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Sunday, January 24, 2010
You're Not In The Target Audience!
I know you think that it's clever or insightful to insinuate that we're not part of the "target audience" whenever we dislike an Xkcd that you liked because of its nerd references or whatever, but I think you should know that it's just not true. And it hurts, deep down where I'm soft like a woman, every time you say it.
The problem is it's not true, unless Xkcd's target audience is "everyone who likes Xkcd," which it isn't. Xkcd's target audience has always been, broadly, "nerds." Or more specifically, people who like nerdy humor. A lot of the appeal of Xkcd in its early days is that it felt like a comic that was made by People Like Us. Then it stopped being funny.
A lot of people seem to assume that the regulars here lack sufficient nerd cred to be considered part of the target audience. Maybe it's not apparent, but this is simply not true. We have mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, and engineers, all of whom dislike the comic--often because, not in spite of, their expertise in the fields. There are several instances where I personally thought a comic was at least okay, only to find that it seriously offended someone who knew more about the field.
At the same time, it is worth noting that I'm not a stereotypical nerd. I'm a social scientist; I like creative writing and studying culture. I note this primarily because for the longest time, Xkcd was not just stereotypical nerd humor. This is easy to miss. It wasn't just a comic that was "LOL science!"--indeed, 3/4 of the comic's self-description is "romance, sarcasm, and language," all traditionally the fields of us non-hard-science people. Xkcd was remarkable because it bridged the gap between the nerdy and the non-nerdy. In many ways it marked a change in the culture, where being into traditionally nerdy things did not make you a social pariah, and where people who were not into traditionally nerdy things could still be at home among nerds.
In many ways this has not changed (more on that in a bit); it's the quality of humor that has declined. There is a reason that it has gone from possibly my favorite webcomic to a webcomic I'm happy to regularly say sucks on a blog. It's not that the target audience changed or I stopped being part of it; it's that it started sucking.
Now, has the target audience changed to an extent? Certainly. It is much more focused on the dregs of internet culture now, deriving humor from memes, memes, memes. "Hey guys, have you heard about the internet? IT IS HILARIOUS." The thing is, while this is certainly contributing to the comic's decline, it still doesn't alienate any of us from the target audience. Indeed, if anything this represents a broadening of the target audience.
Perhaps that's part of the problem--the comic was once geared towards "people who liked things which were clever," and is now geared towards "people who are complete idiots." If that's the case, then I'm proudly not part of the target audience, and happy to continue mocking it.
Finally, I'd like to point out this is mostly another ad hominem attack--it fails to actually respond to any of the points we raise about why Xkcd sucks.
Have an evening.
36 comments:
Sorry for contributing to the eventual circlejerk, but wow, Rob. Great post. Your description of what xkcd used to have but now lost (no, not dignity, I mean that other thing which made it funny) is excellent.ReplyDelete
Strange to say this of a post on a blog about a webcomic, but it was also fairly insightful in the way those things that don't really tell you anything new but organize all your disjointed notions often are.
There's a few things I'd like to say, and this will probably look like an argument but I agree with everything you said; I'm just trying to add to it.
Xkcd's target audience has always been, broadly, "nerds." Or more specifically, people who like nerdy humor. A lot of the appeal of Xkcd in its early days is that it felt like a comic that was made by People Like Us. Then it stopped being funny.
I keep repeating this, but I think it's not irrelevant: This decline in relatability coincides with Randall's transition from an existentially confused, shy, childish (in the positive sense) scientist (at NASA, no less) with an odd sense of humor to a perverted, pandering, crude stalker who makes a living off a webcomic into which he won't even bother putting effort.
Now, I'm not an expert but I think the stereotype of a "nerd" evolved after the "nerd" itself. We can't really call people whom the stereotype refers to -or part of whom it refers to, possibly- nerds because, well being a stereotype it is somewhat imprecise. It's a heuristic used by the outgroup. Being imprecise, it is also uninteresting to the ingroup, or the "nerds" themselves: In the best case, it is uninspired and dull; in the worst case it is downright offensive.
Given this, I think reality wouldn't contradict a guess that xkcd's idea of a nerd went from the ingroup knowledge to the outgroup stereotype, and consequently it lost appeal [to us]. Now you won't like this, Rob, but if we infer from the the art then the artist has traded an intimate familiarity with "nerds" to a second hand stereotype of them.
This is of course a crazy thing to propose because why would someone stop being nerdy just because they changed their job? You'd think it would take a hell of a lot more outside force to, uh, make a nerd into a non-nerd. Now to be fair, I bet Randall still thinks of himself as a nerd, but interestingly his self-image appears now -from the comic- to incorporate precious little which is not part of the popular nerd stereotype. And people I don't think people really stereotype themselves, so this implies some things about him.
A lot of people seem to assume that the regulars here lack sufficient nerd cred to be considered part of the target audience. Maybe it's not apparent, but this is simply not true.ReplyDelete
Also, a lot of people here count the Fourier transform comic among their favorites, me included. Anyone who knows enough to understand Fourier transforms, but dislikes a comic about a barely high-school level prime number proof, clearly does not dislike it because he is not in the "target audience".
Also, if I am not in the target audience, should art really have the right to piss me off? Not understanding something when I'm out of my depth is fine for me, but I don't like the idea of an "anti-target audience".
We have mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, and engineers,
Don't forget at least one [future] biologist.
[Xkcd] wasn't just a comic that was "LOL science!"
More than that, it was never about science or math at all, I think. It was more of a way of looking at things which tends to be common (and obvious, both to themselves and others) in mathematicians and scientists. I'm sure, on the other hand, everyone can think of lots of scientists, or mathematicians who are very competent but not nerds at all. Or "nerds" who haven't gone to college.
Hence the relation to social acceptance: It's weird and socially reprehensible to be obsessed with a differential equation to the point of neglecting your life and society, which a common stereotype would have nerds do. The same is not true for a nerd's way of approaching things; it is neither reprehensible nor acknowledged by the stereotype. (Which makes sense, since a stereotype should be simple and easy to apply- figuring out how someone thinks takes time, effort and attention.)
[Xkcd] is now geared towards "people who are complete idiots."
Well, I realise that's an intentional sweep but I would say it targets nerds, as thought of by someone who doesn't know or understand nerds very well. I'm doubtful Randall consciously presumes an idiotic audience, but then again, who knows. I know I'm not so sure anymore.
PS: I knew it! You definitely sound like a social scientist. Now I wonder why was I so sure you were doing math/physics?
- Sam WestJanuary 24, 2010 at 7:00 PM
I wrote a guestpost about comic 962 before I read this... I said basically the same thing... I fail.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 24, 2010 at 9:10 PM
Comic 693:-ReplyDelete
Nobody:What would happen if Narnia/The Phantom Toll Booth was real?
Randall: Well, no one would believe the people who went through.
Everyone else: No shit.
- AnonymousJanuary 24, 2010 at 9:50 PM
I think the joke is that they always find themselves or some shit, but in reality this would be a glaring fuck up on the rest of their natural lives. Not just that they wouldn't be believed.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 24, 2010 at 9:57 PM
HAHAHAH HILARIOUS.ReplyDelete
oh wait, no.
And my god does he just repeat the "punchline" in the title text now? Why even have it?
- AnonymousJanuary 24, 2010 at 10:00 PM
Well said. I still find myself enjoying the old xkcd comics, but the new ones are pretty impossible to stomach. Especially when looking at things like Comic 692, which fails to actually make a joke, other then A) Wouldn't it be funny if in Dirty Harry he was inturrupted mid famous monolouge (to the tune of xkcd is now just a webcomic in which Randall points out stupid jokes he thought of while watching classic movies) and B) Counting is serious math, and only Rain Man can count to six (in which Randall is basically saying he wouldn't be caught in the same situations as characters in movies because he's smart).ReplyDelete
I suppose it was the logical extreme of the direction of mathematics Randall's been going in though--from Fourier transforms to *counting* at which point, the target audience is now comprised primarily of people who like recycled jokes and those who enjoy watching the pathetic downfall of someone who stopped taking the time to put genuine thought into their comics.
I never hated Randall for stick figures, but he's pretty clearly shown that he can do better then that. I liked the stick figures for their ability to prioritize content over graphics. Randall, if anything, seems to be going in the opposite direction now (well, the graphics are usually still stick figures, but when they aren't---xkcd 631 happens).
And I still do believe Randall is intentionally targeting (or trying to target) nerds, but he forgot to put the thought and care into his comments and came up with something that reminds me of myself when I make a socially awkward joke that isn't funny because I didn't think carefully. The difference is that half the time *I* catch those jokes before I make them, and that's in the split second the thought comes to me. Randall's trying to make a webcomic where he gets at least two days of forethought before it.
As for 693, I fail to see a joke, yet again. Perhaps it's supposed to be some sort of philisophical conundrum, but it doesn't really make me think. It's not that horrible, but it's not xkcd anymore.
I do consider myself in the target audience for xkcd, but not in the audience that xkcd actually attracts. And I miss the old xkcd. Randall may just think we're some standard critics, and hey, everyone's got them, but there's no way that any "Penny Arcade Sucks" or "Questionable Content Sucks" community has nearly the following of xkcd sucks or even the same kind of content (few comics get the "used to be good, now sucks" treatment from people who dislike it).
So why can't Randall start thinking again, drop the sex (I don't mind profanity/adult content, but it's not fitting in xkcd, and it's never been funny, not once) and stupid movie jokes (the timeline was very original and pretty cool, but most of his stuff is changing a one-liner from a movie that stands out in too many other ways), and bring back the xkcd we once loved?
Probably because too many xkcd 'fans' still exist, husks with nothing to do but pretend stuff is funny and insult those who think it isn't.
Hey guys check out this article I linked it in the previous post but it's pretty great.ReplyDelete
Dude is basically saying that the if the hero never comes back from her archetypical journey, the author has fucked up. You're not getting "incredible events transform you, and you transform people in incredible ways", you're just getting "run away from all your problems into an imaginary world where you totally rock."
Actually, anon... 693's pretty horrible, alright.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 25, 2010 at 12:44 AM
Your explanation of what you liked about XKCD back in the day is right on the money; what made it so refreshing to read was how it treated nerdiness as something to be celebrated and shared with everyone, rather than as a social stigma or as a reason for superiority. I just disagree with you that XKCD has profoundly changed.ReplyDelete
I mean, yes, sometimes you have comics without a lot of merit, and sometimes you have downright shitty comics. But if you read the archive from any point you run into some that are decent, some that are great, and a lot that are sappy, redundant, boring, etc. The thing that I've seen change is the extent of XKCD's readership; I run into more and more people who aren't like me who really like XKCD. As a result, I think I've attributed a lot of the XKCD hate here as a way of distancing yourselves from the "people who are complete idiots" who comment on the forums and talk about XKCD.
Therefore, I propose a challenge. First, break XKCD's archive into maybe three time periods: early, heyday, and what you see as the period of sucky decline. Second, identify the things that you think XKCD has lost in the decline period (originality, insight, drawing quality, all the stuff you criticize regularly). Then, take a random sample from each time period and assess it on those qualities. If you can show that a sample of current XKCD comics is worse according to some pre defined metrics than were they heyday comics, then you'll have proved your point. Otherwise, maybe something else explains your change of opinion.
- AnonymousJanuary 25, 2010 at 3:19 AM
I LIKED XKCD BEFORE IT WAS COOLReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 25, 2010 at 3:19 AM
I dunno if you guys spotted it but TVTropes seems to be run by some of the XKCD hardcore. Maybe he's pandering to that audience a little with 693 and 692. TVTropes gets a nice few mentions in the forums and that's only from my experience of going there when I don't get the comic or when I'm linked to them from here. That being said, he's doing it badly. I love TVTropes but the only reason I go to XKCD anymore is so I can see you guys criticise it.ReplyDelete
The problem is twofold:ReplyDelete
1) xkcd suffers from the clichéd "it's popular so it sucks" I hate being one of those people who starts hating on something just because of its fanbase, and xkcd's fanbase isn't my only reason for hating it, but it is a problem. xkcd would suck a lot less if so many people didn't think it was so fucking awesome and have to mention it and share every comic with you all the damn time, like they're so super cool for knowing about it.
2) Because it's popular, Randy has an ego. He's so damn full of himself, he doesn't give a shit anymore. He only cares about pandering to the legions of fans and giving them what they want (ie, LOL SCIENCE and MEMES), rather than trying to be clever and witty like he used to be.
The target audience hasn't changed (though I'd agree with Rob and say that it has perhaps simply broadened), Randall just doesn't care about his audience anymore. Sadly, the typical xkcd fan doesn't realize this.
Well DUH, 3:19.ReplyDelete
Don't have a lot of time right now.ReplyDelete
"As a result, I think I've attributed a lot of the XKCD hate here as a way of distancing yourselves from the "people who are complete idiots" who comment on the forums and talk about XKCD."
The problem with this theory is I didn't start disliking it because of the fans; I started disliking it when I started hanging around here as an XKCD apologist. As the new comics kept coming out and kept being mediocre, I was eventually forced to change my tune.
"First, break XKCD's archive into maybe three time periods: early, heyday, and what you see as the period of sucky decline. Second, identify the things that you think XKCD has lost in the decline period (originality, insight, drawing quality, all the stuff you criticize regularly). Then, take a random sample from each time period and assess it on those qualities. If you can show that a sample of current XKCD comics is worse according to some pre defined metrics than were they heyday comics, then you'll have proved your point. Otherwise, maybe something else explains your change of opinion."
The biggest problem here is that would require me to spend more time reading XKCD's archives than I would care to. The other problem, which is methodological in nature, is it would work okay if someone went through and broke them up based on certain landmarks of terribleness and then fed them to random people, but as an experiment on one person it's not likely to work.
What you'd need is to find people who have never read XKCD, after dividing the comic up into your proposed eras. A decent sample would be necessary. Then you'd feed them each a bunch of the comics and ask each of the groups which ones they liked on a numerical scale.
Of course, that would only tell if people who had never read XKCD like the different eras; it wouldn't measure whether the target audience has changed, nor the effect that comparing the good older XKCDs might have on your perception of the newer ones.
Let's say you watch a movie which is basically a low-grade Star Wars ripoff, without ever watching Star Wars--not a bad movie in its own right, and you enjoyed it. It had all the elements you like in a movie, and you're really none the wiser about there being the same movie but better out there. You call it 8/10.
Then you watch Star Wars. You watch it and it's like the old movie, except better, and the old movie pales in comparison. Even if ultimately Star Wars is only an 8/10 on your movie scale, it has redefined what you think of the old one--now it might have gone down to a 5/10.
But here you run into a problem, where if you introduce the sample to the good set of XKCD they might decide that they like all of them--perhaps they think the experiment might have positive results for XKCD if they respond positively.
This is to say nothing of the difficulty to find people within the so-called target audience who have not read XKCD at any point.
xkcd is to be written as either XKCD or xkcd, but never Xkcd.ReplyDelete
I'm not saying that because I respect the name of xkcd, but because missing something that is explicitly answered in xkcd's about page (near the bottom) is a huge hit to credibility.
But Rob, is it not so that truth if it be such is not destroyed by other truth? If what we would hold true, is vanquished by another truth, elsewise known to be such, and thus contradicted, it is surely not truth indeed. What is true does not contradict itself: a thing may not be both great and slight.ReplyDelete
