of the livvvm every day of racing. See it all at hotrod.com/2011/DragWeek/ or YouTube.com/HotRodMagazine.
To see a photo gallery of one or more photos of 162 of the cars of Drag Week. All the coverage can be found at hotrod.com/2011/DragWeek/.
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
Day one of racing at Topeka, Kansas, had a big moment: Drag Week's™ very first crash. Rich Frost in his Precision turbo'd, 347ci, 8.50-second Mustang took the honor, emerging unscathed and in a pretty good mood about it. Some excellent awareness on the part of Jeffry Lutz in the Syclone prevented a car-on-car incident.In the Aug. '11 issue ("The King and the Assassins"), we introduced nine would-be challengers to the Fastest Street Car in America title that Larry Larson's '66 Nova had nabbed three years in a row. Know how many of those guys showed up? Two. The most anticipated was the long-time-coming Project Sick Seconds from Denny Terzich's clan. Beautiful car! It was driven by DW™ veteran and heavy contender Jeff Lutz, whose own '57 Chevy (and son Jeffry's V8 Honda Civic) did not get wrapped in time. The Sick Seconds team woke up to day one in Topeka with a rippin' 7.339. Hero Larry Larson didn't get his act together until the end of the day . . . then ran 7.326! A difference of 0.013 second. But the week had just begun.This year was special due in part due to the fresh faces, like Richmond, Virginia, natives Hayden Robertson (19) and Tom Gilsdorf (26), who slept in a tent at all of the tracks. Hayden brought his first car, an '89 Fox, after having thrown in a T5 and AFR aluminum heads just two weeks earlier. With a GT40 intake, a Ford Racing E303 Cam, BBK headers, and Flowmaster exhaust, the Mustang ran a best of 12.68 at 108 mph.Remember the bloodthirsty, Hemi-versus-Buick-455 shootouts of the '80s and '90s? Neither engine looked that great during the test and tune before Drag Week™. We're not sure which one roached first, but David Paschall's '72 GSX clone liberated the No. 7 conrod, and Mike Chenoweth's Hemi '70 Road Runner also evacuated some hardware. Mike finished Fourth in the Big-Block Naturally Aspirated class last year and returned this year set on kill with the nitrous turned up.The other big hitter who sacked up was Joe Barry with his amazing '56 Chevy, reportedly good for 6.90s with a 598ci Chevy and a couple of Precision turbos and absolutely-not-kidding-around Carl Foltz symmetrical-port heads. At Topeka, Joe ran 7.57 at 191 mph.Scott Smith's '80 Malibu—with a 7.50-certified 'cage—sent a not-so-subtle message that the Big-Block Power Adder class had grown up. He ran a 509ci Rat with Dart 380s and an F-3 Procharger cramming into a C&S Specialties Dominator. The car hurled an exhaust pipe in the lights at Topeka.
During the road trips, participants are required to follow our map and stop at checkpoints, which are often fun-filled locations where cars gather to heal themselves. This scene was in Nowhere, Kansas, where Frank Romano's '55 was just one of the wounded, with fuel-system issues. The guys from Aeromotive drove their own '56 all the way, hanging out and helping out.Our stop at the SRCA Drag Strip in Great Bend, Kansas, was very cool, as the WWII B-29 bomber base was the site of the very first NHRA Nationals, held in 1955. The community stepped up big time to support Drag Week™, and we had our biggest-ever turnout of spectators. We also designed a special T-shirt (left) for the occasion, Photoshopping Larry Larson's Nova into a scene with the 1955 flag man.The big deal in Great Bend was right here: Mike Roy's 4,100-pound '71 Monte Carlo ran its first 7-second pass, and not by a little. We're talking 7.87 at 180 mph. Wow! The car has been converted from a Procharger to a set of hairy turbos and treated to lots of custom tubing by Larson Race Cars. Speaking of the wallflower Mr. Larson, Great Bend also gave the ever-winning Nova the quickest and fastest pass of the week: 7.17 at 203 mph.The casualties started to stack up. The first big news: Sick Seconds was gonzo. The Procharger belt whacked the belt on the mechanical fuel pump, and there was an intercooler problem probably making fondue out of some pistons. Elsewhere in the pits, Joe Barry's Lenco transmission was disassembled into mechanical confetti, ready for a loaner sprag from Larson.This hurts! Scott Smith was on the return road, holding his door open to cool off, when Travis Gilpin in Todd Maschmeier's brutal '68 Camaro rolled by with his parachute snagging the door and using it for origami. Yeah, Travis' nickname is now Doorkiller.The little guys were taking blows, too, and we counted nine cars in triage in the pits when we hit the road. Here, Keith Fox's Model A Gasser awaits the return of its TH400 trans after a rebuild in town. The delivery wagon is Don Garnett's '51 Ford (we know . . . hard to believe it's that customized) that raced here at Great Bend at the first Nats in 1955. More on that car next month.Next, it was 350 miles from Great Bend to Amarillo, Texas. Remember this car? It's the former Kurt Urban/Wheel 2 Wheel Super Sleeper Nova featured in the Nov. '06 Hot Rod. Packed with a 402ci LS2 engine, it won the Small-Block Power Adder class at the '06 Drag Week™. It's now owned by Dru Diesner, who took Third in Small-Block Power Adder this year and had a best pass of 9.89 at 135.Canadian David Schroeder got a taste of Drag Week™ last year and came back set on stun with an aluminum Brodix 598 with Holley EFI and deadly serious nitrous by Monte Smith. The '55 went 8.98 at 155 but was taken down by a slaughtered roller lifter.Amarillo Dragway was the most rudimentary track we visited, but one with a lot of heart and community support. With a high elevation and an older surface, this was the slowest day. Joe Barry spun out his '56 the night before and only made a 13-second pass here, killing his chance of a win unless Larson broke. To his credit, Barry stuck it out to the end, the only serious contender in the Unlimited class to do so.
The drive from Amarillo to Tulsa was a punishing 440 miles, some of which were in the rain. There are always sights along the route, including this flag mural in a small Oklahoma town. Or at least we think it was Oklahoma. Your sense of location vapor locks after a while. Ralph Hoke's '68 Nova was one of 100 Daily Driver–class cars. It has a FAST EFI and an AFR-headed 383 and ran a best of 11.91 at 111 mph.Drag Week™ veteran and Pro Street Naturally Aspirated winner Doc McEntire put down an amazing pass in Tulsa, with his best-ever 60-foot and eighth-mile times on the way to a scary sideways drift through the lights at 9.12 and 142 mph. You've got to see the video. And remember, no power-adder, just 960 hp worth of MegaSquirt-injected, 555ci goodness.Tulsa was bangin' for Todd Maschmeier, too (though this pic is from Topeka). This was the car that stunk up the Modified class last year—the first 25.3-cert'd car we saw at Drag Week™. Larson Race Cars zapped some stock rear framerails in it the week before DW™ to make it legal. Doorkiller motored it to a best run of 7.88 at 176 mph. You can see fire out the front fender-exit exhaust from the turbo Rat motor. The car used ghetto side pipes on the street.Want more carnage? John Huber's famed, wheelstanding, four-banger Fox Mustang ended its week at Tulsa after blasting holes through the front of the block, in between No. 1 and No. 2 cylinders, and cracking the No. 1 piston. The car severely leaned out, and John thinks the first injector went bad after he felt something weird 800 feet into his last run, telling us, "It looked really good until . . . well, you know." Had it kept on its pace of 9.30s, the four-cylinder would have placed Third in Small Block Power Adder.This year we added a Gasser/AFX class for retro drag cars. Richard Napravnik entered his '39 Willys, first rodded in 1966 and known as the Concoction 2 when it competed in the NHRA Winternationals in '69, '70, '78, '79, and '80, winning its division twice.Sadly, you can see, the front tire was locked up, puffing smoke, as he left the line. And then it smashed the wall. After the wreck, Richard took the car to a local shop to have the axle straightened, but it cracked under pressure, so he was unable to finish the trip.The Pinto! We love this thing. It's a '79 with lots of stomp from a 408ci LS motor with twin 67s from Precision Turbo and what's clearly some expert trickery with the BigStuff3 controller. There's hardly a logical explanation for how easily this thing leaves on Hoosier 275 drag radials and runs 8.02 at 175 mph. Twice in a row at Tulsa, 20 minutes apart! All that duct tape is aero help in desperation for a 7.99. Look for a full story in a few months.This really happened. Brent "Buck" McCoy, who had a ludicrous four-door '68 Buick last year (cooking burritos on the air cleaner, and with one aluminum head and one iron), threw together this '59 Pontiac Catalina with nothing but used parts in a Zex-nitrous'd, 477ci big-block Chevy. He'd never driven it until the day before DW but ran mid-to-high 10s all week and scored the Daily Driver win. You'll see more in a future issue.The tightest race of the year was in Small-Block Naturally Aspirated, where Jacob Stelter's Chevelle (featured in this issue) and Alan Crump's Mustang (shown) were no more than 0.12 second apart every day, and the final average was just 0.024 apart! Alan's Ford has a 493hp, 410ci small-block with AFR 225cc heads and FAST injection. He also runs a GM TH400 and 3.73s out back and had a best pass of 10.27.

