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The prosecution rests.
Last Wednesday, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced that he would not charge Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis officials with failing to report suspected child abuse in the case of Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer. (He's still investigating several others.) In November 2012, Wehmeyer pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal sexual conduct and seventeen counts of possession of child pornography. He's serving a five-year prison term. Civil authorities began investigating after Minnesota Public Radio reported that the archdiocese had known about Wehmeyer's sexual misbehavior for years, failed to inform his parish staff, and left him in ministry--with disastrous results. (In another case, Washington County prosecutors announced that they would not charge a priest with possession of child pornography--more on that later in the week.)
Minnesota law requires a priest to notify the police when he suspects child abuse--within twenty-four hours, unless he acquires the information during confession or spiritual counseling. The archdiocese claims it received an allegation against Wehmeyer on June 19, 2012, and reported it to police the following day. "It is our belief," Choi explained at last week's press conference, "that a criminal jury would conclude that members of the archdiocese did not fail to comply with the mandatory reporting law in this case." At the same event, St. Paul Police Chief Thomas Smith claimed officers lacked probable cause for a subpoena or a warrant to search archdiocesan files. Hours later, MPR published a document signed by Archbishop John Nienstedt indicating that the archdiocese had received the allegation on June 18--two days before the archdiocese reported it to the police.
That document is the decree that formally began the canonical investigation into Wehmeyer. After MPR showed it to Choi and his staff, they said they'd never heard of it. St. Paul Police spokesman Howie Padilla told MPR that he also didn't know about the decree. Which is strange, because Jennifer Haselberger, Nienstedt's former top canonical adviser, said that in November she informed police about the document and where they could get a copy (from the chancery, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or Wehmeyer himself). Archdiocesan chancellor Joe Kueppers, according to MPR, explained that the police had just asked for copies of the documents obtained by the radio station. Choi has asked St. Paul police to tell him why Nienstedt's decree was not included in the case files, and Padilla said that in light of this new information, the police could reopen the investigation.
How the police missed this remains mysterious. But then again, the case itself features several puzzling details. In a memo released by Ramsey County last week, Criminal Division Director Richard Dusterhoft explained why prosecutors decided not to charge anyone in the archdiocese with failing to report suspected child abuse.
According to Dusterhoft, the police investigation turned up the following: On June 5, 2012, the mother of one of Wehmeyer's victims told her priest, Fr. John Paul Erickson, that she thought one of her sons had sexually assaulted his sister. She shared this in confession (in a "confessional," according to a police report). Erickson, the memo says, advised her to call the police. Later that day, a relative of the mother--who had worked in law enforcement--spoke with the son. The relative suspected that the son had been molested because young victims sometimes re-enact the abuse they suffer. The boy eventually "disclosed [to the relative] abuse perpetrated on the child by Curtis Wehmeyer." Subsequently--"again in confession"--the mother talked to Erickson about these new details, "but (according to the parent) used 'confession' to protect that priest." She "gave him permission to contact the archdiocese with this information [about the abuse]." The mother recalled that she contacted Greta Sawyer, director of archdiocesan Advocacy and Victim Assistance, about the allegation on June 18, and scheduled a meeting with her the following day. But Sawyer told police that she was not contacted until June 19, and her "report of that meeting is dated June 20, 2012, and indicates that her meeting...occurred on the same day."
Because "it is clear that [Erickson] received that information during confession," and because there's no evidence that Sawyer "had information that would rise to the level of the 'knowing or having reason to believe' standard required to trigger the reporting requirement" prior to meeting with the mother and her son, Dusterhoft concludes, "it is clear that the archdiocese reported the abuse withtin twenty-four hours of receiving the abuse information directly" from the child.
Is any of that really so clear? Dusterhoft acknowledges that the mother "used 'confession' to protect" Erickson. Doesn't that mean that she was not being completely truthful about the nature of her conversations with the priest, and wouldn't that warrant further investigation?
Look at MPR's timeline of the Wehmeyer case. Apparently not all her conversations with Erickson about her son took place in a confessional. On June 7, 2012, she phoned Erickson to tell him that her son alleged Wehmeyer had abused him. Erickson said he would have to report it to the archdiocese. A week later the mother called Erickson again with more details about the alleged abuse. That's the conversation, according to a civil suit being brought by the mother against Wehmeyer and the archdiocese, in which Erickson told her "that either she make the police report" or the archdiocese would--and she asked him to have the archdiocese contact the police. (The Dusterhoft memo also says that "the parent gave the priest permission to contact the archdiocese with this information.")
The Catholic Church does not allow the sacrament of confession to take place by phone or over the internet. And priests are trained to take such conversations outside the context of the sacrament.
After the Nienstedt decree came to light, the archdiocese issued a statement claiming that none of its representatives "became aware of the specific allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by Wehmeyer" until the morning of June 19, but that "information was provided to a priest of the archdiocese in the context of a pastoral relationship, which is considered privileged communication under Minnesota law." (The archdiocese's statement does not include the word "confession.") According to the archdiocese, it persuaded the mother to waive that "privilege" on the afternoon of June 20, 2012.
The Catholic Church forbids priests from breaking the seal of confession. But there is no "seal of the pastoral relationship." If I go to my pastor for spiritual advice, and in the course of our conversation I mention that I have a bunch of kids tied up in my basement, and he shares that information with the police, he hasn't broken canon law. Besides, the mother's lawsuit claims that on June 15, 2012, she asked Erickson to have the archdiocese call the police. Why would she have to "waive" that "privilege" again later? Still, the archdiocese claims, "this [waiver] then allowed the archdiocese to make a formal report to police the same afternoon."
But even that assertion is hard to verify, because, as Dusterhoft's memo notes, the "formal report" alleged by the archdiocese seems to be mentioned in (or is itself?) an e-mail exchange between Deacon John Vomastek, director of the Office of Clergy Services, and Axel Henry of the St. Paul Police Department. "Axe," Vomastek wrote in an e-mail sent Wednesday, June 20, 2012, at 6 p.m., "I don't have a lot." He named the "suspect," then wrote, "He is also the one that says he is the victim of what we talked about today." He continued, "Can you let me know if you have the original case of a few weeks ago when I called and if you need any help from our end?" Is that another case? The extant e-mails are unclear. The following day Vomastek e-mailed Henry with the mother's cell-phone number, and Henry replied, "We have NO reports with the names provided." Is that a response to Vomastek's reference to "the original case of a few weeks ago"? Or is he talking about Wehmeyer? Of course, "a few weeks ago" would be well before the archdiocese says it made its "formal report" to the police. Presumably the archdiocese would be eager to produce evidence showing that one of its representatives reported abuse earlier than is now alleged. So what happened? It's hard to say, without seeing more archdiocesan files. That's something the Ramsey County attorney might want to look into.
As for Nienstedt's decree affirming that the archdiocese received the allegation on June 18, 2012, the archdiocese now says that was an error reflecting the perception of the person who drafted it: Jennifer Haselberger, the archbishop's former top canonical adviser.
"I did write the decree," Haselberger told me. "And the archbishop signed it, because the 18th was when I was informed that an allegation had been made against Fr. Wehmeyer." Sawyer, the archdiocese's victim-assistance director, may be correct about when she met with the mother of the victim (June 20, 2012). But that doesn't mean that she was the first and only archdiocesan representative to learn of this allegation. After all, the Wehmeyer scandal was unfolding just days before Monsignor William Lynn of Philadelphia was convicted of child endangerment (a conviction that would be overturned later). That case had focused the minds of every chancery staffer in the country. A new allegation about recent abuse involving a priest with a history of sexual compulsions would set off more than a few alarms. So presumably the decree Haselberger drafted for Nienstedt and Sawyer's report weren't the only documents produced by archdiocesan staff responding to such a disturbing accusation.
That, too, is something Ramsey County Attorney John Choi may want to explore. Perhaps he might suggest to St. Paul police officers that documents already in the public domain don't need to be sought from parties under investigation. Or that mandatory-reporting cases turn on the timing of the reporter's knowledge of suspected abuse, which is difficult to establish without documentary evidence, something Catholic dioceses are known for producing in great volume. Or that when a former adviser to a party under investigation tells you that said party knew of a child-abuse allegation for at least forty-eight hours before it was reported to police, and gives you three ways to procure a document supporting that claim, you follow up.
Just some suggestions for John Choi, as he prepares to run for re-election.
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It's a complicated story. I found the MPR timeline slide deck to which Grant linked to be very helpful in order to understand who did what, when.
There were at least three people - the mother of the victims, the maintenance employee, and Fr. Erickson - who, by my reckoning, could have done more, earlier, than they did to report Wehmeyer's abusive behavior. As church employees, presumably all three of them have been trained to report suspected sexual misconduct against minors.
It seems clear that Erickson did have conversations outside the confessional with the mother, and as a priest presumably he is a mandated reporter.
It's not clear that any further damage was done by their lack of promptness in following up. I take it that this is Choi's line of thought, too. It's disturbing that Wehmeyer was able to take possession of his camper and may have destroyed evidence before the police impounded it, but I think the fault lies with the police for not acting with more alacrity in impounding it.
The question of the seal of the confessional is an interesting one. Two points: (1) it's not clear that the seal would pertain to a conversation in which a mother reports that her children have been abused, as that disclosure really isn't the confession of a sin. Perhaps it would depend on the context in which it wa disclosed, e.g. perhaps she brought it up in the confessional because was wracked with guilt that perhaps she failed to do something as a parent to protect her children. (Please note that I am not blaming her in any way; I'm speculating that a parent might be haunted by such doubts). (2) The seal of the confessional "belongs to" the one confessing sins. In my view, it wouldn't have been out of line for Erickson to ask the mother for permission, right there and then, for him to report the allegations both to the archdiocese and the police.
The archdiocesan line about a 'seal of pastoral care' or some such is bollix, in my opinion.
The timeline notes that Wehmeyer received his promotion to pastor on the very same day that the Vicar General transitioned from one vicar to another. Could it be that this transition worked to Wehmeyer's advantage, e.g. somehow his record, presumably speckled with red flags, wasn't examined closely by the new guy?
Overall, it's clear that Wehmeyer is a manipulative abuser who excelled at skirting capture and punishment. The red flags that would have been in his file would not have been prior instances of child abuse, but they were a troubling pattern of behavior. McDonough looks bad in all this.
Lots of failure all around.
On one hand, "Maria Monk" - the best-selling anti-Catholic book of the 19th century should be seen for what it is-fiction. But not to the attornies who would exploit that fiction for millions of dollars.
On one hand, "Maria Monk" - the best-selling anti-Catholic book of the 19th century should be seen for what it is-fiction. But not to the attornies who would exploit that fiction for millions of dollars.
It doesn't surprise me at all -- the whole Wehmeyer issue was always murky, -- not the stuff out of which an open and shut case is made.
The most disturbing thing about this whole timeline - we're arguing about 24 hours - who really cares about 23 hours or 49 hours - why can't the police be called within 48 seconds of the report? Because a memo had to be drafted, informing the oath-of-obedience troll priests to protect the priests reputation, while "not interfering with the police". How about full cooperation with the police, including a prompt phone call? Meanwhile, the priest is given a, if we believe the archdiocese (we don't ) a 23.9 hour time to clean up any evidence of a crime. He ended up pleading guilty, but what evidence did he destroy of additional crimes? We'll never know.
Interference with a police investigation. I'm not a lawyer, but this HAS to be illegal.
This is why it may seem like a technicality, but Choi must press charges to the extent allowable by law. He has to realize he is NOT turning his back on his Catholic Church by prosecuting its criminals, but doing his best to help it get clean, and survive. He must press charges because he did catch them on a technicality (assumedly), and they will push their "advantage" to protect priests' reputations, over the safety of children. We know this, because its always been that way, and until someone takes a stand for our children, it will always be "offfending priests before children", in the criminal enterprise known as the catholic church.
Why does the confessional offer a reprieve from priests duties to protect children? What human being would hear of a child being molested, and then claim "but I heard it in a certain box in a church" where doubtless hundreds of children have similarly been molested across this world. What worthwhile human being would hear a report of a child molestation, and say, I'll report it in 24 hours?
I'd suggest new rules (reasonable people wouldn't need them - common sense) - 24 seconds to report if in cell phone range, otherwise, the minimum amount of time to get there. No exceptions. No privileged conversations, our kids are too important.
Jeff Anderson can't be the only one fighting for the safety of our children, we need help from our government - step up John Choi, do your job, protect our children.
The tax exempt status of this church should be examined carefully too - is there seperation of church and state? If so, why does the state fund it indirectly thru tax deductions? Why does the state fund this church, when it knows it has been complicit in abuse of children, and apparently, continues to do so? The church lobbies government, ignores its laws. Doesn't sound like much of a religion to me.
And I'm a lifelong Catholic....
The U.N. committee on the rights of children doesn't approve of the way in which the Catholic church deals with sexual abuse of children:
If one were to diagram the Church of Rome's approach to handling the sexual abuse issue, it would look like various mazes overlayed on still other mazes ad infinitum. Rome takes money from local churches. Rome appoints and fires local bishops. Rome laicizes local clergy around the world. Rome writes the rules and disciplines bishops who run afoul of them. Rome receives visiting episcopal delegations every five years. Rome exacts obesiance.
And Rome claims it has no jurisdiction over bishops and priests around the world.
At least the UN panel "gets it".
If only our U.S. legal system did the same.
Claire, thank you for the link.


