text:
Greetings everyone,
We give you yet another issue late. Hey, don't blame us, blame weird distortions in the time continuum that made us believe today was Sunday...or something like that. Yeah...right... Anyways, we bring you this issue a few breaks from "the norm." We intended to have Andy give a different Spotlight on the Foundry in general (the major reason for our delay), and it is now where it should be. The Editorial is written by myself, attempting to answer the question of why the Foundry does what it does. To keep things from being too different though, the Perspective is covering what mapmakers are believed to have the best graphics overall, and our maps section is bursting to the gills with maps new and old. Finally, we've adopted a whole new look for our headers, courtesy of Gimil.
Hope you enjoy it,
Senior Editor
AndyDufresne wrote:Ahoy Ahoy Bananas (its a term of endearment, really)
Oaktown, Gimil, and Myself are happy to announce a New Member to our Foundry C.A. Team. MrBenn will be our new Draft C.A. As you can tell from his position, he'll be in charge of wrangling the Draft Forum, taking over Gimil's double duty. Hopefully this will free up some time for Gimil, and allow more attention in the early stages of Map Making.
Welcome aboard MrBenn!
Additionally, we've moved the Scrap Heap underneath the Map Ideas forum from the Draft forum. Not that you really care, but I thought I'd mention it anyways.
In the next couple of days look forward to a little celebration dedicated to the Foundry...
See you all in the Foundry!
In this section we cover every map presently in development. Each map is accompanied by a brief description of the map's theme, graphics, and gameplay, as well as what's been happening in the last couple of weeks. Finally, a link to each topic, the map's creator(s), and what stamps it presently has are noted.
Name: Conquer 4
Creators: gimil, KEYOGI, and yeti_c
Description: In some ways, Conquer 4 is a simple map: all bonuses are determined by only two rules. But every territory can attack 8 ways and bonuses are where you make them. This map will certainly be crazy to play, with bonuses coming and going simply by conquering one territory.
Present Development: Quenched.
Name: Imperium Romanum
Creator: Qwert
Description: The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful empires that ever existed. This map encourages you to build that empire for yourself by commanding legions, cities, and ships to gain an edge on your foes. Graphics are vibrant and eye-catching, with lots of Rome-related paraphernalia on the edges.
Present Development: Quenched.
Name: Poker Map
Creators: yeti_c, Coleman, and WidowMakers
Description: Go all in with this take on a poker game. With a mixed-up deck spread on a well-rendered poker table, gameplay will revolve around creating poker hands through force. No bluffs here, this should turn out to be quite an interesting map.
Present Development: Quenched.
Name: Archipelago
Creators: ZeakCytho and Mjinga
Description: A small chain of islands is at war! This fictional archipelago is fought over by the players in a simple classic-style map. The sharp graphics go hand in hand with the lack of gameplay quirks, a driving impetus behind this map.
Present Development: Recently stamped for XML, this map looks to be very close to quenching.
Name: British Isles Revamp
Creator: Gimil
Description: One of the most beloved maps in the game is getting a makeover. The creator has redone the look of the map to be much cleaner and geographically accurate to the Isles.
Present Development: Stalled, but more or less complete.
Name: Charleston, SC
Creator: RjBeals
Description: Charleston, famous for its role in the American Civil War, the American Revolutionary War, and...Conquer Club maps? In this take on America's second largest Atlantic seaport, Rj has created a straightforward large map with simple but attractive graphics.
Present Development: Recent entrant to the Final Forge, and victim of the busy autumn work season. The XML is nearing a first draft, though.
Name: The Citadel
Creator: TaCktiX
Description: What better place to have a military takeover than at a military college's campus? That is the premise of The Citadel. Based directly off of the campus and its buildings, this medium-sized map goes for fairly straightforward gameplay, with a couple of quirks.
Present Development: Stalled awaiting a copyright license from the namesake school.
Name: Europa
Creator: MrBenn
Description: The creator set out upon a simple goal: make a map about the way Europe really is, even down to Vatican City. He's stayed true to that vision, and the map reflects it, with a clean look to all the countries no matter their size. The map makes good use of natural boundaries to create impassables, adding to the clean feel of the map.
Present Development: Hitting the forge running, this map is undergoing small tweaks here and there.
Name: Golfe du St-Laurent
Creators: Lone.prophet and Unit_2
Description: The Gulf of St. Lawrence (French, Golfe du St-Laurent) is the world's largest estuary, but conservation takes a backseat to beating the pulp out of others on this map of the gulf and its surrounding areas. It's an average-sized map with well-done textures and area-appropriate colors. Its classic gameplay is without any gimmicks and should be easy to pick up.
Present Development: Due to the Final Forge slowdown, this map has been very quiet of late. A completed XML is still on the way.
Name: Madagascar
Creator: t-o-m
Description: Another small map in the pipeline, this time of the island nation of Madagascar. Gameplay is straightforward, and the territory naming accurately reflects the regions of the country. Graphics are fairly simple, which helps the appeal of the map.
Present Development: Very quickly hitting the Forge then getting an XML stamp, this map looks to be quench-worthy.
Name: Oasis
Creator: wcaclimbing
Description: Calling Oasis a phenomenon would do it no credit. This graphical feast has taken the Foundry by storm, leaving several regular commenters drooling for the next update. It's based around a central objective Grand Oasis surrounded by decaying desert, and lots of one-territory bonuses sprinkled throughout. Watch out for this map, it's certain to change the way objective maps are made.
Present Development: The XML is posted, but coordinate corrections are being played through at the moment.
Name: San Marino
Creator: Ruben Cassar
Description: The Ruben Cassar formula to a T: a simple map based around a small area. It's attractive to the eye, and while being average size has plenty of bonuses that should be easy to get and hold onto.
Present Development: This map has been relatively quiet in the wake of the Forge slowdown. More activity should be forthcoming.
Name: Brazil
Creator: RjBeals
Description: The ultimate winner of the well-publicized Brazil Revamp Competition, Rj has created a map that simply oozes with color, fitting for a nation known for its vibrant culture. Graphics are the order du jour now.
Present Development: Things have been quiet of late due to the creator being bogged down in real life work. Another update should be coming soon.
Name: Das Schloß
Creator: Cairnswk
Description: This map is unique in several ways. For one, it is the only map that can only be won by completing the objective. For two, it's gone back from quenching into the foundry with a major rework of the map's mechanics to fix some unforeseen balance issues.
Present Development: Discussions about the bonuses and the reworked gameplay are the main focus right now. Once issues are resolved on those and all present games on the older map are completed, the map will get re-quenched.
Name: Eastern Hemisphere
Creator: Oaktown
Description: What happens when you slice the world in half then age it 90 years? This map showing the far side of the world around 1910! It's the time when the great European empires are crumbling, and the creator has worked hard on making gameplay appropriate to the time setting. Expect a fresh world experience soon.
Present Development: There have been a lot of changes recently to make the map simpler while keeping it do-able, and that's the main topic of discussion presently.
Name: Europe 1914
Creator: Qwert
Description: Another covering of World War I, this time from an overall theater look. With eye-popping colors, rigorous detail, and a slew of bonuses, this map definitely gets one's attention. With two objectives that aren't mutually exclusive (unlike Operation Drug War), the gameplay looks to be a mix of classic and complex. Overall it's a new look on a oft-forgotten war, which is bound to turn out interestingly.
Present Development: Bonus understandability and dead end reductions are currently being commented on.
Name: Forbidden City
Creator: Cairnswk
Description: The Forbidden City has always been an interesting part of Chinese history since its construction in the Ming dynasty. So the most quenched mapmaker has taken a unique bent in portraying it. Instead of just featuring the City itself, he has added outsiders from all over history that have tried to take over the City in some way. Add to that the simple, illustrative graphics reminiscent of Chinese culture circa 19th century, and you've got the whole enchilada.
Present Development: Bonus values on some of the larger and more difficult-to-hold continents are being discussed.
Name: Famine
Creator: Bryguy
Description: 8 players, 8 castles, and a famine on the land. Grab your empire's territories, but also grab the resources to feed it. It's a unique premise gameplay-wise, and should make play on it fairly exciting and ruthless.
Present Development: The graphical update has been released, and it appears to have made a significant improvement to the look of the map. Comments to further improve the graphics and balance the gameplay are being encouraged.
Name: France, 18th Century
Creator: Pamoa
Description: The French Revolution changed the course of European history, so having a map based on the country at that time only makes sense. It's a simple, attractive small map, with classic gameplay. The clean approach to the map has made it very interesting to watch as it has progressed.
Present Development: Recently updated and seeking comments, this map looks to be making progress towards a Graphics stamp.
Name: Haiti
Creator: Edbeard
Description: This small map shows the nation of Haiti, the western half of the island of Hispaniola. The simple and clean colors and font choices reflect the purely classic gameplay used in the map.
Present Development: Graphics and Gameplay passed in rapid succession, this map looks to be reaching the final stages.
Name: Halloween Hollows
Creator: Cairnswk
Description: Holiday-themed maps have been absent from Foundry production thus far, and this map seeks to break that trend. Taking the plethora of creatures and items associated with Halloween, this map incorporates riddles and standard gameplay into a dark All Hallow's Eve look.
Present Development: Under the looming deadline of October 31st, this map soldiers on, cleaning up bonus and attack explanations on its way. The colors on the map are the present concern by commenters.
Name: Holy Roman Empire
Creators: Grayhawke and Pamoa
Description: The Holy Roman Empire has been said to neither be Holy, nor Roman, and most certainly not an Empire. At least CC players can fix the last part by building their own on this map detailing the HRE and surrounding nations. Taking a combination continent/influence bonus gameplay, the map tries to bring out some of the history of the HRE, all the while backing it with simple, solid graphics.
Present Development: Now enlivened with more vibrant colors, small nitpicks on the graphics are driving updates. Continent naming suggestions are being asked for.
Name: Iron Curtain
Creator: RjBeals
Description: The Soviet Union and its constituent Warsaw Pact nations formed the basis of the feared Iron Curtain. This map takes that large region and turns it into a 96 territory map colored in shades of iron. Its construction is very clean, and the gameplay fairly open with a minimum of impassables. Recreating a symbol of oppression never was so much fun.
Present Development: Darker, more cruel, and even prettier than before. Impassables have been recrafted across the entire map, leaving thematic additions the only present concerns.
Name: Rail Australia
Creator: Cairnswk
Description: Cairns is becoming a master of serial maps. Following up Rail USA and Rail Europe is this third map, Rail Australia. It brings, as expected, the rail system from Down Under into vivid color. Unlike the other two though, there are added twists to the map that should make play very interesting and varied.
Present Development: Fixing small things here and there to secure the Graphics stamp, this map keeps on going.
Name: Romania
Creator: Foregone
Description: Romania is a little-known country in Eastern Europe, yet steeped in history dating back to the Roman Empire (hence its name). This map takes the country and infuses a piece of parchment with a no-frills depiction of the country, with a touch of hand-drawn charm.
Present Development: Comments to improve both gameplay and graphics are being addressed quickly, feeding further feedback.
Name: Switzerland
Creator: Kaplowitz
Description: Switzerland is famed for its bank accounts, neutrality in war, and sweeping mountains. So have a hostile takeover on this average-sized map of the country. Graphics are simple and the gameplay matches, with only classic continents and impassables.
Present Development: New mountains are being fielded to replace the contentious old ones, and comments are needed to fine-tune them.
Name: Trench Warfare
Creator: Mibi, Incandenza, and Yeti_C
Description: This map brings WWI style Trench Warfare to life! Two opposing fronts are separated by a large no mans land. Players will scramble for bonuses in trenches and use gameplay features such as mortars and artillery to bombard a path across no-mans land before rising from the trenches and blasting through to the other side. The high-quality and realistic graphics compliment this gameplay style very nicely.
Present Development: Map understandability is of concern, with the mapmaker's working toward resolving all raised issues.
Name: USA 6 Region Map Pack
Creator: WidowMakers
Description: This project is bold. WM is aiming to create 6 maps based on the 6 regions of the USA map, all with the same essential mechanics. The graphics are simple and effective, reflecting the colors and territories of the USA map while keeping a new set of flair. It's sure to be perfect tournament material, as well as an interesting set of maps to play with friends.
Present Development: The symbolic graphics touch has been put to every map, and both small and large versions are being posted. Gameplay discussion of them all is the major feedback item.
Name: Wales
Creator: MrBenn