subset: commoncrawl


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For some reason, mainstream media has developed an obsession with Black women and our seemingly tragic lack of opportunites to jump the broom. Unless you're without access to the internet and broadband cable, by now you've heard that Black marriage rates are down and that Black women are more likely to be hit by lightning than to marry (I like to call this theory "The Black Female Thunderbolt Phenomenon").
What began as a murmur of Black women's character defects, sociologically based theory and statistical data has grown into a steady roar about our supposed lack of desirability. It seems that Black women have bought into this sensationalistic message, paving the way for a small army of (allegedly) well-intentioned Black men peddling relationship advice to Black women to become wildly successful (and wealthy) all for teaching us how to think more like them while acting like us.
Forgive me for saying this, but I have a hard time stomaching this trend. Just because you were raised in a family of women, or that you've slept with so many of us that you could start a national sorority comprised of your sexual conquests, doesn't make you qualified to tell me how to increase my chances of getting married. And let's not forget that the statistics say that Black men aren't buying into marriage either. Hello? That's like Johnnie Cochran giving the State of California inside information to gain OJ Simpson's conviction. As commitmentphobic as Black men supposedly are, I think there's a valid reason to say that this advice dispensing could be viewed as a serious conflict of interest.
When I think about it, I get why mainstream news outlets would choose to perpetuate yet another unattractive stereotype of Black women. Women, particularly Black women, are an easy target for a patriarchal industry. It's when one of our own joins rank with the establishment that we've got to really ask ourselves "What the hell is going on?" In his 2011 book "Is Marriage for White People?" Ralph Richard Blanks, a law professor at Stanford University, states that one of the answers to the Black marriage crisis is for the mass of Steve Harvey advice-loving middle-class educated Black women to marry White men.
Blanks (who by the way is married to a Black woman with multiple college degrees) continues "More than half of married black women who have graduated from college have a less-educated husband who did not. Yet despite the shortage of black male peers, black women do not marry men of other races. Black women marry across class lines, but not race lines. They marry down but not out."
To say that the answer for Black women desperately seeking wedlock is to marry a White man is unrealistic and overly simplistic.
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Connect to Black America.
We are not "old Black" nor "new Black" we are ALL Black.
Yes, the rules in the dating market have changed for Black people over the past several decades, but they've shifted for everyone. But to say that the answer for Black women desperately seeking wedlock is to marry a White man is unrealistic and overly simplistic. According to a 2011 Pew Research Study, marriage rates are declining amongst all races. Fifty-one percent of American women are unmarried, yet, I don't know of any White, Asian, Hispanic or Inuit professors standing up and telling their women that the answer to the decline in marriage in their community is to marry someone outside their race.
I respect and appreciate the fact that Blanks and his Black social psychologist wife, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt have dedicated a significant amount of their considerable brain power towards finding solutions for issues on race. There must be something comforting in the belief that the decline in marriage can be remedied by taking pragmatic and logical approach towards relationships for these two highly educated and socially privileged Black people. But as far as I'm concerned, Blanks has somehow found a way to market positive eugenics as a rational solution to the decrease in the rate of Black marriages. Fear and race mongering are hardly the foundation of a credible solution in matters of the heart. Many things can be explained through facts and figures, but I doubt that the myriad of difficulties that can exist in love and marriage can't be solved by social theory.
There is an alchemy present in our emotional lives that is too fluid to ever be constrained by statistical data. Blanks uses statistics to justify his position without taking into consideration some of the very real issues that those in interracial relationships face. I know from personal experience that two people from different worlds will have to work extra hard to understand what it means to be in their significant other's racial shoes.
Another point that Blanks made in his argument for interracial relationships was that the typical eligible and successful Black man knows he is a commodity and will use this to their advantage with women. "Black men being in short supply means they can dictate the terms of the


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Let $L/K$ be an extension of number fields.
Let $X$ be a curve over $L$ which can not be defined over $K$. Let $J(X)$ be the Jacobian of $X$ over $L$.
In general, the Jacobian $J(X)$ probably doesn't admit a model over $K$. But one could imagine that this does happen sometimes.
Question. Does there exist an example where $J(X)$ admits a model over $K$?
In other words, can "the" field of definition of $J(X)$ be smaller than "the" field of definition of $X$?


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If I am visiting the US with a tourist visa, can I look for a job in the US?
Contrary to the allegations of some other answers here, CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) does not make up rules on the spot. Here is, quite literally, the letter of the law on who's allowed into the US and who's not:
The vast majority of that is about criminal records and whatnot, but Section 5a is key for us:
Boldface mine. In other words, if you give CBP reason to suspect that you're coming to the United States to work on this visit (say, a plumber rocking up with a box full of tools), you will be denied entry. But you are perfectly within your rights as a tourist or business visitor to enquire about future employment, go to interviews, etc, as long as a) you're not paid money for it, and b) you leave the United States and get a proper work visa before you come back.
Also, as long as your primary purpose for visiting the US is tourism, it's not a lie to state your reason for entry as "tourism" and then do a little job-hunting on the side.
Searching for a job
No you can most definitely not legally look for work while on a tourist visa.
If any evidence is found that you are looking for a job you will be denied entry on arrival or could risk deportation at any time.
Things that I've heard of US customs using to deny entry or deport travellers:
If you are randomly selected or if you fit some profile they may suspect you of looking for work and specifically look for these things.
For deportation I hear the single biggest reason is being reported by somebody. So if you do entertain the notion of looking for work even vaguely during a tourist trip, don't go around telling too many random people you meet, or don't go around giving people reasons to dislike you.
(The very same tactics apply in at least Australia and the United Kingdom by the way.)
Other sources that say you may not search for a job on a tourist visa
Attending a job interview
This seems to be treated as a separate case. I have no experience with this or anecdotes from friends or acquaintances. Please refer to Pablo's answer.
This is absolute drivel. Sad this comes up as the first post on a google search on this topic. So tell me how does one logically come to the USA for a job interview?
It is absolutely OK to travel to the USA on a Tourist visa if you intend to 'look' for work or attend interviews. If asked at the PoE, you state your purpose. I have done that twice now. They typically give you much less than the usual 6 months - say 3 weeks each in my case when I attended interviews for only 2 days. Just be honest about your intentions.
Some of the information contained in this post requires additional references. Please edit to add citations to reliable sources that support the assertions made here. Unsourced material may be disputed or deleted.
On the official US government site "Travel.State.Gov" is relevant information
Visitor Visas - Business and Pleasure / Overview
(Second part added from the same source by hippietrail, was not present in original answer.)
I stumbled upon a similar problem about a month ago. There were no clear answers on any of the official web sites. So I emailed my local consulate asking them if it's okay to apply for a B1 visa for the purpose of attending a job interview.
They said that it's okay and I can apply for a visa. So I brought an informal invitation letter from the company and I got my visa approved.
On the border I stated that the purpose of my visit was a job interview. Got usual 6 months.
However, as I mentioned, I had an invitation letter. I suppose that if you want to look for a job while in the US, the rules might be different.
Based on my experience, I would say that asking you local consulate via email might be a good idea. They are typically very responsive.
As we speak I am sitting in LAX waiting to return to Melbourne as my partner was denied entry today (and has been held in immigration for 15 hours and basically treated like a common criminal) because she declared she would be "looking" for work whilst in the USA on an ESTA. We took advise from the USA Embassy website which said that you can look for work on an ESTA, however you will need to leave the country to apply for your VISA - as you can appreciate this was not the case according to immigration. Interesting that the embassy and immigration would suggest two completely different things.
Copying a relevant answer over from Is it permitted to look for a job while visiting the US under the Visa Waiver Program?:
From the US Embassy in Australia's website:
Although the question is about VWP, the answer additionally mentioned that a B-1/B-2 visa can also be used for this purpose (to find a job or attend interviews).
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Thank you for your interest in this question.
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text: A sword with no proper cutting edge but creates a powerful explosion on contact with the enemy. It is Haru's first sword gained from Rave and his most commonly used. However, the shock of the impact is powerful to the extent that if Haru uses it in succession too much, it could possibly hurt or kill him. This sword is not much of a challenge other than the details. On scale of 1-10, this is about a 3. Sorry that the steps go too fast.