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Jason Nocito
Photos by Jason Nocito.
via: tinyvices
Photos by Jason Nocito.
via: tinyvices
Absolutely blown away by these paintings by Monterrey, Mexico-based artist Karen Reyes, who shared her work in our July Reader Submissions post. Definitely some of the strongest work that's been submitted to us. Have a look at more paintings below.
Artist Pema Rinzin creates contemporary works using traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting techniques. Rinzin was born in Tibet and raise in India. More images below.
Drawings by artist Jhon Douglas, found via our July Reader Submissions. More images below!
A selection of paintings by Italian artist Carlo Cane. More images below.
British-born, Los Angeles-based street artist Plastic Jesus (whose work feels heavily inspired by Banksy) has erected a six inch wall around Donald Trump's hollywood star in response to the presidential candidate and the absurd wall he's claimed to build if elected. More images below.

subset: commoncrawl


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I have over 450 existing notes on my iPhone 4 which I sync with Outlook on a PC. I would like to import all these notes into Evernotes which has far greater functionality as a notes application [bolding, bullet points etc]. Can anyone tell me how to achieve this other than one-by-one cut and paste?
It doesn't seem to be a native solution, but you can do it via Outlook (on Windows at list). It's a rather lengthily road and it involves a VBA script, but it's doable. This blog post explains the process in detail.
Here is another one that does the same thing (the importing), but you have to sync your iPhone with Outlook first: http://www.fourteenminutes.com/code/outlook2evernote/


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Report: A "series of massive significance" teased for PS4Written by: / / 27 Comments
We were recently reminded that it's been a year to the day that Sony Computer Entertainment first unveiled the PlayStation 4 to the world at the PlayStation Meeting on February 20th, 2013, and since the console's launch last year in November and December around the world, and ahead of the Japanese launch on Saturday, February 22nd, there's still so much left to find out about the machine.
While we've already seen, played and enjoyed a healthy batch of first- and -third-party launch games, with more to come next week and in March ahead of a promised deluge of downloadable independently produced games, we're still not one hundred percent clear on what the future of the console has in store as far as Sony's first-party studios are concerned with over two dozen companies each secretly working on the games that will excite and delight us in the months and years to come.
The Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) is teasing the reveal of just such a game, writing that the magazine's next cover will feature "a series of massive significance" that has finally been confirmed for PlayStation 4 – here's a scan of the text:
What do you think OPM is teasing? The return of Nathan Drake in Uncharted on PS4? Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter or Ratchet & Clank? LittleBigPlanet or God of War? Maybe a third-party game?
What series do you think will be revealed for PlayStation 4 on the cover of the next OPM?
Source: NeoGAF
Tags: sony


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Let G be a semisimple algebraic group.
Following work of Matsumoto [1], Brylinski and Deligne [2] constructed a central extension of the functor
G : Rings → Groups by the second algebraic K-theory functor.
Plugging in ℂ((t)) into those functors, we get the well known central extension $\widetilde{G\big(\mathbb C((t))}\big)$ of
the loop group G(ℂ((t))) by the multiplicative group ℂ*=K2(ℂ((t))).
It is interesting to note that the above group comes from an algebraic group defined over the subfield ℂ of ℂ((t)). Namely, $\widetilde{G\big(\mathbb C((t))}\big)$ = $\widetilde{LG}(\mathbb C)$.
Doing all this with ℚp instead of ℂ((t)), we get a central extension $\widetilde{G(\mathbb Q_p)}$ of G(ℚp) by the group K2(ℚp) = Fp*. Now, here's an idea: maybe that central extension is defined over... the subfield F1 of ℚp?...
My questions:
• Has this been considered before?
• If yes, among all the exitsing notion of "defined over F1", which one(s) make this possible?
• If no: is my heuristic argument is convincing?
[1] Matsumoto, "Sur les sous-groupes arithmétiques des groupes semi-simples déployés".
[2] Brylinski, Deligne, "Central extensions of reductive groups by $K_2$".


