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My last column, Misadventures in TDE: How to Restore an Encrypted SQL Server Database Completely Wrong, described a comedy of errors of my own making. This week's mistutorial likewise teaches through bad example, by the same heuristic principle that experiencing what can go wrong with a task can sometimes be just as educational as doing it the right way, according to the book. The difference in this case is that the errors were not of my own making and could have led to tragedy in a production environment. In my next two columns I will discuss a series of fatal flaws that wrecked my experience with trial software from some of SQL Server's competitors, which taught me some valuable lessons. First, I gained a new appreciation for SQL Server and believed more strongly than ever that when I chose years ago to focus mainly on this Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), I had chosen well. I'm certain a DB2 or Oracle guru could point out some things I did wrong in the installations of these trials – but any errors on my part were not self-evident, while the mistakes embedded in the installers were glaring and obvious. This led to a second realization, that everyone who writes or uses software of any kind puts implicit trust in the developers, not just in the obvious sense of trusting that their software will not have security holes, but that it will also be manageable and won't waste your time or degrade your operating system or network. The DB2 trial sadly failed on both counts and made me question why I should trust IBM with enterprise data, if it could not get the job done with simple test data.
I initially went into my trial of IBM's DB2 software over the winter with high hopes, since I was eager in particular to try out their version of MDX, the multidimensional data access language that originated with SQL Server. The idea was to write a column later on about the contrasts between the DB2 and SQL Server methods of handling multidimensional data, since that is supposed to be the primary focus of this blog. Sad to say, the trial went so badly that I never even got around to trying InfoSphere Warehouse or IBM version of MDX, because so many other problems cropped up during mundane installation tasks for both the multidimensional tools and for the regular transactional components of DB2 that they depend on. I envisioned including side-by-side code samples of the IBM and SQL Server versions of MDX, for example, but now I have to write a column of an entirely different kind. DB2 and Oracle might install and operate more smoothly on other platforms, such as Linux, which SQL Server is not compatible with; all I can comment on are the shortcomings that were immediately apparent when installing and operating them on my development machine at home, which runs Windows 7 Professional on a six-core AMD processor. The fact that I couldn't even download the DB2 trial from IBM's own site on the same computer was an omen of things to come.
How IBM Sold Me on SQL Server
This column would have been written earlier, had I not been forced to put off downloading the trial for more than a month due to a serious Java applet error on IBM's website – which made me question whether the Java-based and web components of DB2 would work in a production environment. Businesses typically make their most serious mistakes in the products they've sold, not in the sales process itself, so if a big corporate software company can't even get the software it uses to sell you a product right, it makes one wonder how good the software it sells you will be. Simply identifying how much DB2 software costs was difficult in comparison to SQL Server, even though a search engine or IBM's own website. Nor could I even download the trial software because of the Java error on IBM's part, which looked bad. Their tech support page asked for the URL where the problem occurred and left me a small space to describe the problem, which was actually fairly simple to put in words: "When attempting to download DB2 for Windows 64-bit, a window with the title 'Applet Loading' pops up. Then my Internet Explorer version 10 browser freezes up. The window never changes or disappears and the download never begins. I have already tried adding the webpage to my Trusted Sites list but that didn't work." In return, I received the following run-around from IBM tech support:
"Dear Steve,
Thank you for contacting IBM. We are in receipt of your e-mail regarding the errors and difficulties you are facing while accessing the IBM Web site. We apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experienced while accessing the IBM Web site. Please note that we have visited the Web site and it is functioning at this time. Please clear the cache and cookies of your browser and retry accessing the IBM Web site. We have been able to navigate and download the Software from the following URL: https://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/iwm/web/preLogin.do?lang=en_us&source=swg-dm-db297trial&S_CMP=web_dw_rt_swd
Please copy and paste the entire URL as a single line into the address bar of your browser. If you continue to encounter errors, please send us another e-mail with the following information:
- links and/or files you are accessing or experiencing problems with
- error messages you receive
- steps to recreate the issue
Thank you for visiting our site and contacting IBM."
Quite obviously, this support specialist didn't read a word I wrote and was just dismissing the case as quickly as they possibly could, with the usual trite, useless advice that is the bane of entry-level tech support across the planet: just clear your cookies and everything will be fine. I had already sent them the link I was experiencing trouble with, for a file I couldn't download, with the steps to recreate an issue that produced no error messages. I didn't report that the web address was inaccessible, only that the download process didn't work on my computer, so the fact that an employee could access the URL and download the software themselves had no bearing on the issue at all. The experience made me question whether IBM's tech support would be just as clueless if I were to put DB2 into a production environment, where hundreds of users might depend on them immediately knowing the right answer to highly technical questions. Clearing your cookies might not cut it then. Downloading patches might not be feasible either if their URLs also feature badly written Java applets. Since my other development machine was down, I fixed the problem the old fashioned way: I went to a relative's house for Thanksgiving and downloaded the trial software on their computer, which obviously didn't have the same unidentified compatibility issue between Java and Internet Explorer that I experienced. At that point, downloading the software had gone way down on my list of priorities, so I didn't mind waiting for the holiday season. Because I had to resort to that workaround for a simple trial, I was already beginning to lean toward the ultimate workaround: permanently sticking with SQL Server instead of switching to DB2, at least in a Windows environment. I began to lean even further in that direction after my trial software was up and running.
Suboptimal Development Studio
The setup process wasn't as bad as the cataclysm I experienced with my Oracle trial, which I will discuss in my next column, but it wasn't anywhere near as smooth as any SQL Server installation I've ever done, even when I was complete Microsoft newbie years ago. I installed as much IBM database evaluation software as I could all at once so that the trials would run concurrently and they could interoperate, including DB2;DB2 Recovery Expert for LUW; IBM Data Studio; IBM Database Add-ins for Visual Studio; IBM InfoSphere; IBM InfoSphere Warehouse; IBM Installation Manager; IBM WebSphere and IBM Optim Development Studio. After all of these installation processes were complete, I had the following products listed under Programs and Features when the trial ended and the time to uninstall came: DB2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition; DB2 Enterprise Server Edition; IBM Database Add-Ins for Visual Studio; DB2 Net Search Extender; IBM Optim; IBM Infosphere; IBM Data Studio; IBM Installation Manager; IDBM DB2 Merge Backup; IBM Websphere Application Server; IBM Infosphere Warehouse; IBM DB2 Recovery Expert and DB2 Accessories Suite 184.108.40.206. Some of these had subordinate components, such as InfoSphere Warehouse, which includes such functionality as DB2 Enterprise Server Edition Intelligent Miner, DB2 Query Patroller, InfoSphere Federation Server Relational Wrappers, InfoSphere Warehouse application server; Administration Console and Workload Manage; SQL Warehousing administration; Cubing Services administration; Intelligent Mining administration; Workload Manager; Unstructured Text Analysis; IBM Data Server Client; WebSphere Application Server; Cubing Services cube server; Mining Blox; InfoSphere Warehouse client; Design Studio; SQL Warehousing (SQW) Tool; Cubing Services modeling; Intelligent Mining tool; Unstructured Text Analysis tools; Mining Blox tools; IBM Data Server client; DB2 Query Patroller Center; Intelligent Miner Visualization; Cubing Services client and Administration Console Command Line Client. I was enthusiastic about exploring all of this functionality, especially the data mining stuff, but I ran into so many problems that my trials expired first. At first I intended to try it all, but began prioritizing by cutting out products that were only tangentially related to data warehousing, like Infosphere Data Architect, the database model and diagram generation program that is roughing equivalent to Visio. Eventually, I had to abandon most of the remainder.
On the first day, however, I focused primarily on getting some of my SQL Server databases ported over to DB2 so I could play with some familiar data, including some warehouses I built. I tried to accomplish this through IBM Data Studio, which combines the three GUI tools that were previously needed to access DB2, Optim Development Studio, Optim Database Administrator and Data Studio Health Monitor. Being a Visual Basic developer since the days of VB 5.0, I had little interest in the Development Studio functionality, which is roughly equivalent to Visual Studio but dedicated to Java programming. The Database Administrator functionality is designed to be essentially the same was what SQL Server Management Studio provides, except that it lacks many of the bells and whistles. Worse yet, many of the bells and whistles it does have are off-key, in the sense that it doesn't work as well as in SSMS. For example, running scripts in Data Studio was a bit clunky; the results pane was detached from the script pane, making it harder to organize and distinguish the results of different scripts when multiple windows were open. Connection details which I didn't need to be conscious of (such as the host name, etc.) stayed visible at the top of the script pane. Notification that a script succeeded took up an unnecessary amount of valuable white space and crowded the results of the queries down to an even narrower section of the screen. All in all, every aspect of the user interface felt like it what it was: a tool written in Java and adapted to Windows, rather than one written specifically with Windows users in mind. Data Studio was definite disappointment in the sense that I expected to be able to get tasks finished as quickly as in SSMS, but that wasn't the case; every aspect of the user interface was inferior to SSMS to such an extent that it slowed down my workflow from the beginning of the trial to the end. Naturally, there are probably ways to optimize the development environment that I didn't stumble across in my sloppy examination, but the point is that they weren't intuitive or easily found. In that sense, Optim Development Studio and Optim Database Administrator aren't exactly optimal. Perhaps the functionality exists, but I never found any reference and typing aids corresponding to Intellisense and worse yet, no way to directly edit data by typing into table query results. The latter seemed like a minor detail until I discovered just how difficult it would be to port my existing practice data to DB2; for a while, I thought I would end up having to type some of it in by hand, just for something to practice DB2's SQL syntax on.