Is it not also so that in likewise manner, existence of a thing may not be voided by existence of another? For how can a thing exist and yet fail to do so, based merely on the knowledge of him who observes? And what of differently informed observer?
That said, I urge you to explain me this: how is it that the merits and good qualities of a film, allied to its essence as they are in their permanence, but be dispelled as corollary to existence of another film, or worse yet mere knowledge of it, as if the devotions of a dishonorable gentleman to his good wife, which falter at the mere sight, or even knowledge of another amorous maid? Clearly either has been shown blatantly untrue by instability of its being, being at once absent and yet not so, as if a mirage of the desert.
Thus tell me this at your esteemed disgression, is it not so that qualities of a meritous likeness of a film by Mr. Lucas may not have their beings be contingent on lack of knowledge, as has been said?
Moreover, kindly advise me on this matter, for is it also not evident that judgement passed in ignorance is not to be relied upon, for it may lead the judge to ruin as a tampered compass may lead its ship to ruin? Can it be false then, with any likelihood, that xkcd has not a course for bearing merit to one man which it lacks wholly for another?
With respect then, sir, I shall assert, the reasonable facts of our matter being thus laid bare, we have no option but to recourse to our reason's order, unless it has transpired that we are not sane and competent adults, but frivolous children of a dubious mind. As is the kidney stored in a refrigerator inevitably to pursue a movement towards dairy milk, such is it without escape certain that if xkcds of past have possessed merit, that merit shall appear to us as much as them, it not being the case that either of us is of unsound mind.
Rest easy then, my dear friend Robert, as we need not concern ourselves with the identity of the appraiser. The merit shall not remain hid regardless of who he may be; as such, that honour of appraisal I would be pleased to extend to you.
"xkcd is to be written as either XKCD or xkcd, but never Xkcd.ReplyDelete
I'm not saying that because I respect the name of xkcd, but because missing something that is explicitly answered in xkcd's about page (near the bottom) is a huge hit to credibility."
Yeah, the reason that I write it Xkcd is as an intentional act of disrespect. Way to catch on!
Alex, yes that's true. But then isn't it a bit capriciois to order grammar and orthography around like that? It's the worst kind of prescriptivism, he barely even invented the "word"; it exists only in a horridly circular definition.ReplyDelete
The whole thing was a probably a joke in the first place, of a very mildly hilarious (to me at least) kind which goes out the window the moment it gets in the way of actual discussion, and good riddance I say.
And besides, who wants to have stupid looking sentences that start with a lowercase letter? That would be like buying an xkcd tie for your cat, except that your sentences are not malicious, cruel hearted, heinous assholes who probably deserved it in the first place. Hopefully.
Also, I meant liver not kidney, dammit. It's the liver that moves towards the milk. I think.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 25, 2010 at 6:38 PM
I think it's unfeasible to construct a sample of responders who don't know XKCD at all, which is why testing to see what people's holistic reaction is to early and late comics isn't really possible, even though it would be the best test. That's why I'm suggesting that you and Carl, who seems to have a list of attributes of current XKCD characteristics that make it suck, should analyze them on some predetermined, generally objective characteristics, like art sloppiness, dialog after punchline, makes an interesting point, etc. This could be as simple as looking at categories, like reference jokes, puns, thought experiments and sex jokes, and seeing how the frequencies have changed. Of course you guys aren't objective, and would know which ones came from which time period, but you could probably be honest in ranking on criterion like that.ReplyDelete
Right, but a thoroughly scientific experiment of it, one that is bereft of any sort of experimenter bias, is the only way to really be "objective" (I kind of hate that word). Anything else is a flawed experiment at best.ReplyDelete
I'm not saying it's a bad idea, of course. But I don't want to delve through the archives like that. If someone were to categorize them I'm sure we could come up with some criteria.
Though I'm not sure how that would take into account for ideas that we liked at first that Randy just kind of did to death.
- Jay_toolazytosigninJanuary 25, 2010 at 8:23 PM
You know, it actually bothers me that you write it Xkcd. I know it's stupid but I just can't help it.ReplyDelete
I was feeling particularly snarky.ReplyDelete
- Saint CadJanuary 26, 2010 at 8:14 AM
There are those who say we are not xkcd's target audience.ReplyDelete
I concur.
But that is because RanDULL now writes to the whiny little bitchboys (hence the domineering/always correct women) who fantasize about sex 29/8 (one word - Megan) and think that they are cool because they know about the latest pop-tech fad(have any of them really read an issue of Wired?)
it's interesting what you're saying about nerd culture and randy's relation to it.ReplyDelete
earlier xkcd seemed kind of unaware of how nerdy it was. it was just earnestly joking and pondering and where it was coming from with its jokes and ponderings happened to be a nerdy background.
but now randy seems conscious that he is writing a Nerdy Comic for Nerdy People, so he's lost that casual...i guess you could call it innocence...about his own perspective.
it's the difference between the lyrics of a musician who's writing about his life of bar fights and being down and out, and then his attempts to write similar lyrics after he's made it big and decamped to a mansion in Laurel Canyon.
Keep: yes, there is definitely a level of self-awareness which can be bad for a comic. Most often, the most honest ways to capture a subculture are when you are writing about it without really being aware you're writing about it. Randall was just writing about things that interested him. I'm going to credit him with a level of awareness--he knew that he was a nerd, and he might have known about the cultural phenomenon he described, but it wasn't his focus. He was mostly writing stuff that he wanted to write.ReplyDelete
Not everyone lets fame get to them, but in Randall's case, I think he had the problem that: while he is sensitive to criticism, he is sensitive to both positive and negative criticism. Which is to say, when his comic picked up, he took all of the praise to heart. He became keenly aware of what he had become famous for, and decided to try to make his comic more like the things he was famous for.
The best analogy I can think of here is probably M Night Shyamalan. He wrote a couple movies with twist endings that made them famous. People liked the twists, so it sort of became his thing. Now every movie he made was built entirely around a twist ending, or, in some cases, a long series of twists so you can't tell what the actual twist is (except you can, because if the twist is that there isn't a twist it would be lame). He became so wrapped up in the twistiness of his films they started imploding on themselves.
Anonymous @ 3:19 AM:ReplyDelete
The thing that first got me to look up xkcdSucks was when an xkcd comic mentioned the Voynich Manuscript and some of the more annoying xkcd fans insisted that the manuscript's Wikipedia entry needed an xkcd "in popular media" listing.
TV Tropes caters directly to the sort of person who would do that. "I just noticed this show has wood in it. I'm going to list it on TV Tropes, under the trope 'Floats like a Duck.'" (Yes, I'm obscurely referencing one of the good xkcds, but the point still stands.)
- AnonymousJanuary 26, 2010 at 3:02 PM
If the anons keep saying those things, rob, and you say they aren't true, that what's the real difference between you and a person who actually likes XKCD? Did it just rape your mom or something? It doesn't suck that bad to make a fucking blog on it does it?ReplyDelete
Yes, it does.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 26, 2010 at 3:34 PM
I know the very next post here is going to call me a rabid XKCD fan, but I refuse to try to legitimize my post by acting like I don't like XKCD....ReplyDelete
I just want to put it out there that you may have identified the audience slightly wrong: I'm a female (socially adept) computer engineer with a pretty heavy liberal arts focus on the side. And clever or not, the strip often picks up the kinds of thoughts that I have but never have permission to express - too nerdy for my humanities friends, not nerdy enough for the engineers.
The reason I like XKCD is because of that recognition of "yeah, this is the way I think - thank goodness I'm not completely insane" - doesn't matter if I relate to the scenario or not, I recognize the thought process behind it.
And yeah, I generally think it's funny too, but granted I've always made similar jokes and not a lot of people laugh at them so I learned to shut my mouth, for the most part....
That being said, I take issue with the analysis that this is a case of the transition from viewing nerds from an "in-group" to "out-of-group" perspective - my feeling has always been that XKCD is about struggling at the boundaries of nerdiness, so it is precisely the conflict between the "in-group" and "out-of-group" that makes XKCD funny. If you feel like you fit into one of those two groups (either you ARE a nerd - in, or you recognize and find nerds funny - out), then you'll find strips that lean more one side or the other funnier.
Note that Randall is a scientist who coped admirably with the transition to fame (ie he's a bit of both) - not that I think the writer of the strip is particularly relevant if you enjoy the rest of it.
My personal theory on why you all have transitioned from "love" to "hate" has little to do with the comic itself, it's more like the way a relationship works: first you had this honeymoon phase where every time XKCD posted a comic you related to, you cheered and loved it, and if you didn't relate, you just ignored it.
But as you spent more time reading XKCD you found that more and more strips didn't relate to you, so you started getting irritated, and feeling like the strip as a whole "just wasn't funny", at which point you broke up. Fair enough. I think this explains why if you read this blog carefully, people here tend to think opposite strips are the epitome of funny//not funny - I really think there are two main camps of dislikers.
Also I enjoy reading this blog because I think this whole phenomenon is fascinating to watch, and I like having a twist on my interpretation of a given comic - you guys are pretty decent humor critics, and I've learned a thing or two. :)
- AnonymousJanuary 26, 2010 at 4:02 PM
@3:34 stop being rational, it ruins everybody's fun.ReplyDelete
"The reason I like XKCD is because of that recognition of "yeah, this is the way I think - thank goodness I'm not completely insane" - doesn't matter if I relate to the scenario or not, I recognize the thought process behind it."ReplyDelete
Yeah, I recognize it too--it's just, you know, not funny or interesting.
"That being said, I take issue with the analysis that this is a case of the transition from viewing nerds from an "in-group" to "out-of-group" perspective - my feeling has always been that XKCD is about struggling at the boundaries of nerdiness, so it is precisely the conflict between the "in-group" and "out-of-group" that makes XKCD funny."
This is basically what I said in the original post. I think mostly what's changed is he is more aware of it now, and his math and science has gotten less intelligent, and there's a lot more stupid internet culture.
"My personal theory on why you all have transitioned from "love" to "hate" has little to do with the comic itself, it's more like the way a relationship works: first you had this honeymoon phase where every time XKCD posted a comic you related to, you cheered and loved it, and if you didn't relate, you just ignored it."
Not quite. Try: think of XKCD as being sort of like meeting a quiet guy at a party who has a lot of interesting things to say, and the sort of clever sense of humor that you usually only get in people who are quiet. And you spend most of the party talking to him, and then you start hanging out a lot because this guy is cool, and he's into some cool things and he's good to have around.
At some point he picks up a job of mindless, soulless corporate drudgery, though, and it changes him. He's still into a lot of the same stuff, but the cleverness has gone, and it fades even more with every day that he works there. And he spends most of his time at work looking at stupid pictures on 4chan. His humor becomes increasingly juvenile, and though he tries to make the same types of jokes that he used to make, they're just not as funny as they used to be, and he ends up repeating himself a lot, to no avail.
The important thing to note: it's really easy to continue enjoying something, even if it's not very amusing most of the time. The only times I've turned on comics have been if the decrease in quality was so palpable it was frustrating. It isn't enough to just get tired of something--I've got RSS feeds, and before that I had the routines built into muscle memory. It takes so little time to read a comic three days a week, or five days a week. You can burn through an entire archive in a matter of several hours. Indeed, the beauty of the webcomic as a format is that it's so low-commitment. A few hours of invested time reading the archives and you've got free entertainment for as long as it runs. You only get sick of something that has either taken a sharp turn for the worse, or which requires a significant investment of time and was never good enough to justify that investment.
"I think this explains why if you read this blog carefully, people here tend to think opposite strips are the epitome of funny//not funny - I really think there are two main camps of dislikers."
This isn't really accurate. You get some people who hate some comics and some people who mildly appreciate them, but it's not the same people each time, and we agree more often than not. (Everyone hated 631, for instance. It's the ones that are mediocre that tend to have a lot of differing opinion.
"Also I enjoy reading this blog because I think this whole phenomenon is fascinating to watch, and I like having a twist on my interpretation of a given comic - you guys are pretty decent humor critics, and I've learned a thing or two. :)"
I am glad you enjoy, at least. We aim to please. And also to torment.
Anon at 3:14:ReplyDelete
First, I rather think the way to legitimize the post is not to be Anon. Surely you understand how ridiculous autobiographical anecdotes are for backing arguments? I mean, come on.
Secondly, I will beg your forgiveness but I just have to take the cheap shot at you: What is too nerdy/not nerdy enough for your friends about xkcd, exactly? Cartoon vaginas? Raping relatives of journalists over numbers? Digital-themed anal insertion? Cunnilingus?
But really that's just an indulgent wisecrack orthogonal to the argument, I'll admit. On a more serious note, well, Anon as you may be I'm sad to hear you felt so alienated from your social circle. That sucks pretty bad, yeah. Hence, merits of xkcd aside, it's wonderful you've found a way to deal with that problem. I mean, hey, can't really go telling ya to stop reading xkcd because it's bad and go back to feeling bummed since you lack affirmation of your introspective musings. Nah, I wasn't sarcastic.
Next, regarding groups, yes there is quite certainly a spectrum of ubernerd to non nerd. Perhaps I should elucidate my post, in case you referred to it. The core of my point was this: People sometimes stereotype other people. We are people who don't like to be stereotyped for being nerds. Randall used to not stereotype us, now he does. That kinda sucks.
I guess I can elaborate on him stereotyping us: What I mean is, he is -presumably- attempting to produce art which will be appreciated by his audience. Hence, each strip can be said to represent his assumptions of the tastes of the audience. The assumptions he has lately been making, we deem offending. I think this fits nicely with what Rob (whom I'd say to represent the community a great deal more than me) says, though I don't exactly know since he's, like, ignoring me, man.
Regarding your prediction, it falls flat: We usually find, maybe 1 in 30 strips mildly amusing, and the rest are numbingly dull mixed with downright offensive. The one we find funny is rarely the most nerdy or the least nerdy. We usually go for, um... If I had to guess, I'd say, I dunno. Good? Funny?
What you ask us to note we cannot: Randall is not a scientist but a professional webcomic artist. He used to work as a roboticist for NASA, I believe, but he has no PhD, he has no papers out. His contributions to the scientific and technological gestalt of human civilization appear to be... Uh, 4chan's /r9k/? Oh, there's geohashing. I like that.
As for coping admirably, you state that like it's common knowledge but most people here disagree with both cope and admirable.
Your personal theory is wrong for me. When I first came across xkcd, I loved it. It was entirely alien to me, it had nothing to do with my preconceptions of being nerdy (which was a label I'd been assigned and grudgingly lived with), totally contradicted so much of what I presumed about life in general and in some ways made me face certain questions I'd been unconsciously avoiding, for fear of not having an answer. Notice lack of any relating or nerdiness. I mean, sure, coding metaphors and stuff were great for me, but it's not like they were the sine qua non of my appreciation, to be pretentious. By the way, I'll say again: Sometimes I didn't like it, but I couldn't ignore it. And I actually liked it for it- I didn't like it because I had to admit it made a good point.ReplyDelete
Now, there's no good points. There's no insight. There's no sincerity. It's just like reading /b/, except it's work sa- Ooops, wait. There's just as much porn in xkcd too! Oh well, there goes the caveat.
In general, you seem to be under the impression that appreciating art is all about relating to it. This would require (good) novels about women to be unreadable for men and vice versa, to state just one ridiculous consequence of many. Now, when you really relate to something, you like it alright. You know, affirmation. Or as the kids 'round here say, GOOMH! And, I dunno, man. I mean it would be silly for me to sit here and do internet psychoanalysis, but isn't there a problem when your taste in art is comprised of emotional crutches for a frail self confidence?
Lastly, we have the audience spot on. Mostly male, white undergrads: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/xkcd.com
Fun Fact: "rule 34" brings 1.3% searchers to xkcd.