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The Connaghers #3
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, coming May 8, 2012
All fire and gunpowder need is a stray spark…
The day one of her old clients gunned down a cop, former defense attorney Vicki Connagher lost everything—her passion for justice, and her lover, Detective Elias Reyes. The dead cop's partner.
Even though she's following her dream to start her own fashion line, it's tough with heartache as her only companion. Until she brings Jesse, a wandering street artist, in from a freak Texas snowstorm. His submissive flirting brings out dominant tendencies she never knew she possessed, yet she hesitates to let him take her as far and as hard as she wants to go. Some homeless junkie in Vicki's house? Not on Elias's watch. Pride kept him away, but as long as Jesse is staying in Vicki's downstairs shop, he's staying with Vicki. On the couch, but it's a start.
As the days go by, the three work out an uneasy alliance. But Vicki's joy at having Elias back in her life is tempered with a growing desire to have it all. Elias in her bed, and Jesse under her command. The only question remaining is if her tough alpha cop is willing to embrace all that she is…
Product Warnings Explicit sex, BDSM, a tough alpha cop, a reluctant Domme, and a smoldering submissive street artist willing to do anything to belong to her.
Get your copy May 8th at Samhain Publishing! Check out the latest review of Yours To Take at Joyfully Reviewed
Ali: Is there an author that makes you go all "fangirl?"
Joely: Several! Lynn Viehl, Robert Jordan (so sad that he passed away), and Larissa Ione are at the top of my list. I met Larissa at RT in Chicago and barely held back my squees!
Ali: If you could co-write with another author who would it be and why?
Joely: My sister, Molly Burkhart. She's hilarious and loves a good fight scene. Plus we both love zombies!
Ali: The world is under attack and you are forced to run for your life. You only have room for one book in your survival kit, what book do you take?
Joely: It'd be a toss up between The Swiss Family Robinson and The Zombie Survival Guide.
Ali: Who are your favorite literary characters? (Yours or someone else's)
Joely: If we're talking mine, Gregar, the wickedly sexy assassin from the Shanhasson series. Otherwise, Drogo in Game of Thrones, Cherijo in Viehl's StarDoc series, and Elizabeth Bennett.
Ali: Are there any of your secondary characters you would like to give more life to?
Joely: Someday, I'd really like to do Mama Connagher's story (Conn, Victor, and Vicki's Mama from The Connaghers series).
Ali: If you friends were asked to describe you in one word what would it be?
Joely: Hardworking
Ali: What is your greatest passion?
Joely: Other than my family, writing. I think I'd die if I had to give it up.
Ali: Where do you do your best work?
Joely: 5 AM, the only person awake in the whole house, with a steaming cup of coffee and my laptop downstairs in my office. However, it's HARD to get up that stinking early! I go through months where I can get up consistently; others not so much. Like Jan - April this year. :( Winter months and DST kill me.
Ali: Do you find it harder to write a full-length novel or novellas?
Joely: Novellas are tough but a challenge I can't resist. I like a lot of worldbuilding along with the smexy time, which is hard to fit into a small package!
Ali: When did you fall in love...with writing?
Joely: Sept 2003 I had a talk with my sister that I'll never forget. We've both been writing ever since.
Ali: Who is your greatest inspiration?
Joely: My kids. They're so creative and brilliant and funny in their own ways.
Ali: Is there a trope out there that you hate?
Joely: I hate you, I hate you more, no, I lurve you…
Ali: Are you a plotter or fly by the seat of your pants writer?
Joely: Both, though I mostly plot.
Ali: What is your favorite thing to do outside of writing?
Joely: Getting lost in a book
*Favorite color: red
*Favorite food: coffee (as much as I go through, it's a food)
*Boots or heels: Boots with heels!
*eReader or Print: Ereader (kindle)
*Social Media: Love it or Hate it: Love Twitter, working on more facebook
*Beer, Liquor or Wine: Wine (red)
*Favorite place to get it on besides the bedroom: On the page!
*Favorite TV Show: Judge Judy
*Favorite Book series (besides your own): Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series
*Pj's or Lingerie: PJs
*Vampires vs. Shifters: Vampires
*Favorite Genre: anything mixed/crossed genres
Guess what everyone?? Joely is giving away a copy of Yours To Take to one Lucky Commenter!! Yay!! Thank you so much Joely for the great Giveaway and for sharing Yours To Take with Simply Ali!!
To win a copy of Yours To Take by Joely Sue Burkhart leave a question or comment below, Please include your EMAIL!
Bonus!! Anyone who Tweet's about Joely's Hot New Release Yours To Take + this post then adds their tweet status to the comment will get two Bonus entries into Simply Ali's Authors After Dark Birthday Bash Grand Prize Drawings!!


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Bastrop City Court has a new Web site making it easy and convenient for citizens to get information about the court, its programs and resources.
"Basically, the Web site is intended to provide more information to the public, and to make the court more accessible," said City Clerk Beth Freeman.
Read the full story in Thursday's print edition of the Enterprise.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article
Location, ST | website.com


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The 6 Most Depressing Happy Endings in Movie History
Let's face it: very few hit films end with the credits scrolling over dead puppies and weeping children. Movie audiences pretty much demand happy endings.
But sometimes Hollywood slips one past us, giving us a supposed happy ending that is actually depressing as hell once you give it a little thought. For instance:
#6. Return of the Jedi
The "Happy" Ending:
The evil Emperor Palpatine hatches a plan to defeat the Rebellion once and for all by telling them the location of his unfinished superweapon and then telling them how to defeat it. This plan goes about exactly as well as you would expect, and our heroes destroy the evil scourge with the help of some genocidal teddy bears.
Wait a Minute...
That epic battle at the end there? That only destroyed one base and a fraction of the troops the Empire had at its disposal. Sure, Vader and the Emperor were both blown up, but that wouldn't destroy the Empire any more than blowing up the Pentagon would dissolve the USA.
What it does do is create a horrific power vacuum, in an empire with fleets of Star Destroyers and millions of pissed-off troops roving around the galaxy (even more pissed off if the payroll office and all of their checks were in the Death Star).
"So... should we just keep being Stormtroopers, or what?"
Soon these power-hungry military officers would no doubt form factions and destroy entire planets in their brutal attempts to seize power. Eventually Palpatine would simply be replaced by a new Emperor, possibly even one competent enough to devise a plan that can't be foiled by developmentally stunted bears throwing rocks.
Sure, the Death Star was taken out, but that didn't exactly stop them last time. Not to mention that by the time they reach phase twenty-six of their patented "Let's just throw Death Stars at the problem until it goes away" strategy, [below] someone's probably going to decide that maybe the ship doesn't really need an unguarded, torpedo-shaped hole on the outside, thus allowing the Empire to swiftly conquer the entire universe.
#5. Superman Returns
The "Happy" Ending:
Lex Luthor fails in his attempt to kill Superman by stabbing him with kryptonite and leaving him in a shallow pool of water. Superman then stops Luthor's evil plan in a thrilling action scene that consists entirely of Superman holding stuff over his head.
Having saved the world again, Superman says goodbye to his son and flies off into space.
Wait a Minute...
And by "says goodbye to his son" we mean, "For the second time he abandons his crippled, illegitimate son."
The whole setup of Superman Returns centers on earth's greatest hero knocking up his girlfriend and then skipping town for five years. The combination of human and alien DNA resulted in the child becoming weak and sickly, with Lois mentioning that the child was failing gym class (wait, what kind of PE teacher fails a five year old for having asthma?). Also, he has occasional superpowers.
So how does our hero respond when he returns and learns about his son? By breaking into Lois's house, telling him "good luck with the whole outcast thing kiddo", and leaving him alone. Again. So we're left with a kid who has:
1. Superpowers;
2. Gross genetic defects;
3. Good reason to hate Superman.
We're betting that he's going to end up a supervillain, and you know what? If he takes on Superman we think we're rooting for the kid.
#4. Toy Story 2
The "Happy" Ending:
Cowboy dolls Woody and Jessie manage to narrowly escape the clutches of a greedy toy collector who tried to sell them to a Japanese toy museum. Our heroes all return home to their owner, where they can look forward to a care-free future of being violently jerked around by an increasingly strong boy. Everyone lives happily ever after!
Wait a Minute...
Or, at least until Andy throws them away.
In the Toy Story universe, the sentient toys appear to be immortal. The film makes a special point that the toys don't age along with their human owners, so the best-case scenario here is that Andy keeps them around long enough for them to watch him die of old age.
Of course, most people don't keep their toys around that long, and those who do seldom take them out of their original packaging. It's far more likely that they'll all eventually wind up at the bottom of a rotting compost heap, sandwiched between an empty pizza box and a copy of ASS! magazine. Forever.
Let's see Randy Newman compose a feel good ditty about that one. With a fate like that in store, it's no wonder ninety percent of all fiction involving sentient dolls ends with them trying to kill their owners.


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El33t's Pre-W33kend Post: Shelter from the stormWritten by: / / 11 Comments
All things considered, it sounds as though this weekend is going to be pretty laid back as far as members of El33tonline are concerned with Birthday celebrations, games to play, friends to visit and movies to watch, all in preparation for next week and another new slate of game releases.
What are you folks up to this weekend? Give it a think, hold it in your brain while you read over what we'll be busy with, and then let it all go in the comments below (if you please)…
"Let us begin with a small countdown timer: 11 Days until Reaper of Souls is released. You might notice that I'm really looking forward to it.
Tonight it is all about Battlefield 4. I haven't been able to play for a couple of weeks now. But I am back, my Xbox LIVE finally works again. So tonight I will be playing all my rust off.
Saturday is my daughters birthday. She is turning a full 4 years old tomorrow and we holding a princess birthday party for her. Then I will have a relaxing braai in the late afternoon and then play some games. Maybe start something new on my backlog, might start with Crysis 3.
Sunday is all about Formula 1 which is back this w33kend and then I will be restructuring my whole personal home network, so that every single device in my house is linked. Then I will play some more games.
Have an awesome el33t w33kend and have some fun and play some games. See you all online."
"This weekend I'll be catching up on some movies/documentaries and visiting some friends for a game of Wizard. I'm also playing a bit of Dead Nation on PS4 before inFamous: Second Son and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes get released next week so I'll definitely try to make more progress in Jack McReady's campaign.
Hopefully the weather is perfect for the beach on Sunday since I'd love to spend a few hours in the waves again this weekend.
There's also plenty of cricket and rugby happening over the break so I'm looking forward to catching up on some of those games.
Have a great time p33ps!"
"My weekends are starting to take on a familiar tone…
Boys and work, and gaming when I can get it. My XCOM addiction will continue – just lost my highest ranking sniper though so I'm a bit bleak about that one. Anyway – that's war. Sunday I'll be working. Sad huh?
Well, hope everyone has a good one."
"Joy and happiness, my kids and wife are on the mend and I've (more or less) survived the outbreak!
There's work to be done this weekend, along with some rugby viewing and hopefully (sad how it's always 'hopefully') some good ol' fashioned Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition to try out a new texture pack. Would also be cool to squeeze in some World of Tanks and possibly some Dead Rising 2 tonight with my old buddy old pal Oltman."
"Two days of rest and relaxation (hopefully) await me this weekend, but with games to catch up on and a few (hopefully) interesting features to work on it'll probably end up being more a case of active relaxation than the passive variety. If that makes sense (I'm not sure that it does).
Oh, and I finally got a new video card for my PC which means I can play Tita… anything other than Respawn's shooter, like Broken Age and Double Fine's collection of prototypes from this year's Amnesia Fortnight project. Little Pink Best Buds is creepy…
What have you got planned for the weekend, p33ps?
Tags: el33tprew33kendpost


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What I would like to do is represent the state of a machine over a period of time using a RectangleChart (or anything else that can do it) . The chart will need to be made up of equally sized blocks that change colour based on the state of the machine (there are 7 states 1-7) at that time.
I've created this chart which is similar to what I want;
data = Table[{RandomInteger[{1, 7}], 5}, {i, 1, 20}];
RectangleChart[data, ChartLayout -> "Stacked", BarOrigin -> Left]
The problem with this chart is my state data is being represented by the height of the bar, not the colour.
What is the best way to get the results I'm after?