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Hello Everybody,
I just got a NN3II and am really struggling a bit with the learning curve. I'm shooting a Nikon D80 with a sigma 8mm F3.5 EX DG and using PTgui as my stitching software.
My main focus is to be able to stitch QTVRs to scan data collected with the Leica HDS 6000 and eventually maybe do some virtual tours for clients on the side. My main problem is that I have not yet mastered the stitching process. I have tried a few different methods as far as taking photos for pano conversion, but have yet to find it easy. really, my only successful pano is of the parking lot outside my office, and no one wants to see that. I have tried 2 basic work flows, one is to take 4 shots at 90 degrees, one zenith and one nadir. the second is to take 8 shots around at 45 degrees, one zenith and one nadir. I have noticed that the 8 shots seems to stitch much better because of more overlap, though the 4 shot method works fairly well. My biggest problem is that in PTgui my zenith shot always messes up the rest of the pano. If I remove it my pano lines up very well but I have a small hole in the top, if I leave the zenith in, there is a small bit of misalignment in the pano.
finally my question. Because this is a reoccurring theme in all of the panos that I have tried, Is the misalignment caused by the zenith shot indicative of a poor set up between my camera and the NN3II, or is it something else that I am doing wrong?
any help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Bill Wunderlich


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South Africa's Sommelier
Eight years ago, Luvo Ntezo was working as a dishwasher. Now, as Cape Town's most trusted authority on wine, he's a symbol of the country's distinctive postapartheid viniculture
IN OLD-WORLD WINE COUNTRIES, the obligations of a sommelier are clear: help diners sift through a selection of varietals and vintners, then present and serve the chosen wines with precision and care. In places like South Africa, though, where until very recently not many people actually drank wine, a sommelier's job description is a little different. "I get a lot of South Africans who are new to wine," says Luvo Ntezo, 30, who now serves as sommelier at Cape Town's One & Only hotel. "Most black South Africans started drinking wine only in the past 10 years or so."
Many of Ntezo's customers are part of a newly affluent black professional class that is an increasingly significant demographic in postapartheid South Africa. Nineteen years after the end of apartheid, these black diamonds, as they are known locally, are wealthy enough to partake in the finer things. Likewise, the new vines that were planted at that time, when the wine industry was overhauled, are finally beginning to yield superior wines. All of this has paved the way for something unimaginable a decade ago: A black South African is now the country's finest young sommelier.
Eight years ago, Ntezo was working as a dishwasher at a hotel in Cape Town, trying to earn a little money to help continue his studies. One Friday afternoon, as the waiters gathered for their weekly wine tasting, the hotel's sommelier opened a bottle, poured sips for the staff and asked what they thought of the vintage. "Hints of mocha," a barman said. "Notes of apricot," a waiter ventured, which was followed by more earnest proclamations from wine-tasting amateurs. The sommelier spotted Ntezo hand-polishing glasses and, as an afterthought, graciously poured him a taste. Ntezo sniffed the wine and couldn't stop himself from smirking. He was no expert but had learned a little something about wine at his previous job working as a pool boy at a winemaker-run hotel. He took a small sip. "But it's corked," he said. The assistant manager of the hotel turned to his head sommelier, who took another sip and nodded that it was, indeed, a bad bottle.
Ntezo's subsequent ascent was swift: The hotel sent him to school to study wine; he was appointed their new head sommelier; and he went on to win South Africa's best young sommelier competition.
Ntezo's story isn't just inspiring—it also offers insight into a remarkable development in South Africa's viniculture. During apartheid, boycotts targeting the country's racist policies had isolated its wine-making industry from the rest of the world, which meant that modern cultivation techniques, foreign varietals and rich export markets were all effectively off-limits. In the postapartheid era, the wine market has broadened and expanded—importing vines and growing methods— radically improving the wine made there.
Even so, Ntezo has to introduce wine to drinkers who may know little or nothing about Bordeaux, Riesling or Pinot Noir. His approach is simple: Wine can't just be about taste, color and mouth feel. It must also tell a story. "When I serve Grangehurst's Nikela, of course I want people to notice the blend of grapes," says Ntezo. "But I also tell them that Nikela means 'tribute' in the Xhosa language, that winemaker Jeremy Walker created this wine as a memorial to his parents and that he bottled his first batch of Grangehurst on their former squash court in Stellenbosch. That's something they'll always remember and associate with the wine." It's sommelier as storyteller, a role for which Ntezo is well suited as he confidently looks down over his spectacles at customers more than twice his age.
The One & Only hotel group opened its first South African property in Cape Town three years ago and launched with a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the space where Ntezo now works. In 2010, the hotel shuttered that outlet and brought in South African chef Reuben Riffel, who created a new branch of Reuben's, his restaurant from the Cape Winelands region. Riffel cooks simple, fresh South African food, using local ingredients prepared in a style strongly influenced by his Cape Malay background. (The Cape Malay community comprises ethnic Malays who began to emigrate to Cape Town more than 200 years ago.) "The food Reuben cooks is the food I knew growing up in the region," says Ntezo. "Things like bobotie, a Cape Malay minced-meat curry." Ntezo's challenge is to find wines that don't just stand up to the strong, spicy flavors in Riffel's cooking but that also bring something more to the palate. "I see my job as finding a wine that helps complete what a dish is giving you," Ntezo says. "But it's hard. A chef can create exactly the flavors he wants. I can only work with what the winemakers give me."
Related in Off Duty
Just as the One & Only realized that diners wanted something distinctively South African—and not another international chain restaurant—so too does Ntezo understand that customers now want to drink local wine, not bottles imported from abroad. That's partly national pride and price consciousness, but it's also a reflection of the sheer variety of new South African wines. "Other new-world wine countries do one or two styles of wine well," says South African Darren Humphreys, who leads wine tourists to South Africa. "But South Africa has a varied climate, and its winemakers have an experimental approach." Much of the South African wine that reaches America's shelves is marketed as a lower-cost alternative to American or European offerings, which means that the country's highest-quality wines are often available only for the domestic market. A trip here is an opportunity to drink vintages that are impossible to procure at home.
And there is no shortage of distinctive wines to be savored. Apart from being ringed by beautiful mountains and two great oceans, Cape Town is also surrounded by many of the country's significant wine-making regions, which means Ntezo can hop in his car on a Saturday morning and, 40 minutes later, be drinking new offerings at the vineyards of his winemaker friends. "People choose to live in Cape Town because of its beauty, its location, its mountain backdrop," says Ntezo. "Sommeliers choose to live here because it puts us right next to the most important wine-producing region on the continent."
Though Ntezo's specialty is South African wine, he trained for international competitions by tasting the finest vintages in the world. After he'd won South Africa's young sommelier competition, he was sent to Vienna in 2008 to vie for the world championship. To help him prepare for competition against young sommeliers from France, Italy and England, who'd spent years drinking European wines, One & Only general manager Clive Bennett found him a wine mentor and shipped in cases of French and Italian wines. Ntezo placed fourth and returned home with the skills to measure South Africa's wine against the best in the world.
Wine sellers targeting countries with newly wealthy populations have often adopted the same simple sales tactic: offer the most expensive, exclusive and famous French Burgundies and Bordeauxs to their Chinese, Russian, Indian and Brazilian customers. Even in Johannesburg, Ntezo argues, customers often gravitate toward the priciest offerings on the wine list. "In Jo'burg they drink wine to massage their egos," he says. "In Cape Town we drink wine to massage our palates."
Still, many wealthy South Africans are in search of good value when they open Ntezo's wine list. Years ago that would have meant drinking old South African mainstays like pinotage—a distinctively South African blend of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut—or Chenin Blanc. Now sommeliers like Ntezo have more choices to recommend and can find a ready and interesting South African corollary to the foreign wines that their guests already love—most likely a wine that came of age in the last decade or so, just as Ntezo did. And they can be found just down the road.