Description: With maps of Ireland and Scotland already quenched, it is only natural that a map of Wales be developed. The graphical style is simple, and makes heavy use of Welsh motifs. The gameplay is mostly classic, with one twist: each geographical territory has two sets of armies, one for each clan in the area. Special bonuses are given for holding both clans in the same shire.
Present Development: Map size and look are being covered on one end, and gameplay balance is being covered on the other. In sum, this map is getting quite a work-over in the foundry.
Name: War of the Triple Alliance
Creator: Oaktown
Description: This map captures the War of the Triple Alliance, South America's bloodiest war, fought on one side by Paraguay and on the other by Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. The muted colors and faded images help make this map truly feel 19th Century. The gameplay is classic, lacking any sort of twist or gimmick.
Present Development: After an experiment in symbols, they're being rethought to make more sense. A few readability concerns are being aired otherwise.
Name: WWI: Ottoman Empire
Creator: Cairnswk
Description: World War I has also slipped into the void of uncoveredness, but thanks to Trench Warfare and this map the War to End All Wars will get its just deserts. The map takes on a lesser-known part of the war (though the famous battle of Gallipoli was fought here), focused around Turkey and the Central-allied Ottoman Empire. The general theater is portrayed in simple, understandable colors and the gameplay is fairly standard on this medium-sized map.
Present Development: Bonus naming conventions and colorblindness checks are driving discussion presently.
Name: WWII Europe
Creator: Qwert
Description: Long stalled due to its large size, this map has undergone a weight-loss program and now fits within the size requirements. Taking his WWII Eastern and Western Front maps and meshing them with a Central front in the middle, this is a map that covers the entire theater of the war in Europe. With a large scale, and lots of opportunities, it will definitely be the WWII map to play when it's quenched.
Present Development: The map is showing significant improvement and input is being requested on map abbreviations on the small and large versions.
Name: Antarctica
Creator: e_i_pi
Stamps: [Advanced Draft]
Description: Conquer Club has featured at one time or another all continents, save one: Antarctica. To avoid the problems of "boring chunk of ice with only research stations on it" and the treaty protecting it from conquest, the mapmaker has cast the map forward in time to 2060, when ice has given way to land, and everyone is vying to conquer it all. The graphics are suitably cold yet colorful, and the conquest basis of the map has been well-thought-out. The map merely asks that you conquer the previously unconquerable Antarctica.
Present Development: Border clarifications and overall gameplay review are happening right now. An Idea stamp should show up in the very near future by the looks of it.
Name: Cairns Metro
Creator: Cairnswk
Stamps: [Advanced Draft]
Description: In yet another map by the seemingly tireless Cairns, he's covering the metropolitan area of his hometown, Cairns. Adopting a slightly more pastel color scheme than his recently-released Sydney Metro, the map also employs fewer continents and territories, making it have a significantly different gameplay than Sydney. So for yet another top-quality Australian experience, look for this map in the coming weeks.
Present Development: With equal parts bonus breakdowns and graphic tweak suggestions, this map seems to be getting off the ground.
Name: Conquer Club Golf
Creator: Ethitts
Stamps: [Advanced Draft]
Description: Conquer Club lacks any Sports maps. Not a single one. This map is on course to change that, as it takes on the sport of Tiger Woods, the green jacket, and countless upper management: Golf. Taking 9 holes thematically named after some of CC's finest maps, this map tailors the various elements of golf into a system of bombards, decays, and ranged attacks. Surprisingly, the map isn't that complex as a result, but seems to make sense, most likely due to the simple small-scale graphics scheme on the entire map. Look to be yelling "Fore!" when you start your turn in the near future.
Present Development: Different path types are being polled on, as well as concerns of the map's overall "green-ness" and resemblance to a normal golf course.
Name: Indian Subcontinent
Creator: Oaktown
Stamps: [Advanced Draft]
Description: Taking a cue from another, more modern attempt at India and its surrounding countries, Oaktown has taken the period of time when India was a British colony, and translated it onto a beautiful rendering of a history book (Editor's Note: he used the same book for the Brazil revamp contest). Combining simple colors and a hand-drawn look for terrain features and the like, the map is fairly simple on gameplay, with classic continents and a railway bonus to spice things up. Rewrite history for who controlled the region in the 1800's, or join those building the next railway for the ruler. The choice is yours.
Present Development: Concerns over excessive text and dead space regions are the current topics of discussion.
Name: Scandinavia
Creator: CoolC
Stamps: [Advanced Draft]
Description: Scandinavia is the region of Norsemen, Danes, and people who contemplate the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (at least Shakespeare would have us believe that). Taking the NYC idea of separate regions within greater ones, this map covers in fairly simple gameplay the Nordics, with cold colors to match the region's northern climes. Accurate region lines and names complete the representation of Scandinavia as it exists today.
Present Development: Concerns over army numbers fitting readably into the territories and the clarity of various bonus elements are major topics of discussion.
Name: War of the Roses
Creator: bspride
Stamps: [Advanced Draft]
Description: The War of the Roses was a pivotal moment in English history, replacing one dynasty of rulers with another, setting the stage for England's Renaissance, among a slew of other things. But that's not as important as the numerous bloody battles fought across southern England during that time, inviting a CC map to be made based on it. Bonuses are varied, being a combination of traditional continents and collections of single territories. The overall map look is of one written on parchment, depicting an old-time view of the region. Be prepared to claim the throne for your own soon.
Present Development: Map readability and looks are the key concerns right now, though gameplay discussion is sure to follow soon.
Name: Zodiac Map
Creator: rsacheli
Stamps: [Advanced Draft]
Description: The Zodiac has been a centerpiece of astrology for generations, enshrined most noticeably by the naming of constellations in the stars. This map portrays their constellations and has bonuses centering around the seasons and the elements those constellations comprise. It also features a super-connected Black Hole territory, allowing a lot of mobility for such a large map. The map beckons that you decide your own fate among the stars.
Present Development: A separate constellation bonus is being called for, as well as concerns over territory numbering.
In the Editorial, we ask a member of the Conquer Club community to write about some aspect of the Foundry. Subjects thus far have ranged from first-timer perspectives to a fictional look at future mapmaking, with plenty in between. Anyone interested in writing an Editorial is asked to PM TaCktiX about it.
This issue, however, TaCktiX himself contributed this piece talking about mapmaker motivations.
TaCktiX wrote:The Foundry is an awesome place. Regardless of all the nay-saying, the general angst over sudden changes, and the uproar often surrounding it (c'mon, the Treasures insta-switch, the Das Schloss insanity, and that Classic thing), it is one-of-a-kind. The Foundry recently exceeded 101 maps on the site, making 98 individual creations by dozens of people over the course of less than 3 years. These are all things that all of Conquer Club can appreciate.
But let me take us in a different direction. What about how the Foundry is for people who work inside it? What do they face to get their creations as part of the latest and greatest maps on the site? What keeps them going? What do they get out of it? I am going to attempt to answer these questions from my experience thus far, and from what I've heard from others.
In general, a newer mapmaker will face a lot of "burden of proof" early on. I experienced this with The Citadel when I was told shortly into development that I was better off abandoning the project and starting something else entirely. I soldiered on, addressing countless issues and questions. Within two months, the same person who had told me that abandonment was the only answer was posting words of praise. A newer mapmaker will face more resistance, so to speak, but the payoff on the other side is more than worth it. I would gander to say that the payoff is greater for a "newbie" than for an established mapmaker who just finished up his latest endeavor.
Continuing a multi-month project is difficult for anyone. For some mapmakers, the ability to create and improve something that nobody's seen before is enough to keep posting revisions and making changes. For others, the sense of accomplishment at taking on a monumental task and completing it is the driving force. For still others, being able to tell others "I did that" is the ultimate reward. But for most, I would say that it's a combination of all of these that generates maps from so many sources.
One final thing to consider is the rewards of making a map in the Foundry. Of course there's the obvious one of seeing your map played by thousands, but there's more to it than that. The Foundry rewards creativity and hard work, with interest, praise, and appreciation. People support each other on getting their maps done, making the entire place a swarm of collaboration as people interchangeably give feedback, make changes to their own maps, and offer tips for future work. In some cases, being in the Foundry with people of like mind is almost as rewarding as finishing the maps. It's a community unlike any other, and that I would consider is its greatest achievement.
In the Spotlight, we typically cover a staff-selected map and mapmaker in an interview. Mapmaker motivations, inspirations, and the like have been covered, with plenty of surprises in between.
Belatedly, here we have a lovely Spotlight with the head monkey around here: Andy Dufresne.
How old are you/what gender are you/where do you live? Answer specifically, vaguely, or not at all.
I'm a young alpha monkey living in a place that needs more bananas.
How did you find out about Conquer Club?
Oh lets see, sometime in 2006 I wanted to play some World Domination, but I had no board unfortunately. So I turned to everyone's favorite friend, Google, and searched "Online risk website," and Conquer Club was one of the first listings--and it was the only listing I visited.
What is your favorite map currently up for live play? Why that one?
Hm, I'm not even sure what my favorite map is technically. **Looks in the game finder.** I suppose I keep coming back to the maps that were first on CC when I started in 2006--Classic, Asia, Canada, British Isles, plus a few random ones like Space, Africa, etc. I'm a big fan of standard maps, and so all the early maps appeal to me. They are all roughly the size I like to play on also. So I suppose because of the simplicity, size, and my early memories, I stick to those the most!
How'd you first end up in the Foundry?
I don't even remember--probably just looking for something to do on the forums. I remember looking at some of the early maps in production, and thought maybe I could help out and maybe make a map some day...
Have you ever considered making a map?
Funny you should ask! Many people have asked me when will I create a map, and my response is always "Never." I like being paradoxical...a Foundry Foreman who has never created a map. The humor is just too fun to cease.
But truth be told, and a few older and trusted Foundry members know this, I did actively work on a map in the earliest days of the Foundry--before I became Foreman. It was an Iberia map, as I liked the general shape of the area and it seemed to lend itself well to map production. I never got it to a stage I wanted to put it in the Foundry, but I received much help and advice from Marvaddin in those early stages. And as you all know, Bad Speler wandered into the Foundry and created an Iberia map...so my only attempt is now squashed! But I've still got ideas...lots of them!
How did the Cartography Assistant job come into existence? How has it evolved since its creation?
After I became Foundry Foreman, I wasn't exactly sure what to do with the Foundry or where to take it. Lackattack and Twill essentially told me to "make it work," and then they told me to go play. In the early Foundry era, keeping up with all the maps and cartographers was relatively easy--it was my only job and no more than 10 maps were ever being actively produced at a time. But as the Foundry grew the time I could spend looking and knowing each map dwindled...and thus I needed some help--cue the C.A.
Early C.A.'s, such as Keyogi and Cairnswk, were more like mini-foreman--that is, they were essentially doing the same jack-of-all-trades work that I had been doing for a while. It was not until Coleman, Oaktown, Gimil, and now MrBenn, did we segment and split the work up to make it more manageable and focus oriented. And now that we have a crew of Stamp Lickers helping out, we hope that more attention and time can be given to maps in production.
What things have changed the most about the Foundry since you've been a part of it?
I'll pick out a few obvious ones first. One is the sheer number of maps in production at any single time. As I mentioned, I remember when I could count less than 10 maps being produced. Now we have over 10 in the Main Foundry, another 10 or so in the Drafting Room, plus more in Final Forge...and countless more to be started probably even today.
Another obvious one is the quality of production. Take a look at the current British Isles or Brazil map (or think about the original Montreal, Middle East, Canada maps), and then take a look at the maps currently in production. The quality has gone bananas, but I love bananas.
Another obvious one would be creative game play is much more common now that it was in the early days. I remember when Jota was creating Discworld, and giving a +1 bonus for the Anhk-Morpork couple was exciting. Same with shared continents in Space, and negative bonuses in USApoc. Heck, even CCU's parking lot that isn't a part of a continent was unique at the time! But now we've got a plethora of maps unique play like Age of Merchants, Feudal War, CC City Mogul, Battle for Iraq!, etc. The ideas and the execution of interesting and fun ideas definitely seems to be growing and growing! Bananas, lots of bananas.