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I already have the openlayers plugin but it's not working has I need it and I wanted to have the same view on both QGIS and Google Earth. Any ideas?
I'm using the openlayers plugin which enables me to add the google iamgery as a layer in the TOC. But it takes a long time to load and messes up the scale i'm working with. So i would like to have qgis with my layers, and simultaneously have google earth displaying the same extent view.


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Custom-Built 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88 - The New OldsWritten by on October 31, 2006 Contributors: R&C Staff Jim and Eleanor Sheldon's '56 Super 88 Is Just Like The Original Except Different
It's the fundamental reason behind the creation of Asphalt Ego-Rama, Tom's Fun Run, the Hot Rod Power Tour, Americruise, the Street Rodder Road Tour, and every other on-the-road run ever organized, and should be the fundamental reason behind the creation of any hot rod or custom car. It's not winning a trophy. It's not getting your picture taken. It's the thrill of climbing behind the wheel, firing the engine, and driving your car.
Jim and Eleanor Sheldon don't need to be told this. The '56 Olds Super 88 two-door hardtop they drove from Michigan to California to compete in Ego-Rama V is their means of participating in a hobby they've been living their entire lives.
The '56 Oldsmobile the Sheldons were driving when they got married was too new to be considered a classic, but even then, Jim says he thought the car had a lot of class. A few years later, it hauled the Sheldons on family vacations and on the cross-country journey to California when Jim had to report for Navy duty on the West Coast.
This two-tone '56 probably reminds Jim and Eleanor a little of that earlier Olds and of those road trips in the early '60s, but nostalgia wasn't strong enough to keep Jim from building his new Olds with some performance components--and a level of detail--that was unknown 40 year ago.
Most of the car is homebuilt with a bit of assistance, notably from Detroit Speed & Engineering and Motor City Classics. The first Sheldon family '56 never had a 385-horse Chevy FastBurn small-block, a Camaro subframe muscled up with performance suspension parts and four-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch billet rims, and Z-rated tires. This car has all that and more. But even with all the modifications and upgrades Jim injected into his current ride, none of the original "class" he talks about was removed or hidden. Door handles, trim pieces, the interior, and all of the '56 style that the Sheldons loved about their first Olds were retained on this car. Jim and Eleanor may even end up covering as many miles with their new Olds as they did with their first. But when you start talking about performance, all similarities cease.
Jim & Eleanor Sheldon
Livonia, Michigan
'56 Oldsmobile
The Chevy FastBurn crate engine, rated at 385 hp and 385 lb-ft of torque, was moved 3 inches rearward in the engine compartment for balance. Jim is considering fuel injection, but uses an 800-cfm carburetor to feed the small-block, with Street & Performance headers feeding Dynomax mufflers through 2 1/2-inch exhaust piping. The valve covers and air cleaner are also from Street & Performance. Jim built a curved pan behind the grille to direct air to the Be Cool radiator. The transmission is a 4L60E with a shift kit and 1,800-stall converter. The driveshaft angle required the use of a two-piece shaft from Dynotech with a constant velocity joint at the midway point between the tailshaft and the '57 Ford Ranchero 9-inch (which has the same measurements as the Olds) with 4.11 gears and a Drivetrain Specialties limited slip.
The stock frame is modified with a first-generation Camaro subframe, raised 5 inches to provide a more aggressive stance. Front suspension includes Detroit Speed & Engineering tubular A-arms with QA1 front coilovers. The rear leafs were modified by Eaton Detroit Springs for a 3-inch drop. Front and rear antiroll bars stiffen the ride. Baer 13-inch cross-drilled slotted discs with a Power Master master cylinder with an 8-inch booster (under the driver seat) freeze forward momentum fast.
Wheels & Tires
In addition to the stance, the tires and wheels are the first visible hint that this Olds is more than a resto rod. The five-spokes are Famosa models (17x8s and 17x10s) from Budnik's Fat Lip line. The performance tires are BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDWS radials (245/45ZR17s and 285/40ZR17s).
Body & Paint
The Ego-Rama ballot in our October '05 issue shows the Olds in its blue and white two-tone paint job. Compare that to the PPG black and silver combination shot by Rick Williams, after Motor City Classics completed the bodywork. The abundance of brightwork was chromed at Advance Plating. Underneath the sheetmetal, Dynamat was installed throughout to stifle any unwanted noise and heat.
Jim kept the interior old-time Olds. He kept the stock seats, lowering them a couple of inches prior to Bigge Mark's upholstery job, using '50s-style black-on-black brocade material with a slight roll in the white upper portion. Juliano's seatbelts were added for safety. The steering wheel and column are '56 parts, and the dash and instruments are stock (including a working clock), except for the Auto Meter gauges in the glovebox. The original ashtrays have been modified to serve as vents for the Vintage Air system. The sound system is kept out of sight, courtesy of a Hidden Audio system, with a 10-disc CD changer hidden in the trunk.


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Removable Universal Cargo Bar - Keeps Your Cargo From Sliding And Shifting In Your Vehicle! for $19.99
When you want to keep your lading and goods in place, you definitely need a Cargo Bar that will prevent your cargo from shifting. The application is installed as a cross-bar between the borders of the trunk, and it has an expandable length from 38'' up to 72''. Rubber ends prevent scratching of the walls and hold the bar securely in place. The no-tool installation allows easy in, easy out use. Works for trucks, vans and SUVs.
Load protection - Stops the contents from shifting
Variable length - Expandable length from 38 to 72 inches
Rubber feet - Rubber ends of the bar will not scrape the cargo area
Easy to use - Installation and removal require no tools
$4.99 shipping
4 Comments add a comment
note: a shower curtain rod work well, is cheper, and nobody wants to steal it from your truck bed :D lol
edit: that being said, this product is very useful for certain jobs... if i needed one, i'd buy this right now.
Shower curtain rod is also a great temporary fix for bent/damaged auto hood hinge/piston, as I unfortunately and recently found out.
Not a deal.
WalMart sells one for the same price.
Here are two that are better priced at harbor freight.