The next problem I ran into was in creating and populating my first practice database. The CREATE DATABASE statement in DB2 is not that much different from in SQL Server, but incorrect syntax isn't what gave me an arcane DB2_CREATE_DB_ON_PATH error that had to be researched online, on my first attempt at a routine task. After some digging, I discovered that this is also IBM's fault: in order to create a database on anything except the root of a drive letter, you must either set DB2_CREATE_DB_ON_PATH = YES in the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\DB2\InstalledCopies\MyDB2InstallatioName\PROFILES\then the server's name or stop the server and type db2set DB2_CREATE_DB_ON_PATH=YES at a command prompt, then start the server.[1]
After this I was able to create some schemas and tables without much incident, until I came to the next logical step, importing my practice data into the new DB2 database from SQL Server. What I experienced next made me resolve to never swear at the SQL Server Import and Export Wizard ever again, even in the event of one of those irritating data type conversion errors that drive us all crazy. I was shocked to discover that importing my data would be nearly impossible, since the DB2 equivalent of that tool seemed to be limited to just three types of source data, ASCII, Worksheet format (WSF) and Integrated Exchange Format (IXF). The only one of those I was familiar with was ASCII, but I was not going to be reduced to importing simple text files just yet. Perhaps DB2's utility couldn't import anything but text, but SQL Server's Import and Export Wizard might be able to export it in the other direction, since it has a DB2 driver. I was able to connect to the DB2 server from SQL Server, but unfortunately couldn't export the data directly thanks to an error with the following message, "cannot get the supported data types from the database connection." So I swallowed my pride and simply exported the data to a .txt file from SQL Server, thinking that importing it into DB2 would at least be fairly straightforward. Once again I realized my expectations were too high. My Import statements looked something like this: IMPORT FROM "C:\ThePathOfMyData.txt" OF DEL MODIFIED BY COLDEL0x09 METHOD P (1, 2, 3, 4) MESSAGES ON SERVER INSERT INTO "MySchemeName"."MyTableName" (ID, "ColumnName1", "ColumnName2", "ColumnName3"). They validated correctly, but failed with the most useful error message I have ever seen: null:null. To make matters worse, retyping a simple Import command with Validate Database Object References option checked made the caret spin and blink for several seconds each time I did any editing at all. As with some of my other scripts, Data Studio sometimes underlined the text with red squiggles, which made me suspect a syntax or other error, but hovering over the underlined text provided no messages of the kind you would expect with Intellisense. Everything seemed to be missing or broken right out of the box in Data Studio: there was no Intellisense; right off the bat I was forced to research online how to edit the registry just to create my first database; worse yet, the routine task of importing data ended in an error with no message at all; the user interface was not designed with efficient workflows in mind; what I found most laughable (or perhaps sad) was the reliance of a disproportionate share of the IBM software on the ancient technique of command prompts in both the setup programs and the software they installed. Until my DB2 and Oracle trials over the winter, I hadn't seen this many command windows since Bill Clinton and Slobodan Milosevic were still household names. DB2 didn't even have a modern import/export tool, nor could I enter data directly into tables, so basically I was up the creek without a paddle. Perhaps I couldn't import my usual practice data in any meaningful time frame, but I thought I could still learn some of DB2's SQL and MDX syntax by using IBM's sample data.
GSDB or Misadventureworks? The Fictional Company with a Plot Twist
Just as Data Studio doesn't hold a candle to SSMS, so too does IBM's sample OLTP database, GSDB, fail to measure up to the Microsoft equivalent, AdventureWorks. To be fair, until SQL Server 2008 R2 installing AdventureWorks could sometimes be an adventure in itself; in one release (perhaps 2005 or 2008) there was an uproar in some Web forums about some really bone-headed mistakes Microsoft made in its installers, which went uncorrected for a long time. I remember editing the installation scripts for SQL Server 2008 by hand to get them to work (although I can't remember if that was part of the same incident or not) but in R2, the setup process for the samples was much easier. GSDB has a lot in common with AdventureWorks, in that they both provide practice data for fictional companies selling sporting goods, but they differ in that the install process was equally fictional, with one of those surprise endings that leaves readers scratching their heads.
The first problem I encountered may have been due to my own misreading of a tutorial on IBM's website for Setting up the GSDB Sample Database. I felt the following might have been written in an imprecise way, but that is a matter of aesthetics I suppose:
"This product includes a sample database called GSDB. The GSDB database contains sales data for a fictional company that sells outdoor equipment."
"The sample database is contained in a compressed file. To set up the sample database, you must expand the file, customize a configuration file, and run a script. Alternatively, if the sample database is installed remotely, you can connect to it from your local computer."
"Before you begin: Make sure that the following conditions are met: You installed the compressed file for the sample database. This file is installed when you select the Samples option in the installation program. The script for Windows is in the samples/GSDB/win directory. The script for UNIX operating systems is in the samples/GSDB/unix directory."[2]
After wasting some more time, I discovered that the correct directory was actually C:\Program Files\IBM\ISWarehouse\samples\GSDB. I was confused by the wording of the tutorial, which actually meant that the samples\GSDB\win path is created after you open the compressed file I found at that location. I wrote off that lost time as a mutual misunderstanding at worst. Then I navigated to the folder and found the setupGSDB.bat file, which of course had to be opened with yet another command prompt. My next instinct was to scream, "A command prompt installer? In this day and age?" But I suppressed the urge, drawing upon the reserve of restraint I've had to acquire after seeing countless rave reviews the last couple of years about everything that can be done in PowerShell, without any recognition that all of it can be done much more efficiently in SMO. To each his own, I suppose; but it's harder to make a case for doing anything in DOS-era command prompts, which aren't even in the same league as PowerShell. My worst fears were confirmed: the installer was not merely started by a command prompt, but required the user to type perfectly, by hand, the usual unintelligible DOS-style commands that come with such programs. Some IT professionals have a preference for such programs even when GUI tools are available, but there is no question that they are horribly inefficient in terms of data entry. In this case, I had to waste about five minutes typing in such installation parameters as my Windows ID and password, which I normally could have done in five seconds. In the meantime, I watched, waited and wondered why IBM wouldn't simply allow us to download the database and attach it.
This throwback to the old ways had another drawback than became painfully apparent, once it was too late to do anything about it. The GSDB setup program reported in the command prompt window that it was performing such steps as creating the database and the tables, then moved on to "Loading Data" and got stuck there for five minutes. Then it suddenly spit out another insanely useless error message: "Error loading tables – Quitting (4)." Unlike in a modern Windows Installer program, I could not interact with the setup program, which simply quit, nor could I check any error message or logs to see what went wrong. Many installers written today in Visual Studio, including the setup programs for SQL Server, will reverse a failed installation and may even give you a file-by-file, blow-by-blow account of what's being added to and removed from your machine. With setupGSDB.bat, I never knew what files were installed, but I strongly suspected that whatever they were, they were never uninstalled at all, let alone in a modern, professional manner. I can't remember how many attempts I made at re-running the installer, but if I did manage to create the GSDB database, I never did succeed in getting it populated with data. By now I was simply dumbstruck and decided to get to the point of the entire trial by moving directly on to the data warehouse components of DB2, but I was skeptical that they would work any better. MDX and multidimensional data operates at a higher level of abstraction than OLTP systems, which sometimes serve as their foundation – but if IBM couldn't get the OLTP stuff right, I was skeptical that their data warehousing tools would be any match for Analysis Services. They might call those tools Infosphere, but if they couldn't even manage their own information – handling critical errors with messages like "null:null" and "Error loading tables – Quitting (4)" don't exactly inspire confidence – then I wouldn't be trusting them with my Info.
Lack of Info Sphere
Analysis Services beat Infosphere hands down in the only benchmark that counted in my trial: installation time. Before the trial I assumed I might have chance to see just how fast DB2 could perform OLTP and OLAP operations, but it never performed any; it might have taken me an hour or two to get an SSAS server up and running, but it took days before I finally gave up on Infosphere, in which time my SSAS server could have performed billions of calculations. I don't have much experience in setting up benchmark tests and was looking forward to getting a little practice, but once again installation and manageability issues got in the way. Factors like these really can't be overlooked in a contest between any database servers, for the same reason that you can't have a fair race between two sprinters if one of them is stuck back at the starting line, trying to tie their shoes. I would not doubt that there are Infosphere gurus out there who can push their systems as fast as SSAS, but I can say for certain that Microsoft has trounced IBM in the manageability category on their OLAP systems, just as they have in OLTP.
At this point I expected a parade of errors, which commenced as soon as I tried to log in to Infosphere Warehouse for the first time. According to IBM's documentation, I should have been able to connect through http://localhost:9080/ibm/warehouse or by substituting the name of my computer for localhost, but it didn't work. I am a networking dunce, so I was quite proud of the sneaky workaround I devised, by copying the address for DB2 Recovery Expert in my Internet Explorer Favorites, which used my IP address. I edited that so it resembled this: http://192.168.254.19080/ibm/warehouse, which redirected me to http://192.168.254.1:9080/ibm/login/login.jsp. I at last had the right page, but couldn't log in under my DB2Admin credentials. Luckily, my Windows user name and password did the trick.
The next problem came in the Infosphere Warehouse Administration Console, where I immediately received the following message: "DWE72000E – Error with Loading Service – Ensure that the WebSphere Application server is running and that you have a connection to the database." What made this problem frustrating was that it was complicated by a user interface mistake, which left me unable to click the OK button to get out of the modal dialog. When I clicked the button, nothing would happen. Eventually, I was fortunate to spot the right edge of a second, almost completely hidden error box jutting out of the no man's land at the top left end of my screen. After dragging it to the middle of the screen where it should have been, I was able to read the messages saying there was a "Grid Error" plus a non-specific HTTP Request Error and an "Error with Loading Service." Once they were in the center of my screen where they belonged, I could click the OK buttons and escape from the whole mess.