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"Lab-on-a-Chip" Rapid Detection of Food Pathogens
By moniquegarcia on Tue, 09/03/2013 - 11:35am
Research Year:2011
Foodborne diseases are a widespread and growing public health problem, both in developed and developing countries. In the United States, for example, around 76 million cases of foodborne diseases, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year. Detecting waterborne and foodborne contaminants usually involves collecting a water or food sample, sending it to a laboratory and waiting for the samples to be filtered, incubated, tested and identified under a microscope. If a critical infection is suspected, say for highly dangerous E. coli O157:H7, the pathogen may already have multiplied and spread before the report arrives days later.
Description of Action:
A series of "lab- on-a-chip" (LOC) applications in development at the Biosensors Laboratory at the University of Arizona can identify pathogens in minutes rather than days, using a simple device that delivers results locally. The LOC has microchannels filled with antibody-conjugated submicro- or nanoparticles that grow in size upon the presence of pathogens in a drop of water or food samples. The LOC is encased in a portable system that runs on a 9-V battery with no external computer. Testing pathogens involves minimal liquid handling—no centrifuging, micro-filtering or plating. One of the tests in development can detect pathogens—E. coli, Salmonella and potentially Cryptosporidium—in drinking water networks, irrigation systems, or wastewater recycling facilities and in food samples (lettuce, spinach or ground beef). A prototype handheld device has recently been fabricated that successfully detects near-single-cell E. coli from iceberg lettuce samples, as low as 10 cells per milliliter of "lettuce juice."
Laboratory studies show that the LOC test is faster than conventional testing methods, taking an average of less than five minutes to deliver results on location. The degree of accuracy is three orders of magnitude greater than for conventional real-time or rapid tests (close to a single cell level). The method can be used to monitor early spread of pathogens, rather than being used after the outbreaks, thus potentially saving lives and money. The annual cost for foodborne illness in the U.S. is estimated to be $152 billion, according to a new report by Pew Charitable Trusts and Georgetown University.
Conact Name:
Jeong-Yeol Yoon
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The BeadSmith Soutache Ornamental Rayon Braid 3 yd - Antique Gold
Add the beauty of stacked layers of color to your designs with three yards of soutache ornamental rayon braid in antique gold from The BeadSmith. This flat braid displays a herringbone pattern and can be used in bead embroidery and textile projects. Soutache is usually added to projects by stacking it in multiple layers and stitching those layers together, often around a bead or cabochon. The edges of the braid are the parts seen in the design. This braid has a consistency of width, thickness and drape making it a tighter, finer braid that will pull nicely around beads. This braid displays a dark, metallic gold color full of vintage appeal.
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Stylish Miami Shopping Starts Here
Love to shop? You've come to the right place. Trump International Beach Resort Miami offers guests complimentary shuttle service to Bal Harbour Shops, Aventura Mall, South Beach and Lincoln Road.
Shopping Steps From The Sand
If you can't bear the beach break, you can get your shopping fix right here at the Cabana Shop, featuring snacks, sundries and logoed resort wear, and Blueberry, our brand-new women's boutique featuring the latest European and Brazilian fashions.


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I took them home, wore Sheer Pink Lust for several hours that night, and then in fact went to bed without removing it. I was astounded to wake up the next morning and find my lips in better shape than they were the night before (my chronically dry lips are usually chapped and peeling in the mornings). So then I wore Sheer Melon all day, touching up as needed, and after 12 hours of consistent wear time found my lips still looked and felt excellent. Here you can see both on me:
|Sheer Pink Lust
|Sheer Melon
My assessment is that I couldn't agree more with what I read: they look and feel like Lip Chics to me and are just as moisturizing. YAY! Another formula to love, and this one at such a great price point! So, and this should surprise no one, I bought the rest of the shades my Target had (which was the entire line, except for a fuchsia color that apparently hasn't made it to my area yet). Check them out!
From left to right, we have Sheer Seashell (say THAT ten times fast!), Sheer Pink Lust, Sheer Mauve, Sheer Juicy Coral, Sheer Melon, Sheer Berry, Sheer Rouge, and Sheer Plum:
|Natural light
|With flash
Yum. I honestly think Sheer Seashell is the only one in this range that isn't flattering on me, and even then I might be able to wear it - you guessed it - sheerly. Ahahahaha, I crack myself up. Really though, I'll probably beg them to let me exchange it for the fuchsia one when they get it in stock, because I'm sure I'll love that one too!
In short, I can't rave about these enough. They feel GREAT on my lips and I think they look great, too, if I do say so myself. I can easily see myself using some of these colors all the way up and needing to repurchase... they're that good. Better yet, I can repurchase guilt-free since they aren't $35 each like Lip Chics and Guerlain Rouge Automatiques!
These are brand new and may not be in all Target stores yet, but if they're not at yours, I'm sure they will be soon! Happy hunting, readers!


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Video Acceleration Takes The Backseat On Chrome For Linux
Due to notorious Linux graphics drivers, Google developers working on Chrome/Chromium aren't looking to enable hardware video acceleration by default anytime soon. The problem ultimately comes down to poor Linux graphics drivers.
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Google beefs Linux up kernel defenses in Android
Future versions of Android will be more resilient to exploits thanks to developers' efforts to integrate the latest Linux kernel defenses into the operating system. Android's security model relies heavily on the Linux kernel that sits at its core. As such, Android developers have always been interested in adding new security features that are intended to prevent potentially malicious code from reaching the kernel, which is the most privileged area of the operating system.
Fork YOU! Sure, take the code. Then what?
There's an old adage in the open source world – if you don't like it, fork it. This advice, often given in a flippant manner, makes it seem like forking a piece of software is not a big deal. Indeed, forking a small project you find on GitHub is not a big deal. There's even a handy button to make it easy to fork it. Unlike many things in programming though, that interaction model, that simplicity of forking, does not scale. There is no button next to Debian that says Fork it! Thinking that all you need to do to make a project yours is to fork it is a fundamental misunderstanding of what large free/open source projects are – at their hearts, they are communities. One does not simply walk into Debian and fork it. One can, on the other hand, walk out of a project, bring all the other core developers along, and essentially leave the original an empty husk. This is what happened when LibreOffice forked away from the once-mighty OpenOffice; it's what happened when MariaDB split from MySQL; and it's what happened more recently when the core developers behind ownCloud left the company and forked the code to start their own project, Nextcloud. They also, thankfully, dropped the silly lowercase first letter thing. Nextcloud consists of the core developers who built ownCloud, but who were not, and, judging by the very public way this happened, had not been, in control of the direction of the product for some time.
Proprietary and Microsoft Software
Pithos 1.2


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I am needing to do some registry editing for my current software project and I am finding that Regedit is not really that good.
Does anyone know a good (preferably free) registry editing tool?
Some features I would like:
Access to other user's registry keys (assuming I am an admin)
a. Meaning I would want to see HKEY_CURRENT_USER for other users.
Path like functionality (kind of like windows explorer)
a. Instead of showing C:\Windows... It would show HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE....
I really need number one, I would like to have number two.


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MSRP: $ You Save: $
The S-One Lifer Helmet in Black is a collab between S-One and Real Skateboards. This helmet is designed to fit low on the head like a traditional soft foam skateboard helmet. This helmet is a break through design combining the added safety of a CPSC certified helmet with the comfort of a soft foam helmet. Modeled after the Destro helmet, the Lifer is replicated in fit and given an old school look with the traditional circular air vents. The S-One Lifer CPSC is a professional grade skate/bike helmet featuring a high-impact EPS Foam Liner for maximum protection. Lightweight, comfortable, and vented. "Deep fit" helmet design. Professional grade skate helmet. S-One labeling throughout. Customized hardware.
- High Impact (Hard) IDEA Inner Foam
- Designed To Fit & Look Like a Soft Foam Helmet
- Deep fit design
- EPS Foam
- Absorbs impact
- Lightweight
- 5x safter than Soft Foam Helmet
- Soft terry fabric soaks up sweat
- Rebounds back to original shape
- Anti-microbial, moisture wicking
- Replaceable liners for a perfect fit
Pros/Ams that wear thus helmet:
- Max DuFour
- Ben Schroeder
- Rob Lorifice
- Chris Russell
- Small: 21''
- Medium: 21.5''
- Large: 22''
- Extra Large: 22.5''