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Weekly User Testing: TiVo Did It, You Can, Too
Summary: TiVo ran 12 user tests in 12 weeks while designing its new website. As TiVo's experience shows, frequent and regular testing keeps the design usability focused.
I've always recommended fast and cheap user testing, with as many iterations as you can squeeze into your schedule. My true preference is weekly testing; make, say, every Wednesday your User Day and schedule 4 customers to test.
Unfortunately, I know of few projects that have sustained this pace, and many of those were my own. Recently, I came across another project that employed weekly testing: the redesign of tivo.com.
I've long been a fan of TiVo's usability. Indeed, 4 years ago, The New York Times quoted me calling the oversized yellow pause button in the middle of the TiVo remote ''the most beautiful pause button I've ever seen.''
As it happens, Nielsen Norman Group's own research confirms the new TiVo website's usability. Before I knew about the design team's methodology, we had selected the site to be part of one of our independent research studies, in which we compare a bunch of sites to derive general lessons for Web usability. We included Tivo.com as an example of a "fancy" design, and it scored in the top 20% in our study. It's definitely possible to have a good-looking, media-rich site, as long as you keep usability as a goal throughout the design process.
After hearing that TiVo employed my favorite usability approach, I decided to find out more about how they did it. Here's what we learned from talking with three key members of the TiVo team.
TiVo Case Study
Although the usability of TiVo's DVR product interface has been celebrated, it was only in a recent redesign that the company applied the same rigorous user research to its website. As a company known for including user testing in its product development, TiVo realized that this situation was incongruous.
"I'm selling you a product where the key differentiator is ease of use," says Margret Schmidt, the company's vice president of user experience and design, "but if the website isn't easy to use, how will you believe that the product is? We tried to bring that to the site."
12 Weeks, 12 Tests
The project team had a short timeline for the comprehensive site redesign. To make the best use of that time, team members devised a research plan to conduct 12 consecutive weeks of user testing leading up to the site's relaunch. "We had a certain timeline for the project," says Deborah Torres, a TiVo user researcher. "We were working backwards from a launch date."
For 8 of the 12 sessions, Torres and her team employed remote testing methods, engaging users with collaborative online tools such as Go-To Meeting or WebEx. "We tested users across the country," she says. "Midwest [and] East Coast tested designs and content remotely — we did remote usability testing where we shared the mouse."
For the last sessions, the team brought users into the company's usability lab and tested 1-on-1. "We got stakeholders in the room," says Torres, adding that it was good for the team to "see frustrations in people's faces" rather than simply listen over the phone.
Key company stakeholders supported the testing effort, believing strongly that the investments at the project's beginning would pay off in fewer site changes after launch. And indeed, as Schmidt notes, the early testing revealed things that they otherwise wouldn't have found until after implementation — when the problems would have been both more expensive and more difficult to fix. "It would be hard to get those [problems] fixed later," says Schmidt. "The more info we get now, the better."
Actionable Results
One of the major findings of the user testing was the need for a new approach to content, both for words and presentation. Despite being well intentioned, the website's content didn't resonate with users.
"When the agency first wrote the content, it had a voice and personality to bring out the attributes of the brand," says Schmidt. "But when you see 8 people who say, 'I don't read fluff — I read bullets,' it changes things."
Based on the testing results, the design team changed the content. In some cases, they reduced chunks of text down to 1 or 2 sentences, followed by bullets. No fluff. In other cases, they changed the content's presentation, wording, or placement, all to good effect.
"The biggest learning was that when people are shopping for a DVR, they need a lot of information and very detailed information, but also want a clean, sleek design," says Torres.
The team balanced these two requirements by offering deeper links, with more detailed information in inline links that users can access without leaving the page. "This way we are providing the details without muddying it up for those who want high-level information," she says. By applying this simple interface solution, they were able to present the same information to purchasers at different phases of the purchase cycle.
Another problem they discovered was that users weren't finding a critical link because it wasn't well labeled or well placed on the page. "Below the fold we had a link for: 'Already have a TiVo DVR?' " says Torres. "It links to how-to articles. Users were completely ignoring this. They thought it looked like an ad. And this information is one of the factors in purchase decisions."
Although team members saw (and heard) users express keen interested in such content, the users couldn't find it. By renaming the link "want step-by-step instructions?" and moving it up the page, the team helped users find the link.
Such content changes are, for the most part, small ones. But their impact on task success was huge.
"Words and phrases matter to the users," says Schmidt. "With content, you think you've got it nailed down, then you see users get stuck on something really simple. Without hearing [the feedback] on the way, we wouldn't know why the site was not working later."
This is perhaps one of the most compelling reasons for undertaking this type of rigorous testing prior to launch. Once a site goes live, you don't know what's behind the stats that you see reflecting user behavior. That is, you don't know the reasons why people act the way they do.
"It's hard to drill down into why people are doing or not doing something," says Schmidt. "It's hard to do with just analytics. When you hear and see people react, you can get into their heads and make decisions based on this."
As Schmidt rightly notes, such information is invaluable. "This is huge!" she says. "It's easy to iterate now, and hard to do after it is built."
Design Team Benefits
At TiVo, iterative testing was a good business decision that effectively addressed quick fixes and identified longer-term projects for the site. The testing was also a great tool for the designers — that is, it was both useful and encouraging.
"It was amazing: They could do tests, and turn around and get us feedback the next day," says user interface designer Alex Logan. "It's informal feedback, but useful. Timelines are tight, and it would allow me to get my work rolling right away."
Another reason this design approach was so successful for the designers was that the research built on itself. "I never felt like the research contradicted itself from week to week," says Logan. "We got a general validation of a design. In my mind, you never really know about a design, whether it will work, until you put it in front of users."
Logan says that the learning came in "tiny pieces" that let the team immediately make defined changes. "With each test you get closer to the ideal design," he says.
"Even minimal testing can [offer] something substantial," says Logan, adding that sometimes they had two or three options, but didn't know which users would prefer. Instead of just picking one, he says, " We let the users decide. No matter how brilliant I think I am, I'm not secure until [my design] is in front of people."
5 Reasons to Take This Approach
- Costs the company less. TiVo's testing approach included many remote user sessions, so the company investment was mostly in staff time, with a limited amount devoted to incentives. And the ROI was great. As Schmidt put it, "one to two thousand dollars is not that much money for what you learn."
- Offers motivation. Rapid testing cycles give the design team reassurance that they're on the right path. "Test after test, you see that you're going in the right direction," says Schmidt. "It can be very motivating to the team."
- Helps drive business decisions. Because the feedback is weekly and available in real time, the team can react in real time. Schmidt used the feedback cycles to push back on business owners and ask, "Do we really have to keep pushing forward, or fix the issues? The users are telling you how they will react in the field."
- Creates a testing culture. Admittedly, TiVo's culture is already user-focused on the product side; until this exercise, however, the company wasn't particularly user-focused on the Web side. After seeing the testing cycle results, the company committed to user experience across the board. "Now, user experience is key," says Schmidt. "It has changed how we structure all Web projects moving forward. Each new [Web] project will have the same level of UE testing as products."
- Builds internal knowledge. "Build internal knowledge," says Schmidt. "Use internal resources, internal research groups that can move quickly."
"Agency timelines can be long and it takes a while for new people to get up to speed on issues," she says. "We present a new design to a researcher who can learn what's [right and wrong] about it in the context of other projects. Designers build a design gut," she says. "Every time you listen — you become a better designer."
8 Keys to Successful Outcomes
- Just do it. "Do it and listen to it," says Schmidt. "You have to take the ego out of the design. The design is great when the users say it is."
- Get support from stakeholders and find a project champion. "It is only valuable if you have stakeholders who are willing to listen and act on the feedback," says Torres.
- Encourage participation — from across the organization. "Invite everyone who has an interest in it," says Torres. "Every usability test session, the observation room was packed with designers, product managers, and content people. Even remote sessions, there were managers watching and logging in." That kind of participation ensures widespread buy-in across the organization.
- Determine priorities so you get clear results. Ask pointed questions and set clear research objectives for each screen/task so you can turn them into actionable results immediately after the test sessions.
- Circulate the results — quickly. The morning after each test session, Torres released a top-line summary of teaser bullets telling people the test results from the night before. People across the organization appreciated these summaries.
- Match the research method to what you're trying to uncover. Different test methods suit different goals. The TiVo team used a variety of methods, from focus groups and concept testing to remote user testing and onsite 1-on-1 task-based testing. By matching the method to the testing goal, the team obtained a range of valuable feedback.
- Ask for buy-in on the results. According to Schmidt, the most effective way to get buy-in — especially in a rapid testing situation — is to present the findings along with a solution. "When you share the raw research without proposing a solution," she says, "they worry about it. You don't need 20 people debating how to address the findings."
- Keep a sense of humor and a good attitude. Have a flexible staff that's willing to roll with the pace and unknown nature of the work. "You don't know what you're going to test next," says Torres. "It was really taxing on researchers. At times, I didn't know what we were testing until the night before, and I had to build a protocol and be ready to moderate the next day."
You Can Do It
TiVo may have more of a user-centered design tradition, but there's no reason you can't institute weekly testing at your company as well. By making user exposure an expected part of the week, you keep everybody focused on customer needs.
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- Folded a large triangle out of the skirt pieces to make it less full at the hem but keeping the waist the same
- Cut the skirt on the cross grain - I didn't need the stretch there and it actually looks better with the zig zags running vertically
- I pieced the underlayer of the skirt front, the seam is hidden under the wrap
- Eliminated the bodice facings like most people who have made this dress, I just turned and stitched
- Shortened the skirt by around 4 inches and did a very small hem
- Finished the skirt front edges with facing strips from the scraps
- Left off the collar and cuffs
- Not a fabric shortage issue but I took out some of the sleeve cap ease
Friday, January 13, 2012
Vogue 8379 Wrap Dress
30 comments:
- Lisa said...
I love your ingenius pattern layout it really works well with this pattern. The dress is fabulous as is everything you make.
- January 13, 2012 at 4:14 PM
- Karin said...
What a great use of the patterned fabric! Your changes were spot on, because the fit is perfect. This is a really flattering dress on you.
- January 13, 2012 at 6:32 PM
- Helene said...
oooh! very nice!!!
- January 13, 2012 at 6:48 PM
- Lori said...
Very pretty dress.
- January 13, 2012 at 8:03 PM
- Irene said...
Lovely dress!
- January 13, 2012 at 8:28 PM
- Macchiato said...
Beautiful dress.
- January 13, 2012 at 9:15 PM
- Angela said...
Get working making the smaller amount of fabric work, the dress looks great!
- January 13, 2012 at 10:20 PM
- Goodbye Valentino said...
Oh my..... how timely! I should have my V 8379 dress completed this afternoon.
Your dress is great!! I wish I had read your post before I started my dress.This was my first time to sew this pattern. I too was after the Diane Von Furstenburg look and just didn't realize how full the skirt was...... ended up taking out over 20" from the bottom tapering to the waist and cutting at least six inches off of the length.
Your dress is an incentive for me to stay with it until it's done. Thanks for this and congratulations on a beautiful dress!
- January 13, 2012 at 10:50 PM
- Amanda S. said...
Cute! I like the various directions of the diagonals and the smaller skirt flair. This is on my list to make sometime...
- January 13, 2012 at 11:03 PM
- senaSews said...
Beautiful dress. Love the fabric for this pattern. It's such a fun print!
- January 13, 2012 at 11:22 PM
- Beth (SunnyGal Studio) said...
looks great and thanks for the tip about the skirt fullness.
- January 13, 2012 at 11:32 PM
- Jenny said...
Very pretty! I have one nice version of this pattern and am now itching to make another. Have to find the perfect fabric, though.
- January 14, 2012 at 12:03 AM
- gwensews said...
That fabric really sizzles! It looks beautiful.
- January 14, 2012 at 2:14 AM
- cyberdaze said...
Another winner! I think the stripes look great that way. I like the way the colours in the fabric change with distance too.
- January 14, 2012 at 2:29 AM
- Carolyn (cmarie12) said...
I'm loving the zigzag pattern in your skirt! This is a great dress on you!
- January 14, 2012 at 4:33 AM
- velosewer said...
Woo hoo. This one of my favs. It's a great piece and you look good.
- January 14, 2012 at 5:42 AM
- Nancy K said...
What a great save. Your changes give it a much more current shape than the original. Fantastic.
- January 14, 2012 at 6:01 AM
- Cindy said...
I love the style and fabric! Thanks for the tips. I need to look because I think that I have this pattern! It does look like the dvf!
- January 14, 2012 at 11:15 AM
I love the slimmed down look of your skirt. Its a great way to use the fabric you had, and I do think it updates the look of the pattern. Very inspiring!
- January 15, 2012 at 5:44 AM
- themateriallady said...
Nothing better than getting a garment out of what seems like insufficient fabric. Even better than that when it looks as good as this one does.Well done!
- January 16, 2012 at 2:00 AM
- themateriallady said...
Nothing better than getting a garment out of what seems like insufficient fabric. Even better than that when it looks as good as this one does.Well done!
- January 16, 2012 at 2:01 AM
- Gail said...
Wow, you've really nailed this dress. The pattern placement is perfect.
- January 16, 2012 at 4:23 AM
- Tia Dia said...
What a lovely version of this dress! It's one of my TNT's. Love your print!
- January 16, 2012 at 7:10 AM
- Victoria said...
Love the changes you made and the outcome of the dress! Lovely!
- January 16, 2012 at 2:25 PM
- Jacquie said...
Gorgeous! So smart and it looks great with the changes you made.
- January 17, 2012 at 8:51 PM
Hello! I just discovered your blog and love it. That dress? Wow! You really did an amazing job with it. It makes me want to try the pattern out myself. You've also inspired me to rethink a pattern I wanted to use with a certain fabric in my stash.
- January 18, 2012 at 9:49 PM
- Handmade said...
That's a knock out! Woo hoo!
- January 19, 2012 at 10:56 AM
- The Slapdash Sewist said...
Love this on you and the print placement on the skirt is better than it would have been on grain. This pattern is such a fabric hog--I'm impressed you eked it out of 2 yards!
- January 21, 2012 at 12:37 AM
- Angela said...
It's so lovely on you! I'm actually in the processing of making this dress, too. I hope it turns out even as half as lovely as yours. Happy Lunar New Year, too!
- January 24, 2012 at 12:54 PM
- Cennetta said...
Excellent looking dress. I like the changes, especially the redesign of the skirt.
- January 27, 2012 at 3:06 AM