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I asked this question in the Seahawks-Rams Preview Thread, but since no one's bit yet, thought that I would make this its own thread.
Here's the question to chew on and discuss ...
Do you truly WANT the 49ers to lose today and for the Hawks to win the NFC West this year?
Now before you answer ... really think about this one.
Scenario A: Finishing 2nd in the NFC West to the 49ers and having the 5th Seed (the most likely scenario) means that the Seahawks (in all likelihood) will be facing the Redskins in the 1st Round ... and the Falcons in the 2nd Round.
Scenario B: Winning the NFC West in all likelihood means that the Seahawks will be facing Green Bay AT Lambeau Field after hosting either the Vikings or Bears at Century Link in the 1st Round.
Second Question ...
If you favor Scenario A (the Seahawks being the 5th Seed) ... WHO do you WANT winning the NFC East?
Personally, I like the Seahawks prospects in the 1st Scenario much better. To me, the Redskins look like a good match-up for the Hawks, as RGIII doesn't look like his old self after taking the shot that he did. And I don't care WHAT the Falcons record says -- they look vulnerable to me. It was interesting listening to Dave Wyman on 710 ESPN this week say exactly the same thing. Wyman said that he had heard around that the Falcons were "soft" ... both on offense and on defense. To me, that looks like a plum that's ripe for the plucking. I personally feel that the Hawks would go further in the playoffs NOT winning the NFC West ... as I don't like the prospects of facing Green Bay again after the "Fail Mary" AT Lambeau.
As far as who would I rather play in Scenario A (Redskins or Dallas) ... I'd personally say the Redskins for basically the same reason. It's much easier to face a team for the first time than to have to face a team that you humiliated again on their home turf IMO.
What about you guys? Scenario A or B ... and why?