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Please advise if it is required to learn design patterns if I'm studying for Android development?
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closed as not constructive by Glenn Nelson, MichaelT, GlenH7, Martijn Pieters, Joris Timmermans Mar 8 '13 at 15:28
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It will make you life easier if you do, but it is not essential. You'll be gaining the knowledge and experience of developer's before you. Also, you'll be able to commmunicate with other developers better - I once heard a podcast (can't remember which) where they explained that without the vocabulary of patterns, it's like joiners or carpenters having to explain to each other what a tennon and mortice joint, or a dovetail joint is every time they use one.
I recomment this resource:
you'll mainly want to focus on the 'Gang of Four' section. The descriptions here are very succinct. Good for people who find the Gang of Four book too heavy going, and who find Head First Design Patterns too patronising (sorry, but a Duck Simulator does not give me a good idea of how to apply these patterns in a real life situation.)
It is advised, because if you don't know them chances are you'll end up reinventing them.
You never need design patterns to do X, but you will often have an easier time
I bet, you already use some patterns, you just don't realize, because you don't know that there's a name for e.g. "a method that works like a constructor for another object, and can be overridden".
Thats the Point of the patterns: to recognize similar Problems/Circumstances, so that you can systematically discuss them, implement them and see, when there are better alternatives.
Design patterns are not an end in itself, they are a nomenclature to simplify a complex world.
You don't have to learn design patterns to do Android development, but in my opinion, it's certainly a good idea, as it helps you understand the problem approach being used in a given set of classes, without necessarily having to read and absorb every line of code. Being able to look briefly at a few files and immediately say to yourself something like "Ah, they're using Composite here" is a useful skill to have.
Assuming you are developing standard Android applications, you'll most likely be using the Java programming language. Much of the standard library code for Java uses design patterns in one way or another, and in fact, this has been one of the criticisms levelled at Java, that its standard library is over engineered.
The Iterator pattern is one that immediately jumps to mind, and one you're quite likely to use. A good set of examples on other patterns in the JDK can be found elsewhere.
Why not? This is sort of like asking "Do I have to write good code on the android platform"... well no, of course not, but I am sure you want to write the best programs you can, so use the established structures to do it. Design patterns are not some esoteric black magic. Pick up GoF's Design Patterns, read it, and "Presto!" you know design patterns (the ones people talk about most, anyway). Besides impressing elitist know-nothings, learning design patterns will give you no benefit on any particular project if the project does not contain problems that correspond to a particular pattern, however, most projects share at least some of the common problems that design patterns aim to address.
No. But it helps understand the Android API which implements most of them.
A "design pattern" is just exactly what it sounds like; it is a pattern, or a recurrence of themes or ideas, relating to software design. While it is possible for you to read a book about them, chances are they won't really be all that useful to you without having an understanding of what good software design is and why.
So, is it required for you to learn design patterns? No, not really. It's much more important for you to learn good design, which you can and should learn while you are learning android development, or any other sort of programming. While you are learning good design, you will also learn the good design patterns, often by recognizing good design in code that others have written.
In other words, don't go at this thinking "I've got to learn design patterns" think of it like "I have to learn good software design skills".
Let's not overestimate the amount of patterns Android easily allows to be used. There's a bunch that weren't taken in in the API design itself, and as such will seep through as bad smells in a big part of your code (as I assume most code won't be business related but rather UI-related). Sorry for being a bit pessimistic here.


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ST. CLAIRSVILLE - St. Clairsville is tough to beat on its home court.
Indian Creek learned that the hard way Thursday night as St. C. honored its eight seniors and cruised to a 61-41 victory on John Jenkins Court inside the Devils' Den.
St. Clairsville (16-2) scored 15 of the game's first 19 points and eventually led 23-11 after one quarter.
"We've been notoriously slow starters, but not tonight," said Red Devils' head coach Kim Clifford. "I don't know if it was because it was senior night that we played so well early, but we did get out of the gates quickly."
Seniors Jerrid Marhefka and Dan Monteroso had the hot hands early. Monteroso, who signed his football letter of intent to Purdue on Wednesday, scored 10 in the first quarter, while Marhefka netted seven in the opening eight minutes.
"This is the fourth time we've played them in the last two years and this is the first time I've been disappointed with how we played," Indian Creek head coach Joe Dunlevy said. "In the first quarter, we didn't run offense and we tried a little bit different defense and they made us pay. They hit shot after shot, which is to their credit."
St. Clairsville didn't stop there, either.
The Red Devils proceeded to score the first 10 points of the second quarter and hold the Redskins (13-5) scoreless for the first five minutes of the second quarter.
"We've worked really hard on what we call, 'guarding your yard' or guarding your own man," Clifford said. "When we did help, we were in the right spot to take away easy chances. So, our on-the-ball defense was good and our rotations were even better."
Marhefka ended the first half with a bonus bomb just before the horn and the Red Devils were firmly in charge with a 38-17 halftime cushion.
"Give St. Clairsville credit defensively because they took us right out of what we wanted to do," Dunlevy said. "We just weren't prepared to play, I guess. We knew what they were going to do and we still didn't run offense."
The Red Devils' lead swelled to as many as 28 early in the third thanks to a 7-0 run to begin the half and basically St. C. had it on cruise control from there.
"They played last night and we've played six games in 11 days, so I think both teams were pretty fatigued in the second half," Clifford observed. "That resulted in give up a bucket, get two and just trading scores basically."
Monteroso finished with a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds. For good measure, he blocked four shots. Marhefka was his top complement with a solid 18-point outburst.
St. Clairsville played the majority of the game without senior guard Riley Carlton, who left with an injury. However, Clifford believes Carlton will be fine.
Indian Creek, meanwhile, was paced by Alex Young and Frank Kamarec. They each scored 10.
The Redskins were charted for 12 turnovers, which was four more than the winners. St. C. yanked down 28 rebounds, while Creek collected 22 stray shots.
St. Clairsville returns to the court with a Saturday afternoon road tilt at Buckeye Local before hosting Martins Ferry Tuesday in the OVAC Tourney. The Redskins are off until Tuesday when they make the lengthy trek to Parkersburg to take on South in an OVAC 5A semifinal.
St. Clairsville 61, Indian Creek 41
Indian Creek 11 6 13 11 - 41
St. Clairsville 23 15 12 11 - 61
INDIAN CREEK: Kamarec 4, 1-4 10; Furda 1, 0-0 3; Roar 1, 1-2 4; Young 5, 0-0 10; Haught 2, 2-2 7; Durbin 0, 2-2 2; Foldi 0, 0-0 0; Sullivan 0, 1-2 1; Winland 1, 2-2 4; Totals: 14, 9-14 41. 3-pointers: Kamarec, Furda, Roar, Haught.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE: Monteroso 9, 7-13 26; Carlton 0, 0-0 0; Jeffries 1, 3-4 5; Marhefka 7, 2-3 18; Giffin 0, 2-2 2; Campbell 2, 2-2 8; Burghy 0, 0-0 0; Derosa 0, 0-0 0; Keylor 0, 0-0 0; Gossett 0, 0-0 0; Coleman 1, 0-0 2; Panepucci 0, 0-0 0; Totals: 20, 16-24 61. 3-pointers: Monteroso, Marhefka 2, Campbell 2.


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I am still quite new to u1 (using the integration in Ubuntu 11.04). My earlier synchronizations, though, worked fine so far (folders outside of the Ubuntu 1-folder). Simple, comfortably etc. But then my next attempt was to synchronize a .tar.gz-file (1.9 GB, this time in the u1-folder), and here u1 seems to run into problems - and/or me? What I observed:
- I have tried to upload the file now for about 4 days in a row (computer is in use and online most of the day and during large parts of the night, too). It hasn't finished yet.
- At times I got every few minutes notifications that u1 started the sync-process again, as if the connection had gone down in between. Once I also caught the program disconnected, not due to any action on my part.
- The notifications have stopped, but instead I checked the current transfers via terminal (u1sdtool --current transfers). And the bytes written keep going up - and then a while later I am down a few digits again.
- The amount of u1-space that I am using according to the panel hasn't changed at all.
- The file is nevertheless visible in my web-account, though marked as getting synchronized.
From looking around a bit, I thought first that it might have to do with the file being compressed. But that problem was solved according to posts I found here. My second guess was the file size. Again, this is supposed to be no problem. My third guess: I signed up for an account with 5 GB of free space, currently using 1.9 GB ... and the original free space given to users was 2 GB ... However, I didn't get any notifications that I'd be running out of space. (Before considering buying more space, I'd obviously want to see that things work as it is.)
Now, if anyone has an idea, maybe even a solution for me, I'd be more than glad. :) Everything else worked so smooth so far that I'd like to stick to u1 if possible (after some very frustrating experiences with Syncplicity, for instance).