And the last thing I've seen change...is the growth of the career cartographer. Much of the early Foundry revolved around a person doing 1 map, and then disappearing. A few would stick around to work on a couple of maps like Mr. K, Jota, etc, but many were nearly one and done. But now we've repeat cartographers Mibi, DiM, Qwert, Oaktown, WidowMakers, RJbeals, etc.
Of those things, which was your favorite?
The last one, of course. I feel like I get to know more about someone after having worked with them through the production of a few maps. I'm always curious to see what sort of crazy banana-idea will come out next from each of their minds.
What map was most interesting to you while in the Foundry?
This one is so hard to say...I'm not sure. Probably Jota's early maps were the most interesting, because he was testing the boundaries of World Domination first--and I liked that.
What's your favorite part of being the Foundry Foreman?
Quenching a cartographer's map. It makes them happy, it makes me happy, it makes everyone happy. Who doesn't like making people happy? I know I should do more of it too...maybe I'll go do some soon.
What, if anything, do you dislike about the Foundry?
When things seem to become too personal. Sometimes it saddens me when a cartographer is taking criticism and feedback as if it was an attack on their personal character. Everyone just has to remember to step outside of their bodies, and look at the map for what the map is.
Is there a specific kind of map you believe the Foundry should be making more of, or that there is a high demand for?
Standard maps, goodness-love 'em. I don't think we can ever have enough of standard maps. And though I personally am not too fond of crazy game play maps, I know they've got their niche market too...and I'd hate to see those go away. A turtle once told me he wanted to see a map where the "asia continent" was an objective, since no one ever attempts to hold such an area until the game is nearly won. Bananas for thought.
How did the monkey/banana-themed comments first start?
What ever do you mean? I live my life, thank you very much.
What do you think of the Foundry process in general?
It stinks. No really. We've got a long ways to go I think, but we're working well with what we've got so far. Little gains. I'm curious to see how the Foundry will look 3 years from now, 5 years...I'm sure it will be a different place.
What new things are in store for the Foundry in the near future?
We are always looking for more people to help out in unofficial and official capacities...so keep an eye out for that. And as you all know, the 100 Maps celebration is tribute to the Foundry essentially--to all the hardwork, anger, love, frustration, and bananas that has went into cartography.
Any other questions you'd have liked to have answered, that weren't asked?
Yes, who stole my bananas?
The section where we ask what YOU think. We've typically run polls and published additional responses to the questions asked, but new and different ways are certain to show up soon.
Edbeard wrote:I just look at WidowMakers' portfolio and see tons of great looking maps. there's a reason he's done most of the revamps.
Oaktown wrote:I don't love all of his maps, but overall Wid has the strongest body of work.
T-o-m wrote:but mibi should win, he has excellent graphics.
Gimil wrote:I voted for my main man RjBeals who is badly under represented in this thread.
*waves the beals flag*
WidowMakers wrote:Rj has a style that is very simple, elegant and clean.
I love Iceland.
Brazil will be great.
And Charleston is awesome. It gets back to that simple, elegant, solid good looking map.
fireedud wrote:I voted for Rj, but DiM comes in a close second. The thing about all these mapmakers is that their style is so different from one other. Actually, Rj and DiM are probably the farthest away form each other in terms of style.
RjBeals wrote:ust saw this thread.. man is this funny, Oaktown with 2 votes??? And I'm honored to be included in the ranks with mibi and WM. Those 2 are just bad-asses. But I'll wave my flag around also
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Parents start Flo McGarrell Collaborative Projects Fund at MICA
Posted 01.15.10 by mica media relations
I have a few guiding principles, which I think must propel me toward this artistic freedom you speak about: Don't hide, don't lie. Do that which scares me. Resist the urge to settle. Be as many things as possible in this lifetime.
Flores McGarrell '97 '98, an artist and director of a community arts center in Haiti, was killed in the earthquake that devastated the nation on Tuesday. McGarrell, 35, received a B.F.A. in fibers and an M.A. in digital arts at MICA and was a faculty member at the College in 2001 and 2002. He died when the Peace of Mind Hotel in Jacmel, his hometown in Haiti, crumbled during the earthquake.
According to reports, McGarrell had stopped briefly at the hotel in Jacmel on his way home from the airport in Port-au-Prince, having dropped off his godfather for a departing flight, when the earthquake struck.
McGarrell was director of FOSAJ (Foundation Sant D'A Jakmel), a nonprofit art center in Jacmel, a beach town about 20 miles south of Port-Au-Prince and the cultural center of Haiti. FOSAJ, where he had worked since 2008, is "dedicated to empowering the Haitian people through art and culture and not only works in conjunction with the European Union to support the 150 artisans of ADASE, but maintains outreach projects addressing issues including street children, literacy and the environment."
In an interview in August 2009 with Art21, McGarrell said that "Jacmel is a place where the senses awake--it is visually rich and energetic." (Here is an article McGarrell wrote talking about living in Jacmel.) He was living out his lifetime dream of working in Haiti (see first-person essay below).
"This is an incredible loss," said Annet Couwenberg, a fiber faculty member and longtime McGarrell friend. "He was a friend, an artist, a community organizer. He was inspiring to so many people. Here on the MICA campus, he was quite a force--he impacted many lives."
Those wishing to honor McGarrell's memory are invited to contribute to the Flo McGarrell Collaborative Projects Fund at MICA. The fund, established by McGarrell's parents, Jim and Ann McGarrell, will help students engaged in special collaborative projects to purchase equipment, materials or services that they otherwise could not afford. Gifts to the fund can be made online at www.mica.edu/give by selecting "restrict my gift to" and typing in "Flo McGarrell Fund" or by mailing a check made out to MICA with "Flo McGarrell Fund" in the notes line to: Development Office, Maryland Institute College of Art, 1300 W. Mount Royal Ave., Baltimore, MD 21217. If you have questions, contact Director of Stewardship Erin Chrest at 410-225-2493 or email@example.com.
McGarrell was born in Italy to American expatriate artists. In the States, he attended an art-focused magnet school and studied metalsmithing and the Italian language. His artistic interests varied quite a bit throughout his career. While studying fiber and digital arts at MICA, he co-founded Little Big Bang, a nonprofit performance group that started in Couwenberg's costume class at MICA. They performed throughout the region reacting to the history or story of the location they were in, for example, at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C., the group told a story about the moon being made up of blue cheese, according to Couwenberg. "It was social commentary yet always comical."
After graduating, McGarrell came back to MICA as a faculty member in 2001 and 2002, teaching electronic media and culture, Video 1 and Video 2, and was an instructor at the Baltimore School for the Arts. He began mixing sculpture, fiber and digital craft to create large- scale inflatable sculptures that one could walk into and went on to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he earned an M.F.A. in art and technology studies in 2004. In 2007, he attended an artist-in-residence program in Roswell, N.M. McGarrell then got into film, working as the art director of the film, "Maggots and Men," an experimental retelling of the story of the 1921 uprising of the Kronstadt sailors in post-revolutionary Russia, before taking the opportunity to move to Haiti and make a difference in the art scene there.
McGarrell's latest artworks reflect his life in Haiti. His "agrisculptures" used found objects to create "home-scale food production systems, making statements about sustainability and food consumption.
Longtime McGarrell friend and fellow alumni Sue Frame '98 (B.F.A. in sculpture) was in Haiti helping build a woodshop for FOSAJ. She survived the earthquake.
There was a memorial to celebrate McGarrell's life at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, in Middendorf Gallery, Mount Royal Station (1400 Cathedral St.). More than 200 family, friends, faculty and alumni attended, many from out of town. Donations can be made through Yele Haiti, an organization chosen by his family.
McGarrell's story in his own words, compiled from an interview with Art21 ("Inside the Artist's Studio: Flo McGarrell" by Georgia Kotresos, Aug. 28, 2009):
"I seem to be an artist-person who has only a little separation between art and life-if you will please excuse the cliché. Specifically, I attack whatever I am working on with an obsessive compulsion that we creative types are often afflicted with. ... The objects of my ministrations include sculpture, art direction for film, performative identity adjustments, installation, kleptomaniac collecting schemes, so I must be poised to work wherever I am at all times. ...
"I have a few guiding principles, which I think must propel me toward this artistic freedom you speak about: Don't hide, don't lie. Do that which scares me. Resist the urge to settle. Be as many things as possible in this lifetime. ...
"When I was 11 my mother took me to the Saint Louis Art Museum to see Maya Deren's film Divine Horsemen, which she shot between 1947 and 1951 at various Vodou ceremonies. Not only was I really taken by the beauty of the place and people in the film, the rhythms of the sacred music became imprinted on my brain, and the pantheon of the Lwa, who are the spirit gods in Vodou ... thoroughly seduced me. ... I came away from that film needing to know more about everything Haitian. My whole life I asked questions about the place. ... So naturally, when I was 30 and I had a chance to go down there with Professor [Marilyn] Houlberg, co-curator of the well received and traveled Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou exhibition, who mentored me in graduate school [in Chicago] ... I jumped at the chance.
"Turns out that the land, the sea, the people, the manners, the food, the sense of humor, the dirty trash, and the language suits me just fine. ... The Kreyol (Creole) language is my current big love affair, I want to speak-write-think-dream it all the time because the sound it makes in me is the sound I want to be making. ...
"Life is indeed difficult there, nothing is easy, we only have electricity half of the time, if at all. Water may or may not come out of the tap, and then it could make you sick. ... Luckily, I have always liked living rough, raw and real, and this is what normal is in so many parts of the world. I could have lived quite happily in the [States], but why be somewhere so perfect? Why be so comfortable? Why should all my friends be so similar to me? Why not be someplace that is in flux? Someplace where the advantage is that it is NOT overdeveloped and fixed? There are many cultural differences, of course, but that's what makes it rich, and I believe that all the people who tried to warn me off of going to Haiti are the ones who are sad and poor. ...
"Jacmel is the de facto cultural center of Haiti. Not only do many visual artists find their niche there, but there are many actors, poets, dancers, musicians and a lot of people who are doing all of the above. That is a big reason I settled in Jacmel. Every time I visited the town I would witness some ongoing flurry of creativity and awesomeness taking place in one of the many venues in town, I said to myself, "this is 'the' budding scene! I want to be a part of it!" It also has a healthy mix of Haitians, foreign expats, and Haitians who have been living abroad and who have returned. We are all trying to work together to keep the energy up, quite selfishly of course. ...
"My [art studio] space [in Haiti] is barraged with people coming in and out bursting forth ideas and conflict. So, the office facilitates group artistic endeavors, collaborative problem solving--it's starting to seem more and more like a social experiment. But we have less material, art supplies are scarce and are used up quickly, tools always disappear, so it's a very needy, hungry place. We make art hand to mouth. I feel a little bit more like a therapist-administrator there, but making the center work is definitely a creative pursuit in the same family as all the other projects I choose to adopt as an artist-person. ...
"I am leading a permaculture workshop [in Haiti], and we are slowly, but surely, working on a rain barrel shower sculpture for the center, a bicycle-powered washing machine, and a parabolic solar oven. ... 'Agrisculpture' was a term I coined to describe my work, I could have more accurately called what I do 'permasculpture,' but ... since my work's end goal is mostly about producing food I went with agrisculpture, so that makes me an agrisculptor. I hope it's a fast-growing genre with an agrisculpture department opening up in every art school by 2012 (every art student gets a little community garden plot instead of a studio?) because then I will be asked to come lecture everywhere ... and I love to travel so that would be nice."
For more coverage of McGarrell, please see The Baltimore Sun, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Village Voice and Windy City Times.Photo captions (top to bottom): Flo McGarrell cooking, Jacmel, Haiti, 2009; McGarrell at his studio in Vermont. Photos courtesy Art21, from "Inside the Artist's Studio: Flo McGarrell" by Georgia Kotresos, Aug. 28, 2009.
Founded in 1826, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is the oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design in the nation. The College enrolls nearly 3,500 undergraduate, graduate and continuing studies students from 49 states and 52 countries in fine arts, design, electronic media, art education, liberal arts, and professional studies degree and non-credit programs. With art and design programs ranked in the top ten by U.S. News and World Report, MICA is pioneering interdisciplinary approaches to innovation, research, and community and social engagement. Alumni and programming reach around the globe, even as MICA remains a cultural cornerstone in the Baltimore/Washington region, hosting hundreds of exhibitions and events annually by students, faculty and other established artists.