subset: commoncrawl


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Derek had already been painting for ten years when he introduced himself to Ed Pugh at Gen Con '97 and was assigned "The Druid's Stone" as his freelance audition. A few years ago, he metamorphosed into a "scainter" (sculptor/painter) and added design and sculpting to his list of services for Reaper. He has won awards for painting, including speed-painting, at ReaperCon, Gen Con (Milwaukee and Indy), KublaCon, GenghisCon, and various SF-Bay-Area conventions. His painted figures are often subtle but notable for their expressive faces, freehand, and simulations of light and material. read more
Always a fan favorite, Bobby has been sculpting for Reaper since the late 90's. Today, Bobby's figures are synonymous with quality and excellence. Bobby's work is notable for its incredibly clean finish, crisp details, and amazing clothwork. read more


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Jim Carrey has been to the Oscars Ceremony several years, being the last time in 2004, to present an honorary award. But even though we haven't seen him presenting, we hava definitely seen him attend the Oscars Party hosted by Elton John.
And this year he not only attended but warn his twitter followers and fans of it:
Well he did found the perfect outfit by combining angel wings and giant feet!
I wasn't prepare for this... were you?
You gotta love this man! He's just so amazing it hurts!
I think the little angels wings are cute!
PS: More pics at: http://www.zimbio.com/search?q=Jim+Carrey&type=all


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User talk:AdkinsWH/Sandbox Church Units
From FamilySearch Wiki
Utah Church Records Beaver County Church Records Frisco, Utah LDS Church Wards and Branches
Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History of the Church. (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1941). p.?-?
- Online through BYU Books. (Free) In the Text search box, type the town or unit name and click Go. Select page numbers (tiny) at the right to see the page.
- Also available through Ancestry.com ($).
|If details below are missing, please consult Jenson's above for boundaries and timeline information. If circumstances permit, help future users by adding the details from Jenson's to this page. Thank you.
Church Units and Boundaries, 1941
AdkinsWH/Sandbox Church Units:
Stake(s): Beaver Stake, Utah
Obtain the Records
- List of church records. of AdkinsWH/Sandbox Church Units in the FamilySearch Library.
- For additional resources, see Church History Library
History Timeline to 1941
This timeline (arranged by year) includes events that affected records, record-keeping, and movements of Mormons in this area.
Other History Resources
Many wards or branches appointed members to compile a history. Copies may be in the ward library or in homes of members. Some contain biographical sketches of members of the ward at the time of compilation.