text:
When I access the list of my friends using the URL https://graph.facebook.com/me/friends?access_token=... I can see the list of my friends. I can do this programmatically as well.
Now, when I take the ID of any of my friends and replace it with "me" in the above URL, and paste the URL in the browser, I can see my friend's friends. I am unable to do this programmatically because it is giving me a HTTP 400 ERROR.
Does anyone know why this is possible by pasting the URL and not programmatically?
Thanks Abhishek S


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November 19, 2012
Paddling at sunset – Flickr pic of the day
This photograph was taken from Blouberg Beach by our Cape Town. Live it. Love it. Flickr group member biancapreusker.
"The golden hour before sunset at Blouberg beach lures out the boys and their toys. Andrew Glaum on his surfski is enjoying the last rays of sunlight on a Sunday evening," says Bianca.
Do you have images of Cape Town you'd like to share with us? We'd love you to join the Cape Town. Live it. Love it. Flickr group!
Image © biancapreusker


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Once I asked my friend 'how's the summer treating you?', he replied 'It's been good because it's been bad.'
What does it mean? Good or bad?
Once I asked my friend 'how's the summer treating you?', he replied 'It's been good because it's been bad.'
What does it mean? Good or bad?
closed as too localized by Jasper Loy, jwpat7, aedia λ, waiwai933♦ Jun 15 '12 at 15:48
This question is unlikely to help any future visitors; it is only relevant to a small geographic area, a specific moment in time, or an extraordinarily narrow situation that is not generally applicable to the worldwide audience of the internet. For help making this question more broadly applicable, visit the help center.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
It sounds like your friend was referring to a silver lining of some sort. It may have been weather-related, as SF. guessed, or it could have been a host of other things.
For example, If he was a student, it might mean:
If he was a business owner, it could mean:
or even:
So, without any more context, there's really no way to know for sure exactly what he meant.
In the quotes above 1this is "bad", and 2this is "good". Hence, It's been good,2 because it's been bad.1
Just my guess: Low heat tolerance + bad (cold) weather = good summer.
It really depends on what country, where the emphasis was in the sentence, what your friend's sense of humor is like...
In other words, it means absolutely nothing to me. If I were sitting with someone who said it, I would have to guess based on everything other than the words.


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LaCie 1TB Porsche Design Portable Hard Drive - USB 3.0
LaCie 1TB Porsche Design Portable Hard Drive - USB 3.0
Accelerate your backup with USB 3.0
The LaCie P'9223 hard drive's USB 3.0 interface lets you transfer files faster than ever before. With speeds up to 5 Gbit/s you can rapidly back up your photos, exchange audio and video files with your friends, or make sure that your important files are kept safe.
Designed for your Mac
Created especially for Mac computers, the P'9223 features a stylish, sophisticated aluminum finish that matches your new MacBook. It's also Time Machine compatible for seamless backups using built-in Mac software.
Porsche Design form, LaCie function
With the P'9223, Porsche Design and LaCie have produced an exclusive and timeless shape. There's 3mm of solid aluminum casing surrounding the disk inside—for truly solid data protection. Use it anywhere with confidence that you're getting peak performance.
Designed for your Mac
Time Machine compatible
USB 3.0 connectivity for significantly faster file transfers or backups
LaCie Private/Public protects against loss, theft or unauthorized access
Simple, user-friendly data backup with Backup Assistant
Easy cross-platform formatting utility
Did you notice?
Solid aluminum casing surrounds the disk to keep your data safe.
Apple Recommends For
Sophisticated portable storage specially designed to match your MacBook.
What's in the Box?
LaCie Porsche Design P'9223 mobile drive
USB 3.0 cable (compatible with USB 2.0)
Quick install guide
Complete software suite: LaCie Private-Public, Backup Assistant, Eco Mode, Wuala
Tech Specs
Other Features: Data Encryption, Sleep Mode, Time Machine compatible
Connections: USB 2, USB 3
Power Source: Bus Powered
Height: 0.6 in./1.5 cm
Length: 5.1 in./13 cm
Width: 3 in./7.7 cm
Weight: 8.47 oz./240 g
System Requirements
Requirements Operating System: OS X 10.5 or later, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
Connection: USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port, USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port
Manufacturer Information
Part Number
Mfr. Part Number: 9000293
UPC or EAN No.: 763649075630
Note: Products sold through this website that do not bear the Apple Brand name are serviced and supported exclusively by their manufacturers in accordance with terms and conditions packaged with the products. Apple's Limited Warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if packaged or sold with Apple products. Please contact the manufacturer directly for technical support and customer service.
Warranty: Two-year limited
Manufacturer Note
USB 3.0 speeds are only available on devices that support USB 3.0 interfaces
Answers from the community
is the manual available in German ?
- Asked by Walter S from Lindau
- on Dec 9, 2015
will this work to copy movies from a DVR?
- Asked by Rudy A from Bristow
- on Dec 14, 2015
Answer now(will this work to copy movies from a DVR?)No answers yet
Is this drive loud?
- Asked by Zach W from Centennial
- on Dec 8, 2015
No not at all. If you put your ear to it, then you can hear the hard drive spinning. Its about as qu No not at all. If you put your ear to it, then you can hear the hard drive spinning. Its about as quiet as a MacBook Pro hard drive. Its absolutely superb. I've had one for 2.5 years now!
- Written by Paul W from HULL
- on Jul 26, 2016
is drag and drop along with Time Machine back up available?
- Asked by James H from Nevada City
- on Feb 8, 2016
Best Answer:
Yes both can function together.
- Written by Michael N from Marshfield
- on Mar 5, 2014
Is this compatible with El Capitan
- Asked by Richard K from Camdenton
- on Feb 2, 2016
Absolutely. I have the 500BG model and it backs up both my wife's MBP (2012) and my MBP (2015). For Absolutely. I have the 500BG model and it backs up both my wife's MBP (2012) and my MBP (2015). For redundancy (see caveat), I use the Toshiba Canvio 1TB which does a good job as well. Caveat: I have read that ALL external HDs fail sooner or later and my LaCie failed after 23 months. Fortunately, there was a 24 month warranty and the company replaced the unit without hassle. It has been functioning now for 11 months without problems. Each of our computers has El Capitan (OS X, version 10.11.1) and we use Time Machine with both HDs. Good luck.
- Written by CARL I from PEBBLE BEACH
- on Apr 4, 2016
how do I install my porsche external hard drive and make time machine recognize it?
- Asked by Bruce F from Newbury Park
- on Jan 8, 2016


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How can the following inequation be proven?
$$a^2 + b^2 + c^2 \ge ab + bc + ca$$
How can the following inequation be proven?
$$a^2 + b^2 + c^2 \ge ab + bc + ca$$
Try $(a-b)^2+(b-c)^2+(c-a)^2 \ge0$
Compute lhs, divide by two and rearrange.
This is a specific form of Cauchy-Schwarz inequality.
Let $x = (a, b, c)$ and $y = (b, c, a)$ as vectors.
The inequality is $ | \left< x,y \right>| \le \|x\|\|y\|. $ with standard inner product definition. One neat trick to prove this is using an auxilary parameter $t,$ and expanding $$ \| x+ty \| = \left< x+ty,x+ty \right> = \|x\| + 2 \left< x,y \right>t +\|y\|t^2.$$ We know, this being a square, is greater or equal to zero. Therefore, the discriminant of the polynomial in $t$ is less or equal to zero. Which is $\left< x,y \right>^2 - \|x\|\|y\| \le 0.$ Substituting the values for $x$ and $y$ will do the job.
This is also a consequence of the Rearrangement inequality.