subset: commoncrawl


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A 20-year fight to save a shuttered Catholic church on the northern Minnesota prairie came to a fiery end last month when the Diocese of Crookston ordered its former St. Anthony of Padua Church burned to the ground.
The empty church was formally closed in 2000 as the number of Catholics in Red Lake County fell from 3,288 in 1952 to 1,800 in 2010. The bishop in Crookston told parishioners there to attend church in one of two nearby towns.
A handful of people with deep family ties to Terrebonne hoped to save the building. Dan Derosier and his family raised funds for the building's preservation, using $36,600 in donations to twice paint the church and fix a bathtub-size hole in the roof when an F2 tornado hit it and toppled the chimney.
Derosier and others who hoped to save the church looked to other examples around Minnesota of groups that restored and saved churches that had lost their original use. Some of the best-known examples, like St. Rose of Lima in Kenyon or St. Bridget's in Greaney, are still standing thanks to volunteers and donated funds.
A growing list of problems at the former St. Anthony of Padua -- including a sloping floor, mold and leaning walls -- doomed the building in the eyes of the Crookston Diocese, however, which told Derosier to stop fundraising and make way for the building's destruction. More parisioners voted to tear down the building than to save it, the Rev. Bill DeCrans told the Star Tribune last year. A flurry of last-minute appeals kept the building standing until last month.
Terrebonne, once a thriving farm community that supported a flour mill and cheese factory, long ago dwindled to just a couple of homes. A cemetery behind the church will remain. A call to the diocese late on Friday was not immediately returned.
Photo: The former St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Terrebonne, Minn., was burned to the ground in the last week of April.
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Comments will be reviewed before being published.