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Dear members, finally, we decided to refresh our theme. Decision was brought based on multiple factors, primarily because of technical needs as old one is not compatible with a new platform version, but also because you all asked for a darker theme.
Here you go!
Please head here if you want to vote https://www.elite7hackers.net/topic/411861-the-new-theme/
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Bonhams African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art department offers a wide range of unique and traditional works of art from sub-Saharan Africa, the islands in the Pacific and from Central and South America. Objects include ceremonial and religious items created for the elite as well as utilitarian and specialized items for daily use within the culture. Our public exhibitions and auctions take place twice a year in the spring and fall in Los Angeles. A fully-illustrated catalog with scholarly notes accompanies each sale and is available both in print and online.
Whether a single work of art or an entire collection, Bonhams provides complimentary valuations for auction and provides the most professional and prompt service to both buyers and sellers. We are pleased to arrange a confidential on-site visit at your home or business for added security, confidentiality and convenience.


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Chocolate Making - Chocolate Truffles
York Cocoa House
Wednesday, July 11, 2018 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (BST)
York is home to some of the UK's most loved and respected chocolate makers. Why not join us to learn how to make your own gorgeous chocolate truffles?
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


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You can find this page online at: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/archive/email-campaigns
You may print and distribute up to 200 copies of this document annually, at no charge, for personal and classroom educational use. When printing this document, you may NOT modify it in any way. For any other use, please contact Science Buddies.


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This product is available in our stores
Aqua Maniac's Backgrounds are made from poly-resin, which is safe for all aquatic life. Our backgrounds sink, it's not a foam, so you don't have to use silicone to fix them inside your tank. The background is not flexible, you can't bend it, but you may trim it by using angled grinder, hacksaw, dremmel.
Exact Background size: 28,8 x 10,8" in 1 section
Installation is very easy, you only have to slide it inside your aquarium.
Video's show BEIGE thin background, instead of grey thin backgrounds. The structure of grey and beige thin backgrounds is the same, the only difference is the colour.
There is a foam fixed on the sides of background, which will fill the gap between glass and the background. The foam is around 2cm width, so fish will not swim behind the background.
The rear is shaped like the front, it ranges up to 1 inches at its widest point this being 3d and not a flat background. If you decide to install thin rock background in your tank, you won't be able to hide your filter pipes behind it.
Thin rock background is suitable for reptiles and can be fixed inside vivariums, terrariums etc.
We can do any size of background with drilled vents in desired placed. For custom built background please contact us or visit www.backgroundquote.co.uk
PLEASE NOTE: main picture is only a sample image of this product. Item which You will receive may not be identical to the picture. Color may vary, can be slightly lighter or darker. It's hand painted background and every item is unique.
|Background Sections:
1 section
|Thickness of background:
0/5 inch
|Aquarium in US Gallons:
20 Gallon Long
|Background Design:
3D Thin Grey Rock
|Aquarium type:
Cichlids, Mbuna,
Narrow Tank,
Size chart
|will fit aquarium
|exact background size WxH
|background in sections
|20 Gallon Long
|28,8 x 10,8"
How to measure your aquarium before ordering a 3D background?
Measure your aquarium inside, not outside. Get a measure tape and measure your tank inside from corner to corner, and from bottom up to the top edge of tank. If you have a support brace across your aquarium measure from bottom up to the brace bar. The background has to fit under the brace. Please bear in mind that our backgrounds are not flexible, so you can't bend them. Our backgrounds sink, you don't have to use any silicone to fix them. You just slide the background inside your tank and background will stay in place. You can have water and fish in your tank during the installation of background, but we recommend to drain around 20% of water to avoid any spillage during sliding the background inside.
Leave a finger gap between the glass and the background, so you will have enough room to fit the background inside your tank. On the side edges of the background we fix a greyish foam which will fill the gap between the background and the glass. Fish will not swim behind the background, because the foam stripe will block it.
If you are based in the USA please visit our partner's website for $$ prices and shipping from the New York based warehouse


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As we continue to examine the issue of gun violence, I�m tired, tired, tired of the premise that if only prayer were practiced in public schools, tragedies like Sandy Hook wouldn�t happen.
Prayer is not a talisman. It doesn�t work like a rabbit�s foot or a get-out-jail-free card.
People spout this contention in spite of the fact that many, if not most, of the victims killed that day were people of faith.
Six-year-old Olivia Rose Engel was just learning the rosary and led grace at dinner. Josephine Gay, 7, faithfully attended Mother of God Catholic Church, where her great-uncle is the priest. A smiling Ana Marquez-Greene, 6, can be seen on a family video singing �Come, Thou Almighty King,� accompanied on the piano by her big brother, Jorge, 9.
How dare anyone suggest to their parents that they lost their children because a communal prayer wasn�t offered in school that day.
Prsesence of God
Emilie Parker, 6, liked to draw pictures and make cards and give them to anyone she thought was in need of a smile � even strangers. When the body of teacher Ann Marie Murphy was found, she was cradling a special-needs student in her arms.
If these acts don�t exemplify the presence of God, what does?
We have become a much more diverse nation since my classmates and I read Scriptures aloud every morning at J.J. Burns School in the 1960s and thought nothing of it. Little did we know that children were faithfully doing the same thing in public schools in the South where kids like me weren�t welcome.
No one, by the way, is prohibited from praying in school, but for the sake of argument, let�s say we decide to permit communal prayer. Fine � which kind?
Should it require a class to stop whatever it�s doing and pray five times a day?
Would the rosary suffice?
Can girls lead prayer or only boys?
Should everyone have to genuflect?
Where�s the logic?
Why would people who doubt public school teachers� competency regarding everything else, even want them to oversee a religious exercise?
If the troubles are due to a �God vacuum� in schools, how then do you explain shootings that occur in churches almost regularly now, or last April�s mass shooting on Oikos University�s Christian campus in Oakland, Calif.?
If, as Christians profess, Jesus resides in the hearts of those who believe, he was at Sandy Hook that day.
If you�re a Christian, do you believe that or not?
We don�t like it when the answers aren�t simple. Sandy Hook was born of a culture besotted with violence, one in which religion and values have been taken hostage and politicized, a society that doesn�t want to expend the necessary funds for effective mental health treatment and views any discussion of guns as an assault on them.
We�re a good and decent people, but we�ve been in denial about our growing incivility and dysfunction. We�ve been pretending there isn�t a profile of the people who commit these crimes and therefore nothing can be done.
We�re a country that boasts of Judeo-Christian roots, but where churchgoers are outnumbered by those who can�t be bothered because the church has failed to be the salt and light the world desperately needs.
We need clergy who can resist the easy temptation of blaming and shaming when tragedy happens, rather than offer counsel and God�s compassion to the wounded.
We need an elected official or two who will exhibit the kind of courage that often puts an end to political careers. And we need voters who will support them when they do.
We cannot yet pinpoint all of the factors that trigger a Sandy Hook. But this much we know: It wasn�t that God was absent that day.
Contact Charita Goshay at email@example.com.
Charita Goshay: Absence of prayer didn't cause Sandy Hook tragedy
As we continue to examine the issue of gun violence, I�m tired, tired, tired of the premise that if only prayer were practiced in public schools, tragedies like Sandy Hook wouldn�t happen.


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Our home caught fire Feb. 1.
We are learning an important life lesson from this setback. It's not what you have or want that's important. It's the people.
So many people and organizations have come forward to help us. It's hard for us to now be on the receiving end of so much help and kindness.
As soon as we are back on our feet again, we will attempt to pay forward the mountain of kindness that has come our way.


text: Overwhelmed by the task of reviving the grandeur and beauty of antiquity in the style of neo-classicism, the artist falls into deep reflection. Through the emphasis on certain areas, distortions of perspective and, not least, the spectacular plunge into the abyss at the right-hand edge, the drawing takes on the character of a nightmare. The work is one of the best-known pieces in the Kunsthaus Collection and one of the artist's most popular. After his work fell into obscurity in the 19th century, it was only thanks to the combined efforts of museums, collectors and researchers that his tremendous importance to European art in the period around 1800 was duly recognized. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth the Kunsthaus staged the first comprehensive retrospective of his work. As home to 24 of his paintings and 650 drawings, the Kunsthaus houses the world's most important collection of works by Fuseli.