The next logical course of action seemed to be to click Start the Server under the Websphere Application Server entry under the Start menu, which immediately sent a shiver up my spine when it opened another command prompt. Yet another common drawback to these ancient DOS methods from 1995 immediately manifested itself, as the window simply spit out a mass of text I couldn't read then disappeared. I ran it a couple of times and was able to pick out the words Access Denied. So I decided to start it through Services under Microsoft Management Console, which told me it was already started, contrary to what Infosphere reported. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I went back to Infosphere and started perusing the controls, looking for a way to create and populate my first warehouse. That would require a connection of some kind, of course, but the Manage Connections tab was cumbersome to use. It makes the user look up the host name, port number and other information for a particular database, some of which is hidden under the hood in Analysis Services; as a result, it took far too long to enter the data for a simple connection string. When I finally got the connection information typed in correctly, I received a message saying that my connection to the Administration Console itself had timed out, forcing me to log back in, then type everything over from scratch.
The Manage Logs tab pointed me to the DS_System.log, which actually had some information in it, such as several references to this error message: "User ID revoked: The system cannot obtain an SQ connection for metadata database for the following reason" code -4214 SQLState 28000." The Configuration tab listed no services for me to configure, while the SQL Warehousing and Cubing Services tabs were completely blank, without controls or text of any kind. The Mining tab had options to Manage Mining Models and Manage Cached Mining Models, as well as to Enable Database, although no databases were accompanied in the provided list. Much of this was of course not out of the ordinary, since I hadn't yet added any warehouses, let alone mining models. Until I could create one, there wasn't much I could do. Since all of the installation processes associated with DB2 seemed so prone to error, I decided to find a tutorial and follow it to the letter, promising myself that I wouldn't swerve an inch from the directions to eliminate the possibility of personal error. Once again, however, IBM's own directions were either outright erroneous or inapplicable to the real-world situation I found myself in. The tutorial I found directed me to "Open the Design Studio:? Click Start > Programs > IBM InfoSphere Warehouse > ISWCOPY01 > Design Studio. ISWCOPY01 represents the name of the instance that you specified when you installed InfoSphere™ Warehouse." Unfortunately, Design Studio wasn't listed where IBM said it would be. Instead, I navigated to Start > Programs > IBM InfoSphere > and started Data Architect. The next direction in the tutorial was to "Open the New Project wizard: ?In the Design Studio, click File > New > Data Warehousing Project." Of course, I was in Data Architect rather than Design Studio, so that may have accounted for why I couldn't find an option there to create a new Data Warehousing Project. I searched Data Studio and Optim Database Administrator in vain for the same thing. At this point, I called it quits, with my 15-day trial of Optim Development Studio and Optim Database Administrator about to expire – nonsensically, before the longer trial periods of some of the other DB2 software that required Optim or Data Studio to access them. Even on its way out, DB2 reported incorrectly that I had zero days left in my Optim trial, when in I had another day before it actually expired.
The Database Software of the Undead
Yet like a zombie, DB2 never really expired; part of it is still on my machine and it just won't die. I'm tempted to use the brute force method of simply deleting the remaining files by hand in Explorer, but am hesitant, because DB2 has already come back to haunt me once after it was uninstalled, kind of like Michael Meyers at the end of a Halloween movie.
I had reached a dead end with the problem of creating a new warehouse, which I probably could have fixed if I had not also reached my wit's end at the same time as the expiration notice. After all this, I just wanted every trace of it off my main development machine at home, which is all I had at the time, with my backup being down for the count. I went to Programs and Features and began uninstalling all of the IBM software, some of which disappeared without a peep. Some of it wouldn't uninstall without a little coaxing, like Infosphere Warehouse, which reported that "The Websphere Application Server profile that was installed with the product is running. You must stop his profile before you continue." I tried to start and stop Websphere through the Start menu and got the Access Denied message in the command prompt windows both times, I guess for old time's sake. So I stopped Websphere in Services, tried to uninstall Infosphere again and got the same message, that Websphere was still running. I finally got out of this logjam by running uninstall.exe from the Websphere/AppServer/uninstall folder, which informed me that two java.exe processes were running and interfering with uninstall, so I quit them in Task Manager. After that, DB2 finally began to die – or so it seemed.
To this day, DB2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition is still listed under my Programs and Features, which reports that it still occupies 1.3 gigs of disk space. Together, the IBM folders under Program Files and Program Files (x86) still take up about a gig. I tried to uninstall it all repeatedly, but starting the process through Programs and Features always initiates a Windows Installer (msiexec) package, which immediately quits in Task Manager. Whenever I start the uninstall process, a message in the Windows Application Log reports that "Product: DB2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition — Removal failed." Really? The Application Log entry is usually accompanied by another message a few minutes earlier, "Windows Installer removed the product. Product Name: DB2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition. Product Version: 9.7.400.501. Product Language: 1033. Manufacturer: IBM. Removal success or error status: 1603." I assume that 1603 is an error code, but the first sentence seems to say it was removed, which is in turn contradicted by the Removal failed message. Once again, none of this gives a clue as to why it failed.
I would have deleted the files manually by now, except I now wonder what unforeseen side effects that might have. The whole caper turned from a simple waste of time into an ordeal only after I had uninstalled most of DB2. Several days after I finished uninstalling everything except DB2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition, I suddenly suffered catastrophic errors in Visual Studio. One of my Dataset Designer files began disappearing intermittently, forcing me to restore them from backup. This was followed by unresolved reference errors on every user class and data object in one of my projects, which I noticed occurred shortly after System.IO.FileNotFoundException errors in Visual Studio. In the fine print I found a mysterious culprit: "Could not load file or assembly 'IBM.Data.DB2, Version=220.127.116.11, Culture=neutral" etc. Later, I received a related error message in Visual Studio: "Custom tool error: An unexpected error occurred in the IBM DB2 and IDS Data Provider for .NET Framework. Please contact the provider vendor to resolve this problem." I traced it all back to IBM Database Add-Ins for Visual Studio, which I hadn't yet uninstalled along with the rest of the DB2 software. Running the uninstaller reported that "the operation could not be completed. the requested operation requires elevation," yet it apparently succeeded, since it disappeared from Programs and Features and Visual Studio started working again. The particular project I received catastrophic errors on accessed a SQL Server back end, but in no way, shape or form referenced anything remotely related to DB2. Other projects I edited at the same time also accessed the same SQL Server instance, but did not suffer catastrophic reference errors. If you've ever had to edit Visual Studio datasets and code behind by hand in order to fix corrupt references, you'll understand the terror that hundreds of sudden, unexplained reference errors can strike into the heart of a programmer.
I suppose that if I had been able to successfully install and manage DB2 with the same ease as SQL Server, I could report more good features about it. That was originally my plan, to spend a few hours trying out their versions of SQL and MDX and to post here on any contrasts in the ways they handle multidimensional data; after all, anyone who appreciates MDX enough to include in their own OLAP software can't be half bad. I did see a few things I liked, such as sequences, which IBM apparently implemented before Microsoft included them in SQL Server 2012 Release Candidate 0. Tablespaces seem to be a good way of conceptually organizing catalogs, users, temporary space and the like. I think I liked the DB2 Memory Visualizer more than any other component I tried. There are probably many more good points that I didn't get a chance to try, but that's the point – I wasn't able to evaluate all of the strengths of IBM because they got a lot of the basics wrong. As I pointed out before, all the OLTP and OLAP benchmarks in the world are useless if you can't get the software running, which I suspect indicates that it also can't be trusted to stay running in a production environment. I would not want to be responsible for a DB2 database on the job, knowing that it would take me far longer to troubleshoot it in an emergency. This is more than just a matter of personal preference, or of having more experience with SQL Server; there are serious problems with DB2 that I never expected to find, which go much deeper than my own inexperience.
What I did gain is a new appreciation for SQL Server. I like to complain about its jumpy version of Intellisense, the lack of axis support for multidimensional data in the GUI and the usual data type errors that come with the Import and Export Wizard, but that's kid stuff. The grass isn't always greener on the other side; in fact, in some places it's brown. I'm sure a DB2 wizard could teach me many things about a lot of cool features I'm missing out on, but the problem is that it will take longer to teach them and to put them into practice than it ought to because of DB2's manageability problems. Highly experienced users of DB2 and SQL Server can make all kind of valid points about the strength and weaknesses of both programs, but the point is that an inexperienced user like me can't find out how to address problems with DB2 as quickly as they can with SQL Server. Installation, usability and manageability are apparently problems that DB2 has in common with Oracle, judging from similar problems I had with a contemporaneous trial of their software. At least I was able to evaluate parts of IBM's software, but the same can't said for Oracle, which gave me even more insoluble errors much earlier in the installation process. Both companies have apparently deteriorated in this area, because I was able to install and use much earlier versions of DB2 and Oracle on Windows machines almost a decade ago. Judging from that experience, I never expected to be writing this week's mistutorial, or next week's: Thank God I Chose SQL Server part II: How to Improperly Install Oracle 11g.
[1] I found this solution at this page on DB2Rookie's WordPress Blog. See the post by the user named szando. .
[2] This is a verbatim quote, but I adjusted the headings and line breaks from the original website to fit into the format I usually use for direct quotations.