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Sunnyside Mayor Paul Garcia is out and long-time Sunnyside Mayor Pro-tem Jim Restucci is in as the Sunnyside City Council elected a new mayor at last night's meeting.
Garcia had been mayor of Sunnyside for the past two years, taking over the ceremonial duties from former Sunnyside Mayor Ed Prilucik.
Restucci had served as Mayor Pro-tem under both Prilucik and Garcia.
Sunnyside Councilwoman Theresa Hancock nominated Garcia to retain his seat as mayor, but then newly elected Councilman Don Vlieger put Restucci's name into the hat.
The council then voted 4-3 to approve Restucci as the city's new mayor. Councilmembers Nick Paulakis, Restucci, Mike Farmer and Vlieger voted for Restucci. Garcia, Hancock and Gehlen voted to retain Garcia as mayor.
Hancock then nominated Paulakis for mayor pro-tem and Vlieger nominated Farmer for the same position. After Paulakis received a second, Farmer moved to close the nominations. Paulakis was approved 7-0.
One of Restucci's first acts of mayor was to get council to change the name of the mayor pro-tem. Calling it outdated, Restucci suggested the mayor pro-tem now by referred to as the deputy mayor. Council agreed.
Restucci is currently the longest serving member on the city council. He has also served as vice chairman for the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments, vice chairman of the Valley Mayor's Association and is on the Association of Washington Cities legislative committee.
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Eating a lot of saturated fat can increase the cholesterol in your blood. High levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke and narrowed arteries.
Eating a lot of saturated fat can increase the levels of cholesterol in your blood. Having high cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease, which includes heart attack and narrowed arteries (atherosclerosis)
Cholesterol is a fatty substance made by your liver and carried around the body in the blood. The fats in food you eat can affect the levels of cholesterol in your blood.
Your body needs small amounts of fat to help it work normally. However, some types of fat are healthier than others. There are two main types of fats in food:
It's a good idea to eat less saturated fat, or swap foods high in saturated fat for small amounts of foods containing unsaturated fats, to reduce the health risks linked with high cholesterol levels.
Foods that are high in saturated fat include:
If you eat lots of foods high in saturated fat, it's a good idea to eat them less often or have smaller amounts of them.
Below are some tips to help you include less fat and less fatty foods in your diet:
You can also compare nutrition labels to help you choose foods that are lower in saturated fat. Read loads more information on how to cut down the amount of saturated fat in your diet.


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history lesson
DayBird - April 26th
1478 – The Pazzi attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass at the Duomo. Giuliano was stabbed 19 times by a gang that included a priest, in front of 10,000 peeps. That is a lot of church folk. The plot failed and the conspirators were hunted down and killed. Jacopo de' Pazzi was tossed from a window, dragged naked through the street and thrown into a river. Salviati was hung on the walls of the Palazzo della Signoria, for all to see.
1900 – Charles Richter, American geophysicist, and scale creator, is born.
1937 –The Bombing of Guernica by the Nazi Luftwaffe. The Basque region opposed General Francisco Franco's Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War, but Guernica itself was a small rural city of only 5,000 inhabitants that had not directly engaged in the fight. With Franco's approval, the German's began their attack at 4:30 p.m., the busiest hour of the market day in Guernica. For hours, the German planes poured down a continuous rain of bombs and gunfire on the town and surrounding countryside. One-third of Guernica's inhabitants were killed or wounded, and fires engulfed the city. Guernica had served as the testing ground for a new Nazi military tactic - blanket-bombing a civilian population to demoralize the enemy, it would come in handy later. Guernica would later became a symbol of fascist brutality.
1946 – Jim White, discoverer of Carlsbad Caverns dies. An inscription reading "J White 1898" was discovered deep within Carlsbad Caverns in the 1980s.
1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American burlesque entertainer and playwright, teases her way into heaven.
1986 - The worst nuclear accident to date occurs at the Chernobyl nuclear plant near Kiev in Ukraine. At 1:23 a.m., reactor 4 explodes. Dispersing large amounts of radioactive particulate and gaseous debris. A total of three explosions eventually blew the 1,000-ton steel top right off of the reactor. Flames shot into the air for two days, as the entire reactor began to melt down. Radioactive particles were carried by wind across international borders.
Only after dangerously high levels of radiation set off alarms at the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden did the Soviet Union admit that an accident had occurred, but authorities attempted to conceal the scale of the disaster. The evacuation of Pripyat, 36 hours after the initial explosions, was silently completed before the disaster became known outside the Soviet Union.
The full toll from this disaster will probably never be known. Experts believe that thousands of people died and as many as 70,000 suffered severe poisoning. The 18-mile radius around Chernobyl was home to almost 150,000 people who had to be permanently relocated, and is considered unlivable. Some say 150 years, I say never.
1989 – Lucille Ball, American actress and comedian passes.


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A baby who was born on Thursday evening by cesarean section that was performed by emergency responders at a Wood County accident scene died Sunday morning at Mercy Children's Hospital in Toledo.
The baby was born to Rachel Kominek, 26, who was killed in the accident on U.S. 20 in Perrysburg Township.
The accident occurred when Mrs. Kominek's husband, Dustin, 24, lost control of his car on the snow-covered highway. The Kominek's car slide sideways and was struck by another vehicle.
Emergency workers delivered the baby inside an ambulance before the tiny victim was flown to the hospital.
A hospital spokesman said the Kominek baby died at 2:19 a.m.
The Lucas County Coroner's office said an autopsy would be conducted this week.


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Like regular quizzes, only cooler. Ask multiple-choice questions on any subject and have others answer them. Right answers score a point.
Play it with paper & pencil or on c2w, Hangman is as much fun! Ask a question & hang those who can't guess the missing letters of the right answer. 7 mistakes and its game over.
Cryptic, easy or out of this world! Create your own Crossword & share it with the world! Add a few clues to the answers & you have your own puzzle! Take care of your spellings though, make sure they're correct.
Put your powers of perception to good use and play shrink on c2w! Create Personality tests & help people discover interesting things about themselves. Add personalities, allot scores, then add questions and voila!
Read the numbered clues given to the right. Click on the star to view an image clue. Type your answers in the appropriate numbered blocks. There are different clues for words placed 'Across' and 'Down'. The more you answer the easier it gets.


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Travelphish.com 28 ReviewsOur go to travel agent, Lauren!
We just completed our third trip to Europe booked by Lauren. Our first venture was a guided tour through Spain which was wonderful. The next trip, we decided to forego the guided tour and asked Lauren to arrange itinerary, hotels and local tours for us. We also rented a car which she arranged to tour Provence. So...this past May, our 30th anniversary, we decided to go to Italy. We had total confidence with planning itinerary with Lauren and allowing her to arrange all hotels and local tours once again. We also picked up a rental car to tour Tuscany. She arranged a wine tour and lunch and cooking school and dinner which were fabulous! Lauren's attention to detail and quick response to any...
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My wife, who recently become a U.S. citizen, needed a U.S. passport in order to travel overseas and visit a sick relative on short notice. IVS made it a painless process and were able to pick up the passport at the Atlanta airport office location before our flight left, saving us a lot of time and stress before our trip. I highly recommend International Visa Service to anyone who needs help with a passport, visa, and other documents, too.
Premier Travel One Travel Agency 4 ReviewsBest Travel Agency Ever!
I was leery about using a travel agency. I thought that would add more cost to my trips. I'm SO glad I found Premier Travel One! They found an amazing deal for my friends and me that I wasn't able to find myself. They planned our entire getaway from beginning to end. From the cruise, to flights, to transfers and entertainment. I did NOTHING and my friends and I had a WONDERFUL time. I will definitely use this agency in the future.
About Going Places 1 ReviewsWonderful Honeymoon
About Going Places helped my husband plan our wonderful honeymoon. We wanted to go to an all inclusive resort in the Caribbean and asked for recommendations. They had just visited the Sandals resort in St. Lucia and highly recommended it for our trip. They helped us book the trip including airfare and were even able to let us know which restaurants at the resort were the best (since they had just traveled there) Their restaurant recommendations were spot on. The honeymoon was amazing and so relaxing!
About Going Places 5 ReviewsSaved money and time using this travel agency
I usually just plan my vacations online and do not use a travel agent, however for a trip with a large group I wanted there to be no problems. I am so glad I did in this case because there were problems and when I called my travel agent they took care of everything. It saved me from having to get upset and ruining our vacation. I found this travel agency professional, very pleasant to work with, and there when I needed them.