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Spring Flowers - Tulip Inspired Home Decor
Spring is here at last. If you're spring flowers aren't springing, they will be soon. One of our favorite spring blooms is the tulip. Tulip inspired decor's simple, elegant design and fresh beautiful colors make a perfect flower to inspire your home decor. If you find yourself enamored with tulips, stick with furnishings that have clean lines and make sure your space is uncluttered. From pinks and purples to reds and yellows, tulips offer a great selection for adding bright pops of color to your room.
Clockwise from top left: Wicker Paradise, Designs That Inspire to Create Your Perfect Home, Wicker Paradise, Better Decorating Bible, Designs That Inspire to Create Your Perfect Home, Carpet One Floor & Home
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text:
Online Store
P-65 Heavy Metal
- 25mm Heroic Scale Multi-Genre Miniatures
- Integral bases
- Unpainted lead-alloy metal models that may require assembly
- Wide variety of characters and monsters for roleplayers, miniatures painters, and wargamers
- For more information, please refer to our P-65 FAQ.
P-65. The metal formula that made Reaper Miniatures famous.
P-65 is our special formula
P-65 is a lead based alloy similar to 60% lead - 40% tin solder and is the perfect mix to cast miniatures in. It is a blend of white metals designed to capture every subtle detail as well as allow for maximum metal flexibility for straightening and posing. The P-65 miniature line is designed specifically for the adult modeler and is here to give them a choice in how they spend their hobby dollars.
Engineered for Painting
Master Series Paints are designed for painting our unique line of miniatures. Unlock the possibilities and custom create your character! The enhanced flow properties of our Master Series Paints make illuminating small details easier, enabling you to create the highest quality characters on the market. Check out our selection by clicking on the paint below!
Perfect for Hobbyists and Gamers
Whether you're a Game Master who needs more enemies to stock your battlefield, a player who is looking for just the right miniature to represent your character, a wargamer looking to beef up your army, or a hobbyist who is looking for the best in creative and detailed miniatures, P-65 is for you!
OnlineStore > P-65HeavyMetal
|Sorry, no currently released products could be found.


text:
**Please see our shop announcement (underneath our banner, on the main page) for possible delays or temporary changes in shipping policy.**
Do you want a custom bracelet that means something to you?
Do you have a specific charm in mind but don't know if it exists?
Let us make you your bracelet. Put in your order and we'll make you your bracelet with your choice of string color within a day or two and ship it out.
We can find pretty much everything under the sun. If you're not sure if we'll be able to find it. Just send us a message before and we'll go looking and send you pictures of what we find.
We expect payment with in 2 days of placing the order and will not ship your item until payment confirmation has been received.
We will usually ship your item within the time frame noted in the listing through USPS. Shipment tracking information will be provided when available.
**Please see our shop announcement (underneath our banner, on the main page) for possible delays or temporary changes in this policy.**
In both domestic and international shipments, we cannot be responsible for unexpected delays that change your expected delivery date.
United States:
Orders are shipped first class via USPS to destinations in the United States. We are not responsible for "lost" items if you do not choose to purchase insurance. If would like to purchase insurance, require delivery confirmation or need expedited shipping, please contact us for details on additional charges.
The postal service quoted shipping times:
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International shipping:
We will ship first-class international outside the US. With this option there is no tracking for your packages and once it leaves our hands and enters customs we CANNOT be responsible. If you would like a more reliable option with tracking please contact us for Priority International or FedEx. Please note that international shipments with regular postage take 3-4 weeks at minimum to deliver.
If you are not satisfied with our product (or if you receive an item that has been broken in transit) you must contact us within seven (7) days of receiving the item. Buyer must ship the item back and will be refunded the purchase price of the item.
Please be advised that we cannot take returns or exchanges on custom orders or items tailored to fit you or your intended recipient.
We are available at any time to answer any questions you may have.


text:
Membership at Hegre.com costs
less than $0.42 a day!
Fabi looks so great in her satin Santa costume it's almost a pity when she strips it off.
Fabi is long and slender, as nimble as a reindeer, as glittery as silver tinsel: she is the perfect shape to slip down the chimney and make the perfect gift. If you can tear your eyes away from the screen during Madame Santa Claus you may just hear Fabi humming the hymn Silent Night.
They say there's a poor choice of seasonal films on at the cinemas this year, so stay home with Fabi and have a Merry Hegre Christmas!
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Parents looking to play a little hooky while their kids are on winter break can take advantage of a screamin deal at Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort.
Adults can buy a $20 lift ticket when purchasing a childrens or young adults lift ticket at regular prices through Friday. To take advantage of the deal, a voucher must be downloaded and printed from the website at www.durangomountainresort.com/locals before heading to the ski resort.
Everyone, children and adults, can leave the driving to DMR by riding the daily shuttle, which leaves from the Durango Transit Center at 8:30 a.m., also through Friday. The cost is $10 per person round trip.
With snow expected today, skiing should be great.
Herald Staff


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DxOMark image quality testing protocols for lenses and sensors
Testing protocol for MTF
We measure the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of a camera (body and lens) according to the ISO 12233 standard SFR method (see MTF measurement definition). The target is a pattern of white and black squares tilted at a 5° angle and filling the field of the camera.
The target designed by DxO Labs is produced using a high-resolution printer to achieve sharp transitions between black and white areas without aliasing. We attach the target support to a frame made with aluminum profiles to provide the necessary rigidity to the target assembly.
We illuminate the target uniformly, with halogen lights filtered to produce a daylight color temperature of 5500K.
To guarantee absolute stability and prevent any motion blur, we fasten the camera on a geared head fixed to a heavy-duty studio stand. A graduated rail on ball bearings permits very accurate adjustment of the distance between the camera and the target.
To further ensure that camera vibrations do not affect the measurements, we use the reflex mirror lockup function (when available), and release the shutter with a remote control or self-timer.
Before shooting, we set the parallelism between the sensor and the target planes using a mirror flush against the target: Perfect alignment is achieved when the reflected image of the lens appears in the center of the camera viewfinder.
We select the lowest actual ISO speed of the camera to acquire images with a minimum level of noise. We set the exposure so that the white squares of the target are just below sensor saturation in RAW format, to ensure that the entire dynamic of the sensor is used. Of course, we deactivate all sharpening options and stabilizing systems of the camera or lens.
For each focal length and aperture of the lens, we take pictures at 60 different focusing positions around the focusing point set by the camera's autofocus system. We then use the sharpest image to measure the camera's MTF.


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GoPayment will no longer be supported on Windows Phone (or "Windows 7 mobile devices") due to the developing team pulling all efforts from the platform. This rules out any future releases for Windows Phone 8, that's until the team reconsider Microsoft's mobile platform as a solid choice for development to continue.
Customers who currently use GoPayment for credit card processing (and more) have until February 5th to either find a new solution or hop over to a competing platform where support will continue to be provided, which is what the team has suggested in emails sent out to its user base. Unfortunately the reasoning behind the withdrawal from Windows Phone is pretty weak.
The email sent out to customers read as follows:
We are reaching out to let you know in advance that - for Windows 7 mobile devices - we will soon discontinue the GoPayment App. This decision was made after careful consideration, to ensure that we can continue offering the best possible user experience for our customers. As a result, the GoPayment App will no longer function on your Windows 7 mobile device beginning February 5, 2013.
You will be able to take payments on your phone by accessing https://gopayment.intuit.com on your mobile browser. To continue using the GoPayment App, we recommend that you switch to an Apple or Android mobile device supported by GoPayment. Click here to find the list of supported phones and devices.
We apologize for any inconvenience this change will cause you. Thank you again for using GoPayment.
It's almost amusing how the team actively recommends the customer to switch platforms. It's somewhat useful because consumers can obviously afford to purchase brand new smartphones, or engage in new contracts being drawn up, right? We didn't think so either. The app itself is still listed on the Store (but isn't published / available for consumers to use). It's a shame.
Be sure to head on over to our forums to join in the discussion surrounding GoPayment.
Thanks, Luis, for the tip!