text: Phil Kyle: From Brighton to Milan and Back... Part I (VIDEO) By Phil Kyle So I got to Brighton on the 26th of February. The day after was the Magnum Opus pre-tattoo convention party. There was a shit-ton to do in that short time.Had to haul my drum set over to the Prince Albert where the party was..had to pack for the Brighton convention... had to get prints made etc... You know, all that last-minute shit... Meanwhile, when I was crossing the English Channel from France things were already hopping at Magnum Opus. The crew was all doing their thing and there were guests already making tattoos. Pino Cafaro, Federica Marshmallows, David of Plastic Surgery Rome was chilling and Sara Samez too. Some Proud crew!!! Drew Horner was kicking it blueberry style and we invented moth sex... ha-ha! No need to get too involved with that, anyway... The Friday arrives... Time to get to the Brighton race course nice and early to set up the booth. It was Guen's first convention being a part of the M.O.H.C crew. We had a nice spot for our booth with windows that are the entire view of Brighton. Then back to the shop, finish up there and greet loads of folks coming into town for the convention. Thanks for all the visits to the shop people! So night approaches we go for dinner. Me, Bob Done, James Hate, Adam Turner, Big James and Pete and John from Kraken, (I can't believe I remember that... Ha-ha.) before the party we loaded up on venison pasta to have accelerated healing powers. Then off to The Prince Albert to get the party on. The night was hosted by Kraken rum. Lots of people chugging down. The bar was hopping and the DJs were blasting boss tune-age. Was a great beginning to an awesome weekend. Lots of socializing,tattoo talk and toasting. Later in the evening Peter and The Test Tube Babies took the stage upstairs at the Albert. They totally rocked the place as usual. Being punk rock legends its only normal. Then it's saturday. The convention begins! Bob Done, Guen Douglas, Adrian Willard, Luci Lou and myself were in the booth and Adam was working the front like a mofo. Some headaches floating around the convention from the night before... but no matter! It was punk as fuck! The list of artists kicked plenty of ass. Lots of solid tattooing in all styles from all over the world. Woody once again has made this event worth seeing and working at if you make tattoos. Thanks Woody! And thanks to all the staff of the Brighton convention. Its one of my favorite conventions being its a home town gig and get to show people all the fun stuff to do in Brighton, which I will go through in a minute. So Saturday was awesome lots of contests and event type things going on around the convention. I usually miss a lot of these things while tattooing but I did get to judge a contest with Claudia De Sabe and Adrian Willard a Magnum Opus OG. Lots of beautiful work was entered in tattoo of the day and the winner was Miss Arianna with an awesome clean tattoo. I wish I had pics. Sorry. Saturday night involved some food and drinks. And getting ready for Sunday. Sunday was another good day. Lots of attendance and everyone was making sick tattoos. After the convention shut down we all grabbed taxis to drop off all our equipment back at the shop. Mad dash to meet at Donatello's restaurant. We reserved for 50 people. Got our meal on and then some social drinks. Then hot the after show party smoked 100 cigarettes and lots of chewin' the fat going on. Good to be able to hang out with all the tattooers from everywhere. You really only get to see each other at these events. The rest of the week or so that was left was more work and lots of hanging out with the guys from Nine tattoo in Brighton and Crystal Morey and the Gomineko Tiger Crew, Horimasa, Horishin, and Horiken, as they were guesting at Nine for the week or so between conventions. And now Horimasa dubbed the Gomineko Crew.Got it tattooed on his hand even! Lots of tattoo activity and the start of the Karaoke King club. Dan Sinnes is hot on the mic! Especially Queen songs. So dinner then off to Lucky Voice, a karaoke club where you get a room with just your friends so you don't make an ass out of yourself in front of strangers but people who expect you to act like one anyway... Your friends, ha-ha! So we hit Lucky Voice in Brighton... It's almost becoming our local at this rate. Dan Sinnes, Kent Smith (Tattoo Artist Magazine), William Thideman, Sandy, Crystal and myself. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE8vLjMT0Xk&w=560&h=315] Shit kicked in singing some boss tunes from the 80s. Even some old punk stuff as those where chart busters in the UK. Sex Pistols to Billy Idol to the grossest 80s shit you can imagine. Was a fucking riot. The Monday before Milan convention we all went to Magnum Opus and had a massive tattoo party and feast. We all were trading tattoos with Horimasa, Horishin and Horiken. Lynn tattooed Horimasa and he tattooed her. I was tattooing Horishin at that time then I got tattooed by Horimasa and I tattooed him as well and Crystal as well. We all traded paintings and prints. What a fucking cool experience. And my first time ever tattooed Tebori style as well.Excellent. Horiken tattooed Martijn and Adrian... total madness. Meanwhile, upstairs in the peanut gallery Guen and Crystal whipped up some Cracker Chicken,cheese sauce and broccoli and Guen made some bad ass cupcakes. It was a buffet of goodness. All cooked under the supervision of white wine... After the combined effort of tattoo and food coma a few beers helped wash is all down. Fucking awesome day and a once in a lifetime experience. (Phil Kyle is a tattooer and contributing blogger for Tattoo Artist Magazine. Phil can be found at Magnum Opus Tattoo in Brighton, England.)