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Fringe is back, and Walter is rocking out with Back To The Future's Christopher Lloyd! Plus Syfy's reimagined Being Human takes a bite out of Monday night. Plus new Chuck, V, No Ordinary Family and The Cape. Television loves you!
Animal Planet is having a marathon of River Monsters all evening.
Chuck is back! The superspy from the clone of Best Buy returns to NBC at 8 PM, as Chuck is forced to track down a missing nanochip.
Also at 8 PM: Cartoon Network has its usual bloc of weird cartoons, including Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, Regular Show and Robotomy.
And then at 9 PM, Syfy unveils its Americanized version of the hit British series Being Human, about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost sharing an apartment. The casting of genre MVP Sam Witwer is a good sign, but can this show really live up to the British original? Find out for yourself!
Also at 9 PM, NBC has a new episode of The Cape, the show that probably has as-yet-undiscovered depths. This week: We discover the true identity of Orwell, the crime-fighting blogger played by Summer Glau.
Late night movie pick: Just for the title alone, we have to recommend the movie Housewives from Another World on Cinemax just after midnight. (What sort of houses? What sort of family structure? The mind boggles.)
Syfy is having a Joan of Arcadia marathon all day.
At 8 PM, there's a new No Ordinary Family on ABC. The police station is taken hostage, so who can the police call? More importantly, can Jim save the day without revealing his superpowers to everyone?
Also, it's worth mentioning I, Predator on Animal Planet, uses technology to give you an up-close-and-personal look at the predator-vs-prey struggle, from the predator's point of view, combined with archival footage. This week, you see the world from the vantage point of a polar bear hunting the ringed seal, which stays underwater almost its entire life to avoid getting eaten. That's at 8 PM.
Also, PBS is having a new special, Pioneers of Television, at 8 PM, followed at 9 by a rerun of The Space Age: NASA's Story.
And then at 9 PM there's another new episode of V, in which Anna orders Ryan to track down her sleeper agent, Malik. And meanwhile, the Fifth Column discovers more bewildering secrets of Anna's schemes within schemes within pastry shells. Once again, ABC has released enough sneak peeks to give away almost the whole episode:
Today's Syfy marathon: The Invaders.
From 7 PM to 9 PM, there's are two hours of Mythbusters: Super-Sized Special on Discovery.
At 9 PM, there's a new Nova on PBS, focusing on "Making Stuff Stronger." This is the first of four segments focusing on "Making Stuff," as the Nova site explains:
Invisibility cloaks. Spider silk that is stronger than steel. Plastics made of sugar that dissolve in landfills. Self-healing military vehicles. Smart pills and micro-robots that zap diseases. Clothes that monitor your mood. What will the future bring, and what will it be made of? In NOVA's four-hour series, "Making Stuff," popular New York Times technology reporter David Pogue takes viewers on a fun-filled tour of the material world we live in, and the one that may lie ahead. Get a behind-the-scenes look at scientific innovations ushering in a new generation of materials that are stronger, smaller, cleaner, and smarter than anything we've ever seen.
Another Syfy marathon today, this time covering the vampire detective show Moonlight.
The Big Bang Theory has a new episode, "The Love Car Displacement," at 8 PM on CBS — the gang stays at a hotel for a science convention, and Bernadette runs into her giant ex-boyfriend, played by former NBA star Rick Fox. This causes Wolowitz to experience some insecurity.
Meanwhile at 8 PM, National Geographic has another episode of Naked Science, focusing on "Star Clock BC":
In 1900, a group of Greek sponge divers happened upon a two thousand year old ship wreck at the bottom of the Aegean Sea that would re-write history. Hidden among a rich cache of bronze and marble statues, glassware and amphorae was a mechanism the size of a shoe box. Inside the mechanism were mathematical gears and pointers. The Ancient Greeks were known to be philosophers, poets, and mathematicians but there was nothing in the archeological record to suggest that they were also technicians capable of creating something so complex. For 100 years researchers have been trying to understand what the mechanism does. Lone Wolf Documentary Group follows two professional model makers - Chris Weisbart and Maris Ensing - as they try to understand the ancient mechanism by building one themselves. Interviews with experts around the world help shed light on the mystery of this phenomenal artifact.
Also at 8 PM, the frequently science fiction-studded Community on NBC.
One last Syfy marathon this week: Level 9 episodes are showing all day.
At 7 PM, the Cartoon Network has a new — actually new! — episode of Young Justice, "Welcome to Happy Harbor." In which:
Young Justice battles a villain named Mister Twister, who they believe is really Red Tornado testing them.
Then at 8:30 PM, there's a new Star Wars: The Clone Wars, "Witches of the Mist."
Fringe returns to Fox at 9 PM — and now's the time to indoctrinate all your friends into Fringe fandom. Fox execs have been stressing that they want to keep this show on the air, and they're hoping it will do well on Friday nights. Rather than writing the show's obituary prematurely, we should be celebrating it and evangelizing for it. This week's episode, "Firefly," features a guest spot by "Doc" Brown himself, Christopher Lloyd, playing a rock star whose music has a special meaning for Walter. Also, the Observers finally rear their heads again.
And at 10 PM, Syfy has a new Merlin, "Goblin's Gold."
At 7:30 AM, TCM has a 1956 movie with the intriguing title of Dig That Uranium. In which "The Bowery Boys battle crooks for control of a uranium mine out West." Can you dig it?
Oxygen is having a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon all day, starting at 10 AM and going until 8 PM.
Also, Discovery is having a Mythbusters marathon all day, starting at noon and going until midnight.
At 9 PM, BBC America has a new (to Americans) episode of Primeval:
Saturday detention is thrown into disarray when a deadly Therocephalian attacks a teacher, allowing the kids to run riot. The team are soon faced with not only tracking down the creatures, but fighting against the antics of a group of terrified students. Finding a Therocephalian nest in the school canteen, Connor enlists the help of the kids to stun the creatures into submission before returning them through the anomaly. Meanwhile back at the ARC the menagerie, including Rex, are under threat of termination at the order of Philip Burton.
At 10 AM, Disney XD has another episode of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes with the exciting title of "The Kang Dynasty." I can't wait to see what Kang Dynasty pottery looks like.
Once again, Fox's animation bloc begins at 7:30 PM with a new American Dad, followed by new episodes of The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy and Cleveland Show.
And at 8 PM, Discovery has a one-hour special presentation, Apocalypse How:
From the dawn of civilization, mankind has been preoccupied with its own demise. All of the world's major religions have their own theories about how and when the world will end. Apocalypse How asks : If the apocalypse is coming, what form will it take?
Then at 11:45 PM on Adult Swim, there's a new Robot Chicken, "Big Trouble in Little Clerks 2." And that's followed at midnight by the premiere of a new show, Mongo Wrestling Alliance.
Sources: SF Chronicle TV listings, Futon Critic.


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At B & M Garage Door Inc, we are a family-owned and operated business totally specialized in garage doors, doors openers and related products. What is our mark of distinction? Our friendly and personalized customer service! We are aware that all of our customers' needs are different. For this reason, we offer garage doors in wood, steel and aluminum. Every door we sell and recommend has one point in common: superior quality. By offering Garaga doors, we meet and surpass this commitment.Garaga, the top Canadian garage door manufacturer, contributes to our customers' satisfaction by making the best insulated system available. Furthermore, they offer more than 130 different garage door styles. Visit our image gallery to find the one to add a distinctive touch to your home's architecture.Looking for a custom-built wood door? We provide this service too. If you have any garage door project in mind, give us a call or get a quotation on line. Well-experienced, we can easily handle any type of application, whether residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural.
At B & M Garage Door Inc, what sets us apart from our competitors? It's our superior customer service and our attention to detail. Garaga has certified us as one of their Garaga Expert dealers, which means we are well-trained to install your garage door using the highest safety standards in the industry.Does your garage door or your door opener need repair? We can easily fix or replace any garage door brands and other parts of your system. With fully-equipped trucks on the road, we can quickly get to your home and fix the problem. Keep your door on the right track with our maintenance program. It's a smart way to avoid dangerous situations.Don't wait any longer and give us a call at (905) 569-9133. We cover a large area from Georgetown through Toronto including Brampton, Mississauga, Burlington, Oakville, Acton, Milton, and Halton Hills. We hope to serve you soon!
Did you ever realize that your garage door is the largest moving object in your home? The garage door opener is a crucial part of your garage door system and getting proper advice from a specialist is a must. At B & M Garage Door inc., we assist you in selecting the door opener for your needs. We only sell and recommend the safest brand on the market: LiftMaster.Manufactured by Chamberlain, they put safety first throughout each step of their production process. All of their garage door openers carry the prestigious Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. This means LiftMaster openers have been rated by the Good Housekeeping Seal Research Institute for performance and safety.See our complete line in our door openers section and learn more about their features. They can be installed for residential, commercial and industrial applications.
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very professional. Quick and clean. Read more
From our first visit to B&M Garge Door and throughout the planning and installation period it was seamless, excellent customer service! Read more
It took us a long time to select a new garage door to replace the old, original door on our 40+ yr. old house. All the staff at B & M were very helpful and we did not feel hurried or pressured to make Read more
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SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) - February 22, 2013 --A dispute between a New Jersey shore town and a towing company is escalating.
The Asbury Park Press reports APK Towing has sued the borough of Seaside Heights for $2.6 million in damages stemming from work it did after Superstorm Sandy.
APK has a contract with the town to tow vehicles. After Sandy, Seaside Heights residents were outraged when they discovered bills of $800 to $2,500 for towing and storage fees.
Borough officials say local ordinances set maximum basic towing rates at $105 and storage fees at $25 per day.
Seaside Heights temporarily suspended APK's contract last month, and the state Division of Consumer Affairs investigated but cleared the company of wrongdoing.
An attorney for APK says the company's owners were "thrown under the bus" by the borough.