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LDPE Extrusion Coating Market Research Analysis by Experts 2018
Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Market Professional Survey Report 2018 tracks the major market events including product launches, technological developments, mergers & acquisitions, and the innovative business strategies opted by key market players. Along with strategically analyzing the key micro markets, the report also focuses on industry-specific drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges in the Copper Strips market. This research report offers in-depth analysis of the market size (revenue), market share, major market segments, and different geographic regions, forecast for the next five years, key market players, and premium industry trends. It also focuses on the key drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges.
Leading companies
This report segments the global LDPE Extrusion Coating market on the basis of types :
On the basis of application, the global LDPE Extrusion Coating market is segmented into :
For comprehensive understanding of market dynamics, the global LDPE Extrusion Coating market is analyzed across key geographies namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and Middle East. Each of these regions is analyzed on basis of market findings across major countries in these regions for a macro-level understanding of the market.
Get exclusive sample of this report @: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/0611579497/Global-LDPE-Extrusion-Coating-Market-Professional-Survey-Report-2018/inquiry?source=exclusivereportage&mode=03
Table of Contents of the study
- LDPE Extrusion Coating Market Overview, Scope, Status and Prospect (2012-2022)
- Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Market Competition by Manufacturers
- Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)
- Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)
- Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type
- Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Market Analysis by Application
- Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis
- LDPE Extrusion Coating Manufacturing Cost Analysis
- Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers
- Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders
- Market Effect Factors Analysis
- Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Market Forecast (2017-2022)
- Research Findings and Conclusion
- Appendix – Methodology/Research Approach, Market Size Estimation, Data Source, Secondary Sources, Primary Sources and Disclaimer.
The vast market research data included in the study is the result of extensive primary and secondary research activities. Surveys, personal interviews, and inputs from industry experts form the crux of primary research activities and data collected from trade journals, industry databases, and reputable paid sources form the basis of secondary research. The report also includes a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market, with the help of information collected from market participants operating across key sectors of the market value chain. A separate analysis of macro- and micro-economic aspects, regulations, and trends influencing the overall development of the market is also included in the report.
Explore complete report @: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/0611579497/Global-LDPE-Extrusion-Coating-Market-Professional-Survey-Report-2018?source=exclusivereportage&mode=03
The research study focuses on Global LDPE Extrusion Coating Market with major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. This study also provides key insights about market drivers, restraints, opportunities, new product launches, approvals, regional outlook, and competitive strategies adopted by the leading players
Objectives of the Study
- This report provides in-depth analysis of the LDPE Extrusion Coating and provides market size (US$ Million) and Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR (%)) for the forecast period: 2017 – 2022, considering 2016 as the base year
- It elucidates potential revenue opportunity across different segments and explains attractive investment proposition matrix for this market
- This study also provides key insights about market drivers, restraints, opportunities, new product launches, approvals, regional outlook, and competitive strategies adopted by the leading players
- It profiles leading players in the global LDPE Extrusion Coating market based on the following parameters – company overview, financial performance, product portfolio, geographical presence, distribution strategies, key developments and strategies and future plans
- Key companies covered as a part of this study include
- Insights from this report would allow marketers and management authorities of companies to make informed decision with respect to their future product launches, market expansion, and marketing tactics
- The global LDPE Extrusion Coating market report caters to various stakeholders in this industry, including investors, device manufacturers, distributors and suppliers for LDPE Extrusion Coating equipment, government organizations, research and consulting firms, new entrants, and financial analysts
- Various strategy matrices used in analyzing the LDPE Extrusion Coating market would provide stakeholders vital inputs to make strategic decisions accordingly
Get Discount On this Report at: https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/0611579497/Global-LDPE-Extrusion-Coating-Market-Professional-Survey-Report-2018/discount?source=exclusivereportage&mode=03
Driven by various factors, such has globalization, commercialization and an upsurge in disposable income and trade, the LDPE Extrusion Coating market is set to experience favorable growth. The growth of the LDPE Extrusion Coating global market is expected to further accelerate with economic growth. Globalization has brought the world closer and acted as a catalyst for the growth of the shipping industry, which, in turn, is estimated to propel the ship spare and equipment global market over the forecast period. Diversification in the shipping industry with the advent of multilateral and multinational agreements to enhance the trading sector has resulted in the growth of LDPE Extrusion Coating global market. Dispersed manufacturing is one of the prominent drivers driving the LDPE Extrusion Coating global market. Increase in global demand for consumer goods and commoditie is also estimated to boost the LDPE Extrusion Coating global market. However, uneven economic growth and fluctuating prices of raw materials may act as a restrain for the LDPE Extrusion Coating global market.
Our expert research analysts team has been trained to provide in-depth market research report from every individual sector which will be helpful to understand the industry data in the most precise way.
There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global LDPE Extrusion Coating market.
Chapter 1, to describe LDPE Extrusion Coating Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;
Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of LDPE Extrusion Coating , with sales, revenue, and price of LDPE Extrusion Coating , in 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of LDPE Extrusion Coating , for each region, from 2012 to 2017;
Chapter 5, 6, 7,8and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;
Chapter 10and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;
Chapter 12, LDPE Extrusion Coating market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;
Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe LDPE Extrusion Coating sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.
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MarketInsightsReports provides syndicated market research report to industries, organizations or even individuals with an aim of helping them in their decision making process. These reports include in-depth market research studies i.e. market share analysis, industry analysis, information on products, countries, market size, trends, business research details and much more. MarketInsightsReports provides global and regional market intelligence coverage, a 360-degree market view which includes statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.
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Enhancing Oral Health Care Use by HIV Positive Individuals
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00444977
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : March 8, 2007
Last Update Posted : July 8, 2013
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Oral Health Care HIV Infections Mouth Diseases
|Behavioral: Case-management linkage intervention
|Not Applicable
Recent national studies demonstrate that oral health is one of the highest unmet health needs for HIV-positive (HIV+) individuals, although it is recognized as playing a less critical role in the medical management of HIV/AIDS. Social and economic factors have contributed to less than optimal use of oral health services for HIV+s in the United States. According to recent data, from Miami-Dade County, Florida, only 24% of HIV+s served by Ryan White-funded medical clinics had obtained oral health services in the past 12 months.
To address the underutilization of oral health care services, we propose to develop, implement, and evaluate an intervention to assist low-income HIV+s in obtaining access to oral health services as well as increase appropriate utilization of these services. The case management intervention is adapted from an intervention that had been previously tested in a CDC-funded, multi-site study designed to link recently diagnosed HIV+s to primary medical care.
A two-arm randomized trial among HIV+ individuals who are currently enrolled in HIV primary medical care, but not receiving oral health care, will be conducted to test the intervention. The two arms will consist of a case management intervention and standard-of-care. Participants will be assessed at baseline and at 6, 12 and 18 months after baseline to document their utilization of oral health services. An interdisciplinary team of behavioral and clinical research scientists with experience in developing and evaluating health care and prevention intervention targeting low income, HIV+s will conduct this research.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|600 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Single Group Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Enhancing Oral Health Care Use by HIV-Positives
|Study Start Date :
|April 2005
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|December 2009
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|December 2009
Experimental: Case-management linkage intervention
The intervention represents a brief, "real world" intervention that could easily be adopted by HIV care clinics to facilitate linkage and increase use of oral services by their HIV+ patients (if shown to be effective). We are seeking to compare this intervention to usual practice in these clinics.
Behavioral: Case-management linkage intervention
dental care
No Intervention: Standard of Care
Subjects will receive standard of care services.
- dental visit and screening resulting from case management [ Time Frame: 6, 12 and 18 Months ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Men and women 18 years and older
- Documented HIV infection
- Currently in medical care (defined as having seen an HIV primary care provider in the previous six months)
- Eligible for Ryan White title I funding
- Plans to remain in Miami for the next 24 months
- Provide the name of two verifiable locator persons
Exclusion Criteria:
- Persons not meeting the inclusion criteria as delineated above
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00444977
|United States, Florida
|University of Miami
|Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
|Principal Investigator:
|Lisa R Metsch, PhD
|Columbia University
|Responsible Party:
|Lisa Metsch, Stephen Smith Professor of Sociomedical Sciences and Chair, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00444977 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
R01DE015523 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
|First Posted:
|March 8, 2007 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|July 8, 2013
|Last Verified:
|July 2013
Keywords provided by Lisa Metsch, Columbia University:
HIV positive persons
Not received oral health care in the preceding 12 months.
treatment naive
treatment experienced
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Mouth Diseases
HIV Infections
HIV Seropositivity
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases
Stomatognathic Diseases