subset: commoncrawl


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Business Cards - Standard Business Cards
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WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — The parents of a 12-year-old Wisconsin girl who survived being stabbed 19 times and left for dead say she has been released from the hospital.
A spokeswoman for the girl's family issued a statement Friday night, saying the girl was released from Waukesha Memorial Hospital.
The statement says the girl is "excited to be out of the hospital, see her pets and continue along the road to recovery."
Police say the girl was repeatedly stabbed by two classmates trying to please Slender Man, a fictional character they found on a horror website. The two girls have been charged as adults with first-degree attempted homicide.
Doctors previously told police the victim was lucky to be alive because the knife just missed a major artery near her heart.


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Dec. 10, 2005
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The women are acquiring three new faces as of Fall 2006. Gregg Wilson had this to say of his new lady Gauchos, "These women will be joining a women's program that has made a significant improvement in the past year. We are looking for women who want to work and train hard, but also want to be part of a women's program that is committed to reaching the highest levels of the sport and I think we have certainly added some to our talent pool."
Courtney Bauer of Hayward, California, the younger sister of sophomore Gaucho swimmer Curtis Bauer will be joining the Gaucho program. She swims freestyle, 24.28 in the 50 free, 52.32 in the 100-yard and 1:54.76 in the 200-yard. She has made enormous improvements in the last year swimming for the Walnut Creek Aquabears under Mike Heaney. Her prep teammate includes a Gaucho freshman, Katy Freeman. Coach Naya on what Courtney will bring: "Like her older brother, Courtney is tall and explosive in the water. She loves to train which is always a plus in sprinters and we look forward to watching her improve as a Gaucho."
Nika Tayrien of Paradise Valley, Arizona will be joining the team as a middle distance freestyle swimmer. Her times include 53.41 in the 100-yard freestyle, 1:52.72 in the 200-yard freestyle and 4:29.31 in the 400-meter freestyle. Currently she swims for Jerry Olszewski who is known as an excellent distance and middle distance freestyle coach while being the age group coach for Chris Thompson, a bronze medalist from the Sydney Olympics. Her improvement from this summer and fall will help her to be an immediate impact on the freestyle events for the Gauchos, and her personality will add more energy to the program. Coach Kipp's take on Tayrien, "The women's team really enjoyed Nika on her visit and they felt that she was already one of their teammates, so signing her was not a huge surprise because the chemistry was awesome. I can't wait to see what she does next to our other middle distance swimmers."
The women also have signed Katie Ure from Orinda, California. She swims for Don and Ron Heidary for the Orinda Swim Club. She swam a 57.03 in the 100-yard butterfly as well as a1:54.78 in the 200-yard freestyle. Coach Gregg had this to say about Ure, "Talk about a sleeper, the girl is going to be a very good collegiate swimmer. As a water polo player she is a very gifted player and if you play water polo for four years, you are tough and if the Orinda coaches say that she will swim fast in college, there is no doubt in our minds that we found a diamond in the rough."


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Tim Roser of Enfield was the overall winner of the fourth annual Candy Corn Run sponsored by The Guardian Center of Carmi. The event was held in conjunction with activities for the 85th annual Corn Days Saturday, Oct. 13.
Tim Roser of Enfield was the overall winner of the fourth annual Candy Corn Run sponsored by The Guardian Center of Carmi. The event was held in conjunction with activities for the 85th annual Corn Days Saturday, Oct. 13.
Roser completed the 5K run in a time of 19:12.9 for the win. He was followed in the finish lane by Kristina Swanson of Allendale, who was the overall female winner with a time of 19:37.5. Jeremiah Downen of Grayville finished third in a time of 19:50.0 and Charisse Winter of Altamonte, Fla. and formerly of Carmi, finished fourth in 20:06.1. Fourteen-year-old Colton Brown rounded out the top five with a time of 20:34.5.
Other top ten finishers in order with residences and times include Mitch Gross, Carmi, 20:40.7, Jeff Brown, 20:40.7, Dr. Clint Taylor, Carmi, 21:24.8, Todd Slykhuis, Raleigh, 21:38.7 and Adam Winkleman, Carmi, 21:45.9.
Heidi Trout of Carmi won the female nine-year-old and under category in a time of 33:41.7 while Kelley McCloud of Mt. Vernon, Ind. was the winner in the female 10-14 category in a time of 22:16.8. Ten-year-old Payton Dixon finished second in that category with a time of 23:12.7.
Jessica Woods of Carmi was the leader in the female 15 to 19 in a time of 33:42.5 and Whitney McKenzie finished first in the 20-24 female category in 23:03.6. Lacey Moore of Evansville, Ind. won the 25-29 female category in 25:29.9 while Winter was tops in the female 30-34. Jennifer Murphy of Harrisburg won the female 35-39 in 24:27.6 and Patricia Trout had the best time of females 35-39 in 34:55.5. Amy Pettijohn of Marshall was the fastest in the female 40-44 category in 27:02.7 and Becky Puckett of Carmi was the quickest in the female 45-49 category in 31:41.2. Martha Immel won the 50-54 female category in 26:51.5 while Janet Johnson of Junction was tops in the 55-59 females with 27:07.1. Marcia Barnett of Carmi won the 60-69 category for females in 30:33.7 and Kim Cates won the females 70 and over in 28:28.9.
In the male division, Cal York won the male nine and under in 23:34.2 and Brown was the best in the male 10-14 in 20:34.5. Jason Cowling of Grayville won the male 15-19 category in 28:18.0, Matt Blankenberger of Carmi won the male 20-24 in 22:54.2, Bill Moore of Evansville, Ind. won the male 25-29 in 23:20.5, Dr. Taylor of Carmi won the male 30-34, Downen won the male 35-39 and Jeff Brown won the male 40-44. Scott Wylie of Evansville, Ind. and formerly of Carmi, won the male 45-49 category in 26:16.7 while Don Puckett of Carmi won the male 50-54 in 31:45.1. Pete Fulkerson of Carmi was tops in the male 55-59 in 24:07.3 and Bill South of Carmi won the male 60-69 in 26:15.7. Finally, Art Saunders won the male 70 and over in 28:24.5.
A total of 170 entrants were recorded in the 5K run/walk with more than a dozen others participating in the one-mile walk. The event raised money for The Guardian Center.