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The HTC One V rounds out HTC's smartphone announcements today in Barcelona. Unlike the HTC One X and HTC One S, the One V is considered a mid-range device, expected to have mass market appeal due to its size, features and what's expected to be a low price. The handset's specifications include a 1GHz processor, 3.7-inch WVGA display, 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RM, an 8 megapixel camera with an advanced BSI sensor all wrapped up in an aluminum unibody shell which looks eerily similar to the HTC Legend HTC introduced at Mobile World Congress two years ago.
The HTC One V is expected to launch globally in April of this year, though there is no indication that the phone is scheduled to be launched by any US carriers. Since the HTC One V features lower-end specs than the other HTC One devices, we expect European carrier to offer the handset for free with new two year service agreements.
- CPU Speed: 1 GHz
- Platform: Androidâ"¢ 4.0 with HTC Senseâ"¢ 4
- Memory1: Total storage:4 GB, RAM: 512 MB
- Expansion slot: microSDâ"¢ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
- Network2: HSPA/WCDMA:E urope/Asia: 850/900/2100 MHz, GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- Sensors
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- G-Sensor
- Connectivity
- 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
- Bluetooth with aptX® enabled (Bluetooth® 4.0)
- Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11b/g/n
- Standard micro-USB (5-pin micro-USB 2.0)
- Camera with ImageSenseâ"¢
- 5 megapixel camera with auto focus, smart LED flash, and BSI sensor (for better low-light captures)
- F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens
- 720p HD video recording
- Dedicated imaging chip
- Capture a photo in the midst of recording HD video
- Continuous shooting mode captures multiple snapshots
- Sound enhancement: Beats Audioâ"¢
- Audio supported formats:
- Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9)
- Recording: .amr
- Video supported formats:
- Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
- Recording: .mp4
- Battery: 1500 mAh
BARCELONA, SPAIN — Mobile World Congress — February 26, 2012 — HTC, a global designer of smartphones, today unveiled its new HTC One series of smartphones that represent its most premium mobile experience with a new level of iconic design and amazing camera and authentic sound experience.
"The best moments in life are captured with a photo or remembered by a song, so it was key for the HTC One series to improve these emotional experiences with an amazing camera and authentic sound experience," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. "We are very focused on creating a camera and audio experience customers will love and use often and we believe the HTC One series delivers this in a way never seen on a phone before."
With HTC's most premium experience, the HTC One series integrates Android 4.0 (ICS) with HTC Senseâ"¢ 4, the new version of HTC's branded user experience that is introducing HTC ImageSenseâ"¢, a new suite of camera and imaging features that set HTC One apart from other phones. HTC Sense 4 also includes broad enhancements to audio quality and simplifies how people listen to music on their phone.
Amazing Camera
With ImageSense HTC One rivals traditional digital cameras with improvements to every part of the camera, including the lens, the sensor, the software, and even integrating a new custom HTC ImageChip. These enhancements combine to deliver our fastest image capture, best image quality under adverse conditions and easiest interface that enables quick access to capturing stills and videos with side-by-side photo and video capture buttons.
- Superfast Capture - HTC One dramatically reduces the time it takes to capture those key moments. In just 0.7 seconds you're able to take a shot, and with a new superfast 0.2-seconds autofocus, continue to take nearly unlimited continuous shots simply by holding the shutter button.
- Good photos in adverse conditions - HTC One delivers dramatic enhancements in image capture quality even in adverse conditions such as low light, no light or with bright backlighting. The f/2.0 lens on the HTC One X and HTC One S offers best-in-class performance, capturing 40 percent more light than the f/2.4 lenses available on other high-end phones. HTC One also includes HDR, a market-leading technology, for taking great photos even when there are varying levels of brightness.
- Video Pic (Concurrent Video/Still Capture) — With Video Pic you capture a photo and shoot video at the same time. Now, while you're shooting HD video, all you have to do is tap the shutter button and it snaps a high-resolution still photo while the video continues to shoot. You are also able to capture a photo frame from a previously recorded video.
- Dropbox integrated with HTC Sense - HTC One gives you an easy way to save and share your photos and videos. HTC has integrated Dropbox into HTC Sense 4 enabling HTC One customers to get 25 gigabytes of free Dropbox space for two years. That's enough to keep more than 10,000 high-quality photos. Dropbox is also integrated throughout HTC Sense 4, so it's easy to edit, save and share your documents and other kinds of files.
- Sharing your photos and more - HTC One gives you a new way to share your photos and videos. When you plug in HTC's wireless Media Link HD* accessory into your TV's HDMI port, you can easily share your photos, videos, or anything else on your phone with your friends, family or colleagues regardless of the television's brand as long as it has HDMI.
Authentic Sound
With HTC One, Beats By Dr. Dre Audioâ"¢ integration is enabled for the first time across the entire experience for richer, more authentic sound whether you're listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTubeâ"¢ video or playing a game. HTC One also makes it easy to get and listen to your music on your phone with the built-in HTC Sync Manager software that automatically installs to your computer when connected. Once connected, it is easy to transfer songs, artists and playlists from your music library
Of course, people today no longer just listen to the songs stored on their phones; they use streaming services and tune into Internet radio. So HTC One lets you customize the new Music Hub with your favorite services and music applications, like the latest Soundhound technology, giving you one place to go for all of your music.
HTC One lets you take all of your music anywhere, including the car. With HTC One, you get an easy way to bring your mobile music to your car's sound system with the HTC Car Stereo Clip*. It also lets you connect to your music through more than 50 thousand online radio stations worldwide or play music from any service or app on your phone through your car speakers. All this makes HTC One the one place to enjoy all your music, wherever you are, with the power of Beats By Dr. Dre Audio and HTC Car.
HTC One V
Utilizing the classic, award-winning design of the HTC Legend, the HTC One V brings top-end design to a smartphone with broad appeal and a premium experience that delivers an amazing camera and authentic sound. It features a simple, iconic aluminum unibody design that exudes craftsmanship and quality.
Global Availability
With unprecedented excitement, the HTC One series will begin shipping in April with broad global availability available beginning in April through more than 140 mobile operators and distributors globally. For more information and to pre-register for HTC One visit www.htc.com.
HTC One Series
Europe, Middle East and Africa - A1 Austria, BH Telecom Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bite Lithuania, Bouygues Telecom France, Cellcom Israel, Cosmote Greece, Cosmote Romania & Global Bulgaria, Cyta Cyprus, E-Plus Germany, Elisa Estonia, Elisa Finland, EMT Estonia, Euroset Russia, Everything Everywhere UK, H3G Austria, H3G Denmark, H3G Ireland, H3G Sweden, H3G UK, KPN Netherlands, Turkcell Turkey, LMT Latvia, M-Tel Bulgaria, Meteor Ireland, Mirs Israel, Mobilezone Switzerland, Avea Turkey, MTN Cyprus, Netcom Norway, O2 Germany, O2 Ireland, O2 UK, Omnitel Lithuania, Orange Austria, Orange France, Orange Israel, Orange Poland, Orange Romania, Orange Slovakia, Orange Switzerland, Pelephone Israel, Play Poland, MTS Russia, SFR France, SiMobil Slovenia, Sunrise Switzerland, Svyaznoy Russia, Swisscom Switzerland, T-Mobile Austria, T-Mobile Croatia, T-Mobile Czech Republic, T-Mobile Germany, T-Mobile Hungary, T-Mobile Macedonia, T-Mobile Netherlands, T-Mobile Slovakia, TDC Denmark, Tele2 Estonia, Tele2 Latvia, Tele2 Lithuania, Telefonica Czech Republic, Telekom Slovenia, Telenor Denmark, Telenor Hungary, Telenor Montenegro, Telenor Norway, Telenor Serbia, Telenor Sweden, Telia Denmark, Telia Sweden, TIM Italy, Tusmobil Slovenia, Vipnet Croatia, VIP Mobile Serbia, VIP Operator Macedonia, Virgin UK, Vodafone Czech Republic, Vodafone Germany, Vodafone Greece, Vodafone Hungary, Vodafone Ireland, Vodafone Italy, Vodafone Netherlands, Vodafone Romania, Vodafone Turkey, Vodafone UK, Wind Greece North America: AT&T, Bell Mobility, Best Buy, C-Spire, Cellcom, Fido, Metro PCS, Bluegrass, OpenMobile, RadioShack, Rogers Communications, T-Mobile USA, Target, TELUS, U.S. Cellular, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Mobile CanadaLatin America: Cellcom, Claro Argentina (América Móvil), Claro Perú (América Móvil), Claro Puerto Rico (América Móvil), Entel Chile, Iusacell México, Movistar Chile (Telefónica), nTelos, Telcel México (América Móvil), Telecom Personal Argentina, Telefónica Brazil, Asia-Pacific: AIS, Bharti Airtel, China Mobile (TD-SCDMA), ChungHwa Telecom, 3HK, CSL, DiGi, DTAC, Fareastone, Globe Telecom, Indosat, M1, Mobifone, Maxis, Optus, SingTel, Smart, Smartone, StarHub, Taiwan Mobile, Telkomsel, Telstra, Viettel, Vinaphone, Vivo, Vodafone Australia, Vodafone New Zealand, XL Axiata, TRUE


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gr8signal - help to measure SA's mobile networks
An independent, crowdsourced measure of South Africas mobile network coverage
gr8signal - help to measure SA's mobile networks
An independent, crowdsourced measure of South Africas mobile network coverage
Best line:
"and MyBroadband, a company that specialises in awesome"
10 points
Great (gr8) idea and application.
An independent view of network coverage in SA.
Recommend all (Android) users install the app.
Not sure what happens if you don't have wifi to upload - enable Turbo Mode?
9c/l fuel levy would pay off GFIP in 8 years
Telkom ADSL "legal" contention ratio is 20:1
"IPC bandwidth is 4x the cost of international bandwidth" - Afrihost
A great app, finally we can see what the real coverage is like.
Nice app, but what benefit does it have over something like opensignalmaps?
Heccers! I dig it
I like it, would be interesting to see what the networks will say about the constant red areas
It's going to be interesting to see how much of the country is going to be red when the map gets updated next - I imagine that the number of people with the app installed has more than doubled today
Prediction: what's shown on gr8signal is going to differ from the "official" operator-supplied signal maps quite substantially!
The world would be better off if it were run by engineers.
I like the idea, but "gr8signal"? Really? Are we preteens?
Several professional companies are using Mxit language. One example being:
Lekker app!
Hi Calypso
For one the application is focused only on South Africa so hopefully we'll give a better view on whats going specifically for our country.
Also with registration you will be able to download the data you logged. That way you can also get more information from it. ( We should be enabling all the accounts at the latest by tomorrow hopefully latter today.)
http://www.greatsignal.co.za/ Will also work. It was more to have something that would work for a .com as Jan mentioned. As were focusing on South Africa http://gr8signal.co.za is the one were focusing on.
Though we wanted to cover all the common URLs that people type in.