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LeTourneau University will feature "Pinkalicious the Musical," a family oriented production from Vital Theater Company, at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 14, in the S.E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center, 2100 S. Mobberly Ave., in Longview. Tickets will be sold through the Belcher Center box office, priced at $11 for children 14 and under, $16 …
Tag Archive: cupcake musical
Mar 23 2013
LETU to present "Pinkalicious the Musical"
March 23, 2013
Tags: a tooth fairy tale, American Theatre Wing, American Theatre Wing Award for Continued Commitment to Excellence in Theatre, Arts in Education, Belcher center, belcher center kids, belcher center musical, belcher center shows, belcher children, belcher kids, belcher musical, belcher performances, belcher performances for kids, belcher theater, children friendly, children theater, cupcake musical, eas texas theater, east texas children theater, east texas children's theater, east texas events, east texas musicals, east texsa musical, Elizabeth kann, Excellence in Theatre, kid friendly, kids shows in east texas, kids shows longview, kids theater, kids theatre, LeTourneau, letourneau belcher center, letourneau belcher theater, LeTourneau pinkalicious, LeTourneau University, local children shows, longview plays, longview texas children theater, longview texas events, longview texas kids, longview texas theater, musical theater, musical theatre, New York City, new york city theater, pikalicous, pink musical, Pinkalicious, pinkalicious award, pinkalicious longview texas, pinkalicious show, pinkalicious texas, Pinkalicious the Musical, S.E. Belcher Jr., S.E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center, show way, shows for children, shows for kids, supcake musical, The Vital Voices, The Vital Voices: Arts in Education, theatre east texas, Victoria Kann, Vital, Vital Theater, Vital Theater Company, vital voices
Permanent link to this article: http://www.easttexasreview.com/letu-to-present-pinkalicious-the-musical/
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text:
I'm trying to use the Graph API to get the detailed information of a user - I'm just not sure how to use the
api() method to do this.
I have the access token and the user id, so I assumed this would work like so:
$facebook->api($user_id . '?access_token=' . $access_token);
But this only yields my basic information, ie;
Instead of:
How do I use the
api() method correctly to collect the latter list of information?
I've tried parsing an array of parameters like so:
$params = array("access_token" => $token);
$stats = $facebook->api($uid, "post", $params);
echo '<pre>';
echo '</pre>';
However this gives me the following error:
Fatal error: Uncaught OAuthException: (#100) The parameter password is required thrown in /home/projectavian/phoenix/facebook.php on line 543


text:
Prometheus (Blu-ray/ DVD + Digital Copy) for $10
Free super saver shipping eligible.
4 Comments add a comment
If anyone is interested, the collector's edition is only 5 dollars more: http://www.amazon.com/Prometheus-Blu-ray-DVD-Digital-Copy/dp/B0085Z8F4A
A bit of advice: The BluRay cover is a spoiler, as is the trailer for this movie. Don't look at these things and the movie will be much more mysterious(better).
I'm on the fence on this as a movie; I own all the Alien movies, and this would be necessary, but watching this show up as a lightning deal for $8 (DVD+Digital), and it didn't even sell out (20-30% sold) makes me question the movie
@swader: I don't see what the big deal was. I liked the movie and when I saw it in 3D Imax I thought the 3D was done very well. I would say if you are on the fence about it then check it out. edit: I bought the 3D edition 2 days ago.


text:
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THE PARTY Esquire magazine and the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel hosted local trendsetters for the launch of Robert Whitman's latest photography exhibit. THE PEOPLE The event, part of Renaissance Hotels' RLife LIVE program that regularly showcases arts and entertainment, was attended by the artist himself, as well as more than 100 admirers. BEST IN SHOW Guests mingled to the tune of beats dropped by DJ Adrian Loving, while browsing images of dancers from the world-renowned modern dance company. Photography by Naiffer Romero


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Many contemporary movie posters typeset the credits in an extremely thin font:
Is this just out of convention or is there a particular reason for deliberately making the credits hard to read?
Many contemporary movie posters typeset the credits in an extremely thin font:
Is this just out of convention or is there a particular reason for deliberately making the credits hard to read?
It's a legal compromise really.
From an article on the New York Times:
So really, in the face of legal obligations this is probably the best they can do. Still just about legible, fulfills the legal requirements to have the key names prominent while also not compromising the aesthetics of the poster artwork too much.
Unfortunately the source article linked to is an image rather than a text so not very accessible. I've transcribed the most relevant element of it above.
I think that the closest answer is: a compromise between visibility and legibility (which of course created some standard with time, or even: best practice).
The main purpose for that is the need to fit as much text as possible, while still keeping the letters quite big (this is why the letters are almost always capital here as well). Fonts used here are mainly 'condensed' subsets of bigger families, or dedicated 'condensed' fonts (you can also find extra-condensed, compressed, narrow or similar naming conventions - you can find more about taxonomy of the type here). One great example is UltraThin Condensed. If a standard font was used here, it would occupy too much space; on a contrary, decreasing the font size of the font would lead to the names being smaller and less visible).
I also believe that, with time, more and more text needed to be put on the posters (so far not-so-important actors didn't want to be excluded from official credits on the posters, and also new areas became important - special effects for example). You can feel it when you look through the posters in the Wikipedia article about film posters.


text:
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Adirondack Collection: Ottoman
Adirondack ottoman. Sturdy Adirondack ottoman made from durable Acacia wood. Adirondack ottoman measures 19"L x 21"W x 12"H. Easy assembly; corrosion resistant hardware included. Part of the Adirondack outdoor furniture collection available in a 3-position reclining chair, ottoman, folding side table, and kid-size chair; coordinating outdoor cushions for chairs sold separately. Wipe clean. Imported. Complete your outdoor living space with this handy outdoor Adirondack ottoman. A versatile essential, this stylish ottoman is ideal for holding trays, drinks, books and more. It's also perfect for propping up your feet and relaxing in style. Crafted from durable Acacia wood for long-lasting wear, this weather-resistant Adirondack ottoman measures 19"L x 21"W x 12"H. The perfect height and width for your back deck or porch, this well-designed ottoman has endless purposes. Also ideal for entertaining, this outdoor ottoman gives friends, family and guests a place to set down drinks and plates on your back deck or porch. A pretty and practical favorite, our resilient ottoman prevents people from perching glasses on railings or putting items on the ground. Part of our coveted collection of Adirondack outdoor furniture, this outdoor ottoman complements the other Adirondack-themed pieces. Pair the ottoman and side table with the 3-position recliner chair, and kid-size chair. The complete collection of Adirondack furniture will transform your outdoor living space into a well-appointed retreat your whole family will love. The ideal setting for eating, relaxing or simply enjoying the sounds of nature.
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Harley Quinn's Greatest Moments from "Batman: The Animated Series"
TV, Comic Books
When an interview goes well, it has very little to do with me. The value of the interview, not surprisingly, is rooted in the answers. Evan Dorkin is proof of this. At one point in this email interview, the man justifiably ridicules my use of the term "sequential art narrative" in a question–and being Evan Dorkin, it's damn funny when he does it. The interview covers a great deal of ground, given the diversity and richness of his career to date. First up, though, is Dark Horse's Beasts of Burden, his upcoming collaboration with Jill Thompson, which is featured on the cover of this month's PREVIEWS. (Beasts of Burden #1's item code is JUL09 0015 [and goes on sale September 16]). Aweek or so ago my associate Mr. Melrose linked to the original Beasts of Burden short story, Stray, that Dark Horse posted to its site (and that Dorkin also mentions at the start of this interview). My thanks to Dorkin for what I hope you agree is a great interview.
Tim O'Shea: You are working on Beasts of Burden, for Dark Horse, what can you tell folks about the project?
Evan Dorkin: Beasts of Burden is a four-issue series debuting this September from Dark Horse, I'm writing it and Jill Thompson is illustrating it, and it's about a group of neighborhood dogs and a stray cat that band together to fight the supernatural. It takes place in a town called Burden Hill, which has become increasingly plagued by monsters and the paranormal. The human inhabitants are largely oblivious to what's happening, so it's up to these "ordinary" animals to defend the area from these occult incursions. It's a horror comic with adventure and fantasy elements, and hopefully a sense of humor. Each issue is a self-contained story, with some narrative undercurrents running through them.


text:
Harley Quinn's Greatest Moments from "Batman: The Animated Series"
TV, Comic Books
Showing results 1-2 of 2
S.H.O.O.T. First #4
Atheists and Antichrists to the rescue -- it's the finale of Justin Aclin and Nicolas Daniel Selma's "S.H.O.O.T First!"
|January 20th, 2014
S.H.O.O.T. First #1
"S.H.O.O.T. First" #1's secular task force fighting other-dimensional monsters posing as angels and devils is a hysterical idea, but Justin Aclin and Nicolas Daniel Selma's comic feels more like a video game transcript than a story.
|October 16th, 2013


text:
10% off all Kobalt Tools
Good through October 22. Search for: Kobalt Tools.
3 Comments add a comment
The online prices reflect the discount -- If you're looking for a coupon code, there is none!
I'm not sure if these prices are the same in the physical stores.
...and NOT for ALL Kobalt tools


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WACO (December 10, 2012)--Baylor University, the City of Waco, and the Waco Downtown Development Corporation will conduct a meeting about parking and traffic control associated with the new Baylor stadium.
Anyone with concerns or suggestions to accommodate event parking and traffic are encouraged to attend Tuesday's meeting.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Ranger Room of the Waco Convention Center on Washington Ave.