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Behold the mighty Cambulance. Answer to all of our patient transport problems in the desert. While it might not be 100% practical, it looks sick as hell. Plus, we desperately want a comic book made about the elite camel ambulance squad.
Designed by student Frederic Schwab, the Cambulance (officially titled the Baja) solves the problem of rescuing a patient from desert areas where a car can't reach. It belongs on Tatooine.
[via Yanko Design]


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temporos wrote:Concise description:
- Migrate from a "1 to 5" star system to a "-2 to +2" star system.
- Right now: 1 is bad, 5 is awesome.
- Migrate to: -2 is bad, +2 is awesome.
- Migration should be retroactive.
- Lack of a rating should be counted as a 0 or "average" rating.
How this will benefit the site and/or other comments:
- Right now, the average player rating is about 4.8 stars: well above the 3 star "average."
- If the scale is adjusted such that "average" is 0, anything below average is negative, and anything above average is positive, the average player rating will naturally stabilize around 0.
- If a player does not wish to leave a rating for his opponents after a match, it counts as a 0 or "average" rating.
- This proposed system will encourage a more intuitive and reliable measure of a player's attitude, gameplay, and sociability.
- Players would be compelled to leave a rating only if they wish to leave an above or below average rating for another player.
- Players aren't left jaded when someone leaves them a less-than-5-star rating (i.e., everybody wins).
What we really should migrate to is a pass/fail system. Up or down. Air Force officer recommendations used to be based on what was equivalent to the "5-star" system, and it failed precisely as this one has - with rating inflation. But some time ago, the Air Force moved to the up/down or pass/fail system and it is far more fair than otherwise, and you don't see the inflation you did previously. It was far less subjective.


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Peabody: Timing for development of Twentymile, Sage Creek coal mines 'will continue to be evaluated'
Steamboat Springs — In its most recent quarterly report, Peabody Energy stressed "cost containment and tight capital discipline."
"Capital spending continues to be tightly managed, and Peabody has reduced 2013 capital targets by $100 million to $350 (million) to $450 million," the report states.
"Timing for development of the Twentymile Sage Creek portal will continue to be evaluated as markets strengthen, and we'll share decisions as they are made," Beth Sutton, vice president of communications and community relations for Peabody Energy, wrote in an email Friday when asked about the future of the mine.
Peabody Energy, the parent company of Twentymile Coal Co., is the largest private-sector coal producer in the world and recently invested $200 million in the new Sage Creek mine portal. The Sage Creek reserve is estimated to hold 110 million tons of coal, and as recently as one year ago, full-scale production was scheduled to begin in 2015.
Twentymile Coal Co. — which operates the Twentymile Mine that produced 7.75 million tons of coal in 2011 — is the second-largest employer and the largest property tax contributor in Routt County.
Altogether, Twentymile Mine employs about 500 people. Another 100 or so are contracted workers. (Yampa Valley Medical Center is Routt County's largest employer, and Steamboat Ski Area comes in third.)
The mine sits on 40 square miles of property with an assessed value of $166.5 million, according to Routt County Assessor Gary Peterson, who previously said the company will pay property taxes of nearly $2.87 million this year. The county's share of tax revenue the mine paid in 2012 was about $587,740.
According to Peabody, Twentymile's total direct economic contribution annually is about $200 million and comes from wages and benefits, taxes, state and federal royalty payments, capital investments and vendor contracts. For every one of those dollars spent, three additional dollars of indirect economic value are created for a total of $790 million in economic benefit, according to Peabody.
To reach Michael Schrantz, call 970-871-4206 or email firstname.lastname@example.com
Top of the class: Moffat County grads humbly accept high-achieving honors
After four years of hard work, members of Moffat County High School's Class of 2019 are striving to keep going for greatness in the world, and the Bulldogs who took top honors during graduation aren't just sitting on their laurels.


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Demme Doufekias is a partner in Morrison & Foerster's Washington, D.C. office. She is co-chair of the firm's Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White-Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group and a member of the False Claims Act Investigations + Defense Practice Group. Ms. Doufekias regularly represents corporations and individuals in complex criminal and civil investigations, from the initial steps of internal inquiries, through the simultaneous defense of criminal investigations, administrative proceedings, and civil litigation. She counsels clients on compliance matters; conducts internal investigations; and assists with due diligence for acquisitions, joint ventures, and other transactions. Ms. Doufekias has also successfully represented clients in federal and state trials.
Ms. Doufekias has significant experience defending pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies and their officers, directors and other executives in federal health care and false claims act investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration. Her clients have faced investigations in numerous areas, including "off-label" promotion of drugs and devices and other marketing practices, compliance with the federal Anti-Kickback statute and other disclosure laws and good manufacturing practices. She has experience representing clients in prosecutions using the "responsible corporate officer" doctrine, which allows the prosecution of executives for failing to prevent violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. She also advises clients on compliance matters related to the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, as well as other aspects of their relationships with physicians and surrogates.
In addition to her health care practice, Ms. Doufekias advises clients on other criminal and enforcement matters, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. She has represented clients in cross-border investigations and assisted clients in creating global anti-corruption compliance programs and with anti-corruption due diligence matters.
Prior to attending law school, Ms. Doufekias worked in the White House Counsel's Office during the Clinton administration, where she worked on various investigations by the Office of Independent Counsel, including Whitewater, campaign finance, presidential impeachment and the activities of various Cabinet members. She is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Representative Matters
Ms. Doufekias was most recently named to Global Investigations Review's "Women in Investigations" 2018 survey which recognizes the top 100 leading female investigations specialists from around the world.
Unsolicited e-mails and information sent to Morrison & Foerster will not be considered confidential, may be disclosed to others pursuant to our Privacy Policy, may not receive a response, and do not create an attorney-client relationship with Morrison & Foerster. If you are not already a client of Morrison & Foerster, do not include any confidential information in this message. Also, please note that our attorneys do not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so.
©1996-2019 Morrison & Foerster LLP. All rights reserved.


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- Author: Therese Kapaun
Dr. Mikeal Roose (Dept. of Botany and Plant Sciences, UC Riverside) attends the first harvest of a new rootstock trial located south of LREC in a private orchard. The research trial consists of 300 trees of Tango mandarin on many different rootstocks. The fruit was picked into the small totes shown here, which prevents delicate mandarin varieties from being crushed, as compared to oranges which are normally picked into 24-carton fruit bins weighing 900 lbs. After harvest, the trees were measured for size and an overall tree health rating was given. Additional data generated from the LREC packline includes individual fruit size, weight, °Brix, color, and texture. These measurements help the researcher gauge the performance of specific rootstocks for Tango mandarin.