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Outdoor Inspired Interiors
As fall sets in and the days get shorter, you are probably missing the time that you spent outdoors. If you love the outdoors, you don't have to give it up. Using natural elements and outdoor inspiration in your decor will allow you to keep some of the joy of being outside in your home all year through. There are many ways that you can create an interior space inspired by the outdoors. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Used natural materials like wood, cotton and wool.
- Use floral or leaf patterns in fabrics.
- Choose colors you would find outside. There are a wide variety of colors to choose from. Everything from bright yellows, oranges and pinks that you find in summer flowers to more subdued blues, neutrals and greens from your favorite ocean retreat.
- Plants may seem obvious but their impact on a space is often overlooked. From a small table top plant to a large indoor tree, living plants in your home can be a great addition to an outdoor inspired space.
If you're already dreaming of an outdoor inspired room, these 10 outdoor inspired rooms will certainly get you excited to start on your space.
Whimsical Animals and Plants for Kids
Living Room's a Beach
From HGTV
Reflect the Outdoors
From House Arquitectura
Warm Tuscan Table
From Interiordecodir.com
Garden Prints
From I See Cubed
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From Mokkan.com
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From TovTov
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From VoteLindaEllis.com
Outdoor Furniture Inside
From Shaun Woodict
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text:
xkcd sure has squeezed a lot of pathetic humor out of wikipedia. Ha ha, wikipedia has useful articles on everything! Ha ha, wikipedia sometimes has too many details and also is written by nerds! Wikipedia can be distracting (ha ha?)! Ha ha, wikipedia...um...has a passive agressive way of challenging facts? I don't quite get what the point is on that last one (fun fact: this was one of the first few xkcd comics I read).
That last one, of course, is basically the exact same drawing as the new comic, and I have to assume it was a deliberate reference. The question is...why? Yeah they are both about wikipedia but, you know, a reference is usually meant to comment on the originial - this is just "GUYS i thought of another wikipedia joke hey hey remember that other one I once made? That one was pretty ok, yeah?"
OF COURSE you can make articles that wikipedia can't cover neutrally! Anything self-referential, like this little plan, is going to be problematic. Its article about itself, for example. The article about Jimmy Wales, which argues about whether he is the founder or co-founder of the site. The article about how to edit wikipedia.
OH ALSO wikipedia has some standards about what kinds of articles get made and sorry Mr. Hat but you sure as fuck do not qualify. Warren Buffet gave away $30 billion and that got one paragraph in his biography page. Not its own article. It got 89 words by my count; at that rate Mr. Hat's pathetic little million dollar donation would generate an article that was a whopping 0.0029666 words WOO HOO plus hey that's not even or odd so FUCK YOU MR. HAT.
You know who made good jokes about wikipedia? You will not be surprised to know that the answer is The Onion. Jokes about how nerds take it too seriously? Check. Jokes about how it's unreliable? Check. Too obsessed with popular culture? Why, check! Besides, Wikipedia itself is a great source of humor - I am continually amused by my favorite WP page ever, List of Fictional Ducks.
This whole comic is just dumb in every way, from concept to execution, from the art to yet another "here, i'll just rephrase my joke" alt-text.
If only I could edit xkcd to improve its quality...
update: Commentors respond with even more far-higher-quality-than-xkcd sources of Wikipedia based humor:
-Stephen Colbert
-Dino saur comics!
-Another, non-Dinosaur comics thing that Ryan North did!


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Feast of the Wine (The Procession of the Ram)
Companion to "Feast of the Wine (The Procession of the Fatted Ox)", in the Musée Picasso, Paris
Master of the Processions, French, active mid- 17th century
Made in France, Europe
Mid- 17th centuryMedium:
Oil on canvasDimensions:
44 × 65 inches (111.8 × 165.1 cm)Curatorial Department:
European Painting
E1950-2-2Credit Line:
The George W. Elkins Collection, 1950
Made in France, Europe
Mid- 17th centuryMedium:
Oil on canvasDimensions:
44 × 65 inches (111.8 × 165.1 cm)Curatorial Department:
European Painting
* Gallery 276, European Art 1500-1850, second floorAccession Number:
E1950-2-2Credit Line:
The George W. Elkins Collection, 1950
Social Tags [?]ode to bacchus [x] pagan processional [x] sheep [x] wine [x]
[Add Your Own Tags]
This painting may represent a ceremonial parade in which fatted animals were led to slaughter as part of the festivities before Lent. The scene implies a warning against the dangers of being led by one's senses.
Explore the Collections
ProvenanceCollection of Marin de La Haye, Paris, by 1753 [1]; sale, Mme de La Haye, December 1, 1778, lot 9. Private collection, Paris, by 1934 [2]; with Paul Rosenberg, Paris, 1934-1950 [3]; purchased by the PMA for the George W. Elkins collection, 1950. 1. The painting appears in an inventory of the de la Haye collection, October 13, 1753 as Le Nain. It was later seen by Horace Walpole at the Hotel de Lambert in Paris on August 9, 1771. See Horace Walpole's Correspondence, vol. VII, 1939, p. 337. 2. Exhibited at the Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, Peintures de la Realité en France au XVIIe siècle, 1934, no. 81. The painting was discovered and published by George Isarlo in La Revue de l'art, Nov. & Dec. 1934, illus. opp. p. 178. 3. Notes in the file from an interview with Paul [i.e., Alexandre?] Rosenberg on March 1, 1969 indicate that his father purchased the painting shortly after the Orangerie exhibition but that documentation regarding the history of the painting was lost during Wold War II in Paris. The painting was included in a Le Nain exhibition at Knoedler Gallery in New York in 1936.
* Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit.


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A single crane handles the lifting of the Gates, whilst two cranes are necessary to turn it.
Eye-hitches are inserted and secured to the specifically designed holes in the new steel support structure. The belts to turn the monument are connected directly to the transportation frame.
After the positioning of The Gates of Hell on its back, some accessible sections are examined for possible tears.
The minimal torsion of the metal elements that are screwed one to another has lead to a light expansion of some pre-existent micro-fissures.
During transportation and due to its horizontal position, the statue "The Thinker" has to be held toward the back. Otherwise its own weight and the vibrations endured during the journey could lead to tensions and make for tears near the joints.
"The Three Shades", which had previously been removed from the monument for restoration and conservation work, will be transported to London in a separate wooden crate.
On the eve of September 5th 2006 the flat-bed truck and its precious load are ready to leave. They arrive in London in the early morning of September 9th.
Auguste Rodin
Occasion for the Restoration
Restoration Concept
Stage 1
The placement of the support construction
The mounting of the support construction
Securing the support construction to the Gate
Drilling of the base
Cutting of the base and lifting
Movement of the structure by means of chain hoists
View of the back of the monument
Stage 2
Cleaning and conservation of the front of the Gate
Initial tests
Methodologies for the exposure of the metal
Stabilization with Incralac®
Protective layer
The «Battista» Example
Stage 3
Measures undertaken on the back side
The support structure
The substitution of the lower support structure and frame
The building of the transportation frame
Moving The Gates of Hell on to a low bed trailer


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"K. Bakis and Co", titled "ALKYON", was founded on April, 27th, 2009 in Piraeus. The works actually started on May 2010 after the relocation of the company to the city of Tripoli. We deal with the study, construction and maintenance of RES Projects, (mainly PV aerothermy and geothermy), the relevant equipment trading and other various technical projects.
In this short term of operation, we have submitted studies for the licensing of 51 PV stations from 100KW~500KWp of total power of 7,15MWp and we have constructed 25 PV stations from 10~100KWp so far.
"ALKYON", in order to achieve best results of its aims, has established a network of associates in Athens, Chalkida, Sparti, Kalamata, Argos, Nafplio, Zakyntho, Kefalonia, Kerkyra, Lefkada, Kythira, Thessaloniki, Drama as well as collaborations abroad.
Mr. Konstantinos Bakis, the manager, has extensive experience in studies of development and licensing of Wind Power Parks in the private sector. Furthermore, Mr. Bakis has a 12year experience in the Thermoelectric Projects construction of PPS and a 7year experience in the Distribution Projects along with the Large Accounts Management of PPS. Mr. Bakis himself and his associates all have a 4year experience in licensing, study, construction and operation of many PV stations all over Greece.
Company Details
- Business Type: Company - Construction
- Country: Greece
- City: Tripoli
- Address: Deligianni 6 Str.(pedestrian road)
- Zip: 22100
- Phone: +30 2711 102648
- Fax: +30 2711 104005
- Url: http://www.alkyon-energy.gr/
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Contact Person Details
- First Name: Evangelia
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- Position: Civil Engineer
- Email: email@example.com
- Phone: +30 2711 102648
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text: In 1886 Segantini, born in what at the time was Austrian South Tyrol, arrived in Savognin in Grisons after a miserable youth spent in Milan. Here, and later in Engadin, he draws on a unique, meticiulous observation of nature to create visions of the Alps marked by their crystalline luminosity. The topical theme of La vanità, one of his rare wholly symbolic compositions, already stands at the threshold between the decadence of the Fin de siècle and the life-affirming "Jugendstil".


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Steve Henn was Marketplace's technology and innovation reporter until December 2011. He filed stories for the entire Marketplace portfolio. In addition, Henn occasionally acted as the back-up host for Marketplace Tech Report.
Henn filed his first story for Marketplace from rural Zimbabwe in 1996. He was hired full time in the Washington D.C. bureau in 2000. Before that, he biked across the country with his future wife and worked at several small local newspapers.
Henn loves that fact that Marketplace gives him the opportunity to speak with smart interesting people, who are incredibly passionate about what they do. One of his favorite projects was in collaboration with America Radio Works, Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and the Center for Public Integrity where he worked on several year-long projects to expose how lobbyists and private interest groups were paying for lavish trips for members of Congress and their staff.
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Henn holds a Bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and received his Masters from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.