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chewybaws wrote:
The deadlifts ruined my grip, I have a feeling without the deadlifts I'd have managed more chins. Although that's my PB for chins, I've not marked it as improvement, because my last record was 6/5/3 nearly a MONTH ago. 2 rep improvement in a month! I am much heavier now, but that's hardly an excuse.
I've said this before, but don't let the pull/chin-ups get you down. It's such a slow progress with these exercises.
chewybaws wrote:I NEED to start doing cardio soon, I've been meaning to go out tues/thurs (days between lifting) for a very light 20 min run but always make up an excuse not to.
Have you thought about doing light barbell complexes instead?


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Mini Ninjas
This mini ninja character pack includes 3 of cartoon ninjas (2 boys and 1 girl) character for 2D side scrolling adventure games. These characters also great for 2d endless run type games. Japanese game charcaters.
This includes 17 animations for each ninja :
- Deffending
- Dying
- Falling Down
- Hiding
- Hurt
- Idle
- Jump Loop
- Jump Start
- Run Slashing
- Run Throwing
- Runnning
- Slashing
- Slashing in The Air
- Sliding
- Throwing
- Throwing in The Air
- Walking
The main file includes :
- .AI ("Mini Ninja 01, Mini Ninja 02, Mini Ninja 03" Illustrator File)
- .EPS (24 files for each character vector part, 72 total)
- .PNG Sequences (30 fps images for each character animation of 480 x 480 pixel size)
- .PNG Files(For each character vector art and game objects)
- .SCML (3 Spriter source files used to create the animation or re-export the PNG sequences)
- .Unitypackage (3 importable unity files, including .prefab, .controller, and for each vector parts)
Features :
- 100% vector
- Customizable vector part
- Editable or add the animation using spriter.
- Unity ready
Notes :
- Minimum Adobe CS Version to open the .AI file (CS5).
- Use the "Brashmonkey Spriter" to open the .SCML animation file. Download the spriter software here
- To make the character animation works well in Unity, it requires Spriter2UnityDX tool. Download the Spriter2UnityDX here
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- File Formats: PNG Sequences | EPS | Spriter | Unity
- Animation Sequences: See description
- Artist is For Hire: Inquire
- View More By AFR_Artist
For free game art, initiate the checkout process as if you were buying the item. On checkout, you won't be asked for a credit card or Paypal information (if your total cart value is $0.00). Your cart can combine free and paid items.
License Terms - Short version: Purchasing art from our site grants you a license to use the art for commercial or non-commercial apps / digital media. Although the original artist is the copyright holder, you are granted a license to use the art in your app or game. As long as you keep to the terms of the license, the artist will never make a copyright claim against that usage, nor could any other licensee of the same art package (as they are not the copyright holder). Common sense, right? To read the full version of our art licensing terms, click here.


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The TV Acad has added 10 members to its board of governors, including Lily Tomlin, A&E Network exec David McKillop and helmer Gail Mancuso.
The new additions to the board will begin serving two-year terms in January. Newly elected peer group reps are: Tony Carey (production executives), Ed Greene (sound), Kieran Healy (electronic production), Michael Levine (music), Mancuso (directors), McKillop (reality programming), Brian O'Rourke (commercials), Seth Shapiro (interactive media), Tomlin (performers) and Screech Washington (producers).
"I'm extremely excited that this new board will be balanced with governors of varying levels of Television Academy experience, giving us fresh ideas and perspectives from first-time governors as well as great insights, expertise and continuity from returning governors," said ATAS chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum.
In addition to the new recruits, the board re-elected 10 members to second terms and nine members extended longer-term tenures.


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Perfect Imaging, From Theory to Reality via Simulations
Valerio Marra September 27, 2013
Perfect imaging refers to the idea of producing images with details below the diffraction limit, where even the smallest elements can be resolved to unlimited sharpness regardless of the wavelength of light being used. While just a theory 150 years ago, research has brought us closer to reality over the years. Now, by way of simulation, researchers at Cedint Polytechnic University of Madrid in Spain are taking it one step further.Read More
Jennifer Segui September 23, 2013
A team of medical physicists at the Cross Cancer Institute in Alberta, Canada has come up with an innovative approach to treat cancer. In affiliation with The Linac-MR Project, the team led by Gino Fallone aims to improve the accuracy of cancer treatment by reducing damage to healthy tissue surrounding a tumor site, while ensuring the tumor receives the intended radiation dose. They are accomplishing this through the development of a hybrid linear particle accelerator (Linac) integrated with magnetic resonance […]Read More
Jennifer Segui September 17, 2013
The unique properties of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation enabled countless innovations in recent decades, including the development of radar systems. Depending on the frequency, RF radiation can travel through solid insulating structures, typical atmospheric conditions, clouds, and rain with only minimal losses allowing for its use over long ranges and in varied weather conditions. The aerospace and defense industries have expanded and progressed rapidly as a result of using radar systems for detection and classification tasks to determine if […]Read More
Andrew Griesmer September 13, 2013
Starting the design process by testing on a small scale is often the best way to tackle issues affecting large objects, like a ship. Detailed in COMSOL News 2013, researchers at INSEAN, The Italian Ship Model Basin, used small-scale testing and then simulation to analyze the effect of placing a sonar system within the bulbous bow at the hull of a ship. Using a small-scale model of a bulbous bow, the researchers at INSEAN performed fluid-structure interaction experiments, and subsequently […]Read More
Matheus Fernandes August 9, 2013
Suppose we have a rectangular microchannel containing a laminar flow with Reynolds number Re = 1. Next, let's randomly distribute suspended particles at the channel's inlet. Given that there are no external forces acting on these particles, you would intuitively expect that the particles would trace the fluid streamline. However, scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Veryst Engineering would disagree, and their research findings suggest a completely different pattern than what would be expected. The researchers claim that depending […]Read More
Fanny Littmarck July 16, 2013
Our day-to-day lives are dependent on the safety of technical systems and processes. We blindly trust that reactor vessels withstand the test of time, that the train or ship we're on does not break down. These metal structures, in turn, rely on accurate welding processes. Here's where BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing comes into the picture. BAM researchers have been working on improving upon the high-power laser beam welding process in order to promote safer and more […]Read More
Edmund Dickinson June 27, 2013
During my time as a PhD student, a blue "Chemical Landmark" plaque was fitted to the building a couple of hundred yards down the road from my lab. The plaque commemorates the achievements of the researchers who made the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery viable. Whether or not you know about the electrochemistry of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, you probably rely on one. We carry them around in our phones and laptops, and ride in cars and planes that use them for power. […]Read More
Andrew Griesmer June 24, 2013
Sharp is a powerhouse in the electronics industry, involved in televisions, liquid crystal displays, LED lighting systems, solar cells, multi-function business machines, and many other electronics-based products. One of a global network of Sharp R&D laboratories, Sharp Laboratories of Europe (located in Oxford, England), has been busy researching and developing LED lighting, display technology, microfluidic lab-on-a-chip, and energy systems for incorporation into Sharp's products.Read More
Laura Bowen June 18, 2013
If you roast a turkey for dinner and you need to check the temperature, the technology exists to find it. But what happens if the temperature is so hot that a consumer-grade thermometer, or any man-made device, really, would instantly melt and be destroyed? This might not be a common occurrence in your kitchen, but it is a real concern in blast furnaces, where temperatures can reach close to 1,500°C. Simply guessing is far from safe. Luckily, by simulating with […]Read More
Alexandra Foley June 10, 2013
When I was little, I used to love spending the night at my grandparents' house, where I was allowed to watch TV, stay up late, and in the morning, help my grandmother make pancakes. The hardest part was always waiting for her old, slow electric burner to heat up — to my six-year-old self, it seemed to take hours for the burner to become hot enough after we'd finished mixing the batter. Luckily for me, and for other impatient chefs […]Read More
Wolfgang Joppich April 24, 2013
This week we have the honor of having Professor Wolfgang Joppich as a guest blogger. As you may know, COMSOL Multiphysics provides great default solvers for all applications. For the interested user, it is good to know that you can optionally tune or completely change the solver settings. We strongly recommend that you read this blog posting to get an experts' perspective on the solver technologies offered by COMSOL. I am an avid reader of the COMSOL Blog and an […]Read More