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Springfield history in old newspaper photos
It's like a long forgotten, 80-year-old scrapbook of our city. It shows a bustling downtown crowded with men wearing fedoras and women in fur coats, a family brewery preparing for the onslaught of business after Prohibition, a swimming hole packed on a busy summer day, and many more scenes of daily life in Springfield between 1929 and 1935.
It's not a literal scrapbook, but an exhibition of black and white photos developed from glass plates taken by Illinois State Journal photographers and neglected for decades.
Rich Saal, photographer for the State Journal-Register (which was formed when the city's two newspapers, the Journal and the Register, combined), organized the exhibition. In 2004, while preparing a different exhibition to celebrate the paper's 175th anniversary, Saal started reviewing its old photos.
"I was blown away at how good and how descriptive they were. I felt like I was there looking at life in the 1930s," he says. After studying those photos, "I wanted to study the period and know more about it, and get a better idea of what these pictures meant." So, he went to the University of Illinois Springfield and got his master's degree in history.
A student project led him to the Sangamon Valley Collection at Lincoln Library, a clearinghouse for materials and information about local history, where he researched about 1,300 images from the former Illinois State Journal. Somehow, no one's sure exactly how, the glass plate images were discovered decades after their creation and returned to the paper, which donated them to the library in 1989.
Saal scanned every image and improved it with modern technology. To learn the story behind the images, he read every issue of the paper on microfilm from 1929 through 1935.
Then he chose 35 images for the exhibition, now on display at Lincoln Library. "I went for the images that were the most interesting to me and ones that had an interesting historical context," he says.
Upon first look, one of the photos "isn't that remarkable," Saal says. "It's a group of people lined up in front of a door at the State Arsenal (where the Illinois State Armory is now)."
The photo is dated August 5, 1932 – the Depression. "I discovered they were WWI vets who'd been promised their service bonus, payable in 1945 or so, and when the Depression hit, many of these men became unemployed and wanted their payment earlier. So thousands of them marched to Washington and wanted to meet with President Hoover. Hoover not only refused to meet with them, but he had his military forces throw them out of Washington," Saal says.
The photo shows about 90 vets upon their return to Springfield. "They look dispirited, like they had been through a lot. They found a place to camp north of the city and vowed to stay together until they could return to Washington."
Other photos show places and activities long gone – "aerial golf," gas stations designed to blend in with their neighborhood's architecture, the Orpheum Theater, Palmer School, a boxing match at the Elk's Club.
These images represent a time when photojournalism was largely an unknown concept. The photographers were former reporters who trained themselves and used bulky, misnamed "Speed Graphic" cameras. "It was difficult to make spontaneous pictures because the camera was clumsy and slow," Saal says. The photographers loaded their camera with about 24 glass plates for the entire day. "Once on the scene, pictures had to be deliberately composed and focused and exposures were made carefully, with little extra film on hand to accommodate missed opportunities," wrote Saal in the exhibition's catalog.
As a result, the photos are "straightforward." And they reflect only part of old Springfield – African-Americans are mostly faces in the crowds.
The exhibition will be on display at Lincoln Library through Aug. 3. Afterward, the images will be given to the Farrell and Ann Gay Museum of Springfield History at the Elijah Iles House at Seventh and Cook streets.
The display is free and open during the library's business hours. It was supported by Patrick Coburn, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation of Chicago, the Sangamon County Historical Society and the Illinois Press Foundation.
If you can't get to the library to see it, view the images online at www.springfieldphotographs.com and leave a comment if you see something you recognize. "I'd love to hear from people on the website who may have a memory or revelation about the people and sights in the images," Saal says.
Contact Tara McAndrew at email@example.com.


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It's become a mainstream business activity: According to a recent Accenture survey of nearly 600 businesses in seven countries*, 8 out of 10 companies collect personal data directly from individuals (for example, through online accounts). Nearly half of the companies polled use a commercial or data-sharing agreement with another party, while a third collect information through connected devices.
And why not? Through the strategic use of this information, companies in all industries can deliver better customer experiences, develop more innovative products and services, and find new markets.
But routine though the practice has become, consumer concerns about how that data is being used are becoming equally prevalent. On top of their mounting data security and privacy concerns, consumers are also starting to feel that they are not getting their fair share of benefits from the use of their data.
A survey by telecommunications company Orange reported that two-thirds of European consumers believe organizations benefit more than they do from the personal data they share. Only 6 percent see themselves as the main beneficiary. Some individual activists have taken the matter into their own hands. For example, a Dutch student, Shawn Buckles, auctioned his personal data—including medical records, browsing history and consumer preferences—to the highest bidder, earning himself €350. Federico Zannier, an Italian student at New York University, tracked and mined his own data to launch a project on Kickstarter that raised $2,700.
* The countries in the survey: The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, India, France and China.
As consumers increasingly look for ways to monetize their data, a new market is forming. Datacoup is a New York-based startup that offers $8 a month in return for access to a combination of their customers' social media accounts. TwoSense, another New York startup, aims to give individuals greater control over their personal information in order to create a fairer marketplace for it. The company estimates that the average user could earn up to $100 a month by allowing TwoSense to track his or her personal smartphone data and sell it to marketers. And Handshake, a website and app started in the United Kingdom, claims that a tech-savvy person willing to exchange data and use the platform frequently to fill pulse surveys can earn as much as £5,000 a year.
Businesses are taking notice. Across the seven countries we surveyed, 77 percent of consumer-products companies believe their customers have become more aware of the monetary value of their data. What's more, 6 out of 10 believe their customers are already taking measures to monetize that data.
However, this recognition does not necessarily translate into action. Although 72 percent of business executives across all industries agree that rewarding customers for sharing their data is an important strategy, only half report that their organizations are acting to take advantage of this opportunity.
Why such a gap? Three key reasons are apparent.
First, giving customers financial rewards for the use of their data can be an added cost that's not necessarily offset by any benefit. Second, it's difficult for companies to put a price on the personal data they collect. The expected returns to individuals from personal data intermediaries vary wildly, for example. What consumers would expect in return for sharing their personal data is equally unpredictable, often driven by equally variable circumstances. All of which makes it hard for businesses to know just what a fair market price looks like.
And third, businesses are wary of appearing to offer financial incentives as a way of getting their customers to set aside their concerns about data privacy. Just like the wide variation in price expectations, some customers will be more relaxed about such incentives than others.
The strategies we are observing today provide companies with options to deliver increased digital equity to their customers. In doing so, they can build customer loyalty and deliver an improved experience; they can also find new sources of revenue and access more valuable types of personal data.
But developing a long-term, mutually beneficial data-sharing relationship with customers also means ensuring that the foundational building blocks of corporate digital responsibility are in place. These include stewardship (protecting data security as well as addressing privacy concerns), transparency (being open about how data is being used) and empowerment (giving customers control over their data). All are critical characteristics of a digitally responsible business. It will be difficult for any company to find new ways of encouraging data sharing if they are unable to embed these principles first.
Ultimately, consumer attitudes about personal data are inherently individual, and a one-size-fits-all approach will not serve companies well. Rather, they will need to tailor their data-collection strategies to individual views and concerns. In exploring the potential of digital equity, companies will need to tread carefully.
* The countries in the survey: The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, India, France and China.