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"Catholic Answers Live has been there for me, through God's infinite wisdom, and oftentimes answered questions I had been thinking about myself. Your radio program has been very instrumental in my conversion to the Catholic Faith."
"Let us then not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the cross our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink, in our comings and in goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are travelling, and when we are at rest."


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What are the options for getting a smart phone up and running when travelling for a couple of weeks in Japan?
Right, with a bit of research, I've put the following together.
Modern Japanese mobile phones (携帯電話 keitai denwa or just keitai) tend to operate on unique cellular standards not always compatible with the rest of the world. For instance, most Japanese 2G mobile phones operate on the Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) standard, which was developed and is used exclusively in Japan. In a nutshell:
If your phone is up to spec, double-check with your carrier if they have a roaming agreement with either SoftBank or NTT DoCoMo. Coverage is generally excellent, unless you are heading to some remote mountainous areas.
If you have no 3G phone but still have a 3G-compatible SIM card, you can rent a 3G phone in Japan and slot in your card, allowing you to keep your home phone number in Japan. Carrier restrictions may apply: for instance, O2-UK (operating in Japan via NTT DoCoMo) requires you to dial 111#, wait for a callback; then, dial the actual number you wish to connect. Be sure to double-check with your network provider before departing.
GSM-only SIMs are issued by providers that don't have their own 3G network. If your home operator have no 3G network, or if you got your phone before their 3G network was introduced, this may apply to you. Call and ask your operator if their SIM cards are USIM compatible.
USIM cards are issued by providers that have a 3G network or plan to introduce one. Any European who got their SIM card after 2003 has one of these. Call and ask your operator if their SIM cards are USIM compatible.
Data roaming works as well (subject to the above restrictions), allowing you to use wireless internet on your phone (although it can be expensive!). Google Maps on your phone can be invaluable (although note that tower positioning does not work).
Short visits
For a short visit, your cheapest option for mobile access is to rent a phone. A number of companies provide this service. Rental rates and call charges vary, the best one can depend on how long you are renting and how much you will call.
Beware of "free" rental as there is a catch: usually, there are very high call charges. Incoming calls are free in Japan.
Mobal Communications Inc.
Free rental (meaning there is no expense unless you actually call someone). ¥240/min domestic and international. Very expensive (around $3) - have people call you instead, since incoming calls are free. Be careful not to lose the phone or the charger as the company charges horrendous amounts.
Rentafone Japan
¥3,900 up to one week, then ¥300/day. Shipping included. ¥35/min~ domestic. USA ¥45/min. ¥300 for unlimited emailing. You can also use your SIM in the phones. Offers customers a choice of phones.
Japan Mobile Rental
¥1,200 per day for unlimited broadband internet Connect up to 5 devices Install Skype on your PC or phone and take advantage of cheap international calling rates Use in virtually any place in Japan Pick-up at our Narita or Kansai Airport counters, or at your hotel.
SoftBank Global Rental
¥250/day; SIM card: ¥105/day. * ¥105/min domestic. USA ¥105/min. Incoming calls are free. iPhone SIM Rental(3GS/4) is available. ¥1,500 per day for iPhone unlimited data communications.
"Free rental" for the first week, but you must pay for shipping at rather high rates working out at at least $30. After that $2/day. $0.70/min domestic. USA $0.90/min. Incoming calls are free. Extra $10 use email. Service tax of 15% added to final bill. Run from the US by the people who run Panda Phone (Chinese phone rental).
Telecom Square
¥525/day. Extra shipping charge of ¥800-1800 if you want the phone delivered.. ¥90/min domestic. USA ¥100/min (daytime). Incoming calls are free. ¥315 extra if you want to know the phone number in advance.
go mobile
¥2,995/week with 15 free minutes, plus ¥1,000 for shipping. ¥85/min domestic. International ¥100/min. Incoming calls are free. Final credit card charge can be up to 2 months after return.
¥315/day (rental fee waived for ANA passengers). Extra shipping charge of ¥1,575 if you want the phone delivered. ¥120/min domestic. International ¥150/min. Incoming calls are free. ¥315 extra if you want to know the phone number in advance.
¥200/day ¥100/min domestic (NO international calls) or ¥160/min omestic and international. Incoming calls are free.
Mobile Phone Japan
¥2,900 up to one week / ¥5,600 up to two weeks. Shipping included. ¥90/min domestic. USA ¥78/min. Prepaid phones - you need to buy a top-up card if the credit runs out Must reserve at least one week in advance of arrival.
Global Advanced Communications
iPhone ¥8,000/week with unlimited internet access. Delivery charge included. ¥24/min domestic and international. Cell Phone ¥3,500 up to one week, then ¥300/day. ¥18/min domestic. USA ¥16/min (using call-back). Data card for laptop ¥4,500/3days with unlimited internet access. Must reserve at least 4 days in advance of arrival. Not open at weekends.
They have a complicated array of plans, the basic one (plan B) : $75 up to one week $130 up to two weeks + obligatory insurance $15). Shipping to hotels included; $10 extra to airports. $0.90/min domestic. USA $1.35/min. Run from the US
Japanese phones have an email address linked to the phone number, and most of the above companies allow you to send and receive emails. Your usual email provider may offer redirection to another email address (GMail does), so that you receive all emails on the cellphone. Beware that companies charge for incoming and outgoing emails.
Longer Trips
For a longer trip, you can also purchase a phone, but doing this legally requires an Alien Registration Card (or an obliging Japanese friend willing to front for you).
The easier way is to get a prepaid (プリペイド) phone. Prepaid phones are sold in most SoftBank and au stores (NTT DoCoMo does not have prepaid phone services anymore). Stores located in important areas of major cities in Japan often have English-speaking staff to help foreigners, but this should be confirmed prior to visiting the store. If you already have a 3G phone, go with Softbank as it can sell SIMs as opposed to au whose prepaid service is phone-based like most CDMA carriers.
Prepaid phones use a "card" with a pass key to "charge" a phone with minutes. These prepaid calling cards, unlike the phone itself, can be found in most convenience stores.
A prepaid cell phone is available for as little as ¥5000 plus ¥3000 for a 60-90 day call time package, which will get drained at a rate of ¥100 per minute (¥10 per 6 seconds for AU's prepaid service.)
Both SoftBank and au offer prepaid phones. Details on pricing, phone models, procedure to get them and can be found on their English websites. For e-mail/text-heavy users Softbank is the better choice due to its introduction of "unlimited mail", which gives unlimited e-mail and text messaging at ¥300/month.
The cheaper way is to get a monthly contract, but for this you'll need proof of longer stay (=visa). You can expect to pay around around ¥5000 per month, assuming light calling, but prices are beginning to fall. A cancellation fee may also apply if the contract is terminated early.
If you are only staying for a week to a month, and don't need to make voice calls (or are fine with using Skype for them), and have an unlocked GSM phone, one simple option is to go to a chain electronics store such as BIC Camera and pick up a prepaid data SIM. Voice phone rentals are pretty expensive, and pay-as-you-go phones require that you are a resident, but a prepaid data SIM only requires that you have access to a Japanese phone number to activate it. (Unfortunately, payphones don't work, but in my experience, hotel phones do, or if you have a friend or colleague that you are visiting, they can do the activation for you.)
The last time I visited Japan for a week I made use of an NTT DoCoMo prepaid data SIM in an unlocked Android phone. It worked wonderfully, and was quite cheap (I think it was around $35 for a few GB of transfer good for a whole month).
The easiest way is indeed to come to Japan with a SIM-free device and getting a data SIM.
The best deal I found when visiting for 3 months back in March '14 was ordering an OCN SIM from Amazon JP (http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00EQ12AYS - had same-day shipping option and an additional discount when I was there). I got mine shipped to my hotel.
Once you get the SIM, you register with its ID on the OCN website, choose your preferred data package, etc. and provide an international credit card. Once that's done you're immediately good to go.
I went for a 2GB/mo package for less than $10/mo. This was by far the best deal available in Japan at the time, and it's good for both long and short visits. Additionally, OCN provides their service over the NTT network, so you'll get great service everywhere. When you leave Japan, simply cancel the service on the website, and (oddly enough...) send the SIM back to OCN via post.


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Did Jesus fake his own death only to "reappear" several years later and gain notoriety and fame? Was he a street magician, much like David Blaine? Or did he really turn wine into water and come back from the dead? Please discuss, I'm interested in what you all think.
Did Jesus fake his own death?
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