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Is "free shipping to store" the same as "free shipping"?
I've noticed that some deals as of late allow for free shipping to store and have the "free shipping" box checked. Here's an example:
In your humble opinion, is this an acceptable practice?
Personally, I feel that a deal should only be marked as having free shipping if it can be purchased by itself and shipped directly to my residence at no cost to me. That means things that require Amazon Prime don't count. Neither do "free super saver shipping" items under $25. Site to store is out, as well, as I have to go elsewhere to obtain the item (which also costs me time & gas).
I think this is a really muddy issue in the deals.woot community and would love for some guidelines to finally be laid down.
37 Answers answer
Yes, if you live close enough to said store. If you live 50 miles away from the nearest Wal-Mart and you never shop there then it doesn't count.
No, it is not. If I wanted to go to a store to pick something up, I wouldn't be shopping online.
I think it's not OK to indicate free shipping if it's shipping to the store. Don't check the box, but feel free to put "Free Site-to-Store" or "In-Store Pickup" or "Free Shipping to Store." If it doesn't ship to your house for free, it's not free shipping.
I also agree with the NOs. It is not free shipping. It's making a specialty order at a store because they don't keep it in stock.
It is if your living in the store.
Nope. If I see a wal-mart deal I know that I can get free shipping to store. That doesn't mean I want to go to wal-mart. If I see free shipping I assume that means I can get it in my underwear.
Amazon prime isn't free to begin with, so that absolutely doesn't count as free shipping. Same with having to bulk up a 10 dollar order to over 25.
I don't check the box in these cases, but I will indicate it in the deal.
People select free shipping all the time when they post, when it is in fact not free shipping.
- free site to store shipping
- free shipping with Prime
- free shipping on orders over $xx.00
If the item posted does not meet the qualifications to ship it to your house or work or wherever(such as $10 from Amazon that requires an additional $15 purchase to have free shipping), it does not qualify as free shipping. I usually tattle or make a comment in bold face to bring attention to the fact that it is not free shipping.
I agree with some of the above. Free shipping should only be indicated if I can buy that item and that item only, and it will show up to my house for zero additional dollars. That said, when I'm posting I will include any free shipping arrangements in the title - free shipping over $X or something like that. It's an important detail to the deal, but isn't free shipping in its purest form.
I, too, like free shipping when I order something. However, I don't downvote a deal or cricicize it because there is a shipping charge unless it is excessive. You all do realize, don't you, that nothing is actually FREE - it is built into the cost somewhere. I think it unreasonable to expect free shipping as a right. If you don't want to pay shipping, only shop where it is free - however, you just might be missing out on some real deals by doing so. JMO
Shipping to the store usually takes longer and then you have to venture out. Most times I would rather pay for the shipping and get in in about a week then wait almost a month and then still have to go to the store.
(Did this with a TV stand from Walmart. While we were waiting for it to come in, we used a coffee table from IKEA and decided a $20 table is better than a $80 stand. At least the return was easy since they treat site to store like you bought it in the store.)
@klozitshoper: The subject is not the shipping itself but the practice of checking the free shipping box when posting a deal if it does not actually have free shipping.
I disagree with the "not free shipping if order is $xxx" issue but ONLY in the case where the item exceeds that dollar value.
I other words, if it's free shipping on items over $50 and the post is $51, it is then free. But if the post is $40, it's not free shipping.
I think 'free shipping' should only be used to identify items that are 'free' to ship to your home. Otherwise it should explicitly say in the title what the shipping is, whether site-to-store, prime, purchase over $XX.XX, or otherwise.
I hate clicking on deals only to find that there is 'fine print' that we have to read to completely understand the deal.
I agree with what others have stated. Unless the item ships for free to your home DO NOT MARK FREE SHIPPING. I list items all the time that ship free with prime, but I make a note in the summary. I would do the same for free ship to store, etc.
@panthiest: Judging by the people you see at Wallmart, I'm fairly sure you could go there in your underwear.
@panthiest: Does your [insert package delivery service here] driver enjoy seeing you in your underpants? Would we enjoy it?
Just to clarify, Prime is not free shipping but it is 2 day free shipping.
Any deal from any company is NOT free shipping if it has restrictions of any kind. IOW, if you have to belong to something, order up to a certain amount, or pick it up yourself, then it's not "Free Shipping." If you go shopping & buy an item, it's always free shipping, isn't it?
The box should be checked only when it's free to your address. When I post deals, I try to list the actual shipping cost. Examples: $4.95 standard shipping, Free w/$40 order, Eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping/$25 order, Prime Free, Free shipping to store, etc. Amazon orders over $25 (when they are noted "Fulfilled by Amazon") get the box checked. There are some vendors on Amazon that offer free shipping - those get the check in the box. For some reason when I check the box, I also note it in the description. Free shipping, to me, is quite a benefit and part of my decision on whether to buy it or not.
Short answer: NO free shipping to store is not the same as free shipping. ;-)
I'm the offender in this instance. I will make sure not to do it anymore. I figured it's almost as good since these are all from Walmart and you know there is pretty much one on every corner.
@sickboy932: WalMart stores aren't always on corners. I think Walgreens pharmacies are though.
I agree that free shipping to a store is not the same as the "understood" true meaning of free shipping. Whenever I am posting that type of deal I always put in "Free Shipping to Store" in the headline. This is actually convenient if there is a store near your home or work. Back in the way old days (pre-internet), free shipping to a store meant to a central distribution center for customer pick up and that could be a very long distance from your location.
I also believe that it is the poster's responsibility to put in whatever shipping information is available. I don't like searching for deals that purposely do not include the shipping information. Info only...
@aksman44: I always try to make it a point and list the shipping details on the first line of the description.
People do get really uptight about "fine print". I recently posted a really awesome deal that included a $25 rebate. I had failed to mention that in the title, but made it very clear in the post body. The deal was actually pretty solid even without the rebate, but I still got some downvotes for not mentioning the rebate in the title (even though the item as a whole was largely upvoted).
My post was just a general reply, it wasn't to bash you at all.
There's people on deals.woot without Amazon Prime? I didn't expect that. Prime is $79 a year. If you think about the cost of 2 day shipping it basically pays for itself after about 10 items. You can share it with 4 other people too. Even though they are supposed to be in your household, Amazon doesn't really check that unless you really abuse it.
As to whether to check free shipping I don't mind it because I can already tell what type of shipping it is based on the retailer. I don't think anyone is going to change their ways and I don't think woot is going to add "Free site-to-store" or "Free with Prime"
@sickboy932: I didn't mean to call you out like that. My apologies.
This topic wasn't meant to say "you're wrong," but rather to debate what the protocol should be.
No hard feelings, I hope.
@rabidmonkeyoncrack: People are already down voting you for your comment. Prime is a touchy topic for some reason. I up voted you because it amazes me, too, that people don't have Prime, and yet, come to this site looking for deals. It's one of the best deals out there.
There are people who don't have Prime and are proud of it as they deem it a waste of money. My Prime membership is one of the best values I pay for all year. I do check the free shipping box if it's free with Prime.
I'm not a fan of retailers using this "free ship to store" . It SHOULD be free to ship to their store, it's their items they are advertising. It's one of the reasons I dislike shopping at JCPenney, who advertise this free ship to store like it's some kind of bargain. It isn't. It takes an hour of my time to make the round trip to pick my things up. I'd rather pay a few extra bucks to Amazon and have it delivered to my house.
I save $79 a year by not having Prime. Still get free shipping. I keep items I want that are under $25 on my wish list. When I reach the magic 25, I order. Yes, I wait longer to receive it. But I do get completely free shipping w/o paying a yearly fee.
Do not understand when someone says Prime pays for itself. I guess you could use that logic if you were not willing to wait for free super saver shipping & intended to pay extra for faster shipping. I'm willing to wait - and it's free. ;-)
Wow, the downvotes on my statement that nothing is ever really free astounds me, as it is an absolute truth. Nobody was being criticized or downvoted or whatever by me. Why the hate? If there is one person on this thread that thinks any business will stay in business by not making money in some way - well, I have a bridge to sell you - in fact, I have a cruise to sell you just as soon as they right the ship!
@dreamyvelvet: You say that to @rabidmonkeyoncrack with strong conviction. Are you or were you a mod here recently?
@klozitshoper: You sure seem to be out for me today. Sorry I rubbed you the wrong way. I am a person of strong convictions. Thank you for noticing.
@dreamyvelvet: I'm on the same page as you. Many people spend the amount of a Prime membership plus $$$ on their cell phone bill MONTHLY, as I mentioned in a previous thread(and got bashed for my comment). Prime works out to <> $7.50/month...why is that not a great deal? I understand the "free" concept, but with everything that is available at great prices at amazon.com Prime pays for itself after about 2 orders, tops. Just my .02 worth.
@publiclurker: That doesn't mean I particularly want them to see me.
@aphroat: Never had a complaint from the delivery peoples and they do seem to like me. As for you, only one way to find out.
@dreamyvelvet: found you over on woot finally and sent a PM prior to reading this. I am not out to get you today.
I agree that free shipping should only include the price of the item delivered to your home ( or office). Also, I really appreciate it when the shipping cost of the item is included in the post, especially for less well known sites as that saves me time finding out their shipping policies, or having to add an item to a cart, checkout and then removing it if shipping is too high. This does work best if I only want the item posted only as additional items can change shipping costs.
A lot of times, "free ship to store" = "we already have it in the store, so I'm gonna go get it off the shelf and put it behind the counter for you."
If it's out of stock in-store, the "free ship to store" is "not available for this item at this store."
So they're not "shipping" anything.
Man, that was a lot of quotation marks.