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California Department of Transportation
Date: August 26, 2011
District: 7 - Los Angeles
Contact: Kelly Markham
Phone: (213) 897-0303
Caltrans' Interstate 5 Facelift Will Deliver Safer, Smoother Ride
LOS ANGELES – Caltrans today began repaving 28 miles (14 miles in each direction) of the Golden State Freeway (I-5) in north Los Angeles County to provide motorists a safer, smoother ride for their daily commute. The $26 million project is partially financed by $14 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act).
"With the help of Recovery Act funds we are repairing highways more rapidly while also creating transportation jobs that strengthen California's economy," said Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. "This project will provide motorists in Los Angeles County with a safer, smoother ride along the Golden State Freeway."
The project will repave I-5 between Lake Hughes Road and Vista Del Lago Road, which has an average daily traffic volume of more than 70,000 vehicles. Traffic data sensors will also be replaced and curb ramps that meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards will be constructed. The work is expected to be completed by the summer of 2012.
"From Metro's perspective, it is great to see the State investing at this level in our infrastructure in Los Angeles," said Metro Executive Director for Highway Programs Doug Failing. "For too many years we've seen the condition of our roads and bridges deteriorate. It is important for our economy that our roads serve well into the decades to come."
California has obligated nearly $2.6 billion in Recovery Act funding to nearly 1,000 highway, local street, and job training transportation projects statewide. For more information on the Recovery Act, please visit: http://www.dot.ca.gov/Recovery
For information about all projects that received allocations please see: http://www.dot.ca.gov/docs/ctcprojectallocationsaugust2011.pdf
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Friday, October 21, 2011 - Paul and Dmitry - Screen Test
Paul and Dmitry - Screen Test
Dmitry Karnik came into casting recently and after the casting he told us that he could be passive. So we slotted him in for a screentest we had scheduled later in the week. Paul Fresh, our recently returned guy, was the model paired with him. In the interview Dmitry stumbled slightly over the question of whether he had any experience with guys, but he was certainly prepared for the Screentest. Paul starts things off by leaning over and kissing Dmitry, rubbing his cock through his shorts as he does so. Dmitry responds to the kiss and Paul continues, kissing and rubbing. Pulling the cock out of the shorts and wanking it. Dmitry's cock is responding and Paul goes down on it, sucking it into his mouth and soon it is rock hard. Paul then undoes his jeans and shucks then down so that he can wank himself while he sucks on Dmitry. Dmitry then reaches round and wanks his new friend as Paul sucks him. Paul has a big thick cock and it is standing proud as Dmitry wanks it. He shucks his jeans down so we see his cock better as he continues to ...
... more about Paul and Dmitry - Screen Test further in this newsletter
Our Coming Soon Set Preview
Fanda Modry is a great looking guy and I was very keen to get him into a duo so we set up this scene for him, with the ever reliable Ivan Cakovsky. The scene starts with the guys on the sofa, kissing and feeling each other. Then they feed each other some grapes and Ivan gets to work kissing and tweaking Fanda's nipple as they carry on with the kissing. Ivan opens Fanda's jeans and takes hold of his cock. Fanda then starts to open Ivan's jeans as well, but he is hard so Ivan goes down and, taking that dick in his mouth, starts to suck. Ivan needs to get more of that hard cock, so he removes Fanda's jeans and goes back down on it. After working that cock very well Ivan is rock hard, so he strips his jeans off and Fanda gets the opportunity to taste cock too. He goes down on it and starts to suck, before Ivan stands to give Fanda the chance to really take it deep in his mouth. Both cocks are rock hard as Fanda sucks and licks Ivan's. Ivan is soon ready for more cock himself and the guys move to 69, with Ivan on top. Both guys go at it, their cocks up and ready for action as the mouths envelope them. Fanda then puts his legs in the air and his ass is presented to Ivan for some rimming. Ivan is a master rimmer and his tongue gets to work, with Fanda able to rim his at the same time. Fanda's ass is ready for more and they change position, with him bending over and Ivan's dick deep in his ass. Ivan fucks that ass, hard and fast, as Fanda wanks himself. Next the guys change positions with Fanda sitting right down on Ivan's throbbing cock. He rides that cock, with his own big dick flapping around as it does so. Then Ivan starts to fuck that ass, his dick slamming in and out of Fanda's eager hole. Ivan is a wonderful top and a change to spoon position show just how good he is, with his dick really pounding into Fanda's ass, working it so well. He is fucking so well that his cock is quickly ready to cum. He pulls out and moves to Fanda's head and drops his load into Fanda's open, eager mouth. Fanda then sucks the cock into his mouth to drain it completely. It is then Fanda's turn to cum and he wanks himself to completion with Ivan then taking a final suck on that spent cock.
You can also watch my Vlog for this Newsletter by clicking the video above or over at the Blog:
Today, Marc, the Dutchman, and I ventured out to the gigantic Chinese market on the outskirts of Prague. I've never seen anything like it. I wanted to make a movie for YouTube using my new video camera. After a few shots, I felt if I lifted it up again, I might very well suffer the same fate as Qadaffi. Surely, they are not worried about the anti-counterfeiting police? I bought a nice fake fur cap which I am going to cannibalize to make a 'dead cat' wind muff for my the microphone of my new camcorder. I can make wind muffs for dozens of camcorders with that much fake fur. I just have to figure a way to keep the fibers from showing in the frame of my picture. Where there's a will there's a way.
We impinged on Pavel Nikos to drive us out there. Marc thought about staying until 15:00 when the shoot started. During that amount of time, we could have explored about 25 percent of the market. Pavel gave us one of his famous 'if looks could kills' stares. And the idea was quickly abandoned.
I did find some, actually many, of the Snoopy Mad Bomber caps. Wish I'd waited until I returned from Berlin to buy them, I could have saved about 75%.
Today, as promised, I'm posting on the Blog my first Backstage video shot with my new camera. I think the quality is great. What do you think? The shoot is also very nice, a Screen Test. I've prepared a 20 minute version that will be posted on the site right after the episode is published.
I really like all of the Casting Couch Candidates today. It's a close call but I'll go with Honza. Take a look at all of them, and I won't hold it against you if you disagree.
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Please remember that most of the videos available on BurnDVD are easily able to be downloaded with a single link, but some of the very large files, such as the newsletter DVDs have to be split into three separate links, as detailed below.
The videos with very large file sizes are now split into more than one part, using a program called HJSplit. If you wish to buy one of these larger videos to Burn to DVD, you will receive a link for file and then it is a simple process to join the downloaded files together to make the .iso file for Burning to DVD.
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The BurnDVD manual is easy to follow, with a step by step guide. Burning a DVD is easy to do, though it is helpful if you have previously burned DVDs or CDs.
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You can view all the available downloads at www.burndvd.tv, by clicking the on the categories. A direct link to the latest files available will be published in each newsletter.
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Today we have a Dmitry Karnik`s Screentest, with Paul Fresh and the final part of out latest Duty Bound:
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Arkadien Winnenden was once a factory, but it's been transformed into a beautiful earth friendly residential village outside of Stuttgart, Germany. The project was completed in the spring of 2012 and it now provides affordable housing in a sustainable community with parks, gardens and water features supplied by rainwater harvesting. Atelier Dreiseitl was responsible for the project and landscaping with help from Jochim Eble Architektur and developed by Strenger Bauen und Wohnen.
Arkadien Winnenden was designed to provide families with affordable, sustainable and healthy housing. The densely developed neighborhood allowed the project to be built more economically, thus providing more housing at a lower cost. The project was built on the site of a former factory, and the land and soil underwent considerable remediation to make it a healthy place to live. Limited street access keeps cars either in the underground parking area or in designated spots to improve the streetscape and to provide more space for gardens and quaint streets and walkways. This encourages walking and riding bikes and provides a safe space for kids to play.
All of the homes are built to be energy-efficient – they feature eco-friendly and non-toxic materials, and the builders prioritized local sources. Flood retention and protection ensures that all of the homes will be protected in the event of heavy rains, which are a problem in the area. Native plants and green roofs create new urban habitats and provide a cleaner environment for people. Rainwater is collected throughout the entire complex and stored in cisterns for water features, toilets, and landscape and garden irrigation. The water-sensitive design of the project pervades throughout to create a healthy and welcoming space.
Via WAN
Images ©Jessica Read, Atelier Dreiseitl GmbH


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Emmanuel Sanders is understandably excited to be joining the most potent offensive attack in the league from last season.
Sanders signed a three-year, $15 million deal with the Denver Broncos in March after spending his first four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sanders had his first productive season last year with the Steelers as he recorded 67 catches for 740 yards and six touchdowns.
Sanders now gets a chance to play with Peyton Manning in Denver and is looking forward to the opportunities the Broncos offense will provide. In an interview with Alex Marvez and Bill Polian on Sirius XM NFL Radio, Sanders feels there isn't a better place to be than working in an offense led by Manning.
"It feels like I just made it into wide receiver heaven," Sanders said.
"The thing that I like about the Broncos is there is really no number one guy," he added. "Peyton always goes with the favorable matchup and that's what I'm really liking about this offense. Any guy could go off for 180 yards or 100 yards with 10 catches any week based off of matchups."
Sanders said last season was the first time he had been used as an outside receiver after many years playing primarily as a slot receiver. With Wes Welker entrenched in the slot for Denver, Sanders will likely continue to be used on the outside for the Broncos. Denver is looking to replace the production lost from the departure of Eric Decker to the New York Jets this offseason. Sanders and second-round pick Cody Lattimer will be called upon to replace the majority of that production for the Broncos this season.


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