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Easy Avocado Recipes (Slide 15)
(Slide 15 of 29) Start at the beginning | View recipes as list
Recipe: Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap
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Cobb Egg Salad
The bacon, blue cheese and avocado in this egg salad make it decadent. Serve it open-face on a piece…View slide
Black Bean Quesadillas
In a hurry? These satisfying quesadillas take just 15 minutes to make. We like them with black beans…View slide
Good Green Tea Smoothie
This green smoothie is packed with grapes, spinach, green tea and avocado. A touch of honey adds swe…View slide
Pink Grapefruit & Avocado S…
This is a special-occasion salad that pairs grapefruit segments with creamy avocado, pungent red oni…View slide
Carne Asada Tacos
These flank-steak soft tacos are so tasty and easy, they should be in everyone's repertoire. Plus …View slide
Homemade Chorizo Tortas
A torta is the Mexican version of a panini—a pressed sandwich made with crusty bread that can have…View slide
Creamy Cilantro-Avocado Dre…
Use this tangy, creamy cilantro-avocado dressing on a salad of romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes and b…View slide
Coctel de Camarones
This classic Mexican shrimp cocktail is usually served as a starter, but makes a quick, refreshing m…View slide
Crab Bisque with Avocado, T…
Our light version of classic crab bisque gets its creaminess from a combination of low-fat milk plus…View slide
Avocado Ice Cream
This is a creamy, refreshing dairy-free dessert Rick Bayless has served in his restaurant Frontera G…View slide
Roasted Garlic Guacamole wi…
Rick Bayless's new book is all about how to throw a great fiesta, or party, and a key part of any …View slide
Bean Burgers with Spicy Gua…
These bean burgers will even please carnivores. The cornmeal coating gives a pleasant crunch and smo…View slide
Black Bean & Salmon Tostadas
Pickled jalapeños, cilantro and avocado perk up convenient canned salmon for a quick tostada toppin…View slide
Bean & Salmon Salad with An…
This simple bean and salmon salad becomes something truly exciting when dressed with a bold dressing…View slide
Creamy Avocado & White Bean…
White beans mashed with ripe avocado and blended with sharp Cheddar and onion makes an incredibly ri…View slide
Green Goddess Salad
This gorgeous salad combines fresh shrimp, cucumber, artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes with homem…View slide
Raspberry, Avocado & Mango …
Pureed berries give the tangy wine vinegar dressing a creamy texture that gently clings to the lettu…View slide
Avocado-Corn Salsa for Two
This colorful salsa comes together in a snap with avocado, frozen corn and ripe tomato.…View slide
Southwestern Layered Bean Dip
Plenty of black beans, salsa and chopped fresh vegetables mean a healthy amount of dietary fiber in …View slide
Raspberry-Avocado Smoothie
A creamy avocado makes a surprise appearance in a sweet beverage.…View slide
Chipotle-Cheddar Broiled Av…
In this avocado side-dish recipe, zesty avocado halves are topped with melted Cheddar cheese and bro…View slide
Chocolate Avocado Shake
This rich, healthy chocolate shake recipe is dairy-free and gets its creaminess from avocado instead…View slide
Guacamole-Stuffed Poblano P…
A cousin of chile rellenos, these roasted stuffed poblano peppers are filled with guacamole and shre…View slide
Spinach Salad with Avocado-…
This healthy spinach salad recipe uses one avocado two ways: half goes into a healthy creamy ranch d…View slide
"Chocomole" Pudding
Creamy avocados make this dairy-free and vegan chocolate dessert recipe super-rich. Serve as a not-s…View slide
Avocado Pesto
Avocados add a silky consistency and cheese-like richness to this dairy-free pesto recipe. Toss it w…View slide
Jason Mraz's Avocado Gree…
To make this green smoothie recipe a meal-in-a-glass, musician Mraz adds a tablespoon of coconut oil…View slide
Jason Mraz's Guacamole
In this easy guacamole recipe, musician Mraz prefers California Hass or Reed avocados because they a…View slide


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Processing Time - Orders typically ship in 2-5 business days. Transit via UPS Ground can take up to 6 business days. Braided and custom-made products may take 2 to 3 weeks for delivery.
Free Shipping to Contiguous United States - We do not ship to Alaska, Hawaii or the Caribbean Islands at this time.
Oversized items - Orders that ship freight may take up to 2 weeks from shipment date to be delivered. You will be contacted by the trucking company to schedule a delivery appointment.
Shipping to Canada - Orders shipping to Canada will be subject to a 15% shipping surcharge fee. The shipping surcharge does not cover duties, customs, taxes or brokerage fees which may be charged to you by the shipping courier at time of delivery. At this time we are not shipping to Yukon and the Northwest Territories in Canada.
- Style Number: 157AMB0021
- Collection: Natural Fibers
- Brand: Anji Mountain
- Material: 100% Bamboo
- Weave: Machine Woven
- Styles: Contemporary Rugs
- Origin: China
- Returns: Returns Accepted Within 14 Days of Delivery.
Bamboo rugs have been a traditional floor covering in the Far East for centuries. They add a touch of organic, practical elegance to any space. Our bamboo rugs are made of the finest quality, sustainably harvested bamboo in the world for supreme durability. Kiln-dried bamboo is machine-planed and sanded for a smooth finish. This classic collection offers a variety of intriguing designs and brilliant colors to choose from. Blue, light brown and white stripes in a breezy coastal pattern with a blue border 100% Moso bamboo is renowned for its durability and is sustainably harvested in its native habitat in the Anji Mountains of China Kiln-dried bamboo is machine-planed and sanded for a smooth finish Patented, ventilated, non-skid eco-soy backing cushions while keeping rug in place Mitered polypropylene borders provide resilience and clean design Slight color variations may occur due to the unique, natural qualities of the bamboo. Clean surface with a damp, clean cloth Spot-clean borders with mild dish soap and water solution Plastic or felt casters are recommended for chair or furniture legs to protect against scratching and cracking of bamboo slats.
Returns Accepted Within 14 Days of Delivery. For our full return policy and details click here
Please Note: The images we display have the most accurate color possible. Due to differences in computer monitors, we cannot be responsible for variations in color between the actual product and your screen. Please be advised that in some cases patterns and colors may vary according to size. Lengths and widths may vary from the published dimensions. We do our best to provide you with an accurate measurement, but please be advised that some variation exists and this is not a manufacturing defect.
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MINGO JUNCTION - The time is finally here.
Four years after Indian Creek School District residents approved a $4.95-mill bond levy, the new middle school project is complete.
According to middle school Principal John Belt, the first day of school at the new building, located behind Hills Elementary School in Mingo Junction, will commence on Jan. 9.
Article Photos
PROJECT COMPLETE — Indian Creek Middle School Principal John Belt sat at his desk at the new middle school building last week. Middle school pupils will begin classes at the new school on Jan. 9. The new school is a product of the $4.95-mill bond levy passed by district voters.- Jess Looman
CLASSROOMS READY — Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade Indian Creek pupils will begin classes at a new state-of-the-art facility in Mingo Junction on Jan. 9. The school is equipped with new computer labs, classrooms and library, according to Principal John Belt. - Jess Looman
"Staff will continue to unpack their classrooms as well as go through systems trainings, including electronics in the classroom, HVAC system for maintenance and the new security system on Jan. 7 and 8," Belt explained. "The students will then begin classes on Jan. 9."
The new building, which will house sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade pupils for the remainder of the school year, is equipped with all new furniture.
"The building has new computers, furniture and office equipment," he said. "There is a new state-of-the-art science and computer lab. The only thing coming from the old building is the curricular supplies. We started moving the first load of supplies on Nov. 30 and about 95 percent of the supplies are already moved.
"The staff and students at the middle school have been workaholics in getting things packed and moved," Belt continued. "The district maintenance and custodial personnel have been great as well. They have moved everything and the only things we have left to bring to the new building are computer carts, washers and dryers, refrigerators and student records."
The middle school pupils were able to visit the new school on Dec. 19 and were pleasantly surprised, Belt noted.
"We had a move-up field trip and the students were able to transfer the contents of their lockers up," he said. "They also went on a tour of the building. They were wide-eyed and in complete awe of the building. It is like nothing they have seen before."
The grade levels will be split into wings, Belt said. A cafetorium (cafeteria and auditorium) and new gymnasium are part of the perks.
"The gymnasium will seat 540 people and can hold 650 people standing-room only," he explained. "We will also be able to open the cafetorium up into the gymnasium to hold more people for plays and band concerts."
Belt said he also is excited about the new technology and security system.
"The new technology for learning, including Internet access and the number of computers the new building has, is so vastly different and will allow our students to compete on the same playing field as other schools in the area," he stated.
"After Dec. 14 (referring to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut), the new security system is also a big advantage. The current security system at the old building has four cameras and one buzz-in for guests. The new building is equipped with 54 cameras covering everything inside and out. They are motion activated as well. There will be a camera and buzzer system to get into the building and into the secretary's office, and the academic wings will have secure doors as well, if necessary. The building is completely accessible for disabled individuals and meets all OSHA current standards," he said.
Students and faculty alike are excited about the big move.
"This is just an awesome time for the district, and I am very excited," said Mary Ann Edgerly, a library/media personnel for the district. "The building is breathtaking and absolutely gorgeous. The comparison of just the new library itself is crazy. The old building's library is mismatched and just a hodgepodge of sorts. The new building's library is warm and when you walk in you feel welcome and feel at home."
Eighth-grader Sam Robinson said he is excited about finishing his time at the middle school in a new building.
"It is a lot different," he said. "I was nervous I wasn't going to get to go to that building first, but now that I know we are I am very excited. My favorite part is the new gym."
"I am excited about the new opportunities for the teachers, staff and students," Belt stated. "As a parent to a seventh-grader, I am also thrilled for him. The excitement really hasn't set in yet since we have been so busy moving but I am excited."
Belt thanked the voters for helping aide the betterment of the district.
"This is a great building and we really want to thank the voters for their support," he said. "Seeing this building is also a change for residents and a reminder that the district is also in dire need of a new high school. I would hate to see these students go from a palace at the middle school back to the old high school building. We need to offer state-of-the-art facilities to all of our students."


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Skechers Star Brite Preschool Shoes
Buy Online & Pick Up In-Store
The Skechers Star Brite Preschool Shoes are sure to brighten up your day and night! The super-fun shoe features a durable leather upper with reinforced colorful straps and metallic details. Snug elastic with a hook-and-loop strap creates a personalized fit, without laces to trip over. A cushioned footbed offers maximum comfort while the flexible rubber outsole makes for sure-footed traction.


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Established in 1993, the Eagle Valley library district is supported by a 2.75 mill levy on property from Tennessee Pass to Glendwood Canyon and up to Bond, MCCoy and Sweetwater. The District operates the Avon Public Library, The Eagle Public Library and the Gyspum Public Library. For more information about the Eagle Library, see: http://www.evld.org/about
The Garfield County Public Library was established in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project at New Castle, Colorado. When the WPA program was discontinued, the Garfield County Commissioners agreed to finance it through the county's general fund. Garfield county has six branch libraries in Carbondale, New Castle, Silt, Glenwood Springs, Rifle and Parachute. For more information about the Garfield County Library, see: http://www.gcpld.org/
In 1938 Grand County Library was established as a central reservoir of knowledge for its citizens. In January of 1995 the library became a district. Today it still serves the same basic function for the community as well as new roles acquired in the intervening years. Grand County has branch libraries in Fraser Valley, Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs and Juniper at Grand Lake. For more information about the Grand County Library, see: http://www.gcld.org/content/pages/history
The first library in Gunnison county was established in 1939 in the basement of Webster Hall in Gunnison by the American Association of University Women. In 1973 the library moved to its present location and a small addition was completed in 1983. Much of this was made possible with support from a local philanthropist, Ann Zugelder for whom the library is named.
The Crested Butte library, which is part of the Gunnison Library District, is in the beautiful and historic Old Rock Community School which was built of sandstone in 1893. Over time, the building was renovated and became the Crested Butte branch in 1993. For more information about Gunnison County Library see: http://gunnisoncountylibraries.org/about
The Wilkinson Public Library is nestled in the mountain village of Telluride in the heart of southwest Colorado's San Juan mountains. The Wilkinson Public Library serves a diverse community of users in the San Miguel County which has a population of about 6,500 people. For more information about Wilkinson Public Library, see: http://www.telluridelibrary.org/community.html
The Town of Vail Public Library was dedicated on July 4, 1983. The library offers access to various information resources that serves the need of Vail guests, residents, businesses and schools. The library has 52,000 holdings which include fiction, non-fiction, visual media and audio books and over 300 magazine and newspaper subscriptions. For more information about the Town of Vail Public Library see: http://www.vaillibrary.com/
Prospector has now passed 10 million unique titles with 30 million copies. The system includes printed books, ebooks, journals, movies, music and other many other items.
More information about the Nielsen Library as Adams State College may be found on their Website at http://www.adams.edu/library/.
Information about Prospector may be obtained from your local library or by visiting the Prospector Website at http://www.coalliance.org/prospector. It was made possible for Adams State College to join Prospector as a result of their membership with the Marmot Library Network (http://www.marmot.org/). Prospector is managed and operated by the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (http://www.coalliance.org) who may be contacted at email@example.com.


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When we add a compound (salt) to a solvent, the boiling points rises. But, what could we say about the speed the solvent reaches the boiling point? It's better to add salt before or after boiling water while making pasta?
You should add the salt befor you start heating the water.
For the technical details of why this is have a look at Why does salty water heat up quicker than pure water? and Why does adding solutes to pure water lower the the specific heat?. Salt lowers the specific heat of the water so for a given rate of heat input e.g. a given setting on your electric hob, salt water heats up faster than pure water. The reasons salt has this effect are a bit obscure, but are discussed in a paper I reference in my answer to the first question I've linked to.
There's a little more subtlety to the issue than this though. Adding salt increases the boiling point, so you need to get the salt solution hotter to make it boil. However for saturated salt solution the specific heat falls by about 22% while the boiling point only goes up by 8%, so the salt solution still boils faster even taking into account the elevated boiling point.
However salt solution is denser than pure water. Saturated salt solution is about 20% denser than water. So if you take a fixed volume of solution, rather than a fixed mass, the total heat capacity doesn't change much. For saturated salt solution the 22% decrease in specific heat is almost exactly compensated for by the 20% increase in density. Add the 8% elevation in boiling point, and for the same volumes saturated salt solution takes slightly longer to boil.
All of this is fun to calculate, but the small amount of salt used when cooking pasta is unlikely to have much effect.
See http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/sodium-chloride-water-d_1187.html for various properties of salt solutions.
protected by Qmechanic♦ Oct 9 '13 at 21:47
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New Trend: Sport
A cool looking trend that's also comfy to wear? You've just hit the jackpot. Our new sportswear trend takes bomber jackets, sweatshirts and joggers and updates them for everyday wear with interesting textures and crisp spring colours. Brands also play a big part in the look, with East London streetwear heroes Nicce being a key name.


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Black Triangle, meet Black Square!
I couldn't resist! My 100th purchase is the BuckyCubes! I don't know why but I feel like a million bucks :)
I feel so wooty! so wootalicious!
So the question is... What do I get for being in the Black Square Club? I already remember the triangle initiation! (SCARY)
21 Answers answer
wow ... congrats :) lol
For getting a black square ... a little bit of fame, a little bit of haha-I'm-better-than-you, and an empty wallet.
@narfcake: no kidding on the empty wallet rofl
Congratulations! One day I'll be there, but by then, you'll need 500+ for the black square >.>
Sometime in this century I hope to join you..... Congrats to you, not to your wallet.
Congrats! Perhaps the woot gods might celebrate with you on your achievement by giving you a discount code? One can only hope, right?
same as the black triangle initiation, but this time-- upside down!
BWAHAHA and congrats
Congratulations! Defzles a fitting 100th woot to get you that black square! :)
According to the account page on the dot woots, you now get into heaven, or at least your chances are better.
I feel the time where they restructure the color coding for squares again is coming soon.
@underinsomnia: Discount code? Yeah right! Woot is probably thinking "This customer will buy anything - let's charge double!"
As in the other discussion, I'm nearing that mark myself. Knowing me, it'll probably be another shirt. Besides the two displays of shirt.woot nerditude, I was also the 50,000th sale of The Binge because I got tired of hitting F5 to see who was going to be the one to get it.
Mine was actually pretty recently, I think the 72 glow sticks is what finally got me to 100. I think it's a fairly apt way for me to get my black box.
@narfcake: I'm just sad it went by so fast we couldn't screencap it.
Also, I am insufficent in my triangle and box colors and will endeavor to shop harder in the future.
I was wondering what color might hit in 5 purchases for me, thanks for the info!
♪♫ Congratulations to you, ♫♪
♪♫ Congratulations to you, ♫♪
♪♫ You're finally a double black too, ♫♪
♪♫ Tonight, dinner's on you! ♫♪
♪♫ ...and don't forget dessert! ♫♪
If a moderator would be so kind as to answer:
So, what's the total tally? How much of the total woot population has achieved this accomplishment?
@w00tgurl: I thought it was 4 times the Black Triangle initiation. Since 4 triangles make a square.
@inkycatz: Ask for a raise so you can afford to buy more stuff you don't need!
No big deal about being 50,000 ... it's done, it's past, and it's probably just a matter of time before The Binge hits 60,000, which IMHO, is going to be grander than even 50k. Besides, if I really cared, there's always Photoshop.
I'll consider that strategy but I doubt @gatzby would go for it.
Also, grats @devexityspace! Forgot to mention that last post.
@coolphilip04: yeah i thought about 4x something but i OVERanalyzed these triangles of ours. they wouldn't make good squares since they're not long enough on the bottom. even if you flip them and point 4 towards each other.
the triangle over a square does make a nice house with slight overlap of the top part over the base
26 more and i can join the black square club. hope to get it in 2012 if not before.
You can take your square and your triangle and stick it moron